The 2024-2025 NBA Season

marc45

G.O.A.T.

Heat, Jimmy Butler Reportedly Could Be Headed For Split Ahead Of Trade Deadline​

By
Sam Amico
-
December 10, 2024

Jimmy Butler and the Heat might be heading for a breakup. It’s not a foregone conclusion, but with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that Miami is “open to listening to offers” for its franchise star, the writing could be on the wall.

Butler, now 35, has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26, but he reportedly has no intention of picking it up. That makes this season pivotal for both sides.

Here’s where it gets interesting: Butler has apparently identified the Warriors, Rockets, and Mavericks as preferred destinations. Those teams, by the way, could all use a proven playoff performer.

Let’s not forget, Butler is still playing at an All-Star level — 19 points, 5.4 boards, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this season, all while posting career-best efficiency. Come playoff time, he’s one of the league’s most reliable stars.

But what about Miami? The Heat have been stuck in neutral. At 12-10 through 22 games, they’re solid, but far from the juggernaut needed to compete with the Celtics or Bucks in the East. Tyler Herro has been a bright spot, but Bam Adebayo’s offensive regression and the underwhelming impact of the Terry Rozier trade leave the Heat in a tough spot.

Pat Riley and the Heat front office have to ask themselves if this is a team capable of making another Finals run. Butler has been their centerpiece for years, leading them to two Finals appearances and a Game 7 in the conference finals. But is he the centerpiece for the future?

If the right offer comes along — maybe a young star or premium picks — don’t be shocked if Miami pulls the trigger. Butler’s affinity for Miami is real, but the clock is ticking on both sides to figure out what’s next.
 

Federer and Del Potro

Bionic Poster

Heat, Jimmy Butler Reportedly Could Be Headed For Split Ahead Of Trade Deadline​

By
Sam Amico
-
December 10, 2024

Jimmy Butler and the Heat might be heading for a breakup. It’s not a foregone conclusion, but with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that Miami is “open to listening to offers” for its franchise star, the writing could be on the wall.

Butler, now 35, has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26, but he reportedly has no intention of picking it up. That makes this season pivotal for both sides.

Here’s where it gets interesting: Butler has apparently identified the Warriors, Rockets, and Mavericks as preferred destinations. Those teams, by the way, could all use a proven playoff performer.

Let’s not forget, Butler is still playing at an All-Star level — 19 points, 5.4 boards, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this season, all while posting career-best efficiency. Come playoff time, he’s one of the league’s most reliable stars.

But what about Miami? The Heat have been stuck in neutral. At 12-10 through 22 games, they’re solid, but far from the juggernaut needed to compete with the Celtics or Bucks in the East. Tyler Herro has been a bright spot, but Bam Adebayo’s offensive regression and the underwhelming impact of the Terry Rozier trade leave the Heat in a tough spot.

Pat Riley and the Heat front office have to ask themselves if this is a team capable of making another Finals run. Butler has been their centerpiece for years, leading them to two Finals appearances and a Game 7 in the conference finals. But is he the centerpiece for the future?

If the right offer comes along — maybe a young star or premium picks — don’t be shocked if Miami pulls the trigger. Butler’s affinity for Miami is real, but the clock is ticking on both sides to figure out what’s next.

Celtics or Bucks? Cavaliers disrespect getting outta hand
 

InsuranceMan

Hall of Fame

Heat, Jimmy Butler Reportedly Could Be Headed For Split Ahead Of Trade Deadline​

By
Sam Amico
-
December 10, 2024

Jimmy Butler and the Heat might be heading for a breakup. It’s not a foregone conclusion, but with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that Miami is “open to listening to offers” for its franchise star, the writing could be on the wall.

Butler, now 35, has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26, but he reportedly has no intention of picking it up. That makes this season pivotal for both sides.

Here’s where it gets interesting: Butler has apparently identified the Warriors, Rockets, and Mavericks as preferred destinations. Those teams, by the way, could all use a proven playoff performer.

Let’s not forget, Butler is still playing at an All-Star level — 19 points, 5.4 boards, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this season, all while posting career-best efficiency. Come playoff time, he’s one of the league’s most reliable stars.

But what about Miami? The Heat have been stuck in neutral. At 12-10 through 22 games, they’re solid, but far from the juggernaut needed to compete with the Celtics or Bucks in the East. Tyler Herro has been a bright spot, but Bam Adebayo’s offensive regression and the underwhelming impact of the Terry Rozier trade leave the Heat in a tough spot.

Pat Riley and the Heat front office have to ask themselves if this is a team capable of making another Finals run. Butler has been their centerpiece for years, leading them to two Finals appearances and a Game 7 in the conference finals. But is he the centerpiece for the future?

If the right offer comes along — maybe a young star or premium picks — don’t be shocked if Miami pulls the trigger. Butler’s affinity for Miami is real, but the clock is ticking on both sides to figure out what’s next.
A struggle, as I’m torn between my favorite player and my team. It’s best for the team if he’s traded. If he gets injured at all this year we get nothing pretty much. ACL, MCL, anything that significantly slashes the season, it’s all over. He’s done, opts in for 52 Million next year, spends the year rehabbing instead of playing to get himself in top shape before he’s a free agent. Then he walks away for nothing. Every day I wake up and am thankful that Kyle Lowry is no longer with us, but giving that draft pick to CHA hurt, and OKC has ours for the upcoming year. Could use some more draft assets and young players to gear for the future.

But, I actually subscribe to the theory that this particular report is from his agent who’s stirring up interest and pressure right as Miami looks the best they have all season. Esp bc Miami keeps a pretty tight lock on things and within the team everything seems normal, Spo dismissed it.
 

Federer and Del Potro

Bionic Poster
OKC would be a tough match-up for Boston. Their length is tough to deal with. OKC do kind of seem to be regular season merchants though. Looked the same last year then were woefully unimpressive in the real games.
 

InsuranceMan

Hall of Fame
OKC would be a tough match-up for Boston. Their length is tough to deal with. OKC do kind of seem to be regular season merchants though. Looked the same last year then were woefully unimpressive in the real games.
I mean I wouldn’t say they were woefully unimpressive but agreed they have a thing for the regular season. Boston is probably the worst matchup in the league for them imo. Can’t be playing 5 out guard ball when everyone in Boston can shoot, even the bigs. That’s another thing, I think their bigs would be totally outmatched.
 

Federer and Del Potro

Bionic Poster
I mean I wouldn’t say they were woefully unimpressive but agreed they have a thing for the regular season. Boston is probably the worst matchup in the league for them imo. Can’t be playing 5 out guard ball when everyone in Boston can shoot, even the bigs. That’s another thing, I think their bigs would be totally outmatched.

Idk I remember even Kral saying he wanted OKC. That says it all


-----------

Also so much for his theory the Warriors were sandbagging for NBA Cup. They're just mid. As I thought.
 

marc45

G.O.A.T.
Mo Wagner out for the year, torn ACL...don't know how Orlando continues to win games now, but they've proven me wrong after they lost Banchero and Franz
 

marc45

G.O.A.T.
Cavs have to work against Utah but separate late

did you know there's a hack-a-Kessler tactic?....there is for Kenny Atkinson, and it worked, missed three of four...should have tried it one other time...one time he did miss and Utah got the rebound and scored....it does point out a weakness on the Cavs...both Mobley and Allen struggle with the handful of truly big and strong centers left in the NBA who play in the interior all the time...Kessler was killing them on the offensive boards...one way to hurt him back is make him shoot free throws apparently
 

marc45

G.O.A.T.
how the hell does Orlando keep doing this?...I see Tatum didn't play but Orlando is down Banchero and both Wagners now and they keep winning....obviously I watched them intently against the Cavs in the playoffs last year and it's obvious they're well coached and a cohesive talented team but most teams losing this many key players would collapse....they haven't
 

Federer and Del Potro

Bionic Poster
how the hell does Orlando keep doing this?...I see Tatum didn't play but Orlando is down Banchero and both Wagners now and they keep winning....obviously I watched them intently against the Cavs in the playoffs last year and it's obvious they're well coached and a cohesive talented team but most teams losing this many key players would collapse....they haven't

They play a super aggressive brand of defense that seems to go uncalled for the most part. Started jawing at the refs over actually getting called on it in the third quarter and the ref seemed to be intimidated by them the rest of the game. That said, inconsistent officiating is not a foreign concept in the NBA so no excuse losing that game.

The Magic are going to be a serious problem in a year or two.
 

Federer and Del Potro

Bionic Poster
Between the fetish for three pointers and this inconsistent officiating - along with the age old problem of the final 2 minutes of NBA games taking 30 minutes I can see why the ratings are down. We need to tweak the product a bit. The talent has never been higher across the board. Parity is excellent. Just need to shore up those issues. Not sure we will ever get rid of the three point fetish but the other two problems can easily be addressed.
 

marc45

G.O.A.T.
They play a super aggressive brand of defense that seems to go uncalled for the most part. Started jawing at the refs over actually getting called on it in the third quarter and the ref seemed to be intimidated by them the rest of the game. That said, inconsistent officiating is not a foreign concept in the NBA so no excuse losing that game.

The Magic are going to be a serious problem in a year or two.

yeah, they're definitely in your face, a lot of teams I see now really trying to get aggressive against the Cavs defensively, get them out of their passing rhythm on offense
 

FRV4

Hall of Fame
Between the fetish for three pointers and this inconsistent officiating - along with the age old problem of the final 2 minutes of NBA games taking 30 minutes I can see why the ratings are down. We need to tweak the product a bit. The talent has never been higher across the board. Parity is excellent. Just need to shore up those issues. Not sure we will ever get rid of the three point fetish but the other two problems can easily be addressed.
I also feel like the popularity of sports in general is dwindling. Not sure if the statistics would back that up. For me, I always wanted to be an athlete and if I were young again knowing what I know now, I don’t think I would want to be an athlete. I’d probably want to go into politics and try to improve things.
 

Federer and Del Potro

Bionic Poster
yeah, they're definitely in your face, a lot of teams I see now really trying to get aggressive against the Cavs defensively, get them out of their passing rhythm on offense
Cavaliers are definitely a massive threat to the East. Very impressed with them and have been all year. They seem to have a hunger that Boston is not matching right now. I think the Celtics are foolish if they think they can coast until the playoffs.
I also feel like the popularity of sports in general is dwindling. Not sure if the statistics would back that up. For me, I always wanted to be an athlete and if I were young again knowing what I know now, I don’t think I would want to be an athlete. I’d probably want to go into politics and try to improve things.
I definitely agree with this. Just speaking anecdotally, it seems like only the NFL is as popular as it was "back in the day".

I think the NBA product is better now than 20 years ago, just has to address those issues I pointed out.
 

Federer and Del Potro

Bionic Poster
Successfully ruined.

Caleb Martin with 7 threes. Dude would be better than LeBron if he could play Boston every game.

Not so much worried about the losses as of late but there are some serious concerns in Beantown - the over reliance on 3 being one of them. Teams have figured it out. It isn't working anymore.

The teams overall health: It was a risk getting Porzingis because of his laundry list of injuries and injury proneness in general. They just barely got enough out of him last year to help with the title - but even that came at the cost of a 6+ month long injury. Now he's still getting injured every other week.

It's way too early to say this team cannot repeat but the vibes are not great right now. JB looking like 2023 ECF JB. Tatum really the only one that looks like he cares atm.
 
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marc45

G.O.A.T.
Celtics and Cavs seem to be playing each other tonight....after Celts put up 142 the Cavs hit Denver with 149...insane three point shooting again, fourth game in a row with 20+ threes....most points ever in a regulation time game for a Cavs team
 
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InsuranceMan

Hall of Fame
Thank you for beating the Magic @InsuranceMan . Can't stand em
A little too close for comfort there. We were on our way to getting swept by lil bro. Last time was excruciating but Tyler was sweet, you see the game winner?

Magic are a weird team man they on some black magic I don’t get it. Also 89-88 lowest scoring game all season, wasn’t great to watch. Messed up all my parlays too
 

InsuranceMan

Hall of Fame
Watched the first quarter and a half of Celtics vs Pacers last night. Terrible brand of basketball, wasn’t really fun to watch. I counted like 4 2FGs 8 minutes into the game, no flow, no point of attack coordination, it was yikes. They gotta fix something if that’s what it’s going to turn into.

Couple seasons ago Miami was all about playing in the mud and bad offensive games and some fans were complaining about it, but honestly I’ve been watching a lot of televised games of other teams recently and I’m appreciating Miami ball more
 

marc45

G.O.A.T.
Feel like that's pretty good for DFS
the Nets draft pick situation is insane now...

"The Nets acquire draft capital and cleaner salaries moving forward, including Russell's expiring deal. Brooklyn now has 31 draft picks in the next seven years -- 15 first-rounders and 16 second-rounders -- to go along with over $60 million in cap space in the offseason"
 

marc45

G.O.A.T.

At 40, LeBron says he could play at high level 'another 5-7 years' -- but won't​

  • i

    Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff WriterDec 30, 2024, 06:35 PM ET


EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - The gray in LeBron James' beard was unmistakable as he addressed reporters on his 40th birthday Monday after Los Angeles Lakers practice.

"I had a decade of the thirties so to just wake up and just be like, 'Oh shoot, oh damn, you're 40?'" James said, back with the team after missing Saturday's game against the Sacramento Kings while recovering from an illness. "It's kind of laughable, really, to know where I am, to see where I am still playing the game at a high level, still being such a young man but old in the scheme of how many years I got in this profession."

James, who was the youngest player in league history to reach scoring plateaus at 1,000 through 40,000 career points, is now just the second to play 22 seasons, tying Hall of Famer Vince Carter.

And when he faces his former team in the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, he will become just the 32nd player ever to appear in an NBA game in his forties, according to ESPN Research.

While James admitted that he has "of course" pondered retirement more than ever before, the four-time champion -- fresh off a gold medal run with Team USA at the Paris Olympics, winning tournament MVP -- said he could play a lot longer, should he so choose.
"To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another -- it's weird that I might say this -- but probably about another 5-7 years, if I wanted to," James said. "But I'm not going to do that."

James' production this season would support that claim. He is averaging 23.5 points on 49.6% shooting, 9.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds a night, while appearing in 28 out of the Lakers' 31 games.

When he was approaching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record during the 2022-23 season, James told ESPN the last thing he hoped to accomplish after the scoring feat would be to share the court with his son, Bronny James.

He checked that goal off the list on opening night this season, closing out the second quarter of L.A.'s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with Bronny, whom the Lakers selected with the No. 55 pick in the second round of the draft in June.

"You came in as an 18-year-old kid and now you're sitting here as a 40-year-old, 22-year vet with a 20-year-old in the NBA as well," James said Monday. "So, it's pretty cool."
James has since told ESPN that his last remaining motivation is the chance to compete for a fifth championship.

James was asked if the Lakers, currently just 1 ½ games out of No. 4 in the Western Conference, managed to win the title, would it extend his time in the NBA with a chance to compete for another one or free him up to walk away on top?

"You ask that question, the first person I thought about Jason Kelce," James said, referring to the former Philadelphia Eagles center who now works as an NFL analyst for ESPN. "Earlier this year, he had a sit-down [interview] with Jalen Hurts talking about that same factor, the fact that [the Eagles are] extremely good this year and have you had the thought of coming back and maybe not retiring? Of course [he has]. But he's very happy with the decision he's made." As for the Lakers?

"Right now, I think we're a very good team," James said. "I think we have a chance to compete with anybody in the league. Are we at a championship level? Can we win a championship right now? No, I don't think so. But that's good because we have so much room for improvement .... I don't know if that determines if I stick around longer because it doesn't change my career in any sense or fashion."

While James was unsure of the current Lakers' championship chances, he was more firm in the franchise being the last he will play for.

"That's the plan," James said. "I would love for it to end here. That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I'm also not silly ... [not] to know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. And hopefully I don't got to go nowhere before my career is over."
 

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Cavaliers are definitely a massive threat to the East. Very impressed with them and have been all year. They seem to have a hunger that Boston is not matching right now. I think the Celtics are foolish if they think they can coast until the playoffs.

I definitely agree with this. Just speaking anecdotally, it seems like only the NFL is as popular as it was "back in the day".

I think the NBA product is better now than 20 years ago, just has to address those issues I pointed out.
I would wholeheartedly support moving the 3pt line out to 30 feet.

Let’s not debate the ramifications. Let’s just do it and everyone will start watching to see how it plays out.
 
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