Hoops Head from Virginia turned California Hoops coach, NBA Summer league Scout and hoops blogger. I also design Ecological Gardens and edible Food Forests. I love basketball defense, team play and Nelly ball up tempo.
by: J-Man Grizzle
What a game. What an adventure. Summer League isn’t just the beginning of the road for youngsters. It’s also the comeback trail for M.I.A. vets – Michael Beasley, Kenneth “Manimal” Faried, and Brandon Knight all making their presence known.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Every year, Buddhists pilgrimage to Lumbini, Muslims to the Hajj, Christians to Jerusalem, and Hindus to Kumbh Mela. Yours truly treks to Sin City for Summer League. If any of you plan to go out there, hit me up. Anyways, it’s been three days and I’ve seen James Wiseman unfold out of a taxi, Rachel and Perk set up for a broadcast, and I now know that The Matrix (best nickname EVER) is now a blond.
Please, blog, may I have some more?12 GAME WEDNESDAY NIGHT: HERE’S WHAT I SAW:
Good luck to all fantasy managers as they jockey into the playoffs *(Basketball gods willing).
Please, blog, may I have some more?(W) BUCKS -VS- LAKERS
With King James and Tha’ Brow out, we hoped this was the Drummond show.
Unfortunately, after all that time off, his big toe wasn’t ready.
Jrue Holiday: Complete baller, Jrue the Damajah is on point.
Rare for the PG to be the “Glue Guy.”
On this roster, he steadies the ship and makes the tough plays.
Efficiency, rebounding and 5 STOCKS, this guy does it all.
Rundown of tonight’s dynamic slate of 10 Games with five Triple-Doubles on this Hump Day.
RAPTORS -VS- (W) PISTONS
Fred Van Vleet: Blessings to my dude for battling Covid-19 this month and making a full recovery.
First game back and understandably rusty. The three steals and the 7-of-8 from the charity make it much more palatable. Yum.
FVV is actually 3rd on the planet in steals rate at 1.7 SPG.
Mason Plumlee: With Flake Griffin sitting, it’s the point center show in the Motor City. This savvy Dukie can wheel and deal, pound and confound, folks. Underrated center in the Association, who by the way has raised his FT% to 67%, which doesn’t sound like much, but up from career average of 56%. See, old dogs CAN learn new trix. Shhh, he taught Joker all he knows. Case in point, 10 assists with only 1 turnover!
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: J-Man Grizzle
Julius Randle: All hail Ceasar! Julius Caesar continues to serve up an entree-sized portion of Ceasar Salad, replete with stinky anchovies *(turnovers) and thrilling croutons *(head down to the rim). He’s a borderline All-Star. His playmaking and 3PT have improved.
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: J-Man Grizzle
Bradley Beal: Bradley doing Bradley ish. Helped guide his club to its fifth win of the year against the sputtering Heat. His laser shot sets up his savvy drive so well this year. The 5 turnovers hurt a bit, but he’s the only alpha in the nation’s capital.
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: J-Man Grizzle
Kyrie Irving: Made his dramatic, drama-filled return. Tried to knock out Sexton at the end of the 4th period. Got up for some putbacks in extra periods. Can he accept his role as the 3rd most effective scorer in a BKN jersey?
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: J-Man Grizzle
Tatum is the man in Bean-town. The prince who assisted the former alpha in Kemba, has now taken the crown. All hail this efficient volume scorer! Starting to feel just like another regular game from Tatum. 21 shots in 37 minutes is the kind of usage that makes Tatum so valuable this season. His youthful pairing with Brown is a huge reason the Boston Celtics are now 6-3 out the gate.
Please, blog, may I have some more? by: J-Man Grizzle
The very name Utah Jazz evokes a strange and out of place image. New Orleans Jazz. Well, that makes sense. Alas, we live in a funny world where the funkiest thing in the state of Utah is, beyond epic snowboarding, epic wild water rafting; the Utah Jazz basketball team. This city thrives on their pro sports franchise and warms the hearts of the players who play here with down home charm. In today’s fast paced, metropolis based NBA landscape, the Utah Jazz play to their own trumpet. They develop players, extend them, and build year after year upon the prior year’s efforts. Last year’s Jazz made ripples in the West, garnering the 6th seed without the 20 ppg from Bojan Bogdanovic. They would fall to the Nuggets for a first round exit in the Bubble. Will this snub from the 2nd round provide some grit and determination?
Please, blog, may I have some more?Lots of question marks around Miami’s reload in the Eastern conference this year. Their unraveled depth and #HeatCulture rose them through the gauntlets of the Eastern Conference bubble to rise from the 5th seed to Eastern Conference Champs. Their core is fired up, focused, and gaining continuity. I see seven solid rotation players. This year, with the losses of Goran “Dragon” Dragic (16/3/5 in 28 minutes), Jae Crowder (10/6/2.8 in 29 minutes), and Derrick “Air Plane Mode” Jones Jr. (8/4/1 in 23 minutes) it remains to be seen how Riley and Spoelstra work their magic to fill out this roster.
Those three rotation players have left with a total of 34 points per game. How will end-of-bench role players step up with their new opportunities? Why was Udonis Haslem’s contract extended? Does Iguodala have anything left in the tank to earn the two-year, $20 million extension he got? So many questions surround the depth and bench this year. With only 10 guaranteed players under contract, how will management round out this roster?
Please, blog, may I have some more?