Who Should Be Introduced Last? (Eastern Conference)

So today, I was envisioning the first time Jaylen Brown returns to Boston as an opposing player.  I'm presuming there's going to be a ridiculous amount of applause when he's introduced.

So then I was thinking, what order will he be announced in?  Will he be mentioned as the last Philly starter?  Perhaps you would think so, in anticipation of that applause.  But despite being one of the top-five players in the league, he's not even the most popular player on the Sixers.

That then got me thinking about who should be introduced last on every team in the NBA.  Generally speaking, it appears the unwritten rule being that the last starter introduced is the alpha, even if the visiting team gets no love from the announcer.

ATLANTA HAWKS

Last-Called: Jalen Johnson

Backup: CJ McCollum

Jalen Johnson is not only homegrown, i.e.being drafted by the Hawks, but he's also the team's only allstar.  So even though he doesn't have A-list name recognition, no one else in Atlanta does either, so he's "the last-called" by default.

If Jalen isn't around, then I think it has to go to CJ McCollum, who never has been and perhaps never will be an allstar, but you have to respect his talent and consistency.

BOSTON CELTICS

Last-Called: Jayson Tatum

Backup: Derrick White

Another no-brainer when it comes to the last-called.  But please, when Tatum is (inevitably) hurt, don't tell me that it's rather going to be PG13, unless he re-transforms to an allstar.  All things considered, I think that love should instead go to Derrick White.

BROOKLYN NETS

Last-Called: Michael Porter Jr.

Backup: Julius Randle

This is by default because, first of all, Porter Jr. has established himself as one of the best players in the league.  And second, no one else on the roster is really known besides Randle.

CHICAGO BULLS

Last-Called  Caleb Wilson

Backup: Josh Giddey

I really want to say Wilson but, all things considered, it may be Giddey instead.  Josh is good but clearly not enough to be an undisputed alpha.  So now, all eyes are on Caleb.  And I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago pushes it as hard as introducing him last, perhaps even from the jump, if they truly have that kind of confidence in him.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

Last-Called: Kon Knueppel

Backup: Brandon Miller

This is the most difficult decision on this list, because the Hornets have two young, let's say homegrown stars.  But I guess we have to go with Knueppel because, besides being the more popular, he came realistically closer to winning ROY.  Whoever thought this guy would be given the keys to the car so soon?  It's yours to take, Kon.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Last-Called: Donovan Mitchell

Backup: James Harden

I know that the Beard is more popular, but it has to be Spider, dude.  Mobley should perhaps even get precedence over Harden, but I don't think that's going to happen.

DETROIT PISTONS

Last-Called: Cade Cunningham

Backup: Jalen Duren

So you're trying to tell me that the backup last-called is the same dude embroiled in a contract dispute?  Currently, I would venture to presume that he's the lowest paid second-to-last called in the NBA.

INDIANA PACERS

Last-Called: Tyrese Haliburton

Backup: Pascal Siakim

Another no-brainer, though Turner would be the backup if he was still around.

MIAMI HEAT

Last-Called: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Backup: Bam Adebayo

This was hard because, Bam is the perennial allstar with tenure.  But barring injury, there's no way Giannis is going to fail to live up to expectation.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Last-Called: Tyler Hero

Backup: Kel'el Ware?

For some reason I can't really explain, I'm looking forward to seeing Herro in Milwaukee.  And I know Myles Turner is more tenured than them both, but it's hard to envision him getting last call on the Bucks.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Last-Called: Jalen Brunson

Backup: Karl Anthony-Towns

Another no-brainer, as the team has two perennial allstars, with one being more popular than the other.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Last-Called: Paolo Banchero

Backup: Franz Wagner

Since Orlando personally maxed Wagner out, he has to be the backup behind the undisputed alpha, even though Bane may be the better player.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Last-Called: Tyrese Maxey

Backup: Lebron James

If you were to put the entire NBA, i.e. its 12 biggest stars, on the same team, Lebron would undoubtedly be the last-called.  But the funny thing is, he shouldn't be so on the Sixeers.

Factoring in tenure and accomplishments within the Philly organization, it should be Joel Embiid - if he weren't so hurt.  So then, by default, it goes to Tyrese Maxey, who's not only homegrown but also a reigning perennial allstar

And so it should be with the team in general.  I hope all of the talent is able to understand that Maxey is the man, just like Shaq had to defer to a D-Wade when he went to Miami.  There are now guys who may be better all-around players, but ask yourself this. Has  "the Process" been completed?

TORONTO RAPTORS

Last-Called: Kawhi Leonard

Backup: Scottie Barnes

It'll have to be Kawhi which, in a way, is a slap in the face to other players on the roster who may actually be loyal to Toronto.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Last-Called: AJ Dybantsa

Backup: Anthony Davis

It should perhaps go to the rookie because, not only is he the reigning number-one pick but also is symbolic of the transition the Wizards are going through.  And as for AD, he's the most-accomplished member of the roster, and, besides that, his emotions shouldn't be tested.

2026 NBA Offseason Grade (Southeast Division)

ATLANTA HAWKS: C-

The Hawks were the feel-good team of the East last season, holding the sole distinction of being the only squad to win two games against the Knicks in the postseason.  Even though no one was really expecting them to win the series, the energy was really positive - right up until Game 6, when dudes got their asses bust so thoroughly that it's amazing they didn't break out in tears on court.  Even the braintrust and owners shoulda been crying about that shit.

Usually, when you have a promising team lose like that, the offseason goal is to prepare themselves to face the same nemesis the next year.  And that's where Atlanta has totally failed.  What they needed to counteract a squad like NYK is size.  Yet by the looks of things, there isn't a single notable big on the entire roster.  I understand why maybe they didn't want to hold onto Kuminga or Risacher.  But damn, what was the backup plan while sacrificing that height?

The Hawks are also one of those teams who, unfortunately for them, are still stuck in the smallball era.  Their biggest offseason acquisition was Lu Dort, i.e. one of the many OKC players who got nephewed by Wemby.  Logic would dictate that his perimeter defense will help a bit against a wing-heavy team like NYK.  But as other squads in the conference have bulked up, you know, it's doesn't really look like Atlanta took a step forward.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS: A

I really like what the Hornets have done this offseason, moving past the streetball era.  When the best scorer on the roster gets ignored during the postseason, something has to change.

By the looks of things, the moves they've made, most notably getting rid of LaMelo Ball and taking in Naz Reid - hasn't really impressed pundits.  But the way I see it, that was borderline perfect, with dudes like Knueppel and Miller on the roster, deserving more shine than a player like Ball would allot.  All this team needs is the right kind of player(s) to run point, i.e. dudes that won't chuck, which now they apparently have.  They may not be contenders yet but are on the right path and should at least make the playoffs proper(?).

MIAMI HEAT: A-

The acquisition of Giannis felt really good for about two days, until Normal Powell decided to bounce, after Miami had already parted ways with Herro and Jacquez.  That shit sucked the air out of me for a moment.

But at the same time, it's like no excuses because, oh sh*t, Giannis and Bam are on the same team, buttressed by Wiggins, now giving the Heat the best frontcourt in the league, over Philly, OKC, NYK or whoever.  Or, something like that.  No other contender with a big frontcourt is better suited to defend both the post and the perimeter.

The rest of the roster may leave something to be desired, but it isn't that bad.  The acquisition of an inspired Klay Thompson will likely prove huge in some cases, and don't forget he and Wiggins were championship teammates in the past.  And the best thing about it is, if any braintrust can make it work, it's Miami, though you would imagine they may pickup another notable G during the season.

ORLANDO MAGIC: B

Okay, so when dudes went out an acquired Desmond Bane, even though they needed a big more, the logic was that the following season, i.e. this offseason, they would upgrade the frontcourt.  And well, if you consider Vucevic a difference maker, I mean he has averaged a double-double cumulatively throughout his career, though, as with his recent stint in Boston, it isn't likely he's going to be getting a lot of touches surrounded by the Magic's chucks.

Indeed, after committing to Bane, it's like they no longer even had the dough to chase a more noteworthy big.  But again, it ain't like Vucevic is a bum, as much as it was the Celtics not really valuing his presence.

Also, remember last season, the Magic took the Pistons to seven games, if I remember correctly, even though Franz Wagner was injured, and imo they would have won the series if he wasn't.  So I mean yeah, progress has been achieved, I guess, though the downside is that the braintrust, by committing so much money to Franz, having forced themselves into a position that their fate more or less lies in his iffy health.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: A

This isn't purely an offseason grade but considering all the moves the Wizards have made since February.  Not only do they now, all of a sudden, have the best mix of young and veteran stars in the league.  But also, more than anything, the roster is actually compatible, with a number of options that can be mixed and matched, if the coaching staff is worth its salt.

Last season, too much of the onus was put on young, unproven players.  This coming season, opponents are going to have a hard time keeping up with them, while simultaneously counteracting the vets.  Dudes have like 10 rotation-worthy players, which is something most teams cannot boast of at all.

The only thing that can fuck it up - and why I didn't want to rush to give dudes an A+ - is (#1) if AD goes diva and demands a trade and (#2) if Trae Young chucks, as is tradition.  Young has averaged nearly 9 assists throughout his career but is still deemed as someone who doesn't pass the ball enough.  And as for AD, you know, as a 7-footer, he doesn't like to play inside.  But with Sarr and Ayton also on the roster, I guess we can just finally love Anthony for who he is, tho pairing those types is probably going to leave something to be desired in terms of perimeter defense.

CONCLUSION

In any event, you have to give it to the Wizards for recognizing that we're no longer in the smallball era.  There's other teams in the Southeast who, by the looks of things, it's going to take them awhile to really catch on. 

The Heat may appear as the only true contenders in the division, but don't sleep on the Magic, if healthy, despite their lack of depth.  The Wizards are also the sleeper team of the entire Eastern Conference - remember you heard it here first.  The Southeast may have only one A-list franchise, but I'm looking forward to at least 4 out of these 5 squads making the playoffs.

"The ScapeGOAT" Finally Calling It Quits

First off, let me say that in my last post, when I suggested that Russell Westbrook should, all things considering, maybe retire, I didn't know at the time that he had an offer, albeit a minimum one, on the table via the Wizards(?).  If I had known that, my tone would have been a bit different, under the belief that he could actually help a team like Washington.

I believe, if AD sticks around and is committed, that the Wizards are going to be a lot better next season than a lot of people anticipate, perhaps even one of the best teams in the East.  Everyone is talking about how wonderful Philly's braintrust is for landing Lebron and Brown.  Meanwhile, since February, Washington has acquired Davis, Young and Dybantsa, who appears to be a true #1 pick (besides acquiring Ayton and retaining Middleton).  When you look at this roster honestly, they're one of the deepest in the league.  And just as an interesting side note, that's now two consecutive #1 picks that the powers-that-be have paired with AD.

Besides the aforementioned vets (all of whom have name recognition) and Dybantsa, the roster is fleshed out by these other young, promising dudes, most notably Alex Sarr.  Usually, I don't think it's good for young players to get accustomed to losing.  But now it's like those losses from last season may have hardened them towards a brighter future, because for what it's worth, dudes were competing even while getting their asses bust.

The one person I am sorta worried about in this equation is Young and how his erratic style doesn't always translate to team basketball.  But remember that him and Collins, dudes were out there looking like Kidd + Martin for a time, like Trae knows how to throw lobs.  And now, he has more lob options than ever.  So here's to hoping, presuming he is the starting PG, that he doesn't chuck.

And yes, I can see Westbrook having fit into it all, even with his own unpredictable style.  Besides being a veteran whose resume demands respect, let's be honest.  Stat wise, even at 38 years old, Russ is better than 90% of the players in the NBA.  He may not be efficient, but when it comes to raw, all-around basketball skills, he's better or at least more versatile than any other vet on this team.  His field goal percentage may, relatively speaking, suck, but in 30 minutes, primarily off the bench if I remember correctly, he averaged 15pts, 7 assists and 5 rebounds last season.  Those are like Lebron-esque numbers.

LONGETIVITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

That said, I can understand why he'd be compelled to call it quits, because if you are on the best players on a team, then conventional logic doesn't dictate you should be paid less than everyone else, even newjacks.  Also, damn, dude has played for 18 whole seasons.  Time sure does fly.

Players of today, at least to me, it seems like they're lasting longer.  Jordan played 15 seasons over 19 years, amidst a couple of retirements in between.  His HoF sidekick, Scottie Pippen, played for 17 years (straight).  It was rare back then for players to truly strive for 20.  Generally speaking, NBAers who were good or accomplished enough not to be forced into retirement only lasted for about 15 seasons.

But look at what's happening now.  Lebron is on the verge of potentially playing for a quarter century.  Westbrook, as established, nearing 40 years old, is one of the best individual players in the NBA.  He may not be the most intelligent so to speak, but I'd bet on him one-on-one against any other player in his height class.

PJ Tucker lasted for 20 years, even tho it wasn't all entirely in the NBA. Vinsanity did 22.  CP3 recently did 21 before being forced out of the game.  Meanwhile, Durant and Harden have thus far played 18 and 17 respectively, with no signs that either will be retiring soon.

Kobe also did 20, but his was a bit different, sorta like holdover from the 20th century.  Like Jordan, the team Bryant was on in his twilight wasn't expected to win shit, and he was only really there to sell tickets (besides presumably make money for himself).  That was how star retirements used to go.  Nearer to the end, you usually played for fame or money, regardless of how large or small it may be, but rarely a key role on a contender.

Meanwhile, look at the cats mentioned in that previous paragraph.  All of them, except for Vince, competed to the very end.  Dudes are no longer signing just to collect paychecks.  Now they want to contribute to a championship, even into their 40s.

So yes, all things considered I would have loved to see Westbrook on this Wizards' team, and I'm glad they at least showed him some respect, you know, being the only person who ever averaged a triple-double for that organization.  But you know, it's not really about Washington.  If anything, he should have stayed with the Nuggets.  And if you remember, at the time I was even questioning how they could prioritize Christian Braun(!) ahead of him.

"THE SCAPEGOAT"

On that note, I have to believe that behind the scenes, Russ is genuinely difficult to deal with.  I mean, there's no other way to rationalize how organizations have come to treat him.

Recently, some documentary about him came out called Passion Play (2021).  It was themed around that very idea, that Westbrook is this really good player though one who's like hardheaded or some shit.  I can't remember the specifics of the presentation, but I do recall walking away sympathizing with Russ instead of hating him.  In fact, if I remember correctly, it even concluded with Magic Johnson publicly apologizing for having previously criticized Russ.

But those sentiments never completely went away, and this is what I mean by behind the scenes, because I have to speculate that Westbrook did something(s) that really like pissed insiders off, though I can't quite imagine what that would be, besides his overall cockiness.  It's not like, say, DeMarcus Cousins, who publicly threatened some old white dude.

CONCLUSION

Conclusively, I have to agree with Jay-Z that it's better to "gracefully bow out" than to be forced out of the game.  That's especially true if you're in a field without a definitive retirement timeline and even moreso if you're on the greatest at what you do.

You see what happened to CP3, after a storied career, how that last episode stained his legacy.  Meanwhile, Russ has won MVP, the rarest of all NBA accolades, even rarer than making it into the HoF.  So yeah, if he'd rather retire than play for on a vet min for the Wizards or Kings, then so be it.  But all of that said, let this be a lesson to everyone.  There is a such thing as being too good, as an individual player, for the NBA.

I never really thought much about KD leaving OKC, but now, in hindsight, I understand why Westbrook was so pissed off.  He was intentionally drafted to be Durant's sidekick, and as such, Kevin may have been the only person he really had that big brother type of respect for.  The two of them together may have eventually won a championship.  But now we see that the ScapeGOAT couldn't truly humble himself to anyone else.

Dear Lakers, Just Focus on Wemby

We live in the age of positivity thinking, prosperity gospel and shit like that.  When motivational speakers are indirectly berating us, one of their favorite themes is harping on this idea that we don't actually know what we're worth.  That's one of the reasons life if unfulfilling, because we don't know how valuable we actually are.  Something like that comes to mind when I look at the Lakers these days, how they're settling for C-listers instead of going after the best of the best.

THE FUK HAPPENED?

Traditionally LAL is a contender, and even if they aren't for a couple of seasons, it's only a matter of time before they pull off a blockbuster move and get right back up there.  They poached Shaq from Orlando, even though the Magic weren't garbage, and I'm sure they could have paid him just as much, if not more, than the Lakers.  They had the foresight to trade a borderline allstar C (Divac) for a popular yet unproven rookie (Kobe) - a move so bold that braintrusts to this day don't have the balls to do shit like that.

And if you look at the championships they've won over the last six decades, there's been some exceptional roster construction, but it ain't exactly rocket science.  LAL had Chamberlain, Kareem, Shaq, Gasol and AD holding down the middle.  The first three are literally the most dominant players in NBA history.  Pau is an international legend.  And as for Davis, sometimes I feel like he should retire, but either way, he's still the best C of his generation and a future hall of famer.

That isn't meant to be a knock against Ayton, Hayes or anyone else currently manning the 5 in L.A.  When the Lakers traded AD for Luka, when everyone else was gasping like it was some type of coup, I was like 'are you sure?'

It's bad enough that they let GM Lebron rule for half a decade.  But at least he was astute enough to bring in AD, while Anthony was still sorta in his prime, and they won that championship together.  Remember, the Lakers practically gutted their roster to get Davis.  I didn't really favor that move, sacrificing their future like that, but at least they were being true to the organization's winning tradition, going after the best C in the league.

Also keep in mind, if I remember correctly, that Lebron had nothing to do with the Luka trade.  There may be issues when it comes to LBJ exerting his influence over roster decisions, but he's probably wiser in that regard than LAL's current braintrust.

LAKERS DEVIATE FROM TRADITION

So now you have Luka saying something like he needs an "A-list" center.  Duh.  The Lakers already figured that shit out before you were born.  But I believe there were a couple of factors that led to them making their biggest trade in over 20 years without getting a premiere big in return.

One was the widespread belief that the NBA has 'gone small'.  TF does that mean anyway, in a league where the average height is 6'7"? 

And I was warning dudes like, the Warriors' dynasty was an anomaly, not the new norm.  Yes, countless players have since imitated Steph.  He made it legal for anyone bold enough to chuck from the three-point line to do so, and the way the Dubs were structured was such that you needed speed at the 5 to counteract them.  But I mean, do people even realize how unusual Curry really is, how difficult he is to actually replicate?  How many other championship teams in NBA history can you think of whose best player was a PG (not to mention that they had KD for a couple of years)?

Anyway, my belief is that LAL got caught up in the hype and actually thought they could now win with the top of the pyramid being in the backcourt instead of the front.  They're the winningest team in NBA history and apparently never won a championship that way.  But yeah, okay.

The second mistake this new ownership made was rushing the 'it's time to move on from Lebron' idea.  If that's the case, instead of doing something rash, why not just wait until his contract runs out, not re-sign him and take it from there?  LBJ only signs for what, one or two seasons at a time?

And I mean like really, think about it.  Who can you bring in to replace him?  Like 'okay, you play with Lebron now, and then when he eventually retires or leaves, we're giving you the keys to the car'.  Or even worse, 'we're snatching the keys out of his hands and giving it to you'.  Shouldn't they have chosen someone younger and/or healthier for that?  One thing I always like to point out in this argument is the fact that Dallas did not fail in surrounding Luka with teammates who complemented his strengths.

And here's the funny part.  When you look at the Lakers' performance from last season, now it appears that they're in a situation where they have to re-sign Lebron.  Or what, do you truly want to put your hopes in Luka?

You have to take the Kristaps approach with Doncic, like okay, we're a superteam when you're healthy, but we're still contenders when you're not.  His health doesn't dictate him making the most money on the team.  Nico Harrison knew that and, as time progresses, is gradually looking more like a pariah than a GM who dumbed out.

WEMBY OR BUST

So going back to this whole smallball thing, now there's actually a shortage of dominant Cs.  Dudes have been forced to focus so much on three-pointers that now, they no longer know how to post.  Or looking at it from another angle, it's less work to shoot jumpshots than to man yourself in the middle.  So if you give players the option, which are they going to choose?

And even then, there's only a handful of really good Cs and only a couple that are dominant.  One of the latter is Jokic, and I mean, I use the term dominant loosely in his case.  He's an outstanding offensive force but leaves something to be desired defensively.  And he's not winning shit unless he has a real good roster around him, and no, I don't mean Luka and a bunch of castaways.

The best of the best, of course, is Wemby.  Now, it seems unfathomable that anyone could potentially poach him from the Spurs.  As far as Lakers' comparisons go, San Antonio is the only team of the last 30 years to be just as successful, likewise winning five championships.

But let's go back to the beginning of this article.  You're the fucking Lakers, for crying out loud.

So there you are - a young, ambitious exec, trying to make a name for yourself.  You're tired of the rat race and willing to risk it all for a big raise with all the perks.  So you swallow your fears, go straight to the GM and boldly proclaim 'sir, we're the fucking Lakers. Historically, when it comes to 5s we only go after the cream of the crop. Let's pursue Wemby'. And he's like 'there's no way San Antonio is going to give him up, and they have his Bird Rights. Let's go after Ayton instead'.

Do you say 'yes sir', sheepishly walk away and pray he doesn't fire you for making a seemingly impossible suggestion?  Or do you slap his b*tch ass like he just pissed on the grave of Jerry West?

CONCLUSION

Fine, you got Luka for AD, a round of applause.  But what's the endgame?  If, say, Lebron doesn't re-sign, who are you even going to spend that extra money on?

I don't want to read anymore reports of the Lakers chasing C-listers, while the starting lineup isn't even ironed out.  If you're going to go after 'an A-list center', there's really only one who can mitigate Doncic's deficiencies, i.e. lead the team to victory even when he's hurt.

And that would be Wemby.  You've committed to Doncic, untraditionally prioritizing a 1 over a 5, so now pay the price.  Getting Luka wasn't a bad move, but now it's time to go back to the Lakers' championship formula.

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?

Finally Sympathizing with Mavericks' Fan

At the time the Mavs' traded Doncic for AD, I didn't think it was that much of a big deal.  My arugment was that Dallas was not going ot win a championship with Luka, and it wasn't necessarily the fault of Doncic nor that of the team's braintrust.  They put a quality squad around him that more or less complemented his strengths.  The biggest concern, imo, was Luka's durability in terms of venturing deep into the playoffs, like he could get you to the big dance but then prove unable to deliver the ring.

But since then, I've come to a couple of conclusions, respectively by observing the Mavs and the Lakers.  One is, better to be a contender that never wins a championship than to be garbage.  And second, players can in fact workout and get stronger type shit.  Luka went from being your quintessential European girlie-man to now looking like he can last at least a good 4 out of 6 games(?).  Furthermore, he seems to be expeditiously supplanting Lebron's stature as the face of the Lakers.

For the first time in years, LAL seems to have an identity, almost like Lakers' pride is back.  Fans expect them to win just because they're the Lakers, and by golly, they're going to try their best to deliver.

Human beings, we're some funny creatures.  It's now obvious Luka actually needed to get out of Dallas, for his own good type shit.  He needed a bigger challenge, if you will. But Doncic never asked for a trade or tried to get out himself, rather being forced away all of a sudden, even his own surprise.

The Mavericks are easily the most disappointing team in the league, soemthing which I'll admit I wasn't expecting.  When they won the no.1 pick, I was like 'the draft is rigged'.  But now, you know, let's give Silver and co. some credit.  Maybe they were able to perceive that, oh shit, despite having three future hall-of-famers plus a slew of quality role players, these guys really do suck.

I've been on Jason Kidd's ass for awhile, but it was utlimately Nico Harrison who took the bullet.  Probably that's for the best, because the type of loons floating around these days, some jackass may be able to rationalize literally shooting him for being the main figure behind making the team suck.

And yes, dear reader, the Mavericks do in fact suck.  Luka is gone, and there's no use crying over spilt milk.  This team has enough quality pieces to at least, you know I'm saying, win sometimes type shit.  So yeah, my prediction is that the sacking of Harrison is just the inevtiable lead up to Jason also getting the boot.  Like Kidd is too popular or whatever for them to sack first, especially after losing Luka.

You've been dealt a weaker hand by the executive, but as a coach you have to make best with what you have.  Forcing a traditionally-statured, newbie whiteboy to run-and-gun with a bunch of (average) Black players is not trying your best.  That's a strategy that literally even a 12-year-old can come up with.

CONCLUSION

What we should also be looking forward to is LBJ evenutally coming back and totally fuckin up the chemistry this new iteration of LAL has built.  I'm sure that I'll be writing one of those 'Los Angeles-would-be-better-if-Lebron-relegated-himself-to the-4' articles soon.  But in the meatime yes, watching Luka drop 40 at will, spearheading a questionable roster to regular victories in the West even, while the Mavs went from making the Finals one season, getting the no.1 pick the next and now utterly sucking, you have to feel sorry for Dallas fans.  I'm just now feeling for them, even tho they got sh*t on a whole like six months ago, and by the looks of things the pain is not going to go away anytime soon.  Cooper may be a generational talent as far as American Whites go, but he obviulsy isn't a Luka.

2025 NBA Playoffs Ruminations (May 14)

SHOUTOUT TO NICO HARRISON

What if I told you that I'm a member of the Sam Hinkie Fan Club, or that I have a poster of Danny Ainge, in a shirt and tie, hanging on my bedroom wall?  I'm what you call a fan of GMs and other types of executives who make NBA decisions behind the scenes.  I'm not going to act like I can name a bunch of them.  But the organizations that are really good or alternative really stupid, I try to keep an eye on their braintrusts.

I didn't really know who Nico Harrison was until niggas started giving him the Luigi Mangione treatment.  When he traded Luka for AD, of course I was like 'wow, that's unexpected'.  But otherwise, you know what I mean?

I said from the jump that, all things considered, it more or less seemed like fair trade to me.  In fact, I even thought Dallas got the best of the deal, more or less.  Their roster is deep enough that could instantly insert AD into the starting lineup and proceed from there.  But as for the Lakers, since Davis has arguably been their anchor over the past couple of seasons, trading him away for Luka - as the rest of the world, including Lebron, is slowly starting to realize - means that now they have to initiate a rebuild around him.

Then, from a business perspective, let's just say that Luka would have had to sell a whole lot of jerseys and tickets to rationalize Dallas re-signing him for $350mil(!).  Meanwhile, the Mavs were retrogressing from last season.  And even if Doncic was able to lead them back to the Finals in the future, given his endurance issues, what's the chances that they would win?  Rebuilding - as the world is starting to see now that the lesser teams got shitted on in the draft - isn't as easy as it sounds, and it shouldn't be something an organization does unless it really has to.  Some teams, like the Nets, have been rebuilding for like 15 years now.

Sam "the anti-Stern" Hinkie exploited a loophole like no other GM before him.  He was akin to a guru, though one who's methodology was crude.

Though breaking, let's say unwritten ethical codes - you have to remember that the Sixers were garbage between the time Iverson left and Hinkie taking charge.  They were also garbage last season, but look, managed to land the third pick, over a number of teams that were even worse.  I believe that's an acknowledgement of their popularity and thus importance to the NBA landscape, with Philly still benefitting from that standing into the 21st century in large part due to Hinkie's efforts.

But Sam exploited the system so blatantly that now, it's f*cked up for those trying to imitate him a decade later.  Of all the teams that had their hopes dashed, the one I'm laughing at the loudest is of course the Utah Jazz.  They began tanking from like last season type shit and still got the short end of the stick.  That's why I don't advocate intentionally losing.  I think they still have a decent roster and, who knows, may land a gem in the draft.  But now they also have to overcome a self-imposed, fan-betraying, fruitless losing culture, besides being embarrassed, if you will.

Anyway, my point is that everyone thought Nico Harrison was a dumbass up until yesterday.  But now, we're reminded that he's a businessman, and the NBA is a business.  Even if Kyrie isn't around, imo this team has more hope heading into next season than they did coming into the current one.

DENVER NUGGETS (2) vs OKC THUNDER (3)

There isn't much to read here.  As a collective, the Thunder have arguably every advantage over the Nuggets except experience.

The ScapeGOAT fouled out of Game 5, so he couldn't play down the stretch even if David Adelman maybe wanted him to.  But based on the precedent that's already been set, he probably would have went with Braun anyway.

A couple of seasons ago, when KCP was around, I argued that Denver had the best starting five in the league.  To this day, their starting unit remains one of the best, not only in terms of talent but also compatibility.  Skill-wise, their starters are arguably better than OKC's.  But damn that lack of depth, and also the age factor.

Before all that Ja Morant shit started happening, I thought the Grizzlies were going to be the youth movement to dethrone the old dogs.  Instead, it's proving to be the likes of the Thunder and Timberwolves.

INDIANA PACERS (4) vs CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (1!)

I read some shit like Donovan Mitchell was "emotional" after the Game 5, lol.  As a Cavaliers' fan, I was kinda emotional myself, though I don't know exactly what emotion that was.  That said, save the emotions for Jayson Tatum, my nigga.

I remain one of the skeptics who considers the Pacers "lucky", even if they've now made it to Conference Finals two years in a row.  In the First Round, Damian Lillard was injured (as was Giannis last postseason).  Then, they were fortunate in the Second Round by facing a superior opponent, albeit one who is unable to beat them.  The Cavs only lost 18 games in the regular season, and four of those were against Indiana.

What really amazes me is how Tyrese Haliburton not only plays better in Cleveland than he does at home but also outperformed the Cavs' players in Cleveland.  He's like a Steph, in a manner of speaking, though for now he lacks (young) Curry's consistency.

LEBRON (BACK) TO THE CAVS?

As for the Cavs, I mean yeah, something has to change.  As pathetic as it may sound, going into next season they need to make upgrades specifically in the name of overcoming the Pacers.  It would also help if, you know, since they have twin towers, if they learned how to play big.  Kenny Atkinson was recently named Coach of the Year, but maybe that decision was a bit hasty.

As much as I sorta hate to say it, the Cavs could really (re-)use some Lebron in their lives right now.  There aren't any superstars on this team except Spida, but I think the roster is still impressive enough to entice the King.

If they can get Lebron without giving up anybody, that would be ideal.  Don't thin out the roster to the point that they can't win unless he plays well.  You know, dude is in his 40s.  By this point in his career and given his resume, he's supposed to be on a team where he's more of a rotation player, perhaps even a bench player, rather than the onus.

LBJ may not play defense for shit, and he also, despite being a giant, prefers to stay on the perimeter.  But the emotional boost alone may be able to get this organization over the hump.  And if they retain Mobley especially, there won't be much need for James to post up anyway.

2025 NBA Playoffs Ruminations (May 1)

DETROIT PISTONS VS. NEW YORK KNICKS

What happened to the Knicks in Game 5 was the realization of the biggest concerned I had when they decided to acquire KAT, which is interior defense.  I'm not saying that it's all his fault.  He pulls off a big defensive play from time to time.  But he is the starting C, meaning that, if the Pistons do go on to win the series due to that discrepancy, he will be scapegoat - and rightfully so, since Karl has always been criticized for his lack of defensive output.  But since the entire world already knew that, you have presume NYK's braintrust did also, and the blame is ultimately on them.  The problem with building your roster to defeat a specific team (i.e. the Celtics) is that, wait a minute, there's other good teams out there also, with different types of makeup.

Meanwhile, Detroit is one of the few squads that has a roster built to bang hard in the post, i.e. possessing more than one young, athletic big.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (4) VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (1)

Speaking of teams that can't compete in the post, the assinity of the Lakers - in trading AD for Luka without getting any bigs in return - has now been exposed in front of the entire world.  That was really, really stupid, because even when AD was around, they needed more depth in the post (since Lebron now insists on being a perimeter player).

The Lakers, in the aftermath of the Luka trade, recently gave Rob Pelinka like a raise or some shit, and  I was like why?  They got caught up in that early, unwarranted excitement, which you aren't supposed to do as professionals.

Rudy Gobert may be overrated, particularly when it comes to defending perimeter players, but he's still the type of borderline-allstar, traditional C most teams these days completely lack.  And if he goes against a squad like the Lakers, one that doesn't respect post play at all, you know, your boy can go off.  I mean, why's not?  Who on the opposing team is big enough to contest him?  Lebron may be ageless, but he isn't vintage, so you can't expect him to consistently play consistent, quality defense anymore.  Duh.  I've been saying that for years.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS VS. INDIANA PACERS

There was Gary Trent Jr., (finally) on the cusp of the stardom.  And just like, it was taken away, in like the worst way imaginable for a professional athlete - through a blunder in a close elimination game.  There's a lesson to be learnt there, like for all of us type shit.

If Haliburton is in fact overrated, that definitely didn't show against the Bucks.  I see this as sort of a defining postseason for him.  The Cavs apparently are better suited to defend a large, scoring PG than the Bucks are.  So if he wants to prove that he truly is one of the best, now he's going to get the chance.

BTW - I'm not as pessimistic about Milwaukee's future as others may be.  I believe they can build something with Giannis + Porter Jr. + Sims + AJ Green and yes, including Trent Jr.  A star winning championships with the same organization yet different iterations of the roster is not unheard of (i.e. Kobe).  With a player like Giannis, in his prime as some would say, I think the Bucks need to focus more on speed and athleticism.  That makes players like Lopez, Portis and yes, even Dame expendable.  Getting rid of those guys won't be easy, but if Milwaukee can flip them for more applicable players of the new youth era, that would be ideal.  

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Damn, the Thunder haven't played for like a week now.  Talk about teams getting their rest.

Too Many Injuries in the NBA

I have yet to watch a game this season and only watched highlights once.  As for my waning interest in actually watching the NBA (as opposed to reading about it), yes, part of it would have to do with the fact that I've now been following the league for over 30 years.  But I think there's other factors also, such as the proliferation of rigging and, damn, these f*cking injuries.

I'm not going to even bother listing all of the star players currently on the injured list because first of all, since the list is ever-changing, daily even, who has time to do the research?  Secondly, this post isn't really about singling anybody out.  How can you be mad at someone for being unable to fully perform yet willingly paid tens of millions of dollars?  It's more about, oh sh*t, what has this league become?  What's this f*cking fiasco?

WHY SO MANY INJURIES?

To fully understand this phenomenon requires the knowledge of a tenured NBA fan.  For instance, you can look back on the 1990s and be like 'players have always faced injuries'.  But if you were actually alive and a fan back in the those days, you would know it was nothing like now.

For instance, you usually didn't have to worry about a star player being injured during the playoffs.  You could also more or less take for granted that dudes would be available throughout the bulk of season and if nothing else playable during the postseason.  And no, I'm not talking about load management per se, you know, organizations and players gypping ticket-buying fans.  I'm talking about, well, let me be frank.  By the looks of things, the forefathers were healthier.

No, it wasn't as common back in those days for players to have bulging muscles.  But I'm not referring to type of strength, being able to benchpress and that type of sh*t.  I'm talking about endurance and durability, a higher degree of general all-around sturdiness.

As for why the current generation is weaker, that's not something I want to speculate on here.  It is what it is.  So the issue now has become, how does the NBA respond?

SOME OF THESE DUDES REALLY DONT NEED TO BE IN THIS LEAGUE

One theory I've recurrently expressed in this blog is that a lot of NBA players really don't belong in this type of league, and I say with a grain of salt.  The argument is more like, some dudes may be really tall and athletic and/or skilled at basketball, but their physical makeup cannot endure 82+-game seasons, as I would presume most of our bodies couldn't.  It sucks because it's hard, if not impossible to imagine the NBA without its perennially-injured stars.

Some of the biggest names in the league - Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and if I remember correctly AD - entered already injured.  Some of these dudes could even spend a year or longer, getting paid millions of dollars to condition themselves or whatever TF they call it.  'Working yourself back from a knee injury is hella difficult'.  Yeah, I would imagine.  But so is, oh sh*t, I just coughed up like my electricity money to attend an NBA game, and the main attraction isn't even playing.  He's tender yet valued, so the team has decided to 'pull the plug' on him tonight.  And by the looks of things, he didn't bother to protest at all.

The NBA would benefit some players, like Luka Doncic, a lot more if the seasons were shorter.  Some prove to be hot for about five years and then afterwards, oh sh*t, grab the crutch.  The average length of an NBA career is less than five years.  And I would presume that statistic has just about as much to do with injury as it does with dudes lacking skill.  When less-popular players are injured, no one really cares.  But as for the stars, they're in such high demand that many play long after they should've already retired.

BRAINTRUSTS IN A BIND

This is not an easy fix for braintrusts, as most glaringly exhibited by the Joel Embiid saga.  Joel has become sort of the poster child for chronically-injured superstars.  He's not even the best player in Philly anymore, yet he's being paid, oh sh*t, $50+mil(!) a season.

The company is breaking the bank on an employee who can't fully perform, who's out there doing some gay shit like water exercises or running on a treadmill instead of banging on the court.  Then they wonder why everyone wants to be a professional athlete these days, why young men are out here destroying their bodies and the reputation of local franchises alike in the name of being a sports' star.

F*K THE MAVS

What inspired this post was recently reading an article on NBC Sports whereas, well, as you know, the Mavs recently traded Luka.  Now, Dallas' primary star after his departure, Kyrie Irving, has found himself injured for the season.  So the writer of that NBC article was like should the Mavs "pull the plug" on the season and rest AD.  Davis, as noted earlier, has his own health issues, and why the Mavs' braintrust would believe that he and the equally-hospitalized Irving could form a winning tandem is a discussion for another day.

So basically, the argument is that with the Mavs' best player being traded and the subsequent main star injured for the season, should they even compete?  And I was thinking like, what a slap in the face of the fans.

Niggas is out here with their average salaries, buying NBA tickets and subscribing to services and all types of sh*t, and now you're saying since a team's main star is injured, the other star on the squad should just rest for the season?  What a crock of sh*t.  The NBA being softer these days is in more ways than just physical.

I don't know if Dallas will go ahead and make that type of decision, so I'm not actually dissing them at the moment.  But just the idea that such a option could be publicly entertained, even if only by the media, reveals how much weaker, from a grit and pride standpoint, the league has become.

CONCLUSION

I would say shorten the NBA season, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.  And even if it did, some stars can't even go 20 straight games these days no matter what.  So I don't have any solution to offer at the moment escape maybe establishing an alternative league where players with reduced playing time, would theoretically be less prone to injury.

This being professional sports, health always has and will be a major factor.  But these days, the name of the game has not only become putting together a quality roster but moreso hoping that come crunch time, you'll have less major injuries to contend with than the opposition.

Trade Talk 2024-25 Deadline Chaos

You'll notice that out of all the teams to make powermoves leading up to the 2024-25 NBA Season trade deadline, none of them were considered true contenders beforehand.  The squads that are already in the top tier, like the Rockets, Cavs, Celtics, Knicks and Thunder - stood pat.  That, to me, represents good governance and maybe a shift in thinking of contemporary braintrusts.  Maybe they're looking at a team like Cleveland, who didn't do shit this past offseason yet currently have the best record in the NBA, and are like, 'yeah, Jah Iteh is right - continuity is a good thing'.

There are a couple of teams, like the Bucks and Mavericks, who I believe increased their (on-court) fortunes with recent transactions.  As for the rest, I guess in their cases it was like some transaction is better than no transaction.  Better to face the storm in strange waters than continuing across the peaceful seas of mediocrity.

KYLE KUZMA VS. KHRIS MIDDLETON

Kyle Kuzma has been sorta slacking off, as far as stats go, but that may well have something to do with him having been stuck on the damnation of the NBA, the Washington Wizards.  You won't hear no more of that 'I believe in Jordan Poole' shit from me.  With the worst record in the NBA, the conclusion is that the Wizards genuinely suck.  So hopefully, Kyle will be rejuvenated now that he's back on a team with an actual chance.

It sucks that Middleton, after having a stellar career with the Bucks, landed in that sh*tstorm.  His is a cautionary tale of being grossly overpaid in the NBA.  It's like 'yo, go out and get that money' type shit.  But then, if you become ravaged by injuries while playing for a team that actually wants to win, they may want to keep you but, in the grand scheme of things, cannot rationalize it.

Like I'm sure Milwaukee would love to have, you know, like Kuzma and Middleton.  Bring Khris off the bench, even if only, at times, for inspirational reasons.  But damn, niggas want to win, and you're making a gazillion dollars.  So, you have to go in the name of bettering the team.  In other words, their decision to trade Khris for Kyle wasn't nearly as controversial as Dame for Holiday.  I feel sorry for Khris, you know, if he had any feelings attached, but I've also been advocating such a move for like three or four years, even prior to the acquisition of Lillard.

Both teams came out pretty good in this deal.  The Wizards now have more star power and someone who can occasionally get red hot, like Khris did during one of those playoff games last season.  He obviously, unless being bought out or whatever, isn't going to participate in the playoffs.  But then again, he'll likely be re-injured by then anyway.  You know what I mean?  Give your knees a rest, my nigga.

As for the Bucks, yes, I do believe the acquisition of Kuzma may once again make them contenders.  The roster still isn't exactly built around Giannis.  But unlike Dame, Kyle is more of a role player who won't demand like taking the ball from Giannis in order to win.  He may be the much needed glue guy, so to speak, between Giannis and Dame that the Bucks long for, and we may finally see that pair live up to their potential.

LUKA DONCIC VS. ANTHONY DAVIS

In the wake of the Luka Doncic trade, pundits are dicriding the Lakers in ways we haven't seen for at least a couple of years.  But there's a number of reasons, such as compatibility and injury history, that I'm still not convinced.

If LAL would have at least gotten Doncic and Gafford, you know what I'm saying?  But trading an allstar, injury-pronce C for an allstar, injury-prone PG, that doesn't really make sense.  And all things considered, I wouldn't be surprised if AD is still playing even after Luka eventually retires from the NBA.  That said, the Lakers now have even more star power, meaning that the powers-that-be will be even more inclined to favor them.

I imagine that must've been a tough decision for Dallas' braintrust, but I understand why they pulled the trigger.  Luka can get you to the Finals, but he can't win it for you.  So going a different direction, putting the focus more on bigs, like Cs are how championships were traditionally won in the NBA.

The Mavs always seem to be rich in terms of G depth.  A couple of seasons ago, I was evenlike what TF is wrong with these dudes, like they didn't have any bigs. Remember that not too long ago, the most formidable big on their roster was the fearless-yet-overmatched Dwight Powell, who I don't even think gets burn these days.  My, how things have changed.  But I don't want to get ahead of myself because, besides being younger, the Thunder are also built better, and so are arguably the Rockets and Grizzlies.  Kyrie + AD are going to have to turn back the hands of time to pull this one off, but at least it's possible.

JIMMY BUTLER VS. ANDREW WIGGINS

The Warriors apparently traded four players (including a draft pick) for Butler, but the only one of them really likely to suit up for the Heat appears to be Andrew Wiggins.  I would have rather seen Miami get Kuminga, but I'm sorta glad that Wiggins is finally gone.  He feels like someone who's only playing in the NBA because, you know, like why not, he can.

I'm excited to see Jimmy go to Golden State, but their braintrust seems to be stuck on stupid in ways reminiscent of LAL.  For instance, a couple of seasons ago, after they won their most-recent championship, it was like unanimously concluded amongst pundits that the Dubs should start focusing more on their future.  But instead, since then, they traded Jordan Poole, who was the face of their younger generation.  And there two biggest acquisitions have been Chris Paul - who was 37 at the time - and now Jimmy Butler, who's 35.

One thing I've learned in all the years writing this blog though is don't sleep on Steph.  However, I'm sorta starting to believe that he may not be able to relive the magic without Klay.  

DENNIS SCHRODER TO THE PISTONS

Dennis Schroder is also in the mix somewhere, having eventually landed with the Pistons.  If they actually keep him, and he can play the 2 instead of the 1, he may be the type of scoring SG that Detroit has needed to play alongside Cunningham.  With the Magic falling off, the Pistons are now, out of nowhere, the most imposing young team in the East.  And in the world of athletics, youth can and often does (in non-rigged situations) trump talent.

FOX VS. LAVINE VS. ETC.

Although I think the move may be a bit overrated, I don't see anything wrong with bringing De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs.  One thing Wemby never had in his early NBA career, up until now, is an allstar level scorer as a teammate.  The problem with these tall, multi-talented players though is that they often play out of position.  You know, you're the tallest dude on the court, yet you're out on the perimeter shooting threes.  That can and has worked in the NBA, but you need to flesh the roster out with the right type of players, those who can for instance outrebound whoever's defending them.

Meanwhile, didn't we already have LaVine + DeRozan in Chicago?  But the thing is that now, they have better quote/unquote supporting players around them.  I could actually envision the Kings winning, if not for the fact that there's more-rounded and arguably more-talented teams in the West.  But I also still believe that Sabonis is the best PF/C in the league.  Remember when the Sixers could have gotten him, and they went after (if I remember correctly) the Beard instead?  So, let's see what happens.

And speaking of the Bulls, like no disrespect to anyone, but who did they get in this trade anyway?  I guess they've decided to embrace the Cooper Flagg sweepstake also.

CONCLUSION

If I'm remembering correctly, last season like jackshit happened at the trade deadline.  But in 2025 there's been a couple of thrillers, including that Doncic trade, which caught everybody offguard.  And hey, divas (like Butler) may be nightmares as far as organizational chemistry goes, but they make for good drama and unexpected trades.  So, let's embrace the chaos.  Rig me a Laker game, okay.  But please Commissioner Silver and co., let everybody else get their asses bust fair and share.

Trade Talk: Luka Doncic vs. Anthony Davis

Oh boy.

I was just as shocked as the next man when I saw the headline this morning.  Even NBA insiders, including Lebron himself, reportedly didn't see this one coming.  And this trade is odd for a number of reasons yet at the same time, from certain perspectives, does make sense.

WHAT MAKES SENSE

THE MAVS MOVING ON FROM LUKA, IF THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP

Maybe the Mavs' braintrust has been incepted and were like 'yeah, Jah Iteh is right.  Luka got us to the next level but isn't likely to take us beyond that.  After all, it's hard to rely on a superstar who, even if the team does make the Finals, will probably be so exhausted by that point that he can't consistently contribute'.  That's what seemed to have happened last year, i.e. Luka running out of gas, as exacerbated by the Celtics' stiff wing defense.

This is also, in a way, Klay Thompson's fault or more specifically whatever faction of Dallas' braintrust thought it was a good idea to acquire him.  Yeah, it was a good idea as far as generating headlines are concerned.  But here you have a team that just made the Finals and are, in theory, just a player away from a championship.  And that player is ancient ass Klay Thompson, whom his former team - who by all means will retire his number one day - didn't even want anymore?

That was a lazy, hasty and may I also chime stupid move on the part of the Mavs.  Instead of getting someone to actually move the needle forward, they just more or less replaced Tim Hardaway Jr.  Also, it ain't like when Luka is inevitably out icing his knees or whatever, Klay is a viable replacement for him.  Man, if I had a dollar for every time NBA franchises chased waterfalls instead of sticking to the rivers and lakes that they're used to.

KYRIE + AD

I can envision the pairing of Kyrie + AD.  Remember that a season or two ago, the Lakers, with AD on their roster, actually tried to get Irving.  Or at least Lebron wanted him, or something like that.

This pairing would have been really exciting news if it happened five or six years ago.  And I get it -  better to make a powermove than sit back and watch the ship sank.

But from what's being implied by news reports, the main impetus to move Doncic may not have even been (solely) lack of progress from last season.  Instead, he would have demanded something like a superduper max from the Mavs next offseason.  And it's like yeah, if you're not going to win a championship with dude in the foreseeable future, if ever, then why pay him close to $400mil(!).

WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

First of all, Luka and AD play like polar opposite positions and have different playing styles.  So it's not like you can literally replace one on the roster with the other.  Dallas can accommodate AD, since they have notable depth @ G.  Contrastingly, the Lakers' frontline is lacking, and that was true, all things considered, even when AD was around.  Like it's shocking they didn't also try to get at least one of the Mavs' bigs in the transaction.

LUKA AND LEBRON ARE TOO SIMILAR

It makes no sense to have Luka play alongside Lebron, since they have almost identical playing styles.  It isn't like, say, Pippen and Jordan.  Their styles were also similar, but they were also able to dominate opponents with athleticism and defense also.  Meanwhile, Lebron is now too old to play defense at an NBA level, and Luka was never known to have any type of true defensive or athletic prowess.

I haven't really watched the NBA this year.  But if Lebron, with his gigantic ass, is still jacking up threes instead of using his body to more consistently exploit the post, I mean, he plays out of position.  This is something I've written about so many times in the past, with the conclusion being that, hey, if King James wants to run point - even if he could serve the Lakers better at another position - then fuck it, let him run point.  Like who can tell him no type sh*t?

LEBRON ALSO LEAVING TOWN?

Here's a hot tidbit.  MediaTakeOut ran a story today saying that, in the aftermath of the AD trade, Lebron is interested in migrating over to the Knicks.  A mainstream media site would be reluctant to publish a rumor like that.  But before you laugh at the notion, consider this.  First of all, James has a history of bouncing on teams, even ones built around him, when they're no longer competitive.  Yes, the Lakers haven't realistically been contenders in years.  But the departure of AD has now like officially driven that notion home, you know, has woken Lebron up type shit.

Secondly, MTO did foretell KAT going to the Knicks about a month or two before it actually happened last summer.  And third, Lebron also has a history of, when leaving one team, going to another that has a clearly better roster.  But now that they are contenders, I shudder to think, if these reports are true, that the Knicks would actually bite the bait and like trade or let go off some valued players go to receive Lebron.

Reading in between the lines, if they Lakers really did trade AD without informing or consulting Lebron beforehand, then you know, the writing is on the wall that it's time for him to go also., esp since they more or less went out and got a younger version of King James.

LUKA, THE LAKERS' STAR OF THE FUTURE?

The way NBC, and others I would presume, are trying to spin it is that now, the Lakers have their star of the future.  Lebron\s career is currently like you never know when he's going to retire.  And if AD isn't healthy now, there's no reason, given his history, to believe he'll be better off in the future.  But the same thing can be said for Luka, which once again makes the Lakers' logic in this transaction questionable.  Maybe by the end of the day, AD, Luka and Lebron will all be gone, and they'll truly have to 'rebuild' from the ground up.

If you aren't going to win games, at least be able to sell tickets.  And as far as young stars go, Luka's name is, as far as I know, as big as any in the NBA.

The Lakers also, you know, if any team can flesh out a roster, it's LAL.  Their rosters over the past few seasons haven't really been that bad and sometimes were actually impressive.  The bigger problem has been Lebron and even AD (in times past) like refusing to play their right positions, i.e. to their strengths instead than getting caught up in the jump-shooting craze.  If you have arguably the best all-around C currently in the league coupled with the best PF in history, you're supposed to be completely dominating opponents in the paint, not just winning one championship because you'd rather play like the Dubs.

Over the next season or two, if Luka remains in LA, we can expect the Lakers to put an admirable roster around him, presumably sans Lebron.  If any team can pull off some miracle roster shit, it's them.  But like, didn't he already have a damn good supporting cast in Dallas?  And even though he's only 25 years old, can we really take for granted he's NBA-strong enough to lead a franchise into the future?  Fuck 82 games, Luka needs to be playing in Europe or some shit.

I can also imagine this move may alienate some Dallas fans.  The Mavs are a team, like the Spurs, who're like known to accommodate foreign stars and in their case, let's say White Europeans in particular.  Here we all are, thinking this would be a lifelong relationship, similar to the one Dirk had with the franchise.  But instead, the Mavs have proven that they're more interested in, well, saving money than adhering to tradition.

CONCLUSION

I didn't even mention the Jazz, who are also involved in here somewhere.  They've become arguably the most insignificant team in the league, which is shocking, at least to me, with Danny Ainge involved.  Like Ainge was my deadass braintrust hero before bringing about the fiasco the Utah Jazz have become.

That said, the Mavs aren't any worse off now than they were with Luka.  All things considered, it might even make more sense having AD around rather.  But it's like a new day yet the same ol' shit, as Dallas remains a team banking on the health of two oft-injured superstars.  But, you never know.  At least, unlike the Lakers apparently, there's a chance this Dallas roster can work out sooner than later, perhaps even instantly, once everybody is healthy(?).  When you know you have to eventually face up against squads like the Thunder and Nuggets, teams with quality bigs, then yeah, might as well give up Luka for AD.

NBA Reflections (2023 November 8)

WOES OF THE LAKERS

It seems that the rest of the world is finally starting to realize what I've been arguing for at least two or three years now, that Anthony Davis is far from being the athlete that he used to be.  Meanwhile, the geniuses behind the Lakers' braintrust recently acknowledged that reality by giving him a historically-wealthy contract extension, lasting all the way until 2028.  That means that NBA fans, in theory, are looking forward to five more years of watching Davis painfully serve as LAL's primary bigman, because I have to believe that giving AD that much dough has basically made him, all things considered, untradeable.

Another big mistake this braintrust has made was putting so much faith in D'Angelo Russell.  Russell, under the right type of circumstances, i.e. when he's a team's alpha, is an allstar-level player.  But the way the Lakers' have been constructed over the last couple of seasons, it would actually be better if he were to come off the bench.  LAL are more or less paying him sixth-man money anyway.  But all because he showed out iduring the playoffs doesn't mean he should start throughout the regular season.

That said, we still have yet to see him alongside Gabe Vincent.  I would presume the plan is to start Vincent at point and then slide Russell over to the 2.  Looking at the Laker's size on paper, i.e. the fact that they have both Lebron and AD, having such a small backcourt can actually work.  But another woe of the Lakers, besides their stuck-in-time braintrust, has been injury issues.

As underwhelming as this season may prove winning-wise, at least LAL are a good watch.  It wouldn't be farfetched to say that LBJ could play in the NBA into his mid-40s, if he wants to.  Also, as Austin Reaves' confidence goes up, he's becoming a more-entertaining player, even if he may never be a defensive stopper.

FINALLY, THE MAVS

The Mavericks still rely heavily on guards and wings, but at least now they appear to be more balanced.  This is not only due to the versatility of Luka but also that of Grant Williams.  Also, Doncic and Kyrie are learning to play together.  And that's a scary thing because in theory, talent-wise they're the best backcourt in the NBA.

I've been saying for a few years now, since he was rookie really, that Luka is the best player currently in the NBA, even if he sorta sucks on defense.  There's a difference between developing a skill and being born with a gift.  Or let me say that when you're born with a gift and then proceed to actually develop it, of course you're going to be better than most others.  So maybe this year he'll finally be able to stay on the court and win MVP.

THE CURSE OF THE NUGGETS

The reason I believe that the Nuggets may not be able to repeat as champions isn't only about the departure of Bruce Brown.  Even without Brown, who was a bench player, they still have the best, or in the very least the most-balanced starting five in the league.  But secondly is the injury issues.  The good thing about Jamal Murray is that he seems to come back from injuries better than ever.  But the bad thing is that he is in fact injury-prone.

His backup, Reggie Jackson, is no slouch.  I criticized Denver for not giving him more burn during the Finals, but now it becomes more obvious why they kept Reggie around nonetheless.  But Murray, when he's hot, is on par with Steph.

So hopefully, you know what I'm saying?  Nikola "the Miracle" Jokic may be the best C in the NBA, even if he lacks an imposing defensive presence.  But it's sorta hard (though not impossible) to envision Denver winning a championship without a healthy Jamal, even if they have the best frontcourt in the league.

YES, THIS IS HARDEN'S LAST STOP

Recently NBC posted a video questioning whether the Clippers will be Harden's "last stop".  One of my favorite subtopics of is analyzing the career trajectories of superstar divas, of which the Beard definitely falls into the category.  And yes, I do believe that if things don't work out for him with the Clippers that no other team, all things considered, will want him, at least not as his current price.

In theory LAC are contenders, you know, if they all have one mind, so to speak.  But Harden is along the lines of an impenitent chuck.  And it's difficult to reel him in, because he's so talented.

For instance, him dropping 42 points against the Celtics last May was, in my opinion, the most impressive individual, single-game performance of the entire 2023 Playoffs, because like who knew that the Beard still had it in him, and furthermore against a quality defensive squad?  But of course, the Sixers still lost the series.  The problem with players like Harden, a "system" in and of himself, is that even when he's dishing out a lot of assists, he's still not a team player.

The second problem with his class is that they're unwilling to go to non-contending, building teams.  Of course no one wants to be on a losing squad.  But if you are a one-man system, that means a braintrust may even consider building a roster around you.  And that's not possible if you go to a team that's already contending.

Harden already had rosters built around him, back when he was with the Rockets.  The iteration which featured him and Dwight "the Bi-Baller" Howard was really formidable and probably would have made it to the big dance, if not for the Dubs.  So it isn't like the Beard has never had his chance as the recognized alpha.  And to put that reality into perspective, even Kevin Durant, in a way, has never been on a team where he was the hands-down alpha.

Moreover, most young squad these days seem more committed to player development as opposed to accommodating divas in the name of hopefully winning a championship faster.  Diva-ism just isn't conducive to team sports.  And that's why when you see dudes forming instant superteams but still losing, all you can do and sit back and shake your head, like they've sacrificed the integrity of the sport for nothing.  So that said, I would have rather seen Harden go to a team like the Magic, where his talents are really needed, as opposed to the Clippers to form a superteam with redundant and overlapping talents which, based on historical precedence, should take at least a solid season to gel.

2023 NBA PLAYOFFS RUMINATIONS (5 MAY 2023)

SHOUTOUT TO THE GAUNTLET

Gary Payton Jr. was the shortest dude on the court last night, and he had what, three offensive rebounds in less than nine minutes?!  I know it was during garbage time, but dude was out there bangin' it on like Lakers (backup) bigs.

And it says a lot that the Warriors didn't really need him nor Poole, two guys they leaned on heavily last postseason (until Payton got hurt), to dismantle LAL.  If my previous theory is true, that the NBA wants the Lakers to win this series, then let's just say that the powers that be really have their work cut out for them.  Or maybe, concerning Game 1, that was just their way of prolonging the series, making sure that Los Angeles doesn't get swept and therefore allowing the league to generate more revenue.

PASSING THE TORCH TO WHO?

Game 2 also illustrated what I meant a few days ago when I said Lebron isn't passing the torch to anyone.  The only way the Lakers can beat the Warriors is by first of all punishing them inside, but this time around, you see that AD was no longer the focal point like in Game 1.

And I'm not blaming it all on Lebron, because it's actually Darvin Ham who's supposed to ensure that the team plays the right way.  Also, Davis sometimes sorta looks like he doesn't want to be out there to begin with.  But that kinda sh*t can happen when you have a superstar player who isn't getting enough touches.  Back in the Pelicans days, AD would at least like touch the ball during every offensive possession.  And I remember one postseason the lowly Pelicans, with AD and Jrue Holiday, did give the Dubs a run for their money.

AD + Lebron can potentially work, even against a team like the Warriors, if you have the right type of PG running the show.  The thing is tho, Lebron doesn't really let anyone else run the point.  But, I'm tired of beating that dead horse.  Obviously, you can't count the Lakers out.  But secondly, they need to be really focused on defense, and at this point in the season, it's kinda late to be experimenting to see who would be their best starting five defensively.  In fact if it were really like that, Lebron may not be starting to begin with.

NBA Playoffs Ruminations (25 April 2023)

SHOUTOUT TO LEBRON

King James is the best all-around offensive player in the world, I guess you could say.  He's also a defensive liability at this point in his career, but it's ain't like he's a Luka.  When Lebron is inspired, he can still play semi-notable defense.  Combine that with playing against a team who are without their starting center and main backup center, and you have a situation like now where the Lakers appears on the verge of eliminating the Grizzlies, who I think it's safe to say is the better squad.

Something else that also makes me giggle is people who are still on that 'Lebron is passing the torch to AD' type shit.  James is almost 40, and Davis has been in the NBA for over a decade.  So if the torch hasn't be passed yet, there isn't much of a possibility of it happening in the future.

Maybe the people who make those kinds of statements are looking forward to the Lakers post-Lebron.  One thing I've noticed is that AD tends to play better when LBJ doesn't suit up.  But these days, my mind is like one of them needs to be traded.  I would rather trade AD and make LAL even deeper than it is now to accommodate Uncle LBJ, who doesn't look like he's going anywhere, ever.  And they can use Davis to get what they need most, which is a defensive inside presence.  (Fuk happened to Mo Bamba?)

SHOUTOUT TO D'ANGELO RUSSELL

D-Lo was the ex-factor in Game 4, the one who kept the Lakers alive when it looked the Grizzlies were about to take the game.  He did this a couple of days after standing up for himself against the NBA's stringent policies, and I don't think having a exceptional performance right after that was just a coincidence.  Well actually, I kinda agree with Silver and them in terms of not allowing players to advertise their own products while on company time, but it ain't like Russell was really pushing that shit.  You know what I mean?  Let a nigga wear a T-shirt with his favorite band on top, enjoy his own soft drink type shit.  If you can't do stuff like that, then what's the purpose of being famous to begin with?

SHOUTOUT TO PHIL JACKSON

I agree with Phil "the Hawk" Jackson in that the NBA has gotten too political, and that's even a mild way of putting it.  The type of wild and whacky shit going on these days, you might as well have Tom Donaghy as commissioner out this piece.

For instance, why exactly did the Bucks only allow Giannis to only play like like 12 seconds in the All-Star Game, if he still isn't healthy enough to compete in the playoffs?  That's why my philosophy these days is like, give the fans what they want.  Because in the modern NBA you can't count any players' health, not even the biggest stars when their teams needs them most.

For example, as things are now having Kawhi Leonard on your roster can be counted as more of a negative than a positive.  At least if he wasn't around, then you can use that money to get some guys who will be available during the playoffs.  Speaking of which, just a couple of days ago Kawhi's sister was given a life sentence for murder/robbery, which is a PR nightmare, to say the least.  So now, I have a whole new (conspiracy) theory as to why he's not allowed to play.

THE GOBERT TRADE (IN HINDSIGHT)

I haven't seen any of the games from the Nuggets vs. Timberwolves.  But I think it's safe to say considering how Jokic has been having his way, that perhaps we have to rethink that 'Gobert is the best defensive C in the NBA' narrative.  And to think that the Wolves gave up a king's ransom to get him.

The experiment can still work out, I guess, but it was never supposed to look like this to begin with.  So if I were Minnesota, I would already be thinking of ways to perhaps trading Gobert for someone more compatible, like maybe Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton and a shooter from the Nets.

JOKIC FOR MVP?

Speaking of Jokic, where's Embiid and Giannis now that dudes are about the make the MVP decision?

Lebron James, the NBA's Superstar

I know I talk a lot of shit about Lebron James, but that's how it is when you're the face of the NBA.  Back when Jordan was playing live, it was all awe because he's older than me.  But Lebron is younger and came at a time when I was an established NBA TV vet.  And whereas I may not be particularly fond of how he treats teammates, I respect Lebron for coming into the league with the burden of being the next MJ on his shoulders and actually living up to expectations, you know, along with the help of the NBA type shit, just like his predecessor.

Kobe didn't come into the league with those types of expectations.  He was hella famous, but no one is going to pick the player they truly believe to be the next Jordan all the way down at number 13.

Lebron was different.  He was a unanimous number 1 pick who everyone was expecting, even before he ever became a professional, to lead a team to a championship.  And of course he did get there.  He had to form superteams to do it, but still, goal accomplished.

The NBA is a lot harder than it looks.  It isn't like you have just eight teams anymore, where one can dominate year after year after year.  Now, there's deadass 30 teams and like hundreds of new, fresh dudes coming into the league every year.  So even if you can legitimately dominate for a while, like the Warriors did some years ago, it can't last forever, especially not these days.  You're either going have a key player who leaves or get injured or, no matter how skillful you may be, there's going to be some younger team that's just faster and has your number.  That's why you need to be a star, because like a good movie, the star always emerges victorious at the end of the day.

Or, let me put it like this.  Say you go to watch a Tom Cruise film.  If he dies during the first 30 minutes, you're probably going to get frustrated and walk out.  I mean think about it.  You're paying ot see Keanu Reeves or Jackie Chan in action; it's their face on the poster, but when the movie is reaching its climax, the character is nowhere to be found.  Like who wants to see that shit?  (Unless, of course, you're Bruce Willis.)  And that, my friend, is what you call star power.  The person who's actually writing the script wants you to succeed, even when the odds are against you.

So it doesn't surprise me that the Lakers look like they're going to make the playoffs.  These guys sucked all year but now, at the time they needed it most, are getting their shit together, and AD is finally like playing every game.  That's the official narrative.  The NBA Inception understanding is that, who wants to see the playoffs without Lebron anyway?  Him breaking Kareem's record is the sports story of the year.  So now you can't be like oh, the Lakers can't get their shit together, so no Lebron for the playoffs.  And then the scary thing about it is that, just like Ethan Hunt and his team when they really put their minds together, LAL, i.e. Lebron + AD, really can fukaround and win it all if they like play the right way (and the role players do their thing).

Then there's Bronny James.  Look, I have nothing but respect for dude.  In the whole entire history of the NBA only one superstar, Rick Barry, had a child(ren) who went on to become respected vets.  No other NBA player who children accomplished that, not even Arvydas Sabonis, were superstars when they were playing.  And Jordan's sons never even really got close to the NBA.

But that's what dads are for.  I can't say I ever remember there being a controversy about McDonald's All-American Game participants.  But then again, it's not often you have the son of a superstar playing.  None of Rick Barry's sons, who actually made it to the NBA, played.  And when you can influence McDonald's, that's some real starpower shit.

And that's the point I was trying to make in comparing Lebron to MJ earlier.  Jordan was the biggest sports star in the world around the time LBJ game into the NBA.  Before that we had Dr. J and Kareem and Magic in them, but his popularity dwarfed them all.  So now, everybody knew how profitable being the face of the NBA can be.  Jordan had sneakers and videogames and endorsements and all types of shit going on.  So now, Lebron knew what he was looking forward to.

But what Jordan, and those around him, did lack though was knowledge of how to weld power all that power.  It's sorta like you can be the greatest in the world, but still can't comprehend how powerful you can be, because you don't have someone else's experiences to build on.  That's why the Bulls were able to do all that dumb shit like breakup the team even though they were winning championship and had the greatest athlete of the generation on their roster.  They were out prove an outdated point, that no player is more powerful than the organization itself. 

But after watching what Jordan went through, the next superstar, as well as NBA teams, knew what time it was.  And that's why now we have "GM Lebron" and shit like that.  I can't say I ever heard of Jordan like forcing the Bulls to acquire or get rid of a player.  Meanwhile, whenever any team Lebron is on makes a major move, the public believes he's directly involved, even if he isn't.

CONCLUSION

And I can see how now, there's sort of this void that rationalizes keeping LBJ around, into perpetuity type shit.  Kobe may not have been a Jordan per se, but the major goal he did accomplish was giving the NBA a face in between the retirement of MJ and the rise of Lebron.  Bryant may even be more popular than LBJ to this day.  But if James were to retire right now, who's the face of the NBA?  Curry may not be around much longer himself, and Morant's image is currently in the doghouse.  Meanwhile Luka, who's not only talented but also has a more-marketable face than any superstar, first of all is stuck on a franchise that doesn't know what WTF they're doing and secondly doesn't really seem to be on it like that.

So all of this is my fancy way of saying, Lebron deserves it.  Say you want about the powers-that-be cheating for the Dubs, but don't say that shit about LAL because, Lebron.  It'll be shameful if the Lakers unfairly make the playoffs as the expense of some less-popular team, but that depends on how you define 'unfair', because we, the fans, matter also.  Or ask yourself this.  Like would you even know the McDonald's All-American Game just passed if Bronny James wasn't in it?

Accommodating the High-Scoring, Aged Superstar

I remember some years ago playing a pickup game in NYC .  This particular basketball hoop wasn't the conventional height, maybe being something like 8 feet tall.  My moms ex-boyfriend, who's like 6'3" with a lean, NBA-like build, also came to the park that day, so I, as a captain, picked him up as well as some other dude who was lingering around for a 3-on-3 against some locals.

My moms ex was in his mid-to-late 40s at the time.  So the dude he was defending, who was at least 20 years younger, just kept blowing by him and dunking.  And it was like... I don't even know how to explain it.  Like half of mom's boyfriend's mind was there with us, and the other half was up at that great basketball court in the sky.  It's like he really couldn't care too much because first of all,  he couldn't practically do anything to defend dude anyway.  And secondly, like fukit, it's just a basketball game anyway.

The NBA also a lot of the dudes that when they retire, like ain't really nothing wrong with their offensive game.  The issue, especially as far as the greats go, usually is that they can no longer defend at a useful level.  In some cases, if the legend scores enough points, his defensive deficiencies may not be particularly noticeable except to us gurus.  Superstars usually aren't criticized for lack of defense unless they fall out of favor with the media.  But this is athletics, and even if the opposing player isn't stronger or faster per se, it's like, as illustrated in the example with my mom's ex, with younger guys their bodies just react to their thoughts faster.

With most greats, guys like with Carmelo Anthony or Blake Griffin, you can look at them at a certain point and be like 'you've lost a couple of steps, and now the whole world can notice it.  So maybe it's time to hit the bench or retire.'  But shit is more complicated when you're dealing with a Lebron or a Steph or a Dame.  I believe Melo or D-Wade, even if they were playing right now, can average 15ppg if their teams needed them to.  But LBJ and Curry and Lillard are the types who can more or less score 40 points at will.  In other words, as old and injury-ridden as they are, they're still by far the best scorers on their respective teams, and that'd likely be true no matter what squad you put them on.  Say what you want about AD being the number one option and all that shit, which I've always agreed with, that the Lakers, as is their winning tradition, run through C.   But he's not a better scorer than Lebron.

So it really is an unenviable situation, folks.  You have the highest-scoring, most-popular dude on your squad, the one who sells tickets and jerseys yet who, if overplayed, can prove more of a liability towards winning than an asset.  Scoring 30ppg and occasionally dropping game winners doesn't actually mean that the team is better with you in the starting lineup.  But then at the same time, how can you not start one of the biggest players on the planet?

LEBRON JAMES

Since pulling off the Russell Westbrook trade and adding more quality depth, the Lakers are arguably better without Lebron than they are with him, which may not be saying much, but still.  As I've been arguing pretty much all season, the issue is that Lebron can no longer play anywhere near quality defense.  In order to rationalize having LBJ out there scoring 40pts and potentially winning games, you need to have all four of the other starters being above-average defenders to mitigate his defensive shortcomings.  In other words, you would need three 3&Ds + AD.

This is not a diss since LBJ can at least brag that for a time there, he was one of the best defenders in the game.  And it's watching Lebron play now, more than anybody, who reminds me of my mom's ex.  It isn't that he's mentally refusing to play D.  Rather, his body simply cannot react fast enough to keep up with opposing youngsters.  It's like somewhere deep in his subconscious his brain is saying 'fuk if I chase these whippersnappers around.  I done passed that point.'

So if you dig through this blog, you'll see that pretty much from the time LBJ went to the Lakers, or at least since he more or less forced the Ingram generation out, I have argued that this was a doomed experiment.  The way I was envisioning things, Lebron was supposed to come in and lead/mentor the youngins into contendership, which would have only taken maybe 3-4 seasons, but that's too long for his timeline.  Instead, after one season, he decided to go the instant championship route with AD - who has been dealing with injury issues his entire career - and they did get that one championship but probably aren't going to come anywhere close to winning another.

So I believe at this point, LBJ should be coming off the bench.  I'm not saying that there's anybody on the Lakers' roster, with the exception of AD, who's even remotely better than him.  But at Lebron's age, being unable/unwilling to play defense, it's better to just slot him into games when LAL needs a scoring or morality boost, and then take him out when exceptional defense is called for.

STEPH CURRY

Steph Curry, according to what I read online, recently beat the Bucks, the best team in the NBA, pretty much singlehandedly.  His case is more complicated than Lebron's for three reasons.  First, he's younger.  Second, he led his team to a championship just last season.  And third, he's been on the same team his entire career and has had the same coach for almost a decade, so benching him would be more of a sentimental affair than if you did so with LBJ.

I also just realized, amongst all of the shenanigans going on, that Andrew Wiggins hasn't been playing, which would help, in part, to explain the Warriors' slump.  But as with Draymond, that doesn't really change my argument.

Last season, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Steph did come off a bench for a brief spell near it the end and into the First Round of the Playoffs, and was averaging like 30 points a game?  That's something I never heard of even with the greatest sixth men, averaging 30pts off the bench.  So one had an answer for that shit.  So my argument was that since the Warriors were dominating for like the first time that season, Kerr should just leave him there and used to opportunity to pass the reign to Jordan Poole sooner rather than later.   Instead they slotted Steph back into the starting lineup, and the he did go on to win Finals MVP.  At the end of the day I did eat my words somehow, but it doesn't particularly look like lightning is going to strike twice, though with the Dubs especially you never know.

So the Steph situation is even more complicated than Lebron or Lillard.  That's because neither LAL or POR has other players who could viably replace James or Damian as starters, but the Warriors do have someone who can start over Curry in Poole, giving the elder more rest and allowing him to come into games when most needed or when opposing teams are most vulnerable.  But it looks like, if nothing else, Steph has earned the right with the Warriors to go to the bench when he decides to do so.  And maybe, like Iverson, he'll eventually retire while skipping that experience altogether.

DAMIAN LILLARD

Unlike both Lebron and Steph, I believe that Lillard, given Portland's roster, should be starting.  I also give the Blazers a lot of credit for putting a respectable roster around him this season on the fly, and I give Damian extra credit for showing up to play, while I was rather predicting that he was washed.  But now it looks like they aren't making the playoffs, so his efforts, somehow, have been in vain (besides making the All-Star Game).  And the sad thing about it is that Portland shot themselves in the foot really by obviously underestimating the impact of Josh Hart and trading him away for whatever reason they did so, just like they traded away CJ McCollum for whatever reason they did so.  And it was also pretty tough luck that the Gauntlet couldn't play this season, because I really thought he would be a nice fit next to Lillard.

Sometimes, I do feel like Damian lingering around is hurting the development of younger  players on the squad, but not really in a Steph Curry kinda way, because at least Anfernee Simons is starting alongside him.  But the Blazers have sacrificed part of their future keeping a formidable roster around him.  And there's another player that they should have moved on from a long time ago (instead of McCollum), but I guess no braintrust is perfect.

Also, Lillard's presence is a sorta like Lebron's in LA.  If he doesn't play, then it's like the team loses 85% of its viewership appeal.  And that's no disrespect to AD, but it's like the world is only now getting used to him regularly playing again.

Like Steph, Damian was never really a feared defender to begin with.  But PGs are able to get away with being subpar defenders, even as they age (ala the Beard).

So Dame may be kicking that 'last loyal superstar' shit, an alltime great who refuses to demand a trade from the organization that drafted him, even though they're like never going to win a championship together.  But at a certain point, that story starts getting old, and his dilemma becomes like what team would he go to anyway, since it isn't particularly easy to slot a PG in who's used to shooting at will.  If it is an older squad, he can disrupt the established chemistry, and if it's a younger one, his chucking would impede on player development.  But for some reason, I can picture Dame fitting in on the Bucks and finally getting the ring he deserves.

CONCLUSION

I thought this post would have some type of uniform theme, i.e. aged superstars being liabilities due to their defensive deficiencies, but now I realize it's more complicated than that and that each case, when it comes to these all-time greats, is different.  But I guess what it boils down to is asking certain players, like those highlighted above, to come off the bench would be sorta like asking President Biden to let the VP Harris give the State of the Union instead of himself.  Kamala would probably do a better job at it, and doing so may also be wiser in terms of prioritizing the future of the team versus the present.  But then people would be like 'how can the President himself not give the State of the Union?'  So it's not only a pride thing but also a popularity issue.

But that said, certain teams, at least imo, need to become bolder and more creative in addressing these types of issues, because if you do prioritize the reigning superstar over the up-and-comers, then you run the risk of ending up in an unenviable situation like the Lakers or what the Warriors have now become, i.e. a team with A list billing that can only consistently provide a C list showing.