It’s interesting to note that so far with Curry out, the Death Lineup 2.0 has been a wonky large-ish small-ball group. They punished the Blazers for their lack of size (both guards were taken to the post many a time) as well as the fact that the Blazers’ bigs aren’t terribly skilled.

I don’t think Ariza is well past his prime — he is a 3 and D guy, after all, and his game was never predicated on athleticism — and he was quite effective last year when things were rolling.

So you’re telling me that the Mullin Warriors are better than the 2016 Warriors? Seriously?

Eh, I’m with you up until the Mavs/Grizz. I respect the hell out of those teams for fighting, but I’d rather see PG13 playing out of his mind with the Pacers or the scrappy Celtics than watch either of those teams.

I realize that your opening paragraph was a gross hyperbole, but really?

Eh, it’s been reported that the Lakers balked at giving Thibs executive control anyway — I doubt he was going to get the job even if Byron had been fired the day after the season ended.

Tank Commander’s mission is now complete. We no longer have need for his services.

Nope. The Tank Commander’s mission is now complete. We no longer have need of his services.

The ship be sinkin’.

Thanks for correcting me! I definitely cut corners and didn’t really look at the background behind the Heat’s turnaround.

Yeah, but going off of the information he had at the time, it was the right call to make, and he’d make it again. He’d come off a Finals loss where his team was exposed as old and shallow, and Pat Riley basically told him to stop complaining when he mentioned that he needed more help. Wade looked like a shell of…

Uh. That’s not true. Look at any playoff series that LeBron has lost, for starters. He’s been the best player in every series, and when he hasn’t looked like he’s the best, it’s usually because the opposing coach has figured a way to limit his effectiveness just enough to give his team a chance to win the game.

The funny thing is that you say “Lawson has been bad as well...”, partially implying that he still plays for the Rockets. I don’t even care whether or not it’s what you meant; it just shows how little we collectively care for this waste-of-a-playoff-spot team and how trash of a player that Lawson has become.

Geez, even Kobe never shot THAT badly in the Playoffs.

Still 2 years away from being 2 years away from that.

Yeah. A few noted basketball journalists pointed out that Baynes should be started in front of Drummond, and a lot of the hollow pushback from fans was the so-called “morale” factor of benching Drummond. I doubt that seeing a dude brick over half of his free throws every game does well for morale, either.

I think that marketability (Marvel’s perception of BW’s marketability, and how it’s changed since the MCU first started) is exactly why we’ve had to wait so long. You said it yourself — it’s partially to silence complaints. Marvel’s first and foremost making movies to continue being a monetary juggernaut. There’s…

It seems to me like Drummond’s just a slow learner. And I believe — don’t quote me on this — but I believe that was part of the worry surrounding him leading up to the draft. He’s always been raw, and it was understood that it was going to take him a long time to become a defensive monster.

Sorry, I should’ve been clearer, and I let some of my thoughts on the Marvel male/female diversity issue (which are largely irrelevant to the topic at hand) spill into my post. My apologies. I don’t agree with the OP that ScarJo isn’t bankable; I do think that the lack of BW movie so far is due to its perceived…

Eh, it’s a bit difficult to compare the two when looking at footage of LeBron roasting smaller, weaker defenders in the paint. Shaq was able to do so against legit big men, even against double teams, for the entire game. LeBron can’t spend that much time bullying defenders his size or larger in the post because he…