No Block Party, All-Star Defense Decline

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The All-Star game is back and, despite all the attempts by the NBA to make it fun, I still could care less.  The staggering lack of defense on display the last few years, even by the low standard we have historically been used to in the game, makes it look more like a bunch of dudes messing around in an empty gym than a nationally televised event.   Don’t get me wrong, I have never been particularly interested in the NBA All-Star game but last year’s 192-182 shoot-out was the absolute nadir in … [Read more...] about No Block Party, All-Star Defense Decline

Trade Deadline Round Up

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Well that was a more interesting and frenetic trade deadline than expected.  Here’s our quick take on the more significant deals: Magic trade Elfrid Payton to the Suns for a 2018 second-round pick The Magic have had a rough season and, after four years, they clearly wanted no part of the tough decision as to whether to give Payton a big free agent deal in the summer of 2018.  I can’t help but think the Magic cut bait too early.  It is understandable that Orlando is frustrated.  The team … [Read more...] about Trade Deadline Round Up

The Blake Trade

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The Clippers bit the big bullet and traded Blake Griffin only a few months after signing him to a five-year $171 million(ish) extension.  What can we glean from this trade?  Quite a bit.  Let’s run through FAQ style: How good is Blake Griffin right now? The return for Griffin (a top four protected first round pick, Tobias Harris, and the last few months of Avery Bradley) was not overly inspiring.  Nevertheless, Griffin is about turn 29 and is still quite good (20.7 PER, 3.3 BPM), but … [Read more...] about The Blake Trade

No D in the Land

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The Cavs’ very dry spell the last few weeks has caused all sorts of drama internally and externally.  Was letting Kyrie Irving go for Isaiah Thomas hurting the team?  Cleveland reportedly had a heated meeting where Kevin Love was considered the primary culprit for the losing because he did not play through illness and left a game early.  I don’t mean to dismiss the team’s anger at Love or the fact that Thomas has been downgrade from Kyrie (so far) but the obvious answer is clear from a quick … [Read more...] about No D in the Land

Kyrie v. Isaiah

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Much has happened since the Isaiah Thomas-Kyrie Irving trade but finally we are going to actually see Thomas back in action.  This is a nice time to briefly take stock of how Irving has done as a Celtic compared to Thomas.  Irving’s Cleveland stats weren’t quite up to snuff with Isaiah’s as a Celtic.  Well now Kyrie is playing Isaiah’s exact role with the Celtics.  Did mixing Kyrie with Brad Steven’s penchant for getting the best out of players make Irving look better?  The sample size is small … [Read more...] about Kyrie v. Isaiah

CP3333333333333333……

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Before the season, we were of the opinion that Chris Paul would help the Rockets but we were skepitcal whether he was a perfect fit.  James Harden is so ball dominant that it didn’t see another player of the same ilk could also thrive with him.  Rather, we thought that Paul would decline a bit and become a complementary player.  So far, the Rockets look really good and are 14-0 when Paul plays.  How much of this do we attribute to Paul?  Paul certainly helps but the Rockets aren’t exactly bad … [Read more...] about CP3333333333333333……

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