NBA

[Kapitan]

Jul 1, 2024 10:49:05 GMT Sheriff John Stone said:

Well, hey, all it cost was money...$212,000,000 

Speaking of money, now it seems they've extended Tyrese Maxey on a 5-year, $204 million deal. The way salaries have been escalating the past few years, that honestly is likely to seem like a bargain in 3-4 years...

[Sheriff John Stone]

Jul 1, 2024 13:17:41 GMT Kapitan said:

Jul 1, 2024 10:49:05 GMT Sheriff John Stone said:

Well, hey, all it cost was money...$212,000,000 

Speaking of money, now it seems they've extended Tyrese Maxey on a 5-year, $204 million deal. The way salaries have been escalating the past few years, that honestly is likely to seem like a bargain in 3-4 years...

And, the Sixers signed Andre Drummond...again - this time for 2 years and $10M. Eh, what's another $10M for a backup center, but in this case it's an important one.

[Kapitan]

Jul 1, 2024 18:06:20 GMT Sheriff John Stone said:

Jul 1, 2024 13:17:41 GMT Kapitan said:

Speaking of money, now it seems they've extended Tyrese Maxey on a 5-year, $204 million deal. The way salaries have been escalating the past few years, that honestly is likely to seem like a bargain in 3-4 years...

And, the Sixers signed Andre Drummond...again - this time for 2 years and $10M. Eh, what's another $10M for a backup center, but in this case it's an important one.

I saw they also re-signed Kelly Oubre. 

The Drummond signing was OK for me. They do need depth considering Embiid's injury history, and while I like the rookie Bona, he's a rookie... Considering you can usually count on Embiid missing at least double-digit games (and sometimes dozens of games), you want a proven guy who can step in. And that's actually a bargain price these days for anybody who's actually going to play. Heck, we paid backup forward Kyle Anderson $9m a year the past two years.

[Sheriff John Stone]

And, one more for the 76ers. For now. Eric Gordon is supposed to sign a minimum contract with Tobias Harris returning to Detroit.

[B.E.]

How about Jalen Brunson signing his extension now and by doing so forgoes $37M over three years? There are great things happening in NY!

[Kapitan]

Jul 13, 2024 14:29:40 GMT B.E. said:

How about Jalen Brunson signing his extension now and by doing so forgoes $37M over three years? There are great things happening in NY!

I was really impressed with that move. It might not be wise financially for him (though he also might make up for it later), but when people say they'd do anything to help win ... well, this is what that looks like. And let's be serious, virtually any full NBA player who isn't a complete idiot is financially set for life--and obviously that goes more so for anyone who ends up signing one starter-level, to say nothing of star-level, contract.

Brunson has made more than $60 million in salary already. So yes, he COULD make way, way more. I get it. But he's going to be just fine (as will his kids and their kids, barring mismanagement) even with his discounted contract.

The current CBA, with the hugely punitive tax aprons, is going to dramatically change how teams build and sustain rosters. This move by Brunson is fantastic, and should help the Knicks navigate those challenges.

[Kapitan]

A friend shared this with me today, a rant about the modern NBA (and its gazillion too-online, know-it-all, analytics-obsessed journalists) from ... a Marxist political commentator. But while the source surprised me, don't worry, there's nothing political. Just a profanity-laced tirade about the league, especially the modern cookie-cutter 3-point obsessed offensive strategy.

freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/fuck-the-modern-nba

I agreed with a lot, but also think Mr. DeBoer is fitting right in with some of those commentators he's tearing apart by trying to out-hipster them (e.g., "I wrote about this a long time ago," or "they're just trying to be contrarian" as he's being contrarian...).

[Sheriff John Stone]

Jul 23, 2024 14:28:23 GMT Kapitan said:

A friend shared this with me today, a rant about the modern NBA (and its gazillion too-online, know-it-all, analytics-obsessed journalists) from ... a Marxist political commentator. But while the source surprised me, don't worry, there's nothing political. Just a profanity-laced tirade about the league, especially the modern cookie-cutter 3-point obsessed offensive strategy.

freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/fuck-the-modern-nba

I agreed with a lot, but also think Mr. DeBoer is fitting right in with some of those commentators he's tearing apart by trying to out-hipster them (e.g., "I wrote about this a long time ago," or "they're just trying to be contrarian" as he's being contrarian...).

I agree with almost all of the article. For the last few years, I've been trying to...identify...exactly why I don't enjoy the NBA like I used to. This author did it for me.

[Sheriff John Stone]

3-year extension...

[Kapitan]

As you know, I LOVE FIBA basketball, so I'm excited the Olympics have begun. As I was watching France v Brazil, with 15 current or former NBA players between their two rosters, I was thinking about how much things have changed in terms of quality of international play.

Usually people date the 1992 "Dream Team" Olympics as a big moment in inspiring the world, and especially Spain. So I compared the number of current or former NBA players in the 2024 Olympic rosters to the number of eventual NBA players in the 1992 Olympics rosters, excluding the USA both times.

In 1992, there were 18 players on non-USA rosters who either did, or went on to play in the NBA. Croatia had a then-astounding five (Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, Zan Tabak, and Stojko Vrankovic). Australia was close, with four (Shane Heal, Andrew Gaze, Mark Bradtke, Luc Longley). Germany, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, and the United Team (ex-USSR) had two apiece; Venezuela had one.

In 2024, there are 67 current or former NBA players on non-USA rosters, and there are AT LEAST 35 other current or former, but still active, NBA players from those 11 countries. (There were zero in this latter category in 1992.) Canada leads with 11, and has at least 12 more who aren't on the team. France and Australia have 9 apiece, and both have half a dozen or so others they could have used. Spain has seven. Brazil and Serbia each have 6. Germany, 5. Greece, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico each have 4. Japan has the fewest, and they have 2!

[Kapitan]

The USA faces Serbia in a few minutes in the Olympic semifinals, with the winner playing home-team France for the gold. Obviously the US is a heavy favorite, but the Serbs have plenty of talent and experience as well, not to mention arguably the greatest basketball player currently alive, Nikola Jokic.

I'm admittedly splitting my attention between work and this game for the next couple hours! (I was logged in well before 7, so it's not as if I'm slacking TOO badly. At least that's what I'm telling myself to justify it.)

If we do end up facing France in the gold medal game, I feel very good about our chances. Despite a talented frontcourt, I don't think their guards have a shot against ours.

[Kapitan]

What a start to this game! Steph Curry checks out with 1:42 left in the first quarter (which are 10 minute quarters, mind you). He has 17 pts. And Serbia leads, 23-28! Shooting exhibition on both sides. 

[Kapitan]

OK, that was a PHENOMENAL basketball game. If it's replayed, and you like basketball, WATCH IT! What fun. I would have been fine with either team winning, but it's great to see Team USA back in the gold medal game. And against the home team? Should be fun. But probably won't be anywhere near as good a game as this one was.

The game for bronze, Serbia v Germany, should be fun, too.

[B.E.]

I was checking the score throughout and was really starting to get worried near the end of the 3rd quarter!

[Kapitan]

Interesting signing by Sheriff John Stone's 76ers reported today: a one-year, $2.1 million deal for French power forward Guerschon Yabusele.

Yabusele was a first-round draft choice for Boston in 2016, almost cracking the lottery at #16 overall. He was advertised then as a kind of poor man's Draymond Green (minus punching teammates and stepping on chests and such). Maybe a little small, but a versatile player, a good defender, a nice passer. In two seasons with Boston, though, he didn't really pan out. After two poor seasons (2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg in about 6 mpg spread across 74 total games), he was allowed to walk.

Yabusele has spent the past five years or so becoming a high-level contributor for some of the better European franchises (ASVEL in France and Real Madrid in Spain), as well as getting a payday in China and helping the French National Team.

It's the latter that no doubt brought him back onto NBA radars. Yabusele was good in the Olympics this summer, averaging 14 ppg on 51.9% FG. Particularly important were his final three games (the talented Canada, Germany, and USA games) in which he shot 16-24 3pt and scored 19.7 ppg. 

But Yabusele was a poor 3-pt shooter in the NBA in his two years in America, just 32.3%. He has been much better in his international play--40.7% 3pt--but that's at the closer international line. He is also a poor rebounder, with his per-36 average in the NBA at 7.8 rpg and an even worse 7.4 per-36 in the totality of his international play. 

At that price--NBA minimum for a player of his experience--it's a good gamble, I'd say. Yabusele is a mature 28-year-old, he's a strong body, and he's an unselfish, somewhat versatile big man. I'd keep an eye on that 3-point percentage. That's what's going to make a big difference to whether he contributes.