The Bench Mob Blog

Trade Deadline Review and Grades (3/26/21)

Bulls news: Zach LaVine reacts to trade for Nikola Vucevic

Hey everybody, it’s been a while! My last post was 11 days ago. But forgive me, because I was waiting for the biggest in-season NBA event: the trade deadline. I was gonna write an article about just the Bucks trade, but I just decided to throw it in this one. That’s why I haven’t made a post in so long.

Anyways, the trade deadline. Even though there weren’t any superstars traded (there was an All-Star), that’s alright because we already got the Harden trade (which actually has an involvement in this article). The trade deadline was still exciting (exciting enough for me to miss my gym class video call at 1:45. The deadline was in 15 minutes. I’d say it was worth it).

So now that all the trades are finished, I can go through every move and give my opinion on them. Let’s get started!

(Expect a sequel to this article in the next couple weeks where I discuss signings made by teams on the buyout market. Guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Drummond, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jeff Teague will likely end up on teams this week.)

Atlanta Hawks

Add: Lou Williams

Lose: Rajon Rondo

This is an interesting trade for the Hawks. They’re losing backcourt defense in this trade, which is something this team needs considering Trae Young is one of the worst defenders in the entire league. Lou Williams does bring consistent scoring off the bench, but the Hawks do already have Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic in that department (both of whom are also below average defenders). This trade isn’t bad though, because Rondo hasn’t been all that good for Atlanta this year. The Hawks get an upgrade of a player, but a worse fit with this deal.

Grade: C+

Boston Celtics

Add: Evan Fournier, Mo Wagner, Luke “does literally nothing” Kornet

Lose: Daniel Theis, Jeff Teague, Javonte Green

Before I talk about the players that actually matter, I need to explain the nickname I just gave Kornet. Homie literally doesn’t do anything good. He’s 7’1”, and shoots 33% from the field. That SUCKS. 85% of his field goal attempts this year have been from three, and he only shoots 28% from that range. This guy is a literal disadvantage. He can’t even block shots!

Ok, anyways, the Celtics did a pretty good job here. Evan Fournier is an underrated player. He’s a consistent 18+ PPG scorer. He’s a great fit in Boston’s iso-heavy offense as a spot up shooter (he’s shooting 54% on corner threes this year). The problem is the Celtics didn’t add a defensive anchor. Mo Wagner is an offensive center, and doesn’t defend like Theis could. I’m not worried about it though, because if they cut Kornet they can potentially get Hassan Whiteside if he gets waived. But by downgrading their center depth, they’re putting trust in Robert Williams. Robert is having a great season, and will be a starting-caliber center for this team going forward. Trading Jeff Teague opens more minutes for Payton Pritchard at the point.

Grade: B (goes up to a B+ or maybe even a A- if they get Hassan Whiteside)

Charlotte Hornets

Add: Brad Wanamaker

The Hornets didn’t make any big moves, which they maybe should have. LaMelo Ball going down with a potential season-ending injury is a big blow to a young Charlotte roster looking to make a surprise playoff appearance. There is still a small chance that Andre Drummond ends up in Charlotte, but probably not. The Hornets did make one move though, which was buying Brad Wanamaker from the Warriors. Although Wanamaker is shooting an atrocious 35% from the field and 21% from three this year, he is an excellent free throw shooter. That means something, right? Wanamaker will be the main ball handler off the bench for Charlotte now that Devonte’ Graham will be starting again. So I guess this move was decent.

Grade: C+

Chicago Bulls

Add: Nikola Vucevic, Al-Farouq Aminu, Daniel Theis, Troy Brown Jr, Javonte Green

Lose: Wendell Carter Jr, Otto Porter Jr, Daniel Gafford, Chandler Hutchison, Luke “does literally nothing” Kornet

The Bulls made the biggest move of the deadline. They picked up All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, as well as some other pieces. Daniel Theis is a combo big who can defend the paint and stretch the floor at a solid level. Al-Farouq Aminu is a versatile defending wing who becomes even more valuable when he shoots higher than 20% from three. Troy Brown was picked just outside the lottery a few years ago, and still has upside despite his bad season. So the Bulls picked up some good players for a playoff push. They didn’t give up anything crazy either. I do think Daniel Gafford is good, but he’ll get a bigger opportunity in Washington than he would in Chicago.

In the end, the Bulls season will likely end with a disappointing play-in loss or getting swept in the first round (although Philly vs Chicago could be a 6 game series. That would be fun). That doesn’t matter though, because a playoff appearance would bring lots of confidence to a very young Chicago roster.

Grade: A half a plus

Cleveland Cavaliers

Add: Isaiah Hartenstein

Lose: JaVale McGee

I don’t have much to say about this deal. Cleveland had no need for JaVale McGee, and they got G-League legend Isaiah Hartenstein. Isaiah brings great hustle, and can kind of stretch the floor. Plus he’s only 22, so if can become a consistent backup center, Cleveland got great value for JaVale.

Grade: B-

Dallas Mavericks

Add: J.J. Redick, Nicolo Melli

Lose: James Johnson, Wesley Iwundu

After trading Seth Curry, the Mavericks lost some shooting from their backcourt players. J.J. Redick fills that hole. Although J.J. is shooting a career low 36% from three this year, that percentage can easily jump back up in a better offense than the one down in New Orleans. Nicolo Melli is basically Maxi Kleber the lesser, but stretch fours are always useful. Dallas didn’t give much up. So this is a good trade.

Grade: B

Denver Nuggets

Add: Aaron Gordon, JaVale McGee, Gary Clark

Lose: Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, Isaiah Hartenstein

This was a high quality deadline for the Nuggets. They’re having a season that is worse than the last couple, but these trades improve the roster significantly. Aaron Gordon fills the hole at power forward left by Jerami Grant. Imagine Jokic with the ball in the high post and AG cutting down the baseline. Lob City baby. JaVale McGee also gives the team a legitimate backup center, especially considering the Nuggets won’t play Bol Bol. Gary Harris has been a big part of Denver’s success for a while, but his offense has gotten worse the last couple years, and it was time to move on. Denver is now geared for another deep playoff run.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons

Add: Cory Joseph

Lose: Delon Wright

Delon Wright is a solid player. He’s been pretty good for Detroit. I think they did this deal for the second round picks. But looking at the players straight up, I think this trade was bad for the Pistons. It’s not like Delon Wright is some 32 year old veteran.

Grade: C- (saved by the second round picks)

Golden State Warriors

Add: Draft rights to some random dude I’ve never heard of

Lose: Marquese Chriss, Brad Wanamaker

To be honest, the Warriors motive for this deadline is not clear to me. If it’s a roster spot they wanted, they created one by selling Wanamaker. So I’m not sure why they got rid of Marquese Chriss. Chriss is a solid center. But I guess the Warriors are confident they can get a center on the buyout market. Maybe DeMarcus Cousins, or Gourgi Dieng.

Grade: D (Could go anywhere from a D+ to a C+ based on who they sign)

Houston Rockets

Add: Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson

Lose: Victor Oladipo, P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs

Rafael Stone? Bro? You good? Why would you trade Oladipo for nothing valuable? Seriously! For some dumb reason, this man passed up on Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, just to get Oladipo in return for James freaking Harden. So now they have Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk in return for Harden. That’s unbelievable.

Grade D- (D.J. Wilson saves this from being an F just because he’s the greatest to ever do it.)

Los Angeles Clippers

Add: Rajon Rondo

Lose: Lou Williams

This trade is solid for Los Angeles. Rondo is a better fit for the Clippers because he looks to pass rather than shoot, and he can defend well. Rondo also steps it up in the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Clippers, they didn’t have the assets to get Terry Rozier, Lonzo Ball, or Kyle Lowry. So Rondo is good for now.

Grade: B-

Miami Heat

Add: Victor Oladipo, Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica

Lose: Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, Mo Harkless, Meyers Leonard, Chris Silva

Great deadline for the Miami Heat. They didn’t give up all that much (although Kelly Olynyk’s role as a stretch center is not filled. Bjelica plays the four). Victor Oladipo, although he isn’t the same player he was two years ago, is still an excellent 3&D guard. He gives the Heat a legitimate third player while Tyler Herro is still improving. The Heat have sped up since their slow start, and the newcomers put more fuel in the tank. They also created a roster spot. If LaMarcus Aldridge comes to Miami, it’s over.

Grade: A half a plus

Milwaukee Bucks

Add: P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs

Lose: D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, Torrey Craig

I’m going to miss Torrey Craig. I really wish the Bucks would have played him more. I’m also gonna miss D.J. Wilson. But D.J. Augustin shoots worse from the field than he does from three, so I’m glad we got rid of him. P.J. Tucker is the glue guy that every championship team has. He doesn’t take bad shots (or many shots period), he rebounds and defends hard, and he also has insane shoe game. He’s a great pickup for my Milwaukee Bucks.

Grade: B

New Orleans Pelicans

Add: James Johnson, Wesley Iwundu

Lose: J.J. Redick, Nicolo Melli

The Pelicans aren’t good on the defensive end of the ball, and their two additions are both better defenders than the subtractions. So that’s cool. The Pelicans probably should’ve traded either Lonzo or Bledsoe, but whatever. I suppose the Pelicans own a roster spot.

Grade: C-

New York Knicks

Add: Terrance Ferugson, Vincent “who am I and why am I in the NBA” Poirier

Lose: Austin Rivers, Ignas Brazdeikis

This trade would be bad for the Knicks if they didn’t have a loaded backcourt. Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Elfrid Payton, and Alec Burks all get consistent minutes there. The departure of Rivers means more minutes for Frank Ntilikina, which is a good thing.

Grade: C-

Oklahoma City Thunder

Add: Tony Bradley, Austin Rivers

Lose: George Hill, Trevor Ariza

The Thunder actually did a pretty good job here. They didn’t need Hill and Ariza, and got good value back for them. Tony Bradley has been playing well lately. Austin Rivers probably isn’t part of OKC’s long term plans, so he’ll probably get flipped for another asset. My only problem with this trade is that Moses Brown has been balling lately, and Tony Bradley will probably swallow up his minutes. But maybe Mike Muscala will be bought out.

Grade: B

Orlando Magic

Add: Wendell Carter Jr, RJ Hampton, Otto Porter Jr, Gary Harris

Get: Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, Al-Farouq Aminu, Gary Clark

The Magic just got rid of everything they own, but got back a pretty solid haul. They’ve been on the verge of a rebuild for a few years now, and now it’s happening. Wendell Carter has some solid potential. RJ Hampton is a rookie project who definitely has some good upside. The other two guys were just salary fillers and won’t be on the team for the long term. When a 2021 lottery pick is added to this roster, and Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz return from injury, this team will look great. This would be even better if the Magic were able to get a young player in return for Evan Fournier (like Grant Williams or something).

Grade: B+

Philadelphia 76ers

Add: George Hill, Ignas Brazdeikis

Lose: Tony Bradley, Terrance Ferugson, Vincent Poirier

George Hill is a great pickup for Philly. He’s a great shooter, a good playmaker, and a solid defender. He provides excellent backup point guard play. He’ll be good in the playoffs. The other players involved in this deal are meaningless. George Hill is a great player, and Philly barely gave up anything to get him

Grade: A-

Phoenix Suns

Add: Torrey Craig

Well, the Suns finessed the Bucks for a great defender in Torrey Craig. He can guard 1-4. That’s valuable. I wish the Bucks could have got Cam Payne or Jevon Carter in return, but it is what it is. Great value for the Suns with this one.

Grade: B+

Portland Trail Blazers

Add: Norman Powell

Lose: Gary Trent Jr, Rodney Hood

Norman Powell is having a helluva season. 20 PPG (19.6 to be exact, but whatever) on 44% from three. The Trail Blazers have to win something while Lillard is in his prime. Both Trent and Powell will need to be paid this offseason, but Powell brings more “win now” value. So good trade for the Blazers, but not great, because Gary Trent is really good as well.

Grade: B

Sacramento Kings

Add: Delon Wright, Mo Harkless, Chris Silva, Terence Davis, Mfiondu Kabengele

Lose: Nemanja Bjelica, Cory Joseph, Jabari Parker, Mfiondu Kabengele

This is a sad day for fans of Finn’s Basketball Blog. Mfiondu Kabengele is now out of a job. (if you read my GM of the Clippers article, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If not, you’re lame.) The Kings traded for him, and then cut him two days later. But to be fair, Terence Davis is an underrated young guard, and anytime you can trade a second round pick for someone like TD you do it in a heartbeat. Kabengele was the sacrifice to bring TD in.

Besides that though, the Kings think they can make the playoffs. We’ll see about that. Delon Wright does provide more guard depth though, and good guard depth at that. Mo Harkless is your typical 3&D veteran. Chris Silva hustles. Jabari Parker lost his job, and I’ll be curious to see if he gets another one. This was a pretty decent deadline for Sacramento in terms of players added and subtracted, but I’m confused on the direction they’re headed in. The grade takes a hit because of that.

Grade: C

San Antonio Spurs

Add: Marquese Chriss

Lose: Draft rights to some random dude I’ve never heard of

San Antonio’s big subtraction is LaMarcus Aldridge, but it’s not that big of a deal. He was injured for a while, and the Spurs were perfectly fine without him. I used to think Jakob Poeltl sucked, but he’s lowkey pretty solid in the post on offense and defense. Also, adding Marquese Chriss, who is a high flying center (Chriss is also adding a bit of a three pointer to his game) for literally nothing is pretty good. Chriss is out for the rest of the year with a broken leg, but if he’s good when he comes back, then the Spurs get a solid big.

Grade: B- (Could fluctuate based on how good Chriss is when he returns)

Toronto Raptors

Add: Gary Trent Jr, Rodney Hood

Lose: Norman Powell, Terence Davis, Matt Thomas

Gary Trent Jr. is a great young player. If he can become an above average defender, I could see him being in All-Star conversations one day. With Kyle Lowry’s career coming to a close in the next few seasons, Gary will be a great backcourt mate for Fred VanVleet. That is, as long as Toronto is willing to pay him this offseason, which I’m sure they will be. The only thing dragging the grade down slightly is trading Terence Davis for a second round pick. I think TD is good. But it’s not that big of a deal.

Grade: B+

Utah Jazz

Add: Matt Thomas

The Jazz added another shooter to their bench. Cool.

Grade: B

Washington Wizards

Add: Daniel Gafford, Chandler Hutchison

Lose: Troy Brown Jr, Mo Wagner

The Wizards get a good deal by flipping Wagner, a stretch center who isn’t having a great shooting season, for Daniel Gafford. Gafford is a center in his second NBA season. He protects the rim at a high level, which is much needed for the Wizards. If Gafford doesn’t start over Robin Lopez for the rest of this season (when Thomas Bryant returns next season, we’ll see who starts) that would be highly disappointing. Great pickup for the Wizards though.

Grade: B+

So that’s that! Like I said earlier in the article, look forward to a buyout market version of this article in the coming weeks. What do you think about the trades? Let me know! See you next time!

The Future of the Oklahoma City Thunder (3/15/21)

Biggest question OKC Thunder GM, Sam Presti must answer in 2019-20 season

The first trade of the season went down a few days ago, with the Thunder trading away a good young player, Hamidou Diallo, to the Detroit Pistons. Hami was averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists before he got traded, all career highs. He was also shooting career highs from the field (48%), from three (29%), and from the free throw line (63%. That’s bad, but still a career high). So he was playing well. The Thunder are surprisingly not the worst team in the league, and Hami’s play was a big part of that. So in trading him away, you would expect a good haul in return. Maybe a solid veteran player (like another George Hill/Al Horford type), or maybe first round pick. Something like that. So what did the Thunder actually get in return?

Well, they got Svi Mykhailiuk. He’s decent. At age 23, he’s a career 37% three point shooter. That’s about all he brings though. He wasn’t even the main asset in the trade. What was?

A seventh grader.

Well, more specifically, a 2027 second round pick. But the player who will be drafted with that pick is currently in seventh grade. That’s insane.

So that leads to a great question: What the heck are the Thunder gonna do with 34 draft picks in the next seven drafts?

Obviously, not every player that they draft will end up on their roster. That’s way too many players. But if they actually use (and don’t trade away) all 19 of their first round picks, I bet all those guys will end up on the team. That’s a great strategy, to be honest. If you draft 19 players in the first round of the NBA draft, and maybe five of them don’t work out, then you still have 14 young players that could be anything from a good role player to a superstar.

The Thunder have five players I could see being on their team long term: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazely, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Theo Maledon. In the next three drafts, OKC owns 14 draft picks (9 firsts and 5 seconds). So in three years, the Thunder could have the best young core in the NBA.

There’s another way these picks could be used, and that’s in a trade. In the NBA today, almost every trade includes a pick. If you want to trade for an All-Star, you have to throw a ton of draft picks in to get them (Supposedly the Celtics offered 3 first round picks from Jerami Grant recently. Imagine the amount of picks a player like Damian Lillard would require). The Thunder own more than enough picks to get an All-Star. Say in three years, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a certified All-Star. The other young guys, like Bazely and Dort, get better. There are also at least five players from the last three drafts on the team. If that team is winning games, and is hovering around a playoff spot, the Thunder would have the assets to trade for a superstar player that could make them a top team in the league.

So at the moment, GM Sam Presti is doing something that has never been done before. But it looks really good for him. The team is bursting with potential. Because of the value of all the draft picks Presti has acquired, the future looks very bright for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

I Become the GM of the Milwaukee Bucks- Part 2 (3/8/21)

Milwaukee Bucks: Analyzing the causes of Khris Middleton's recent slump

Welcome to part two of my tenure as the GM of the Milwaukee Bucks. This will be the first of my GM articles where I don’t explain exactly what I’m doing. Why? Because you should have read part one already. I will give a light refresher though.

After going 59-24, the Bucks lost in the second round to the Brooklyn Nets. The Grizzlies won the (somehow) won the ‘chip. Giannis picked up a couple accolades. Budenholzer won coach of the year. I drafted Marcus Bagley, and signed some players. We’re about to begin the 2021-22 season. This is the current roster:

PG: Jrue Holiday, Kris Dunn, Jaylen Adams, Jordan Bone

SG: Donte Divincenzo, Pat Connaughton, Sam Merrill, Paul Watson

SF: Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder, Jordan Nwora

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jarred Vanderbilt, Marcus Bagley

C: Richuan Holmes, Bobby Portis Jr, Ian Mahinmi

I like it, but I will definitely make changes if needed.

Beginning of 2021-22 Season

Here’s the rotation I’m going with to start the year:

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis, Richuan Holmes

Bench: Jae Crowder, Bobby Portis, Kris Dunn, Jarred Vanderbilt, Pat Connaughton, Sam Merrill

December 12th

Two games in, Kris Dunn severely sprained his ankle. He’ll be out for 6-8 weeks. That sucks, because 2K doesn’t let you trade injured players, and he was gonna be one of the first to go if the team sucked. Jaylen Adams will suck up his minutes.

Rest of December

We’re 8-2 at the end of December. Our power rank is 6th. That’s pretty good. However, I have some very sad news.

Waiving: Jaylen Adams

Jaylen was the poster boy of part one. Now, he’s getting cut. Why? He took over the backup point guard spot when Dunn went out, and he’s shooting 25% from the field and 17% from three. That’s atrocious. I can’t believe it.

Signing: Quinn Cook

One year minimum deal. QC has won a few championships before, and hopefully he’ll be here for another one. I needed a replacement one. I’m gonna give minutes to Jordan Bone for a while, so QC won’t play as of now.

Mid January

What the heck.

Waiving: Ian Mahinmi

36% from the field as a center. That’s all I have to say.

Signing: Jordan Bone

This isn’t technically a signing, because Bone was already on the team, but I’m converting his deal from a two-way contract to a full deal.

Signing: Juwan Morgan

Juwan is getting signed on a two-way deal. He’s a young stretch four. He might play some this year. He might not.

January

We are now 18-8. That’s 3rd in the East, and good for 10 in the power rankings. I want to be a little better, but I probably won’t make changes until the trade deadline.

Here’s the rotation I’m using at the moment:

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis, Richuan Holmes

Bench: Jae Crowder, Bobby Portis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Pat Connaughton, Jordan Bone, Marcus Bagley

Contract Extension Deadline

Jrue Holiday is getting a 2-year, $15 million extension. He deserves it. His play has regressed this season from last year, though, so he might not be on the team for that whole time.

Trade #1: Dunn to Golden State

Warriors get: Kris Dunn, 2023 2nd Round Pick, 2024 2nd Round Pick

Bucks get: Terrence Shannon Jr.

Kris Dunn hasn’t been good since his return from injury. He will probably turn it around, but I don’t have time to wait for that. I’m trading him to a team that needed some point guard depth, the Warriors, for a late 2021 first round pick in Terrence Shannon. The Warriors don’t need a project like him, but I’ll take him on. He’s only played one minute in one game for the Warriors so far, and that’s a waste.

Here’s the rotation I’m going with until the trade deadline:

Starters: Jrue, Donte, Khris, Giannis, Richuan

Bench: Jae, Bobby, Jarred, Pat, Terrence Shannon, Juwan Morgan

Trade Deadline

We are currently 38-15. That’s 1st in the conference, and we’re power ranked number two. That’s awesome.

Trade #2: Sam to Denver

Nuggets get: Sam Merrill

Bucks get: Isaiah Hartenstein

Sorry, Sam. Since I picked up TSJ, I don’t need you anymore. I appreciate your time in Milwaukee. I need another center, and Denver could use a backup two guard. Bye-bye, Sam.

I’m probably not making any other trades, we’re too good.

All-Star Break

Giannis and Middleton were All-Stars again. Middleton is shooting 50/40/90. We haven’t suffered a significant injury to our top guys. Life is great.

Here is the rotation I’m running for the rest of the year:

Starters: Same as all year

Bench: Jae, Bobby, Jarred, Pat, TSJ, Jordan Bone

Second Half of the Season/NBA Awards

We finished with a 56-26 record, which is the one seed in the East (Philly is the eight seed, which is scary.)

Wait, hold on. Look at this trade:

Clippers get: Tobias Harris, 2026 1st Round Pick

76ers get: Paul George

What the heck!!! How did this trade even happen!!! If I lose in the first round because 2K let this crap happen, I will be beyond mad. Oh my goodness. This game is awful sometimes.

Anyways, Giannis made All-NBA 1st and All-Defensive 1st. Nobody else won anything. Here’s the team’s final stats:

G. Antetokounmpo: 24 PPG/13 RPG/5 APG, 1 SPG/1 BPG

K. Middleton: 22/4/5, 50/40/90 shooting

J. Holiday: 14/3/5 (Kinda disappointing, but whatever. We were good.)

D. DiVincenzo: 13/4/3

B. Portis Jr: 10/5/1

J. Nwora: 9/1/1 (He only played in eight games this year)

R. Holmes: 8/7/1, 1 BPG (I love it Richuan!)

J. Vanderbilt: 8/4/1, 1 SPG

J. Crowder: 8/4/1

M. Bagley: 5/1/1

Q. Cook: 4/1/1

T. Shannon Jr: 4/1/1

J. Bone: 4/1/1

P. Connaughton: 4/2/2

J. Morgan: 3/1/1

P. Watson: 2/1/1

I. Hartenstein: 2/2/1

All in all, everybody did well. The team is great, and the stats are great. Time for the playoffs.

2022 Playoffs

We beat the stupid 76ers 4-1 in the first round. Then we beat the Hawks in 6 games in the second round. Then we lost to the Nets 4-2 in the Conference Finals. Shoot. The Nets are unstoppable in 2K. I am decently happy with the team’s performance, however.

2022 Offseason

I don’t have any draft picks this year. That’s all good.

Team/Player Options

Pat Connaughton picked up his player option, which is good.

Resigning: Donte DiVincenzo

Donte will probably be the 3rd best player on the team next season. He’s really good. I’m bringing him back on a 4-year, $40 million deal.

Resigning: Jordan Bone

I figured I might as well bring him back, considering it’s just a 1-year, $2 million deal.

Signing: Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers is a great scorer, as well as a solid defender and playmaker. He will bring versatile play as a backup one. Getting him on a 1-year, $1.7 million deal is great value.

Signing: Dorian Finney-Smith

Dorian is a combo forward who can stretch the floor, rebound, and play defense. If I decide to trade Jae Crowder in the near future, Dorian will be great to have around. I signed him on a 2-year, $3.5 million deal.

Signing: Boban Marjanovic

With my final roster spot, I’m signing the GOAT. Boban is great for team chemistry, and I’m glad to have him on the squad.

Training Camp

TSJ is going to untapped potential camp, increasing (quite obviously) his potential. Jarred Vanderbilt is going to perimeter shooting camp.

Beginning of 2022-23 Season

So, this is it. I probably won’t make part three to this (but we’ll see). Here’s the final roster:

PG: Jrue Holiday, Austin Rivers, Jordan Bone

SG: Donte DiVincenzo, Pat Connaughton, Terrence Shannon Jr.

SF: Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder, Dorian Finney-Smith

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jarred Vanderbilt, Marcus Bagley

C: Richuan Holmes, Bobby Portis Jr, Boban Marjanovic

I think this is the best roster I’ve had yet as GM of the Bucks. Kevin Durant didn’t resign with Brooklyn, so I have a great shot at the ‘chip.

Thanks for reading!

2021 BMB All-Stars (2/25/21)

Pacers' Domantas Sabonis Returning to NBA Bubble Amid Foot Injury Recovery | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights

Every year there are All-Star snubs. It’s bound to happen. There are plenty of deserving players that don’t get a spot. The biggest snubs this year in my opinion were Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. Both are very deserving of a spot based on their play this year.

(Note: I am not going to write about my reaction to the actual All-Stars because I mostly agree, and I wouldn’t have much to say on the subject.)

So, because my favorite player got snubbed from the All-Star game, I’m creating my own All-Star game. It’s name? (get ready)

The Bench Mob Blog All-Stars

(Yup, I know, super creative)

See, I didn’t want to call it the Snub game or something because the whole point of this game is that these players are All-Stars, and shouldn’t be snubs. So why would I call them snubs?

So, for the BMB All-Star teams, there are two. The West and the East. For each team, there are ten spots. The starters are made up of two guards and three frontcourt players. The bench is made up of a guard, a frontcourt player, a wild card, a sixth man, and a fan favorite.

So, I’m just gonna get straight into the teams!

(Wait, one more note: I’m not saying all of these guys should be All-Stars, because it wouldn’t make sense if Fred VanVleet was an All-Star over James Harden. I’m just recognizing these guys for the good seasons they are having.)

Eastern Conference Starters

Guards: Trae Young and Collin Sexton

Trae Young is averaging 27 points and 10 assists this year. He wasn’t an All-Star because he had a bad stretch earlier in the year, and the Hawks have been disappointing. Collin Sexton has improved a lot this season, and is really putting himself on the radar of casual fans. He’s averaging 24 points, and has also been an excellent closer for Cleveland.

Frontcourt: Tobias Harris, Domantas Sabonis (Captain), Bam Adebayo

Tobias Harris is quietly having his best season, putting up career numbers on a really good 76ers team. His efficiency is really high this year, shooting really close to 50/40/90 (89% on free throws). Domatnas Sabonis is putting up similar numbers to Julius Randle (besides three point percentage), as they are both averaging around 20/10/5. That spot in the game really could have gone either way. Sabonis is underappreciated. Bam Adebayo has improved again, improving on his scoring, efficiency, steals, and assists. His missing of the game can be attributed to the Heat’s slow start.

Eastern Conference Bench

Guard: Fred VanVleet

VanVleet has probably been Toronto’s best player this year. They were one of the worst teams in the league to start of the year, and have now climbed back to a 500 record. Freddy has been a large part of that. VanVleet could be an All-Star in the future though, because he improves every year.

Forward: Khris Middleton

Khris Middleton is having his best season ever, and he isn’t an All-Star. The Bucks aren’t at the top of the conference, and people continue to sleep on Middleton. He’s highly efficient, a good defender, and a great shot creator. He’s an All-Star player, whether he makes the game or not.

Wild Card: Malcolm Brogdon

Brogdon is another guy quietly having a career year. He’s averaging 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and has been Indiana’s closer this season. Although his efficiency has fallen off since his 50/40/90 season, his volume has significantly increased. Malcolm Brogdon is really good. I wish the Bucks would have kept him.

Sixth Man: Terrence Ross

Sixth men deserve some recognition. So in my BMB All-Star game, there is a special slot for the best sixth man in each conference. It’s been Terrence Ross for the East this year. For the injury-ridden Magic, he (and Nikola Vucevic, of course) has been a huge part of keeping them afloat. He’s been a bench All-Star, so he’s making the BMB All-Star squad.

Fan Favorite: Tacko Fall

There’s always players that end up in the All-Star voting that are total meme votes. Guys like Alex Caruso and Tacko Fall are those guys. So, why not actually give those guys their chance to shine. Tacko Fall is getting the Fan Favorite slot in the East

Western Conference Starters

Guards: De’Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

De’Aaron Fox is really good. As of right now, he’s better than Ja Morant. It’s really close, but that’s my opinion. He’s carried my fantasy team to multiple comebacks. His averages of 22 points and 7 assists are definitely BMB All-Star worthy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a big part of the Thunder being better than the worst team in the league. He will be an All-Star one day, and his averages of 24, 5, and 6 at only 22 years old reflect that.

Frontcourt: DeMar DeRozan (Captain), Brandon Ingram, Christian Wood

DeMar DeRozan is the biggest snub this year. The Spurs have the 9th best record in the NBA, and everyone thought they would suck before the season started. He’s averaging 20, 5, and 7. He’s a closer. He’s a mentor for Keldon Johnson (who will be an All-Star type guy one day). DeMar is an All-Star. Brandon Ingram is also an All-Star, but a surprisingly not good Pelicans record led to him not making the actual game (although Zion did. DeMar>Zion for the game this year). Christian Wood is injured right now, but the West doesn’t have as many All-Star type frontcourt players. Wood will be an All-Star one day as well. He is averaging 22 and 10 this year.

Western Conference Bench

Guard: Ja Morant

Ja Morant is having a great season. It’s super impressive that he was able to get drafted and lead a team to a decent record in a deep conference in his rookie year. He’s doing it again, without his second best player this time. That’s even more impressive. His averages of 19 points and 8 assists are worth a spot in the BMB All-Star game.

Forward: Deandre Ayton

Like I mentioned earlier, the list of All-Star worthy frontcourt players in the West is much shorter than the All-Star worthy guards. But since conference selections are a thing, I can’t give this spot to Jerami Grant. But that’s ok, Deandre Ayton is good. So he is a 2021 BMB All-Star.

Wild Card: Jamal Murray

Jamal Murray has been underperforming in my opinion, compared the expectations he has after the bubble. But he has still been good, especially as of late. So he gets the Wild Card spot in the West over John Wall.

Sixth Man: Jordan Clarkson

Sixth Man of the Year so far is Jordan Clarkson. Charles Barkley actually picked him to be an All-Star (mostly because of the Jazz’s success, likely). He’s averaging 18 points this year. He’s shooting pretty well on high volume. He’s only missed two free throws, and leads the league in FT%. Clarkson is the MVP of the bench this year.

Fan Favorite: Boban Marjanovic

Who doesn’t love this man. He’s so wholesome. Boban has to be the most widely loved player in the entire NBA. So he definitely deserves the fan favorite spot in the West.

So those are the participants of the 2021 BMB All-Star Game! This will probably become an annual tradition, and will last as long as this blog does. Do you think I snubbed anybody from the All-Snub teams? Let me know! Thanks for reading!

I Become the GM of the Milwaukee Bucks- Part 1 (2/20/21)

Image result for jaylen adams bucks — That’s right, Jaylen Adams is the player featured on this article.

The Bucks finally won last night after a five game losing streak. Unfortunately, they haven’t looked like true championship contenders so far this season. Now, the ultimate goal of resigning Giannis has been accomplished, but we still have to win a championship. So I’m taking over my favorite team and leading them to a championship.

If you haven’t seen the articles where I became the GM of the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers, then you don’t know how this works. I use NBA2K21’s MyNBA mode in these articles. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best I can do.

So how is this gonna work? Well, I’m going to be making realistic moves to set the Bucks in the direction I think they should go in. (Note: I have trade override on, simply because 2K’s trade system is iffy sometimes. You often have to throw in a ton of draft picks to get a trade done. Just trust that I’ll make realistic trades. You’ll get to see them.) I’ll be controlling the Bucks for the 2020-21 season and the 2021 offseason in this article (I’ll probably make a part two to this article where I do the 2021-22 season). I’ll make all the trades, free agent signings, staff signings, and draft choices that I think the Bucks should make to send them in the right direction. (Another note: I will be playing with injuries this time. Scary.)

My plan for the Bucks is simple. I want to win an NBA championship, by any means necessary. But my goal is to try and keep the Giannis/Middleton/Jrue/Divincenzo core together for at least a couple seasons.

So without further ado, let’s jump into it!

Beginning of 2020-21 Season

(Note: 2K has said that they will not fix the start today mode for 2K21. So instead of starting on today’s date with real records and stats, we’re starting on December 1st. That isn’t even the day the season started in real life, but it is what it is. I guess. Be better 2K.)

Signing: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

I had a roster spot available, so I picked up Rondae on a one year deal. He’ll bring hustle, rebounding, and defense as a four or a small-ball five. He’ll be like D.J. Wilson but better.

Trade #1: D.J. Augustin to the Hawks

Hawks get: D.J. Augustin, 2022 2nd round pick

Bucks get: Kris Dunn

I am not a fan of how Augustin has been playing this year. He’s not a good defender, and he’s shooting 34% from the field. The Hawks want Augustin because Brandon Goodwin has been their backup PG this year (Rondo and Dunn have been injured or not playing). I want Dunn because he can defend, which I want for my backup guard.

Here’s what I’m rocking with for the rotation to start the season. I’m gonna roll out an 11 man rotation, because that’s what the Bucks do. We’re deep enough to do it.

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Donte Divincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

Bench: Bobby Portis Jr., Pat Connaughton, Kris Dunn, Bryn Forbes, Torrey Craig, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

We are number one in the power rankings to start the year. We’ll see how that goes.

December

We played 13 games in December. We went 8-5. That’s not great. Bobby Portis was out for most of the month though. Our power ranking at the end of December is fourth.

(Also, of course D.J. Augustin is shooting 48% from three with the Hawks. He is shooting 35% from the field though. Not sure if that means he’s playing good or bad. You decide.)

January

We only lost three times in January. Our record is 21-8. That’s great. I’m gonna switch up the rotation a little so the rookies can get some minutes.

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Donte Divincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis, Brook Lopez

Bench: Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, Kris Dunn, Sam Merrill, Jordan Nwora, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

We’re sitting at number two in the power rankings behind the Mavericks.

Contract Extension Deadline

Nobody on the team wants a contract extension. That’s all good.

Waiving: D.J. Wilson

It is with a heavy heart that I am releasing D.J. Wilson. I’m just not too impressed with his play this year (in the video game, of course. He hasn’t been that bad in real life). In 13 games, he averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds. That’s good, but he shot 33% from the field, 21% from three, and 52% from the free throw line. That’s awful. Since I’m trying to win, I want a player who can contribute more consistently. Sorry D.J, it’s only business.

Signing: Donta Hall

Donta Hall is a one year pro who played with the Nets in the bubble. He currently plays for G-League Ignite. He can block shots and rebound. He’ll fill D.J.’s spot.

Since we have a record of 32-11, I’m gonna give some of the bench guys extended minutes until the trade deadline. Here’s what I’m rocking with:

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Donte Divincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis, Brook Lopez

Bench: Bobby Portis, Jaylen Adams, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Pat Connaughton, Bryn Forbes, Donta Hall

Trade Deadline

Trade #2: Forbes to Orlando

Magic get: Bryn Forbes

Bucks get: Khem Birch, 2021 2nd round pick

I didn’t need Forbes and Connaughton. I decided to keep Connaughton because Forbes is shooting an underwhelming 34% from three. In real life he’s shooting like 47%. The Magic didn’t have much shooting guard depth because they traded Evan Fournier for Gordon Hayward (I hate 2K sometimes. That’s such an unrealistic trade. But whatever). Khem Birch will be a nice third center off the bench for me. He’s been pretty good in real life this season.

After the trade deadline, here’s the rotation I’ll be using for the rest of the season (unless an injury happens).

Starters: Jrue, Divincenzo, Middleton, Giannis, Brook

Bench: Bobby Portis, Kris Dunn, Pat Connaughton, Rondae H-J, Khem Birch, Torrey Craig

All-Star Break

The Milwaukee Bucks are currently 40-16. Giannis and Middleton were All-Stars. We’re number one in the power rankings. Jaylen Adams is shooting on 40/50/90 splits (I wonder if that has ever happened before). D.J. Wilson got picked up by the Clippers. Life is good.

Second Half of the Season/NBA Awards

The Bucks finished 59-24, earning the one seed. (Somehow, the Nets are only the four seed. Ok 2K. Now I might have to play them in the second round, unless Cleveland pulls the upset.) Budenholzer won coach of the year, and I won executive of the year. Giannis made All-NBA first and All-Defensive first. Jrue Holiday made All-Defensive second. Here are the guy’s final numbers:

G. Antetokounmpo: 24 PPG/13 RPG/6 APG

K. Middleton: 21/4/5, 50/40/90 shooting

J. Holiday: 15/4/6

D. Divincenzo: 11/5/2

B. Portis Jr: 11/6/1

B. Lopez: 10/4/1, 2 BPG

J. Nwora: 10/3/1

S. Merrill: 9/1/1

T. Antetokounmpo: 7/1/1

R. Hollis-Jefferson: 6/3/1

K. Dunn: 6/3/3

J. Adams: 5/2/4 (That’s actually pretty good for a 67 overall two-way contract player)

P. Connaughton: 5/3/2

T. Craig: 3/1/1

K. Birch: 2/4/1

D. Hall: 2/2/1

M. Diatke: 2/3/1

I’m super impressed with how the rookies played. Nwora and Merrill both put up great scoring numbers. Diatke also showed what he can do in limited minutes. I’m happy with the play of our other bench guys as well. (How in the world did Thanasis average 7 PPG? I’m not complaining though.)

2021 Playoffs

We beat the Magic 4-1 in the first round. Then we lost to the Nets in 7 games. Somehow, the Grizzlies won the championship, beating the Hawks in 7 games. I will pay every person who likes this article $100 if that is the real life Finals matchup. But whatever. The 2021 free agent class is good, and we’ll be able to improve.

2021 Offseason

I own the 29th pick, but I’m trading it for sure.

Just kidding! Stepein rule. I’m not allowed to trade it.

Draft Pick: Marcus Bagley

With the 29th pick in the 2021 draft, the Milwaukee Bucks select power forward Marcus Bagley from Arizona State university. He’s Marvin Bagley’s brother. I’ll take it, maybe he’ll be decent.

Team/Player Options

Jrue Holiday accepted his player option, which is good. Bobby Portis declined, which is bad. Kris Dunn accepted. I might trade him, because his option is worth five million dollars. We’ll see. I’m picking up the team options on Nwora and Merrill.

Trade #3: Brook Lopez to Miami

Heat get: Brook Lopez

Bucks get: Jae Crowder, 2024 2nd round pick

I’m not sure how Jae Crowder ended up back with the Heat. But that’s ok, cause now he’s with me. Bam Adebayo was the only center on the Heat, and Brook Lopez will provide them good depth at the bench. Jae Crowder is a great 3&D wing who has Finals experience.

Signing: Richuan Holmes

Richuan is a great center. He can score in the paint, defend the paint, and rebound at high levels. If I’m able to get Bobby Portis back, they will be a great center tandem. I gave Richuan a 3 year, 19 million dollar deal.

Resigning: Jaylen Adams

Although his 2K overall is really low, I was impressed with how he played last season (when he got the chance to play). I gave him a two year minimum deal with a player option on the second season. He probably won’t play a ton this year, but he earned himself another contract.

Resigning: Bobby Portis Jr.

I really like how Bobby Portis has been playing this season in real life. He brings great energy, and his floor-stretching ability is very useful. I’m glad I was able to bring him back. Bobby got a 2 year, 10 million dollar deal.

Signing: Jarred Vanderbilt

Jarred is a young four who brings great energy. He can rebound well. By giving him a 3 year, 8 million dollar deal, I’m hoping he’ll be able to develop even more. He’s been good for the Timberwolves in real life this season, and he’ll be good for me on the Bucks.

Signing: Ian Mahinmi

I thought this man would retire, but I guess not. He’s 34, with his best days behind him, but I needed a guy who plays tough post defense and rebounds. Mahinmi does that, and he’ll be a good veteran for our team. I gave him a one year minimum deal.

Signing: Jordan Bone

I’m bringing Jordan in on a two-way contract. At age 23, he has some room to grow. I’m hoping he’ll be the next Jaylen Adams for my squad.

Signing: Paul Watson

Paul Watson is my other two-way guy. I know Raptors fans like him (I’m aware of a Paul Watson fan page followed by the man himself) because he’s a hard worker. He can shoot and defend, and if he gets an opportunity to play good minutes for me, I don’t think he’ll disappoint.

Training Camp

2K does have a training camp feature, where you have up to three (I have two) camps you can use to improve a player’s stats. I’m sending Giannis to shooting camp (improving his mid range and his three), and Jarred Vanderbilt to untapped potential (increasing his potential, meaning he could be even better for me in a few years. I like what he can bring).

Beginning of 2021-22 Season

So this is where part one of my tenure as the Bucks GM ends. I would include season two in this article, but then it would get really long. Let’s take a look at the roster going into season two:

PG: Jrue Holiday, Kris Dunn, Jaylen Adams, Jordan Bone

SG: Donte Divincenzo, Pat Connaughton, Sam Merrill, Paul Watson

SF: Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder, Jordan Nwora

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jarred Vanderbilt, Marcus Bagley

C: Richuan Holmes, Bobby Portis Jr, Ian Mahinmi

I like this roster, especially on defense. Almost every player on this roster is at least a solid defender (Nwora, Merrill, Adams are exceptions, but whatever). This team is also full of shooting. I’m super excited for season two. See y’all next time!

I Just Wanted to Talk About the Spurs (2/3/21)

Sneaker company 'Finish Line' throws shade at Spurs on 'Fiesta' jersey reveal day | WOAI

I’ve been a “Spurs fan” for three seasons now, since DeMar DeRozan was traded there. After all, I’m going to root for my favorite player wherever he goes. But for the first two seasons, I wasn’t particularly attached to the rest of the roster. I don’t know exactly why. At the 2020 trade deadline, I was sort of hoping DeMar would get traded to somewhere new where he could win some games. He didn’t. This offseason, he picked up his player option. I get it, $27 million is more than he would have gotten in free agency, but I was kinda unhappy he was back with San Antonio. This season, my opinion has flipped.

The Spurs are really fun to watch. I like watching them so much that I might end up being a Spurs fan when (or if. At this point, if he resigns in the 2021 offseason, I wouldn’t even mind) DeMar leaves. Since I got NBA League Pass this year, I’ve been able to watch them a lot more (they were hardly on national TV prior years, of course), and I maybe have watched them more Bucks so far this year (I still watch the Bucks a lot). My favorite player on the Spurs besides DeMar is Keldon Johnson. He’s really good. He’s a great finisher and shooter. He plays good defense. He rebounds super well. He’s solidifying himself as a main part of the Spurs future, and I could see him being an All-Star one day. I also like Derrick White (I enjoyed watching him in the 2019 playoffs) and Dejounte Murray (who is probably the Spurs second best player). Patty Mills’s hot shooting has been fun.

Nobody thought the Spurs would be good (and definitely not fun) before the season (besides diehard Spurs fans). I agreed. I had them at 26th in my preseason power rankings (behind the Timberwolves. Yikes). That was 14th in the West (to be fair, I did that assuming that DeMar and LaMarcus would get traded. At this point, I doubt that will happen. But I still had them on the low side). Currently, they are 11-10 and tied for the 9th seed in the West. Of course, they aren’t contenders. But they’ve had some big wins. Their success this season with such a young core makes me super excited for their future. They’ve made some noise this year.

So, if you haven’t watched the Spurs yet this year, you should. DeMar DeRozan is having a legitimate All-Star year. Keldon Johnson is super impressive and versatile. Dejounte Murray is a great defender and playmaker. LaMarcus Aldridge’s old, slow self makes shots. Patty Mills makes shots. Rudy Gay makes shots (lots of shot making). Lonnie Walker is a bucket. Jakob Poeltl does nothing. Trey Lyles sucks (In a close game against the Timberwolves, he had a few opportunities to get clutch offensive rebounds, but he basically smacked the ball out of bounds instead. I won’t forget.) Gregg Popovich gives funny interviews. Coyote, their mascot, won the 2020-21 mascot of the year. A Spurs game is an enjoyable watch (as I’ve said 100 times in this article).

You might not care about the Spurs (which is lame), which means you might not have cared to read this article. But I just felt like enlightening my five followers (and anybody else who somehow stumbled upon this) to what the Spurs are up to this year. (If you’re one of the clowns who don’t care about the Spurs, thanks for reading. I appreciate it.) You should be like me, and hop on the Spurs train now before they are really good in five years and everybody calls you a bandwagon.

In conclusion, as Flight would say (or maybe not, he is a Warriors fan), look at the Spurs man, so inspirational.

2021 All-Stars So Far (1/24/21)

New Orleans Pelicans: 3 key matchups to watch vs. the San Antonio Spurs - Page 3

We’re about a fifth of the way through the 2020-21 NBA season. That’s a pretty big sample size, or at least big enough where I can make some All-Star picks. I put together lists of every player I think has a case to make the game this year, and then cut it down to 13 guys per conference (12 man roster, one injury replacement). Each team has four backcourt players, six frontcourt players, and two wild cards.

To make these picks, I mostly looked at stats. Team success is a secondary factor, but only in some situations. That’s because team success usually matters less in All-Star selections than in All-NBA/MVP selections.

Of course, you will likely disagree with some of my picks. That’s cool. In fact, I’ll say it now, Rudy Gobert isn’t on here at all. Not sure if that’s super unpopular or not. Hopefully he doesn’t cry if he doesn’t make it this year.

(Note: The number of All-Star games next to each player is their real amount of selections plus this one.)

Injury Leave-Outs: Jimmy Butler, Ja Morant, C.J. McCollum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis

Those five guys are players that were in consideration, but I don’t think they’ll make it because of the games they’ve missed (I’m not sure exactly what the minimum games played requirement is, but these guys have all played 6 games or less besides McCollum, and some are due to miss more time). This really could have been the year for C.J. to make it, but he’s about to miss four weeks and that won’t look good.

Eastern Conference Starters

G: James Harden, 9-Time All-Star

Harden is now the best guard in the East. I don’t need to explain myself too much. He’s averaging 24 PPG, 8 RPG, and a wild 12 APG in his first five games with the Nets. Those are MVP numbers, and definitely All-Star starter numbers.

G: Bradley Beal, 3-Time All-Star

I went into this expecting for Beal to be a fringe guy because team success does matter to some degree. But he’s averaging 34 PPG, and he’s simply just been better than the other guards that made the team. So Bradley Beal will be the starting two guard for the East. (It also helps Beal that lots of fans like him, so it’s definitely likely that he’ll get a lot of votes.)

F: Kevin Durant, 11-Time All-Star

I don’t need to explain this pick at all. Best player in the East, and arguably the best player in the league so far. 31 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG. Effortless scorer. Now that I’m not watching KD through a “I hate the Warriors” lense, I am really enjoying watching Kevin Durant. He’s very good (obviously).

F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, 5-Time All-Star

As much as Giannis can annoy me sometimes, it’s undeniable that he’s worthy of this spot. He’s averaging 27 PPG, 10 RPG, 5 APG, 1 SPG, and 1 BPG. Those are exceptional numbers. He’s gonna get the votes to be a starter. He’s gonna be in the MVP race again. Any MVP candidate should be an All-Star starter.

F: Joel Embiid, 4-Time All-Star

The 76ers are a top team in the East so far, and Embiid is having the best season of his career. He’s averaging 28 PPG and 11 RPG, and even shooting 40% from three. Joel Embiid is probably my least favorite player in the NBA, but I can’t deny that he’s been a top player in the East so far. It’s wild that he’s putting up the numbers he is and he still isn’t the best center in the NBA.

Eastern Conference Bench

G: Kyrie Irving, 7-Time All-Star

We’ll see if Kyrie will stay happy as a third option. I don’t even know if he’s happy with it now. But even if he causes locker room problems, his statistical production is worthy of an All-Star selection. He’s averaging 29/5/6, and even though his numbers will likely decline some before the All-Star break, he’ll still get this spot.

G: Jaylen Brown, 1-Time All-Star

Jayson Tatum is still the best player on the Celtics, but it’s super close. JB is very good. (He was projected 75th overall for fantasy basketball this year. I took him 41st in a 10 man league, and I don’t regret it one bit. He’s in the top three at his position.) Now, Jaylen is a forward this year, but I think positioning on All-Star teams is a little stupid, especially in a year where the game isn’t even being played. Therefore, I put Brown at guard so I didn’t have to leave Bam Adebayo off the team (spoiler alert).

F: Khris Middleton, 3-Time All-Star

Middleton is somehow still underrated. I don’t understand how people still think he’s some glorified role player. He’s having the best season of his career, averaging 22/6/6 while shooting 50/40/90 on high volume. He’s super good. I love watching him play. If he keeps up this production and doesn’t make the All-Star game, that would be a crime.

F: Jayson Tatum, 2-Time All-Star

Yeah, this was a pretty easy pick. He’s averaging 27/7/4, and he’s the best player on his team. I would be super surprised if Tatum doesn’t make the All-Star team this year. It’s crazy that he’s this good now and he isn’t even in his prime.

F: Domantas Sabonis, 2-Time All-Star

Last season, I thought Sabonis would be a dude who made the All-Star game once in his career. I wasn’t watching much Pacers basketball last year, and his numbers didn’t really stand out, so I totally disrespected him. But this year, he’s been elite. He’s averaging 22 PPG, 12 RPG, and 6 APG. The scoring really stands out because he’s a back-to-the-basket dude. The passing also stands out. He has a big playmaking role in the Pacers offense, and he’s performed. Sabonis is a lock for the game this year.

WC: Bam Adebayo, 2-Time All-Star

Bam Adebayo is still a top five center in the NBA. He just dropped 41 points last night. He is super versatile as a scorer, defender, and playmaker. His only weakness is his shooting. The only reason he’s a wild card and not a frontcourt bench player (I picked the frontcourt guys first, basically saying they’re better than the wild cards. I think that’s how it works anyways) is because the Heat are 6-9. Team success does matter to an extent, and it was a deciding factor here.

WC: Trae Young, 2-Time All-Star

Trae Young going from a starter last year to a wild card this year is crazy. But he just had a slump where he wasn’t very confident. He shot eight times in an entire game once. For a top scorer in the NBA, that’s inexcusable. But the other night he had 42 points with 8 threes, so he seems to be back. But that slump hurts him, so he only barely got this spot over the likes of Zach LaVine, Ben Simmons, Nikola Vucevic, Pascal Siakam, Julius Randle, Gordon Hayward, and Malcolm Brogdon (that’s right. I didn’t think I should list honorable mentions on here, so I snuck them in this paragraph).

Injury Replacement: Collin Sexton

Collin Sexton has been crazy good. He’s averaging 27 points per game on 50/40/80 shooting. The Cavaliers also have a winning record. His performance in overtime against the Nets was once of the best stretches of basketball I’ve ever watched. If someone on the team is injured for the game, Sexton will deserve to be the replacement for sure.

Western Conference Starters

G: Stephen Curry, 7-Time All-Star

This was another easy pick. Every starter besides Beal was basically a no brainer. Everybody knows Curry deserves this spot. So this is a short explanation, and that will probably be the case for the rest of the Western Starters.

G: Luka Doncic, 2-Time All-Star

Luka started off shooting 17% from three (or something like that), but now he’s playing at an MVP level (good, because I need to at least get one award correct. I’m hoping it’ll be MVP). He’s averaging 27/10/10 (I rounded up, but I do that for everybody), and he’s only 22. Easy pick to be a starter.

F: Kawhi Leonard, 5-Time All-Star

Yeah, another easy pick. I already warned y’all about the short explanations. He’s shooting the most efficient he ever has since his first All-Star appearance. The Klaw will be a starter again in the 2021 All-Star game.

F: LeBron James, 17-Time All-Star

It’s LeBron James. He’s always gonna get the votes to be an All-Star starter. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve it though. Cause he definitely does.

F: Nikola Jokic, 3-Time All-Star

The best center in the NBA has to be a starter in his conference. He’s averaging 26/12/10. Those are MVP numbers. Maybe I should have picked Jokic for MVP.

Western Conference Bench

G: Damian Lillard, 6-Time All-Star

Lillard is averaging 28/5/7. The Blazers have a good record. I’d say he’s a lock, but with McCollum and Nurkic out for long stretches, the Blazers may fall below .500. That wouldn’t look good for Dame, but everyone knows he’s the second best PG in the league (unless you consider Luka a PG).

G: Paul George, 7-Time All-Star

Paul George said many times that this would be a comeback year, and he’s backed his talk this year. He’s shooting on 50/50/90 splits. No one has ever done that before for a whole season. I don’t think he will, but he’s definitely on track to finish the year in the 50/40/90 club, and that’s All-Star worthy.

F: Anthony Davis, 8-Time All-Star

This is also an easy choice. Though AD’s numbers have been somewhat down so far (22/9/4), we all know how good he is, and he has plenty of time to get back to full AD form before the All-Star break.

F: Brandon Ingram, 2-Time All-Star

This is where the positioning for the All-Star game gets questionable. Now, Ingram deserves this selection, but not over some other Western Conference guards who couldn’t get this spot because of positioning. After all, the Pelicans are 5-10. But Brandon Ingram is still deserving of a frontcourt spot. In fact, this isn’t even the worst choice I had to make.

F: DeMar DeRozan, 5-Time All-Star

Yeah, this is the worst choice I made. But it’s my favorite. DeMar is putting up All-Star numbers (21/5/7) as the best player on a team with a .500 record. I’m happy that my favorite player could very well make another All-Star game this year. But let’s be honest, if there wasn’t positioning for the All-Star game, he wouldn’t make it this year. (I’m sneaking in my HMs now: Christian Wood, D’Angelo Russell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox. See how most of those guys are guards?) DeMar has become severely underrated though, and as I already said, I am happy to give him this spot.

WC: Donovan Mitchell, 2-Time All-Star

The Jazz are quietly a top team in the league this year, and Donovan leads that. He is an All-Star guard. He only fell down to the wild card spot because the West has so many good guards. But Donovan averages 24/4/5, and those are All-Star numbers for sure.

WC: Devin Booker, 2-Time All-Star

The Suns had a hot start to the year, but now they’ve fallen to 8-7. It’s funny because Book had a slow start to the year, and now is hitting his stride again. But that’s not a shot on Booker. We know he’s an All-Star type guy, and he’ll make it again this year.

Injury Replacement: Zion Williamson

I really didn’t think the Pelicans deserved two All-Stars, which is why DeMar got in over Zion. But Zion’s numbers are All-Star numbers, even if I think he’s easily game planned against (maybe I’ll write a short article about that sometime. Maybe not). So Zion would be my replacement if somebody got injured in the West.

So those are my All-Star picks! Do you agree, or do you disagree. Who are your All-Stars? Feel free to contact me and let me know! (I think I have some of my contact info somewhere on this website.)

My Thoughts on the Harden Mega-Deal (1/15/21)

The Nets Go All-In With James Harden, But The Move Has Risks | FiveThirtyEight — Jeez, James. Hopefully now that you’re more motivated you’ll drop a couple pounds.

James Harden finally got traded. After all of the things James Harden was saying and the way he was acting, we all knew that it was going to happen. It doesn’t make the trade any less crazy, though. What makes the trade even crazier is that there are four teams involved, and Harden isn’t the only big name switching teams. This trade shook up the whole league. I’m going to talk about all four teams in this trade, and what it means for them.

Brooklyn Nets

Get: James Harden

Give up: Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, 4 Unprotected First Round Picks, 4 First Round Pick Swaps

Oh my, are the Brooklyn Nets scary now. Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are a top trio ever. On paper. On the court, too. If you have three players of that caliber, you’re going to win games, even if the chemistry isn’t perfect. That’s the big knock against these three. All of them are top offensive players who need the ball a lot. The good news is that no one else on the Nets this season needs the ball a lot. So I actually think this team will work. The only team I think would beat the Nets in a 7 game series the majority of the time is the Lakers. I only say that because no one in Brooklyn is stopping AD. Even if the Nets aren’t deep, they are too talented at the top to beat. The only thing that can stop the Nets while KD, Harden, and Kyrie are under contract is themselves.

(Because, what is Kyrie doing? He’s a nutcase. He did get fined recently, but it was for going to a family event without a mask. Imagine if LeBron skipped three or four games for literally no reason. That would be a big deal for the league, and he would get penalized. I don’t know what Kyrie is doing, but I think he should be suspended for a little while. He should not be allowed to skip a game because he doesn’t want to play.)

Houston Rockets

Get: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, 3 Unprotected First Round Picks, 4 First Round Pick Swaps

Give up: James Harden, 2023 Second Round Pick

I’m actually kind of confused on Houston’s intentions with this deal. They had to trade Harden, and they got a good haul. Eight first round picks is crazy. That’s really valuable for the Rockets because they had very little draft capital before this deal. The confusing part is the LeVert-Oladipo thing. Why would Houston want Oladipo over LeVert? LeVert is really good, and he would really shine on a team like Houston. Oladipo is a guy on an expiring deal who wants to be in Miami right now. Like, does Houston want to keep winning? They could definitely make the playoffs, they have a good roster, but there’s no way they make it past the first round. I really think they should have taken LeVert instead of flipping him for Oladipo. But who knows, maybe I’ll be proved wrong.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Get: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince

Give up: Dante Exum, Unprotected First Round Pick (via MIL)

Cleveland just finessed their way into getting Jarrett Allen. All they had to give up was Dante Exum and a Bucks pick that won’t be very valuable. At the moment, Cleveland’s big rotation is packed (Andre Drummond, JaVale McGee, and now Jarrett Allen), but unless Cleveland decides they want to make the playoffs, Drummond will get moved at the deadline. Even if they do keep Drummond, he’ll be gone this offseason and Jarrett can step into the starting role. Jarrett Allen has been playing very well for Brooklyn, and he’s a great fit for Cleveland’s timeline as a center alongside Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.

Indiana Pacers

Get: Caris LeVert, 2023 Second Round Pick

Give up: Victor Oladipo

Indiana won big with this trade. Caris LeVert is really good, and a bigger role with the Pacers will be great for him. Oladipo clearly wanted out, and instead of letting him walk this offseason, Indy flipped him for LeVert. Though Oladipo is a better player right now, LeVert is a better option for the Pacers. They were smart to capitalize on this opportunity to flip VO.

So, in the end, I don’t think there are any losers in this trade yet. Every team got a good haul. If anybody loses this trade, it will be decided in the future. But this is the biggest trade that happened the last few years, and I’m excited to see how all the players do on their new teams.

5 Impressive Players So Far (1/3/21)

The NBA has been back for a couple weeks now. Every team has played at least five games. There have been plenty of suprises and disappointments so far. Today I’ll be listing five players that have been impressive so far. It is early, so these players might come back down to earth, but for now, each of these guys have been very good. (These players are in no particular order.) There are plenty of guys who have been impressive, but I just picked five. Let’s get in to the list.

Jaylen Brown

Despite the Celtics starting off only 3-3, Jaylen Brown has been excellent. He’s averaging 27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Those are definent All-Star numbers. I knew Jaylen Brown was going to be good this year, but not this good. Of course, Kemba Walker hasn’t returned yet, and when he does Jaylen’s numbers could take a hit. But maybe not. Kemba is an unselfish player, and since Jaylen’s playing this well, Kemba might slide into a third option role. With Jaylen playing like this, the Celtics will have a much better shot at making (and maybe even winning) the Finals. Even if they don’t do it this year, they’ll be set for a long time with JB and Jayson Tatum.

Christian Wood

Christain Wood is playing like an All-Star so far. He’s put up 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game in the Rockets first four games. I haven’t watched the Rockets yet this year, but Wood’s performance in the first few weeks are making me excited to tune in. Wood is a great shooter, and the rim protection he’s shown this year just makes him look ten times better. He’s primed for a great career where he could even make a few All-Star games if he keeps this up. Wood is a perfect fit next to Harden, as a big who can shoot, catch lobs, and play defense. Maybe Harden will consider staying in Houston because of how good Christian Wood has been so far.

Julius Randle

Julius Randle is potentially the worst 20 point-per-game scorer ever. His shot selection is sometimes questionable, he is kind of a ball stopper, and he isn’t a great defender for his size (0.5 career BPG). But this year, the Knicks are 3-3 (pulling off big wins against the Bucks and the Pacers), and Julius Randle has been their guy. He’s averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists (far and away a career high), and shooting 50% from three. Those are crazy good numbers, especially for a guy like Randle. I don’t really expect him to keep up those numbers throughout the whole season (mostly just the assists and 3-point percentage), but if he averages 21/10/5 on a Knicks team that can somehow stay in the playoff hunt, then Julius could make and All-Star game. I’m probably overreacting a little with the All-Star part, but his play has been that good. Julius Randle is looking like he could surpass his title as the worst 20 PPG scorer ever.

Jerami Grant

Jerami Grant got a large contract this offseason, a contract that usually goes to a top option on a team. Grant had been a off-ball scorer for the first six years of his career, with a lot of his value coming on defense. But this year, he’s come out showing that’s he’s worth the big deal. He’s averaging 23 points and 5 rebounds. He’s showcased improved shot creation, which is a big factor in his increased production. Usually players in Grant’s situation would be inefficient, but Grant has shot decently well (44% from the field, 33% from three). This Pistons have started off 1-4, which isn’t a suprise, but Grant has still been great. He’s entering the prime of his career this season (he’ll turn 27 in March), but he could still improve even more and become a top 3-and-D power forward.

Donte Divincenzo

Donte simply doesn’t miss. He’s shot a sizzling 63% from three so far this year. Those are video game numbers. Obviously, efficiency like that isn’t sustainable, but if Donte can shoot 45% this year, that would be huge. He’s becoming a big part of the Bucks offense. His shot creation could still use a little work, but luckily there’s no rush for Donte because he has Giannis, Middleton, and Jrue to handle that for him. He’s only 24, and still has a lot of room to grow. But if he continues to be a knock down shooter like he has been, he’ll be a big player alongside Giannis for the forseeable future.

So those are five players I’ve found impressive! Do you agree with my picks, or do you disagree? Who else have you found impressive? I hope you enjoyed reading!

(Look for five disappointing players in the near future)

The Terrible Takes of NBA Instagram (12/31/20)

Ja Morant injury: How to replace Grizzlies PG on fantasy basketball waiver wire - DraftKings Nation

Ah, NBA Instagram. Full of a bunch of casual fans who watch one game and think they know everything. The recency bias is there. The only-knowing-big-name-players is there. The pure stupidity is there. All of these factors create a ton of awful takes. I’ve spent a couple weeks finding the absolute worst takes to write about. (All of the takes are polls posted by NBA themed pages. Followers can vote on these polls. There’s probably 5,000+ people voting on most of these. Maybe even 10,000.) All of these takes are from recently (in fact, I found a few of these while writing the article). So, without any more delay, let’s get into the takes.

Zion over Karl-Anthony Towns

How? How can you choose Zion over Karl-Anthony Towns? KAT is the third best center in the NBA. He’s made two All-Star teams, and one All-NBA team. Zion has done nothing. I mean, of course Zion has nothing (he’s young), but that’s exactly it. 58% of people picked a dude who has played 30 NBA games over a top three center. Here’s a head-to-head comparison between the two.

Finishing: Zion (I made this pick reluctantly)

Mid-range: KAT

Threes: KAT

Defense: KAT

Rebounding: KAT

Passing: KAT

KAT wins 5-1 on individual categories. He also takes the win for team value. KAT is probably the best shooter at the center position ever (High volume, high percentage. No other center has done it). He averages five assists, which is great for a big. He rebounds in the double digits. KAT actually puts in effort on defense. Zion only takes finishing because KAT looks to shoot before he looks to finish. Towns is easily better, but apparently the 8 year olds who started watching basketball last week don’t know that. Maybe people didn’t know KAT means Karl-Anthony Towns.

Zion as a 2021 NBA All-Star

Dude. This is a terrible take. You’re telling me that a guy who averages 17 and 7 is an All-Star? He’s the second best player on a team who will probably miss the playoffs. That’s not a recipe for an All-Star season. Besides that, the West is a loaded conference. Zion has too much competition to get a spot. He’ll be competing for a frontcourt spot with Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Brandon Ingram, Rudy Gobert, Paul George, and DeMar DeRozan. All of those guys have a better shot than him. The main factor is that the Pels will probably only get one All-Star (if any), and if Zion makes it over Ingram, that would be a crime. The only way Zion gets in is if the fans vote him in, and if that happens, then fans shouldn’t be allowed to vote anymore.

John Collins over Nikola Vucevic

Why do people still disrespect Vucevic? He’s basically carried the Magic to the playoffs the last few years. He’s one of the most complete centers in the NBA. He’s made an All-Star game. Here’s a head-to-head:

Finishing: JC

Mid-Range: Vucevic

Threes: Vucevic

Defense: Vucevic

Rebounding: Vucevic

Passing: Vucevic

5-1 Vucevic (6-1 with team value). Vucevic is an All-Star and the sixth best center in the NBA. Collins has the potential to be better than Vucevic, but at least for this season Vucevic is the better player.

Michael Porter Jr. over John Collins

This one’s awesome. Why? Because the fans voting on these polls just told me that Michael Porter Jr. is better than Nikola Vucevic. But we’ll get there in a second. Because we have to talk about this take. MPJ is not better than John Collins by any stretch. I actually have no idea where all this MPJ hype came from, or why people like him so much. He’s really not that special yet. John Collins is a 20-10 guy who can shoot 40% from three and get a block a game. MPJ is a 17-7 guy. So Collins is definently better. But if these fans think MPJ is better than Collins, and they also think Collins is better than Vucevic! (see take above.) That’s wild! A shot chucker who’s a below average defender (and who’s only played 60 NBA games up to this point) is better than an All-Star? I guess no one pays attention to Vucevic because he plays for Orlando, and that’s the whole thing. Casual fans who look at Michael Porter’s numbers and say “this guy is better than a top 40 player (and a top 6 center).” I seriously need someone to tell me why people think MPJ is so good.

Ja Morant over Ben Simmons

This one made me laugh out loud. Remember when I mentioned recency bias? Look no further than these next few Ja Morant takes. This one is a mutant combination of recency bias and Ben Simmons hate. The internet just won’t give Ben Simmons a break. We all know it’s because of his jumper (or lack of a jumper). Here’s the head-to-head:

Finishing: Simmons

Mid-Range: Ja

Threes: Ja

Defense: Simmons (far and away)

Rebounding: Simmons

Playmaking: Simmons

Ben wins 4-2. (I’d give team value to Morant, but remember, team value is just a tie breaker in these situations. It doesn’t mean as much when comparing two individual players based on their skill.) Ja is only better than Simmons in Ben’s weak categories. In every strong category for Simmons, he wins. Ja is a good playmaker, but Ben is better. Ja is a good finisher, Ben is better. Get my point? Ben Simmons is a lot better than Ja at this point (Ja could be better in the future, but Simmons has really high potential too). This take really comes down to Ja being a well-liked guy and Ben being generally hated.

Ja Morant over Trae Young

This one is somewhat understandable. Ja Morant is a more balanced player than Trae. But somewhat doesn’t mean it’s actually understandable. Trae is simply a better basketball player. He already scores better than Ja ever will, and is also probably a better playmaker. Ja only takes Trae in defense, rebounding, and finishing. So if the race is close, why isn’t the vote closer? I also find this one interesting because Trae often gets the edge on polls putting him up against other top point guards (i.e. Ben Simmons, Chris Paul, Kemba Walker, Kyle Lowry). Those takes are all reasonable, but why Trae over Ja? Ja isn’t better than any of those guys yet, and if Trae is better than them, how is Ja better than Trae? (I know this is a confusing reasoning, but I’m basically just writing exactly what comes to my head. Trae is better than Ja though. No question.)

Ja Morant over Jaylen Brown

You thought we were done. Nope. We have another bad take involving Ja Morant. This one is debunked with a simple head-to-head.

Finishing: Jaylen

Mid-Range: Jaylen

Threes: Jaylen

Defense: Jaylen

Rebounding: Jaylen

Passing: Ja

5-1 Jaylen. Jaylen is legitimatley an All-Star type guy this year. Ja will have trouble making it for a few years while Curry, Lillard, Luka, Jamal, De’Aaron, CP3, and D’Lo all compete for a guard spot. Jaylen is a much better all-around basketball player, and it shows.

Kristaps Porzingis over Domantas Sabonis

This one is bad. Look at it! 74% of people think KP is better than Sabonis. That’s not even close. It should honestly be the other way around. Here’s a head-to-head:

Finishing: Sabonis (I hate watching Porzingis. He’ll get a post up oppurtunity on a guard and fade away instead of taking it to the hoop. It’s really stupid.)

Mid-Range: Sabonis

Threes: KP

Defense: KP

Rebounding: Sabonis

Passing: Sabonis

4-2 Sabonis. Sabonis is a really good versitle big. He can stretch the floor (not quite as well as Porzingis), rebound at a super high rate, and Domantas is a great playmaker. He’s a lot more active of a player than KP (I’m watching Pacers vs. Cavaliers right now. Sabonis is always moving and looking to make players. Porzingis often looks stiff). I’m not really sure how people think Porzingis is better. (Sabonis was underrated last year, but I have a bad feeling about what’s going to happen now that he’s been playing so well so far this season.)

Joe Harris over Will Barton

We’re wrapping up this article with a take that, though still bad, isn’t as terrible as the others. This is just an example of the voters seemingly only knowing big-name players. I bet they’ve heard of Joe Harris just because he won a three point contest. But Will Barton is better, and I had to mention this one.

Finishing: Barton

Mid-Range: Barton

Threes: Harris

Defense: Barton (this was an easy decision)

Rebounding: Barton

Passing: Barton

5-1 Barton. Barton is a jack-off-all-trades forward who should be starting for the Nuggets (over MPJ). Joe Harris is an excellent shooter, but nothing else. Barton is the better, as well as more valuable, player.

Reggie Bullock’s Jersey Mishap

Yeah, I know this isn’t a really take. But how do 15% of people think this isn’t funny? I guess it’s the depressed Knicks fans. Even Pixar has been slandering the Knicks (did you watch Soul? That was one of my favorite parts of the movie). In all seriousness, the Knicks have had a decent start to this year (I can’t believe the Bucks lost). But going back to the take, even depressed Knicks fans should find this funny. I hope the 15% of people who didn’t find this funny were just mistaps.

That’s it! Thanks for reading this article (which was basically a long rant)! I hope you enjoyed. See you next time!

(I’ll try to leave MPJ out of the next article. I think everyone’s probably tired of reading about how I think he’s extremely overrated.)