Ten Things About the NBA: The Week Eleven Edition

Is This the end of the Buddy Buddy Era of the NBA?

Over the years I’ve been noticing a new trend in the NBA I have labeled the “buddy buddy era”. Actually I have a different name for it but Kris won’t let me say it here. Everyone seems to want to be pals with one another. They work out with each other in season, take vacations together off season and when they can’t beat a team they decide to join them. I’m from a different NBA era where everyone seemed to want to kill one another. I like my era much better. We don’t see much of my era these days but the other night Portland Trail Blazers PG Damian Lillard and Los Angeles Lakers PG DeAngelo Russell got into it and after the game Lillard seemed to suggest meeting up with Russell……..I’m not hip on the young fella’s lingo these days but I think he suggested fighting Russell out back. I can’t embed the video but you can listen to it here and please tell me if what I think Lillard said about fighting was correct.

It also got dicey this week with Boston Celtics SF Jae Crowder and Washington Wizards PG John Wall. Eventually security needed to be placed in front of the Wizards locker room as things were still quite tense between players on both teams. You can watch Crowder get touchy feely with Wall after the game.

Bringing a Broom on the Road is a Nice Thing!

Despite all the trade rumors and uncertainty the Atlanta Hawks swept their recent road trip. This was just the third time in Hawks history they had swept a road trip lasting four or more games. In December of 1968 they had a five game sweep and in January of 2015 they had a four game sweep. That 2015 team went on to win 60 games. Maybe 50 wins isn’t’ a stretch for this Hawks team?

Love This Kid’s Enthusiasm

The Philadelphia 76ers have won four out of their last five games and just won theireleventh game of the season. Considering the 76ers only won ten games last season that’s quite a feat. It would be even more remarkable if they could somehow manage to make the playoffs this season. While I don’t believe they can 76ers C Joel “The Process” Embiid somehow believes that the 76ers can indeed reach the playoffs. You can read what he has to say about this here.

Kyle Korver’s First Bucket for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyle Korver hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with his new team. He’s just 2-10 from the floor and 0-5 from the three point line but at least he started out right hitting his first jumper against the Utah Jazz!

Mike Conley Money for Derrick Rose?

Last summer the Memphis Grizzlies surprised nearly everyone when the re-signed PG Mike Conley to a staggering five year $152,605,576 contract which at the time made the contract the largest in NBA history. New York Knicks PG Derrick Rose is hoping to receive a similar contract to the one Conley received.

Conley earned the contract he signed by taking a back seat to his stats by playing on a slow paced team and his body playing the “grit and grind” bruising ass kicking defense the Grizzlies are famous for. In other words Conley was loyal to the Grizzlies and they in turn rewarded his loyalty.

Rose has played well for the Knicks this season but he doesn’t deserve that kind of money. He demonstrated his loyalty by going A.W.O.L and missing a critical ballgame at home this past week against the Pelicans. The Knicks have been known to do some dumb stuff in the past but bringing Rose back for anywhere close to that kind of money would be a new realm of dumb for the Knicks. If it were me as GM I’d let him take his loyalty somewhere else.

Revenge Games?

If you listen to sports talk radio or Fantasy sports analysts for any length of time you will undoubtedly hear the “revenge” narrative being employed whenever someone is playing against his former team. This week folks have been talking about Al Horford returning to Atlanta to play the Hawks in those terms.

I don’t quite understand this; because Atlanta didn’t offer him what he wanted that’s supposed to give him some extra incentive to do better Friday night? What about the other 28 teams that either didn’t offer Horford the MAX or never bothered to court him? Wouldn’t Horford want to seek “revenge” against them also?

I guess I just don’t buy the “look what you are missing out on” narrative. If Horford really wanted to show the Hawks what they were missing he could do so by making the Celtics front court better defensively than they were a year ago or maybe lead the Celtics past round one of the playoffs. The former hasn’t happened but there is still time for the latter. Get busy Al!!

No MLK Day Game for the Memphis Grizzlies?

In what has to be the strangest scheduling snafu the Memphis Grizzlies aren’t even playing on Martin Luther King Day. Instead they will be hosting the Chicago Bulls on Sunday the 15th. Maybe the NBA figures a game in Oakland California between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers would hold more significance rather than a game being played where the former Civil Rights leader was slain. Or maybe Memphis isn’t NBA enough? Either way I think the entire thing stinks.

NBA ALL Star Voting

Have you voted yet? If you haven’t than what the heck are you waiting for? Do you really want Zaza Pachulia to be an All-Star? If you haven’t voted you have until January the 16th to do so. Please visit here.

I will now name my starting five from each conference……drum roll please;

I’m sure you have other ideas and that’s what the comments section is for….let me hear them!!

Maybe Aaron Gordon Should Bring Jodie Meeks to the Slam Dunk Competition?

Speaking of the All-Star Game; Orlando Magic F Aaron Gordon got hosed in last years Slam Dunk Contest. Maybe if he brings along teammate Jodie Meeks he will sway the judges because this looked pretty sweet!

If he Would Only Play Defense

Portland Trail Blazers Guard C.J. McCollum is having quite the season; at the time of this writing he has scored 25 points in seven consecutive games. The last Trail Blazer to do this? Fan favorite and current Houston Rockets Color Commentator Clyde Drexler going nine consecutive games with 25 points or more during the 1987-1988 season.