Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Living on Irving Island

It won’t be a surprise if Kyrie Irving‘s attitude costs the Nets their best chance at a championship. To date, Nash has defended Irving in front of the press, but the former two-time MVP’s patience is tested every day while he supports the star guard’s decision to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Whenever Brooklyn’s coach addresses media inquiries about Irving’s status, his body language screams he would rather be anywhere else than answering questions about a man who does not respect his instructor. 

 

Teammates have not thrown him under the bus either despite Irving’s unacceptable actions.  But GM Sean Marks drew a line in the sand with his statement Tuesday that Irving will not practice or play until he can be a full-time participant, per the Athletic. 

 

Management’s ultimatum puts the ball in Irving’s hands to do the right thing.  Still, his reluctance to do what everyone else on the team has done is a distraction and an indication that Irving is a walking contradiction.  

 

Brooklyn’s lead guard is known for acts of generosity.  He has given six-figure donations to food banks and personal protective gear to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe during the pandemic, where he is an honorary member, and for his support of women’s professional basketball.  These initiatives paint the picture of a man who is not afraid to show empathy, but his anti-vaccination stance and the ramifications that come with it counter his good deeds.  

 

The pandemic has claimed the lives of 4.5 million people worldwide, but Irving thinks taking the shot or even revealing he has is a personal matter.  He even whined that his privacy should be respected.  It would be nice if Irving could explain to everyone why all those dead people are a partisan issue beneath him.  Unfortunately, it will probably never happen because when Irving is tested on anything, he goes off on a pseudo-intellectual rant that’s almost incomprehensible. 

 

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He’s the same guy who thought it was hilarious because the fans and media were curious why he said the earth was flat four years ago.  He did not understand that as a public figure, unfortunately, people will listen to what he has to say just because he dribbles a basketball.  Worse yet, some will think that a man who went to school on an athletic scholarship for a semester before going pro is a revolutionary thinker.   

 

Thus far, the mercurial guard has missed the first three preseason games.  The first in Los Angeles was a coaching decision. The second exhibition was in Brooklyn against Milwaukee, where he couldn’t play because of New York City ordinance. The third was in Philadelphia and he was not with the team.  These games are relatively meaningless and count only for making sure the players aren’t fat and that teammates develop timing and chemistry.  

 

The regular season is approaching on Oct. 19, and there is no sign that he will vaccinate.  If that’s the game #11 wants to play, the Nets should fine him for every game he misses.  Executive Director of the Players Association Michele Roberts told the New York Daily News the Players Union did not agree to dock pay for missed games for an athlete who is not vaccinated, but that it is the position of the league that it can.  

 

The Nets should fine him anyway.  If the Players Union has an issue with that, then both parties should settle it in court.  If it gets there, Brooklyn’s conscience should be clear.  Irving made it ugly. 

 

Tyler Herro is Primed for a Bounce Back Season

 

The 2021-22 season is a brand new start for so many players on the Miami Heat. Some of them are newcomers, while others are familiar faces with something to prove. The trials and tribulations of an embattled second season are behind guys like Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson. But for Tyler Herro, a player entering his third season, he sees an opportunity to show everyone what he’s truly made of.

To look forward to the future, we must first examine the past path of the young guard out of Kentucky. Herro would have to abruptly stop the rookie campaign that saw him post a solid 13-4-2 line while shooting 38% from 3 on 5 attempts a game. An unprecedented pandemic forced everyone to readjust their usual NBA clocks. It’s hard to imagine how this would affect rookies that had yet to even set their clocks. But Herro made the most of the break between the abrupt hiatus and bubble down in Orlando.

We saw small improvements in his finishing that included hints of a floater game; as well as better on-ball handling, and reps in the pick-and-roll. The young Heat rookie had worked tirelessly to help his team reach another level once it was playoff time. This reputation of always wanting to improve and wanting to be in the gym like his mentor Jimmy Butler was a reason the organization fell so fast for him. Though Miami ultimately came up short in their run; the team and their fans felt they had something special brewing with Tyler Herro.

But not everything comes easy, and reality can hit you like a sack of bricks. The NBA announced that the next “regular” season would begin in less than 80 days. No real offseason for a player who proved what he could do when given the proper time off to improve. Another wrinkle in the path Herro thought would be a lot smoother.

It was a rough 2020-21 season for the team as a whole, and especially for a second-year player like Herro. Dealing with the weight of expectations, nagging injuries (hip and foot) that never went away, and new celebrity status. But even when going through the hell that was 2021, Tyler came out of the other side with improved raw stats as he put up 15-5-3. When you took a closer look, his shooting numbers did take quite a dip, but the perseverance to get any sort of upward tick was gutsy in itself. You could see how everything was weighing him down throughout the season. It was fitting that the day he had his best game of the season against the Sixers, putting up 34-7-4, we learned he was playing through neck spasms.

Herro played through it all yet received numerous criticism for falling in love with the celebrity side of NBA life. While he was improving his finishing at the basket, people could only point out his shortcomings. Expectations were getting ridiculous and his loud internet fanbase wasn’t helping manners. Neither were the constant trade rumors following him for pretty much the entire season. From the James Harden whispers to the Kyle Lowry talks that followed soon after.

 

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Herro’s 2020-21 was a war of attrition between him and circumstances beyond his control. One battle would end and another would start immediately after. He never surrendered but it was clear the ammunition just wasn’t there.

But now the 2021-22 season is on its way. Herro’s received proper time to prepare for new battles and obstacles thrown his way. “He’s had a great offseason, it’s all about impacting winning. Everything his 1st year was roses & easy sailing. Last year he was better statistically but it’s important to be able to handle adversity and when the narrative changes to forge ahead” said Coach Spoelstra on Herro during media day. “I am going to wake a lot of people up,” said Herro about the number of people sleeping on him.

We got a glimpse of the newly equipped Tyler in his first preseason game against the Hawks this past Monday. Herro was not only hitting his usual jumpers but getting to his spots easier. You can see from the video below how much the game has slowed down for him. You can’t take too much from preseason, but the style of play and fluidity of motion is easily translatable into the regular season. The dividends that Herro’s on-ball reps that occurred throughout his first two years were starting to show already. You can see the way he puts his defender in jail when coming off that initial screen. He’s not being forced out to the perimeter as easily with his newly added bulk. Getting to that second line of defense consistently was always the next step in his process to being a really good scorer.

 

It’s pretty appropriate he was up against Trae Young, who has mastered this exact kind of scoring. Another thing Herro looks to emulate from Young is the immaculate floater game. While Tyler is a much bigger player than Trae, it never hurts to use the shot known as the “giant killer.” Herro spoke after the game saying “I think it’s a really efficient shot for me as opposed to getting all the way to the rim against 7 footers all the time. Whether it’s pulling up in the midrange, or getting to that floater, I think I can be really efficient in that area all season.” The in-between scoring has always been a facet Herro has shown flashes of before. Mastering it will allow him to take another step forward.

There is also the rim pressure portion of Herro’s game that was quietly on display that night as well. Tyler’s added weight and visible bounciness helped earn him 6 free throw attempts and assists off drives. During a team scrimmage earlier everyone was buzzing about a dunk he had in traffic that seemed to turn some heads. No one had seen things like that before; which is why it was the cause of such talk. Adding 4-5 free throws a game would do wonders for someone who already has such a smooth jumper. What better players to learn about drawing fouls at the rim than Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry after all?

Speaking of Lowry, his impact is going to do wonders for the next step the boy wonder will take. Having another player like Butler who loves setting up his scorers the way Lowry does? That’s music to the ears of everyone involved, especially a score first guard. “Everyone notices the differences when he’s out there. The way he gets everyone to their spots, he’s really advanced in that area. He’s helping me a ton, I’m blessed to be able to play with another guy like him,” Herro said about playing with Lowry.

Thinking less and being able to play more freely are what Lowry allows Herro to do. These sorts of things are even more important to a guy like Tyler, whose game is best suited in free-flowing offenses. Allowing him to read and react faster without the demon of overthinking hanging on his shoulder. That overthinking was what constantly jammed his process last season; whether it was on the floor or off of it. Now leading a bench unit all to himself, while at the same time always being on the floor with another creator in Butler or Lowry or both. A Sixth Man of the Year award seems more than likely if he performs the way many envision.

Guys like Kyle Lowry can do wonders in player development.  Just look at how much it helped with players like Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby. Miami hopes that he does the same with Tyler Herro as well as Bam Adebayo.

Tyler Herro has very rarely dealt with any sort of normal circumstances since he got into the NBA. But he hasn’t complained one bit, even if it would be quite understandable. He’s forged ahead with the hand he’s been dealt when others might have crumbled. Ready to prove to everyone that writing him off so early was their first mistake. Playing “free” and “loose” with a bounce to his step.

A bounce that has visibly returned, whether literally or figuratively. Tyler has talked about how much his game is predicated on confidence. Last year was such a rough year, that it might have broken any other player’s confidence — but not for Herro. He started immediately after the Bucks series, as Coach Spoelstra pointed out, and never looked back. He looked forward to working hard on his game during an actual offseason. Adding whatever he could with the time finally granted to him. His confidence, health, and bounce are back; all that’s left is to show everyone who the real Tyler Herro is.

 

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: J-Kidd Off to a Rocky Start?

It didn’t take more than a day for Jason Kidd, newly hired head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, to take an unfair jab during media availabilities at his rockstar point guard Luka Dončić .  The art of communication has never been a forte of Kidd’s.  Just ask his first wife, Larry Sanders or Zaza Pachulia.  But this latest under-the-radar admission potentially indicates he didn’t learn as much as he said he did serving under coach Frank Vogel’s Lakers staff.

 

“I want to remind him that he can rely on his teammates,” said Kidd while comparing Dončić to a young Picasso.  

 

Someone as talented and experienced as Kidd should know that it’s injudicious to criticize a player in front of the press.  Worse yet, when his reasoning is misguided and it’s the star of the team.

 

The only player on the Mavericks that can initiate the offense to take 10 eyes of Dončić while they share the court is Jalen Brunson.  The roadblock here is that Brunson is most effective in a reserve role and should probably see the court mostly when Dončić rests because of the group’s shortage of orchestrators. Dallas’ All-Star is burdened with scoring, facilitating and rebounding because the front office keeps striking out in Free Agency.  

 

At Media Day, Dončić was asked about Kidd’s comments and said he agreed.  Yet what else can you say when the new boss is a reported verbal abuser and proven wife-beater? Dončić was possibly trying to start on a bright note after souring the relationship with the previous honcho (Rick Carlisle).  

 

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It must have been an uncomfortable situation for Dončić because disagreeing makes it a story on day one that the new coach and star player don’t see eye-to-eye.  Kidd’s cliche was unnecessary and perhaps disingenuous, owing to the fact that Dončić has no co-star.  Kristaps Porzingus was supposed to be the antidote to this problem, but his health is always compromised by injuries which leaves him out of sync when returning to the court. 

 

The last two playoff appearances for the Mavericks resulted in first-round losses to the Los Angeles Clippers.   It’s unforgettable how effective Dončić was while catching all of LA’s defensive schemes, even doing so playing through neck pain. Had Dallas’ lead guard had a running mate available that could get two feet in the paint at will, maybe the Mavericks wouldn’t be so concerned about Dončić wearing down at the end of each series.

 

 It’s the front office’s responsibility to put pieces around the former EuroLeague champion that will simplify his job and not just replace an instructor with a coach that speaks in platitudes.  In Kidd’s last two posts as head coach, he first tried to unceremoniously seize general manager Billy King’s position, the man who hired him, but was denied by ownership.  The Nets then traded Kidd to Milwaukee for a pair of second-round picks, per Jeff Zillgit of USA Today.

 

As “leader” of the Bucks, Milwaukee reached the playoffs twice, and he was let go a couple of months into his fourth season due to the team’s disappointing start.  It was reported by ESPN that Giannis Antetokounmpo was unhappy with his dismissal, but NBA Insider and former columnist and reporter for the New York Post Peter Vecsey told me that news was exaggerated.

 

In Kidd’s third stop as lead instructor, paired with a generational talent for the second time, he has four years to live up to the heights reached by Rick Carlisle and the 2011 Mavericks. Indeed, a challenging task for someone who struggles with controlling his emotions. 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: 5 Storylines for the 2021-22 NBA Season

Competitive professional hoops are fewer than three week away from what should be a memorable 75th year honoring the NBA and its former legends.  Teams have licked their wounds and reloaded through the draft and free agency for their next campaign as the NBA attempts a return to normalcy in its third season dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Below are five reasons to stay hooked on the NBA:

 

  1. Who is Klay Thompson today?

 

Thompson hasn’t suited up since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals. He missed all of the following season (2019/2020), recovering from his torn ACL, then on last year’s Draft night, tore his Achilles’ tendon in a private workout.

 

It’s unfair to Thompson, but the success of the Warriors season rests in his health.  Golden State need to get something close to his production level pre-injury in order to legitimately compete for titles.   Stephen Curry is catching every defensive scheme from the opposing team, and with Draymond Green’s inability to hit an outside jumper or take advantage of driving lanes, the Warriors often play 4-on-5 while Green is on the court.

 

The refusal of Andrew Wiggins to vaccinate is also a factor because he’s ineligible to play in home games and it doesn’t appear he will change his mind soon.  Wiggins told the press that he will keep “fighting” for what he believes in.  As long as he remains misinformed, the Warriors will be without a guy who doesn’t hunt shots and keeps the ball moving on 19 points per game.  His potential absence creates a larger burden on the rest of the Dubs.

 

Thompson’s injuries are two of the most ruinous wounds an athlete can endure, and they will undoubtedly hinder him on the defensive side of the court, where he was once among the league’s elite. Offensively, Thompson has a solid chance of regaining his old form due to playing in the Warriors motion offense.

 

Thompson said at Media Day not to expect a return before 12 months since tearing his Achilles tendon on Nov. 18.

 

  1. Will Kawhi Leonard play? 

 

Kawhi Leonard suffered a partially torn ACL during Game 4 of the West Semis against the Utah Jazz that sat him the rest of the Clippers playoff run. Leonard, historically, has been very conservative with his health and once played all but nine games in a season (2018) recovering from a torn quad.

 

Just on pure speculation, I wouldn’t expect Leonard to play next year because it would place the burden on him to be the savior of the franchise come postseason time. There is also no guarantee the Clippers will habitually perform well without the services of their best player, so returning next year could be a futile effort for Leonard if the team has poor positioning in the playoff bracket by the time he is healthy. 

 

At Media Day, Leonard said he hoped to play this season, but he offered no timetable for his comeback. 

 

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  1. Can the Nets star trio stay on the court together?

 

Due to various health concerns and PTO, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant only suited up for 13 games together, regular season and playoffs combined. Yet, they are on the books for over $120 million of the Nets cap space.  In that minuscule sample size, the star threesome has won 10 games and lost three while teasing spectators on what could be their final form offensively once they’ve learned each other’s tendencies.

 

Although, on the less-heralded side of the court, the Brooklyn Nets were 22nd in Defensive Rating according to NBA.com, and that starts with their three linchpins.  The only way this big three can begin to show a commitment to the side of the floor is if they manage to get on the court together consistently. Still, due to their supernova abilities attacking the opposing defense from all angles, the Nets don’t have to be better than average at guarding. 

 

Getting on the court may be an issue. Irving remains unvaccinated and he is ineligible to play in 41 home games per New York City ordinance. If he remains unvaccianted, the Nets take a serious blow to their title aspirations. 

 

  1. Epidemic of the selfish

 

Per ESPN, close to 40 players remain unvaccinated placing their teams in a competitive disadvantage if the unvaccinated player comes into contact with someone positive for COVID-19.  This forces the athlete into a week of quarantine when it wouldn’t if they were vaccinated.

 

The anti-vaxxers in New York City and San Francisco dig their teams a deeper hole because they will not be allowed to compete in 41 home games, per The Athletic.   

 

There are also the health risks that come with not being vaccinated.  The CDC says it’s harder to catch and pass on the virus when vaccinated, but these thick-headed individuals refuse to listen to wisdom from medical professionals. 

 

It is not a personal issue.  It’s a public health crisis, and these poor teammates who refuse to do the right thing are also becoming distractions for their clubs.

 

  1. Impact of Olympic competition on players next season

 

When great basketball players are around their peers, many return home with their skills fine-tuned and an enlightened mind. This comes from time spent learning the tricks and tools of the NBA’s elite and listening to a separate coaching staff than accustomed to.

 

After the 2014 FIBA World Cup that Team USA won gold in, the Splash Brothers came back and dominated the next regular season and playoffs, with Curry winning league MVP. James Harden finished second behind Curry, and he was also a part of Team USA. 

 

The United States team who won gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, features young players on the verge of superstardom, such as Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Zach Lavine, and Bam Adebayo. The experience these gentlemen gathered playing in the Olympics, which is essentially a different game because of the rule differences and increased physicality, is invaluable. This master class experience should keep them sharp and in shape heading into next season. Expect a significant amount of this team’s players providing more contributions for their clubs when the 2021/2022 season starts. 

Media Day Marked the Beginning of a New Day for the Miami Heat

Today marked the first day that many new faces, as well as old ones, wore their Miami Heat threads in front of media for the 2021-22 season. It felt like the dawning of a new day. The bad vibes and weirdness of last season were officially behind everyone. As most Media Days go, it was time for optimism and looking ahead.

Nothing exemplified this more than Kyle Lowry stepping up to the podium saying “good morning. Good morning! Sh*t!” Trying to wake up a room full of media members the same way he hopes to wake up this Heat team into a better season. Welcoming them into a new day that’ll be better than the previous one.

The entire day was full of the feeling of a fresh start for so many people. Erik Spoelstra smiling in front of everyone as he talked about how great it was to have an actual offseason with a real training camp on the horizon. Spoelstra has always been a big believer in building habits and how having a routine can help in building them. He’d go on to say that “this offseason was good for everybody. The offseason felt very adequate, it felt long, we were able to get away.” Again, putting everything into perspective about how strange last season was for everyone.

It’s easy to understand Spoelstra feeling such optimism with the team being built so perfectly to what he wants to run. He would go on to say “the way the roster was constructed was done in a very thoughtful way.” This isn’t to say that Miami is a perfect roster — far from it. There are still noticeable holes on the team, but it certainly is apparent that the team has a set identity and pecking order. It’s a drastic difference to what happened most of last year where it took quite a bit to find themselves if they ever did.

One of the players that will be a part of the new identity was PJ Tucker who was wearing his new threads alongside a pair of Jordan 1 “Legends of Summer.” The NBA Veteran seemed to fit right into his new home as he called it “a match made in heaven.” Tucker spoke about how he envisions working next to Bam Adebayo and how easy it is to play with a guy like Bam. He revealed how much he plays pickup with Adebayo and how seamless it will be. Miami hopes that Tucker’s insertion will go as smoothly as those pickup games. And that’s not misguided hope that seemed to follow the team last year — instead, it’s real tenable hope.

 

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But Miami won’t let hope be the only thing powering them into the season. They have the motivation to cleanse the sour taste of last season’s playoff exit. “I don’t think that chip will ever leave. It’s embedded in me,” added Adebayo during his availability. While he may have been talking about the motivation to get better, there’s no doubt how much this applies to the way he and the team will have a chip to carry throughout the year. Past Heat teams have always operated in the manner that Adebayo speaks of; it’s how they received the reputation they have today.

Another player turning the page from last year is a very noticeably bigger Tyler Herro. You hear a lot about how guys “put on muscle” at the start of camp but most of that can be a lot of fluff. With a guy who came into the league as small as he did, there’s no mistaking how much weight he’s added. It feels appropriate that such a new look comes from a player who is ready to show the league that what they saw last season wasn’t him. A player who was constantly dealing with injuries and getting pushed around both literally and figuratively.

“I think it’ll help on both ends of the floor. Stay in front of my man easier, keep everyone in front of me. Offensively obviously being able to take bumps. My durability throughout the season, I wanna be able to be on the floor and be available as much as I can,” Herro added during the practice court availability. The Heat organization will hope to see how much Herro puts this to work on the floor. A lot of guys add weight, but fewer guys make it matter on the floor. It will help to learn from Jimmy Butler, who is sculpted like a statue, about the intricacies of using strength on the court to your fullest advantage.

 

It’s these types of stories that tell you how much adequate offseasons matter for an organization that prides itself on putting its players in the best possible position to succeed. It was difficult to put those players in those positions last year when everything was so topsy-turvy.

The weight of last year has started shedding and the light of a new season began to shine on this media day. The possibilities that Bam Adebayo spoke about in expanding his game out to the three-point line, while still being an inside threat with the addition of Kyle Lowry. The hopes of a Tyler Herro bounce-back season that puts him in contention for the Sixth Man of the Year award. The sweet nothings Jimmy Butler whispered into the ears of Heat fans about just how good Kyle Lowry will fit in. The pictures of Victor Oladipo in a Heat jersey once again teasing everyone of what’s to come even further down the road.

Everyone is ready to move ahead and as far away from last year as possible. Even Gabe Vincent is saying he’s ready to shoot the way he did in the G-League as he’s finally come to understand the shot mechanics the Heat staff introduced to him a while back. The entire team, staff, and fans are ready to turn that proverbial page after the horror story that was 2021.It’s a day to feel the first ounce of hope for what should be a fun season, Heat fans. Media Day is only the beginning and we have even more to look forward to in the coming weeks. It truly felt like a brand new morning in the world of the Miami Heat and, in the words of Kyle Lowry, “good morning!” It’s time for the Heat to wake up South Florida sports once again.

 

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76ers Shouldn’t be Intimidated by Ben Simmons & Rich Paul

Three months ago, the 76ers, in front of a stupefied home crowd, retreated to the locker room amid the groaning boos of the Philadelphia faithful.  Fans stood in horror at the sight of an agonizing meltdown the scoreboard reflected after Game 7s loss to Atlanta.

 

Yet, what followed Philly’s bitter season finale was a reprehensible offense by coach Doc Rivers  at the post-game press conference.  The former NBA point guard was asked if he thought Ben Simmons could be a point guard for a championship team.  

 

“I don’t know the answer to that right now,” Rivers said.

 

The damage was done.  Rivers forgot part of his job was to protect his players, as he candidly responded to the media.  Despite how awful Simmons played in the last four games, no one, except for masochists, enjoy getting humiliated by a superior in front of others.

 

As reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, it’s the reason behind Simmons’ strife with the organization.  Simmons, allegedly, will not attend training camp to manipulate the club into shipping him elsewhere.  It’s the only leverage he and his agent Rich Paul think they have, and it seems they’ve outplayed their hand. 

 

Paul and Simmons are at the blackjack table and think they have an Ace and King.  In reality, they are past 21.  Per the CBA, the 76ers have the right to fine Simmons the equivalent of what he makes in a game, for every day he misses training camp and beyond.  I don’t believe Paul and his client, no matter how handsomely they are paid, are foolish enough to eat a $227,000 fine every game day while they pout their demands.

 

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Eventually, the charade Simmons and Paul are playing will grow tiresome for their wallets.  #25 will at some point walk through Philly’s doors and rejoin the uncomfortable environment he helped create because of his inability to improve from outside of five feet from the basket on offense. 

 

Rivers should have never thrown his player under the bus in front of the press.  His fury for Simmons’ incompetence should have stayed between them. Coach, even took the time as a guest of ESPN’s First Take, Tuesday, to extend an olive branch to his lead guard by saying, “we would love to get Ben back.” 

 

But Philly’s quarterback isn’t blameless.  Opposing teams are mercilessly taking advantage of his limitations and forcing the 76ers to play 4-on-5 when Philly has the ball and Simmons is in the court.  The spacing issues are enough to drive any instructor mad.

 

It’s a peculiar situation, but the 76ers and Simmons both need each other.  Without him, Philadelphia isn’t competing for anything and wouldn’t receive fair value for their disgruntled “All-Star” on the open market if they wanted to move him.  Accepting a poor deal could set the franchise back years.   

 

In Simmons’ case, he won’t expedite his wishes of getting traded, remaining absent from team activities.  The only way Simmons will be moved is if he returns and rebuilds his value on the court.  He is on the books for the next four years and owed $147 million.  His impact doesn’t reflect someone who should take up that much salary cap space for a team, and that’s possibly why no suiter will engage with Philadelphia’s steep trade demands.  

Some NBA Players Proving to be Bad Teammates

The narcissists who make up the 15% of unvaccinated NBA players are fools.

 

Astonishingly, grown men with straight faces argued in defiance of evidence and reason to their peers and league officials that a vaccine mandate in place to protect them is a “nonstarter,” as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

 

Whatever pseudoscience and rubbish about civil liberties cited by the governing minority as a reason to avoid the vaccine should be treated with ridicule. These players are not smarter than the doctors who have risked their lives helping create an antidote for the world’s plague that has claimed the lives of 4.6 million people.

 

I want to extend my pity to the level-headed gentlemen who tried to help these men see the light because they, too, lost significant brain cells in this failed crusade.  The small group has shown that they are incapable of self-reflection and being counted on by their contemporaries in dire circumstances.

 

The “personal choice” this small faction of union members has taken, whoever they are, is to live in willful ignorance. Yet, I doubt their bubble is blissful.  These rejects will have a different experience in-season than those who are fully vaccinated due to the league protocols.

 

Referees, and all team personnel within 15 feet or less of the athletes, have to be fully vaccinated for next season.  Everyone in the NBA is doing their part to ensure a safer working environment, except for the thoughtless camp.

 

The league will not give COVID tests to vaccinated players in the same high frequency as those who aren’t, per Shams Charania of the Athletic.  The minority are at greater risk of hindering their teams through missed time if a test returns positive or if they come into close contact with someone who is because that forces the unvaxed athlete into a week of isolated shelflife.  Fully vaccinated players will not have to quarantine over close contact with someone positive for coronavirus. 

 

These specific guidelines ensure that another debacle, like when Nets forward Kevin Durant was removed from a game against the Toronto Raptors, twice in one night, over close contact with someone with a positive test, cannot occur again for those who were wise enough to vaccinate.  Only the careless will fall victim to that this year.  

 

Imagine sharing a foxhole with someone who only thinks of themself. It’s not fair to those who did the right thing and embraced the team mentality of thinking of their fellow man.  The dudes who did not vaccinate are bad teammates.

Kyle Lowry is Ready for the Final Phase of His Career

The longtime Raptor is ready to close out a fantastic career playing a role he’s no stranger to.

It was no surprise that Kyle Lowry’s final big contract came courtesy of the Miami Heat. The rumors had swirled since the trade deadline the season prior. It felt almost like a formality that the two would come to an agreement at the start of free agency. That agreement sought Lowry as a way to bridge the Jimmy Butler era into the Bam Adebayo one. He was the perfect piece to help this team compete in the now while setting them up for the future. Kyle Lowry has spent most of his career playing the role of team player, leader, and connector. What the Heat are going to ask of him won’t be much different from what he’s used to — it’s a match made in heaven.

Dating back to Houston, Kyle knew how to leave his mark in almost every game. He wouldn’t be the flashiest or the prettiest (though his flops were true works of art akin to Warhol), but he knew how to get the job done by any means. Lowry has been one of a kind in a league that’s seen so many unique Point Guards. When Heat fans saw him play, it felt like they were watching what would happen if scientists created the most Heat-like PG.

These two were practically made for each other. It’s the same feeling Heat fans had when watching Jimmy Butler. And similarly to the Butler signing, it seems like the two paths are crossing at the perfect time. Lowry is no longer in the prime of his career at 35, but Miami knows this. They don’t need Kyle Lowry of 2016 to succeed; the current iteration that’s still one of the best PGs in basketball will more than suffice.

You could make the argument the marriage of the two might have been even better if Lowry signed with Miami in 2014 when both expressed mutual interest. But let’s not dwell on the past like a regretful 40-something. The Heat have proven time and again that they always circle back to players. While it may not be 2014, this union’s timing is still right to benefit both sides greatly.

Earlier, I talked about Lowry being the “bridge” to connect the old and new guards. Last season Miami was a team stuck in the middle, not knowing which direction to go full throttle. After a wasted year that saw Jimmy Butler put up incredible numbers, it was clear they needed to stop waffling. But with Kyle Lowry, it’s not only a “win-now” move — it’s a move that’ll help the future of the franchise in Bam Adebayo to be the best version of himself.

That’s the kind of player Kyle Lowry has always been. Lowry has worked with young players waiting for their greatness to be unleashed. He made the game easier for Pascal Siakam while knowing when to take a step back so that he could learn to fly. All those small but significant details Kyle plugs will make the game slow down even more than ever for a young player, especially a center like Bam. I won’t go into more detail about those intricacies since everyone and their mother has written in-depth about those already. We all know about the pocket passes, short roll delivery, post-entry passes, quick hitters, and DHOs flowing into pick-and-rolls. Adebayo will get his piece of the pie on a platter as opposed to through the pig trough.

 

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Lowry wants to make the game easier for everyone in a variety of ways. He plays every possession like a mini-war that he wants to get all his soldiers through on the winning side. That may seem like hyperbole, but the man literally went through a player’s legs attempting to get a foul call. The same guy that tried drawing multiple charges at an All-Star Game. It’s safe to say that he’s not one to take possessions off that easily.

But Miami won’t be asking him to do too much. At this point in his career, asking for everything from Lowry in an 82 game season is a sticky proposition. It’s a good thing Miami will only want about 75% of everything. A line of around 16-7-5 on 33 minutes with decent efficiency is the sweet spot throughout the season. The playoffs are where everyone will be asking for that 100% Ultimate Lowry Form. Not asking much from Lowry as he reaches the tail-end of his career will lend this union to paying even more dividends for his longevity.

Kyle Lowry doesn’t need much more to solidify what was already a wonderful career, but these final few years of competing in the playoffs will go a long way for those who still aren’t sure of his historical status. Not everyone has appreciated him the way Toronto fans or hardcore fans of the NBA have. The man has a Championship run under his belt — he doesn’t need to validate himself to casual fans. But these will more than likely be the last memories he’ll be making for a team that wants to win right now. A Miami team asking him to help lead them to another deep playoff run while guiding their up-and-coming star in Bam Adebayo. He’ll be easing the games of Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro while they ease the burden of him having to do too much.

Both Toronto and Lowry knew that their timelines were diverging and that it was time to go their separate ways. The split won’t take away all those memories he made or the legacy he helped build throughout his tenure. He knew it was time to take on a new challenge in his career. The time was right for him to say goodbye and venture to this new challenge of his career. He’ll take on this challenge the only way Kyle Lowry knows, and that’s to go in 100 miles per hour while in controlled chaos mode. He’ll forever be known as the quintessential Toronto Raptor. The heartbreak and triumph that followed are etched forever on the minds of every Raptors fan. Those films will play in the back of their minds, with Lowry playing the lead in every one of them, holding everything together throughout the years.

Lowry has always been the glue that holds a team together. He’s played the role and perfected it in a way few point guards achieve. The role isn’t anything new for the 6-time All-Star, but now it’s a whole new movie. Lowry isn’t the leading man anymore, but the supporting actor that gets Oscar-buzz after a resounding return to the big screen. Heat fans are lucky to get front-row seats to whatever his final act has in store.

 

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Wherever he goes next, Goran Dragic should eventually reside in rafters

Pat Riley has a habit of honoring the difference makers.  So much that he even graced Michael Jordan by retiring #23.  A player who — wore a different set of black, red and white while crushing the Heat on more than one occasion.

 

There was also the time the Heat hung Dan Marino’s #13 up in the rafters, even though his armor was cloaked in aqua and white, and his arena was a football field.  

 

The others Riley glorified are the pillars of the organization.  Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.  Additionally, there are three names also deserving, but nothing can be done for them yet because they are active players.  LeBron James is the “king of both coasts.”  Udonis Haslem is still barking invaluable instructions from the Heat bench.  Finally, Goran Dragić is a member of the Toronto Raptors. 

 

As far as Dragić and James, the Heat could never say anything publicly now due to the tampering headache that would hypothetically arise if they mentioned any plan to celebrate these two.  It’s inevitable that James gets his commemoration sometime when he’s retired, but the Dragon’s tale should always be remembered like myths carved in stone.  

 

The Dragon represented the Heat in the All-Star Game in 2018, and maintained that level of play whenever he was not burdened by injuries.  Dragić showed the ultimate allegiance to his former club.  His role shifted from being a captain and go-to scorer into the team’s sixth man and back again as a starter in the bubble.

 

Dragić has said the lineup change wasn’t easy when Coach Spoelstra suggested playing behind undrafted rookie Kendrick Nunn, but he handled it gracefully while excelling in his new mantle. Dragić possessed the emotional intelligence to allow Spo to tinker with the lineup during the 2020 regular season to maximize the group’s chances of winning later, and that’s a significant reason why the Heatles buried their eastern opponents. 

 

For three rounds in the bubble, Dragić was merciless on drives to the hole and shooting from the perimeter.  Miami’s lucky #7 was the squad’s leading scorer in the sweep over Indiana and in the eastern conference finals against Boston. 

 

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In Game 1 of the championship round, misfortune struck as Dragić tore the plantar fascia in his left foot, which sidelined him the next four games.  The lasting image of Dragić sobbing on the bench after his failed pregame warmup before Game 4 is ineradicable from memory.  He shouldn’t have tried to practice, but love for the game can cloud even the clearest minds.

 

The wounded Dragon made his courageous, albeit foolish, return to the court in Game 6, but the Heat got beat, and the Lakers were crowned champions.  

 

Dragić’s final year in Miami was the 2021 campaign in which the Heat never found their edge, amid a plague of injuries and size concerns.  The season ended in a sweep at the hands of a team (Bucks) who got pantsed by Miami in the bubble.

 

This summer, the Heat successfully pursued their latest white whale, Kyle Lowry. Yet, the indifferent Riley had to ship away Dragić and Precious Achiuwa to Toronto in a sign-n-trade to make the salaries work for both teams.

 

With less than three weeks until the start of training camp (Sept. 28), Lowry, who previously wore #7 in Toronto, still has not announced his jersey # for the Heat.  Considering the quality of player Dragić was during his time in Miami, and how he sacrificed his body for the club, it would be uncharacteristically tasteless for the Heat to give their new lead guard the same jersey # as their beloved Dragon.

 

One day #7 should hang in the rafters, but the back of the shirt should read Dragić, written in black.

 

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

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Chris Bosh: The Struggle and Power of Closing a Chapter

With the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony this Saturday, Chris Bosh will finally be closing a chapter of his basketball career he wasn’t expecting to write this early.

Letting go of a part of your life and walking towards the unknown of whatever is next can be terrifying. Whatever is next can be both exciting and nerve-racking. The scariest part of it all is knowing something is ending. For Chris Bosh, it was more frightening and even more unknown than he could have ever imagined.

For many basketball players of Bosh’s caliber, ending their playing careers is almost always on their terms. They realize when the game has passed them by or when their bodies have had enough. But that’s where we come to understand that life is as cruel as it is beautiful. Chris Bosh’s career didn’t end on the floor after his team’s final regular season or playoff game. It didn’t even get a tearful goodbye speech in front of the press. Bosh’s playing career ended inside a doctor’s office without a fan or media member to be found.

This couldn’t be how the career of someone who had become so beloved in South Florida would end. Someone who, by all accounts, was one of the most likable players anyone had the pleasure of interacting with. It didn’t make any sense to basketball fans, people who rooted for him, and to Chis himself. It had felt like a gut punch to the basketball universe that we’d no longer get to witness the joy and unbridled enthusiasm Bosh played with every night. He was only getting started writing in the final quarter of his career, and before anyone knew it, there was no more ink left.

At first, Chris kept trying and trying to come back to the game, thinking he could still get through this. Rumors kept swirling about a possible return to a team here and there. But the risk was way too high for a man who had a growing family that loved him, wanting to see something much more than a career be extended. Bosh had given so much to the game of basketball and, without warning, was taken away in an instant. Snatched away while still being on the verge of even more greatness ahead. More time to build an even more impressive career resume was gone in the blink of an eye.

I could only imagine the frustration felt by Bosh knowing the game was finally getting to where he would have been playing well into his late 30s. He was literally an All-Star the first time he had a sign of anything troubling. Everyone knew Chris still had so much left in the tank, and he knew it too. Why do people think he kept trying to come back and play? He knew he had so much more to give and more to build with the Miami Heat. He saw that All-Star caliber Point Guard in Goran Dragic Miami had just acquired and wanted to play alongside him. The dreams of pick-and-pops that Dragic had so much success with Channing Frye in Phoenix were dancing in everyone’s minds. But that’s all they would be; just dreams. Hopes dashed overnight so casually cruel.

Nothing about the entire end of Chris Bosh’s career felt fair to anyone. But then again, any kind of abrupt ending rarely is. This didn’t make it any less gut-punching for everyone involved. It’s now been 5 years and 7 months since Chris last played in a professional basketball game. He’s seen his old team go through several changes with a variety of different players, some of which Bosh had played with not too long ago. We saw Chris get his jersey lifted on the rafters of what is now known as FTX Arena between that time. He gave a wonderful speech that was appropriately ended with a patented “Bosh Roar.” He knew that the circumstances that led to the end weren’t up to him, but he’s making sure the final few speeches he’s giving about his playing time are memorable.

These moments were the ones Chris Bosh dreamed of happening once he left the game; they were just happening a lot earlier than he had hoped. But Chris was no longer thinking about what could have been. He had moved on to saying goodbye, even if it wasn’t on his terms. But how often do our goodbyes actually come at “the right time?” It’s about what we do in those closing moments that matter. And a guy as smart and thoughtful as Chris Bosh is always going to make sure they matter. Sulking and standing in the corner isn’t going to do anything. Moving forward with a head held high is the only way Chris knows.

When you see him up on that podium accepting his Hall of Fame enshrinement, it’ll be the closing of a chapter but not the end of his story. The man will be producing music, helping kids achieve goals, mastering a new instrument, teaching code, or simply being the best dad he can be. Basketball was a beautiful part of Bosh’s life that I, and so many others, were lucky to witness. I know he’s going to give a speech that is suited for such a great career. The ending may have been unexpected, but he’s making the most of what is now the coronation. The flowers that he deserved to get when he was playing are rightfully being given now. The importance he played in the league’s growth and the Miami Heat franchise is getting the shine it deserved for so long.

So while his career may have ended when a doctor broke the news 5 years ago, he’s just now writing the final pages of his basketball chapter. We’ll see a close to it this Saturday, and we’ll shed a few tears looking back at all of it. We’ll finally get the closure Miami Heat fans, basketball enthusiasts in general, and Chris himself never got to have. Chris said at his Hall of Fame press conference, “even though losing the game was tough, this definitely gives me closure.” That closure will be on Chris Bosh’s words as he rightfully takes his place amongst the greatest to ever play. We can’t always expect the ends to parts of our story, but Chris has shown that the way you tell those endings means more. Never with your head looking down, but with it looking back fondly and looking forward with optimism.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882