Preseason MVP pick:
RJ:
Are you ready for a season full of 2014 déjà vu? Well you should be because it’s going to come down to a race between KD and LeBron this year for the award. I know you’re thinking, “Well gee, weren’t there like 6 candidates last year? And wasn’t it one of the closest races in history?” While there’s an outside chance that you bring up a good point that may be relevant, last season doesn’t matter because there was no Durant last year and LeBron knew he didn’t need to give a shit until February (literally, he went on vacation in the MIDDLE OF THE SEASON!!! That’s some shit that’ll earn a spot in the Team Fuck It Hall of Fame someday).
We both agree that KD is going to smite the league for doubting him this season so he’ll be a front runner for the award based on that alone. But keep in mind who actually votes for the award: the media. And if Hollywood has taught us anything, people in the entertainment industry will always go back to the well and recycle the same story if the opportunity arises. KD and LeBron were supposed to be this generations Bird and Magic. This is supposed to be the rivalry that defined both careers, which means the media will help fulfill that prophecy if LeBron shows up and does LeBron stuff for a full season. And he might have to considering the uncertainty surrounding Kyrie and Kevin Love.
If it’s not going to be either of these two players, then look for Harden to sneak his way in and steal the award. But if I had to make a preseason pick, KD seems like the lock if he can stay healthy. If he does experience a setback then basically expect last year all over again with Harden winning.
Matt:
If I’m going to pick an MVP, I’m actually going to go outside of KD and LeBron. It may not be the popular decision, but we saw LeBron coast until the playoffs last year and there’s no reason for that not to happen again. He’s mentioned he doesn’t need to take over during the season. Love needs to prove his worth to this team, and he will see a bigger role without Kyrie. Durant on the other hand will come back with something fierce. He was forgotten about completely last year with people all over the league stepping up. The problem with that is Russ Westbrook was one of those people. Russ will continue to be confident and do what he does best, which is be an athlete and take everybody 1-on-1 when he needs to.
Watch out for Blake Griffin this year. Blake has slowly turned himself into a 20/7/5 guy last year, and he is a few months away from 27. This year he’ll have Pierce in the offense to space out the Clippers just a little bit more in the half-court offense which can give Blake some more room on the inside. His free throw percentage has gone up every year as well. He’ll average around 24/9/6 this year on a team that will win over 50 games. Along the way he will post up highlights that we are used to and will see on Vine everyday. This award is either LBJ’s or KD’s to lose, and I think that happens this year.
Which rookies are you excited for?
Matt:
D’ Angelo Russell, D’ Angelo Russell, D’ Angelo Russell, and Justice Winslow.
D’ Angelo will be a passing guard this year on a Lakers team that will struggle to move the ball. Swaggy P, Lou Willaims, and the 93rd ranked player in the NBA by ESPN, Kobe Bryant. Russell will beat out Clarkson as the lead ball handler for the Lakers and will be relied upon to get things going. The playmaking ability he demonstrated at Ohio State was fascinating to watch and he made it seem effortless. He can shoot the 3, go off the bounce, and provide next level passing on a team that will need it.
Winslow is a guy I want to see simply for the reason that Miami thinks they have struck gold with this pick based on the value of getting him at #10. I listen to the LeBetard show podcast (centered in Miami) each night before I pass out from playing too much Madden, and let’s just say they believe Winslow can help take Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals and potentially dethrone The King. Honestly, I’ve never been big on Winslow and thought he was a tad overrated on a Duke team that was great at every position. It’ll be interesting to see how he does on a Heat team that has no true star (Bosh coming off a very serious injury and Dragic, a disappointing season in both PHX and MIA).
RJ:
Obviously I’m excited for D’Angelo Russell, because pretty much my happiness and sanity for the next decade will depend on whether or not he’s any good. I don’t think my liver can handle another couple bad Lakers seasons.
I’m with you on Winslow because it is weird that he fell that far in the draft. You know who else took a strange plummet down the draft boards? Stanley Johnson, now a member of Stan Van Gundy’s crew of flunkies in Detroit. As far as physical tools goes, Johnson is the most prepared perimeter player of this rookie class. He drew comparisons to LeBron James in the open court while running fast breaks for the University of Arizona and that’s pretty spot on. This dude is a freight train. But he’s not limited to just dunking in transition. Johnson has the tools to be a capable defender, as well as he is already a natural scorer. You don’t need to run him off of a bunch of screens or clear out an entire side of the floor for him. He can become the type of guy you throw it to when the shot clock is running down and he’ll go get you a bucket. In theory, he’s a bigger D-Wade or even a circa 2001 Kobe when he decided to get like super jacked for no reason.
But let’s be honest with ourselves, we’re both truly excited for Kristaps Porzingis because how can you not be!!! He looks like a prepubescent Ivan Drago. He’s managed to piss off Carmelo already but at the same time allegedly has the potential to be the player that turns the Knicks around. Anytime I can watch the Knicks dig themselves an even deeper hole, count me the fuck in!
Breakout Star of the Year:
RJ:
Understand that when I say breakout, I’m not talking most improved. This isn’t the fringe NBA player that is suddenly not terrible. This isn’t the underachieving rookie that finally figured it out and became not useless. No, this is the Anthony Davis award. This is the All-Star that transforms into a whole other being. This is the Leap, capital L bruh. This is the player that we knew could be exceptionally great and then they actually become that. And my pick is another former number 1 pick from Lexington: John effing Wall.
I’m not sure when exactly this happened, but I’m all aboard the John Wall bandwagon. I think it started when I threw him into the top five point guard discussion in my last mailbag. And I was vindicated when he absolutely eviscerated the Raptors in the playoffs. Wall’s ability to penetrate a defense and find open shooters was on complete display as he assisted on half, LITERALLY HALF, of the Wizards baskets (50.3%). Then the dude fell on his wrist in game 1 versus the Hawks, had five non-displaced fractures in his left wrist, stayed in the game, won the game like a boss. The next game, after team doctors finally figured out his sprained wrist was actually super broken, Wall sat out and his team was blown off the floor by 16. Wall would eventually come back and play through his injury in games 5 and 6. He averaged 17.5 points, 10 assists, and 2 steals in those two games (albeit his shooting percentage was bad enough I had to bust out the thesaurus to describe it: harrowing).
Moral of the story, John Wall is a beast. And he is noticeably pissed off that he is about to be underpaid thanks to the massive upcoming bump in the salary cap. He’s going to treat every opposing point guard as if they’re Reggie Jackson and just demolish them. Also, Wall could be a sneaky candidate for Defensive Player of the Year next year. Mark my words my friend, mark my words.
Matt:
The Greek Freak. Giannis Antetokounmpo. He will break out in a big way this year. He’s going into his 3rd year in the league and is 20 years old. He’s shown flashes of being unstoppable in transition and his FG% shot up from 41% to 49% last year. He can’t shoot the 3, but he’s smart enough to not take them. His line last year was 12/2/6 which isn’t fantastic, but creates a lot of room for improvement and opportunity to be the alpha dog. Jabari Parker is coming back and Greg Monroe joined the squad; two good players who keep the D’s attention enough for Giannis to get to the hoop.
He’s too big and fast to not continue to make strides in his game and be a big contributor to a playoff team that can take that 2nd spot in the East behind Cleveland this year. He’ll probably never be the shooter or offensive playmaker that Kevin Durant is, but he can definitely be a 2nd tier version along with Paul George. Watch out for Giannis this year. He’ll be an All-Star, bring the highlights, and won’t even be able to drink until Dec 6th because that’s when he turns 21.
RJ: I cannot describe how excited I am for the prospect of drunk Giannis. Which leads me to our next award...
Who is going to be the TMZ MVP:
Matt:
In a close 2nd place, the other choice is James Harden. Simply for this: http://deadspin.com/james-hardens-drunk-as-hell-and-yelling-about-adidas-1731049472
RJ:
To answer your question: yes, a whole team can absolutely win this award. And yes, this team will be as hilariously drama filled as a marathon of “Love and Hip-Hop” episodes. Wily pick my friend, and I don’t think you’re entirely wrong. However, I’ll present these couple of facts to you: A) Sactown is a small market, which means TMZ won’t be hanging around there too much, unless an underage Kardashian starts dating Ben MacLemore B) TMZ loves hanging around Los Angeles C) Lance Stephenson now plays for the Clippers and lives in Los Angeles. Lemme hit that last point just one more time.
LANCE STEPHENSON AKA THE EIGHTH GRADER AKA BORN READY NOW LIVES IN LA!!!!!
Look, somehow we managed to catch wind of most of Lance’s shenanigans even when he was living in Indiana and North Carolina. In the bright lights of Los Angeles where media is around every corner? I rest my case!
What hypothetical headline seems ridiculous now but wouldn’t entirely surprise you?
RJ:
“Nick Young purchases white tigers for fiancé”
“Ty Lawson and James Harden refuse to leave Houston strip club”
“Tim Duncan’s key to longevity revealed: Shake Weight”
“Bryant finally snaps, murders everyone in practice facility”
“Secret recordings reveal Phil Jackson “Couldn’t give less of a fuck about the Knicks”’
“Donalds for 2016: Trump picks Sterling as running mate”
I had to stop after that last one because I had way too much fun imagining crazy scenarios in the NBA world. Unfortunately for us, strictly from an entertainment perspective, the NBA is not nearly as ludicrously unpredictable as the NFL. With that said, the most realistic headline is probably Kobe snapping and John Wick-ing everyone that happens to be in the building. Although let’s be honest, no one would be shocked if Nick Young bought a tiger. And I’m just gonna say it, Tim Duncan looks like the type of dude that would have a shake weight. With that said, the headline I really want to happen is Ty and Harden locking down a strip club for hours and refusing to leave. While Lawson’s alcohol issues is definitely nothing to joke about, it’s pretty hard to not want to root for a standoff between entourages and bouncers as James Harden and Ty Lawson sit shirtless on top of a couch while blacked out drunk, yelling SWWWWAAAGGGG, and throwing money all over the place as “Diamonds Dancing” blast in the background, for like 8 straight hours.
Matt:
“After Raptors slow start, the 6 God is the new 6th man.”
Drake has for too long been just a fan. He took this year off and played at Kentucky’s scrimmage last year. He may be no Steph Curry with the shot. Hell, I don’t even know if he can cook and be Chef Curry with the pot. What I do know though, is that the Raptors had a Drake themed night last season, so why would they not take it a step further?
“Porzingis spends time in Harlem at the Rucker to learn what being American entails.”
Personally, I like Porzingis. There is no way a kid like this is a bust. He’ll always be 7 feet tall, everybody becomes a better shooter with age, and he takes up enough space on the defensive side to suffice. He may not be star, but he’ll always be a rotation guy. Either way, what better way for him to earn respect in New York than to go tackle some games at the Rucker. The only sad part is he’s going to get bodied and may end up in one little fight. Let’s just hope he doesn’t get scared and go back to Europe.
“Local sideline reporter dick punches Coach Pop for refusing to answer question about female coach.”
It’s just a matter of time. I’m surprised this guy didn’t.
“Anthony Davis gets hair plugs for his unibrow. He comments ‘I hate living up to society’s expectations to keep this thing, but it’s easier that way.’”
“Dellevadova’s salary is literally a mouth guard and work VISA.”
This man is a bulldog sent from Australia on a business trip to bring his hard hat to work every day and play every game like it’s his last. He lives in the practice arena, practices floaters while his teammates dunk to show off. I’d rather have a guy work on his floaters than his floating. Am I right?
“Matt Barnes drives to his ex gf’s house and fights Derek Fisher.”
Shit. Matt Barnes already did that.
RJ: Well played, sir. Well played.
Who has pole position in the KD sweepstakes?
RJ:
This is going to be the biggest story of the season so we might as well jump on this story and start the speculation snowball. Allow me to start the paranoia freight train right now by reminding everyone that Russell Westbrook becomes a free agent after the 2016-2017 season. "But RJ how is this relevant?" Well, it would make sense, at least to me, that Durant would sign a one year deal at the end of this season and wait and see what Russell and the Thunder decide to do. In order for this scenario to happen, the Thunder have to be close to winning it all, but don’t quite get there. Even if they win it all this year, which is absolutely a possibility, this could still be the route he takes.
*Hot Take Mode: Engaged* However, anything less than a Finals run or if any type of shenanigans arise throughout the season, then Durant will go to the LakersRocketsWizardsKnicksHeat. If it becomes apparently clear that the Thunder cannot contend for a title and management has no plan in place to get them there, then Durant is going to split and go to one of those five teams. It was recently reported that the Lakers could have pole position in this sweepstakes. Then again they allegedly were in this position with Melo, LeBron, Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, and any other remotely good free agent, and that plan worked out about as well as driving a NASCAR race six Four Lokos deep. The Knicks have a slim chance considering their market, but that deal is only getting done if Phil agrees to one more coaching stint, which he won’t. The Wizards SHOULD be in pole position since they are located in KD’s hometown and have John Wall, whom is basically Westbrook with more intangible point guard characteristics.
However, I would keep an eye on Houston and Miami. Houston GM Daryl Morey is like the NBA boogieman working in the shadows and snatching away valuable players to build his own super team. If anyone can structure a roster that maintains its depth while clearing cap space? It’s definitely this guy. Plus one of Durant’s best friends and former teammate happens to be on that team. And the Heat have Pat Riley, South Beach, boats and hoes, and possibly the Illuminati on their side, so they can’t ever be ruled out.
What storyline should we really be paying attention to?
Matt:
Draymond Green should be something to pay attention to. He was the key piece to Golden State’s championship success last year. Curry and Thompson did a lot on their own, but Green’s defense and the ability to match up with nearly anybody is something that few people in the league can do. That being said, I feel like the Cavs exposed him in the Finals by staying big. That philosophy didn’t work against the Warriors as a whole, but Draymond shined in only one game (the most important game). This year teams will have prepped for more small ball and we’ll see Draymond guard a healthy KD, LaMarcus Aldridge on the Spurs, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, and maybe Karl-Anthony Towns. The 4 spot in the NBA is beginning to be the next premier position. Point guards have been ruling for a while now, but the bigs are starting to develop into athletes. So watch and see what happens to Draymond playing against quality players like this in the West.
RJ:
In summation, the 2014 draft class did not come close to the hype it received coming into the league. In fact, once Jabari Parker went down with a torn ACL, we pretty much gave Andrew Wiggins the award for Rookie of the Year on the spot and quit giving a damn, despite the fact Wiggins continued to have moments of awesomeness. But he was the only bright spot, along with Mirotic, last season for the rookies. A big reason for that is because almost everyone got hurt and missed huge chunks of the season. Sure, Dante Exum is putting a damper on my theory by tearing his ACL before training camp even started but fuck it! I think we’ll see leaps out of Parker, Wiggins, LaVine (now playing his natural position), Mirotic (ditto as LaVine), Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, and Aaron Gordon. DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK, THEY BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME!
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