Closing in on NBA Tade Deadline

It's been awhile since I blogged. I welcome myself back, "How ya doing Meschery," I say aloud. "Okay," I say, "until I woke up this morning and saw that Kyrie Irving has demanded to be traded before this season's trade deadline on February 9th. Gee, that doesn't give the Nets much time to breath, let alone find some kind of trade possibility for one of the best one-on-one players and one of the most selfish and locker-room disrupting players in the history of the NBA. Not that there aren't a few teams that could use a player as talented as Kyrie. But do they really want to take on the migraine Kyrie would bring with him. Lakers, of course, have been the most noticeable team in the conversation for Kyrie's services. Fine with me. I'm an old Warrior. The rivalry is still in my blood. Let the Lakers have him.  

Here's what I propose the Nets do, and they got to do it pronto, so they can take advantage of as much trade time as is left. The Lakers get Kyrie. The Nets get: Hashimura, Walker Two, and Bryant. The Nets will take Westbrook, but will require the Lakers assume half of his contract for this season. Westbrook, of course, can not remain with the Nets, so the Nets must make a trade for Westbrook as quickly as possible. At this point forget the value -or-value nonsense. There is no value for the Nets to have Westbrook on their team. Check around the league. See what the offers will be. Take what you can get, preferably draft choices. It's rebuild time for the Nets. The "greatest team that never was" is in the "Was." stage. 

Finally, the Nets have to suck it up and deal with KD.  They should do it with respect for one of the greatest players that ever played in the NBA. Unlike James Hardin, who saw the Kyrie writing on the wall and forced his way out, KD did not pursue his earlier desire to be traded and stuck it out, relying on his friend to stick it out too. Sorry KD, Kyrie is not the loyal friend you thought he was. But this is beside the point. KD is a serious asset for a rebuilding team. There should be lots of takers, especially as he is already signed. Teams can judge what they can bear financially by assuming KD's contract. If the Nets have to wait for summer, that's okay too. KD is a 100% baller and will do his best as long as he knows he's being treated fairly. 

For the Nets, the future must be all in for a rebuild. Anything else is spinning the wheels in the direction of mediocrity. Once summer comes around, the Nets can explore other trade possibilities. Lots of excellent veteran roll-players on the team to trade:  Curry, Mills, Harris, O'Neale. A bunch of teams would love to have a two-way player like Royce O'Neale, a shooter like Seth Curry, a 3 pt-shooter like Joe Harris, and an energy guy like Patty Mills. 

Of course, this strategy is all based on the Lakers wanting Kyrie badly enough. It may turn out that no team wants Kyrie badly enough to give up their best players or first round draft choices. In that case, what do the Nets do? As far as I'm concerned, Kyrie is poison. The Nets can't wait until the summer when Kyrie is a free agent. Get rid of the dude. Take draft choices, a low first or a couple of high seconds. The Nets can throw in a cheer leader, only get rid of Irving. 

I've used this poem before, but feeling sorry for KD, here's the one I wrote about him:

KD

From our seats

beneath the basket,

watching KD
before the game,
I’m wondering
where have I seen
such fluid grace before,
almost like liquid,
as if Durant
was out to prove
the truth
inscribed on Keats’ tombstone:
Here lies one whose name
is writ in water.
 

 

Pre Holiday Comments about the NBA & etc

 Starting with ETC:

Delighted to see Brittany Griner back in the United States and hear she's going to play in this upcoming WNBA season. No American female or male basketball player should play in Russia again, not until the Putin The Evil is gone, hopefully, to the inferno waiting for him in the after life. 

RIP Franco Harris. Can it possibly be that his jersey # has never been retired? Now he is gone and won't see it happen. The Steelers should be ashamed. 

Lionel Messi and Argentina win the World Cup. Finally Messi is his country's hero. What an athlete! Now, if only soccer would do away with their offside rule. 

Okay, it's NBA time:

The Eastern Conference looks to be a 3 way battle at the top between The Bucks, The Sixers, and the Celtics. The other teams should simply concede. There's a generational player in France waiting for them. 

Generational? I prefer to think of those kinds of players that are usually referred to as generational as transformational. 

The Western Conference is not as easy to define as the East. When all the teams in the West are healthy, there are a number of teams that have a chance to win it all. Let's assume all of the possible teams are healthy after All-Star break, here are my picks, not in any order.

The Mavs. They have some rim stoppers now. Doncic will always be dangerous. He's generational. Hardaway back shooting well. I question Jason Kidd's coaching. Not very creative. Still, lots of talent.

The Clippers: Two names: Paul Geroge. Kawhi Leanord. On the court at the same time, puts turns two excellent players into reserves. This makes for a very dangerous rotation. I don't think the talking heads give Kawhi and George enough credit as defenders. Lue is a good coach. Lot's of fire power, lots of toughness. 

The Nuggets:  Jokic. That's all I need to say. MVP x 3. Murry back, more dangerous as the season progresses. If they can space the flor for the Joker, he'll average 30 during playoffs. Not as deep as the Clips, but have a real chance if Jokic can get some rest and not have bear the entire burden.

The Griz: Memphis needs to get their rotations in order. Right now they are relying on Ja. If they get more consistent reserve help, they too have a shot at the top.

The Pelicans: Remember, we're talking all their players are healthy. Zion, One Punch Ingram,  Valancunas, Murphy, McCullum, very scrappy Alvarado. Young, smart Coach Willy Green. All the fixings for a possible run to the top of the West. I have become a much greater fan of Zion than I originally was. Come playoffs, a team needs his kind of muscle. It's the interior muscle that Jokic provides the Nuggets. The muscle Kevon Looney provided the Warriors last season. If Zion could shoot from distance, can you imagine how tough he'd be? 

The Warriors: Last but certainly not least. Yes, a healthy Warriors can repeat. The reason I'm optimistic is what I've been seeing lately. While most, if not all, talking heads seeing the same things I'm seeing, are writing the Dubs off, it's my belief that rather than a negative, it's been a blessing that the injuries have given the Warriors time to play their reserves big minutes.   

The Warriors winning it this year is as much about the reserves as their winning the NBA Championship was about the reserves last season. The Dubs starting SIX (Poole) are championship quality. Now for the reserves: In the last couple of weeks, DiVincenzo has become a solid contributor. His 3 point shot has become more reliable, and he is a scrappy defender. JaMycal Green, whom I despaired of, has turned his game around. All we need from him is a solid ten minutes per game. Kuminga has found a niche as a defender and a slasher. Lamb, when  he's playing with the Big Dogs, is a threat as a defender and corner three point shooter and a hustler. Moses Moody and James Wiseman are still question marks. But because of increased time on the court, I'm seeing glimmers. If Wiseman, in particular, can be the talent he is physically capable of by playoffs, his contribution spelling Looney will be huge. Will he? Not sure, but at least the Warriors know that more G League is not going to help. He's got to have real time with Curry & Co. . 

So, do the Dubs reach Nirvana this season? I've got $ in Vegas on them. 

The rest of the West? Like the rest of the East not named Celtic, 76ers, and Bucks, the remaining Western Conference terams will be looking to le grand joueur Francais, Monsieur Wenbenyama.  The great French player, Mister W

A snow storm, generational, I hear, is pounding the the country east of the Rockies. Here's a snow sports poem

by Conrad Diekmann

WINTER TREES

I think that I shall never ski
Again against so stout a tree.

A tree whose rugged back is pressed
In bas-relief upon my chest.

A tree that with bacchantic air
Wears ski poles in its tangled hair.

I've learned my lesson: Fools like me
Should never try to shave a tree. 

You Got to Name Names & Etc

 I'm reading about Kyrie talking about how he never meant to hurt anyone. That he is an Omnist, (Really?) that he and the Nets are going to pony up $500,000 a piece which is one measly mil, equivalent to 12 pieces of silver - God, it was so patently dishonest I could have puked. Did I hear Kyrie ever use the name Alex Jones? Ever? Did he call Jones a racist, religious and ethnic bigot? Did the Nets NAME Jones? Did the Net's GM call him out? And why, you tell me, why didn't the NBA fine Kyrie? They fined Timberwolves' Anthony  Edwards for making a homophobic comment online. What Kyrie did, is 50 times worse, 100 times worse.  

Stephen A Smith, the talking head from First Take, calls Kyrie out. Stephen A NAMES NAMES. Good for him. 

I'm reminded of the weeny Republicans talking about how awful the invasion of our capital was by Trump supporters without naming Trump who could have stopped the whole thing if he'd wanted to. He didn't. Would the Republicans NAME NAMES? Hell no! Do they NAME NAMES now? Hell no!

In my humble opinion, Kyrie suffers from an undereducated ego. It is a condition that requires some serious time in counseling to correct, if it is at all possible. That it might not be possible is a terrible thought because Kyrie is clearly not stupid, just ignorant. At this point, his is a wasted mind, and that's sad. 

ETC: Ime Udoka will be the next coach of the Nets. I was impressed by Celtics' Jalen Brown's comment that he was glad that Udoka was going to get a second chance to coach which was something that didn't happen in the past. His implication was that in the past black coaches didn't get second chances once they screwed up.   

Let's do another baseball poem. Go Philly!

THE BASE STEALER    By Halvard Johnson

Wanting things to go on foreever
yet craving the apodalyppe.
Reading last few pages at one word a minute.
Wanting to teeter forever at the brink of the abyss.
and loving every minute of it.

The solid single lashed over second.
A shortstop's arms, just long enough to catch it. 

Why I Like the Warriors to win the NBA Western Conference Championship, The 49ers and a few SO FARS.

 I watched the Golden State Warriors play the Denver Nuggets last night and worried through the first half that my belief that the Dubs would be the Dubs again this season was premature. You give up 80 points in a half and something is wrong. Right? Then came the second half and the Warriors almost came back to beat the Nuggets. That second half was the real Warriors, which must still be all about their vets. (that includes Divincenzo and JaMychal. That is, until the young players turn the corner and play like vets. 

Who are these youngsters? Wiseman, Moody and Poole (I have intentionally left Jonathan Kuminga out to be explained later) I need to explain about the addition of Jordan Poole. Poole is almost there. I say this knowing that people will refer me back to last season when Poole played like an All Star. Granted. But one season does not a Veteran make. To be aVet in the NBA, it's all about one's mental game. How to adjust on the fly. How you make your teammates better. How you innovate. How you balance D with O. And when to know which of the two is most important at the time of play. Real Vets know when to geive up their offense to become the best defenders on the court. Jordan has not learned this yet. He will. I have no doubt. But until then, I place him with the Warrior yougster. 

The rest of the youngsters have until All Star break to learn the basics of Veteranship. Wiseman is well on his way. I'm fine with him. Warrior fans will see many years of James Wisman. Moses Moody is also on his way. He's got a little longer path to travel than Wiseman. His growth will come with playing time and defense. The more he learns to be a stopper, the more playing time he'll get and the more playing time he'll get, the better his offense will be. Time will test him. 

Jonathan Kuminga. What about this young talent? I'm afraid JK is not on his way. It may be that he'll need another year of growth before he reaches his potential as an NBA vet. I will leave it to Kuminga to decide if he plans to grow or simply rely on his super athleticism for the rest of his career, in which case he will never achieve VET status. That said, if Poole, Wiseman and Moody become vets by the All Star break, the Warriors win the West. 

Here's why: Two teams stand in the way of the Warriors as I see it. The LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. In the case of the Clippers -  let's assume Kawhi and Paul George stay reasonably healthy - I'll take our young fresh legs off the bench over the Clips banch. I actuallly worry more about the Nuggets than the Clippers. But I like the Warriors off last night's second half performance over the Nuggets' first half. Last night, the Warriors would have won with points to spare if they'd played the first half the way they played the second. I was watching the body language of the Nuggets as the Warriors began their come back. Had they not had the 20 point head start to help them, Denver was a beaten team. 

So what about the Eastern Conference? I'll deal with that in a seperate blog. 

ETC: The 49ers trade beaucoup draft choices for running back, Christian McCaffrey. If McCaffrey stays healthy, terrific. However, here's the risk that has not been stated clearly so far that I've read. McCaffrey has been injured 23 out of 33 games he's played for his previous team the Carolina Panthers. He has had six disableing injuries since leaving college. The Injury Predictable Tool, whatever that may be, but it sounds official, states that McCaffrey has an 84% chance of being injured this season. Beign a 49er fand, I hope that's not true. 

SO FAR: McCaffery is paying off big time. A burst of speed guy, I haven't seen in the NFL for a long time.

ETC. Keegan Murry, the Kings prize rookie stretch power forward, was sorely missing by the Sacramento Kings that were beaten by one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Portland Trailblazers. They shouldn't have needed him. It's a worry I wasn't expecting. 

SO FAR: the Blazers are proving me wrong.

SO FAR: Moody and Wiseman are proving me right, and so is JK unfortunately proving me right. 

SO FAR: It's a tough call about Kuminga. He needs lots of game time and not in the G League, but more time on the court right now doesn't help the Warriors. The young man must learn in sceducled practices of which there are few once the season starts and on his own.

Snow in the Sierra yesterday and more on the way. Here's a poem for the skiers:

SKIER  by Robert Francis

He swings down like the flourish of a pen
signing a signature in white on white

The silence of his skies reciprocates
The silence of the world around him.

Wind is his one competitor
In the cool winding and unwinding down.

On incandescent feet he falls
Unfalling, trailing white foam, white fire. 

NBA 2022/23 Early Season Comments

 If you hear my wife, Melanie, groaning, it's because the NBA season is starting, and I am preping for long hours in front of my TV set watching the new season unfold. It's going to be a good one. The league as a whole will be more competitive. Okay, I said that last year, but I mean it this year. Teams like Orlando and the TWolves will join the ranks of possible playoff teams. A healthy brow automatically makes the Lakers better. Chi town is a question mark but will have enough to keep games close. The Cavs with the addition of Donovan Mitchell will give teams fits. The Pelican's with Z back. (I'm not talking about the great Hawk's HoF center Zelmo Beatty) will be much stronger. The Rockets' offense will make outscoring them difficult. Playing consitent D will be their problem. And, happily, the Sacramento Kings (HooWhah!) will be much improved. I will get to the Kings later. 

There will be bottom feeders: Th Jazz, (dumping) Hornets, Knicks, Pistons, Trailblazers, and Pacers, sux teams that have a good statistical chance of drafting French phenom Victor Wembayma. If you missed seeing him play recently on TV against the NBA G League Ignite, you misseda real treat A generational player, no doubt. Reminds me a lot of Jabbar in Milwaukee, only this kid can shoot threes. 

For the time being, consider that the Clippers will have a healthy Paul George and Kawhi Leonard this season and the Denver Nuggets will return Jamal Murry and Michael Porter J. back. My Dubs look strong again. Our young Big, James Wiseman, is healthy and playing well. I'm particularly excited by the addition of JaMychal Green (another of my favorite underappreciated players) and Donte DiVincenzo. I will leave a more detailed analysis of the Dubs for another Blog. The Phoenix Suns are a veteran winning team and well coached. If Ayton proves he deserves his max contract, the suns will be difficult to beat. The Bucks will be healthy. If they'd been healthy last season, they would have beaten the Celtics. The 76ers will be extremely strong again. Second best center in the league behind The Joker. I've never been a Hardin fan, so I don't think the 76ers, despite being a very dangerous, will get by the second round of the playoffs. Miami Heat will always be tough with Spoelstra coaching, Will Lowry be healthy? I think Jimmy Butler is overrated. (I'll take a few zinners for that.) Will there be help for BAM on the boards? That's going to be important for the Heat to compete. About the Mavs: Tim Hardaway Jr. will has returned from injury, and Javale Mcgee will help Doncic in ways that Jalen Brunson couldn't. I don't buy that Celtic Coach Idoka's suspension is going to drive the Cetlics into the tank. They are stonger at the point guard postion. I think getting Blake Griffin was a solid plus low post bench improvement. I'm going out on a limb to say I think the Rudy Gobbert experiment is going to work for the TWolves. And how about the Nets? Kyrie and Durant are a nightmare offense, but consider the return of 3 pt stretch D Joe Harris, and the addition of some D chops in O'Neale, Markieff Morris and a healthy Simmons. If Steve Kerr was coaching the Nets, they could win the NBA championship. Sorry Coach Nash. They could still win the East as long as they stay MENTALLY healthy. I'm not sure that's going to happen. Moving on, let's not forget the Hawks added Dejounte Murray, one of my favorite young players. That's going to be a very troublesome backcourt to defend. 

Back to the Sacramento Kings: Huge kudos for GM Monte McNair for assembling a roster that for the first time in a LONG time will be able to compete in a strong Western Conference. Starting with the Ox and the Fox; Demontus Sabonis and DeAaron Fox a pick and roll nightmare. And if they can play in a more free style Mike Brown offense, a double nightmare. McNair made three fantastic moves in the off season. He traded for Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk. Both players will be able to spread the court. Monk is an excellent defender. Heurter is above average on D and willing. When it came to the draft, McNair wisely chose for position and took 6'8" Keegan Murry who can play both the 3 and the 4, making Harrison Barnes a difficult match up problem for opposing coaches. Davion Mttchell will be improved (Got to love his toughness). With these additions, and otherrs, suddenly the King's bench looks better. The team as a whole  will have to improve on D. Keeping Matthew Dellavadova on their roster will help in that area, if only to provide veteran modeling in practics. Bazemore will help there too. Rashaun Holmes may wind up being one of the top two best back up centers in the NBA. The top back up center in the league is going to be James Wiseman of the Golden State Warriors, that is unitl perhaps, Kevon Looney becosme the best back up center in the league, if you get my meaning. 

I want to digress some and talk about the Pistons that don't appear to me to have much of a chance, but might surprise: With the rookie phenom, Jaden Ivey matching up with and Cade Cunningham at 1 & 2, that's a stong backcourt duo. The rest of the starters are solid: Saddiq Bey, whom I like a lot, Bojan Bogdonovich with Jalen Duren and Isaih Stewart, who knows, they might be the kind of team that will grow as the season progressive. Concerns about their bench curb my enthusiasm. We'll see where they're at after All Star break. 

Anyone who's ever played on outdoor courts in a big city knows about chain link nets. Here's poem of mine on the subject.

CHAIN     by Tom Meschery 

The ball rose into the air and fell
dead cener. Someone yelled, "Chain!"

We called him, Chain. He never missed.
Chain , someone yelled. His ball was in midflight.

Chain link nets, two links missing.
Charlie was a poet.
He said she had a hole in her skirt.