Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Michael Wallace have been covering the NBA since shorts were short and socks were long, but their opinions about the League don’t always mesh. #IMHO is their weekly chance to weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 12:40 PM
To: Michael Wallace
Subject: IMHO
Mike:
Well, we are in the bubble. OK, you and I aren’t actually in the bubble, but most of the NBA playoff teams have arrived at Disney World and gone inside the bubble. We’ve seen some players complain about the size of their hotel rooms or the food options. We heard about last weekend when a few DJs arrived for a player’s pool party, but only Dwight Howard showed up. And we’ve seen a few players get sent back into quarantine after accidentally breaking the bubble rules — shoutout Grizzlies legend Bruno Caboclo!
But all in all, early indications are the NBA’s bubble seems to be working. I keep thinking of the quote I saw from Grizzlies legend Kyle Lowry, who spilled some bubble tea: “Our protocol is unbelievable. Our health and safety measures have been top-notch. I think this thing will work perfectly.”
Mike, you and I both have friends inside the bubble, and we’ve seen a lot from the players and coaches who are in there. We haven’t actually had a game yet, but what’s your sense on this thing one week in? Do you think the bubble will work? Or will this bubble, at some point, burst?
From: Michael Wallace
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 1:22 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Lang, as we’ve seen far too often, you can only take this thing on a day-by-day basis. It’s so fluid and unpredictable, and we’re learning more and more seemingly each out as things are developing in real time. My two concerns from the very beginning of this return-to-play format were the number of teams being too many and the time before the actual games start being too long away. In short, that’s always left me feeling like that’s too many teams and too much time for potential setbacks entering the run-up to the restart.
I’m still cautiously optimistic that this NBA experiment will work. I’m loving the chemistry I’m seeing on and off the court from players and teams getting adjusted to the bubble. But then, there’s also the case of what’s going on with Houston, as both James Harden and Russell Westbrook were late to the bubble, with Westbrook recently quarantined from his battle with COVID-19 as their team pressed forward. Who knows if there are going to be any lingering complications with either player when it comes to the recovery process. We seem to just assume that a player gets it, spends 10 days in quarantine to shake it, then comes back from it as if it were just the common cold. But there are sometimes lingering side effects. We just don’t know.
What we do know is not everyone is completely on board with wearing pre-approved social justice messages on the back of their jerseys in the bubble. Most notably, LeBron James opted to go with his traditional last name on his Lakers jersey. On the other hand, we’ve seen former Grizz guard Mike Conley decided to go with the Memphis Civil Rights Movement-inspired ‘I Am A Man’ theme on his Jazz jersey. Lang, I’m of the mindset that players who chose not to wear slogans shouldn’t be criticized and players who do shouldn’t be dismissed as partaking in shallow symbolic gestures. But I’ll always side with those who take action and can point to what they’re doing more so than what they’re actually wearing. In the cases of LeBron and Conley, I know for a fact and on a personal level that both those men are about absolute action in addressing social justice.
Where do you stand on the jersey options, and what would you wear on your back if a team lost its mind (LOL) and signed you to the bubble roster?
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 10:21 AM
To: Michael Wallace
Subject: Re: IMHO
I’ve thought about this a lot—the word on the jersey, not getting signed by an NBA team in the bubble. I like that the NBA gave players plenty of options, and I hope fans can buy jerseys with these messages on the back. I’m not a fan of the Utah Jazz, for instance, but I am a fan of Mike Conley, and I’d totally rock a jersey that nods to the 1968 Sanitation Workers Strike here in Memphis, and the change all of that ultimately brought.
I’ve written to you before about how I grew up in Atlanta in the shadow of Dr. King’s legacy.
So when it comes to social justice and civil rights issues, my mind usually goes directly to Dr. King. One of my favorite passages of his writing is in his “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” when he wrote about the need to be extremists, although in a different way than many people probably assumed:
“So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime–the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment.”
So, if I could I’d use “Extremist” as a nod to Dr. King, but I don’t think that’s on the approved list of words. Instead, I’d probably go with, “Equality,” which is another word that comes up frequently in Dr. King’s writings and teachings. What word would you go with?
Mike, we’ve seen a lot of veteran players get signed as replacements as teams have headed into the bubble, from JR Smith to Michael Beasley (who’s already out again) to everyone’s favorite, Jamal Crawford. Is there a veteran free agent out there you’d like to see get one more chance down in Disney World?
From: Michael Wallace
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 12:11 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
I tend to line up closer to where LeBron stands. His actions off the court in the name of education, leadership, social justice and community engagement speak for themselves. He doesn’t need to go along with the NBA’s sort-of gimmicky jersey stand. It reminds me too much of the time a few years back when the league authorized players to put their nicknames on the back of jerseys, which was something intended to be fun, different and cool. But these are different times and far more serious circumstances. So the same use of jerseys to make a statement doesn’t resonate with me. Especially since the league had to pre-approve what words would be used.
All that said, if I did go with something on my back other than my last name, it would be MENTOR as a nod to the fantastic and impactful efforts the Grizzlies make with youths in our community as part of the TEAM Mentor Program.
To your other point, it seems like there’s a dude out there just itching to drop 25 points on any given day should he land on a team in the bubble. And that’s feisty point guard Isaiah Thomas. The former All-Star would be an ideal pickup, if healthy and COVID-free for a team that has nothing to lose in this format. And I’d also kick the tires on former Grizz “bucket-getter” MarShon Brooks. These games at Disney will be all about streaks and momentum. And there are no streakier players available out there than those two potential additions.
Lang, we’ll get out of here on this: What should we make of the interesting case of Victor Oladipo and the Pacers? After initially saying he was healthy, but opting to sit out of games in the NBA restart, Oladipo appears to have switched gears after an impressive run of workouts with the team. He reportedly wants to play now, but the problem is that once he opted out, rules required that he forfeit the remaining $3 million he’s owed in 2019-2020 salary.
Oladipo returned to game action from quad tendon surgery a few weeks before the season was suspended. He would be a huge boost for the Pacers if available right now. Should he get a mulligan on his initial move to sit out? And since he’s technically practicing with the Pacers anyway, should his remaining salary be restored regardless if he plays in games at this point?
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 5:40 PM
To: Michael Wallace
Subject: Re: IMHO
Well, rules are rules, right? Oladipo had a chance to opt-in, and chose not to play. Which I get. I know he had returned to game action before the quarantine, but with this long layoff and now a shorter training camp, asking a guy who is essentially still returning from a serious injury to ramp things back up this quickly is presumably not easy to do.
I like that Oladipo seems to have the right attitude about it–money is not the driving force in his decision, but basketball and his health are his focus. Oladipo is 28 years old, right in the prime of his career, and he needs to take every precaution that is available to him. If he can play, great. But if he can’t play, I think we all understand.