The pre-season has ended, so I need to follow up on my team evaluations. I'll be brief. Let's start with the East. Jrue went to Boston, which makes them my pick to win the Eastern Conference. Buck come in a disappointing second because the Damion/Giannis combo does not prove as effective in the playoffs when Big D counts. It is always interesting to see what rabbit the Heat pull out of their top hats. Because of this, I pick them coming in third unless Morey gets off his duff and get something meaningful for Hardin. Is Harden the worst teammate in the history of the NBA? The rest of the East is generally very average.
The Western Conference is the focus of most of the talking heads attention. And rightly so as there has been a lot of good players from the East go West Young Men. So what are my picks for the West? Let me get my loyalty-pick out of the way first. The Warriors will make into the top four playoff slots. They will be the surprise team in the NBA this coming season. I base my opinion on a lot of factors such as; The CP3 addition is going to work out well; the bench is vastly improved; Wiggins is back for a full season; Klay will regain his shooting touch; Dario Saric is a much better version of Belijca of their championship seaon in '22. The Poole incident is behind them; Kuminga looks like the player they drafted for finally; and their two draft choices look like they might actully provide rotation minutes along with a more confident and season Moses Moddy and do well. and of course there is Steph Curry.
But, realistically, if anybody is counting out the Nuggest to win the West, they do so at their own risk. They have all their starters back, and it is my belief that they will not miss Brown and Green as much as everybody is predicting.
I like Smart with the Griz, but do not trust Ja. Still, I believe in the story of the Prodigal Son, so I wish Ja the best maturity. The Twolve will make the playoffs, but so might the Sacramento Kings, especially if they stay as healthy as they did last season.
It's going to be a battle ti the West, that's for sure.
For three of the talking head favorites in the West, the success will depends entirely on the health of their players. The Suns could be great, but only if Durant stays healthy. The Lakers could be great, but only if AD stays healthy. The Clippers could be a force as long as Leonard and/or George stay healthy. God help them if they lose Mann and get Hardin. Hardin is the Kiss of Death.
Forget Dallas as long as they have Kyrie, However I must admit I'm being subjective. Kyrie's racism gets in the way of any objectivity on my part. And, why do I think Donic is still carrying around his baby fat?
I would mention the Pelicans, and I wish I could, but is anyone willing to predict Zion will make it through the season without a major injury? 6'5" at 280 lbs is untenable.
Etc:
I wonder if anybody in Duck land is wondering what's up with their head coach, Dan Lanning? Why does he take such risks? They would have gone to the Rose Bowl last season had he not called for an onside kick, and this year the Ducks would never have lost to the Huskies if the Coach had punted and trusted his Defense. If I were the Ducks' Defensive Coordinator, I'd be truly pissed.
I'm also pissed. Why? Take a look at the college football standings: The PAC 12 has two teams in the top ten, the Trojans and the Ducks, and three other PAC 12 teams in the top 25 and the doofuses who ran the PAC12 couldn't get a good TV contract? Give me a break!
Just so I'm not ignoring baseball's World Series entirely, here's an interesting and add poem about the sport, I wish I knew who wrote it.
STELAE Anonymous
that are nothing but names and numbers.
Homeruns, strikeouts, and stolen bases
for Hunahpa and Hunahpu
who played the sacred game back when
you had to claw for every run
not like today. The losing manager
got disemboweled on the mounds
by the knife of the morning star.
I grow older, hombre, or the beardless
mozus striding for the plate grows young.
At 40 I played in Jalatlaco
place name meaning “sandy ball court.”
The Zapotec lefty decked me
i como se dice beanball en espanol?
And then for once in my mortal
vagabond middle-infielder career
I got good wood on the pelota.
It sailed toward the sacred ring
reached the ancient wall on a bounce.
Hunahpa and Hunahpu
played ball against the Gods
in Xibalba. They lost.
They got their heads cut off
and turned them into baseball
and stuck them on a tree.
A girl ate them. She had babies
Hunahpa and Hunahpu.
They finished second two years running.
They smoked the candles of the underworld.
They used a mosquito in centerfield
for steal signs. They stole them blind.
They sacrificed, they had the long ball.
They had defensive magic. They grew
the changes; they threw the split-finger.
You remember the sequence from Game Six.
The Mayans carved the standings
into statistics of heaven,
these cyclic fratals of the endless game.
