Let's get my rant over with first: It's more than time for writers and talking heads to STOP calling professional athletes PIECES as if (oh, such cunning use of symbols) we/they are chess pieces. Who pray tell are he Queens or shall we not speculate? The rooks? The pawns? Stop it, you sound ignorant.
Every season, it seems, I begin by saying that the coming season will be terrific. I'm an optimist. Last year was awful for my Dubs, marvelous for the Denver Nuggets and frustrating for the Celtics and the 76ers. It will continue to be frustraing for the 76ers this season until they solve their Hardin problem. Is this guy for real? How many times can a player feels he's been chateded or lied to before he becomes the boy who cried wolf?
There a number of BIG IFS as this season starts their training camps. They will dictate whether I should be optimistic about 2023/24 or not: 1) Will the Porsingis trade work out? 2) Will the Lillard/Antetokounpo combo create the dynamic offensive improvement it's supposed to or will Lillard's lack of defensive chops hurt the Bucks come playoff time? 3) How will the Chris Paul acquisition by the Warriors improve the team? And HOW, that is the question? 3) Will the Suns KD, and the Clippers Kawhi and George stay healthy? 4) Can the Heat survive the loss of Vincent and Straus? 5) The Kat healthy now, will the Gobbert duo be effective? I don't buy it. 6) Will the Pelicans ever get a healthy season out of Zion, the Pillsbury Dough boy look-alike? Let's see what his weight is at the start of training camp. If it's over 250 at 6'6" I wouldn't put any money on the Pelicans this year. 7) The Lakers look terrific on paper, but their success will be dictated by the same health issues that govern the success or failure of the Suns and Clippers. An injury to Davis or Lebron at or near playoff time and it's curtains for the Lakers. 8) Some might ask if the lose of a key player such as Brown negatively affect the Nuggets. I'll add it to my list, but I don't believe so. Christian Braun, based on his performance in the playoffs last year, should fill in nicely. While the talking heads are going ga ga over the Bucks, they seem to have forgotten the Nuggets and Jokic.
Acquisitions contenders that I like by team: 1) The Suns brought in shooter Grayson Allen, two way Nassir Little and center Nurkic who might be a better fit at the post than Ayton, although the health issue comes up again with the Serb. 2) The Warriors have acquired Dario Saric, Paul, & Corey Joseph. Saric will be essential to the Warrior's succes this season. And don't count out Joseph to provide important minutes; he is one of the best below-the-radar point-guards and defenders in the league. Just ask yourself, have you ever seen Joseph have a bad game? 3) Lakers made a smart move signing Vincent. 4) The Cavs made an equally smart move by signing Straus who will improve the team's much needed bench strength. 5) The Kings sing Euro League MVP power forward 6'8" Sasha Vezenkov and shooter Chis Duarte. I wonder if the media is not taking the Kings seriously enough. Check out their roster, as they say, all the boxes seem to be filled nicely with strong players at every position.
This is as far as I'm willing to go with observations for next season without some preseason games and I suspect a few more trades in the wind, where Jrue Holiday will land for example. Thus, for the fist time in years I will withhold my optimism and say wait for coming attractions. I have a feeling their are stil some player movement surprises ahead.
Etc:
Two HOO WAHS! To Joe Lacob for bringing a WNBA team to Chase Arena. Bay Area fans are going to support the team big time. Kuddos also to the formation of a women's pro volleyball league for next year. Not sure, however, about Madison, WI for one of it's teams?
How about the Chiefs and the 49ers for the NFL championship this season? With apologies to the Eagles. In college football, how about the Ducks this year for the championship? My wife is a Duck, so is it wishful thinking? The Ducks toasted Stanford last night. And Bo Nix looks like a Heisman candidate. How do you miss with two players named Bo and Bucky?
Finally, with 5 teams in the PAC 12 ranked in college football's top 20, 3 in the top 10, how is it that the PAC 12 couldn't get a lucrative TV contract and stay in business? These gigantic cross-country leagues are going to implode. Because as Yeats wrote, "The center will not hold." I'd bet on the collapse. No PAC 12, no true Rose Bowl? Pitiful. We're living in a time of Greed rather than class.
NBA season starting, NFL already on its way, here's a poem for the hardest workers at the games.
VENDER
Let me tell you guys something, it belongs
to us just as much, hustling these aisles
for a few extra bucks. In my case, to save
for my son to go to camps, become great,
perhaps someday win a ring like ya’ all.
I’m thinking wouldn’t it be dope to be like
Stephen Curry’s dad watching his kid hit
those silky jump shots, or Klay Thompson’s dad.
the time Klay scored 50 point, 34 in one quarter.
Or Durant’s mom, how proud I’d be to be
that proud of my son, and him proud of me.
Here I am hawking frozen ice cream bars,
counting up in my head how much I can make
this season to send my son to camp.
Only ten years old but, damn, he’s hot already.
Heck, isn’t this what fathers dream for their sons?
Like little boys dream of going to games
sitting with their dads, eating cotton candy
and watching the Dubs win an NBA Championship
Tom Meschery
