Not Just a Shooter 1.0: Don’t Fight With People Named Bloodsport
1 hour and 55 minutes
We’re going to be launching some new podcasts this offseason based on the interests of our staffers. This one is hosted by Ace Anbender and Alex Cook and will cover the NBA. If you’d like to be its exclusive sponsor, hit me up!
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1st Quarter: The East
starts at 1:00
MATCHUPS: Raptors-Wizards, Celtics-Bucks, Sixers-Heat, Cavs-Pacers
Not great Cavs—LeBron’s having a good season but not his teammates (not even counting Kardashian-related things). He’s got to drag this team on his own now—next best player is Love. Lakers trade worked out for nobody. Raptors are a great regular season team with the best bench in the league, but Kyle Lowry vs playoff defense aint the same thing. Fred VanVleet most inexplicably good player in the NBA. Boston is 2nd seed but bleeding. Philadelphia: trust the process, don’t trust Embiid’s broken face, Ben Simmons is going to be great after the most SEC college career ever, the Fultz story is pretty crazy. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the most interesting players we’ve ever seen, Bucks defense has the Illinois problem. Heat are the island of misfit toys.
2nd Quarter: The West
starts at 39:43
MATCHUPS: Rockets-Wolves, Warriors-Spurs, Blazers-Pelicans, Thunder-Jazz
Houston has built an excellent team. Fan favorite by default because Golden State is penciled in for the next 26 championships—they took the foot off the gas this year. Blaze are interesting but unless Lillard and McCollum go off they’re not deep enough to go deep. Drafting Kennard before Donavan Mitchell is gobbluthhugemistake.gif. Weirdly non Spur-like San Antonio team. Bryn Forbes has had a better NBA career than Denzel Valentine. Too bad what happened to Boogie even though it makes the Pelicans a more open team. Timberwolves are the West’s Sixers. Predictions.
3rd Quarter: Wolverines in the NBA
starts at 1:21:02
Jamal Crawford (Timberwolves) still in the league despite being Seth’s age. Epke Udoh (Jazz), Turkish Legend, is back in the NBA and playing significant minutes for a playoff team now that the league has caught up to his rim and out game. Tim Hardaway Jr. (Knicks) deal might actually be worth it except he’s having a THJ sophomore year from beyond the arc. The late shots these days are going to Trey Burke (also Knicks), who used his time in the G league to become a guy who puts up 42, a lot of that by exploiting the fact that the NBA doesn’t guard the midrange jumper anymore. Really efficient with Beasley now. GRIII (Pacers) was hurt most of this year, won NBA dunk competition last year, Indiana getting him up to speed for the playoffs. DJ Wilson (Bucks) played in the G League this year. Derrick Walton (Heat) signed a two-way contract, so spends time between Miami and Sioux Falls, [Seth has to Google this], SD, can carve out a role as a backup PG, good numbers in Sioux Falls. Expect Moe Wagner to be in this segment next year, and Poole sooner, and this year’s class will be all over the NBA eventually.
4th Quarter: The Pistons Segment
starts at 1:42:20
Most depressing franchise to follow right now. Trying to talk yourself into “if Reggie, Blake and Andre are all healthy at the same time,” gets you into a second round series before one gets hurt again. At best this core can get a Grizzlies 50-win era. Ticket prices are so ridiculous for a taxpayer-funded arena that it’s no surprise the new building is empty. SVG is a good coach, not a good GM. So…free agent fandom? Knicks have the players we want to root for but 1) the owner and 2) Knicks/Yankees fans. Caris Levert (Nets) is coming off the bench for 26 minutes a game and has a role as an either wing for a long NBA career. Stauskas bouncing around after the deep misfortune of being drafted by Sacramento when they still had Boogie (DeMarcus Cousins), then went to the Sixers, then Nets, but he was thrown in and they didn’t really want him.
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MUSIC
- “Still Hanging On (Faithful Man)”—Lee Fields & The Expressions
- “Love & Hate”—Michael Kiwanuka
- “This Much I Care”—Skaters
- “Across 110th Street”
THE USUAL LINKS
- Helpful iTunes subscribe link
- General podcast feed link
- Direct download link
- What's with the theme music?
Shout-out to JR for knowing exactly how to celebrate a title: shirtless with a bottle of Henny.
Stauskas got drafted by Sacremento. Nobody has the misfortune of being drafted by the Spurs. Huuuuuuge difference.
*Henny, not Hennie. C'mon, no one will believe that you're a fellow kid if you can't properly abbreviate alcohol.
1. I already told you I'm the same age as Jamal Crawford.
2. It ought to be "Henne"
However, for someone who hasn't watched every Cavs game this season, it's hard to appreciate just how god awful and soul sucking this team was before the trades. Larry Nance Jr will absolutely be a nice high effort rotation player going forward.
They at least resemble a playoff team now. It can't be overlooked that Kevin Love missed 20+ games, and looks way better without IT on the floor. I believe he's shooting 45% from 3 since he came back. I don't think it's a coincidence that he's shooting better since Kyle Korver gave him a tip that his mechanics had gotten a little out of whack.
Tristan Thompson is now a huge distraction on top of a dumpster fire. Most Cavs fans still carry the attitude of, they got us a championship, I really don't care.
After 7 straight years, I'm going to assume that LeBron wins the East until somebody actually beats him.
I loved Clarkson and LNJ and hope they win a ring this year but their ceiling was Just Guys. They're rotation guys you can win with and LNJ is someone who's perfectly suited to be the fifth guy who does the little things to facilitate for four superstars. Mid-long term, they represented salaries that the Laker didn't want and Kuzma/Randle are way too good at the 4-spot to give LNJ the minutes he probably deserves. Moreover, getting IT's expiring contract was that the Lakers really wanted. We still have to make some moves to minimize the ballast of the Mosgov/Deng contracts, but the Nance/Clarkson/IT trade, while not in and of itself the ultimate goal of a max contract piece, was a necessary step in that process for Pelinka and company.
edit - also the hidden bonus if you're a Laker fan is the late first rounder from Cleveland, especially since LAL didn't have a first rounder in this draft. Especially since the one thing the Laker front office, even under the moronic stewardship of Jim Buss, has been consistently good at these past five years is finding viable guys in the late first round/second round of the draft.
I mean, thanks for the off season content, but this offseason is going to be brutal. I was really looking forward to reading all the world cup content we get once very 4 years, but instead it looks like content on the most boring, flopping-est league in the world, the NBA. Ugh.
the most boring, flopping-est league in the world, the NBA
Dude.
I really hope there's a USMNT podcast closer to the World Cup detailing what went wrong, what the future looks like, etc.
While depressing, I'd love to hear some insights from other people who follow the team.
That was the original plan but when USA failed to qualify we scrapped that so Brian could pursue his true passion: Local Ann Arbor Politics. Look for MGoChapo 1.0: NIMBYs Go to Hell to drop in a few weeks and MGoChapo 1.1: Capitalism for College Athletes, Socialism for Everyone Else a week after.
Haa!! You can't fool us, Brian - only Ace can come up with these ideas!
I'll be with Ace on ep. 1.1
Seth, I don't know what the repercussions will be, but that post was worth it.
as a shirt idea.
NBA content yes please. Also, let's have World Cup coverage even though the USA didn't make it.
I love this! Great work guys. Go Sixers! TTP!
April 13th, 2018 at 12:39 AM ^
April 13th, 2018 at 11:10 AM ^
This makes me very happy, thanks guys. Screw Cleveland
Not a NBA fan but enjoyed your take on the Pistons and what is relevant
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