}~~~> Official 2024/2025 NBA Thread<~~~{ (Load management)
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Shit, so do I.
But nobody in their right mind would give that to either one of us.
You said cash cow then want to say he's a low pick.
Also, bronny didn't need to enter the NBA because he's set for life regardless.
The lakers could've traded that pick with some players if they were really serious about winning but they weren't which is why they drafted bronny as low as they did.
Lakers always been a Hollywood drama team.
Of course bronny would get all this attention because of who his father is.
Sources: Butler indicates to Heat he wants trade
Jimmy Butler has indicated to the Heat he wants the team to trade him, sources told ESPN. The six-time All-Star is open to playing anywhere other than Miami and believes he can make any team a contender -- no matter where he is moved.
Shit is so fuckin stupid. Bench his ass if he doesn't go in the post. This is on Nurse at this point. These coaches are afraid to demand excellence from these players.Embiid has Green and Davis (both 6'9) and he starts every play from the 3pt line....
He literally backing Wiggins down from the High Post...
I'm glad Spoelstra is not putting up with Butler's bullshit in Miami. 
Yes both things can be true. And in this case they are.
Trade the 54th pick for who? When has a team traded the near last pick in the draft for pieces that would contribute to a title? Why dont you question why the team hasnt done shit to improve the team the last 3 seasons? Why all the focus on an otherwise useless 54th pick?
The biggest issue with the Bronny pick is idiots like YOU who hyper focus on it while ignoring the utter incompetence of the front office and team execs over the last decade plus. Again, name the 15th man on your roster Bitch Nigga!!!
He's complaining too much for me
and they're going to keep doubling you because you keep crying about it
Julius was a poor fit and they need more spacing
Lakers drafted Jalen Hood Schifino in 2023 at #17 overall because he's light skinned and said Kobe was his GOAT. He doesn't sell jerseys and hasn't played. Bronny is a steal compared to him.
Looks like Heat fans bout to run the old man out of town for Jimmy. They finally realizing they been had all these years.
Only white racist fans like @therealjondoe thinking being tough with rich niggas trumps winning championships.
Riles will retire soon, and there won't be a such thing as a Heat fan anymore. They simply never recovered from their greatest player leaving the franchise in 2014 @Amajorfucup.
And none of these concerned pundits, analysts, or BGOL idiots question that failed HIGH pick or any other awful Pelinka transaction yet they are outraged and disturbed over the 54th pick from 6 months ago.
I wonder what Jimmy expects, you want a winner and money?
You aren't going to get both at your age. He needs to pick one.
He's what....35....36
Who is giving him 40? Who can give him 40? Brooklyn? These teams don't have money with the CBA.
and his age means he's going to get what, a two and a possible?
You aren't going to get both at your age. He needs to pick one.
He's what....35....36
Who is giving him 40? Who can give him 40? Brooklyn? These teams don't have money with the CBA.
and his age means he's going to get what, a two and a possible?
They starting to wake up.... slowly.. but they starting.
Hes gotten neither. Look at the team Riley built with him there.. He brought in Kyle Lowery for christ sake.. then Terry Rozier.. Then they convince Jimmy he was better than LeBron, promised him his bread, then refused to pay him. So to your point, hes gotten neither.
Riley built 2 teams with jimmy that went to the finals.
They gave jimmy the max with no hesitation.
Jimmy wanted Lowry they brought him in and paid him.
He was promised his bread if he could show up in the regular season which he hasn't done. He's already missed 1/3 of the season
Heat going thru all this turmoil and not a word from our fake alt Celtics fan that claimed the Heat and C's was a "real rivalry" 
He's probably popping bottles now that jimmy is no longer a threatHeat going thru all this turmoil and not a word from our fake alt Celtics fan that claimed the Heat and C's was a "real rivalry"
Ten Takeaways From 1/2/25
ONE) Jimmy’s Not Happy
“Jimmy’s getting upset”. Sorry, that was some low-hanging fruit. By the way, gonna take me a bit to get used to typing up the year “25”. So about Jimmy Butler…
It’s now been two games of this. Two games of him looking like he doesn’t give a shit, averaging 9.0 points on 5.5 shot attempts. Was benched in both 4th quarters and I had my suspicions why but he all but confirmed it in his postgame presser…
"I did my job -- or at least what my job is now. I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be."
Question - Can you get your joy back here on the court?
"Probably not."
I don’t know about you but I’m dying for a Pat Riley response tweet. That’s about as close as you can get to demanding a trade without demanding a trade. Riley’s been talking from a position of power and rightfully so but this isn’t going away anytime soon. Jimmy’s going to make sure of that because that’s just the kind of person he is. Guess it’s time to get the popcorn ready and watch how this whole thing unfolds. Aaaaand Shams just added a bit more to the story as I’m writing: "Butler does not plan to furnish the Heat with a list of favored destinations, sources told ESPN. He is open to playing anywhere other than Miami and feels he can make any team a contender.”
He’s asked to be traded. Oh boy.
"That's an easy storyline. But we were getting our ass kicked defensively." - Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler
TWO) Aggressive Hali
Don’t know what it is about Miami that gets Tyrese Haliburton going but he needs to play like this all the time. Looking at his last 4 games at the Kaseya Center, he’s had games of 43, 44, and now 33 points. His 28.6 USG% is his fourth highest of the season and apparently, it’s not a coincidence. Hali said that on the flight to Miami, he had a beneficial conversation with Rick Carlisle about finding the right balance between being aggressive and getting teammates involved. Well, he also dished out 15 assists with 0 turnovers. I’ve talked often about how frustrating it is watching him be so passive this season so yeah, this excites me. I’m dying for the version we saw early last year.
A couple of players I wanted to highlight before moving on: My guy Jarace Walker (12 points, 13 minutes) struggled earlier in the season but he’s starting to come on, scoring in double figures in five straight games. The Heat need to find a way to play Kel’el Ware (25 points, 21 minutes94.7 TS%) more. He scored 18 points in the 4th, making 3-of-4 threes, and helped the Heat get to within 12 after being down 27. I’ve been waiting for some overlap with Bam all season. It’s time.
"He was great. For him to develop the feel for when to be the aggressive scorer and when to facilitate and get everybody else going, that's going to be the balance." - Rick Carlisle on Haliburton
The Pacers beat the Heat 128-115.
THREE) +17
Neemias Queta (8 points, 5 rebounds) deserves his flowers. On a night without Jaylen Brown (shoulder) and Kristaps Porzingis (ankle), Queta had a huge impact in 22 minutes. The ball pressure and energy was contagious and Mazzulla rode it. He didn’t sit him until there was less than two minutes left. Playing his first game in over a month with real, meaningful minutes, he was a +17 in a 3-point win. Even had a dunk on Gobert. The easy thing to do is talk about Jayson Tatum’s third quarter, where he scored 16 of his 33 points but we can do that a handful of times. You don’t get many chances to shine the light on guys like Queta so I try to when I can. Wanted to bring up Sam Hauser (15 points, 5-11 3PT) as well, since he started for Jaylen Brown. There was a stretch around Christmas when he went three straight games without making a three. Since then, he’s gone 12-of-24. The Celtics had just 3 turnovers.
“I give Neemi a lot of credit, he played a hell of a game tonight. I say it all the time, it’s a tough position that he is in — never know when he’s gonna play.” - Jayson Tatum on Neemias Queta.
FOUR) Ant’s Struggles
Anthony Edwards (15 points, 5-16 FG, 2-9 3PT) has had himself a rough month, and not only because of the fines. Since December 1, he’s averaging “just” 20.1 PPG on 52.9 TS% (42.0 FG%). He attempted one shot in the third quarter because of the traps sent his way, which forced him to become a facilitator. Wanna know how he felt about that?
"It's not how I want to play, of course. I'm only 23, I don't wanna just be passing the ball all night... But the way they're guarding me, I think I have to."
Question - How hard is it to stay engaged when they do that?
"Super hard, super hard, super hard, super hard. Because I'm wired to score the ball."
I thought he made big strides last season with his playmaking so it’s a shame to see him act this way. Yeah, you can feel like you’re wired to score but if you’re constantly making the right play and opening things up for the rest of your team, the scoring becomes easier. Jaden McDaniels for instance had a game that he’s been needing with 19 points on 71.3 TS% (4-8 3PT). The Celtics left him open and he made them pay. Gained some confidence in the process. That’s why Ant should be focusing on.
The Celtics beat the Wolves 118-115.
FIVE) How Good Is Jordi?
The Nets are one of the best stories of the season and not because they have an amazing record or anything. It’s because they keep trying to lose and Jordi Fernandez won’t let them. They need to lock him up for another 10 years before he costs too much. They’re trading guys away as fast as they can and it still doesn’t matter. I think of that scene on Moneyball where Billy Beane trades Carlos Pena away forcing Art Howe to play Scott Hatteberg at first base. The Nets were lined at 19.5 wins before the season began. They’re already at 13.
"He made it very clear 'I'm going to try and win every game.' I said great, go for it. The goal isn't to not compete. The goal is to go out there, develop a culture of competing, playing hard & playing the right way. And that's what he's done." - Sean Marks on Jordi Fernandez:
D’Angelo Russell (11 points 12 assists, 41.7 TS%) received his first start with Ben Simmons resting on a B2B. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well but he put his teammates in position to succeed. Nicolas Claxton (16 points, 11 rebounds) in particular looks so much better playing next to him. Cam Thomas scored 24 points in 21 minutes. His minutes are limited but man, he’s making them count. The usage rate got up to 47.2%. Cam Johnson twisted his ankle at the very end of this game and reportedly left the arena on crutches. It’s the same ankle he sprained against GS on 11/25. They should probably find a way to keep him shelved until the deadline. Oh yeah, D’Angelo cramped up late and had to literally be carried to the locker room.
SIX) Too Little, Too Late
The Bucks just had their best comeback of the season a few days ago against the Pacers coming back from 19 down to win. They almost topped that against the Nets, coming back from 21 down in the 4th. They closed on a 20-2 run and got to within one but Giannis missed a dunk and a layup in the final minute and a half of the game that could have made all the difference. The comeback started when Doc decided to go small, going with a lineup of Lillard/Connaughton/Beauchamp/Portis/Antekounmpo. It wasn’t the result that they wanted but the lineup performed so well, so maybe Doc tries some more small ball stuff down the line.
Khris Middleton’s (12 points, -18) minutes came back down to 24 after Doc admitted they played him too much on Tuesday. He had his first dunk of the season. It wasn’t pretty but the hands touched the rim. Both teams had 14 turnovers but check this:
Points Off Turnovers
Brooklyn - 27
Milwaukee - 8
There’s your game.
"Tonight, I just thought their defensive intensity, their ball pressure - I mean, we literally didn't run much offense tonight. We went a lot of ISO. The ball didn't move the way we typically move it. Then, in the fourth quarter, we finally started doing that." - Doc Rivers
The Nets beat the Bucks 113-110.
SEVEN) Not Norm-al
James Harden (groin) has missed two games this season, both against elite defenses. The first was against the Rockets, and now against the Thunder.
Norm Powell in those games:
Vs Houston: 17 points, 40.3 TS%, -5
Vs Oklahoma City: 6 points, 22.7 TS%, -26
Think you get my point. It’s obvious that having Harden out there helps take the pressure off guys like Norm. Maybe if you’re going up against a poor to average defense, you could get away with him not being there but not against teams like OKC and HOU. He struggled hard trying to create space and hold onto the ball. He had as many turnovers as he had points (6). Pretty hilarious when you consider the first batch of All-Star votes came out today, with him being top ten among Western Conference guards. The Clippers actually hung around and led for most of the first half but you could tell with how the half ended that it wouldn’t last. The Thunder defense locked in the last couple of minutes and it carried over into the third. OKC went on to win the second half 68-46. Amir Coffey started in place of Harden and scored 26 points on 92.9 TS%. Now we wait until Saturday to see if the report about Kawhi coming back against Atlanta is true
Clippers tried to do what Boston did to Ant and force Shai (29 points, 8 assists, 31.3 USG%) into becoming a facilitator. It worked for a little bit before he went off for 15 in the third. Isaiah Hartenstein’s (11 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) passing was on full display. Back cut after back cut after back cut… The Thunder are 17-1 when Hartenstein plays
They’ve also won 13 straight, a new franchise record for most consecutive wins.
"Anything like that, you stack up to it. It's possession after possession, day after day, and then sometimes you look up and you've won a certain amount of games in a row." - Mark Daigneault on the Thunder's 13-game win streak
The Thunder beat the Clippers 116-98.
EIGHT) 8-8
It’s only fitting that the eighth takeaway goes 8-of-8.
Sprained thumb and all, Steph Curry scores 30 points, MAKING ALL EIGHT OF HIS 3-POINT ATTEMPTS—the second most 3-point attempts without a miss EVER. Three players have gone 9-of-9: Jalen Brunson, Ben Gordon (2X) and Latrell Sprewell. Steph did something those guys didn’t do though: He also had 10 assists. I think they wanted him to try for the record since he was still playing in the fourth, up 30+. Just when you think you’ve seen it all with him, he goes off and does something he’s never done.
Joel Embiid (28 points, 14 rebounds) started slow but went off for 15 points in the third on 50.0 USG%. He had more free throw attempts in one quarter (9) than the Warriors starters had all game (8). Every other 76er looked like they were on the second night of a back-to-back. Kyle Lowry (2 points, 10 minutes, 13.0 USG%) started for Kelly Oubre Jr. again for some reason. I’m not sure what Nick Nurse is trying to prove.
“We need to cherish these nights. He’s not going to be around forever. He’s one of the most beautiful basketball players who’s ever lived and we’re lucky to be watching him.” - Steve Kerr on Steph’s night
The Warriors beat the 76ers 139-105.
NINE) Max Night
LeBron James (38 points, 8 assists) did some more stuff old men aren’t supposed to do. He went 7-of-10 from three, which is the new record for most threes made in a game by someone at least 40 years old. I guess now that he’s officially 40, we’re gonna have some new crazy stat for him almost every game moving forward. He also joined MJ as the only players to score more than 30 after turning 40. Max Christie scored a career-high 28 points on 76.9 TS%. This coming a game after scoring just 5 points on 41.7 TS% against the Cavs. He’s really earned himself a role after a rough couple of months.
Max in October/November: 5.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 57.6 TS%, 17.1 MPG
Max since December 1: 11.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 62.7 TS%, 29.0 MPG
Point Austin Reaves (15 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 23.2 USG%) has been a revelation. Is he like a triple-double threat every night now? Anthony Davis was out with a sore ankle and Redick said they’re trying to be smart with him since they have a ton of games coming up this month. Jaxson Hayes (17 minutes) got the start in his first game back since 11/26.
"As much as LeBron has been awesome, Austin has been like an engine for us.” JJ Redick on Austin Reaves
The Lakers beat the Blazers 114-106.
TEN) Ivey News
So Jaden Ivey sustained a broken fibula in his left leg. We knew it would be bad when it happened but I have to say, this isn’t the death sentence I thought it would be. I had written last night that it was unlikely we’d get good news but this is kinda good (???). I mean, yeah this sucks ass and it sounds hella painful but if there was a bone to break, that’s gotta be the one you’d want to break. We haven’t received an official timeline yet but according to some of the stuff I’ve read, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding the injury. He’ll miss at least most of the remainder of the season, but they haven’t ruled out a return so I’m trying to look at the bright side here. Would love to see the Pistons make a push for the play-in to give him something to look forward to.
Aight, until next time.
Yo why Minnesota trade him? Did he secretly request a trade? Makes no sense. It’s not like he was a bum.
Fuck the league. This is their fault. Spent all this time promoting LeBron James/Steph Curry and not marketing other talented players/teams and now nobody wants to watch. Casual NBA fans are shitty anyway so good luck with ratings.
That nigga on the wrong side of 35 (or almost on the wrong side) and has a patten of doing fuck shit to get out of places he doesn't want to be.
I would not trade him nor wouldi trade for him... under any circumstances.
Jimmy tried.