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?

Jalen Brunson (TF?!)

Looks matter in basketball.  And if you don't believe me, go down to your local gym or playground looking like you can't ball and try to get picked up for a game.  You better get there early to call next, or else, if the place is crowded, you may find yourself standing on the sidelines for hours.  Trust me, I know.

That's why it took so long for people to accept just how good Fred VanVleet has become.  I still have a hard time accepting it, because he simply doesn't look like an NBA player, or at least not on TV.  It's something about those short guys with big heads that just doesn't scream 'I can bust your ass in basketball'.  Desmond Bane also kinda has that quality, even though he's diesel AF.

And that brings us to Jalen Brunson.  A couple of months ago I had to privilege of peeping out a few Mavs games, and dude was out there totally and completely bustin ass.  And I'm just sitting there saying to myself like 'WTF?  Is this real?  Who is this guy?'  A couple of games, he even seemed to be outplaying, dare I say it, Luka Doncic himself.  Jalen Brunson is one of those players like I know I kinda heard of somewhere.  And it seems that the Mavs actually drafted him at the same time as they did Luka.

And now with Luka out, Brunson is doing the Jazz so bad that some dude over at NBC is even calling Utah "overrated".  I don't think the Jazz are overrated.  They just have bad playoff luck and, I believe, are not favored by the NBA.  And believe me - being favored by the NBA goes a long way.

And even still I'm reluctant to say that the Mavs are going to win the series.  But at this point, does it really matter?  I'm just glad I didn't right a post predicting this series, as I would have undoubtedly foretold that the Jazz would swiftly do away with the Luka-less Mavs.

CONCLUSION

Believe it or not, one of the advantages Jalen Brunson has is not looking like he can play basketball.  It doesn't matter if he scores 100 points in a game, his looks will remain the same.  And that one split second when the defender is saying to himself 'lol, look at this guy' is all Brunson needs at this point.  That's like some evolutionary psychology type shit, like a natural advantage he has over others.

Trade Talk: Kyrie vs. Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Etc.

I definitely didn't see this one coming, even if the signs were already kinda there.  Last week I wrote an article about players I feel got disrespected players this offseason, and if I had foresaw this trade, especially considering that it seemed like for a time the Celtics were considering drafting Markelle Fultz, I would have definitely added Isaiah Thomas to that list.  I mean this is someone who has carried the Celtics, who were utterly garbage just a few short seasons ago, into Championship contention, is winning NBPA awards, on the verge of developing into a perennial All-Star averaging damn near 30ppg, didn't even demand a trade nor threaten to leave as a free agent but got traded anyway, and yet Boston fans are still burning his jersey.  It's treatment like this that sometimes contributes to why NBA players and other professional athletes, when they become free agents, seem so unsympathetic of their fanbases.  Here are the details of the trade, as reported by Yahoo Sports:

Boston Celtics Get:	Cleveland Cavaliers Get:
Kyrie Irving	Isaiah Thomas
	Jae Crowder
	Ante Zizic (?) 2018 First-Round Draft Pick

BOSTON CELTICS: C

PROS

1.  They get Kyrie Irving, the only pure point-guard who is arguably a better scorer than Isaiah Thomas.

CONS
 
1.  In addition to losing Kelly Olynk and trading Avery Bradley this offseason the Celtics have now practically gutted their team, even though they were apparently only one (star) player away from winning a Championship.

2.  Even though the Celtics now have arguably a superteam they're not so good that they'll dominate right off the bat, especially since they lost most of their key role players.

3.  Factions of the Celtic fanbase have shown how unappreciative they are, considering that between the eras of the KG-Pierce-Allen superteam and the arrival of Isaiah Thomas they were one of the worst teams in the Association.

4.  It's easy to understand what the Celtics are doing as far as selling tickets but hard to comprehend how committed they are to actually winning a Championship, i.e. building a team that can actually beat Golden State, since in order to do so a team has to be as good, if not better, defensively than they are offensively.

5.  The idea of trading away Thomas, who recently had hip surgery, because of his injury is only semi-valid in this case considering that Irving has an even worst injury history.

6.  I don't believe being traded away to Boston will grant Irving's wish of getting "his own team", unless the Celtics really are stupid enough to put all of the talent they've thus far amassed under the leadership of Irving, who still really hasn't proven sh*t besides being one of the best one-on-one players in the NBA.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: A

1.  They get rid of Kyrie Irving, who recently staged one of the greatest demonstrations of malcontent against an organization in NBA history.

2.  They got two players who can now compete against Golden State - and potentially another next year - in exchange for one.

3.  They handled Irving's trade request professionally despite a high level of social-media pressure, as in getting dissed in the spotlight often make people respond stupidly in return.

4.  They arguably haven't done anything this entire offseason to make the team better - until now.  It's not always the early bird that catches the worm.

5.  If the 2018 Draft pick they acquired from Boston via Brooklyn winds up being in the top three, as it potentially could, then they can add other skilled and/or popular player to convince Lebron to re-sign with the Cavs next offseason, and hopefully having Irving publicly shun him and other experiences have taught him hard enough lessons to not dis the incoming, talented rookie like he did Andrew Wiggins.

6.  We all know that Kyrie Irving can hit clutch shots, even in the biggest games, but even in that regard Thomas may be better.

CONS

1.  The way Kyrie Irving demanded a trade really didn't make the organization look good as in a place other players would want to be, but, surprisingly to me, as proven by the aforementioned NBPA Players Voice Awards, Lebron James is still considered the player his peers would most like to play with.

2.  If Thomas doesn't completely recover from his injury this may prove to be a bad deal.

3.  D-Rose probably isn't going to get as much playing time, but who knows.

CONCLUSION

I don't think I've ever seen two rivals at the top of their Conference make a trade like this.  The Celtics are one of the most intelligent teams in the NBA, right up there with the likes of the Heat and Spurs, but right now they seem a little starstruck to say the least.