The NBA Thread

[MadMan]

Win win for both sides. Cleveland is hungry for a title. They are done waiting. As a Suns fan I know that feeling.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I don't see it. Bosh loaded up on stats with Toronto and actually took them to the playoffs with no help. On a great team, he's #2/#3. I think the same of Love. Stat monster on a average/bad team. Al Jefferson did the same thing in Minnesota (though Love is better).

Top 5 in the NBA? He'll be the 3rd best player in Cleveland, and he's definitely not on the same level as Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. Those guys win games.

He's no top five, but you're discounting the fact that he plays in the West. If MN was in the East they're a playoff team three years running, and probably through a couple rounds as well.

[EyesWideOpen]

I watched about half of the Wolves games this year and Love is a top tier player who is saddled with a coach who has forgotten how to coach, one of the worst benches in the league and a point guard who can't shoot. The only other solid player on the team is their center who missed a huge majority of the season. I mean cmon the first two guys off their bench is Alexy Shved who is abysmal and JJ Barea who thinks he should shoot everytime he gets the ball and is good for about 9 turnovers in his 20 minutes of play. Love averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds, and almost 5 assists a game. He also is a rare big who is 1 or 2 of the best rebounders in the league and also one of the best three point shooters.

I can't take anyone seriously who thinks Kyrie Irving is a better player than Love.

[Ezee E]

James. Durant. Wall. Griffin. Paul.

[MadMan]

Wall at #3? Eh...I'm not sure.

[EyesWideOpen]

Bill Simmons gets it.

John Wall better than Kevin Love? Oh E you're hilarious. I'm willing to accept people might think Griffin or Paul is better even though Love destroys Griffin almost every time they play but Wall?

[Watashi]

James. Durant. Love.

And then the rest.

[Philip J. Fry]

LeBron, Durant, Paul, Love... not sure who is 5. I don't think Griffin is. Maybe Melo in a good day?

[DSNT]

I'd say George was #5 before the injury.

Going forward, I think Anthony Davis will probably be that guy.

[DavidSeven]

To me, it's Lebron, Durant and CP3. Then there's like 9-10 guys who are in a largely indistinguishable tier -- objectively great players who have some knock on their game. I would definitely include Love in that group. But it also includes guys like Paul George (pre-injury), Curry, Harden, Carmelo, Griffin, Westbrook, etc.

[Philip J. Fry]

I'd say George was #5 before the injury.

Going forward, I think Anthony Davis will probably be that guy.

Not sure about George pre-injury, however I do agree with the unibrow assessment.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, Davis could be there actually.

I'm not sure how you can put Paul above Wall. They're practically the same exact player, except Wall doesn't have a Blake Griffin next to him.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Yeah, Davis could be there actually.

I'm not sure how you can put Paul above Wall. They're practically the same exact player, except Wall doesn't have a Blake Griffin next to him.

You have lost your mind. Paul is most certainly superior to Wall. Wall is becoming a superstar, sure, but Paul is the best point guard in the league, even without Griffin.

[Ezee E]

I definitely have not watched enough Chris Paul. For some reason, I'm just a contrarian on him.

[Philip J. Fry]

Yeah, Davis could be there actually.

I'm not sure how you can put Paul above Wall. They're practically the same exact player, except Wall doesn't have a Blake Griffin next to him.

Paul used to be pretty good without Griffin as well.

Being honest, if anything, I think Paul is more responsible, way more responsible of making Griffin look great than the other way around.

[DSNT]

Wall has improved and become one of the top point guards. It is now close, but I still choose Paul thanks to his experience and game knowledge. It's not just Griffin that he has made better, but practically everyone he has played with.

Just like with Davis, it'll probably be Wall going forward as Paul declines, but that hasn't happened yet.

[EyesWideOpen]

Paul used to be pretty good without Griffin as well.

Being honest, if anything, I think Paul is more responsible, way more responsible of making Griffin look great than the other way around.

Griffin is on a superteam which makes him look way better than he is. He is a great dunker but that's it. He gets out played anytime he goes against an elite power forward. You put him on a team like the 76ers and he'd be getting about much praise as Thaddeus Young is on that team.

[EyesWideOpen]

Who I consider to be the ten best:

1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Kevin Love
4. Chris Paul
5. Joakim Noah
6. Anthony Davis
7. Rajon Rondo
8. James Harden
9. Steph Curry
10. Carmelo Anthony

I'm leaving off Kobe and DRose because they are unknown quantities at this point. So I expect Kobe & DRose to be on this list this season. Even before the injury George wasn't a top ten player.

[Philip J. Fry]

Griffin is on a superteam which makes him look way better than he is. He is a great dunker but that's it. He gets out played anytime he goes against an elite power forward. You put him on a team like the 76ers and he'd be getting about much praise as Thaddeus Young is on that team.

I know, I'm a Grizzlies fan. They always make him and DeAndre Jordan look like scrubs.

[Ezee E]

Griffin is on a superteam which makes him look way better than he is. He is a great dunker but that's it. He gets out played anytime he goes against an elite power forward. You put him on a team like the 76ers and he'd be getting about much praise as Thaddeus Young is on that team.

That's definitely how he was as a rookie. He's improved a ton over the past few years.

[Philip J. Fry]

That's definitely how he was as a rookie. He's improved a ton over the past few years.

While he does have now a mid-range game and remains a fantastic rebounder, he still has a very limited post game, is an eh passer, a terrible defender, poor rim protector and gets shy against bigs that play him physical. He's pretty good, but not the super amazing player that people make him out to be.

[DSNT]

I won't argue Griffin being great, but he is better and I credit him for working on his game. He can even shoot FTs now. But I wouldn't put him as a top 20 player, maybe not even top 30.

I like(d) George because I saw a lot of Pacers games last year and he was always a valuable, all-around player and better than his numbers show. Doesn't mean much now. Just hope the kid can play next year.

[EyesWideOpen]

Don't get me wrong even though I can't stand him Blake Griffin is a very good basketball player. But yeah top 20-30 maybe.

[EyesWideOpen]

So the Love trade is official. Three team deal where the Wolves get Wiggins & Bennett from the Cavs and Thaddeus Young from the 76ers. The 76ers get a 2015 first-round draft choice, Alexey Shved and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from the Wolves. The Wolves actually end up with some good pieces out of all this chaos. I'm so happy for Love that he's finally going to be on a decent team although it's going to be weird rooting for a team with Lebron on it.

[bac0n]

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