NBA November Check-In

NBA szn is back in full swing, it feels amazing doesn’t it? Before I get into some quick observations at the 15-ish game mark I have to mention how the rule changes have benefitted the game in an overwhelmingly positive way. I’m not one of the people that were unreasonably mad at James Harden, Trae Young, and frankly almost every other perimeter star in the NBA for baiting the refs into calling fouls which resulted in easy trips to the foul line. If you can find an advantage while working within the rules, take it. That being said, the changes have made the game an easier watch. Thus far this season it is common for a game to flow for several minutes without stoppages. That simply was not happening often the last few seasons. Basketball feels more like its being played the way it was intended to be played right now and ratings are up as a result. Bravo NBA. Do the fast break killing fouls next and we’ll see interest in the league rise even more.

If you listen to The Pick & Play Show (and if you don’t, wtf go do that) then you know I’m a Laker fan that’s been struggling with enjoying the team for a year or two now. I can’t say that has changed much early in this season. I expect the regular season to be slow and painful at times but as long as they’re healthy by/after the All Star break we all know they’ll be just fine. The true question with the Lakers is how committed they are to Russell Westbrook for this season. It has been a mixed bag for Russ to start his Laker career and he’s proven to improve his play as the season goes on, but will the Lakers be patient enough to see that version of Westbrook emerge? History says LeBron teams make moves early when things aren’t working out. Part of the reason Westbrook is in LA is to allow LeBron to get a little more rest during the season, which we’re currently seeing play out. However, everyone involved had to believe Anthony Davis and Westbrook would be a more potent duo while James rests. Maybe time will heal these wounds, maybe this roster looks completely different by January. My bet is on the ladder.

Enough about the Lakers, let’s get to this early season check-in. I wanted to get some quick general thoughts out as I’m sitting here half watching the Jazz demolish the 76ers. These quick thoughts will be a bi-weekly post, if you want these thoughts in video format let me know and I’ll make it happen. 

• Before the preseason I picked the Bulls as my League Pass team for the 2021-2022 season, so far so good. They’ve actually surpassed my expectations 14 games into their season. I expected a fun team and would be a little inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball but would scrape out enough Ws to sneak into the playoffs and be a pesky out for a higher seed. Now I know we’re only 14 games into the year but right now the Bulls look like they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference this season. Currently a half game out of the #1 seed in the conference, the Bulls rank in the top 5 in the NBA in both defensive efficiency, true shooting %, and net rating. Derozan, Lavine, Ball, and Caruso give the Bulls 4 guards that give good effort on both ends and have SportsCenter potential. We’ve already seen a few Caruso/Ball lobs to Lavine on House of Highlights this year and I’m sure we’re going to see many more.

• The Warriors are even scarier than I thought they would be. And I thought they’d be pretty scary to begin with. The Lakers were my pre-season pick to win the Western Conference this season but the Warriors were my runner-up. I say that to say I thought I was pretty high on the Warriors going into the season yet somehow they’re blowing my expectations out of the stratosphere. The Warriors are 12-2 at the time of this post after whooping the Brooklyn Nets ass like they stole something and Steph Curry looks like he’s on the way to MVP #3. Oh, and the assassin Klay Thompson is almost back. Draymond looks engaged, Jordan Poole is taking a step forward in his development, Wiggins is giving them good two-way minutes, and lately we’ve even seen some good minutes from rookie Jonathan Kuminga. Everything is sunshine and rainbows in The Bay right now, once Klay comes back they’ll be ready to make it rain on the league. Was that pun corny? It was probably a little corny. Am I showing my age by using the word corny? …..Let’s move on.

• The Wizards are good? Typing that felt weird but here we are. I couldn’t believe Wizards record so I sat down and watched their entire game against the equally surprising Cleveland Cavaliers. I tuned in expecting to see the Brad Beal show with some contributions from the rest of the roster. What I saw was Kuzma making big players, Montrezl Harrell dominating in the paint, Beal and Dimwiddie playing solid all around games but not dominating the ball. It looked sustainable and the Cavs aren’t a free W this season. I don’t expect the Wizards to stay in the #1 spot in the East all season but its not unreasonable at this point to expect them to make the playoffs which should be seen as a massive win for Wizards fans after the last few seasons.