This Week in Basketball

I likely will not frequently have posts that discuss a week in basketball or several news updates, but there was a lot that happened in the last couple weeks that I want to discuss.  There was a lot of wackiness, from a hold-out and an odd trade to a misreported media strike and the schedule being released, there was a lot I found interesting.  I will discuss a wide variety of topics from the

 

James Harden Situation

I will start with the one probably most discussed:  James Harden delaying his report to the start of training camp.  He finally arrived today, but not before missing the first couple days through what the team described as a “hold-out” and being photographed celebrating Lil Baby’s birthday at a club in Atlanta and then flying to Vegas to go to a strip club while the team was at training camp.  It has been reported that he requested the Rockets either create a championship team or trade him.  Houston interpreted that as flipping Russell Westbrook for John Wall (more on that later) and dumping Robert Covington for future picks, so Harden decided the best route to protest was holding out.  I’m not surprised he eventually reported; had he not reported this season, NBA rules would not have counted this year as a year on his contract, so he’d still have 2 years remaining.  I thought he might hold out for a little longer (possibly even until the beginning of the season), but I wonder if his camp started to realize this would hurt his trade value.  I expect the Rockets will wait a bit before trading Harden; they are in no rush and it doesn’t sound like they are getting a great offer until Harden approves more teams than the Nets and the 76ers.  The Nets don’t have the haul (unless they give up Kyrie Irving, which would be a mess) and I could see the Rockets being resistant to trading with Darryl Morey after he left and also turn him off by trying to say they should get several picks and Ben Simmons (at this point, the right point is giving up only Simmons).

 

Kyrie Irving

To shift to one of Harden’s sought-after teammates, Irving has a new way of dealing with press conferences…or so it was reported.  Malika Andrews of ESPN reported that Irving released a statement saying, in part, “my goal this season is to let my work on and off the court speak for itself” and she tweeted that “he said he is issuing this statement instead of speaking with reporters”.  The issue is that people interpreted this as he was no longer speaking to reporters and only issuing statements of this nature, but Irving (and Andrews for that matter) only specified this would be the case for that statement.  Irving’s agent said later “this doesn’t mean he won’t do traditional media. He has every intent on building a mutually respectful relationship with the media. This is his first attempt to communicate directly/effectively with the people who cover him the most.”  I found the most humorous part about it is that sports radio commentators were complaining that Irving wouldn’t do press releases because he thought people were misconstruing his message and proceeded to do just that.  I didn’t expect Irving to fully boycott the media because he is contractually required to be available for press; that said, I wonder if he will continue releasing statements in that manner after his first attempt was so poorly misunderstood despite clear the clear wording.

 

Load Management

I cannot say I necessarily intended to have this one listed right after Irving, but it is fitting.  The NBA announced that it will fine teams $100,000 for holding players out for rest on nationally televised games; it has specified that it will not be as strict with other games given the shortened and condensed schedule.  There has been a minor uproar about this, but I’m not at all surprised by this; the league is looking to get all the money it can and potentially having players rest on nationally televised games could cause viewership and commercial revenue to dip.  That said, I believe this will do nothing since they cannot fine a team who rests a player if they list an injury (I can’t begin to point out the number of times I’ve seen something along the lines of “Out – Back” for players at the end of the season when the team’s fate is sealed).  As long as they avoid doing what Doc Rivers did last year and say that Kawhi was healthy after they sat him for an “injury”, the team can’t be fined for it.  I also think that if possible, avoiding airing the second night of back-to-backs would be wiser since that would avoid this (which will probably be more difficult this year).  However, we will continue seeing load management occur because of all the fans and pundits who claim that a player only had a worthwhile career if they won a championship.  I strongly disagree with that mindset and believe that all the resting in the regular season was caused by this believe; I agree with doing the load management in spite of this mindset as a result.

 

NBA Suspending Marijuana Testing

The NBA announced that they will suspend random marijuana testing “due to the unusual circumstances in conjunction with the pandemic”.  Even though this was announced as only for part of this season, I consider this a massive win for the players.  While I am in favor of drug testing, I oppose marijuana testing for the sole reason that it is legal in several states, including those where certain home markets are.  I don’t know enough about side effects or negative impact of it (there’s a side effect for any medication or drug), but I don’t care if players are so long as it’s not unhealthy or bad for them.  Frankly, I’m more worried about the impact that Covid-19 will have on games.

 

Some Teams Impacted by Covid-19

Speaking of Coronavirus, the virus has infiltrated teams before the season even began.  The Warriors had to postpone the start of training camp due to 2 positive tests and the Trail Blazers shut their facilities down due to 3 positive tests.  I’m not surprised by this one bit; they are beginning training camps while rates are rising in most of the country.  I expect positive tests will impact the season this season, which is obviously unpredictable to determine which teams will be impacted.  While the league has sent the teams a memo regarding protocol for this season, expect there to be some that ignore rules; just look at the NFL, MLB, and even the NBA Bubble for precedent.

 

The Schedule

The first half of the schedule has been released.  The league opted to hold off on the second half to see what happens with Covid-19, but I would like to discuss the first half.  While there has been a lot of attention about certain games (opening night, Christmas, reunion matchups), there are certain underrated matchups I would like to discuss instead.  I will also discuss the Christmas Day games since they tend to book matchups that should create big stories.

Christmas Day Games

New Orleans Pelicans at Miami Heat

The stories advertised for this one likely will include the 2020 Eastern Conference Champion, an exciting player in Zion Williamson, and the health and conditioning of Williamson.  What I am looking out for in this one is how the Pelicans defense will look without Jrue Holiday.  While Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams are now on the team (two solid players defensively), I consider Holiday a more reliable defender than either of them.  I also wonder how Williamson and Lonzo Ball will be defensively; both are good defenders, but Williamson is always a question mark with health and condition and Ball wasn’t as consistent as I would like to see.  Keep an eye out to see if Brandon Ingram improved on that end.

Golden State Warriors at Milwaukee Bucks

The stories that I expect to be advertised here involve Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo.  That said, what I’m most excited to see here is how many 3’s Andrew Wiggins attempts against the Milwaukee.  The Bucks seemed to be more willing to allow three-pointers from players who either weren’t good or frequent shooters, and Wiggins has often fallen into the later category, favoring deep 2’s.  If Wiggins recognizes the openings from deep, he could have a field day in this game.

Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics

The biggest story advertised here is Kyrie Irving’s return to Boston after the fallout there.  With Kevin Durant, Kemba Walker, and Tristian Thompson likely either out or being cautious due to injury recovery, the bigger story will be if Irving actually plays.  He has only played in Cleveland once since leaving (to his credit, he was injured during the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals) and with the possibility K.D. sitting out or being on a minutes restriction, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Irving skip this one.

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers

The obvious storyline is the superstars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Luka Doncic.  I don’t particularly care about that; I care more about if the Mavericks can defend big men.  Kristaps Porzingis could be out to start the season and who knows what shape Dwight Powell will be in after an Achilles injury.  Will Willie Cauley-Stein or Maxi Kleber rise to the task?  Could Boban Marjanovic stick with L.A.’s big men for more than a few minutes?  If Freddie Gillespie (Exhibit 10) makes the 15-man roster (or is a 2-Way player), could he be thrown into the fire early into his rookie season?  The Lakers will be a difficult test due to their big men who can dominate the paint.

Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets

The main story in this matchup is that it is a rematch of the Western Conference Semifinals where Denver shocked the world.  However, I’m not worried about some matchup to start the season to see if the Clippers will get revenge (they still haven’t done it in the playoffs, so this game doesn’t matter); what I am more focused is who the Nuggets has to guard all these wings now that Jerami Grant left.  They have Will Barton returning, Gary Harris, Michael Porter Jr., and rookie R.J. Hampton; out of those, I consistently trust Harris defensively.  That said, it might not matter if either Kawhi Leonard or Paul George doesn’t play in this one.

 

Underrated Gems

These are just a few odd games I think could be fun to watch.

New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers, 12/29

My three favorite prospects in this year’s draft were Obi Topping (Knicks, 8^th pick), Onyeka Okongwu (Hawks, 6^th pick), and Isaac Okoro (Cavs, 5^th pick).  I expect the Hawks to be substantially better than the other two teams, so that leaves this matchup.  Considering New York’s excess of big men who deserve playing time, we could see Toppin in minutes at the 3, meaning Okoro could be guarding him.

Washington Wizards at Minnesota Timberwolves, 1/1

The Wizards were a strong offensive team last year and added Russell Westbrook while the Timberwolves seemed to double down on offense for this year.  If you like scoring, this could be the game for you.

Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks, 1/6

These are the two teams that seemed most dead set on competing for the 8^th seed in the East by bringing in veterans.  Charlotte added Gordon Hayward to their lineup while Atlanta added Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Rajon Rondo, and Solomon Hill.  While Charlotte had the better season last year, the added experience might make Atlanta a favorite here.

Sacramento Kings at Memphis Grizzlies, 1/24 and 1/25

This is a matchup between a team that shocked the world and finished 9^th place before dipping a little and another team that shocked the world by making the play-in game but are expecting to take a dip this year by many (including myself).  The thing is, the Grizzlies stayed course despite looking like they could slip into the playoffs while the Kings traded to get Harrison Barnes while they were fighting for the playoffs.  I think this matchup might be a case for which method was right.

Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz, 2/24

My favorite potential matchup of them all:  the one for the big men!  Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, and Derrick Favors will all be enticing to watch compete.  I’ll take any opportunity to see an AD-Gobert end of game duel I can get.

 

Russell Westbrook for John Wall Trade

The final thing I would like to discuss is one of the strangest trades I remember hearing:  The Rockets and Wizards flipping Russell Westbrook and John Wall (the Wizards also included a protected 1^st round pick).  This deal seems to be polarizing; I have heard some saying the Wizards won, others saying the Rockets won, and several saying nobody won that trade, not even the players involved.  I would like to grade this trade for each team since “salary dumps” by both teams (using quotes here since that isn’t technically a possibility).

Houston receives:  John Wall and a protected 2023 1^st round pick

After Westbrook and James Harden requested trades, Houston seemed to be entering a difficult situation.  The team was all-in and got rid of all their 1^st round picks for the foreseeable future but trading their two stars would result in the team beginning a rebuild.  While they continue to stall with Harden, the Rockets made the only trade that would net a 1^st rounder for Westbrook:  a trade requiring them to take on Wall.  John Wall at his peak was fun to watch and he is a talented player, but it has been several years since we have seen this; he has missed almost 2 years of the NBA due to injuries.  While those who have played pickup games with him have praised the shape he is in, this does not account for durability issues that could come from the injuries.  Durability has always been a weakness of Wall’s, so I’m not optimistic.  Even if he is healthy, Harden has the ball in his hands substantially and Wall is a poor shooter and not great off the ball, so I think it will be a clunky fit.  On top of that, the protections on the pick are top-14 protected in 2023, top-12 in 2024, top-10 in 2025, and top-8 in 2026; if the pick doesn’t convey, it turns into Washington’s 2026 and 2027 2^nd round picks.  In other words, the best they could get from this is the 9^th pick in 2027, a healthy Wall, and Harden willing to play better off the ball; the worst they could get is 2 2^nd round picks, the consistently frequently injured Wall, and a furious Harden.  Unfortunately for Houston, I think they have unleashed the latter.  That also ignores how awful Wall’s contract has been and how poorly it should continue to age.  Grade:  D-

Washington receives:  Russell Westbrook

There is something to be said about getting the best player in the trade.  While Westbrook’s contract is massive and will probably not age particularly well, the Wizards received a player who has been largely healthy for his career (last season had some health issues, but given his career health I think that is a fluke); this fact alone should be enough to be an upgrade from the oft-injured Wall.  His game of fast-paced offense and passing it around a lot will lend itself well with players like Davis Bertans.  While I expect it will take time to mesh with Bradley Beal, I think they can fit similar to the way Westbrook and Paul George were able to make it work.  After having a strong offense last season, expect the Wizards to continue this trend with Westbrook at the helm.  As for the draft pick, it only conveys as a 1^st rounder if the Wizards don’t make the playoffs or don’t quite make the playoffs.  Either way, the protections on this pick make it tolerable to lose the pick.  I consider Washington the clear winners of this trade.  Grade:  B+