Alex Theoharides and Matt Domino reunite to rehash the 2014-2015 NBA Regular Season.
Editor's Note: Each year
myself and Alex Theoharides have conducted NBA discussions and contributed NBA
related writing to this blog and other websites. This year, neither of us was
as productive as we wanted to be in that area of our lives. So, to make up for
it, we decided to have a long conversation looking back on the 2014-2015 NBA
Regular Season and to look forward to the Playoffs.
DOMINO: Well, Alex, its April. The Northeast is finally thawing out from
our brutal (it wasn’t THAT bad) winter, but people are scarred. So much so that
I was jogging on a recently VERY mild evening and overheard a woman saying, “
Yeah, it was like over 60 degrees today...supposedly!” No one believes
the seasons are actually changing.
But what this all really means
is that the NBA Playoffs are staring us in the face. This 2014-2015 season was
the first time since 2008 where I didn’t do a lick of basketball writing. Why?
Because I’ve kind of reached a crossroads in my writing life/regular life where
I have to decide what exactly I need to devote my time to. As much as I love
writing about sports, writing about basketball specifically, and writing about
things I love—great albums, terrible albums, television, movies (yeah right, I
never wrote about movies)—what I actually love most is creating stories. So,
when I’m not spending my 50+ hours at my day job each week or writing
about food and drink for The Manual (they pay me!), I’ve
devoted all my time to making sure my novel, From Here to the Last
Mound of Dirt, is as good of a book as possible. I even stooped so low as
to hire an editor (don’t worry, not from Craigslist!) to help me ask the
questions of my story, my prose and myself that I was no longer to able to ask.
I’m not some gun-shy genius fussing over a gem in the dark; I’m getting
feedback from agents, but the book isn’t there yet—I want it to be there and
that deserves all the time I can give it.
And to lighten all that
seriousness, I’ve been writing and performing with my sketch group 301 Views (don’t sleep on our jokes) and
practicing with an improv group that will hopefully gel into something
substantial over the next few months. I’m tired of tormenting my friends at
social functions; so I’m trying to put my inclination to make jokes, act out characters
and proclivity towards being an annoying S.O.B to good use. It could all be a
waste of time or yet another delusion of an egomaniac, but its the one area in
my life where I don’t have ANY expectations other than to try my best to be
funny and contribute with some people I’m getting to know and like. That’s
gotta count for something.
Basically, what all this
means is that life is changing. I need to close some doors in order to keep
others as wide open as I want them to. I love the NBA and would love to write
about basketball everyday, but, when I lay my head upon my pillow, I feel a whole
lot shittier when I don’t write at least 500 words of fiction than I do when I
haven’t written about the ongoing chronicles of LeBron James, Steph Curry,
James Harden, Anthony Davis, Nerlens Noel (!), The Milwaukee Bucks, and the
upstart, they might be fools gold, they might actually have a legitimate future
as an NBA contender with some of the most exciting players in the game and I
wish I had just made the effort to see them when they game to play the Knicks
or Nets; that’s right, I’m talking about your MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES!!
But we’ll get to your
thoughts on the Wolves, the best stories and underrated players from this
season as well as our Playoff picks. Why don’t you fill me on where life has
led you, you married man and homeowner.
THEO: It’s a big question. Where has life led me?
Mainly, I’m devoted to
taking my rightful place on the list of All American married, homeowning,
tax-paying, basketball-watching, literary buffoons. I write when I can, as much
as I can, but not nearly enough to satisfy my writing itch. Like you, I’ve had
to make a decision about where to allocate my creative time. My basketball blog
has fallen to the wayside, largely because I found that writing incessantly
about basketball was ruining my love for the game. Instead of celebrating
individual and team achievement, I was focused on interpreting “advanced” stats
and I found myself increasingly entrenched in meaningless arguments about why
Player X should be playing more minutes as a stretch forward or why Coach Y needed
to change the way his team dealt with the pick and roll. I know it’s taboo to
complain about advanced stats in the NBA writing community and I do understand
their value—particularly for team management—but I’m at the point where I don’t
want to care more about understanding the game than I did about enjoying the
game. The best basketball writers —Zach Lowe, Jonathan Abrams, Steve
McPherson—are able to synthesize the metrics of the game with the human
interest stories. However, I’m not sure I have the time, talent, or energy to
match their success. I want to write about a million things; I want to love
basketball.
I’m impressed by your
sticktoitiveness with your novel. Man, the hardest part of writing for me is
finishing what I start. I’ve always been fascinated by anecdotes from the lives
of successful writers. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Michael Chabon, who spent over five years working on his follow up to The
Mysteries of Pittsburgh, only to make the ultimate decision that his second
novel was going nowhere and he had to abandon it. These types of decisions
terrify me as a writer. I have a tendency to get trapped by ideas, to keep
beginning the same story, without ever letting it reach its logical conclusion.
One of my goals for the next “era” of my writing life is to be open to new
ideas, but also to finish the ideas I start.
Beyond writing and
basketball, it is spring in Minneapolis, I’m in the process (read: nightmare)
of trying to install a basketball backboard on my garage with only my English
degree from Skidmore for guidance (Creative
Thought Matters unless you’re trying to stand on a ladder with
a drill in one hand and a basketball hoop in the other), and all is right with
the world.
DOMINO: I feel like we’re on the same page when it comes to sports
writing. This is going to kind of sound pathetic, but I was (and still am)
exhausted with keeping up with the world of NBA Twitter with all of the ongoing
sportswriter narratives, beefs and pet peeves. And that is probably stupid of
me and a bit shortsighted, but it truly does take a little bit of enjoyment out
of watching the game.
This isn’t a Barkleyian
knock against analytics or anything like that. There is so much excellent
basketball related CONTENT available on an hourly basis that it is impossible
to not learn something new about the game—whether about a specific player,
team, position, shot, or type of screen—multiple times a day. But the tone, the
incessant snark and “know-it-all-ness” of so many (so many!) of those voices
becomes a bit irritating. Sure, its their job and, sure, I should take it all a
bit more lightly, but that’s just the way I feel right now. I’m sure it’ll
probably pass.
But, we’ve veered away from
catching up toward my own vague technology therapy session. Let’s talk about
some NBA!
First, let’s rehash about
some of our favorite storylines from this year. As a Wolves fan, the
development of Andrew Wiggins has got to be #1, right?
THEO: “As a Wolves fan” is an excellent way to preface everything
I say in this space.
Basically, I spent the
winter watching every single game the Wolves played this year. Why? Because
Wiggins is a beast who is just scratching the surface of his potential. At the
beginning of the season, his offense was limited to jump shots and awkward
post-ups. Now he’s destroying veteran defenders in the post, driving to the rim
against defenses geared to stop his penetration, and getting to the foul line
at a proficient rate. All of that while playing in an offense run by a 20 year
old point guard in Zach LaVine, who hasn’t played point guard
since middle school.
Teams tend to take on the
personalities of their best players. Last season, the Wolves felt like they had
the proverbial weight of the world on their shoulders because Kevin Love
basically refused to look any reporters in the eye (like, seriously, ever), was
moody to the ball boys, grumbled to the trainers, and was just a real treat to
be around by all accounts.
This season? When they
weren’t trying to win, and even sometimes when they were trying to win, the
Wolves were awful. But then there would be moments when Wiggins would hold
his own against LeBron James. Times when he would shut
down James Harden on one end and score on him on the other. When he
would dunk all over the Stifle Tower, not once, but twice.
Most impressively, he never
seems to get rattled by the moment or by any of the stories swirling around
him. Just look at what happened to him over the past year: from March to June,
talking heads picked apart his faults and debated whether he or Jabari Parker
should be selected No. 1 in the draft; from June through August, he had to
pretend to be a Cav even though EVERYONE knew he was being traded to the Wolves
for Kevin Love, from August up until today, he’s been the face of the Wolves
and the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year. Despite all of that, he’s
played the second most minutes in the league (behind only MVP candidate James
Harden) and hasn’t publicly complained once.
The Wolves took on the calm
demeanor of their 20-year-old star all season and it was surprisingly fun to
watch.
Obviously, Wiggins is my
pick (and he should be everyone’s pick) for Rookie of the Year. But I know
you’re a Philly sports guy. How do you feel about their young talent? Noel do
anything for you? Any other true rookies (Mirotic doesn’t count) you were
impressed by this year?
DOMINO: I definitely have the Wolves as one of my must-watch teams for
next year (to be honest, they were even kind of must watch for me this year as
well; and when I couldn’t watch, I ALWAYS checked their box scores and day
after highlights).
Philly is definitely in an
interesting spot. As Bill Simmons pointed out last week, in fifty years,
we are going to either look back on Sam Hinkie’s grand scheme as either genius
or one of the biggest gaffes in the history of professional sports—though, the
latter would certainly fit right in with the sporting history of the city of
Philadelphia.
I love Noel’s potential,
though. After sitting out a year to recover from injury (with plenty of people
wondering about his thin frame and durability as a pro), he’s going to end up
playing 75+ games. He really came on in March, where he averaged 14.3 points,
11.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in 33 minutes a game. He’s tailed off in
April, but that’s not too bad for a rookie; although you do have to take it
with a slight grain of salt seeing as the Sixers are terrible and have no one
else on their team who is a reliable scorer—unless you love yourself some
Isaiah Canaan, Robert Covington or fleeting glimpses of the ghost of Jason
Richardson. But...ON THE OTHER HAND...there’s no one else on the team capable
of handling the ball and running a reliable pick and roll with rim runs were
Noel can viciously put the ball away with his insane wingspan.
Noel certainly looks like a
keeper. He is a modern NBA big man: a guy who is mobile, has insanely quick
hands, can anchor a defense and is capable of
sucking space by making effective dives to the rim off the pick and roll. Plus,
it appears that he has a slight face up game that he will most likely develop
over the summer. That would most certainly add to his effectiveness on the
offensive end next season.
I honestly don’t know where
this Sixers experiment is going, but I love it for the same reason that I loved
the Big Three coming together in Miami—its basketball as science. Will Hinkie’s
complete “asset” based approach to building team actually work? I’m along for
the ride. Plus, it has resulted in some spirited writing over at Liberty Ballers.
But for me, here is how I’d
rank my favorite storylines of the season so far.
1.
Golden State’s Dominance - They
really are one of the most likeable juggernauts in recent memory. I mean,
between Kerr’s wit and self-deprecation as a head coach to Curry’s
inventiveness and innovation at the point guard (not seen since Playoff Rondo
circa 2010-2012), to Klay’s explosiveness, Draymond Green’s
swag and hustle, Iguodala’s channeling of Scottie Pippen from 1997-1998, Shawn
Livingston’s continued revival, to Marrese Speights existence and Harrison
Barnes’ aesthetic of looking like the perfect basketball player (though not
playing like it), this team has a little bit of everything. Oh, and how could I
forget Bogut, his scraggly beard and his poor man’s 1977-1978 Bill Walton
impression?
THEO: Slow clap for the Marrese Speights existence. He is truly
one of my favorite random dudes in the NBA.
DOMINO: 2. Wiggins - He was dubbed overhyped and overrated, went through that
weird offseason with the Cavaliers before being traded to Minnesota, and then
looked completely lost in the first three months of the season. But watching
him blossom over the first four months of 2015 has been phenomenal. He’s going
to do things next year that amaze us—and he’s already amazed us quite a bit
this year. Although, Zach Lowe’s recent breakdown has kind of tempered my
optimism just a little bit.
THEO: My Timberwolves-loving heart just blushed at all that praise for
one of our* players. I’m not sure we’re ready for nice things yet.
* Despite rumors to the
contrary, the Timberwolves would like me to clarify that I’m not actually a
member of the team.
DOMINO: 3. The
Youth Movement - This is definitely a
transition year in the NBA. And I think next year the league landscape is going
to be even more interesting. New Orleans (aka Anthony Davis) should be a year
better and (hopefully) one terrible head coach lighter. Utah is brimming with
young talent between Hayward, Favors, Gobert, Burks, and Exum (I think he’s
going to have a great summer and come back next year with more confidence and
comfort). Orlando is basically Utah East, but maybe a year or so behind. I
mean—Payton, Oladipo, Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and a 2015 Top 10 pick? Sign me up!
Plus who knows how this summer is going to shake out for the Sixers, Wolves and
Celtics.
4.
The Knicks Drama - I really just don’t
get it. The Knicks make terrible shortsighted moves for more than a decade and
everyone rightly ridicules them. Then when they try to tear the whole
team down in favor of some more progressive thinking and team building, they get ripped
for it. Jesus Christ, just let one offseason pass before you
get pissed at Phil. They’re trying a new approach; that alone should be
heartening.
THEO: Count me in on the rip everything and anything the Knicks do
bandwagon. As a kid, I LOVED the Knicks. But the decisions they’ve made since
the JVG, one-legged Ewing, Camby-man Can, Spree, LJ and Houston team made it to
the Finals have been as awful as a smorgasbord of lutefisk, pearl onions and
live music by JJ & The Straight Shot.
I hope I’m wrong. My dad
(still a die-harder) deserves the Knicks to be good again, but I have a
sneaking suspicion they’re going to pull a Cavs and package their top-3
pick/whoever they select for a middle-tier veteran player to play alongside
Melo. I mean, Chris Childs isn’t walking through that door anytime soon Knicks.
Enough is enough.
DOMINO: 5. Kawhi - He’s becoming a terrifying, emotionless robot (although,
since he was the MVP of the 2014 Finals, he kind of already was). It’s really
impossible not to like everything he does. If the Spurs held a creative
management camp, I swear to God I would sign up in like a second.
THEO: One week with the Spurs and you’d be writing a novel a month,
while hosting your own comedy hour on HBO, and finding a way to turn Harry Nilsson Week into a national holiday.
Frankly, I’m terrified of Spurs Robot Matt Domino.
DOMINO: 6. The
MVP Race - This year’s race is the
most wide open it’s been in years, which has opened up all kinds of circular
arguments. In fact, GQ ran a great one just last weekend. The best
thing about this year’s MVP race is that it perfectly exhibits the depth and
nuance with which basketball is now discussed. I mean, even four years ago,
when Rose stole the MVP from LeBron, we weren’t haven’t these kinds of
widespread conversations. The leap in information and knowledge in the game of
basketball from 2011 to 2015 has been astonishing.
7. The
Rise of Anthony Davis - He’s a freak of
nature. He’s set to run roughshod over the league for the next ten years. But
(and I don’t want to be a downer here) he’s really got to stay on the court.
I’m just saying: he’s been in the league for three years and hasn’t played 70
games in a season yet. It’s nitpicky—since they’re heading to the Playoffs—bit
its true.
THEO: For that matter, he also hasn’t plucked a single eyebrow yet.
Direct relationship? I’ll let history be the judge.
DOMINO: 8. The Bucks! - OK, so they should technically be part of #3; and, yes, they have
trailed off over the last half of the season, but this is my #1 Must Watch Team
for 2015-2016. The Greek Freak, Jabari, MCW (still not sure if he’s good),
Henson, Middleton. This team is comprised of freakish athletes. I’m VERY
interested in what they do in the Playoffs.
9.
Hassan Whatside? - Yeah, that’s right,
I’m a Heat fan as long as Dwayne Wade is on the Heat. Whiteside coming out of
left field this season was a true delight. I mean his season ranged from awful on-court antics to Bob Cousy comparing him to Bill Russell! In
the last few games, his low post moves have looked fluid and legitimate. If he
can buy in to the Heat and the way of the Miami Mafia, the Heat could be
dangerous next season. Dragic, Wade, Deng, Bosh, Whiteside, 2015 Lottery Pick,
McRoberts and Chalmers. That’s not a bad top 8.
THEO: I’m 97% certain Hassan Whatside has appeared in a short-lived role
in at least one of the awful NBA-themed novels I’ve written in the past three
years. But yes, the Heat are primed to be the 3-seed in the East next season IF
Wade and Bosh can stay healthy and Whiteside doesn’t decide to quit basketball
to pursue his dream of moving to Paris and becoming the world’s tallest mime (I
told you it was an awful novel).
10.
The Atlanta Hawks - They would
have been higher, but it appears that their streak of good luck is running out—no thanks to the NYPD.
The
Hawks played beautiful, smart, selfless basketball for much of the year. Their
reliance on a system as well as taking three pointers and high-efficiency shots
both displayed why the NBA is great right now and also why it is in danger of
becoming homogenized. I’m not saying that homogenization is bad when that means
teams are constantly moving the ball, looking for the open man and taking smart
shots—its just something I’m keeping an eye on.
300. The Cavaliers - A lot of unnecessary drama. A lot of LeBron exhibiting his
worst characteristics. And now it looks like they are getting just the right
amount of luck that any NBA Champion needs on their road the title. Ugh.
THEO: Not to blow sunshine up your ass but that was a great list.
Especially, since it ended with the Cavs. At least when LeBron went to Miami it
created, as you said, a basketball science experiment. Meanwhile, this year’s
Cavs team seems content to bring basketball back to the 1-on-1, your turn, my
turn, basketball of the early 2000s. At his best, LeBron is one of the most
creative, dominant players in NBA history. At his worst, he’s asking waiters to
cut his steak for him and quitting on his team for two weeks so he can “rest”
in Miami.
Plus, there’s the issue of
the A$$hole Formerly Known As Kevin Love. What do you make of his situation?
Agree with the popular sentiment that he stays if they win it all, leaves if
they don’t?
DOMINO: I honestly don’t know what to make of Kevin Love. This was a bad
season for him from a PR perspective. He came off as overly sensitive and moody
when complemented against LeBron. LeBron likes to position himself as getting
along with everyone, but it has become clear that he and Love certainly don’t
jive.
Yet, on the other hand, you
kind of have to give Love the benefit of the doubt. Cleveland has not been using him correctly. Even
Miami allowed Bosh to be more active in the post and at the elbows. Love has
been relegated to a spot up shooter, which is certainly good for spacing in
many respects, but is that really how you want to alter the playing style of a
guy who was one of the Top 10 players in the league last year? By turning him
into a specialist, rather than asking him to make certain sacrifices, but still
finding moments and ways to play to his strengths?
I think if the Cavaliers win the title, he stays. I think if they lose in the Conference Finals or Finals with him prominently involved in all aspects of the series, he stays. If they lose and he underperforms or seems uninvolved, then he’s heading to Los Angeles.
To be continued in Part Two
where we give our picks for the End of Season Awards and Playoff predictions.
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