NBA | Drama

Only in the NBA | 

Most of the NBA's drama is currently streaming from its two most prolific franchises, LA and Boston. Questions surrounding these teams seem to be exceeding their lofty expectations. How did we get here doesn't necessarily need an answer. Instead, we are left with speculations and projections.

Not surprisingly, the Lakers dropped another game last night. What was surprising is how little spirit they showed. Their defense is beyond bad. They allow good looking threes, interior put backs and layups, as if those aren't the most proficient shots. Their offense is stagnant at best and dead when LeBron is off the court. To say they lack shooting is an understatement. Denver on the other hand can shoot, does play hard, defends and is athletic. It's pretty obvious, defending and playing hard usually equate to good things happening. LeBron usurped Jordan for fourth on the all time scoring list with a jab-step mid range jumper. James later eclipsed Michael with a driving, lefty and-one, he even made the free throw. All of this should have been more eventful, exciting and meaningful. Instead, the Lakers lost another game in which LeBron corralled yet another milestone. Losing games in which he became the only player in the top ten of career scoring and assists has to be bittersweet. His legend is secure, his current situation is anything but...

LA drama begins and ends with LeBron due to the magnitude of his fame. But he should only have to shoulder his portion of the blame. The fallout from the trade deadline is a definite blemish. That does not excuse the front office of their misgivings leading up to opening night. They chose Lonzo over D'Angelo Russell, which looks pretty bad in hindsight. They let a 7 footer who could shoot threes and pull opposing bigs away from the basket walk. They didn't keep Julius Randle. Then they signed a group of veterans to one year deals who weren't misfits, they just missed fit. 

When their season got off to a slow start; bad decisions, suspensions, injuries and a lingering trade deal only helped to compound the imperfections of a flawed team. Inexplicably LA dealt a young big man with upside when they gave away Zubac for Muscala. I wasn't a fan of it then and I'm still not. Muscala, when playing, has been shaky at best. He can't buy a three since suiting up for the purple and gold, for which he is apparently known for (could've fooled me). No one is to blame for the injuries that are still hampering any chance of continuity. Other than LeBron wanting to sign with LA, Reggie Bullock is the only real move of positive impact that Magic and Pelinka have inked. If the Lakers brass, and LeBron too for that matter, truly desire to compete for a championship, they better acknowledge that the blame is far more like a pie chart than a lone culprit.  

This summer the Lakers will have around $61 million connected to seven contracts. That would leave them roughly $40 million in salary cap space to pursue upgrades. Assuming no one is dealt for a superstar; I would keep Kuzma, Ingram, Hart and maybe Wagner as a work in progress, all of whom they control on rookie deals. I'd try to trade Lonzo for shooting or interior defense. I cheer for him, but you can't have a starting point guard in today's NBA who cannot score, never mind shoot. The Lakers better do some real soul searching if they actually want to make the playoffs. Perhaps even more pressing will be their search during the off season. Who will they land? Who could they sign? Will they make a trade? Will they be in the lottery? Who's the coach? Is Tinsel Town losing its luster?

Boston drama begins and ends with this year's playoffs, either that or July 1st. Will Kyrie be wearing green and white next year? Will Gordon ever be the same? What about Horford's option? How different will their roster look next year? What the Celtics do with Irving, Rozier and Morris will define Boston moving forward. Or they could just trade everyone for Anthony Davis. One thing's for certain, the Celtics have far more questions than answers.

Are there any questions about Brad Stevens yet? Ainge apparently doesn't think so. I believe he's good, but maybe he was anointed great a bit hastily. He's most likely an upper echelon coach in the Assoc. What could be baffling for him is two fold. One, does he know how to navigate the locker room with a mercurial superstar? Maybe not yet, but I bet he's doing his best to be a Kyrie whisperer. And two, maybe he would excel even more if the vibe around the team felt more like a college team. You know, a team that rallies behind one another, trusts each other and who know their roles (like last year's playoff team). Ego can corrupt many things and yet, I don't think Coach Stevens would allow his ego to get in the way. I know he's a cool customer while in the public eye, but he's as fiery and competitive as anyone. He's too OCD about basketball to not care about what's going on. He too deserves some heat for the Celtics misgivings, but again, it's a pie chart of responsibility. It's sometimes harder to win when you're supposed to.

Nice job by the Celtics to hang the worse loss of the Kerr era on the Dark Side. They also got a glimpse of Hayward's upside in Sacramento when he hit the game winner last night. However, do two wins cure the ills of a season, maybe? I've typed it before; I believe the Celtics and the Sixers have the best shot at giving the Death Star problems. That doesn't mean either team is the best, or is playing the best, or will even represent the east. I'm of the opinion, assuming they play to their potential, that those two rosters would pose the biggest threat to Oakland. The playoffs will finish this story. The thornier question for Boston is, did their story end before it began? If a championship run is the only way the Celtics can fix this, good luck. All this and more, only in the NBA.

eightychoices.

NBA | Break

All Star Weekend | Charlotte, NC |

NBA All Star weekend has come and gone, and with it, some post-trade deadline laundry was aired out (Anthony Davis needs to be more tactful for his own sake and more mindful of the worker employer dynamic). I thought Diallo's repertoire of dunks were awesome. The three point shootout continues to be the best event, perhaps of the entire weekend. Who knew Joe Harris would take down the elder Curry? Then came the actual game in which Team LeBron fought back to win. The third quarter push with Dame and Klay was fun to watch. The fourth quarter was pretty good too, especially that final lineup of Bron, Kyrie, Harden, Dame and KD. Yikes! The only way that five didn't score was if they missed. Durant lead his team in scoring and was awarded his second All Star MVP. There were subplots for the rumor mill as well, the Kyrie KD whispers make me smile.

As the Association gears up for the last third or so of the season, I wanted to touch on a few topics before games begin again after the break. Below are some hoop thoughts bouncing in my mind.

Eastern Conference

The East is a top heavy foursome, sorry Pacers. Watching how the top seeds in the east shuffle into the playoffs is the second most fascinating storyline as the regular season winds down. More on the most fascinating in a bit. Two to three of these teams will go into the off season supremely disappointed. Their reward for the blood bath battle that will be the second round in the East, and then the ECF. Trying to predict which teams will enter the off season licking unsolved wounds, is anybodies guess. There will be some who will immediately try and rearm themselves, hey Danny Ainge! Either way, it's probably safe to assume that these teams will look different come next year. Maybe even the team that does make The Finals will reshape their roster depending on how their mission went to upset the Death Star. All scenarios are possible.

What is known, is that teams are going for it, just look at the trades made before the deadline. Certain trades in particular reflect the gravity of the post-LeBron era in the Eastern Conference: Gasol to Toronto, Mirotic to Milwaukee and Harris to Philadelphia. The tea leaves tell me that all four teams believe it's possible for them to make The Finals. I'll say this, I wouldn't be surprised by any combination of Philly, Boston, Toronto or Milwaukee in the ECF. I personally believe that the Celtics or Sixers are the only two who could give the Death Star something to worry about. 

MVP's

James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, That's it...

Next two: Nikola Jokic, Damian Lillard

RIP CITY

The Trailblazers are a dark horse threat to take down the Death Star. Rip City and OKC are the two teams out west I think can add some intrigue to the playoffs. It's time the Blazers got some more ink, or at least some more keystrokes. Dame gives the guards in Oakland trouble, he's like Kyrie in that fashion. He has no fear and is a threat from anywhere on the court to score. Al-Farouq Aminu plays hard and will make Durant work. Collins, Layman, Hood and Harkless all have different abilities offensively, and yet they possess enough size and athleticism to compete on defense as well. Plus they all kind of play with an attitude that could give two shits about the all time greatest team from the Bay. Nurkic can at least bang on Boogie and do some high screen and roll, making Cousins work on defense is ideal. Mix in some serious CJ playing out of his gourd, and we could have some drama in the west. There's no easy way to upend the champs, but teams with heart, chemistry and a known system stand a better chance than most. Rip City believes in Rip City.

LA LA LAnd

The NBA hasn't had a playoffs without LeBron since 2005. Think about that. Other than his first two years, he's always made the tournament. That's 13 straight years not counting this Lakers pursuit. Each time he's advanced to the second round at minimum. Nine of his 16 years has seen him competing in The Finals. Whether or not LeBron can get these Lakers into the playoffs, is now the most fascinating story in the NBA. Nothing else is as remotely interesting as how the Lakers regular season unfolds. 

LeBron and the Lakers have 25 games to right a shit ton of wrongs. Not only will he have to play at an MVP level, he may have to broker a peace deal. A negotiation that may, or may not, go over so well with those who were named in the trade. He will then have to motivate this same group as well. It sounds like a lot, because it is. This is the Western Conference, the path he chose. I have faith in him, he's overcome incredible obstacles before, but this one's pretty sticky. There may be a reason the saying is, go west young man. Until proven otherwise, I'll stick with LeBron. Besides, as much as I love Fox and what the Kings are doing in Sacramento, LeBron's capable of catching them and the Clippers. Whether or not he will is the million dollar question. If he can pull them to the seven spot in order to avoid the Dark Side in the first round, that would be herculean. Or maybe it's LeBron-like.

Luka Lone Star

Luka did Houston. His tour continues. The Force is strong in him. Only in the NBA.

eightychoices.

Halfway in the NBA

NBA Midseason Report

Where has the time gone? It's 2017, duh, and the NBA's regular season is pretty much at its halfway point. Most teams have played roughly 40 games at the time I was typing this. Before the start of the NBA calendar I made predictions as to which teams would end up in the top eight spots from each conference. Reviewing those selections is an obvious way to see how my potential playoffs seeds look. I'll also discuss some other NBA topics; who doesn't love the Association? Don't answer that...

In the East I had:
1. Cavs 2. Raptors 3. Celtics 4. Hornets 5. Pistons 6. Pacers 7. Knicks 8. Bucks
In reality the standings look like this...
1. Cavs 2. Raptors 3. Celtics 4. Hawks 5. Pacers 6. Wizards 7. Bucks 8. Hornets

Out West I had:
1. Warriors 2. Spurs 3. Clippers 4. Blazers 5. Jazz 6. Grizzlies 7. Thunder 8. Wolves (ouch)
In reality the standings look like this...
1. Warriors 2. Spurs 3. Rockets 4. Clippers 5. Grizzlies 6. Jazz 7. Thunder 8. Blazers

...So, I hit the top two teams from each conference (not the toughest call). I also had the Celtics in the right place. The Knicks are turning into the dumpster fire I feared they would. Derrick Rose went AWOL and lacked every shred of professionalism. I hope Darth Triangle buys Rose out like SVG did to Josh Smith in Detroit. Rose isn't worth the coin whatsoever. He may also not be capable, both on and off the court. The Pistons and the Dumpster Fires are two teams I had in, who are currently out, which probably won't change. Six of the squads I picked in the East would be in the playoffs. Regardless of seeding, does it really matter after the Celtics? My apologies to the Hawks and Wizards. The ATL was shedding contracts; they definitely helped an in-conference foe, now they seem reluctant to trade Millsap. We'll see what else shakes out leading up to the trade deadline on February 23rd. John Wall is the engine that drives it in the District. The best players find ways to push their team into the playoffs.

If you were betting with me, the West looks pretty solid. I obviously underestimated the revamped Houston Rockets. Holy Shit does James Harden look good in his new offense with systematic position players Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson. It's The Beard or Westbrook for MVP at this point—you can always put LeBron in the conversation as well. I was way to over-zealous on the Wolves, sheesh, they just rip your soul out if you're a fan. I'm actually fearful that Thibodeau's personality and continuous barking is not what the young guys in Minneapolis need/want/respond to. Maybe the Wolves will be players in the trade-market (Rubio anyone?). Portland might need to make a move too. Other than my exclusion of Houston and my T'Wolves inclusion, I'm doing pretty well out West. The playoffs are going to be awesome on this side of the bracket.

I'll dish on some hoops throughout the rest of the season, including some college hoop nuggets along the way. Before the start of the playoffs I'll review the standings one last time. Until then, only in the NBA.

eightychoices.

only in the NBAaahhh

i'm so stoked for the start of a new, full season of nba hoops. the wizards will be in cleveland to tip things off against the cavs tonight at 7:00pm eastern. this will be our first glance at uncle drew's new back court mate and syracuse product, dion waiters. one thing's for sure, kyrie's a baller, he gets buckets. apologies go out to those of you waiting for a less main stream post - it'll happen...

Unlce Drew | Chapter 1

kyrie irving is already a top flight talent, this year he's trying to make a push for the playoffs and probably an all-star game. he's a joy to watch and an ultra competitive gamer who's one of my favorite young players. can you imagine a first round match up in which the heat and cavs meet in a 1 vs. 8?

in miami, the heat play the celtics in a rematch of last years eastern conference finals. it might also be the most sub plot heavy game in recent memory. lebron is now on a mission to ascend into the all time greatest debate, the heat are looking to repeat, wade is presumably back to form after some off season knee rehabbing, ray allen is now on the heat, KG and the truth are pissed, codename rondo hates ray allen, the celtics retooled for one more shot at a title, which is sure to run through miami and we get to see all of this play out on a night where the heat will be given their championship rings. i'm pretty sure most of the celtics won't be on the floor for that. this is almost too much for me to handle, damn i love the male version of a soap opera aka the NBA. this is can't miss tv. the game starts at 8:00pm eastern on tnt.

the final game of the night belongs to los angelos, where the lakers host dallas. it's no secret that i despise the lakers. also high on my never rooting for them list are the mavericks. really the reason to tune in for this one is to see if the newest super team can mesh. regardless of kobe being a game time decision and dirk sitting out, i want a sneak peak at the nash, howard, gasol experiment. ahhh i hate the lakers, why nash, why? this game get underway at 10:30 eastern on tnt. the association returns.


eightychoices.