2023 NBA Finals Ruminations (June 5th)

THE KEVIN LOVE FACTOR

Kevin Love may not be the scorer he used to be, but he can still rebound his ass off, on top making a timely 3 at least once a game.  When he was traded to the Cavs, it's like Lebron sorta sonned him, but prior to that he was the alpha of the cursed Timberwolves for six seasons, averaging something like 20pts and 12 rebounds.  And there's always people out there who be like 'it's easy to be the star of a garbage team'.  Um, no it isn't, or else every starter on a garbage team would be a star, which is far from the case.

And let me remind the world that I did suggest the Heat start Love in Game 2, after not playing him at all in Game 1, in my last post.  Spoelstra followed that advice, playing him only 22 minutes, but Kevin the second highest +/-, at +18, in the entire game.  And who was at number one?  Gabe "Lil Homie" Vincent.

TF IS YOU DOING?! (MICHAEL PORTER JR.)

Believe or not, there's people out there in the world actually on their knees praying to grow past their natural height in the name of being a better basketball player.  Then you have someone like Michael Porter Jr. with that natural gift - wasting it on three-pointers.  Meanwhile there's little dudes, like Seth and Jamal, who can do it a lot better than he can.  In other words, play to your advantages, son.

I can think of four solid reasons why Porter has developed the habit of lingering out at the perimeter.  One, he has a frightening injury history, and staying out on the perimeter decreases his chances of being hurt .  Two, they don't really need him downlow like that with two better post players, Jokic and Gordon, on the roster.  Three, it takes less effort (i.e. work) to shoot jumpers than to drive the lane.  And lastly he is mad tall, meaning that it's virtually impossible to block one of his jump shots.

But maybe that's what the Nuggets need in this series.  Gordon has always been an exceptional post player, but sometimes that aspect of his game disappears.  And I've been saying for the longest that Nikola, as good as he may be, needs a consistent presence down there with him.  I always meant that more defensively, but now these days against Miami, like the last thing Denver needs is Michael taking 75% of his shots from outside and then missing most of them at that.

DOES MIKE MALONE REALLY KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING?

Mike Malone is considered one of the better coaches in the NBA, but it ain't like he turned around a garbage team or works for a braintrust that is inept.  Denver has been well-coached with a competitive roster, throughout the entire 21st century as far as I can remember.  Now they have a really-good roster that's also healthy, and in these cases you really have to ask whether it's the players, the coach or both that is the source of the squad's success.

For instance, for whatever reason Malone he refuses to play DeAndre Jordan, Ish Smith, Reggie Jackson(!) and Thomas Bryant(!!).  Earlier this season, Jackson was a starter for the Clippers and is one of the most experienced PGs in the NBA to never make an allstar team.  Meanwhile, Bryant was one of the better backup Cs when he was playing for the Lakers.  Ish Smith also, btw, ain't no slouch, and Jordan occasionally has his moments also.  And these moves, i.e. benching quality rotation players, look brilliant when you're winning.  But once you start losing it's definitely a point of scrutiny, running an eight-man rotation without bringing any true bigman, or PG for that matter, off the bench.

Trade Talk: Kristaps Porzingis vs. DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, etc.

As of the beginning of the writing of this post, this deal has not been finalized.  However it appears that in the near future Kristaps Porzingis will be a Dallas Maverick, even if he doesn't see the court this season due to injury.  Here is the gist of the deal as it is currently being reported:

The Mavericks will get:	The Knicks will get:
Kristaps Porzingis	DeAndre Jordan
Tim Hardaway Jr.	Wesley Matthews
Courtney Lee	Dennis Smith Jr.
	First-Round Draft Pick

LOSERS

Hard to believe that for the last couple of seasons DeAndre Jordan was one of the biggest names in free agency.  Now after a 'disappointing' season with the Mavs (where he averaged 14 rebounds!) he is going to the Knicks in a league that is becoming increasingly unkind to 'traditional' bigmen, despite their defensive numbers.  In other words when DeAndre becomes a free agent this coming offseason, there isn't likely to be as much interest in his services as he may desire.

When Wesley Matthews went to the Mavericks from Portland, he seemed like an ideal fit, which is why he got big money.  Since then he has dealt with injuries and an increasingly-unimportant role with the team.  In other words his name hasn't really been in headlines for the last couple of years, and he would really have to represent as a Knick to get his status back as a premiere player.  However from the looks of things the Knicks will buy him out before the upcoming trade deadline, which is about a week from now, and he stands the chance of signing with a contender and having an increased opportunity to shine.

WINNERS

All three of the players that the Dallas Mavericks have picked up will potentially fit well alongside their new star, Luka Doncic.

Earlier this month I was reading something to the effect of the Knicks deciding not to play Kristaps Porzingis this entire season and instead preserving him for next, which reportedly he wasn't too thrilled about.  Well I'm sure the Mavs will let him play this season, if even only the log a few experience minutes with Luka, despite the fact they likely won't make the Playoffs.

This past offseason Tim Hardaway Jr. was referred to as an integral part of the Knicks' future.  But he has a much better chance of actually winning games as a Mav.

Finally there's Courtney Lee, who was spoken well of a year or two ago after becoming a Knick but has done absolutely jackshit this season.

The Mavs and Dennis Smith Jr. recently had some beef after they tried to trade him and failed.  Now he is coming to the Knicks where he will likely get more burn, and his presence will make up for what some perceive as a mistake by the New York Knicks for bypassing him in the 2017 draft.  In others words actually winning right now is likely less important to Smith than stability, regular playing time and building up his personal brand.

CONCLUSION

The greatest benefit from this deal from the Knicks' perspective is that they will be going into next offseason with an expected $73 million to chase highly-desirable free agents such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.  But KD isn't coming over only he is going to be content with losing (as in not winning a Championship) for the rest of his career.  And even Irving, as much as he may want to be a Knick, is iffy if for instance the Celtics make it to the Championship this season.  But that being said the Knicks are probably the only organization in the NBA stupid enough to give up Porzingis for the prosepct of signing Kyrie Irving in the first place.  Like if they don't get the highly-coveted Zion Williamson in the upcoming draft, exactly who else do they have on their roster to attract other players, especially if DeAndre Jordan bounces?

As far as the Mavs are concerned, they're doing what they can to get the best European player since Dirk Notwikzi.  Since that title may already belong to the Nuggests' Nikola Jokic, they're going to go one better and get the two next-best European players.  Finally Nowitzki can retire in peace.  Hopefully we'll be seeing a Doncic-Porzingis pairing for many years to come.