basketballphd

[basketballphd]

Derrick Rose Reminds Me Why I Love Basketball…And Why Everything is Complicated

Since today is election day, I figure it would be appropriate to reflect on the ways that the basketball intersects with real life. No moment is ever singular unto itself. Everything connects. Everything is complicated. Vote like someone’s life depends on it.

I wasn’t watching the game last week when the Timberwolves played against the Utah Jazz. It was on League Pass and wouldn’t have been a priority game even if I had access to it (Do you know how expensive LP is?), especially since I knew Jimmy Butler wasn’t playing due to “general soreness,” (aka, trade-me-itis). But I had on NBA TV that night to catch the league highlights. When I tuned in, Derrick Rose had not only scored the game winner, to match a great defensive stop on the other end, he had eclipsed his previous career high score with 50 points.

My first thoughts were surprise and excitement. Despite the fact Rose is only 30 years old and it was an early regular season game, it felt a little like hearing a grizzled vet had gone off on his last game at the end of his NBA career. It was perhaps more exciting than even that. Rose has struggled with injuries the last several years of his career, going from the NBA’s youngest ever MVP in 2011 to NBA journeyman seemingly overnight, suffering setback after setback.

And while I missed this game, I did see the playoff game when he tore his ACL in 2012. I remember it pretty vividly: The Bulls were about to win the first game of what looked to be an easy series against the 76ers led by Andre Iguodala. I remember thinking it was odd that Rose was still in the game that late when it was clear it was over. And then I remember him being down on the ground and knowing that the Bulls’ season was over. And it was. The Sixers went on to win the series and Rose was never quite the same. He suffered more leg injuries and even some mental setbacks, having to take leaves of absence during his stops with the Knicks and the Cavs.

For him to score 50 after all of that was amazing. Outstanding. I can’t think of anyone coming back after a major injury and putting up those kinds of numbers. Even Kobe’s 60 in his last game (also against the Jazz) wasn’t as impressive. Kobe put up a lot of shots to get that 60 and the offense (and, frankly the Jazz defense) facilitated his night. Rose was incredibly efficient, shooting over 60% for the night. It was stunning. I, for one, thought he should have retired last year after his ill-fated Cavs stint, but his resurgence is extraordinary. He’s contributing to this controversy riddled Timberwolves team and helping keep them relevant, something I don’t think anyone thought was possible at this stage in his career.

Rose cried in his post-game interview. You could see all of that he had overcome wash over him. And it washed over me. All I could think of was how amazing this moment was. That this was why I love this game. This. Overcoming the odds to do something incredible.

The next day, I was reminded that in all that he’d “overcome,” some of it was self-inflicted. Commentators began to put Rose’s performance in its full context, most of which I had, to my shame, forgotten. Not only had Rose suffered injuries, but in the last few years had been accused of participating in a gang sexual assault of a female acquaintance. You can find more information on the case here, but needless to say, the details of the case are distressing. And Rose’s deposition is downright frightening in its implications.

Over the next few days, sports media tried to find a way to talk about Rose’s accomplishment and this case, only for the social media sphere to respond with anger. Most of the negative responses amounted to criticisms like “let’s just focus on the moment” and “Every time a Black man does anything, ya’ll gotta bring up the past,” as if this case was a just another hurdle Rose had to jump. But it wasn’t. And it isn’t irrelevant. The civil case was eligible for appeal the same week Rose dropped 50, and according to Rachel Nichols, Rose’s accuser intends to file it.40

We can’t pretend that the justice system is only unfair when it criminalizes those we see as innocent and vindicates those we believe are guilty. Our justice system is biased at all times. And to be clear, Rose was not declared innocent in a criminal trial. He was only declared non-liable in a civil proceeding. Neither the refusal to press criminal charges nor the result of the civil trial indicates Rose’s guilt or innocence.

All of this makes me reflect on my own choices and the compromises we all make. I can feel self-righteous about my distaste for the politics and the violence of the NFL, but I need not look far to recognize that the NBA is only better by degree. The NBA had their national anthem controversy decades ago, blackballing Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and installing a rule that still stands requiring players who come out on the court to stand. It, like the NFL, too often turns a blind eye to sexual harassment and violation until forced to reckon with it publicly. Mark Cuban and the Mavericks were forced to reckon with this publicly within this calendar year. It ignores racism, too, only ejecting Donald Sterling after a racist recording emerged in public rather than handling him when accused of refusing to promote people of color within the Clippers organization or after a series of successful lawsuits alleging housing discrimination.

I’m not going to pretend that I don’t feel a twinge in the back of my mind when I, like every good Laker fan, joins the Kobe praise chorus. When it comes to this game, he’s my guy. No one has ever made me feel like he did when he played basketball. But yet and still, the decades-old assault accusation lingers there for me to face every time I “ooh” and “ahh” over one of his moves.

I believe women. I do. And while I enjoy the game and the moments it provides, like Rose’s unexpected 50, I can’t pretend that the NBA is somehow a utopia free from the conflicts of the real world. It isn’t. There is no place where we can “just stick to sports.” These so-called “escapes” and what we invest in and believe about them often reveal more about who we are than anything else. While basketball is just a game, the issues it exposes are not and Derrick Rose’s incredible night just put a spotlight on one of the places some of us would prefer to stay dark.

[basketballphd]

Oooh, They Fightin’!

Folks, we had us a real-life fight in the NBA on last Sunday night and I have to say I am surprised and excited. I am not proponent of violence, but since no one got hurt, it’s ok, right? I mean, did you see it?

I, of course, was watching the game intently, my Lakers against the hometown Rockets. And everything seemed to be running smoothly, you know. The Lakers were awful defensively, James Harden was making lazy passes, the usual. And the next thing I know, dudes are scrapping. And to my surprise, its Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo. Like most of you, I had no idea those two had beef, but apparently it has been brewing since at least 2008 when Rondo was on that team that won that championship (I will never let 2008 go) and Paul was languishing in New Orleans. The issue seems to be that Rondo thinks he’s that guy while Paul has been given all the breaks. And Rondo decided to give Paul a couple of breaks on Sunday.

Now let’s backtrack: This whole thing started with Brandon Ingram who shoved James Harden in the back after, admittedly, a bad foul call. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why he was so mad. The word is Ingram felt like Harden was hamming it up and the officials were buying it (I can believe it) and that Ingram, on the other hand, was getting pushed around with no whistles (check on how few times the Lakers have been to line compared to their opponents. I can believe that, too.) And when that phantom foul came, Ingram was done and pushed off on Harden. It wasn’t a hard shove, but he shouldn’t have done it. From there, everybody made bad decision after bad decision

After Ingram got the deserved technical foul for the push, he was all in the referee’s grill as though he was prepared to swing. He should have been thrown out right then, but the ref let it go and to all of our surprise, Lance Stephenson came him to be the peacemaker. Who woulda thunk it, huh? But to make it even weirder, both Paul and Rondo decided that this was the moment to get into each other’s faces and that’s when it got crazy. Again, I watched this moment at least 20 times and saw nothing until that slow-motion cam got Rondo legit spitting in CP3’s face. And y’all, I want to make it perfectly clear I’m not advocating for violence. But. Chris should have punched him right then. Full stop. Whether or not Rondo did it on purpose (and I think he did) makes no difference to me. You don’t get close enough where you spitting on me like that is even possible. But, instead of a punch, Paul, clearly thinking we were still in “We don’t fight in the NBA” mode, shoved a finger in Rondo’s face. Rondo responded as one does in those situations: He kindly offered Paul a hot two piece and a biscuit. And Paul got his licks in, too, obviously. And then Ingram decides he’s going to go full fool and come in swinging. The fight was swiftly broken up, landing Paul with a (undeserved) two game suspension, Rondo three games, and Ingram four games.

Rondo and Ingram got off super light in this situation. The NBA brings the hammer down on fights to make sure the Malice at the Palace never happens again. Everybody involved should breathe a sigh of relief. But oh, child, it was only the first week and the NBA was already bringing popcorn worthy drama! I loved it. Since we don’t really have rivalries like we used to, inter-player hatred may be as close as we get. I mean, did you know Rondo and Paul had issues? ‘Cause I certainly didn’t. And now that I do, their matchups are infinitely more interesting. Plus, LeBron and Paul are really good friends. And while it didn’t bother me that LeBron was the one who pulled Paul out of the fray and kept him from returning to the fight by putting his arm around him, it might bother his teammates. Particularly the one who, you know, did all the spitting. And then NBA twitter got into it, with Glen Davis and Ryan Hollins confirming Rondo’s shady assessment of Paul as a teammate. Rocket’s GM Darryl Morey posted a picture of a black pot and a black kettle. Paul called Rondo a turtle (I wish he had called him Franklin. I would have DIED). You get the picture.

It hasn’t even been two weeks, folks. I love the NBA. They play again in Houston in December. I plan on getting good seats to the second round.

[basketballphd]

Let’s Panic!

The season has begun and it’s time for my personal favorite pastime during the early part of the season: Panicking! Because, of course, we can all clearly see how this season is going to go within the first few of games. Today kicks off a series that will return at several points during the season entitled: “Let’s Panic!”*

Let’s Panic About: The Philadelphia 76ers!

If you missed it, the first game of the season between the Sixers and the Celtics started atrociously. Both teams were sloppy with the ball and missing everything. The first shot of the season was an airball (congratulations Robert Covington). But, after running out the jitters, the Celtics smashed the Sixers. After the second quarter, it was never really that close and it was clear real quick who the better team was. Even Joel Embiid knows.

Look, I know that Embiid and Simmons are monsters, even if neither can really shoot all that well. Simmons messed around and almost had a triple double that night (19/15/8). But as I said in my last post, the team has not proven themselves to be real contenders. After nearly getting swept by Boston in the playoffs, they came out lackadaisical with their passing which led to turnover after turnover just so they could get their soul snatched by Boston again when Kyrie and Hayward didn’t even play well. And even over a week into the season, they’ve been pretty inconsistent. Maybe it’s youth, but nothing about these guys says contender to me. It’s too early to tell, but you gotta show to prove and I haven’t seen it yet.

Let’s Panic About: The Boston Celtics!

Why, Brittany, you just said the Boston Celtics crushed the Sixers. Why would we need to panic about them right now? Well, children, I’ll tell you. I’m starting to think there isn’t enough ball for all those players. And the marquee guys? Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward have not been playing too well. Granted, both are returning from serious injuries, but the young guys are killing it, making them both feel kind of irrelevant. For example, Kyrie was 0/8 at the half against the Celtics and Celtics still won easily We’re not going to even talk about how the Lakers could have had Jayson Tatum, but nooooo…Anyway, the story was much different when they played the more solid Raptors who crushed them pretty easily as well. And the Raptors are putting up a strong case against my early prediction that Boston comes out in first place in the conference by the end of the season, especially if Kawhi can exorcise the choking demon that gets ahold of Toronto around playoff time, making Boston’s road to the finals a lot more difficult.

Let’s Panic About: The Houston Rockets!

Did you all watch their first game against the Pelicans? Here’s a recap:

Man, they got ROCKED. It was a sight to behold if you could stomach it. Anthony Davis put in solid work and made an early MVP case with a pretty stat line (32/16/8). I don’t know what happened to the Rockets to be put down like that, but it reminded me of my thoughts at the end of the postseason last year. That Western Conference finals were their window and they would have been surefire favorites to win the championship. And if you can’t beat the Pelicans, well, it’s time to start panicking! And at the moment, their record is 1-4. If nobody else is panicking, D’Antoni should be. These are the kind of starts that get coaches fired, especially after runs to the conference finals. Ask Kevin McHale, because that’s exactly what happened to him in 2016 when he was with the Rockets.

Let’s Panic About: The Minnesota Timberwolves

So Tom Thibodeau is trying to hang on to his job by his fingernails, refusing to trade Jimmy Butler and riding this thing out until the wheels literally fall off. Jimmy showed up to play in the first game and when I checked in, Karl Anthony-Townes threw an outlet pass to Butler to score against the Spurs. They dapped up and it all seemed cool. Well, at least until KAT fouled out of that game with 8 points. Look, Jimmy wasn’t wrong that these dudes aren’t living up to their potential and I’d be ready to go, too. KAT has been awful except for the one game that Jimmy didn’t play. To paraphrase Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler owns real estate in KAT’s head. This situation is asking to explode and Minnesota should have started panicking when last season ended.

Let’s Panic About: The Los Angeles Lakers

Oh boy. So the first game against the Trailblazers was a sight and concretized all the weaknesses we knew this team was going to have from the gate. They are awful defensively (They gave up 128 points) and they can’t shoot threes to save their lives (23.3% from the field. Atrocious). There were some bright spots (Hey, JaVale! And those LeBron dunks!), but oh, was it a mess. But they played quickly, which is apparently the goal here. But this first game, it was so fast that it was almost frantic, which lead to a number of turnovers. They end up taking a lot of chances defensively, going for steals and whatnot, which lead to some fast break points, but overall it was a poor showing. Mainly, I think, because LeBron is playing Mr. Nice Guy and hasn’t taken over really any of the games they’ve played thus far. I came here for the king, and while we do need to build up the young guys, they will learn by example. The West is too tight to punt on games to build their confidence. Help me stave off my panic. Winning their last two games is helpful for that, but that defense. My goodness. Trash.

*The comments contained herein are gross overreactions to the first few games of the season. Don’t hold me to these predictions, lol.

[basketballphd]

Welcome To A New Season

A new NBA season is nearly here. The preseason has already begun, LeBron is a Laker, NBA twitter is scandalous and beautiful, and I’m glad you’re deciding to join this ride with me this season! To kick this thing off right, I’d thought we’d start with some teams that I’m looking out for and some early predictions. While I have a couple of degrees, none of them are in basketball, just a fan here for the jokes with strong opinions.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers

If you can’t stand Lakers fans, this is not the blog for you. CAUSE WE BACK, BABY. LeBron is here and the last five years were all worth it. Anytime LeBron is in uniform, I’m interested, but in purple and gold, I’m ecstatic. He’s the best player in the league who managed to drag a half a pack of gum, two Tic-Tacs, and Kevin Love to the NBA Finals. He changes everything and Lord knows LA needs a change. Any length of time that the Clippers are “better” than the Lakers is a time I don’t want to live in.

While LeBron should be the primary reason you turn on the Laker game, the rest of that team should be what you stay to watch. After screaming my lungs out for joy when LeBron announced his signing, my happiness was tempered by perhaps the most confusing series of signings I’ve seen since the Lakers signed Timofey Mozgov (don’t even get me started). Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, and Michael Beasley. Sounds like a dream team, amirite? Look, normally I’m here for the jokes to be made. And I plan on making some of those jokes. But making the playoffs is no laughing matter. This is either going to be the best thing ever or a train wreck. But I’m too happy the season is back to choose the latter!

Golden State Warriors

The behemoth is back and somehow stronger than ever. I almost passed out when they signed DeMarcus Cousins (and remain furious at the Lakers for not doing the same). But they are who they are, and I ain’t gonna lie, I need to see this starting five line-up with Cousins. If he is even half of what he was before his Achilles popped, whew, we ALL in trouble. Either way, they are the obvious forerunners for the championship this year.

Houston Rockets

My greatest finals fear almost came to fruition this year when the Rockets almost beat the Warriors and the Celtics almost beat the Cavs. As a Houstonian, I would not have been able to stay at home if the Rockets won a championship. And I would have cried if the Celtics won. Fortunately, catastrophe was avoided and I imagine the same will happen this year. Although Houston is still very good, their window was that Game 7. They will be worse on defense losing some of their key players and losing their defensive coordinator. And then there is the problem of Chris Paul’s legs. I watched a lot of Rocket games, and I can’t see how else they could have better preserved his body over the season. And his hamstring still went out. I don’t see any reason to trust he’ll be able to make it through the season and the playoffs. Even with the addition of Carmelo, who should fit in with their offensive style, they didn’t get better. We need not mention Melo’s defensive abilities here.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Mainly for the jokes. Especially if they make Jimmy Butler come back, which is a terrible idea. That team is incomprehensible. There was no reason for them to be an eighth seed with the talent they had and if he comes back, oh buddy, believe me there will be drama because it is clear none of those dudes like each other.

Oklahoma City Thunder

I really don’t know what to say here. I am surprised that Paul George decided to stay. And they should be better. Losing Andre Roberson really hurt them defensively last year, so having him back should drastically improve the situation, even with Melo’s departure. I’m really just here, though, for Russell Westbrook’s petty. It is a beautiful sight. Brings tears to my eyes.

San Antonio Spurs

I don’t recognize this team. All of the old guard is gone and their bridge to the future is shopping for coats in Canada right about now. Only Pop remains, and even he may be packing it up soon. With DeMar, they are as good a lock as any to make the playoffs, but where they go from there is anyone’s guess. I always trust the Spurs to do something, but the options are bleak.

Los Angeles Clippers

They suck again! You should also be aware that my petty is everlasting.

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics

You have no idea how much it pains me to write anything positive about the Celtics. I hate their uniforms. I hate their arena. I hate the popcorn they sell in concessions. I especially hate the fact that they are excellent when the Lakers are not. After last season’s playoff run without their two supposedly best players, I can see no other option but to say they’re the Eastern Conference leaders of the pack for the season. With both Irving and Hayward coming back healthy, they are clearly the team to beat. Lord help me.

Philadelphia 76ers

Now, the Sixers are the obvious choice for second in the Eastern Conference. With Simmons and Embiid as their emerging perennial All-Stars and still healthy, and with Markelle Fultz back with his shot apparently intact, there seems to be no stopping them. But I’m just not sold. A struggle for power between Simmons and Embiid might be brewing. And for them to struggle so hard last year against a barely there Miami Heat team and the injured Celtics, leaves me unconvinced. But they are a year older and less injured and with some more experience, so maybe the Process will finally be a success.

Toronto Raptors

Despite the saltiness of DeMar DeRozan (and boy, was he sal-ty), Toronto came out ahead by getting Kawhi Leonard in that trade, no question. If he’s healthy, he’s easily a top three player in the league and DeMar is decidedly…not. And Toronto needed a new start after LeBron torched their team and renamed their city for the third year in a row. And again, if healthy, Kawhi is good enough to put them over the Sixers in my opinion and up there with Boston in the regular season. Now I know better than to put any faith in Toronto during the playoffs, even with Kawhi. Something in that city causes jerseys to get tight during the playoffs, especially if that jersey belongs to Kyle Lowry.

Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis. Literally just watch for Giannis.

Washington Wizards

Add Dwight Howard to the cauldron of pettiness that is the Wizards and this is bound to be interesting. Howard can still produce, John Wall and Bradley Beal are still who they are, so they should give anyone who plays them a good run.