The Dilemma of the Unneeded Superstar

I know I talk a lot of shit, but I understand that in reality being an NBA GM type can't be easy - if for no other reason than having to deal with actual human beings are opposed to everything being theoretical or in your head.

For example, it's one thing if I say 'hey, maybe the Pistons are better at this point without Cade Cunningham'.  But it'll be a whole 'nother ballgame for Detroit's braintrust to actually bench him accordingly.  And I can see both the positives and negatives of letting Cade ball.  You can rationalize this decision by arguing that the Pistons will inevitably need him at some point in the playoffs.  But on the downside, the way the team was hot, maybe they would have done better by waiting for that moment rather than instantly forcing him back into the spotlight.

WHAT MAKES A SUPERSTAR?

There's this old saying that in the NBA, a superstar is "a player who makes his teammates better".  I don't know if I necessarily believe that 100%, but let's apply that argument to Cade.

Please forgive me if I don't feel like googling for exact statistics, but in summation, the Pistons started off the season really hot, to the point of Cunningham being in the MVP conversation and the team securing the number1 seed.  Despite playing alongside a fellow allstar in Jalen "Woolridge" Duren, Cade is undoubtedly the face of the franchise.

Then, I think about a month ago, he suffered a "collapsed lung".  Now I don't know exactly what a "collapsed lung" is, but shit sounds life threatening by default.  But lo and behold, not only is he back for the postseason but even the team's very first game.

Now this is why, by that above definition, Cunningham would definitely be a superstar.  The Pistons, under his leaderships, had gotten to the point where they actually playing better without him.  So between October and March, when Cade was healthy, he did in fact make his teammates better, because if you go back like a season or two ago, when dude was hurt niggas was garbage.

And this isn't as much of an anomaly as some people may think.  When Jordan retired the first time, the Bulls would have made it all the way back to the NBA Finals, without him, if not for that bullsh*t call on Hubert Davis.  It was Pippen and them playing in the shadow under Jordan those previous years which got them to that level of greatness.

There was also a time, earlier this season, when the Thunder were virtually unbeatable without Jalen Williams.  Yeah, you really did make your teammates better, mate - so much better that now they can score without you.

SHOUTOUT PAOLO

Readers of this blog can attest to the fact that I've been very critical of Banchero's style of play, like he's DeMar DeRozan, despite being the size of a baby ram.  But now you see your boy finally crashing the paint and reaping the benefits thereof.  He's like a latino Lebron or some shit, like get in his way if you want.

In fact, the league as a whole is starting to re-realize how important the post is, you know, as the easiest place to score from on the entire court.  Lebron also recently had his 'wait a minute' moment, with the Rockets paying the price.  So these teams that are built to defend solely from the perimeter, they're going to have some big problems into the foreseeable future.

In a way, I guess you can say Shai started this trend, but I think it also has a lot to do with the decline of Steph.  Now that his magic is on and off, everyone else is starting to come back to reality.  Talk about influential.

CONCLUSION

The way the Pistons were rolling, even if Cunningham was ready to come back, there was really no need to rush it.  But if they do go on to experience an extended playoff run, I guess the sooner he's back into the mix, the better(?). 

If I Could Send One Player to Any Team (Southeast Division)

ATLANTA HAWKS (40-42) - BOL BOL

The Hawks have actually had one of the better braintrusts over the past few years, thoughyou wouldn't know it by their performance.  That team they sent to the ECF some seasons ago was poised to become the Thunder of the East but was derailed by internal conflict or whatever.  And even as far as trading Doncic for Trae, yes, Luka is a better all-around player, but Young may be preferable given certain types of roster construction.

On that latter note, for awhile I've been saying that Atlanta needs to build a team of lengthy, athletic, speedy players around Trae, and it appears that they've finally been incepted.  I've also been saying for some time that Porzingis is one of the best players in teh league, an all-time great even, if not for those damn injuries.  He recently announced that health-wise, he's feeling a lot better than he did last season.  But given his injury history, you can't take Kristaps' presence for granted.

So, I have to once again go with Bol Bol, a player who seemingly fits into the mold the ATL is constructing of versatile ballers who are quick enough to keep up with Young.  Part of me doesn't quite understand why Bol hasn't gotten more love in his career, considering that he's sort of a phenom.

I can also envision Kuminga on this roster.  But now, Jonathan is experiencing the downside of being a young, exceptional yet disgruntled player, i.e. being worth tens of millions, but the teams you may want to go to not being in a position to afford you.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS (19-63) - MO BAMBA

30 teams is a lot, i.e. it being almost impossible to follow them all, and the Hornets are one of the organizations that tends to get lost in the sauce.  And speaking of injured greats, on paper they have arguably the best young G core in the NBA.  But the star of show, LaMelo Ball, is a walking injury report, though at least now they've acquired ample backup at the point.

None of the true bigs on Charlotte's roster appear to be overly-impressive, so I'm about to go with another seemingly-forgotten one, Mo Bamba.  Again, I can't follow the entire NBA and even then wouldn't be privy to what goes on behind the scenes.  But his is a career trajectory that baffles me, i.e. why he hasn't afforded more minutes, though I would presume it has something to do with offensive limitations.  But being surrounded by guys like Ball, Sexton, Miller and Bridges, it isn't likely that any C the Hornets employ is going to be called upon to do a lot of shooting anyway.  So Bamba would be strictly a defensive addition, a player of the likes this team obviously needs.

MIAMI HEAT (37-45) - RUSSELL WESTBROOK

The Heat are going to be one of the top teams in the East next season - remember you heard it here first.  They have arguably the most-balanced roster in the conference, besides a winning, overachieving culture.  I wouldn't be totally surprised if they take the EC altogether, though that probably isn't likely given the regularity of injuries these days, coupled with their roster not being terribly deep.

I'm going with Russell Westbrook for a couple of reasons.  First of all, he can play any G position.  Second, he's one of the few PGs who can match, nay, surpass the defensive intensity of Davion Mitchell.  And these days, being able to defend the perimeter is even more important (against most teams) than locking down the post.

The ScapeGOAT is the most-polarizing NBA star of the early 21st century.  No one can deny his talent, and he remains more athletic, in his mid-to-late 30s, then 90% of the guys in the league.  I thought the structure of Denver would benefit him, and it did in a way, but in crunchtime they went with Christian Braun over Westbrook, one of the dumbest and most-insulting playoffs decisions I've ever seen.  Well, Miami also has that kind of structure that can capitalize on Russell's gifts without letting him go Hulk and destroy everything in his path.

ORLANDO MAGIC (41-41) - JONATHAN KUMINGA

The Magic remind me of the Mavericks from a couple of years back.  Their braintrust is so obsessed with perimeter players that they neglect their post needs.  I get it that players like Banchero and Wagner are, in actuality, pretty damn tall.  But they play like Gs, and Orlando's post presence of the Paolo era, from what I've observed, is virtually nonexistent.

I'm tempted to once again bigup Mo Bamba, but he actually had the best season of his career with the Magic a few years back, and they still let him go, so obviously he isn't the one.  Al Horford is another tempting prospect but may be too slow to keep up with Franz and the boys.  There's also Bol, who likewise had his best season with the Magic, but they decided not to retain his services.  Again, little to no respect for actual bigs.  And as for Jonathan Isaac, he's like the black Kristaps Porzingis(?).

So I'm gonna shift more to the fantasy side and go with Jonathan Kuminga.  He wouldn't be a perfect fit, as he's also been trained, despite being dumb tall, to play more like a G.  But he's more athletic than any of Orlando's current players and though not particularly a post player knows how to crash the board.  In hindsight, the Magic prolly should have made a play on DeAndre Ayton during the brief window he was available.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (18-64) - JOSH GIDDEY

The Wizards suck so bad that despite representing the nation's capital, they're more or less irrelevant.  But at least now, it appears they have sort of a plan or structure.  There's other young teams out there that could really benefit from the presence of a player like Khris Middleton or C.J. McCollum.  So what Washington really needs right now is one of their young prospects to emerge as a star, and then everything should start falling into place.

I'm going with Josh Giddey because besides being an (restricted) free agent, he more or less averages a triple-double.  And whereas I have absolutely no idea who the starting PG on Washington is supposed to be (McCollum?), I would venture to say that this is a team that could use a pass-first general who can also score and rebound.  C.J. may end up running the point, but all things considered he'd probably better serve at the 2.

If this season also proves to be an utter disappointment, I think the Wizards should just give up on the youth movement.  The powers-that-be don't favor them in the draft, and their braintrust isn't particularly known for finding diamonds in the rough.  They'd probably be better off having McCollum + Middleton (+ Giddey?) serve as their foundation rather than any of these younger dudes.  But again, some of the youth have to shine so that at the very least they can be used as trade chips, probably being better served in terms of development with other organizations anyway.

NBA Offseason Power Stinkings (Northeast Division)

The Miami Heat are the only team in the Northeast Division who are considered to be contenders, which may be true, but I'd watch out for those Hawks.  They staged one of biggest coups of the offseason in grabbing Dejounte Murray out of nowhere, like no one saw that coming.  And there is perhaps no single transaction that occurred this summer that will prove as significant.

But since this is the Power Stinkings, I'm not going to start off with the likes of the Heat or Hawks.  Instead, let's not forget that there's also teams out there such as:

1.  CHARLOTTE HORNETS

The NBA season, at a grueling 82 games, is largely a test of endurance where, along the line, teams that are weak one way or another eventually get exposed.  So at the beginning of last season, the Hornets were one of the feel-good stories of the NBA.  Like you look at LaMelo Ball and just want him to win.  But by the time all was said and done, it's like they just vanished from competititveness.

Now Miles Bridges, who is arguably their best player, like who knows when or if he'll suit up again.  Then for whatever reason, the Hornets aren't making any effort to re-sign Montrezl Harris nor chase any quality free agents.  So now, it looks like they're going to run it back with Ball + Oubre + Rozier Hayward (!) + Plumlee, which may not be the worst starting lineup in the NBA but has to be pretty darn close.

2.  ORLANDO MAGIC

Paolo Banchero may look "NBA ready" or however they call it, but I live by a pretty unwavering philosophy of never putting too much hope in a rookie during his first year, because it's very rare that a rookie has any type of major impact to begin with.  And even then, they need to drafted onto a roster that's already moderately good.

And maybe you can say the Magic are in that position.  For instance Jonathan Isaac, who awhile back was being touted as their franchise player or whatever, I guess is supposed to be playing soon.  And I'm still a Markelle Fultz fan, I suppose.  I also kinda like Mo Bamba, and this dude Franz Wagner is supposed to be hot or whatever.  Cole Anthony is also supposed to be some type of revelation, but honestly I can't remember the last time I saw the Magic play like a full game.  This is a team that could really benefit from the presence of a bonafide superstar, which maybe Banchero will be after a season or two.

3.  WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Bradley Beal is my type of NBA player.  When you're getting paid gazillions of dollars to play basketball, as taxing as the NBA may be, you don't sit around crying about rings and legacy and all that bullshit.  That is your legacy - that you're actually getting paid tens of millions of dollars to play fukin basketball.  Just ask Antoine Walker.  You know what I mean?  Like get your priorities straight already.

That said, you have to admire this guy's level of commitment, though perhaps what he's actually committed to is money, i.e. the Wizards being able to pay him more than any other team, because it's like these guys never really improve.  Well actually at this time last year, I thought that the Wiz, along with the Bulls, had the best offseason of 2021.  But what seems to have happened to Washington, even though they finally put together a good roster post-Wall, was that they lacked unity or something and got exposed as the season wore on.

And their current roster is also, in reality, moderately impressive.  Barton and Morris, I would imagine, should fit nicely next to Beal.  Also a frontline of Kuzma and Porzingis (esp if he's healthy) is nothing to sneeze at.  But speaking of legacy, let's not forget that this is the Washington Wizards, so no one should expect them to overachieve.

2.  ATLANTA HAWKS

I'm really feeling the Hawks right now for a couple of reasons.  One is that they didn't rush out and trade John Collins when he got into it with Trae Young.  This is professional athletics, so you aren't supposed to overreact everytime coworkers aren't getting along with each other, even if one of them is a franchise player.

Secondly, they went out and got Dejounte Murray, which was like some guru shit.  Their roster actually wasn't that bad last season, and his presence may end up solving most of their shortcomings.  Like no one is really talking the Hawks, but they have, when you also take age into consideration, perhaps the most well-rounded starting 5 in the NBA.  And they also now have two Holiday brothers coming off the bench.  Their one weakness though may be frontline depth, esp since both Capela and Collins are known to have injury issues.

1.  MIAMI HEAT

I'm tired of dickridin the Heat already.  These teams, like the Suns who do exceptionally well during the season but falter in the playoffs, it always hurts when I predict them to win big, but then they fall short.  Also, PJ Tucker leaving is supposed to have some type of adverse affect on them or whatever.  I personally think Tucker tends to be overrated.  But it ain't like they actually got anybody for him in return.

The Heat are one of the best-coached teams in the NBA for like ages now, but maybe they need to try something new, like maybe starting Tyler Herro alongside Duncan Robinson.  I mean, why not?  They have one of the deeper rosters in the league but obviously need to devise a new strategy to take things to the next level.  And I'm not really sure how much Kyle Lowry has left in the tank, which makes me wonder why perhaps they didn't go after an additional starting level PG this offseason.

CONCLUSION

The Heat lost a couple of role players this offseason, didn't get anybody back to match their talent level, but are still the team to beat in the Northeast.  That says alot about how wise this organization actually is.  But speaking of injury issues, that begs the question of how much they can truly rely not only on Lowry but also Butler and Adebayo this coming season.

Meanwhile, the Hawks may not be models of health themselves, but they are going to be a fun watch, even more than they've already been the past couple of years.  And the acquisition of Murray is such that the sky's really the limit for them at the moment, and they may have the best backcourt in the NBA (taking nothing away from the Splash Bros).

I feel sorry for the Hornets in more ways than one.  Who knows if they would have made the effort to retain Bridges anyway, but damn, is he catching a bad one.

And as for the Magic and Wizards, I mean the East ain't as formidable as it may seem at times.  And maybe, just maybe they'll make the playoffs.