Tag: NBA (Page 5 of 8)

The Finals

June 14, 2017 / DB

I caught parts of almost every game of the NBA Finals. As compelling as the series was, I just couldn’t lock in for three hours for all five games. Often I would turn the game on only after the girls went to bed, which meant I generally just saw the second halves of the games.

I think that’s a little funny because L is a big Steph Curry and Kevin Durant fan. But she never wanted to watch the games. When we were in Kansas City, I watched game two in one room of our hotel suite while she watched the Disney Channel in the other room. She’d come in during commercials of her shows and find out what the score was, but never sat down to watch. Other nights, she would ask me to tell her the score when the game was over, or in the morning.

Anyway, I don’t have any truly deep thoughts about the series. Doesn’t mean I can’t write a little about it.

As with the past two years, I was pulling for Golden State. I love the way they play, I like most of their players, I really like their coach, and I have a half-assed local tie since I lived a couple freeway exits away from their arena for 11 months in the 1980s. Not that I was a Warriors fan when we lived there; I was a diehard Lakers fan at the time. But, still…

And although I was against the Cavaliers, I couldn’t help but admire the brilliance in their team. LeBron James took the next leap in his legend this year, when folks finally started to entertain the debate of him vs. Michael Jordan as the greatest player ever. He’s not there yet, and who knows if he will ever be. But you can at least have the conversation now with a straight face. Regardless of your thoughts on that comparison, I think he’s firmly put himself in the #2 all time spot. He’s just a remarkable player who, amazingly to me, has never been completely appreciated. Someone has always doubted/hated on him. I think that’s more about the age we live in than about him. But people need to realize there ain’t gonna be another LeBron.

Kyrie Irving might be the most un-guardable guy on the planet.[1] He’s just ridiculous anywhere near the rim. Some of his finishes seem to defy the laws of physics.

JR Smith is something else. A well-documented flake at many times. But he just hits unconscious shots that look effortless when he’s on. A couple of his 3s Monday were of the highest degree of difficulty and barely moved the net.

The Warriors matched all that brilliance with more of their own.

Steph, who is (perhaps) the league’s all-time greatest long distance shooter and is a ridiculously good all-around player.

Klay Thompson, who isn’t too far behind Steph.

Draymond Green, who for all his infuriating moments, makes about 15 hustle plays a night that change the course of the contest.

The overall joy the Warriors play offense with.

And then there’s KD, who may have put up the greatest statistical series in the history of the Finals. He was just bonkers. He does so many things that appear effortless but at the same time impossible because of his alien-like body. Seriously, guys his size should not be able to drill off-balance shots from 25-feet with a defender draped on them. And destroy people in the low post. And get behind the defense on the break for easy dunks. And kill people in transition. We are in the era of the athletic freak. Of them all – LeBron, Russell Westbrook, etc. – KD is the most complete player of the group. Despite being a Texas guy, I’ve always loved his game. I was glad he got a ring.

I hate all this “Super Teams are bad” talk. Um, no they’re not. Right now ESPN is debuting their latest 30 for 30, a three-night series about the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. They may have come together differently due to the labor constraints of the time, but those were Super Teams in the 80s. Anyway, I was also glad KD got a big eff you to the people that killed him for joining the Warriors last summer. He can look at them as say, "They won 73 games last year but couldn’t win a title. Look what the did once I got here. Oh, and pro basketball is about winning, right. Check this ring.”

I loved KD’s interactions with everyone when he was presented the Finals MVP trophy after the game. He had the standard bro-hug for commissioner Adam Silver. He moved on to Bill Russell and offered a very respectful, traditional handshake and was clearly deferring to the legend. And then he turned to the crowd and mugged just a little with the trophy. It was all perfect.

Steve Kerr had the best line of the night when Doris Burke asked him about blending all the talent together into a cohesive unit. “We don’t have that much talent, it was mostly coaching.” I don’t know what his future holds, but I would love it if he either stays in the game or can go back to broadcasting. He’s a great coach, a great broadcaster, and a guy I admire for things that have nothing to do with basketball. I hope his body cooperates and he can do something that fulfills him. But if he has to go out, this isn’t a bad way.

Oh, and Doris Burke is the best sideline reporter in sports. She’s not a former model like so many of the other sideline reporters are. No, she’s a former player, with a deep understanding of the game. And a much better grasp of how to ask questions that elicit interesting and enlightening responses. Her postgame interviews in this series were fantastic, and far from the fluff you typically get in those situations. I don’t think I heard her say “Talk about…” once. I think KD got that, as their exchanges were particularly good.

My constant thought while watching these games is how different the NBA game is than the college game. Most of it has to do with officiating. Guys in college get called for illegal screens for the tiniest infractions. In the NBA, both the screener and screenee lock up, nearly tackle each other, move five feet in the process, and there’s no whistle. You can just kill guards on traps and get away with it. I think NBA officiating is more consistent, but like college refs they realize they can’t call all the fouls they see or else the game will lose its flow and everyone will foul out before the fourth quarter.

The skill level at the next level is so different than in college, too. Everyone can do one thing really well. And they can often do two things really well. If a guy gets the ball at a spot 18 feet from the rim, it’s because he can drill that shot. In college those are air balls when someone who isn’t supposed to have the ball gets it. College is going more-and-more to the current NBA style of bombing away from outside with little regard for traditional inside-out basketball. But those young kids just aren’t skilled enough to do it the way the pros can.

Despite ending in just five games, it was a fun series to watch. Both of these teams are loaded with unique players who are a joy to watch. Countless times in each game there were moments that looked more out of a video game than something living, breathing humans should be able to pull off. Who knows, maybe next year will be the year I watch more than five games all season again. That will depend on what the Pacers end up doing with Paul George, I guess.

Along with LeBron, Durant, and Westbrook. ↩

Dunking on Fools

December 6, 2016 / DB

A couple NBA links this morning.

First, another excellent link to a piece on The Ringer, who is NBA-heavy in content. In this one, Shea Serrano breaks down the five most disrespectful dunks of the young NBA season. Even if you don’t like the NBA, this is a fine article to read through. I hope he continues to do these through the year.

The Disrespectful Dunk Index

Next, and I only have a Twitter link here, the official NBA Twitter account offered up Shawn Kemp’s 47 best dunks in honor of the Reign Man’s 47th birthday last week. There really wasn’t anyone like him back in the day.

Shawn Kemp’s 47 Best Dunks

Hoops: Don’t Hate

November 30, 2016 / DB

It wasn’t that long ago that I abandoned my Friday Links posts. I promised to share interesting links individually, hoping that I wouldn’t get so backed up with things to share and also post a little more often.

I’ve kind of screwed that up. I need to rethink my workflow, obviously, because I keep forgetting about cool things I’ve read.

Anyway, here’s one I meant to share a couple weeks back when the NBA and college basketball seasons began.

Like a lot of former Grantlanders, Mark Titus has landed at Bill Simmons’ new web vehicle, The Ringer. That means the most important college hoops rankings are back for another year! It also means some generally fine basketball writing from the former Ohio State walk-on. He’s had a couple good pieces already. I really enjoyed this one, which addressed the holy war in basketball: NBA fans vs. college fans.

College-Versus-NBA Arguments Are Pointless

Although I greatly prefer the college game, and I have some problems with the NBA game, I agree with most of what he says. Many of the criticisms of the NBA game are based on ignorance and latent racism. It’s the “Blacker” game to many, and thus harder to connect with. Hey, it’s fine if you don’t like the NBA. But being dishonest about what the actually goes on in the NBA isn’t a valid argument against the game. In pure basketball terms, the NBA is clearly a better game. They shoot better, they run better offense, they play better defense, the coaching is better. The skill level is off the charts.

I would much rather watch a college game between two conference rivals on a cold, February Saturday afternoon than just about any NBA game. The emotion on the court and investment by the crowd will almost always be better in a college game. But that’s what I grew up with. I may not love the NBA, but I also don’t hate it.

KD and the Euro

July 7, 2016 / DB

Between swim practices and meets, family visiting, daily errands, and general laziness, I somehow started two posts late last week that I never got around to posting. So much for using interesting links as the jumping-off point for my own writing! We’ll get there, pop. We’ll get there.

Anyway, a couple sports notes.

KD to GS

Man, color me shocked when Kevin Durant announced he was signing with Golden State on Monday. The rumors had been around for months, but they never seemed real to me. I figured he would either re-sign with OKC, or go to an east coast team.

In the wake of his decision, I think there are three camps in moments like these. 1) The jilted fans from a player’s old team, who have every right to be upset. 2) Neutral fans who like the player, and thus are fine with his decision. 3) Neutral fans who do not like the player or the team he goes to, and thus are pissed about his decision.

I’m a big KD fan, and I like the Warriors. So I was just fine with his move. I don’t get all the outrage, though. He handled it way better than LeBron handled his move to Miami.[1] He was respectful of OKC and its fans. He didn’t burn any bridges. And in the end he did what we are supposed to want players to do: he made the move he thinks gives him the best chance to win.

We rip players who sign huge free agent contracts with middling teams that have no chance to win a title. “He’s just out for money and himself!” Durant did exactly the opposite: he signed with the team that just won the most regular season games in NBA history, won a title a year ago, and lost in game seven this year. Yeah, he’s not exactly taking a pay cut to do it, so it’s not like there’s a sacrifice involved. But he’s also entering a situation where he will not be The Man. Which is an amazing thing for a guy who is one of the top three players in the league and won an MVP two years ago.

You don’t have to love the move. But I don’t understand how you can rip it as a sign of everything that’s wrong with the NBA. KD is just as free to make the decision he thinks is best for his career as every other player is.

And all the people saying “Magic never left the Lakers to play with Bird,” or vice versa need to stop. Totally different eras in every single way. How do we know one of them wouldn’t have switched coasts if they had grown up in an era where the elite players all know each other from a decade of summer ball as teenagers and after two generations of free agency have made all pro athletes less loyal to the team that drafts them?

(News broke late Wednesday night that Dwyane Wade will be leaving Miami for Chicago today. I imagine his age plus going to his hometown team will bring a different reaction. What if he had signed with Cleveland, though?[2] I imagine he’s getting more money from Chicago. And the Bulls are certainly a lot farther from an NBA title than the Cavs. Is his move selfish? Shouldn’t he be more concerned with winning? I’m sure all the people who bitched about KD on Tuesday will be ideologically consistent today.)

Euro 2016

I missed much of the quarterfinals, including Italy’s heartbreaking loss to Germany on penalties and Iceland’s dream tournament coming to an end in a first-rate thrashing to France. But even with my Azzurri falling, I had a team to support. I may only be 1/4 or 1/5 or 1/8 Welsh,[3] but since my last name is Welsh, I claim them. And this year’s Wales team making it all the way to the semifinals was a joy to watch. I caught all of the second half of their quarterfinals win over Belgium, which was brilliant. And Wednesday, their fans were in full-throat the entire day against Portugal. Sadly Wales was playing without two key players because of the stupid yellow card rule, had a bad three minutes, and lost 2–0. Since I despise Christiano Ronaldo, and thus the current Portugal team, it was an especially tough loss. Now I’m potentially forced to pull for France in a major tournament final, unless the Germans can knock off the hosts today.

I enjoy European soccer a lot, but I hate how these tournaments often totally change character when the knock-out rounds begin. Teams that pushed forward and made an effort to score in the group stage suddenly pull back and play not to lose as much as to win. It’s so frustrating to watch teams that played beautiful soccer in their first three games pull the throttle way back when a loss means a ticket home. That’s one thing that was so much fun to watch about Spain during their four years of dominance; they always looked to be creative and find chances to score. But most teams are so scared of making a big mistake and falling behind early that they neuter what got them deep into the tournament in the first place.

A decision LeBron acknowledged was a mistake, to his immense credit. ↩
No idea if that was ever a serious possibility. There was discussion of that move on a couple sites, but whether there was substance to the rumor is another thing. ↩
I’m all mixed up, so I have no idea what percentage Welsh, or anything else, I am. ↩

Sunday Sports Spectacular

June 20, 2016 / DB

One of the odder aspects of my life is how, although I love sports and have written about them for money over the past 7–8 years, I watch a lot less sports than I used to. I still watch a lot of football and basketball, but significantly less than I did a decade ago. I watch/listen to probably 80% of Royals games. But I almost never watch the NBA or golf anymore. So a bit of an odd day yesterday when I watched some of both.

First, the NBA finals. I’ve never been a LeBron hater, but I’ve also never really loved him. Admired him? Yes. Appreciated his game? Yep. Defended him against the doubters? Absolutely. But he’s never been my favorite NBA player, either. While I was pleased when he chose to go back to Cleveland two summers ago, I also fell in love with how the Golden State Warriors played ball. The game had long moved toward the perimeter – witness large, rare talents like LeBron, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony who were slashers and jump-shooters, not low-post guys – but the Warriors took that idea to a whole other level. So each of the past two Finals I’ve been pulling for the Dubs to win.

Last night’s finish, though, was the capper on LeBron’s career. It wasn’t always pretty; the last 3–4 minutes were ugly all around. But his three-straight massive games, topped off by his iconic block of an Andre Iguodala layup attempt, should end any doubts about LeBron’s place in history. He won a title without Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh next to him. Yeah, Kyrie Irving is pretty incredible at times, and Kevin Love has his moments. But there’s no way you can say LBJ’s supporting cast in Cleveland was superior to what he had in Miami.

For years the haters have ranted about LeBron not being cold blooded enough to be great on his own. You have to chalk some of that up to the Hot Take era we live in. People deliberately say stupid stuff to get airtime, page clicks, and occasionally even sell a paper. I’m not convinced all the idiots who have railed on LeBron for over a decade really believe their shtick.

What this year did was both prove that he can be as cold-blooded and single-minded as any other all-time great in leading a team to a title, and also show just how unique he is.

This series was over[1], and LeBron, through the sheer force of his personality and immense talents, somehow pulled the Cavs to three-straight wins against the best regular season team in NBA history. A team that had just pulled off its own epic 1–3 comeback in the conference finals. It was Jordonesque, Kobe-like, Bird-ish. The best player both raised his game and took everyone around him up enough notches to change history.

The uniqueness comes in how he has always been willing to share the spotlight. He’s not egoless; no professional athlete is. But I don’t think there’s ever been an all-timer like him willing to set teammates up, to do the dirty work, to play the occasional supporting role, if it meant his team won. Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Kobe were all taking the biggest shot of the game in their primes. LeBron always seemed comfortable letting someone else take that shot, not because he was afraid of the moment, but because SOMEONE ELSE HAD A BETTER SHOT. It was the ultimate good fundamental basketball view of the game, and people have shit on him for it his entire career. Besides, when LeBron wasn’t taking the game’s biggest shot, he was often setting it up, or making the steal/block/rebound that made the shot possible.

The most impressive aspect of the Cavs win, to me, was the emotion LeBron displayed after the game. I think that was a very genuine display, all the frustrations and baggage of every moment since his infamous “Taking my talents to South Beach” coming out at once. Despite being a long-suffering Royals fan who just unloaded 30 years of angst, I have no special affinity for Cleveland fans. It sucks they waited so long, but I would never pull for a Cleveland team to win just because of some shared, Midwestern, inferiority complex. But I thought LeBron’s reaction was great.

Now I did have a problem with him saying that he always gets the toughest path. They were the #1 seed in the East! They roared through the Eastern Conference bracket! Yes, they fell down three games to one in the Finals. But it’s not like they were the eight seed and had to win a bunch of game sevens on the road just to get to the Finals. And let’s not ignore how he has maneuvered to have the roster built to his liking and had a coach he didn’t like fired.

I still don’t really love LeBron. But I admire him more than I already did after his performance over the last week. I’m sure he has some skeletons that his handlers have kept from going public. But, for the most part, he seems like a pretty solid guy. He cares about winning, but also cares about his teammates and the image he displays. He’s taken some strong social stands where other great players refused to. Of all the great players of my lifetime, I’d probably want my kids to most emulate him simply because I think he understands the need for balance in life, and that as important as winning games can be, there are things beyond that.

And a quick note about LeBron’s coach, one of the few athletes from my high school to go on and do great things at the professional level. Tyronn Lue did not have a great series: the latter part of game four in particular was embarrassing. But he adjusted and did what LeBron said, errrrrrrrrr, empowered his players to believe in themselves to make an epic comeback. My only complaint was that he gave his hometown, Mexico, MO, two shout outs in his postgame interview and had none for good, ol’ Raytown High School.

As for the Warriors, that was an epic collapse. Whether it was panic, the Cavs pressure, or just the grind of the last two seasons, they were often awful in the last three games. To use a tennis term, they had the game seven on their racket late and could not close it out. That happens, though. Especially when you’re facing a force of nature like LeBron. I still love their style and hope we have a few more years of the Splash Brothers inspiring awe.

On to golf. I only casually follow the game anymore. I’ll watch some of the Master’s, Sunday of the US Open, and then bits of the British Open. I read enough to know Dustin Johnson’s story, though. I was watching when he pissed away the US Open last year. I like his outwardly languid approach to the game. He looks like a guy who doesn’t get rattled easily based on the way he carries himself. I hate the whole “Best to never win a major” stamp, because it’s not always up to you whether you win or not. You can go out and shoot five under for the weekend at a major, but if someone else goes –8, that doesn’t matter. But I did think it was cool that Johnson shut his critics up.

Even more, it made the current Golden Era of golf, which is just getting going, even more interesting. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Johnson are a pretty good core. Then there are 5–6 guys right behind them that could bust in with their own win at a major. Not sure I’ll watch much more golf, but at least there are plenty of storylines when I do. And they are proving golf can still be interesting, exciting, and entertaining in the post-Tiger age.

“This game is ovah.” ↩

Sports Takes

June 23, 2015 / DB

Some sporting notes.

US Open

I rarely watch golf anymore. Mostly because I haven’t swung a club in over eight years.¹ And when Tiger flamed out I suddenly had no real rooting interest. The wave of new, young players all seemed like only slightly different versions of the same guy. Which, to be fair, is always kind of the case in golf.

But I did watch healthy doses of Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open. I always like it when professional golfers are bitching about the conditions at the Open, for starters. And the late start meant I could watch into the evening.

I was able to watch the last half-hour or so uninterrupted. Which was a solid 30 minutes of televised sports drama. Jordan Spieth has the tournament won, leading by three strokes with two to play. Then, suddenly, he’s tied with Dustin Johnson as he walks to the 18th tee. Then he calmly birdies and heads to the clubhouse to watch Johnson hit a massive drive and perfect approach to give himself an excellent shot to win, and a nearly 100% chance of forcing a playoff. So of course he three-putts to hand the Open to Spieth.
Wacky, wild stuff.

Like I said, I don’t know much about these guys. I know Spieth won the Masters but gets very little credit from other golfers because his game lacks any “Wow” factor. I know Johnson is engaged to Paulina Gretzky, has tons of talent, but may have some self control issues. But if those two, and Rory McIlroy, who I know plenty about, are always in contention in majors, I just might start watching golf a little more.

NBA Finals/LeBron

First off, a pretty entertaining Finals series this year. I love the way both teams made the most of their talent and relied on ball-movement, motion away from the ball, and outside shooting to win. And I really like how NBA referees call the game compared to college refs. There wasn’t a whistle every single possession and replay reviews were much brisker than in college.
I was pulling for the Warriors, because how can you not like Steph Curry and the rest of the Splash Brothers,² but would have been fine with Cleveland winning, too.
Which brings us to the biggest issues following the series: the criticism of LeBron.
Man, people be crazy.
How can you criticize a guy who lost his two best teammates during the playoffs and still willed his team to a 2-1 lead in the Finals? A guy who was a triple-double machine in every game, often before the third quarter had ended. How is he supposed to do more than he did? Yeah, he wilted in the fourth quarter of game six. But it’s shocking he didn’t fall apart sooner given all he was asked to do. Replace him with a second-tier NBA star, and the Cavs were a lottery team after Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving went down.

But because LeBron isn’t the ruthless competitor that Jordan and Kobe were, because he seems to actually treat his teammates with respect and give them the chance to succeed, because he still has moments of humility. Because of all of that, and our Hot Takes media environment, he gets blasted for being 2-4 in his Finals career.

Please.
Oh, and it was very amusing to listen to the ABC broadcasting team tiptoe around the difference in the Warriors this year. Sure, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green developed into key contributors. Steph was the MVP. And Klay Thompson rivaled Russell Westbrook for the league’s best sidekick.

But the real difference was the coach. Firing Mark Jackson, who returned to ABC, and replacing him with Steve Kerr was the biggest factor in Golden State’s improvement. I loved the way Kerr ran his team, made adjustments both within and between games. And I loved how he gave credit to his coaching staff for coming up with ideas for how to change their attack. As a broadcaster, you could always tell he had a great understanding of the game. It’s been cool to see that he can turn that knowledge into great coaching.

It’s a shame that Jackson’s presence on the ABC team kept them from acknowledging Kerr’s effect on the Warriors.

Women’s World Cup

L. and I stayed up to watch the sloppy 2-1 U.S. win over Colombia last night. That was hardly an inspiring effort. Although L. thought the whole thing was pretty cool. She put on her Stars and Stripes hat from her school program and found a red pompom she waved around. She also told me she was going to play in the tournament one day. Although that was only after she said she wanted to play in the MLS. I told her that was only for boys, which was stupid. Since professional women’s soccer can’t seem to survive in the U.S., why shouldn’t she dream of playing in the MLS?

I gave my clubs to a nephew a couple years back. So even if I had the urge to go swing the sticks at a driving range, I have no sticks to swing. ↩
And Brandon Rush gets a ring! ↩

Hot Sports Takes

May 8, 2015 / DB

Takes almost as hot as the weather here in central Indiana.[1]

A-Rod

Wow, the Yankees have made Alex Rodriguez a sympathetic figure, something that seemed impossible.

I love to hate A-Rod, but I also admire his comeback. It would have been easy after his last injury and suspension to just retire and disappear into the void. He could say goodbye to the media, to fans booing him at every at-bat, and to all the drama that has surrounded the last part of his career. I bet he could make a healthy sum if he wrote a book about his years in baseball, too.

But he sucked it up, worked hard to come back, showed up and not only won a spot in the Yankees lineup, but is likely their best player. The cynic will say he’s juicing, popping pills, or doing something else to fuel his hot start. And maybe he is. He certainly has a history of multiple offenses. But, like Barry Bonds, he was also a peerless player before he ever started putting outlawed substances into his body. Maybe this is one last burst of his pure athletic genius coming through.

For the Yankees to continue to grouse about his presence and to insist that they will not pay him the contractually-obligated bonus for passing Willie Mays on the all-time home run list is asinine. Right now, he’s the best story on one of the most surprising teams in the league. He’s driving attendance and the news cycle, for good reasons. He’s making people pay attention to the Yankees. Which is exactly what they wanted when they resigned him.

Shut the hell up and pay the man.

Steph Curry NBA MVP

I don’t know why I’m still surprised by things that Steph Curry does. He’s been amazing us for seven years now.

I think most of us expected him to, maybe, in the best possible case, be a spot shooter in the NBA. He was slight and didn’t appear to be a great athlete. Where Reggie Miller was 6’8’’, Curry checked in at just 6’3’’. No way does his effectiveness in college translate to the NBA, right?

He answered that question quickly, and has been getting better every season since. A perfect shot, that he needs just a millisecond to get off. Amazing dribbling. Astounding passing. When you put his skills with the other guys on the Golden State Warriors, you have one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the NBA.

Just as important, in a year when Kevin Durant was injured and surly, Steph gave us another completely likable NBA superstar. Unless he’s ripping your team’s heart out, of course.

Tom Brady

As I said when Deflategate first broke, whatever was done with the balls during the AFC championship game did not affect the outcome. The Patriots running roughshod over the Colts’ defensive line was as big as any passes Tom Brady completed that day.

I’m fascinated by the transition in the image of Brady, though. He began his career as the underdog hero, someone you could admire even as he was carving your team up. He grew into perhaps the most complete quarterback in the game, and one who always came up big in January.[2] Then he was a brand, or A Brand, complete with supermodel wife, obligatory appearances at ever big event, and cautiously guarded words any time a microphone was near.

Now, though, he’s turned into a first class villain. His petulant screaming at refs anytime he doesn’t like a call. His smugness on and off the field. And now, bending the rules to gain an advantage. I don’t think most people really care about whether the Patriots messed with the air pressure of their footballs. I do think a lot of people look at Brady, though, and think, “Why does he need to do that?”

So I used to admire Brady, and now I dislike him. And I used to hate A-Rod, but now I kind of like him.

What a world, what a world…

Late Breaking: ESPN Does Not Renew Bill Simmons’ Contract

Whoa! Their relationship had obviously been strained over the past couple years, especially surrounding Simmons’ vocal criticisms of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. But you figured they would find a way to make it work, right?

I rarely read Simmons’ columns anymore. I don’t watch movies or much TV, so his newer pop culture references are lost on me. And it got tiring reading through 5000 words that he had likely written before, just in slightly different form.

But the dude changed sports writing for the better. There are more voices now, is a more relaxed tone in general, and are better outlets for finding sports discussion. He (and Will Leitch when he started Deadspin) made sports writing fun and more like talking with your buddies over some beers than like reading the tired, old columnists who dominated most papers and national magazines. His early ESPN years were phenomenal. It was always exciting to see another one of his columns hit ESPN.com. Or see a link to the latest in your inbox from someone else who got to it first.

And while I overlooked his more recent writing, building Grantland was a fantastic accomplishment. There is no better source for quality sports writing – and pop culture writing – right now than Grantland. I hope it continues in the same spirit even without him as head.

Oh, and I bet he lands on his feet somewhere.

Just missed setting a record high yesterday, and in the midst of the longest stretch of temperatures over 80 in May since 2001. ↩
Unlike Peyton Manning, for example. ↩

Hoops Thoughts

August 7, 2014 / DB

A couple hoops thoughts for Thursday.

Wiggins headed to Minnesota

Damn. It’s been pretty obvious, aside from the brief period when Cleveland kidded themselves that they could trade for Kevin Love without giving up Andrew Wiggins, that the #1 pick would be headed to Minneapolis some time before the season began. Still, it sucks for it to, apparently, be going down officially.

Cleveland with LeBron was the perfect spot for Wiggs. He could ease into the game, only having to become Scottie Pippen¹ rather than live up to his Maple Jordan nickname. He could develop his offensive game slowly as his body matured and he learned the tricks of how to score in the NBA. He could focus on being a defensive stopper to relieve pressure on LBJ. And he would likely play deep into the playoffs from the first year of his career.

Now he’s off to a team that has done little right in over a decade, where he’ll be expected to carry a heavier offensive load from opening night. There are other young athletes on the roster, but no established stars who can serve as steadying influences. I hope the expectations/pressures and lack of room to grow slowly doesn’t set Wiggins’ career back.

The trade has been debated all over the place for the last month. You can make an argument that Cleveland would be better served keeping Wiggins. But championship clocks run out faster than anyone expects them to. It makes sense to roll the dice on winning titles now with the LBJ-Love-Irving trio now rather than waiting for Wiggins and Bennett to blossom and potentially win a bunch down the road. There are no guarantees any of those players remain healthy, develop as expected, or even maintain their current levels of play.

Either way, it still probably isn’t enough to make Cleveland a clear favorite for the NBA title next year. One of the favorites, yes. But Chicago, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City will still have a lot to say about it.

Greg Oden arrested

Double damn. Oden always seemed like a decent guy. He was blessed with a tiny window when he was an effective player, winning three Indiana state titles and leading Ohio State to the national title game before his body gave out. He’s become a punchline, along with Sam Bowie, for the reasons to never draft a big man with leg issues.² Which I’ve always thought was unfair. Oden didn’t ask for his injuries to happen. His body simply disintegrated on him, unable to deal with the rigors of playing every-other-night for six months. He never whined or indulged in public self-pity.

It seems like he immediately took responsibility for his actions earlier today. Which does not excuse them, nor absolve him of the consequences that come with them. It’s just a shame this is another negative that people are going to remember about a guy that is already a symbol for professional underachievers.

Still no easy task, of course. ↩
Joel Embiid says hello! ↩

Hot Sports Takes, Part 2

July 14, 2014 / DB

Back for part two.

LeBron

I figured there was a good chance that LeBron would flee Miami for Cleveland when he opted out of his contract. That didn’t mean it still wasn’t a shock when the news officially broke that he was heading home for the next phase of his career.

I hated the first Decision and the premature celebration in Miami that came with it. I rooted against the Heat every step of the way the last four seasons. But I never hated LeBron.

One day, maybe soon, we’ll learn of the flaws in the man that every other celebrity has. But, for the most part, he is the ideal modern star. He plays hard every game. He’s a good teammate. He handles himself well off the court. His biggest fault may be whining about calls on the court, but show me an NBA superstar in the modern era who hasn’t done the same thing.

So it’s kind of fun to be able to officially like LeBron again. Anyone who chooses Cleveland over the other options he had deserves props, local native or not.

My immediate fear was that the Cavaliers might use Andrew Wiggins as the center of a trade to get Minnesota’s Kevin Love. That may still happen, but for now the Cleveland front office claims they have no plans to move Wiggs. Of course, what else are they going to say?

Still, it’s going to be crazy fun watching Wiggins apprentice at the foot of LBJ. When was the last time there was a pairing of the top player in the game with perhaps the best young talent in the game? I’m not sure Shaq and Kobe count as Jordan was still playing at the time. Jordan and Pippen don’t count because no one expected Pipped to become an all-time player. Kareem and Magic in LA, I guess? As many have pointed out, keeping Wiggins is a winning move for both players. He is more likely to become an elite defensive player before he becomes an elite scorer. That takes pressure off of LeBron to guard the best wing each night. And LeBron’s scoring takes the pressure off of Wiggins to immediately score 22 a night. He can ease into the pros, score in the low teens while he develops his shot, gets some moves, gets stronger and smarter all while grabbing 6-7 boards a night, getting a few steals, and shutting down guys on defense.

I may have to go see the Cavaliers when they come to Indy this season.

I didn’t even think of that angle until Sunday. “Oh yeah,” I realized, “the Cavaliers are in the same division as the Pacers.” That complicates the Pacers mini-rebuild a bit, doesn’t it?

Larry Bird was again aggressive early in the NBA free agency period, working to rebuild the Pacers bench. Which is fine, but I don’t think the bench in their problem. They need a point guard. They need a scorer who can compliment Paul George. They need another big body with David West aging and not knowing which Roy Hibbert will show up next year. I don’t think new bench parts will do the trick, especially when a couple of Bird’s big signings a year ago barely played.

Miami is out of the way, but Cleveland and Chicago should be much better next year. The Pacers might finish third in their division rather than roll through with the #1 seed again.

Royals

Well, the All Star Break has arrived and the Royals are in second place. Of course, they’re 6.5 games back in the division and 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race. Three weeks after owning a 1.5 game lead in the division. Their best pitcher is out for another two weeks. Other than that glorious 10-game winning streak, they can’t hit consistently through the entire lineup.

Since they dropped five of seven immediately after the winning streak that vaulted them into first place, I’ve had a feeling of dread about the team. They may get hot again, but I fear that will just do what their August run of last year did: give the appearance of competitiveness without actually contending for a playoff spot. They may stay within a few games of the second Wild Card spot. But I have no faith in them being able to make a charge ahead of the pack and claim one of those spots.

Another wasted summer for Kansas City baseball fans.

Sports Be Bummin’ Me Out, Yo

June 23, 2014 / DB

That title is how I think L., the most hip-hop of my girls, might describe the past week’s worth of sports for me. There have been a few bummers. Let’s break it down, in reverse order.

I’ve watched five minutes of the World Cup.¹ Those five minutes were the last five minutes of the US – Portugal game. We were at my in-laws’ house, I was following the game on my phone, and saw the US had gone up 2-1 late. I scrambled to their TV, found ESPN, and prepared to watch the the US clinched a spot in the round of 16.

Whoops. Hello, Jinx!

I hate Christiano Ronaldo. Hate him. But his pass to Silvestre Varela, who headed it in to snatch the late tie, was a thing of absolute beauty. On the run, with defensive pressure, he fires a ball forward and across the field, curling it around the US back line and right into Varela’s path. It was an utterly amazing.

It was a tie that felt like a loss for the US. They had a European power beaten, were through from the Group of Death, and had found ways to win two games late. And then it was gone. They can still get through, but it will take help. It will be a travesty if Ghana hammers Portugal and get through after the US finally beat them a week ago.

One other quick Cup thought: the Holland – Mexico Round of 16 game could be epic. Both sides are playing very well, with Holland being the most dominant team of the round robin stage. Feels like the team that comes out of this one plays Argentina in the semi-finals.

OK, back to the bummers. The Royals. I was set to write something about their hot streak and how they were, improbably back in the AL Central race after their 10-game winning streak. Then they promptly lost four-straight and fell back into second.

And as I type this, they’re beating Zack Greinke.

I guess they’re proving the Internet adage that you can’t predict baseball.

We’ll table the Royals talk for a few more days, to see how this week goes, but it was a huge bummer of a weekend after their great stretch before that.

Finally, Joel Embiid’s latest injury.

What a bummer. He’s still going to be a rich man after the draft. But not nearly as rich as everyone thought he would be. And he now has the stigma of falling into the Bill Walton, Sam Bowie, Greg Oden list of big men with bad wheels who saw their careers cut short.

I really hope he heals and can have a long, successful career. And there’s a part of me that still thinks that anyone who passes on him is insane. I think the math remains the same with him. He has the highest ceiling of anyone in the draft. Even in the age of the marginalized low post player, Jojo could be the most dominant player in the NBA, should his best-case scenario come to pass. Both Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker could be very, very good players. But neither will ever be the best guy in the league.

I know general managers are all about assessing risk and making the smart choice, sometimes passing on the highest potential payoff because of the dangers that come with it. A guy who scores 18 points a game for five years might not be sexy, but he’s better than a guy who shows flashes of dominance but can never stay healthy. Or at least he is to a GM worried about making the pick that costs him his job.

I hope Jojo heals and plays for years not because I want to see what he can do with more experience, more strength, more basketball knowledge. Not just because KU needs another dominant pro with Paul Pierce’s career winding down. I want him on the court in the NBA so I can have more of those moments that I had this past winter, when he would do something ridiculous on the court and I would just start laughing in amazement.

More on the draft, of course, later this week. It’s tradition, after all!

Remember, we are currenly experimenting with the cable-free lifestyle. I’d be watching every game if we still had ESPN. ↩