The Second Arrangement

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Races for crummy playoff seeds always existed. More importantly, very good basketball teams are often in races for crummy playoff seeds, either due to injury, intrigue, or repeated denied applications for entry into the Eastern Conference. Limping defending-champions are no strangers to these rungs, nor are top-heavy Western outfits hung with ill-fits. There’s always a Dallas, a Golden State, a Portland. Sometimes Cuttino Mobley is there, sometimes he isn’t.

The difference in 2020-21 is the first-year novelty of the play-in. Last year’s bubble debut didn’t feel official, this similarly hamstrung campaign somehow scans as orthodox by comparison.

Next season, 2021-22, is when things truly return. And, just as was necessary during a pandemic, it would be nice to see the NBA make some severe cuts.

Kelly has suggestions. Beyond adding Cuttino Mobley.

THE PLAY-IN STAYS

NBA teams are really,

really

really

good.

There will be times when the Eastern play-in bracket is filled with Suckwadian outfits, but this is not the season. The West routinely fills the middling spots with supremely playoff-quality clubs.

The idea that the NBA considers two-thirds its rosters postseason-caliber makes no sense at first blush, but a trip to the agate argues otherwise. Russell Westbrook delights in Washington, Golden State, Portland and Memphis performed all season as proper playoff teams. The Rockets are bad, the Thunder are bad, but the Pelicans (who play better defense now), Pacers and Spurs, I assure you, are not bad.

The NBA runs two-thirds deep. Three of its best players came directly from professional competition overseas, so imagine what the rest of the roster looks like. Additionally, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky haven’t stopped producing MVP candidates. This pipeline is weightier than ever yet the NBA hasn’t added a team since 2004. Back when its least-liked coaching avatars were still two years into the four-year run of refusing to take international competition seriously.

The NBA wants us to take its 21st and 22nd teams seriously and I, for one, am way ahead of them.

Yet the NBA can’t keep this up. Too many games that count.

The season has to eliminate contests, somehow, in ways that wouldn’t shift stakes toward a tournament ending on Christmas Day (sports fans do not have the capability to care enough about pro basketball during the peak gridiron season), and without forcing the players and owners to give cash back.

There is no letup, in the 82-plus play-in scenario, which is exhausting for at least two-thirds of that two-thirds. Teams of all percentages were used to taking little breaks inside that 16-seed setup, familiar spots in the October-to-April calendar they could anticipate and pace themselves through. The play-in traipses on this in ways which cannot be blamed on the rush of pandemic scheduling.

The answer isn’t to excise the compelling and rewarding thing, no matter how much LeBron kvetches. The answer is to create a more reverent schedule, something appropriate for the arc of competition. The answer is not adding more weeks, the NBA needs to cut the amount of games it plays. Phoenix does not need to be in Cleveland on Tuesday. Detroit does not need to host Charlotte a second time in a season.

And idc what Chris Paul meant to Trae Young growing up, there is no need for Phoenix to be in Atlanta on Wednesday.

You know who would be fun to watch in Atlanta on Wednesday? Miami. Charlotte. Washington. The Magic. You know who should be in Cleveland on Tuesday? A similarly-shyte division opponent, in a league that still counts divisions for some form of credit.

Fewer games means better basketball which eventually results in a product featuring greater teeth to lug to market. Start doing your job, empty suits. Figure the future out.

HALFTIME

In a clip from 1980 Bill Russell and his suit from 1967 introduce a feature on referee Darrell Garretson. They’re trying to tell me that Garretson’s job is hard, but really all he had to do was learn Darryl Dawkins’ uniform number.

This video is 3:33. Foreshadowing.

Referee reviews take too long, the ends of close contests should not be this demanding to view. There is no reason NBA referee reviews cannot have a time limit.

The playoffs are soon, mainstream sports fans by the millions are about to re-introduce themselves to the NBA’s 52-minute fourth quarters and for absolutely nothing but paperwork on a Friday afternoon.

It can wait until Monday. Limit each review to a minute. If a correction isn’t agreed upon in time, the original call holds.

NBA, babe, you’re selling me an entertainment product and the product takes too long to get here. I am Dennis Miller in 1989 and I will always tell funny jokes.

NOT AS MANY THREES

It absolutely does not bug me that teams shoot as many three-pointers now, your attitude changes once you re-consider three-pointers as the same space-defying 16-footers Bobby Dandridge used to hit. Alternately, the coded language which clotted the NBA’s slower seasons still rings in these ears, non-fans whose eyesight precluded them from recognizing that even the worst shooters on the 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers were far more accurate on jumpers than the best on any classic club from your gloriest year.

So, I’m cranky. I see every one of these 24-foot splashes as a thumb in the nose of the jamokes that told me none of these dribblers could stroke.

But it is the future, 2021, and pretending this rebellion ends with the Clippers (41.7 percent on three-pointers in 2021) or Utah (43.3 three-point attempts per game) is to deny the inevitable. The NBA has a fundamentals problem, there are far too many of them, it has to stop.

The kids are only going to get worse with these things — elbow under the ball, brushing before bedtime — teams will have no choice but to rely more and more on the attempt that earns them a comparatively disproportionate amount of points. So, yeah, I think they should limit three-pointers.

To 33. Teams only gets 33 a night, nothing cute with quarters or the last two minutes or bonuses or anything like that, 33.

The scarcity (only ten teams shoot fewer than 33 three-pointers per game, three clubs attempt over 40) adds to the intrigue. Doc Rivers may not want Joel Embiid using six of his team’s 33 before halftime, and I can already hear a fearful “remember, the Lakers only have two three-point attempts remaining” in Mike Breen’s tremulous voice.

Better yet, imagine someone’s shaky shooting elbow as they step-in from the three-point line to attempt a two-pointer with no threes remaining, a tie in the balance, a buzzer about to ring. A showy heave for the three-point win suddenly morphs back into a nervous two-point jumper that you’re supposed to nail.

Eight three-pointers per quarter, you little babies, will be enough. Points per possession will go down, but scoring (as the league pushes to run more and more to secure easy twos) won’t crater. Transition work will be crucial, outlet passes will abound.

Also,

GUILLOTINE FOR FAST-BREAK DENIERS

Zach Lowe touched on this last week, the penalty begs reassessment. Larry Brown rode intentional fouling on fast-breaks all the way to a gig as 2004 Olympic coach, the league suffered untold transition casualties in the years since. How many literal hundreds of fast-break slams and jams did we miss out on because of fouls at half-court? F*****g war crimes, man.

Amp up the penalties on bear hugs in transition. The NBA’s minor league already awards a technical free throw and the ball back to the team hacked on a break, which is weaksauce (with an additional $1.50 charge for two extra ramekins of weaksauce). The fouling team still gets to play defense against a field goal attempt, the things that count for three and two points. That free throw means NOTHING to these savages.

Will the punishment I’ve settled upon cost the Milwaukee Bucks some depth in the postseason? Surely.

The return will be worth it. We’ve already missed out on too many slam-jams.

MORNING SUNRISE

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Brooklyn 124, San Antonio 113 (overtime)

The Nets, silly Butterfingers in Saturday’s defeat, turned the ball over five times all Monday, 53 minutes, five slipups, five-three, five.

This is a brand new team that’s never trained at a camp together and yet it kept its eye on the thing, in San Antonio. The Spurs finished regulation on 10-0 run, admittedly far from ideal, but Brooklyn pounced so hard in overtime that Coach Popovich moved to empty his bench before the mini-period concluded.

The Spurs also took care of the ball and worked with alacrity — if a shot was there, take the damn shot. This insistence helped when things grew hairiest:

The problem for Brooklyn on this play — James Harden — was everyone else’s problem for the rest of the evening. He orchestrated, expertly.

Harden finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 15 assists. He pulled two steals and didn’t turn it over in 44 minutes. Nobody’s put a line like that up since they started counting individual turnovers, which they started in 1977, knowing Shawn Kemp was going to show up in ten years.

The Spurs wouldn’t be moved off their spot, so Nicolas Claxton (late of Brooklyn’s rotation) had to come off the bench and screen and finish, 17 points and three blocks in 17 minutes. Screen for Harden, let James Harden go.

In overtime? Bruce Brown continued his excellent, excellent reads. A floater and a kiss to Irving in the corner (two of Kyrie’s 27). Brown finished with 23 points on 10-13 shooting, and guarded every last one of those 6-foot 5-ish Spurs guys (there are 53 of them).

The Nets were delinquent in letting a double-digit lead slip into an overtime obligation. And that was about it.

Nets, 23-13Spurs, 17-13

Dallas 130, Orlando 124

Mavs looking a little sneakier now that they’ve got nothing but good point guards. The team wins the non-Luka minutes because of Jalen Brunson and you remember James Brunson. He’s like Rick Brunson but good.

Dallas pick-and-rolled Orlando to death and good, they had to, something had to overcome Dallas’ defense. Bad communication and iffy activity from the Mavs in this one: Magicmen Michael Carter-Williams and Evan Fournier are tall and broad but they shouldn’t be that tall and broad, certainly not that often.

Fournier popped five threes and MCW (18 points, eight boards, six assists) dragged his hips inside repeatedly. Nik Vucevic did All-Star stuff (29 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists) in Dorian Finney-Smith’s face because Kristaps wasn’t going to guard that. Also, Magic coach Steve Clifford decided that no, no, he wouldn’t be playing Mo Bamba on Monday.

Clifford went for it, and good for us. We got another fun game with a totally squared and sustainable Luka Doncic three-pointer to cinch it.

Jalen Brunson enjoyed 24 points on 13 shots, the Magic gave good chase and kept lottery odds.

Mavericks, 17-16Magic, 13-22

Philadelphia 130, Indiana 114

The Pacers need a break. They made a game of this early in the third but this, this wasn’t a game.

Let’s fill this space, instead, with old Pacers reminiscing over how happy they were upon Larry Bird’s arrival as coach in 1997, because these here Pacers didn’t much enjoy working with Larry Brown:

Travis Best, guard: I was elated. The Larry Brown situation was not one of the best for me my first two years.

His expectations of me were the total opposite of what kind of player I was. Had he been there for another couple of years, I probably would not have re-signed with the Pacers after my contract was up.

The last year had left a bad taste in everybody's mouth. At that point everybody had tuned him out. Guys were ready to start fresh.

Rik Smits, center: Anything after Larry Brown was easy. I liked Larry as a person but he was a bear to deal with on the basketball court. Nothing was ever good enough. It was obvious we were ready for a change and Bird was the complete opposite. He knew what it was like for the players. He realized the situation we were in. He said, “I’m going to get you in the best possible shape. You know what you're doing on the court.” He didn’t try to teach us like Larry Brown used to do. It was a good fit at that time. Everybody was excited about it.

Antonio Davis, forward: Larry Brown was a stickler for doing things the “right way,” but you always felt it was a moving target. You were thinking, “What is the right way? Every time you come in here you explain the right way differently.”

At times you wanted to throw your hands up and say, ‘Man, I don’t want to hear that today.”

Best: I didn’t even know what [the Right Way] meant. I had been hearing that for two years.

All from Mark Montieth’s must-read oral history on the 1997-98 Pacers.

New Orleans 129, Utah 124

Absolute recipe for disaster for your Pelicans on Monday but the group rose to its test, downing the top team in the league, leading by 17 deep into the third quarter. The Jazz hit 17 three-pointers, Utah’s usual, but I promise New Orleans chased around shooters. Promise.

The Jazz outscored NOLA by 30 from behind the three-point arc, reversing a four-game trend that saw opponents only total a 15-point advantage over the Pelicans. New Orleans was supposed to be getting better at this! Recipe for a room full of poison.

New Orleans’ answer was law, 76 points in the paint for the Pels plus more than a few midrange flicks. Spot you 30, spit on the blacktop.

The backcourt tandem of Lonzo Ball (23, seven boards, eight assists) and Eric Bledsoe (11-5-5) didn’t turn it over a single time and hounded Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell into a 11-33 campaign from the field. New Orleans’ bench shot 15-20, and made a scoreless statue out of Joe Ingles.

Nobody could stay in front of Zion, who (32 rebounds in three games) apparently is not terrible at rebounding anymore?

February’s best offense kept Utah on a tilt-a-whirl all evening, the Pelicans barely worked enough magic on the defensive perimeter to hang tight.

Josh Hart, Bledsoe and Ball were particularly helpful, Zion and Brandon Ingram (26 points) more engaged on that end (with dozens of exceptions), and most assuredly every New Orleans Pelicans opponent will not be the Utah Jazz from here on out. Imagine what the Pelicans should start doing to normal teams.

Bulls and Heat up next.

Pelicans, 15-19Jazz, 27-8

HALFTIME

This is marvelous, some weird and bad jokes, everyone drinking Snapple, Wilt Chamberlain deciding it was OK to say “motherfucker,” Shaq wearing his finest (free from the shoe company) basketball jersey to a suit-and-tie photoshoot with Bill Russell, Bill Walton, Wilt, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Anyway here’s a quote of Wilt’s from 1972 that I think about a lot:

“I read that McDonald’s has sold eight billion hamburgers. That means every person in the country would have to eat 25. And I’ve never had one, so some guy would have to eat 50.”

I also noted this, from Wilt:

“By 1980 I’ll be a forgotten religion. I’ll just be remembered vaguely as the guy who was lousy at the free throw line.”

Make Wilt the logo. We’re standing on his shoulders.

Denver 118, Chicago 112

The Nuggets are bad in the clutch but, listen, the Nuggets were and are not as bad in the clutch as our beloved, Zach LaVine. He’s an All-Star, a good dude who’s worked his tail off, but sometimes he’s a bowl full of jelly down the stretch of close contests, of which the Bulls are now 9-12 in.

A fine mark, these outcomes are mostly coin flips, but LaVine’s repeated burps are more than a little frustrating. They’re not representative!

Denver won this game because Nikola Jokic was allowed space and vision on his way toward nine assists and 39 damn points.

Chicago ran past Denver’s lacking transition defense and rode Coby White (20 points, 10 rebounds) in the third period — a term that saw coach Billy Donovan wave for a timeout 32 seconds in.

The Bulls shaped up, taking advantage of your usual Thadeisms (12 points on 6-9 shooting, five steals, four assists, five rebounds) and two f****n’ threes from Luke Kornet. It’s like I’m explaining the game to the cab driver.

Denver slowed the damn thing down in the fourth period, Wendell Carter Jr. was out of his depths while up into Jokic’s armpits, Thaddeus and Kornet were no better.

Monte Morris became a Nugget starter four games ago and he’s turned it over four times since then, in 128 minutes. In 178 minutes (and seven games) prior to his starting promotion, Monte turned it over two, whole, times. This is obscene.

Nuggets have won eight in a row over Chicago. If memory serves, each of those games came on the night before Thanksgiving.

Nuggets, 19-15Bulls, 15-18

Cleveland 101, Houston 90

He’s right. Best shot-blocking guard I’ve ever seen.

John Wall tried so hard, the poor guy. Second night of a back to back, dropped 17 in the first quarter just to give his team a chance and all it got him was a five-point deficit after 12 minutes, at home, to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

February’s worst offense was no match for Cleveland’s utter rebounding dominance plus the combined skill of Cavalier backcourt partners Darius Garland and Collin Sexton — GARTON.

GARTON landed Houston on its heels all evening, while rookie helper Isaac Okoro helped keep the Rocket perimeter in check.

Victor Oladipo, for instance, finished with 20 points but he also took 21 shots, committed six turnovers, and was seen laughing inappropriately a few times.

Actually maybe it was appropriate.

Cavaliers, 14-21Rockets, 11-22

Portland 123, Charlotte 111

Let’s get LaMelo out of the way first, there was this pass …

… plus this inexplicably left-handed layup, plus the way he kept Charlotte in the game, 30 points, plus the make-good convo with Carmelo “Melo” Anthony.

Don’t let them tell you Charlotte’s legs gave out, Portland was out ahead of this before the Hornets started to crumble, before the triumph of taking Sacramento on a Sunday tugged for its toll.

Give Portland its credit, the Blazers were in their own building after over a week away, after working 12 of 16 on the road. PDX enjoyed a practice weekend and it showed, Derrick Jones Jr. was all hustle, all night, Charlotte counterpart P.J. Washington (three points) missed seven of eight shots a night after dropping 42 on the Kings.

Robert Covington wasn’t after shots, but the ball found the Blazer, 21 points on 11 attempts, five three-pointers, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks, two facemasks. Nassir Little gave good in the second half, Rodney Hood in the first. Probably should have switched those names.

Gary Trent made a point to seek out trips to the rim, 17 points on 7-11 shooting and he even earned a free throw in the win. Carmelo was magnificent, again, a team-high 29.

And, really, you’d let your offense bother your defense if you were Terry Rozier, too.

Trail Blazers, 19-14Hornets, 16-18

JUST FOR A MOMENT

March is here, you made it through winter. It’s all beaches from here on out.

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PREVIOUSLY: NORTHWEST, CENTRAL, ATLANTIC

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

This cursed franchise somehow snuffed three seasons in a year and a half, between Klay Thompson’s two severe leg injuries and the dual shock of Kevin Durant’s Achilles tear and flight to Brooklyn. This whole thing is sudden and weird and most certainly not cool.

The W’s made out with perhaps the most sensible pick inside a nutrageous draft, and it’ll earn Minnesota’s lottery selection later this year, but 2020-21 is another standby season. One in which two of its championship holdovers will have to fight like mad just to return GSW to the ranks of “playoff-caliber.”

C: Kevon Looney — completely fell off last year but is rather suitable to cling to the starting position another year as long as Steve Kerr is coach. PF: Draymond Green — a bum foot to start this season, minding this 30-year old’s minutes will be crucial. If Dray loses faith in his perimeter shot, GSW sinks. SF: Kelly Oubre Jr. — sparkling performer can live off turnovers and cuts, needs to show up against the good teams. SG: Andrew Wiggins — if his opening night performance is any indication, the first six years of his career were indication enough. PG: Stephen Curry — drag to waste two prime seasons like this, but he can’t press.

Marquese Chriss produced like a starting-quality NBA big man last season, then Draymond trashed the Suns, it was great … Rookie Jordan Poole made a third of his shots last season, the same mark Bob Cousy contributed in seven games as Cincinnati Royals player/coach in 1969-70 … Nico Mannion is the son of Pace Mannion, who used to have a horrifying mustache … Alen Smailagic will shoot, guys, do you want someone to shoot? Alen said he could.

Thank goodness the NBA didn’t lose James Wiseman to Minnesota or New York or Charlotte or Chicago or Cleveland or some other hopeless outpost. His footwork needs a major upgrade and he doesn’t understand the least bit about defense, but his placement on the Warriors is a best-case statement for both player and franchise … Brad Wanamaker is 32 just after this season ends, Brad’s one of the best backup point guard but we’re not picking up a colt, here.

Damion Lee, capable all-around shooting guard … Eric Paschall gets to the line a lot, which is nice of him, but I don’t know where he fits on a championship contender … Kent Bazemore acts as a good holdover until Klay returns, though his defense isn’t what it used to be … Warriors kept swingman prospect Mychal Mulder to keep Bazemore real tight, paranoid.

Sixth in the West

Pace Mannion was just one of two men in this jacuzzi with a mustache:

L.A. CLIPPERS

The Clippers never showed any indication that they were nearing championship contention in the regular season, there was always an excuse, something was always lacking.

It came to light in the bubble, Denver’s 3-1 comeback in the Western semifinals was assured the minute the Clippers clinched Game 4, so now the Clippers strut to stage with New Doc. Younger Doc, one that’s less likely to have paid to see Andre Thornton play in person.

The problem with New Doc is the same with the Old Doc: Tyronn Lue can’t run point guard, and he can’t perform what we’d call “legal surgery” on Paul George’s shoulders.

C: Ivica Zubac — is awfully good at the position.PF: Marcus Morris — fine postseason after a cruddy regular season blip with the Clips. SF: Kawhi Leonard — enjoyed his first strong campaign as a playmaker in 2019-20, something he’ll have to keep up with this grotty passing crew. SG: Paul George — still awfully good, and responded well in the regular season to what was asked of him — playmaking, defense, outside shooting. The bubble was messed up for a lot of people.PG: Patrick Beverley — owns enough to act the lead guard on a championship team. Kawhi and George expected Beverley to remain the voice of the club in 2020, to speak up on their behalf when Kawhi and Paul shirked out, we saw how that turned out. Pat can’t keep quiet in what needs to be a championship-or-bust season for this aging crew.

Hard to imagine Lou Williams being less angry this season … Serge Ibaka’s ability to catch the ball at the top of the chaos and pick a pizza that everyone likes, legendary … Rookie center Daniel Orturo shouldn’t have to pull many minutes this season, but the sturdy second-round pick won’t go away quietly … Jay Scrubb is a 6-6 JUCO guy who can shoot, score and board … Terance Mann wasn’t terrible as a rookie, Amir Coffey is not Cuttino Mobley (he’s just left-handed) … New Clipper assistant Kenny Atkinson is trying to make a client out of the bouncy Mfiondu Kabengele.

Here’s to hoping it isn’t so bad that Ky Bowman has to play a ton at point guard … If Luke Kennard is healthy, he can make a massive difference, but Detroit didn’t seem to think his knees were any good. Kennard’s legs will endure heaps of playmaking responsibilities this season … Reggie Jackson in a compressed season is going to be horrifying … The only place Patrick Patterson can get a job is with the Clippers … L.A. is just about hard-capped so depth providers like Beverley, Patterson, Kennard, Jackson and Nicolas Batum (such strong potential up front) badly need to keep their salts straight.

Third in the West

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Won the title a few months ago, and rather handily. Did the best it could with the offense and competed exceptionally defensively. And it wasn’t a clinical performance, lucky us.

The Lakers won the title two months ago, and they’re going to play like it for the next two months.

C: Marc Gasol — a marvelous addition who, even in his aged (35) state, still basically balms every slight irritation present on these defending champions. PF: Anthony Davis — stats as big as your house, pairing with LeBron added years to his legs. G/F: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — also has done well associating himself with James. Kindly continue the playoff shooting. SG: Wesley Matthews — out of central casting, in fighting trim after a year in MKE.G/F: LeBron James — finally proved he could win the big one.

It’s important to remember Dennis Schröder was traded to Los Angeles, he didn’t sign with the Lakers, and that some people aren’t always as fully on board with your projections as you’d expect them to be. Hopefully Dennis changes his feelings about peeling off the bench, because he’s going to score about 240 points per possession alongside Montrezl Harrell, James or Davis, and extra-pass guy Alex Caruso.

We put our heads together for a few years and finally determined that Kyle Kuzma is fine, everyone, he’s fine … Markieff Morris will surprise you with a few passes this season but don’t play him at forward … Hey Kelly don’t forget to build up Talen Horton-Tucker until nobody wants to read about the Lakers anymore … Quinn Cook wasn’t at his best last year but at least he knows the plays.

At least he knows most of the plays.

Undersized scoring power forward Devontae Cacok put up 19.4 points and a dozen boards in only 24 minutes per game with the Lakers’ minor league affiliate last season … Younger teammates laugh because Jared Dudley is so old that he’s got a Twitter account … The Lakers kept 28-year old forward Alonzo McKinnie in the JaVale McGee but not the (still unsigned) Jordan Bell, score this one for Bulls fans.

If the Lakers lose to any other team in the NBA four times in seven tries, this season will have been considered a severe disappointment. Any lingering setbacks suffered in the compressed regular season should be solved by the leisurely pace of the NBA’s playoff bracket.

Tops in the West

PHOENIX SUNS

The Suns finally spent real money on a head coach, and look what happened. Monty Williams gave the Suns purpose on offense and responsibilities to contend with, defensively.

Suddenly sick of saying “I told you so,” the holdover Suns responded to the addition of both a competent coach and competent point guard (the since-departed Ricky Rubio) with a competent showing. The Suns nearly made the postseason, which is the season after the season that the Suns usually play in.

The attitude carried over to the offseason, when Phoenix pulled the trigger on the two years and $85.6 million remaining on Chris Paul’s contract, alongside what’s remaining of Chris Paul.

C: DeAndre Ayton — production remained same but defense improved considerably in his second season.F: Jae Crowder — why didn’t he just sign in Orlando? Did Jae think the bubble was in Phoenix? Good pickup because Crowder doesn’t have to hit shots for his spacing to be effective. I don’t know what his excuse for rebounding is. F: Mikal Bridges — discovered success in clipping the three-point shooting a little. SG: Devin Booker — found comfier space to finish inside or splash behind the arc last season under Monty. PG: Chris Paul — role of “always being right” suits Paul (who has a player option next year) wonderfully. This will be a fun spot to play before he maneuvers his way to Miami.

Of course it was Cameron Payne who turned Phoenix’s minus position (backup point guard) into a major plus earlier this year, this year is 2020 … Centers used to be as big as Dario Saric so, yes, keep working him at center … And not Damian Jones, who is so bad defensively … E’Twaun Moore can do a bit of everything and defend and not turn the ball over in the backcourt, marvelous acquisition.

Frank Kaminsky, acquisition … The Suns should like Abdel Nader, but there’s a glut at what he does unless the fourth-year really starts cranking from outside … Love Jevon Carter L-U-V Jevon Carter but if Cam Payne flakes again the Suns’ ballhandling might be rough off the bench again … The Suns draft for need because why the hell not and Jalen Smith is OK, pairing him with Ayton this early will only produce good things … Langston Galloway hits shots and is gonna win game or two for you, these are healthy pickups … Enjoyed Cameron Johnson as a rookie, a zero-mistake, zero-rebound, sweet-shooting big forward.

No. 6 in the West

SACRAMENTO KINGS

The Kings enter the season with Luke Walton remaining at the coaching helm, the lamest duck since the last coach Sacramento let dangle.

It will take the Kings ages to free themselves from Vlade Divac’s term as general manager. De’Aaron Fox re-committed to the team with a contract extension, but the club had to sit the 2020 offseason out because, hey, Vlade (who quit in August) used up all the cap space and drained the fridge of diet pop. Actually there’s one left in there but it’s caffeine-free.

Could you imagine the boxes Vlade left? Just the illegal deals, the hand-written stuff, you hit CTRL-V on a laptop and Adam Silver’s phone number pastes out.

C: Richaun Holmes — immediately earned the starting center spot away from the long-departed Dewayne Dedmon, cashing in on years of strong reserve play. Nothing flukey about him. PF: Marvin Bagley — a fine talent, badly needs some good luck. SF: Harrison Barnes — three years and $61 million left for Good Jeff Green.SG: Buddy Hield — how can you underrated your own player but still overpay (four years, $94 million) him?PG: De’Aaron Fox — remarkable improvement for someone who has to learn from this noise. Let the league’s assistant coaches recognize this when it’s time to create an All-Star team.

The Kings picked up Hassan Whiteside on a minimum deal which is gonna be rough for Hassan because I’m pretty sure he still owes Miami and Portland money after those last few years … Jahmi’us Ramsey made the club just to piss off Buddy Hield … Nemanja Bjelica’s giant ass is essential to his scoring prowess, don’t ask him to move it … The Kings plucked Tyrese Haliburton because everyone said Tyrese Haliburton was can’t miss and Sacramento was keen to prove everyone wrong.

Glenn Robinson III is somehow just as infuriating as his father was … Cory Joseph is a real coach on the floor because he shoots like he’s wearing a sport coat … Jabari Parker is proof that Kings aren’t born, but made.

There is a good core here, Bagley hasn’t even started what will turn into a fruitful career and Fox is for real.

The Kings just want to take a year off, and we’d like to let them.

No. 14 in the West

FIRST LIGHT

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You were right, all of you. The 2019-20 regular season, pre-bubble, ran without charm. There was no reason to watch.

The season felt like it began only weeks after the last one ended. After Houston bled into Golden State which bled into Toronto’s championship which bled into the draft which wasn’t done by the time Durant confirmed on a Sunday afternoon that he’d be in Brooklyn, now. Then the earthquake hit, and with it Kawhi, and all of this was seventeen months ago and not seventeen decades ago.

The 2019-20 regular season came off as inessential, not for lack of contenders but the absence of cohesion. It was as if the entire league needed a break and a half and, whoops, by March, it got one.

It is December now and 2020-21 is three weeks away and yet it doesn’t feel like the season ended just weeks ago, which it did, or that three-quarters of the teams require a pause.

Every team wants to win, now. Los Angeles and L.A. are tip and tops, for sure, but that doesn’t mean every team in every conference (2) isn’t trying to challenge.

Perhaps the Pistons, Cavaliers, Knicks and Thunder acknowledged 2021 won’t serve as a major uptick, but none of these clubs have ruled themselves out of the play-in race. The 2021 NBA draft looks nicer with each new morning, generational talent remains a championship bedrock, and yet nobody is clipping sandbags.

For those that dig those transactions, it should only get better. This trade deadline should act a doozy, with agents looking to lease their free agent-y players to the sort of promised land that Jordan Clarkson ($52 million!) launched into. No team in the Eastern playoff race will consider 2021’s top seed an unconquerable collection, everyone’s a player away.

The trades aren’t ending. Hell, Charlotte is probably counting the weeks until it can give Hayward the Blake Griffin-treatment. Nobody really ever leaves this market.

This certainly hurt interest in 2019-20, though the changes helped.

The play-in tourney and lottery squash kept an incentive for what fans and Hinkies alike hate the most: the 38-win team with an edge. Atlanta looked absolutely hopeless last season, years away from the postseason, yet the front office should well be lauded for going for it.

No club bottomed out. Every outfit is trying to make the most of their roster, as even the lone tanker in OKC boasts primetime, playoff-tested performers who wouldn’t look out of place on TNT Thursday. OKC knows that if it wants the kid still playing in Stillwater, it can trade one of its trillion first-round picks to move on up.

Everybody wants to put wins up, and it hasn’t been this way in decades. The pressure on this season should be fascinating.

UPSET AT HOW THIS ALWAYS IS WITH THE LAKERS

It doesn’t bother me that the Lakers attracted Marc Gasol in the same offseason as Montrezl Harrell, 2019’s championship pivot with 2020’s Sixth Man Award-winner. Doesn’t bug me that Cleveland helped make it happen, eating JaVale McGee’s contract in a cap-clearing deal.

It doesn’t bug me because it is likely Harrell will even sniff the late fourth quarter of a close playoff game, it doesn’t offend because the Lakers drafted Gasol in the first place, and because KCP earned that three-year, $39.1 million deal (with the third year only guaranteed for $4.88 million) by rimming in all those Very Tough Shots.

I don’t mind it because the Lakers don’t just have the best player in the game, they have LeBron James.

The NBA’s top player, on most seasons, isn’t anywhere as good as LeBron James, and isn’t nearly as sensitive (or as corny). LeBron is not Kobe, and Shaq had nowhere near the staying power of LeBron. Los Angeles’ perpetual NBA advantage, by this point inarguable, won’t always be this strong.

The best player won’t always be LeBron. Enjoy him while he’s around.

HALFTIME

This is Ted Stepien, Cleveland Cavaliers owner, and the time he dropped a bunch of softballs from the 52nd floor of Cleveland’s Terminal Tower as thousands looked on below.

In a somewhat eerie foretelling of events to come Stepien reportedly said “This is bad, I’m really going to hurt somebody.”

Just before his first throw someone on the observation deck told him to make sure he threw the ball far so that it would clear the base of the building. With this in mind Stepien launched it roughly 50 feet away before it began hurtling towards the earth. A few seconds later it smashed into a car below, leaving a massive dent. 

The second ball nearly beaned a 66 year old factory worker, just barely missing his skull and nailing him in the shoulder. It was badly bruised but the man refused medical attention. Stepien’s third ball rocketed towards the ground and shattered 24-year-old Gayle Falinski’s right wrist. By this time many people were starting to flee, and those that stayed were pushed away from the tower by police in order to try and keep them out of the way of the aimless projectiles. 

Following the debacle, Stepien lamented his outfit’s lack of preparation.

“It was ill-advised. It's unfortunate that there wasn't a practice or a dry run. This is a dangerous stunt.”

In a settlement, Stepien later paid $35,875 to Ms. Falinsky.

THIS ISN’T BENEATH THE SUNS

Not by a long shot.

Here is a tweet from former Suns GM Ryan McDonough, still up,

First of all, wasn’t (current Suns GM) James Jones the only one that got out of the Brooks & Brooks debacle unscathed?

Secondly, this isn’t a good post. It’s not funny, there’s no burn, only a needless tag for Oubre and enough treadmill-tweet energy to power a fleet of Lincoln Town Cars. John Hollinger at least has the good sense to get paid for carping about front office semantics, and for more than 14 re-tweets.

Kelly Oubre’s been a Sun, recently, and the new Golden State Warrior is damned happy to be out of Phoenix:

“I can play for an owner -- somebody who actually cares about the organization and not just the perception of the organization on the media end of it.”

The Suns might make the playoffs this year, and they will probably pay Chris Paul over $44 million to play basketball next year, but the whole stink is still there. The same stink that hamstrung D’Antoni and Nash and eventually Steve Kerr, the same foundation that hired McDonough, the same group sitting through James Jones’, say it softly, mercurial stylings.

TORONTO HAD A ROUGH OFFSEASON

The Raptors knew it wouldn’t last forever and, look, it didn’t.

Kawhi split and Marc Gasol always had a foot out the door and Serge Ibaka (for the first time in his career) thought it lovely to be courted. The return is what Raptors fans used to brag out: Masai Ujiri’s fringe finds stepping up, followed by more slash-and-dash moves to secure the sort of superstar Toronto deserves.

At least Fred VanVleet is totally 6-1.

CHARLOTTE HAD A ROUGH OFFSEASON

In spite of of his impermanence, Gordon Hayward still found teammates in Boston. His rebounding improved and while his free throw rate dipped, it wasn’t terrible. His expected future decline, even with a price tag that pays Hayward $31.5 million in 2024, doesn’t make this an obscene valuation provided he stays healthy. Which he probably won’t.

It makes Boston worse, but it creates confidence in Charlotte. Even if Terry Rozier regards passing as something best suited for the left-hand lane, even if Devonte’ Graham sleeps with the ball in his bassinet.

My list of “pros” is longer than Hayward’s face: Gordon won’t get to mope on national TV as much, the East’s play-in tourney will be slightly more talented, Bill Simmons is upset.

These are all wintertime treats.

BOSTON HAD A ROUGH OFFSEASON

Kemba Walker just had the, whaddya call it, f****n’ stem-cell injections into his knee.

This was not a thin team in the bubble, even with Gordon Hayward out there missing layups. Walker is out until January, he hopes, Wanamaker is gone and he wasn’t really that great to begin with. Theis is a year older and there is no way in hell new signee Tristan Thompson is still only 29.

Try not to let the rumors bother you, nobody from the Indiana damn Pacers was going to save Boston’s 2020-21, but your anxiety is well-founded. Walker may never be the same. The Celtics owned the nicest setup, picks for ages and salary cap space to spare, now it can barely field a rotation (on top of the game’s two best young swingmen).

They’ll still beat the hell out of the Sixers.

DETROIT HAD A ROUGH OFFSEASON

But it’s fine. Plumlee is sweet to make fun of but he can pass. The draft weirdness (Isaiah Stewart strangely at No. 16, a whole lotta movement to acquire Saddiq Bey) is a little alarming and Jerami Grant probably isn’t a $20 million player unless you’re a rookie NBA GM and this is your first offseason.

And the Pistons don’t need anybody, right now. The team is years away.

They’ll be fun, though, with Blake and Plumlee dishing around and Delon Wright getting his fair share of the ball. Past Piston outfits revealed no such appeal.

Also, trading second-round picks, like, who gives a rat’s ass?

Look at the gunner they just got:

He can’t jump, but the 6-8 Deividas Sirvydi IS left-handed.

DENVER HAD A ROUGH OFFSEASON

Remember all those times in 2020 when Michael Porter Jr.’s guy did something cool, like cut to the basket unopposed, and Michael Porter Jr. didn’t notice?

Wal-Mart crapped out, didn’t want to pay for a winner, and Nugget fans will have to find slim solace noting that Jerami Grant wasn’t as great at defense as they said he was, anyway.

And at least they still don’t have to pretend Juancho Hernangomez is really good.

MILWAUKEE HAD A ROUGH OFFSEASON

It isn’t fair to compare players when a market is involved, real apples-to-oranges stuff, but in Milwaukee’s instance Torrey Craig can be an upgrade over Bogdan Bogdanovic for so many reasons. Bogdan needs the ball, Craig will score half as much but you’ll never see him touch the thing this game is named after.

There is the argument to make that the Bucks still require a “needs the ball”-type to sop up possessions against second units. In an ideal world, Bobby Portis might be that guy. In MKE’s world, Portis might have to start. You tend to worry about a front office once they start signing a bunch of tantalizing, Knicksian names, someone like Portis. Makes you wonder if Noah Vonleh was next, luckily your Bulls stepped in.

Giannis signing the supermax changes nothing, he’ll be on the block until the Bucks win a championship. His team’s attempts at immediate validity, in an offseason that changes out lead stories every hour, was embarrassing.

If you want to be taken seriously, don’t leak s**t.

While we’re doling advice,

TAKE MORE BANK SHOTS

The ball hits the box, it goes in. You don’t have to be a good shooter, you just have to aim well.

A basketball attempt doesn’t have to float to a certain apex before an extinguished arc nose-dives toward just beyond the tip of the goal, no, f**k all that.

Hit the box, let it bounce in.

From Micah Adams, via Marc Stein’s newsletter:

Duncan converted 945 bank shots (good for 1,890 points) over the final 13 seasons of his career, shooting 59.1 percent on bankers over that span.

Hit the box.

From straightaway, even, Kelly?

Bank it. Call it.

ROUNDUP

The Blazers signed Harry Giles and he’ll rarely play but I’ll be with him when he does, his game is weird and you should watch it … Denver re-signed Paul Millsap but the problem is that it’s 2020 now, almost 2021, and the Paul Millsap that Denver needs is the Paul Millsap Denver signed in 2017 … Memphis kept De’Anthony Melton and they should, every team needs a Haslem of its own … Steven Adams’ contract extension with the Pelicans is only for two years, who cares, he can play in spots and Adams is sizeable contract to trade who will be 29 when the contract is up.

For those of you worried about fit, well,

He said they won’t be punked, so they won’t be punked. He said they won’t be punked.

Minnesota signed Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is a small forward that plays like a center and will earn minutes with his offensive rebounding capabilities … Your Wolves also re-signed the aforementioned Hernangomez, who is only 25 and good in the locker room … RHJ is also friends with several players on the roster … Minnesota also picked up Ed Davis and I guess this turned into a whole Minnesota Timberwolves bit … The Timberwolves only have a swingman glut if you think Jarrett Culver can actually play

Shaq Harrison earned a bit of tread online to start the week and for good reason:

That’s a good post.

Harrison can absolutely press and play in this league, I understand his many side-splitting faults but it’s also hilarious no team has backed him with the mild confidence of a minimum contract yet. Especially with the Knicks retaining Elfrid Payton, Harrison would be so lovely in Tom Thibodeau’s hands (even if New York is up to a dozen potential perimeter starters) … (save one) …

Sacramento didn’t match Bogdan Bogdanovic’s offer with the Hawks because when you miss your exit you gotta take your L and drive on to the next exit, not slide across two lanes and the gravelly-side of an exit ramp just to aim at what you want. Sacramento didn’t have to ruin Bogdan’s life for eight months just to improve their offseason grade by a letter on someone’s newsletter.

Anyway, subscribe to my newsletter.

CAUGHT UP

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The roughest part is that it’s still a little too easy to see why the Knicks traded Patrick Ewing on this date, 20 years ago.

He asked for a deal, and it was never sensible to say “no” to what a client of David Falk requests, especially if you’re in the year 2000.

Also, that’s about the only reason.

Dealing Ewing for various Suns, Lakers and SuperSonic rejects (Glen Rice, Luc Longley, Travis Knight, plus two first-round picks) crippled New York’s salary cap for years to stretch. The best they’d top out with Rice (a dozen points per game, 75 games, 25 starts in 2000-01) was a 48-win season and embarrassing 2001 first round exit.

Ewing wasn’t a success in Seattle but his large contract ($18 million in 2000-01) ran out in the summer of 2001. Knight and Longley’s contracts expired in 2004, though they’d be waived years before their salaries left the cap.

The 33-year old Rice signed to a four-year, $36 million contract with New York as part of the package, he’d only last a season in New York before general manager Scott Layden shipped him out for (the lengthy contracts of) Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley, two former Layden draftees.

The best player sent to New York in the transaction, future Heat rebounding ace Vladimir Stepania, was waived before he could join the club.

Layden and president Dave Checketts also traded the 2001 and 2002 first-round picks (Tony Parker and Tayshaun Prince woulda been available) out partway through 2000-01 in exchange for Falk client Othella Harrington, and 36-year old Mark Jackson.

Checketts resigned after the 2000-01 season.

NEW YORK DIDN’T RESPECT EWING ENOUGH

Ewing’s finger-roll miss knocked New York out of the playoffs in 1995, and while the Knicks gave Chicago a scare in 1996, 1997’s demolished wrist took quite a bit out of Patrick.

Fan frustration grew, as typified by this 1998 documentary:

By 1999, Patrick Ewing wasn’t in the way of Marcus Camby, Camby was just as ill-suited to play 40 minutes per contest as the aging Ewing.

New York hadn’t been sated in its thirst for new blood by 1998’s Camby acquisition, or the 1999 deal that netted Latrell Sprewell. When Seattle reportedly offered Vin Baker outta the gate, the fervor (in a year that saw the Mets and Yankees make the World Series) to deal Ew grew louder.

THE KNICKS WERE STILL A BIG DEAL

New York hadn’t been mistreated by two decades of James Dolan at this point, and the NBA’s world was certainly a lot smaller then.

Knick legend carried a disproportionate amount of weight, what with a New York tabloid scribe on every Sunday broadcast to give fascinating interviews like this one:

The NBA’s TV contract with NBC was up in the summer of 2001, the Knicks fielded a playoff team and often a championship contender for the length of NBC’s 1990-2002 run with the NBA.

The nascent internet ranters wanted to blow it all up, but you can’t rebuild in New York, they told us, as if we weren’t around in the 1980s.

EW WANTED OUT

Pat tore his Achilles missing what could have been a game-tying shot at the buzzer of Game 2 of the 1999 Eastern finals. The Knicks rallied to win that series in spite of Ewing’s absence, giving credibility to the idea that New York was better off without its longtime star.

Ewing also wanted a contract extension, greater certainty that he wouldn’t be dealt during next February’s trade deadline, all the perks of having carried a franchise for a decade and a half.

The Knicks let the summer get the best of them, and genuinely received fair value (an aging Rice, a stopgap center in Longley, whatever Travis Knight was) for the last year of the 38-year old Ewing’s contract. In a vacuum, at least.

With Marcus Camby in ascension, and Allan Houston due to become a top free agent target in 2001, Layden sent Patrick packing:

“It became clear that he was looking for a change, and when he requested a trade, we respected his request.

“It was important in doing so, however, that we had the ability to add value, and with Glen and his All-Star credentials, as well as two veteran big men and draft picks, we believe we have done that.”

Ewing’s expiring contract wouldn’t have put the Knicks under the cap in the summer of 2001, when the offseason’s top prize was Chris Webber. C-Webb’s eventual $122 million deal started at $12.75 million (on a $42 million cap).

Howeva, a creative front office sustains the attack while freeing up cap space at the trade deadline, as Checketts worked in 1996.

Instead, the Knicks tried to keep the train rolling with Rice, but only after Rice dragged Chicago through the fallback ringer. New York was reportedly assured (by Falk) of disgruntled Atlanta Hawks big man Dikembe Mutombo’s availability at the impending trade deadline.

Atlanta wanted nothing to do with Glen Rice’s mid-thirties. Philly later scored Mutombo at the deadline in exchange for 27-year old All-Star center Theo Ratliff, alongside the best month of Toni Kukoc’s career.

All the Knicks were left with was Rice, spurned by the Lakers, and the limping Longley, jettisoned by the Suns, signed through 2004:

“Phoenix knew what was going on. That's why they traded me. Their doctors had seen the X-rays and giggled at them.

“I brought up my ankle in my physical with the Knicks, and they said, ‘Have you been playing?’ I said, ‘Yes,’ and that was it.”

The Knicks waived Longley a year after the trade.

The SuperSonics, in open revolt, fired coach Paul Westphal 15 games into Ewing’s lone season in Seattle. Seattle changed ownership midseason, to the execrable Howard Schultz, and Ewing (9.6 points, 7.4 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game as a SuperSonic) never got that contract extension. Seattle did not make the playoffs.

Ewing signed a two-year deal worth $4.7 million with Orlando in the summer of 2001. The Magic bought Patrick out for $1.5 million following one reserve season (65 games, six points and four boards per contest) with the club. He retired in 2002.

“If I had it to do all over again,” Ewing told Shaun Powell in 2010, “I wouldn’t have requested a trade.”

And if the Knicks had to do it all over again?

Huh.

Probably deal him for Blake Griffin and (a signed-and-traded) Bismack Biyombo and a coupla a picks. Then deal the picks to get Mario Hezonja and Jabari Parker back.

HALFTIME

1991 Athleticism: Greg Dreiling’s behind-the-back pass, Rick Mahorn’s post-up moves.

Boston 117, Miami 106

Ain’t it a trip when the Celtics don’t let up?

Miami doesn’t let up either, not with all that s**t in its veins, but Boston at least let the Heat consider the prospect in Game 3. The C’s left it tough for Miami to get to its spots, every bit of offensive panache had to be preceded by a bit of panic

Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo are Miami’s true playmakers, and the pair combined to notch five turnovers in the first quarter alone, eight all day. Jimmy Butler managed only 13 shots and 17 points in 37 minutes, Jae Crowder (2-10 from the field, all threes) saw the his percentages roll to the back of his head.

The Heat missed shots, but in the face of some good-ass Boston Celtics defense. Even when Miami wasn’t throwing the ball away the attack remained relatively sloppy, a far yelp from the sort of whippets we saw darting across the outside in the first two contests of the Eastern finals.

Tyler Herro yanked Miami back to contention with 11 points in the first four minutes of the second quarter(22 all day), but the Heat’s ball still stuck, and Boston couldn’t let up. The Celtics’ offensive insistence persisted even when they were taking the ball out of the net, with that girl, from the bus.

Jaylen Brown was your hero, turning Grant Williams into a Game 3 stud off Boston’s bench, flipping tables, closing out expertly on Miami’s shooters, offering three steals, five assists, only two turnovers in 43 minutes, and a team-high 26 points on 17 shots:

Boston’s offense is only going to become more comfortable as this series moves along. Miami’s best chance in Game 4 is the game of their lives.

Heat lead series 2-1, Game 4 on Wednesday at 8 PM Eastern on ESPN

NBA AWARDS ARE STUPID, WHO CARES

I’ve changed my stance.

AND HE HITS THREES, TWO

GOLDEN STATE UPDATE

“Hey, who was the last free agent who chose to come here? Mark Price?”

Golden State Warriors General Manager Garry St. Jean in 2000, after acquiring Danny Fortson and Adam Keefe.

And actually the correct answer was “Mark Price on one leg.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

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NOVEMBER WAS BLEAK

Scottie Pippen hurt his foot in the 1997 Eastern finals but played through it, averaging 20 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 combined steals/blocks in the 1997 NBA Finals. He was set to enter 1997-98 as the NBA’s 122nd-highest paid player, working off a long-term contract signed during the days when emerging NBA stars could re-negotiate contracts on the fly.

No such provision existed in 1997, but Pippen had to vent somehow.

Pippen’s yearly charity game at the United Center hit in September 1997, unrolling the usual cadre of big names: Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Chicagoans Antoine Walker and Michael Finley alongside other NBA notables. Chicago Bulls Randy Brown and Ron Harper were also scheduled to appear.

Chicago general manager Jerry Krause sent Pippen a notice before the contest, warning him not to play, allegedly threatening Pip with a fine if he set (injured) foot on court. This outreach, paired with legitimate trade rumors that had Scottie Pippen in a Boston Celtics uniform throughout part of the previous summer, infuriated Pippen. He thought he’d seen enough already.

Pippen skipped his charity game and underwent foot surgery in October, a good three months after he shoulda gone under the knife, it cost Scottie the first three months of 1997-98. After working 95 games in 1995-96 and 101 contests in 1996-97, Pip was going to do what was best for his beat-to-hell body ahead of one final free agent turn.

And for good reason. No other Bull, not even Dennis Rodman, threw himself around as much as Scottie Pippen during the second three-peat.

(Krause would re-recognize as much at the 1998 NBA Finals, away from the ring, spying a shot of the Bulls training staff flat-out wailing on Pippen’s back with fists and arms during Game 6, literally trying to push the spasms out.)

Before Jerry could grow wise, however, Pippen had to play out his frustrations in the press. Scottie begged Arlington Heights Daily Herald beat reporter Kent McDill to quote him on record, to put his trade demands in print.

“I ain’t coming back,” Pippen told the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald on Sunday night.

“I want to be traded. I want to go to Phoenix or L.A.”

The Suns boasted Jason Kidd, Phoenix was first in line with cap space in the bid to sign Pippen when he became a free agent the next offseason.

Pippen said the thing that finally set him off was a letter from Krause in the summer telling Pippen that because of his injured foot, he could not play in his own charity game. Pippen said Krause threatened to fine him if he did play.

“Can you believe it?” Pippen said.

Pippen had surgery on his foot in October and is expected to be out until December or possibly January. But when Pippen was told he would not be traded if he was injured, he said, “Maybe I’m healthy.”

Monday, his only comment was, “I’m fine.”

Pippen’s malingerer turn was unexpected, but it was likely just a boast — Pippen’s soft tissue injury would need the full three months to heal.

Jerry Krause traveled with his club, ridiculously, even sticking on the players and coaches bus to games and airports. Days after Pippen’s trade demand, on a bus trip to a hotel in Seattle, an intoxicated Pippen unloaded on his boss in full view of his teammates and coaches, screaming at Krause, again demanding to be traded.

Chicago coach Phil Jackson’s lone counter was to wheel around, pick up an empty bottle of beer, and point to Pippen — you’ve had enough.

Bulls reserve center Joe Kleine, on his first road trip with the team, assumed his new coach was toasting Pippen.

Chicago stumbled into Seattle to take on new SuperSonic Vin Baker and the rest of coach George Karl’s club. Baker popped a game-winner over Luc Longley to seal the game, dropping the Bulls to 8-6 on the season.

A loss in Indianapolis a few days later dropped the defending champions to 8-7.

It was low, man. Low.

RODMAN SAVED EVERYONE’S SPIRITS, JUMPERS

In a 15-game stretch between Dec. 10 and January 7, Rodman averaged 19.4 rebounds per game. In the spot when the Bulls needed him the most — with few other advantages on the table — Rodman won the club game after game after game.

The Bulls enjoyed about 89 possessions per game in 1997-98, the lowest mark (Charlotte) in 2019-20 was 96 possessions per game — it was a different battlefield and there weren’t a lot of caroms to share with the other nine guys out there.

Buoyed by an incentive-laden contract in 1997-98, Dennis led the NBA in defensive and total rebound percentage that year at age 36, averaging 15 boards per game. His run was crucial for Chicago’s chances — Dennis takes a few more days off and the Bulls play Game 7 of the 1998 Eastern finals in Indianapolis.

Rodman earned the dragging defending champions chance after chance with his 17 percent offensive rebounding percentage (tops in 2019-20: 23-year old 7-footer Ivica Zubac at 15.2) and deft passing.

A waltz through the lane with the Dallas Mavericks isn’t the stiffest kitten in the litter (that would be Atlanta), but the touch is just the same:

EVERYONE WAS TIRED AND OLD AND INJURED

After working 100 games to glory in 1995-96 and 101 in 1997’s successful title defense, the thirtysomething Bulls were mostly blown to bits by the time 1997-98 arrived.

These bangups persisted throughout the regular season and playoffs, ponder this beset rotation:

Michael Jordan — fucked up shooting wrist.Toni Kukoc — major plantar fasciitis flares, out of shape upon re-entry.Bill Wennington — plantar fasciitis (missed 1997 postseason).Luc Longley — plantar fasciitis, knee problems. Steve Kerr — broken collarbone suffered when Derrick Coleman sat on him.Scottie Pippen — surgery, protest.Rodman — just fine.Ron Harper — 82 goddamn games, pal.

The scenario played out as you’d expect: Chicago limped to ninth in offense in 1997-98, Jordan shot a career-low (in a full season) from the floor. The team was 24th out of 29 teams in free throw attempts despite Jordan attending to nine free throw chances per game.

It was the sort of year where Luc Longley (a career-high 11.4 points per game) had to step up to survive. Nobody was aided by the extended three-point line. Steve Kerr rang 57-130 (43.8 percent) from behind the arc but Chicago was 23rd out of 29 teams in three-point percentage.

Pippen’s return on January 10 didn’t immediately ring with streaks of splendor.

Recall that this was how Pippen rated out to Phil Jackson in December:

Our strength coach, Al Vermeil, worked Scottie out today, and was stunned to find his vertical leap is only 17 inches.

That's the same as Joe Kleine’s.

Scottie’s used to be 30 inches or so. His leg strength is shot. So now we’re looking at another month or more of rehab.

JERRY KRAUSE F*****G HATED PHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSON F*****G HATED JERRY KRAUSE

“I don’t care if it’s 82-and-oh this year, you’re f*****g gone.”

That’s what Jerry Krause said to Phil Jackson behind closed doors.

What he said in public was nearly as strident:

“Phil only wanted to coach one more year, and we only wanted Phil to coach one more year.”

Hamstrung by payroll constraints — Michael Jordan’s $33.4 million contract alone exceeded 1997-98’s $26.8 million salary cap — Krause was forced to dance around the margins.

He signed Joe Kleine to the veteran’s minimum and, in the first Bulls trade since the team’s acquisition of Dennis Rodman two years earlier, Krause traded for veteran swingman Scott Burrell in September, 1997.

The price was 1994’s first round draft pick Dickey Simpkins, a 6-10’ish power forward left off Chicago’s playoff roster in 1995, 1996, and 1997.

(It was around this time Chicago Tribune columnist Bernie Lincicome misquoted Jerry Krause about the whole “players and coaches don’t win championships, organizations do”-thing.

Lincicome was among those who relayed the quote incorrectly to Michael Jordan, which led to Jordan’s Flu Game-inspired counter: “I didn't see the organization playing sick last year.”

Krause’s actual line, as recounted to Adrian Wojnarowski, was “‘Players and coaches alone don’t win championships. Organizations do.”

This is also what the beat writers in Krause’s presence — including the late Lacy J. Banks and Terry Armour — heard.)

Reserve power forward Jason Caffey enjoyed life in 1996-97 as Rodman’s reserve, a starting chore during Dennis’ bouts with suspension and injury.

With Rodman on good behavior in 1997-98, however, Caffey’s minutes dimmed and frustrations grew. A close relative of his was murdered early in the campaign, which also doubled as Caffey’s contract year.

Caffey was 6-6, and Chicago was desperate for someone to at least approximate Bison Dele’s defensive performance from the previous season, a Scott Williams-type. The champs needed someone, eh, about Dickey Simpkins’ length.

Krause unexpectedly dealt Caffey at the 1998 trade deadline for taller forward David Vaughn, who played three times, dunking once in a blowout win over Cleveland, before his release.

Caffey averaged 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in 25 minutes per game with Golden State after the trade deadline, re-igniting Phil Jackson’s rather paranoid concerns that his front office was rooting for his club’s demise. These initial concerns reportedly bubbled after Krause’s “we only wanted Phil to coach one more year”-comment the previous summer.

Krause responded by finding his 6-10 forward off of the waiver wire: Dickey Simpkins signed with the Bulls for the rest of 1997-98.

Because Simpkins was released by Golden State to make room for Jason Caffey.

“This is a strange business,” Simpkins said, shaking his head.

“You never understand why teams do this and why teams do that. You just have to keep it in perspective. That’s one thing I’ve learned.”

Simpkins made the 1998 playoff roster. He averaged 1.2 points and one rebound in 5.7 minutes per contest, shooting 37 percent from the field.

INDIANA WAS NEVER SCARY, COME ON

Michael Jordan wasn’t part of many Game Sevens — der wuz 1990’s famous loss in Detroit, plus a beatdown of the Knicks in 1992’s Eastern semifinals.

The Pacers extension to seven games against Chicago in 1998 was legitimate. Indiana’s movement (benched by offensive coordinator Rick Carlisle) was miles ascendant from the trudge Larry Brown left as Pacer coach in the mid-1990s, the beef inside was considerable, Larry Bird’s club shot 39 percent from deep.

Farmboys, all.

Not an issue.

Chicago won Game 5 at home by 84 points with MJ busting Fred Hoiberg, Jordan had to slip for Indiana to get away with Game 6, all Mike had to do in Game 7 was bury his head and, boom, 15 free throws.

(ESPN better show some Kukoc highlights.)

UTAH WAS SCARY

If there was ever any doubt, it was in Utah.

Utah earned home court advantage in the Finals, and the Jazz skunked Chicago in Salt Lake City during the regular season. The Jazz also took two of three against Chicago in Utah during the 1997, the team had an edge.

In Game 1, it showed. Badly. John Stockton killed ‘em by death. Stupid bangs and all.

The defending champs dragged it to overtime before Stockton scored over Kerr on a couple of drives, Stockton destroyed him all night.

Flash back a few years, 1983.

Kerr’s only scholarship offer out of high school was to Gonzaga. The school invited him up for a trip to campus, and chance to play with the varsity.

John Stockton was about to enter his senior year, and Steve Kerr From 1997 will take it from here:

“He kicked my butt,” said Kerr, the memory obviously as keen today as it was the day it happened 14 springs ago.

“He worked me over, up and down the court. He was quicker, he was faster. He was nice about it, but he kicked my butt . . . This guy nobody'd ever heard of. I was devastated.”

As were the Gonzaga coaches.

They didn't even bother to wait until Kerr flew back to Los Angeles to give him their decision.

“They said thanks but no thanks,” said Kerr. “They wouldn’t be needing my services.”

In the United Center hallway, Kerr paused.

“You know,” he finally added, “I wonder if John Stockton even remembers that day?”

(Remembers the day he cost a scholarship to a kid that eventually ended up in the Final Four, same kid he played in the NBA a bunch of times, including these here NBA Finals?

Probably.)

It was Chicago’s good luck that Arizona coach Lute Olsen stepped in to give Kerr the shot at playing college ball. Steve Kerr’s Game 2 rebound gave Chicago its 1998 title.

I don’t mean “Steve Kerr’s comeback,” I mean, “Steve Kerr’s rebound.”

With his Bulls down 85-84 and less than a minute remaining in Game 2, Kerr pulled up for an open transition three-pointer. It missed, but Kerr wrested the rebound away from Last Two Minutes of a Close Game Karl Malone and dished to Jordan near the basket.

Michael’s and-1 put the Bulls up two points, a decisive lead.

NBA.com captured it brilliantly at the time:

The win in Game 2 stole the home-court advantage, and Chicago held Utah to 54 points in Game 3 and prevailed sensibly in Game 4.

Though the Jazz extended the season with a Game 5 win, Chicago already had three wins in the bag. The power forward was wrestling and gambling with Billy Corgan, in his off-wrestling hours. It was a grin by then.

From the Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon, in 1998:

Did you hear the word Michael Jordan used late Friday night to describe the final 1.1 seconds of Game 5, when the Bulls had the ball and were drawing up a final play to win the game and a sixth NBA championship?

“Cute.” That’s the word he used.

“I thought it was cute just thinking about it,” he said.

It was. And after a stop and a score, everyone got to go away for the summer.

And nobody had to come back.

If you’re looking for Bulls stuff, stuff about Michael, this is your place.

For as long as this lasts, we are documenting every game of Michael Jordan’s second three-peat.

We’re in the 1995 comeback right now, and this goes through the summer, through fall, as long as we have to. Emails full of anecdotes, updates, clips, goodness, 72-win greatness. A good time in front of your laptop, a fine time in control of your phone.

PREVIOUSLY IN 1995

PIPPEN RIPS KRAUSE : BULLS WITHOUT MJ : MJ BACK : MJ GOOD NOW : ORLANDO BRINGS THE RAIN : MICHAEL IN ATLANTA : FREE TOP 55 KNICKS (MICHAEL JORDAN SCORED ON) FREE : BOSTON’S IN CHICAGO : 10-9-8-76ERS : WHOOP-DE-DAMN-DO

NEXT: WEEKEND WITH CLEVELAND

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If you were in the arena when Michael scored, from 1984 through 1998, you’re eligible for this list.

55. Buck Williams — refused to shave his head for the 1997 playoffs and his teammates agreed with the decision: Chris Childs said if Buck “cut off his hair, his head would look like a toaster.”54. Chris Childs — never threw at MJ. 53. Allan Houston — is anyone really an “Allan Houston fan?”52. Brad Lohaus — Dan Patrick called this guy “the Vanilla Gorilla” in like the eighties. 51. Greg Anthony — Republican. 50. Mo Cheeks — 34 years and and straight up the kilt for 23-year old Rod Strickland.49. Rory Sparrow — Jordan’s inoffensive future teammate.48. Pete Myers from 1989. 47. Pete Myers from 1998 — included a second time because I didn’t want to put Mark Jackson on here.46. Monty Williams —

45. Rolando Blackman — raised in Brooklyn, where Jordan was born. Neither of the adult versions helped the Knicks. 44. Kiki Vandeweghe — Portland’s GM once sent surreptitious tape of Vandeweghe’s practices to the Spurs in an effort to encourage San Antonio to trade for him. The Knicks received no such tape (but traded for him anyway). 43. Brooks Thompson — fake, ass, name.42. Derek Harper — one of the good ones. 41. Charlie Ward — not one of the good ones. 40. J.R. Reid — Charles Barkley was told Reid considered himself blackballed from the NBA after J.R.’s vicious hit on A.C. Green’s trash talk, and Barkley agreed — “that, and lack of talent.”39. Scott Brooks.

38. Darrell Walker — he’s the defensive one, I always confuse him with37. Trent Tucker — the shooter who changed the rules. 36. Chris Mills — Celtics boss Rick Pitino signed Mills to a six-year deal in July of 1997 and then wanted to trade him two months later and the Knicks were all like “yeah man, this guy must be great.”

35. Doug Christie — actually quite good in defending Michael Jordan (while with other teams). 34. Pat Cummings — to be fair to Pat he was usually the guy taking it out of the basket after Jordan scored on someone else. 33. Bill Cartwright — contrary to Knick tradition, Cartwright did perform several ballgames for the club from 1984 through 1988.32. Anthony Mason — if anything the Knicks shoulda asked Mason to guard Michael more often. 31. Bill Martin — Knick outsider saw Jordan hit the 1982 NCAA game-winner, too.30. Stuart Gray — big center bothered the Bulls so little as a Pacer, Knick. 29. Brad Wright — he was in there.28. Gerald Wilkins — watch the Jordan Stopper stop Jordan from getting 61:

27. Eddie Lee Wilkins — looking like dad. 26. Kennard Winchester — two minutes in garbage time (but the name). 25. Xavier McDaniel.24. Jawann Oldham — asked to be traded from Jordan’s Bulls to New York. Immediately changed course (“I enjoyed running with Michael Jordan and Orlando Woolridge”) after the Knicks made him their fourth center: “I’m tired of being the fourth man on the totem pole. It’s like stacking three aircraft carriers in the harbor.”

23. Hubert Davis — so accommodating that Jordan (“swinging a baseball bat as he negotiated”) once traded for him. 22. Kenny Walker — a Slam Dunk Champion in the same year Jordan tried the three-point shootout, which is like winning a Grammy for the best album the year Stevie Wonder releases ‘The Secret Life of Plants.’21. Ron Cavenall — yeah man: Ron Cavenall. 20. Doc Rivers.

19. Chris Jent — assistant in Cleveland forever because Mr. Fancy Pants had to have his own “personal shooting coach.”18. Fred Cofield — now a Knick scout. 17. Bob Thornton — Chicago-ass name. 16. Herb Williams — other Bulls got him, too.15. Charles Smith — more a finesse player than anything. 14. Ernie Grunfeld — avenged as much by taking Jordan’s job with the Wizards and running like Pete Myers with it for 16 years. 13. Bernard King — last guy to lead the NBA in scoring before Jordan ended that s**t.12. Butch Carter — once sued the New York Knicks’ backup center. 11. Anthony Bonner — sorry, man. 10. Chris McNealy — now you’ve heard of him. 9. Ken “The Animal” Bannister — not explicitly Jordan-related, but

8. Larry Johnson — “Everybody’s talking about when John Starks dunked on Michael Jordan — that didn’t happen.”7. Anthony Bowie — Jordan hit him up in 1998 and he made Doug Collins angry in 1996, listen, Anthony Bowie is my kinda guy. 6. Rod Strickland — maybe the greatest Knick, ever?5. Gary Grant — what can I say about Gary Grant beyond “Chris Dudley was the only Knick left.”4. John Wallace — as portrayed above. 3. John Starks. 2. Charles Oakley. 1. Patrick Ewing — really a three-way tie for first:

PREVIOUSLY IN 1995

PIPPEN RIPS KRAUSE : BULLS WITHOUT MJ : MJ BACK : MJ GOOD NOW : ORLANDO BRINGS THE RAIN : MICHAEL IN ATLANTA

Monday: CELTICS IN CHICAGOWednesday: 1-2-345-SIXERS

Thank you for reading, maybe listening!

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That the Knicks will celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary of New York’s 1970 NBA championship is no surprise, that Knick team was legendary, and the Knicks don’t have many title-winners.

They won again, in 1973, and that’s been about it for the NBA’s hometown franchise. The globe’s spun enough to deliver championship revolutions to two different sun spots in Detroit and Golden State, decades apart, but the Knicks can’t even get a taste inside the century they live in.

So, celebrate the past, before the past shuffles off. The Knicks will commemorate the occasion on March 21 — Walt Frazier and Willis Reed and Bill Bradley will attend, so will Bill Hosket and John Warren and Don May.

MSG never mentioned bringing along Phil Jackson, an obvious reunion choice in spite of the games he missed in 1969-70 (all of them).

The New York Post already noted that Marv Albert — the voice of he Knicks between 1177 B.C. and 2004 AD (After Dolan) — will not attend.

Mike Breen, last seen explaining the “crucial delegate process” to a teenager, will likely run as master of ceremonies.

The whole thing is dick, stupid dick, the Garden can’t act its age for a single evening in advance of chasing off what it thinks is best for its New York Knick consumer.

Basketball’s richest franchise shouldn’t have to answer any more questions as to why it only fielded two championships in 74 seasons, or only seven playoff game wins in 19 seasons under Dolan, yet we’re bringing it up again because the Knicks can’t get a party right.

The Nets luxuriously enjoyed 54 playoff wins since James Dolan took over the Knicks in 2001, under like 14 owners and while playing in six different medium-to-large cities inside the tri-state area.

The Knicks are legendary in spite of this, all this mess.

A few minutes of strong Knick basketball at MSG clears away all the muck, basketball fans can’t help but ache for the sport to convey its basest fears inside the arena that’s spooked so many horses, and Happy Hairston.

Knick fans aren’t the ones to sit in front of old clips all night, they don’t need to, the voices inside their heads are almost as old as color footage:

“It would’ve been nice to see the guys,” Albert said when contacted by The Post.

“I was not invited.”

Marv Albert was let go by MSG ahead of the 2004-05 season, he’d been with the team since 1967 with the exception of two seasons in the late 1990s — the Knicks were kind enough to re-hire Albert after he pled guilty to sexual assault and battery charges in 1997.

MSG floated Marv’s escalating salary as the reason for his 2004 departure, Albert countered that he couldn’t see eye-to-eye with Dolan on the content of his broadcasts: “[Albert] was told to be less critical of a somewhat improved Knicks team with a new coach, Lenny Wilkens.”

The MSG owner then did his usual inside a cloth diaper:

Responding to criticism from Albert that Dolan wanted him to be a homer, the Knick owner charged in a WFAN interview, “Marv didn’t like the team. I basically felt he didn’t like the Knicks.”

Marv Albert, not a Knick Guy.

Dolan said Albert made no attempt to get to know the players by visiting the locker room. Dolan said he didn’t mind Albert being critical of a lousy performance, but felt his overall view of last season’s Knicks was negative.

Let me just go ahead and speak up for the entire 2003-04 New York Knick roster and say “hey we don’t need that dude in the locker room.”

“I’ve asked him not to say they’re bad for the season, because why would anyone watch?” Dolan said, adding viewers want “a fan of the team.”

Yo Dolan you just said your team was gonna be “bad for the season” on the radio and everyone heard it.

The Marv-eh-less Knicks won 33 games in 2004-05, six fewer than in Albert’s final year. Wilkens was fired before midseason.

Also, same s**t:

Also, Dolan said he’s not looking to sell the Knicks or Rangers.

“We’re not looking to get out of the business,” he said, adding that the Garden will go through a “big renovation.”

We can relay that Albert was a bit of a smartass at times covering Knick games, yet with nothing tangier than what you’d pick up from your typical modern TNT broadcast. His convivial tone sustained, it wasn’t Bootleg Marv, trust me.

Albert didn’t have to be: New York’s team wasn’t an embarrassment yet, only one taking an expected swoon after years as a playoff mainstay. James Dolan worked to change all this.

In doing so, he denied several more weeks of Marv Albert calling the cream of his team’s Keith Van Horn highlights:

(OK, maybe Albert sounds a little surprised every time Keith Van Horn made a decisive move, but none of us could help it at the time.)

The Van Horn tribute is the only instance we can find of Marv calling games in 2003-04.

Albert is certainly no hero in his lifetime, but at least he did make fun of Chris Dudley once:

Jackson’s absence is somehow easier to defend: Phil didn’t play in 1969-70, his third season, after back surgery.

His sidelined duties included de facto fringe scout and unofficial team photographer, Jackson was not an overwhelming part of the 1970 team, but for his presence as the team’s designated Walter Mitty:

Phil Jackson’s published accounts of these moments helped mold the way we look at these Knickerbocker champions, he’s acted on behalf of New York’s legacy in ways the culture couldn’t have dreamed back in 1970.

To deny him a spot in the celebration over a technicality is Knick business as usual. As would Jackson’s decision to decline, nobody does passive/aggressive like Phil Jackson.

The center/forward was a veteran during the championship year, voted a full playoff share. And had it been Nate Bowman who missed every game that championship season after back surgery, you could be damned sure the Knicks would track down Nate Bowman and his bad back and make this right.

Jackson, however, made the mistake of working for Dolan and MSG from 2014 through 2017, giving both Derrick Williams and Arron Afflalo two-year contracts. There probably woulda been more than a few boos upon Jackson’s introduction on March 21, but James Dolan couldn’t handle the chances of any cheers.

All they had to do, was do it the right way.

They’re tiny, these people.

With weird, fake teeth.

KENNY WALKER IN A FIST FIGHT

Most unusual.

Each player was ejected, as Johnny Hoops 2000 explained.

The Pistons, waiting on the other side of 1989’s Eastern playoff bracket, were upset Pippen didn’t earn the same punishment Isiah Thomas earned (two games, $5000, broke his damn hand) after his fight with Bull Bill Cartwright:

“Rod Thorn (league operations director) set a standard with Isiah Thomas which he obviously never intended to keep,” said Pistons owner William Davidson.

Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause said: “We didn`t expect Scottie to get suspended.”

Pippen was fined $3000, Walker $1500. “Pippen was fined the larger amount for initiating the fight,” explained Thorn.

NETS ARE IN NEW YORK NOW

And Jacque Vaughn is the Nets’ new interim head coach.

Brooklyn fired Kenny Atkinson on Saturday, kowtowing to the general unease that set in when Kyrie Irving determined he wouldn’t be able to coach the club while recovering from shoulder surgery.

(“Dream or not,” Irving told reporters, “my vision was real.”)

The NBA is basically where it stood during the NBA/ABA era, when coaches could thumb easily through scads of available professional jobs on top of all manner of enticing college work. Not all those guys wanted to coach Wilt.

Atkinson may work a TV gig in his off months, runs about right with the time coaches would take a year off from hoops to make more money at their father-in-law’s car dealership.

Coaches want to get the f**k out of here now. They can spot trouble kicking up a dust cloud on the horizon and cobble together an escape route quicker than Friday night turns to Saturday morning.

And when the guy that wants you out doesn’t know what he wants? It’s time to agree with him about wanting out.

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant don’t dislike Atkinson as much as Kyrie and KD don’t really know what they like yet, they only know what they don’t like. It’s annoying, but we should give them their space. We might get some awesome basketball out of it.

It’s a drag that the same timing that handed Brooklyn its pair of All-Stars also gave the club its largest lot of head-scratchers and counting — distracted thumbs with bum shoulders and heels to match.

But they had to beat the Knicks.

There isn’t a different way to do this, when Kyrie and Durant give word that they’re interested, you jump.

Coaches are replaceable, same as nearly any player, and culture is an illusion that can be drummed up with a few lucky floaters. It’s OK that we’re doing all this, life is still certainly spot on for Sean Marks.

CARTWRIGHT GETS BARKLEY

While we’re at it.

“I just remember getting hit,” Barkley said after the game. “After that, I don't remember nothing.”

Dr. Norman Scott, the Knicks’ team physician, was called onto the court underneath the basket where Barkley lay unconscious. After Barkley was revived, he was helped to the 76er dressing room.

Dr. Scott examined him and said a concussion could not be ruled out. Barkley refused to go to the hospital, and after remaining in the dressing room for about 15 minutes, he returned to the bench and watched the remainder of the game.

Mark Jackson won the game in overtime.

Charles probably had a concussion.

YOU BROUGHT THE SUNSHINE

Some Yacht for the big Captain Upstairs.

A little Steely Reggae on this humble Sunday. We’re glad you’re here with us!

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Ron Harper is my favorite basketball player, his style of selflessness is my ideal.

A 6-6 non-shooter coming off two knee surgeries is not the prototype for Michael Jordan’s ideal triangle offense backcourt mate, yet Harper used his wits and clear and winsome love for the game to find daylight.

He’s a mensch, Ron is.

These performers? Also mensches.

ALL-MENSCH TEAM

C: Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers

Dwight hit a three-pointer on Wednesday, he’s attempted a shot from outside the arc in consecutive games and the approach doesn’t look natural.

The play develops, and because basketball is the way it is now, Dwight ends up outside the corner and open. He shoots it only because he has to, it looks like this:

(also, Dwight Howard canned a three-pointer as a Laker in 2012.)

The Lakers are 19-3 because the team takes care of bidness, Frank Vogel’s crew knocks off the crummy teams and frustrates the good ones. Wednesday’s win over Utah was never going to stun anyone — the Jazz are struggling and were playing at home for the first time in a dozen days — but that doesn’t mitigate Los Angeles’ message.

Howard sticks to his man as often as he can, Dwight has purple hair now (so you can tell it’s him). Frank Vogel clipped Howard’s defensive freelancing, this commitment carries over to the scoring end.

The guy takes fewer than seven shots per 36 minutes played, he’s hit 75 percent of his field goals and Howard’s rebounding is as stout as ever. The second-time Laker screens and slashes and gets out of the way offensively, saving his best efforts for the opposite end: Dwight’s block rate represents a career high.

Fine styling for a man set to turn 34 on Sunday.

Dwight Howard has been part of seven NBA organizations in the last 40-odd months. Party-goers clap with their eyes when Dwight leaves a conversation huddle to “go make my rounds,” this is not the dude you want added to a prominent group text. If Howard ever asks what you’re doing after anything, make something up about your kids.

The Lakers put him in the rotation, trusted Howard’s with a notoriously sensitive type in LeBron James, and counted on your Dwight to helm a top-three defense. He’s been marvelous, from the top.

I still don’t want him at Sean and Emily’s housewarming on Saturday.

PF: Paul Millsap, Denver Nuggets

The 14-year vet turns 35 around the All-Star break, pundits were ready for Paul to crack, for the production to plummet and for the gray to take grips.

Pundits were probably right to, 34 is old and 35 is even older. Paul’s still put ‘em all to shame.

Millsap hits half his threes in 2019-20, there’s some leg. His aggression (!) and versatility have gone a long way toward pushing Denver to the top of the NBA’s defensive rankings.

And he’s happy LeBron James already began carping about calling thirtysomething NBA players “washed.”

“Honestly, I’m glad he came up with it,” Millsap copped to Mike Singer at the Denver Post:

“It’s something that’s been on my heart for a while. Just not understanding the complexity of getting older.

“Thirty-four being old, I just never would’ve thought in a million years, why not in the NBA? Why not in basketball? As you get older, we have more opportunities, more things going on in our lives that we take it away from basketball and our bodies.

“If you continue to put the same energy into your body, into your craft, I think you’ll be all right.”

SF: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Toronto Raptors

The guy moved to Toronto and immediately earned the ire of his coach.

Rondae worked four (garbage time) minutes in the season’s first 20 days, his first real game wasn’t until Nov. 10.

Hollis-Jefferson responded to the burn by crashing harder than anyone’d ever imagined.

Your guy doubled his offensive rebound rate, all he does is cram glass now. RHJ picked up 39 offensive rebounds in 298 Raptor minutes so far, he lefty-lopes in put-backs and plays s**t-hot defense.

The team loves him — offensive rebounds are just more beer for us — and Rondae recently announced plans to open a charter school in his hometown of Chester PA.

It’s been a good Mensch Month.

SG: James Ennis III, Philadelphia 76ers

The rugged swingman was supposed’ta work for the Rockets and supposed’ta work for the Sixers last year, but nothing quite clicked until recently.

The 29-year old hits half his shots and over 42 percent of his threes and he rebounds like someone who’s sick of being turned down at the company store.

Philadelphia coach Brett Brown can probably explain this better:

“He’s having a hell of a year. I bring him off the bench because I want stability and I want more of a veteran presence coming off the bench as the game unfolds.

“He’s a sneaky offensive rebounder. He’s a physical defensive player, a prideful defensive player that has qualities that give you confidence when it’s 98-98 and there’s five minutes left. He should be on the court.”

It is good that Brown has been able to identify a member of his best lineup, he only has four more slots to fill.

PG: gotdamn Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets

I’m not convinced I’d convert your last $482 into his currency.

Also I’m not even convinced he’s even signed his last contract, likely in a bid to keep Spencer off the hook for some white collar crimes. Those 20.8 points of his sure as hell kept Brooklyn in the playoff bracket.

The 11-10 Nets are perfectly mediocre without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. With Garrett seriously Temple in the starting lineup and Iman kidding me Shumpert in the rotation.

BKN’s triumphed seven times and lost three contests (most recently in heartbreaking fashion to Miami) with Dinwiddie leading at point guard.

Joe Harris is really high on the dude:

“Right now, Spencer is our best player on the court. We live and die with him making plays down the stretch.”

Kyrie Irving is better at basketball, though. He’ll start for the Nets in a few weeks, when his shoulder doesn’t leave him feeling sideways.

Zach Braziller at the NY Post was around when Dinwiddie explained he deals with this sort of crummy contingency:

“If you don’t roll with it, you will be out the league,” Dinwiddie said. “You don’t have a choice. I could be out here trippin’ and I’ll be gone. If you roll with it, we figure it out and I get to stay and sometimes, every so often, I’ll have like a big game.”

“It would be nice to score 30 and stuff — who doesn’t want to do that? — but the league kind of works in a certain way.”

Don’t try to change it. Save your subversion for the cryptocurrency pursuits.

SIXTH MAN: Omari Spellman, Golden State Warriors

The GSW forward/center is 22, and like a lot of us he let his 21st year get way, way away from him.

The Atlanta Hawks looked like they plucked a steal when the club selected Spellman No. 30 in the 2018 NBA draft, yet his ballooning weight contributed to a disappointed rookie campaign. ATL dealt Spellman to GSW in the offseason for Damion Jones.

Omari went on record with Anthony Slater at the Athletic:

Bro, you give a 21-year-old who has never had that kind of money $60,000 a month — like, after taxes — it’s like, bro, he’s going to f**k that up. There’s no he might f**k that up. No. He’s going to f**k that up at some point.

Certain people, you just don’t see it. Their f**k-ups aren’t appearance quantified. It could be several things they’re doing that you don’t know. But you could see I’m f*****g up. I’m fat. It’s different for other people.

Spellman doesn’t blame the Hawks, crediting the medical and coaching staff for outlining him with options to succeed.

Atlanta goes hard, though, Spellman (11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes with the Warriors) now insists he’s “blessed to have been traded.”

Strong self-awareness from the young professional. This league is full of them and I enjoy this.

HONORABLE MENSCHION

Delon Wright, the aforementioned Garrett Temple, probably Chris Paul, Moe Harkless, Evan Fournier, you for not violently reacting to the title above this list.

MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THIS OLD CLIP

Longtime Washington executive Bob Ferry, ex-Laker coach Pat Riley, and New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey chat with Baseball Boy Bob about the upcoming 1991 NBA draft.

1. Pat Riley knows a red hat when he sees one, talks up Greg Anthony.

Riley was named New York Knick coach six days after this segment aired, the Knicks used their No. 12 pick on Anthony when Greg fell out of the lottery.

Pat started Greg Anthony 74 times in four seasons before leaving him unprotected in the 1995 expansion draft in favor of Charlie Ward and Monty Williams.

As a result, in-prime Greg Anthony was expansion-drafted to play on a team in Vancouver that won 15 games, and now even his Basketball-Reference page uses a Vancouver uniform.

Big fan of Greg Anthony, Riley was.

2. Bob Ferry immediately encourages the Charlotte Hornets to select Billy Owens first overall, pointing to the team’s hole at small forward while mentioning lacking incumbent “just-not” Johnny Newman by name. On NBC.

(A decade after this broadcast, Johnny New averaged 10.9 points per game for the New Jersey Nets.

Around the same time the NBA pulled the plug on Billy Owens’ disappointing career. I’m not on NBC, I can say mean things.)

After telling the Hornets to grab Owens, Ferry then asks Charlotte to choose Larry Johnson with the same selection. I don’t, either.

3. Bob Costas knows a :24 second buzzer is about to blare, yet still makes a buzzer sound with his mouth. Into a tiny microphone, on TV.

4. Kings executive Jerry Reynolds told Peter Vecsey that “even the Kings can’t screw up this draft,” because yeah we were also making routine Sacramento Kings jokes 28 years ago.

Reynolds nailed it, sending the No. 3 selection (Billy Owens) to Golden State for 26-year old shooting guard Mitch Richmond.

He screwed up all the other drafts.

5. Costas spotted Riley’s lame joke and burst through an opening, asking Riley if he’s “talked with Dave Checketts.”

Checketts was Knick president at the time, the last guy who was (kinda) good at being a Knick, players included.

Vecsey then asks Riley if he’s “talked with David Khan,” the then-rival sportswriter and future Timberwolves flop.

Pete makes things uncomfortable, we need that.

Riley also pronounces it “Dikembe Mu-tooooom-bo.”

6. Vecsey reports that draft prospect Brian Williams — Bison Dele — is vacationing in the “South of France” and then he makes a Left Bank joke.

6.5. Luc Longley’s beautiful, looming, outline:

7. Crack of the Bat Costas selects Stanley Roberts for the Orlando Magic, noting that aging center Greg Kite started for the expansion club the season prior.

Riley charges with a smile that Costas hadn’t “even seen Roberts play” and Costas uses this as another chance to dig in on Riley’s impending Knickdom. It’s a lot of uneasy fun.

The lottery then ended, as all NBA lotteries should, with the selection of Mark Macon.

LOOK AT THIS GUY WAIL ON THE FLUTE

Saxophone Guy David Sanborn used to host a show called ‘Night Music,’ Lorne Michaels syndicated it and the show specialized in highlighting some of the day’s more tasteful yuppie acts, alongside a retinue of established artists.

Donald Fagen once performed on the show, uncomfortably.

In this clip, Sonic Youth performs the Stooges classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog” alongside the house band and it’s pretty good.

There’s a keytar back there, Kim Gordon is in a KISS shirt, Hiram Bullock plays guitar like a dork but then HOLY COW FLUTE GUY GOING NUTS FLUTE GUY IN A BLACK LEATHER DUSTER ROCKIN OUT.

Subscribe now, and you can read last night’s Behind the Boxscore. Five bucks a month to get stuff like this all the time!

On Sunday we’re running a column that looks a lot like this one, Monday we’ll cover the Clippers’ trip to Indianapolis, Boston’s in town after that, another BtB pops up on Tuesday night, there’s a lot to goof around with.

This is a wholly independent operation, it’s just me, so help the guy with gas money;

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WHAT THEY TRIED IN 2018-19

To win an NBA championship behind a preening, near-prime LeBron James and his palm-selected cast of journeyman.

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2018-19

37-45, tenth in the Western Conference

LeBron turned 34 on Christmas Eve, and it all turned to s**t.

An impressive victory over Golden State the next afternoon left the Lakers at 24-14 (No. 4 in the West), yet James sat 17 of the next 18 games with the first major injury (a groin pull) of his career. The Lakers were still three games over .500 a month later when Lonzo Ball went down with a severe left ankle sprain — cursing the team’s defense.

Coach Luke Walton appeared hideously overmatched, former basketball personnel executive Magic Johnson was confirmed as a bit of a prat upon quitting the Lakers on the final day of the regular season.

OFFSEASON INS AND OUTS

Here: Anthony Davis (trade with New Orleans), Avery Bradley (free agent, two years and $9.8 million with a player option for 2020-21), Quinn Cook (FA, two years, $6 million), Danny Green (FA, two years, $30 million), DeMarcus Cousins (FA, one-year and $3.5 million), JaVale McGee (FA, two years, $8.2 million, second year is a player option), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (FA, two years, $16.6 million), Jared Dudley (FA, one year at $2.6 million), Alex Caruso (FA, two years, $5.5 million), Troy Daniels (FA, one year at $2 million), Rajon Rondo (FA, two years at $5.2 million), Kostas Antetokounmpo (claimed off waiver wire), Dwight Howard (free agent).

Gone: Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones, Moritz Wagner (three-team deal with New Orleans and Washington), Mike Muscala (free agent, Oklahoma City), Tyson Chandler (FA, Houston), Reggie Bullock (FA, New York).

Luke Walton was fired as coach at season’s end, replaced with a staff including Frank Vogel as head coach alongside Jason Kidd as lead assistant and top “source close to the situation.”

Former Raptors assistant Phil Handy was also added to the staff, alongside longtime NBA head coach Lionel Hollins. Forever Laker Mike Penberthy and holdover assistant Miles Simon remain.

PLAN FOR 2018-19

Lunge for a championship behind the returning James and his newest, brutish screen-and-roll partner: Anthony Davis.

On some nights, the Lakers will boast the top two players in the NBA in the starting lineup. It doesn’t matter that the coupon’s expired.

FREAK FOR 2018-19

James and Davis turn in MVP-styled seasons yet lacking depth fails Los Angeles again. Vogel looks ill-suited for his Hollywood turn, Kidd can’t keep out of the papers, the leaks rage as the rudderless ship plops a martyr onto the mast (where the lookout used to be).

The Lakers couldn’t hold onto the ball or get to the line last year, some of that stuff ain’t gonna change: Los Angeles will act dominant in regular season spots but the club will have to bank on the postseason to prove how awesome it really is.

COME ON LOOK AT

This is on your team, now.

Laker fans should see if they can steal Joel Meyers, too.

MAYBE LINEUP

C: JaVale McGee — turns out “JaVale McGee” was a pretty good-enough NBA center for a decade (and counting). McGee’s holes are obvious, but the blocks and boards and finishes are there.

PF: Anthony Davis — mini-Kareem (26 points, a dozen boards, four assists and three blocks in his last Who Gives a S**t-year with NOLA) that cannot help but crush once the rolling goes right.

SF: LeBron James — began prepping for his show-offy, MVP season of 2019-20 since 2018-19 was still careening toward oblivion: LBJ will find the return to No. 1 a little tougher at age 34/35. Basketball doesn’t let you half-ass it without your whole ass showing at some point.

SG: Danny Green — worked with LeBron in his rookie year. Nailed 45.5 percent of his three-pointers last season yet not good at the basketball-things you can only do with one hand.

PG: Rajon Rondo — a starfucker, to be sure, but Rajon keeps himself humble by turning the ball over a ton. Has more career miscues than ex-Laker Chris Paul, who has over 7000 more NBA minutes of being Chris Paul under his belt.

THERE WILL BE A BENCH

PF: Jared Dudley — notes-you-can’t-hear-explainer pulled in 155 rebounds in 1220 minutes last year, shot 35 percent from deep. Perfect for this team, I cannot wait for the book

G: Avery Bradley — worked up the best basketball of his NBA life in 14 games with Memphis last season, combo guard will be crucial to Frank Vogel’s machinations in 2020.

F: Kostas Antetokounmpo — averaged 10 points and six boards during 25 minutes a night in the minors last year, blocked 60 shots in 40 games but isn’t hitting threes yet. Lakers hope Kostas and his brother Giannis can burnish this skill as teammates.

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — turned the ball over 475 times since entering the NBA in 2013, Russell Westbrook has 1956 turnovers since 2013 (in 43 fewer games). Caldwell-Pope is way better at “turnovers” than Russell Westbrook.

G: Quinn Cook — had his chances with the Warriors last season and shot well, 40 percent on threes and 51 percent on twos, the 26-year old never gets to the line and isn’t a passer.

F/C: Devontae Cacok — immovable object led the nation in rebounding during his junior year at UNC-Wilmington, nearly won the title during his senior campaign. This 6-7 Touch Factory made 80.8 percent of his shots as a sophomore, averaged 12.3 a game in his college career.

C: DeMarcus Cousins — Nah.

PG: Alex Caruso — ran hot (48 percent from deep) last season but the 25-year old has yet to crack 1100 career minutes. The Lakers would do well to squeak him into primetime minutes this season.

SG: Troy Daniels — 40 percent from deep on his career. Six NBA seasons, 168 career assists. Fabricio Oberto managed 300 assists in six NBA seasons.

C: Dwight Howard — some people are just born Lakers.

G: Talen Horton-Tucker — strong, heady athlete who won’t turn 19 until Thanksgiving (American). Not your quickest scorer and shot 30 percent from long range during his one year at Iowa State, is probably funny and plays good defense.

PF: Kyle Kuzma — imagine Cedric Ceballos but boring.

PROJECTED RECORD

52-30, fifth in the West.

LET’S WATCH THIS

Doc Rivers misses the game-winner for the Clippers, who had James Edwards out there on defense for the final possession.

James Edwards in, for defense! Larry Brown was one hell of an iconoclast.

Threatt’s shot put the Lakers in the playoffs, one spot behind the No. 7 L.A. Clippers:

“I think this game proved the L.A. Lakers are still the best team in L.A.”

Following the season, coach Mike Dunleavy quit the Lakers to take a job in Milwaukee.

PREVIOUSLY: Toronto, Indiana, Washington, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Orlando, Boston, New York, Brooklyn, San Antonio, Miami, Detroit, Phoenix, Dallas, Sacramento, Utah, Memphis.

NEXT: Oklahoma City.

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