Ten Things I Think
1. I think Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and every other elite quarterback who is at or is reaching the end of their contracts must be licking their chops after seeing the deal that Jimmy Garoppolo was inked to. The 49ers quarterback signed a 5-year/$137.5 million contract after playing in just 7 games. This isn’t asinine, it is just the going market for elite quarterbacks.
2. I think the Cavs needed fresh blood. No matter if you think the moves that they made at the deadline made them better or not (I think they got significantly better), it is not debatable that Cleveland desperately needed to clean out their locker room. Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder felt like outcastes since their arrival. Sometimes chemistry is more important than talent.
3. I think Karl-Anthony Towns has become severely underrated. After his rookie year, the comparisons between Towns and Anthony Davis became widespread. Then, suddenly, everyone began to critique the big man’s defense. Quite frankly, they’re nitpicking. He is 22-years old and is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. The list of players who have done that at 22-years-old is mighty small.
4. I think the Warriors should be frightened by the Rockets. Chis Paul and James Harden are playing at such a high-level right now that it’s not crazy to envision a scenario in which Houston is playing in the Finals come June. This will be Golden State’s toughest postseason test since the 2016 showdown with the Cavaliers. They better be ready for war.
5. I think that Joakim Noah might have the worst contract in the history of the NBA. In a sense, he has an implicit no trade clause. Who in their right mind would trade for his albatross of a contract? The correct answer is nobody. Since signing his 4-year/$72 million contract with the Knicks, Noah has appeared in 53 games over two seasons and has averaged an abysmal 4.6 points and 4.7 boards. Name a worse contract. You can’t.
6. I think there will be four quarterbacks selected in the top-six of April’s Draft. I do not believe this should be the case, but there are enough quarterback-needy teams spread throughout the league that will make this a reality. Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Allen, deservingly or not, will all come off the board early.
7. I think similarly to how the Clippers traded away Blake Griffin after signing him to a lucrative off-season extension, the Wizards should do the same with John Wall. Wait, are you serious? Yeah, I am. Bradley Beal is cold-blooded; I have been saying that for months. It’s time to give him the keys to the franchise. Why? Wall, like Griffin is injury-prone. He has had chronic ankle/knee injuries throughout his career and the idea of stomaching a $200 million contract for a player who will likely end up injured again is unfathomable. It is time for the Wizards to move on from John Wall.
8. I think the same market correction that has hit baseball this offseason will be hitting the NBA this summer. 2016 will be seen as the ultimate outlier. Contracts like Mozgov’s and Deng’s and Crabbe’s will be no more. Look at Lou Williams. He was a borderline All-Star this season and just signed an extension that will pay him just over $8 million annually the next three seasons. Players like Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, and Isaiah Thomas will all be expecting massive paydays come July 1, but I just don’t see the market for them.
9. I think the Grizzlies are out of their gourd for not trading Tyreke Evans. Their season is going nowhere, they don’t have his bird rights, they need all of the draft capital that they can get their hands on, and he will now be actively worsening their draft position just by simply being on the roster. This was a major blunder by the Grizzlies front office and one that they will surely live to regret.
10. I think the NFL interview process is flawed. Why make coaches wait to be interviewed? They should be allowed to go interview, accept said position, and then continue to coach their current team until either they are eliminated or go on to win the Super Bowl. The current structure makes no sense to me and should be abolished.
