The trades have been horrible for league balance

[ArbitraryWater]

An East contenders vanishes and in turn heavily strengthens 2 West playoff teams.

Just cause Kyrie couldnt wait 3 more months. Jfc.

[nineiron]

your tears are delicious

lmfao

[ImKobe]

I think the trades kind of balanced things out. Both Conferences have two legitimate contenders and 2-3 teams that could beat them as underdogs. East is still very strong 1-4 as is the WC. This is not like 2015 when EC had three All-NBA players with 2 of them playing on the Cavs.

[Manny98]

Finally LeBron is playing in the tougher conference for the first time in his career and the stans are crying it's not fair :oldlol:

East is still a bloodbath tbh

Philly
Bucks
Celtics
Cavs
Nets

League overall is the most competitive it's ever been there's probably 8-10 teams in the league with a legit shot at winning it all

[ArbitraryWater]

I think the trades kind of balanced things out. Both Conferences have two legitimate contenders and 2-3 teams that could beat them as underdogs. East is still very strong 1-4 as is the WC. This is not like 2015 when EC had three All-NBA players with 2 of them playing on the Cavs.

What are you taking about, baanced things out.

Even before these trades the West was much better and ed the H2H.

The East seeds 7-onwards are fodder, and the West becomes even stronger from 7-onwards Lmao.

[1987_Lakers]

Finally LeBron is playing in the tougher conference for the first time in his career and the stans are crying it's not fair :oldlol:

East is still a bloodbath tbh

Philly
Bucks
Celtics
Cavs
Nets

League overall is the most competitive it's ever been there's probably 8-10 teams in the league with a legit shot at winning it all

:roll:

[ArbitraryWater]

Finally LeBron is playing in the tougher conference for the first time in his career and the stans are crying it's not fair :oldlol:

East is still a bloodbath tbh

Philly
Bucks
Celtics
Cavs
Nets

League overall is the most competitive it's ever been there's probably 8-10 teams in the league with a legit shot at winning it all

You mentioned 3 contenders and 2 average ass 4th / 5th seed teams.

The Nets wont even stay there.

[ImKobe]

What are you taking about, baanced things out.

Even before these trades the West was much better and ed the H2H.

The East seeds 7-onwards are fodder, and the West becomes even stronger from 7-onwards Lmao.

East had Milwaukee, Boston & Philly as the 3 contenders with Cavs & Nets & even Miami having a chance at it as well. The Kyrie & KD trades took BK out of the picture but the Suns were already good & didn't improve by that much due to their lack of depth and CP3/KD being injury-prone and the Mavs didn't go from an okay Playoff team to a real title contender (though they could definitely upset some teams) either.

We still have time until the deadline so this post will likely be outdated but right now it's looking pretty balanced in terms of how many real title contenders there are on both sides. Suns & Nuggets right now look like they have a legitimate chance at a title but the other WC teams have serious questions about them while the East has at least 3 (I'll say 4 since the Cavs are really good and have the #1 defense) teams that have looked legit for at least 90% of the season.

The EC currently has 4 of the 5 teams in the league based on win percentage. Those trades should even out the top half of the league. West has more "Good" teams but I wouldn't say that it's tougher (if at all) by a significant margin. Both Conferences will have some great Playoff match-ups & potential upsets so this is nowhere near as bad as you're making it out to be right now.

[ArbitraryWater]

East had Milwaukee, Boston & Philly as the 3 contenders with Cavs & Nets & even Miami having a chance at it as well. The Kyrie & KD trades took BK out of the picture but the Suns were already good & didn't improve by that much due to their lack of depth and CP3/KD being injury-prone and the Mavs didn't go from an okay Playoff team to a real title contender (though they could definitely upset some teams) either.

We still have time until the deadline so this post will likely be outdated but right now it's looking pretty balanced in terms of how many real title contenders there are on both sides. Suns & Nuggets right now look like they have a legitimate chance at a title but the other WC teams have serious questions about them while the East has at least 3 (I'll say 4 since the Cavs are really good and have the #1 defense) teams that have looked legit for at least 90% of the season.

The EC currently has 4 of the 5 teams in the league based on win percentage. Those trades should even out the top half of the league. West has more "Good" teams but I wouldn't say that it's tougher (if at all) by a significant margin. Both Conferences will have some great Playoff match-ups & potential upsets so this is nowhere near as bad as you're making it out to be right now.


The West is 13 teams deep and youre taking about the top 4...

are you mad?

There is contenders beyond the top 8 in the West. Stacked contenders.

At the top there is 1 great team to balance the Easts top 3 (Nuggets), then you have many more stacked teams that give the West more contenders than the East (Cippers, Warriors, Suns, akers, maybe even Mavs), and then the mid section and entire depth of the conference is much stronger too.

Youre on bath salts.

[999Guy]

Mavs have zero ability to defend high level offense. This isn’t the 2018 Rockets.

And Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges are huge two-way guys. They’re not regular role players.

Suns made a lateral move on quality and then killed their flexibility giving away all those picks.


They still have awful ****ing Ayton ffs :facepalm

Should’ve kept one of the wings and got Ayton for Claxton and pieces, one of the many many Nets pieces. Brooklyn is so deep even before these trades it’s almost inconceivable.

HORRIBLE negotiations. Zero scouting or long-term outlook. Dummies. And they still won’t beat whatever comes out of the East. Whether it be Philly, Milwaukee or Boston.

[ArbitraryWater]

Mavs have zero ability to defend high level offense. This isn’t the 2018 Rockets.

And Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges are huge two-way guys. They’re not regular role players.

Suns made a lateral move on quality and then killed their flexibility giving away all those picks.


They still have awful ****ing Ayton ffs :facepalm

Should’ve kept one of the wings and got Ayton for Claxton and pieces, one of the many many Nets pieces. Brooklyn is so deep even before these trades it’s almost inconceivable.

HORRIBLE negotiations. Zero scouting or long-term outlook. Dummies. And they still won’t beat whatever comes out of the East. Whether it be Philly, Milwaukee or Boston.


Yeah yeah, and the Jazz were the best team in 2021 and your other takes.

Compaining about having Ayton at C...

jeez

[BallsOut]

OP wasn't complaining about league balance from 2011-2018 in the historically weak Eastern conference. Nice agenda dawg

:coleman:

[GimmeThat]

can't complain about trades and balances unless you're against players getting paid.

[ILLsmak]

Unless KD is legit damaged goods, you are wiling. KD can even protect the rim as a help defender. In Today's NBA the way the suns are built IS NUTS. You saw what it was like when you put him on GSW, expect similar things unless there is a chemistry problem or he keeps getting injured.

Plus CP3 is a real PG. Finally CP3 gets to play with a real superstar. Lesse what he does!


-Smak

[ImKobe]

The West is 13 teams deep and youre taking about the top 4...

are you mad?

There is contenders beyond the top 8 in the West. Stacked contenders.

At the top there is 1 great team to balance the Easts top 3 (Nuggets), then you have many more stacked teams that give the West more contenders than the East (Cippers, Warriors, Suns, akers, maybe even Mavs), and then the mid section and entire depth of the conference is much stronger too.

Youre on bath salts.

Not really. Are the Warriors really a contender right now? They've been average with Steph and he's going to be out for a month here. Lakers and Mavs are not stacked lol.. Just before the Kyrie trade the narrative was that Luka had 0 help and was forced to do everything for their team and they struggled on defense.. Now you have a great offense but still huge problems on D. Lakers are not a true contender with a 38 y.o Lebron and an injury-prone AD, they're basically in the same boat as GS but are less reliable due to Bran's age and AD's health. Clippers are unreliable as well because Kawhi and George both manage to get hurt every season and you'd be stupid to pick them to contend for anything before seeing them healthy in the POs.

I just see two Conferences with an equal amount of talent in the top 6. Western Conference definitely has more potential for upsets due to all the question marks but the Celtics and Bucks to me are still a level above everyone else in the league. Bucks have the 3rd best record (37 - 17, Denver is 38 - 17) despite Middleton barely playing all season (they're 8 - 0 since he's returned and has currently played limited minutes off the bench) & with Giannis missing 11 games as well.

I don't think it's as crazy as you're making it out to be. The Mavs and Suns didn't improve by a lot. Both teams have depth issues and questions on defense as of right now.

[ArbitraryWater]

Not really. Are the Warriors really a contender right now? They've been average with Steph and he's going to be out for a month here. Lakers and Mavs are not stacked lol.. Just before the Kyrie trade the narrative was that Luka had 0 help and was forced to do everything for their team and they struggled on defense.. Now you have a great offense but still huge problems on D. Lakers are not a true contender with a 38 y.o Lebron and an injury-prone AD, they're basically in the same boat as GS but are less reliable due to Bran's age and AD's health. Clippers are unreliable as well because Kawhi and George both manage to get hurt every season and you'd be stupid to pick them to contend for anything before seeing them healthy in the POs.

I just see two Conferences with an equal amount of talent in the top 6. Western Conference definitely has more potential for upsets due to all the question marks but the Celtics and Bucks to me are still a level above everyone else in the league. Bucks have the 3rd best record (37 - 17, Denver is 38 - 17) despite Middleton barely playing all season (they're 8 - 0 since he's returned and has currently played limited minutes off the bench) & with Giannis missing 11 games as well.

I don't think it's as crazy as you're making it out to be. The Mavs and Suns didn't improve by a lot. Both teams have depth issues and questions on defense as of right now.


Do you know GSW and Curry in the payoffs? Of course they wi be contenders.

Match them up with a straight face and te me theyre not competey tited.

Normay youd be going on about how the Mavs have perhaps the 2 best iso scorers ever and now theyre not stacked lol.

Celtics
Bucks
Sixers

vs.

Nuggets
Clippers
Suns
lakers
Warriors
Mavericks

Cavaliers
Heat

vs.

Grizzlies
Kings
Timberwolves
Pelicans


Suns have KD/Book/CP3/Ayton and youre talking about didnt improve by "a lot". Youre delusional. Yeah but the Harden/Embiid/whatever Sixers are a top contender with immense win %, right? Clown

[BallsOut]

Do you know GSW and Curry in the payoffs? Of course they wi be contenders.

Match them up with a straight face and te me theyre not competey tited.

Normay youd be going on about how the Mavs have perhaps the 2 best iso scorers ever and now theyre not stacked lol.

Celtics
Bucks
Sixers

vs.

Nuggets
Clippers
Suns
lakers
Warriors
Mavericks

Cavaliers
Heat

vs.

Grizzlies
Kings
Timberwolves
Pelicans


Suns have KD/Book/CP3/Ayton and youre talking about didnt improve by "a lot". Youre delusional. Yeah but the Harden/Embiid/whatever Sixers are a top contender with immense win %, right? Clown

Cavaliers and Heat are legit contenders. Heat made nba finals like two years ago. Cavs are basically East Utah Jazz from last year with Mitchell. Try and be objective dawg

[999Guy]

Unless KD is legit damaged goods, you are wiling. KD can even protect the rim as a help defender. In Today's NBA the way the suns are built IS NUTS. You saw what it was like when you put him on GSW, expect similar things unless there is a chemistry problem or he keeps getting injured.

Plus CP3 is a real PG. Finally CP3 gets to play with a real superstar. Lesse what he does!


-Smak

KD played like the worst player in the playoffs last year. This trade is a joke.

If they would’ve gotten Simmons or Claxton for Ayton instead of the wings, and gave half the amount of draft capital, then maybe it would’ve been good.

They traded away the guys who actually define how good they are and what they’re best at(athletic wing defense, really athletic off-ball centric explosive offense), for an old volume guy who is declining every other year and kept Ayton, the least talented, talented center I’ve ever seen. Moves like silk but somehow still stiff with any offensive moves and has zero instincts as an NBA defender.

And still hasn’t developed any tricks or clever moves 5 years into his career. Ayton is a Kwame Brown level bust but you have the scouting ability to see it. His box score is bare minimum rim runner shit. The substance of his game, just any little thing that would effect plays but not get him stats, is in the negative.

No passing, no shooting, bad screen setter, no instincts on defections, rim protection, post defense, no actually unique talent at all. Just a body that can dunk and rebound with a random 10 foot jumper in between.

[ImKobe]

Do you know GSW and Curry in the payoffs? Of course they wi be contenders.

Match them up with a straight face and te me theyre not competey tited.

Normay youd be going on about how the Mavs have perhaps the 2 best iso scorers ever and now theyre not stacked lol.

Celtics
Bucks
Sixers

vs.

Nuggets
Clippers
Suns
lakers
Warriors
Mavericks

Cavaliers
Heat

vs.

Grizzlies
Kings
Timberwolves
Pelicans


Suns have KD/Book/CP3/Ayton and youre talking about didnt improve by "a lot". Youre delusional. Yeah but the Harden/Embiid/whatever Sixers are a top contender with immense win %, right? Clown

There's just too many questions about the top West teams. Suns might have the best top 4 in the league but they are lacking in depth and KD is hurt and CP3 always gets hurt in the POs. They gave away both of their great wing defenders to get Durant, who's a good defensive player in his own right but they're going to have to play these guys a lot of minutes before the POs and they can't afford injuries to anyone on their team.

Like how the **** are you putting the Lakers, Mavs & Clippers on the same level as the Nuggets/Suns or the top 3 teams out East? Are you out of your mind?

[Hey Yo]

I think the trades kind of balanced things out. Both Conferences have two legitimate contenders and 2-3 teams that could beat them as underdogs. East is still very strong 1-4 as is the WC. This is not like 2015 when EC had three All-NBA players with 2 of them playing on the Cavs.

The 60 win Hawks had 4 All-stars, winning record against the West and HCA throughout.

Yet they were swept by the Cavs with Kyrie missing 2gms and Love the entire series.

Try again ,chico

[ImKobe]

The 60 win Hawks had 4 All-stars, winning record against the West and HCA throughout.

Yet they were swept by the Cavs with Kyrie missing 2gms and Love the entire series.

Tru again ,chico

Cavs swept

They had zero All-NBA players and the East was so weak that Korver (a 12 ppg catch & shoot player) and Teague (barely a starter-level PG) made the ASG lmao.. They won 60 games because of how weak their Conference was. JR Smith was the 2nd best player in that series which tells you enough about how much of a joke that team was (worst 60-win team of all-time).

[SouBeachTalents]

There's just too many questions about the top West teams. Suns might have the best top 4 in the league but they are lacking in depth and KD is hurt and CP3 always gets hurt in the POs. They gave away both of their great wing defenders to get Durant, who's a good defensive player in his own right but they're going to have to play these guys a lot of minutes before the POs and they can't afford injuries to anyone on their team.

Like how the **** are you putting the Lakers, Mavs & Clippers on the same level as the Nuggets/Suns or the top 3 teams out East? Are you out of your mind?
AW overrates the bejesus out of the Lakers, no matter how mediocre they remain throughout the season. Maybe he keeps expecting them to revert back to 2020 form,, but I wouldn’t count on it happening. Even with LeBron & AD playing the team can’t even crack .500, and he keeps claiming they’re a top tier title contender :lol I know they have two top 10 players, but they would have to show me something, even a 3 game winning streak, before I’d consider them serious contenders.

I have to see how the Mavs look with Kyrie before speculating on them, I think he & Luka are a bad fit.

The Warriors have been erratic all year, but if Curry’s able to play, they’re for sure a dangerous team.

The Clippers also seem incapable of putting together consistently good ball, but if Kawhi & PG are healthy, a big if I know, they’re a tough out for anyone.

And I admit the Sixers are talented, but Harden has proven without a doubt he’s a complete fraud in the playoffs, and Embiid hasn’t quite played at his regular season level in the playoffs either. I’d pick both the Bucks & Celtics over them to win the East.

[Real Men Wear Green]

What the Suns now have is the level of star talent that wins in the modern NBA. So OP can now see what a real contender looks like.

[Wally450]

The league is more balanced than it's ever been.

[Hey Yo]

They had zero All-NBA players and the East was so weak that Korver (a 12 ppg catch & shoot player) and Teague (barely a starter-level PG) made the ASG lmao.. They won 60 games because of how weak their Conference was. JR Smith was the 2nd best player in that series which tells you enough about how much of a joke that team was (worst 60-win team of all-time).

When Korver played one season with the Cavs, you'd throw him in with "all the others" that made the Cavs an alleged stacked team.

[ImKobe]

When Korver played one season with the Cavs, you'd throw him in with "all the others" that made the Cavs an alleged stacked team.

He was a great fit in Bran Ball but he was no All-Star at that point or the year before lmao..

[Hey Yo]

He was a great fit in Bran Ball but he was no All-Star at that point or the year before lmao..

Yet you still touted him like he was an All-Star.


trolling backfire years later :oldlol:

[ImKobe]

Yet you still touted him like he was an All-Star.


trolling backfire years later :oldlol:

I like using Bran stan logic against them. I remember joining ISH and people acting like the 2013 Lakers were the healthiest team all-time with KB, Nash, Pau & Dwight at their peaks.. Y'all started this shit lol.

[Hey Yo]

I like using Bran stan logic against them. I remember joining ISH and people acting like the 2013 Lakers were the healthiest team all-time with KB, Nash, Pau & Dwight at their peaks.. Y'all started this shit lol.

Yeah right ..... Kobe played 78gms, Dwight 76 (also led the league in rebounding) while Nash and Pau combined to play 99gms.