Look, I know this title is an occasionally overused joke line, but let's get real. Nobody knows what day it is anymore. You wake up, you stay inside, you do whatever you were going to do - maybe including leaving the house for a walk, but maybe not - and then you go to sleep. It's exhausting in a way that is extremely not exhausting.
I thought we had a mild enough winter that I was going to get through the cold months without gaining 5-10 pounds, and I did...until the weather started to warm up and everyone was forced to stay inside. But here we are now. My dog refuses to walk, my wife's birthday meant lots of cake and sweets on a 4-day weekend, and there's no end of quarantine in sight.
So let's talk about basketball.
It's crazy to think about how various trades have had long-lasting effects on various franchises. One trade leads to another trade, which leads to a draft pick, which leads to a great season or a terrible bust. It happens all the time. But how often do trades work for both teams?
I was thinking about this because I remembered the Phoenix Suns great and former mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson was drafted by my Cleveland Cavaliers just 8 short months after I was born. He was then traded to Phoenix before the end of his rookie season in exchange for, most notably, Larry Nance. The result of the trade was that the teams swapped first-round picks and the Suns ended up with Dan Majerle while the Cavs got Randolph Keys. Phoenix then made the playoffs for the next decade, including losing in the Finals in 1993. Cleveland also made the playoffs 8 of the next 9 seasons, though they never reached the Finals. Larry Nance retired in 1994, so he wasn't a cornerstone of all of that, but he was certainly relevant.
How often does that happen? There aren't a ton of blockbuster trades (insofar as KJ for Nance was a blockbuster) that end up truly making sense for both teams. Think back to the biggest trades of the last few seasons: the only one that really makes sense but is far too close to tell is Anthony Davis to the Lakers and lots of talent to the Pelicans. The jury is still out, since the Pelicans weren't actually in the playoffs this year (even if they're the ultimate "Here's a team you, a dumb, think is bad, but I, a smart, know is fun" team) and since they'll have a lot of very hard decisions when contracts are up for renewal. Furthermore, if the Lakers don't win a title - and not having an NBA Finals this year sure seems like a good way to reduce their title odds - then the whole thing was kind of a loss for the Lakers.
The Raptors were thrilled about how the Kawhi Leonard trade worked out. The Spurs were probably not. They're going to miss the playoffs for the first time since Vince Carter's final season at UNC while the Raps have a title.
Did any of the Jimmy Butler trades work for both teams? Or how about all 4 teams in his most recent one? Too early to tell in this last case, but probably not, right? Philadelphia was one of the weirdest, shakiest teams in the league this season while Miami is solidly in that 2nd-tier contention range, but do the other teams feel good? Wouldn't Philly rather have Jimmy Butler than Josh Richardson right now? I know it's more complicated than that, but you get the idea.
On the other hand, none of this matters. If the only thing we're gauging trade success on is whether or not that team won a title, then a lot of teams are going to be pretty upset. That's why the KJ/Nance trade is so fascinating to me. Each side ushered in a period of relative and sustained "success" for the team. If the Raptors won their title and then DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs to another 5 years of playoff runs, that would be a success for both teams, I guess. Or if the Pelicans can hold on to their former-Lakers and become a perennial playoff team while the Lakers win a title with Anthony Davis, then that's a success for both teams. But what are the odds, really?
These are the things that clutter my mind as I wonder what else there is to talk about in regards to the NBA. A televised game of H-O-R-S-E would be terrible, considering it was terrible when the NBA tried this at all-star weekend, so let's just sweep that idea under the rug.
There's really nothing going on here. Maybe things will pick up steam in a month and look more promising, but probably not.
So until next...Monday? Thursday? Who the hell knows. Bye.
I thought we had a mild enough winter that I was going to get through the cold months without gaining 5-10 pounds, and I did...until the weather started to warm up and everyone was forced to stay inside. But here we are now. My dog refuses to walk, my wife's birthday meant lots of cake and sweets on a 4-day weekend, and there's no end of quarantine in sight.
So let's talk about basketball.
It's crazy to think about how various trades have had long-lasting effects on various franchises. One trade leads to another trade, which leads to a draft pick, which leads to a great season or a terrible bust. It happens all the time. But how often do trades work for both teams?
I was thinking about this because I remembered the Phoenix Suns great and former mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson was drafted by my Cleveland Cavaliers just 8 short months after I was born. He was then traded to Phoenix before the end of his rookie season in exchange for, most notably, Larry Nance. The result of the trade was that the teams swapped first-round picks and the Suns ended up with Dan Majerle while the Cavs got Randolph Keys. Phoenix then made the playoffs for the next decade, including losing in the Finals in 1993. Cleveland also made the playoffs 8 of the next 9 seasons, though they never reached the Finals. Larry Nance retired in 1994, so he wasn't a cornerstone of all of that, but he was certainly relevant.
How often does that happen? There aren't a ton of blockbuster trades (insofar as KJ for Nance was a blockbuster) that end up truly making sense for both teams. Think back to the biggest trades of the last few seasons: the only one that really makes sense but is far too close to tell is Anthony Davis to the Lakers and lots of talent to the Pelicans. The jury is still out, since the Pelicans weren't actually in the playoffs this year (even if they're the ultimate "Here's a team you, a dumb, think is bad, but I, a smart, know is fun" team) and since they'll have a lot of very hard decisions when contracts are up for renewal. Furthermore, if the Lakers don't win a title - and not having an NBA Finals this year sure seems like a good way to reduce their title odds - then the whole thing was kind of a loss for the Lakers.
The Raptors were thrilled about how the Kawhi Leonard trade worked out. The Spurs were probably not. They're going to miss the playoffs for the first time since Vince Carter's final season at UNC while the Raps have a title.
Did any of the Jimmy Butler trades work for both teams? Or how about all 4 teams in his most recent one? Too early to tell in this last case, but probably not, right? Philadelphia was one of the weirdest, shakiest teams in the league this season while Miami is solidly in that 2nd-tier contention range, but do the other teams feel good? Wouldn't Philly rather have Jimmy Butler than Josh Richardson right now? I know it's more complicated than that, but you get the idea.
On the other hand, none of this matters. If the only thing we're gauging trade success on is whether or not that team won a title, then a lot of teams are going to be pretty upset. That's why the KJ/Nance trade is so fascinating to me. Each side ushered in a period of relative and sustained "success" for the team. If the Raptors won their title and then DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs to another 5 years of playoff runs, that would be a success for both teams, I guess. Or if the Pelicans can hold on to their former-Lakers and become a perennial playoff team while the Lakers win a title with Anthony Davis, then that's a success for both teams. But what are the odds, really?
These are the things that clutter my mind as I wonder what else there is to talk about in regards to the NBA. A televised game of H-O-R-S-E would be terrible, considering it was terrible when the NBA tried this at all-star weekend, so let's just sweep that idea under the rug.
There's really nothing going on here. Maybe things will pick up steam in a month and look more promising, but probably not.
So until next...Monday? Thursday? Who the hell knows. Bye.
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