Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Isaiah Thomas reminds us of life’s most important lesson: never try
Good morning. We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
LET’S FIX ALL-STAR VOTING: I lay out four problems with NBA All-Star voting and some ways to fix them. The big takeaways: set mandatory minimums for games played to be eligible for the ASG and expand the rosters to 15.
SCORES SCORES SCORES ...
TOR 100, CLE 122
MIN 99, PHI 109
BOS 103, BKN 94
ORL 89, DET 115
IND 100, MIA 103 (OT)
SAS 123, MIL 98
SAC 116, OKC 104
HOU 93, UTA 91
MEM 91, POR 78
CHA 101, GSW 111
YIKESVILLE: Kyrie Irving looks great. The Cavaliers have looked much more impressive since he’s returned. They trounced the Raptors (a legitimately good team with two All-Stars) on Monday. Cleveland’s lead in the East is still relatively small, but there’s a good chance that -- if everyone stays healthy -- a double-digit win streak is coming. The Cavs just might run away with this.
WHOA: Vlade Divac almost killed the trade that brought Kobe Bryant to L.A. by threatening to retire. He didn’t want to leave the Lakers. Jerry West talked him out of that plan.
NEVER TRY: We are all Isaiah Thomas refusing to even try during a jumpball against a man 12 inches taller.
NOTED: Dwyane Wade can still fly.
SCHOOL’S IN SUCKA: Professor Andre Miller with a 75-foot alley-oop that could not be placed more perfectly. Good gracious.
WOW! Per Marc Stein, your boy Mike D’Antoni is a candidate in Phoenix if the Suns fire Jeff Hornacek. Which they seem almost certain to do at this point. Here’s a breakdown of why this should or shouldn’t happen.
AN EXPLANATION FOR THAT KINGS WIN IN OKC: Sacramento won its first game ever in Oklahoma City, breaking a 17-game losing streak there that goes back to the Hornets’ post-Katrina stint in the Sooner State. A big reason: Kevin Durant is out a couple games with a toe injury.
CAN’T BLAME HIM: Dan Devine loves watching John Wall and hates watching the Wizards. Samesies.
SOCIAL SEMIOTICS IN CRAPPY BASKETBALL: Dave King, a Suns fan/writer who is closer in age to Robert Sarver than Markieff Morris, explains why the franchise owner’s comments on the problems with millennial culture were so tone-deaf.
AND ON THAT NOTE: Brian Windhorst connects Sarver’s rant to the incredible impatience of Sarver and his fellow franchise owners when it comes to retaining head coaches.
ONE LAST LINK: Kevin Ding on what makes the Suns not tick.
BRANDON JENNINGS TRADE? I’d really like to see how this works with Jennings as a bench attacker before the Pistons give him up.
BAN FANS: A Utah fan shined a laser pointer in James Harden’s eye during a free-throw attempt. The fan was located, ejected and banned from NBA arenas for one year. That’s not enough in my opinion. Launch him into orbit.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG? There’s a rumor the Celtics could play an outdoor game at Fenway. Look, the outdoor games at Indian Springs in California went poorly in terms of shooting, etc., and there was basically no weather to contend with. What time of year are we planning to make Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk take jumpers in the elements, exactly?
THE GRATITUDE ATTITUDE: Not basketball but I was entranced by this Barbara Ehrenreich op-ed on the selfish side of gratitude.
TONIGHT TONIGHT: We have an NBA TV double-header: Bucks-Bulls followed by Warriors-Lakers. (Trap game!) Knicks-Hawks and Kings-Mavericks are also on the schedule. Enjoy.
Happy Tuesday. See you next time.
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