Welcome to the second installment of Ballers Don’t Lie here at the Place to Be! This week, our guys examine the NBA action over the last couple of weeks, checking out early trends, surprises, and disappointments.
Pregame shootaround:
J Arsenio D’Amato:
Is Anthony Davis already looking ahead to 2021?
The Pelicans are looking at a long and ugly season as Alvin Gentry is the easy front runner for the first coach to get canned. They made a huge mistake firing Monty Williams and the front office isn’t doing anything to provide Davis any assets to grow into a winning team.
Langston Galloway is a gritty, scrappy addition, but when he is your major free agent signing, your team has issues.
It’s early, but Buddy Hield looks like that major college scorer whose game doesn’t translate well to the NBA.
JT Rozzero:
Any teams stood out as early surprises or disappointments?
J Arsenio D’Amato:
The Lakers under Luke Walton are young and energetic. D’Angelo Russell looks like he put last year’s nonsense in the trash and other neophytes like Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. are thriving as they are no longer under Kobe’s overbearing presence.
Tip-off Questions:
1. Westbrook versus Durant, Round 1, went to Durant and Golden State. Was it a case of home cooking for the Warriors, or something more?
2. The Spurs are off to a good post-Tim Duncan start. Can it continue?
3. Are there any players that have stood out as surprises or disappointments?
4. See JT’s question about teams.
Mike Eller:
I think that Round 1 is going to be par for the course. Westbrook isn’t going to be this bad, going 4-15 from the field after putting up superhuman numbers to start the season, but the Warriors are the superior team.
The Spurs’ start can continue. Coach Popovich has always been excellent at adapting and this has been no different. It seems that they have gotten a decent rim protector after picking up Dewayne Dedmon from the Magic. That was my worry: That they were going to be too soft on D in the paint but they’ve already seemed to solve that issue.
I’d like to mention Devin Booker as a pleasant surprise. Currently playing 37 minutes per game and is averaging 23-3-3.
Major disappointment has been the Wizards. Scott Brooks was supposed to fix all of Randy Wittman’s problems, but they have been par for the course. Sloppy basketball at times and no real flow. This team has a ton of talent but they never can seem to click. Only time it seemed like they did was when they had Paul Pierce there for a season.
Detroit has been a major surprise. If his teams believe in him, they are always going to play hard for Stan Van Gundy. This could always swing the other way, because if they don’t believe, it can turn into a disaster.
J Arsenio D’Amato:
John Wall and Bradley Beal can be an unstoppable duo, but word is they can’t stand each other, and it shows on the court as that team had no chemistry.Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris are really thriving for Detroit under Van Gundy as both are playing at an All-Star level at this early juncture of the season.
Roger Morrissette:
Remember the Pistons are doing this without Reggie Jackson… Drummond is a year better and has gone from the worst free throw shooter in league history to just merely awful. The more the Pistons can play him in the fourth quarter of close games, the better they will be.
I agree with pretty much everything Mike said. One thing I would add on the Warriors/Thunder game is that OKC was on the second end of a back to back and the game was at Oracle. They’ll play them tougher under less tenuous circumstances.
For me a big surprise is how dominating Embiid has been right out of the gate. He seemed a little raw coming out of Kansas and hasn’t played an actual game in two years. Somehow he has improved by leaps and bounds. He leads the NBA in 3-point percentage!
Joel Barnhart:
What teams seem to be poised for big things based on early returns?
Mike Eller:
I’m a fan of the Hornets right now. I love Kemba Walker and it’s great to see him become almost Iverson-like in his playmaking ability. Michael Kidd Gilchrist is a beast on defense and I’m happy to see him turn into a great player (okay, maybe not great yet, but still really good). I see them winning 52 games right now and challenging for the second seed in the East.
J Arsenio D’Amato:
Brooklyn, under Kenny Atkinson with a band of misfits and D-leaguers, plays really hard and scrappy. The Nets have been close in every game but one and have more wins than anyone could have hoped for.
Coach Atkinson looks like he will have a long career as a NBA coach and the NY Knicks will regret not hiring him. Sean Kilpatrick brings a tough attitude and all-around game every night.
With that, we wrap this installment. Join us again in two weeks for more NBA talk on Ballers Don’t Lie!
