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Ten days in and the basketball gods have the foot slammed on the accelerator. Did we expect anything less? The noise meter has been filled with a wild trade; heatwave fever from star guards; and young cats slicin' up box scores early. The new in-season tournament beginning and hardwood noise will add more progression to the meter.
Lets get the nasty buiz out of the way first. The James Harden & Daryl Morey fiasco in Philadelphia is finally over, ending in an ugly trade with the Clippers. When I say ugly, I mean that in it's full definition. Especially considering it's 2023. Make an opinion yourself:
I'm quick to call this trade a mess mostly because I am unaware on just exactly Morey was dealin' with and the offers he had on the table. I just see the results. The results aren't appealing. Getting all forwards is silly. Addin' Covington and Batum for forward depth and additional defense is a solid, but you have to try and get Terence Mann. You need guard play bad to accompany Maxey. Giving up some of those picks for Mann should have been a no brainer, especially considering that Mann was tossed in other trade scenarios. Mann with Maxey is an ultra appealing duo, one I think would be worth testing by tossin' some of the picks out of the deal.
KJ Martin has struggled with consistency in the NBA and plays poor defense. Marcus Morris has declined defensively every season. The roster had no real upgrades besides forward depth. With that, the forward depth reduced the guard depth- take that how you want. I think even gettin' Bones Hyland would have been better than Martin. The guard room is so bare behind Maxey. The picks are a good return considering Harden's REAL value but, the trade does nothing for them this season. It's Tyrese Maxey time in Philly. Hopefully he doesn't get burned out.
Then we got the Clippers. 34 year old James Harden joins Kawhi Leonard; Paul George; and Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles. The Clippers secure their baggage claim- giving away capital and depth for Harden. I want you all to get your note pad out to get this on record or get a screenshot snapped for the drive: this WILL NOT WORK OUT. Clippers are not winnin' no championship, I mean cmon! Get real with it. It's literally Brooklyn 2.0 but an elderly version.
Clippers still haven't seen proof that Leonard and George can pan out to the aspirations given down. George wasn't available for the first round loss to Phoenix, so they have a slight excuse. Even though stayin' healthy is a factor in making those aspirations. Nonetheless, George wasn't there to help. Having them healthy together is still a strong potency. But, why in the blue hell does Trent Redden think that James Harden is a needed piece? Why do we think he is a valuable asset to a team... a championship team at that? This is beyond gettin' old. Lue is goin' to give Harden the minutes Mann should have, and it will not be a winnin' recipe. This is a silly trade that just adds baggage to the roster, reducing the roster's potential & championship potential.
Makin' a trade that reduces championship potential is somethin' the Celtics can't relate to. Boston's trades for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis are already standing out in positive shades to start the season as the C's are off to a hot 4-0 start and have seen strong efficiency from their additions. Brad Stevens was so high on acquiring Porziņģis that he had to swallow a pill of losing a defensive anchor and vocal leader in Marcus Smart. Stevens knew that was an important ingredient to the championship recipe, so he made sure to replace Smart with the same caliber gamebreaker on the defensive end in Jrue Holiday.
Holiday has gelled well with his new unit to start the campaign, playin' well on both ends. Jrue is a perfect match for shooting guard Derrick White who seems to be a lock for a possible breakout year at the 2. White is off to an excellent start, being one of the most efficient players across the league in his first four games. White is leadin' the league in Effective Field Goal percentage; True Shooting percentage; and ranks 13th in total player efficiency rating. You already know he has been stout on defense too. Holiday and White are a top tier defensive backcourt duo and are set to prove that this season. Here is a montage of Holiday's production against the Pacers:
video via Timi_093//X
Boston massacred the Pacers by a whomping 51 points, the third largest dub since 2000 for the C's. That whoopin' helped Boston increase their point differential to +20.5, the highest in the league being 8.2 more than second ranked 76ers. Jayson Tatum has been sharp off the tip, being a top 6 scorer in most stats. Tatum is shootin' at a solid clip; being aggressive on the boards; and has been playin' solid matchup defense. Despite Jaylen Brown being up and down, coach Mazzulla has to be happy with how the Celtics have started the season.
The four dubs do happen to be against the bottom squads of the East. Boston actually has a pretty easy schedule in November, outside of a home game against the Bucks and a road game against the 76ers. The in-season tourney games are light and should be games they win. Boston has a golden opportunity to start the season on a huge high if they can capitalize on their November schedule.
The first annual NBA in-season tourney begins tonight. Need a quick rundown? The tournament begins tonight and ends with the championship game on December 7. The tourney consists of a group stage and then a knockout round, which includes the semifinals and the final being played in Las Vegas. Every game except the title game will count towards regular season standings. The prize? The NBA Cup. All 30 teams leaguewide were placed into pots based on their finishing position last season, before the 15 teams in each conference were randomly drawn into three groups of five. The Groups:
We really don't know how serious this tourney will be and the noise that comes from it. The idea is to attempt something fresh and new. Lets see how it goes. Adding a fun competition for the winter portion of the season is a great idea. Personally, I think the award should be more prestigious than a "cup" trophy. That seems very WWE and not valuable enough. The winner receiving an automatic lottery spot for the draft would have been a good route to assure the tournament receives the highest level of competition and seriousness. That's just my opinion.
Again, lets just see how this thing goes. The excitement meter is weak, but that can certainly change and quickly depending on how things go tonight. The NBA had a good idea of creating custom tournament courts for each team and game to add some intrigue. Here is how each court will look:
video via NBA In-Season Tournament//X
Video moves quick, hopefully your brain didn't get an aneurysm. Looks like the squads will be wearing the City jerseys for the tourney games. Adds some spice, the courts are... interesting. I respect doing something new and different- I really do. I'll put away my criticism bucket for now and see what kind of noise we get from this thing. The games tonight:
Speaking of fresh and new: how about Victor Wembanyama's career start? I had criticism on his frame and strength going into the season. Not necessarily criticism, I just had the opinion that he would need to get some strength up to properly blend into the NBA at the speed everyone assumes. Wemby definitely did that, I can tell. The explosiveness and athleticism was something I didn't expect to see right away. Wemby is all over the place on the hardwood. Way more athletic than most people we have seen his length. No awkwardness, no real flaws. It's impressive.
There is still a ton of growth needed but, Wemby's performances in back-to-back games against the Suns showed why his hype is warranted. His first three games were mid, as he began his transition to the NBA. Understandable. Wemby shot 11-for-29 from the field; 0-8 from beyond the arc; and had nine combined turnovers in consecutive games versus the Clippers and Rockets. This following a tough debut versus the Mavericks as he was nonexistent on the boards. That all was an adjustment period it seems as Wembanyama had his first breakout game of his career against Kevin Durant; Devin Booker; and the Suns.
Spurs have won two games in a row- both against the Suns. The first game saw a monumental comeback by San Antonio to help them break a nine game losing streak to Phoenix. Wemby's aggression on the boards helped spark the comeback. Checkout the winning sequence:
video via Bleacher Report//X
The electric win and late confidence from Wemby transitioned into the next game versus the Suns as Victor had a monster game unleashing for 38 points on 57.7% shooting; with 10 rebounds; and just TWO turnovers. On top of his money game on the offensive end, Wemby was a menace on the defensive end with 2 blocks and 1 steal. The young cat was ALL over the floor. That was the game that made me really notcie his athleticism and explosiveness. The confidence was the highest he had in any game thus far. I am excited to see how he grows from that performance. One thing that is fact: he is getting better and more comfortable as each game passes. Visualize his big time game with this montage:
video via NBA Central//X
In the modern era, we see many teams be poorly built around a primetime superstar. We either have super-teams; powerful scoring duos; or one man armies. That's the NBA theme nowadays. The one man armies seem to hold the most weight. The most importance. We have two juggernauts that are playin' elite play while their teammates are lackluster. Luka Dončić and Donovan Mitchell are straight ballin' for their squads off the tip.
The Luka magic meter is full to start the new campaign as he is off to a scorchin' start for the 4-0 Mavs. Luka is averaging just under a triple-double leading the league in points per game; player efficiency rating; and triple-doubles. Luka is also third in assists per game and ranks 12th in rebounds (1st for Guards). The stats are damn nice, and so are the highlights:
Luka leads the Mavericks in points per; rebounds per; assists per; and steals per. Next to him in scoring is Tim Hardaway Jr. with 20.3 per game. Dallas big-men Lively III (7.8) and Grant Williams (5.0) are behind Luka's 10.5 rebounds per game, being outworked by their point guard on the boards. You take Luka away and the Mavericks probably are 0-4; not 4-0. That's how valuable he is. The importance he has to the Mavericks and their shot at winning on a given night is MASSIVE. The same thing is to be said regarding Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland.
Mitchell has been red hot to start the season for the Cavs. With Darius Garland dealin' with his injury, Mitchell has been the Bugatti in the trailer park meme for the 2-3 Cavs. He's been puttin' them on his back and like Luka: the Cavs don't win either of their two dubs without Spida. Mitchell ranks second in points per game; fifth in player efficiency rating; and second in plus/minus. Spida is top five in value right now. Cleveland is grateful as Mobley hasn't been very sharp to start the season and of course the absence of Garland has been impactful.
It's only been ten days into the season and we already can feel the heat comin' from the hardwood floor. The noise is loud and it will only get louder as the season progresses. I do have my first power rankings to drop, keep in mind it's only been five games (varies), expect changes after changes as the season begins to create a mold. Enjoy my "too early" power rankings and get pumped for a killa weekend of hoops, including the start of the tourney tonight! Time to add more progression to the noise meter. Turn it up!
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