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alchemist

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Kyrie Irving is one of the most skilled players I have ever watched - as great a handle as I have watched, driving, finishing at the rim with either hand, great shooter, elevates in big games etc.

but he has had plenty of injury problems, does not elevate his teams (eg. Boston went to the Eastern Conference Finals without him and Hayward, his Cavaliers were in the draft lottery before LeBron returned in 2014), and he is such a divisive character (eg. demanding a trade from Cleveland, falling out with the Celtics and Boston as a whole, bad mouthing LeBron as not being clutch, throwing his Nets teammates under the bus, criticising continuing the 2020 NBA season in the bubble during the BLM protests, undermining Steve Nash's head coaching role etc.)

I am against mandates when it comes to an individual's health but Irving has not, to my knowledge, explained his position... he has simply asked for privacy... and considering the money invested in him and the reliance his teammates have on him, if he is to take such a political stance, then own it

for the record, the sort of money Irving earns not only sets him up for life but it sets his family up, and if properly managed, is the sort of generational wealth that his grandchildren, great grandchildren etc. will all also benefit from... for that, you could set me on fire
 

Hansta

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Bulls finish pre season 4-0 feels good having players who know how to win when it's tight at the death. Pre season means Jack shit though. Let's see how they go when the season starts. Go Bulls!
 

alchemist

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the Bucks didn't win a game in preseason last year from memory... doesn't mean anything
 

Freakzilla

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Bulls finish pre season 4-0 feels good having players who know how to win when it's tight at the death. Pre season means Jack shit though. Let's see how they go when the season starts. Go Bulls!
If we stay fit we make the playoffs. We will push for a 4th-6th seed.
 

alchemist

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the East is a little difficult to assess considering the messes involving Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons
 

B-Train

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Kyrie is the definition of team cancer. I hated it when the Celtics traded for him and I loved it when he left. I'm sick of hearing about his bullshit. If he's happy losing $37 million then that's his business..
 

alchemist

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which is unfortunate considering just how talented Kyrie Irving is... but he has shown he cannot be the engine of a winning team and can actually derail good things (LeBron's Cavs, the Celtics with Hayward and a great young core of Tatum, Brown, Smart etc., and now the Nets)
 

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Keep an eye on Alperen Sengun for the Rockets. I think in a year or two he'll be one of the best players from this draft class.

He's a 6'10 centre, is a great passer and rebounder, is athletic enough and has great basketball IQ. He won the Turkish League MVP as an 18 year old and that league is a pretty good standard.
 
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Freakzilla

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which is unfortunate considering just how talented Kyrie Irving is... but he has shown he cannot be the engine of a winning team and can actually derail good things (LeBron's Cavs, the Celtics with Hayward and a great young core of Tatum, Brown, Smart etc., and now the Nets)
He outplayed Curry to win the championship with the Cavs so that statement is wrong.
 

alchemist

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He outplayed Curry to win the championship with the Cavs so that statement is wrong.
and subsequently demanded a trade away from the Cavs which ensured the Cavs might go back to the finals but not beat the Warriors... as for 2016, the Warriors were 3-1 up, Draymond Green got suspended for Game 5, and LeBron led all players in all 5 statistical categories in the finals
 

Freakzilla

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and subsequently demanded a trade away from the Cavs which ensured the Cavs might go back to the finals but not beat the Warriors... as for 2016, the Warriors were 3-1 up, Draymond Green got suspended for Game 5, and LeBron led all players in all 5 statistical categories in the finals
Your statement was he can’t be the engine of a winning team and he has been. Anything else he has done is irrelevant.
 

alchemist

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Keep an eye on Alperen Sengun for the Rockets. I think in a year or two he'll be one of the best players from this draft class.

He's a 6'10 centre, is a great passer and rebounder, is athletic enough and has great basketball IQ. He won the Turkish League MVP as an 18 year old and that league is a pretty good standard.
I have been watching European basketball since the 1980's... Euroleague is a great watch and a very good standard

there is an interesting prospect on the Thunder... Aleksej Pokuševski... he is twig thin, a teenager, inefficient shooter... but he is 7 ft, can handle the ball, pass, a streaky shooter, mobile... Thunder look like they are persisting with him and view him as a long term project... potential new unicorn

a very rough diamond though... a lot of the time he looks out of his element
 

alchemist

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Your statement was he can’t be the engine of a winning team and he has been. Anything else he has done is irrelevant.
sorry, I read your post too quickly and thought it was in response to me saying Kyrie derails even good things... even so, I still think I am right --> the Cavs prior to LeBron's return were a lottery team with Kyrie... without Kyrie and Kevin Love, LeBron's Cavs took 2 games off the Warriors in the 2015 finals... LeBron was finals MVP in 2016... in fact, LeBron led both teams in all five statistical categories... Kyrie was not the engine to that success (although, granted Kyrie was great, too)
 

Freakzilla

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sorry, I read your post too quickly and thought it was in response to me saying Kyrie derails even good things... even so, I still think I am right --> the Cavs prior to LeBron's return were a lottery team with Kyrie... without Kyrie and Kevin Love, LeBron's Cavs took 2 games off the Warriors in the 2015 finals... LeBron was finals MVP in 2016... in fact, LeBron led both teams in all five statistical categories... Kyrie was not the engine to that success (although, granted Kyrie was great, too)
Without Kyrie they don’t win that championship. He outplayed Curry in that series. Stop putting your Kyrie hate in front of the truth.
 

alchemist

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Without Kyrie they don’t win that championship. He outplayed Curry in that series. Stop putting your Kyrie hate in front of the truth.
Jordan never won without Pippen but Pippen was never considered the driving force of those Bulls teams... on the other hand, Lakers three peated in 2000-2002 with Shaq winning 3 finals MVPs but Kobe wasn't generally being viewed as a Robin to Shaq's Batman or a beta or whatever

Kyrie is a 'Robin' the way Pippen was and proof of that is he has not been able to be the best player on a championship team since the way Kobe was in 2009 and 2010

it is simply a difference of opinion, not hate
 

Freakzilla

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Jordan never won without Pippen but Pippen was never considered the driving force of those Bulls teams... on the other hand, Lakers three peated in 2000-2002 with Shaq winning 3 finals MVPs but Kobe wasn't generally being viewed as a Robin to Shaq's Batman or a beta or whatever

Kyrie is a 'Robin' the way Pippen was and proof of that is he has not been able to be the best player on a championship team since the way Kobe was in 2009 and 2010

it is simply a difference of opinion, not hate
What does having to be the best player on a team got to do with anything? Literally nothing to do with the convo. You can win a title with Kyrie on your team and that’s all that matters.
 

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I have been watching European basketball since the 1980's... Euroleague is a great watch and a very good standard

there is an interesting prospect on the Thunder... Aleksej Pokuševski... he is twig thin, a teenager, inefficient shooter... but he is 7 ft, can handle the ball, pass, a streaky shooter, mobile... Thunder look like they are persisting with him and view him as a long term project... potential new unicorn

a very rough diamond though... a lot of the time he looks out of his element
Yeah I've had Poku in my dynasty fantasy league since last year. He's raw as fuck but he has a lot of potential. The Thunder are the right team for him (and Giddey) to grow.

Giddey almost had a triple double yesterday and looks as composed as a PG that's been in the NBA for years.
 

alchemist

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Yeah I've had Poku in my dynasty fantasy league since last year. He's raw as fuck but he has a lot of potential. The Thunder are the right team for him (and Giddey) to grow.

Giddey almost had a triple double yesterday and looks as composed as a PG that's been in the NBA for years.
agreed... it is a pity about the Thunder... it is rare to see in sport an organisation that makes so many correct decisions and then not get the deserved pay off --> eg. the Thunder in consecutive drafts drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden that all went on to be league MVPs... had other good pieces too (Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins) but they traded away Harden to avoid the luxury tax I think (not exactly sure how their salary cap works) and then lost Durant to the Warriors and ultimately traded away Westbrook when the Westbrook-George-Carmelo super team got Damed


the dynasty that wasn't... pity
 

Freakzilla

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Yeah I've had Poku in my dynasty fantasy league since last year. He's raw as fuck but he has a lot of potential. The Thunder are the right team for him (and Giddey) to grow.

Giddey almost had a triple double yesterday and looks as composed as a PG that's been in the NBA for years.
I use to play NBA fantasy basketball all the time until I got seriously into NFL fantasy football. Dynasty over Redraft any day.
 

B-Train

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I use to play NBA fantasy basketball all the time until I got seriously into NFL fantasy football. Dynasty over Redraft any day.
For sure. I've always been into dynasty in both. Have won my dynasty NFL league three years in a row. I can't stand redraft. I find it boring.
 
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