Make sure to listen and add the 13 Rules: NBA Random Thoughts podcast to your list! This week Steve shares his thoughts after NBA Week 23. The Detroit Pistons continue to impress! What happened in Memphis? Jimmy Butler said what? All that and more NBA Random Thoughts!
NBA Week 23 – Western Conference
- We are always quick to mention when players miss a lot of games. I have spoken negatively about Anthony Davis missing games. Now I give him credit for coming back and playing this season. His team, the Dallas Mavericks, still have a shot at a play-in spot. However that’s about as far as they can go and yet Davis is out there.
- Taylor Jenkins getting fired was a surprise to many NBA watchers. For the last two seasons he has coached a team beset by injuries. Ja Morant, their best player has played forty-three of seventy-three games this year. If you look a little deeper you might find a rift between Jenkins and Zach Kleiman. The Grizzlies fired five assistant coaches at the end of last season. It’s hard to believe Jenkins wanted that.
NBA Week 23 – Eastern Conference
- The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost five of their last eight games. This is a team that has won sixteen in a rowtwice this year. You don’t have to look that far to find out why they have struggled lately. In the five losses they have given up 123.8 points per game.
- Only in the NBA can Jimmy Butler speak negatively about his former boss, Pat Riley‘s treatment of him. Among the things Butler said is “I have nothing to say to Pat and Pat better have nothing to say to me“. Butler made a great deal of money while playing for the Heat and all the Heat wanted was for him to play and play hard. Instead Butler throws a tantrum and gets himself traded and gets his money. When you think about it Butler is just a mercenary. The uniform means nothing. It makes fans realize the players don’t care about the team they are on as much as they do. Not a good look for the NBA but it reminds us it’s a business to the players.
- It’s a shame that Damian Lillard is out probably for the season. It’s worse for the Milwaukee Bucks because unless he comes back and the Bucks make a playoff run the Bucks have some big decisions to make about their future.
- The Detroit Piston defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers last night. This was a good win for the team and also for their coach, J. B. Bickerstaff, who coached the Cavs last year. The Pistons have 42 wins this year three times more than their win total last year. They are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Go back a year ago, did anybody see this coming.
NBA Week 23 – Random Thoughts
- If you have League Pass and are trying to determine which games to watch it has become a problem. Because of all of the tanking teams it’s hard to find a game between two playoff teams. This is a problem the NBA needs to examine. I offer two simple solutions to the problem.
- The first is to take the 10 non playoff or play-in teams and give them an equal 9% chance at getting the first pick in the draft. The four play-in teams that don’t make the playoffs after the play-in games get a 2.5% chance. The rest of the teams who made the playoffs pick in inverse order of their wins meaning the team with the best regular season record picks last.
- The other idea is to end teams giving buyouts to players after February first. Teams still have over 30 games left in their season making it harder to determine if they are out of the playoffs and this would deter the buyout and force teams to keep their players for the rest of the season.
