BEAL CHOOSES A HOME
Rather, this subtitle should be something like 'Beal Stays Home', as he opted to remain with the Clippers. And that brings me to something I want to say about this organization. In 30+ years of following the NBA, I can't remember LAC ever being contenders. During the Lob City era, maybe I was out of touch or something, but I just never saw them like that. Must watch, yes. But contenders, not really, even though now looking back, they really did have a formidable, balanced roster.
But one thing you have to respect is, when have you ever heard of the Clippers tanking? Even if Kawhi leaves, the way their roster is constructed, it's obvious that they intend to compete and are not undergoing a rebuild. Indeed, I can't recall LAC ever intentionally going through a rebuild either.
It doesn't look like the Clippers will be as deep as they were last season. But in a roundabout way that may be good thing, as now expectations will be even lower.
That said, Beal, if healthy, isn't a slouch. What's rather been established these past couple of seasons is that he isn't a superstar either. And that's a good thing, because again, it isn't ideal to have unrealistic expectations. If LAC overachieves, I mean no one can see the future. But if not, don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole type shit.
Also, I must say once again - the Raptors will likely be contenders with Kawhi, which you gotta respect, but the Clippers would be better served retaining his services also. Will Leonard sticking around, even if healthy, suddenly make them contenders? No, not likely. But even though this braintrust may not have a loser mentality, it's also obvious - after the failed, multi-year superteam experiment - that they've taken their foot off the gas a bit. But I mean, yeah. That's how good Kawhi is. And even more than the Raptors, I'd love to see him go back to the Spurs.
THE KUMINGA SAGA DRAGS ON
I saw some headline on the Kuminga saga today but didn't even bother to read the article. His situation doesn't have that same type of intensity as the Lebron indecision drama. Also, it doesn't appear so much that Jonathan is undecided as it is him feeling undervalued or whatever. But what I'm imagining is something like the Cavs underpaying the Beard and using the extra dough to pick up Kuminga on a respectable contract.
That said, earlier today I was watching some clips of that amazing first game he had upon being traded to the Hawks last season (who did Golden State get in return anyway?). But by the time all was said and done, i.e. ATL getting their asses trounced in the playoffs, like Kuminga wasn't even part of the rotation. Meanwhile, he was like the biggest dude on the roster, and they obviously needed some size against NYK. But again, he was relegated to the end of the bench or in any event was akin to a nonfactor.
So I mean yeah, it's understandable why teams, all thing considered, aren't in a rush to pay him the $20mil or whatever he's demanding. But that said, it's kinda similar to the Beal situation. Sometimes, you can only truly tell how much potential a player has by placing him in diverse situations. And what's been established is that Steve Kerr and co. did a good job developing Kuminga into a multi-faceted player. Dude seemingly came into the league raw, albeith athletic AF, but now he can dribble, shoot and all that sh*t. However, that doesn't mean you actually want him playing point or being ball dominant, which makes a team like Cleveland most ideal.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH DEROZAN?
In terms of consistency, predictability and accomplishments, I would argue that DeRozan is preferable to both Beal and Kuminga. So it feels kinda odd that certain teams, like the Heat for instance, don't appear to be making more of an effort to acquire him. I would imagine that virtually any team in the league could use a 'midrange assassin'. What about the Pistons? It all just feels kinda weird, like DeMar has fallen out of grace, though it's hard to imagine why. Maybe appearing in too many rap videos and shit like that?
And speaking of Detroit, might as well make peace with Duren already. Whether or not he's worthy of a max, I mean how many guys on max contracts can really and truly will their teams to (postseason) wins to begin with? And the more important question - who TF wants to play for the Pistons anyway?
Let's say Jalen doesn't sign an extension and leaves next offseason. Whether he proves to be a true superstar or not, who are they gonna get to replace him? What free agent of his caliber would sign with Detroit and furthermore for the non-max money they're asking him to take? Maybe this braintrust knows something I don't.
THE CELTICS CONFIRMED WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING (AND IMPLYING?) ALL ALONG
Reading in between the lines of the statement the Celtics just released, they indirectly verified what I've been saying all along, that they actually prefer Tatum over Brown. Again, I don't know what's actually going on behind the scenes, but I'd be compelled to believe that colorism is a factor. That is to say that it's really hard to make sense of this decision from a purely basketball standpoint.
You have two supermax players who together are going to consume 70% of the payroll, and meanwhile, there's 13 other dudes to pay. Okay, one of them has to go. So which one do you get rid of? Do you trade the one that previously won Finals MVP, unexpectedly was in the regular season MVP race just last season, has proven he can perform without the other and is also sturdier? Or do you choose the one who, as formidable as he may be, is coming off a major injury and has never proven the ability to perform alone, so to speak.
So if it isn't colorism, then the organization must genuinely like Jayson better as a person, or maybe they even flatout dislike Jaylen, because otherwise, again, it's hard to make logical sense out of their argument. And that said, no, I don't believe Tatum can lead this team, even with its revamped roster, to overachieve the way Brown did. And if his health fails again, this decisiion is gonna get ugly real quick.
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