What I'm Watching: Attractions and Review from 1+ week of NBA
We got new faces, new rules and more chaos than ever.
I hope you came to this column ready to talk about all of the fun in the NBA this week. It includes Cleveland’s Evan Mobley looking like Ralph Sampson entered the 4th dimension, the Oklahoma City Daycare Academy having Baby’s Day Out against Russell Westbrook The Babysitter, my disappointing Celtics, and the Miami Heat doing their best to shut me up one more time.
We’re just over a week into the NBA season and the only thing we know to be true is that chaos reigns supreme. The Bucks got beat by almost 50 points, Portland beat the Suns by almost 30. The Cavs beat the Nuggets and Clippers on a back-to-back, the Warriors were undefeated until Ja Morant continued his opening onslaught in San Francisco tonight and the Knicks sit at the top of the East.
What’s the story so far? The officials have taken control of their portion of the game and have refused to apologize. Thanks in large part to COVID, I’ve been fortunate to watch a lot of EuroLeague over the past two years. And the NBA has adopted one of the best tropes of the EuroLeague, which is that the officials are unapologetic in their decision-making. Making things even better for the NBA is their officials are the top of the top and the stars who lived on manipulating a weak whistle have struggled, namely James Harden.
Never was the rule change’s effect more apparent than in Brooklyn’s recent loss against Miami during which Harden tried to sell call after call against Miami’s physical defense to no avail. Nevertheless, here are my League Pass musings after the first week.
These Are Not The Favorites You’re Looking For
Have you heard something that the NBA has heavy favorites? If nothing else, this first week has shown the fallacy of that old wives’ tale that has long pervaded the lazy sports media. The Lakers and the Nets are capable of winning a championship, but their grasp on the championship race is looser than it may appear to the general public and the betting populace.
The Nets, as I said when I explained my reasons for hitting their under, have no interior presence. It reared its ugly head against both Milwaukee, Miami and the Charlotte Hornets, where power and speed are common attributes. The Nets look like a collection of premium antiques while the Lakers stars have struggled to play together, but at least look ready to scrap in a slugfest.
At least in terms of durability, the Lakers look to have a little more sustainability. Until the Nets can rebound, or until Kyrie gets vaccinated, I don’t know how to take them seriously.
The Vibes of Lake Minnetonka
Far be it for me to tell anyone what to do with their League Pass, but I suggest you make some room for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, with a dash of D’Angelo Russell, have created a nice little squad in the Twin Cities. Edwards is showing more confidence than ever from the 3-point line and he’s shooting better from deep as well, while still being the breath of fresh air the league needs every night in post-game media sessions.
Welcome To The Church of Evan
The Cavaliers have been irrelevant since LeBron James joined the Lakers in the summer of 2018. But those days have ended with the selection of Evan Mobley as he is providing an extra go-go gadget to the rest of the Cavs roster. Also, can we mention Kevin Love finding salvation alongside trusted guide Ricky Rubio? The Cavs bench unit has become my early joy for wholesome basketball memories of my 20s and the awe of the future. Mobley and Jarrett Allen are no joke in the middle, wreaking havoc against bigs and guards alike.
Credit to the Crypto Wizards
It’s a tremendous story in the Nation’s Capital. Wes Unseld Jr., son of the greatest player in Washington history, the legendary Wes Unseld, has coached the team to a 4-1 start in his first five games. After Thursday’s win against the Hawks without Spencer Dinwiddie and effectively playing only one guard after beating the Celtics the night before, the Wiz have me on notice for a playoff position.
Timothée Chalamet With Bounce
I love to make fun of my friends on Draft Twitter. It’s a thankless job to watch all that film of so-so prospects, but they appear to be right about Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey. He dishes the ball off the bounce like few guys in the league do and at his height, that will be a tantalizing skill if he can become a reliable scorer. Even if he doesn’t, he can be in the league a long time with his size and ability even if he doesn’t develop a score-first gene.
