NBA

LaMelo and Bad Rookie Debuts

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One of the happenings from the first week of the NBA season was the execrable debut of LaMelo Ball (0-5 from the field and no points).  The NBA web is in a tizzy about Ball noting that he “looked lost” and, ergo, he is possibly a pending bust.  That sounds pretty rash but Ball’s goose egg did get me wondering about rookie debuts.  Was LaMelo’s performance the worst debut of a top 3 lottery pick?  How often do top picks have scoreless debuts?  What, if anything, can we … [Read more...] about LaMelo and Bad Rookie Debuts

Q&A With Pete Croatto on From Hang Time to Prime Time, David Stern, the Wild 1980s, and More

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On December 1, 2020, Pete Croatto released, “From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA.”   The book is a fascinating behind the scene looks about how the NBA went from a business teetering on the brink of bankruptcy in 1970s to a billion-dollar industry that dominates entertainment.  Pete dug deep into the ascendancy and spoke with scores of players, coaches, executives, and people who happened to be around to witness the stages of … [Read more...] about Q&A With Pete Croatto on From Hang Time to Prime Time, David Stern, the Wild 1980s, and More

Swapping Toxic Contracts: Russ for Wall

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Three years ago, trading John Wall for Russell Westbrook would be a fantastically interesting challenge trade.  Now it feels like….well not quite so fantastic but still a challenge trade of a sort.  Let’s break it down by bullet points: -Their contracts are virtually the same (three years and $133 million left).  Both players have $47+ million player options in 2022-23.  We have a hunch they will both exercise those options.  We have a further hunch that they may have … [Read more...] about Swapping Toxic Contracts: Russ for Wall

Playoff Droughts: A Review

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It’s odd to say in November but we are actually in the depths of the sorta off-season for the NBA.   In reviewing off-season priorities, I noticed that the Suns currently have a ten-year playoff drought.  That blew my mind because: (a) ten years is a long time for any team to miss the playoffs and (b) I can’t believe we are a decade removed from the Nash/Amare Suns.  In any event, this all got me wondering what each franchise’s worse playoff drought has been.  It seems that random chance would … [Read more...] about Playoff Droughts: A Review

Should the NBA Finish This Season?

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I thought we could briefly review the current issues that are being bandied about regarding whether the NBA season should restart.  Before offering any opinion, let’s get the facts down: -The NBA season is currently supposed to start in Orlando on or about July 30th. -The teams will all be confined to a “bubble” in Orlando and have repeated tests to avoid risk of COVID infections.  There would be no fans in this venue either. -Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said that he thought … [Read more...] about Should the NBA Finish This Season?

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