Let’s Examine these Five NBA Teams

Well, back to basketball. We did this a few posts ago, but here it goes again. I don’t know the reaction that most of you had to it, but I had heaps of fun. I will randomly generate five teams, plus the Knicks. I will then give you an overview of their team, and I’m feeling like there’ll be a whole lot of totally unnecessary blaming and name-calling today. I’m using https://wordwall.net/resource/680216/nba-teams for this, if you’re curious.

All teams will be different from the last similar post, because then why would you read this? First wheel spin: Miami Heat. Second: Cleveland Cavaliers. Third: Chicago Bulls. Fourth: Phoenix Suns. Fifth: Golden State Warriors.

Miami Heat: The Heat is a team that is a suitor for a BUNCH of trade bait near this trade deadline. To name a few: Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, and Bradley Beal. Realistic targets? Kyle Lowry, Drummond, and LaVine, in the order of probability. Kendrick Nunn is definitely going to be a role player for the Heat this year, Bam Adebayo is Robin to Jimmy Butler being Batman, so even though he’s a pure scorer, he’s not the Robin, averaging 14 PPG and under 3 for everything else, on about 11 or so shots per game. Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are both also role players, but while Jimmy Butler drives, those two are waiting with bated breath for a kick-out from Jimmy. Jimmy Butler is the first scoring option for the Heat, he’s getting the most shots, he’s getting the most everything when the team resets, the ball goes to Butler, if not? That poor and unsuspecting player gets “wet towel whipped” in the locker room (use your imagination for that one). Kelly Olynyk and Goran Dragic, why did I pair these players together? Because they’re both trade bait, probably to get Kyle Lowry, both are good players for their position, but both not starters. Bam Adebayo, you could argue that he’s not the Robin to Butler’s Batman, because the Heat’ll try to haul in that Robin, but no, Butler wouldn’t be an All-Star because Bam wasn’t, and Butler was chosen, that’s a Batman and Robin relationship. What I think they should do, trade Olynyk and Dragic for Kyle Lowry and sign LaMarcus Aldridge, because they decided to “mutually part ways” but that’s like a breakup, no one really knows who pulled the plug.

Cleveland Cavaliers: This team has amazing young talent with great potential. What I see for this team at the deadline is to get younger and have an extremely small salary. Yes, I’m looking at Kevin Love, I know Love is irreplaceable, but trading him comes down to the people sitting in the comically large chairs, 3 floors above the hardwood. Bleacher Report says the Portland Trail Blazers is a suitor for Love, in CJ McCollum’s absence, they need some shooting and to get some extra scoring. Some players the Cavs can target from the Blazers are Nassir Little, Gary Trent Jr., or Harry Giles III, but whatever combination of these players they decide to take, they need a draft pick out of it. They would have Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, the backcourt of the future for the Cavs, they drafted well in 2018 and 2019 to get these two guards, 2020, they also got their wing of the future, Isaac Okoro, and their center of the future, unless they trade him, Jarrett Allen. ALL OF THESE PLAYERS ARE 22 OR UNDER. Their bench, Dylan Windler (24), Cedi Osman (25), and Larry Nance (28), is a bench any team could ask for. They don’t have a star, so they’re all sharing the love, especially between the backcourt. All these players need now is good coaching and a good offseason. The Cavs are only four games out of the last place in the East and only 6 out of the last place in the NBA. That’s three bad weeks for them and they could potentially have a 1-5 pick. If they get 1 or 2, they could trade to 3, 4 or 5, to get Evan Mobley at the 5, or, if Mobley goes down to 2, take Mobley. There’s also Jonathan Kuminga. This team is in a great position. I don’t think they need to make a trade at the deadline, but, Kevin Love getting moved is a nice idea.

Chicago Bulls: This team is going rebuild mode, Zach LaVine is one of the most thrown around names in the NBA trade deadline rumors. If they trade him, they need a lot of young talent for him. Coby White has tremendous upside but is very hit-or-miss. Patrick Williams is a very interesting player, I’m all for Williams, I want to see him get a bunch of minutes. Their front-court, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. are the frontcourt of the future for them, or both of them are out in the next two years if they’re really going full rebuild mode. Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young are two forwards that the coach can lie back and relax when they’re on the floor because he’s going to be extremely consistent up and down the floor, if they’re not scoring, then they’ll defend and rebound. If they trade LaVine, it’ll be the best thing they can do, because then that will plummet their performance this year, while scooping up more talent, and, if they finish low enough, they could get Jalen Suggs or Green, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga or, if they’re REALLY lucky, Cade Cunningham or Evan Mobley.

Phoenix Suns: This team is so wildly amazing, with the Lakers breathing down their neck, 0.5 games back of the second seed. This might sound crazy, but, Bleacher Report, who, in my opinion, is the most down-to-earth sports news source out there, say the Suns should get Lauri Markkanen, granted they also say they should get Joel Embiid, the MVP favorite, this is insane, the only way Philly would think of the offer would be to include Devin Booker, but the Suns won’t want to give Book. The Markkanen move, though, there’s something there, because right now, Frank Kaminsky starting will most definitely not cut it. If the Bulls trade both LaVine and Lauri, then they’re most definitely sitting pretty in the top 5 in the draft. Chris Paul, the initiator of the “dish and swish” on every team he’s on, is irreplaceable, he might even stay next year, unless, the Suns took him on for one reason, to propel them to the playoffs. Devin Booker is irreplaceable for real now, he can do everything, now, with the strengthening of the left hand, he can score and pass with the left as well, which unlocks so many more doors for him. Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton are both players who would be second or even first scoring options on any other team, on this team, they’re three and four, and that’s why they’re the second seed, the immense depth. Their bench needs work, but once Cameron Johnson, the potentially great forward comes back, then the Suns and Suns’ fans can sleep a little better.

Golden State Warriors: If Stephen Curry leads the Klay Thompson-less, KD-less, regressing Draymond Green to the playoffs as a 7^th seed or higher, Joel Embiid and him should be head to head in the MVP race. He’s leading a young team to a 19-19 record, these inexperienced players are being carried by Curry. Kelly Oubre Jr. is not amazing at anything, but he’s also not bad at anything, Andrew Wiggins is being overshadowed by Curry and he doesn’t really belong on this team. The Warriors need some knock-down shooters, kind of like, just kind of like, the Heat, when Jimmy’s locked up, he has Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson. Same thing here and whoever that shooter is, he could be his partner in crime. Once Klay comes back, and they have a good offseason, and a good shooter and James Wiseman progresses, this is looking good.

New York Knicks: The Knicks have a roster that’s around 20-25^th in talent, but guess what, we’re above .500. Tom Thibodeau has done magical things with this roster, putting Reggie Bullock in the starting lineup, but harnessing Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley to the bench. Even though Elfrid Payton’s starting is infuriating all Knicks fans, the leader of the court isn’t doing that bad. RJ Barrett and Julius Randle are leading the Knicks on the court, almost all possessions where Randle or Barrett are on the court, the ball touches their hands, and that’s how I want it. I love our centers, Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel, they have huge bodies that get every rebound, set amazing screens, and contest all shots. Frank Ntilikina, playfully called “French Jesus” by Knicks’ fans, is starting for the Knicks in Payton and Rose’s absence, and he’s doing good. Alec Burks, Obi Toppin, and Taj Gibson are all role players for now, but I hope that at least Burks and Toppin, but Toppin at the least, sprout into stars. The Knicks can do so much at the deadline, even if they don’t make the playoffs, they are poised for a huge offseason. Leon Rose can do so much in the offseason. We can sign a free agent, make a trade right now, virtually anything we want. We have a couple of first-round picks, so we can trade up, a lot. I would love a John Collins, or a Michael Porter Jr., or an Andre Drummond. This would definitely propel us toward the playoffs and in my opinion, the younger the player, the heaps and heaps and heaps better. 

Surprisingly, all of these teams have a bright future. I’ll keep you posted.