Let Giannis Play

Sometime last year - I believe circa the end of last season or the beginning of this one - I started to really get pissed off about "load management".  It was Kawhi who sorta brought that standard to the forefront, and now things have totally gotten out of control, to the point where some NBA games have become virtually unwatchable.

For instance, I recently peeping this match between the Grizzlies who were competing against, if I remember correctly, the Warriors.  The most-popular player on the court was Draymond "Dino" Green.  Granted, Dray is an A-lister but not necessarily for on-court production.  That's not to say that he isn't a good or entertaining basketball player, even at this age.  But when Green makes headlines, it's usually for spazzing, not like willing his team to a victory.

So besides Draymond and a few C-listers - like Zach Edey, Santi Aldama and Podziemski - the rest of the players were basically scabs.  Mind you, I'm not dissing anyone.  My philosophy is that every NBA player is more or less as good as the next one.  You can't beat a champion unless you prove yourself worthy to get in the ring with him to begin with.  But that said, you'd have to be like a diehard NBA fan to want to pay to watch those dudes.

In a worst-case scenario, you actually bought season tickets or paid the price of admission well in advance, anticipating that at least two or three stars would be on the court and preferably both teams in a state of competitiveness.  And those are the people I feel most sorry for - the paying fans who are truly getting gypped by load management, these suspect "season-ending" injuries, the proliferation of NBAers whose bodies aren't strong enough for multiple seasons, etc.

MONETARY CONSIDERATIONS VS. FANS

The NBA business model, if a team actually wants to win games, is naturally against fans in a way.  And I'm not talking solely about tanking for draft position.  But now that we're on that subject anyway, let me say that it's pathetic that the best strategy a team full of professional, multi-million dollar athletes (besides high-paid executives) can come up with is 'let's wait to next year, hopefully get a high draft pick and rely on a youngster whose never played an NBA game in his life'.  Like someone isn't doing their job correctly, because half the time draft picks don't even pan out as anticipated.

And besides tanking, there's also the incentive to rest dudes so that they won't get injured, in this current tender age of the NBA.  That's what's apparently happening with Giannis.  Usually this is done to minimize the risk of a healthy-yet-tender player getting hurt before the playoffs.  But in Giannis's case, what's making it interesting is the Bucks already being out of the postseason chase, yet Giannis not being lazy or sheisty to rest, even though he has the opportunity.

F*CK THE BUCKS

So by this point, outside of Milwaukee being able to offer him more money, there really doesn't seem to be much of a reason for Giannis to stick around.  You can't count on this braintrust to turn the situation around and assembly another championship-level team, like LAL did with Kobe.

If Giannis plays and reinjures himself this season, it won't matter either way to the team's current fortune.  But what it could affect is his value in a forthcoming trade.  So it's like they're (over)protecting his health, saving him for a future trade.  Or at least that's what I want to believe.  I'd hate to think they're shitting on fans here and now by looking forward to maybe being better next (regular) season.  Only the truly low organizations, like the Jazz, would do some shit like that.

The idea of the Bucks getting a high draft pick and then trading it for a star to pair with Giannis, I don't really support that.  Remember, it was this blog that incepted the Dame trade.  And I learned a bitter lesson with that one, that you should never, ever count on a injury-prone star, regardless of how good he is.  So if Milwaukee does decide to go that draft-trade route, they better get someone(s) really sturdy - I'm thinking an Anunoby type and maybe a Josh Hart also.  Giannis is exactly a spring chicken himself, so they should continue with the trend established earlier this season (before he came back), of building a roster that can compete without him.

Meanwhile, even though the Bucks suck and aren't even going to make the Play-Ins(!), Giannis wants to suit up for the rest of this season.  He truly is a man of the people, you know, including his loyalty to Milwaukee and all.  But concerning that commitment, if they really do force him to sit even though he wants to play, that should be the straw that breaks the camel's back.  He should no longer feel if he demands a trade that he's somehow selling out or breaking his word, because once an organizations shits on its own fans, I mean you can't really sink any lower than that.

It's one thing to put the future over today, if you actually know the future.  'Hey, I'm getting paid tomorrow, so I'm going to starve today but eat well once I get my money'.  But it's another thing when you decide to suffer today in anticipation of a probable future.  In other words, rest Giannis or not, there's no guarantee the Bucks are going to be any better in 2026-27 than they are now.  Draft picks aren't always reliable, and neither is the health of established stars.

SHOUTOUT TO CAM THOMAS

Cam is, by all accounts, a gifted scorer.  But it was revealed, many moons ago, that he would never be a true alpha in this league.

That was a few years back when the Cam Thomas hype train was at its peak.  Remember that dude averaged 20+ points for a couple of seasons.  So there he was, in Golden State, facing the ultimate test - playing against an inspired Steph.  I don't think they had any direct beef or anything, but the implication was this being Thomas's chance to really prove himself.  And he was doing his thing, going blow-for-blow with the Dubs for most of the game.  So it was like 'oh shit, maybe this dude really is legit, not just prospering because he's on a bad team, like he's out here in Cali, bringing it to Steph'.

But then once that became obvious, that he was trying to show up an all-time great, Curry turned it up a notch in the 4th and humbled him on a crunch-time iso play.  I think he may have even done that "night-night" shit afterwards - like that's how testy the unspoken Thomas vs. Curry motif of the game had become.  You have a young upstart who's trying to prove he's just as good as the old great, and you have the old great out to show, um no, he isn't.  That's the game that broke Cam's career, in a manner of speaking.  That's when it was proven that he's an exceptional albeit "inefficient scorer" as opposed to someone who can win games.  It was sorta like what Lebron did to Lenny Cooke.

THE BET THAT BACKFIRED?

More recently, Thomas betted on himself by not taking an extension with the Nets.  That can be risky sometimes, like when Dennis Schroder shot himself in the foot a few years back.  I disagreed when Dennis made that decision, but I was feeling Cam, in a way.  Schroder was/is a role player, but Thomas was a borderline allstar just last season.

In hindsight, even though the Nets offering him $15/mil a year was kinda insulting, you know, it was only a two-year contract.  But Cam, betting on himself, rather played this season for a mere $6mil, after averaging 24ppg just last year.

Someone shoulda told him that you need to be wise or at least know your worth before getting into contract disputes with your employer, as the Nets proceeded to actually limit his minutes this season, even going as far as to bring him off the bench if I remember correctly.  Was that actually a compliment to Cam, i.e. cutting his minutes, since Brooklyn is supposed to be tanking?  Maybe.  But in the Nets' defense in terms of not offering him more dough, if any team has smarted in recent years due to putting too much faith in high scorers, its Brooklyn.

I felt really good about Thomas going to Milwaukee, that he would get a chance to prove himself on a team that was at least semi-competitive at the time, but I also understood it was a make-or-break type of situation.  And now, it's like he was waived so late in the season that can't even sign with a playoff team.  And to make matters worse, the Bucks gave his roster spot to like some totally no-name dude, like a G-leaguer or some shit.

It's hard to imagine that this is the end of Cam Thomas' career.  Maybe by the time all is said and done, it'll turn into some type of amazing redemption story, of a player who was once undervalued ultimately leaving his mark.  But in the meantime, he doesn't seem to be someone who organizations particularly like.  Is it those tight, homoerotic shorts he used to wear?  I don't know.

CONCLUSION

I don't really know the profitability of being a NBA season ticket holder these days.  So if you are and actually intend to attend games, better to be a fan of a supeream like the Knicks, i.e. one with 3 or more stars, thus making it nearly impossible (though not unheard of in this day and age) for all to be hurt or resting simultaneously.

My solution - offer some kind of waiver where dudes can get their money back or a discount or some shit if stars aren't playing, and that includes fans who pay for streaming.  I'm not trying to be an A-hole, but who really wants to see the Bucks without Giannis, especially now that they're not winning or even in the playoff chase anymore?

2025 NBA Playoffs Ruminations (April 28)

DETROIT PISTONS VS. NEW YORK KNICKS

I have a lot to say about the Knicks but will just note that this team sorta lives and dies by KAT.  He's the one, not Brunson, who has that ability to set the entire tone.  And that's the way it should be since he is, after all, "the center".  When the onus is rather on guards to ramp up bigs, like sometimes that shit doesn't work.

The Knicks are almost a perfectly-balanced team.  The problem is that they're over-talented, and therefore Bridges is better off serving as a role or supportive player rather than a key one.  Meanwhile, he's actually one of the best all-around players in the league.  If he can finally and consistently make that adjustment - like Bruce Banner fighting with his brain instead of using the Hulk - then taking for granted KAT + Brunson stays healthy, then the sky's the limit for this squad, because they have one of the best perimeter-defense cores.

Indeed, that Shroder play against Brunson was dirty or in the very least excessive, the way he rolled on his ankle.  None of us knows what goes on between these guys on the court, like low blows and things niggas saying things under their breath and shit like that.  But when you're compelled to try to take out the other team's leader by intentionally hurting him, that's like admitting that they're better.  And it's because of shit like that, I would presume, that the refs didn't call that last foul on Hardaway.

ORLANDO MAGIC VS. BOSTON CELTICS

At the end of the day, you know, the win is the most important thing.  You see niggas feening, intentionally hurting opponents, and then their home crowds roar as they take advantage of the subsequent mismatch.  The point is that even if you win, it's not always something to feel good about.

Using that loose example, that's sorta how I feel about the Celtics right now.  Yeah, you won the game, but damn, is it really a cause for celebration?  Was it really supposed to be that hard against the Magic?  Either Orlando is much better than their seeding indicates - which may be the case - or the Celtics are missing something.  Brown + Tatum have this sorta forever young feel about them, but this isn't a youth squad.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS

The Lebron + Luka Lakers have finally earned my respect.  LBJ, after all these years, has finally conceded the point, though it took a Steph-like teammate for him to do so.  The problem though is that instead of sliding down to the 4 where he belongs, he still prefers to operate from the perimeter.

The Wolves won Game 4 not due to being better but rather having the youth and athleticism advantage (a common issue against the Lakers during the Lebron era).  They ran a set play at a pivotal juncture with like a minute left whereas, despite having four better-suited players on the floor, instead it was DiVincenzo who ended up driving into the lane - with no backup - and being summarily dismissed.  That's sorta what I was saying before.  These guys are getting by on their length and athleticism, not strategy, but they won't have those type of advantages if they reach subsequent rounds, except maybe if they once again find themselves against an older team.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (1) VS. INDIANA PACERS (3)

The way Myles Turner banged it on Giannis, that was a statement dunk.  No one in their right mind would ever argue that Turner is the better player, but he is on the better team and let the world know that.

The Bucks are going to face some really tough decisions this offseason.  The only keepers on their roster, besides Giannis, are Porter Jr. and Trent.  The first time, they built a champion around Giannis by surrounding him with more of a traditional roster.  Now, they may decide to take the athleticism approach, kinda how Atlanta should be doing with Trae Young (hint hint).

I'm sorry that the Dame experiment didn't work out, because I did advocate it before anyone else did.  But the Bucks' braintrust, it's sorta like they get ahead of themselves sometimes.  You know what I mean?  Like why acquire Lillard while losing Holiday in the process?

As for the Pacers, those dudes were red hot.  Like I can see them giving a team like the Celtics legitimate headaches.

2025 NBA Playoffs Ruminations (April 25)

HOUSTON ROCKETS VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Amen Thompson has the most ironic name in the NBA, because he is in fact a dirty player.  I never knew how much I felt about Jimmy until seeing him going down like that.

Outside of the pain or discomfort he must be experiencing, it also sucks what some teams have to do to win.  If Butler cannot resume his duties and the Rockets go on to win the series, there's really nothing to be proud of or gloat about, like in Game 2.

I'm now officially rooting for the Warriors to win the series, though that's going to be kinda impossible without Jimmy.  Without Butler and with Green looking like he's out taking up space, I mean I may be wrong.  But these aren't vintage Dubs, and they don't stand much of a chance without Jimmy "the Eraser" Butler.

NEW YORK KNICKS VS. DETROIT PISTONS

The Knicks are in fact the better team.  So it isn't particularly wise for Detroit to get them riled up, even if KAT is the one instigating the beef.

The way Brunson exploited Shroder down the stretch of Game 3 reminds of this pivotal Playoff game way back in the 90s when Mark Jackson (Indiana) did the same to Charlie Ward (New York).  You're sitting there, and you know Shroder/Ward is trying their best, so you can't really be mad at them for failing.  Rather, you have to conclude that the defensive squad needs to make adjustments instead of letting the same player get beat every time, or the offensive squad is really good at isolating defensive players.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS VS. DENVER NUGGETS

There was a time when I though Michael Porter Jr. would be an MVP candidate, like the West's version of Tatum, but not anymore.  It's like if he ain't out there making threes, then he really ain't doing like shit else, you know, in comparison to how tall and slim he is.

Also, let's not forget that the Nuggets are in fact an older team.  The Clippers at least have a somewhat better mixture of veterans and youth.  Denver looks like they can't really turn it up a notch, even if they wanted to.  All of this Nikola Jokic 'is the best player on the planet' dickridin, like damn announcer, at least let him win the game before talking that shit.  Back when people were calling Jordan or Lebron 'the best player on the planet', they were out there winning championships, like with an S on the end.

As for the Clippers, I think they more or less entered the Playoffs hotter than any other team.  They were lucky to peak late in the season and in a way that showed it wasn't a fluke.  Kawhi + Harden - George is a better combination than with George.  I still think this team lacks size, but otherwise I guess the sky's the limit, especially with Leonard playing.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Mitchell + Garland looks like the best backcourt in the NBA.  When Darius is hot, it's impossible to stop them.  Remember when everyone was criticizing Cleveland's roster construction, due to basically having two starting Cs?  It makes more sense when you have a dynamic backcourt like they do.  So kudos to the braintrust for standing their ground.

OKC THUNDER VS. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

I'm not glad that Ja Morant got hurt, but I am glad that the Grizzlies lost, because the Thunder are obviously the better team, and the sooner we get this over with, the better.  At the beginning of Game 3 OKC looked disinterested, if that's the way you want to put it.  That's the only reason Memphis was able to build a big lead like that.

As for Morant, you  know, it's one thing when you behave in questionable activities that may threaten your career trajectory, and it's another when you're the victim of bad luck that's out of your control.  Unlike Thompson's clipping of Butler, I don't think Dort did that purpose.  But still, you know what I'm saying?  Morant understandably remains one of the most-popular players in the league, but outside of that popularity, in the grand scheme of things he hasn't achieved that much more on the court than Zion Williamson.

Has Ben Simmons Overplayed His Hand?

Anyone who has ever tried to negotiate a contract with their employer will probably attest to the fact that doing so can be a tricky affair.  In the modern world, we human beings have what is referred to as a market value and all types of shit.  And it is pretty much inevitable as an employee no matter how much or how little money you make, someone is constantly in your ear telling you you're worth, i.e. that you're being underpaid.

So as far as contract negotiations go, what they ultimately boil down to is how valuable a worker is to his employer.  Sometimes, these types of communications can degenerate into a debate centered on which party would be most adversely affected if the contract is voided or doesn't come to be.  So on the employer's side, it's something like 'we can just fine without you.'  But as for us employees, it's more like 'you'll realize how much I'm worth when I'm not around'.  But logically speaking, employers have the advantage.  And that's because they're usually deeper as well as richer, whereas an employee may face more of an uncertain future if he decides to venture out on his own.  And at the end of the day, no one really likes financial unpredictability, a reality that often compels us to stay in less-than-ideal employment situations, even if we are in fact underpaid.

But sometimes too, an employee may put their foot down and discover that 'oh shit, maybe I'm not as hot as I thought'.  Let's take Dennis Schröder for instance.  Last season he did pretty well in Los Angeles, averaging 15 points and 6 assists as a starter.  He also had his moments, as perhaps to be expected an above-average player on the Lakers.  But that said, Dennis didn't really prove to be as ideal a fit alongside Lebron and AD as envisioned.  But still, the Lakers offered him a whopping $84mil/4year contract extension, I would presume pretty much solely in the name of continuity.

But then, there was that person in his ear who was like 'nah Dennis, you're worth more than that'.  Perhaps that individual was even Dennis himself.  So this dude who didn't even average 20ppg turned down a contract paying $20mil+ annually.  And to make a long story short, he ended up signing with the Celtics at a rate of $6mil for 1year, thus for now forsaking $78mil and 3 years of job security.

When players dumb out like that, the next step is usually to play one year and in that single season prove that they're worth more than the contract that was turned down.  Meanwhile, it's virtually impossible that Dennis Schroder is going to accomplish that goal with the Celtics, not only because he's playing with the likes of Jayson Tatum but also considering the fact that it was arguable he wasn't even worth that much in the first place.  Perhaps a few years back, okay.  But now it's like he's been exposed.

And that brings us to Ben Simmons.  Despite unanimously being considered one of the best current defenders in the NBA, about a few years back the league more or less lost respect for any player, especially one that prefers to play guard, that doesn't have a jump shot, such as Simmons.  This really started back around the Michael Carter-Williams' era - who by the way was also a draft pick of the Sixers - but really came home once Steph and them started winning championships by launching up 3s.  I don't necessarily agree with that philosophy, depending on the makeup of a team's roster.  But most people do which would explain why, once Simmons got around to requesting a trade, it's like behold, no one really wants him, at least not to the point of offering a superstar package in return.

So now, it's like my hope and expectation was that he and the Sixers would reconcile.  But with us living in the era of cancel culture and all, well, it's like the longer he takes to actually suit up, the less sympathetic Philly fans are becoming.  In other words it's like the longer he waits to play, the more difficult it becomes for him to do so, at least in a 76ers uniform.

So there's only so many ways this can play out.  Ben can hit the court as soon as possible, endure the boos and perhaps, like you know how they say about adversity building character?  Perhaps this fiasco will prove to be what the Sixers needed to reach the championship level.  That would be some movie-type shit.

Or around the trade deadline, some underachieving team may put together a package the Sixers will accept, as there's no use having a player you're paying gazillions of dollars to riding the bench.  In this case, it's not likely that Simmons will play for a contender.  And that's because no team that is actually contending would be stupid enough to gut their roster to get him.

Or maybe Simmons will end up sitting out the entire season, which is sort of a worst-case scenario, at least are far as the fans and I would say Philly is also concerned.  Or maybe - and I guess this is the wildest theory - he ends up getting waived or something.  And the reason I say that is because if he plays, the Sixers are contenders.  But if not and he proves to be untradeable, then his value to the team actually becomes negative.

CONCLUSION

I guess another possibility is that Ben is traded and proves so invigorated by all of the drama (and rest) that he leads some mediocre team, like the Kings, into contention.  But somewhere along the line, considering that the world views him as some sort of a quitter, he's going to have to face the music or retire from the NBA.  That is to say that even if he is traded, there's a possibility that the fans of the team he goes to will be less than receptive.  Also he can expect to be taunted in just about any arena they visit, if the situation calls for it.  That would perhaps be true if he stayed with the Sixers also, on top of being booed at home.  But at least then it's sorta like the organization has his back or whatever.  I don't really know.  Either way it doesn't look like things are going to go as Simmons truly prefers, unless it was his goal all along to sit out the start of the season and relax.

NBA All-Africa Team

If tomorrow basketball replaced soccer as the number-one sport in Africa, in about 10-15 years at least 50% of the NBA would be Africans.   The NBA is estimatedto consist of about two-thirds “Black” players, the overwhelming majority of those of course being African-Americans, and genetically (sub-Saharan) Africans are more or less the same as African-Americans except with the advantage of being physically stronger due to never leaving their indigenous environment.  It would take more in-depth research to find out exactly how many African players are in the NBA (and the number's always fluctuating), but here’s the list of the best African players (by position) currently in the Association.  For the sake of reality an “African” in this article is defined as someone who has at least one African parent:

C - JOEL EMBIID (CAMEROON)

I’ve already predicted that if healthy Embiid is taking MVP this season.  The Sixers are quietly the second or third-deepest team in the NBA, and if “the Process” plays regularly they’re going to win a lot of games.

ABOUT CAMEROON

I don’t know much about Cameroon except it’s in West Africa, and the national football (soccer) team occasionally comes to Ghana to play (and vice versa). In fact that reminds me that the “Indomitable Lions” are one of only two African nations to ever win an Olympic gold medal (2000) in football.

PF - SERGE IBAKA (CONGO)

Gone are Serge’s glory days with the Thunder, but he is now an integral part of the highly-competitive Raptors, a team that could really use an adequate fourth wheel to become contenders.

ABOUT CONGO

I don’t know much about modern-day Congo besides what everyone else knows, that it’s always in the news due to an atrocious civil war.  I got a homey from there we used to call “Congo Boy” whose cool asfuk, and every time I asked him about this he would more or less ignore me.  The Congo has a long, bloody history of violence since the days of European colonialism, and the Black population of Brazil, which is the largest group of people of African descent outside of Africa, actually owe their ancestry to this part of the world, which I heard on a clear day can actually be seen from the coast of Brazil.

SF - ANDRE IGOUDALA (NIGERIA)

Although it doesn’t show in his face, I knew just based on the last name that Andre had to be an African.  During his days in Philly, Igoudala evolved into the first real “glue guy”, a jack of all trades who can serve as team leader/star even if he didn’t score a lot, and he’s still the best glue guy in the NBA.  This is likely due to his incredible strength, and I would venture to say that he’s the naturally physically-strongest player in the NBA.  (Phenotypically) Igoudala looks just like an Ewe homey I have in Madina named Anderihno, whose diesel asfuk even though he doesn’t do like jacksh*t.

ABOUT NIGERIA

Even though Angola are like the perennial African champions, I think Nigeria will be the country that first produces a team that can realistically compete for a gold medal in basketball - if they are actually given a fair shake at the Olympics.  Note that most of the players on this list aren’t even like eligible to play for their native countries and would have (and probably be proud) to compete in the Olympics as Americans instead.

SG - VICTOR OLADIPO (SIERRA LEONE & NIGERIA)

In his short career Victor is already what we could safely consider a journeyman, but he is also one of the few noticeable names to come out of the 2013 NBA Draft.  Good luck with him as a member of the Pacers this coming season.

ABOUT SIERRA LEONE

I don’t know much about Sierra Leone except again it’s always in the news for all the wrong reasons and that it’s a small country.  Not a place that I ever thought about visiting.

PG - DENNIS SCHRÖDER (GAMBIA)

It took a little bit of digging to verify this one, but as a resident of the Eastern Hemisphere myself I knew an ass-black nigga like Dennis Schröder coming out of Europe had to be from Africa, and true indeed his mom is from the Gambia.  Note that he’s currently the best player on the “German” National Team, and thank goodness he did prove to be African, or else I would have had to put Emmanuel Mudiay in this slot.

ABOUT GAMBIA

Gambia is a small Muslim country with a big river running through it and to my knowledge is the only predominantly Muslim country in West Africa.  They had some minor beef with Ghana a few years back for detaining some Ghanaian migrants, but I think that issue has been recently resolved. 

CONCLUSION

Note that four of the five countries on this list are in West Africa, the ancestral birthplace of African-Americans. The above-listed is a team that if they played cohesively could win an NBA Championship.