Damian Lillard, still awaiting a trade from the Trail Blazers, is impressed how the Suns have assembled an All-Star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“That’s definitely a Big 3,” he said. “Brad Beal, Book, KD. I mean, that’s a monster three. I think it will be fun to watch. They’ll win a lot of games and the goal is to win. As players of their level, it just has to click. They’ve got to connect. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did click, but that’s the most important thing is being able to click out there and to be able to work together towards winning.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Stephen Curry isn’t being modest about his accomplishments. The Warriors point guard expressed to former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas on a podcast that he’s the best point guard in history. “I have to, yes. It’s me and Magic [Johnson] is that the conversation? Obviously, I have to answer that way,” Curry said, adding, “Magic’s resume is ridiculous. So the fact that we’re having that conversation, that’s the place I never thought I’d be in.” Arenas brought up that Johnson was more of a “point forward” due to his height and that Curry’s style has been more influential when it comes to young kids trying to emulate him, Eurohoops.net relays.
- Austin Reaves has a brand new four-year, $54MM contract from the Lakers and has emerged as one of the key players on Team USA this summer. Yet, he believes he still has plenty of doubters, he told Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “I don’t think (my mentality) shifts at all,” the undrafted guard said. “I think there’s still a good majority of people that probably still don’t think I’m that good — or any good at all.”
- The Kings are adding Skal Labissiere on an Exhibit 10 contract. Get the details here.
Dame wants to be part of a big 3?
Why demand to go to Miami…?
They’d have to include Bam or get another team to include a star…
The whole point would be not including Bam, which means Blazers GM gets fired, Dame has absolutely no chance at Miami, he may as well accept that now
But the GM doesn’t get fires if they pay Dame $50+ million a year to not make the playoffs? That makes sense to you?
Dame is stuck in portland. The heat are like the cheap Knicks. All talk but no real offers for a super which Dame is…still would avoid any super….
For now, portland gets Dame to mentor the minors
I know I’m wrong but I still think Reaves isn’t good and on any other team he doesn’t get the hype to land a 4 year 54 mil deal
“Reaves isn’t good” lol so you just don’t watch basketball then?
In the right spots, knows how to play, isnt a ball stopper, can shoot, put the ball on the floor and attack and playmake, a more than adequate defender at a couple of positions, really good awareness, and contributes with rebounding on both sides, and plays hard
That’s what I saw his first moment in summer league, and why I said he should play his first 1.5 years when everyone said I was crazy…Now everyone sees it, and that is why he got paid, especially on a team that had a desperate need at his positions
1 of the players I compared him to in summer league was Max Strus, who got slightly more than he did as an unrestricted
I agree with you completely and had the same take you did early. Feels like we are scouts. Lol. Seriously, I always thought this kid could play. He’d crash the lane and make some awkward shots and I first thought it was luck. Then they kept going in. He will be an all star at some point. I love watching him play. Does so many things right and makes very few mistakes.
reeves offense is good. He has a good 3 pt shot and can distribute the ball. His defense is just OK and needs improvement to make him a allstar. If you want pure offense to push a team he can do it.
The “hype” is that he’s a versatile combo-guard who has basically no weaknesses in his game and synergizes perfectly with the team he’s on.
40% from 3pt range, 69% True Shooting, easy three-level scorer who can also draw and finish through contact with ease. Near starting PG-level points generated/assist with low turnover numbers. And he’s not ball-dominant either, so he doesn’t take away touches from the main guys. He basically is the kind of secondary ball-handler any team would want, and he’s also a good finisher and willing screener and cutter too.
About the only area where he isn’t a positive is point-of-attack defense, and he’s not really a negative either, he’s about average. And he’s a good help and switch defender who makes good contests and plays with effort.
I dont consider Steph as a pure PG, though I lean a little more there now than I did a few years ago… it’s weird for me when considering positions instead of just overall, especially thinking in today’s terms, if that makes sense. I definitely need to consider where I have people these last few years that have entered that echelon, but overall I would obviously have Steph in extremely high regard, and over a lot of the names I mention below, but I just don’t think of things in just 1 way. This is also so far, as obviously he is still playing, and has a lot he can still do if he hopefully stays healthy. Definitely one of my favorite, most fun players to watch, even when he was in college, he made me watch, and I really don’t like college basketball, and I’m glad I was right about GS in 2015 when I called them the perfect modern NBA team (I just didnt realize how true that statement was going to really end up being)
For me, it’s still, Magic, then it’s tough for me with Chris Paul and Isiah Thomas (if Monty Willaims didnt blow 2021, it would be a much easier answer for me b/c I personally have to go with Chris Paul for longevity and impact on lesser talented teams, even with the 2 championships)…
Then I’ve got Jason Kidd, John Stockton, and Gary Payton, and Tony Parker before a bunch of older guys…
After typing it out, it feels wrong to not have Tony Parker higher. On my actual list I have somewhere, I probably have it differently, b/c tbos is off the top of my head, and I know I have a more thought out list somewhere, even if its several years old at this point
There are a couple of guys it’s hard to place their position b/c some see them as a PG, others as a combo guard/2, so if I didnt mention them, assume that is the reason, like Oscar or Jerry West, or even someone like Lebron who changes depending on his team as a 4/1/5/3
Man, I’m expecting 2 people specifically to come in and decimate this whole thing, and admittedly it’s not well thought out, with a lot of stuff going on with me roght now, but I would remind those people that everyone has different criteria, which is why comparing isnt that worth it when talking about people you already know is great. People used to hate me for saying Kobe was somewhere in the 12-23 range 10ish years ago, so it is what it is
That first sentence should also mention I thought he was more of a PG than people did when he was in college, but I still lean more towards combo guard that can play PG, even though as I said, I see him more as that pure pg than a few years ago
Apologies for the rambling. Much easier discussion than in text
I’ve watched this sport for over 40 years and I’ll give Curry this….he is one of the most electrifying PGs I’ve ever seen. He’s not just a 3 point shooter, his handles rank right up there with Iverson, Hardaway, Maravich and Irving. If he had to make a living as a playmaker alone he’d still be in the upper echelon of PGs and he’s also worked hard and made himself a good defensive player. I’d still take Magic over him as of right now, but if the dude gets one more MVP, finals MVP or championship I’d have to seriously consider if he is the greatest PG of all time.
I agree with a lot of what you said, if not all of it. For me, I put a lot on his situation, not that others dont benefit from that as well, but especially with how the game is currently played, I look at what allows him to be able to do what he does in a winning environment, and that weighs a little bit, in terms of individual thinking…
Again, not that I dont do that with others, or that it negatively impacts him or how I see him as an individual, as I said. It’s just I also recognize what Klay Thompson used to be, as well as Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livongston/now Payton and then Barnes/Wiggins and obviously Kevin Durant. How their skillsets allow for him to do everything he does as a winner. There is a reason I picked them to win the day Lebron went back to Cleveland, and it was the same day they signed Livingston
Again, an all timer for me for sure. If I was including him with just the guys I mentioned, I would probably have him right behind those first 3 guys, and then it would be hard for me with Kidd just b/c how much I loved him 20 years ago, but Steph probably does go in front of him, even though I dont value scoring as much as other things. I think that Steph is 1 of the greatest paint/finishing guards in history is also not talked about enough, though Tony Parker and Wade (obviously not a PG, but guards in general) are all time greats in that area as well, and he is also such a prolific scorer/mover off the ball, and i also think he doesmt get enough credit for playing harder than people realize (another reason i picked GS in 2015 b/c i just thought they were top 2 most consistently hardest playing team in the league) and also the recency and consistent winning (even though I outlined the stuff involving that) helps allow me to put him there…
Again, all of this as of now, with a lot potentially left to see
But also, I just cant with Magic. I have him as a legitimate contender for Greatest of all time in general, with 6ish others I will never argue against if someone names them, but I could see the positional argument if you consider Magic more than just a PG, b/c that is also definitely plausible, especially with stuff I said in the first post about Lebron basically playing whatever position his team needs
I’ll add this one thing guys. It is truly amazing to me how effortlessly it looks when Steph Curry scores on layups. Other guys can’t do what he does.., there’s some way he gets to the hole, throws it high off the board and it goes in.
And he’s not overly athletic, he’s a self-made guy. I think the outside shot helps him get past guys cuz they have to get up in his face. But around the basket the guy is just amazing. Those layups that he gets are truly something. If you watch him you know what I’m talking about.
Like I said, of the greatest paint finishes of all time at the guard position. I also think a lot of his game makes a lot of sense if you think about what he was probably like as a kid. 1, that left corner 3. I dont know what it is now, but a few years ago, he was 91% from that spot in his career, and I think I’ve only ever seen him miss that shot a handful of times, ever…if you think about him being around his father and being at shootaround, and also shooting before games when guys were doing warmups/before 3rd quarters, that’s the spot he likely would be, and I remember seeing him when his dad was in Toronto
Also, as a smaller kid, that floater and other unique ways of finishing are imperative to just get your shot off, which also explains the deep range, and his insanely quick release.
It’s funny, I’ve always said Steph Curry plays like he is playing in his backyard/at the park, but in the NBA, and its incredible. Reminds me of how we/I used to practice/play with things you always try to do when you’re younger like shooting half court shots, and other stuff like that
Magic and Curry are such different players, different skill sets, making it a really hard duo to compare.
If they at least played in the same era, but Magic played in a more physical NBA, where fouls were not called as much as today, for instance. The 3-pt shooting wasn’t at the frequency it is today, where Curry thrives.
The game has changed over the last 30-40 years, and BOTH of them played huge, huge roles. They helped make the NBA what it is today.
Magic with the fast-break showtime basketball, triple-doubles, leadership, carisma and rivalry with Larry.
Curry with the shooting, floor spacing, moving without the ball and great rivalry with LeBron.
I grew up as a Lakers fan in the Showtime era. Watched every game on TV. Even shook Magic’s hand in a shopping mall. Lost his autograph (urgh!).
So Curry is right. To be mentioned along with Magic in the conversation, wow, that tells you a lot just how great he is.
Sometimes we lose stuff like autographs, but the important thing is the story and the memory you have of meeting him, which lasts a lifetime
Magic Johnson has more 20 assist games than the 4 guys that come after him combined for all-time assist’s…
To be talking Curry, or Arenas, or anybody in the last 50 years as a more pure point, or a better point than Magic shows the lack of study, and knowledge of todays fans, and critics.
The three most interesting NBA players I ever met were George Wilson, recently deceased, Larry Steele, and Hal Greer. Wilson never stopped smiling as far as I can recall, and he could spin a tale like Twain. I met Greer when a wide-eyed kid, and again 25 years later at a golf tournament. Same kind hearted guy both times. Larry Steele would have sat and whittled a piece of wood in front of the stove with you if had the time. Oh, and Steele would ask you about you, instead of talking about himself. I suspect I’d rather talk to Larry Steele than … well …
Okay…
Magic wasn’t really a point forward. All most all the time there were 2 forwards on the floor with him. Sure, he played some forward, but not in the sense LBJ does. Small point to make but I see him as a full point guard, regardless of his size.
Yes but in many ways he was. The opposing team would have to put a bigger man defending him or else magic would have had his way. The Warriors would put Chris Mullen on him for example. There’s no way Tim Hardaway is guarding Magic johnson.
So point forward is not a horrible label. He’s using his handles and speed to get around forwards not guards.
But don’t take this the wrong way. I’m a Warriors fan but consider Magic Johnson the greatest point guard of all time. But considering he played on a good team almost every year, if Steph Curry gets that fifth ring we may have a conversation.
Curry is not a PG. And the system in GS doesn’t really need a real PG. Just like Bulls with Phil. It’s all about the system.
Let’s face it Curry hardly even brings the ball up. You can call him a combo guard. But he’s a scoring guard. He’s really a 2 guard. He does defend other PGs though.
Real PGs are less and less today. Haliburton is probably the best of the young ones. Teams understand every team can’t have a true PG. So you have a system that helps him manage the game. The system is more important today. It’s why you need more wings.
Magic is best PG ever. No one todays gm is even close.
Curry is a special player, and one of the 5 most dominant ones of the past decade. But its doubtful that he’d even have been a PG in the 1980’s, or at any time prior to the 2000’s. The game was played very differently in the 1980’s and 1990’s, largely because the rules were very different (particularly the defensive rules, especially as they relate to perimeter defense). Curry didn’t fit the ideal PG profile in that day. Truth is, he barely fit it in his own era. Coming out, most, even his own team, considered him only about 50/50 to become a full time PG.
Yes agreed. He’s definitely a scoring “one.”