Where Do We Go From Here? (OKC Thunder Edition)

At first, I didn't have any plans of writing an article like this about the Thunder.  That's because there isn't anything wrong with their roster per se, as in rotation players who I've noticed during the Playoffs that need to be replaced.  OKC has one of the easier rosters to fix, as the team is talented with a clear identity and apparently is on the rise.  So all they need to do is make the right addition.

SIZE MATTERS

The reason why the Thunder couldn't best with the Mavs and likely wouldn't have prevailed against the Timberwolves anyway is because this team looks like is built to beat the Warriors.  I've been arguing for years that size matters in the NBA, even when the mainstream turned against traditional bigs.

I've also been saying that it wasn't wise for teams to try to build their own versions of the Splash Brothers or to go out of their way to try to beat the Dubs at their own game, especially not now, in the 2020s as their dynasty is coming to an end.

Steph + Klay are an anomaly, not the new norm.  They helped change the NBA by encouraging more three-pointers.  But you see who else has won championships in recent years.

The Lakers did it during the bubble with Lebron + AD.  The Bucks won in 2021 with Giannis + Lopez up front.  The Nuggets prevailed last year with the biggest frontline in the NBA.  And if Minnesota takes it this year, as I believe they will, they have twin towers, buttressed by long-ass athletes like Naz Reid.

And wait until Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama are on the same team.  Then people will understand what I meant years ago when I said that the future of the NBA will be teams with five Giannises.  Last season, the Thunder didn't even have a recognizable C, and this season, it felt as if Chet was the only true bigman on their roster.  That's how little this braintrust has come to respect size.

But again, I'm not lambasting OKC, because the progress they've made has shown true growth, the type of which most NBA rosters can only dream of.  Even with a rookie manning the middle, they went from 10th place in the West in 2022-23 to 1st place in 2023-24.  In other words, this is the young team that has shown the most development in recent years.  And come next season, they'll still be relatively young.

ENTER CLINT CAPELA

What actually prompted me to write this post was reading that Clint Capela may be on the trade block this summer.  Back in January, I already stated how he would be an ideal fit on the Thunder.

Capela, currently being 30, may seem a bit aged for OKC.  But his style of play, which relies heavily on rebounds and alley-oops as opposed to needing the ball in his hands, would be perfect for this team.  He's a true bigman, one who doesn't shoot three-pointers and won't need to on the Thunder.  Also, OKC could use a recognizable and experienced vet in their rotation.  Capela has a youthful, energetic playing style that hopefully a team in a better position than the Hawks can capitalize on while he's still vibrant.

And no, I'm not writing Atlanta off for next season.  But it's obvious, to me at least, that they're currently in a rebuild.  And it's not really fair to drag a vet like Capela - who played for the Rockets back when they were contenders during the late-2010s - along for that ride.  After a promising start, the Hawks have underachieved during the Trae Young era and need to like move on type shit.

My second hope is that if the Thunder do go about acquiring Clint, they'll be able to do so without giving up any of their playoff-rotation pieces.  I'm a big advocate of quality roster retention, because familiarity and trust can win games.

For instance, imo the downfall of the Grizzlies didn't began with Ja Morant's antics.  It was when they lost key players like Kyle Anderson in 2022 and Tyus Jones in 2023 that set the stage for their forgettable 2024.  And let's not also forget Xavier Tilman, who was traded earlier this year and isn't even getting playoff burn on the Celtics, despite Porzingis being hurt.

Neither Anderson or Jones are big names in the NBA.  But it would have been more beneficial for the Grizzlies to have Jones this past season than Marcus Smart (who he was traded for), as Tyus had established a standard of overachieving on Memphis and was part of the brethren-like culture their roster managed to build.

CONCLUSION

It may be disappointing to some of us that the Thunder didn't make it pass the 2nd Round after finishing first in the West.  They were also my sentimental favorites entering into the Playoffs.  But their future looks like a lot brighter than many of their rivals, including the Nuggets and Pelicans.  That's because OKC isn't plagued by injuries (fingers crossed), an aging roster or incompatible players.  All they need is a certain key addition (Clint Capela) to take them to the next level.  And to note, the Thunder also have one of the lowest payrolls in the NBA.  That means they may well be able to afford Capela without giving up any key players.

NBA Playoffs Ruminations (29 April 2023)

CONGRATS TO THE LAKERS (I GUESS)

I thought it was kinda cheesy the way the Lakers celebrated after beating the Grizzlies, because I doubt it would've been possible if Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke weren't hurt.  It's almost like one boxer throwing a wild celebration after beating another who everyone knows is injured.  In fact in boxing, if an opponent is dealing with a major injury, then the match has to be postponed or called off.  But basketball is a team game, so you have to compensate.

I do understand how the celebration was a bit extra because first of all, LAL won the series in front of their home crowd, and secondly, it's like they've developed a personal beef with the Griz.  As far as Memphis goes, I would say better luck next year, but that's like the same thing I said when they lost to the Warriors last season.  And it's like, these injuries are a bitch.

I always like to point out that back in the old days, the playoffs weren't like this when you had so many key players injured.  I remember some playoffs were like no star was too injured not to play.  But today's NBA is different.  Some of these dudes are diesel like football players, but they aren't actually stronger than the previous generation.

But that said, there are a couple of things that made me happy about the Lakers' victory.  That would be seeing D'Angelo "Brasco" Russell finally getting some flowers and also AD looking happy for like the first time in months.  I always believed that the LAL would be unstoppable if they played the right way, with both AD and Lebron attacking the post, which is reportedly what they did in that final game.  But Davis does not look as formidable as back in the day, and the reason he was to dominate in Game 6 looked more like it was because he was noticeably taller than everyone else.

THE KINGS STRIKE BACK

I like the Kings, but they're another team that looks woefully thin upfront.  That doesn't really matter much against Golden State, a team that has prided itself on being smaller, faster and better shooters.  I'm still not counting the Dubs out, yet I also retain the belief that they would be more formidable if they let younger, faster guys start, even if they aren't as talented, and then bring Steph (not Draymond) off the bench.  Curry can still score his ass off, but the way the lineup is currently structured is like if he runs out of gas and if Klay or Poole aren't hot, then the Warriors really can't do shit.

Maybe they'll utilize that strategy next season.  But right now they look really vulnerable, and unlike the Lakers' aged core, they don't have a plethora of proven youth to lean back on.  But that's the kinda risk you run when you insist on giving the older guys most of the minutes.  And if they do go on to lose in the 1st Round, it'll be interesting to see how the team is structured into the future considering that most of their dough is going to Steph + Klay, both of whom should arguably be coming off the bench.

FREE KUMINGA

One player I hope will not be with the Dubs next season is Jonathan Kuminga, because the way he's been relegated to the bench, it's like they don't even deserve him anymore.  It's always been my fantasy that he would end up on the Grizzlies sooner rather than later, but I don't know how realistic that is considering that he's still on a rookie contract and like can't really demand a trade unless he's really got some cojones.  Remember that the Warriors also recently traded away James Wiseman for like no immediate return.  That's the kinda shit that's going to come back and haunt them as the Splash Bros. age, and hopefully Draymond will leave town also.

JIMMY BUTLER'S ALL THE RAGE

I didn't see much of the Heat v. Bucks series, but I do remember stating before the plyaoffs that the latter probably wouldn't even be a playoff team without Giannis, and I think now that has been more or less proven.  I was also reading today that Mike Budenholzer's brother died, in a car crash, during the series, which sorta reminded me of what Isaiah Thomas went through a few years back.  So the Bucks were definitely distracted.  And I also found it interesting that the way Grayson Allen ended the series was slightly reminiscent of what Butler did against the Celtics last year.  But that's why I always say that in the NBA, you win some, and you lose some.  And you have to be able to take the losses and hope that the next season the pendulum swings in your favor, like it seems to be doing Butler at the moment, though I would personally pick the Knicks over the Heat.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE - CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

And speaking of the Knicks, wow.  I know that anything is possible, but I never would've imagined, if they were to beat the Cavs, that they would have been able to do it so dominantly.  Cleveland isn't panicking, which is a good sign, because they definitely have a nice, compatible squad.  But it'll be real interesting to see what moves they pull off this offseason.  Draymond, anyone?

NEW YORK KNICKS, CONTENDERS?

I don't believe I ever called the Knicks contenders, but I did say that their roster really isn't lacking anything, and that was even before they got Josh Hart.  Even losing Game 1 against the Heat can be attributed to Julius Randle not being around.  But man, how about those Heat?  Their showing why you can never sleep on a team filled with veteran allstar-level players playing for an organization that knows how to win basketball games without always having to rely on being more talented or healthier than the opposing squad.

DENVER BUSTS PHOENIX'S ASS

Game 1 between the Nuggets and Suns was never really close.  And speaking of organizations that knows how to win and build competitive rosters, you have to give to Denver also, because it's been like 20 years since they've been garbage.  Even back when Andre Igoudala was the team's alpha, they were winning like 50 games a season.

So now, I kinda wish I had stuck to the same prediction I made the two seasons before this one, that Denver will win the championship if healthy.  But still, you know what I'm saying?  Fukaround and Murray or Porter Jr. slips on a banana peel or some shit, and boom, hopes dashed.

As for the Suns, I still believe they have not only the most-talented starting five in the league but also one that is naturally compatible, so long as neither KD or Booker is chuckin when on the floor together.  But now I see they've taken one step forward, two steps backwards, as the homey used to say.

Between last season in this season, they got KD, one of best scorers in history, but lost three starters basically.  And this isn't like back in the days when the Warriors did the same thing to get Durant.  So there's likely going to have to be another player or two outside of the Big 4 to give the Suns a chance, because Denver not only has its own Big 4 but also a number of quality role players, including Bruce Brown, who has become one of my favorites.

NBA Playoffs Ruminations (19 April 2023)

Right after I got through dissing the Cavs' bench, Caris LeVert showed up and had a Malik Monk-type game, looking like the difference maker in Cleveland prevailing over New York.  The Knicks appeared morally defeated, but you have to keep in mind that they have Evan Fournier and even Derrick Rose are straight riding the bench.  In other words, the Knicks have more viable rotation players than perhaps any other team in the league (except the Lakers).  So now, I guess we'll see just how much of a mastermind Thibodeau is, or if these pieces are actually good enough to hold up against a quality opponent.  But still, the Cavs are likely going to have to depend on at least one or another player on their bench also having a big game, every game, and you can't presume that's going to happen throughout the series.  But still, I'm sticking with my prediction that they'll emerge victorious.

I still don't know who I'm going with the Clippers vs. Suns.  No one one on Phoenix's bench had a really spectacular game, but they were still able to beat L.A.  That's what I mean when I say they have the best starting 5 in the NBA.  But it required CP3 looking like he turned back the hands of time to do so.  So he really needs to stay light on his toes throughout for the Suns to have a chance, imo.

And finally, there's the Draymond suspension.  With that, whether or not Kerr moves Poole into the starting lineup, it looks like he's going to be forced to give Kuminga major minutes, and it probably wouldn't hurt to play more JaMychal Green also.  This is sorta what I meant when I said that the Warriors should've given the keys to car to the youngsters earlier, so they could be ready for a moment like this, but it's all good.  Golden State really needs this victory, and if they can help the Splash Bros. pull it off then I guess the up-and-coming core really is worthy.  But that said, if GSW do end up getting swept, I wonder if Kerr and Joe Lacob are still going to be on that 'we're sticking with Steph and Klay to the end' type shit that they like talking.

What If... Draymond Really Did Leave the Warriors?

As an employee, I know how it feels to be a Draymond Green.  Your performance in integral to the success of the team but, being one of less-popular stars, you don't get adequate credit, especially when it comes to number-crunching time.  Massa comes and tell you 'we can't pay you as much as you're actually worth, in the name of keeping the team  competitive', and you're like 'okay, do what you gotta do.'  And instead the organization being appreciative by pledging to make you right, their disposition appears more like 'you'd even be lucky if we offer you a better contract in the future.'

Draymond has lost a step or two, both physically and mentally, as to be expected of someone his age who has been competing at the highest levels of basketball his entire adult life.  In the past every time I tried to picture him on another team, I couldn't.  But then lately I've been like, wait a minute.  At 33 years old, he's still in the DPOY conversation.  The NBA right now is full of guys who can score their asses off but can't defend at the same level.  And it's also chock full of teams that don't have anyone on their roster with the brains and/or voice to actually implement offensive strategies.

Draymond, perhaps moreso than any other player in the NBA, is able to influence games with his tongue and theatrics.  Also, his main offensive contributions comes in the form of passing and setting screens, again, probably better than any other NBAer - and there are so many teams that can use those skillsets.  Steph and Klay are of course amazing shooters, with Curry especially being able to score sometimes with two defenders in his face.  But their percentages have been assisted throughout the years by Green's presence.

So, is it really true that he wouldn't be able to fit in elsewhere?  Is Green really that expendable that Golden State would be willing to pay stars that came to the team after him more?  Steph himself disagrees with that practice.

If PJ Tucker, who about to 38 years, is considered such an important cog in the Sixers' wheel, then how much more valuable is Draymond to GSW?  What would happen if you send Draymond to a team full of quality chucks like the Rockets, to help free up shooters and organize their offense?  How would Draymond fare playing alongside Damian Lillard, who's a de facto Splash Brother?  How would the Suns look with Draymond, now that they've given up Mikal Bridges (and Jae Crowder)?

CONCLUSION

These are the kinds of questions you have to ask yourself.  You have teams with all the firepower in the world, like the Mavericks, who can't go nowhere because of an inability to defend.  That's because defending on a noteworthy level is not easy and takes a lot of continuous effort.  There are superstars in the NBA who have managed to go their whole careers without being that committed to defense.  No one is afraid of Steph + Klay on the defensive end, and it isn't always about effort but also defensive talent (or awareness, as the videogames call it).

So it'll be interesting to see if the Warriors continue to devalue Draymond.  If so, I hope another worthy team out there who values his skillset would be willing to offer him a max contract - if even possible considering the new CBA - and poach him away.  And if it's a situation where the Warriors can't pay him the max even if they wanted to, I think it would still be interesting to maybe see him go to the Rockets for instance.  Force Andrew Wiggins or Jonathan Kuminga to modify their games more to focus on passing and setting rightful screens, and then maybe the Warriors will begin to realize how Green is arguably their most-valuable all-around player.

The (Bad) Boys Are Back in Town

When you make bold predictions like I do, sometimes when you're wrong you just have to be prepared to take it on the chin.  But I'm rarely wrong, especially when it comes to a team's potential.  For instance now, finally, the Timberwolves have people shaking.  What I recommended is that they get a pass-first PG to join D'Angelo Russell in the backcourt.  They made an even wiser move by replacing him altogether with Mike Conley, thus eliminating the possibility of Russell chuckin.  And they have so much other talent on the roster that the absence of D'Angelo doesn't really matter (if everyone is healthy).

But that's not an example of what I mean when I say sometimes I'm wrong.  What I'm usually most wrong about is predicting what the NBA powers-that-be may do.  The NBA is now, imo, more controlling of games and the fate of teams than they've ever been.  For example, NBA players don't have freedom of speech like other Americans do (at least not without getting fined or suspended).  If a fan insults an NBA player, the player cannot confront them without being investigated.  And I'm not saying that they should be confronting fans.  But if it's like, that then every player needs to undergo sensitivity training and certain types of orientation before joining the league, and some of them may even need to do it annually.

Where I was wrong recently is in taking that standard as being indicative of the NBA completely turning against bad boys.  In my last predictions for this season, I put the Grizzlies lower on the list of contenders than I perhaps would have otherwise because of the trouble Morant and Brooks was getting into.  Since then Ja has been reinstated; Brooks is still playing rough to my knowledge, and Desmond Bane, one of the most-innocent looking players ever, forearmed Kevin Love in the nuts.  Besides that, the Grizzlies are hot at home, which will matter since they're probably going to conclude the season with the second seed.  And I mean, I don't know what's going to happen.  But if the boys stay bad and the NBA doesn't slap them with any type of excessive penalties, then they should make the WCF, at least.

And then, there's Draymond Green.  Last season the Warriors were my sentimental favorites to win.  I didn't believe they were going to win, but I wanted them to.  So when predicting against them proved wrong, yes, I believe the NBA helped them along the way.  But I also believe that they genuinely beat the Celtics, and not only that but did so convincingly.

And that's when I really, really had to respect the power of Steph and Klay.  By NBA standards, dudes are aged and injury-ridden.  There's no question that from an overall athletic standpoint, the Celtics starting five is superior to that of the Dubs.  But then again, that's probably been true every time the Warriors made it to the Finals.  But the reason they've been winning is because when the Splash Bros, esp Curry, get hot, there really isn't much the other team can do except hope that they go cold.

And the way I see it, it's Draymond who makes that possible.  I defend Jordan Poole a lot, but Green is another player on this team who like never gets full respect.  And I don't even mean from analysts and fans but like from niggas who's supposed to pay him type shit.

He's the one who makes that the Splash Bros invincible.  Remember that up until last year, the three times the Warriors won the Finals, it was never a Splash Bro. that got MVP.  Steph and Klay, if you put enough pressure on them, can be taken out of their game.  They aren't exactly the biggest players in the NBA.  But once Draymond gets heated, it becomes difficult to just focus on Curry and Thompson, because he draws more attention than anyone in the arena.  And speaking of aging, he's now such an old man in the game that even barking on his own coach regularly.

And the reason I'm saying this is because if the otherwise-parochial NBA is going to be letting dudes get rough and tumble into the playoffs, well damn, that's Draymond's element.  The kryptonite is that he sometimes doesn't know how to control himself.  I guess that can be said for all of these confrontational types.  But if we're entering an era where bad boys stars will once again be accepted, you see, it's stuff like that which makes the Warriors ageless.

You put Draymond on another team, and he may not really have anything to fight for.  But once you light a fire under the Splash Bros., they can beat anybody.  You know what I'm saying?  No use causing a scene if even after you do so, your team still loses.  Sometimes you encourage people to fight out of respect.  But other times you do so because with a dose of aggression, they really can beat anybody.

CONCLUSION

The way I've come to understand the NBA is that they don't like thugs, but maybe that's changing.  The world moves in cycles, as some would say.  And maybe the bigwigs are like 'damn, we can rig games anytime we want anyway.  So fukit, let the boys play!"

And if it's like that, that forebodes well for some teams more than others.  That's one of the reasons why no one is really intimidated by the Kings or even Nuggets at the moment.  It's the good kid / bad kid dynamic, as I like to call it.  If a good kid commits even a small offense, he's instantly penalized.  But since a bad kid is in fact bad, you can't be punishing him every time he does something wrong.  It's like you just grow tired of blowing the whistle or some shit.

Ben Simmons, the Unconventional Superstar

There was a time when those tall, multi-faceted PGs were valued in the NBA.  You know what I'm saying?  Like you can't have it all type shit.  So dude may not be able to shoot, but at least he's tall, plays defense and can run the point, thus creating matchup problems for the opposing team.

For example, Magic Johnson like couldn't shoot for shit.  His shooting form was uglier than Markelle's even on Fultz's worst day.  But you're not going to bench Magic because all of the other attributes he brings to the team.  And there were even smaller PGs back in the day who couldn't shoot per se but could at least run a team and defend to some degree, the likes of Doc Rivers or Tyronne Lue for instance, and no one was out dissing them like they didn't belong in the NBA.

All of that changed with the advent of the Splash Brothers.  Now, the only active small PG I can think of who like can't shoot is Patrick Beverly.  And as for the tall, multi-purpose PGs, your career can really only go in one of two ways.

First, it could go the way of Michael Carter-Williams.  Here's a fun fact: Carter-Williams was actually one of Sam Henkie's first two picks with the Sixers in 2013.  And early on he did outperform Nerlen Noels, the Philly-chosen draftmate who preceded him, in that Michael won ROY in 2014.

So right now as we speak, you have this former ROY winner, only being 31 years old, sitting somewhere without a contract.  Yes, he's had a couple major injuries in the past, but who hasn't?  What really happened to MCW was a few years back niggas was like 'oh, he can't shoot', and that was the beginning of the end of his career.

Alternatively you have the likes of Shaun Livingston, who's even a couple of inches taller than MCW.  Livingston never averaged double-digit points in his entire career, nor are his rebounding and assist numbers anything to write home about.  But the difference between him and Carter-Williams is that he didn't spend his NBA days playing on exclusively on garbage teams.  Instead, Shaun eventually found his way to Golden State, playing alongside Steph and Klay, meaning that no one really gave a damn if he could shoot or not.

So Livingston retired after 15 seasons being regarded as one of the most notable utility players of this era.  MCW, who to reiterate was Rookie of the Year and was also better statwise, hasn't even lasted a decade.  Meanwhile, their sizes and abilities are more or less identical.  So what I'm saying is that the reason Shaun is a respected vet and Michael someone no team gives a damn about is because fate blessed them both in terms of height + dribbling ability but dealt them different hands in regards to rosters.

So then, you have Ben Simmons.  Simmons is most identical to Magic in that even though his jumpshot is suspect, still he's a respected scorer and even an all-star.  And everything was allgood because on the low, the Sixers are arguably the best team in the NBA when it comes to building a roster.  So you have Embiid and Butler and Harris and Curry and Covington and Saric and Reddick and Maxey all those other gifted scorers who passed through Philly in the past few years, and people could beef about Ben not jumpshooting, but no one really cared because it didn't particularly matter playing with those dudes.

That is until he passed up that dunk during the 2021 ECFs - some shit I wrote about before in terms of how some people, including within the Sixers' organization, overexaggerated the significance of that play, thus making Simmons a scapegoat.  That chastising affected the young Ben so much that he had to deadass take a season off type shit.

And that was the point in his career, when he was being traded from Philly, that he could've either gone the MCW or the Shaun Livingston route.  Luckily for him, Daryl Morey is now with the Sixers, who's like to James Harden what Tom Thibodeau is to Derrick Rose.  So there were other attractive players to be had at the time, but he went with the Beard and sent Simmons to the Nets.

Whether or not KD + Kyrie is as good as Steph + Klay is of course a matter of debate, or in the very least remains to be seen.  But in terms of confidence to chuck on top of the ability to score, I would imagine that neither Irving or Durant are the types that a defender actually looks forward to guarding.

So whether he realizes it or not, Simmons lucked out landing in Brooklyn.  He's a star player who's skillset, theoretically, would be welcome on most NBA teams.  But if he had gone to a squad that struggles to score, like MCW did time and time again, people would be out there pushing a narrative like he's garbage or some shit.  In fact the vultures were already circling at beginning of this season, but of course us true gurus knew that Ben was exactly what the Nets needed, so long as he asserted himself type shit.

CONCLUSION

So as for me personally, I'm not surprised that the Nets look like contenders now.  The most important piece in the puzzle turned out to be Nic Claxton, who did something very impressive in my eyes - which was actually get better after KD publicly dissed him, because that's the kinda mentality you need playing alongside those diva types like Durant and King James.

And it isn't like Ben Simmons is out there killing it statwise like he was doing in Philly.  In fact, I would imagine he's making more money than any other player who isn't averaging more than 8 of anything.  But the most important thing about his fit with the Nets is that he's a perennial all-star guard who is pass-first, thus making him perhaps the most unique player in the entire NBA.  And you can imagine what those wild and free teams like the Houston Rockets could do if they had that type of stabilizing presence, i.e. a tall PG who would rather pass/rebound than shoot and who also went to the All-Star Game three years straight before personally deciding to sit a season out.

The Victor Wembanyama Sweepstake (Part 1)

Remember that I was the first analyst to say that no one should be surprised if, by the time all is said and done, the Lakers and Warriors prove so garbage that they're eligible to draft Victor Wembanyama -barring draft swaps and all that other kinda shit.

I'll be honest and say that, when this season actually began, I didn't expect Golden State to be as bad as they're currently playing, just six months after winning the championship.  But there are two realated factors that I did acknowledge along the way.  First is that, whereas they may have beat the Celtics legitimately, the Dubs making it to the 2022 Finals to begin with was kinda suspect.  And second is that the core of their team is dumb old.  Age can be a funny thing sometimes, folks.  Like you may experience a revival here and there, but expecting to keep up with the young bucks on a daily basis is unrealistic.

The reason the Warriors are such a tough out, even if the other team is young, is because they can hit three-pointers like no other squad in NBA history.  But that take (i.e. Steph) away from them and oh shit, dudes is looking like the worst team in the league.

It would've also helped, imo, if they had put a higher premium on continuity, i.e. retaining the services of Payton Jr. (whatever happened to that guy?), Damion Lee and even Juan Toscano-Anderson.  But I understand why, for monetary reasons, that too is unrealistic.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Cali, the pairing of Lebron James and Anthony Davis was supposed to be the most formidable ever.  But the history books will not reflect that ideology because their winning percentage together is more or less average.  That's the kinda shit that happens when your franchise player is one who's injury prone.  The media has been dickridin Darvin Ham lately for instituting a strategy I've been espousing for three years at least, which is making AD play the 5 (and in the post).  And the fact that at the beginning of the season Ham actually stated that the fate of the Lakes was in Davis's hands shows that he's not much of a guru, as he should've rather been developing a contingency plan for when Anthony inevitably got hurt, such as now forcing Lebron to play the 5.

But maybe winning isn't really their goal, as fresh after AD's injury now we see LBJ, Westbrook and even Austin Reaves being given time off.  Finally, the Lakers have come to appreciate the value that a quality, jump-shooting whiteboy brings to the court.  And the way they're acting now is almost like they're already preparing for next season.  And why not, because they do tend to suck when AD isn't playing.

It seems that the Lakers don't even own their first-round pick for the coming draft(s).  Quite ironically, they gave it up to the Pelicans when they traded for AD.  So who knows?  Maybe they'll end up with Wembanyama instead, and LAL's future strategy is more along the lines of getting rid of Westbrook and moving on from there.

However by the looks of things, the Warriors do own their 2023 first-round pick.  And let's just say that they're one of the luckier teams in the NBA.  For instance after sucking in the NBA in 2020, the Dubs did get the number 2 draft pick (which ended up James Wiseman), even though they had won a championship as recently as 2018.  The same pundits who were like applauding Golden State's defense a couple of weeks ago are now saying that they can't play D for shit.  History has proven that once the Dubs start hitting their threes, they're unbeatable.  So they can get hot at any time and turn things around, kinda like last season.  But Steve Kerr is overrated as a coach imo, and the core was already worn down even as far back as 2020, so don't think that lightning can't strike twice.

CONCLUSION

I don't believe that scoring the first pick in the NBA Draft is as random as ping-pong balls or an arbitrary computer program.  And I would also say that the one team who deserves Wembanyama the most, all things considered, is the Spurs.  The funny thing though is that some of the teams who were earlier believed to be firmly in the sweepstakes, like the Jazz and Thunder, have been overachieving.  Meanwhile the Lakers, with three indisputable future Hall of Famers on their squad, have one of the worst records in the league, and the Warriors ain't too far ahead of them.

So maybe by the time the season is over, as I alluded to earlier, the Dubs will start to take their youth movement more seriously than just starting dudes when the old guys get hurt.  And if so, of course getting Victor Wembanyama would be a major accomplishment.  Then maybe they'll finally feel confident enough to like bring the Splash Bros. off the bench and stuff like that.

Are Coaches Really Necessary in Today's NBA?

I know that coaches must do a lot more than what we see during games, because most of them don't really do jackshit in realtime.  Well they do decide who plays and how many minutes, I guess.  And it's also cool seeing them throw a fit, like your boy Mike Malone turning red last night.  But if the NBA game has become such that dudes are chucking up 3-pointers at will, then that begs the question - do we really need coaches for that shit?

Let's take what Luka did last night for instance.  This is what I was talking about just as recently I think as the last post, how players are now taking the easy way out instead of trying to work or strategize their way towards the basket:

And the really fukedup thing about it, that makes these superstars of today almost uncoachable is that oh shit, that shot almost deadass went in.

The newer, looser NBA is faster than the days of old, but I beg to differ that it's more exciting.  Instead, I would say it's more smh-ing.  Watching the Splash Brothers helm an offense that shoots more threes and twos is a thing of beauty, because most of their shots go in.  But watching other teams at times when they're not hot continuing to shot threes anyway, even to where doing so costs them games, sometime I be thinking to myself like 'why didn't the coach stop that shit?'

CONCLUSION

If this were the 1990s and Michael Jordan hoisted up a make-it or break-it three-pointer from almost the halfcourt line with 3 seconds left and at least one of his teammates open, I think Phil Jackson would honestly ask him like 'damn Mike, why'd you do that?'  Now if you say that to a star player, the hot seat.  So it's like for some of teams, maybe the NBA could get creative and start robots on the sideline instead of a coach, like R2-D2 instead of Jason Kidd type shit.  You know, just for fun, since nobody else gives AF these days.  But then the robot would probably calculate that it's more efficient to penetrate and get to the rim - unless you have a really, really reliable shooter - and then it's like back to square one.

Congrats to the Warriors (I Guess)

The Warriors are my favorite team in the NBA and therefore were my sentimental favorites to win the Championship. The reason I like them so much is that there's more players on this squad I can identify with than any other, as in players who are underrated.  For example, people were even dogging the Splash Bros. + Draymond headed into this season.

Also, Golden State is the only team that you can look at them now and like see their future, as in having successful vets alongside a crop of up-and-coming players.  With other teams, even young ones like the Pistons and Rockets, there's no telling how they'll look years from now because if dudes keep losing, that would only make the young players, when they become eligible to bounce, more likely to do so.  Meanwhile, you have players on the Dubs like Kuminga, Poole and Payton who are being afforded the opportunity to gradually grow into stars and find their niche instead of being expected to turn around a mediocre franchise.  But of course there's no telling how long they'll stick around either, which is something I hope to get into in my next blog post.

But let me be honest and say that I wasn't really jumping for joy when the Warriors beat the Celtics.  In fact based on the little I saw, it doesn't really look like anybody was, though Steph was, understandably, quite emotional.

And I'll be honest and say that I thought Boston was going to win the series, at first.  But as it progressed, it became increasingly obvious that they were outmatched, not in talent but in depth.  And by the time Game 6 ended, you're sitting there saying to yourself like 'so if the Celtics are getting their asses bust like this now, then how did they even make to the Finals to begin with?'

Also, I don't know how common this is in NBA history, but the Warriors managed to win a Championship while not only avoiding the best regular season team in their conference (the Suns) but also the best in the East (the Heat).  The Heat would've matched up with Golden State better, because they have depth and Jimmy Butler.   So it's like the Dubs really lucked out, you know, rather playing against the Mavs type shit.  The Kawhi-less Clippers would have gave the Warriors a stiffer challenge than Dallas.

CONCLUSION

But one thing I always try to remember is that in NBA, nay, in life even, it isn't always the best who emerges victorious.  And if I'm still working on this blog next season, instead of going with who's the best team , my predictions will rather start to be based on who I think is favored to win.

But the good thing is that odds makers are already predicting a Warriors v. Celtics sequel next year, which really sounds like a longshot, thus meaning to me that people actually want to see them go at it again, maybe.  But in the meantime the Splash Bros. + Draymond would need to (re-)find the fountain of youth, and the Celtics could use some roster upgrades.  And I don't any of us want to see players like the Gauntlet or Kevin Looney leave.  But at least the Dubs have backups who can hopefully fill those holes.

They Forgot About Wiggs

I could have more honestly named this post "I Forgot About Wiggs", because even though I knew he would have an impact on the Finals, I never really expected him to represent like he did last night.  That was some true x-factor shit right there, and that's the reason why Wiggins is prospering these days, because finally, for the first time in his career, with Golden State he is in fact an x-factor.  Also it helps that this year, he isn't chucking like he was doing during last season's playoffs but rather playing closer to the basket.

Andrew Wiggins is a player who always intrigued me, ever since the Cavs drafted him number 1 and then immediately traded him to Minnesota.  At the time, I thought they were making a big mistake.  But they did win a championship with Kevin Love, who's still representing for Cleveland to this day.

And as for the Timberwolves, I'm not going to call them a toxic organization, but they do have a history of underachieving since like forever.  That really became evident when the team, to my remembrance, failed to make the Playoffs with Jimmy Butler or probably did make it but didn't perform well.  Granted, Butler + KAT + Wiggins isn't the most compatible big 3.  But still, it was one of those situations like damn, what else do you need before you can succeed?  And throughout it all, it was Wiggins who was really being the most harshly criticized.

Now the thing about Andrew Wiggins is this.  Ever since he came into the NBA, he's been overrated.  And I'm not saying that as a diss or like I can see his future type shit, but people were calling him "the next Lebron James", and it was obvious from pretty early on that he wasn't.  For instance, Team Canada is garbage.

So he was a number one pick with all of these unrealistic expectations placed on him.  So then when Minnesota doesn't win, it's like his fault.  That's one of the ways in which the Cavs doing him like that adversely affected perceptions of Andrew.  If he had played under Lebron and Kyrie, then he wouldn't have had to deal with that type of pressure instantly upon entering the NBA.

Then eventually, he ended up being traded to the Warriors.  I don't feel like digging through the archives right now, but I know that at the time I said somewhere in this blog he would make a good fit.  Why?  Because on top of being the type of athletic wing the Warriors needed, no one is going to expect him to be an alpha dog playing with the Splash Bros. + Draymond.  Maybe one day Curry, Thompson and Draymond will retire, and Wiggins will be the new face of the franchise.  But he's being afforded the opportunity to comfortably grow into that role instead of, unlike with the Timberwolves, being forced into it.

CONCLUSION

Also, let's not forget that earlier this season some people, including some prominent media organizations, were trying to diss Wiggins for making the All-Star Team (as a starter).  And that's what makes me happiest with what he's been doing of late, that maybe now those types of haters - you know, the types who also got Jeremy Lin snubbed from the All-Star Game some years back - will finally or at least hopefully STFU.

NBA Finals Prediction: Warriors vs. Celtics

I truly believe that the Celtics are capable of sweeping the Warriors, even if the Dubs are at full strength, and there's no other team during Golden State's dynasty that I would ever say that about.  But the thing about the Warriors is that virtually every player on the squad is capable of making an impact.  So now, Steve Kerr is about to face his biggest test ever, which is figuring out how to beat the one team that you can't just throw the Splash Brothers at and like expect to win.  The Celtics are like Splash Bros. kryptonite, and hopefully this series won't have any malicious plays, injuries or funny stuff, so that we can really see who's the best.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

2G-SG-SF-PF-PC (2 guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, point center)

Right now I'm on ESPN, and they have Jonathan Kuminga (you know, the rookie who wasn't even invited to the Rising Stars game) starting next to Andrew Wiggins, which I'm presuming was the last starting lineup the Warriors used against the Mavs.  And speaking of Dallas, that's not really the type of team you'd want to play in preparation for the Finals.  The Celtics are definitely more battle-tested, as Kobe would say, than the Dubs.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

The Warriors are young and deep, and they're likely going to need that if Marcus Smart and them are able to take the Splash Bros. out of their comfort zone, which they seem to be experts at.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

In this particular case, it's the fact that they're facing the Celtics.  Sometimes it's like that.  You're considered the best because you can get beat 99% of the contenders.  But there's always that one challenger who, for some inexplicable reason, that you just can't master.  It's like some Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas type shit, like the Celtics simply aren't intimidated by the Dubs.

X-FACTOR

Sometimes I make fun of Steve Kerr because he looks like Neil Patrick Harris, and I'm always critical of the success of head coaches who are instantly handed a superteam upon entering the NBA.  But if Kerr is able to pull this one off, then he's fully earned my respect as a coach.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

I haven't really been following the Playoffs for the last couple of weeks.  But I know that the Warriors have some of the best camaraderie in the league.  I just hope they don't get mixed up in no tit-for-tat shit with the Celtics, like they did with the Grizzlies.

BOSTON CELTICS

To reiterate, I haven't seen the Celtics play much recently.  I did watch them hand it to the Nets but thought they'd get bested by the Bucks, and was really surprised, if you want to call it that, when they got past the Heat.

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

PG-SG-F-PC-C (point guard, shooting guard, forward, point center, center)

The Celtics have more of a traditional starting lineup, which is useful for teams like this who actually know how to defend.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

After Steph + Klay + Draymond, I think Smart + Brown + Tatum are the longest-tenured core in the NBA.  And you know, that kinda shit matters.  Everybody's always talking about the Warriors' chemistry, but the Celtics also know each other pretty well, which helps a lot when you have chucks on your team like Jayson Tatum.  And then on top of that, they're younger than GSW's core.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

I know that players like Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams have had thier moments during the 2022 Playoffs, but woe to the Celtics if one of their stars get injured, and they have to rely too much on the bench.  That's the one advantage the Warriors definitely have over them besides championship experience, which is quality depth.

X-FACTOR

It'd be easy for me to be Al Horford here, a player who like I can't say enough positive things about.  But I think Robert Williams is the X-factor.  Why?  Because he anchors the defense, and I know they kinda rushed him back early from injury to play against the Nets.  And you can see that his playoff stats aren't nearly as good as he performed during the regular season.  And if I remember correctly, he played a major role in the Celtics winning the last time they squared off against Golden State.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

I believe the Celtics really want to win, even more than the Warriors, whose core already has three championships.  And that mutual desire, in addition to them surprisingly having made it this far, should be enough to at temporarily squash internal beefs, if any.

CONCLUSION

I watched that play where Marcus Smart injured Steph from like four different angles, and you know, I can't say it was intentional.  But I really hope nothing like that happens during this series.  This is the Finals matchup I've been wanting to see for some years now.  And as frustrating as chasing around Steph and them may be, the Celtics can win without doing anything dirty.

Celtics vs. Warriors? (Rigging Done Right)

Yes, I believe the NBA is rigged, to the point that suggesting otherwise would basically be an insult to my intelligence.  But I'm also not a child nor someone whose going to tell another person how to run their business, especially one as big as the National Basketball Association.  Or, ask yourself this question - how would NBA history look if it weren't rigged?

If the NBA weren't rigged, their would likely be a new champion ever season or two, because dudes would be so tired from winning a championship the previous season.  Young, energetic upstarts would also be a problem to the established status quo.  And by all means, the NBA had to have help the Jordan Bulls here and there.

Without rigging, Kobe + Shaq would have been lucky to have won even one championship.  Lebron going to the Finals for what, eight years straight?  Yes, the East was kinda weak in those days, but he also had some... help along the way.  And it isn't really the rigging that bothers me so much as sympathy for those on the losing end of the stick, those whose legacies are permanently affected just so that Silver and them can promote this one or that one.

But sometimes, they actually get shit right.  I knew from the beginning of this season that the Warriors were going to surprise people, because for whatever reason a lot of pundits were under the impression that the Splash Brothers are old, Draymond is washed up, so on and so forth, none of which I personally believed.  And this was even before Poole, Kuminga, Payton and them popped up out of nowhere.  But to be perfectly honest, I didn't expect them to make the Finals, where it looks like they're headed.  However I knew that if any NBA team could pull off that sort of a miracle, it's the Splash Brothers + Draymond.

And speaking of rigging, I believe the NBA helped the Cavs beat the Dubs in 2016 and helped the Raptors beat them in 2019.  Or at least with the Raptors, the Warriors were dealing with some serious injury issues at the time.

The only team I believe that was actually better than the Warriors back when they were kicking everybody's asses was the Celtics.  I don't mean that literally, since Boston never even made it to the Finals during that time (at least in part, imo, due to the propagation of Lebron).  But I do believe that the Celtics are the only team who could fairly and squarely beat the Dubs at full strength in a series, even when they had KD.  And now, we may finally be on the verge of seeing that matchup, with both the Warriors and Celtics, imo, being helped along the way during the 2022 Playoffs.  For instance the Warriors are lucky they didn't have to face the Suns, who are definitely better than the Mavs.  And as good as Boston may be or whatever, getting past the Bucks and Heat is like a miracle in and of itself.

CONCLUSION

If you're going to rig the NBA than please, do it right.  You know what I mean?  At least give the people an exciting contest.  But if at the end of the day you did help both Golden State and Boston make it all to the Finals, then please, at least at that point let them duke it out fair and share.

1st Round Predictions - Warriors vs. Nuggets

My feelings about this series before it started haven't changed at all after Game 1.  I knew the Warriors are a vastly superior team.  Denver shouldn't even be wasting their time in the Playoffs, which I guess is a testament to just how great Jokic actually is.

DENVER NUGGETS

This team has like the worst injury issues in the league.

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

PG-SG-SF-PF-PC (PointGuard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, PointCenter)

The Nuggets look like a traditional lineup, until you get up to the center position.  People are calling Jokic the best passer in the NBA, and he's like a 7-footer.  Ideally, he'd be surrounded by players that complement his attributes.  But instead, the Nuggets have a traditional lineup.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Jokic.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Jamal Murray is the second best player on this roster, and Michael Porter arguably the third.  If you take any squad in the NBA and remove two of their three best players, no one would realistically expect the team to accomplish anything significant.  And so it is with the Nuggets, even if they do have the reigning MVP.

X-FACTOR

The one active player on the Nuggets roster who I do think perhaps complements Jokic best is Jeff Green.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

A couple of weeks back I was peeping a Nuggets game, and there was like little joy on this team.  It was clear, as least to me, that some of the key players may have issues with Nikola, and vice versa.  And that kinda stuff is never good if you want to go deep into the playoffs.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

The Warriors are my sentimental favorite to win the Championship.  That doesn't mean I actually think they'll win, but if there's any team capable of NBA magic, everyone knows that it's the Splash Brothers (incl. Poole) + Draymond.

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

2G-SG-SF-PtF-C (2Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, PointForward, Center)

It's Draymond's versatility and preference to pass that really makes a lineup like this work.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Depth.  Back in the old (non-KD) days, if Steph or Klay had a bad game then the other would have to carry the offense.  Now they have a sidekick in Jordan Poole who at this point is better than Steph.  The Warriors also have more quality forwards than perhaps any team in the league.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Lack of interior defensive presence.  That may not matter to the Warriors so much now with the Nuggets, but it may bite them in the ass later if they advance.  But they do have some potential options to mitigate that issue.  And even though I, as with many others, may have been disappointed that Kuminga didn't get any burn in Game 1, I'm slowly but surely learning to trust the wisdom of Steve "Doogie" Kerr.

X-FACTOR

The deadass Glove was sitting near courtside in Game 1 - naked head, gray hair and all.  And he had this look on his face like if a Nuggets player was driving to the basket and momentarily glanced in his direction, they'd probably miss the layup.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

At the beginning of the season, a lot of people were thinking that the Splash Bros. + Draymond were washed.  But true dynasties are multi-generational.  And just when they needed it most, now they probably have more backup than ever.

CONCLUSION

Jamal Murray was ridiculously hot in the bubble, and Michael Porter, if he were healthy, I believe could one day be a MVP-level player.  But if I'm tired of waiting for these dudes to heal, then I can imagine how frustrating it must be on actual Nuggets fans.  MVPs are players that you can build an entire team around.  So maybe it's time for Denver to truly take that approach with Jokic instead of holding on to aspects of the past.

Steph "Out Indefinitely" (and now things get interesting)

It seems that Steph suffered some type of serious injury last night, apparently against the Celtics (a team I hope to write about in the near future in terms of them, if I remember correctly, being the dynasty Warriors' Achilles heel).  I just glanced at the headline, via NBC Sports, but I didn't read the article, as I have yet to watch the game's highlights and don't want to spoil things by knowing the winner beforehand.  But now the Warriors, a team who just yesterday I noted as being too deep, don't necessarily have that problem anymore.

Well more ideally they're heavier at the forward position, as in an injury to one of their forwards, even All-Star Andrew Wiggins, would have had less of an impact.  But now, on top of Jordan Poole becoming a permanent starter, I would speculate that Moses Moody is going to be getting a lot more burn at the 2-guard.  I would also have to presume that now the Dubs are going to have to expedite the return of Gary "the Mitt" Payton, which is a good thing, as I have grown weary of seeing him in street clothes cracking jokes on the sidelines.

I would venture to say that before Steph's injury, the Warriors were perhaps the 3rd or 4th best team in the NBA.  That's saying a lot for a squad with a core as old as theirs.  And, fuck it I'm going to say it - they may prove even better without Steph.  That is if Jordan Poole lives up to "the third Splash Brother" billing.

Either way, he's going to have an opportunity to prove to the world, right here right now, his basketball worth.  It's one thing when you're fighting with big brother looking on, ready to jump in if need be.  But now, it's almost like he has to become the next Steph.  And if he fails, there's no foreseeable PG coming off the Warriors' bench - no disrespect to the Mitt - who will be able to fill that void.  Good thing Draymond recently came back, or else the Warriors would really have like an on-court leadership problem.

CONCLUSION

I hate to say that it's 'exciting' to see a star player get injured, but this does stir things up a bit.  Luckily for the Warriors, they're in an overall better position to lose a star player, maybe even two, than any other team in the league.  And for all we know, Steph may well be back for the Playoffs.

Jordan Poole, in my opinion, should be able to pick up the slack, if not exceed it.  I know that Steph dropped like 40 points a couple of nights ago, but there have also been some recent games where he was outperformed by Jordan.

Curry, when energized, can be the most entertaining player in the game.  But he hasn't been putting on such displays with consistency as of late and has even been looking like he needs, nay, deserves a good rest.  So what Dubs' fans should really be worried about, even more than whether or not he makes the Playoffs, is Klay Thompson potentially getting (re)injured also.

Jordan Poole, the 3rd Splash Brother

I think it's safe to say by this point that Jordan Poole has firmly established himself as the third Splash Brother, someone who it would behoove opposing teams to take just as seriously as Steph and Klay once playoff time rolls around.  I actually thought that D'Angelo Russell had a good chance of fulfilling that role, but he wasn't around long enough to really find out.  And just as the Warriors' luck would have it, out of nowhere Poole is developing into an A-class offensive weapon right around the same time that Steph's decline is truly becoming noticeable.

Right now, it appears that the Warriors' starting five heading into the playoffs will be Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Draymond and Looney, or possibly Wiseman at the 5.  But they may want to find a way to keep Poole up in there also, even if their guard depth coming off the bench will be adversely affected, because the only thing worse than having to defend two Splash Brothers simultaneously is having to worry about three of them.  

There's this dude named Robert Kiyosaki who's like a popular financial guru.  He has this saying that goes, 'I'd rather face the problem of having too much money than having too little'.  But being too rich can be a bad thing also.  And what I mean by that is I don't envy Steve Kerr for being a coach who, once the Mitt also returns, will literally have a roster of 15 players who deserve playing time (if they all stay healthy).  That inevitably means that feelings are going to get hurt, and some dudes are probably going to end up bouncing at the end of the season.  But one thing I will say is that I personally feel Jonathan Kuminga deserves playing time over Otto Porter Jr., which may be a conclusion Kerr has already come to anyway.

CONCLUSION

The Warriors' organization has a consistently-winning culture; Draymond Green makes their defense one of the best in the league; their roster is deeper now than its ever been, so on and so forth.  But the ultimate success of this team lies with the Splash Brothers.  When the Warriors dominate, the reason they do so because it's impossible to defend a team that has not only one but two (or more) players who are able to hit threes all day, even when properly defended.  And even now, it's like every other day one Splash Brother or another is scoring 40 points.

So needless to say, if this team makes it deep into the playoffs, right now Jordan Poole can be considered the X-factor.  Steph and Klay are going to have their moments, but dudes have aged, and not in that Lebron sorta way.  So it's Poole rather who has not only developed a splashing ability but also has the athleticism to outrun defenses.  So keeping in the Splash Brother tradition that has made the Warriors the most-successful squad of the last decade, Jordan can be considered the future face of the franchise moreso than any other of Golden State's numerous promising young players.

The Power of Culture (an ode to the Warriors)

There's so much hope surrounding these guys, largely based on the fact
that they were drafted by the Warriors, an organization with winning culture.

When Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody were drafted, honestly both of them were players most of us never heard of.  Yet there was a strong sense of optimism that they could develop into great players.  Why?  Because they were drafted by the Warriors, a team who, if you're able to break the rotation, then you will inevitably be a good player.  Meanwhile there's other teams out there that being drafted onto as an average rookie with potential could prove to be like a death sentence.  One situation that immediately comes to mind is what Kevin Knox went through on the Knicks.  Imagine if he was drafted by the Warriors instead?

I guess for the sake of simplicity, we can say that this all dates back to the Warriors drafting Steph Curry in 2009.  Steph is the type of player who just being on the court with him, even if you're on the opposing team, automatically makes you a better shooter.  So imagine how the likes of Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole and even Kuminga and Moody based on recent displays - who play with him on a daily basis - benefit from that relationship.

But this isn't all about Steph either.  Even prior to Steve Kerr, the Warriors had a damn-good coach in Mark Jackson.  Unfortunately for Action's professional life though, he's one of those dudes whose name kept popping up in tabloid circles.

But the point is that just by enlisting the likes of Curry and Jackson, it's like the Warriors know what they're doing.  This is some behind the scenes shit I'm talking about here.  I don't know much about their ownership/executive body and really don't feel like googling right now.  But what I do know is that prior to the mid-2010s and going all the way back to the early-1990s, the Warriors were garbage.  And even then, they weren't exactly what you would call contenders.

I have nothing against assembling superteams and even credit myself with help bringing that trend into existence.  The Lebron era of basketball has been the most-exciting in terms of roster changes.  But having an organization so grounded that they can competitively transition from one competitive core to the next, primarily off of draft picks, is a rarity in the NBA and perhaps most major sports by this point.  In fact the only squad I can instantly think of who has displayed this ability besides the Warriors, though not as much really, is the Boston Celtics.  And maybe I can also say that it would've been cool if KD stuck around.  But he demanded so much attention that it may not have been good for the periphery players on the team.  And right now the Warriors rotation, at full strength, is about a full 12-men deep, if you can imagine that.

CONCLUSION

I personally don't think the issues the Warriors are currently through are going to magically resolve once Draymond returns.  A player at his stage of injury history cannot be consistently relied on court anyway.  The bigger issue is that the Splash Brothers are no longer splashing like that anymore.  They both have their moments, but it's not like before when they were doing that shit every night.  So even Steph has been able to recognize that the young dudes are important right here, right now.  He's not talking about trading them away for Kevin Love or some shit.  No, at least give them a chance to represent.  That's how you build an actual culture around a superstar core.  And I'm looking forward to a Warriors' future where, even if they do (and likely will) need to go after an external superstar at some point, they will also retain all of these young players they drafted and/or developed.

Steph Responds

The homeys can try to flip it however they want, but we all know it was recently NBA Inception that was like "Steph Curry has destroyed organized basketball".  Of course he didn't ruin the sport itself, being one of the most electrifying players ever.  But the Warriors' dynasty, for whatever, reason caused the entire NBA to go 3-point crazy.  No one except the Lakers kinda were like 'since they're going small, let's rather go big' - you know, counteraction.  Instead everybody tried to build teams more formidable at shooting 3s than the Splash Brothers were in their prime, which is impossible since Steph and Klay are like a once-in-a-generation combination.

My anti-Curry sentiments date back a few years, watching one of those Finals series where the Warriors beat the Cavs.  That year, like I really wanted the Cavs to win.  I believe that was the 2015 Finals, the one where Andre Igoudala won MVP.

So it's like they're playing in Cleveland in a pivotal game, and Steph had two defenders on him hard.  And dude was deadass chuckin', like not passing the ball or even really looking to pass.  And I'm sitting there like 'smh, look at this MF  Isn't he supposed to be a PG?'.  And then, like I don't know WTF.  Steph dribbled around one dude and then another, not actually shaking the defenders but not allowing them to steal the ball either.  And remember there's two - might've even been three - guys on him hard.  Then he stepped behind the 3-point, still chuckin' his ass off, shot a three, and it deadass went in.  And I'm sitting there like 'man, what the f*ck is this?'  And then he kept doing shit like that, with this being the crunchtime of a Finals game.

THE GREATNESS OF STEPH

Steph Curry is the most dominant player to grace the NBA since Shaq.  Shaq was in a different weight class than the rest of his peers, so defending him was virtually impossible.  And Steph's unfair advantage is his shooting ability + handle.

The Lakers having their dynasty under Magic Johnson caused players to idealize running the point and making timely passes (i.e. Lebron's obsession with playing PG to this day).  During the Bulls dynasty, having an alpha player like Michael Jordan who was willing and able to always 'take the last shot' became en vogue.  And with Steph, players chucking up 3s has now become a standard.

CONCLUSION

But you know, it's kinda late to be having this discussion anyway.  If this was a couple of years back maybe I would even propose some anti-Steph measures, like not allowing players to shoot, say 25 feet away from the basket unless the clock is winding down.

But now, even if Steph is still in the MVP coversation, his game has notably digressed.  And some NBA teams even seem as if they have come back to their senses and started like running plays and posting up again.  But it's like at one point too much Splash Brothers, buttressed by the likes of KD and Draymond, had the NBA going absolutely bonkers.