Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Kelcey Wright Johnson 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
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2021 11:31 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: IMHO
Well, we are officially one month into the new season, which I think means we’ve had enough…
WAIT! I just realized that the biggest news of the NBA season happened last week literally hours after you hit send on your final IMHO email to me. Not only did James “Thee Stallion” Harden finally get traded, it turned into a huge four-team deal. Harden went to the Nets; Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince went to Cleveland; Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, three(!) first round picks and four(!) first round pick swaps went to Houston; Caris LeVert went to Indiana.
We’ve already seen Harden in Brooklyn, where even without Kyrie (who as I write this is still on the chillin’ list) they already looked pretty darn good. But let’s try and think long-term here—well, longer than a week. Which team do you think won this trade?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2021 10:03 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Lang,
I love the continuous effort to make the nickname James “Thee Stallion” Harden catch on—I’m right there with ya!
I gotta say, the first ever player to record a 30+ point triple-double in their debut with a new squad may be the most impressive thing we will see all year. We know Harden already had chemistry with KD from their time in OKC, but I don’t think anyone saw that coming. Of course, as you mentioned, Kyrie still hasn’t fit into that puzzle because (like many of us) he’s currently working from home. I’m going to answer your question in the most roundabout way possible…
Brooklyn won the trade IF they can find enough possessions for all three superstars to be happy, and if they’re all able to check their egos at the door and play together. If Harden, KD and Kyrie can make it work they are unstoppable. Crown them now.
Do I think that fairytale ending is going to happen with the personalities that we’ve all grown to love in this league? No.
So, IF Brooklyn is not able to make it work, then Houston won the trade because they got rid of Harden who was a cancer to their locker room and their culture, and they got Victor Oladipo, who will run through brick walls for this team to win. This year, the 28-year-old is averaging 20 points per game, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. No, those aren’t Harden numbers, but he doesn’t come with a Harden attitude either.
Another part of the craziest trade of the 2020-2021 season was Jarrett Allen to the Cavaliers. Does he find success there, Lang? Or is he looking to get out ASAP?
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2021 9:24 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
Sadly, I don’t think my Harden nicknames will prosper for much longer—Harden somehow magically seemed to lose like 20 pounds the moment he arrived in Brooklyn.
I don’t know how he pulled this off, but this is some impressive #MUSCLEWATCH content. Maybe he should release the Harden Workout Plan?
I can’t really argue with you about Houston and Brooklyn both being winners in this mega-trade. I like Houston building around a core of Wall/Boogie/Oladipo, plus half a dozen first round picks. And Brooklyn clearly has the offensive firepower to make it out of the East, but I do wonder if they have enough defensively to get a ring. Kyrie and Harden are both poor defenders, and Jarrett Allen was the one guy in the back who could make a difference.
Speaking of Allen, as you asked me, I think he’s a good long-term fit in Cleveland, that is if they do move Andre Drummond, who is at the end of his contract. Allen has been forced to split time in Brooklyn, mostly with DeAndre Jordan, which was sort of odd to me, since Allen is clearly better at this point in his career. Cleveland has a ton of big guys, but I think Allen is likely their long-term answer at the 5. He’s still only 22 years old! He’s going to be good and continue to improve for a while. And I think Cleveland should be able to flip Drummond for some good pieces—he’s been terrific this season.
What’s funny is that the only team we haven’t mentioned is the team that I think may have done the best in this trade. We all knew Brooklyn was going to have to part with Caris LeVert, who is a walking bucket, but I don’t know if anyone suspected he’d end up in Indiana. The Pacers moved on from Oladipo, who is in the final year of his contract, and were able to grab LeVert, who seems like a perfect fit in their system.
Which leads me to my next question: So far this season, the Pacers have been my League Pass team. By which I mean, whenever there are a bunch of games on TV, the Pacers are my favorite team to watch. Not only am I rooting for my coaching mentor Nate Bjorkgren to do well, but that team plays so hard on both ends of the court. They’re young and they are mostly interchangeable, so they can switch everything and they can all drive and create. And now in LeVert, they’ve added a guy who can get them a score at the end of the shot clock.
What team has surprised you by consistently finding their way onto your screens?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2021 7:59 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Funny you ask that because I sat down to write you back about an hour ago but got distracted by the Nuggets game on my TV, so pardon my tardiness.
I can’t stop watching the Denver Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks (obviously other than the Grizzlies), and here’s why:
With the duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, any given night you could see both or one go for a 50-point game, a triple-double, or at least a full-court behind the back pass. They are a pair that is just full of highlight plays (on Murray’s hot nights). Jokic is one of my favorite big men in the league because (I don’t know how he does it) he makes the game look so effortless. I watch games and think to myself, “Hey I could do that,” although I most definitely could not. I need that relatability in my life.
The Milwaukee Bucks are the exact opposite for me. Watching Giannis makes me think, “How on earth can any human being do that?” and I need to watch those highlight plays to keep me grounded. But it’s not just Giannis; I love the way Jrue Holiday plays, and Khris Middleton is a walking bucket.
But if I’m being *completely* honest with you, Lang. I’ve been busy bingeing “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix. Let me know when NBA players start playing chess. Wait, do any play chess?? If you were to guess which players played, who would you guess? I’m getting a strong chess-playing vibe from Solomon Hill…
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2021 9:26 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
Kelcey, I have not yet watched “The Queen’s Gambit,” although my wife said she was going to watch just one episode and then two days later she’d finished the whole thing, leaving me in the dust. So, I guess I’ll have to hit it solo it at some point, because I’ve heard nothing but great things.
As for NBA players who play chess, I’m guessing there are a lot more who play Call of Duty than play chess. And I wonder if perhaps they don’t learn as much about pace and setting up an opponent from COD than from chess? We signed our son up for afterschool chess classes last year, and while he did learn most of the pieces and how they’re allowed to move, it has not made him some strategical genius on the playground.
When you mentioned chess, the first thing that came to mind was a conversation I had with Grant Hill toward the end of his career, after he’d been through numerous surgeries and recoveries, and about how it had changed his approach to the game. I asked him if had to approach NBA games more like chess. “I’ve been forced to learn that, and things have kind of slowed down a bit,” he told me. “You learn how to be more efficient, you learn to play the angles better. When I first came into the league, my mindset was that I wanted to go full speed every possession. I’ve learned to be more efficient.”
Which might be a good lesson for all of us, whatever our lot in life. Checkmate!