From Distance: Collective Amnesia and Delusion

four point play….

1. The time has finally come! The start of the NBA season will thankfully bring the end to an annual tradition: Complete and utter self-delusion. Okay, okay. You’re right. Delusional thinking is a year round endeavor, practiced by the most agile mental gymnasts of our time. More specifically, we will soon be free of the prediction season where NBA diehards and pundits conveniently find (read “completely fabricate”) reasons why previous failure really isn’t a precursor to subsequent woe. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

In rough order, most absurd to headshaking.

Claim: If the Suns and Mavericks play that series 10 times, the Suns win 9 of them. Dallas was a fluke. 

They go on to say that the entire Suns team had Corona, Chris Paul was really injured, and even Sarver’s terribleness eventually caught up with the mental state of the team.

Verdict: You’ll didn’t watch the series and/or the entirety of Chris Paul’s career.

Chris Paul is exceedingly STOPPABLE.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I am just beyond tired of hearing how the proclaimed “Point God” really just has had bad injury luck. No, folks. He is simply very solvable, which is why when teams face him multiple times in the Playoffs, he fades terribly.

Against both the Bucks (2021) and the Mavs, it took the opposing players and coaches a few games before they realized that Chris Paul will very rarely miss his pet shot after snaking the PnR. He is absolute money with that right elbow J, fading to his right. He is, however, trash when a team refuses to give him what he wants. He begins to force it, gets locked up in his decision-making, and for someone who is considered a basketball genius, is rather stubborn, often refusing to make and easy wing outlet pass.

Instead, when a smart defense prevents his snake while shutting off the roll man, he will take the contested left wing pullup jumper over a contest. That shot is rather Westbrookian for him.

If the Mavs and Suns were to have played a 15 game series, the Mavs would have won in 10 or 11 max. The Mavs were better on both sides of the ball by a good deal after they began to understand Paul’s and the Suns’ actions.

Prediction: Suns make the Play-in, lose in the first round. Chris Paul reports bogus injury thereafter.

Speaking of Westbrook jumpers…

Statement: Maybe Darvin Ham can get the best out of Russell Westbrook.

To be fair, this isn’t a large contingency. Still, anyone still on this train is either an ex-player, journalist trying to stay on Russ’s good side, and/or a basketball idiot. Russ refuses to set screens, misses rotations, has terrible shot-selection, throws away ungodly turnovers…

Verdict: It is a testament to his absurd athleticism and teammate support that Russ has had any success with that low of a basketball IQ.

Prediction: Are you kidding me? He will be lucky to be on an NBA roster next season.

Statement: Karl Anthony Towns is the best player on his team. He is the best shooting bigman ever and could be an MVP candidate. 

How can people forget how terrible he was in the Play-in?

Verdict: Kat is a great shooter, has all the tools to be all-time on both ends, ya know, except he simply has no grit. Zero. He is pomp and circumstance when things go well, but the guy has so much trouble dealing with any adversity. With the benefit of hindsight, can we all agree that perhaps Jimmy Butler wasn’t the problem in Minny (or even with the 76ers)?

Trading for Rudy Gobert was a fantastic trade. Yes, it was astronomically expensive, but Gobert’s arrival does something very important.

It makes KAT expendable.

Prediction: Anthony Edwards takes another leap, lineups with Kyle Anderson at the four outperform those with Towns, and KAT is on the trade block by next summer.

Statement: Trae Young is good at basketball. 

Speaking of “superstars” whose franchises purchased an insurance policy. Trae Young is very good at driving an offense when referees are suckered. That is more of a problem with each ascending playoff round. Young, like Paul, will likely have another great offensive regular season, but the Hawks are perfectly aware of his offensive limitations come playoff time.

Verdict: Young is no longer the best lead guard on his own team, let alone a true All-Star.

Whatever offensive limitations Young has come playoff time pale to his atrocious defense. He is the singularly worst high minute defender in the entire NBA, and he isn’t getting any better. Young doesn’t have the build to ever have the lower body strength necessary for undersized guys to succeed. Paul, Lowry, VanVleet, and even Darius Garland, all have solid hip and core strength that, at a minimum, allows a roll chuck to have any effect whatsoever.

Young is just too weak, too short, and too much of a prima donna to really be anything other than a hugely negative defender. By trading for Dejounte Murray, the Hawks, like the Wolves, provided themselves an out for when it becomes clear to everyone that their “superstar’s” ceiling is just too low. It’s a shame Young’s passion couldn’t be installed into Towns’ body.

Prediction: Murray remains a Hawk longer than Young does.

2. Woah. Ok, I feel better. I had to get some of that off my chest. How was everyone’s summer? What do you think about them Browns? No, no. Just kidding. We shall not arbitrate that lovely topic in this space. This season, I’m going to make a better effort to “From Distance” it up on a regular basis. It’s time to get back on the horse. This team warrants coverage, and my fingers need the exercise. Plus, I missed you all. This year should be fun, and you all add to my enjoyment from afar.

3. Let’s continue the “Prediction Game” in short hand. Here’s a list of things that I think will happen in the year of our basketball gods, 76. Let me know which you have in the comments.

a. LeBron James passes Kareem in the last week of the season. Westbrook is still healthy, while Anthony Davis watches in street clothes. LeBron purposely passes out of every potential shot Russ tries to feed him refusing to let Russ share in any glory. Bron gives that honor to Patrick Beverley leading Russ to sucker punch Bev at the afterparty. Draymond Green approves.

b. Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson combine for 55 points on 115 shots. They lose to a Thunder squad starting somebody named Wolfgang Anymann

c. Zion Williamson posts a Happy Thanksgiving message leading the nation to rail on him for having the audacity to eat food midseason.

d. Nikola Jokic, oblivious to any and all kinds of media, old and new, leads the league in Assists.

e. all of the above

4. This could truly be the beginning of a decade long run of excellence. Stay tuned, and do me a favor, write things down. Our memory is getting a bit dicey these days.

(check it out, I didn’t go political or philosophical! I just wrote a run-of-the-mill “these players suck” article!)