#and also needed a picture for the guillotine tweet from the last post

[ox-imagines]

Reminder that tohma actually has a heart of gold

Also Jin confirmed my theory that he’s ripped

[connorsaturday]

White Liberal America: The Ultimate Hypocrite

[SEPTEMBER 18, 2017]

             I often tell people that I am always looking for perspective. I tell them that I work in these underprivileged neighborhoods, and that I enjoy putting myself into environments where I am not the majority. The thing is, that statement is flawed at a meta-level. Let me explain: Physically I can be in situations where I am racially the minority. That is true. Socially and psychologically, however, this environment doesn’t exist. In this nation, in this culture, in this current sociopolitical state of the union, I can never be in a place where I am a minority. When you have a skin color like mine and an ethnic background that is whiter than whipped cream itself, you will always be on top of the socio-racial hierarchy. So long as I have my white privilege, I will always, unfortunately, be the majority.

      Of the two articles my professor, Ms. Calamari gave us – a news article on Michael Bennett’s encounter with the LVPD, and a much longer article on Colin Kaepernick - I started with the news article on Michael Bennett. It is MUCH shorter, and when faced with multiple tasks – and ample hours to complete them – my ADD will always force me to choose the easiest task first. So, as I drew the concentration from deep within my mind to read this, I was left with a feeling of neutrality, like I was in the same place that I started. It’s easy to feel this way when the news cycle flip-flops between racist police shootings one day and President Trump passively supporting racist motions the next day; the stories of oppressive, systemic racism blur together after a while. America wakes up day after day to see a tweet from our President saying that there is “blame on both sides” during the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, or that the man brutally shot by a white policeman at a traffic stop, who then bled to death next to his girlfriend and child in their car, was reaching for the gun that he warned the officer about in advance. Ironically, the group in our country with arguably the most influence and power in society – liberal white Americans – see this and think, “Jesus, look what’s happened now. How can something like this happen? I can’t believe this, I am appalled.” We go on and on about how awful the news is, but eventually the dust settles. The chatter ceases. We go back to the quiet before the storm, waiting on the next terrible thing to happen. But in the middle of all the chaos, the shootings and the government instability, in the middle of the habitual action-reaction response of White Liberal America, do we ever stop and think to ourselves about the next step?

     In Rembert Browne’s article for the Bleacher Report, Colin Kaepernick Has a Job, Browne quotes a line from Michael Bennett during a conversation they had in relation to the article. Bennett tells Browne, “Boycotting is a form of protest. I think if there is a boycott, it kind of shows that the consumer has power. But then it’s like: What’s the next step?” And that’s the question: what is the next step for White Liberal America? When’s the last time you checked in on the conclusion to a cop killing an innocent minority? Do you know what happened to Michael Brown’s killer? Eric Garner’s? Philando Castile’s? Trayvon Martin’s? My guess is you probably don’t. For no other reason than you probably just don’t know any of those people personally, and therefore (as awful as it may sound), just don’t care enough to check in and see what happened; that’s just basic psychology.

      Human psychology is one of the most complex and intricate topics in science to have ever existed. Not only does it explain so much of the most basic and advanced human behaviors, it is also at the same time something that we know so little about. New discoveries and hypotheses are made every day, stacked on top of each other like software updates on an iPhone. The psychology behind Rembert Browne’s article really left me in a different state than the much shorter news article did. While I still cannot see the full picture of the intricacies of racism in America today, I feel that I have gained a broader and deeper understanding of where we are, where we need to be, and why we aren’t there yet. It is truly amazing how all of this – the backlash, the criticism, the discussion made in this article – all stemmed from a simple act of passive resistance from one man.

       A common term thrown around the race topic today is institutional racism. However, this term – like GMOs – is something people tend to speak very much of, yet unfortunately know very little about (my rant on GMOs is a topic for another time, though). White Liberal America thinks they know institutional racism, but they don’t. They think they’ve seen the dirty and disgusting, but watching footage of a black man being shot by cops on CNN does not count as exposure to the repulsive reality of our country. White Liberal America has a set of beliefs about racism and equality, but abides by none of them. The second anyone’s wallet starts to feel light or anyone’s circle of comfort gets to thin, they all drop the façade and scatter like rats at the first sign of trouble. Why? Because they can. Because they’re not on the chopping block. They’re not the ones being held against the ground at gunpoint being told not to move or “I will blow your head off”, like Michael Bennett was. No, White Liberal America would rather just watch and support from a Starbucks, far, far away from the danger and the battle. White Liberal America would rather just stay inside and lock the door during a protest, but put a Black Lives Matter sign in the window to tell the world they aren’t racist, like a streak of blood above their doors so that the angel of death passes by their homes.

      White Liberal Americans are superficial; their beliefs and opinions on race only go skin-deep. They preach for change and progress, but give up and retreat as soon as faced with the guillotine. To advocate for change means that White Liberal America must not run from adversity and use their fellow African-Americans as a metaphorical meat-shield once people start taking jabs at them. To represent equality means that White Liberal America must put on the gloves and do the dirty work, even if it’s scary. Even if you feel uncomfortable. Even if you feel endangered and unsafe. African-Americans and minorities all over the nation have been feeling this way not because they’re choosing to take a stand, but because they have to take a stand. They are trapped in their battle, and they need our help. Only once we, White Liberal Americans, stop letting others fight these battles for us, will we be able to achieve a post-racial society. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that there is one; this, we have achieved a long time ago. It is time that we realize the next step and take action to achieve it. But what is the next step? How can we figure that out?

      Racism is a fire that is fueled by two things: ignorance and a lack of the truth. Like how water defeats fire, perspective and objectivity are the tools to unlock the passageway to the door – the door that Langston Hughes speaks of when talking with Nina Simone before her death:

One of these days

When you made it

And the doors are open wide

Make sure you tell them exactly where it’s at

So they have no place to hide

      And so, while I continue seeking to inject perspective and objectivity into my own life, I invite White Liberal America to do the same. Don’t just let the police shootings and the passive racism of our government become the status quo. Override your human tendency to act in self-preservation. Learn and be woke, and once you have seen the truth, do not run in fear. Stand in the rain and let the storm hit you in full force. Only witches melt from water, after all.

---

Works Cited:

Browne, R. (2017, September 12). Colin Kaepernick Has a Job. Retrieved from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2732670-colin-kaepernick-anthem-race-in-america

CBS Crimesider Staff. (2017, September 6). Seahawks' Michael Bennett says police officer held gun to his head. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seahawks-michael-bennett-says-police-officer-held-gun-to-his-head/

[jobsearchtips02]

Social media shames ‘greedy’ price-gouging brothers for selling $1 hand sanitizer for up to $70 each

Two Tennessee brothers who bought 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer and sold some of them for as much as $70 each to profit off the coronavirus outbreak say they have received death threats after being shamed on social media.

Matt and Noah Colvin of Hixson, Tenneseee, drove 1,300 miles across the state and neighboring Kentucky earlier this month after the first coronavirus death was reported in the United States.

Seeing a lucrative business opportunity, they filled a U-Haul truck with thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer and thousands of packs of antibacterial wipes that they ‘cleaned out’ from various Dollar Tree, Walmart, Staples and Home Depot locations.

In total, they spent between $10,000 and $15,000 stocking up on the items which are now in demand thanks to the global pandemic that has killed thousands and will likely infect many more.

‘The bulk of it was purchased just driving around to retail stores in the Chattanooga area,’ Matt Colvin told WRCB-TV. 

Matt Colvin is seen at his Hixson, Tennessee, home on Thursday after Amazon shut down his resell of more than 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and thousands of other cleaning products

Colvin and his brother, Noah, drove around Tennessee and Kentucky for three days and spent between $10,000 and $15,000 on the products as news of the first coronavirus deaths in the United States was being reported

Matt Colvin is seen with his wife, Brittany, and their son, Logan, at their Hixson home on Thursday

Matt Colvin then stayed at his home near Chattanooga, where he was expecting deliveries of boxes of even more sanitizer, cleansing products, and surgical masks.

Colvin told The New York Times that he began listing some of the products on Amazon – and was selling them at a considerable markup.

‘It was crazy money,’ he told the Times.

Colvin, like other online resellers, bought the items at the store for reasonably priced sums. A bottle of Purell hand sanitizer normally sells for $1 each.

On Amazon, he charged $20 for a two-pack set, according to the Times.

Colvin defended himself against accusations he was price gouging, saying that the cost of delivering it to customers as well as Amazon’s commission eat into profits.

He said that anti-price gouging laws in Tennessee and elsewhere are not suitable to the current digital age.

‘They’re built for Billy Bob’s gas station doubling the amount he charges for gas during a hurricane,’ Colvin said of the laws currently on the books. 

‘Just because it cost me $2 in the store doesn’t mean it’s not going to cost me $16 to get it to your door,’ he said. 

When asked if he felt badly about turning a profit by selling products that prevent the spread of a lethal virus, Colvin countered that he was just correcting ‘inefficiencies in the marketplace.’ 

‘There’s a crushing overwhelming demand in certain cities right now,’ he said. 

‘The Dollar General in the middle of nowhere outside of Lexington, Kentucky, doesn’t have that.’

Colvin then claimed that he was simply running a business that was meeting consumer demand. 

‘I honestly feel like it’s a public service,’ he added. 

‘I’m being paid for my public service.’

Amazon, however, put a stop to it, pulling his items as well as thousands of other listings for hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and antibacterial wipes.

The online retailer warned its sellers that it would cancel their accounts entirely if they continued their price gouging.

Colvin was then left with a supply of nearly 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and thousands of packages of wipes and nowhere to sell them – at a time when store shelves were emptied out and people were frantically looking to buy them.

Colvin told the Times that after Amazon shut him down, he would look to sell the products locally.

‘If I can make a slight profit, that’s fine,’ he said. 

‘But I’m not looking to be in a situation where I make the front page of the news for being that guy who hoarded 20,000 bottles of sanitizer that I’m selling for 20 times what they cost me.’

But the harsh backlash on social media prompted Colvin to reconsider. He said he would instead look to donate the products. 

Thousands of independent and third-party sellers like Colvin have bought up large quantities of cleaning products and sold them online through platforms like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and other sites.

Those companies, however, are working to crack down on the practice.

After the Times posted its report on the Colvin brothers, social media users reacted with fury.

The avalanche of negative reaction prompted the Colvin brothers to pledge to donate the inventory they have to those in need.

The Colvins also deleted their social media accounts. Matt Colvin also posted a web site with the message: ‘The Hand Sanitizer in the NYT story is being donated to a local church and first responders tomorrow.’

‘Thanks for outing this guy and hurray for public pressure,’ one Twitter user wrote to the Times reporter who posted the story.

Another resident of Hixson tweeted: ‘This morning I Tweeted I would make sure everyone in my town would know Matt & Noah Colvin’s names by the end of the day.

Matt Colvin (pictured) said he has received death threats and pizza delivery pranks after The New York Times reported his story

Colvin has pledged to donate the leftover inventory to local hospitals or churches

Colvin and his brother drove around the Chattanooga area as well as neighboring Kentucky, cleaning out the shelves of stores as news broke of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States 

The image above shows some of the packages of hand sanitizer that Colvin and his brother bought

‘I emailed the local newspaper this morning to reach out to him to do the right thing.

‘They contacted me and they have reporters on it.’

Others on Twitter who were outraged by the story doubted that the Colvin brothers were sincere about donating the unsold items.

One Twitter user blasted the brothers as ‘conmen’ and ‘snake oil salesmen’ and suggested that there was a more proper way to ‘handle’ them besides ‘suing them in court.’

Another Twitter user tweeted: ‘When you are forced to do the right thing, is it really doing the right thing?’

One Twitter user said the Colvins’ pledge to donate the unsold items was too little, too late.

‘Too late, dude just ruined his entire life,’ the Twitter user wrote.

‘Now every time he or his kid Googles his name, he’s gonna come up as the Great Value Martin Shkreli.’

Shkreli is the former ‘pharma bro’ who became notorious for raising the price of the anti-parasitic drug Daraprim by more than 5,000% while serving as chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals, now known as Phoenixus AG.

He is serving a prison sentence after he was convicted of defrauding investors in his hedge funds and conspiring to manipulate the stock of Retrophin Inc, a biotechnology company he ran. 

After facing the massive public backlash, Matt Colvin told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that he is looking to donate everything.

‘I’m trying to figure out where to donate it to,’ he said.

‘I didn’t anticipate the magnitude of what was going to be happening now.’

Colvin agreed to speak to the Times and to get his story out because he believed he was among other independent vendors who were frustrated by not being able to sell their inventory.

Instead, he became the poster boy for profiteering off of the suffering of others.

‘The amount of hate has been unreal,’ he said.

‘It’s been a disaster. People are tweeting guillotines at me.’

Colvin told the Times Free Press that he spent much of Saturday searching for a public health agency or hospital willing to take the products.

He says he has even had people contact him who were willing to buy them.

The reaction on social media was fierce, with Twitter users scorning the brothers for failing to complete their price gouging operation

One Twitter user blasted the brothers as ‘conmen’ and ‘snake oil salesmen’ and suggested that there was a more proper way to ‘handle’ them besides ‘suing them in court.’

‘Too late, dude just ruined his entire life,’ the Twitter user wrote. ‘Now every time he or his kid Googles his name, he’s gonna come up as the Great Value Martin Shkreli’

‘Thanks for outing this guy and hurray for public pressure,’ one Twitter user wrote to the Times reporter who posted the story

‘When you are forced to do the right thing, is it really doing the right thing?’ one Twitter user noted

Other Twitter users doubted that Colvin was sincere about his pledge to donate the items

A Twitter user claiming to be a Hixson resident said she sought to ‘make sure everyone in my town would know Matt & Noah Colvin’s name’

Times reporter Jack Nicas noted that there were currently packages of toilet paper that were being resold on Amazon for $72.43 apiece

‘I’ve had a dozen serious offers to buy it,’ he said.

‘I just want to get it to someone who can get it to someone who can use it.’

Colvin said that he has been a full-time online reseller for the last five years.

His online shops sell products ranging from candy, kids’ toys, and dog treats.

Colvin tries to anticipate marketplace trends and consumer demand so that he knows what to offer the public for sale.

The brothers said that they never anticipated the situation becoming so dire that they would face such intense backlash.

After the harsh backlash, Matt Colvin deleted his social media and posted a website with a message pledging to donate the hand sanitizers to a local church and first responders

‘Did any of us think we’d be where we are right now?’ he said.

‘I wouldn’t be running around trying to get this stuff right now.’

The brothers managed to sell just 200 bottles of hand sanitizer before Amazon derailed their plans.

The Colvins said they just needed a few more days and they would have gotten rid of their inventory.

‘If Amazon had let us keep selling for four more days, we’d be done with it – it would be gone,’ he said.

Instead, the Colvins are being scorned publicly. Some have even gone to the trouble of calling pizza delivery services and ordering boxes of pies under their name.

‘I went viral on the web this morning and people have been playing pranks on me all day,’ he told one pizza delivery driver.

‘I’m sorry, man. Domino’s and Pizza Hut called first, so maybe let them know back at the store not to come here today.’

The Tennessee attorney general threatened to take legal action against the Colvin brothers if they bought up more medical supplies

As for the items, he said: ‘If donating the product stops the death threats, it’s worth it.’

The public outrage prompted the Tennessee attorney general to threaten the Colvin brothers with legal action if they kept on buying medical products.

‘We will not tolerate price gouging in this time of exceptional need, and we will take aggressive action to stop it,’ said Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III.

The coronavirus outbreak prompted Tennessee’s governor, Bill Lee, to declare a state of emergency.

The declaration automatically triggers anti-price gouging laws that forbid vendors from inflating their prices during an emergency.

Just as news of the coronavirus outbreak was being reported nationwide, Tennessee also suffered casualties from powerful tornadoes which left some 24 people dead.  

%

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/social-media-shames-greedy-price-gouging-brothers-for-selling-1-hand-sanitizer-for-up-to-70-each/

[flauntpage]

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake

I watch a lot of basketball. And when I'm not doing that (or eating, sleeping, reading, sitting in front of an unintentionally funny horror movie, etc.), there's a good chance I've fallen into something NBA-related on my laptop, whether it be a beautifully-written profile, stretch of game film, or a statistical database.

It is virtually impossible to absorb all the NBA has to offer, but digestible morsels of information usually find their way into a notebook that migrates between my coffee table and nightstand. (I have two shoeboxes under my bed that are literally overflowing with random thoughts on the NBA extracted over hundreds of hours spent in front of my TV/iPad/cell phone.) Some of it is complete nonsense ("Why did Frank Vogel grow a beard?"). Some of it is useful.

This column is born from my notebook. Every week, I'll try to unwrap some unique angles from around the league. So, anyways, welcome! I hope after reading this you have just a little bit more insight into (and interest in) the NBA than you did before hopping over.

1. Introducing Philly's Giant Trio of Death

This was already mentioned in my preview piece about Dario Saric and the Philadelphia 76ers, but one of the most critical questions for Philly is whether Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Saric can share the floor. All three are taller than 6'10", with a rare combination of intelligence and technical skill that should theoretically allow them to thrive beside one another.

If they can space the floor (more on Simmons's ability to do that without a jump shot later), maintain some defensive versatility, and move the ball, there's no way to stop them. Size has long been the sport's most valuable element, and folding it into a group that's also able to adopt modern principles (quality three-point shooting, a modifiable pick-and-roll defense, etc.) would eventually give Philly an advantage over everybody else.

They've only shared the floor for 23 minutes in four games, but in that time the Sixers have outscored opponents by 27 points per 100 possessions while assisting two-thirds of their made baskets. They're zipping up the court, running offense through whoever has a mismatch, and, as expected, gobbling up all the rebounds in sight.

27 minutes of basketball hardly provides enough data to confirm that these three will one day take over the universe, but Sixers coach Brett Brown swapped Saric in for Jerryd Bayless at the start of the second half of their Monday night win over the Detroit Pistons. Obvious translation: This is the beginning of something very special.

2. Minnesota's Glaring Weakness

Between Karl-Anthony Towns dissecting defenses from any square foot of the court he pleases, Andrew Wiggins gliding like a condor, and Jamal Crawford momentarily propping up a lethargic offense like the ageless highlight reel he is, it's still hard to ignore Minnesota's obvious hole: the desperate need for another wing defender. Maybe two.

At the start of their thrilling victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, the Timberwolves started with Jimmy Butler on Russell Westbrook while Wiggins defended Paul George and Jeff Teague hid out on Andre Roberson. Taj Gibson—better suited as a backup center at this stage in his career—glued himself to Carmelo Anthony as best he could.

When Wiggins took a seat later in the game, Butler was forced to pick up George. Not all teams are able to deploy as many offensive weapons as the Thunder, but these assignments are still way too taxing for Butler all year long, and don't allow him to wreak havoc off the ball on offense as much as he could if the Timberwolves avoided a crossmatch by putting Teague on Westbrook and Butler on Roberson.

Minnesota showed some interest in P.J. Tucker over the summer, but didn't make a serious offer to acquire him. That's unfortunate. They're distinctly thin at arguably the most critical position in the league, and it's showing. When Butler missed Tuesday night's game against the Indiana Pacers, his teammates put up one of the weaker defensive performances any team has had all season.

Games against the Pacers and Thunder are a small sample size, but we already knew that Crawford and Shabazz Muhammad aren't answers on the defensive end, while the Timberwolves' assembly of bigs aren't flexible enough to switch on the perimeter or even directly line up against teams that go small.

Minnesota's offense should still be good enough for a playoff berth, but unless they address their most glaring weakness before the trade deadline, winning a series will be an uphill battle. Including the two games Butler's missed, Minnesota's defensive rating is an atrocious 117.5 when he's not on the floor.

3. The Phoenix Suns!

Many accurate words have been written about the amusingly dysfunctional Phoenix Suns since the season started last Tuesday. It's fair to say they've momentarily snatched the Torch of Negligence from organizations that have proudly held it (the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers immediately spring to mind).

A couple nights before Eric Bledsoe submitted an early frontrunner for this season's most legendary tweet, I was in bed watching a game on my iPad when a random, half-serious thought popped into my head. I rolled over, opened my notebook, and scribbled down the following sentence: "Indirect way to gauge how hard a team is playing: Watch with sound off. That way you don't know if players are reacting to a ref's whistle or not."

I was watching the Suns.

4. Carmelo Anthony is a Walking "STOP THE PRESSES" Button

After their game against the Pacers on Wednesday night, Oklahoma City's pace registered at 104.2 with Russell Westbrook on the floor this season. Given their success in transition and all the long-armed, turnover-cobbling athleticism they possess on the defensive end, that number is right in line with how the Thunder should try and play for the rest of the reigning MVP's prime.

"Hijack" is too strong a descriptor for what Carmelo Anthony has done to his new team's rhythm, but when he's in the game their pace drops to 100.7. Related to last year's numbers, the gap between Westbrook and Melo's individual pace represents the league's fastest and 10th fastest teams.

When Anthony has been off the floor this season, Oklahoma City transforms into a jumbo jet. Its pace shoots up to a whopping 105.6. When Westbrook sits, things molder at 96.1. The differential grows more stark when you look at how the NBA's Triple-Double King performs without Anthony on the court. His True Shooting percentage increases 16.4 percent despite his usage rising by 10 points. (The pace gap also dramatically widens, as one might assume.)

This is the fundamental struggle Oklahoma City needs to work through as they digest life with two score-first options who're more comfortable at different tempos. Anthony's usage is right in line with where it was the past two seasons, but his True Shooting is down, thanks to a dramatic dip in trips to the free-throw line and a whole bunch of misfires beyond the arc. Only four players in the entire league are averaging more shots per game.

Billy Donovan has more than enough talent to go around, but ensuring comfort for all three of his stars will take some time.

5. LaMarcus Aldridge: Still Good!

The general reaction after the San Antonio Spurs gave LaMarcus Aldridge a three-year contract extension was bemused fascination. Aldridge will be 33 next season, was not an All-Star last year, and is coming off a playoff run that saw his True Shooting percentage dip below .500. But the Spurs aren't dumb. They know this. They also probably realize that acquiring someone who can mimic his impact at a lower cost is going to be all but impossible during Kawhi Leonard's prime.

It turns out Aldridge is still a very good player, and while Leonard nurses a nagging quadricep injury, the five-time All-Star has quietly kicked off his 12th season looking like one of the league's 15 best players. The undefeated Spurs have turned to mush on both ends when he's on the bench, getting outscored by a team-low 21.6 points per 100 possessions. (They're +19.3 when he plays.)

According to Synergy Sports, just over a third of Aldridge's possessions have been post-ups, where he already ranks in the 96th percentile. The left block is his happy place, and all who've defended him see nothing but his picture-perfect turnaround jump shot whenever their eyes close. (Especially Miami Heat rookie Bam Adebayo, who was absolutely tortured on national television Wednesday night.)

It's unlikely Aldridge averages 26 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game for the entire year, but it's a promising start for a player who badly needed to reassert himself among the league's elite frontcourt weapons. The Spurs have been especially dominant with Aldridge at the five, in lineups that feature Rudy Gay or Kyle Anderson at the four. Just imagine how scary those lineups will be when Leonard—the freaking frontrunner for MVP—returns.

6. Bebe Nogueira...

...has multiple tattoos on his face and is a legend. This—more than the Raptors' modernized shot profile—is clearly the most important recent happening that's taken place in the general Toronto area.

Photo by John E. Sokolowski - USA TODAY Sports

7. The Dreaded Hot Seat

Earlier this week, the Suns fired Earl Watson, demonstrating it's never too early to toss your head coach into a guillotine. Comparing that situation with any other in the league is tough, though. There's only one Robert Sarver, and the stakes for Watson's dismissal were pretty low, given how unpleasant the team's roster is.

Firing a coach before Thanksgiving is never a good look, but it still got me thinking about whether any other coaches (beside the two most obvious candidates: Jeff Hornacek and Alvin Gentry) might have a single burner under their chair. It would surprise me if the coach I'm about to mention doesn't keep his job for the foreseeable future, but literally nothing can be ruled out in today's NBA.

The Denver Nuggets are 1-3 with their lone win coming against the Sacramento Kings. Nothing about this is notably problematic, but expectations are a tidal wave that cease for no man, and with a cupcake road trip sitting on the horizon and a tricky home stand right after that, Mike Malone may find himself in hot water.

If Denver struggles against the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks before the Miami Heat, Toronto, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder invade the Pepsi Center, will he have an opportunity to turn things around? Probably, yes. He should. Denver is the fifth-youngest team in the league, with a pair of inexperienced point guards (Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay) who are seriously struggling. Their offense is unexpectedly impotent.

It's way, way, way too early to point fingers or even be concerned about Denver's play (their defense is keeping opponents away from the rim and forcing a ton of mid-range shots!), but Malone may be on thinner ice than we think.

8. Centers are Officially Married to the Three-Point Line

Here's a list of centers who've already launched at least one three this year: Dewayne Dedmon (six), Jonas Valanciunas (one), Hassan Whiteside (one), Willie Cauley-Stein (two), Gorgui Dieng (four), Robin Lopez (five), Nikola Vucevic (19), Dwight Powell (12), Timofey Mozgov (three), Jusuf Nurkic (two), Jeff Withey (two), Al Jefferson (one), Derrick Favors (five), and a whole bunch who aren't listed primarily because they aren't that surprising.

Joel Embiid is 2-for-13 from beyond the arc and DeMarcus Cousins is averaging more threes per game than all but five players in the entire league. Attempts aren't a sole indicator of any uptick when most of these players have only appeared in a few games, but three-point rates at the center position are skyrocketing across the board.

This is one of the most evolutionary subplots in the NBA right now, even if we all saw it coming.

9. When Spacing Doesn't Matter

Speaking of evolution and the three-point line, two of the NBA's most unique talents, Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo, are a couple earthquakes who can't really shoot. So far, Antetokounmpo's three-point rate is about half what it was last season (he's 1-for-6 in 154 minutes) while Simmons is 0-for-3 in his career.

But both have remained effective even when the ball isn't in their hands, and their respective coaching staffs have done a good job figuring out different ways to get them going from the weakside. It's only natural to sag off someone who isn't a threat beyond the arc, and that's exactly what teams do whenever Simmons and Antetokounmpo aren't dribbling around with transfixing dexterity.

To neutralize this defense, both teams have instituted quick hit actions that allow their freakish "guards" to get a running head start towards the basket against a perimeter defender who isn't in their path. For example, the Bucks will run a side pick-and-roll towards the middle of the floor with the sole intention of swinging it to Antetokounmpo on the opposite wing. He'll catch it in mid-stride towards the paint, and from that point your best defense is physical assault.

This catch-and-go action makes defenders think twice about helping at the nail, and instead forces them to clog up an open runway towards the rim.

10. Andre Drummond is Wiping Dirt Off His Shoulders

Not only is he shooting 72.2 percent from the free-throw line, but, more importantly, the 24-year-old appears to have shaved/waxed/lasered away his scraggly shoulder hair. Speaking as someone who's long been afflicted with this cosmetic impediment, shout out to Drummond for overcoming what was once an unscalable obstacle.

11. Blake Griffin is a Top-10 Player Once More

Remember Blake Griffin? He's hitting threes, demanding double teams on the block (if you cut he will find you), and can still Mount Olympus poor shot blockers who think they stand a chance. Rudy Gobert didn't even jump when he saw Griffin rumbling down the paint for a teeth-rattling facial earlier this week.

His offensive game is as complete and diversified as there is, averaging a cool 27, 10, and four while launching six threes per game. If (if!) he stays healthy, the Clippers may find themselves with the five seed, and Griffin may find himself returning to an All-NBA team.

12. John Wall Equals Mini Mutombo

John Wall is on pace to have one of the most impressive shot-blocking seasons a guard has ever had, per Basketball-Reference. Through his first four games, the 27-year-old blur has five blocks and six personal fouls. Solid. His block rate is the exact same as Dwyane Wade's during his age-27 season, too.

He was a demon in Washington's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, welcoming Markelle Fultz to the league by smudging his layup off the glass. But then he also showed how useful he can be later on against the Detroit Pistons, switching onto Tobias Harris, guarding him in isolation, then swatting his floater away while squared up in the paint.

So much is made about Wall's inability to knock down threes and space the floor. But it's his inconsistency on the defensive end that bars him from MVP conversations. If he excels on that end all year, and rolls his unparalleled combination of speed, strength, and length into one package at the point guard position, Washington's ceiling will rise a considerable degree.

13. The Ed Davisaissance!

Ed Davis's tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers hasn't been great. Often injured, out of shape, or deemed ineffective in a league that has little use for big men who can't shoot, the guy looked spry on Tuesday against DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans, recording his first double-double since last February.

Photo by Jaime Valdez - USA TODAY Sports

Davis is slowly re-emerging as one of the NBA's top putback artists and has flashed vibrance as a roll man, putting the ball on the ground with one dribble and then going up strong at the rim. Noah Vonleh's looming return from a shoulder injury (he could be back as early as November 1st) may throw a wrench in Davis's minutes. But Terry Stotts will have a hard time keeping the 28-year-old out of his rotation.

14. The Spurs are Spursing

The Spurs have logged six minutes of crunch time so far this season (defined as when the scoring margin is five or below, with five or fewer minutes left in the game). They've yet to allow a single point in that time. Defensive rating: zero point zero, and it's way too early to call it unsustainable.

15. How Many Nets can be Helpful Players on a Good Team?

Last year, the answer to this question was between zero and two, depending on what you think of Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez. That number is slightly higher today, but a key difference is a serious downshift in age.

DeMarre Carroll stands out as the only legitimate late-prime candidate (though Trevor Booker is averaging 20.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 minutes), with D'Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, and maybe even Caris LeVert—who plays basketball like a bold character actor who isn't sure/doesn't care about the established tone in his scene—rounding out the list.

It's too early to say this with too much confidence, but if the Lakers don't land LeBron James or Paul George this summer, dumping Russell for Lopez and cap space will be viewed as a humongous mistake. He looks fantastic in Brooklyn, strutting through half-court sets with 9,000 percent more confidence than he had in his first two years.

He's getting to, and finishing at, the rim in ways that should quell some concern over whether or not he'd ever be able to test defenses in the paint, all while knocking down threes and conducting open-floor surges with a comfort previously unseen in his career. His pick-and-rolls are unhurried, and he's already picked up the nuance that is holding off a trailing defender while putting pressure on the sagging big.

Turnovers are high but that's fine. He keeps his head up, looks for cutters, and is still only 21 years old!

Meanwhile, Allen looks like his ceiling could be as one of the 15 most useful defenders in the league. He has a 7'6" wingspan, unteachable instincts on the perimeter, and a touch around the basket that, speaking as someone who doesn't watch college basketball and didn't get to see him at Las Vegas Summer League, is quite the pleasant surprise. The Nets may have at least two cornerstones already onboard.

16. Are LeBron's Minutes Already Cause for Concern?

He leads the league at 188 overall and is third with 37.6 per game.

17. Your Weekly Reminder that the Golden State Warriors are Unfair

Coming out of a time-out during Wednesday night's win over the Toronto Raptors, Warriors play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald looked at a Shaun Livingston, David West, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala quintet as they strode onto the floor and said "No team in the league can match this five."

Even though only three of Golden State's units played more than this exact one last season—they outscored opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions in 167 minutes—my immediate reaction was still to scoff.

Yes, this unit boasts a top-two player, extremely high intelligence across the board, like-sized defenders, and one of the greatest spot-up shooters who ever lived, but it doesn't have Steph Curry or Draymond Green, two transcendent figures who are most responsible for Golden State's unprecedented dominance.

It took me about five seconds to realize Fitzgerald was right. It's obvious and inconceivable at the same time: Golden State's eighth or ninth best five-man unit will blow your very best one out of the water. Welcome back, NBA!

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[amtushinfosolutionspage]

The Outlet Pass: Philly’s Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake

I watch a lot of basketball. And when I’m not doing that (or eating, sleeping, reading, sitting in front of an unintentionally funny horror movie, etc.), there’s a good chance I’ve fallen into something NBA-related on my laptop, whether it be a beautifully-written profile, stretch of game film, or a statistical database.

It is virtually impossible to absorb all the NBA has to offer, but digestible morsels of information usually find their way into a notebook that migrates between my coffee table and nightstand. (I have two shoeboxes under my bed that are literally overflowing with random thoughts on the NBA extracted over hundreds of hours spent in front of my TV/iPad/cell phone.) Some of it is complete nonsense (“Why did Frank Vogel grow a beard?”). Some of it is useful.

This column is born from my notebook. Every week, I’ll try to unwrap some unique angles from around the league. So, anyways, welcome! I hope rafter reading this you have just a little bit more insight into (and interest in) the NBA than you did hopping over.

1. Introducing Philly’s Giant Trio of Death

This was already mentioned in my preview piece about Dario Saric and the Philadelphia 76ers, but one of the most critical questions for Philly is whether Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Saric can share the floor. All three are taller than 6’10”, with a rare combination of intelligence and technical skill that should theoretically allow them to thrive beside one another.

If they can space the floor (more on Simmons’s ability to do that without a jump shot later), maintain some defensive versatility, and move the ball, there’s no way to stop them. Size has long been the sport’s most valuable element, and folding it into a group that’s also able to adopt modern principles (quality three-point shooting, a modifiable pick-and-roll defense, etc.) would eventually give Philly an advantage over everybody else.

They’ve only shared the floor for 23 minutes in four games, but in that time the Sixers have outscored opponents by 27 points per 100 possessions while assisting two-thirds of their made baskets. They’re zipping up the court, running offense through whoever has a mismatch, and, as expected, gobbling up all the rebounds in sight.

27 minutes of basketball hardly provides enough data to confirm that these three will one day take over the universe, but Sixers coach Brett Brown swapped Saric in for Jerryd Bayless at the start of the second half of their Monday night win over the Detroit Pistons. Obvious translation: This is the beginning of something very special.

2. Minnesota’s Glaring Weakness

Between Karl-Anthony Towns dissecting defenses from any square foot of the court he pleases, Andrew Wiggins gliding like a condor, and Jamal Crawford momentarily propping up a lethargic offense like the ageless highlight reel he is, it’s still hard to ignore Minnesota’s obvious hole: the desperate need for another wing defender. Maybe two.

At the start of their thrilling victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, the Timberwolves started with Jimmy Butler on Russell Westbrook while Wiggins defended Paul George and Jeff Teague hid out on Andre Roberson. Taj Gibson—better suited as a backup center at this stage in his career—glued himself to Carmelo Anthony as best he could.

When Wiggins took a seat later in the game, Butler was forced to pick up George. Not all teams are able to deploy as many offensive weapons as the Thunder, but these assignments are still way too taxing for Butler all year long, and don’t allow him to wreak havoc off the ball on offense as much as he could if the Timberwolves avoided a crossmatch by putting Teague on Westbrook and Butler on Roberson.

Minnesota showed some interest in P.J. Tucker over the summer, but didn’t make a serious offer to acquire him. That’s unfortunate. They’re distinctly thin at arguably the most critical position in the league, and it’s showing. When Butler missed Tuesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers, his teammates put up one of the weaker defensive performances any team has had all season.

Games against the Pacers and Thunder are a small sample size, but we already knew that Crawford and Shabazz Muhammad aren’t answers on the defensive end, while the Timberwolves’ assembly of bigs aren’t flexible enough to switch on the perimeter or even directly line up against teams that go small.

Minnesota’s offense should still be good enough for a playoff berth, but unless they address their most glaring weakness before the trade deadline, winning a series will be an uphill battle. Including the two games Butler’s missed, Minnesota’s defensive rating is an atrocious 117.5 when he’s not on the floor.

3. The Phoenix Suns!

Many accurate words have been written about the amusingly dysfunctional Phoenix Suns since the season started last Tuesday. It’s fair to say they’ve momentarily snatched the Torch of Negligence from organizations that have proudly held it (the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers immediately spring to mind).

A couple nights before Eric Bledsoe submitted an early frontrunner for this season’s most legendary tweet, I was in bed watching a game on my iPad when a random, half-serious thought popped into my head. I rolled over, opened my notebook, and scribbled down the following sentence: “Indirect way to gauge how hard a team is playing: Watch with sound off. That way you don’t know if players are reacting to a ref’s whistle or not.”

I was watching the Suns.

4. Carmelo Anthony is a Walking “STOP THE PRESSES” Button

After their game against the Pacers on Wednesday night, Oklahoma City’s pace registered at 104.2 with Russell Westbrook on the floor this season. Given their success in transition and all the long-armed, turnover-cobbling athleticism they possess on the defensive end, that number is right in line with how the Thunder should try and play for the rest of the reigning MVP’s prime.

“Hijack” is too strong a descriptor for what Carmelo Anthony has done to his new team’s rhythm, but when he’s in the game their pace drops to 100.7. Related to last year’s numbers, the gap between Westbrook and Melo’s individual pace represents the league’s fastest and 10th fastest teams.

When Anthony has been off the floor this season, Oklahoma City transforms into a jumbo jet. Its pace shoots up to a whopping 105.6. When Westbrook sits, things molder at 96.1. The differential grows more stark when you look at how the NBA’s Triple-Double King performs without Anthony on the court. His True Shooting percentage increases 16.4 percent despite his usage rising by 10 points. (The pace gap also dramatically widens, as one might assume.)

This is the fundamental struggle Oklahoma City needs to work through as they digest life with two score-first options who’re more comfortable at different tempos. Anthony’s usage is right in line with where it was the past two seasons, but his True Shooting is down, thanks to a dramatic dip in trips to the free-throw line and a whole bunch of misfires beyond the arc. Only four players in the entire league are averaging more shots per game.

Billy Donovan has more than enough talent to go around, but ensuring comfort for all three of his stars will take some time.

5. LaMarcus Aldridge: Still Good!

The general reaction after the San Antonio Spurs gave LaMarcus Aldridge a three-year contract extension was bemused fascination. Aldridge will be 33 next season, was not an All-Star last year, and is coming off a playoff run that saw his True Shooting percentage dip below .500. But the Spurs aren’t dumb. They know this. They also probably realize that acquiring someone who can mimic his impact at a lower cost is going to be all but impossible during Kawhi Leonard’s prime.

It turns out Aldridge is still a very good player, and while Leonard nurses a nagging quadricep injury, the five-time All-Star has quietly kicked off his 12th season looking like one of the league’s 15 best players. The undefeated Spurs have turned to mush on both ends when he’s on the bench, getting outscored by a team-low 21.6 points per 100 possessions. (They’re +19.3 when he plays.)

According to Synergy Sports, just over a third of Aldridge’s possessions have been post-ups, where he already ranks in the 96th percentile. The left block is his happy place, and all who’ve defended him see nothing but his picture-perfect turnaround jump shot whenever their eyes close. (Especially Miami Heat rookie Bam Adebayo, who was absolutely tortured on national television Wednesday night.)

It’s unlikely Aldridge averages 26 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game for the entire year, but it’s a promising start for a player who badly needed to reassert himself among the league’s elite frontcourt weapons. The Spurs have been especially dominant with Aldridge at the five, in lineups that feature Rudy Gay or Kyle Anderson at the four. Just imagine how scary those lineups will be when Leonard—the freaking frontrunner for MVP—returns.

6. Bebe Nogueira…

…has multiple tattoos on his face and is a legend. This—more than the Raptors’ modernized shot profile—is clearly the most important recent happening that’s taken place in the general Toronto area.

Photo by John E. Sokolowski – USA TODAY Sports

7. The Dreaded Hot Seat

Earlier this week, the Suns fired Earl Watson, demonstrating it’s never too early to toss your head coach into a guillotine. Comparing that situation with any other in the league is tough, though. There’s only one Robert Sarver, and the stakes for Watson’s dismissal were pretty low, given how unpleasant the team’s roster is.

Firing a coach before Thanksgiving is never a good look, but it still got me thinking about whether any other coaches (beside the two most obvious candidates: Jeff Hornacek and Alvin Gentry) might have a single burner under their chair. It would surprise me if the coach I’m about to mention doesn’t keep his job for the foreseeable future, but literally nothing can be ruled out in today’s NBA.

The Denver Nuggets are 1-3 with their lone win coming against the Sacramento Kings. Nothing about this is notably problematic, but expectations are a tidal wave that cease for no man, and with a cupcake road trip sitting on the horizon and a tricky home stand right after that, Mike Malone may find himself in hot water.

If Denver struggles against the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks before the Miami Heat, Toronto, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder invade the Pepsi Center, will he have an opportunity to turn things around? Probably, yes. He should. Denver is the fifth-youngest team in the league, with a pair of inexperienced point guards (Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay) who are seriously struggling. Their offense is unexpectedly impotent.

It’s way, way, way too early to point fingers or even be concerned about Denver’s play (their defense is keeping opponents away from the rim and forcing a ton of mid-range shots!), but Malone may be on thinner ice than we think.

8. Centers are Officially Married to the Three-Point Line

Here’s a list of centers who’ve already launched at least one three this year: Dewayne Dedmon (six), Jonas Valanciunas (one), Hassan Whiteside (one), Willie Cauley-Stein (two), Gorgui Dieng (four), Robin Lopez (five), Nikola Vucevic (19), Dwight Powell (12), Timofey Mozgov (three), Jusuf Nurkic (two), Jeff Withey (two), Al Jefferson (one), Derrick Favors (five), and a whole bunch who aren’t listed primarily because they aren’t that surprising.

Joel Embiid is 2-for-13 from beyond the arc and DeMarcus Cousins is averaging more threes per game than all but five players in the entire league. Attempts aren’t a sole indicator of any uptick when most of these players have only appeared in a few games, but three-point rates at the center position are skyrocketing across the board.

This is one of the most evolutionary subplots in the NBA right now, even if we all saw it coming.

9. When Spacing Doesn’t Matter

Speaking of evolution and the three-point line, two of the NBA’s most unique talents, Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo, are a couple earthquakes who can’t really shoot. So far, Antetokounmpo’s three-point rate is about half what it was last season (he’s 1-for-6 in 154 minutes) while Simmons is 0-for-3 in his career.

But both have remained effective even when the ball isn’t in their hands, and their respective coaching staffs have done a good job figuring out different ways to get them going from the weakside. It’s only natural to sag off someone who isn’t a threat beyond the arc, and that’s exactly what teams do whenever Simmons and Antetokounmpo aren’t dribbling around with transfixing dexterity.

To neutralize this defense, both teams have instituted quick hit actions that allow their freakish “guards” to get a running head start towards the basket against a perimeter defender who isn’t in their path. For example, the Bucks will run a side pick-and-roll towards the middle of the floor with the sole intention of swinging it to Antetokounmpo on the opposite wing. He’ll catch it in mid-stride towards the paint, and from that point your best defense is physical assault.

This catch-and-go action makes defenders think twice about helping at the nail, and instead forces them to clog up an open runway towards the rim.

10. Andre Drummond is Wiping Dirt Off His Shoulders

Not only is he shooting 72.2 percent from the free-throw line, but, more importantly, the 24-year-old appears to have shaved/waxed/lasered away his scraggly shoulder hair. Speaking as someone who’s long been afflicted with this cosmetic impediment, shout out to Drummond for overcoming what was once an unscalable obstacle.

11. Blake Griffin is a Top-10 Player Once More

Remember Blake Griffin? He’s hitting threes, demanding double teams on the block (if you cut he will find you), and can still Mount Olympus poor shot blockers who think they stand a chance. Rudy Gobert didn’t even jump when he saw Griffin rumbling down the paint for a teeth-rattling facial earlier this week.

His offensive game is as complete and diversified as there is, averaging a cool 27, 10, and four while launching six threes per game. If (if!) he stays healthy, the Clippers may find themselves with the five seed, and Griffin may find himself returning to an All-NBA team.

12. John Wall Equals Mini Mutombo

John Wall is on pace to have one of the most impressive shot-blocking seasons a guard has ever had, per Basketball-Reference. Through his first four games, the 27-year-old blur has five blocks and six personal fouls. Solid. His block rate is the exact same as Dwyane Wade’s during his age-27 season, too.

He was a demon in Washington’s season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, welcoming Markelle Fultz to the league by smudging his layup off the glass. But then he also showed how useful he can be later on against the Detroit Pistons, switching onto Tobias Harris, guarding him in isolation, then swatting his floater away while squared up in the paint.

So much is made about Wall’s inability to knock down threes and space the floor. But it’s his inconsistency on the defensive end that bars him from MVP conversations. If he excels on that end all year, and rolls his unparalleled combination of speed, strength, and length into one package at the point guard position, Washington’s ceiling will rise a considerable degree.

13. The Ed Davisaissance!

Ed Davis’s tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers hasn’t been great. Often injured, out of shape, or deemed ineffective in a league that has little use for big men who can’t shoot, the guy looked spry on Tuesday against DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans, recording his first double-double since last February.

Photo by Jaime Valdez – USA TODAY Sports

Davis is slowly re-emerging as one of the NBA’s top putback artists and has flashed vibrance as a roll man, putting the ball on the ground with one dribble and then going up strong at the rim. Noah Vonleh’s looming return from a shoulder injury (he could be back as early as November 1st) may throw a wrench in Davis’s minutes. But Terry Stotts will have a hard time keeping the 28-year-old out of his rotation.

14. The Spurs are Spursing

The Spurs have logged six minutes of crunch time so far this season (defined as when the scoring margin is five or below, with five or fewer minutes left in the game). They’ve yet to allow a single point in that time. Defensive rating: zero point zero, and it’s way too early to call it unsustainable.

15. How Many Nets can be Helpful Players on a Good Team?

Last year, the answer to this question was between zero and two, depending on what you think of Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez. That number is slightly higher today, but a key difference is a serious downshift in age.

DeMarre Carroll stands out as the only legitimate late-prime candidate (though Trevor Booker is averaging 20.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 minutes), with D’Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, and maybe even Caris LeVert—who plays basketball like a bold character actor who isn’t sure/doesn’t care about the established tone in his scene—rounding out the list.

It’s too early to say this with too much confidence, but if the Lakers don’t land LeBron James or Paul George this summer, dumping Russell for Lopez and cap space will be viewed as a humongous mistake. He looks fantastic in Brooklyn, strutting through half-court sets with 9,000 percent more confidence than he had in his first two years.

He’s getting to, and finishing at, the rim in ways that should quell some concern over whether or not he’d ever be able to test defenses in the paint, all while knocking down threes and conducting open-floor surges with a comfort previously unseen in his career. His pick-and-rolls are unhurried, and he’s already picked up the nuance that is holding off a trailing defender while putting pressure on the sagging big.

Turnovers are high but that’s fine. He keeps his head up, looks for cutters, and is still only 21 years old!

Meanwhile, Allen looks like his ceiling could be as one of the 15 most useful defenders in the league. He has a 7’6″ wingspan, unteachable instincts on the perimeter, and a touch around the basket that, speaking as someone who doesn’t watch college basketball and didn’t get to see him at Las Vegas Summer League, is quite the pleasant surprise. The Nets may have at least two cornerstones already onboard.

16. Are LeBron’s Minutes Already Cause for Concern?

He leads the league at 188 overall and is third with 37.6 per game.

17. Your Weekly Reminder that the Golden State Warriors are Unfair

Coming out of a time-out during Wednesday night’s win over the Toronto Raptors, Warriors play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald looked at a Shaun Livingston, David West, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala quintet as they strode onto the floor and said “No team in the league can match this five.”

Even though only three of Golden State’s units played more than this exact one last season—they outscored opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions in 167 minutes—my immediate reaction was still to scoff.

Yes, this unit boasts a top-two player, extremely high intelligence across the board, like-sized defenders, and one of the greatest spot-up shooters who ever lived, but it doesn’t have Steph Curry or Draymond Green, two transcendent figures who are most responsible for Golden State’s unprecedented dominance.

It took me about five seconds to realize Fitzgerald was right. It’s obvious and inconceivable at the same time: Golden State’s eighth or ninth best five-man unit will blow your very best one out of the water. Welcome back, NBA!

The Outlet Pass: Philly’s Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

[flauntpage]

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake

I watch a lot of basketball. And when I'm not doing that (or eating, sleeping, reading, sitting in front of an unintentionally funny horror movie, etc.), there's a good chance I've fallen into something NBA-related on my laptop, whether it be a beautifully-written profile, stretch of game film, or a statistical database.

It is virtually impossible to absorb all the NBA has to offer, but digestible morsels of information usually find their way into a notebook that migrates between my coffee table and nightstand. (I have two shoeboxes under my bed that are literally overflowing with random thoughts on the NBA extracted over hundreds of hours spent in front of my TV/iPad/cell phone.) Some of it is complete nonsense ("Why did Frank Vogel grow a beard?"). Some of it is useful.

This column is born from my notebook. Every week, I'll try to unwrap some unique angles from around the league. So, anyways, welcome! I hope after reading this you have just a little bit more insight into (and interest in) the NBA than you did before hopping over.

1. Introducing Philly's Giant Trio of Death

This was already mentioned in my preview piece about Dario Saric and the Philadelphia 76ers, but one of the most critical questions for Philly is whether Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Saric can share the floor. All three are taller than 6'10", with a rare combination of intelligence and technical skill that should theoretically allow them to thrive beside one another.

If they can space the floor (more on Simmons's ability to do that without a jump shot later), maintain some defensive versatility, and move the ball, there's no way to stop them. Size has long been the sport's most valuable element, and folding it into a group that's also able to adopt modern principles (quality three-point shooting, a modifiable pick-and-roll defense, etc.) would eventually give Philly an advantage over everybody else.

They've only shared the floor for 23 minutes in four games, but in that time the Sixers have outscored opponents by 27 points per 100 possessions while assisting two-thirds of their made baskets. They're zipping up the court, running offense through whoever has a mismatch, and, as expected, gobbling up all the rebounds in sight.

27 minutes of basketball hardly provides enough data to confirm that these three will one day take over the universe, but Sixers coach Brett Brown swapped Saric in for Jerryd Bayless at the start of the second half of their Monday night win over the Detroit Pistons. Obvious translation: This is the beginning of something very special.

2. Minnesota's Glaring Weakness

Between Karl-Anthony Towns dissecting defenses from any square foot of the court he pleases, Andrew Wiggins gliding like a condor, and Jamal Crawford momentarily propping up a lethargic offense like the ageless highlight reel he is, it's still hard to ignore Minnesota's obvious hole: the desperate need for another wing defender. Maybe two.

At the start of their thrilling victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, the Timberwolves started with Jimmy Butler on Russell Westbrook while Wiggins defended Paul George and Jeff Teague hid out on Andre Roberson. Taj Gibson—better suited as a backup center at this stage in his career—glued himself to Carmelo Anthony as best he could.

When Wiggins took a seat later in the game, Butler was forced to pick up George. Not all teams are able to deploy as many offensive weapons as the Thunder, but these assignments are still way too taxing for Butler all year long, and don't allow him to wreak havoc off the ball on offense as much as he could if the Timberwolves avoided a crossmatch by putting Teague on Westbrook and Butler on Roberson.

Minnesota showed some interest in P.J. Tucker over the summer, but didn't make a serious offer to acquire him. That's unfortunate. They're distinctly thin at arguably the most critical position in the league, and it's showing. When Butler missed Tuesday night's game against the Indiana Pacers, his teammates put up one of the weaker defensive performances any team has had all season.

Games against the Pacers and Thunder are a small sample size, but we already knew that Crawford and Shabazz Muhammad aren't answers on the defensive end, while the Timberwolves' assembly of bigs aren't flexible enough to switch on the perimeter or even directly line up against teams that go small.

Minnesota's offense should still be good enough for a playoff berth, but unless they address their most glaring weakness before the trade deadline, winning a series will be an uphill battle. Including the two games Butler's missed, Minnesota's defensive rating is an atrocious 117.5 when he's not on the floor.

3. The Phoenix Suns!

Many accurate words have been written about the amusingly dysfunctional Phoenix Suns since the season started last Tuesday. It's fair to say they've momentarily snatched the Torch of Negligence from organizations that have proudly held it (the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers immediately spring to mind).

A couple nights before Eric Bledsoe submitted an early frontrunner for this season's most legendary tweet, I was in bed watching a game on my iPad when a random, half-serious thought popped into my head. I rolled over, opened my notebook, and scribbled down the following sentence: "Indirect way to gauge how hard a team is playing: Watch with sound off. That way you don't know if players are reacting to a ref's whistle or not."

I was watching the Suns.

4. Carmelo Anthony is a Walking "STOP THE PRESSES" Button

After their game against the Pacers on Wednesday night, Oklahoma City's pace registered at 104.2 with Russell Westbrook on the floor this season. Given their success in transition and all the long-armed, turnover-cobbling athleticism they possess on the defensive end, that number is right in line with how the Thunder should try and play for the rest of the reigning MVP's prime.

"Hijack" is too strong a descriptor for what Carmelo Anthony has done to his new team's rhythm, but when he's in the game their pace drops to 100.7. Related to last year's numbers, the gap between Westbrook and Melo's individual pace represents the league's fastest and 10th fastest teams.

When Anthony has been off the floor this season, Oklahoma City transforms into a jumbo jet. Its pace shoots up to a whopping 105.6. When Westbrook sits, things molder at 96.1. The differential grows more stark when you look at how the NBA's Triple-Double King performs without Anthony on the court. His True Shooting percentage increases 16.4 percent despite his usage rising by 10 points. (The pace gap also dramatically widens, as one might assume.)

This is the fundamental struggle Oklahoma City needs to work through as they digest life with two score-first options who're more comfortable at different tempos. Anthony's usage is right in line with where it was the past two seasons, but his True Shooting is down, thanks to a dramatic dip in trips to the free-throw line and a whole bunch of misfires beyond the arc. Only four players in the entire league are averaging more shots per game.

Billy Donovan has more than enough talent to go around, but ensuring comfort for all three of his stars will take some time.

5. LaMarcus Aldridge: Still Good!

The general reaction after the San Antonio Spurs gave LaMarcus Aldridge a three-year contract extension was bemused fascination. Aldridge will be 33 next season, was not an All-Star last year, and is coming off a playoff run that saw his True Shooting percentage dip below .500. But the Spurs aren't dumb. They know this. They also probably realize that acquiring someone who can mimic his impact at a lower cost is going to be all but impossible during Kawhi Leonard's prime.

It turns out Aldridge is still a very good player, and while Leonard nurses a nagging quadricep injury, the five-time All-Star has quietly kicked off his 12th season looking like one of the league's 15 best players. The undefeated Spurs have turned to mush on both ends when he's on the bench, getting outscored by a team-low 21.6 points per 100 possessions. (They're +19.3 when he plays.)

According to Synergy Sports, just over a third of Aldridge's possessions have been post-ups, where he already ranks in the 96th percentile. The left block is his happy place, and all who've defended him see nothing but his picture-perfect turnaround jump shot whenever their eyes close. (Especially Miami Heat rookie Bam Adebayo, who was absolutely tortured on national television Wednesday night.)

It's unlikely Aldridge averages 26 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game for the entire year, but it's a promising start for a player who badly needed to reassert himself among the league's elite frontcourt weapons. The Spurs have been especially dominant with Aldridge at the five, in lineups that feature Rudy Gay or Kyle Anderson at the four. Just imagine how scary those lineups will be when Leonard—the freaking frontrunner for MVP—returns.

6. Bebe Nogueira...

...has multiple tattoos on his face and is a legend. This—more than the Raptors' modernized shot profile—is clearly the most important recent happening that's taken place in the general Toronto area.

Photo by John E. Sokolowski - USA TODAY Sports

7. The Dreaded Hot Seat

Earlier this week, the Suns fired Earl Watson, demonstrating it's never too early to toss your head coach into a guillotine. Comparing that situation with any other in the league is tough, though. There's only one Robert Sarver, and the stakes for Watson's dismissal were pretty low, given how unpleasant the team's roster is.

Firing a coach before Thanksgiving is never a good look, but it still got me thinking about whether any other coaches (beside the two most obvious candidates: Jeff Hornacek and Alvin Gentry) might have a single burner under their chair. It would surprise me if the coach I'm about to mention doesn't keep his job for the foreseeable future, but literally nothing can be ruled out in today's NBA.

The Denver Nuggets are 1-3 with their lone win coming against the Sacramento Kings. Nothing about this is notably problematic, but expectations are a tidal wave that cease for no man, and with a cupcake road trip sitting on the horizon and a tricky home stand right after that, Mike Malone may find himself in hot water.

If Denver struggles against the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks before the Miami Heat, Toronto, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder invade the Pepsi Center, will he have an opportunity to turn things around? Probably, yes. He should. Denver is the fifth-youngest team in the league, with a pair of inexperienced point guards (Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay) who are seriously struggling. Their offense is unexpectedly impotent.

It's way, way, way too early to point fingers or even be concerned about Denver's play (their defense is keeping opponents away from the rim and forcing a ton of mid-range shots!), but Malone may be on thinner ice than we think.

8. Centers are Officially Married to the Three-Point Line

Here's a list of centers who've already launched at least one three this year: Dewayne Dedmon (six), Jonas Valanciunas (one), Hassan Whiteside (one), Willie Cauley-Stein (two), Gorgui Dieng (four), Robin Lopez (five), Nikola Vucevic (19), Dwight Powell (12), Timofey Mozgov (three), Jusuf Nurkic (two), Jeff Withey (two), Al Jefferson (one), Derrick Favors (five), and a whole bunch who aren't listed primarily because they aren't that surprising.

Joel Embiid is 2-for-13 from beyond the arc and DeMarcus Cousins is averaging more threes per game than all but five players in the entire league. Attempts aren't a sole indicator of any uptick when most of these players have only appeared in a few games, but three-point rates at the center position are skyrocketing across the board.

This is one of the most evolutionary subplots in the NBA right now, even if we all saw it coming.

9. When Spacing Doesn't Matter

Speaking of evolution and the three-point line, two of the NBA's most unique talents, Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo, are a couple earthquakes who can't really shoot. So far, Antetokounmpo's three-point rate is about half what it was last season (he's 1-for-6 in 154 minutes) while Simmons is 0-for-3 in his career.

But both have remained effective even when the ball isn't in their hands, and their respective coaching staffs have done a good job figuring out different ways to get them going from the weakside. It's only natural to sag off someone who isn't a threat beyond the arc, and that's exactly what teams do whenever Simmons and Antetokounmpo aren't dribbling around with transfixing dexterity.

To neutralize this defense, both teams have instituted quick hit actions that allow their freakish "guards" to get a running head start towards the basket against a perimeter defender who isn't in their path. For example, the Bucks will run a side pick-and-roll towards the middle of the floor with the sole intention of swinging it to Antetokounmpo on the opposite wing. He'll catch it in mid-stride towards the paint, and from that point your best defense is physical assault.

This catch-and-go action makes defenders think twice about helping at the nail, and instead forces them to clog up an open runway towards the rim.

10. Andre Drummond is Wiping Dirt Off His Shoulders

Not only is he shooting 72.2 percent from the free-throw line, but, more importantly, the 24-year-old appears to have shaved/waxed/lasered away his scraggly shoulder hair. Speaking as someone who's long been afflicted with this cosmetic impediment, shout out to Drummond for overcoming what was once an unscalable obstacle.

11. Blake Griffin is a Top-10 Player Once More

Remember Blake Griffin? He's hitting threes, demanding double teams on the block (if you cut he will find you), and can still Mount Olympus poor shot blockers who think they stand a chance. Rudy Gobert didn't even jump when he saw Griffin rumbling down the paint for a teeth-rattling facial earlier this week.

His offensive game is as complete and diversified as there is, averaging a cool 27, 10, and four while launching six threes per game. If (if!) he stays healthy, the Clippers may find themselves with the five seed, and Griffin may find himself returning to an All-NBA team.

12. John Wall Equals Mini Mutombo

John Wall is on pace to have one of the most impressive shot-blocking seasons a guard has ever had, per Basketball-Reference. Through his first four games, the 27-year-old blur has five blocks and six personal fouls. Solid. His block rate is the exact same as Dwyane Wade's during his age-27 season, too.

He was a demon in Washington's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, welcoming Markelle Fultz to the league by smudging his layup off the glass. But then he also showed how useful he can be later on against the Detroit Pistons, switching onto Tobias Harris, guarding him in isolation, then swatting his floater away while squared up in the paint.

So much is made about Wall's inability to knock down threes and space the floor. But it's his inconsistency on the defensive end that bars him from MVP conversations. If he excels on that end all year, and rolls his unparalleled combination of speed, strength, and length into one package at the point guard position, Washington's ceiling will rise a considerable degree.

13. The Ed Davisaissance!

Ed Davis's tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers hasn't been great. Often injured, out of shape, or deemed ineffective in a league that has little use for big men who can't shoot, the guy looked spry on Tuesday against DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans, recording his first double-double since last February.

Photo by Jaime Valdez - USA TODAY Sports

Davis is slowly re-emerging as one of the NBA's top putback artists and has flashed vibrance as a roll man, putting the ball on the ground with one dribble and then going up strong at the rim. Noah Vonleh's looming return from a shoulder injury (he could be back as early as November 1st) may throw a wrench in Davis's minutes. But Terry Stotts will have a hard time keeping the 28-year-old out of his rotation.

14. The Spurs are Spursing

The Spurs have logged six minutes of crunch time so far this season (defined as when the scoring margin is five or below, with five or fewer minutes left in the game). They've yet to allow a single point in that time. Defensive rating: zero point zero, and it's way too early to call it unsustainable.

15. How Many Nets can be Helpful Players on a Good Team?

Last year, the answer to this question was between zero and two, depending on what you think of Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez. That number is slightly higher today, but a key difference is a serious downshift in age.

DeMarre Carroll stands out as the only legitimate late-prime candidate (though Trevor Booker is averaging 20.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 minutes), with D'Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, and maybe even Caris LeVert—who plays basketball like a bold character actor who isn't sure/doesn't care about the established tone in his scene—rounding out the list.

It's too early to say this with too much confidence, but if the Lakers don't land LeBron James or Paul George this summer, dumping Russell for Lopez and cap space will be viewed as a humongous mistake. He looks fantastic in Brooklyn, strutting through half-court sets with 9,000 percent more confidence than he had in his first two years.

He's getting to, and finishing at, the rim in ways that should quell some concern over whether or not he'd ever be able to test defenses in the paint, all while knocking down threes and conducting open-floor surges with a comfort previously unseen in his career. His pick-and-rolls are unhurried, and he's already picked up the nuance that is holding off a trailing defender while putting pressure on the sagging big.

Turnovers are high but that's fine. He keeps his head up, looks for cutters, and is still only 21 years old!

Meanwhile, Allen looks like his ceiling could be as one of the 15 most useful defenders in the league. He has a 7'6" wingspan, unteachable instincts on the perimeter, and a touch around the basket that, speaking as someone who doesn't watch college basketball and didn't get to see him at Las Vegas Summer League, is quite the pleasant surprise. The Nets may have at least two cornerstones already onboard.

16. Are LeBron's Minutes Already Cause for Concern?

He leads the league at 188 overall and is third with 37.6 per game.

17. Your Weekly Reminder that the Golden State Warriors are Unfair

Coming out of a time-out during Wednesday night's win over the Toronto Raptors, Warriors play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald looked at a Shaun Livingston, David West, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala quintet as they strode onto the floor and said "No team in the league can match this five."

Even though only three of Golden State's units played more than this exact one last season—they outscored opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions in 167 minutes—my immediate reaction was still to scoff.

Yes, this unit boasts a top-two player, extremely high intelligence across the board, like-sized defenders, and one of the greatest spot-up shooters who ever lived, but it doesn't have Steph Curry or Draymond Green, two transcendent figures who are most responsible for Golden State's unprecedented dominance.

It took me about five seconds to realize Fitzgerald was right. It's obvious and inconceivable at the same time: Golden State's eighth or ninth best five-man unit will blow your very best one out of the water. Welcome back, NBA!

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[flauntpage]

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake

I watch a lot of basketball. And when I'm not doing that (or eating, sleeping, reading, sitting in front of an unintentionally funny horror movie, etc.), there's a good chance I've fallen into something NBA-related on my laptop, whether it be a beautifully-written profile, stretch of game film, or a statistical database.

It is virtually impossible to absorb all the NBA has to offer, but digestible morsels of information usually find their way into a notebook that migrates between my coffee table and nightstand. (I have two shoeboxes under my bed that are literally overflowing with random thoughts on the NBA extracted over hundreds of hours spent in front of my TV/iPad/cell phone.) Some of it is complete nonsense ("Why did Frank Vogel grow a beard?"). Some of it is useful.

This column is born from my notebook. Every week, I'll try to unwrap some unique angles from around the league. So, anyways, welcome! I hope after reading this you have just a little bit more insight into (and interest in) the NBA than you did hopping over.

1. Introducing Philly's Giant Trio of Death

This was already mentioned in my preview piece about Dario Saric and the Philadelphia 76ers, but one of the most critical questions for Philly is whether Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Saric can share the floor. All three are taller than 6'10", with a rare combination of intelligence and technical skill that should theoretically allow them to thrive beside one another.

If they can space the floor (more on Simmons's ability to do that without a jump shot later), maintain some defensive versatility, and move the ball, there's no way to stop them. Size has long been the sport's most valuable element, and folding it into a group that's also able to adopt modern principles (quality three-point shooting, a modifiable pick-and-roll defense, etc.) would eventually give Philly an advantage over everybody else.

They've only shared the floor for 23 minutes in four games, but in that time the Sixers have outscored opponents by 27 points per 100 possessions while assisting two-thirds of their made baskets. They're zipping up the court, running offense through whoever has a mismatch, and, as expected, gobbling up all the rebounds in sight.

27 minutes of basketball hardly provides enough data to confirm that these three will one day take over the universe, but Sixers coach Brett Brown swapped Saric in for Jerryd Bayless at the start of the second half of their Monday night win over the Detroit Pistons. Obvious translation: This is the beginning of something very special.

2. Minnesota's Glaring Weakness

Between Karl-Anthony Towns dissecting defenses from any square foot of the court he pleases, Andrew Wiggins gliding like a condor, and Jamal Crawford momentarily propping up a lethargic offense like the ageless highlight reel he is, it's still hard to ignore Minnesota's obvious hole: the desperate need for another wing defender. Maybe two.

At the start of their thrilling victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, the Timberwolves started with Jimmy Butler on Russell Westbrook while Wiggins defended Paul George and Jeff Teague hid out on Andre Roberson. Taj Gibson—better suited as a backup center at this stage in his career—glued himself to Carmelo Anthony as best he could.

When Wiggins took a seat later in the game, Butler was forced to pick up George. Not all teams are able to deploy as many offensive weapons as the Thunder, but these assignments are still way too taxing for Butler all year long, and don't allow him to wreak havoc off the ball on offense as much as he could if the Timberwolves avoided a crossmatch by putting Teague on Westbrook and Butler on Roberson.

Minnesota showed some interest in P.J. Tucker over the summer, but didn't make a serious offer to acquire him. That's unfortunate. They're distinctly thin at arguably the most critical position in the league, and it's showing. When Butler missed Tuesday night's game against the Indiana Pacers, his teammates put up one of the weaker defensive performances any team has had all season.

Games against the Pacers and Thunder are a small sample size, but we already knew that Crawford and Shabazz Muhammad aren't answers on the defensive end, while the Timberwolves' assembly of bigs aren't flexible enough to switch on the perimeter or even directly line up against teams that go small.

Minnesota's offense should still be good enough for a playoff berth, but unless they address their most glaring weakness before the trade deadline, winning a series will be an uphill battle. Including the two games Butler's missed, Minnesota's defensive rating is an atrocious 117.5 when he's not on the floor.

3. The Phoenix Suns!

Many accurate words have been written about the amusingly dysfunctional Phoenix Suns since the season started last Tuesday. It's fair to say they've momentarily snatched the Torch of Negligence from organizations that have proudly held it (the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers immediately spring to mind).

A couple nights before Eric Bledsoe submitted an early frontrunner for this season's most legendary tweet, I was in bed watching a game on my iPad when a random, half-serious thought popped into my head. I rolled over, opened my notebook, and scribbled down the following sentence: "Indirect way to gauge how hard a team is playing: Watch with sound off. That way you don't know if players are reacting to a ref's whistle or not."

I was watching the Suns.

4. Carmelo Anthony is a Walking "STOP THE PRESSES" Button

After their game against the Pacers on Wednesday night, Oklahoma City's pace registered at 104.2 with Russell Westbrook on the floor this season. Given their success in transition and all the long-armed, turnover-cobbling athleticism they possess on the defensive end, that number is right in line with how the Thunder should try and play for the rest of the reigning MVP's prime.

"Hijack" is too strong a descriptor for what Carmelo Anthony has done to his new team's rhythm, but when he's in the game their pace drops to 100.7. Related to last year's numbers, the gap between Westbrook and Melo's individual pace represents the league's fastest and 10th fastest teams.

When Anthony has been off the floor this season, Oklahoma City transforms into a jumbo jet. Its pace shoots up to a whopping 105.6. When Westbrook sits, things molder at 96.1. The differential grows more stark when you look at how the NBA's Triple-Double King performs without Anthony on the court. His True Shooting percentage increases 16.4 percent despite his usage rising by 10 points. (The pace gap also dramatically widens, as one might assume.)

This is the fundamental struggle Oklahoma City needs to work through as they digest life with two score-first options who're more comfortable at different tempos. Anthony's usage is right in line with where it was the past two seasons, but his True Shooting is down, thanks to a dramatic dip in trips to the free-throw line and a whole bunch of misfires beyond the arc. Only four players in the entire league are averaging more shots per game.

Billy Donovan has more than enough talent to go around, but ensuring comfort for all three of his stars will take some time.

5. LaMarcus Aldridge: Still Good!

The general reaction after the San Antonio Spurs gave LaMarcus Aldridge a three-year contract extension was bemused fascination. Aldridge will be 33 next season, was not an All-Star last year, and is coming off a playoff run that saw his True Shooting percentage dip below .500. But the Spurs aren't dumb. They know this. They also probably realize that acquiring someone who can mimic his impact at a lower cost is going to be all but impossible during Kawhi Leonard's prime.

It turns out Aldridge is still a very good player, and while Leonard nurses a nagging quadricep injury, the five-time All-Star has quietly kicked off his 12th season looking like one of the league's 15 best players. The undefeated Spurs have turned to mush on both ends when he's on the bench, getting outscored by a team-low 21.6 points per 100 possessions. (They're +19.3 when he plays.)

According to Synergy Sports, just over a third of Aldridge's possessions have been post-ups, where he already ranks in the 96th percentile. The left block is his happy place, and all who've defended him see nothing but his picture-perfect turnaround jump shot whenever their eyes close. (Especially Miami Heat rookie Bam Adebayo, who was absolutely tortured on national television Wednesday night.)

It's unlikely Aldridge averages 26 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game for the entire year, but it's a promising start for a player who badly needed to reassert himself among the league's elite frontcourt weapons. The Spurs have been especially dominant with Aldridge at the five, in lineups that feature Rudy Gay or Kyle Anderson at the four. Just imagine how scary those lineups will be when Leonard—the freaking frontrunner for MVP—returns.

6. Bebe Nogueira...

...has multiple tattoos on his face and is a legend. This—more than the Raptors' modernized shot profile—is clearly the most important recent happening that's taken place in the general Toronto area.

Photo by John E. Sokolowski - USA TODAY Sports

7. The Dreaded Hot Seat

Earlier this week, the Suns fired Earl Watson, demonstrating it's never too early to toss your head coach into a guillotine. Comparing that situation with any other in the league is tough, though. There's only one Robert Sarver, and the stakes for Watson's dismissal were pretty low, given how unpleasant the team's roster is.

Firing a coach before Thanksgiving is never a good look, but it still got me thinking about whether any other coaches (beside the two most obvious candidates: Jeff Hornacek and Alvin Gentry) might have a single burner under their chair. It would surprise me if the coach I'm about to mention doesn't keep his job for the foreseeable future, but literally nothing can be ruled out in today's NBA.

The Denver Nuggets are 1-3 with their lone win coming against the Sacramento Kings. Nothing about this is notably problematic, but expectations are a tidal wave that cease for no man, and with a cupcake road trip sitting on the horizon and a tricky home stand right after that, Mike Malone may find himself in hot water.

If Denver struggles against the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks before the Miami Heat, Toronto, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder invade the Pepsi Center, will he have an opportunity to turn things around? Probably, yes. He should. Denver is the fifth-youngest team in the league, with a pair of inexperienced point guards (Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay) who are seriously struggling. Their offense is unexpectedly impotent.

It's way, way, way too early to point fingers or even be concerned about Denver's play (their defense is keeping opponents away from the rim and forcing a ton of mid-range shots!), but Malone may be on thinner ice than we think.

8. Centers are Officially Married to the Three-Point Line

Here's a list of centers who've already launched at least one three this year: Dewayne Dedmon (six), Jonas Valanciunas (one), Hassan Whiteside (one), Willie Cauley-Stein (two), Gorgui Dieng (four), Robin Lopez (five), Nikola Vucevic (19), Dwight Powell (12), Timofey Mozgov (three), Jusuf Nurkic (two), Jeff Withey (two), Al Jefferson (one), Derrick Favors (five), and a whole bunch who aren't listed primarily because they aren't that surprising.

Joel Embiid is 2-for-13 from beyond the arc and DeMarcus Cousins is averaging more threes per game than all but five players in the entire league. Attempts aren't a sole indicator of any uptick when most of these players have only appeared in a few games, but three-point rates at the center position are skyrocketing across the board.

This is one of the most evolutionary subplots in the NBA right now, even if we all saw it coming.

9. When Spacing Doesn't Matter

Speaking of evolution and the three-point line, two of the NBA's most unique talents, Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo, are a couple earthquakes who can't really shoot. So far, Antetokounmpo's three-point rate is about half what it was last season (he's 1-for-6 in 154 minutes) while Simmons is 0-for-3 in his career.

But both have remained effective even when the ball isn't in their hands, and their respective coaching staffs have done a good job figuring out different ways to get them going from the weakside. It's only natural to sag off someone who isn't a threat beyond the arc, and that's exactly what teams do whenever Simmons and Antetokounmpo aren't dribbling around with transfixing dexterity.

To neutralize this defense, both teams have instituted quick hit actions that allow their freakish "guards" to get a running head start towards the basket against a perimeter defender who isn't in their path. For example, the Bucks will run a side pick-and-roll towards the middle of the floor with the sole intention of swinging it to Antetokounmpo on the opposite wing. He'll catch it in mid-stride towards the paint, and from that point your best defense is physical assault.

This catch-and-go action makes defenders think twice about helping at the nail, and instead forces them to clog up an open runway towards the rim.

10. Andre Drummond is Wiping Dirt Off His Shoulders

Not only is he shooting 72.2 percent from the free-throw line, but, more importantly, the 24-year-old appears to have shaved/waxed/lasered away his scraggly shoulder hair. Speaking as someone who's long been afflicted with this cosmetic impediment, shout out to Drummond for overcoming what was once an unscalable obstacle.

11. Blake Griffin is a Top-10 Player Once More

Remember Blake Griffin? He's hitting threes, demanding double teams on the block (if you cut he will find you), and can still Mount Olympus poor shot blockers who think they stand a chance. Rudy Gobert didn't even jump when he saw Griffin rumbling down the paint for a teeth-rattling facial earlier this week.

His offensive game is as complete and diversified as there is, averaging a cool 27, 10, and four while launching six threes per game. If (if!) he stays healthy, the Clippers may find themselves with the five seed, and Griffin may find himself returning to an All-NBA team.

12. John Wall Equals Mini Mutombo

John Wall is on pace to have one of the most impressive shot-blocking seasons a guard has ever had, per Basketball-Reference. Through his first four games, the 27-year-old blur has five blocks and six personal fouls. Solid. His block rate is the exact same as Dwyane Wade's during his age-27 season, too.

He was a demon in Washington's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, welcoming Markelle Fultz to the league by smudging his layup off the glass. But then he also showed how useful he can be later on against the Detroit Pistons, switching onto Tobias Harris, guarding him in isolation, then swatting his floater away while squared up in the paint.

So much is made about Wall's inability to knock down threes and space the floor. But it's his inconsistency on the defensive end that bars him from MVP conversations. If he excels on that end all year, and rolls his unparalleled combination of speed, strength, and length into one package at the point guard position, Washington's ceiling will rise a considerable degree.

13. The Ed Davisaissance!

Ed Davis's tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers hasn't been great. Often injured, out of shape, or deemed ineffective in a league that has little use for big men who can't shoot, the guy looked spry on Tuesday against DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans, recording his first double-double since last February.

Photo by Jaime Valdez - USA TODAY Sports

Davis is slowly re-emerging as one of the NBA's top putback artists and has flashed vibrance as a roll man, putting the ball on the ground with one dribble and then going up strong at the rim. Noah Vonleh's looming return from a shoulder injury (he could be back as early as November 1st) may throw a wrench in Davis's minutes. But Terry Stotts will have a hard time keeping the 28-year-old out of his rotation.

14. The Spurs are Spursing

The Spurs have logged six minutes of crunch time so far this season (defined as when the scoring margin is five or below, with five or fewer minutes left in the game). They've yet to allow a single point in that time. Defensive rating: zero point zero, and it's way too early to call it unsustainable.

15. How Many Nets can be Helpful Players on a Good Team?

Last year, the answer to this question was between zero and two, depending on what you think of Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez. That number is slightly higher today, but a key difference is a serious downshift in age.

DeMarre Carroll stands out as the only legitimate late-prime candidate (though Trevor Booker is averaging 20.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 minutes), with D'Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, and maybe even Caris LeVert—who plays basketball like a bold character actor who isn't sure/doesn't care about the established tone in his scene—rounding out the list.

It's too early to say this with too much confidence, but if the Lakers don't land LeBron James or Paul George this summer, dumping Russell for Lopez and cap space will be viewed as a humongous mistake. He looks fantastic in Brooklyn, strutting through half-court sets with 9,000 percent more confidence than he had in his first two years.

He's getting to, and finishing at, the rim in ways that should quell some concern over whether or not he'd ever be able to test defenses in the paint, all while knocking down threes and conducting open-floor surges with a comfort previously unseen in his career. His pick-and-rolls are unhurried, and he's already picked up the nuance that is holding off a trailing defender while putting pressure on the sagging big.

Turnovers are high but that's fine. He keeps his head up, looks for cutters, and is still only 21 years old!

Meanwhile, Allen looks like his ceiling could be as one of the 15 most useful defenders in the league. He has a 7'6" wingspan, unteachable instincts on the perimeter, and a touch around the basket that, speaking as someone who doesn't watch college basketball and didn't get to see him at Las Vegas Summer League, is quite the pleasant surprise. The Nets may have at least two cornerstones already onboard.

16. Are LeBron's Minutes Already Cause for Concern?

He leads the league at 188 overall and is third with 37.6 per game.

17. Your Weekly Reminder that the Golden State Warriors are Unfair

Coming out of a time-out during Wednesday night's win over the Toronto Raptors, Warriors play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald looked at a Shaun Livingston, David West, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala quintet as they strode onto the floor and said "No team in the league can match this five."

Even though only three of Golden State's units played more than this exact one last season—they outscored opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions in 167 minutes—my immediate reaction was still to scoff.

Yes, this unit boasts a top-two player, extremely high intelligence across the board, like-sized defenders, and one of the greatest spot-up shooters who ever lived, but it doesn't have Steph Curry or Draymond Green, two transcendent figures who are most responsible for Golden State's unprecedented dominance.

It took me about five seconds to realize Fitzgerald was right. It's obvious and inconceivable at the same time: Golden State's eighth or ninth best five-man unit will blow your very best one out of the water. Welcome back, NBA!

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[flauntpage]

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake

I watch a lot of basketball. And when I'm not doing that (or eating, sleeping, reading, sitting in front of an unintentionally funny horror movie, etc.), there's a good chance I've fallen into something NBA-related on my laptop, whether it be a beautifully-written profile, stretch of game film, or a statistical database.

It is virtually impossible to absorb all the NBA has to offer, but digestible morsels of information usually find their way into a notebook that migrates between my coffee table and nightstand. (I have two shoeboxes under my bed that are literally overflowing with random thoughts on the NBA extracted over hundreds of hours spent in front of my TV/iPad/cell phone.) Some of it is complete nonsense ("Why did Frank Vogel grow a beard?"). Some of it is useful.

This column is born from my notebook. Every week, I'll try to unwrap some unique angles from around the league. So, anyways, welcome! I hope rafter reading this you have just a little bit more insight into (and interest in) the NBA than you did hopping over.

1. Introducing Philly's Giant Trio of Death

This was already mentioned in my preview piece about Dario Saric and the Philadelphia 76ers, but one of the most critical questions for Philly is whether Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Saric can share the floor. All three are taller than 6'10", with a rare combination of intelligence and technical skill that should theoretically allow them to thrive beside one another.

If they can space the floor (more on Simmons's ability to do that without a jump shot later), maintain some defensive versatility, and move the ball, there's no way to stop them. Size has long been the sport's most valuable element, and folding it into a group that's also able to adopt modern principles (quality three-point shooting, a modifiable pick-and-roll defense, etc.) would eventually give Philly an advantage over everybody else.

They've only shared the floor for 23 minutes in four games, but in that time the Sixers have outscored opponents by 27 points per 100 possessions while assisting two-thirds of their made baskets. They're zipping up the court, running offense through whoever has a mismatch, and, as expected, gobbling up all the rebounds in sight.

27 minutes of basketball hardly provides enough data to confirm that these three will one day take over the universe, but Sixers coach Brett Brown swapped Saric in for Jerryd Bayless at the start of the second half of their Monday night win over the Detroit Pistons. Obvious translation: This is the beginning of something very special.

2. Minnesota's Glaring Weakness

Between Karl-Anthony Towns dissecting defenses from any square foot of the court he pleases, Andrew Wiggins gliding like a condor, and Jamal Crawford momentarily propping up a lethargic offense like the ageless highlight reel he is, it's still hard to ignore Minnesota's obvious hole: the desperate need for another wing defender. Maybe two.

At the start of their thrilling victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, the Timberwolves started with Jimmy Butler on Russell Westbrook while Wiggins defended Paul George and Jeff Teague hid out on Andre Roberson. Taj Gibson—better suited as a backup center at this stage in his career—glued himself to Carmelo Anthony as best he could.

When Wiggins took a seat later in the game, Butler was forced to pick up George. Not all teams are able to deploy as many offensive weapons as the Thunder, but these assignments are still way too taxing for Butler all year long, and don't allow him to wreak havoc off the ball on offense as much as he could if the Timberwolves avoided a crossmatch by putting Teague on Westbrook and Butler on Roberson.

Minnesota showed some interest in P.J. Tucker over the summer, but didn't make a serious offer to acquire him. That's unfortunate. They're distinctly thin at arguably the most critical position in the league, and it's showing. When Butler missed Tuesday night's game against the Indiana Pacers, his teammates put up one of the weaker defensive performances any team has had all season.

Games against the Pacers and Thunder are a small sample size, but we already knew that Crawford and Shabazz Muhammad aren't answers on the defensive end, while the Timberwolves' assembly of bigs aren't flexible enough to switch on the perimeter or even directly line up against teams that go small.

Minnesota's offense should still be good enough for a playoff berth, but unless they address their most glaring weakness before the trade deadline, winning a series will be an uphill battle. Including the two games Butler's missed, Minnesota's defensive rating is an atrocious 117.5 when he's not on the floor.

3. The Phoenix Suns!

Many accurate words have been written about the amusingly dysfunctional Phoenix Suns since the season started last Tuesday. It's fair to say they've momentarily snatched the Torch of Negligence from organizations that have proudly held it (the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers immediately spring to mind).

A couple nights before Eric Bledsoe submitted an early frontrunner for this season's most legendary tweet, I was in bed watching a game on my iPad when a random, half-serious thought popped into my head. I rolled over, opened my notebook, and scribbled down the following sentence: "Indirect way to gauge how hard a team is playing: Watch with sound off. That way you don't know if players are reacting to a ref's whistle or not."

I was watching the Suns.

4. Carmelo Anthony is a Walking "STOP THE PRESSES" Button

After their game against the Pacers on Wednesday night, Oklahoma City's pace registered at 104.2 with Russell Westbrook on the floor this season. Given their success in transition and all the long-armed, turnover-cobbling athleticism they possess on the defensive end, that number is right in line with how the Thunder should try and play for the rest of the reigning MVP's prime.

"Hijack" is too strong a descriptor for what Carmelo Anthony has done to his new team's rhythm, but when he's in the game their pace drops to 100.7. Related to last year's numbers, the gap between Westbrook and Melo's individual pace represents the league's fastest and 10th fastest teams.

When Anthony has been off the floor this season, Oklahoma City transforms into a jumbo jet. Its pace shoots up to a whopping 105.6. When Westbrook sits, things molder at 96.1. The differential grows more stark when you look at how the NBA's Triple-Double King performs without Anthony on the court. His True Shooting percentage increases 16.4 percent despite his usage rising by 10 points. (The pace gap also dramatically widens, as one might assume.)

This is the fundamental struggle Oklahoma City needs to work through as they digest life with two score-first options who're more comfortable at different tempos. Anthony's usage is right in line with where it was the past two seasons, but his True Shooting is down, thanks to a dramatic dip in trips to the free-throw line and a whole bunch of misfires beyond the arc. Only four players in the entire league are averaging more shots per game.

Billy Donovan has more than enough talent to go around, but ensuring comfort for all three of his stars will take some time.

5. LaMarcus Aldridge: Still Good!

The general reaction after the San Antonio Spurs gave LaMarcus Aldridge a three-year contract extension was bemused fascination. Aldridge will be 33 next season, was not an All-Star last year, and is coming off a playoff run that saw his True Shooting percentage dip below .500. But the Spurs aren't dumb. They know this. They also probably realize that acquiring someone who can mimic his impact at a lower cost is going to be all but impossible during Kawhi Leonard's prime.

It turns out Aldridge is still a very good player, and while Leonard nurses a nagging quadricep injury, the five-time All-Star has quietly kicked off his 12th season looking like one of the league's 15 best players. The undefeated Spurs have turned to mush on both ends when he's on the bench, getting outscored by a team-low 21.6 points per 100 possessions. (They're +19.3 when he plays.)

According to Synergy Sports, just over a third of Aldridge's possessions have been post-ups, where he already ranks in the 96th percentile. The left block is his happy place, and all who've defended him see nothing but his picture-perfect turnaround jump shot whenever their eyes close. (Especially Miami Heat rookie Bam Adebayo, who was absolutely tortured on national television Wednesday night.)

It's unlikely Aldridge averages 26 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game for the entire year, but it's a promising start for a player who badly needed to reassert himself among the league's elite frontcourt weapons. The Spurs have been especially dominant with Aldridge at the five, in lineups that feature Rudy Gay or Kyle Anderson at the four. Just imagine how scary those lineups will be when Leonard—the freaking frontrunner for MVP—returns.

6. Bebe Nogueira...

...has multiple tattoos on his face and is a legend. This—more than the Raptors' modernized shot profile—is clearly the most important recent happening that's taken place in the general Toronto area.

Photo by John E. Sokolowski - USA TODAY Sports

7. The Dreaded Hot Seat

Earlier this week, the Suns fired Earl Watson, demonstrating it's never too early to toss your head coach into a guillotine. Comparing that situation with any other in the league is tough, though. There's only one Robert Sarver, and the stakes for Watson's dismissal were pretty low, given how unpleasant the team's roster is.

Firing a coach before Thanksgiving is never a good look, but it still got me thinking about whether any other coaches (beside the two most obvious candidates: Jeff Hornacek and Alvin Gentry) might have a single burner under their chair. It would surprise me if the coach I'm about to mention doesn't keep his job for the foreseeable future, but literally nothing can be ruled out in today's NBA.

The Denver Nuggets are 1-3 with their lone win coming against the Sacramento Kings. Nothing about this is notably problematic, but expectations are a tidal wave that cease for no man, and with a cupcake road trip sitting on the horizon and a tricky home stand right after that, Mike Malone may find himself in hot water.

If Denver struggles against the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks before the Miami Heat, Toronto, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder invade the Pepsi Center, will he have an opportunity to turn things around? Probably, yes. He should. Denver is the fifth-youngest team in the league, with a pair of inexperienced point guards (Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay) who are seriously struggling. Their offense is unexpectedly impotent.

It's way, way, way too early to point fingers or even be concerned about Denver's play (their defense is keeping opponents away from the rim and forcing a ton of mid-range shots!), but Malone may be on thinner ice than we think.

8. Centers are Officially Married to the Three-Point Line

Here's a list of centers who've already launched at least one three this year: Dewayne Dedmon (six), Jonas Valanciunas (one), Hassan Whiteside (one), Willie Cauley-Stein (two), Gorgui Dieng (four), Robin Lopez (five), Nikola Vucevic (19), Dwight Powell (12), Timofey Mozgov (three), Jusuf Nurkic (two), Jeff Withey (two), Al Jefferson (one), Derrick Favors (five), and a whole bunch who aren't listed primarily because they aren't that surprising.

Joel Embiid is 2-for-13 from beyond the arc and DeMarcus Cousins is averaging more threes per game than all but five players in the entire league. Attempts aren't a sole indicator of any uptick when most of these players have only appeared in a few games, but three-point rates at the center position are skyrocketing across the board.

This is one of the most evolutionary subplots in the NBA right now, even if we all saw it coming.

9. When Spacing Doesn't Matter

Speaking of evolution and the three-point line, two of the NBA's most unique talents, Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo, are a couple earthquakes who can't really shoot. So far, Antetokounmpo's three-point rate is about half what it was last season (he's 1-for-6 in 154 minutes) while Simmons is 0-for-3 in his career.

But both have remained effective even when the ball isn't in their hands, and their respective coaching staffs have done a good job figuring out different ways to get them going from the weakside. It's only natural to sag off someone who isn't a threat beyond the arc, and that's exactly what teams do whenever Simmons and Antetokounmpo aren't dribbling around with transfixing dexterity.

To neutralize this defense, both teams have instituted quick hit actions that allow their freakish "guards" to get a running head start towards the basket against a perimeter defender who isn't in their path. For example, the Bucks will run a side pick-and-roll towards the middle of the floor with the sole intention of swinging it to Antetokounmpo on the opposite wing. He'll catch it in mid-stride towards the paint, and from that point your best defense is physical assault.

This catch-and-go action makes defenders think twice about helping at the nail, and instead forces them to clog up an open runway towards the rim.

10. Andre Drummond is Wiping Dirt Off His Shoulders

Not only is he shooting 72.2 percent from the free-throw line, but, more importantly, the 24-year-old appears to have shaved/waxed/lasered away his scraggly shoulder hair. Speaking as someone who's long been afflicted with this cosmetic impediment, shout out to Drummond for overcoming what was once an unscalable obstacle.

11. Blake Griffin is a Top-10 Player Once More

Remember Blake Griffin? He's hitting threes, demanding double teams on the block (if you cut he will find you), and can still Mount Olympus poor shot blockers who think they stand a chance. Rudy Gobert didn't even jump when he saw Griffin rumbling down the paint for a teeth-rattling facial earlier this week.

His offensive game is as complete and diversified as there is, averaging a cool 27, 10, and four while launching six threes per game. If (if!) he stays healthy, the Clippers may find themselves with the five seed, and Griffin may find himself returning to an All-NBA team.

12. John Wall Equals Mini Mutombo

John Wall is on pace to have one of the most impressive shot-blocking seasons a guard has ever had, per Basketball-Reference. Through his first four games, the 27-year-old blur has five blocks and six personal fouls. Solid. His block rate is the exact same as Dwyane Wade's during his age-27 season, too.

He was a demon in Washington's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, welcoming Markelle Fultz to the league by smudging his layup off the glass. But then he also showed how useful he can be later on against the Detroit Pistons, switching onto Tobias Harris, guarding him in isolation, then swatting his floater away while squared up in the paint.

So much is made about Wall's inability to knock down threes and space the floor. But it's his inconsistency on the defensive end that bars him from MVP conversations. If he excels on that end all year, and rolls his unparalleled combination of speed, strength, and length into one package at the point guard position, Washington's ceiling will rise a considerable degree.

13. The Ed Davisaissance!

Ed Davis's tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers hasn't been great. Often injured, out of shape, or deemed ineffective in a league that has little use for big men who can't shoot, the guy looked spry on Tuesday against DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans, recording his first double-double since last February.

Photo by Jaime Valdez - USA TODAY Sports

Davis is slowly re-emerging as one of the NBA's top putback artists and has flashed vibrance as a roll man, putting the ball on the ground with one dribble and then going up strong at the rim. Noah Vonleh's looming return from a shoulder injury (he could be back as early as November 1st) may throw a wrench in Davis's minutes. But Terry Stotts will have a hard time keeping the 28-year-old out of his rotation.

14. The Spurs are Spursing

The Spurs have logged six minutes of crunch time so far this season (defined as when the scoring margin is five or below, with five or fewer minutes left in the game). They've yet to allow a single point in that time. Defensive rating: zero point zero, and it's way too early to call it unsustainable.

15. How Many Nets can be Helpful Players on a Good Team?

Last year, the answer to this question was between zero and two, depending on what you think of Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez. That number is slightly higher today, but a key difference is a serious downshift in age.

DeMarre Carroll stands out as the only legitimate late-prime candidate (though Trevor Booker is averaging 20.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 minutes), with D'Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, and maybe even Caris LeVert—who plays basketball like a bold character actor who isn't sure/doesn't care about the established tone in his scene—rounding out the list.

It's too early to say this with too much confidence, but if the Lakers don't land LeBron James or Paul George this summer, dumping Russell for Lopez and cap space will be viewed as a humongous mistake. He looks fantastic in Brooklyn, strutting through half-court sets with 9,000 percent more confidence than he had in his first two years.

He's getting to, and finishing at, the rim in ways that should quell some concern over whether or not he'd ever be able to test defenses in the paint, all while knocking down threes and conducting open-floor surges with a comfort previously unseen in his career. His pick-and-rolls are unhurried, and he's already picked up the nuance that is holding off a trailing defender while putting pressure on the sagging big.

Turnovers are high but that's fine. He keeps his head up, looks for cutters, and is still only 21 years old!

Meanwhile, Allen looks like his ceiling could be as one of the 15 most useful defenders in the league. He has a 7'6" wingspan, unteachable instincts on the perimeter, and a touch around the basket that, speaking as someone who doesn't watch college basketball and didn't get to see him at Las Vegas Summer League, is quite the pleasant surprise. The Nets may have at least two cornerstones already onboard.

16. Are LeBron's Minutes Already Cause for Concern?

He leads the league at 188 overall and is third with 37.6 per game.

17. Your Weekly Reminder that the Golden State Warriors are Unfair

Coming out of a time-out during Wednesday night's win over the Toronto Raptors, Warriors play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald looked at a Shaun Livingston, David West, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala quintet as they strode onto the floor and said "No team in the league can match this five."

Even though only three of Golden State's units played more than this exact one last season—they outscored opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions in 167 minutes—my immediate reaction was still to scoff.

Yes, this unit boasts a top-two player, extremely high intelligence across the board, like-sized defenders, and one of the greatest spot-up shooters who ever lived, but it doesn't have Steph Curry or Draymond Green, two transcendent figures who are most responsible for Golden State's unprecedented dominance.

It took me about five seconds to realize Fitzgerald was right. It's obvious and inconceivable at the same time: Golden State's eighth or ninth best five-man unit will blow your very best one out of the water. Welcome back, NBA!

The Outlet Pass: Philly's Big Boys, Slow Food Melo, and the Return of Good Blake published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv