Goeiedag, enchantée and welcome to this week's episode of Eight 2 Four presents: All-NBA Team of the Week. This week was supposed to be a huge podcast, raving about my 5 favourite things that happened during the All-Star Weekend. What a disappointment that was. Not worth the effort and definitely not worth your time! Instead, we will look at 5 guys who we believe will play a massive role in this final part of the season. Teams have only 20 to 25 games left and pretty much everyone still has something to play for. These 5 guys will play a massive role in the performance of their teams and the future of the franchise. I’m Peter Peake and this is your All-NBA Team of the Week!
PICK #1
Our first pick of the week is Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. A lost Eastern Conference Final, two head coaches and a GM in 5 years, that’s the verdict for Trae Young in Atlanta so far. And the further we are removed from that Conference Finals, the more it becomes obvious that the Hawks had a very lucky run. They met the Knicks in that first round and they were never going to make it out of that first round, regardless who they played. Then they played an imploding Philly that is still suffering the consequences of that series. It just goes to show how important seeding can be, because the Hawks would have never been able to get past Brooklyn, remember KD’s toe against the Bucks?
Anyway, the past is the past, let’s look at today. Head Coach Nate McMillan has been let go by the Hawks, and rumours have it that he has been asking the front office to let him go for quite a while. He did not get along with Trae Young and it came to blows when he tried to make an example out of Trae at a practice which resulted in Trae not showing up for the next game and all of a sudden, the whole world knew that McMillan was on his way out. Trae got his way and another coach, just like Lloyd Pierce, was forced out the door. Last time it helped them get to the Conference Finals, we’ll see where the ship lands this season.
Trae is at a dangerous intersection, where he can make a real name for himself in the league. If he keeps playing the primadonna without performing on the court, he might be the next one out on his ass in Atlanta. And if that happens, chances that he’ll get to play first fiddle again in any other franchise will be slim. Then again, if he now pulls his head in under the new coach, Quin Snyder or anyone else, and finally plays the way he’s supposed to, the Hawks can become one of the main contenders in the Eastern Conference. New GM Landry Fields has his work cut out for him in Atlanta.
PICK #2
Our second pick of the week is Russell Westbrook of the LA Clippers. He can’t win. Finally gets out of his impossible situation with the Lakers, to be bought out by the Jazz and free to sign with any team. The team he ends up signing for, the Clippers, seems to be the one team in the whole league that the media believes to be a stupid idea. Everybody has already decided that this will be another dumpster fire, another failed stop for Westbrook and the final nail in his coffin. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him another chance to prove that he’s not finished. That’s the least he deserves after the career he had.
He was an absolute superstar in OKC, man of the people and carried that franchise, especially after KD left. In his last 2 years there, he played together with Paul George and both of them refer to that period as some of the best years of their careers. A lot of people see those years as the last good years in his career, but he wasn’t all that bad in Houston and Washington as far as I’m concerned. Yes, he needed adjusting, I mean, who wouldn’t after being the king of a franchise for 11 years. In Washington he averaged a triple double for the season, for the 4th time in his career, in the span of 5 years. That alone is incredible. Then came the Lakers and that was a dumpster fire but we can’t blame everything on Westbrook, those other 2 superstars in LA have to share in some of the blame, even if they pretend they’re squeaky clean. Now Russ has another opportunity to play with 2 of the biggest stars in this league, let’s see how he goes this time.
But he does have one problem, and that is that the Clippers are running out of time themselves. I’ve talked about this in previous podcasts, so I won’t go into much details, but I believe that this season is do or die for the Clippers. Having Westbrook in the locker room means that they have a new player on board that will require a lot of attention and some shuffling to fit him into the rotation, regardless if he’s coming off the bench or starting. I’m a little bit concerned, and here’s the tinfoil hat, I’m concerned that the Clippers have brought him in to be the fall guy if PG and Kawhi end up failing again, he will be thrown under the bus when they need to explain why they didn’t make it happen yet again. It’s going to be a very interesting season for the Clippers and deep down, I hope it all works out for Russ and he can finally add a ring to his collection of trophies but I’m worried the media will be right and that this could spell the end of his career, only for a different reason that everyone thinks.
PICK #3
Our third pick of the week is Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards. Beal must be the person with the most job security in the world. He gets paid a shit ton of money, has a no-trade clause in his contract so doesn’t need to worry about having to pack his bags at any point, and clearly, he does not have to perform at all to justify his wage. I wish my arrangement with my workplace looked this way. In all seriousness, Beal basically owns the Wizards, he can do what he wants and in reality, they have absolutely nothing to show for it and no prospects at all for any of that to change in the future. Of course, he didn’t just take it, they gave it to him so really this is not his fault, but man, I would be embarrassed coming into work each day.
Beal is 29, in the prime of his career, and in the 37 games he’s played so far this season, he’s averaging 23 points, 3 and a half rebounds and 5 assists. We have to go back to his pre- All-Star days to find when he last put up these kinds of numbers. Of course, he hasn’t played consistently yet this season, being in and out of the line-up due to injury but he is not giving me the vibes of someone who is making $250 million over the next 5 years. I mean, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis are the stars on the Wizards this season. Beal is only the third wheel.
As usual, the Wizards are hovering around the tenth spot on the ladder, and it is becoming ridiculous. I mean, Beal should be able to carry this team well and truly to a Playoff spot. The Wizards are not a great team, by any stretch of imagination, but if he truly is the superstar he is paid to be, they should be good enough to mean something in that first round series. And time and time again, we get disappointed. I expect Beal to make a push towards the end of this season, and get his team into the Playoffs. Probably through the Play-In games but that’s ok. If the Wizards yet again fail to make it a tough series, whether it is against Boston or Milwaukee, I can truly say that I am out on Bradley Beal. I don’t expect them to win, but please, don’t hand them the series easily. Be competitive, Brad, that’s all I’m asking! Otherwise, you’re making a mockery of the whole organisation, and by extension, the entire league.
PICK #4
Our fourth pick of the week is Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves. KAT is still injured and not scheduled to return until mid March, only to play in the last 10 to 15 games of the season. He might be out longer and maybe even decided to sit out the rest of the season, but I think it’s in KAT’s best interest to return and get some more time on the court with this new Wolves line-up after the trade deadline, just to prove that he is capable of fitting into this team. If not, I think Minnesota’s front office might focus on the start of this season and decide that it is time to trade KAT in the offseason. Moving D-Lo at the deadline proves that this is now clearly Anthony Edwards’ team and KAT will need to show that he can fit in or move on himself.
I don’t believe that the Timberwolves are already out on KAT, I’m sure they want to make it work. The big man is averaging a double double so far in his career, with 23 points and 11 rebounds a game, and he has always been the cornerstone of the franchise. But by bringing in Rudy Gobert, things are different this year for KAT. Instead of playing the center position, he has been moved to Power Forward for the first time in career. A move many thought would benefit him because he’s not the guy to bang with the big guys under the ring. His shooting also allows him to spread the floor and should, in theory, allow him to play quite comfortably alongside Gobert. The reality has been a little bit different. The Timberwolves sucked in the beginning of the season and only started improving when KAT got injured. Fitting him back in when he returns will be a challenge.
But it would be unfair to pull all the pressure on KAT. He’s not the only problem on the team. One of those problems has been dealt with by replacing D-Lo with veteran Point Guard Mike Conley, who knows how to play with Rudy Gobert. And that will hopefully fix problem number 2. Rudy Gobert has had troubles adjusting in Minnesota and has not been playing at the same level as in Utah. By putting Conley next to him again, hopefully we’ll see the old Gobert again. Then lastly, Ant-Man himself. He is a fantastic player with an amazing future, but if he wants to be the leader of this franchise, it becomes his responsibility that Head Coach Chris Finch’s plan works on the court as well. If all these things can come together, and KAT finds his place within this roster, the Timberwolves are set for a more than decent future in the Western Conference.
PICK #5
Our fifth pick of the week is Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA. It’s been a disappointing week for the NBA, even though they decided to ignore the negatives and only focus on the positives. The NBA was very quick to point out that the highlights of the weekend, especially Dunk Champion Mac McClung’s incredible actions, were viewed on social media at all-time highs! What they failed to mention was that the weekend itself, and the All-Star game in particular, had less tv-viewers than in previous years. The fact that the game itself was an atrocity will not help lure more viewers to next year's event. The league has a problem, and the All-Star Weekend is not the only headache they have. Think about load management, players asking for trades or sitting out the season and Silver’s obsession with a mid-season tournament.
The pendulum has now completely swung the other way. Under David Stern, the players had absolutely no power. That power lay in the front office, and was really unfair towards the players. Look at Michael Jordan’s earnings, the best player ever played in the NBA, he made less than $100 million throughout his career. In comparison, League-MVP Nikola Jokic earns more than MJ every 2 years on his 5 year contract. When Adam Silver took over from Stern, he slowly implemented measures to protect the players and was happy to allow player empowerment to grow. At the time, it was a great idea and let’s be honest about it, it made the whole NBA better. But, much like every parent who spoils their kids, Silver had difficulties saying no. We saw the result of a decade of doting last weekend, with the best players in the world refusing to play basketball on the biggest stage in the world. The All-Star game is supposed to be a showcase for the league, instead it was embarrassing. And the players, like spoiled kids, are telling their dad they’ll need more money if he wants them to actually compete during the weekend.
The NBA needs a new parent, a stricter parent, to solve this problem. Set clear rules and expectations and take away their allowance if players break them. I’m not saying we need to go back to the Stern days, but it is time for the pendulum to start swinging back to the middle. For example, why can’t the league set out some clear rules in Max Contracts for Star Players that are tied to the All-Star weekend. This is my suggestion, every max contract has a 30% All-Star clause in it. You receive the 20% by making it to the All-Star game and the other 10% if you’re on the winning team. And you’re only eligible for selection if you have participated in the Saturday Events at some point in your career. By implementing this structure, you encourage young stars, like Morant and Zion, to participate in a dunk contest so they are eligible on their max contracts to participate in the All-Star game. And those games will be competitive because for a max player like Jokic, winning equals $5 million. By only including max players, you can still encourage role players and young players to be part of the festivities without punishing them financially. And because there are only 24 spots, the early part of the regular season becomes more important as well, 2 birds with 1 stone. And the only way to get out of it would be with a doctor’s note from an independent doctor. Another side effect I’m expecting is that some players might not want to actually sign a max contract because they know they’re not good enough to get selected every year, so you end up with less max players in the league too. Anyway, Adam, food for thought!
This is our All-NBA team of the Week. Please share our podcast and give us 5 stars. If you have any questions, you can contact the show on eight2fouroffice@gmail.com. Thank you for listening, ballers out!
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