NBA Offseason Power Stinkings (Central Division)

The Central Division could arguably be the all-around most competitive in the NBA, if not for the Pacers.  It's for teams like Indiana that the Power Stinkings were created.  But with them aside, it's easy to predict - or at least fantasize that all others in the division will close out the season with winning records.  The Bucks stand as the favorites, but the Bulls added a couple of quality vets, and it's like who knows what happened to the Cavs last season.  So anything can happen, especially since it seems the Milwaukee failed to really upgrade this offseason.

Since this is the Power Stinkings, we have to start with what looks like the worst team in the division first.  And again, that unflattering honor belongs to:

1.  Indiana Pacers

A decade ago, the Pacers were a contending team with the deepest roster in the league.  Nowadays, they look more confused than the Jazz.  And it says a lot about this braintrust, imo, that they have one of the best centers on their squad but seem unable to trade him.  So it's like are they rebuilding or what?  And then it's also like, who even really cares?

What did say a lot was the Malcolm Brogdon trade.  Ending that disaster of an experiment (and acquiring Haliburton) was supposed to symbolize that the Pacers were now rebuilding.  But maybe not.  So unless they really overachieve, which doesn't seem that likely given the competition, Indiana may be the least-popular team this upcoming season.

2.  Detroit Pistons

There's a couple of reasons I'm leery of the Pistons.  One is that they traded Jerami Grant basically for draft picks, though that move doesn't look so bad now that they got Kemba Walker.  But the way the NBA is these days, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to buy him out.  Everyone is raving about a backcourt consisting of Cunningham - who'll logically get better this season, but to what extent who knows - and Jaden Ivey, an unproven rookie.  I personally don't believe in putting too much faith in rookies, unless maybe it's a Shaq or something.  But how about a backcourt of Cunningham and Walker instead.  How would that fare against others in the NBA?

The Pistons also beefed up downlow with the addition of Nerlens Noel, and Kelly Olynyk is lingering around.  But overall, this looks like a pretty-thin frontline especially, once again, without Grant.

3.  Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs pulled arguably the dumbest trade of last season when they swapped Ricky Rubio for Caris LeVert and then went into an almost immediate freefall.  Well actually, calling it the dumbest may be a bit harsh.  For instance, now they have both LeVert and (a healthy) Rubio.  And sometimes, even some of the wiser braintrusts fall for that 'players are only assets' BS, casting them aside like broken car parts even though their presence may be integral to the team's overall success.  So, you can't be too mad at the Cavs.

Colin Sexton is also back, so now, if he sticks around, Cleveland has the deepest guard core in the NBA, on top of one of the best frontlines.  I'm almost tempted to call them contenders.  So now, it's like just wait and see if the execs dumbout this season also.

4.  Milwaukee Bucks

One of the reasons it doesn't matter that the Bucks didn't make any blockbuster upgrades during the offseason is because they already have a damn good team.  It's one of those situations where the biggest potential threat appears to be health issues (and the Heat).  And the Celtics, who beat them in the Playoffs, have in fact upgraded.  So unless Bobby Portis transforms into an indisputable all-star or Giannis turns it up another notch or two (if even possible), then who knows, the Bulls may prove better. 

5. Chicago Bulls

Putting the Bulls at the bottom of this list doesn't necessarily mean I think they'll fare better than the Bucks.  But at least they upgraded.  Dragic, as I'm sure I said somewhere in this blog before, is like the most-underrated PG of the last decade.  And I still can't understand all of the Drummond hate outside of the fact that it's become trendy to devalue traditional bigs (and that he boned Jennette McCurdy?).

The punchline of The Last Dance is that Jerry Krause and them were absolutely, positively wrong, as the Bulls were not able to promptly rebuild after the departure of Jordan and them.  Instead, it took like a decade to become contenders again, and even that was shortlived.  But now, they're one of the very few teams in the NBA that has been steadily progressing towards contendership throughout the last couple of years, even with Lonzo Ball out until who knows when.  (And then take a look at this, wow).  And that's why I had to put them at the top of this list for now.  But for whatever reason, I'm still hesitant to call the Bulls contenders, maybe because LaVine's playing style is too erratic for my liking.

CONCLUSION

I'm just as excited about the Pistons as the next man, but the Bulls are my sentimental favorites in this division.  But I still think, when you factor in experience and overall depth, the Bucks may be better.  I'm also looking forward to watching the Cavs play, but who knows how long Sexton may be around, and I was kinda hoping that Rubio would go to Golden State instead.  And as for Indiana, well, every year there has to be some team to grace the bottom of the NBA barrel.

Shoutout to Gary Payton Jr.

All jokes aside, my original intent today was to write an article entitled "Gary Payton Jr. - My Favorite Player in the NBA".  But since he got injured last night I can't put it like that anymore, because he's no longer active, and, when he does return, like who knows if he'll come back the same.

Earlier, during the 2022 edition of the NBA Inception Awards, I actually advocated "the Gauntlet", as I like to call him, for DPOY.  Most people would rather advocate Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart obviously or perhaps Payton's teammate, Draymond "the Golden Spaz" Green.  But the thing I really admire is how effective the Gauntlet is in the post, both offensively and especially defensively, considering his size.  

But something else I had to acknowledge while continually biggin' Payton's defense up is the fact that sometimes he relies on... questionable tactics.  When you do those sort of things, of course you're going to occasionally run into other players and teams that decide to retaliate.

I also knew that in this series, he would logically to be the player the Warriors would have to rely on most to effectively defend Ja Morant.  And I'll give it to Steve Kerr - he did go as far as actually starting the Gauntlet in Games 1 and 2.  And no one can lock Morant down, who I've already hinted somewhere in this blog may be the next Jordan.  But that strategy did work in Game 1, in that at least the Dubs won.

And Dillon Brooks is one big dude.  Brooks is so top-heavy, or at least he looks that way on TV, that the first couple of times of I saw him play I actually thought he was a stocky G, until I looked dude up and found he's really like 6'7" .  But like the Gauntlet is also pretty big up top, definitely being the dieselest player on the Warriors.

So now, it's like I finally got around to seeing that play.  Dillon basically slapped Gary in the head (with his forearm) just as Payton sorta did to some player a while back, though I can't remember who exactly.  And it does look like Brooks meant to hit him like that, but he obviously didn't expect to cause any type of injury.  Pain and discomfort?  Yes.  But injury?  I'm not so sure.

Either way, what ended up happening was sort of a fluke injury, kinda like what Alex Caruso suffered a while back.  But I guess that's one of the reasons why you aren't supposed to make malicious plays, especially when the target is up in the air.

The reason Payton has grown on me is because at the beginning of the season, he deadass struggled to to make the Warriors' roster.  And even when he did, it looked like he'd be one of those players who'd be lucky to see playing time, despite being the son of an alltime great.

But instead, he ended up being an indispensable part of Golden State's 2021-22 rotation.  And it's kinda ironic that the Warriors , in reality, are kinda thin as far as guard depth goes.  And I'd like to use this opportunity to say that instead of going back to the Cavs, I hope Rubio signs with the Dubs next season.  He'd be like the perfect fit with all of their wings and cutting guards.

Another thing is that Payton Jr. always has an impact on the court.  Always.  Sometimes it's good to be a player who can't really score, because you can learn to shoot and shit like that as time progresses.  What's more difficult to master is defense and intangibles.  But a lot of that comes to the Gauntlet naturally or like from his upbringing, since he's the son of the Glove.

But what I adore best about Payton Jr. is how he plays downlow.  Offensively, he creeps around the rim to grab rebounds or perform easy layups.  And defensively dude, as short as he is, can like effectively play against centers.  Payton's stats aren't going to knock you out.  But anyone who understands the game of basketball would, I think, recognize that he has the type of defensive presence that, as far as the Warriors go, is only really comparable to Draymond Green.

And there's really nothing more athletic in the NBA than a small guy making powerful dunks.  That something that Payton rather gets from his mom, Monique James.  The Gauntlet was doing that a lot earlier in the season, kinda how he caught Desmond Bane out there in Game 1.  And he can do it a thousand times, but like dude is so short you still wouldn't see it coming.  "Luckily", Payton's elbow got injured and not any part of his leg.

CONCLUSION

Damian Lee got some quality though brief minutes in Game 2, which I guess is Steve Kerr's partial answer to filling the hole left by Payton's injury.  And that's a pretty good decision, as Lee is just as feisty as the Grizzlies, perhaps being overzealous even.

And now with the injury, I can't say that the Gauntlet is my favorite player in the NBA.  But what I can say, at least for me, is that now the Playoffs are less exciting without him.

LOL @ Cavs

Hopefully Rubio's next NBA team, if any, will be one that actually appreciates him.

Ricky Rubio is perhaps the most underrated PG of the past decade, and this is not a statement I'm making lightly.  When teams underachieve, there always has to be a scapegoat.  And unfortunately for Rubio, having found himself playing a prominent role on a number of underperforming rosters (having spent most of his career with the Timberwolves), he has been undervalued.

Something else that must be stressed about Ricky is that in reality, he's one of the most entertaining players in the NBA.  His passes are not only consistently electrifying but also effective.  Off the top of my head, the only other players I can think of with that ability are Nikola Jokic and to some extent Draymond Green.  Ricky Rubio can start at PG, but he's not the type to will a team to victory, which is why I think he's been undervalued.

So with these types of players, it becomes necessary to put them on a roster where their skillsets can be most appreciated.  And as I have stated numerous times, the Cavs have one of the most impressive rosters out there, especially once they added Mobley.  They have four skilled "7 footers", with three of them being versatile.  No other team, not even the Bucks, can make that claim.

When Colin Sexton was running the Cavs, he'd scored like 25ppg, but the team was still garbage.  When Rubio is hot, everybody's gonna eat.  Commentators are always talking players that "make their teammates better".  There are actually very few of those in the NBA, but Rubio definitely has to be one of them.

And what he really brought to the Cavs most importantly was spirit.  You have all these young, talented dudes with like no real direction and perhaps also lacking in confidence compared to more seasoned squads.  It was Rubio who came to Cleveland this season and was like 'fuck it'.  You know how those foreign guards are, especially the ones that are actually good players in the NBA.

So it felt like a slap to the face when they traded him to the lowly Pacers for Caris LeVert.  That's why NBA execs, you know, these business leaders we trust to always make the right decision, sometimes they act just as dumb as the rest of us.

The Cavs came out the gate hot, and dudes got ahead of themselves.  They're looking at Rubio like 'he's injured for the season.  So let's just forget about the contribution he made to our Cinderella season and trade him for someone who can actually help us on the court.  Because after all, we're contenders!', LMAO.  You know, since he can't actually play he's of no value, even though he's the heart of the team.

And I have nothing against Caris LeVert.  I still remember when he overachieved on the Nets.  That iteration of the Nets had a number of overachievers - Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, D'Angelo Russell, etc., but that's a discussion for another day. 

Caris LeVert is the type of player who you bring of the bench and can maybe be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.  But I personally didn't understand why if the Cavs decided to stab Rubio in the back like that, why they had to do it in the name of attaining LeVert.  You know what I'm saying?  There's younger dudes on the roster who deserve more playing time who also got sh*t on in the process.

CONCLUSION

Karma is a bitch, LMFAO.  In the months since the Rubio trade, the Cavs have gone from feel-good story of the NBA to not even making the Playoffs.  They deflated like the Wizards, and in a more spectacular fashion.  And they didn't even get that preferential treatment during the Play-ins like the Pelicans did.

And the worst thing is, where do they go from here?  Because once Sexton does return, him starting alongside Garland doesn't really sound like a good idea.  So, I wouldn't be totally surprised if the Cavs ended up getting Rubio back.

Memphis Grizzlies, the Biggest Surprise of the 2021-22 Season

I'll agree that the Cleveland Cavaliers have overachieved, but to me their success isn't surprising.  This is what happens when you mix a talented roster with a bit of luck (i.e. the injury to Colin Sexton; the rapid development of Evan Mobley).  The Cavs may not be an instant superteam like the 2008 Celtics, nor am I going to jump out of the window by calling them contenders, even if they are currently tied for third in the East and have a couple of All-Stars on their roster.  But this is a well-constructed squad out of nowhere, even though both the pre- and post-Lebron Cavs were garbage.  And that's something that the team's execs should be applauded for, i.e. bringing in a crew of compatible 7footer-ish players buttressed by small, quick guards.

The one thing that does disturb me about the Cavs is the way they traded away Ricky Rubio.  I'm not saying that they sh*tted on him in the truest sense of the word, but when a team does overachieve, that usually means they have an identity/soul.  And it was Ricky Rubio, perhaps moreso than any other player on the roster this season, who helped instill that don't-give-a-flyin-fuck on-court mentality in the Cavs.  In fact I saw them play recently post-Rubio, and it seems they lost that a bit, i.e. that level of basketball wildness that can only be developed in places like Europe or South America.  Karma can be a bitch sometimes, and I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland is eventually recompensed for stabbing Rubio in the back like that, especially if Caris Levert doesn't prove to be as good of a fit as he appears on paper.

To me, the team that's really shocked my trousers off is the Memphis Grizzlies.  On paper, even with Ja Morant, this isn't an overly-impressive roster.  Their biggest star besides Ja is Jaren Jackson Jr. - a draft pick who, when he was being heralded as the new face of the franchise, seemed as if he would be bust.  And then there's Desmond Bane, who looks more like a Revenge of the Nerds villain than a basketball player and popped up out of nowhere.  Also let's not forget Kyle Anderson, who feels like he's been around forever, and the likes of Brandon Clarke, a young dude who like Jackson and Morant was actually drafted by the Grizzlies.  

And I don't have anything personal against Steven Adams.  Dude keeps it dirty on some real Jason Momoa shit, which is something I have to respect.  But until Memphis gets around to scoring a better starting center (and no, not Jaren Jackson), I don't see them winning a championship, not with this current roster.

The Grizzlies have also proven that they can bust ass even sans Morant.  That run kinda reminded me of how the Bulls remained contenders even after Jordan retired the first time.  It's like a residual effect or something.  And no, I'm not trying to compare Ja Morant to Michael Jordan just yet.  Instead, what the current success of the Grizzlies also illustrates is what a young, talented and confident team can accomplish against older, even more-talented squads.

CONCLUSION

The caveat to being young and talented tho is that cats also aren't too bright.  For instance, a few days against the lowly Blazers you have the Griz expending all types of energy on some type of pregame dance routine more reserved for a club than a basketball court, and then losing the game.  So it would be cool to see them score a quality, veteran bigman not only in the name of becoming stronger in the paint but also to add an extra degree of seriousness to the squad.  But that said, I don't think there's any quality bigmen set to hit the buyout market.

Also I wouldn't be totally surprised if the Griz made it to WCF and, if not for the Suns (or maybe Mavs) all the way to the Finals even.  The way the Lakers have unexpectedly fallen off this season is what's really opened the door to such possibilities in the West.