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Winners and Losers of the 2017 NBA Offseason

Written by Jarrett Adams on August 1, 2017

 WINNER – Thunder GM Sam Presti 

Thunder GM Sam Presti has had one hell of a run in Oklahoma City. Despite being considered as one of the top NBA GMs over the past decade by NBA pundits, when Kevin Durnat left for Golden State people began to see some holes in his strategy of running an NBA team. For example, for every Thabo Sefolosha player he was able to make relevant (on a cheap salary), some of the deals Presti made was crippling the team. For example, is Enes Kanter really a $75 million dollar player? Kanter didn’t even start over a rookie last year. There’s no way I would have payed Kanter close to $75 million guaranteed.

The writing was on the wall after the way the 2017 NBA playoffs turned out for the Thunder. Quite frankly, Russell Westbrook needed more help. At the beginning of the season, many believed Oladipo could pick up some slack in a new role as Robin to Westbrook’s Batman, but to no avail. Oladipo was actually disappointing and did not live up to expectations this year. Some of that could be because Westbrook dominates the ball, and as a newcomer that can be a hard adjustment. Nonetheless the writing was on the wall. The Thunder were toast if they did not find solutions fast.

No matter how much I despise the Thunder and Sam Presti for trading James Harden, I will give credit when credit is due. Pulling off a trade for Paul George is probably the only thing the Thunder could have done this offseason to ensure future team success. And to only give up the underachieving Oladipo and second year forward Domantas Sabonis, this deal was easily one of the biggest steals in NBA history. Sure they’ll say George is a “one year rental” which could be true, but Presti is betting on a deep playoff run that will persuade him to stay. For example, say the Thunder make the Western Conference Finals and lose to the Warriors. It kind of makes it hard to leave the Thunder, considering you already play for a contender and they can offer you more money than any other team. Bottom line this deal was an absolute steal.  

LOSER – Los Angeles Clippers

Is any team falling out of relevancy faster that the LA Clippers? The sky began to fall when Chris Paul decided to start a new chapter and leave to Houston. This is a terrible blow for the Clippers, because the whole allure of playing with “The Point God” Chris Paul is gone now. This will undoubtedly impact future team success. How will they attract free agents without CP3 leading the way? And does Chris Paul leaving put a nail in the coffin for “Lob City”? I think CP3 moving to Houston is the beginning of the end for the LA Clippers. Not to mention they also lost JJ Reddick and Jamal Crawford this offseason as well.  

in a surprising move, Blake Griffin resigned; I guess he enjoys his money just as much as being the captain of a sinking ship. Dysfunction has plagued the Clippers before, and this year is nothing new. Doc Rivers was removed as the GM but is still on as head coach. In my view, its only a matter of time before Doc Rivers is replaced as head coach. Before that its was the Donald Sterling saga, Blake injuring his hand with Clippers staff last year – just an array of mistakes. At this moment, the Clippers are simply on a downward trajectory, with the bad news being that it could be a very long time before the Clippers can be championship contenders again.

WINNER – Houston Rockets

If the Clippers are losers this offseason, its only right my next choice for winner would be the team Chris Paul left LA for, the Houston Rockets. Now on paper, the Rockets have the strongest backcourt in the NBA. Some people question whether Harden can play more off-ball after taking so much of the load offensively last year. I think Chris Paul and Harden are good enough players to figure out a way to manage usage rates on the floor this season. The Rockets were also trying to make a play at Carmelo Anthony (still a possibility) before the Knicks withdrew the trade inquiry. Nonetheless, I like what Daryl Morey is doing with this team, he’s followed a path of aggressive moves to bring in more top tier talent to surround Harden, as he should be doing while Harden is still in his prime.

LOSER – Utah Jazz

Losing Gordon Hayward in free agency to the Celtics is a big deal, but not the end of the world for the Utah Jazz. In all reality, they were never championship contenders anyway. But, they have been rebuilding for some years, and were finally relevant again last year. Remember the constant playoff appearances from the Jazz when they had the combo of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer? Well last year was their first year back to relevancy since then. They’ve been slowly building the right way, with good prospects in several positions. But now with Hayward gone, what is this Utah Jazz identity? Simply put, they don’t have one. This Utah Jazz roster follows the saying “Too many Indians, and not enough Chiefs.” For the Jazz ownership, this was a crushing blow and hits home with the fans of the team. They basically have to trot out the same roster as last year but without Gordon Hayward, making the Utah Jazz a major loser this offseason. 

WINNER – JJ Reddick & KCP Define the One Year SharpShooter Max Contract 

I still remember reading the Bleacher Report update on my phone that the Sixers paid JJ Reddick $23 million on a one-year contract. This was one of the most shocking deals on paper but made a lot of sense for the Sixers. JJ Reddick steps in and fills the shooting guard role perfectly with Markelle Fultz at point and Ben Simmons at small forward. With the lack of success Philly has had over the past few years rebuilding, new Sixers’ GM Bryan Colangelo knew it would take overpaying free agents like this deal indicates. At the end of the day, the deal for Reddick and the Sixers is a win-win for both parties. The Sixers get their guard who can stretch the floor with one of the premiere sharpshooters in the NBA, and JJ Reddick gets immensely overpaid for one year. An overpaid one year deal has its’ advantages, including the fact Reddick doesn’t have commit long term to a franchise that’s been bad for so long. Technically, with the type of money Reddick will make in the 2017-2018 NBA season, he could leave the Sixers and play for less money on a contender if he wanted to next year.

JJ Reddick’s deal set the market for the rest of the NBA’s sharpshooters like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. When the Pistons rescinded his rights and made him an unrestricted free agent, it allowed him to get paid and find a winning situation where his skillset was desperately needed. The Lakers under a new regime were looking to offset some of the scoring they’d lost with guys like Luo Williams and Nick Young, both on new teams for the 2017-2018 season.  They signed KCP on a one year, $18 million dollar contract. When the Lakers want to sign you in free agency and give you that kind of money, you’re probably doing something right. KCP steps in with Lonzo Ball and will most likely see starters minutes to stretch the floor. Again, this deal was another win-win for both sides. The Lakers get their shooter, and KCP gets $18 million next season to start a new chapter in his NBA career.

LOSER – Cleveland Cavaliers

Coming off a loss in the 2017 NBA Finals, a lot of question marks surrounded the Cleveland Cavaliers roster. One thing was certain, and that was they needed to reload with another star to compete with the Warriors. Trotting out the same roster next year would have been fine in the weaker Eastern Conference, but not to win another NBA Championship. The Cavs really needed an aggressive move this offseason. Yet, things really started to go down the wrong path when they decided to fire their GM, David Griffin. David Griffin is credited with three straight finals appearances and the moves that got them in that position. For example, I give him credit for the trade with the Knicks that netted Cleveland JR Smith and Iman Shumpert. It’s still unclear why GM David Griffin was let go, but it most likely dealt with losing to the Warriors while having to pay luxury tax penalties with the NBA’s highest payroll. That is one way, in theory, to upset your owner.

With former GM David Griffin’s departure as the first domino to fall, the Cavs were in discussions to get the likes of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, but could not close the deal. There was also rumblings they wanted Chauncey Billups to be their next GM, but they didn’t get that deal done either. After a while, the entire foundation began to crumble as leaks of Lebron leaving in 2018 began to surface. NBA media coverage was mainly focused on “Could this be the last year for Lebron in Cleveland?” and “Could Lebron join up with Lonzo Ball and Paul George in Los Angeles in 2018?” Despite these rumors, the claims triggered another chain reaction, in that now Kyrie Irving began making trade demands.

Now this Cleveland Cavaliers situation is getting out of control and the media is having a frenzy with it. One could argue that Kyrie’s request for a trade has damaged the relationship enough with Lebron that not trading him would be the wrong move. In reality, its going to be hard to get through an 82 game season with your two superstars butting heads. The duo has had a great past 3 seasons together, but maybe the tide has run its course. As far as trading Kyrie and to what team, if I was Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert I would refuse to trade Kyrie anywhere. I revert back to the Kobe conversation when he too requested to be traded from the Lakers. Back then the Buss family was smart enough to hold on to him as an asset and just improve relations. You know what kills trade requests? Success. The Cavs are in desperate need of a trade, but not a trade of Kyrie Irving. My solution would be getting rid of Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, or JR Smith and targeting a guy like Carmelo Anthony. The only way to improve this team and get them on the same track at this point would be to increase the stakes of winning an NBA Championship. With Melo on the Cavs, not only does Lebron James stay long term after 2017-2018 season, but that  would also mean a new big three and thus a new era of Cavaliers basketball.

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2017 NBA DRAFT /2017 NBA Summer League Wrap Up 

Written By Jarrett Adams on July 15, 2017

 Is Markelle Fultz the lead guard the Sixers desperately needed?

The Philadelphia 76ers have been at the bottom of NBA’s pecking order for way too long. When former GM Sam Hinkie took over the reins in 2013, the Sixers were one year removed from a playoff run with Andre Igoudala and Jrue Holiday. After Igoudala left for free agency, the chips began to fall in Philadelphia after the 2012 season. What would follow in the next seasons under Hinkie was a rare case of extreme and intentional tanking. Hinkie knew that for the Sixers to be sustainable in the NBA, they would have to strip the team of talent and try to rebuild through the Draft.

But as the 2017 NBA Draft approached, a quick glance at the Sixers roster actually began to show light at the end of the tunnel. After selecting Ben Simmons first overall in the 2016 Draft, the Sixers aggressively pushed for a second consecutive first overall pick after a trade with the Celtics.

The player and consensus first overall pick the Sixers targeted was Markelle Fultz, a freshman guard from Washington. For Philly, Fultz was the perfect fit, fulfilling a need at the NBA’s most competitive position. Fultz is equipped to provide ball handling, scoring, and passing desperately needed on the Sixers’ roster. In the past drafts, the Sixers have consistency gone with frontcourt players, drafting the likes of Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons. When the opportunity presented itself to move up and draft the ideal fit in their backcourt, Philly stepped up to the plate and secured their future with this pick.

To break down Fultz game, it’s probably described as the point guard version of James Harden or Brandon Roy. First and foremost, Fultz is a scorer. He’s supremely talented at getting to where he wants to go with silky smooth moves and euro-steps. He has a certain bounce in his game running point, reminiscent of a Tim Hardaway or Gary Payton in that he has supreme confidence in his ability. Fultz definitely has the potential to be an all-star in the Eastern Conference one day. Finally Sixers fans can be excited to see both Fultz and Simmons suit up next year. And finally, it appears to be light at the end of the tunnel in Philadelphia.

Lakers Draft Lonzo, but is Kyle Kuzma the Steal of the Draft?

Did the Lakers just draft the future face of the NBA in Lonzo Ball? He’s yet to play a real NBA game, but from the looks of the NBA Summer League, Lonzo is as good as advertised. The 6-5 lanky guard out of UCLA was quickly selected 2nd overall by the LA Lakers, as many expected. Easy decision for the LA Lakers as the trade of D’Angelo Russell signaled this selection days before. Lonzo Ball brings a new excitement to LA and is easily of the most marketable athletes in recent memory. Lonzo’s decision to stay independent is working in favor, and put the sneaker industry on notice by switching brands in the 2017 NBA Summer League. When a rookie can generate the talking point “Which shoes will he wear next?” that shows immense star power and marketability.

When the Lakers scooped up the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft from the Nets, who thought they’d draft Summer League sensation Kyle Kuzma? He wasn’t really on my radar at all, but the pick definitely showed great scouting by the Lakers. Who knows how he’ll affect the new look Lakers in the regular season, but to me he looked like a serviceable rotation player next season. He can hit the three and has the length to finish when he drives to the basket. I’m looking forward to see these new look Lakers.

Did the Celtics make the right selection by moving back and taking Jason Tatum?

Danny Ainge is a particular GM. He’s done so many favorable moves since letting go of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. That’s why it alarms me, that after a season in the Eastern Conference Finals, you trade the first pick in the draft. It’s so rare to be so close to the finals, and still have the number one pick in the draft. There was a lot of talent in this draft, and arguably franchise changing talent in both Fultz and Ball. In my view, being so close to the NBA Finals mean I’m jumping to draft the best player available, no matter how he fits into the system. The Celtics already have a great point guard in Isaiah Thomas, but do you really pass on Fultz or Ball because of that? That’s what Danny Ainge decided to do here in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Lets talk about the selection, Jason Tatum, the freshman forward out of Duke. This was a surprising selection, but not to far off. I thought the C’s would draft Josh Jackson, the explosive forward out of Kansas. Coming into draft night, Jackson was consistently rated higher than Tatum.

Nonetheless, Tatum put fears to rest in only his first preseason game. The kid has got game! He’s got a great face up game, and is the prototypical stretch 4 in todays NBA. Tatum undoubtedly adds a new weapon to the Celtics this year. I probably would have selected Josh Jackson, simply because he when their careers are over, I think Jackson will reach a higher ceiling.

Josh Jackson Solidifies the Suns Wing Problem 

I love this pick and fit for Josh Jackson here at 4th overall. Jackson finally solves the wing problem for the Suns, and has the potential to be one of the best wing scorers in the NBA. I think he can have a Harrison Barnes like impact in year 1. Jackson is one of the rare wing prospects with intense competitiveness and incredible body control. He’s got great size for a small forward, at 6-8, and has a great handle to get to where he needs to go on the floor. What separates Josh Jackson from forwards like Harrison Barnes is that Jackson enjoys getting in the mix and forcing his will onto the game. And I respect Harrison Barnes, but he’s not a type A guy in the NBA. Josh Jackson has the potential to be a type A player in the league, and is primed to compete at a high level in year one.

The Kings turn out a positive Draft Night with 3 1st round picks 

The Kings are in complete rebuild mode after trading All-Star center Demarcus Cousins. To be fair, they never really took off under Cousins much anyway. This draft represented a fresh start. With the 5th overall pick they selected Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox. He’s clearly a player with a fitting name, because Fox is one of the quickest players from baseline to baseline. This guy has a great first step, allowing him to beat defenders to a spot and set them up with counter moves to get to the basket. Some will compare his game to john Wall because of the Kentucky connection, but De’Aaron Fox reminds me of Allen Iverson and Gilbert Arenas. He may not have the jumpshot right to back up these claims just yet, but with a jumpshot Fox simply becomes impossible to stop. 

Two other picks the Kings made in the draft were respectable, selecting Justin Jackson from North Carolina and the injury prone yet supremely talented Harry Giles from Duke. Justin Jackson gives the Kings the lengthy wing deep threat they will need going forward. Jackson will be a great spot up player in year one, do don’t leave him open. When fully engaged on defense he should be able to cause problems with guys who can’t score over bigger defenders. Harry Giles didn’t have the college career some had hoped for, but coming out of high school, he was consistently ranked as one of the top prospects. If he’s ever able to get passed the injury bug, then this pick is worth the risk at 20th overall.

Magic Continue Questionable Rebuild Strategy and take Intriguing Prospect Jonathan Isaac 

To call the Magic’s rebuild strategy after Dwight Howard as “questionable” is really fitting, considering they have not made it back to the playoffs, and don’t have the roster to show for much of anything over the past several seasons. For example, Victor Oladipo was their best long term project, but the Magic traded him for Serge Ibaka, who isn’t even on the team any more. Now the Magic are stuck with the rest of their recent draft picks, most notably Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton. Both decent players in the NBA, but not elite and leave a lot to be desired on the basketball court. In this year’s draft, the Magic continued their rebuild and took a player with a lot of upside in Jonathan Isaac. At first glance Isaac will draw some KD-lite comparisons because of his slim build and ability to handle the ball at 6-11. However, he isn’t as fluid and as natural a scorer as KD was – KD is undoubtedly the superior long distance shooter as well. However Isaac does have a ton of upside and displayed a strong freshman season at Florida St. Not sure how he fits in the rotation with Aaron Gordon potentially at the 4 next year, but intriguing selection nonetheless. His summer league game time showed flashes of potential but he had some lackluster performances to start out. I think it may be a season or two before Isaac is consistently ready to contribute at the NBA level.

Bulls trade Jimmy Butler, Draft pick and pop Forward Lauri Markkanen out of Arizona

I’m not going to lie to you and tell you Lauri Markkanen was even on my radar. Yet the Bulls got their guy and drafted him 7th overall. Its hard to criticize the Bulls scouting department, who have made out with some solid selections over the years, including getting players like Nikola Mirotic, Bobby Portis, Denzel Valentine and Doug Mcdermott (now on the Thunder). Markkanen is a pick and pop big man with a good face game and skillset. He may not have the tools to bang inside for a guy 7 feet tall, but he makes up for it with his ability to stretch the floor.

From day one this kid will be ready to shoot the three ball off pick and rolls and knock it down from deep if he’s wide open. He’s the perfect fit for Fred Hoiberg’s system, who likes to stretch the floor using the Bulls’ big men. In a move that shocked many, the Bulls traded their best player, Jimmy Butler, to the Wolves with the 16th overall pick for Kris Dunn and Zach Lavine. In the long run, I think the Bulls got great value for Jimmy Butler. I absolutely loved Kris Dunn’s game coming out of Providence last year. Zach Lavine has proven to be a productive NBA player, but I’m curious to see how he responds coming off a torn ACL.

In getting back two really good guards in return for Jimmy Butler, the Bulls began their full rebuild. In other words, expect a lot of losing in the near future. Nonetheless, the Bulls made out with two solid guards and a skilled 7 ft. big man in the 2017 draft. They now have a roster that will compete but be in the lottery again next year. If they don’t get a top 3 pick in the 2018 draft, this could be a longer process to rebuild, similar to situation the Sixers faced under Sam Hinkie.

The New York Knicks drop the ball again, pass on Dennis Smith and Malik Monk, take Frank Ntilikina from France, then Fire Phil Jackson

The Knicks were downright abysmal last season. I recently wrote a column on the Triangle of Disaster involving owner James Dolan, Phil Jackson, and Carmelo Anthony. When the Knicks were on the clock, it was almost cringe worthy to watch considering what players were still available. The two obvious choices for me that could have made Day 1 impact in New York were Malik Monk and Dennis Smith. Both players were the best available at this stage and filled a need for the Knicks. 

To me, Dennis Smith would have been able to get the Knicks on the right track with his ability to set the tone of the offense and find scorers like Melo and Porzingis. The lack of an elite guard at point is what is really been killing the Knicks all these years. So with Dennis Smith available, this pick should have been a no brainer. Smith had been ranked as one of the nations best point guards coming out of high school, and could have landed with the Knicks here at 8th overall. Instead, the Knicks passed, and the Mavs selected him with the next pick. 

The only alternate route I saw for the Knicks if they did not choose Smith was Malik Monk, the explosive scorer and shooter from Kentucky. We’ve all been seeing what the Splash Brothers and players like Devon Booker can do with just shooting. Malik Monk not only has the scorer’s mentality but also the same shooting ability of a Devin Booker or Splash Brother. Dude can simply light it up when he’s on. Again, this pick should have been clear as day, as Smith and Monk were the two best players available at the time.

The Knicks faithful decided to shock everyone and take French point guard Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina is a slender 6-5, 190 point guard with a good basketball IQ and a pass first mentality. Technically, the Knicks do lack that skill, but I’m not sure if Ntilikina can be a threat himself in year one for the Knicks. This made this selection by the Knicks questionable at best. Why take the risk on this guy with two American bred studs still on the board? Will he have a better career than both Dennis Smith and Malik Monk? I’d go out on a limb and state that the answer is no, but Knick fans also didn’t like Porzingis on draft night either. Should be interesting to see how Frank Ntilikina can affect the Knicks’ season if they don’t trade Carmelo this offseason.

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Lakers trade D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to Nets for Brook Lopez and 27th Pick in 2017 NBA Draft

Written by Jarrett Adams on June 23, 2017 

In a surprising and aggressive move before the 2017 NBA Draft, the Lakers traded away the former no.2 pick D’Angelo Russell in just his third season. Also included in this deal was Timofey Mozgov, in the second year of his 4-year $64 million deal he signed in 2016. The Lakers received Brook Lopez and the no. 27 overall pick in the 2017 draft, which they spent on combine standout Kyle Kuzma from Utah.

This move sent shock waves to rest of the NBA and signaled that with Magic Johnson in charge of Basketball Operations, the Lakers at all costs were trying to accelerate their rebuild. Even if that meant trading away a former high draft pick and a player with a ton of upside in D’Angelo Russell. Magic also signaled that the new face of the Lakers would be Lonzo Ball, whom the Lakers selected two days after this trade with the no. 2 overall pick.

This deal should be looked at as a win-win for both the Nets and Lakers. On the Nets side, they get back the big prize of this deal: scoring point guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell steps into year 3 with a new franchise and hopefully a better attitude to lead them back to prominence. Russell is already a silky smooth scorer and a crafty passer, and has shown impressive flashes in his young NBA career. Despite the whole Nick Young fiasco that plagued his start with the Lakers, make no mistake; D’Angelo Russell still has all-star potential as a guard in the NBA, especially now in the Eastern Conference. Timofey Mozgov is still a serviceable center, being only one year removed from being a starter on the Cavs championship team.

The Lakers were also winners in this deal, depending on how you look at it. On one hand, they traded away the most valuable player in this transaction in D’Angelo, who could have seamlessly moved off ball and took the scoring guard role for the Lakers in the starting lineup. Could you imagine building a future around the backcourt of both Lonzo Ball and D’Angelo Russell? When the Lakers first were awarded the second pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, this was the combination I wanted to see. Had I been the GM, I would have at least gave a year to try out the new look Lakers with a Ball and Russell backcourt, but Magic Johnson felt best to move forward with a new lead guard. He made Lonzo Ball “the new face of the Lakers” with this move.

The Lakers were winners, however, for ridding themselves of Mosgov’s $64 million contract. With Magic Johnson running the show now for the Lakers, the plan is to use his expertise to potentially attract free agents like Paul George and Lebron James in the summer of 2018. Now with a stable, pass first point guard like Lonzo Ball, the Lakers become that more attractive, especially with Magic at the helm.

Also getting back Brook Lopez was a major building block and upgrade from Mosgov. Lopez steps into the Lakers fold as a big man that still hasn’t reached his ceiling. In 75 games last year, Lopez averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, and had a Player Efficiency Rating of 20.4. More importantly, Lopez added the three-point shot to his game last season. After only attempting 31 three point field goals in his first 8 seasons, Lopez took a whopping 387 three pointers this past season, hitting 134 (34% from three).

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NBA Finals Recap – How Surprised Should We Be that Warriors defeated the Cavs?

Written by Jarrett Adams on June 14, 2017

Before we jump the gun and anoint Kevin Durant the best basketball player in the world, lets recap the 2017 NBA Finals. For starters, the 2016-2017 NBA season with all of its luster and great performances from the likes of Westbrook, Harden, Kawhi, and Isaiah Thomas was constantly overshadowed by the elephant in the room; that being the two super-teams in the East and West on a collision course for the first 3-peat matchup in the NBA Finals. 

The Cavs practically walked through the regular season and Eastern Conference playoffs. The Warriors, in the West, hit some turbulence with a mid season KD injury, only to regain their form to hold on to the league’s best record, despite a scare from the San Antonio Spurs. Lets face it – the Warriors and Cavs are clearly the league’s best and top-heavy teams, with multiple all-stars per team and savvy veterans in key roles off the bench. The main question behind the 2016-2017 NBA regular season remained whether KD could assimilate with the 2015 NBA Champions to win it with Golden State in his first year.

On paper, the Warriors clearly outmatched the Cavalier’s roster this year. Despite trades that netted them players like Kyle Korver, and pickups that tried out an assortment of players like Deron Williams, Andrew Bogut (injured in first game with Cavs), and even Larry Sanders (out of retirement), the Warriors simply have 4 of the top 15 players in the world in their starting lineup. Depending on how you rank the NBA’s best, the Warriors easily have 2 top 5 players in the world and Durant and Curry. That alone makes them the best one-two punch in the NBA. Add in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who are easily top 15 players in the NBA, and we could be talking about the best starting lineup ever assembled. Sure, for arguments sake, the Cavs have Lebron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love, but the Warriors still outmatch that on paper. So as the 2017 NBA Finals began, it was finally time for NBA fans to unwind and enjoy the matchup and series we’d all been waiting for.

Still, much uncertainty remained as the legacies of Lebron and Durant crossed paths for the second time in the NBA Finals. For Lebron, if he could pull this off, it would be topping what he had accomplished in the 2016 NBA Finals, his proudest moment to date on the basketball court. Leading the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the defending champion Warriors was an eye-opener to anyone still doubting the greatness that is King James. That drama certainly trickled over into the 2017 NBA Finals, because like the previous year, Lebron was the underdog and everyone counted them out when down 3-1.

Despite this, there existed a glimmer of hope with questions like, “Could Lebron and Kyrie still do this?” and statements were made that resembled, “If Lebron defeats the Warriors this year, he’s the greatest of All Time”. Kevin Durant, on the other hand, faced a different type of pressure. It’s the same pressure any favorite has over the underdog in a sporting event: the pressure of coming up short. Kevin Durant had already come up short to Lebron James in the 2012 NBA Finals, with the Heat defeating the Thunder in 5 games. 

Questions lingered like, “If the Warriors lose to the Cavs, was Kevin Durant going to Golden State the wrong decision?”. A Warriors loss would mean a PR disaster for all parties involved in Golden State. Kevin Durant would have undoubtedly shared most of that blame for “messing up the chemistry” of the Warriors, despite being personally recruited by Draymond Green after the Game 7 loss of the 2016 NBA Finals. At the same time, these finals presented the perfect opportunity for Golden State to get revenge on Lebron and the Cavs in more ways then one. The addition of Kevin Durant simply put more fuel to that fire, as he was still without a championship ring on his resume.

Warriors Take Care of Home Court with a Scoring Assault in Games 1,2

Game 1 at Oracle Arena started off with a bang of highly competitive back and forth action. The Warriors took a 7-point advantage into halftime of Game 1 with the Cavs still in striking distance. A quick glance at the stat sheet shows poor performances from key role players like Tristan Thompson (zero points, 4 rebounds) and JR Smith (3 points). The Cavs big three all had solid performances in Game 1 but the lack of support from role players doomed the Cavs in the second half. Kevin Love finished with 15 points and 21 rebounds, Lebron managed to end with 28, 15 boards and 8 assists, and Kyrie posted a respectable 24 points.

However, the Warriors jumped all over the Cavs in the second half of Game 1, winning the 3rd quarter 33-20, and extended their lead to 20 before the start of the 4th. Warriors showcased their excellent passing and shooting in the 2nd half we all have been accustomed to seeing. One thing that stuck out was the lack of rim-protection from the Cavs, and the inability to stop the ball during fast breaks. This would be a re-occurring theme in the 2017 NBA Finals.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 38 points to go along with 9 boards and 8 assists. Steph Curry was the only other scorer from the Warriors to end the game in double-digits, ending the game with 28 points; hitting 6 three’s in the process and racking up 10 assists. Under the tag team punch of Durant and Curry, the Warriors withheld the Cavs in Game 1 with an overall great team performance. The only Warrior that did not score in Game 1 was rookie Patrick McCaw.

Game 2 saw a shift in the narrative that the Cavs generally needed more involvement from the 2016 Finals X-Factor, Kyrie Irving. As far as the media was concerned, the key for the Cavs had to be Kyrie catching a hot streak and matching the Warriors barrage of scoring and deep shooting threats. However, Kyrie posted his worst game of the 2017 Finals in Game 2, scoring only 19 points in 40 minutes of action, and shooting a measly 34% from the field. Overall Game 2 consisted of better all around team play from the Cavs role players, but missing in action was JR Smith again, scoring zero points, while taking just two attempts in 14 minutes. Lebron did his job with a Finals triple double, ending with 29, 11 boards and 14 assists. Kevin Love showed up with 27 points, but it also should be noted that Tristan Thompson only grabbed 4 rebounds in 21 minutes of action.

The high scoring affair in Game 2 ended with a finals score of 132-113, another blowout victory for the Warriors. It was evident that the Cavs have a tough time matching up with the Warriors ability to spread the floor and ability to run successful fast breaks, despite committing 20 turnovers to the Cavs 9 in Game 2. The difference in Game 2 wasn’t necessarily bad execution on offense for the Cavs, but inability to keep up with the three-point output from the Warriors, who ended the game making 18 threes on 43 attempts. In comparison, the Cavs took 29 threes while only hitting 8. The Warriors Big 3 of Klay, Steph, and KD combined for 87 points, and every Warrior scored except for Matt Barnes.

KD Silences Quicken Loans Arena with Clutch Moments in Game 3

As the series shifted the Cleveland, NBA fans knew Game 3 would be a deciding factor for how the rest of the series would turn out. The Cavs simply had to play better defense and slow down the Warriors offense if they had a chance. Game 3 was a back and forth affair for the majority of the game, heading into halftime with the Warriors ahead 67-61. Cleveland was able to have a strong start to the second half, wining the 3rd quarter with solid team play 33-22, and took their first lead going into the 4th quarter in this series. 

What would happen next could have been described as Kevin Durant taking the mantle of the world’s greatest player away from Lebron James. In the waning moments of Game 3, the Cavs still had a slight advantage on the scoreboard over the Dubs. Down by 4 with 1:20 left, the Warriors looked to none other than KD to get them a bucket. Somehow the Cavs left Tristan Thompson on Durant, so KD drove for the easy floater to cut the lead to two.

After a Cleveland miss next position and a rebound by Durant, KD quickly rushed up the floor to take the go-ahead three pointer to take the lead. This was a gusty move by Durant considering there was just 47 seconds left in the game and still early in the possession with 19 seconds left on the shot clock. It did not matter; the go ahead three was good and the Warriors regained the lead. After some mental mistakes from both Lebron, Kyrie, and head coach Tyron Lue, the Warriors would retain the lead and take the series lead 3-0, winning 116-113.

Game 3 was probably the biggest performance in KD’s career, and here’s why. That clutch floater and go ahead three cemented his decision to go to Golden State in the first place. NBA fans questioned whether he would ride the coattails of the Splash Brothers, but his performance in the 2017 NBA Finals proved otherwise. He was the deciding factor to put the Warriors over the top. Mind you, Game 3 was a back and forth game from the start to finish, and the only time the win was certain was after the final buzzer. Quite frankly, KD has not had a bigger moment on a bigger stage.

Cavs Fight off a Sweep on their Home Floor in Game 4

As Game 4 approached in Cleveland somehow there were still rumblings that the Cavs were down but not out of this series. Sure this year there was no Draymond suspension and the Cavs still had no answer for KD, bad rim protection and inability to stop the Warriors onslaught of scoring, but the Cavs performance in Game 3 served as a reminder that they could at least belonged on the same floor as Golden State.

Thus Game 4 was a bit of a role reversal of what we’ve become accustomed to seeing from both teams, as the Cavs pounced on the Warriors from the gate. Looking at the box score from this game a few stats jump out, including the Cavs hitting 24 threes to the Warriors 11. Also, Kyrie followed a great Game 3 performance to drop 40 in game 4. A quick glance at the line score shows the Cavs had the best performance in a quarter in these Finals, ending the 1st quarter up 49-33. Game 4 also was the only game this series which the Cavs outscored the Warriors in every quarter, winning easily 137-116.

Lebron James also had another triple double, ending with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. I think Game 4 was very important to see from NBA fans. I speak for everyone when I say a Finals sweep would have left a really sour taste in my mouth. It just wouldn’t have felt right. But seeing the Cavs handle the Warriors like that to fight off elimination brought new energy and excitement to this series. The Cavs finally played to their potential and everything went right for them on the offensive end. Even JR Smith before Game 4 tweeted out, “Cavs in 7” which was ok considering he had a solid performance with 15 points off 5 made threes. 

Warriors Take the NBA Championship in Game 5 at Oracle

Some NBA pundits suggested that immense pressure arose for Game 5 as the series shifted back to Oracle Arena. “If they don’t win this, they’re in trouble,” was the sentiment most people felt considering what happened in last year’s finals. Remember the aforementioned pressure any favorite has over the underdog I mentioned before, well that pressure was alive and well from the opening tip of Game 5. Any mishap or mistake would be glorified and Cleveland had to look to take advantage of it. The Cavs came out extremely strong from the opening tip, winning the first quarter 37-33 while making some splash plays. 

However, a barrage of threes and easy looks doomed the Cavs in the second quarter, giving up 38 points while only scoring 23. The lead at the half was 11 for the Warriors, up 71-60. If the Cavs were to fight off elimination, they had to play better defense, and 71 points in the first half was not going to cut it. One thing that stuck out in Game 5 were the timely buckets of Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. Anytime the Cavs were in striking distance, clutch baskets by either Durant or Curry helped maintain a healthy lead.

For example, Lebron had his best output scoring wise trying to shift this series back to Cleveland, but to no avail, ending with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Kyrie Irving dished in 26 but could have played better, while JR and Tristan Thompson both had solid to great performances considering the stakes. Missing in action in Game 5 was Kevin Love, who ended the game with 6 points albeit with 10 rebounds.

Speaking of Kevin Love one moment that stuck out was the scuffle between David West and Kyrie Irving in the second quarter. On one replay angle, Kevin Love has a direct line of sight to the conflict between the much bigger David West and all star point guard Kyrie Irving. I thought it says a lot about Kevin Love that he did not aide Kyrie Irving but the other 3 teammates on the floor all jumped in to diffuse or escalate the situation. Kevin Love is clearly seen lackadaisically unbothered by the situation where both teams wanted to get a little physical. This said a lot about Kevin Love in the heat of moment facing elimination of the NBA Finals. If he can’t get in the scuffle and at least show that he’s there for his teammate, how can he be trusted to win championships against this Warriors squad in the future? If I were Dan Gilbert, the Cavs owner, Kevin Love wouldn’t have played another game in a Cavalier uniform. That moment was a disgrace to the toughness that existed in Kevin Love. Whether he has the toughness or not, David West took his heart and K Love wanted no problems with the big fella. 

Despite efforts to cut the deficit and force a Game 6, the Warriors were simply too much for the Cavs at home. Kevin Durant finished with 39 while Steph Curry added 34 points and 10 assists. A huge factor off the bench in Game 5 was Andre Igoudala, who aided with 20 points. Kevin Durant easily won Finals MVP as he led the Warriors in scoring with an average of 35 points a game with 8 boards and 5 assists. Steph Curry ended the series averaging 26 points and 9 assists. Its hard to blame Lebron James for this finals loss after averaging a triple double in 5 games, finishing with 33, 12 boards, and 10 dimes. Kyrie ended the series averaging 29 points with 4 assists.

What did the NBA Finals Mean in the Grand Scheme of NBA?

Looking back on how it all went down and the pretense under the 2017 NBA Finals was played, no one should be surprised the Warriors overtook the Cavs in just 5 games. Even in this column, I recapped the whole NBA Finals without mentioning Draymond Green too much. That is because Draymond simply did his job; how he put his stamp on this series did not show up in the stat sheet. Yet he did end up averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds in 5 games, while being great on defense and being the emotional leader when the team needed it. This series should be remembered by the steady performance of KD and his go-ahead three pointer in Game 3. Quite frankly, the Cavs had no ability to matchup with Durant. On plays they did, consider they still had to keep tabs on Curry, Klay, and Draymond. This fantastic four should be in contention for the next 3 or 4 titles if the Warriors players decide to stay in Golden State in the future. We are already witnessing the Warriors dynasty; and the 2017 championship was just the first with KD. Now it’s up to other GMs and NBA players themselves to solve the Golden State puzzle, but it won’t come easily.

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Lonzo Ball and the Zo2’s: Here’s Why the Big Baller Brand can succeed in today’s NBA

Are the Three Mega Sneaker Companies Making a Mistake?

Written by Jarrett Adams on June 6th, 2017.

  Don’t laugh now, but what if I told you that Lavar Ball is a genius. Not only has he captivated all of us throughout the NCAA college basketball season with rhetoric, but also has had numerous media obligations while building up hype for his son. As of right now he has created a lane to make some serious demands. Those demands have been to secure agreements with endorsers, who want to deal with Lonzo Ball, the silky smooth 6’6 point guard from UCLA pegged to go top 3 in this year’s NBA Draft. Endorsements can be just about anything and extend much greater than just a sneaker deal.  For example, you want Lonzo Ball to endorse your fast food chain, Lavar Ball has created such a platform for Lonzo that the Ball family can cut out the middle man and deal with companies directly.

               This within itself is a massive feat and an advantage most players coming out of college into professional sports do not have. Lonzo Ball has the opportunity to do something other players cannot do, and that is to control his own destiny with his own brand, and be in complete control of his brand from day one. Any time he endorses something other than his own brand he will be heavily compensated for it. This is why it intrigues me why people choose to believe Lonzo Ball and the Big Baller Brand is more flash in a pan rather than the true trendsetters they are, set to change to game. I will be the first to say, don’t underestimate this kid and what he’s bringing to the table in real time. Lonzo Ball is making NBA history in 2017 and it’s refreshing. There are several reasons why Lonzo Ball, the Big Baller Brand, and his first signature self-designed shoes; “The Zo2s” can be successful in today’s NBA. Here’s why:

The Era of the Entrepreneur:                First let’s analyze why Lavar Ball as a salesman and overall personality works in America. Some may very well deem him as arrogant and obnoxious, but you cannot deny his realness. Bottom line, Lavar Ball reminds you of the father that brought his kids to compete in every AAU tournament. His persona is familiar with someone you are willing to let inside your home, albeit for entertainment purposes. The fact that he has a plan and vision for his kids and his family makes all the difference in the product he’s pushing. So when he took his prototype Zo2s model to the big three sneaker conglomerates in Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, even though there was no agreement, Lavar Ball is still a guy who left those meeting in high spirits. He’s smart enough to know that it’s only up from here. And if Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour miss out on a superstar set to hit the LA market as a Laker, then so be it.                Going to the big three sneaker companies and demanding your input in your brand is an accomplishment within itself. Again, notice that no other NBA Draft prospect this year has the ability to pitch the three mega sneaker companies on anything. At some point the sheer willingness to represent your brand and family is something that is unorthodox and rare, and that is something that will attract other successful people to you. In 2017, its definitely the era of the entrepreneur and building your momentum as you go. Lavar Ball has mastered this fact and has immersed himself on the national spotlight by any means.  It’s no surprise the Zo2’s have caught the likes of rappers like The Game and athletes like Chad Johnson, “Big Ballers” who will have no problem paying $500 for a pair of sneakers.

Keeping the Design, Money, and Lonzo’s Market in the Family                One of the overlooked aspects of the Big Baller Brand is the ability to reach the masses in today’s NBA. They have created a personal product without the help of the major three conglomerates, sending a message to the supporters that, “When you buy a Big Baller Brand product, you are directly supporting us as individuals.” When they say to costumers, “Thanks for your support” they are building off a basic building block for all independents and entrepreneurs because you can believe it. Once people come around to the fact the Zo2’s as a signature shoe represents something more than basketball, this will be the time the shoe’s popularity will rise. Also the potential for growth is tremendous, considering Lonzo may very well have a long career. As of right now, the Big Baller Brand has enough momentum to last if Lonzo Ball can be successful in the NBA. In theory this means the bigger Lonzo gets on the NBA landscape, the bigger his brand can grow without outside help. This really helps keep his options open when other endorsements begin coming from non-basketball entities. Having a direct product to consumer model is also ideal in keeping all the money in the family to build the Big Baller Brand Empire.

The Miseducation of Symbols and Developing the New “Cool”                When discussing the actual look of the Zo2’s, some have said they resemble the Nike Kobe 8’s. For hypothetical purposes, let’s eliminate the $499 price tag for the Zo2’s and place them at a similar price with the Kobe’s. Noticing that both shoes look alike, how much value are we expected to place in the sneaker with the Nike check symbol? See, this is where the true genius comes in from Lavar Ball, who’s sneaker design begs the question why we chase after symbols attached to a sneaker. In the past, the same sneaker with a different symbol in has led to a difference in the consumer experience. For example, consider the same exact sneaker, but interchange the Nike symbol for and Under Armour symbol, and see how it effects how you view the sneaker. If you view Nike as a superior brand, then your attitude might have changed when a less superior symbol was placed on the exact same shoe.                What the Big Baller Brand is selling you is the opportunity to be a part of a new generation of thinking. They are selling you that its more valuable to support the individual than to commit your money to the big major three sneaker companies. They offer a cool sleek design and a similar level of production value to compete with the bigger sneaker brands. Literally with the Big Baller Brand, the choice is yours. Depending on Lonzo’s success at the next level, we could be looking at the only NBA star with his own brand name sneakers. And just remember, if you cannot afford the ZO2s, you are not a Big Baller and thus not worthy anyway.

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THE TRIANGLE OF DISASTER: A NEW YORK KNICKS STORY Written by Jarrett Adams on April 14, 2017

           To really begin to fathom what has happened to the Knicks during the Phil Jackson era, its really hard to pinpoint where this mess really got out of hand. Was it the Derrick Fisher fiasco? Was it losing out on Steve Kerr? Was it the disastrous Free Agent class of 2016, where Phil Jackson gave a washed up Joakim Noah four years and over 70 million? The Knicks are such a touchy subject for fans to discuss, because if the fans are upset, what else is new? When have they ever truly been happy?[1] The Knicks have fell so far since its 1999 NBA Finals run that its almost like being culturally relevant and being a first round playoff team has become a great year.

Its only right to break down the Knicks being a disaster and tie it into the triangle offense. Caught in the cross hairs of the Triangle are the three main culprits that are receiving the most blame, James Dolan, the owner, Phil Jackson the GM, and Carmelo Anthony the star athlete. Lets start with James Dolan.

TRIANGLE, POINT A 

Dolan took over the Knicks around 1999. During this time the Knicks were underdogs with a loveable roster that featured the likes of Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby. They made it the finals that year after a shortened season but lost to the Spurs in five games. This season was followed by a few disastrous regimes under Dolans watch. I’m not sure what Dolan’s problem is as an owner, its unfair to say it’s a lack of trying. He’s brought in a lot of big names to get the Knicks on the right track but to no avail. When looking at his track record from the 1999 season to present day, it’s impossible to blame Carmelo Anthony for anything.

For example, after the 1999 season, it took the Knicks more than 10 years to post another winning season despite a playoff appearance in 2003-2004. They finally posted a winning season in 2010-2011. In 2007, NBA Commissioner David Stern simply put it, “They’re not a model of intelligent management”. Also during this time, Dolan was voted the worst owner in the NBA, despite the Knicks being the NBA’s most profitable franchise.

Its hard to rank some of Dolan’s worst moves as an owner, but a few that really stick out was signing Allan Houston for 100 million dollars in 2001. Allan Houston is a guy with two All Star appearances, and is far from a scrub in the NBA, but it doesn’t justify giving him 100 million dollars. By the time he signed that contract he was already pushing 30 years of age, and was averaging nearly 20 points with 3 boards and 2 assists. He was a good player but far from a franchise player. This was one stain on Dolan’s record, but the deal became crippling after 2004 as Houston began to have lingering injuries and never played a game with 40 million guaranteed still remaining on his deal.

In 2003, Dolan hired hall of famer Isiah Thomas as the President of Basketball Operations, the same position Phil Jackson holds now. Now earlier I mentioned you can’t blame James Dolan for lack of trying. But this move and others that followed begin to look like throwing a spaghetti noodle at a wall and hoping something sticks. One of Thomas’ biggest mistakes was building the franchise around Stephon Marbury. While Starbury always produced good numbers for the Knicks and was very entertaining to watch, it only made Knicks fans more upset that such a marketable product couldn’t produce playoff victories. 

Isiah Thomas’ tenure as GM was mostly characterized as being able to get talented players but never a roster that made sense, especially compared to the NBA today of advanced analytics. For example, productive players of today wore a Knick uniform during 2003-2005 like Jamal Crawford, Trevor Ariza, Channing Frye, and David Lee. You can’t deny Thomas’ an eye for talent. Thomas wasn’t sufficient enough to find superstar talent and building a cohesive roster from year to year. Quite frankly, Thomas’ tenure is mostly remembered by being unstable. This is mostly marked with two incidents, firing Larry Brown after one year and paying him $28 million for his services, and sexual harassment claims from a former Knicks VP of Thomas and Marbury in 2007.

The Donnie Walsh era was marked with more stability and a cleanup of the Knicks roster in 2008. Looking back on it now, the Knicks let go a ton to talent in trades that did nothing for them in the short term or long term. For example, Walsh quickly traded Jamal Crawford for Al Harrington, and also traded Zach Randolph for Tim Thomas. He cleared $27 million dollars, but the Knicks were only able to cash in on Amare Stoudemire in 2010 free agency. The Knicks built a roster that could net Lebron or D-Wade in free agency, but used the wrong strategy of gutting their roster of talented players to do so. This was a huge miscalculation by Donnie Walsh. While he built the Knicks for the free agency push in 2010 around the mystic of the Knicks and a New York market, he totally miscalculated players of LeBron’s caliber to want to win immediately. I don’t think anybody could foresee Lebron joining D-Wade and Bosh, so in hindsight it’s hard to blame Walsh. He inherited a mess and did his best to bring the Knicks to relevancy.

After getting Amare in 2010, a move that had early success for the Knicks, Walsh sent assets to Denver to net Carmelo Anthony. Only problem was Amare began to break down and never saw the floor with Melo while being in his prime. This was a brilliant move by Walsh despite the results. He made the move thinking he’d get the Amare Stoudemire of the 2010-2011 season, a season where he averaged a career high 25 points, 8 rebounds and two blocks while playing 78 games. After carrying the Knicks to the playoffs and back to relevancy in 2011, Stoudemire simply began to break down. His game log in the following three seasons with Melo are as follows: 47 games, 29 games, and 65 games. Each season his averages nose-dived, and by 2015 he was just averaging 12 points per game on a max contract. 

TRIANGLE, POINT B 

Phil Jackson was announced as the President of Basketball Operations in 2014, inheriting another mess. While the Knicks were better off than the early 2000s, a lot of turmoil was facing the franchise at this time. Jeremy Lin was gone, Amare was declining, and the best Knicks team since 1999 had just lost in the East semis a year before. The year Jackson took the reigns; the Knicks had actually regressed and failed to make the playoffs. So Jackson entered the Knicks with a lot of uncertainty and signed a whopping 5-year 60 million contract. 

It was clear the Knicks were just a few pieces away from true contention. They still had a bunch of talented players like Iman Shumpert (his future was in question after tearing his ACL a year before) JR Smith, Tyson Chandler (a free agent), and Tim Hardaway Jr. The way the roster was constructed pointed to a lack of a dynamic point guard, which made the Jeremy Lin deal look like a disaster.[2] Jackson’s first move was letting Tyson Chandler walk in free agency and replacing him with Samuel Dalembert and Andrea Bargnani. Money could have been involved here considering the Knicks could not find trade partners for Amare. But overall, the move not to re-sign Tyson Chandler was Phil’s first major red flag. Fast forward to the 2017 season, and the Knicks have not made the playoffs since 2013 when they had Chandler.

           Did I mention that Phil Jackson also decided to get rid of Mike Woodson, who led the Knicks to their best season in a decade with a 54-28 record in 2013? This enraged Knicks fans at the time, but with a resume like Phil Jackson, there were plenty within the Knicks brass that kept screaming, “In Phil We Trust”. Phil replaced Woodson with Derek Fisher, who at that time demanded a 5 million per year salary on the open market. During his head-coaching search Jackson also went after another former point guard turned coach in Steve Kerr, but Kerr opted to take the reigns of the loaded Golden State Warriors. Steve Kerr went on to win a championship as a first year head coach and followed that up with the best regular season record in NBA history in 2016.  

           The Knicks ended up with Derek Fisher, which turned out to be a complete train wreck. His first year as Knicks head coach ended with a 17-65 record, easily the worst win percentage in Knicks history. Phil Jackson continued to make some interesting moves in 2015 as he doubled down to strip the Knicks roster of any familiarity and talent. He traded JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavs, netting back Lou Amundson, Lance Thomas and no first round picks. The silver lining in this could have been netting the Knicks the 4th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, which Phil took fan favorite Kristaps Porzingis.[3] Another head scratcher had to have been trading the promising Tim Hardaway Jr. for the 19th pick in the draft, which netted the Knicks Jerian Grant. This move alone should have gotten Phil fired, considering Hardaway Jr. is now a key contributor on the Hawks playoff roster of 2017, while Jerian Grant is still a backup no longer on the Knicks roster. Did I mention that JR Smith and Shumpert would make back-to-back finals with the Cavs, ending with bringing the first NBA championship to Cleveland?

           If I didn’t consider the Triangle began to slide even further when the Derek Fisher vs. Matt Barnes fiasco that ultimately led to his firing mid 2016 with a 23-31 record. To some NBA pundits it was to send a message that the Knicks performance was “unacceptable” to Phil’s standards. Which is interesting considering Phil Jackson is the sole culprit responsible for the abomination of that roster. After the 2016 season, Phil began to get desperate. So he decided to do the unthinkable in the offseason of Kevin Durant, which was go after pretty much anything moving with pulse. He traded for often injured former MVP Derrick Rose, who the Bulls were glad to let go for basically reserve players. Based on the price he paid to get Derrick Rose, Phil should have known better than picking up a player way past his prime. Again here, the Knicks walked a fine line between a marketable product vs. a successful product.

           Only defendable move of the 2016 offseason was picking up Courtney Lee, a player who made sense as far as fit and price range. However it was accompanied with the one of the worst signings in the NBA offseason, giving Joakim Noah over 70 million to do what ever it is that Joakim Noah does (for 70 million!). How can anybody be surprised that Noah’s war torn body did not hold up this 2016-2017 season? Under Phil’s leadership, the Knicks had an opening day starting five of Rose, Lee, Melo, Porzingis, and Noah. Unfortunately with the amount of money they shelled out for those five players, the bench was probably the worst we’ve seen on any NBA team. They ended with a 31-51 record and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

Triangle, Point C

The third and last point of the Triangle is for Carmelo Anthony, the face of the Knicks and the most hated on NBA player of present times. Some of the hate is warranted. For example, Donnie Walsh did have to give up players like Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and picks to Denver to net Melo in New York. At the time, Melo could have waited and joined the Knicks in free agency but would have earned less money doing so. And yes, his iso-ball can stop the flow of ball movement in an NBA offense. But with all of the aforementioned evidence with Knicks management since Dolan took over, is it fair to say Melo was entering a complete tornado and didn’t know what he was getting into by wanting to be a Knick.

Its very difficult for me to put most of the blame on Melo. He’s had some great performances as a New York Knick, and has been a good leader on the court to at least make them competitive most nights. He had to keep his cool when Phil Jackson began attacking him in the media during the 2017 season. Also, it had to be tough knowing Jackson did not go after Melo’s friend Dwayne Wade last offseason but decided to build around D. Rose and Joakim Noah. To make matters worst James Dolan embarrassed the franchise by kicking out Knicks legend Charles Oakley on national TV. 

Bottom line is that every NBA franchise starts at the top. Every on court product is directly correlated with either an owner or a GM for the lack of success. Take the Kings under the Maloofs after the Chris Webber era came to a close. They were bad owners and perennial bottom feeders. Or take Oklahoma City’s GM Sam Presti, his stupid decision to trade James Harden. That move still has direct correlation to their roster in 2017 without both Harden and Durant. So blaming Melo and his style of play is simply the easiest way out when discussing the Knicks’ hardships. Melo is still a guy who can average 20 points per game in his sleep. Imagine Melo in a better system that would fit him better like the Spurs or Rockets. Melo is still the type of player that could shift the power in the NBA if moved to the right team.

Nevertheless, the Knicks are one of the few franchises with a bad owner and a bad GM. And for as long as Knicks’ fans have been starving for a true contender, its time the Knicks look in the mirror and make some serious changes this offseason.

[1] Last time Knicks fans enjoyed true happiness: Drafting Patrick Ewing, reaching the finals twice in the mid 90s.

[2] Granted, Jeremy Lin has fell off now, but if he never left the New York Knicks I think we are looking at something more than flash in a pan.

[3] The Knicks arguably would have been better off taking Devin Booker from Kentucky in hindsight.

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Isaiah Thomas – Pound for Pound King Written by Jarrett Adams on April 2, 2017

While the NBA season comes to a close and players get geared up for the playoffs, NBA pundits are mostly talking about Russell Westbrook shattering Oscar Roberson’s record for triple doubles. Consider what Westbrook accomplished this season as a 9 on the Richter scale for earthquakes, as the NBA universe is still in aftershock. Nobody knows what can happen in this year’s playoffs as far as individual performances go. But while we wait for the playoffs to start April 15th, why not pay homage to the NBA’s undisputed pound for pound king, Isaiah Thomas from the Boston Celtics.

Has a little guy ever had a better season? The 5-9 185 pound lefty point guard out of Seattle is absolutely burning up the league. When we talk about little guys in the NBA, Thomas is giving the title a new meaning and showing height truly doesn’t matter. I’m not talking about Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry small either. I’m talking about the shortest guy in the entire NBA. Remember Dunk Champ Nate Robinson, and how he could single handedly win you playoff games (albeit against the Nets)? Well watching Thomas play basketball this season puts whatever Nate Robinson ever accomplished to shames. When we talk about true little guys in the NBA, 5’9 and under guys, there is no doubt we have just witness the best short player NBA season in the history of the league.

Even more impressive is the competition of the NBA of today. Watching Thomas bob and weave his way past defenders and score over bigger and stronger players on a daily basis really has become an underappreciated art form. Look at his stats, and remember this guy was the very last player taken in the 2011 NBA draft, and a guy Phoenix traded away for peanuts. Despite being a two time all-star, according to Basketball reference he’s only earned 16 million and some change in his five years in the NBA. With his play this year, he might be the first player under 5’10 to earn a max contract.

The first stat that really jumps out at you is the 28.9 points per game. He’s not a big assist guy or rebounder, but 28.9 points per game speaks for itself. This year he’s up in pretty much every advanced statistic, with career highs in player efficiency (26.5), win shares (12.5), and VORP (4.8).

Did I mention the Celtics locked up the number one seed in the Eastern conference? If it wasn’t for Russell Westbrook, Thomas would be gaining more momentum for League MVP. Instead, he’ll be crowned by me as the leagues’ pound for pound king. The Celtics are at best a playoff team without him. He is the engine that drives the C’s. I won’t call the Celtics a favorite any time soon, but with that home court advantage in the East there’s no telling how far they will go. Did I mention he leads the league in 4th quarter scoring, aka “Crunch Time”? It’s only fitting that the league’s smallest player would come up big in the biggest moments. Keep an eye out for Isaiah Thomas in the 2017 playoffs. All I expect to witness is the pound for pound king taking every opportunity to solidify his title.

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LEBRON JAMES AND THE PLAYER REST DEBATE Written by Jarrett Adams on March 20, 2017

When ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith voiced his displeasure with LeBron James sitting out games early in the NBA season, not many of his peers thought they were witnessing the newest dilemma for Adam Silver and NBA owners. For Smith, the player rest debate dealt with the very fabric of why we as fans watch and consume the game of basketball. He questioned, how would you feel after buying tickets to see LeBron James, only to get to the arena and see him on the bench in a suit (and not playing?)

Smith, from the get go in this debate has a very clear point. Even if you disagree, citing that the Cavs are championship contenders, LeBron’s been to six straight NBA Finals, has a ton of minutes on his body, and wants to be well rested come playoff time, for some reason, the player rest debate continued to spiral out of control. Add in the fact that all-time greats like Jordan and Kobe never set out games while healthy, this reality began to paint a strange picture for the NBA in the 2016-2017 season. Despite attracting 22 million unique fans to NBA games this season, one could question whether the NBA as an on floor product was taking a serious hit.

Let’s just face the facts. Kevin Durant ended a ton of suspense and competitive nature of the regular season by going to the Warriors. No matter how much Steven A.’s counterpart on First Take Max Kellerman sells it, there were rarely any marquee matchups worth watching this season, and real basketball fans know that. The good thing is that the NBA had other storylines to keep things interesting, including strong and entertaining teams like the Celtics, Wizards, Rockets, and Thunder (with Russell Westbrook as the clear alpha dog).

Only problem was Kevin Durant’s decision basically forced a stalemate between the Cavs and Warriors, and real basketball fans know that. The only marquee matchup this year has been the two meetings between the Cavs and Warriors. With this in mind, who should logically care if LeBron sits 5-6 away games a year?

Are we that insecure as NBA fans to call today’s NBA players weak, simply because they favor a competitive advantage and fresh legs come playoff time? Sure, the game is softer than it was during the hand check defense days of the 90s, but the player rest debate also is about the coaches. To be fair, the player rest debate has its origins in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich, who is widely considered the NBA’s best coach. He began resting his older stars like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili years ago, but with a much different approach.  While Pop gave his older stars the night off sometimes, he was also the architect of minutes restrictions for his players. He’s the best coach at making sure his players haven’t killed themselves logging 37 minutes a game for an 82 game season. For example, Duncan from 2011-2016 averaged just over 28 minutes a game. Granted, by 2011, Duncan was already 34 years old. Before that season, Duncan averaged more than 30 minutes per game every season for his first 13 seasons.

Comparing Duncan to LeBron from a physical standpoint is pretty much pointless. It’s like comparing a Hummer to a Porsche Panamera, but either way LeBron is 32 this season. After six straight finals runs spanning two franchises, I think if anyone has deserved a night off its LeBron. Yet, somehow the debate has moved so far away from this aforementioned point. The turning point came when the Cavs decided to rest Lebron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love against the Clippers on national television. This caught the interest of Commissioner Adam Silver, who came in and decided to punish owners for resting players.

Its time I give my full take on this issue, because I feel like this all could have been avoided with better planning. Why not tell fans in advance when LeBron or any star for that matter won’t be playing? When I purchase an NBA ticket to see a certain player, shoot me an email or heads up that any stars will be sitting out due to rest at least 48 hours before hand. Boom! everyone is happy. There has got to be a way to keep fans happy while also keeping your eyes on the playoffs. For example, within that 48 hours, you have the possibility of getting a full refund for your ticket, or you can decide to go the game for what you’ve just purchased. Transparency is the solution to this issue. Give the fans a heads up of your intentions to rest players, especially if it’s a coach’s decision to rest the player.

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JAMES HARDEN – THE 13th DISCIPLE / CHAMPION OF THE PEOPLE Written by Jarrett Adams on March 1, 2017

             When the 2015-2016 NBA Season ended with James Harden averaging 29 points, 6 boards and 7 dimes, it surprised me when he was left off an ALL NBA team. Not that the players selected weren’t worthy, but I was shocked that there was not more outrage. How can an a guy with such a big fan base, a perennial all-star, and extremely marketable commodity like James Harden be overlooked while producing those numbers and leading the Rockets to a playoff spot in the West?

Clearly, it could not have been the fans, because James Harden is a man of the people. Had it been up to the fans and not NBA writers who vote for All NBA teams and regular season awards, James Harden is without a doubt a top five player on planet earth. He’s easily the best shooting guard in the NBA, with Klay Thompson being second. Granted, All NBA rosters kind of work like the all-star game, although they’ve been reluctant to move the center out of the equation for “frontcourt” players.

The 2015-16 First Team All NBA looked like this: Curry (G), Westbrook (G), Lebron (F), Kawhi (F), and DeAndre Jordan (C). This is a pretty solid lineup and I see four really deserving players with that first Team All NBA stamp. But who really believes DeAndre Jordan deserves it more the Harden? DeAndre isn’t the best player on his team, relies on other players to get his offense, and can’t shoot free throws. Albeit, he’s a complete man-beast on the glass, plays above the rim and can finish some thunderous dunks. He was arguably the best rim protector in the NBA that season, although Rudy Gobert from the Jazz is coming up in the ranks this season.

I’m not hating on centers, but lets be honest, the game is evolving. If all-star voting has evolved so should ALL NBA voting. Lets just look at the facts, DeAndre Jordan simply can’t take over games, nor be a deciding factor in the fourth quarter. A lot the time he has to be taken out of games to avoid going to the free throw line. Now I understand that’s it a two way game and that defense is apart of the game. But lets not act like Harden’s stat line of 27, 7, and 6 were empty numbers and thus negated by his lack of defense. Speaking of lack of defense….

IN COMES MIKE D’ANTONI

What really perplexes me about this whole ordeal and even the James Harden MVP debate is the talk of defense this year in Mike D’Antoni’s system. All you hear this year is crickets. This is a prime example of what winning more and being in a better system can do for an elite NBA player. This year James Harden has moved from the 2 guard to the primarily point guard in Mike D’Antoni’s system. And yes, there is still a lack of focus on defense, but who cares when you can outscore a team? Believe it or not, under James Harden’s leadership and play this season, not only does he lead the league in assists, but the Rockets have the most three point field goals in NBA season history. Look at his stat line, 29 points, 8 boards, 11 assists with a player efficiency rating of 27.2. A huge jump in Harden’s assists and rebounds can be attributed to D’Antoni’s system but also the increased effort to have a bigger stamp on the game. 

Taking a quick glance at Harden’s advanced statistics this year, his assist rate has jumped to 50.7 percent this year, a career high. His true shooting percentage is higher than last year at .612 despite shooting just 43 percent on all field goals. While his usage rate is the highest of his career his player efficiency has only increased with the responsibility of being the alpha dog in Houston.

Its amazing where the defense debate has gone since acquiring D’Antoni, a guy known for his lack of defense and more known for his fast pace and potent offenses. To NBA pundits, because they are winning by outscoring teams it’s almost like, “Well we know this team wasn’t built on defense, we know their strategy, so we can’t really criticize them for executing it their way.” At the beginning of the season I made 10 bold predictions, and one of them was James Harden would get an ALL NBA spot this year. There seems to be no doubt that will be the case, no matter what happens in this years playoffs.

WHY JAMES HARDEN IS A MAN OF THE PEOPLE

Look, James Harden probably won’t win MVP this season, and that’s fine. Russell Westbrook has been able to out-duel Harden with impressive performances, much of which is out of Harden’s control. But can we seriously take a step back and realize how valuable James Harden is for the NBA? Who else is for the culture more than James Harden? Who else can go from 6th man of the year to in a dead-heat for league MVP? How many other stars have taken his route to superstardom?

He didn’t go one and done and Arizona State, the Thunder grab him with the 3rd overall pick, and he has to come off the bench to help that franchise get to their only Finals appearance (They won’t be going back anytime soon). They trade him next season (worst trade in NBA history) reportedly over $4 million dollars, eliminating a chance to go back to the Finals. Fast forward to this year, he’s breaking the mold right now by being a deadly scorer who leads the league in assists. Right now he’s on pace to be a top 25 player all time, and with a few rings could surpass DWADE dear I say for top 3 “shooting guards” of all time.

  [1]He doesn’t sit out games for rest. He thinks he’s the greatest player on the planet. He’s the NBA face of Adidas. He’s marketable. James Harden is a man of the people because as the era of Lebron begins to decline we need superstars like him to keep us watching and interested. Will he ever get the Rockets to the NBA finals? What is his ceiling? Has he reached his prime? To some these are legit questions, but to me, its just another reason why James Harden remains a man of the people. Salute to the bearded one.[2]

[1] Jaylen Rose’s position less NBA theory really holds true with the James Harden. Hes a 2 but he’s playing the 1. But he’s also the best point guard technically right now with that stat line.

[2] Its time to give Harden a new nickname. For me it will be “The Bearded One” or the 13th disciple.

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RUSSELL WESTBROOK – MESSED AROUND AND AVERAGED A TRIPLE DOUBLE Written by Jarrett Adams on Feb 18th, 2017

                Before this season, Russell Westbrook had already established himself as a perennial superstar in the NBA. Before signing his extension to stay in OKC this year, providing severe stability to a small market franchise on the brink of watching all three of its superstars leave town, there was a lot of speculation of where Russ would end up if he ever hit free agency. Instead, Russ signed an extension to raise his salary right now, and committed to OKC for the prime of his career. We’ve already seen Russ go crazy and get triple doubles on the regular, but this season is something completely different. This man is simply not human – he’s from out of this world. As LeBron said, “that guy is the energizer bunny”.

                At the All Star break just looking at his raw stat line is reminiscent of an all American playing against the Junior Varsity team from that small school that’s been a laughing stock at sports on the other side of town. Currently, Westbrook is averaging 31.1 PPG, 10.5 rebounds, and 10.1 assists per game, potentially making him the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple double for an entire NBA season. He leads the league in scoring and in triple doubles, with 27. The nearest triple double count belongs to James Harden at 15, who is having his best season, respectively. Russ has completely embraced the role as the face of the Thunder, and plays night in and night out with an edge that screams “I can carry this team”.

                I find it extremely fascinating how Russ gets his numbers. Is he chasing stats? Does he play consciously knowing he can complete this season averaging a triple double as a real possibility? No body truly knows but Russ. I tend to believe that Russ needs to average a triple double to make the Thunder relevant and in the playoff race in the NBA. It’s a quite simple formula. Get rid of Durant, hand the keys of the franchise to Russ, and let him run the show. What you can’t read in the fine print was that giving the keys to Russ means you have just given the league’s fiercest competitor free reign to play how he wants to play. And run the team in his image.

We got a glimpse of this Russ during KD’s absence in the 2015 season, but OKC was never truly Russ’ team then, nor was he ever the face of the franchise. Consider Westbrook’s 2015 campaign (a year where he arguably deserved to win MVP but the Thunder did not make the playoffs) as a casting call in a superhero movie. If that movie were cast for the 2016-2017 season, it would be called, “Super Russ: Westbrook saves OKC from Oblivion”. And I mean that with all due respect for the great fans of OKC, but let’s get honest, if Westbrook leaves after Durant turn out the lights to Chesapeake Arena because that place would be ground zero for the trial of tears. I would have been the first to hop on the bandwagon to ship the team back to Seattle.

                When will it settle in for everybody that we are watching potentially the greatest season ever for any NBA player in the modern NBA? Sure, his team isn’t in first place in the west, but what other superstar has been able to average a 30 point triple double over 82 games? Even if they were in Westbrook predicament; no other superstar, extremely high usage rate, being a decision maker 90 percent of the time with the ball in their hands – could they or would they be able to average a 30 point triple double? I think this is the question people need to start asking before realizing just how historic the year has been for Russ.

                Let’s not act like we live in an NBA where no superstar has been in similar circumstances to Russ and came up short to this standard. I’m not arguing that Russ is the greatest of all time, but what I will say is different players will produce different performances and stat lines. For example, Steph Curry,  even with a great supporting cast made a record 400 threes last year. Or Kobe, when faced with being the face of the Lakers without Shaq had the ball a lot and a high usage rate, but instead put together some of the game’s most impressive scoring performances I’ve ever seen from one man. Basically my point here is there are many different forms of great performances. Like the aforementioned athletes, Russ is making his own lane by making his great performances based around being an all-around player who can facilitate, drive, draw fouls, make tough shots, rebound and pass.

                And I think that’s the best part about Russ’ season. Nobody else can do it, even if they tried. While having his highest usage rate of 41.8 % while his career average has been 32.2, he also has his highest total rebound percentage (16.7 percent) and highest assist percentage (56.3 percent) of his career. He’s also going to the free throw line more now than ever before; his 31.1 PPG is also a career high for Russ. Although he may be out of contention to win an NBA championship this year, it’s clear to everyone that Russ is the real deal. If Russ can complete this season averaging a triple double, he’s got my vote for NBA MVP no doubt.

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THE WARRIORS ARE THE LEAST SURPRISING STORY IN THE NBA THIS YEAR. Written by Jarrett Adams January 20, 2017

                When Forbes announced this week that the average NBA Franchise was worth $1.36 billion, one not so surprising addition to the headline was the ascension of the NBA’s most popular franchise, the Golden State Warriors. The Bay Area basketball juggernaut’s franchise value jumped 37 percent up from last year, ending with an evaluation of $2.6 billion. In the three year span under head coach Steve Kerr, which resulted in an overall record of 187-33 headed into 2017 All Star Weekend, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the Warriors are reaping the benefits of its on court success.

                When discussing NBA franchises and how their on-court success will affect their balance sheet, a lot factors begin to measure how much the NBA team will intake in a particular year. For example, the market size of the NBA city remains one of the biggest factors, as bigger markets like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Boston and Houston all round out the top 8 teams. Only major top 10 market team that did not match Forbes’ evaluation was the Philadelphia 76ers, who have the U.S.’s fourth biggest market.

The next factor you have to include is recent team success. For example, while Miami represents the U.S.’s 17th biggest market, they boast the number 10 slot of most valuable NBA teams. Miami has not won a championship since 2013, but their rise in popularity was undeniable during LeBron’s tenure there during four straight finals appearances. Teams with a track record of success like the San Antonio prove that winning can cure the small market factor. The Spurs have had 20 straight playoff appearances, and sit at the 12 spot on Forbes’ list at $1.175 billion. Although they have been the NBA’s most consistent franchise since 2000, San Antonio ranks just 32nd in comparison with media markets across the U.S.

The last factor to consider is the fans. Quite frankly, if money makes the world go around, then NBA fans are the ones who make this game come full circle. The fans contribute not only the ticket sales, jersey sales, other merchandise, but make the game popular as well. Every Facebook mention, tweet, barber shop argument or even watching the games themselves all trigger back and make the NBA a very profitable business. And in today’s NBA, it should be no surprise that the Golden State Warriors are the fastest growing team. Stephen Curry, a two time league MVP, has led the league in jersey sales for the past two years. Currently the Warriors have two more players in the top 15 in jersey sales, with Kevin Durant #3, and Klay Thompson #11.

                So what exactly has made the Golden State Warriors the NBA’s least surprising team for the 2016-2017 season heading into all-star weekend?  My theory is that their previous success with core members have led to high expectations but expectations nonetheless the world knew they could meet. After winning 73 regular season games last year, and adding Kevin Durant in free agency, who couldn’t expect the Warriors to be atop statistics like offensive rating, assist rate, field goal percentage and true shooting percentage? And because this Warriors team is so stacked, featuring potentially four hall of fame players in their prime are these accomplishments less noteworthy because of the sheer talent of Golden State’s roster?

                When Stephen A. Smith duly noted that Kevin Durant had ruined the NBA season, what he should have said was Kevin Durant had ruined the suspense of the NBA season. There are simply less marquee NBA games to look forward to in the regular season. Other than Warriors vs. Cavs and Warriors vs. Thunder, no game has built up the suspense of a playoff atmosphere. So while the Warriors have been 100 percent entertaining every step of the way, none of what we’re seeing on the floor has been surprising. The ball movement has been consistent to last year, Kevin Durant has fit in seamlessly, the Splash Brothers are still the Splash Brothers, Draymond Green has continued as a facilitator and enforcer, and bench players like Shawn Livingston and Andre Iguadola continue to bring stability for the second unit.

This begs to ask the question of what to expect from Golden State going forward in the NBA. Right now, no other team is poised to win multiple championships while keeping their core in place and all happy. They are already the NBA’s most popular franchise, and their superstar core is all under 30. When Lebron joined the Heat and proclaimed they would win, “Not 5, not 6, not 7” championships, he placed high expectations on his Miami tenure. Comparing this year’s Warrior team to Lebron’s Heat teams is a worthy comparison; both were super-teams that have changed the landscape of the NBA. The difference is this Warriors core-four of Durant, Draymond, and the Splash Brothers have a serious chance of re-writing the NBA dynasty handbook. When Durant decided to join this team, he had dynasty intentions in mind. And as an NBA fan anything less than a dynasty from this Warriors group would be a grave disappointment.

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You Can’t Blame KD for Going to Golden State in Today’s NBA Written by Jarrett Adams on DEC 28, 2016

           There were many moves this free agency season, but only one that would change the entire landscape of the NBA. That free agency move was Golden State declining to resign Harrison Barnes to a max deal, trading Andrew Bogut to the Mavericks, and letting go of a bunch of bench players to go after 7-time all star, 4-time NBA scoring champion, and one time NBA MVP Kevin Durant.

KD’s departure from the Thunder is big news; no matter what team he chose to join. Personally, I would have loved to see KD pair up with Anthony Davis in New Orleans, go home and play for the Washington Wizards, or even re-sign on a one-year deal with the Thunder. Instead, KD decided to go to Golden State, which caused a lot of uproar considering Golden State’s recent success and their place already on the NBA landscape. We’re talking about a team that finished with the best regular season record in NBA history, coming off their first ring in 2015, and the reigning Western Conference Champions. The same team I must add, that the Thunder, (KD’s team at the time) was up 3-1 against in the Western Conference Finals, only for the Dubs to come back and win three straight, sending them back to finals to face the Cavs (They would eventually lose in a gut wrenching game 7).

Even with losing in the Finals to the Cavs, and losing key contributors to what we all thought was a championship team – key role players like Barnes, Bogut, Mo Speights, Leandro Barbosa are all gone – Kevin Durant was still joining a team that featured the reigning back to back MVP, Steph Curry, splash brother no. 2 in Klay Thompson, and do-it-all all star Draymond Green. To really analyze why we shouldn’t be blaming KD, lets now focus on why people are mad, and then debunk the thinking behind it. Usually the first thing people are going to say is… 

But the Thunder we’re already up 3-1 in the WCF, why would KD want join the Team that beat him?

Okay, Lets start here. Basically what is in question is the competitiveness of 7-time all star, 4-time scoring champ, and one time MVP Kevin Durant. Because had KD been more competitive, he would not have joined the team he almost took out the previous year. This argument really holds a lot of weight in why Kevin Durant has turned into the biggest villain in today’s NBA.

There are a few things to consider; the first being a player of Kevin Durant’s caliber hitting the open market for the first time in his career. The only team/franchise the Durant has played for has been the Seattle Supersonics (RIP) and the OKC Thunder. With a guy as talented as Kevin Durant – we’re talking about a 6’11 scoring machine that can shoot lights out, play every aspect of the game, and a matchup nightmare night in and night out. KD hitting the open market is like the IPO of Facebook stock. Everyone in position to make the deal were quick to do so, making a pitch to swing the superstar and future Hall of Famer in their favor.

Here in lies why it’s so difficult for me to blame Durant for choosing the Warriors. This has nothing to do with questioning the competitive spirit of a generational talent in Durant. Instead, we should be giving credit to Golden State’s approach and overall pitch to Kevin Durant. Whereas the Thunder pitched Kevin Durant sharing career superstardom with Russell Westbrook (a generational talent in his own right) and building the team around the two of them, Warriors pitched Kevin Durant on adding to a dynasty, winning multiple championships, and joining the NBA’s most talked about team. From a free agents perspective, not only was this career move that would help grow KD’s name and relevancy worldwide, but would also a move that would give him a better shot at defeating Lebron.

Speaking of Lebron – With Lebron defeating the Splash Brothers & Dubs in Game 7, and finally delivering a championship to Cleveland, Lebron Proved there will always be redemption stories of great magnitude in the NBA 

          To better understand the point I’m trying to make here, lets breakdown the storyline and teammates of LeBron’s career in the past few years. Lebron left a 61-21 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers team that lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics. This Celtics team consisted of vet all-stars Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and KG, had good bench scorers like Nate Robinson, Rasheed Wallace and Glen Big Baby Davis, a great wing defender in Tony Allen, and a prime Rajon Rondo running the show at point guard. Looking back on it now, I don’t blame Lebron for leaving. His 2009-10 Cavs roster consisted of 37-year-old Shaq, 34-year-old Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 33-year-old Antawn Jamison, and two adequate guards at the time in Mo Williams and Delonte West.

           However, hindsight is 20/20, and at the time, when Lebron chose to take his talents to South Beach and join a prime D-Wade, and prime Chris Bosh to win not 5, not 6, not 7 championships he was vilified to hell on a rocket. It took Cleveland fans all but 3 seconds to start burning his jersey while the city lost its mind. And the media took the opportunity to hype up the NBA as a brand and product and build publicity for the game itself. Anybody that had an opinion on Lebron’s decision had the platform to either accept it or diss Lebron for joining up a “SuperTeam” at the time. Looking at the NBA Champs that year, years prior, and years that have followed, its easy to argue that almost every NBA Champion either had either multiple all stars or hall of fame players. Only the 2003-04 Pistons do not fit this mold. I bring up the 2011-14 Miami Heat just to point out that even when Lebron left the Heat, he went back to a Cavs team that still had multiple all stars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. That’s right – technically when Lebron had the opportunity in free agency, he chose to create a “Superteam” not once, but twice!

           After Lebron won his ring in 2016 and brought a championship to Cleveland, most of this has been forgotten. Which really means that no matter how different KD’s decision was from Lebron’s, lets not forget that Lebron still has set the precedent of Superteam creation through free agency in the NBA. KD is now just the new face of something Lebron has already done twice. Only difference is that KD has not won championships. Until he does so, then he will never get the respect and redemption he truly is chasing before his career is over. 

Brand Awareness, The Bay Area Expansion and Gold Rush for Technology

           Kevin Durant was already deservedly a mega star around the world and in the NBA. But with an injury two years ago that saw the rise of Golden State basketball, including two straight finals appearances, it was clear the Dubs had overtaken the popularity contest of the NBA Landscape. I like the compare the 2015 and 2016 Warriors to the 2011 and 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder, which of course featured KD, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. To KD, I know for a fact he misses those good ole days. They were the NBA’s most watchable product in the Western Conference and this was a time where all three players began to see their brand and popularity really take off. The final two years of James Harden’s time with the Thunder resulted in a Western Conference Finals loss and a Finals berth the next year. When people say present day that “No one could have predicted James Harden would be this good in a star role” it really makes me cringe – any bench player that can lead the league in free throw attempts and still good enough to get you to a finals appearance as a third wheel at 22 is worth keeping at all costs, no excuses.

           I like to rather look at this grave mistake and injustice to the fans of Oklahoma City as either arrogance or incompetence. Someone has got to look into Sam Hinkie’s dealings as a GM. There’s no way a franchise that cares about winning championships would make this move. When KD left in free agency of 2016, this was the silver lining. Oklahoma City Thunder were using KD to sell tickets, sell jerseys, be competitive enough to be contenders but never recovered from the Harden trade. Had Harden been there the past four years, there’s no doubt the Thunder win at least one championship. And I think that is what played a big factor in KD’s decision to not just leave, but in choosing a team like the Warriors.

           Bottom line, the Warriors have all of sudden become a franchise focused solely on winning championships and expanding the franchise into a NBA dynasty. They became the perfect fit in today’s NBA to attract a Kevin Durant caliber player, for more reasons than one. It’s not just the roster KD gets to play with everyday, but the ability to compete for championships against LeBron’s Superteam in the East. The Warriors and KD know that winning, above all else is what will last in people’s minds once it’s all over.

           And with the expansion of social media making the game more universal than ever, the bigger the dynasty, and the bigger the stakes, the bigger legacy you will lead. You could argue that KD joining the Warriors only helps the brands of Steph, Klay, and Draymond individually off the court. They all become bigger stars because they play together. Northern California and the Bay Area also seem to be the perfect location for this as well; it features a top five market with all the advantages of being on the West Coast. San Francisco and surrounding suburbs are already one of most expensive places to live in the U.S. per capita. The Warriors already have great fans, and that’s before their ticket prices skyrocketed. Lets not forget the tech boom in Palo Alto, where the biggest tech companies in the world like Apple, Google, and Facebook all have large offices and workforces. The entire Bay Area just seems like the right fit right now for Kevin Durant and ultimately the NBA. I’m just letting everyone now before they make history that I am a willing participant in witnessing it.

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2017 NBA SEASON

Top Ten Things You Can Expect to See in the 2016-2017 NBA Season Written by Jarrett Adams on OCT 25, 2016

*RUSSELL WESTBROOK will win MVP, and average a triple double for the season, and become the first player to do so since OSCAR ROBERTSON 

*JAMES HARDEN will go from averaging 27 points, 6 Rebounds, and 7 Dimes while not making an ALL NBA ROSTER in 2015-2016, to reestablishing his respect amongst the voters and become FIRST TEAM ALL NBA in 2017.

(He should have been last year, leaving him off 1st Team, 2nd Team, and 3rd Team All NBA in 2015-2016 was the biggest travesty in journalist voting for a long time)

*The Cleveland Cavaliers will faceoff again with the Golden State Warriors for the 2016-2017 NBA FINALS. 

*The Golden State Warriors will cruise to 65 WINS, easily, and have the best regular season NBA record.

*ANTHONY DAVIS will lead the league in Player Efficiency Rating (PER). 

*The New York Knicks will at least make it to the Second Round of the PLAYOFFS.

*DEVIN BOOKER will add on to a strong rookie campaign and be the best 2nd year guard selected in the 2015 NBA Draft.

*The Orlando Magic will regret trading VICTOR OLADIPO for SERGE IBAKA.

*The Golden State Warriors will make more three-point field goals then any team in NBA history.

*Damian Lillard will lead the league in scoring, PPG.

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2016 NBA DRAFT RECAP / NBA Summer League Written by Jarrett Adams JULY 24, 2016

           After the finals ended on June 19th there was an extremely quick turnaround for NBA fans as the NBA Draft took place just four days later on the 23rd. Due to the fact I can no longer speculate on which players are going to what franchise, I’ll try my best to sum up every pick in the lottery and discuss some sleeper picks in the remaining 1st and 2nd rounds.

1 Pick, (Philadelphia 76ers) : Ben Simmons

           Surprisingly, if you were to type in “Ben Simmons” in Google these days during the opening weeks of the NBA season, most of the headlines surrounding the number 1 pick actually center around his new ShowTime documentary, “One and Done”. The documentary shadows Simmons’ lone freshman season in Baton Rouge capturing his experience coming from Australia to LSU to the NBA. I have not gotten around to watch it yet, but will soon. I can’t wait to see how it frames Simmons’ freshman season; while he definitely had his moments individually and did more than enough to warrant the no.1 overall pick, at times the LSU program struggled to remain relevant on the college basketball landscape.

           For number one picks in the NBA Draft, it is extremely rare for the player’s college team to not reach the postseason. Since 2007, college basketball has produced every NBA no. 1 pick, with 8 being freshmen (Oden, Rose, Wall, Irving, Davis, Bennett, Wiggins, Towns) and one sophomore (Griffin). All 9 of those players at least reached the NCAA tournament.

None of this seemed to matter when the 76ers won the lottery and rushed to take Ben Simmons with the number one pick. Looking at his game-tape alone, his skillset, size, and athleticism reminds you of a Lebron James and Magic Johnson hybrid of sorts. On the draft board he was simply the best player available and the opportunity arose for Philly to get a franchise changing talent. To put it quite frankly, fired GM Sam “Trust the Process” Hinkie’s career died in Philly for this opportunity to draft Ben Simmons.

           Simmons will likely miss a large portion of the NBA season with a foot injury. This has to be a cause for concern for Philly fans considering how the 76ers brain trust quickly shuts down their young, injured talent (Noel, Embiid both missed their rookie campaigns). However, while healthy, Simmons did show promise and ability in the 2016 Summer League, with decent mid-range and inside game and of course some devastating, jaw dropping passes we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the no. 1 pick.

No. 2 Pick, (Los Angeles Lakers) – Brandon Ingram  

           How about that young Lakers core post Kobe era? The Lakers couldn’t have been luckier to keep the no. 2 pick (this pick’s rights could have went to Boston, had the Lakers fell out of the top 3 draft slots), yet alone get a chance to select the lanky scorer from Duke. The selection here of Brandon Ingram was a smart one and filled a need on the wing for the Lakers. At the time of this selection, they desperately needed to balance a roster that already had Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt and Julius Randle at the 4. Brandon Ingram’s future with the Lakers resides at that 3 spot, despite coming off the bench his rookie campaign behind a veteran like Lou Deng. My biggest fear with Ingram right now is that he may be used as trade bait for a guy like Demarcus Cousins if the Lakers want to win now with high profile players.

           As all the other scouts and pundits would agree, Brandon Ingram’s game is most comparable to Kevin Durant’s. From the slender frame, tremendous height and length to go with guard skills and endless shooting range, he’s name right now in the NBA is basically Baby Durant (until he works his way to his own nick-name). Early on in summer league and opening week in the NBA he’s shown a tendency to affect the game in other areas other than scoring, including rebounding and blocked shots. Ingram is also receiving a lot of minutes being a primary ball handler of the second unit of the Lakers. The Future is very bright for Ingram and the Lakers as they mold behind new head coach Luke Walton. 

No. 3 Pick (Boston Celtics): Jaylen Brown

           Boston was in an interesting position here with the number 3 pick. Jaylen Brown was not the best player available, but was the last projected lottery wing player with lots of upside. Through his game tape at his one season at Cal there was a lot to like but also some key flaws in his game. One key weakness in his game right now that’s pretty evident is his ball handling. While Jaylen Brown is very athletic, he has not been able to harness his combination of power and speed because the ball slows him down while driving. However, with a NBA frame he has the ability from Day 1 to take contact and draw a lot of fouls. From the summer league to the start of the NBA Season, he’s shown more polish that what we were led to believe. This gives me hope and promise that the Celtics brain trust made the right decision here with Jaylen Brown. With guards like Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, and Terry Rozier, the C’s have more talent in the backcourt then they have minutes. So this pick gives them that swing forward they desperately needed.

No. 4 / No. 8 picks (Phoenix Suns): Dragan Bender / Marquese Chriss

           The Phoenix Suns had an interesting draft night as they used their two top ten picks to select two players that play the same position. With so much money wrapped up in their backcourt, they used this draft to upgrade their frontcourt by taking two power forwards. Drafting another guard here while already having Bledsoe, Knight, and Booker could have been a disaster. TJ Warren has shown promise as a young wing scorer. So on paper, drafting two Power forwards gives the Suns two new projects at the 4 they can build upon. As of now Dragan Bender is an enticing international prospect as he’s the first non-NCAA player chosen. He can shoot from three and can also make a pump fake-two dribble-score move effectively. Think of a taller and slender Toni Kukoc. The question is can he ever make an impact defensively in the NBA? Just looking at his frame, it’s going to take him some time to adjust to the physicality of the NBA season.

           Marqueese Chris on the other hand has shown some flashes to have impressive hops and raw athleticism. Unlike Bender, the Suns view Chris as a young player that can contribute from day one. He’s the prototype four-man that is best utilized for pick and roll opportunities and finishing plays over the defense. I think both players can contribute buckets on the offensive in, but their defense is very questionable. Whether these two picks pan out will be on their hard work in the gym and the Phoenix suns organization. 

No. 5 (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Kris Dunn

           Kris Dunn was easily my favorite player to watch leading up to Draft Night. I was really hoping he would fall to no.6 to the Pelicans, but the Timberwolves snatch him up here at the five spot. Dunn is a cross between John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. He’s able to use his physicality on defense and his steps wisely while driving like Bledsoe, but from baseline to baseline he’s more John Wall. Really fun player to watch play the point guard position. He’s a strong leader, determined and relentless scorer, not much of a shooter but makes up for it with his length and discipline on the defensive end. He’s going to be the type of guy that’s going to make an immediate impact from day one in Minnesota.

           Minnesota made the right decision here for their franchise. While Ricky Rubio brings a lot of different things to the table, Kris Dunn can do Rubio’s job better as a better playmaker and defender in the starting point position. He’s a polished college player and the 2x Big East player of the year. This guy is the real deal, and I can’t wait to see him pair up with Minnesota’s young talented core of  Zach Lavine, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl Anthony Towns.

No. 6 (New Orleans Pelicans) – Buddy Hield

           This pick came as a bit of shocker to me, considering the roster the Pelicans are trying to build around Anthony Davis. Not to say Buddy Hield didn’t have the pedigree coming out of Oklahoma – he was the Naismith College Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year, First Team All American, 2x Big 12 player of the Year, and won the John Wooden Award last year. The pure slasher and shooter from Freeport, Bahamas is coming into the NBA with a lot of pressure to deliver with such accolades and high selection, considering the need for this pick to work out for GM Dell Demps.

           Looking at the Pelicans roster, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans are both entering the last year of their deals this season. In a perfect world, if Dell Demps wanted to completely rebuild after letting Holiday or Evans walk, pairing up Kris Dunn with Anthony Davis would have been a match made in heaven. Instead, Dunn is off the board, so you can’t blame Demps for taking Hield here. After the draft process was over Demps confessed that Buddy was “the player the Pelicans wanted all along”. Looking on bright side, if Buddy Hield lives up the hype of the number 6 selection, then this is a great pick. He can shoot the basketball and can score in bunches. It’s going to take time for him to adjust to the speed and athleticism of the game. As a four-year senior, Buddy Hield is under immense pressure to produce for the Pels considering Holiday and Evans will both start the season out of the lineup. This pick also could have been a way to replace Eric Gordon’s tenure with the team, as the sharpshooter joined the Houston Rockets in the offseason.

No. 7 (Denver Nuggets) – Jamal Murray

           The Nuggets slip in here at the No. 7 slot and pick the best player available and a backcourt mate for Emmanuel Mudiay in Jamal Murray. The combo guard out of Kentucky easily had one of the most impressive seasons as a freshman last year as he displayed a knack for shooting 3’s, ability to get to the rim, and an impressive pick and roll game. I like this pick for the Nuggets simply because Murray is a scorer who also is a selfless passer. There were many times last season at Kentucky where the offense ran through Murray to make decisions to either score or get others involved. Also, Murray is a fierce competitor and displayed that many times when the games were big and the lights were the brightest.

Murray also has plenty experience in FIBA/ International play balling for Team Canada. His point guard skills are very Tony Parker–esque. He has great handle for a guard his size (6’5) and ran the point fluently for Canada in FIBA play. He won’t beat you with speed or athleticism but is extremely crafty in his movement and is underrated as an athlete overall. In my opinion, I was shocked the Pelicans did not select him at 6, as they went with Buddy Hield. Murray is much younger, has more experience in international play, can shoot just as good, is a better passer and ball handler, is about the same size, and can play multiple positions. Great pick by the Nuggets and I am looking forward to seeing how the Mudiay Murray backcourt matures in a few years.

No. 9 (Toronto Raptors) Jakob Poltl

           After making the Eastern Conference Finals last year and having the best season in franchise history, they decided to give a raise to DeMar DeRozan and let Bismack Biyombo walk in free agency. In the playoffs last year, the Raptors prize center Jonas Valanciunas went down with an injury, making the way for Biyombo to step up (and cash in this offseason). This meant GM Masai Ujiri now has to use this lottery draft pick to get some more size in the paint and another backup for Valanciunas. They got that here with Jacob Poltl.

           The 21 year old sophomore from Utah showed some fleshes of being a big physical presence inside with a good understanding of how to actually use his size to his advantage. I think Masai Ujiri recognizes Poltl’s skillset as a guy that can one day be a legit starting center in this league, which is probably his plan just in case the Raptors have to part ways with Valanciunas via trade years down the line. For now, Poltl will be relied upon to come off the bench of a veteran playoff team, making an impact defensively and in the rebounding battle.

No. 10 (Milwaukee Bucks) Thon Maker

           Thon Maker is one of the most polarizing figures in this draft class considering how unorthodox his story is compared to other prospects. First, his audition for the NBA came through showcasing his talent at different AAU camps. He’s an international prospect that did not play overseas or play college basketball. By 2014, he was becoming an internet sensation for his draw dropping plays in basketball camps and AAU circuits. For NBA GMs and Scouts, Thon Maker had to be extremely difficult to scout considering the jump from prep school to the NBA and the higher level of competition Maker had not faced.

           None of this stopped the Milwaukee from drafting him here at the number 10 spot. I thought it was a ballsy pick, but I pick worth making considering Thon Maker’s upside. He’s a big that can guard multiple positions and be a threat to score when he touches the ball. He lacks polish right now of an actual NBA player, but this should be expected. He has the length and speed to really affect the game on a game changing level on defense. When you look at some of the new age NBA big-men like Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony Towns, and Kristaps Porzingis, Thon Maker probably has the most upside in this draft to turn into a player that can impact a game along those same lines. The Bucks probably drooled at the prospect of adding a prospect with a lot of upside with their already talented core of Giannis Antetekuompo, Jabari Parker, and Kris Middleton. Look out for Thon Maker, because in a few years he could be the secret weapon to a playoff team coming out of Milwaukee.

 No. 11 (Traded to OKC in Draft Night Trade Sending Serge Ibaka to Magic, Victor Olapido to Thunder) Domantas Sabonis

           And finally a draft night trade of some substance! When OKC made this trade to send Serge Ibaka to the Magic, it was a move that would try to help entice free agent Kevin Durant to stay long-term. If you look at it from that angle, it’s a very risky trade, to trade away a veteran like Ibaka for a younger talent in Oladipo, another ball handler, taking away more time of possession from a player like Durant. However, with Durant gone, this trade makes even more sense, as OKC now becomes a team solely built around Russell Westbrook. Now Olapido gets a new start in OKC as Westbrook’s sidekick, and gets to benefit from learning from him every game and every practice.

           I still can’t believe the Thunder convinced the Magic to also give up a first round pick in this trade – on paper Serge Ibaka for Victor Oladipo is a fair enough trade for both sides. If you’re smart, the Thunder still make that deal without the first rounder. But instead, I think being able to oversell the Magic on Ibaka’s value is key here in this deal. Ibaka at this point in his career was an overpaid role player (like a lot of players in the new CBA deal) whereas Oladipo still has room for improvement. That alone to me gives Oladipo way more value than Ibaka. Thunder GM Sam Hinkie has had a lot ups and downs – I’m still pissed at that James Harden trade – but I’ll give credit when its due and this was a great trade for the Thunder.

           The 11th pick, Domantas Sabonis, son of former Trail Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis, was a reach pick here in my opinion. Does Sabonis really offer more upside then guys already on the roster, like Enes Kanter, or even Mitch McGary? I understand the need to fill the depth chart now with the departure of Serge Ibaka, but I don’t see any stardom for Sabonis in the near future. It will be interesting how he can contribute to this Thunder team built around Russell Westbrook. He has the skills to stretch the defense with his shot, and can make a few impressive moves off the dribble as a stretch four. But other than that, I don’t see a lot of upside in this pick. Only time will tell!

No. 12 (Jazz Traded to Atlanta Hawks) Taurean Prince

The Atlanta Hawks grab the second senior taken in Taurean Prince, the energetic rebounder and fierce competitor from Baylor. I measure Prince’s ceiling around a Gerald Wallace in his prime years as a Charlotte Bobcat. At worst, I think he can at least be the new Demarre Carroll for the Atlanta Hawks that they desperately missed since his departure. One thing Prince does not lack is his motor and effort, and in basketball, if you combine that with your athleticism, then you’re halfway to being a decent defender. If Prince is willing to ride the bench early and learn, he’ll end up a decent player based on his motor at Baylor.

No. 13 (Sacramento Kings via the Phoenix Suns) Georgios Papgiannis

           Who? Sacramento trades back in this draft to pick another center that serves as a potential stash pick either in Europe or the D League. This pick got Boogie Cousins hot, as he took to twitter to question the Kings strategy plan specifically as it pertains to building around him. The Kings have had some really tough luck with picks over the past 10 years, and this one adds to the head-scratcher that has become the King’s brain trust. Looking at some Papagiannis highlights, he’s a hefty big man with decent footwork and good hands. He plays textbook back to the basket like an old school big man. Seems to me like a security policy to have another big man in case the Kings decide to move Cousins at this years trade deadline.

No. 14 (Chicago Bulls) Denzel Valentine

The Bulls round out the lottery with senior guard and swingman from Michigan State in Denzel Valentine. I’m a big fan of Valentine’s do it all game. He’s able to impact the game with a little bit of everything – long distance shooting, passing, ball handling, rebounding – Valentine is truly a jack of all trades. NBA scouts and pundits have doubted his athleticism and whether he can be effective at the next level. He may not even emerge on this Bulls roster, but when Valentine gets his opportunity, I believe he will prove to be an effective player and starter on a playoff team. I think that’s this guy’s ceiling. 

No. 20 (Indiana Pacers) – Caris LeVert

A versatile wing scorer and Senior from Michigan, undoubtedly a lot of talent, but may not get a lot of minutes with the Pacers. Look out for Levert, he has a good ball handling ability for a guy that is 6’6.    

No. 29 (San Antonio Spurs) – Dejounte Murray – Murray is a silky guard that uses explosiveness to get where he wants to on the floor. Could be a sleeper pick under Greg Popovich.

 No. 33 (New Orleans Pelicans) – Cheick Diallo  - Cheick has a lot to like and even more that you just can’t teach. He lacks polish at the NBA level but that has not stopped him from contributing put-backs, offensive boards, and instinctive blocked shots.

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NBA Finals Recap Written by Jarrett Adams June 30, 2016

           It may be difficult to try to sum up the 2016 NBA Finals into an article after the fact, but that’s exactly what I’ll try to attempt to do here. As a fan, all I can do is sit back and appreciate this game after such a great finish to the NBA season. Seriously, who could have predicted that as the grand finale considering the odds the Cleveland Cavaliers faced to win it all? Looking back on it in retrospect, the last time I wrote about the NBA was with the Warriors facing a 3-1 deficit to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Back then, if you told me that Golden State would come back to win the Western Conference Finals, to be honest this would have been something I would have accepted to be in the realm of possibility. Highly unlikely, but with the players and season Golden State had, still a possibility.

           On the heels of that Game 6 in Oklahoma City, the entire arena and state of Oklahoma knew this would be their best shot of making it back to the NBA Finals – a place the Thunder had not been since the disaster trade of James Harden. The entire weight of the franchise rested on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Its really funny thinking of Game 6 now in the wake of all that has happened (newsflash KD is now a Warrior, but more on that later) but in the moment I think fans across the world knew they ultimately had what it took to win that game. The atmosphere that night in OKC was unbelievable, the fans were wild and energetic, craving for their shot at an NBA finals berth, standing and cheering for most of the first half as the Thunder took the early advantage.

           Down by 8 to start the fourth, the 73-9 Warriors season could have ended that night in Oklahoma. Instead, a clutch shooting barrage by Splash Brother no. 2, Klay Thompson saved the day for the Dubs, as he finished the game with 41 points on 11 threes made. A couple late turnovers and bad execution by both Westbrook and KD sealed their fate – not just as it related to this series, but as teammates forever. The series moved back to Oakland for a final game 7, and Russ and KD fought hard but we’re eventually defeated in a close game 96-88. Reminiscing on that Game 7 loss has be bittersweet for Thunder fans. Kevin Durant had just become a free agent after embarrassingly losing a 3-1 series lead, and this was the very end for Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant as a tag team duo (more on that later, I promise).

 2016 NBA Finals

           So this dramatic finish in the Western Conference Finals set up the rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals: The Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Golden State Warriors. Each team entered the 2016 finals with their health intact (unlike in 2015, as Kevin Love got injured in the first round of the playoffs). A lot was on the line for both teams: everything down from the city, to the coaches, to the players had something to either lose or to gain. To break this dynamic down, I’ll make it nice and short. The main matchup people had in mind was the Steph Curry vs Lebron James dynamic, because as the 2016 Finals opened up there was heavy doubt as to whether Lebron James was still the face of the NBA. Even doubts as to whether a pure shooter like Curry had overtaken Lebron as the game’s best player. Curry was coming off back to back MVP seasons, the second one being a unanimous selection, hit over 400 three pointers, and had led his team to the best regular season record in history. Not to mention the Warriors were the defending NBA champions, looking to repeat and defend their title. For Lebron, another loss in the NBA Finals would have been a huge asterisk on his legacy, had he ever been mentioned on the Mount Rushmore of NBA players. Think about it like this, how in the world could the “Chosen One” have a 2-5 finals record in 7 finals appearances? If he were to lose now with a healthy roster, then who was Lebron James really? Can he not win without D-Wade? All logical and fair questions to ask had Lebron lost these finals. Which leads us right into Game 1….

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

           Sports writers always like to use the line, “the series doesn’t start until the away team gets a win on the road.” This applies to the 2016 NBA Finals as the first 3 games of the series were intensely competitive for major stretches, but ultimately the home team won the game. If I could describe the first two games at Oracle Arena, the Warriors came out strong and looked poised for anther repeat. Their bench played well, and the Cavs looked like they needed to up their intensity and game speed to match the crisp offense and ball movement of the Dubs. Lebron and Kyrie individually did exceptional in Games 1 and 2, but could not find that balance of getting everyone involved and on the same page. The series shifted a bit in Game 3 in Cleveland, which should have been expected. The home field advantage was felt immediately, as all the good play from the bench was now shifting back to Cleveland. Game 3 was a complete 180 degrees from what we saw in games 1 and two from both teams, which meant the Cavs were now the team sharing the ball, hitting threes, and making plays. This was the game that really got Lebron on the same page with his teammates moving forward.

Crucial Game 4; Dubs Get the Win, but Draymond Gets Suspended

           Game 4 saw an uptake in intensity from the Dubs after getting blown out in Game 3. They responded well and this game was great entertainment from start to finish. Steph Curry easily had his best game of the series, finishing with 38 points. This game had a lot of highlight plays from both sides, but the Warriors eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter. On one side, things were going really well, until Draymond Green tapped Lebron in the groin section and caused a Tupac Shakur “All Eyes on Me” moment. Now, I didn’t mention it earlier, but something Draymond did earlier in the Western Conference Finals would come back to haunt him, as this was now the second groin shot and this time it was King James. The Warriors got the win that night in the battle, but this mistake would cost the Warriors the war. After the game, the media frenzy surrounding the offense would haunt the headlines of Game 4 and force NBA commissioner Adam Silver to take action. Silver swiftly suspended Draymond Green for Game 5 on the Finals, changing the course of history forever. I don’t blame Silver nor do I think Draymond should have played in Game 5, this was completely fair despite it hurting the Warriors at such a crucial time.

Game 5 without Draymond and Game 6 in Cleveland without Bogut

           Draymond’s suspension in Game 5 undoubtedly helped set the tone for the Cavs to get their first road win of the NBA finals. Despite facing elimination, most NBA fans knew that the Cavs would have the upper hand without the Warriors enforcer and dirty work player backing them up from the onslaught that became Lebron James. Match that with one two punch the became Kyrie Irving, they might as well laid out the welcome mat in the lane that said “open season” for drives and offensive boards. A key injury also took place in Game 5, as Andrew Bogut fell over his own teammate taking him completely out of the series. Just like that, the Warriors were now their weakest in the first of 3 elimination games that would follow. By the time Draymond came back in Game 6, the series momentum had shifted in Cleveland’s favor. Lebron was playing out his mind, and Game 6 fully established that no one on the Warriors roster could stay in front of Kyrie Irving. Despite facing elimination, in front of a ruckus crowd Cleveland somewhat cruised to a win in Game 6 under great play and leadership of James and Irving. Forcing a Game 7 just seemed like the perfect way to decide this series.

Lebron’s Block, Kyrie’s Three Seal The Deal And Bring A Title Back to Cleveland

           No matter how long I live, if someone were to ask me about this NBA Finals 20 years from now, and the conversation started at Game 7, there are only two plays that defined this series, and this season. For Lebron, the defensive play would go on to completely solidify his legacy, and for Kyrie, would open the floodgates to a young hall of fame career that is just getting started. Lets start with the block heard around the NBA. The score was 89-89 with 2 minutes left in a Game 7 to decide it all – that’s how close this game was at the time it happened. After Kyrie drives the lane and misses a floater, a rebound, two dribbles and quick outlet pass starts the fast break for Golden State. Things are going 100 miles per hour. Anyone watching the game is already at the edge of their seat because the anticipation of history being made in front of our eyes is currently happening in the moment. Outlet pass goes to Curry, Curry gives it back to Iggy, and JR Smith – the unsung hero in this play, and this series for that matter, does just enough to alter Iggy from taking flight for the Slam dunk.

Now without JR making Iggy make that adjustment, Iggy for sure dunks it, crowd goes wild, momentum swings --- not an insurmountable lead (91-89 hypothetically) but trust me, this would have changed everything. Instead, Iggy has to adjust and goes below the rim for a for sure lay-up score, until Lebron comes out of no-where as a trailer and saves the play with a block before it even hits the backboard. I think whats so special about this play was simply no other NBA player in NBA history could have done it. But we’ve seen Lebron basically add this element to the game through sheer greatness. For him to save the day with his patented signature block was everything to witness as an NBA Fan. Arguably the greatest defensive play in NBA history and for damn sure the greatest chase down block I’ve ever seen.

The second play was how Kyrie Irving sealed the championship with a step back three over 2 type reigning MVP Steph Curry. I’d never forget watching the play before and seeing Kyrie yelling, “Just get me the damn ball” right before that possession. He knew he had it in him. All the talk about Steph Curry, his mindset when it all came down to it was, “Let me finish this” and that’s exactly what he did, taking a 3 point lead with 53 seconds left in the process. After this play, the air was kind of let out of Oracle Arena. This was the same team that was down 3-1. Now they are making the plays that will end the Dubs’ season, and bring a championship to Cleveland for the first time in god knows when.  What a fitting tale of sweet victory. This play put Kyrie on a new stratosphere of where his career path could potentially go. Maybe even as a leader of his own team after parting ways with Lebron. After winning it, all he had to say was, “Definitely one for the books,”… Indeed!

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THE SUM OF ALL FEARS Written by Jarrett Adams MAY 26, 2016

With the Warriors down 3-1 in the WCF, Could the 73-9 season go to waste?

            I remember discussing at length on the NBA League Pass Podcast this year’s 73-9 Warriors team and how great they could be, if they were to repeat as champions. Key word here: “if”. With the best regular season record of all time, coming off the franchises first title in 40 years, and having the back to back MVP, NBA writers and pundits were quick to put this years Warriors team in GOAT consideration. That means in the rafters with teams like the 96 Bulls, 02’ Lakers, 84 Celtics, and 87’ Lakers. But for that, the Warriors needed to repeat this year as NBA champs. But those odds are now dim, as the Warriors face a 3-1 deficit to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

During the regular season, the two teams everyone talked about in the West were the Warriors and Spurs. The two teams were at the top of conference and seemed to be on crash course the entire regular season.  The Oklahoma City Thunder were an underdog this year in the West. They had not been back to the Finals since they traded James Harden to the Rockets, but still had arguably the best one two punch with KD and Westbrook. There were more questions then answers this year, although they were still able to grab the 3rd seed in a tough conference. They had lots of ups and downs this season, had three deaths close to the franchise, and had Kevin Durant’s free agency looming (over their heads?). [And lets not ignore the concerns with the roster outside of KD and Westbrook. Ibaka was still there but no longer a force on defense – while players like Dion Waiters, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and Enes Kanter were all unproven in the playoffs. ]           

            So exactly how surprised should we be that this same Thunder team is now on the cusp of eliminating both the Spurs and Warriors in the same post season. How surprised should we be with all three wins thus far in the Western Conference Finals? First they came in Oracle Arena and won game one, and absolutely dismantled the Warriors at home in Games 3 and 4. Watching this all play out you must state that many people felt if any team could dethrone the Warriors, it would have been the Thunder, not the Spurs. Having two legit superstars on the court changes the dynamics of the series, especially if the role players trust them and follow their lead. That’s what we’ve been seeing this year in the playoffs. 

What’s up with the Warriors?

            First and foremost the pressure of being a favorite in a series were you may not even have the two best players on your team is weighing on the Warriors. Many people would have put Steph Curry in the same sentence as Jordan with the type of season he had in 2015-2016. He led the league in scoring, shot a great percentage from the field, three, and three throw line, and also hit a record 400 three pointers this year. I won’t say Curry has disappeared in the Western Conference Finals, I think that would be unfair. [metion the injury in round 1]What has disappeared this series is the Warriors ability to match the energy of OKC and the lack of rim protection with the small ball lineup of Barnes, Iggy, Draymond, Klay and Steph. Bottom line, this lineup is getting eaten alive. They have no rim protection for the leauges’ most explosive player Russell Westbrook. He’s carving them up on a nightly basis. If he doesn’t get to the rim for a lay up, he’ll pass and kick for an open three. [russ can also pull up… when he’s hot, he’s hot]

Steve Kerr has to be called out for his lack of adjustments. [looks like a rookie, is he better than Walton?] At the same time, he’s not out there on the court. The Warriors have to want this series a bit more, and maybe facing elimination they’ll find enough to win Game 5 and possibly even Game 6 to force game 7 at Oracle. When Kerr leaves a big man like Bogut or Festus Ezili out there, it seems to make no difference, as the Thunder big men, especially Adams and Ibaka are outplaying them. When the Warriors play small ball, the Thunder counter with Durant, Russ, Roberson, Waiters and Ibaka. This lineup is a +48 on the floor since games 3 and 4. Give credit to head coach Billy Donavan, he has gotten this team to play to their strengths by using their length to overwhelm the Warriors with steals, blocks and deflections. Same way the Thunder just outplayed the Spurs using their younger legs and athleticism, the Thunder are making the same impact but more with their length and long arms.

Draymond Green Unraveling

            A lot of the blame will be placed on Draymond Green. Usually an alpha dog on the court, Green in games 3 and 4 has been more of a poodle. He’s out of control, complaining about foul calls he usually gets at Oracle, missing his jumpers, and worst of all turning the ball over. I think Green’s biggest mishap was being the center of attention [matyr role? ] and not being able to handle the pressure after kicking Steven Adams in the nuts – twice. To make matters worse, this seemed to just piss off the Thunder and add to the fuel to defeat the Warriors. [?]

            A wise man once said to me, “Don’t piss off Russell Westbrook, because when you piss him off, he starts to actually play like a point guard.” That’s what we are witnessing right now in this series. Draymond Green’s style of play on the basketball court – all of the antics, screaming, taunting, tough defense, and possible dirty play has pissed off arguably the NBA’s most lethal weapon. Russ is like the new Jordan or Kobe in this aspect – he’s the last player in the NBA you want to give motivation to beat you. And Draymond Green is definitely guilty in this case. Westbrook has all the motivation in the world right now to close out this series tonight in Game 5.

Redemption Song

            Out of all the other factors in this series, lets not forget Kevin Durant had to watch the postseason last year with a walking boot on his foot on the couch. During his rehab, he vowed that next year would be his year. That time has finally arrived. He’s had an up and down postseason by his standards, but Kevin Durant is in the driver seat to re-write his own career. Will he take OKC to the finals and win it this year? Honestly what KD and Westbrook are doing right now is restoring the balance in the galaxy. They were supposed to win championships together ever since the original big three that consisted of James Harden. Now here they are in present day �� Harden is long gone to Houston, and all three are ringless. During KD’s absence last year the Thunder didn’t even make the playoffs. All the while Curry comes along, wins the MVP award, wins the championship, and is the new face of the NBA. [their style of play has taken notice, people have been trying their style since the Suns]

             And speaking of the 2015 NBA Champion Warriors, would Steph still be Steph if Kyrie and Love were healthy in the Finals? We all got see Kyrie go head to head with Steph in Game 1 before getting injured in overtime, and to be honest there wasn’t a difference or drop off in talent. Kyrie was step for step with Curry that game, and ended the game with a similar stat line. Speaking of redemption, how about redemption for Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love? You can argue that a healthy Cavs roster defeats the Warriors last year. So imagine how Kyrie feels being an afterthought to Curry; Kyrie was the number one pick in his draft, and an alpha dog in his own right. After going down in Game 1, Steph takes off to a new stratosphere. Now up 3-2 in East, Kyrie Irving has a chance at his own redemption story, although he may not get the rematch we all were expecting in the NBA Finals.

            And that raises my last point; all the contenders are gunning for the Warriors. That might be one of the biggest differences from last year. The hunters are now being hunted. The Thunder wanted the Warriors. The Cavs in the East want the Warriors. The question is what do the Warriors want. Do they want to finish the 73-9 record with a 3-0 comeback [the warriors are not getting swept] in Western Conference Finals? Do they have that in their arsenal? The only way to know will be tonight for Game 5, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

[nbablog-blog1]

PLAYOFFS 2016

Written by Jarrett Adams 

May 12, 2016

 OK since my last podcast about the opening day of the NBA Playoffs, a lot has happened. Most of my predictions became true of round 1, except for the Blazers coming back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Clippers. I actually went to Game 2 of that series on my vacation to LA. (Which explains the long layover since my last piece). Other than that, Round 1 of both the East and West stayed true to the seeding going into the playoffs, but we also witnessed some great performances and some great matchups.

Heat vs. Hornets (Heat win in 7)

This was probably the most entertaining first round matchup as the NBA universe got to witness vintage D Wade in Game 6 facing elimination. In crunch time of Game 6, D Wade hit his first three pointer since December and also hit a tough fade away jumper over Courtney Lee to force Game 7. He single handedly carried the Heat in the 4th quarter this game and also passed the on looking Michael Jordan for most blocks by a guard in Playoff history. After the game D Wade said, “Games like this are the reason I still play basketball”.

This series was probably the coming out party for a guy like Kemba Walker (my choice for Most Improved Player) who has taken the next step in on the NBA ladder; but that’s depending on who you ask. Most people would agree Kemba is one of the most talented point guards in the NBA, but he has not accepted his role as the star of the Charlotte Hornets just yet. Walker formed a nice tandem with Jeremy Lin this series, as both players practically carried the Hornets for the first 6 games. Things changed for Kemba in Game 7, who had his worst game of the series. To make matters worse, his counterpart on the Heat Goran Dragic piled on his best performance after getting outplayed for the first 6 games.

Raptors vs. Pacers (Raptors win in 7)

 So what to make of both these teams in this series? This matchup was ok to watch but then again, I’m a NBA fanatic. Pacers looked like they would run through the Raptors after a Game 1 win on the road. As I said on the NBA League Pass Podcast, the Pacers had the best player in this matchup with Paul George. My issue with the Pacers right now in a semi – rebuilding year was the talent they have around Paul George. George Hill – in retrospect, has been on the bad side of the Kawhi Leonard trade, Monta Ellis just might be the king of first round exits, Myles Turner has got some talent, but guys like CJ Miles, Jordan Hill, Ty Lawson, Rodney Stuckey and Solomon Hill leave a lot to be desired. On any given night they could be solid contributors, but leave you with the “Meh.” feeling about them overall. And I think this series was a huge testament to that, dropping Game 3 at home, losing game 5 after being up majority of that game, and a lackluster Game 7. Speaking of Game 7, it seemed like Paul George disappeared in crunch time. I think Paul George’s game 7 performance is what got Pacers head coach Frank Vogel fired. Maybe Vogel should have drew up more creative ways to put Paul George in positions to score; but at the same time Paul George as a superstar needs to command the ball more, especially in Game 7.

 Warriors vs Rockets (Warriors in 5)

Spurs vs Grizzles (Spurs in 4)

Cavs vs Pistons (Cavs in 4)

Hawks vs Celtics (Hawks in 6)

Clippers vs Blazers (Blazers in 6)

Thunder vs Mavs (Thunder in 5)

 NOTES FROM AFOREMENTIONED FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS

 -                Warriors only got a 20-minute contribution from MVP Steph Curry after he injured his ankle in Game 1. Everybody remembers when Curry first got into the league he had ankle issues, so seeing him return in Game 3 was good see, only for Curry to leave that game with a knee sprain (Curry returned in Game 4 of Round 2 against the Blazers, scoring 40, but more on that later). Without Curry, the NBA universe got see what the 73-9 Warriors looked like without the leagues’ leading scorer and current MVP. And against the Rockets, it didn’t look like the Warriors missed a step. I saw the same ball movement, the same defensive intensity, and a team that would have been a high seed playoff team without Curry. The Rockets simply had no answer for Draymond Green’s ability to affect the game in multiple ways, and Klay Thompson’s shooting and on ball defense. An unsung hero for this series was also Shaun Livingston (my choice for 6th Man of the Year) who stepped right in and played his game.

-                What’s going on with the Rockets? Right now a lot of speculation surrounding their coaching staff and roster heading into next season. Word of advice – do not give Dwight Howard max contract money if he opts out. Houston can be a destination for big named free agents, and that money can be used elsewhere. Dwight has been a shell of himself and with the NBA being more and more perimeter oriented, no reason to give max money to a guy to who can’t hit free throws and can no longer dominate inside.

-                The Spurs absolutely dominated the Grizzles for an easy sweep. The Grizzles responded by firing their head coach Dave Joerger, who is now the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings.

-                Cavs were quickly tested by the new look Pistons, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2009 with a young core consisting of Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, KCP, Stanley Johnson, and Tobias Harris. I actually gained respect for the Pistons as they fought hard against the experienced and battle tested Cleveland squad. The Cavs were clearly on their A-game with a newfound focus to get back and compete in the NBA Finals. New head coach Tyron Lue has the Cavs playing good team basketball and it seems like the Cavs have finally been able to incorporate Kevin Love’s talents into their system.[1] Watch out NBA – a healthy Cavs team with Kevin Love hitting threes and causing havoc on the glass is a scary site.

-                Hawks and Celtics made for an interesting series that probably could have went to Game 7 had Isaiah Thomas been healthy. These two teams are what NBA fans call, “Treadmill teams” because they’re good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to contend. I think a lack of star power in both teams combined doomed this series from being special. The Celtics were just rewarded with the no.3 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, so let’s see what happens! Hawks took care of business in six games.

-                I was at Game 2 in Los Angeles for the Clippers vs. Blazers first round matchup hammered. I can barely tell you what happened that night, but I know for sure the Clippers won that game. I even got a free Clippers playoff tee for my troubles. That came in handy as I wound up needing a second tee shirt as a spare (I threw up all over on my Ralph Lauren during intermission). After Game 2 the series shifted to Portland, and things got really spooky for the Clippers. After bottling the Blazers backcourt duo with stifling defense in the first two games, Lillard and McCollum broke lose in Game 3. Things got worse for the Clippers as both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin suffered year ending injuries in Game 4. After CP3 and Blake went down, this series and year went out the window for the Clippers. Blazers handled the Clippers 4-2, winning 4 straight to close them out.

-                The Thunder vs. Mavs series got a little chippy to say the least. Russell Westbrook had to tell a Mavs fan to “Shut the F*ck Up and Enjoy the Game” in front of his wife. KD was ejected that night as well.  Mavs owner Mark Cuban threw a jab when he stated that Westbrook was not a superstar. In my opinion, I looked at Cuban’s actions as setting the tone for KD’s free agency this summer. What better way to do that then to cause a media uproar about the Thunder’s two stars. Almost as if Cuban knew that his comments would ultimately force the media to write the narrative putting Russ and KD against each other. Well played, Cuban. (Quick Sidebar, have you ever played a Shark Tank drinking game? When Mark Cuban gives a reasons as to why he is “out” as a potential investor, drink) Either way the Thunder took care of business finishing the Mavs in just five games.

 Round 2 NBA Playoffs 

Warriors vs Blazers (Warriors win in 5)

Cavs vs Hawks (Cavs in 4)

Raptors vs Heat (Raptors in 7)

Spurs vs Thunder (Thunder in 6)

Spurs vs. Thunder

           This was a matchup for the ages. On end, KD and Westbrook were playing with everything on line with KD’s impending free agency coming up. On the other end, the Spurs new additions Lamarcus Aldridge and David West took a big risk to join the Spurs for the opportunity to win a championship this year. The Spurs were coming off their best regular season in franchise history, and probably their best roster from a talent standpoint. To add to anticipation of this series was the big three in Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan possibly on their last run as a big three in San Antonio. Although the Spurs had more depth than the Thunder, the Thunder were able to exploit the Spurs lack of elite athletes and youth by running and gunning their way to winning the series in six games. They simply had no answer for the physicality of Steven Adams and Russell Westbrook. Even role players like Roberson gave the Spurs issues with his length and hustle. The Thunder as the three seed survived and moved on to the Western Conference Finals.

[1] Funny thing is I wrote a piece around the Trade Deadline about how the Cavs should have dealt Kevin Love.