Tag: Luka Doncic

Don’t be shocked if these three NBA teams fall short of expectations

Hope springs eternal, but reality will set in as the playoffs approach and move on

At the start of any sports season, there’s always hope of having a special year that can lead to a title. Some teams have reason to believe, while others are counting on delusional faith. Such is life in the NBA, and in the case of a few clubs, the hope that’s lost in the shuffle of a underwhelming beginning are rekindled by a trade to acquire said superstar player. Whether it’s a decision to stand pat, or go all-in, the expectations to win (and win big) is the driving force behind them. It’s understood there’s only one that will call themselves champions at the end, and I’m confident these three teams won’t be at the top of the mountain when it’s all over.

Let’s start with the Phoenix Suns. Yes, I know the Suns have forward Kevin Durant, who they received via trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Pairing Durant with the trio of Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton looks scary for opposing defenses in the Western Conference. There’s no doubt Phoenix will score points, but they are left with no depth behind the four stars, and the defense is even more of a mess than it was before the Durant trade. In other words, many fans and media members alike were quick to anoint the Suns as the favorite to be in the NBA Finals after KD was added, which was expected given the environment that favors everything offense. What’s being ignored is it takes more than scoring (because every team can score), and the lack of defense and depth will come back to haunt them in the playoffs. Exactly where is a question, but I can say with confidence an early exit will happen before Phoenix gets too far into a run.

Speaking of no defense, that explains the Dallas Mavericks to a tee. Things looked so promising for the Mavericks coming into the season. Last year, they made it to the conference finals before going out to the Golden State Warriors. Things haven’t gone as well as they thought, and much like the Suns, Dallas became desperate, reaching out to the Nets to acquire guard Kyrie Irving. The move severely depleted the team’s depth, but the chance to pair Irving with Luka Doncic was too much for the Mavs to pass on. Going back to the defensive end, Dallas was already bad in that department, and bringing Irving to the squad is far from the improvement needed to become complete. The results are as of Sunday night, not only are the Mavericks going down in spectacular fashion, they’re in danger of missing the playoffs altogether, and if that happens, expect more changes with the roster (and maybe the front office).

For the third team destined to fall short of expectations, look no further than the Philadelphia 76ers. This choice was actually more difficult than the Suns and Mavericks, partly because the 76ers are in the Eastern Conference. As tough as that East is, it’s probably not as rugged as the West. Having said that, Philly has a few things that tell me I have to see it to believe they make it past the conference semifinals. I know they have center Joel Embiid, who is a favorite to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, but there is a question about Embiid’s durability for a long playoff run. They also have guard James Harden, who notoriously disappears at the crucial moments. Finally, Doc Rivers is the team’s coach, and that’s no longer a good thing like it might have been before. The combination equals more playoff disappointment, most likely going out to either the Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics.

Keep in mind this is merely my opinion on how I feel about the upcoming playoffs, and if I’m proven wrong, I’ll be all too happy (okay…maybe not) to admit as much. Because of the splash moves the Suns and Mavericks made, they became trendy picks, and people have been waiting on the 76ers to breakthrough for at least a few seasons. The problem is sizzle and style doesn’t equal substance, which is the main ingredient for championship teams. None of these three clubs are complete, and it will be exposed before too long. If you’re a fan of Phoenix, Dallas or Philadelphia, I would love to hear why I’m crazy for thinking this way. I just believe crazy isn’t the word to describe my feelings.

Even with NBA Finals heartbreak, Tatum has arrived

Life for someone in the public spectrum has never been harsher than it is right now, particularly for someone playing sports at the highest levels. With the evolution of social media, action on the playing field never goes without instant praise or criticism. If a star player on the verge of reaching superstar status has a performance that ranks with some of the best ever seen, people are quick to say this is the “coming out party,” or the moment he or she can be mentioned with the best in the world. Once the performance is below the expectations set on the “superstar,” those same people who were so quick to elevate the player are just as quick to say they haven’t arrived yet. This is the reality Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum faces, as he and his team attempts to heal from losing in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.

When the Celtics can get past the disappointment stage, they can look at the season as a success, especially considering the team was meddling around .500 in January. A lot of growth occurred in Boston, and the same can be said for Tatum, who constantly heard he and fellow teammate Jaylen Brown couldn’t make it work as a duo. During the playoff run to the finals, Tatum had many moments of brilliance, showing why some people would say he’s the best in a crop of young players knocking on the door of ultimate success. When the Celtics got there, it’s no secret Tatum struggled to duplicate those classic performances. Therefore, the hot take artists and members of the social media toilets were ready to tear him down, as if those positive thoughts were never said. Stephen Curry, who won the NBA Finals MVP, went through periods of slander. So did Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo (among other greats). The point is every player who makes meteoric rises to the top has to endure good and bad, and Tatum is no different.

To understand how quickly things can turn around on the praise or dump meter, it wasn’t too long ago when Tatum led the Celtics to a shocking (to some) sweep of the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Fast forward to the conference semifinals, and Boston was down 3-2 to Antetokounmpo and the then-defending champion Milwaukee Bucks with Game 6 in Milwaukee. It was Tatum who scored 46 points to keep the Celtics’ season alive. Boston would go on to knock the Bucks out in Game 7 at home, and in another seventh game against the Miami Heat in the conference finals (also on the road) Tatum led the squad with 26 points and was named MVP of the series. There were many in the media who thought the Celtics would win the championship, and Tatum was on his way to being a bona fide, top-5 basketball player in the world. As we all know, Boston came up short, and guess who’s in the crosshairs for why they did.

Even with the subpar performance in the finals, what other player who is younger than 25-years-old would people rather have than Tatum? Luka Doncic? Ja Morant? Devin Booker? Trae Young? All of the players mentioned can score in spades, and scoring is the glamour stat in all sports. What puts Tatum over the top is his completeness as a player. Not only can he score with anyone in the league, he can affect the game in ways the others can not. Tatum is better on defense than any of the young players mentioned, and besides Booker (with the Phoenix Suns last season), the others haven’t been to the NBA Finals as of yet. It’s understood basketball is a team sport, but at the same time, there is more put on individual accolades than ever. So if we’re going to play that game, Tatum has the others beat in this regard.

While this is a society that judges people on the latest happenings, it’s important to consider the entire body of work. Could Tatum have played better in the finals? Of course. Could he have been more aggressive looking for his own offense at times? Absolutely, but to say Tatum is a disappointment is a bit harsh. All of the credit should go to Golden State’s defense for the struggles, but the willingness to take on double-teams and be a willing passer should not be overlooked when it comes overall growth. It can be easy to forget, but Tatum is only 24 years of age, and the Celtics have a young team around him that points to being competitive for years to come. Based off of the apparent rise during this year’s playoff run, Tatum has arrived, because only stars get the treatment in the public where they can shine, then fall flat before sustainability kicks in.

Did the Mavericks start a new trend with GM hire?

Looking at the NBA landscape, there were a number of places where change was taking place, but this was especially true in the case of the Dallas Mavericks. In a span of four days, the Mavericks saw events that included a damning story published by The Athletic questioning the pecking order under team owner Mark Cuban, a parting of the ways from then-general manager Donnie Nelson and the decision by Rick Carlisle to step down from the head coaching position (Carlisle is now the head man for the Indiana Pacers…again). All of a sudden, a franchise that seemed to be stable was in chaos, and Cuban was left to make decisions that will alter the course of the team for at least the next decade. The man chosen to be the next head coach of the Mavs is Jason Kidd, the former point guard who was on the team when Dallas won their only championship in 2011. Kidd also coached the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks before finding an assistant coaching role under Frank Vogel with the Los Angeles Lakers. This move is the one making the headlines simply because of the pedigree Kidd brings as a player and coach, but it’s the GM hire that, at least to me, is the more intriguing.

Enter Nico Harrison, a former executive with Nike, as the man chosen to lead basketball operations for the Mavs. At face value, replacing Nelson with a man who doesn’t have any experience in an NBA front office is unconventional at the least, but there could be a underlining method to Cuban’s methods. By being a Nike exec, Harrison has been able to build relationships with numerous players, most notably being the liaison for the late Kobe Bryant in his second year with the company. One of those relationships is with Luka Doncic, the team’s budding superstar who Harrison is tasked with building a championship contender around. That in itself is a monumental chore, considering Dallas plays in the rough and rugged Western Conference, and the roster has more than a few areas needing improvement. The hope for Cuban and the Mavs fan base is some of those relationships Harrison has created can be beneficial in bringing a few of the better players in the association to Dallas, and ultimately, erase the fact the franchise hasn’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since that 2011 title run. At any rate, I believe Cuban is willing to do anything possible to bring a title back to Big D, and while the move to bring Harrison in as GM can be questioned, it may be revolutionary depending on the results.

When we looks into the inner workings of a league’s teams, most of them go with a person who has worked their way up in the franchise, or with someone who is at least familiar with front offices around the league, to be a general manager. It’s not common the people who hold these positions come from a source outside of the league. If there is a model for an awkward GM hire working to the tune of championship results, look no further than the Lakers. L.A. brought in Rob Pelinka, a sports agent whose clients included Bryant and Nets guard James Harden, to be their GM in 2017. Pelinka, was able to help sign forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis, bring Vogel in as the head coach (along with the aforementioned Kidd as an assistant), and build a roster around superstars James and Davis to win the NBA championship last season in the bubble. When Lakers owner Jeanie Buss decided to hire Pelinka as the GM, we could perceive it was because of those business relationships he developed as an agent for a big reason why he got the job. In other words, there are other walks of life that help to get a person in tune with the landscape of a business. While the hire of Pelinka is not exactly the same as Harrison taking over as the Mavericks GM, the fact they come from different entities to operate an NBA team is.

Speaking of those relationships, I personally never believed it when people say business is just business. That theory sounds like a copout more than anything else, and here’s why. Anytime we get into business with someone, there is a period of getting to know that person or group to some degree. In that process, a certain amount of trust has to be built, or the deal will not get done. While this is going on, a friendship may grow out of that. I say all of this to point out there is always a personal aspect to conducting business, and when those relationships are produced, it can lead to bigger and better things down the line. So when we look at what Cuban did with bringing in Harrison, he understands this very narrative, because if he did not, this move does not get made. I guarantee those relationships Harrison developed with the players will be crucial if Dallas is to bring free agents in that can produce a championship contender.

If we are being honest with each other, we can say not much is guaranteed in life or business. One thing we do know is the race to stay ahead of the trends is hotter than ever. If there is a way to revolutionize an industry or organization, the powers that be are going to attempt to find that. Cuban is known as a visionary, and he obviously believes brining someone who earned his reputation at a shoe and apparel company to run his team will get the desired results he desperately wants. Such is the life of a businessman. One either wins big or loses big, and it will be interesting to see if this is a gamble that pays off for Cuban at the end.