NBA | FANtastic ALL-STAR Break

All-Star weekend is a reminder of the immense talent the NBA possesses. The break allows us to assess the Association. The events and game itself showcased how basketball is both fun and exciting, perhaps like no other major sport in America. I thought the ELAM ending was good. I also liked how each quarter felt like a mini game, bringing more of a competitive edge. Third quarter intensity ramped up near the horn as teams jockeyed for point totals leading into the fourth. Big ups to both squads for bringing more to the All Star game.

Los Angeles 

I'll begin in the City of Angels due to the star power of both Staples Center teams, and an unfathomable tragedy (I'll briefly address this at the end). The center of the NBA universe seems to be LA. The Lakers stood pat while the Clippers made a move at the deadline. I thought it was okay, and in some way spiritual right, that the Lakers didn't make a move. They were probably doing their due diligence behind the scenes, and yet it may have felt inappropriate to overhaul the roster. Whether or not they should have is for the talking heads to debate. 

The Forum Blue and Gold destroys teams they're suppose to, and although they have a winning record against plus .500 teams, they don't always look as great against superior competition. The primary teams to be concerned with in this regard are Milwaukee, Toronto, and the Clippers. 

It's no secret that the Lakers offense looks pedestrian when LeBron is off the court. Do Davis and James have to do more? Perhaps in the playoffs, which they are capable of. The ball is almost always in LeBron's hands, but when he does turn it over, I want him to hustle back. On botched possessions he rarely crosses half court before the opponents trigger a shot. I'm not expecting game seven of the Finals, chase-down LeBron, but more effort to invigorate his teammates wouldn't hurt. His "free safety" role on defense sometimes confuses his help-side defenders who are trying to rotate and recover. I want him to be more engaged on defense. Also, too often he settles for that mid-post fade away. He should attack the rim to score or facilitate. Ultimately I'm just nitpicking my favorite player because I want his squad to shine. Maybe he's angling for the playoffs.  

Davis could use a jolt of assertiveness. I'm wondering if he'll play as though this team is his. It's no secret he's a beast on both sides of the ball, the best two-way Laker. Davis leads the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks. His PER is more than 3 points higher than LeBron's and he hits free throws. AD's a machine sent to earth to wreak havoc on basketball opposition, and LeBron's his running mate. So why doesn't he consistently get touches when it's crunch time? Again, I'm nitpicking an all-time talent. I just want him to excel.

The Clippers traded for a ball-stopping Morris twin. They appear to be the ultimate Dr. Jeckyll Mr. Hyde, lacking consistency and chemistry. PG and especially Kawhi have powers to summon once postseason begins. Regardless of the talent, chemistry and health play major roles in the march toward a Finals. Will the Clippers have enough court time together to build cohesion?

Dame Time ? !!!

How severely did he strain his groin? Why did he even attend All Star weekend, especially if he had to move around in skinny jeans? There were more than enough rappers in Chicago to fill in, however none as slick as Dame. Can he and the Blazers catch the Grizzlies? They can if he plays in most of the 26 games that remain.

Gary Trent Jr. is making the leap. GT's play has been a revelation. He plays with confidence and physicality. If he continues to shine his value to the team will only grow moving forward. He's earned his increased minutes, especially in the fourth quarter. Trent's proven he has the onions to take shots and make them. He's an NBA scorer. Good on him for continuing to work hard.

Ariza's been a helpful surprise. His veteran smarts, long limbs, and ability to shoot the deep ball has increased the Blazers ceiling. Swanigan may be a bull in a china shop, but he plays hard and brings a bit of nasty onto the court. Simons needs to recapture his swagger and that ability to be lightening in a bottle on offense. He showed flashes of it just before the all star break. Little is getting little to no run, yet the new guys acquired from Sacramento are, what gives? If Dame misses prolonged time, McCollum better pick it up. CJ where have you gone?

Minnesota or Golden State?
Who won the trade? Which key player is better? Who's contract is more of an albatross? Will Russell help the Wolves out of dysfunction, or just lighten the load for Towns? Can Wiggins excel as the Warriors fourth best player? Which guy lasts longer on their new team? The answers to these questions won't be known until next year. Only one team will continue to stink; hint, it's not the one from the Bay area.  

Houston Skill Ball

Unleash the beast...Westbrook that is. I'm all for a front office and coaching staff that go for it. Why not play your best guys? Size be damned. If this version of the Rockets fully gels heading into the playoffs, Harden and Westbrook will not be fun to defend. In the meantime it sure is fun to watch.

Milwaukee Finals bound?

A scenario does exist that could prove to be worrisome. If Milwaukee has to play Miami in the second round and Toronto in the conference finals I'm not sure they advance. Each team stands in their way with 28 games remaining. Giannis is beyond superlatives, but the rosters and coaches for Miami and Toronto are decidedly better in my opinion. I for one want those matchups to unfold. If the Bucks only have to play one of either the Heat or Raptors, they'll gallop into the Finals. Oh, and if you're wondering about Philly, they stink.

2 * 8 * 24

Considering the heavy hearts that are obvious in all of us, this year will be remembered for a deeply sad reason. A note of positivity I have taken from this tragedy is to make each day count. A super hero-like star taught me to honor that which you love and to always try your hardest to do your best. 

Rest in Peace

NBA 2020 (Visions)

A) Memphis has the best young core in the NBA. Give me Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke, and duck duck Brooks, over any other youth-filled roster. Their front office is not only drafting talented players, but assembling a roster that works in orchestra together. If given the opportunity, this is the team with the most long-term upside. Hell, they're a playoff contending team  right now, albeit in a weaker than expected battle for the West's final playoff spot. Still, the Grizzlies play a Western Conference schedule.

Memphis has a nice pace to their offense, while also fitting it to their talent. The youngsters also go hard at opposition. Coach Taylor Jenkins is both taking advantage of his own opportunity, and installing a competent brand of philosophies on both sides of the ball. Utilizing young player's gifts and skills is no easy task. They've assembled a roster that fits, while also creating units that showcase versatility on defense. The new Grizz have begun sharpening their claws. (Side note: Outlets backed by Disney or HBO may have beat me to this, but I swear this has been in my draft folder for over a week. I know, bad on me. I am but one man. A man who loves hoops.) 

B) For as good as OKC and Indiana are, both owners of winning records, I don't see either pushing their way into The Finals. Billy Donovan's a good coach who's finally able to showcase his ideas. The Thunder play smart, especially down the stretch of games in large part due to Chris Paul. OKC plays hard, team-first basketball, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is legit.

McMillan's another coach putting in work. Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis have really grown this year as players, both are performing at all star levels. These two teams play the right way. Maybe they do have a shot. Which leads me to this, are we sure we know who will make The Finals?

Most eyes are on LA. Milwaukee's path is still easier. What about Denver? Can Houston pull a rocket out of their ass? What if Utah's the dark horse we thought they were coming into the season? Can't Dallas represent the West with a top five player? Is Boston a David in plain sight? Why can't Toronto once fully healthy return to The Finals? Is Philly really this bad, or can the Sixers flip the switch? Why not Miami? That's what 82 games and three playoff rounds are for.

C) Is Erik Spoelstra the best coach in the NBA and the most underrated? Sure he has Pat Riley in the background pulling strings and dropping rings. But the two of them seem to work in concert with one another. They draft properly (Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro), spot diamonds in the rough (Kendrick Nunn), and target the correct high-end talent (Jimmy Butler). All players who mesh well within the culture of working hard and doing it the Heat way. Miami holds multi-million dollar athletes accountable. They also sometimes fleece teams. Getting rid of Whiteside and bringing in Meyers Leonard, another hard working, team-first player, helped to facilitate the acquisition of Butler. From the front office down to the bench, this team knows who they are.

The Heat do many things well; they play team ball, they buy-in on offense and defense, and more importantly, they play hard while playing to their strengths. Miami has guys who will go to war on the basketball court, guys with fire in their bellies—with the exception of Dion Waiters, who's a total imbecile. I'm intrigued to see how far this group can go in the playoffs.

D) Will there be any major trades made? Does a contender make a splash or wait for the buyout market? Does a team like Portland, who had extremely high expectations go all in, or just play out the season? What about the three-way battle between the Blazers, Spurs, and Grizzlies for the eighth spot? Memphis still has Iguodala to use as bait. Which really bad team, if any, will sell its parts? I'm looking at you Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, NY, Minnesota, Phoenix, Sacramento, and possibly Orlando. Whether or not trades will be made, they certainly spice things up. Only in the NBA!

80choices

NBA Bold Predictions

Trying to consume the endlessness of the NBA is impossible, unless you're a cyborg. Melo's in OKC and Wade went to Cleveland, Sam Presti's a bold GM, while the Cavs got a lot deeper. For those who check in, I'm making some personal predictions that I think are bold, as related to the upcoming NBA season.

In case you're wondering how bold these predictions will be, I'm going with the fourth definition of bold: beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative. Now that you know where I'm coming from, feel free to use, or abuse, any of these takes. Here goes...

The Clippers will be better without CP3

OK, maybe not in the regular season, if Blake were to miss too many games, but in the playoffs. What does that mean actually? Do they make the conference finals? Probably not. So are they better? I say yes, and definitely in the long term. I wouldn't want to pay an undersized point guard 200+ million dollars when he's in his mid to late thirty's. A breath of fresh air in Clipper land sounds good. No more angry point guard, in his place is Patrick Beverley, a defense-first hustle guy who competes hard. They also brought in Miloš Teodosić, a Serbian wizard with the ball, giving Doc Rivers two quality guards at the point. It'll be interesting to see how much run Griffin gets as a point-forward hybrid once he's on court. Gallinari could be the wing player who creates space that they've always needed, assuming he can stay on the floor. Lou Williams is a better version of Crawford off the bench and scouting the youthful talents of Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell is a worthy experiment as well. Let's see what these new look Clips can do. A Clippers Death Star match up in the first round would be awesome. And, wouldn't it be otherworldly if Lob City flew an X-wing into the reactor core of the Death Star without CP3? You heard it here first...

Two new teams make the playoffs in the west:
The Wolves and the Nuggets appear to be ready. Not bold enough? Holy shit, the Lonzo-led Lakers are making the playoffs, his dad's a prophet, transforming the LeBron whispers into sound barrier breaking screams. Just kidding. I think the Blazers, Clippers and Jazz will fight for the final two playoff spots. Unless my bold Clippers prediction totally backfires. I still believe in the Jazz too. Utah plays defense at a high level, has a really good coach and has some guys who could prove they're able to fill the void Hayward created by leaving in free agency. Perhaps Utah staying relevant in the west is also bold. Sorry Blazers fans. The Wolves roster looks too good to falter over 82 games. The Nuggets play phenomenal on offense and signed Millsap over the summer, so they're going to improve upon last year's uptick. It remains to be seen if Minnesota and the Nuggets can prove worthy of the playoffs in the west, but I'll go ahead and say it, they're both a lock.

2 to 4 more all-stars will be dealt by the trade deadline:
If Memphis fails to compete as they transition out of the grit and grind era, their stars could become attainable. Let's pretend Thomas is not fully healthy for the Cavs, which would be terribly sad, and the Grizzlies look slow and old in the west. Conley could then become the best guard available at the deadline. Say, Love and Frye for Mike Conley and Andrew Harrison. The Grizzlies would shed one year and $6 million per, by swapping Conley's contract for Love's, plus they'd get another almost $7.5 million off their books next year with Frye's expiring. Maybe Conley does more than the off-season moves did to help shift the narrative of this being LeBron's final year under contract. Wade helps to some degree, but let's be honest, it's a one year deal. This would help Memphis to move away from their biggest contracts, accelerating a reboot. If Conley were to be dealt, they could then shop Gasol too. I know, pretty bold huh?

AD & Boogie

Here's another bold one, what if the Cavs could then snare Anthony Davis away from the Pelicans? This would surely encourage LeBron to stay. That deal would only hit the trade machine if the Pelicans look like a rubble pile to start the season. Imagine that smoldering trash heap scenario, with no direction in sight, with the added fear that Davis will soon want to leave. Cleveland calls and offers Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert, their recently acquired first and second round drafts picks from Boston, plus a future pick in return for Davis and Jordan Crawford. The Pelicans could build around Holiday and Boogie, or trade Cousins for more pieces and picks, deciding instead to just blow it up.

The more fun scenario is thinking about a five man lineup that would include LeBron, AD, Conley, Crowder and JR Smith (Korver could step in and create even more space or Wade could play the role of Ginóbili 2.0). Those five man groups could be scary on both ends of the floor. Cleveland would get some cost-effective youth with Harrison (6'6") and Crawford (6'5"), maybe they could develop into versatile wing defenders...or maybe this is all too ridiculous. Or, maybe this does happen. Or maybe, Isaiah Thomas comes back healthy? This would however, be a bold move were the Cavs able to make it happen. LeBron would probably stay knowing he had Davis and Conley, especially if they recapture the title. Hell, if they were to pull this off, Conley and AD combined, keeps them at the top of the east for the foreseeable future. Please let this happen, because this type of shit happens in just one place, only in the N B A!

My final NBA offering prior to opening night will be a forecast of the season standings. For past ramblings on Five Teams to Watch, click here. For the NBA Preview, click here. As always, thanks.

eightychoices.

Trick N(BA) Treat

In two weeks, the soap opera for men, aka the Association, aka the NBA, will open the season with a triple-header for us to feast upon. The first of three games pits the Conference Finals tested Pacers against the youthful Magic. I'm interested to see how Oladipo and Vucevic mesh, they're the future for Orlando. Indiana will assuredly be there when in counts during the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Next up we'll be treated to a potential opening night classic. The two-time defending champion Heat will clash with the always formidable & tough minded Bulls. This game is sure to make the talking heads chirp. It will/should be great to see D. Rose back in action. He might be the only anti-serum to LeBron's comic book like stranglehold on the hardware. The final game of the night is the battle for Los Angeles, Go Clip Show. With a bevy of new faces in new places, this season should be scary exciting. There are the contenders (SA, Memphis, LAC, OKC, Indiana, Chicago and perhaps, dare I say, Golden State), those that loaded up (Brooklyn), or reloaded (Detroit), others that made minor tweaks (Memphis, OKC), certain teams dealing with injuries (Boston, OKC, LAL, Denver), some teams hopefully healthy (Minnesota & Chicago), those that are playing for next year's draft (Philadelphia & Phoenix), and then there's the champions, this season's filled with delicious intrigue. Here's a little sample of what's in store.




NBA opening night, October 29th, enjoy.

eightychoices.