Big things happening, Hoops Heads. It’s your boy, Rene, back with a new edition of over the top hoops hot takes where I make statements with little to no evidence and then defend them to the bitter end, or I simply let ‘em wither on the vine if no one notices.
So, what’s been happening? I really wish you could answer me too, because these one-sided conversations only serve to make me out to be a basketball savant or a basketball idiot. (Likely more of the second, but, you know, we try) Anyway, allow me to peer into my cheap piece of glass and kick things off talking about the smoldering dumpster fire that the Los Angeles Lakers are using as a Halloween costume right now.
The Lakers: Embracing Adversity
One day we’ll not have to talk about them and we’ll be bored. Well, we won’t be bored this week! They had quite a basketball adventure. If it wasn’t for Ja Morant and 8 or 9 San Antonio Spurs missing all their free throws late in consecutive games, they could have gone an underwhelming 0-3. As it was, they escaped games against Memphis and San Antonio unscathed but with lots of questions. Questions like, “Are they any good?” and “Do they suck this much?”
Russell Westbrook did some Weird Russ Shit, which means he reached glorious heights and then plunged to shocking depths all in the course of about twenty four hours, and it’s all fairly impossible to explain. The Lakers had a 94 point lead in the first quarter against the scattershot Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, but they ended up losing the game. Russ picked up a quadruple double, getting double figures in the three main offensive categories and in turnovers, (See? Weird Russ Shit) and managed to get ejected in the waning seconds.
So, are they any good? No. Not now they aren’t. But they’ll force things like the old pros they are. Do they suck this much? No. It’s still early. It’s just that everything seems worse for them because of impossibly high expectations, like the ones you had with these over the top hoops hot takes.
But does anyone else get a Hollywood production vibe from this roster? You know, a bunch of aging misfit stars band together to help an aging leader on a quest with dubious early results? This trope always works on the big screen, but will it work here? I think it’ll give them a nice playoff run, but it won’t win them a title.
I said it. I’ll own it!
The Bulls, Anthony Edwards, and Relief
The Chicago Bulls are an entire lifestyle right now. Even though the Knicks handed them their first loss of the season, the Bulls are looking cool and deadly in the East. Zach LaVine needed a scoring sidekick and he got one with DeMar DeRozan. He also has a bonafide big man in Nikola Vucevic and a point guard in Lonzo Ball. As a bonus he got a new Underground GOAT, Alex Caruso. I look for this squad to be making a deep run in the postseason.
I said it. I’ll own it.
Anthony Edwards is the most genuine post-game interview in the league. He’s relaxed, conversational and doesn’t offer canned answers. His take this week on Giannis Antetokounmpo was refreshing. Edwards is also a stunning in-game dunker, a virtual “ass-riser”, you know, making you raise your ass from your seat? Does that one work? Yeah, probably not. Anyway, last week, during my analysis of Karl-Anthony Towns and the gorilla fight videos, I said the Timberwolves were a play-in tournament team. I’m sticking with that this week. Minnesota is going to spoil somebody’s playoff run.
I said it. I’ll own it!!
There were lots of games this week to absorb. It was a pleasant relief not having to mention or think about those two guys, you know who I mean, don’t front! It was nice to talk about forced shots, shoddy defense, missed free throws, and dribbles out of bounds instead of them. So that’s another week in the hoops hot take books, Hoops Heads. The New York Knicks are on top of the Eastern Conference. Enjoy!
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