Career game for Delon Wright

I don’t follow the NBA much at all, but I like to keep an eye on former Utes. Looks like Delon Wright had a great game last night. Had a career high in points and nearly posted a triple-double. He was so fun to watch as a Ute.

Delon is one of the all time great Utes, based on what he’s done with what he got.

To think he was a last second replacement for Julian Jacobs, he was a kid who didn’t graduate from high school but found his path in JC ball and playing in a summer league with NBA players with his brother…

Seeing Delon graduate from the U & make his mom proud, then gradually get better in the league over a now respectably long career. B.J. Bickerstaff, his coach at Memphis, had very impressive things to say about him. “I can draw something up, and he doesn’t even need a walk through, he’ll just execute it in the game”.

What a great success story.

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No offense but not watching the NBA is one thing I don’t get. It’s hands down the most entertaining league for my money. Also, Delon and Kuz are doing their thing in the league.

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I watched a little of the Mavs-Nuggets game last night. It’s just amazing the level of play in the NBA, how it keeps inching upward as little areas of improvement are identified & exploited… like the Euro-step.

The difference down to the D1 level in college is pretty dramatic. My mom can’t watch the pro game - “everyone is so good, it’s kind of nauseating”.

A 20 point difference in the NBA is not anything close to insurmountable, but in the college game, it’s a chasm.

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Because it’s an endless lobby for free throws. Not entertaining.

They might have changed recently but for now I can’t stand to watch more than a few minutes of bubble-basketball.

It is not an endless lobby for free throws. It is however a game where professionals are working to optimize their opportunities for points. Getting a player to jump and then being able to shoot for their shot for an and one. It’s how you get a four point play and as someone mentioned above a 20 point deficit is not insurmountable in the NBA. Not to mention the range people shoot from is off the charts. LeBron is the size of an NFL TE and can play PG. I don’t see how this isn’t entertaining and people opine for the days where a guy in the off-season was pounding beers.

It’s just nauseating that the Lakers who haven’t done much right in years can get lebron and AD just because of location but smaller markets can do everything right and still not get a championship.

But I do love watching the games themselves. It’s highly entertaining.

Stop it. As a Lakers fan I suffered with sub .700 (more under .500 than .700) for a full decade. They gave up a good youth movement to get AD and LeBron has been the biggest signing since Shaq. Honestly, more people seem to turn down the Lakers.

Would AD have come if lebron didn’t go to LA (which was a dumpster fire before he showed up).

Of course not. That said, if LeBron did come I could see Kawhi Leonard coming and Lakers keeping all that young talent they gave to the Pelicans.

32 appearances & 17 Championships, but empty for ten whole years. Poor ting.

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@mUUser it was rough.

Again, not because of anything the franchise did other than be located in LA.

Well, yeah. The Lakers didn’t want to live in Minnesota either.

The rules in the NBA have limited defense to the point where teams are averaging 1.2 points per possession. So a made basket is nothing to get excited about. Three point attempts are so far out that rebounds are a complete crapshoot, there’s no advantage to blocking out on defense, in fact, it’s a disadvantage.

NBA ball is just a bunch of random shots, taking easy dunks if the defense allows it, or shooting threes and having a 50/50 shot at getting an offensive rebound and shooting another three. Teams with good three point shooters and long arms win. There is no strategy or advantage to having tough bruising players.

But it does blow my mind that nobody realized how ineffective mid range fadeaway turnaround jumpers are until recently. MJ, Bird, Mailman, Barkley, even Kareem would not win in today’s game played with analytical strategy. Jeff Malone would be the worst, and he was my favorite player growing up.

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You described the evolution of the game due to how great these athletes are. I don’t agree with about 70% of you characterization but, that’s what these boards are for. The “how did they do that” excites me. Also, there is a huge amount of defense and team play. We can thank The Warriors for bringing in team play.

I absolutely disagree about the players like “ MJ, Bird, Mailman, Barkley, even Kareem” not being able to play and win now. Maybe the Bad Boys bruisers of Detroit would have issues.

What’s the efficiency of the 18 ft turnaround jumper Malone and MJ would make 45% of the time that had a 55% chance of missing and nearly a 0% chance of an offensive rebound??

Compare that to chucking up a 30 ft 3 attempt that has a 35% of making and a 50% chance of offensive rebound and another shot attempt?

That’s why the NBA’s game has changed, simple math. Not better athletes.

You’re obviously trolling. No one believes that it’s balls ability to bounce that makes the athletes better. Your reply was ludicrous there.

And surely shooting is just luck.

But the game has changed, and not necessarily for the better. I enjoyed watching midrange and post-up basketball. Those things are mostly dead.