New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season
- Thread starter Ron Party
- Start date
Hoping for the best in Zion's health. The league needs a guy like that. The guy is super fast for a man of his 'weight', and has a good 3 point range too.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Captains LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo headline starters for NBA All-Star 2020Second-year standouts Luka Doncic and Trae Young each secure their first All-Star selections
Sekou Smith NBA.com
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and rising second-year stars Luka Doncic and Trae Young headline the star-studded group of present and future superstars who make up the starters for the 69th All-Star Game.
James, the catalyst for the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers, will captain the Western Conference team for the second straight season. Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks’ star and reigning Kia MVP, captains the Eastern Conference team for a second straight season as well.
As the top vote-getters in their respective conferences, James and Antetokounmpo are the players responsible for choosing sides for the Feb. 16 showcase game at Chicago’s United Center. The All-Star Draftwill take place on Feb. 6 on TNT at 7 p.m. ET.
A fresh face in the starters’ mix this season is Dallas wunderkind Luka Doncic, who joins Houston’s James Harden as the two starters in the backcourt. Clippers forward and reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Lakers forward Anthony Davis round out the All-L.A. frontcourt.
Boston’s Kemba Walker is joined by Atlanta’s Trae Young in the East backcourt. Like Doncic, Young is a first-time All-Star and starter in just his second NBA season. Antetokounmpo will be flanked by Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, another first time All-Star and starter, in the East frontcourt.
Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the NBA All-Star Game starters, while current NBA players and a media panel accounted for 25 percent each. James (6,275,459 fan votes) and Antetokounmpo (5,902,286 fan votes) led their respective conferences and position groups in fan voting. Don?i? (6,111,735 fan votes) and Young (2,829,969 fan votes) also topped their respective position groups in fan voting.
The starters were revealed Thursday on TNT. As captains, James and Antetokounmpo will choose from a player pool that includes the other eight starters, regardless of conference designation, and 14 reserves (seven from each conference) chosen by NBA head coaches.
Doncic and Young finished 1-2 in Rookie of the Year voting last season and this season they are the only two players in the league to rank in the top five in both points and assists. They were traded for each other on Draft night and will be linked together throughout their careers.
They’ll share this milestone, playing and starting in their first All-Star Game. And depending on how the player draft breaks down, they could wind up on the same team.
Siakam’s meteoric rise continues with his starting nod. The winner of the Most Improved Award last season, he helped the Raptors win the Larry O’Brien trophy last summer while teaming up with Leonard. When Leonard departed for the Clippers via free agency, Siakam stepped into the role as the Raptors’ No. 1 option and has thrived.
The reserves will be announced next Thursday exclusively on TNT.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Washington’s Bradley Beal, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry lead the list of potential reserves from the Eastern Conference.
Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul, the Clippers’ Paul George, Houston’s Russell Westbrook, Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell headline the list of potential reserves from the Western Conference.
Sekou Smith NBA.com
- East All-Star Starters:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (captain), Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Kemba Walker, Trae Young
- West All-Star Starters:
Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, James Harden, LeBron James (captain), Kawhi Leonard
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and rising second-year stars Luka Doncic and Trae Young headline the star-studded group of present and future superstars who make up the starters for the 69th All-Star Game.
James, the catalyst for the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers, will captain the Western Conference team for the second straight season. Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks’ star and reigning Kia MVP, captains the Eastern Conference team for a second straight season as well.
As the top vote-getters in their respective conferences, James and Antetokounmpo are the players responsible for choosing sides for the Feb. 16 showcase game at Chicago’s United Center. The All-Star Draftwill take place on Feb. 6 on TNT at 7 p.m. ET.
A fresh face in the starters’ mix this season is Dallas wunderkind Luka Doncic, who joins Houston’s James Harden as the two starters in the backcourt. Clippers forward and reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Lakers forward Anthony Davis round out the All-L.A. frontcourt.
Boston’s Kemba Walker is joined by Atlanta’s Trae Young in the East backcourt. Like Doncic, Young is a first-time All-Star and starter in just his second NBA season. Antetokounmpo will be flanked by Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, another first time All-Star and starter, in the East frontcourt.
Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the NBA All-Star Game starters, while current NBA players and a media panel accounted for 25 percent each. James (6,275,459 fan votes) and Antetokounmpo (5,902,286 fan votes) led their respective conferences and position groups in fan voting. Don?i? (6,111,735 fan votes) and Young (2,829,969 fan votes) also topped their respective position groups in fan voting.
The starters were revealed Thursday on TNT. As captains, James and Antetokounmpo will choose from a player pool that includes the other eight starters, regardless of conference designation, and 14 reserves (seven from each conference) chosen by NBA head coaches.
Doncic and Young finished 1-2 in Rookie of the Year voting last season and this season they are the only two players in the league to rank in the top five in both points and assists. They were traded for each other on Draft night and will be linked together throughout their careers.
They’ll share this milestone, playing and starting in their first All-Star Game. And depending on how the player draft breaks down, they could wind up on the same team.
Siakam’s meteoric rise continues with his starting nod. The winner of the Most Improved Award last season, he helped the Raptors win the Larry O’Brien trophy last summer while teaming up with Leonard. When Leonard departed for the Clippers via free agency, Siakam stepped into the role as the Raptors’ No. 1 option and has thrived.
The reserves will be announced next Thursday exclusively on TNT.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Washington’s Bradley Beal, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry lead the list of potential reserves from the Eastern Conference.
Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul, the Clippers’ Paul George, Houston’s Russell Westbrook, Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell headline the list of potential reserves from the Western Conference.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
It was good to see D Rose voted to the Eastern All Star team
There is some local rumbling that Lakers are interested in D Rose as their point guard before the trade deadline. Wonder if LeBron made that call and if so who on the team is vulnerable such as Rondo and Kuzma
There is some local rumbling that Lakers are interested in D Rose as their point guard before the trade deadline. Wonder if LeBron made that call and if so who on the team is vulnerable such as Rondo and Kuzma
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
So the truth comes out. The Clipps are not in a happy place and TBH I have no problem with the team sentiments......
Report: Preferential treatment for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard causing waves within Clippers
Dan Feldman
The 2018-19 Clippers were incredibly gritty.
The 2019-20 Clippers are incredibly gifted.
It hasn’t been the easiest adjustment.
Last year, the Clippers played hard and tough. They had one of the best-ever seasons for a team with no All-Stars, present or past. L.A. won 48 games and pushed the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. That roster created an appealing culture.
Enter Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Clippers added those stars last summer and became an instant championship contender. That’s the primary goal – getting in that hunt.
But big-time players usually require more maintenance, and Leonard and George are no exceptions.
While with the Spurs, Leonard was reportedly envious of the star treatment other teams’ players received. Leonard’s uncle and advisor, Dennis Robertson, reportedly asked the Lakers and Clippers for illegal inducements during free agency last summer.
George has twice pushed his way off teams while still under contract. He didn’t request a trade from the Pacers, but by informing them he’d leave the next year, he essentially sealed his early exit. George made a big show of re-signing with the Thunder in 2019 then requested a trade to L.A. only one season later.
And of course, there are Leonard’s unique injury issues. He misses several games each season for what was confusingly called load management but is now dubbed injury management. That leaves his teammates to pick up the slack.
One of those teammates, Montrezl Harrell, sounded particularly upset with the Clippers’ outlook earlier this month. Harrell is a grinder, one of the key players on last year’s overachieving squad. And it turns out his tone amplified a larger concern.
Off the court, sources say there are some teammates who have struggled with the organization’s preferential treatment that is afforded to Leonard and George.
“I think it boils down to Kawhi not talking, and so who is their true leader?” one source with knowledge of the Clippers’ dynamics said. “How do you get around that?”
He isn’t necessarily standoffish, sources say, and there are times when he lives up to that “Fun Guy” reputation that has become part of his one-of-a-kind profile — even more so recently as he’s grown more comfortable around his teammates. He’s certainly more talkative and playful behind the scenes than in front of the media, when he rarely says a word outside of the scrum of reporters who speak to him, on average, for a few minutes at a time. But there can be a tangible distance, sources say.
Multiple players, according to league sources, don’t feel the team practices as hard or as seriously as it should at this point in the season.
Nearly every team in the NBA would trade its problems for the Clippers’ problems.
The Clippers are 31-14. They’ve gone 21-6 when Leonard and George both play. Winning cures most ills, and that will likely take care of these.
In the meantime, everyone involved should take a step back and be just a little more understanding.
Leonard, George and everyone else in charge – including coach Doc Rivers – should see how this looks to everyone else. Other players are scraping every night. It can be frustrating to see Leonard and George reaping the benefits without exerting as much energy right now.
In particular, Leonard should understand how his quiet nature can come across. That might be natural for him, but teammates are far more likely to rally behind a leader with whom they have a personal connection.
The upset Clippers also ought to realize this is how it works. Stars get preferential treatment. They’ve often earned it. Practicing a lot is more likely to wear down the team – especially Leonard – than help. Ditto Leonard playing more often.
With a few months left in the regular season, the Clippers have plenty of time to get past these issues. This team is still well-equipped to win in the playoffs, and lot of this tension is just about how to proceed through the long regular season to that point. Get through it, and a championship is still well within reach.
Report: Preferential treatment for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard causing waves within Clippers
Dan Feldman
The 2018-19 Clippers were incredibly gritty.
The 2019-20 Clippers are incredibly gifted.
It hasn’t been the easiest adjustment.
Last year, the Clippers played hard and tough. They had one of the best-ever seasons for a team with no All-Stars, present or past. L.A. won 48 games and pushed the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. That roster created an appealing culture.
Enter Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Clippers added those stars last summer and became an instant championship contender. That’s the primary goal – getting in that hunt.
But big-time players usually require more maintenance, and Leonard and George are no exceptions.
While with the Spurs, Leonard was reportedly envious of the star treatment other teams’ players received. Leonard’s uncle and advisor, Dennis Robertson, reportedly asked the Lakers and Clippers for illegal inducements during free agency last summer.
George has twice pushed his way off teams while still under contract. He didn’t request a trade from the Pacers, but by informing them he’d leave the next year, he essentially sealed his early exit. George made a big show of re-signing with the Thunder in 2019 then requested a trade to L.A. only one season later.
And of course, there are Leonard’s unique injury issues. He misses several games each season for what was confusingly called load management but is now dubbed injury management. That leaves his teammates to pick up the slack.
One of those teammates, Montrezl Harrell, sounded particularly upset with the Clippers’ outlook earlier this month. Harrell is a grinder, one of the key players on last year’s overachieving squad. And it turns out his tone amplified a larger concern.
Off the court, sources say there are some teammates who have struggled with the organization’s preferential treatment that is afforded to Leonard and George.
“I think it boils down to Kawhi not talking, and so who is their true leader?” one source with knowledge of the Clippers’ dynamics said. “How do you get around that?”
He isn’t necessarily standoffish, sources say, and there are times when he lives up to that “Fun Guy” reputation that has become part of his one-of-a-kind profile — even more so recently as he’s grown more comfortable around his teammates. He’s certainly more talkative and playful behind the scenes than in front of the media, when he rarely says a word outside of the scrum of reporters who speak to him, on average, for a few minutes at a time. But there can be a tangible distance, sources say.
Multiple players, according to league sources, don’t feel the team practices as hard or as seriously as it should at this point in the season.
Nearly every team in the NBA would trade its problems for the Clippers’ problems.
The Clippers are 31-14. They’ve gone 21-6 when Leonard and George both play. Winning cures most ills, and that will likely take care of these.
In the meantime, everyone involved should take a step back and be just a little more understanding.
Leonard, George and everyone else in charge – including coach Doc Rivers – should see how this looks to everyone else. Other players are scraping every night. It can be frustrating to see Leonard and George reaping the benefits without exerting as much energy right now.
In particular, Leonard should understand how his quiet nature can come across. That might be natural for him, but teammates are far more likely to rally behind a leader with whom they have a personal connection.
The upset Clippers also ought to realize this is how it works. Stars get preferential treatment. They’ve often earned it. Practicing a lot is more likely to wear down the team – especially Leonard – than help. Ditto Leonard playing more often.
With a few months left in the regular season, the Clippers have plenty of time to get past these issues. This team is still well-equipped to win in the playoffs, and lot of this tension is just about how to proceed through the long regular season to that point. Get through it, and a championship is still well within reach.
Clippers are in Miami tonight to play the Heat.
Read the ill will rumors about the Clippers today and it is definitely possible.
ESPN's pre-game panel, including Andre Igoudala, played it down.
Former Clipper Chauncey Billips is the ESPN color commentator for the game tonight - he's been working the LAC local telecasts, too.
Paul George still out with the hamstring and the Heat have been better than expected.
Report: Lakers unhappy with Clippers coach Doc Rivers’ LeBron James joke
https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/01/2...-clippers-coach-doc-rivers-lebron-james-joke/
https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/01/2...-clippers-coach-doc-rivers-lebron-james-joke/
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
well it's showing in the game now in Miami as the Clipps are down early 24-9
Clippers must have resolved at least some of their issues on the court as they only trail the Heat by 2 at the half, 65-63.
Oops...forgot the smiley
Kawhi seems to be hitting his stride over the past few games.
The announcers just mentioned Kawhi had his first triple double tonight. That is a surprise it took so long.
The announcers just mentioned Kawhi had his first triple double tonight. That is a surprise it took so long.
Clippers win 122-117. Next game Monday vs Orlando before heading back to LA to play the Lakers
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That Shamet is fun to watch. He better be good in the playoffs.
I didn't realize Shamet had 22 points tonight. Still young but he has a great shot.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Utah Jazz is 2nd in the West. Who would have thought.
Playoffs this year I am betting will provide a few shocking upsets
If the Clipps knock off Lakers again this week there is no doubt in mind after that, that the Clipps will prevail in the west
Playoffs this year I am betting will provide a few shocking upsets
If the Clipps knock off Lakers again this week there is no doubt in mind after that, that the Clipps will prevail in the west
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
I have to admit that Dwight Howard has redeemed himself with me. His turn around this year has been a huge force in taking the Lakers to where they are. he understands his role and he plays it perfectly. Sometimes he does get some dumb fouls that costs them points but in the long run the guy has become a terrific team player...
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=28555312
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=28555312
Utah has a solid team and an excellent coach in Quin Snyder. I was impessed with them after they knocked the Clippers out of the playoffs a couple years back
To this point the Lakers have looked better than the Clippers - except when they go head to head. That's unusual.
Should be a good game Tuesday if Paul George and Pat Beverly are back for LAC.
Hope both teams are at full strength.
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