All-Star Weekend has come and gone. It was freezing and for reasons nobody can properly articulate Sting performed. The coolest aspect of All-Star Weekend was the Jordan store at Yonge-Dundas. S’gone now without a note on the dresser. Damn.
Last half of the 70th NBA season…let’s get down to business. Some of the storylines I was following when the season started are unfolding…
April 13 the NBA Season concludes.
April 16 the NBA Playoffs begin!
Hopefully myself and Garbage Time co-host Craig White will return to document with fun flair and serious sass the 2016 NBA Playoffs. For let’s keep our eyes on the prize…
NBA Trade Deadline: February 18 at 3pm.
You can pick a player, a rumour, online buzz there’s lots of hype floating in the air. Until the trigger is pulled it’s all white noise. This could impact standings, playoffs etc. It is what it is.
West Is The Best?
Warriors are 48-4, to break the Bulls’ 72-10 record they’ll have to go 25-5. Surreal. It’d break my heart to see Bulls’ record fall and yet…the Warriors have been dominate all year. It’s doable. Also surreal: as it stands the Spurs are only 3.5 games back of the Warriors.
Is this the end of OKC as we know it? I contend the window to blow the team up has passed. They’re clearly not going to win a championship this year so what are they playing for? Same issue with Grizzles. Blow it up! Spread the talent around…
Westbrook and Luke Walton go to the Lakers at the end of the year…and sign DeMar DeRozan. That rebuilds the Lakers following Kobe’s departure. For Adam Silver a priority is getting the Lakers and Knicks back in contention; it makes for a healthier league.
Kobe’s gone…that’s official. It doesn’t matter how he finishes out. It’s what he is gonna do after the NBA that matters. That I can’t wait. We’ve never had a retired player in any sport this well known, this internationally loved, this rich with this amount of access to technology based in California home of Silicon Valley ever before; this is a fascinating precedent. (Jordan doesn’t have the interest or the technology interests; Kobe does). Hopefully this means another Kobe doc: Kobe Doin’ Work 2.
Only other team capturing my attention is the Spurs. Like Pop I’ll wait to see what they do in the playoffs. Right now they are scary good and 28-0 at home. Be a huge blow to lose Kobe and some Spurs all in the same year. Could happen…
Over to the East…
The Raptors Voodoo doll of Chris Bosh is still active…he’s done for the season with a blood clot. That makes Miami beatable. That’s about the only comforting thought.
Like Christmas lights The East is a mad jumble: Celts, Hawks, Pacers and Bulls are all dangerous come Playoffs. Trades could totally help/hinder East teams. What are the Knicks up to?
I don’t see Raptors coming out of the East. Clearly DeMarre Carroll has to come back for the Raps to rumble. Let’s get into the second round before champagne gets popped.
Cavs? Looks like it. Again that Christmas jumble; an upset is possible. The East is Cleveland’s to lose. They’re still adjusting under new coach, might make some trades. I think Kevin Love is injured…same old Cavs basically.
Bill Simmons update: Grantland 2 will be called The Ringer (how was he able to get the URL and twitter handle for that?!). He’s rehired many Grantland staff and it’ll cover sports and pop culture. Basically it’s all back to normal like after a horror movie.
Oh and how great was it to see Craig Sager at the All-Star game. Woot. Hope that dude is 100%.
Ok let’s do this: NBA schedule resume on Thursday February 18 at 7pm EST.
BALL IN FALL IN
Sammy Younan Is The Brown Mamba: W T F
Ziggy Was Here January 8, 1947 – January 10, 2016
