A Coaching Philosophy? Or Perhaps, a Metaphor for a Better Life!

           

        Heading into a new basketball season, I found myself reflecting on the intention I wanted to approach the new season with. What was my 'coaching philosophy', I'd never written it down, though I was certain I had one. What is a coaching philosophy? I define it as an intentional and deliberate set of principles that you believe give your team the greatest chance for success over the long term, both on and off the court.. Some of it is about what you like to do on the floor, the X's and O's; but I'd argue it's more about the mindset that you want to cultivate in your players. The culture or atmosphere that surrounds your time together. Your goal is to have them adopt this mindset and buy into the 'team first' philosophy as a whole. To me, a collective and individual growth mindset that is essential to creating a successful culture. It's one of the essential tools for player development, but the more I've reflected on it it recent weeks, the more I see it as a metaphor for personal development as well!

          In the past 12 months I really began to self reflect on where I was at in my own life. I was feeling low at times. In an effort to improve my mental health I began to keep a self reflective journal, to track my thoughts, and promote gratitude in my life. While I was doing 'okay' professionally, working hard everyday to improve the lives of my students and players, I had neglected to take care of myself in many ways. It became apparent to me that this was unsustainable. I had forgotten to model some of the winning behaviors I preached about endlessly, in my own life. I needed more self discipline, I needed a 'life' coach. Perhaps the most frustrating thing for me, was this sense that I've known what to do all along. I decided to forgive myself for letting go of the rope, shame wasn't going to be the answer. In my writings I noted over and over that my positive self talk was almost entirely made up of the same philosophies I apply to the game of basketball. What I needed from myself, was the same thing I routinely asked from my players; self reflect, listen up, accept accountability, implement change, fail, try again, and be self disciplined throughout, learn to enjoy the process of improvement. That's basketball, that's life. 

        As you may or may not know, I am currently the senior girls basketball coach at Harrison Trimble High School. I've coached at numerous levels of basketball for both guys and girls through the previous decade. I've coached middle school teams in Petitcodiac, the Varsity Boys program at Tantramar Regional High and Riverview High, as well as the Junior Boys at Bernice MacNaughton. I've coached some of the best young talent in the province for team New Brunswick's Under 16 squad. As well, I've coached numerous other sports including; Soccer, Volleyball, Cross Country and Track and Field through my 10 plus years as a teacher. All of this is to say, I've been honing my philosophy for some time now, with a number of different skill levels, personalities and expectations.

But more than my coaching experience, I've had the great fortune and pleasure of playing for and working with some tremendous coaches through my years in the sport. So much so that I'm not certain where their ideas end and mine begin. I'm not certain I have any original ideas all my own, it's all been influenced by many great coaches and people. Shoulders of giants, really, I hope I've made them proud! I am eternally grateful and indebted to coaches like Doug Prescott (my foundation of fundamentals), Edmond Wareham (my understanding of the importance of mental + physical toughness), Serge Langis (the importance of collective "buy in", an appreciation of individual defensive intensity, the love to compete), Brian Forsythe (relentless intensity, attention to detail, advanced team defensive understandings), Dave Nutbrown (value of a tireless work ethic, care for his players, strategic game planning, defensive principles and rotation) Jeff Cummins (team is family, being yourself and coaching with charisma) Matthew Davies (video editing, analysis). I'm surely forgetting many other coaches from different times in my life, not to mention the numerous camp coaches who have often said things or instilled principles in me that have stuck with me. I can remember a time at elite top 40 development camp @FHS in the side gym when I was in 8th grade and I was trying to be 'to cool for school', and my coach for the week, Gordon McNeilly called me out on the spot. He impressed upon me that if I used my skills I had the opportunity to be a model of behavior, for better, or worse. I could model kindness, respect, humility and hard work, or I could strive to be 'cool', to not care, to carry myself with a (deluded) sense of superiority. Either way, others may follow, but what kind of impact did I want to have? How would I want my teammates to act? This conversation was transformative for me and the words have stuck with me throughout my life, it's no wonder to me that he is now an MLA, motivational speaker and community leader in Prince Edward Island. Truly a leader, and I'm forever thankful an exchange, that I likely approached with defensiveness at the time. What's more is that he likely does not even remember this conversation, but I've thought about it plenty throughout my years as both a player, and coach. That's the impact good coaches can have. I've especially thought about that in recent months. I'm not certain why we often accept coaching or guidance up until a certain time in our life and then we feel the need to have all the answers for ourselves. Bias aside, being coachable is such an underrated skill, and it doesn't only apply to high school aged basketball players. That goes for any age and vocation. I am by no means suggesting I have the answers, I know I don't. I'm meeting with, reading, watching, all kinds of people with more know how that I'll ever have with regard to self improvement and self care. But being coachable is a big part of my basketball philosophy. On the court, I've always been open to instruction. I've always been willing to take what the coach said, and try my best to adapt it to my team and myself for future success. Why, in my personal life had I been so reluctant to ask for help? This is just one of the many examples I can think of for how applying my (again, through the help of many others) philosophies of basketball to my life has helped me, and I believe will continue to help me. So here are a few more of my philosophies for coaching, and, living.

Next Play Mentality - Like many of our lives, 

basketball is fast paced. Plays happen one after

another. You make a shot, you miss the next. You turn it over, you hustle back on defense to prevent an easy score. There is little time for hanging your head, or taking yourself out of the game. This is a perfectly apt metaphor for life. I'm always telling my girls to not let a mistake, affect a further mistake. You're going to miss shots, you're going to turn the ball over, you're going to get scored on. Like life, many of the mistakes you make cannot be undone, they cannot be fixed, they can only be learned from. Adopting this philosophy to my life has helped me shed some of my personal shame regarding things not working out they way I'd expected in my past, or in that current day. It's allowed me to bounce back from circumstances where I've felt like 'hanging my head, and not hustling back'. It's helped me reflect on times where I let one or two mistakes, lead to a "shooting slump" or a "down week, month or year". One of the things about this mindset that I try to emphasize to my girls is the importance of learning from our mistakes with intention when they happen. If the effort is there, "did you make a mistake, despite going hard and having the best intentions?" If so, move on. Keep playing! Later, when we're less emotional and caught up in the moment of the 'fail' we can reflect on what we have we learned from our mistakes. Are we trying to make every shot? You bet. Does that make them all good shots? Definitely not, but that's where the learning comes in, what can we change and do better going forward. Because sometimes, they are great shots! They just didn't go in! They were great decisions, they just didn't work out. Perhaps we didn't execute quite well enough, this time. In life, like in ball, you've got to keep shooting, keep showing up for yourself, you've got to keep progressing! Having a next play mentality is a big part of the mental framework I want for my players both on and off the court.

         Learn to Love the Process - It can be easy to get caught up in a results based approach. It didn't work, scrap it. We can fall into the trap of wanting instant gratification, because it surrounds us in so many other elements of society. We would all love to get better, 'On Demand'. It just doesn't work that way in basketball, or in life. When we as coaches hold our players accountable we teach them it is as much about how we play the game, as it is about winning and losing in the moment or in that game itself. Maybe that means losing a game or two in December to get valuable experience for your depth players, now you can compete at a higher level with more contributing players in February. Most times that means short term pain, long term gain. In life the path to a healthy lifestyle, financial goals, successful personal or work related ventures, healthy relationships is very much the same. How you go about the day to day with a sense of self discipline will determine how sustainable your success will be. I like to take the notion of self discipline a step further, I suggest it be approached with enthusiasm! Of course no one likes to lose, but everyone likes to "get better", so let your mind go there. It's easy to be enthused about the highlights of a season or year, but if you can get enthused about the neutrals, the 'we're here to get better' moments, some of those will start to be highs too, and your ceiling raises! This is why defining short term goals is important to setting short term intentions for ourselves and our teams. The long term goals are great but their far less attainable without a goal for today. It gives us purpose and a realistic sense of what's achievable in the moment. The more specific, the better. The love is in the details. This can be a goal within a drill in practice, or a weekly savings goal for yourself.

       

Communication = Connection - On the basketball court a team that plays together is one of the most beautiful things in the sport. Defensively, a team that rotates in unison and covers for each other at every turn is incredible to watch. My philosophy is that communication is essential to developing connection, both on and off the floor. When a new team comes together there can often be a hesitancy to speak up on the court, this is when it is most essential to speak up. The sooner teammates declare their intentions and help one another with cutters, screeners, etc the easier it is to build a connection with one another on the defensive end. This is so obvious off the court as a metaphor for life that it more or less goes without saying. If you want a healthy relationship or friendship it is essential to communicate our intentions with honesty. Like off the court most communication begins through conversation but ultimately great teams and relationships can graduate to a depth of connection in which you can communicate through body language, mannerisms or tendencies, even our emotional intelligence with regard to one another. Great communication cannot necessarily make a team or relationship, but poor communication can certainly be either's downfall. Communication is not reserved to interpersonal development but can be yourself for a deeper connection with one's self. As a coach I encourage my players to talk to themselves on the court. Call out what you are doing. If you saying, "take away the middle" to yourself', most likely, you are taking away the middle. If you are declaring "help side", you're probably thinking about getting to that spot on the court. Communication off the court might be a gratitude journal as you connect with a greater understanding of the many blessings in your life. Maybe it's the set of intentions you have for yourself.

        Identify Your Opportunity, Then Play To It - If you're lucky your opportunity is your strength, lean on it. While it is good to work on our blind spots and weaknesses without question, it is also important to understand ourselves, what we do well, an then leverage this as best we can. On the basketball court this may mean being a 'shooter', if that's what you're out there to do, you better be ready to do just that. Figure out where you shoot best, get to those spots, and shoot a lot. If you're a defender, find the best player on the other team and show how valuable you can be on that end of the floor. Make yourself indispensable. Remember I said if you're 'lucky', your opportunity is your obvious strength, and first thought. If only basketball and life were that easy, most times identifying the opportunity means finding a strength within you that maybe didn't know you had. It's identifying what the team needs and identifying a way to provide that valuable contribution regardless of limited acclaim. Maybe you'll get it, maybe you won't, that's not important. Not all opportunities are as glamourous as shooting or scoring, but they can be just as rewarding for both a team or individual. When players buy into this they become much more dynamic in their ability to make meaningful contributions. Be adaptive, be willing to challenge yourself and grow beyond your initial limited expectations of how multifaceted we can be both individually and collectively.  

         Good Habits are the Good Ballhandling of Life - Having good habits is the basis for good self discipline and long term success. It will never hurt you to have either! Practicing good habits, like practicing ball handling drills can be tedious and 'boring'. It can be tempting to settle for 'good enough' to get by. It can seemingly take a long time to see the results, from a daily process. Good ballhandling like good habits are the foundation for your potential progression as a player in basketball and as a person with regard to good habits. A great handle will take you anywhere on the basketball court you want to go. Great habits will take you anywhere you want to go in life. I tell all my players regardless of your position, the ability to create for yourself and teammates off the dribble will only make you more successful as a basketball player. It's something we should all want to improve. In a similar way good habits will both create opportunities and put you in a position to take advantage of opportunities for you and your family. Another similarity is that both are a personal pursuit. I tell my players because of the limited amount of practice, we can never provide enough opportunity for players to become great ball handlers within our practice time. It has to be a personal endeavor! This is true of great habits, they aren't just something you do when you are in public, these are the things you do when no one is watching. That is where you create a foundation that will ultimately determine your ceiling!

  

        Keep The Ball Out of the Middle - Unless you've got Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon waiting, it's my belief that this is best practice. I never understand why anyone forces middle! 

        Hope you enjoyed some of my thoughts on coaching and life. I think it is an honour to pass along some of the knowledge and opportunity that was given to me and has meant so much to me through the years. I'll get back to a more traditional NBA focused blog in the near future when I consider some of the most interesting storylines and players to watch as we get ready to start a new season of the NBA already! That seems so strange to type but we're literally only about  10 days from training camp and just over 3 weeks from the tip off! Thanks for reading!

           

NBA Catch Up, and 5 NBA Questions I Had That May Never Be Answered!

It's been too long since I've posted anything, in fact the whole world has drastically changed since then. Not to worry I have been working on several entries and should have a few ready to publish in the coming days. In fact keeping up with the times has been part of my issue, as the shifting landscape of the NBA often meant my writings couldn't keep up with the changes happening week to week in the association. Of course, that all came to an abrupt end on March 12th when Rudy Gobert tested positive for covid-19 and the league and all it's operations halted to a standstill. Since then, there's been nothing but time to reflect on the season and what a shutdown would mean for 2019-2020 in the association.

But first, I will summarize some of my notes from earlier unpublished entries with thoughts on some of the happenings since the end of January. Namely, Kobe Bryant, trade deadline fall out, and the surprisingly competitive all star game.

The Tragic Passing of Kobe Bryant

So much has already been written about this and covered in numerous tributes, so I'll be short. This was an incredibly jarring event for me. An "I'll always remember where I was..." moment for certain. While I was never a huge Kobe Bryant fan throughout his Lakers career, for various reasons. I always respected his ability as a basketball player. More so than his skills, abilities and acumen as a basketball player, I respected his drive, tenacity, work ethic and attention to detail. Kobe was certainly a flawed individual, but he constantly sought improvements on and off the court, and I can respect that. What stuck out to me in the coverage surrounding his passing was how great of a father he was. Perhaps this is because I knew how great of a basketball player he was already, regardless I found this touching. Unfortunately, I think that we missed out on was a more relate-able personality of Kobe Bryant. Many of us can concede that we would never be able to do the things he could on the basketball court, regardless of how inspired we became. His athleticism was in that 'special' categorization. However, we could aspire to love our families, and be as as involved in our childrens' development as Kobe was in his daughters'. Even more tragic than his own passing, in my opinion, was the passing of the young girls who were also in that helicopter that morning. Young people who never got the years that Kobe received to pursue their dreams, to experience life and all it's limitless possibilities. I feel for everyone involved in this accident, but I feel for those girls and their families in particular.

The Trade Deadline... Much Ado About Nothing?

When I last discussed the trade deadline I had the opportunity to appear on David Tingley's podcast,"On Guard for Three", it was a great experience. We went over many different player destinations, rumours, team needs, etc. I would encourage you to listen to that if you have any interest in my thoughts on basketball in general. You can find it on apple music, spotify and many other places you get your podcasts. At the time it seemed very significant, but the weeks that followed suggested otherwise in my opinion. (An now especially, is anything in sports significant?) Discussing it now with the benefit of time to see the results serves to suggest the changes were not all that impactful. While the Robert Covington trade seemed to have had an immediate impact on the play of the Houston Rockets, the micro ball style was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. D'Antoni's short rotations and defensive rebounding limitations could be fairly questioned over the course of a grueling playoff run. It seemed obvious to me that teams like the Clippers and Celtics were just as equipped to play small ball as the Rockets, perhaps more so. Neither Morris brother was seeming to have an impact on either of the Los Angeles franchises. Marcus Morris was certainly the preferred option of the two, but his playing style didn't seem to mesh all that well with the current make up of the Clippers. If he was satisfied to move the ball, play defense and take the open shot, it could have been a positive but he has more of a hold the ball and try to make a play mentality. He seemed to take the ball out of the hands of people more skilled at creating a shot than he was. Igoudala's importance seemed to be grossly overvalued as he may have still been playing his way into game shape, but he hardly represented an upgrade in his limited time with the Heat. Frankly, it looked like James Johnson was playing with renewed ability after he was banished from Miami to Minnesota. Potential impact players like like Gallinari, Rose and Thompson never ended up moving. The center position appeared to be the big loser of the deadline with max salary all star center Andre Drummond going to Cleveland in what amounted to a salary dump. Not to mention Clint Capela also being deemed expendable by a Rocket roster, that while I questioned their championship pedigree, was certainly showing a higher ceiling with Capela out the door. Will this be a continuing trend in a league that seems to value pace and space, shooting and defensive switching. above all else I'd say yes.

The Elam Ending All Star Game

The weekend was pretty solid in my opinion. The dunk contest likely should have ended in a tie. Both guys seemed to have run out of their best prepared dunks. An were both deserving of their 50's in the finals. The 3 point shootout was a bit gimmicky, but was impressively none the less. Th marquee game itself was by far the most competitive all star game I can recall watching in my lifetime. The first 3 quarters were pretty typical all star game fare, so there's little of note to mention there. However, the Elam effect was incredible.Setting a goal of 24 points in the final quarter, (a fitting tribute to Kobe Bryant) created a pre-decided final score for the game and it became clear that both teams were in it to win it. What was of interest to me was how difficult it became for the best players in the world to score! There has long been an adage that good offense beats good defense every time, however in this case that hardly seemed to be true. Perhaps it's well organized offence that beats great defense. Lebron and Kawhi appeared to be the only guys that could create their own shots off the dribble down the stretch. Even more surprising was how insignificant Giannis was offensively down the stretch for the team that was specifically named after him! Instead 'team Giannis' appeared to be slowing the play down and looking for mismatches on the block. Electing to either post up Joel Embiid as their number one option. Or targeting the perceived weakest defensive link on team LeBron, posting up James Harden with Pascal Siakam repeatedly with predictably meager results. Players were switching all of the high ball screen activity, producing little in the way of exploitable mismatches. Gritty plays by the likes of Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul became of great importance, something you'd have never expected out of an all star game. So while it was somewhat jarring to see the best players in the world struggle to get into an offensive flow it was pretty incredible to watch the players compete at such a high level, neutralizing each other in so many ways defensively. One great example of this was Giannis' block on a Lebron post up turnaround, which only fueled LeBron to body Giannis up moments later on the block, forcing the Bucks superstar into a turnover. It remains to be seen how this will impact the years to come, but the format change had proven incredibly effective on this year's game!

The 5 Biggest Questions of the 2019-20 Season, Asked and Answered!
Obviously this is way down the list of important issues in the world today, but I miss basketball. I miss playing it, I miss watching it, I miss thinking it, analyzing and predicting it. With so much down time surrounding the Corona virus crisis it's been a great opportunity to rewatch old favourite television shows and movies, this got me thinking. What sets movies and television apart from live sports is the law of  diminished returns rewatching something presents. For example, some movies and television are almost elevated when I rewatch them, though the law eventually kicks in. This is almost never the case for a sporting event. What's more, in many cases because of longstanding tropes, conventions and cliches we know how a movie or television series will end, even if we're seeing it for the first time. In movies you almost expect the underdog to win, because that is the Hollywood ending were conditioned to root for. In many cases this does little to diminish the enjoyment of the art itself. This is very much less the case for with sports, for me the single greatest value of sports is the sense of not knowing. The need to watch to the very end because you never know what might happen. Even after years of watching the Cavaliers and Warriors battle it out in the NBA championship, who could have predicted the Raptors title run in the spring of 2019! This is why no amount of old games will make up for what I'll be disappointed in missing out on. (which I understand and believe is necessary, in these times, don't get me wrong.) Also, shouldn't ESPN,and all the other sports dependent content programming networks out there be releasing whatever archival footage and documentaries they've got. If they're holding on docs for summer, now's the time. That 10 hour basketball documentary, let's see it. Any 30 for 30's you've got banked, let's get em out. The Last Dance Bull's documentary. No better time!

For a 2020 season that seemingly had so much to offer, it's incredibly unfortunate we will miss out on so much of it. I've gone ahead and thought of 5 of the biggest questions I had hoped the season would answer. In light of my pessimism that the season's resumption seems less likely every day, I've gone ahead and answered each question myself. I'm hoping I'm wrong and that all of these questions get their opportunity to be answered the right way, on the basketball court.

5. Could the Simmons/Embiid 'Process' have survived another setback? 
'Trusting the process' in Philadelphia has taken on new meaning in the last 3 seasons, gone are the expectations of incremental growth and asset development. Instead, the expectations are rightfully heightened and the assets have all been liquidated for veteran help in the form of Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson and Al Horford. Despite this, the Embiid/Simmons pairing continues to present questions. Is there a less compatible duo on a contender in the league? Being the loudest. Even Westbrook and Harden have seemingly found a way to co-exist without sacrificing much in the way of optimizing their skill sets. Simmons is an incredibly gifted player in transition, when aggressive and not afraid to draw fouls, he's nearly unstoppable. Unfortunately, Embiid's limited conditioning rarely allows the Sixers to push the pace, and play with the tempo that would allow Simmons to maximize his potential, Instead Philly often slows it down and lets Embiid work in the half court. On the other hand this makes sense as Embiid has the potential to be the most dominant player on the court on a nightly basis. However, this style almost entirely neutralizes Simmons brilliance and accentuates his inability to space the floor as a shooter in the half court. Both are great defensively, their issues mainly have to do with the offensive end of the court The last change up available to the Sixers might be a coaching change to see if a new voice or philosophy can unlock the potential that still seems untapped. Perhaps it's more Richardson ball screens with Simmons as the screener, so he can be a Draymond like play-maker out of the pick and roll. If the season continued the Sixers would likely have suffered a second round exit, all but assuring the release of Brett Brown from his coaching duties. Regardless, if the playoffs don't happen and the Sixers don't have a seemingly inevitable setback, I think they'd still be wise to move on from Brown before breaking up the their seemingly incompatible, yet talented, twosome.

4. Could Zion have Actually Win the Rookie of the Year?

For me, this question doubles as a query as to what team was going to lock down the 8th playoff seed in the West. The upstart Memphis Grizzlies held the position as we headed into the final stretch of the season. Behind the galvanizing play of first year standout Ja Morant, the Grizz had surprised everyone over the first 3 quarters of the season and the Rookie of the Year award appeared to be all but locked up for Morant. Not so fast though, Zion Williamson burst onto the scene after missing much of the season with a knee injury. In his limited play, Zion has more than lived up to the hype, despite his conditioning still catching up with his skill and talent. Zion was putting up numbers on par with some all time greats debuts, scoring over 20 points in each of his last 10 games before the break. What's more, the Pelicans were winning during this stretch and he was a big part of that. That said, I think the narrative of him being a transcendent talent, as well as the Pelicans making a move for the 8th seed would have been enough to push Zion passed Morant, regardless of how fair that truly it. But, both of things had to happen. He had to continue to be must see TV and the Pelicans had to push passed the Grizz for the 8th seed. While the Grizz had a daunting schedule down the stretch, conversely the Pelicans had a relatively easy schedule to close out the season. So it's worth noting that this was a very real possibility and both the race for 8 and the ROY would have increased the drama of the final few regular season games. The Pels had the better team and likely would have prevailed. The hype around Zion would have still been novel and the narrative would have been enough to secure him the votes, despite him appearing in less than have as many games as Ja. Unfortunately now I don't think we'll get  to see this and the award should go to Morant, but he's such a competitor, I think even he would have liked to have seen this play out.

3. Could the Raptors Defend Their Title?
As a Raptors fan I think there was a feeling of relative relief heading into the season. After years struggling to get over the hump in the playoffs, they finally did it and more! But the sense that the Raptors should count their blessings, thank Kawhi, and politely recede from the championship conversation, despite being the champs was a bit much. The prevailing notion was that long time Raptor Kyle Lowry had finally performed in the playoffs and should simply serve as a happy placeholder of the NBA championship now that Kawhi had left and taken their status as a legitimate contenders with him to LA. There was a lot of negative conjecture; would the Raps be a playoff team? Would they blow up the team and start over, now that the media had decided their run was over? Like most champions, the Raptors had other ideas. It's been an incredible run given the limited expectations. Nick Nurse has proven himself to be among the games elite coaches, always motivating his guys to play above themselves and stay in every game despite an increasing league wide suggestion that regular season games are only marginally more than meaningless. Pascal Siakam continued to emerge as the go to guy. The Raptors brass continued to find and develop talent from unlikely sources in the form of Chris Boucher and Terrance Davis. Not to mention, veterans Lowry and Ibaka have had a revival of sorts, refusing to fade away as their career trajectories may have suggested they would. Fred Van Vleet has played like a guy who wants to get paid, and Norman Powell is finally playing like a guy who is getting paid. This is a squad that exemplifies the importance of continuity, identity and trust. Something that 'superteams' full of talent don't always find the means of unlocking. They have great ball movement, they work hard for each other in their defense rotations, they push the ball in transition, and they play to the final whistle - they really are a joy to watch! Do they have the talent of Milwaukee, Boston or Philly? Maybe not, but they still have one of the most complete teams in the league, something no one was saying 6 months ago, so why couldn't they win the East? I don't think they would beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference final because I think the Giannis match up is a difficult one for them and I believe the Bucks 3 point shooting will be much improved over what it was last year. Frankly, I just think it was the Bucks year.

2. Who would have Won The Battle of L.A.?

This was one of the biggest looming questions of the season. Both sides appeared to downplay the significance of their cross town rivalry throughout the season, but that was just because the heavyweights needed the stakes to match their collective egos. The regular season is beneath the likes of Kawhi and LeBron. So while the Christmas Day showdown gave us a preview of what was to come, it was but a glimpse of what could have been. Both team's seemed to play the regular season as if they always had another gear. For the Lakers it'd been putting LeBron in the post and watching him play at a super human level of efficiency. For the Clippers it's been their rock solid record when they have their best 5 in the lineup at the same time. In addition to the heavyweight match up that pits the two top seeded LA teams against each other, these teams present some all time individual match ups as LeBron and AD would have been matched up with PG and Kawhi on numerous possessions throughout the series. Would Montrezz Harrell be able to cover AD, possibly presenting a matchup problem for the Lakers off the bench. Would Lou Williams be an X factor? Could LeBron post Kawhi Leonard up and work out on the block? Would the little brother Clippers be playing against the crowd, despite playing in their 'home' games? This seemed destined to be the Western Conference finals that had everyone saying things like, "this is the real finals"! Disrespect that I will get to with my final thought. It had all the glitter and star power to be a historic series for the ages. even a Rondo versus Beverley match up has a bit of combativeness, that draws viewer intrigue. But what would have happened? I'm not convinced of the Clippers next gear. All season they've hung their proverbial hat on this notion that when all their guns are firing they'll be unbeatable. An while this may be the case, I haven't seen a healthy enough Paul George often enough, to believe that to be the case. In a reversal of fortune, Davis has actually looked healthier than PG for the better part of this season, and has just been playing at a higher level this season than George. Conversely, the Lakers have shown the ability to take it to another gear throughout the season, and they present matchup problems for the Clippers in my opinion. While the Clips may be able to keep LeBron off the block, and Kawhi can likely even match his output for the series to be honest. They really don't have a match up for AD. I'll answer my own question from above. I don't think Harrell, Morris or George are big enough to cover AD, if AD wants to attack the rim. I think the size of Lakers would ultimately be too much for the Clippers and I'd take the Lakers to win the battle of Los Angeles in a historic 7 game series!

1. Were the Bucks Going Overlooked? 
I'll answer this one right away. Yes1 I feel this is really something to be considered, as I feel the Bucks are likely the biggest losers of everyone if the season doesn't have a conclusion. Their historic season will be forgotten to history. The all time best point differential; a still possible, albeit unlikely, 70 win season; a favourite to come out of the East an possibly win the title. First in points per game, with the 7th best offensive rating. They had the best defensive rating in the league. They have the best player in the league leading the way and they have a roster that can play a myriad of different ways. That said, I didn't get the sense that people took them as seriously as we maybe should have. The Bucks show have been the understood favourite, perhaps not overwhelmingly, but the favourite. We have a tendency to want to see something before we buy in. We've seen LeBron and Kawhi both elevate their games and subsequently their teams to championships in recent years. The jury is seemingly still out on Giannis. I think this is understandable, but it's wrong. I think Giannis has continually taken steps forward throughout his career. He knew this was the next step, and I'm not willing to count him out. Consider that Giannis should have been well rested with a reduced work load compared to say, Lebron. The path to the finals in the East was comparatively easier than the road in the West. The Bucks have the ability to play Brook Lopez, allowing them to match up with the Lakers. Or have Giannis slide up to the 5 and go small vs. the Clippers or whoever else. The Bucks have been playing with an edge all season long, whenever they've been challenged, they've answered the bell and I think they are being overlooked in the narratives about the season. This was their season, they would have won the title, and if we don't have one it's going to hurt them the most. The Clippers will likely get a healthier Paul George back for next year. They'll continue to develop trust and continuity with their top guys who have still played limited minutes as a collective unit, largely due to George's injury related absences. The Lakers will surely find a way to bolster their depth, as one or two wing players sacrificing their numbers for a chance to play with LeBron and AD seems very possible. Those teams are very good, but I'd contend they have flaws and were certainly beatable for a well oiled machine like the Bucks. With Giannis' future somewhat hanging in the balance, this could end up being an all time "what if?"season for a Bucks franchise that doesn't often get to entertain such thoughts all that often.

NBA Mid Season Awards and Trade Deadline Subplots

          Welcome back to the blog, I can't tell you how happy I am to be writing again and while it was a busy week of marking exams at school, I'm excited to get another entry published. I really do appreciate the support so far! I should have one about movies coming out real soon. I've been trying to get the Oscar nominees watched, and I'll be weighing in on some of my selections in that regard!

         However, today is going to be back to my first love, the roundball. It's the midway point of the NBA regular season which means, All Star game chatter and a chance to reflect on the season so far. I've actually been asked to join a friend of mine, David Tingley, on his basketball podcast, On Guard For Three next week to discuss our all star selections for this year. (Which I'm greatly looking forward to!) So instead of writing about that, I decided to give out some mid season awards as a way of doing some research on the year so far, as a way of getting my thoughts in order for that upcoming podcast. The All Star game itself has become a bit of no defense snooze fest. So much so that the acclaim and intrigue of being selected or snubbed for the game has become in many ways more of an exciting follow than the game itself!

With over half the games in the books for the 2019-2020 season, here are my mid season awards.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert - Rudy has been the heart and soul of the Jazz for years now, he is among the league leaders in defensive rating, defensive win shares, and defense rebounding percentage. Currently 2nd in the league in rebounds, Gobert anchors one of the leagues best defenses and deserves a ton of credit for the Jazz's ability to keep opponents from scoring in the paint. 

Honourable (I'm Canadian, this we like out U's) Mentions: Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid

NBA Rookie of the Year: Ja Morant - The Memphis guard has been a revelation for the Grizz so far this year. While most of the league penciled in Zion Williamson, the odds on favourite for rookie of the year before the season started. Zion's preseason injury was a loss for the Pelicans, and league as a whole, but it's been Morant's gain. Morant leads all rookies in scoring and assists, as well as efficiency and usage. So the metrics check out, but even more important, Ja has proven himself a winner! The Grizz have been the surprise of the season, sitting a half game out of the playoffs! He doesn't make them all, but he has the athleticism and confidence to try, as Kevin Love found out in the clip below!

Honourable Mentions: No One Else Close

NBA Sixth Man of the Year: Derrick Rose - Derrick Rose has been experiencing a career resurgence in Detroit. He's settled into the role of sixth man perfectly for the Pistons. Accepting that he can no longer log the same volume of minutes at his ultra aggressive pace, Rose has dialed back the minutes but his game hasn't changed. He looks like the Rose of old, blowing past defenders with routine. His pull up is one of the best in the league, where the pull up has become a bit of a lost art. He's also added a nifty push floater that he can unleash without taking the pounding at the rim like he used to. (See clip below!) With a surprisingly low contract given his stature, and a Pistons team that isn't going anywhere, Detroit would be doing themselves, and Rose a favour by moving him to a contender. I hope this happens and we get to see Rose playing some meaningful playoff basketball for the first time in nearly a decade!

Honourable Mentions: Lou Williams, Montrezz Harrell 

Most Improved Player: Bam Adebayo - This award is a bit tricky in my opinion, do you give it to a player who is great but has elevated to superstar status (Luka, Siakam), or do you look for a middling player who has become an essential part of his team's success? I've decided the latter as those superstars will get there recognition regardless. Bam Adebayo's growth in his third season has been nothing short of spectacular. He is a terrific defensive big, who can step out in the pick and roll and stay with smaller guards. He can also protect the rim and clear the glass. In addition, his offensive game has really developed and he's shown a great ability to pass the ball out of the high post as well. Throw in the fact that the Miami Heat are one of the better teams in the East and he along with Jimmy Butler have been their best players and he gets my vote in a very competitive field of candidates.

Honourable Mentions: Pascal Siakam, Luka Doncic, Devonte Graham, Brandon Ingram

NBA Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo - It's been a pretty incredible rise to the top for Giannis Antetokoumpo, despite winning last season's MVP, he still has a perceived hole in his game (lack of shooting) While that may have appeared to be a good thing for rest of the league in the short term, that has to be scary as hell long term. Especially when you consider how hard the guy is willing to work on his craft! Already a monster on both ends of the court, despite a below average ability to do one of the most important things in the game! An while this weakness may still rear it's ugly head now and again, Giannis has continued to show improvement on this aspect of his game. He's a one man fast break, a match up nightmare, constantly putting pressure on the defense as an evolving play-maker. His ability to get down hill is reminiscent of LeBron's ascension to best player in the game a few years into his career. Not to mention that Giannis currently has the highest rated defensive rating among players who have played at least 20 games and average over 25 minutes.  He's a two way player in ways the other candidates simply are not. He gives the Milwaukee Bucks nearly unlimited versatility with his ability to handle the ball offensively, while simultaneously guarding the oppositions big at times and providing rim protection. Consider that his team is on pace to win 70 games and they likely won't have a second all star?! How can he not be the MVP?!

Honourable Mentions: LeBron James, Luka Doncic, James Harden

NBA First Team All NBA:

G Luka Doncic - Dallas Mavericks - He wasn't supposed to be this good, this fast, yet here is!

G James Harden - Houston Rockets - Harden is leading the league in scoring by nearly 7 points a game. Walking bucket doesn't even begin to describe his ability to points up in bunches.
F Lebron James - Los Angeles Lakers - The fact he leads the league in assists is just another feather in his cap. He can be the best at pretty much whatever he puts his mind to.

F Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks - Giannis as been superlative all season long, a menace on both ends of the floor and still getting better!

C Nicola Jokic - Denver Nuggets - After a slow start, Jokic has come on of late! He's a triple double threat nightly and is one of the niftiest passers in the game, no "for a center assertion" necessary.

NBA Second Team All NBA

G Damian Lillard - Portland Trailblazers - In a season that's had plenty to go wrong, Dame continues to be as steady as ever, remaining one of the best guards in the league

G Kemba Walker - Boston Celtics - I need a Boston representative! Kemba's play and demeanor has been the breathe of fresh air the Celtics needed after Kyrie failed to 'lead' this young group of talented C's! Kemba has shown up nightly!

F Kawhi Leonard - San Antonio - Kawhi still plays the regular season as if he's in 4th gear. You just know he has that next level talent. His mid range game is still unstoppable.

F Anthony Davis - Los Angeles - Davis has proven to be a perfect complement to LeBron and if he played center, I'd have him first team, but a shot at the title will have to do!

C Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz - Gobert has been a stalwart defensively and is a contributor offensively, I'd expect Embiid to overtake him for this spot. But avail'ability' is an important ability.

NBA Third Team All NBA

G Donovan Mitchell - Utah Jazz - Mitchell took over when Conley Jr. went down and the Jazz haven't looked back. 

G Ben Simmons - Philadelphia Sixers - Simmons is an impact player on the defensive end and makes a lot of plays out of nothing for the Sixers offensively. This last guard spot was the toughest.

F Pascal Siakam -Toronto Raptors - Siakam has propelled himself into conversations that were unheard of this time last year. His improved shooting and willingness to be 'the guy' has impressed!

F Jimmy Butler - Miami Heat - Felt I needed a Heat representative and Jimmy Butler has provided enough play making and set the tone for the Heat's rugged tough play style. He epitomizes the way Miami goes about there business.

C Joel Embiid - Philadelphia Sixers - Embiid is capable of being on the first team, he's a strong defensive player when he's motivated and can be an unstoppable force offensively.

Honourable Mentions: Paul George, Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Jason Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Trae Young, Bam Adebayo, Karl Anthony Towns

NBA First Team All Defense

G Eric Bledsoe

G Jaylen Brown

F Anthony Davis

F Giannis Antetokounmpo

C Rudy Gobert

NBA Second Team All Defense

G Patrick Beverley

G Ben Simmons/

F Jason Tatum

F Kawhi Leonard

C Joel Embiid

Honourable Mentions:

4 Trade Deadline Subplots/Questions

1. Buyers or Sellers? So many teams (Grizzlies, Raptors, Oklahoma City, Pelicans, Suns, Spurs)  have either out performed their expectations, or are in the thick of a playoff race. Will this change their expectations from being teams that were looking to move aging vets (Lowry, Gasol, Crowder, Paul, Gallinari, Holiday, Favors, DeRozen, Aldridge) to teams that are looking to add an extra piece? Time will tell!

2. Does anyone value the NBA big man anymore? Much has been made about Kevin Love and where he will end up, though no one seems willing to make the Cavs the asset laden offer they're looking for. Tristan Thompson seems like a guy that could be useful to a team like the Clippers at far less a price but what are they willing to give up? A young shooter like Shamet? Hassan Whiteside leads the league blocks )and most likely being out of position while his player and getting a rebound put back)  is likely available but it would seem no one is interested? Is Derrick Favors moveable with Zion back? Andre Drummond seems to have become the basketball equivalent of a high msg Chinese dinner, while it appears tasty on the surface, you'll soon realize it wasn't as substantial as you'd hoped.

3. Where does Andre Igoudala end up? It would seem everyone needs a wing defender who can also hit the open 3, selflessly move the ball and quickly understand team defensive rotations and concepts. Abilities that are not as common as you might think, at least not all in the same player! Igoudala has been sitting out all year, but I think the intention is to come back with less wear on his body and a chance to play meaningful minutes in the playoffs. This could be interesting!

4. Will the Denver Nuggets shed some of their depth? The Nuggets are undeniably a great TEAM. If the NBA title was played in a series of 1 on 1 matchups at 12 different hoops, they may very well win the whole thing. They only recently have been getting Michael Porter Jr. and Jeremi Grant increased minutes, the result of a slew of injuries, and they've been killing it. All of this is to say the Nuggets have a number of assets and while their depth is certainly a strength in the regular season, it would be wise to add another impact player in time for the shorter rotations of May and June. Harris, Beasley, Morris, Plumlee, Barton I'd even be willing to move Millsap with Grant already outplaying him some nights.

Oh, Check out this block! Bye for now!

20/20 Vision: A New Year Resolution For Every NBA Team! Part II: The West!

         I started this blog last week and covered my new year's resolution for the Eastern Conference, I'm going to pick up where I left off and cover the West in this edition. If you enjoyed the last blog, it should be plenty more of the same!

Dallas Mavericks - Dallas has been one of the bigger surprises of the league this season as they sit 6th in the Western conference currently. The rise of Dallas into one of the competitors in the West is no coincidence, it clearly coincides with the rise of Luka Doncic as one of the leagues top handful of players. Luka more than has the stats to back up my claim (29ppg, 9.7rpg, 9.0 apg!). Doncic is on the shortlist for MVP candidates and his chances increase with every move up the Western Conference table the Mavs may take. The Mavericks are one of the top offensive teams in league with a top efficiency rating, much of that is a testament to Doncic's otherworldly play-making skills. Porzingas continues to shake off his two year hiatus,rattling off the rust and learning to trust his body again. That said, the Mavericks are still a player, or two away from becoming a legit title threat. With Dwight Powell starting at center and Dorian Finney Smith logging heavy minutes on the wing, the Mavericks should resolve to upgrade one of those players for something above average, possibly improving their depth at the position at the same time. Unfortunately, the Mavs don't have a lot of assets to make a move of significance. Are Kleber, Brunson or Curry of interest to anyone? I'd consider trading a future first round draft pick as it appears they'll be late in the round picks as long as Luka Doncic is leading the Mavs, they just have to decide, how soon is now?

Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets continue to be one of the more consistent teams in the West over the past few years. Led by the pick and roll action of their star center Nikola Jokic, and the still improving young guard Jamal Murray, the Nuggets have rolled to a 3rd place standing in a very competitive top half of the Western conference. The Nuggets have a deep roster and play their best at home in the mile high altitude of the Pepsi Center. After a slow start to the season it seems Jokic, an MVP candidate last season, has played his way into shape and has Denver looking as formidable as ever. Thankfully, after a bit of a letdown last season, Will Barton has returned to the form he showed in 2018. This allows Barton to take on the scoring load at times when Jokic's team first style of play has him being differential to nearly a fault. With Barton, Murray and Millsap all capable of taking on the scoring load at different times, the Nuggets can be a hard team to game plan for. That said, depth is terrific for the long grind of the regular season, but it's less of an advantage in the shorter rotations of the playoffs. The Nuggets could upgrade at the shooting guard where Gary Harris seems to have plateaued and hasn't shot the ball nearly as well this season. Players like Beasley, Morris, Grant, Plumlee and Michael Porter Jr. would likely all be considered assets the Nuggets could move along with Harris. I would resolve to get a defensive type of wing shooter like Robert Covington if I were the Nuggets brass. Though I have a feeling Michael Porter Jr. might already be emerging as that player from within! Get that guy more minutes!

Golden State Warriors - My how the mighty have fallen, after closing out the previous decade as the most dominant team in professional sports, the Golden State Warriors were expected to face some adversity this season. However, no one could have anticipated this precipitous of a drop off.  That said, it's all easy to rationalize. They lost KD to his restless wandering in free agency, and Klay was always going to be sidelined with his ACL tear. However, it's been a significant injury to heart and soul of the team, Steph Curry that has left the Warriors as a bottom dweller heading into the meaningful months of the season. Key free agent signing D'Angelo Russell and veteran Draymond Green have also missed time with injuries making it a lost season for the once mighty Warriors. Lineups that once looked like an all star team, have looked more like a G-League lineup at times this season. With all this turmoil the Warriors have yet to set what a Curry and Russell backcourt might look like. I would resolve to get Steph back to health to at least get a sense of whether Steph and Russell can work into the coming seasons or if Russell is merely a trade chip when the splash brothers return to form in 2021.

Houston Rockets - Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Houston Harden's continue to be one of the stronger teams in the West. Of course, James Harden continues to be the number one reason for their success. That said, the off season shake up of sending Chris Paul to Oklahoma City in return for Chris Paul hasn't had the effect the Rockets were likely hoping for. (Unless it's a playoff health thing, in which case it's too early to say.) Sure Westbrook can still put up the occasional jaw dropping stat line, but if you watch the team play, it's noticeable how much teams feel they can leave Westbrook to double Harden. A tactic opponents could never do with Paul on the court. Westbrook is often left with ego challenging space from the perimeter where he can't help but hoist, regardless of how inefficient the analytics suggest he may be. That is one thing about Westbrook I don't fully understand, he has to be hearing about how inefficient he is from there, and yet he launches 5 threes per game (23%). I'd sooner just have him attack the rim in every one of those instances. Surely he would draw a crowd at the rim and if he can't finish, he's an adept enough passer to get a shot for his teammates. Yet, he settles. All of me wants to take the irrational stance that the Rockets should resolve to get Westbrook to stop shooting 3's. Maybe stop altogether is a bridge too far, but certainly they should have a better way (systematically) of using his strengths when his man is sent to double Harden, which is going to undoubtedly happen throughout the playoffs!

Los Angeles Clippers - The Clippers continue to round into form following Paul George's late start to the season. With one of the best closing lineups in basketball the Clippers can play a number of different line ups depending on the match-up and situation. With nearly 4 players averaging over 20ppg the Clippers ceiling is definitely among the league's best. Kawhi can still turn it up an extra gear, as we saw during last season's NBA playoffs, and again in the Christmas day marquee game with the cross town rival Lakers. Paul George is the ultimate wing man, an over qualified second banana. Lou Williams is still an x factor, who can prey on 2nd units better than nearly anyone. We can already assume he'll pull a victory from the jaws of defeat in winning time come May and June. Montrezl Harrell continues to develop his offense, proving himself to be more than just a hustle and effort guy. While that's all well an good, the Clippers could still stand to improve their depth and even upgrade at the center position. If I asked which Clipper leads the team in starts this season, you wouldn't likely think of Ivica Zubac first, but that is the case. Only he and and wing Maurice Harkless have appeared in every game this season for the Clips. Both players have been important to the Clippers but they could and should be looking to upgrade those spots in my opinion. Landry Shamet hasn't quite provided the shooting punch they expected heading into the season, but after an injury plagued first half, perhaps he'll find his way in the second half. The Clippers should resolve to add another big wing or center to increase their ability to match up with the Lakers in the playoffs. Can they find someone with the size to make things a little more difficult for Anthony Davis? If they can, they should!

Los Angeles Lakers - In Anthony Davis and Lebron James the Lakers have two of the top handful of players in the league, and the pairing has already looked like one of the most dominant duos in league history. Aside from a brief four game skid in mid December, the Lakers have looked like the class of the league this year, ranking in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency rating. As long as their two studs remain healthy, there is no doubt they will be a problem in the playoffs. That said, there is still questions surrounding the supporting cast for the Lakers. Can players like Javale McGee, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Avery Bradley be relied upon in game's biggest moments. Center's McGee and Howard have both experienced a career resurgence, flushing lobs on the back end of LeBron James' pick and rolls. Having to do a little less heavy lifting on offense has LeBron exerting himself on defense with more vigor than we've seen in recent years, and he's the front runner for MVP at this point in the season. Kuzma seems to be the expendable piece here, while Rondo is still a passable guard versus back up units. I would resolve to move Kuzma in exchange for a guard who can help the Lakers space the floor and knock down open 3's with consistency in the playoffs. The Kuzma for Sacramento's Bogdanovic seems like a great fit for the Lakers shooter needs, all this talk that the Lakers lose that trade is hogwash and suggests Kuzma is overrated based on his big market profile.

Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzles are going about their rebuilding project the right way. The team is young and exciting but still very much inexperienced. After an improbable six game win streak, coupled with the stumbles of a few perennial playoff contenders, the Grizzlies sit in the 8th seed in the west currently. They still have a losing record, so this is as much an indictment of the West playoff race, as it is a glowing report of the Grizz. That said, Grizz making the playoffs would be one of the biggest surprises in the sport. I still don't know who Taylor Jenkins is, but he's doing a hell of a job!  Ja Morant has looked like the franchise cornerstone they were hoping he'd be when they drafted him 2nd overall. His combination of competitiveness, athleticism and play making is the biggest reason the future looks bright in Memphis. He is the runaway choice for ROY this season, and you can already take that to the bank. Morant plays with an unbridled joy and competitiveness that makes the Grizzlies a compelling watch on a nightly basis (it's true!) Young bigs, Jaron Jackson and Brandon Clarke are still a work in progress but the potential upside has to have Memphis fans trusting the process in 2020 and on! Jonas Valanciunas continues to be a force on the low block, allowing for a great big man rotation and allowing the young bigs to develop at at a steady but, 'no rush' pace. The team must decide if Dillon Brooks is a guy they want to keep around as they continue to build into the contender they hope to become. He has played a ton of minutes for them this year and averaged nearly 15 points a game. But he'll be looking to get paid much more handsomely next time around and I'm not so sure he's the efficient scorer they are looking to pair up with Ja throughout the next decade. He still has one more cheap year left on his deal, but if there is a team looking for wing depth and shooting, the Grizz might be selling high at the right time.

Minnesota Timberwolves - Unlike Memphis, where time is still on their side, the Minnesota Timberwolves have to have begun wondering, "is it ever going to happen?" Both for their team, and for the once first overall pick, Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins continues to be the keystone for the direction of the Timberwolves. Both he and the Wolves started the season strong, it was clear he was avoiding settling for the mid range jumper and sticking to 3's and rim attacks. Wiggins was getting to the line and even creating opportunities for teammates. This led to a move to the bench for Jeff Teague as they tried Wiggins out as the primary play maker. This move proved a failure and Wiggins quickly wore down, and hasn't been the same explosive player he was to start the season. Karl Anthony Towns is still the face of the franchise, but he needs help to support his limitations on the defensive end. Wiggins hasn't developed into the elite defensive wing, his athleticism portended. With Towns out of late, Dieng's defensive ability has really stood out, shining a spotlight on the difference between the Wolves with a defensive big, and an offensive one. The stats have been pretty revealing, Town's defensive limitations have become a narrative and people have questioned his outright superstar status. He's not the only dominant offensive player with defensive deficiencies, just the latest. So with Covington being thrown around as the T'Wolves best trade chip, I'd be looking to hold onto him as he will be essential to building around Towns. I'd resolve to move on from Wiggins, and get whatever I can before his value decreases anymore than it already has.

New Orleans Pelicans - It's been a mixed bag for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019, on one hand it was supremely disappointing for the team to have been without number one overall pick, Zion Williamson to this point in the season. That said, the silver lining has to have been the emergence of Brandon Ingram as an elite future talent. With Zion out, Ingram has had the chance to be the number one option on offense, and he's proven himself able to carry that load. That has to encouraging after it seemed that Ingram took a step back playing alongside Lebron in Los Angeles last season. Zion appears ready to return soon, so we'll soon see how that pairing plays out. The Pels still have a talented roster with Holiday, Lonzo and Favors in the mix. Will Favors come off the bench or will he remain a starter when Zion returns. A front line of Ingram, Zion and Favors may appear imposing but it raises questions about the spacing on the offensive end, and about the ability to keep up with small line ups  in transition. I'd resolve to pair Lonzo and Favors off the bench to give the bench a strong pick and roll duo to carry the 2nd and early 4th quarters. Seeing what I have in a Zion, Ingram and Jrue core that can be built around for year's to come!

Oklahoma City Thunder - The Oklahoma City Thunder have managed to pull off one on the more difficult feats in the modern NBA. Set themselves up for a great future with draft picks (Paul George trade) and future based assets (SGA), while at the same time remaining relevant and competitive in the now. Following the departure of Paul George and the franchise's first son, Russell Westbrook, it seemed the Thunder were destined for a rebuild season in 2019-20. Not so fast, Chris Paul has actually been an upgrade over Russell Westbrook, getting more out of his teammates than Russ ever did. With quality pros like Steven Adams, Danilo Gallinari and Shae Gilgeous Alexander alongside point wizard Chris Paul, we probably shouldn't we all that surprised. This has put the Thunder in a bit of dilemma. Do they stay the course and see if they can hold onto a playoff seed in the West, or do they cash in on players like Paul and Gallinari in the trade deadline market.  Under the assumption that SGA and draft picks timeline doesn't match up with the timeline of their aging vets, some would say to make a move. But I think the Thunder should resolve to stay the course, unless something presents itself that is a no-brainer. It was thought they'd be a low leverage seller, but I think this actually strengthens their leverage, as it's not a necessary move given their play and the prospect of adding a few pieces to an already established group of vets and the chance of making a run in the near future.

Phoenix Suns - Welcome to the NBA, Phoenix Suns! The Suns finally look like a team with a semblance of a plan and a roster full of competent professional players! For most teams this wouldn't even be worth noting, but this isn't most teams, it's the Suns. A perennial bottom dweller since the days of Steve Nash's departure back at the end of the previous decade. Ricky Rubio has teamed up with franchise cornerstone Devin Booker to provide the Suns with leadership, organization and direction on the offensive end of the floor. Booker has been an elite finisher, he's high volume but his FG% (nearly 50% on 2's) is worth noting! Kelly Oubre has been an exciting acquisition on the wing, continuing to develop into an above average player. Ayton has been a bit disappointing compared to the studs of his draft class, but he's still got star potential in him. Baynes and Saric have provided meaningful minutes up front throughout the season. The Suns are a competitive team on a nightly basis as a result, that has to be a win when it comes to culture change! The Suns should resolve to get their bench some more minutes down the stretch to see what they've got in players like Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges and Elie Okobo. Baynes is a nice insurance policy for Ayton, but he is a lot older than I would have guessed, 33. He might also be a piece for a contender like the Clippers. Speaking of age, somehow Rubio is still under 30, which I also found shocking!


Portland Trailblazers - The Blazers have been one of the disappointments of the 19-20 season thus far. After a 3rd place finish in the West last season, coupled with a 1st round series win in the playoffs, hopes were high heading into this season. Those hopes were dashed pretty early on as the Blazers got off to a 5-12 start, and haven't really been able to right the ship since. Some is the result of other West teams being on the rise, other factors include injuries to Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins . With the Blazers in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Is it time to think about breaking up the elite guard tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCallum? Whiteside has been better than they could have hoped for, especially given setbacks to Nurkic and Zach Collins missing almost the whole season to an early season injury. Whiteside has shouldered a load, but he  is on an expiring contract and is unlikely to be back next season regardless. Has he maybe played his way into mercenary status for a contender? It'll be hard to match his contract in a trade, but maybe there's a market out there for him. I've never liked the two small-ish guard pairing of Dame and CJ as a high ceiling duo, I think their strengths are too redundant. I would resolve to move on from CJ and look to find an elite wing forward in return.

Sacramento Kings - All has returned to normal in the world of the Sacramento Kings in 2019-20. Perhaps the Kings were content and complacent with the best version of themselves from last season. This season has served as a reminder that it is very difficult to be a good team in this league, particularly when other teams are expecting you to be good. While the upstart Kings may have been able to sneak up on some people last season, that hasn't been the case so far in the current season. Injuries have certainly played a significant role, lottery picks De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley have both missed significant time. Bagley has only appeared in a dozen or so games for the Kings this year and has never looked like the stud they thought they drafted a year ago. Fox has been a microcosm of the King's themselves, his speed isn't catching anyone off guard in the same way it did last season. There's more tape on him and the league continues to adjust and scout out the edges players previously seemed to thrive on. The Dwayne Dedmon pick up (which I was high on) never seemed to work out. Though I felt they pulled the plug on that a tad early. If I was a contender I might consider a low ball offer to add some front court depth from the once promising San Antonio big. Instead it's been Richaun Holmes up front who has been one of the lone bright spots for a team that looked to be on the upswing heading into the season. With Holmes going down to a shoulder injury earlier this week, the focus for the Kings has to be getting Marvin Bagley all the touches up front that he can handle in the hopes that they can get him back on the star track that he appeared to be destined for at various points last season.

San Antonio Spurs - Is this it for the San Antonio Spurs? It's been another difficult year for the Spurs as the once institutional franchise seems to have lost it's year in year out defensive pedigree of the Popovich team's of yesteryear. The Spurs have been one of the leagues worst defensive teams and have sunk to the bottom third of the league in many defensive statistics. DeRozen and Aldridge are both nice players, but they are certainly more cut out to be a competitive team's second or third best option. Neither is a bonafide walking bucket at this point in their careers. DeRozen can still give you the points but his play making skills seem to have tailed off since his peak years in Toronto. Aldridge appears to be extending his career nicely by adding three point range to his vast array of shot-making skills. The challenge for San Antonio will be to figure out what to do about their guard play. Dejounte Murray looked primed for a breakout year last season and then went down with an early injury.  He still hasn't yet looked like his old athletic self this season unfortunately. Derrick White has also shown flashes of potential, but neither has stepped up and taken the role over. Can the Spurs afford to play both at the same time? It would improve their defense for sure, but neither has shown a consistent ability to make shots from distance and open of the floor for teammates. Potential is a tricky term, at what point should the Spurs look to move one of there athletic guards before their value is gone? (i.e. Dante Exum) That has to be the focus for 2020.

Utah Jazz - After a tough schedule to start the season, the Jazz seem to have found their groove, winning 10 straight before falling to the Pelicans in overtime last night. This hot streak vaulted them into 2nd place in the top heavy Western conference. Interestingly, the Jazz have perhaps been at their best without their big free agent acquisition, veteran guard Mike Conley. How will they do when he returns and needs to be re-acclimated into the offence. Speaking of free agent acquisitions, Bojan Bogdanovic has been stellar this season for the Jazz giving them a true floor stretcher with his ability to knock down the 3. In addition to being an offensive threat from most anywhere on the court, his defense has been better than lot of people may have expected. Bojan's stellar play with the first unit,  has also freed up Joe Ingles to move to the bench mob. Ingles gives their second unit a play maker to to take over pick and roll duties when Mitchell needs a rest. Rudy Gobert continues to be the heart and soul of one of the better defensive units in the league. Gobert anchors the defense and prevents rim looks from even being attempted on many possessions. The Jazz should resolve to figure out the Conley conundrum sooner, rather than later. Conley is a great player and surely they'll be better with him in the mix, but just how that will look is still very much a question that needs to be answered!