208 Comments

2 for 2 on these semi's so far. Would love to see two sweeps or gentleman sweeps.

Expand full comment

I hope Denver curb-stomps the Lakers. Best guess is that they let go of the rope for at least one game, but a sweep would be sweet.

Expand full comment

Woj says clippers GM is interviewing with other teams. Might that mean Ballmer is planning to throw the brinks truck at Bob?

Expand full comment
May 18, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

Sources: Warriors and president of basketball operations Bob Myers have had no substantial contract extension talks in months and the sides are bracing for the likelihood that Myers could walk away from the franchise.

https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1659040341029269504

Both sides exchanged offers and counter-offers several months ago, and there has since been no traction on a new deal, league sources say. The Warriors have not yet presented an offer that has blown Myers away, but there’s also a growing sense that even a competitive market offer — near the top of the executive food chain — may not keep Myers with the franchise

Myers — the architect of four NBA championships over the past nine seasons — has received significant interest for lucrative positions with private equity funds and roles within other pro sports leagues, sources added. There’s a possibility that Myers could work in media after his contract expires in June. He dipped his toes into the podcast world this past year.

Myers is expected to formally announce the decision on his Warriors future in the coming weeks. That time could include some weighty conversations with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steve Kerr — four franchise legends who have all been vocal in their desire to keep Myers, another organizational pillar, as the leading voice of the front office.

https://theathletic.com/4530348/2023/05/17/bob-myers-warriors-future/

Expand full comment

Figure head at a Private equity fund + NBA media work = good money and lots of work life balance

Expand full comment

The burnout is real. I do expect Bob to move on. Maybe he's just tired of being a GM in the NBA for any team.

Expand full comment

Definitely the burnout but there's also so little flexibility without major changes to the team.

And going to another team would require even more work to dig for the right players and orchestrate multiple trades

But if he's so close w the main guys and Kerr, would be so hard personally to try and "beat" the warriors

Just objectively, if he doesn't stay it makes most sense to just do something else or a different sport

Expand full comment

Question: Where are we ranking Jimmy Butler in today's NBA?

Expand full comment

Amazingly, both EPM and RAPTOR had him as a top-5 player in the NBA for the *regular season*.

Expand full comment

In the playoffs, I'd only definitively take Giannis, Jokic and Steph ahead of him. I'd put him somewhere in the next tier with a healthy Kawhi, AD, LeBron, Luka and Embiid. Ahead of KD, Booker, Tatum. But all those guys are so good and so close to each other with different strengths and weaknesses.

Expand full comment

On the will to win scale a 10 out of 10, I would think.

Expand full comment

Spo is a brilliant coach. I still have no freaking idea how this team is in the ECF.

Expand full comment

I like Jimmy Butler more than anyone in the running.

Expand full comment

I'm just going to admit that Miami must be much better than I imagined. I don't watch a lot of NBA basketball other than when the Ws are playing, but I've got to get a look at what makes them so good.

Expand full comment

They had the same record as the warriors in the regular season. The Heat are shooting 3s at a full 3% better clip than the regular season, and Himmy has gone from a 22ppg scorer to a 31ppg scorer. They’re hitting their stride, making shots…

Expand full comment
May 18, 2023·edited May 18, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

On a side note, my little sis just won first place when it came to the 50 meter dash amongst 4th/5th graders in Northern California!! My brother was one of the best sprinters/high jumpers in California so she's carrying on the legacy!!

Expand full comment

Oh heck yeah! That's awesome!

Expand full comment

Y'all are some serious athletes!

Expand full comment

Congratulations to lil Sis👍🏾

Expand full comment
May 18, 2023·edited May 18, 2023

I love how all of Miami's role players (Struss, Vincent, Martin) hustle and play competent defense. Two stars can take you a long way when they're surrounded by those types of guys.

Expand full comment

That used to be similar to the Warriors' template. Ah, strength in numbers...

Expand full comment

Miami is unbelievable! You gotta love it.

Expand full comment

Go heat!! What happened to Herro?

Expand full comment

Broke his finger early in the Milwaukee series… of course, they haven’t missed a beat

Expand full comment

Next man up, for real...

Expand full comment

Oladipo went down for them too…

Expand full comment

I don’t know why I would doubt Miami at all… they are going to hit 50% of their 3s, effectively hide Robinson on D, and win all the close random endings because #Himmy

Expand full comment

Their only mistake over the last few years was an arena naming-rights deal.

Expand full comment

And spo is just an amazing coach

Expand full comment

Pat Reilly DNA all over Miami.

Expand full comment

Heat beat the Celtics 123-116 and take a 1-0 series lead.

Expand full comment

Lol ayyyyy Go MIA and DEN. Give me a low stakes Finals to enjoy.

Expand full comment

The Heat are inspiring as fuck lol. Can't wait for this series to inexplicably go to 7 games again. Butler really might be Jordan's son.

Expand full comment

Not sure who should feel the worst about letting him go, Chicago, Minny, or Philly.

Expand full comment

Philly for sure. Butler should be a staple if you're trying to compete for championships and they were the closest of the 3

Expand full comment

Seems like it has to be Philly right? Bulls weren't really going anywhere at the time, and got Lavine and pick for Lauri M., so not terrible. Minny probably wasn't going to win with him, and wouldn't have gotten Edwards with him on the team. But Philly was fully in win now mode, needed a guy to pair with Embiid, and would probably be favorites right now if they still had him.

Expand full comment

The Heat are the one exception to the regular season mattering imo. Every other team still left looked good coming out of it, only the Heat have hate-played their way to where they're at lol

Expand full comment

The Heat also play every minute in the playoffs like it is the final 2 minutes of a close game.

Expand full comment

Yeah, Heat play the right way. And Bam is exactly the kinda big the Warriors need

Expand full comment

And have the stamina and depth to do so

Expand full comment

Butler's stamina is miraculous, I don't know how he does it. I really think he turned "wanting it more" into being a superstar lol.

Expand full comment

Tatum turned the ball over via travelling in two consecutive possessions.

Expand full comment
May 18, 2023·edited May 18, 2023

If the Celtics steal this one, with Miami shooting almost 50% from 3 most of the game, it's a big win, even if it's at home. [EDIT: but they might not . . .]

Expand full comment

They are not - almost done, with heat up by 8 and 27 seconds to go!

Expand full comment