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smokeybrandreviews · 3 years

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NBA Rant: Back to Business

It’s been a clean minute since I've written one of these, mostly because it’s been a few years since the NBA has even had a semblance of normalcy. The pandemic f*cked a lot of sh*t up and, while my LAkers took the title in the bubble and Giannis got the first one post-Bubble, i can’t help but be emotionally divorced from the last two years of hoop. They were aberrations, asterisk years, due to the reverberating consequences of poor federal leadership during a whole ass global plague. I love hoop and i enjoyed what we got these last two years, but if you’re telling me that these two seasons are legit, you’re crazy. Now that the vaccine is out in the wild and sh*t is opening back up, we can get back to the business of basketball. We can get back to an actual schedule that doesn’t favor the young and hungry so heavily. Injuries last season were absurd and i knew they would be considering the turnaround. This off-season is the beginning of real NBA basketball and i got some sh*t to say about.

Fear the Deer

Off the top, congratulations to the f*cking Milwaukee Bucks! Fifty years without an NBA title. The last won they cashed in was by the hand of a man named Lou Alcindor. It was beautiful to see and i loved watching it happen. History was made on several fronts but that one was the most gratifying. Giannis got his ring, the second Antetokounmpo brother to do it, but I'm so happy or kid. This was his coming out party. With this title and Finals MVP, Giannis has solidified himself as a legend of the NBA and patron saint of Milwaukee. Kid got the shine and now it just remains to be seen how many times he can catch that lightning in his career.

Book is Coming

The Suns were surprisingly close to winning a title. Like, one turnover away from hoisting that trophy. If you watched that series, you know what turnover I'm talking about. CP3 literally dropped he ball and it cost them a shot to be the lat team standing. Still, he balled for his life and i respect it. Moreso, i love what his veteran leadership did to that locker room. He got Ayton believing in himself and, more importantly, Devin Booker looking like a mini Mamba. Watching him seethe quietly as that confetti dropped and just utter the word, “Damn” was a lot. Kid got a taste and he’s about to play the best hoop of his life. The League should be terrified. I would not be surprised of Book takes that leap and challenges for “Best in the World” over the course of next season.

Mamba Mentality

Kobe Bryant was all over these Playoffs and i loved seeing it. It’s been a year since we lost Kobe and Gigi but that hurt has softened. Rest in Power, always, but the torch you lit under these kids has turned into a blaze. From Ice Trey to Giannis to D. Book, to Luka, to even Kawhi; Kobe’s legacy is strong in the current NBA. It’s weird to say but these young kids see the Mamba like we old heads see Jordan and rightfully so. Kobe is a legend and it does my heart good to see that legend continue into the next generation of NBA superstars.

Solving Simmons

Ben Simmons was exposed during these playoffs. It was f*cking hard to watch, bud. Like, excruciating. Never mind that he’s a professional, NBA level, small forward that can’t shoot, the dude can’t even make f*cking free throws! Like, Giannis has a problem taking too long to shoot them shots but he still makes them at a reasonable clip. Been Simmons shot the worst free throw percentage in NBA history; A history that includes f*cking Shaquille O’Neal! Bro, how?? It’s obvious that trusting The Process was a mistake and you might even lose Embiid over it. Doc wants to keep Ben but no. No, trade his ass to some team for a young buck who can spread the floor and give Embiid room to work closer to the cup. That dude was playing MVP level ball for the majority of last season, only to see his efforts squandered in the Playoffs where it counts. Also, Philly probably shouldn’t have hired Doc Rivers. That dude got lucky once, close to lucky a second time, and has failed consistently, spectacularly, ever sense. He literally has blown the most 3-1 leads in NBA history.

Fakers

I don’t think the Nets are as good as everyone thinks they are. Like, i get it; Overpowered and front loaded with all of that talent but that’s it. I’ve heard that a lot of the other pieces are unhappy with all the Superstar treatment their big three are getting. It’s chaffing the actually nuts and bolts that you need to drive those championship aspirations. So much so that Spencer Dinwiddle is looking to jump ship and sign with my LAkers, who i will get to in a minute. Spencer Dinwiddie. This would be a staggering loss for the Nets mostly because do was their dirty work guy. He’s the enforcer, Rodman with a jumper. Losing him would be like losing a position while you’re racing in Daytona. But they just might and that sh*t will steer this entire team straight into the wall. On paper. Who knows? Durant has been known to asspull sh*t when the game counts.

Clowns

Everyone owes Paul George a goddamn apology. Playoff P has always bee a thing, he just needs room to work. Free of Kawhi and his near identical game George showed us what his game really looks like, and it’s near pre-leg break form. Paul George can ball and i still hate that he’s playing in the wrong LA jersey. Now, that aside, The Clippers area joke. They think they were sized up for a championship by signing Kawhi off a title run in Toronto and prying PG away from a devastated OKC but in realty, they were just measuring for their f*cking clown suit. This Clippers team has been absolutely f*cking awful. Even after banishing arguably the worst head coach in the league to Philadelphia, they still sh*t the bed. This is bad tam with no rudder. hey have no leader and are plagued with ego. Win/lost records were unreliable last season because it’s goofy nature but this team definitely didn’t play like they deserved their seed, not when GS and the LAkers had to play just to get into the show. The Clippers have been consistently bad and trading either Kawhi or George away for solid assets complimentary to the remainders game would probably be in their best interest.

Move On

And now, the whole reason i wanted to write this thing, let’s get into my LAkers! This team was so much better than their record but, considering they were one of two teams who had the least amount of recovers, and the oldest among the pair, it stands to reason they would be exhausted going into this rushed season. I absolutely believe that, if this was a proper season with enough rest over the summer, my LAkers would have made it to at least the Western Conference Finals. They had all of the talent to do so but injuries. I’d say run it back but there are things that have come to light over this last season, things that need to be addressed. Okay, Schroeder is a diva who wants too much money for what little production he gave us and Kuz is too inconsistent to be a proper Sixth option. Where do we go from here?

Go Big

I think we trade Kuz for a three-and-D guy. Send his to Sac for Buddy Hield or someone like that. I love Kuz but he just don’t got it. I get his role is in flux but come on? That shouldn’t effect your percentages. You might score less with less touches, but those numbers shouldn’t fall off a cliff, man. Schroeder should be a contract dump or given away in a sign-and-trade for, say, Kyle Lowry. Dude is a vet who can run an offense like a machine. DeMar DeRozen wants to come home to LA and i would welcome that. I love his game and i think it can fit well into the LA system, especially with Bron taking away more jumpers lately. I love Montrezl Harrell and i think he can slide into that space Kuz couldn’t fit perfectly so re-singing him should be a priority, but only if that doesn’t interfere with securing Spencer Dinwidde. That dude shores up everything the LAkers need, outside of play-making. I would love the LAkers to make all these moves, and it can happen with certain financial acrobatics, but if not, definitely try to sign Dinwiddle and Lowry. Those cats will have an immediate effect on the LAkers title chances.

#NBA Rant #NBA

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smokeybrand · 3 years