Brook "the X-Factor" Lopez

Today I stumbled across a sports' website called How They Play that beforehand I didn't even know existed.  And they have this article entitled "5 of the Biggest NBA Draft Steals".  And on that list is Isaiah Thomas.

He is someone who, according to the article, had undeniable scoring skill even in college.  Meanwhile, he wasn't drafted all the way down to the 60th pick, meaning that, since each of the 2 rounds has 30 picks, that he was actually the last players selected.  That was in 2011.  By 2017, Thomas was in the MVP conversation.  And I think I even remember that season, the one where the NBA helped the Cavs get pass the Celtics.

Now anyone who knows of Isaiah Thomas would also be able to figure out on their own that the reason he went so low in the draft is because of his height.  Wikipedia lists him as being 5'9", which would probably mean he's even as short as 5'6" or 5'5", which may be hard to imagine.  But the reason I say that is because it is also common knowledge that the NBA adds a few inches to players' official height.  I went to school with a dude who went to the NBA who is listed at 5'11".  Meanwhile, I can assure you that he's no taller 5'8", and as I remember 5'7" even.

So don't let anybody tell that you that height doesn't matter in the NBA.  If the Warriors were able to construct a dynasty being relatively small, that doesn't mean that any team can do it.  Shorter guys tend to be the more skilled basketball players, and I know a number of average-sized dudes who, if it were about skill alone, would probably be NBA players.

But damn, what if you then have to face up against a Lebron or Giannis.  I'm not even talking about mismatches that are designed by a coach; I'm talking about giants who are able to run the point.  So unless you're the deadass Splash Brothers, size does matter.

"THE X-FACTOR"

The Bucks look very mediocre these days.  This isn't due to the team having a flawed roster per se.  In fact they have one of the most balanced rosters, and the last couple of seasons, even prior to the arrival of Jrue Holiday, they've also possessed the best regular season record.  And of course we know they also achieved a Championship last year.  So what's the difference between the last couple of years and now?  Well, Brook Lopez has been injured this entire season.

Brook Lopez is someone who looks big even standing next to other NBA players.  And I remember him making a number of timely plays during last season's playoffs.  His stats aren't going to jump out at you, but Lopez is a skilled and effective bigman.  And he's even developed a pretty-reliable 3pt shot over the years, which is good for him, or else somebody out there would be out saying some dumb shit like he's obsolete.

THE LOGIC BEHIND BASKETBALL

Basketball is not like soccer, or football as it is called in most of the world.  In football, the goal is on the ground.  So you see like a lotta averaged-sized dudes playing professional football.  I actually know a professional football player, and dude is like 5'4".

Meanwhile, in basketball the goal is 10ft up in the air, and shooting percentage is a big factor.  So of course being taller is more advantageous than otherwise.

I believe that being short has its advantages also.  But there's more if you're taller, i.e. blocking, rebounding, shooting percentage, being able to defend multiple positions, etc.  So unless Steph Curry goes out and like sires an entire generation of children, we shouldn't be looking forward to the NBA going short anytime soon.  The more logical prediction would be that we'll rather see teams with like five giants on the court who can all shoot 3s.  (And even that's taking longer to happen than I thought, though the Cavs are pretty close.)

And don't forget that even the Warriors had to bring Andrew Bogut into the fold before winning their first championship.  The only way to mitigate a lack of size is with a lethal offense.  That's the experiment that the Nets are trying right now, and it's blowing up in their faces.  I would have never let Jarrett Allen go in the name of signing James Harden after already having KD and Kyrie (unless the goal is selling tickets over winning).  Also remember that the top two MVP candidates as we speak, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, are both centers.

You have people dissing the likes of Andre Drummond because he doesn't shoot 3s.  Meanwhile Joel Embiid can be hurt, and the Sixers will still bust your ass.

CONCLUSION

It doesn't look like Brook Lopez is coming back this season, if ever, after just having back surgery in December.  I would have thought that, since we knew from early on this might be the case, that the Bucks would have went out in search of a quality bigman or if not, move Giannis to the 5.  Instead it seems Bobby Portis is holding down that role.  And you know, Portis has his moments, but he's no Brook Lopez in terms of overall effect, i.e. the type of player whose skill coupled with his size can take a team to the next level.

NBA Midseaon-ish Predictions (Atlantic Division)

I know that this article is mucho late, but I just don't have time to follow and critique the NBA as much as I would like.  And as such, in the name of actually giving a shoutout to every team in the league I decided to create a separate post of these predictions for each respective division.  And at the end of the day, whereas again I may not have digested as much NBA as desired, I've still seen enough to boldly make the following predictions concerning the near future of just about every NBA team:

BOSTON CELTICS

I feel that the Eastern Conference is faced with sort of a rock-paper-scissors scenario.  That is I can perceive the Celtics beating the Heat yet losing to the Bucks.  And then I can see the Heat beating the Bucks but losing to the Celtics.  So how the Celtics fare by the end of the season will be highly dependent on their seeding.  But even beyond that, their biggest concern these days really seems to be injury issues, as it is highly likely that one or more of their key players, even stars, will be injured during the Playoffs.

BROOKLYN NETS

The Nets are better without Kyrie Irving.  Even when KD comes back and wants to play with his lil homey, I'd still venture the say that the Nets would be better off without Irving.  But in reality being the dickridin organization that this is, they've basically sacrificed building an actual team to being a popular team - which actually isn't a bad decision marketing strategy.  And chances are Irving will spend swarths of next season injured also, basically meaning that we'll be seeing this current Nets' squad plus KD, which should make them twice as good. 

NEW YORK KNICKS

Recently one of those Forbes articles came out which once again concluded that the Knicks are the most-valuable team in the NBA.  This is despite them being garbage for like a good decade now.  So somebody's doing something right in that organization - it's just not winning games.

When this season began, I actually thought they had put a squad together that would at least contend for a Playoff spot.  That hasn't been the case.  But with the recent executive changes at least fans aren't as pessimistic about the immediate future of this team as they were just a month ago.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

I've long had issues with the Sixers due to what seems like their total disregard of continuity.  Yes, I would still say that on paper they probably have the best starting-five in the game.  But those starters aren't compatible.  Even the core of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons aren't compatible unless they're flanked by shooters, i.e. the types of the players the Sixers' braintrust has zero respect for.  Moreover considering that Simmons is more or less afraid to shoot from long distances, it would probably be wiser having him play the 3 as opposed to the point.  I'd even go as far as to say this team should perhaps sign Isaiah Thomas, but I doubt they'd seriously entertain that idea.

TORONTO RAPTORS

I knew the Raptors were going to be good this season.  I mean winning a championship, even if your best player does bounce, tends to do that to a team.  But honestly they have exceeded my expectations as at this point they're holding onto the second seed in the East.  But with that compliment being uttered, it's difficult for me to foresee this squad actually making noise in the Playoffs.

CONCLUSION

Last season, we witnessed two Atlantic Division teams duke it out in a classic Eastern Conference Finals.  This season it's doubtful that either one of them will make it that far.

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

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

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

BOSTON CELTICS: C

PROS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: A

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONS

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

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

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

CONCLUSION

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