Jesus Christ, if this is the level of bullshit we can expect this year there’s barely any point in even playing. These refs are the stupidest c*nts I’ve ever seen.

It’s only pre season so who gives af, but still, how stupid.

I know it’s the preseason and I’m sure a lot of this is Coach Joerger coming in, but I love how our defense finally doesn’t look like playing 2K on Easy difficulty with these guys on the court.

It feels like everyone tries harder when they’re out there putting in effort on defense, and we look so much less lost out there compared to the past two years. If Spencer plays some D this year, I feel like we can have a formidable defensive lineup when we need an end of game stop.

I have been a DeRozan fan since he was at USC and I’ve had Nuggets season tix for years, but I’m shocked at how much I’m enjoying how this team is looking. I don’t think we’re at a San Antonio/OKC level, but things were looking bleak for a while this offseason.

What are your hot takes or unpopular opinions of this season?

Mine are that we'll be 5th-6th seed. Possibly even play-in. Less than 50 wins. I genuinely think our defense is so bad we won't be able to compete with the top seeds.

I was thinking about who might be backing Aaron Gordon up this year and that led me to thinking what a lineup without Gordon, CB, Cam, etc. might look like since those guys all sustained some injuries last year. I don’t think CB is a guy who will sit to stay fresh, but pretty much everyone else besides Jokic I would expect to miss a little time for load management. What’re yalls thoughts on this?

By bleacher report*, whoops, should’ve been in the title

Not really news to anyone, but lmao

https://br.app.link/E0T236y0h7b

Top 10:

1. Jokic
2. Haliburton
3. Luka
4. Trae
5. Cade
6. LaMelo
7. Shai
8. Brunson
9. Castle
10. LeBron

Murray was 12

Anyone underrated? What do you guys think?

from The Athletic:

”The local broadcasts will sound different this season. Noah Reed takes over play-by-play duties from Chris Marlowe, with Katy Winge becoming the lead color analyst. Former NBA guard Jason Richardson joins the studio and will serve as a second analyst for select home games. Lauren Gardner returns as a host and reporter, while Vic Lombardi is back as the lead studio host.”

Happy for Winge, she deserves it, but Marlowe and Hastings have been the combo “since Hector was a pup,” as Marlowe would say.

The last 90 minutes - titled "NBA deep dive". I have not listened, but thought I'd share in case anyone is interested

At least the Rockies are better than the Jets😂

Didn’t CB play with Ochai at Kansas? I always liked him, but haven’t paid attention for a minute, any point in looking at him?

Nuggets and Thunder tied for best home court advantage🏔️🏀

Would love people’s thoughts on the roster based on what we’ve seen in preseason.

A couple of my own observations:
- Jokić, Murray, and Gordon look really healthy and in good shape coming into the season. Maybe the best shape we’ve seen those three in a long time.
- Braun looks healthy, but we really haven’t seen him show the step forward yet that would prove he’s going to be a reliable starter
- Cam Johnson looks pretty Sharp, and seems like he has taken a step forward and fits better within the office. We desperately need good three-point shooting, Johnson could be a big part of that.
- until the injury, I thought Strawther was looking great. Hopefully he comes back strong.
- Brazile seems really good, and I could see him playing a meaningful role off the bench
- Diallo seems to be everything he’s cracked up to be defensively, but they have to find a way to fit him into the offense
- DeRozan looked pretty solid in the games he played. His shot was a little hit or miss, but he’s a veteran, and if he can get in a good flow and give us 60 meaningful games off the bench helping to be an offensive engine while Jokić and or Murray are out, that would add a lot to the roster.
- Whitmore is a wildcard and I don’t know what to think yet

In general, everything will rest on health. Particularly, we need Jamal and Gordon healthy for a full season. We need Johnson and Braun to take a step. But if this team can stay reasonably healthy, I could see them posting 55+ wins and being third or fourth in the West at the end of the year.

Daily Listening: Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent (2017) | Recommended by u/tron7

Via mrbuckbuck.