Lots to get to this week kids, so let’s move around the horn to address some haves and have-nots from around the NBA:
1. Lakers (finally) living up to (half of their) expectations…
If you’re an NBA fan, and especially if you’re a Lakers fan, you’ve probably enjoyed watching Kobe and co. – but mainly Kobe – go into full-on beast mode in an attempt to salvage what little remains of their disappointing season. I’m not going to deny that “Vino” (get it, it’s a nickname centered on how Kobe’s can still play, even at close to NBA-retirement-home age) has been great on both sides of the ball. His scoring and dependability in the clutch are pretty much givens at this point in his career, but his defense and passing ability (hovering at around 6 per game at week’s end) have been superlative as well. However, as much as I enjoy superlatives, there are two obvious questions that arise for me, namely: a) where the hell was this kind of play, not just from Kobe, but from the entire team, since Day 1? No lockout-centric excuses this year; and b) what’s everyone getting excited about? So they’ll finish 8th – or if they’re really lucky – 7th in the West. This means they’ll have a first-round matchup against either the Thunder or the Spurs, both of whom they don’t match up particularly well against. Making the playoffs is nice, but for a Lakers team that was so lauded going into the season, it still comes off as a major bummer.
2. Seattle vs. Sacramento: win-win for the league, lose-lose for one set of fans…
Depending on whose Twitter feed you’re reading – and by this, I mean whose biased “sports reporter” tweets you’ve been glancing at – it would seem that Seattle has the advantage going into the final stretches of finalizing a location for the Kings franchise. However, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com, it’s not necessarily a done deal one way or another. The sad part of all of this is that, whichever route the owners decide to collectively take on this issue, there will be one very supportive fan base left out in the cold. The only reason Seattle was forced to move the team in the first place (and sacrifice having the current Thunder squad wearing the fabled yellow and green) was their lacking a secure arena deal; with that now in place for 2015, they seemed destined to get back into the Association. However, the Sacramento fan base has been nothing but loyal and should not bear the burden of the Maloof’s inability to be competent owners in this league. Saddening, but unfortunately, business decisions ultimately have winners and losers.
3. Gay trashes Grizzles – they can’t hear him because their current winning streak is plugging their ears (this title works better when said in the voice of former NHL great Patrick Roy)…
Rudy Gay recently lashed out at his former organization, saying, among other things, that we wasn’t given a chance and blahblahBLAH. All I have to say is, Rudy Who? Based on the Grizzlies’ recent play, winning 11 or their last 12 games (the last four of which have come without All-Star Zach Randolph, who’s on the shelf with an injury), it now seems that Memphis made out like gangbusters in that trade. They still have a contending team, with players like Mike Conley stepping up as of late, minus the bloated contract that Gay is still owed for the next three years. I think the Grizz will continue to surge, maybe even challenge the Spurs with Parker out of the lineup, and they have now become my dark horse team in the West this year. Fear the (50 Shades of) Navy Blue!
4. JJ Hickson throws is down Fresh Wes style against the Spurs (and other opponents too)…
Caught a little bit of the Spurs-Blazers game this past Friday and was very impressed with Hickson’s play. Defensive presence and rebounding against a big San Antonio squad were impressive, but he also played well in the post and managed to step back and knock down some mid-range jumpers as well. He’s also quietly averaging a double-double this season (13.4 points and 10.6 rebounds as of this writing) and has helped Portland stay in the playoff hunt (realistically, there’s not too much chance they catch either LAL or Houston, but stranger things have happened). Most importantly, he’s only 24 years of age, which makes the long-term combo of Aldridge-Hickson down low make the Blazer’s future seem very bright indeed.
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photo credit: BasketballSchedule.net via photopin cc
