Ten Things I Think
1. I think Jrue Holiday is the most underrated player in the NBA. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he is a top-8-point guard in The Association, ahead of heralded guys such as Mike Conley, Kemba Walker, and even Kyle Lowry. Holiday does it on both ends of the floor. Over the course of the first two games of the Pelicans series against Portland, Holiday made Damian Lillard’s life a living hell while also averaging 27 points per contest. This isn’t new for Jrue, he is just doing it on the game’s biggest stage. I don’t want anyone to say the man is overpaid; he’s not. He and Anthony Davis have the Pelicans on the brink of a showdown with the Golden State Warriors in the next round, where Jrue will be tasked with flanking a hobbled Steph Curry. If he can render the two-time MVP ineffective, New Orleans has a chance to take down goliath.
2. I think Josh Allen is the most polarizing quarterback prospect since Jamarcus Russell. Like Russell, Allen is lauded for the canon that dangles from the right side of his body. But does the ability to launch a football the length of the field translate to success at the NFL level? Based on Russell’s track record, the answer appears obvious, no. Allen’s accuracy is also a significant concern, as he completed a mere 56% of his passes last season at Wyoming. Josh Allen will either be Carson Wentz 2.0 or JaMarcus Russell 2.0. The team that drafts him better pray that it’s not the latter.
3. I think that Bradley Beal and John Wall are a sub-optimal pairing. I have been beating this drum for quite some time, but it only becomes more apparent in the postseason. As lethal of a shooter as Beal is, he, like Wall, thrives with the ball in his hands. The problem? There’s only one basketball. You would think that after six years of playing with one another they would have figured it out by now, but they haven’t. It is time for the Wizards to deal one of their guards this offseason. If it were me, I would ship off John Wall to a team desperate to make the postseason, say the Pistons. His contract is nauseating and at times Wall is more abrasive than I would like my floor general to be.
4. I think the signings of Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova by the 76ers are two of the most transformative moves a team has made mid-season in quite some time. Both players added a veteran presence, that aside from J.J. Redick, was non-existent in the City of Brotherly Love. If their experience and professionalism was all that they brought to the table, one could make the argument their signings would have been justified given the 76ers extraordinary youth. But they have provided so much more than that with their contributions on the floor. Belinelli is averaging 14 points per game since joining the 76ers, while shooting nearly 40% from downtown and Ilyasova is posting 11 points and 7 rebounds nightly for Brett Brown and company. Their numbers don’t jump off the page, but they are playing heavy minutes and are major contributors on a team that, dare I say, might be the favorites in the Eastern Conference. Above all else, Belinelli and Ilyasova provided the 76ers with a calming, experienced aura that helped to dilute the 76ers frenetic play. Speaking of the 76ers …
5. I think Joel Embiid’s injury allowed the 76ers to play a brand of basketball that is more conducive to success in the modern NBA. With their big fella out, Philadelphia has given the ball to Ben Simmons and let him operate. This is not to say that Embiid is a hindrance to the 76ers, because they will need him to anchor their defense and get buckets in the half-court once the game slows down as it inevitably will, but his injury was a blessing in disguise for the 76ers. It allowed them to realize that they are capable of playing Ben Simmons at the point while surrounding him with four shooters. Watch out for Philly. Not just this season, but for many seasons to come.
6. I think baseball teams should be more aggressive on the base paths. This might sound counterintuitive: Why jockey for an extra base, when it doesn’t matter if you are on second or third when Bryce Harper hits one to the moon? My thought is this: force the defense to make a good throw. This is not to say that teams should send runners every single time, like it’s Little League. But I have watched enough baseball to see that if it is going to be a bang-bang play at the plate, more times than not (especially if there are less than two outs) the third base coach inexplicably holds the runner. I just don’t get it. More often than not, something will go wrong for the fielding team. Either the runner will flat out beat the ball to the plate, the throw to said base will be off-line, or the catcher won’t make a clean catch and tag. There are so many variables that must work in favor of the defense, whereas the runner just has to run in straight line. I am not encouraging reckless base-running. I am encouraging aggressive base-running. There’s a difference.
7. I think Victor Oladipo is in the same ballpark as Paul George as a two-way player. If you would have told me this twelve months ago I would have said you were out of your gourd. Now, I think it is a real conversation and if push came to shove and I could only pick one, I might side with the Oladipo, the player who will undoubtedly be crowned the NBA’s Most Improved Player. The irony in all of this is that Paul George was traded to the Thunder in exchange for Oladipo last July. At the time, everyone thought the Pacers got fleeced. Now, in hindsight, I might go so far as to say that Indiana won the trade, especially if you consider that they also acquired Domantas Sabonis in the deal, who averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds this season and only will get better as he gains experience and strength.
8. I think that when it is all said and done, Roquan Smith will be the best player from the 2018 NFL Draft. He won’t go number one, and he might even fall out of the top-ten, but when we look back on this crop of rookies ten years from now, the consensus will be how in the world was Roquan Smith not picked higher? I liken him to Patrick Willis. Whatever team is fortunate enough to snag the Georgia product will have themselves a player who will one day be donning a gold jacket.
9. I think, tactically, Brad Stevens is the most impactful coach in all of basketball. Some would argue Gregg Popovich, and while he is a surefire Hall of Famer, even Pop is not the basketball savant that Stevens is. Popovich’s expertise is more in the realm of managing personalities and supplying motivation to his players and staff. In terms of basketball brilliance, it is Brad Stevens and then everybody else. I am confident, actually I’m certain, that if you provided Stevens with a team full of replacement level players that he would carry them to the postseason. Stevens is only 41-years old and seems happy in Boston, so one would reason that he will be there for quite some time. If that’s the case, there will come a day when Belichick versus Stevens will be a discussion on Boston radio stations. Stevens is that impactful of a coach.
10. I think that comparison is the thief of joy. Stop comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan, and appreciate that you are watching one of the greatest, not just athletes, but craftsmen of all-time.
