General NBA thread

[Stephane Dumas]

The Dallas Mavericks have traded Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers for Anthony Davis. Wonder how many saw that coming.

Not me, that's for sure. Back in 1988, lots of people (including me) didn't saw coming when Wayne Gretzky was traded to the LA Kings back then.

I'm not sure what the thinking was but the Lakers at least got a guy that will keep them relevant past LeBron's playing days.

I wondered the same thing, will the Mavericks will be cursed as the Boston Red Sox who got once the "curse of the Bambino" after they traded Babe Ruth?  Btw, wasn't once some rumors then the Mavericks would have moved to another city?

[SEWIGuy]

The Dallas Mavericks have traded Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers for Anthony Davis. Wonder how many saw that coming.

Not me, that's for sure. Back in 1988, lots of people (including me) didn't saw coming when Wayne Gretzky was traded to the LA Kings back then.

I'm not sure what the thinking was but the Lakers at least got a guy that will keep them relevant past LeBron's playing days.

I wondered the same thing, will the Mavericks will be cursed as the Boston Red Sox who got once the "curse of the Bambino" after they traded Babe Ruth?  Btw, wasn't once some rumors then the Mavericks would have moved to another city?

Not that I recall. They were competitive almost immediately after joining the league.

[Max Rockatansky]

I vaguely recall some of that talk in the 1990s when the Mavericks were the worst team in the NBA.

[Road Hog]

The Mavs were competitive not long after expansion through the 1980s but spent the 90s in the toilet. They didn't get good again until almost the very instant Mark Cuban bought the team in 2000. They made the Finals in 2006 and won it all in 2011.

I don't hate this trade because Doncic was definitely injury-prone and by several accounts, was too lazy to condition properly. Not worth a supermax contract when it comes up. That's the Lakers' problem now.

[Max Rockatansky]

Think is, Anthony Davis never has been the guy who can lead a team.  Now he's old and just as injury prone as ever.  Yeah, sure Doncic has had some issues of his own, but he proved that he can lead a team into a deep playoff run. 

[Ted$8roadFan]

It's still a head scratcher. Trading an injury-prone 25-year old for an injury prone 32-year old (and a first -round pick) strains credulity. Perhaps Dallas' management saw something (or things) that the rest of us don't. For the sake of their fan base, I hope so.

As for Luka, the best-case scenarios is that being traded to sunny Los Angeles where he will soon be the guy motivates him to stay in shape and to lead the Lakers to deep playoff runs, especially after LeBron retires.  Worst case scenario he becomes star-struck and smitten with the celebrity lifestyle and the team becomes kind of like the football team of his old city - the Cowboys.

[Henry]

That trade surely shocked the hell out of me! But Luka and LeBron may not get a chance to play together, as the latter is rumored to get traded soon. We'll see in three days if this, or any other, blockbuster trades follow, but none of them will reach the magnitude of what we got over the weekend.

[jgb191]

It remains to be seen which team got the better end of the deal; until then let the speculation commence and opinions fly!

The Mavericks apparently thought Luka wasn't worth the $350 million extension.  The source of the breakup reportedly is due to Luka being out of shape, his hot-head temperament, and defensive liability.  Speaking of which, Anthony Davis does upgrade the Mavs' defense a lot.  It was a decision between a world-class, internationally-renowned talent with a legendary offensive arsenal or an All-Star talent lesser offensive capability but way better defense.

My opinion is hard to sway:  defense wins championships!  If you have to try to outscore your opponent, you'll win many games, but probably not the most critically important games -- the Finals (hence last year's result).  I'm having a hard time blaming the Mavs for making this trade, although it is almost as hard justifying trading away one of the greatest offensive talent in basketball history, who is just entering his prime who can still perform for at least the next decade.

Can Davis work well with Klay and Kyrie to propel the Mavs to championship contention?  How long will it take for Luka to topple LeBron as the primary focal point of the Lakers?  We'll find out the answers in the coming months.

[SEWIGuy]

Defense does not win championships in the NBA. You need bother, but you have no shot without a good offense. You can get by with a mediocre defense.

[Big John]

The Miami Heat are finalizing a deal to send Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick, per Adam Schefter.

[Henry]

Meanwhile, the Bulls have signed Lonzo Ball to a two-year extension, so he'll likely remain with them through 2027.

As for the ex-Bull Jimmy Butler, if precedence is any indication, he'll shatter another team's championship hopes. But he may surprise everyone and give Steph Curry one final shot at a championship before he is through. It's going to be very interesting to see how well Butler meshes with the Warriors, and same goes for Luka and the Lakers.

[Bobby5280]

I'm just praying the OKC Thunder management doesn't do anything stupid before the trade deadline tomorrow. The team can't get much better than this as it is with the current lineup. I just hope Chet Holmgren can get healthy before the playoffs.

[CoreySamson]

I'm just praying the OKC Thunder management doesn't do anything stupid before the trade deadline tomorrow. The team can't get much better than this as it is with the current lineup. I just hope Chet Holmgren can get healthy before the playoffs.

I could say the same about the Rockets. Their current core seems great as it is, and I think adding a superstar would ruin the current chemistry.

[jgb191]

In less than a week, the two stars of their respective underdog team in last two NBA Finals have been traded.  Jimmy Butler led the Heat to within three games of the 2023 Championship (lost 4-1 vs the Nuggets); a year later Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to within three games of the 2024 Championship (lost 4-1 vs the Celtics) -- both stars traded within the last five days.

Defense does not win championships in the NBA.

Oh yeah I forgot; we don't live in the 1990's anymore.

[Bobby5280]

I have a hard time making any sense of the Luka Dončić trade to Los Angeles. I've heard the complaints the guy doesn't have the best conditioning or workout ethic. I've heard he has a bad temper. That still doesn't take away from the fact the guy is one of the very best players in the league and has at least another decade worth of top level performance ahead of him. The only thing I can figure is the Mavericks' management were betting against Dončić to stay healthy and injury-free over the next several years.

I wasn't too surprised to see Jimmy Butler leave the Heat.

I just saw the news Chet Holmgren is off the injury report and is cleared to play in the Thunder's Friday night game against the Raptors. It will be interesting to see how well he is able to play.

[Rothman]

Mavs needed defense but over traded to get it.

[Henry]

The Dallas Mavericks have traded Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers for Anthony Davis. Wonder how many saw that coming.

Not me, that's for sure. Back in 1988, lots of people (including me) didn't saw coming when Wayne Gretzky was traded to the LA Kings back then.

Or flash back to 1993, when no one expected Joe Montana to leave the 49ers for the Chiefs either. But both the Oilers and 49ers added one more championship with their respective replacement stars: Edmonton won the Stanley Cup in 1990 with Mark Messier leading the way, and San Francisco took home the Lombardi Trophy nearly five years later with Steve Young at QB.

[Ted$8roadFan]

There has been a lot of hubbub about the decline of the All-Star Game, and the increasingly desperate gimmicks the league has done to make players care and fans watch again. I wonder if a USA vs the world tournament, kind of like the Four Nations Face-Off in the NHL, would be a solution. 

[SEWIGuy]

There has been a lot of hubbub about the decline of the All-Star Game, and the increasingly desperate gimmicks the league has done to make players care and fans watch again. I wonder if a USA vs the world tournament, kind of like the Four Nations Face-Off in the NHL, would be a solution. 

Didn't they try that already?

Anyway, until the players care, and I completely understand why they don't, its going to be bad.

[JayhawkCO]

All-Star games in all sports are stupid in the era of free agency.

[JayhawkCO]

All-Star games in all sports are stupid in the era of free agency.

To expound on this. The whole reason we had All-Star games in the past was because players rarely changed teams, and we thought it would be cool to see this NL pitcher face this AL batter, or Jordan and Bird to play on the same team, whatever. Now in the era of Superteams, intraleague play, free agency, etc., these are no longer unique events.

[SEWIGuy]

All-Star games in all sports are stupid in the era of free agency.

To expound on this. The whole reason we had All-Star games in the past was because players rarely changed teams, and we thought it would be cool to see this NL pitcher face this AL batter, or Jordan and Bird to play on the same team, whatever. Now in the era of Superteams, intraleague play, free agency, etc., these are no longer unique events.

All star events were also big at a time when you couldn't see the stars all that much during the regular season because much fewer games were televised to a national audience. Now you can see them pretty much whenever you want.

[jgb191]

I know this was over a week ago, but Happy retirement to Hubie Brown who at 91 years of age just broadcasted his final game in a place where his NBA career began -- he was the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks back in 1972.  I'm not sure if he played in the NBA, but I heard that he was drafted in the 1955 NBA Draft.

[Henry]

All-Star games in all sports are stupid in the era of free agency.

So are primetime game shows, but you do have a point.

To expound on this. The whole reason we had All-Star games in the past was because players rarely changed teams, and we thought it would be cool to see this NL pitcher face this AL batter, or Jordan and Bird to play on the same team, whatever. Now in the era of Superteams, intraleague play, free agency, etc., these are no longer unique events.

All-Star Games used to be special for the above reason, but now they've lost all their luster. And circling back to the game show thing, primetime shows used to be special because they had limited runs (no more than six episodes a year) and we were rooting for someone to win big on something like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but now, having celebrities play instead of civilians (Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!) and offering bigger cash prizes and more expensive prizes (The Price is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Press Your Luck) is becoming all too common, which is also the reason for those shows losing their own luster.

[Max Rockatansky]

Is any mainstream sport running an interesting all-star game anymore?  I haven't been impressed by what the NHL, NFL or MLB are offering either.