2024/25 NBA in-season thread

[Derwood]

Yep, I’ve lost all interest in the nba. I used to rabidly follow the bulls in the 90’s, but now I just can’t be bothered. The Lakers/Wolves game was on at the bar the other night and it couldn’t keep my interest. 

[Sammy Sofa]

The NBA is working real hard to crack that "any basketball that's not from 4 years in the 90's is bad basketball" demographic.

[17 Seconds]

i still love the nba and i don't mind all the threes

[NorthsideAvenger]

2 hours ago, CubColtPacer said:

This is a great example of the NBA struggling to market its product if you're a Bulls fan enough to know that Caruso is on OKC but have never heard of a guy who finished 2nd in MVP voting last year and is likely going to win the MVP this year.

I know. I loved the NBA but the current product just does not appeal to me. That is on Adam Silver.

[Derwood]

18 minutes ago, Sammy Sofa said:

The NBA is working real hard to crack that "any basketball that's not from 4 years in the 90's is bad basketball" demographic.

I'm fine being left behind by the modern NBA. 

[NorthsideAvenger]

37 minutes ago, Sammy Sofa said:

The NBA is working real hard to crack that "any basketball that's not from 4 years in the 90's is bad basketball" demographic.

I did not love those 80-78 games anymore than the 140-120 type scores we see today. 

I must confess that my interests of the NBA is based on my enjoyment of Bulls basketball. Right now, Bulls basketball is not very enjoyable. 

 

[imb]

this is crazy. im probably spoiled i guess because okc does everything well (including hoist 3s) but basketball today is so much better than in any other era. I get aesthetically maybe not liking all the 3s but these guys make them. It's crazy how much talent there is in the league. You could add 4 more teams and not really feel it.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

My main complaint with the modern NBA is that I can't tell what makes it such a higher level than it ever has been.  Not that I don't believe that, I 1000% believe it's the best basketball being played ever.  But since I don't immerse myself in it for dozens of hours a week I can't really pick up the nuances(especially since the spacing is so tight compared to football or soccer) so it ends up feeling like an RNG jumpshot game.

[CubColtPacer]

1 hour ago, BigbadB said:

7' centers are shooting 3's at a ridiculous rate in comparison to the good ole days when they shot sky hooks, power slams and battled boards for offensive rebound put backs and such. I get Doncic or Jokic firing it up, but between Vucevic and his 321 attempts, Jalen Smith and his 222, Zach Collins and his 60 and Buzelis and his 266 all just this year, you have more than a 10 3PA a game from guys on the Bulls that are either a Center or more than 6'9" tall. I've seen way too many random other guys that are Centers firing it up like they are George Gervin out there. Meanwhile, when these guys are firing it up there, there is either no one under the hoop for a rebound or the guy is a G or SF who is easily outmatched for a rebound, and given the poor shooting percentages of these guys, there are MANY rebound opportunities.

Casual sports fans aren't going to sign up for regular showings of this type of sports. It's just boring. Even if they were all good at making 3's from long distance, it's still going to be boring. Steve Kerr's highest 3 point attempts in his career was 237 and he was basically on the team for only that reason. Jordan's highest was 297 and he only crossed 200 four times in his career.

I'm only picking on the Bulls because that's who I know. Outside of watching them and whoever they are playing, I just don't care about NBA anymore. Loved the '70's and '80's and '90's. It's just not that anymore, though.

I get everything you are saying.  And in what I'm going to say next, I'm not trying to get you to like the current version.

But when I read what you wrote, it reminds me of when people say, baseball is just strikeouts and home runs, it's so boring.  Where are hit and runs, double switches, bunts, productive outs, etc?  

Or when people say that it's an abomination that people line up in shotgun on 3rd and 2.  Or go for 4th down constantly instead of taking the points.  Or that people can't get hit over the middle anymore.

Most major sports have changed drastically over the last 30 years as teams figure out what's best to win.  Centers shooting 3's for example is a huge advantage in basketball.  Not for the points themselves, but because drawing the opponent's big out of the lane is such a huge advantage to get layups.

So it just kind of depends on what drew you to the sport in the first place, and whether you have kept up with it through the changes to whether you like what each sport has changed into.  But it isn't just an NBA issue, and it isn't because they just chuck low percentage shots because they always have done that.

Now, did I support baseball's rule changes to try to bring some of the older stuff back into the game?  Yes.  Would I support some of that in basketball?  If it isn't too drastic, probably yes.  It's fun to have the greatest variety of styles possible.

[CubColtPacer]

16 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

My main complaint with the modern NBA is that I can't tell what makes it such a higher level than it ever has been.  Not that I don't believe that, I 1000% believe it's the best basketball being played ever.  But since I don't immerse myself in it for dozens of hours a week I can't really pick up the nuances(especially since the spacing is so tight compared to football or soccer) so it ends up feeling like an RNG jumpshot game.

This is a good point.  Basketball is more complicated than ever and so harder for a casual fan to drop in and see what's going on.  Defensive schemes in particular have become more and more complex and more oriented on each member of the team doing their part.  So there are way less 1 on 1 battles than 20-30 years ago, which of course is way easier to focus on and sink your teeth into.

[imb]

10-15 years ago everyone was complaining that their teams didnt play like the spurs. now almost every team tries to emulate that style of passing and off-ball movement and everyone's mad lol

[Sammy Sofa]

I just love that I can pick almost any random game and I'm going to see some cool horsefeathers.

[Derwood]

I will also admit that the 90's Bulls was happening when I was in college/grad school, so living in the city during that time made it easy to get caught up in that team. Right now, I have no rooting interest 

[UMFan83]

2 hours ago, imb said:

this is crazy. im probably spoiled i guess because okc does everything well (including hoist 3s) but basketball today is so much better than in any other era. I get aesthetically maybe not liking all the 3s but these guys make them. It's crazy how much talent there is in the league. You could add 4 more teams and not really feel it.

I can't tell if I hate the modern NBA simply because the Bulls have sucked and been irrelevant during this entire era or because I don't like the style of basketball.  It might be both....because the Bulls have sucked Ive followed the NBA less and less.  When I do put it on, it looks completely different than the basketball I remember.  I kind of liked it when the Golden State era started because what they were doing looked so different than everyone else, but now the its the norm I don't enjoy it.  But then again, the era before that was just star guards going iso and drawing fouls all game so that wasn't particularly beautiful basketball either.

But I do miss post play and turnaround jumpers.

Edited April 21, 2025 by UMFan83

[mul21]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

My main complaint with the modern NBA is that I can't tell what makes it such a higher level than it ever has been.  Not that I don't believe that, I 1000% believe it's the best basketball being played ever.  But since I don't immerse myself in it for dozens of hours a week I can't really pick up the nuances(especially since the spacing is so tight compared to football or soccer) so it ends up feeling like an RNG jumpshot game.

I would argue that the basketball isn't the best that's ever been played, but the guys playing it are by far the best who have ever played.  The number of guys who are like 6'10", can handle the ball like a PG, and shoot it like the best of the off guards of old is absolutely insane. Not to mention we're coming off an 8-10 year period where a 6'2" guard dominated the game because he's the best to ever shoot a basketball.

[Sammy Sofa]

Honestly sounds like a lot of this is based out of Bitter Bull Fanitis, which, fair! The Bulls are a VERY terrible organization, and, much like the Bears, have mostly botched their efforts to evolve into something resembling a modern day team.

[Sammy Sofa]

1 minute ago, mul21 said:

I would argue that the basketball isn't the best that's ever been played, but the guys playing it are by far the best who have ever played.  The number of guys who are like 6'10", can handle the ball like a PG, and shoot it like the best of the off guards of old is absolutely insane. Not to mention we're coming off an 8-10 year period where a 6'2" guard dominated the game because he's the best to ever shoot a basketball.

Hell yeah. I love that the league is just riddled with absolute freak giants.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Take out some seats to make the court bigger and pull the 3pt line back 2-3 feet and make the basket 11 ft high. lol

[imb]

i do think they need to possibly do something about the 3s, though i have no idea what that might be and anythin they actually do might end up massively backfiring. But you look at a guy like Anthony Edwards. Physically the most dominant guard since jordan (or i guess lebron if you expand that definition a little.) He can jump higher than anyone, can go through anyone. Has insane body control. But he shot like 14 3s a game this year because he's also a lights out shooter and those are just better, easier shots.

Feels like if your league is built in a way that you turn dominique wilkins into reggie miller, there's a problem. 

[mul21]

5 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Take out some seats to make the court bigger and pull the 3pt line back 2-3 feet and make the basket 11 ft high. lol

As silly as you're being, I legit think making the court like 10' longer and 4' wider would immensely improve things because there would be so much more space on the floor for these giants to operate.  I mean, you rarely had more than 2 guys from each team on the court who were taller than like 6'6" 30 years ago and now it's rare for either team to have more than one guy who's less than that on the floor at a time.

[We Got The Whole 9]

7 minutes ago, mul21 said:

As silly as you're being, I legit think making the court like 10' longer and 4' wider would immensely improve things because there would be so much more space on the floor for these giants to operate.  I mean, you rarely had more than 2 guys from each team on the court who were taller than like 6'6" 30 years ago and now it's rare for either team to have more than one guy who's less than that on the floor at a time.

I'm not kidding at all about the courts needing to be bigger... I'm just not sure the league would actually do it and suffer the lost revenue. It feels like it would be quite significant.

[imb]

no backboards

[We Got The Whole 9]

Put Lethal Shooter's rims in there 

[Rex Buckingham]

A proposal I've seen includes moving the arc back and just making a true arc, no corner 3

[imb]

Just now, Rex Buckingham said:

A proposal I've seen includes moving the arc back and just making a true arc, no corner 3

I think the impact on spacing of removing the corner 3 would be disastrous and far too impactful to just suddenly deploy in a single offseason