Posted by robusk on 8/11/2020 9:24:00 PM (view original):
It has been so amazing living here for the bulk of his career, being a season ticket holder and watching him grow into this. He is a great dude too. A lifelong basketball fan and this is the closest I’ve ever felt to a player. So many amazing playoff games and the bubble has just been such a showcase of how awesome he is.

I was watching him v the Mavs last night and saw something I'm not sure I've seen/noticed. At about 30 feet from the basket Lillard went right off a screen. His defender, maybe Luka, went what you would think you should do for him and went over the screen forcing him towards the basket. Lillard steps into a 24 footer in rhythm and buries. He's become so deadly from 30 he's forcing defenders to go over screens at 30 feet from the basket which in turn allow him to step into shorter 3's. Nuts. I guess the off ball defender of the screener should drop, but then Lillard probably just leans into him as he's moving, chucks something up and then takes 3 free throws (which the nba needs to fix). Don't recall having seen someone so effective at 30 that you're probably better off going under screens so you're not giving him an easier 24 footer. I guess Steph would be, but I'm not sure he takes as many 30 foot 3's as Lillard is.

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 12:44:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tarheel1991 on 8/12/2020 12:20:00 AM (view original):

Posted by robusk on 8/11/2020 11:02:00 PM (view original):
I don't know if my team will be good or ash's team will be good (his team looks really good). I can say that neither of us are egregiously repeating the mistakes of last season which is progress.

I like your team better than my Durant/Chandler team last year so far. I love Lucas but he was a luxury pick for me in the third last year last year after my board got hammered leading up to the pick (Gasol, Drexler, Moncrief) and not a great fit next to Chandler because it locked in two low-usage bigs and left me still needing a high usage player. And the guy I picked in Round 4 was the wrong choice to fill that hole; to make matters worse he wasn't a PG. Which was a terrible misread of the draft board, and left me really scrambling at PG.

You didn't make those mistakes; you picked a good wing compliment in Round 3 and then a solid PG (Porter) in Round 4. You have an easier hole to fill in Round 5 than I did. I suspect you've got a top 5 finish in the cards.

I appreciate the optimism, but you drafting around Durant versus me drafting around Durant is six of one, half a dozen of the other. I feel myself scrambling for frontcourt rebounding and minutes in a way you weren't. I think I have decided that centers and point guards are the only viable first round picks in this league and middle round picks are the worst spot to be.

But I reserve the right to change my mind ten times.

By the way, if you get a reasonable center or platoon of centers, that squad is looking nasty,

There's some truth to the centers and point guards thing. In particular, high-usage PGs and bigs who can play D. Wings seem so much more easily available.

I think you'll be fine on the boards.

Leads world 4 in scoring, falls 33 spots from S1. Go cry about it on The Jump Paul Pierce.

I think I really tanked my approval rating this Savage draft. The quarantine is getting to me guys.

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:12:00 AM (view original):
I think I really yanked my approval rating this Savage draft. The quarantine is getting to me guys.

Just one point of view, I think we all have been frustrated at some point in this draft. Waking up and making it right the next day is the best we can do.

10/10 would let him beat my team in a league again

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:12:00 AM (view original):
I think I really yanked my approval rating this Savage draft. The quarantine is getting to me guys.

Where do you live?

Posted by tarheel1991 on 8/12/2020 10:25:00 AM (view original):

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:12:00 AM (view original):
I think I really yanked my approval rating this Savage draft. The quarantine is getting to me guys.

Where do you live?

Rip City baby (Portland)

Are you still in Connecticut?

Posted by jhsukow on 8/12/2020 10:25:00 AM (view original):

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:12:00 AM (view original):
I think I really yanked my approval rating this Savage draft. The quarantine is getting to me guys.

Just one point of view, I think we all have been frustrated at some point in this draft. Waking up and making it right the next day is the best we can do.

10/10 would let him beat my team in a league again

Yeah. I think it just feels more important when there is a lot less to do. Thanks bud.

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:28:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tarheel1991 on 8/12/2020 10:25:00 AM (view original):

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:12:00 AM (view original):
I think I really yanked my approval rating this Savage draft. The quarantine is getting to me guys.

Where do you live?

Rip City baby (Portland)

Are you still in Connecticut?

No, North Carolina. (I was only in Connecticut for a couple of years when I was working a temp job for ESPN.)

Does Portland have a pretty strict COVID order in place? I've followed the reporting on the protests but not really aware of what the city's situation is from a COVID perspective.

Posted by tarheel1991 on 8/12/2020 10:54:00 AM (view original):

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:28:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tarheel1991 on 8/12/2020 10:25:00 AM (view original):

Posted by robusk on 8/12/2020 10:12:00 AM (view original):
I think I really yanked my approval rating this Savage draft. The quarantine is getting to me guys.

Where do you live?

Rip City baby (Portland)

Are you still in Connecticut?

No, North Carolina. (I was only in Connecticut for a couple of years when I was working a temp job for ESPN.)

Does Portland have a pretty strict COVID order in place? I've followed the reporting on the protests but not really aware of what the city's situation is from a COVID perspective.

I think we are definitely on the stricter side. But also culturally it is the sort of city that is going to take this sort of thing a lot more seriously than others. People are quick to call out anyone they see being irresponsible. So everyone is pretty undersocialized. For someone like me, it takes a big toll

Even the couple of times I participated in the protests, people were pretty smart given them context. Everyone in masks, and bulk of the people on the fringes trying to stay six feet apart. The point people get most of the attention, for good reason. The national reporting on the protests has been horrendous, but anyone who wants to know more about it can SM me. There has been enough of that talk here.

By the way, at least in normal conditions, I am in NC constantly for work but never anywhere good. Mostly not in the cities. My wife was pushing us to move to Carrboro at one point a couple years ago. I did some spatial analysis on zip codes that met certain criteria I was interested and gave her the list and told her I would move to any of those places. She liked that one. Didn’t come together though as priorities shifted.

Am I missing anybody? Danny Green, Reggie Miller, and Mark Price staying with the Savage Season 1 governors.

@Tarheel1991:

Over on the draft thread - I threw on some Jerry West nicknames,
and you responded you'd never heard of them.... I didnt want to clog up that thread...
so here is my response: (and its OK if no one cares - lol)

when you open: "perhaps it is a function of my age"... it age shaming (lol)
(I'm old, but not old enough to remember West playing)
(I am old enough to be CONVINCED that Wilt the Stilt is the GOAT - but that topic is for another day)

as a hack basketball historian (meaning I love it, but by no means am I an 'expert'),

I know that Jerry West was dubbed "Zeke from Cabin Creek" as a comment on him being from rural West Virginia.
On driving trips between Kentucky and Washington, I've passed 'Home of Jerry West', Cabin Creek WV, and it is RURAL.
I'm not sure when that became a popular handle, but I do know that West didn't like it.
( maybe it originated by 'sophisticates' in LA, or before the NBA when he led WV to title game)

The Larry Bird nickname "Hick from French Lick" was probably inspired or pattered off of the Zeke/Creek nickname,
Both being from rural areas and both probably earning the name from 'metropolitan' scribes.

"Mr. Clutch" Popular while he played and shortly after he retired - I think this may have faded more than the others
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrCwLDqEjRfZzwA7RQPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTB0N2Noc21lBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=1970+west+shot&type=we_appfocus515_cr&param1=20190430&param2=a03861d8-e7ab-4fad-a148-f31302e04d5b&param3=weather_%7EUS%7Eappfocus515&param4=propel-Propel_v1-bb9%7EChrome%7E1970+west+shot%7E9C65B002F9FDD7B9D1EFE59DD38DF07A&hsimp=yhs-pty_weather&hspart=pty&ei=UTF-8&fr=yhs-pty-pty_weather#id=1&vid=503ef771fe6b8c0870a2e66990bf357c&action=view

"Mr. Logo": I think the NBA logo featuring West silhouette was developed in late 60s, or early 70s, and before he retired in '74
The NBA presented this a few years after the MLB logo, and it is a direct inspiration (rip off). (unsure player used for MLB logo)

In reading on West he was also called "Mr. Outside" -
I assume this may be during the end of his career after Chamberlain joined the Lakers.

West continued his passion for winning and excellence after his stellar playing career ended, becoming general manager of the Lakers before the 1982–83 seasons. NBA.com credits West in creating the great 1980s Lakers dynasty, which brought five championship rings (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988) to Los Angeles.^[5] After a slump in the early 1990s, West rebuilt the team of coach Del Harris around center Vlade Divac, forward Cedric Ceballos, and guard Nick Van Exel, which won 48 games, and went to the Western Conference Semifinals; for turning the team around, West received his first Executive of the Year Award.^[58] By trading Vlade Divac for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant, signing free agent center Shaquille O'Neal, and signing six-time NBA champion Phil Jackson as a coach, West laid down the foundation of the Lakers three-peat which saw L.A. win three NBA titles from 2000 to 2002.<sup>[5]

P.S. I was born and raised about 30 miles up the road from the holler called Cabin Creek</sup>

West was the loudest voice in the room to not trade Klay.

yes - good stuff Gerryred - I LOVE basketball history -

on my short list of the greatest GM of all time would have to be Jerry West or Red Auerbach.

Auerbach dynasty benefited by having the continuity of Bill Russell in the middle - he was a master architect.

In what is a surprise to me now looking back: In his draft class, Bob Cousy was passed over by Auerback for a big lumbering center
(I don't remember the stiffs name - I probably drafted the same 'Big Lug' in a WIS decade league - lol).
Auerbach somewhat reluctantly signed Cousy, after Cousy refused to play for the Tri City Blackhawks (I might have that team wrong), thinking Auerbach stated that Cousy was too flashy, a 'showboat'.

Many assume that adding Cousey was the first genius move by Auerbach - I think he kind of backed into the first legend of Celtic lore, as Cousey was already a Massachusetts legend from his Holy Cross NCAA career. - (to NOT draft Coz was suspect - and VERY controversial)

Red Auerbach drafting Hall of Famers Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan before they were eligible to join his Celtics (blindsiding his peers) really kicked off his dynasty, and to me was a GENIUS move. (they remained at Kentucky and were eligible to be drafted before leaving school).

Red AUerbach drafted Larry Bird out of Indiana State in the exact same fashion (30 years later). Red drafted Larry Legend, but Bird returned for the '78-'79 season and an eventual showdown with Magic Johnson and Michigan State. Bird had transferred from Bobby Knights Hoosier squad in his Freshman season, and after his 4th season (Junior year at Indiana St.), he was eligible to be drafted.

That 1950 (?) draft was his start. (Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan)
Auerbach effectively utilized Frank Ramsay as the weapon "the Sixth man'
(starting a Celtic tradition eventually filled by Havlicek)
(Reds idea was for the role to go to aoffensive minded spark that was talented enough to start).

He went on to parlay Cliff Hagan and Easy Ed McCauley (both eventual Hall of Famers) in a 1956 (?) deal with St.Louis Hawks,
netting Auerbach none other than BIll Russell - (many 'experts' questioned the deal at the time).

St. Louis was good for a LONG STRETCH with those two, winning the Championship in the late 50's (year?)....
but the Bill Russell deal cemented basketball greatest dynasty.

I may give West the edge - or...Red....
It would be close.... apples and oranges