2021-22 NBA Thread: The Bucks are Reigning Champs

[CTWarrior]

If he leaves, I would be sad.  But he's the best player in franchise history who brought a championship to a team I never thought would see another.  But it's his right to do so.

And it's still 3+ years away.

Uh, Kareem says hello.  He was at his zenith as a player with the Bucks.

[Skatastrophy]

I misread, my bad. I mixed up that paragraph with the paragraph immediately following it:

It's all good. My intent was shitposting that tweet to get a rise out of people so it was entirely possible I was wrong.

[The Sultan]

Uh, Kareem says hello.  He was at his zenith as a player with the Bucks.

Yeah I guess. 

[MU82]

Although I like honesty, I don't love it when an athlete publicly proclaims that he might bolt his current team several years down the line.

I'm not outraged by it; I don't "hate" Giannis for saying it. Just seemed unnecessary. Now I just hope he doesn't get angry the 1,845th time he's asked about it over the next 4 years ... because he's the one who made it something.

[Skatastrophy]

Although I like honesty, I don't love it when an athlete publicly proclaims that he might bolt his current team several years down the line.

I'm not outraged by it; I don't "hate" Giannis for saying it. Just seemed unnecessary. Now I just hope he doesn't get angry the 1,845th time he's asked about it over the next 4 years ... because he's the one who made it something.

It's the only negotiating leverage players have. I think they have to pull that lever in private, and pulling it in public gets the fans to put pressure on the owners.

I honestly took his comments as him planning on tackling non-basketball challenges in the future. He's got a big platform and could try to tackle big problems.

That being said, Giannis to the Heat in exchange for Gabe Vincent and KZ Okpala.

[MuggsyB]

Giannis has 28 at the half.  12-13.

[MU82]

I honestly took his comments as him planning on tackling non-basketball challenges in the future. He's got a big platform and could try to tackle big problems.

I definitely did not take it that way.

It just seemed an unnecessary thing to say on his part.

[MU82]

LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are the Stockton-and-Malone of today's NBA.

Not as successful for anywhere near as many years, obviously, but definitely cooler. Ball-to-Bridges for alley-oop jams are featured on Sportscenter several times a week.

The Hornets aren't anywhere near great -- the recently went 0-fer on a West Coast trip -- but they have a couple of ascending stars, they have some good supporting players and they are very entertaining on offense. When they're on, they can beat anybody, as they just proved with consecutive wins over the Western and Eastern conference leaders. Fun team to watch.

[withoutbias]

LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are the Stockton-and-Malone of today's NBA.

Not as successful for anywhere near as many years, obviously, but definitely cooler. Ball-to-Bridges for alley-oop jams are featured on Sportscenter several times a week.

The Hornets aren't anywhere near great -- the recently went 0-fer on a West Coast trip -- but they have a couple of ascending stars, they have some good supporting players and they are very entertaining on offense. When they're on, they can beat anybody, as they just proved with consecutive wins over the Western and Eastern conference leaders. Fun team to watch.

It would be hard to find players more opposite of LaMelo Ball and Miles bridges than John Stockton and Karl Malone.

[MU82]

It would be hard to find players more opposite of LaMelo Ball and Miles bridges than John Stockton and Karl Malone.

Yes ... stylistically very different.

As I said, Melo and Miles are definitely cooler!

[The Sultan]

LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are the Stockton-and-Malone of today's NBA.

Not as successful for anywhere near as many years, obviously, but definitely cooler. Ball-to-Bridges for alley-oop jams are featured on Sportscenter several times a week.

The Hornets aren't anywhere near great -- the recently went 0-fer on a West Coast trip -- but they have a couple of ascending stars, they have some good supporting players and they are very entertaining on offense. When they're on, they can beat anybody, as they just proved with consecutive wins over the Western and Eastern conference leaders. Fun team to watch.

So Ball and Bridges are like Stockton and Malone....although not as good, haven't played as long, on a worse team, and I bet I could count on one hand the number of alley oops they were involved in.

Great comp

[MU82]

So Ball and Bridges are like Stockton and Malone....although not as good, haven't played as long, on a worse team, and I bet I could count on one hand the number of alley oops they were involved in.

Great comp

Thanks!

They are the Hornets' version of Stockton-to-Malone. But more fun to watch. On account of Stockton and Malone being, like, 60 years old.

[YaBlueIt]

Uh, Kareem says hello.  He was at his zenith as a player with the Bucks.

By that logic, Kawhi Leonard is the greatest player in Raptors history.

Like it or not, Kareem will always be remembered by most as a Laker. Even if Giannis never surpasses Kareem in terms of pure talent or "zenith" (still yet to be determined), he is and will be the greatest Buck of all time, in part to his dedication to the team and city for the foreseeable prime of his career.

Heat fans will tell you Wade is the GOAT Heat player for the same reason.

[wadesworld]

By that logic, Kawhi Leonard is the greatest player in Raptors history.

Like it or not, Kareem will always be remembered by most as a Laker. Even if Giannis never surpasses Kareem in terms of pure talent or "zenith" (still yet to be determined), he is and will be the greatest Buck of all time, in part to his dedication to the team and city for the foreseeable prime of his career.

Heat fans will tell you Wade is the GOAT Heat player for the same reason.

Kawhi is the greatest player in Toronto history, and it's not even close considering people think the other option is Kyle Lowry.

[YaBlueIt]

I definitely did not take it that way.

It just seemed an unnecessary thing to say on his part.

Assuming he meant it from a basketball standpoint, if Giannis truly finds that winning championships in Milwaukee is no longer a challenge, I will gladly accept that timeline. If he wants a REAL challenge he can go join Sacramento or Minnesota after giving us 4 more rings.

[YaBlueIt]

Kawhi is the greatest player in Toronto history, and it's not even close considering people think the other option is Kyle Lowry.

Not trying to argue semantics but I would say there is a difference between "greatest" and "best".

[The Sultan]

Not trying to argue semantics but I would say there is a difference between "greatest" and "best".

I was using them interchangably.

Kareem played six seasons in Milwaukee.  Not a short time by any means.

[MU82]

KAREEM:

In 467 regular-season games over 6 seasons with Milwaukee, he averaged 30.4 ppg, 15.1 rpg, 4.3 apg. Blocks didn't become an official stat until his 5th season, when he averaged 3.5. He shot .547 from the floor. In the playoffs, he averaged 29,7, 16.8, 4.0 while shooting .510. He led the Bucks to the 1971 title.

GIANNIS:

In 603 regular-season games over 8+ seasons with Milwaukee, he has averaged 21.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 bpg while shooting .531. In the playoffs, he averaged 25.9, 11.6, 4.9 while shooting .535. He led the Bucks to the 2021 title.

I'd give the statistical edge to Kareem at this point, but Giannis almost surely will eclipse Kareem as the best Buck ever. Not sure how anybody can look at the above today, though, and say Giannis has already done so.

[wadesworld]

KAREEM:

In 467 regular-season games over 6 seasons with Milwaukee, he averaged 30.4 ppg, 15.1 rpg, 4.3 apg. Blocks didn't become an official stat until his 5th season, when he averaged 3.5. He shot .547 from the floor. In the playoffs, he averaged 29,7, 16.8, 4.0 while shooting .510. He led the Bucks to the 1971 title.

GIANNIS:

In 603 regular-season games over 8+ seasons with Milwaukee, he has averaged 21.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 bpg while shooting .531. In the playoffs, he averaged 25.9, 11.6, 4.9 while shooting .535. He led the Bucks to the 2021 title.

I'd give the statistical edge to Kareem at this point, but Giannis almost surely will eclipse Kareem as the best Buck ever. Not sure how anybody can look at the above today, though, and say Giannis has already done so.

Agreed that Kareem is still the best Buck ever so far.  The one argument against looking just at the stats is that Kareem came in as a 22 year old who spent 4 years at college.  He averaged almost 30 points per game from the jump with the Bucks.  Giannis came in as an 18 year old coming to America for the first time ever.

If you look at Giannis's numbers from 22 years old through today, they're much closer to Kareem's than if you include those years.  But that's not perfect either, because Giannis had 3 years of NBA development at 22 years old while Kareem had only college development.

But yes, right now I'd say Kareem is the best Buck ever but as long as there isn't a serious injury in the near future for Giannis, he'll pass him up by the time his Bucks career is over.

[Jockey]

KAREEM:

In 467 regular-season games over 6 seasons with Milwaukee, he averaged 30.4 ppg, 15.1 rpg, 4.3 apg. Blocks didn't become an official stat until his 5th season, when he averaged 3.5. He shot .547 from the floor. In the playoffs, he averaged 29,7, 16.8, 4.0 while shooting .510. He led the Bucks to the 1971 title.

GIANNIS:

In 603 regular-season games over 8+ seasons with Milwaukee, he has averaged 21.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 bpg while shooting .531. In the playoffs, he averaged 25.9, 11.6, 4.9 while shooting .535. He led the Bucks to the 2021 title.

I'd give the statistical edge to Kareem at this point, but Giannis almost surely will eclipse Kareem as the best Buck ever. Not sure how anybody can look at the above today, though, and say Giannis has already done so.

I would still rate Kareem as #1 in Milwaukee, as well.

But the stats are a bit misleading. Kareem came into the NBA as a fully ready superstar. GA came into the league as a project.

But even if you use GA's last 6 years to compare to Kareem, he still comes up short. That changes if GAS puts together a couple more injury-free years.

He will be the greatest Bucks player ever, but will not approach Kareem's total career. Abdul-Jabbar was a 6-time NBA MVP, a 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. In the convo with MJ as the greatest player of all time.

BLM - you beat me by 2 minutes to say almost exactly the same thing.

[Herman Cain]

Kareem also did not have the benefit of playing with 3 pointers during his time with the Bucks. It was much more of an inside game . Defenses were designed to try and stop Kareem but they couldn't .

He faced a steady stream of Artis Gilmore , Bob Lanier , Willis Reed , Nate Thurmand , Dave Cowens etc and dominated everyone
.

[MU82]

Kareem also did not have the benefit of playing with 3 pointers during his time with the Bucks. It was much more of an inside game . Defenses were designed to try and stop Kareem but they couldn't .

He faced a steady stream of Artis Gilmore , Bob Lanier , Willis Reed , Nate Thurman , Dave Cowens etc and dominated everyone
.

Good points, 9-9-9.

LISTEN, KID! I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. I'm out there busting my buns every night! Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes!

Also, Kareem probably had the single most unstoppable shot, the single most famous offensive weapon, in the history of basketball. That's a pretty cool distinction.

[MuggsyB]

Curry had nine more threes tonight.  It's only his 38th time with nine or more in a game. 

[MuggsyB]

If Klay is Klay are the Warriors the favorites? 

[Spotcheck Billy]

Kareem also played when there weren't so many dominant bigs to oppose him.