Shoutout to Wemby

A couple of years ago, I was on the verge of quitting the NBA.  I've now been a fan for over 30 years and, besides the rigging, after awhile you get tired of the redundancy.

But what I've come to realize, via my affinity for Wemby, is that the NBA truly is a fan-driven league.  Who's more important, the players or the organization?  When it comes to filling seats, definitely the players.

I'd venture to say that you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan who can name even one or two NBA owners.  An owner would have to be akin to a reality TV star to be known to the general public.  And no, I'm not talking about those minority celebrity types like Jay-Z or A-Rod.  I mean the big dawgs, like Cuban or Dolan.

In fact, the reason I started watching the NBA to begin with, back in '91, was due to the rise of Micheal Jordan.  You know, you see dude everywhere, selling Gatorade and sneakers and shit, and after awhile wand to see what the hype is about.  Then, it's up to the player to deliver.  And deliver he did, time and time again.

Since then, there's been quite a few must-watch players - Lebron, Kyrie, Luka and so many others I can't mention here but most notably, imo, Shaq and Curry.  Also, let's not forget Vinsanity.  Hard to believe that there was a time when he was more popular, in (American) basketball circles, than even Iverson, Kobe or MJ himself(!).  Granted, that was during Jordan's stint with the Wizards.  But still, Carter is an interesting case study.  I can't think of any other NBA superstar who went from A+ lister to obscurity, you know, like ever.

So anyway, the point I wanted to get at is it being Wemby, more than anyone else, who made me not quit the NBA.  And you know, let's be honest - it isn't only about skill.  There's a lot of skilled players out there who never even made an All-Star Game.

Also, whereas novelty (such as being dumb tall, super athletic, etc.) really helps a player's popularity, with Wemby it isn't all about that either.  As I stated before (and later found out that Shaq said the same thing), Bol Bol was actually like a pre-Wemby.  He's likewise tall AF yet, unlike any 7-footer that came before him, had the agility and skillset of a 2guard.

And that us brings to the third and arguably most important factor ultimately attributing to superstardom, the thing that made MJ an icon while conversely leading to Vince disappearing from the spotlight, why Bol Bol never got the flowers he deserved.  And that, dear reader, is likability or, let's say within the context of professional sports, marketability.  Lebron, Kobe and I would even venture to say Steph, no superstar since MJ has a mug as likable as Wemby.  It looks almost like someone slapped a kid's head on a 7-foot body.

And let me repeat - likability matters.  Let's go back to the Big Diesel for instance, you know, who the powers-that-be helped win two of those first three championships.

There was a time when he was perhaps the most hostile player in the league, which totally isn't fair when you're also the biggest and strongest.  But still, fans loved him.  He was one of the NBA's very first reality TV stars, in a manner of speaking.  And you know, even though he may not have had the top-selling jersey or whatever and only won one MVP(!) in his career, people loving you definitely matters when, you know, it's time to rig games and shit like that.

So now you have Wemby, who's not only dominant but also has the most-marketable face of a superstar since Jordan.  Even if not this year, I think it's safe to say that, barring serious injury, t's only a matter of time before he wins a championship. 

And you know, it's not only about skill, dominance or rigging.  Fixing games isn't the only way superstars receive favor.  There's also the team itself become more popular, being able to finagle its way to a superior roster.

You see how the Spurs landed De'Aaron Fox, who appears to be just about the only player on the team who isn't adversely affected by the Knicks' defense.  And as I pointed out in the last post, San Antonio, win or lose at this point, has some work to do this offseason.  You see that last play of Game 4, when Anunoby was able to crash the boards despite there being three Spurs' players underneath the basket.  Dudes needs somebody to hold down the middle while Wemby is out on the perimeter, trying to block jumpshots(!) and shit like that.

CONCLUSION

Thank you, Victor, for re-piquing my interest in the NBA - not only your height + skill but also making it such that dudes have to respect the post again.  I was also tired of all of that threepoint shit.  But please, San Antonio, get son some backup downlow and, if you lose, don't try to blame it on Castle since, as a 2guard, you shouldn't really expect him to be like your second-best post player.

Yes, it is super exciting that the Knicks appear to be on the verge of winning a championship (and would be even moreso if they won at MSG).  But the biggest draw of this series, honestly, is Wembanyama.

Unc vs. Neph

Neph is a feisty one, having the advantage of being more energetic and optimistic about life.  He believes, for instance, that despite being weaker and less intelligent, he can actually win.

And for a second there, neph surprises you.  In the back of your mind you're thinking 'oh sh*t, what if he actually wins? I can't let a small boy beat me.'  But inevitably unc prevails, and you're just hoping that neph doesn't come to tears upon losing, because after all, it is a game.

If the Spurs make any moves this offseason, it has to be along the lines of acquiring a true PF or perhaps even a C and, if the latter, then move Wemby to the 4.  In crunch time, against a team like the Knicks, grizzled vets like Olynyk and Barnes, who are more or less there for show or 'locker room presence', aren't going to cut it.  Also, taking nothing away from Champagnie, who gets his fair share of rebounds(?), but he's like ultra 3-and-D, like no consistent threat in the post at all.

Now that we're in the Wemby Era, it's inevitable that teams are going to have to start valuing bigs again.  The problem is that, there's not even a lot of quality big men out there to begin with.

If you took every big in the NBA and suddenly made them free agents, there still wouldn't be enough to send one truly starter-worthy - against someone like Victor on top of that - to every team.  Part of the reason is because professional basketball has been valuing jumpshooting so much over the past few years that dudes have forgotten how to post up.  Look at someone like Mobley for instance.

ONE C + FOUR WINGS

San Antonio has an interesting makeup.  This is the only championship-level team I've ever truly seen or can remember that features a dominant C basically surrounded by a bunch of wings.  You may consider Champagnie a 4 or Fox a 1.  But fundamentally, let's say Wemby is surrounded by four SG/SFs.

The closest to this I can think of, off the top of my head, is the Shaq + Kobe Lakers.  And btw, shoutout to O'Neal, who I totally forgot to mention in that recent post where I was talking about generational players.  Dude was so dominant that teams would rather foul than let him get off a shot.

Like the present-day Spurs, that iteration of LAL would play a lot with the C holding down the middle and every other player, even the 4, on the perimeter.  But one major difference is that Lakers' squad having been mad tall.

In 2000, when they won their first championship, their shortest starter was Ron Harper, who's 6'6", and you could tell is like average NBA size and big for a PG.  Meanwhile De'Aaron Fox, who's listed at 6'3", actually looks smallish on the court.  And even later in the Shaq + Kobe years, yes, Fisher isn't tall, but he's built like a linebacker.  In fact, he's more muscular than anyone currently on San Antonio.

I'm not writing the Spurs off but just saying that, until Wemby puts on more weight, if they're going to continue to play this style maybe they need to get a bit bigger.  And you know, I'm not saying that with 100% conviction because apparently, even at their current size they're better than every other team besides the Knicks.

But again, unc versus neph.  All those bumps and pushes and shit, they're out there making contact with Anunoby and KAT and Robinson and Hart, and after awhile, that shit starts to wear you down.  Even Bridges, you know, don't sleep on those stringy niggas.  And I guess what I'm saying in summation is something along the lines of yes, if the Spurs players on average were like five years older, they'd be a better match for NYK.

THE SCAPEGOAT

Recently, I was talking about how Stephon Castle has never truly received the flowers he deserves.  And sure enough, it seemed like a couple of days ago, I came across some article singling him out for underperforming or whatever.  And again, what do you expect him to really do against unc, who are not just playing a regular game but locked in to win a championship?  As spectators, we're focused most on the player with the ball.  But what about all the contact that's made before he even gets the ball into his hands?

GIANNIS, ANYONE?

It's funny how the rhetoric around Giannis has shifted in recent weeks.  He went from being the most-covetable free agent in years, a superstar many thought would never hit the market, to now, when he's actually available, interest in him being "tepid".  But I could definitely picture him with the Spurs, as another wing basically.  People always say that he's "ball dominant", but I don't really see it like that, if there's other viable options to bring it up or whatever.

Another interesting prospect is Anthony Edwards.  Remember how he advertised himself to San Antonio earlier in the playoffs.  He's also bigger than just about anyone on the Spurs besides Kornet and Wemby, like he'd definitely be their biggest wing.  But would even that make a difference against unc?  And all things considered, Giannis needs to keep his ass home anyway.  This was the last season of tanking(?), now making it more understandable why the Bucks wanted to lose.

CONCLUSION

I already predicted, even while the WCF was still ongoing, that the Spurs aren't likely to beat the Knicks, so it's not like if I reiterated that point now I'm bragging.  But going as far as saying that NYK is the better team, well, they do have a clearly better bench, I guess.  But what it looks like more than anything is that they're just stronger.  And furthermore, that strength may be more attributable to age more than anything else.

Jalen Brunson: The One That Got Away

I'll be honest and say that when the Mavs traded Doncic for Davis, yes, I was a bit surprised, but I wasn't one of those kinds of people who couldn't see the logic in the decision.  There were financial factors involved, i.e. do you want to supermax a player who you know isn't likely to lead you to a championship?  And you know, it's sorta like damned if you do, damned if you don't.  Luka was the face of the franchise, and you don't want to alienate your fanbase.  But at the same time, with a superstar like that, if you don't win a championship eventually, those same fans will diss you.

In hindsight, I would say the biggest mistake Dallas made wasn't trading Doncic in and of itself but rather trading one perennially-injured allstar for another, even older perennially-injured allstar.  Also, having Anthony around never panned out as idealized because, excuse my expression, he plays like a bum.

It was blaringly obvious that the Mavs needed an interior presence more than anything.  Remember, we're now in the Wemby Era.  But there goes Anthony, executing crossovers and jacking up three-pointers, as if he isn't 7-feet tall and shit.

But now, let's go back even further to the 2022 Playoffs.  And if you dig back through this blog, this is something I pointed out at that time.

During that postseason, the Mavs were playing better with Brunson and without Luka than they were playing with Luka and without Brunson or with both of them in the lineup.  These kinds of things, they aren't easy to explain logically because of course, Doncic was putting up better stats, perhaps more than anyone else in the entire playoffs.  But he was also of course regularly injured.  Yet the Mavs, depsite being underdogs without him, led by Jalen were pulling off upsets.  And once Luka did return like fulltime, that chemistry or magic was destroyed.

Again, this isn't something I can fully explain, how the team seemed to play better without Doncic, considering that Brunson is an even bigger chuck.  But I would say that maybe, the other Mavs players were able to fukwit him more because, not trying to sound racist or anything, but he plays more of a Black brand of basketball.

Also, back then Luka appeared sorta despondent towards his teammates.  Thankfully, that problem appears to have been solved, as he seems to be a lot more connected and supportive on the Lakers.

Now we can say that, no matter how much money Dallas offered, Brunson was going to bounce anyway, to be with his dad in NY.  If the Mavs' braintrust had inside knowledge of something like that, that they didn't even have a chance, then that would explain why they didn't really try to keep him.

Indeed, the general thinking at the time was, who would pay a king's ransom for Jalen and in the process risk losing Luka?  In other words, no one was even imagining that Brunson may be the better player.  Well, that is to say no one but me.

IS BRUNSON BETTER THAN DONCIC?

So recently I was watching this video about 'who turned out to be best player in each NBA draft', and when the presenter got around to 2018, I was sure he was going to crown Luka.  Remember that both Ayton and Bagley were selected before Doncic, and even the Hawks had a chance to land him but rather opted for Trae Young.  Those decisions have gone down as some of the biggest mishaps in recent draft history.

But who the presenter actually chose - who I had totally forgotten about - is SGA.  And I mean, he's right, now looking back from the future.

I'd still contend that Doncic is the most naturally-talented player in the NBA.  But all of the things people were predicting or hoping for Luka - MVPs and championships and shit like that - it's rather been Shai who's taken them home.  Yet and still, I wouldn't go as far as to say that SGA is the better individual player(?).

And that, dear reader, is the dilemma or confusion surrounding Doncic.  Dude commonly averages close to 10apg, so you can't turnaround and be like he doesn't get his teammates involved.  But it's just like, well, I don't think there's any team in the NBA - including the Lakers, marketing aside - who would rather have Luka than Brunson at this point.  None of them, except arguably the Knicks, could see this coming.

SHOUTOUT TO THE KNICKS

One of the reasons I'm calling this the Wemby Era, even if the Spurs don't win the championship, is because once dude fleshes out and like puts on more muscle, man, he's going to be an even bigger problem than he is now.  But as it currently stands, Victor's biggest weakness is his lightassednees.  It appears, at times, that the Thunder tried to exploit that, but they don't really have the personnel to do so, especially with Williams hurt

The Knicks, however, have the personnel.  They have the best all-around wing core in the league, and they are clearly physically stronger than the Spurs.  NYK's starting five is so stacked that Mikal Bridges is like the third or fourth option or some shit.

And the way I see it, going back to Brunson vs. Luka but also with Bridges vs. Durant, that's the biggest challenge of being an NBA braintrust, as far as roster decisions are concerned.  You're forced to constantly deal with this dilemma of having to choose between what the fans want, i.e. marketability, versus actually winning.  But of course, we don't have that problem at NBA Inception.  Here, we can tell the truth.

So if you dig back, you'll see that when the Suns traded KD for Bridges, I was like why?  Kevin is and by the looks of things always will be more popular.  But, as I argued back then, Bridges is the better all-around player.

CONCLUSION

In a perfect world, all braintrusts would be incepted, and every team would consequently be a contender(?).  But in the real world, you know, niggas be doing some dumb shit.  Like if the Lakers were going to trade AD - remember, this is a franchise that always had like the best C in the league and won accordingly.  So if you're going to trade AD, why for Luka anyway?  That was a Hollywood-inspired decision.  So anytime a superstar is involved in a transaction the question must be asked - is this decision based more on popularity or competitiveness?  The Rockets going after KD, was that more about popularity or competitiveness?  Could they have made wiser decisions in pursuit of the Larry O'Brien?  And on the flip side of the coin, what about players who are devalued because they aren't popular?