Category Archives: Basketball

Basketball, Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

Are the Monstars the Most Overrated Basketball Team of All-Time?

In the era of NBA superteams, a popular…meme (?) is to visualize such teams like the Monstars. For any basketball fans who haven’t seen Space Jam (I’m assuming single digits here), the Monstars were a group of aliens from Moron Mountain. Mr. Swackhammer was looking for a new attraction for Moron Mountain as it was not profitable anymore and looked to add the Looney Tunes. Bugs Bunny accepted a challenge for a basketball game to determine the Tunes fate, but not before the aliens stole the powers of several NBA players (we’ll get to that). Bugs went out and kidnapped Michael Jordan and convinced him to play for the Tunes (already making Bugs a top tier GM, for what it’s worth).

                The idea is that the Monstars are this big favorite, and it’s why the Warriors are jokingly compared to them. But for anyone who really knows basketball, it’s clear the Monstars built a deeply flawed basketball team that never stood a chance against MJ. So here are seven reasons that the Monstars are the most overrated basketball team of all-time. Note, I am assuming that since the story took place when Michael Jordan was off playing baseball, the events of Space Jam took place after the 93-94 season, but I’ll refer to 94-95 a bit. Also for reference, the Monstars are Pound (Charles Barkley), Bang (Larry Johnson), Nawt (Muggsy Bogues), Bupkis (Patrick Ewing) and Blanko (Shawn Bradley). I am also including the box score of “the Ultimate Game” at the end of the article.

                1. The Monstars Didn’t Consider Team Building at All, They Just Put Together Some Stars

                A lesson later proven with the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, you can’t just put together a bunch of stars and expect to put together beautiful basketball. The Monstars have one defensive force (Ewing). Bogues at least could come up with steals, but he’s not exactly Gary Payton. Otherwise we have defensive zeros (Barkley, LJ) and someone who probably was posterized more than anyone else in NBA history (Bradley, although he’s defensively underrated I guess). Perimeter defense is a disaster here (LJ or Barkley at SG?!)

                Outside shooting is also a mess. Bradley obviously contributes nothing there. Ewing had a nice outside game for a center, but not from three-point land. Bogues shot just 16% from three in ’94 (27.8% for his career, although he randomly has a 41.7% season on decent attempts later on). Johnson hadn’t cracked 30% from three yet at this point, although he would get up to 38.6% in ’95, a solid number. Barkley’s coming off a 27% season and never cracked 34% in his career (26.6% total). So far we have a below average defensive and outside shooting team.

                Lastly, where’s the passing going to come from? While the offense can definitely flow through Barkley (4.6 APG in ’94), we have no other real playmakers other than Bogues. Ewing’s weakness was passing out of the post (as, according to Jack McCallum wrote in Dream Team, MJ would tease Ewing about often and cited that as the reason Ewing couldn’t win a ring). LJ could get some assists as well, but watching him I think it’s clear that passing the ball wasn’t a priority. Shawn Bradley is Shawn Bradley.

                Overall, the main offense focus of the Monstars would be inside scoring with three inside scorers, Bradley and Bogues. Would that even work in the NBA today? For what it’s worth, the actual game against MJ and the Looney Tunes had Ewing and Barkley score 71 of the Monstars 77 points. LJ had 6 while Bogues and Bradley didn’t score a point (or take a shot). Bogues had six assists at least.

This is the greatest team of all-time?

2. The Monstars had Shawn Bradley on the Team

                Nothing reads best team of all-time like Shawn Bradley at center. While Bradley is a bit of an underrated talent, his rookie season averages in ’94 of 10 PPG, 6 RPG and 3 BPG weren’t scaring anyone. You hard do you think MJ laughed when he read the script and saw that the Monstars had Shawn Bradley at center? I also think it had to be a joke that Bradley’s character is named Blanko, and he failed to record a single stat in the entire game.

I doubt MJ was concerned about Shawn Bradley

3. The Monstars had a Clear Talent Advantage, And Allowed Some Embarrassing Baskets

                Despite the Monstars having Bradley and the Tunes having MJ, the Monstars clearly had a massive talent advantage on paper. Afterall, Bugs, Lola et al. never had even played a game of basketball before. While we knew this would be all MJ for the Tunes coming in, he got some contributions from the supporting cast that the Monstars simply have no excuse for. Lola Bunny dropped 8 on 4/4 FG. Bugs had 10 with a few assists. Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Pepé Le Pew all managed baskets (if only the Monstars stole Gary Payton’s powers).

                The defensive contributions of the Looney Tunes were also somewhat impressive. Bupkis/Ewing got his shot blocked by Wile E. Coyote’s dynamite (interestingly, Wile E. isn’t credited with the block. I’m sure that screwed up some people’s fantasy teams). The Looney Tunes stepped up and the Monstars allowed a lot of characters without the same basketball pedigree to beat them. Very embarrassing.

Where’s the defense?!

4. The Monstars Allowed Newman From Seinfeld (Stan) To Score A Basket

                Worth its own section. This is more embarrassing than Fudd or Le Pew for sure. The Monstars fouled him and all but it didn’t matter. This was a clutch basket as it put the Tunes within one point as well.

This guy was able to hit a clutch shot? NEWMAN!

5. The Monstars Blew a 66-18 Half-Time Lead

                Ouch. Worst yet, they scored 11 points in the 2nd half, which means the Tunes let up less in the 2nd half than the Stars let up in the 1st half. It’s worth noting that while allowing 18 in a half is impressive, scoring 66 is truthfully nothing special in a game like this. MJ is great, but is he really come back down 48 at the half great? Speaking of which…

6. Jordan Didn’t Have Pippen, and He Won Anyway

                Michael Jordan didn’t even have his trusty superstar wingman with him here. I know a lot of people like to say Jordan couldn’t win without Pippen, but the proof is right here. We don’t know how Lola Bunny’s skills would translate to today’s game, but I doubt it would be at the level of Scottie. Teams have taken down Jordan before (the ’86 Celtics, ’95 Magic). The Monstars, like the Trail Blazers and Suns before them, and the Sonics and Jazz after, couldn’t.

“Nah, I think I’ll let Scottie sit this one out”

7. Perhaps the Most Overlooked Reason That Shows The Monstars Are Overrated: No Monstar Has Ever Won a Ring.

                The biggest mistake of the aliens? Picking players who couldn’t get the job done. Barkley got close but Jordan took him down in ’93. Ewing just failed in ’94, and Jordan had stopped him plenty of times. Closest LJ would get is being a role player for the ’99 Knicks when they lost in the Finals. Bradley and Bogues never sniffed a ring. We understand how important the ring is for historical purposes…so how can this team be considered so great when all of its players never won it all? (MJ had won three at this point).

No Monstar has one

                The Looney Tunes were the favorite as soon as they got MJ. Don’t let anyone else tell you differently.

The box score.
Basketball

A Quick Preview of the 2018-2019 NBA Season

Yes, I know I am a day late. But hey, the NBA season began two weeks earlier! What can I do?

Eastern Conference

  1. Boston Celtics (60-22): As much as everyone wants to push the narrative that the East is wide open, the Celtics are far and away the best team in the Conference. Remember they almost went to the Finals missing Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Undervalued as the favorite in the Eastern Conference. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are only going to be better, and Al Horford is an experienced playoff banger who doesn’t have to face LeBron anymore.
  2. Philadelphia 76ers (53-29): Still the future of the East obviously. Still disappointed I picked them to beat Boston in the playoffs last year. They’ll need Markelle Fultz to figure things out to challenge Boston.
  3. Milwaukee Bucks (50-32): Hate to say it, but I think Giannis is leaving. But he’ll finish this season with Milwaukee and they’ll lose to Boston at some point, if not Philly. They only improvements will come from Giannis and Khris Middleton.
  4. Toronto Raptors (49-33): Following things that worry me about Toronto: Kawhi Leonard’s commitment to the team (and how healthy is he really?), Kyle Lowry and his disappointed with DeMar DeRozan being gone and a new head coach. Despite the talent upgrade this feels like another disappointment in Toronto.
  5. Indiana Pacers (48-34): Exciting team that looks quite good in the post PG era. Fully expect them to be in the mix again and wouldn’t shock me if they were better than this. I think a lack of a true stretch four will hinder them. Not sold on Tyreke Evans being a positive either.
  6. Washington Wizards (44-38): The Wizards are who they are. Although theoretically Dwight Howard should make them better, I think we’ve played that game enough to see how that works over the past few years.
  7. Miami Heat (42-40): Toughest one for me to judge because I feel like Jimmy Butler will end up here. Hassan Whiteside could always get it together I guess. A well coaches team that has just enough to be good but won’t bottom out.
  8. Detroit Pistons (36-46): The rest of the East is a bit of a mess. Detroit is not a well-structured team and every season I’m down about bad their spacing should be. And with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin in the frountcourt, that spacing should be worse than ever.
  9. Cleveland Cavaliers (34-48): I don’t expect Kevin Love to revert to his pre-Cavs self, but he should allow Cleveland to win some games. Don’t be surprised if he’s traded at the half-way point though.
  10. Charlotte Hornets (33-49): Sounds about right. Going to be weird seeing Tony Parker in a uniform that isn’t the San Antonio Spurs.
  11. Chicago Bulls (31-51): Jabari Parker is an interesting offensive addition, and Wendell Carter should be a decent piece. While Chicago seems like a team on the rise, I wonder about the money Zach LaVine just got though.
  12. Brooklyn Nets (30-52): Getting rid of Mozgov is a plus. Sad Jeremy Lin didn’t make it. Upcoming Free agency is huge for the Nets.
  13. Orlando Magic (27-55): A long way to go here. Aaron Gordon is pretty much the only exciting piece on this mess of a franchise.
  14. New York Knicks (25-57): I am truthfully ecstatic for the Knicks to be honest. Finally, a real rebuilding process! Only took 18 years.
  15. Atlanta Hawks (17-65): Another rebuild. If Doncic becomes the man though they would have set themselves back a bit.

Western Conference

  1. Golden State Warriors (63-19): The chemistry cracks are showing, but there’s way too much talent here to think they’ll fall off much. I think they get another ring in June, especially because…
  2. Houston Rockets (56-26): …the Rockets replaced Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute with Carmelo Anthony. That’s going to be quite the hit on the Rockets defense. Chris Paul isn’t getting younger either.
  3. Los Angeles Lakers (52-30): I kinda have to see LeBron fail before I drop a team led by him to an under 50 win prediction. Team is a bit of a mess to be honest (Rajon Rondo should not be starting over Lonzo Ball), so I expect a slow start. But it’ll fix itself by the end.
  4. Utah Jazz (51-31): Love the way this team is built, especially on defense, but unless Donovan Mitchell becomes a true big time scorer this is their ceiling.
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-32): They should be better without Carmelo Anthony’s inefficient offense gobbling up possessions, but Dennis Schroder isn’t anything to write home about either so it feels like a wash.
  6. New Orleans Pelicans (48-34): Anthony Davis should make a strong MVP candidate this season. West is just stacked. There’s just not much else here except Nikola Mirotic. Davis and Mirotic is a better combo than Davis and Cousins, for what it’s worth.
  7. San Antonio Spurs (47-35): Fun fact, there is one NBA team this season that has two players were on either All-1st or All-2nd NBA teams last season. And that team is the Spurs (Aldridge and DeRozan). They are practically adding DeRozan for free compared to last year (as Leonard barely played), so all this missed playoffs stuff is nuts. I actually wish I had some courage and ranked them higher.
  8. Portland Trail Blazers (46-36): I was a bit underwhelmed by how they finished last season, and losing Ed Davis isn’t a positive thing either.
  9. Denver Nuggets (43-39): Fun team that could break out. Jamal Murray might be a real keeper.
  10. Minnesota Timberwolves (41-41): What a mess. Jimmy Butler doesn’t want to be there and while I am a big fan of KAT, Wolves need Butler to be good. I think he ends up in Miami before the trade deadline.
  11. Dallas Mavericks (38-44): A bit under the radar. Dirk Nowitzki can still play at a decent level, and if he matches last season’s production that’s a solid role piece. DeAndre Jordan is a sneaky grab. Let’s see how far along Dennis Smith is, and if Luka is the real deal.
  12. Los Angeles Clippers (33-49): Not going to lie, I have no idea what happens here this season except they won’t make the playoffs. They could bottom out to 15-67 and I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ll guess Doc Rivers does what he can to win games and then leaves/gets fired (despite the contract extension).
  13. Memphis Grizzlies (32-50): Kudos to the Grizzlies for still going against the grain with the Mike Conley-Marc Gasol combo. If Conley stays healthy they should be a bit better than last year.
  14. Sacramento Kings (28-54): I like Fox and Bagley. Team is a disaster otherwise.
  15. Phoenix Suns (23-59): Devin Booker had more PPG than Suns’ wins last season. I know that the Suns want to win or something, but unless DeAndre Ayton is a monster right away, which I doubt, it isn’t happening.

Warriors over Celtics in 7 in the Finals. Boston is better than people are giving credit for.

Basketball

Top 100 NBA Players of All-Time: 2018 Revision

We are a few weeks removed from the NBA Finals and its result shook the foundation of my Top 100 (and should have shaken everyone’s Top lists). So let’s look through my Top 100 and see what’s changed.

Dropped out: No One…AD is coming though.

As time goes on, new players get in. And that means someone has to drop out.

100. Tim Hardaway
99. Manu Ginobili
98. Alonzo Mourning
97. Dikembe Mutombo
96. Yao Ming
95. Vince Carter
94. Carmelo Anthony – To say he did nothing this season to raise his position is an understatement.
93. Kevin Johnson
92. Shawn Kemp
91. Robert Horry

No changes here.

90. Chris Mullin
89. Bob Dandridge
88. Paul Westphal
87. Dan Issel
86. Artis Gilmore
85. Tracy McGrady (-1)
84. Joe Dumars (-1)
83. Sidney Moncrief (-1)
82. Lenny Wilkins (-1)
81. Earl Monroe (-1)

Someone rose through the ranks.

80. Tony Parker (-1)
79. Chris Webber (-1)
78. David Thompson (-1)
77. Jerry Lucas (-1)
76. Pete Maravich (-1)
75. Dwight Howard (-2) – Charlotte just dumped him for Mozgov. MOZGOV! His early career stuff will always be great, but things just went downhill from LA on.
74. Russell Westbrook – He got elite help, averaged another triple-double and promptly lost in Round 1 again. Can we agree that his style of play is damaging to winning a NBA Championship at this point? Dwight’s damaged his own rep so much I felt Westbrook could pass him at least.
73. Chris Bosh (-1)
72. Dennis Rodman (-1)
71. Adrian Dantley (-1)

Only change is Westbrook-Dwight swap.

70. Alex English (-1)
69. Bob McAdoo (-1)
68. Tom Heihnson (-1)
67. Tiny Archibald (-1)
66. Pau Gasol (-1) – Great career. His peak was amazing.
65. Reggie Miller (-1)
64. Bill Sharmin (-1)
63. Dave Debusschere (-1)
62. Robert Parish (-1)
61. Bernard King (-1)

No movement here.

60. Elvin Hayes (-1)
59. Dolph Schayes (-1)
58. Paul Arizin (-1)
57. Dominique Wilkins (-1)
56. Billy Cunningham (-1)
55. Hal Greer (-1)
54. Nate Thurmond (-1)
53. Wes Unseld (-1)
52. James Harden (+33) – The NBA MVP! He was one game away from the Finals against a Warriors team that would destroy the Cavs the next round. Even looked competent on defense at times. Sky is the limit for Harden, especially if Paul sticks around and can stay healthy. Heck if Paul were healthy, we could be talking about the NBA Champs right now. Shame.
51. James Worthy (-1)

Another player rose in the rankings, which is why Worthy drops one spot.

50. Dennis Johnson (-1)
49. Bill Walton (-1)
48. Ray Allen (-1)
47. Chauncey Billups (-1)
46. George Gervin (-1)
45. Sam Jones (-1)
44. Clyde Drexler (-1)
43. George Mikan (-1)
42. Jason Kidd (-1)
41. Paul Pierce (-1)

Everyone dropped one spot because of the rising player.

40. Allen Iverson (-1)
39. Gary Payton (-1)
38. Patrick Ewing (-1)
37. Dave Cowens (-1)
36. Steve Nash (-1)
35. Kevin McHale (-1)
34. Walt Frazier (-1)
33. Willis Reed (-1)
32. Rick Barry (-1)
31. Bob Cousy (-1)

Someone moved up.

30. John Stockon (-1)
29. Chris Paul (+22) – Almost as good as you could expect. Made a Mike D’Antoni-James Harden team great on defense. Was able to share the ball with Harden, which was a big concern. Got a team to a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals, only to get injuried and watch the Rockets lose games 6 and 7. Put up a 41-10-7 with 8 threes to finally get past Round 2. If only he stayed healthy we’d probably be talking about his Top 20 candidacy. What a shame.
28. David Robinson
27. Elgin Baylor
26. John Havlicek
25. Bob Pettit
24. Scottie Pippen
23. Isiah Thomas
22. Dwyane Wade – Whacky season for Wade. Done as an impact player, and unfortunately didn’t jive with LeBron’s Cavs.
Curry moved up and we are still taking into account the other player who moved up, which explains all the drops.
21. Karl Malone (-1)

Curry’s moved up.

20. Charles Barkley (-1)
19. Julius Erving (-2)
18. Stephen Curry (+3) – Got hurt so didn’t get a full season, but still was great when he played. Set a NBA Finals game record for threes and had a legit case for NBA Finals MVP.
17. Oscar Robertson (-1)
16. Wilt Chamberlain (-1)
15. Kevin Garnett (-1)
14. Dirk Nowitzki (-1)
13. Jerry West (-1)
12. Kevin Durant (+6) – He’s knocking on the door of the Top 10 and put a huge Game 3 away in Cleveland. That’s two rings, but of course the discussion will be about how he got them as opposed to him actually owning while he got them.
11. Moses Malone

Curry is in, Durant is getting awfully close to the Top 10.

10. Kobe Bryant
9. Hakeem Olajuwon
8. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Larry Bird
6. Tim Duncan
5. Magic Johnson
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Bill Russell (-1)
2. LeBron James (+1) – It’s time. LeBron’s 2018 playoffs were ridiculous and while it’s disappointing he got swept, it shouldn’t knock dragging this team to the Finals. Jeff Green was his 2nd best guy in Game 7 vs Boston. Jeff Green! He hit a bunch of game winners. Had some ridiculous statlines. He inched closer to Jordan, but unfortunately he’s quite old to just be inching. Still, it’s remarkable.
1. Michael Jordan

Basketball

2017-2018 NBA Season Predictions

The Path to Warriors-Cavs IV? Sure it looks likely, but we’ll see. Sure was a crazy off-season.

Atlantic Division

Celtics: 53-29 (2)

Raptors: 46-36 (5)

Sixers: 30-52

Knicks: 26-56

Nets: 25-57

                Boston I think is pretty obvious for the top of the Atlantic (it was less obvious last year when I called it). Sure it may take time to integrate Hayward and Kyrie, and the defense overall has some holes losing Avery Bradley. But come on, it’s the East. Toronto is trying this new three pointers everywhere thing, which would be fine if they actually had good three point shooters. There’s enough talent there though to be in the thick of things again. I would love to give the Sixers a huge 2010 Thunder leap, but I’m sorry there is nothing that makes me think Joel Embiid can play anything resembling a full NBA schedule. Which is a shame, because he could be a difference maker. Knicks are thankfully past the Carmelo era and should be bad, but again wins are just going to appear in the East. A potential defensive disaster with Hardaway Jr. and Kanter too. The Nets should show some signs of life, and I’m sure if you ignore FG% D’Angelo Russell will be a fun fantasy guy, but we have a long way to go here.

Central Division

Cavaliers: 54-28 (1)

Bucks: 49-33 (4)

Pistons: 38-44 (8)

Pacers: 32-50

Bulls: 21-61

                Maybe the Cavs actually fall behind the Bucks in the standings but once it becomes playoff time, it won’t matter. Giannis might just be the future, and the Bucks have a cool (and long) team otherwise. They might be the 18-19 team to be honest. Detroit is kind of a mess and unless Andre Drummond wants to become the star I thought he would be a few years ago I don’t see them really getting past this point (Reggie Jackson at one time was probably the most overrated player in the league). Like Milwaukee, Indiana has a future star on their hands in Turner, but once again we’re not there yet. Giving the Bulls 21 wins might be high. I’m calling it now though, Lauri Markkanen will at least be a solid player in this league and not a complete disaster.

Southeast Division

Wizards: 51-31 (3)

Hornets: 43-39 (6)

Heat: 42-40 (7)

Magic: 28-54

Hawks: 23-59

                Washington definitely has an outside shot at the Finals. They almost beat Boston, and if the Cavs aren’t ready with IT2 it could happen. The Wall+Beal combo is good, not great, but good in the Eastern Conference gets you far. The Hornets’ Steve Clifford is a very good coach and while Dwight will probably be the same cohesion destroyer he’s been since he left Orlando, his rim protection should help a lot. Miami was the hottest team in basketball somehow, finishing at 30-11. There’s some flukiness to that though, especially when you are relying on Dion Waiters as part of that equations. The Hawks join the Knicks, Nets and Bulls in the “jeeze these teams are bad” club for the East.

Northwest Division

Thunder: 54-28 (4)

Timberwolves: 50-32 (5)

Nuggets: 45-37 (6)

Trail Blazers: 43-39 (7)

Jazz: 37-45

                A real tough division here. I don’t even think OKC is guaranteed the top of the division. Westbrook-Carmelo-George is of course a sexy trio in name value, but I’m not sure how they are all supposed to work together on offense. Carmelo will probably be fine to be honest, finally in a role that makes sense (third best player on his team, potentially hot offensive option that can win games). If his ego is fine with that, then that works perfectly. Can George be a good off the ball weapon? We all know Westbrook will be handling at all times. The rest of the team is a dumpster fire though. Minnesota could be a crazy surprise if Jimmy Butler is the superstar he was turning into in Chicago. Butler, KAT, Wiggins, so much potential for a great season here. I could see them beating OKC in a playoff series too. Denver has some cool additions this season too, specifically Paul Millsap. Him and Jokic are an exciting front court that should have Denver’s offense at an elite level all season. Portland is kinda stuck where they are, with one really good guard, one good guard and a lot of pieces. I don’t know how they get better. Utah should be good defensively with Gobert, but I’m not sure where the offense is supposed to come from.

Pacific Division

Warriors: 69-13 (1)

Clippers: 40-42

Lakers: 38-44

Suns: 28-54

Kings: 27-55

                Obviously Golden State. There’s a lot of random hype about the Clippers, and I love the Danilo Gallinari addition, but come on now, you don’t drop Chris Paul and expect to be close to the level you were at before. Lakers have a lot of exciting young pieces and I think will surprise. Ball is probably going to be a fun offensive option in the passing game and I think Brandon Ingram will look a lot better. Brook Lopez, while flawed, is still a notable addition too. The Suns have Devin Booker so there’s that. The Kings have who I think can win Rookie of the Year in Fox…although who knows who’s playing how much in Sacramento. Apparently Vince Carter started some pre-season games. Vince Carter!

Southwest Division

Rockets: 62-20 (2)

Spurs: 59-23 (3)

Pelicans: 42-40 (8)

Mavericks: 39-43

Grizzlies: 36-46

                There’s no way you can sell me on a Mike D’Antoni team led by Chris Paul being bad. For all the talk that James Harden can’t play off the ball he was fine in Oklahoma City. Too bad they’ll probably lose to the Spurs in Round 2. Speaking of the Spurs, sure I have questions about LaMarcus Aldridge, but Leonard (my MVP last year) is there and he’s a destructive force at both ends of the floor. It’s not just that I don’t completely believe in the Anthony Davis-DeMarcus Cousins pairing (because of Cousins), but what they surround them with isn’t good. Jrue Holliday gets all the credit in the world for a fluke All-Star game appearance five years ago in a bad East. He’s not good. Dallas has nice young pieces (Smith and Noel) and the aging Dirk, but that’s not nearly enough. Expect Mike Conley and Marc Gasol to be on the trade block, because Memphis is a shell of its former self and I don’t see their old school style succeeding…although I said that last year.

                Warriors over Cavs in 5 again!

Basketball

It’s Not the Players To Blame…

Criticizing Kevin Durant for leaving the Thunder to play for the 73-9 Warriors isn’t fair.

Oh yeah, it was an unpopular choice for sure. The idea that Durant, at the time the third best player in basketball, would join a 73 win team that had the second best player in the basketball and an entire array of basketball talent was disappointing (to say the least) from a competitive standpoint. When you play basketball in the playground, you never want to stack the team on one side. What fun is that? Legends like Magic, Larry and Michael talked about how they never would have joined one another, they wanted to beat one another. Quite frankly, it seemed like Durant, and LeBron before him (and others) took the coward’s way out. But they didn’t. They did the right thing. And it isn’t their fault that it had to happen that way. I’ll wait until the end of the article about whose fault it is. But first, let’s go through the reasons of why you can’t blame them for making the moves they made.

                Fair or not, everything’s measured through the Championship.

Maybe if Ewing somehow played with MJ instead of against him we’d remember him in a more positive, different light.

                As a New York Knicks fan, I’ve toyed with the idea that Patrick Ewing was overrated and the Knicks played better without him (the Ewing theory). But that’s not fair. He’s properly rated (mostly outside of New York) and the Knicks franchise hasn’t been the same since he left. But his legacy is of course, that he wasn’t good enough to be the best player for a title team. His failures are measured more than his successes. How about Kevin Garnett? What would we think of his career if he hadn’t left Minnesota and never won that title in Boston? Charles Barkley and Karl Malone are known as two of Michael Jordan’s victims. Dirk Nowitzki played out of his freakin mind to shed the label of a playoff choker. Heck, fans killed Kobe for not winning his own ring until 2009, even though he had three with Shaq. Some guys move to get their rings. Some guys don’t. Would we be criticizing Steve Nash’s MVPs if he had won the title during one of them?

There’s no reason players shouldn’t go out and have the best career they possibly could.

You think Bosh preferred this or carrying subpar Raptor teams to 40 wins every year?

                So how much does legacy mean to these players? For some of them it matters greatly. In fact, I’d argue the biggest difference between players then and players now is that players then cared about their legacy (especially MJ) and now, not so much. They care about their brands now. And you know what, I totally agree. Right now there are people who think Kevin Durant is the best player in basketball. And that’s GREAT for the Kevin Durant brand. If he could guarantee that by going to Golden State, good for him! LeBron thought playing for the Miami Heat was best for him and his brand. We all trashed him for doing it, but he came out of Miami as someone who’s compared to Michael Jordan without someone blinking an eye. He came out of it as the undisputed best player in the world. Does that happen in Cleveland? You think LeBron came back to Cleveland just for the loyalty? No, he came back because it was his best shot at a title. And he was right. These players are grown adults and, like any one of us, should be doing what’s best for themselves. What’s best for their families. What’s best for their money and brand. You think Chris Bosh really cares that people called him soft when joining Miami after those four years changed his career? Why do these adults owe the fans? Because the fans pay money to see them play and buy their gear?

Past players didn’t have to go through what players do today.

Of course Bird wouldn’t have to leave McHale and Parish to win…

Let’s put it this way, if there were 30 teams in basketball in the 80s, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would have been carrying shit franchises just like LeBron had to. Magic, Bird and MJ can all talk about being loyal and wanting to beat one another, but they also either had stacked teams (McHale, Parish, DJ for Bird, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar for Magic…and both teams had good role players) or in MJ’s case, was delivered elite-great talent. One of the reason fans are loyal to Kobe is because he allegedly had that old school mentality of being loyal. Of course, that was fiction, Kobe demanded a trade in 2008, rejected going to Chicago for Luol Deng and Ben Gordon cause he thought the Bulls were demolishing their team, and only stayed as the Lakers delivered Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum finally came around. I don’t see Kobe carrying around 45 win teams throughout the late 2000s, let’s just say that (I think there’s some truth for that with MJ too). So, the lesson from the Kobe situation is…

It’s the owners’ fault, not the players.

                Let’s look at the major players that switched to “better” teams. Even the ones that weren’t criticized much for it.

LeBron James

The Decision was embarrassing sure. But what exactly did Cleveland do to keep LeBron around? He carried an absolutely dreadful 2007 Cavs team to the Finals. Let’s actually look at that team for a second. 2nd scorer? Larry Hughes. Hughes the very next year was one of the joke contract New York Knicks. After that we have Drew Gooden, knucklehead that never reached his potential. You had a past his prime Ilgauskas. Role playing Anderson Varejao. Eric Snow was the starting point guard and averaged a whopping 4 and 4 in 23 MPG that season on 42% shooting. Without LeBron this team is at best 25-57. And this was a FINALS team. Let’s see what moves Cleveland made to bring in that Scottie Pippen or Pau Gasol.

For the next season, they added a washed up Ben Wallace and decent shooter Wally Szczerbiak. Both were complete non-factors.

Not quite Scottie Pippen is it…

For 08-09, the Cavs make a big splash by adding scorer Mo Williams! Mo has the best year of his career and makes an All-Star Team. Of course, Williams isn’t a difference maker at all, never made an All-NBA team in his life, never sniffed an All-Star Game before or after this year and shot under 35% in four of the six games against Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals. But hey, it’s something!

The next year, the Cavs add a 36 year old Shaquille O’Neal, who missed half the season and was a complete non-factor. They also add Antawn Jamison. Jamison, always a one way player at this point would seem to be the difference maker. Well, my favorite Jamison Cavs memory is making 2010 Kevin Garnett look like 2008 Kevin Garnett in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals (a big difference, KG was a 14/7 guy in 2010 after surgery in 2009. KG never scored less than 18 in this series, with a huge 22-12 on 11/19 in the clincher. And Jamison was his primary defender). Jamison was also poor in the series as well.

A 33 year old scorer with no defense and a point guard who had one good (not great, but good) year was the best they could do. And we blame LeBron for leaving?

Chris Paul

Can’t forget about CP3, who demanded a trade to LA and only didn’t get hell for it because of the Laker veto situation that made David Stern to be the bigger evil. Paul had a good team around him as the Hornets were excellent in 07-08. David West was a solid big man. Peja Stojakovic was at the end of his prime, but still a sharpshooter. Tyson Chandler just came around as a defensive and rebounding force (and would win the title with Dallas in that role, as well as help New York become relevant again). Bonzi Wells and Morris Peterson were effective pieces too. This Hornets team was a game away from the Western Conference Finals.

The next year Chandler only plays half the season and Peja slips. Hornets don’t improve personnel wise in any way. Peterson becomes a 12 MPG guy, and Wells is gone. Hornets fall into a losing in Round 1 team.

Chris Paul gets hurt, but the team remains relatively unchanged other than trading Chandler for Emeka Okafor, who was a one way guy (on defense) his whole career. Chandler for Okafor makes sense when you look at the statline. Of course, Chandler was (and is) a much better player than Okafor. Two emerging young players come to light though, Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison.

Collison is traded for Trevor Ariza and midway Thornton is traded for Carl Landry. Hornets are stuck as a First Round team again, although with an injured West Paul takes the Lakers to six games anyway (one of the best forgotten one man shows in recent NBA history).

Switching out a bunch of role players, trading Chandler for Okafor. Way to trap Chris Paul on a one and done team. And you wonder why he wanted to play for the Lakers…and didn’t mind the Clippers with Blake Griffin.

Dwight Howard

Dwight had led the 2009 Magic to a surprising NBA Finals berth. Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson were all interesting options around him, especially since Dwight wasn’t one to take a lot of shots. Still, this is what Orlando built for Dwight.

Orlando admittedly takes a good shot with Vince Carter. Unfortunately, it’s a past his prime Vince Carter. Magic lose in the ECF.

Carter continues to be a non-factor, Turkoglu is losing his edge, Lewis only played 25 games (and was probably off PEDs). Jason Richardson was a decent addition I guess. To get Dwight elite help the Magic laughably added Gilbert Arenas, who was beyond done at this point.

Penny and T-Mac should be embarrassed their jersey number was used here.

Ryan Anderson emerges as a viable option while Nelson, Turkoglu and Richardson all regress. Arenas, Carter and Lewis are all gone.

Past his prime Vince Carter, a done Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson. Just the elite star Dwight was looking for. (Although, to be fair, Dwight is a headcase anyway).

Kevin Durant

Ahha, how can I spin Kevin Durant into this conversation? He just left the guy who won MVP! Well let me ask you something. If your owner, if your boss told you he was going to put money ahead of building a better team or organization. How would you feel? You’d potentially want to leave, right? Well, I present to you the following:

James Harden: October 27, 2012: Traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder with Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Houston Rockets for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, a 2013 1st round draft pick (Steven Adams was later selected), a 2013 2nd round draft pick (Alex Abrines was later selected) and a 2014 1st round draft pick (Mitch McGary was later selected).

Why was that done? Because OKC didn’t want to go over the luxury tax to pay Harden. You know, the guy who was top three in the MVP race this year. He immediately made the Rockets a Western Conference force. And it was thought Harden was good at that point too. The Thunder put money over winning the title, there’s no way around that. And if Oklahoma City wasn’t serious about winning the title…

….how can I blame Kevin Durant for going to a team that was?

Basketball

Top 100 NBA Players Of All Time – 2017 Revision

Let’s look through my Top 100 and see what’s changed.

Dropped out: Tom Chambers

As time goes on, new players get in. And that means someone has to drop out.

100. Tim Hardaway (-1)

99. Manu Ginobili (-1) – Despite a throwback playoff performance, Manu is obviously done.

98. Alonzo Mourning (-1)

97. Dikembe Mutombo (-1)

96. Yao Ming (-1) – Every day I think Yao is more underrated than I realized.

95. Vince Carter (-1) – I feel like I have to re-evaluate Carter in the future. Is he really better than Mutombo, Mourning, Yao? I wrote the same thing last year.

94. Carmelo Anthony (-1) – It’s kinda a pathetic spot for Melo at this point. The East is an all-time train wreck, and he still isn’t good enough to get the Knicks to the playoffs.

93. Kevin Johnson (-1)

92. Shawn Kemp (-1)

91. Robert Horry (-1)

Everyone dropped a spot as the new player is in the 80s.

90. Chris Mullin (-1)

89. Bob Dandridge (-1)

88. Paul Westphal (-1)

87. Dan Issel (-1)

86. Artis Gilmore (-1)

85. James Harden (NEW) – Big year for Harden, but there was some criticism of his playoff performance against the Spurs. Rockets are a real threat next year though, and Harden can skyrocket through these rankings.

84. Tracy McGrady (-1)

83. Joe Dumars (-1)

82. Sidney Moncrief (-1)

81. Lenny Wilkins (-1)

Harden is the new player, but someone else rose, which is why 84-81 dropped a spot too.

80. Earl Monroe (-1)

79. Tony Parker (-1) – Another Spur who is pretty much done. Great career though.

78. Chris Webber (-1)

77. David Thompson (-1)

76. Jerry Lucas (-1)

75. Pete Maravich (-1)

74. Russell Westbrook (+10) – I’m mixed on Westbrook’s year. His average of a triple double with 30 PPG is impressive, but also an overrated achievement (not unlike Oscar, actually), his team didn’t win anything despite those statistics (lost in Round 1). His advanced metrics were good, not great for the year. I mean, the MVP matters and such, but let’s just no go crazy here. Basketball stats in 2017 are out of whack as it is.

73. Dwight Howard – Seriously, after what he was traded for how can anyone argue he would be any higher? His peak years in Orlando were seriously impressive, but he’s just someone who didn’t want it enough.

72. Chris Bosh – What a shame about Bosh.

71. Dennis Rodman

Westbrook’s the new addition.

70. Adrian Dantley

69. Alex English

68. Bob McAdoo

67. Tom Heihnson

66. Tiny Archibald

65. Pau Gasol – Gasol didn’t do much for San Antonio to consider moving him up.

64. Reggie Miller

63. Bill Sharmin

62. Dave Debusschere

61. Robert Parish

No movement here. Only one that can change their legacy is Gasol.

60. Bernard King

59. Elvin Hayes

58. Dolph Schayes

57. Paul Arizin

56. Dominique Wilkins

55. Billy Cunningham

54. Hal Greer

53. Nate Thurmond

52. Wes Unseld

51. Chris Paul – I just can’t look past how his teams never succeed in the playoffs.

I really don’t know what to do with CP3. If he can’t get past Round 2 with James Harden next year I don’t know what to think. A big playoff run would skyrocket him in these rankings, because that is all he’s missing really.

50. James Worthy

49. Dennis Johnson

48. Bill Walton

47. Ray Allen

46. Chauncey Billups

45. George Gervin

44. Sam Jones

43. Clyde Drexler

42. George Mikan

41. Jason Kidd

No one moved here. Everyone’s retired.

40. Paul Pierce

39. Allen Iverson

38. Gary Payton

37. Patrick Ewing

36. Dave Cowens

35. Steve Nash

34. Kevin McHale (-1)

33. Walt Frazier (-1)

32. Willis Reed (-1)

31. Rick Barry (-1)

Someone moved up. We’ll get there.

30. Bob Cousy (-1)

29. John Stockton (-1)

28. David Robinson (-2)

27. Elgin Baylor (-2)

26. John Havlicek (-2)

25. Bob Pettit (-2)

24. Scottie Pippen (-2)

23. Isiah Thomas (-2)

22. Dwyane Wade (-2) – Not a difference maker anymore. Still an effective player and could still have some amazing season to put him back in the Top 20, but it’s really unlikely.

21. Stephen Curry (+6) – It was an interesting year for Curry. Very rarely do we see the two time reigning MVP suddenly take a backseat to someone else. But Curry did it without complaint and it worked. It was still a great season for Curry, although even advanced metrically he dropped off. Still, it won’t take much to break into the Top 20 at this point.

Curry moved up and we are still taking into account the other player who moved up, which explains all the drops.

20. Karl Malone (-1)

19. Charles Barkley (-1)

18. Kevin Durant (+16) – Well then. I’d actually put him higher, but let’s be honest his supporting cast was ridiculously stacked. But Durant did become the alpha dog on this Warriors championship team, taking the team away from Stephen Curry, and that can’t be ignored either. Destined for the Top 10 to be honest.

17. Julius Erving

16. Oscar Robertson

15. Wilt Chamberlain

14. Kevin Garnett

13. Dirk Nowitzki – Dirk was okay this year, which isn’t bad. He still intends to play and a strong playoff run can get him as high as 11th on this list, depending on where Durant ends up.

12. Jerry West

11. Moses Malone

Durant is on the charge, but otherwise no changes. Only Dirk can change his legacy really, other than Durant.

10. Kobe Bryant

9. Hakeem Olajuwon

8. Shaquille O’Neal

7. Larry Bird

6. Tim Duncan

5. Magic Johnson

4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

3. LeBron James

2. Bill Russell

1. Michael Jordan

Really, nothing changes based off of what I said last year. Had LeBron been able to knock off this insane Warriors team, he’d be #2 and with an eye on MJ. But, great as performance as he had, it didn’t happen. Still need to see ring #4 before I’m taking him over the greatest winner in league history…or MJ for that matter.

Basketball

The Disappointing State of the NBA All-Star Game

My favorite All-Star game among the four sports is a mess.

          Don’t get me wrong. Apparently the NBA All-Star Game and the weekend as a whole is a success. Early reports stated that ratings for the weekend have been at its highest point in four years. Which perhaps is all that matters.

          But watching the game last night? Watching 24 (estimate, way too lazy to look up just how many players were in the game) of the greatest basketball talents in the world drift through the game like it was a random scrimmage rings empty and hollow. And ultimately disappointing.

          All-Star games aren’t supposed to matter. They are exhibitions. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be meaningful in some way. Those who watch or attend want to see exciting plays from their favorite players, and since this is a game, want to see a winner. This couldn’t be more apparent than at the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star game, which infamously and embarrassingly ended in a 7-7 tie as both teams ran out of available players. Major League Baseball decided that beginning in 2003 the best idea would be to bastardize their world championship each year by having homefield in the World Series be decided by the result of the All-Star Game. Combine that with the other silly rule about each time having a representative in the All-Star Game and you can’t help by laugh at Major League Baseball. The NFL is no better, although this is less of a fault of the NFL. The game resembles a flag football game by necessity as no one wants to risk injury. This didn’t stop the NFL from messing around with its locations and rules anyway. And I’m not quite sure what’s going on with the NHL’s All-Star game other than it seems to be a four team tournament or something. Whatever.

          But the NBA’s All-Star Game? It was pretty perfect all things considered. It obviously had some problems by All-Star Game standards: fan voting, players not going all out for 100% of the time, etc. But the nature of basketball means player competitive juices flow at all times. In no other league can you have 10 of the best players in the world on the court at the same time looking to beat one another. Individual pride is something that seems to matter more in the NBA than any other big sport. And if the game was close, things got good at the end.

          Want proof? Remember in 2013 when Kobe blocked LeBron over and over in the final few minutes? Commentary told us how this was Kobe’s chance to remind LeBron who the best was. LeBron of course got heckled the year before in the 2012 All-Star Game when LeBron passed off a potential game winning shot to Deron Williams. We all cared about that one too. (Side note: One of the hecklers was Kobe…which was funny since he did the same thing in 2001). Speaking of Kobe, how about his coming out party in the 1998 All-Star Game? Knowing all eyes were on him and that he had Michael Jordan on the other side of the ball, Kobe showed off his best moves to show he arrived. What about in 1987, where Magic Johnson, looking to win at all costs, fed Tom Chambers in the pick and roll down the stretch to win the game? How upset were all of us when Michael Jordan’s potential winner in 2003 was ruined by Jermaine O’Neal’s dumb foul on Kobe? My favorite example of this is in 2001. The East were big underdogs because the West had all these monsters (Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, etc.) and the East were led by guards. Only Dikembe Mutombo did all the big man work (22 rebounds) and the East completed a comeback because Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury refused to let them lose. That’s what I miss about the NBA All-Star Game.

          But last night? It was all about getting the hometown boy the MVP with his 50 points and breaking a Wilt record. Or some Durant vs. Westbrook drama that didn’t go anywhere. Last night there was no one challenging LeBron like Kobe did in 2013, or like Kobe challenged MJ in 1998 (Side Note to this too: MJ did win the Game MVP, so he accepted the challenge obviously). The game was close in the 4th, and Reggie Miller kept bring up during commentary that “this is where the game usually buckles down and players play hard”. Only they didn’t. Someday a team will drop 200 (we’re getting pretty close now). Or even an individual player will drop 100. Maybe NBA fans will like that.

          I’ll just be thinking about when players actually had some pride.

Basketball

2016-2017 NBA Predictions!

It’s finally time for some NBA basketball! Last season was historic for plenty of reasons as Golden State broke the 96 Bulls’ record for wins with 73…but fell to LeBron and the Cavs in the NBA Finals. Of course, for the city of Cleveland that was historic of itself. Other crazy stuff happened too…like Kevin Durant joining those Warriors and spurning the Oklahoma City Thunder (can we just make the late 90s Magic/2010s Thunder comparison documentary now). Dwyane Wade also switched teams to Chicago. The Knicks also built an alleged superteam, even though all of those guys peaked from 2010 through 2013. We also had one stacked retirement class in Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Amar’e Stoudemire and Elton Brand. Sadly, Chris Bosh may be added to that if he isn’t cleared to compete. Sorry for the spoilers, but all of this is just going to lead to Warriors-Cavs III anyway. Yeah the NBA is predictable, but when that predictability gets toppled (like the Cavs beating the Warriors) those moments are incredible.

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics forward Al Horford holds up a jersey during a media availability at the team's practice facility, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Waltham, Mass. Horford agreed to a four-year, $113 million deal with the Celtics as an unrestricted free agent, ending nearly ten years with the Atlanta Hawks. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Celtics: 51-31 (2)
Raptors: 42-40 (7)
Knicks: 41-41 (8)
76ers: 18-64
Nets: 13-69

Boston is correctly the off-season darling as they are a well coached team (President Stevens!), added Al Horford and already have a solid team overall. There are a lot of Cavs hangover-Celtics in the Finals predictions, but Boston will probably lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to Cleveland. Even though Toronto was a good team last year (and I didn’t even believe in them), the team will go as far as Kyle Lowry takes them and I don’t really know what to make of DeMar Derozan. I sense he’s that good stats guy who’s not really that great. The Knicks might have been a title contender in 2011, but Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah just isn’t going to make for a high profile offense at this point. They’ll have their nights for sure. But Noah has been one of the worst offensive centers in his last full season (and he was good at one time), and all he’s going to do it logjam the middle for Melo and Rose (and Brandon Jennings), none of whom are great outside shooters although Melo gets hot once in a while. The 76ers still have a long way to go and I sadly believe Embiid, great as he’s looked, has Greg Oden injury potential written all over him. The Nets are the laughing stock everyone predicted when they traded their future for old Paul Pierce and old Kevin Garnett.

Central Division

20117lebron

Cavaliers: 54-28 (1)
Pacers: 49-33 (3)
Pistons: 45-37 (5)
Bulls: 40-42
Bucks: 29-53

Once again, there are a lot of “Cavalier hangover” articles out there, but they’ll get over it before the playoffs anyway. I mean this is a team that overcame a mid-season coaching change and beat the greatest regular season team ever. Yeah, maybe LeBron is slightly past his prime, but so was Jordan in the 2nd three-peat and that worked out fine. They are going to the Finals again. Paul George was great in his return season and I see no reason he won’t be better next year, and in the East that’s enough. They almost beat the Raptors in Round 1 afterall. Detroit is a team that I need to see get it done before I can put them higher, but Andre Drummond has best center in the league potential. He just needs to hit a free throw. Putting the Knicks over the Bulls might have been homerism from me…but Chicago has a lot of the same issues the Knicks have in regards to spacing, and it may actually be worse. They’ll miss Pau Gasol too. I know the Bucks have Giannis, but he seems more highlight reel worthy than actually leading to wins.

Southeast Division

Feb 11, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Wizards: 45-37 (4)
Hawks: 43-39 (6)
Hornets: 33-49
Magic: 32-50
Heat: 31-51

What a mess of a division. I think it’s time for John Wall to put up or shut up. He has the talent to be an elite guy, but whether he will be is another question. The Hawks mainly dropped Horford for Dwight Howard. I think there’s some homerun upside here…but it’s probably leading to a small regression. Hornets are one of the teams I don’t believe in this year. Kemba Walker had a good year and all, but just look at that roster. I think it falls apart. Serge Ibaka isn’t going to lead to wins for a Magic team with no identity. The Heat are a mess. Goran Dragic gets another chance I guess to make something happen and return to All-NBA 3rd Team form, but Hassan Whiteside is either really good or deceptively bad, Chris Bosh is gone and I think Miami has to start from scratch.

Northwest Division

2017westbrook

Thunder: 50-32 (4)
Utah Jazz: 49-33 (5)
Timberwolves: 48-34 (6)
Trail Blazers: 42-40
Nuggets: 28-54

The Thunder will still be there because Russell Westbrook is a Top 5 guy. Victor Oladipo may find a new lease on life playing with him too. And you know Westbrook is determined to show he can do it without Durant. Utah’s put all the pieces together over the last five years and it should finally show something. Minnesota has Tom Thibodeau as coach and an exciting young core led by KAT. They remind me of the 09-10 Thunder. Portland looked good thanks to a big year from Lillard and big improvement from CJ McCollum, but all the pieces fell in place perfectly last year for them just to end up at 44-38 (bad Anthony Davis year, no Wolves, Rockets falling apart). The Nuggets are just there and that’s the best way to describe them at the moment.

Pacific Division

2017warriors

Warriors: 64-18 (1)
Clippers: 52-30 (3)
Kings: 40-42
Lakers: 36-46
Suns: 30-52

I was absolutely wrong about how this division would shake out last year. This year it’s clear the Warriors will be at the top adding Kevin Durant, and they’ll settle for a nice 60+ win season while probably resting key guys down the stretch. That’s because the Clippers have peaked (and really peaked in the 14-15 season). While Blake Griffin should be amazing now and Chris Paul is still the best pure point guard, the chemistry isn’t there anymore and all the Blake trade rumors from last year has to take its toll. I think it may be time to start over really. The Kings will improve because Cousins is hitting his prime, although the roster is still a mess. Lakers should automatically improve without having Kobe on the roster and adding Ingram. I know I picked D’Angelo Russell as ROTY last year, but I think the toxic Laker make-up cost him that chance. Not much to be happy about post Goran Dragic with the Suns to be honest.

Southwest Division

Feb 4, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) watches on during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Rockets: 53-29 (2)
Spurs: 48-34 (7)
Pelicans: 45-37 (8)
Mavericks: 41-41
Grizzlies: 34-48

The Rockets ended up being an embarrassing division winning prediction last year, but I love the idea of a Mike D’Antoni coached James Harden point guard team. If Harden can be efficient, he may swipe MVP. Chemistry should only be better too. The LaMarcus Aldrige grumblings have already begun. Gregg Popovich is an amazing coach and the Spurs still seem stacked, but Gasol is on his last legs, Aldridge is unhappy and I want to see Kawhi Leonard be the man. I think that post Duncan era regression begins slowly. Anthony Davis got a shooter in Buddy Hield, but either a star needs to be put with him or we need to prepare for Davis to leave New Orleans in a few years. It’s too late for the Mavericks. And we are way past the correct era for the Grizzlies with their $153 Million man to succeed.

Warriors over Cavs in 7 for the title. I think LeBron is top 3 all time…but the Warriors just added Kevin Durant for free. Imagine if Jordan had to run into the 98 Jazz but they added Grant Hill or something? This is actually worse!

Basketball

Sports Oddities: Michael Adams

odditiesadams

This series of articles (looking to do it bi-weekly…but have failed at that) focuses on a bizarre or oddball statistical anomaly that played in professional sports. I probably will run out of players to do this with eventually though.

Only three players in NBA history have had a season where they averaged at least 26 points per game and 10 assists per game. Oscar Robertson did it during his statistical dominance in the early 1960s. Tiny Archibald did it during his famous (or infamous?) season where he led the league in PPG and APG. The third guy? It wasn’t a big name like Michael Jordan or Jerry West. No, not even close.

The third guy was Michael Adams.

How did this happen? Before the 1990-1991 NBA season Adams’ previously had a season PPG high of 15.5 and 6.3 APG. Not even close to his crazy 26.5 PPG, 10.5 APG season in 90-91. Adams didn’t even get recognition for these seemingly MVP level stats either, as he didn’t make an All-NBA or even All-Star team. What Adams was a product of was the Paul Westhead insane pace play no defense Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets scored 118 PPG but let up over 130.

The box scores against the Nuggets were insane. A few games into the season the Phoenix Suns dropped 107 on them…in the first half (and 173 total). Nine times they allowed over 150 points in a game, all in regulation. Too bad fantasy sports didn’t exist back then, streaming against and owning Nuggets would have been all the rage.

As for Adams, he got to be the star (along with Orlando Woolridge) of this team and as a result got the big stats. But to be fair to him, he played for the Bullets the next year, put up a solid 18-7 and made the 1992 All-Star Game. He looks rather out of place in the All-Star Game…but he got there at least, right?

Basketball

Sports Oddities: Yinka Dare

This series of articles (looking to do it bi-weekly) focuses on a bizzaro or oddball statistical anomaly that played in professional sports. I probably will run out of players to do this with eventually though. This is the 2nd edition of Sports Oddities!

With a mid-1st round pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets selected Nigerian Yinka Dare. By the time he was eligible for the NBA draft he wasn’t an unknown. He averaged a 13-10 for George Washington University and had led them to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

To be blunt, Yinka Dare was objectively terrible in the NBA. Some of that seemed like bad luck as in his first game of his rookie season he tore his ACL in just three minutes of action. The Nets seemingly gave up on him already as they left him exposed in the 1995 expansion draft (Toronto and Vancouver wisely passed). In his first real season he shot 44% and averaged 2.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG in about 10 MPG.

And he didn’t register one assist.

Not one.

He set the NBA Record for most games played in a season without registering an assist (58).

So yes, he was quite the punchline at this point.  It wouldn’t be until his 78th game, a game against the Raptors, until he’d record one. He’d record four total assists in his entire career. The video above was about 10 games before he’d finally record an assist.

Four career assists against 96 career turnovers? In recent times Dare’s name had come up again as Hassan Whiteside started his career with 26 games without an assist. Still nothing like the Dare though.