Ten Things I Think
1. I think Demar Derozan is criminally underrated. The Raptors small forward has been on a tear. He is averaging 25.4 points per game while shooting 36% from deep. The knock on Derozan has long been his inability to shoot the three-ball so the development of transforming himself into an above-average shooter is promising for Toronto. The Raptors find themselves second in the Eastern Conference and Derozan should find himself embedded in MVP conversations.
2. I think Tom Brady will play longer than LeBron. Crazy, I know, but I truly think this will be the case. Both players are still at the peak of their powers in their respective sports. I envision Brady playing until he is 45; he has said he intends to do so and I don’t think there is any reason to doubt him. LeBron, on the other hand, has been reticent about even discussing retirement. If I were LeBron, given that he has had a fifteen-year career in which he has been the undisputed best player in the league, I would hang ‘em up before losing that distinction. The King has 2 or 3 years left at the peak of his powers. After that, I think he hangs ‘em up.
3. I think Kenny Atkinson deserves to be in the NBA’s Coach of the Year conversation. Now I understand he will not win the award, but Atkinson is worthy of being brought up when the award is discussed. The job that he has done in Brooklyn given the destitute of talent that has been thrown his way is truly remarkable. The Nets culture is shifting before our eyes and Atkinson deserves praise.
4. I think the Timberwolves need to trade Andrew Wiggins. He and Jimmy Butler together are quite redundant. Both players are small forwards who demand the ball offensively. I have long theorized that if you have talent, you don’t just abandon it as would be the case with the Wolves and Wiggins. But I think there is an alternative option that would put Tom Thibodeau’s team in better position for not only this season, but for the foreseeable future. Who says no? The Timberwolves trade Andrew Wiggins and Tyus Jones to the Blazers for C.J. McCollum. This makes sense for both sides. The T-Wolves would be getting an elite bucket-getter at the two-guard spot which they desperately need, while the Blazers would be acquiring an elite wing (something they currently do not have) while also allowing Damian Lillard to have the ball in his hands more often. That is never a bad thing.
5. I think Trae Young is the most exciting college basketball player since the turn of the century. I watched Steph Curry in college, Derrick Rose, Buddy Hield, and all the other collegiate sensations over the past two decades and not one of them is in the same stratosphere as Oklahoma’s Trae Young. This is not to say that Young will be the best pro, but no one has dominated at the collegiate level in the manner that he has. The Sooners freshman sensation is dazzling, averaging 30.9 point and 9.9 assists each time he takes the floor. Watching Young is like watching a hybrid of Steph Curry and Chris Paul to the nth degree.
6. I think the Warriors should sell high on Draymond Green. I am not questioning Draymond’s ability. Not at all. But I worry that sooner or later this Warriors team will get stale. If Bob Myers proactively moved Green, whose value is likely at his peak, Golden State would receive such a haul that it would prolong their window for championships. As is, that window is probably 3 or 4 more years. If they could swap Green, Iguodala, and a younger player for say, Anthony Davis who is currently in “no-man’s-land” down in New Orleans, that window might lengthen to 7 or 8 years and we would be looking at the NBA’s greatest dynasty since the Celtics in the 60’s.
7. I think when it’s all said and done Antonio Brown will be mentioned in the same breath as Jerry Rice. AB is that good. Over the course of the last five seasons he has recorded over 100 catches in each one of them and has at least 1,500 yards in four of those five seasons. I have always viewed Jerry Rice as the best receiver of all-time with Randy Moss and Terrell Owens as a distant second and third, but if Antonio Brown can string together four or five more seasons of similar production he very well could wind up being the greatest receiver of all-time.
8. I think that the Lakers should hire David Fizdale. Luke Walton is a fine coach, but so are countless others who roam the sidelines in the NBA. Fizdale, who is extremely close with LeBron from their time in Miami, would give the Lakers a puncher’s chance to land the King this summer (even though I believe that he is staying in Cleveland). Fiz also is also well-respected across the league and would really be able to relate to the young nucleus that is currently on the Lakers roster right now.
9. I think that in the near future there will be a major transition in college basketball. Why? Well, what’s unique about college sports is the profound impact felt by the coaches. Particularly in college basketball, players come and go, but the coaches are synonymous with their universities. Think Duke. First thing that comes to mind is Mike Krzyzewski. How about Syracuse? Easy, Jim Boeheim’s hounding 2-3 zone defense. The sport is teeming with great coaches: Coach K, Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Boeheim, Bob Huggins, John Beilein, Lon Kruger, Jim Larrańaga, Rick Barnes, I could keep going. What do all of those men have in common? All of them are over 60, and some are even approaching 70. It won’t happen this year and probably not even next, but in the near future there will be several first-class college basketball programs looking for a successor to their incumbent and it will be fascinating to see the direction the schools, and ultimately the sport, go.
10. I think Phillip Rivers would be an awesome color commentator. With John Gruden departing ESPN for the Raiders, The World Wide Leader in Sports is now searching for a replacement. Many names have been rumored and I immediately thought of Rivers. Now, I don’t think he will retire, but I didn’t think Tony Romo would have called it quits either. Rivers is insightful, well-spoken, and perhaps most importantly, he has an edge to him. He would certainly liven up a broadcasting team that is in desperate need of a facelift.
