Foreign Gold

Over the last few seasons I’ve noticed the growing trend of foreign bigs being a hot commodity in the NBA. There’s been foreign Power Forwards and Centers in the league for a while, but not as many as it is now. Some like Dario Saric of the 76ers are drafted and don’t play till a few seasons later. Then it’s some like Kristaps Porzingis that are put in position to make an instant impact. Us as fans on draft night want our teams to get the guys we know about and not some mystery phenom we’ve never seen. This past June in the NBA draft between the Power Forward and Center positions only 11 of the 28 selected were American. I got a little theory on why that is...

Heading into the 2015 NBA draft many Knicks fans were hoping to have a shot at Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, or D’Angelo Russell. A few mock drafts had them landing Emmanuel Mudiay with the 4th pick. Although Mudiay didn’t play NCAA basketball there was plenty footage of him playing in China that looked impressive. Phil Jackson made the call to draft Porzingis and I could literally hear my neighbor through the walls of my apartment yell “WHAT THE FUCK? WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?”. He was booed by Knicks fans on draft night and twitter was flooded with criticism of the pick. As a Laker fan I enjoyed every bit of the Knicks fans meltdown. The pick could have either turned out to be a Darko or Dirk. As his season kicked off Porzingis showed an impressive skill set that not many vets could even compete with. His balance of all around skill and athleticism is rare. Imagine combining Dirk and Pau then adding a 37 inch vertical which is higher than Blake Griffins’s. That’s scary with a 7’6 wingspan. The real upside is that his style of play doesn’t depend on his athletic ability which over time can and will decline. By the end of the season Porzingis he had 21 double doubles, made the All-Rookie 1st Team, and had the 4th highest selling jersey in the league. That’s instant productivity, revenue, and star power with the potential to increase year by year. With the NBA being a copycat league teams would be crazy not to look overseas for more hidden talent. A growing trend with young basketball players in the US (specifically bigs) is athletic guys that can run fast and catch a lob from the sky but can’t box out a guard or shoot a free throw. When it comes to the bigs the foreign guys usually come into the NBA more skilled. Remember a guy named Arvydas Sabonis? Basic fundamentals have accomplished way more than athleticism. Compare Tim Duncan’s career to Josh Smith’s if you think I’m lying. *shrugs*

Now that leads me to the 2016 NBA draft. Coming off a season where Brice Johnson averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at UNC he fell to 25th in the draft. Those number are great but don’t tell the whole story. Johnson lacked post defense and strength at the college level so the chances of holding his own against powerful guys in the NBA are very slim. He struggled to finish through contact, bites on fakes easily, gets lost in transition, and being held responsible for leaving Kris Jenkins wide open for the game winner in the 2016 national championship game highlighted his lack of awareness. On the positive side he’s quick, solid on the boards, and great in the pick & roll. Decent starting point for a team that’s willing to take time developing him, but not appealing to a team looking for instant impact. Guys like Jakob Poeltl who was drafted 9th in the same draft have the fundamentals and strength needed at the higher level. As long as big men stick to the basic skills there’s always a demand for them in the NBA. They say the back to the basket big man is a thing of the past yet Marc Gasol is still here while Dakari Johnson is trying to fight his way out of the D-League. MORAL OF THE STORY: Skill is more dependable than talent

No Love In Business

Tonight at 8pm Dwyane Wade makes his first return to Miami since leaving for Chicago. I just saw a clip of Wade saying he hasn’t spoken to Pat Riley in months. More than likely that means since he left the team. We’ve seen stars leave their teams after long stints and everything stays in good standings like Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay. Sadly I have to quote Young Jeezy and simply say “that ain’t this and this ain’t that”.

Wade wanted to stay in Miami long term and be compensated for the pay cuts he’s taken over his career, but was offered the lowest pay out since his rookie contract expired. With the salary cap increase it was fitting to give Wade more than 10 million per season...right? Not according to Pat Riley and Micky Arison I guess. I really couldn’t fault them when I looked at it from the business side. Do you pay an aging star for what they’ve done in the past or take your chances with your new potential star and build around them? It worked for the Lakers because they had a collection of young talent to work with and Kobe was still one of the biggest stars in sports. That wasn’t the case with the Miami Heat heading into this season. It looks like Pat Riley is willing to work with what he has for now and try his luck in the draft and free agency before he pays Wade top dollar. It’s enough talent coming out of college next spring to strike gold twice maybe even three times in the draft. When you think about it Pat Riley has always been about hustling his way up instead of worrying about relationships. He was legendary as the Lakers coach in the 80’s. 4 championships, coach of the year in 1990, and the leader of one of the most dominant dynasties in basketball history. He guaranteed back to back championships and delivered. Showtime Lakers never won less than 50 games and only missed the Finals twice with him as the coach.

When the squad got old he walked away from that position to be a commentator for NBC. The very first chance he got to move on with a solid team he took the Knicks coaching job in 1991. He managed to get them to the Finals in his 3rd season there. After his 4th season he left to be the coach and president of the Miami Heat. He didn’t call or stop by the office he sent then a fax. A MOTHERFUCKING FAX. lol I just thought that was the loudest most annoying way to say “I’m out”. Can’t blame him for walking away for more money and power. We do the same when promotion opportunities come along at work.

Through all of this bouncing around he’s only moved up and gave not 1 fuck about who thought what. It’s sad that him and Wade had to part ways, but when you’re a 71 year old man that’s addicted to leveling up relationships don’t mean shit. Despite showing “regret” for letting Wade walk the contract offers told the whole story. He challenged Lebron to leave and seem to not care. Hoopers come and go and new greats come along every season. As cold blooded as it might be putting feelings aside has made Pat Riley successful over the years. Heat fans shouldn’t worry about this season. Pat Riley has a plan. Judging by the teams he’s put together in Miami over the years (Shaq & Zo/ Big 3) it’s a trustworthy plan. Waaaaaait on it!

Skilled Hoopers Matter

At some point in every basketball player’s childhood they fall in love with the game to the point that it becomes an obsession. That obsession leads to constantly working to get better at playing the game and eventually a career. Some guys have an athletic style of play that can make them an attraction at the AAU and college level that is highly praised. Many of those same guys fail to even make an NBA roster while a guy that averaged low numbers in college may get drafted in the 1st round because of their skill set. Example...Cat Barber from NC State averaged 23.5 points per game last season and he’s in the D-League while Kris Dunn who averaged 16 points per game and was drafted 5th and plays for the Timberwolves. Not everyone’s game translate on the next level which is why college level stat stuffers aren’t always the most sought after. Too many young guys are focused on everything but the basic skills. Some of these guys can’t run a simple pick & roll or remember a legit post move good enough to do it twice. Don’t even get me started on free throw shooting. I get pissed every single time someone fouls Deandre Jordan.

Kawhi Leonard is a player that has excelled through his skill on both ends of the court. 2 way players are valuable because they can be effective even when they’re not scoring. Aside from being a lockdown defender Kawhi has become one of the better scorers in the league. There’s many guys that are great at one thing and there’s guys like Kawhi that can do a bit of everything at a high level. Those players can survive longer in the NBA. Compare Kawhi Leonard’s career to Jimmer Fredette who was drafted ahead of him in 2011….casual fans don’t even know who the hell that is. Moral of the story: The game has changed. Last week I just saw 6’9 Brandon Ingram in his 1st game play point guard effectively to beat the Rockets. A one trick pony can go from a college star to a D-League hopeful. All the highlight dunks are cool, but if your athleticism diminishes after a injury can you still be a threat on the court like D Wade? Just remember we used to compare T-Mac to Kobe.