NBA OFFSEASON REVIEW: Timberwolves

2022-23 overview: The Minnesota Timberwolves finished 46-36 and secured the 7th seed in the West last season. It was the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2017, and its most playoff wins since 2003-04. Minnesota will look to build on that momentum this year as it has built a roster suitable for a deeper playoff run. Some keys to the Timberwolves' success will be Anthony Edwards taking the next step toward superstardom and Karl-Anthony Towns settling into his new position at power forward. Jaden McDaniels will be the x-factor for this team, as he has the potential to become a high level starter. 

Draft: Minnesota used their draft capital to trade back and ended up taking Walker Kessler and Wendell Moore in the first round. They also added Josh Minot in the second round. Kessler was sent away as a part of their blockbuster trade with the Jazz, but Moore and Minot both signed rookie deals.

Moore played three seasons at Duke and improved each season. By his junior year, he was playing nearly 34 minutes per game while knocking down 41.3% of his three point shot attempts. If he can make another jump in the league, he can end up being a solid 3&D role player for the Timberwolves and possibly give an immediate impact. 

Minot will be more of a project piece. He played one year at Memphis and averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. What stands out about Minot is his athletic ability. Ironically, his new teammate, De'Angelo Russell, just tweeted "The @nba is full of athletes not Basketball players #respectfully" Minot fits the description. 

Trades: The Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert in a blockbuster trade that I alluded to earlier. The Wolves sent Patrick Beverly, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro, 2022 first round pick Walker Kessler, and four additional first round picks alternating years until 2029 in exchange for a defensive anchor and all star level talent, Gobert. This trade sent an unprecedented amount of assets away for one player, and it has made it very difficult for other franchises to trade their star players. i.e. Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell. While yes it was an overpay, the Timberwolves are pushing to win now, and this move will put them in a contending position. 

Free Agents: The Timberwolves lost two starters and its 6th man in the Gobert trade along with a rookie who would have most likely seen rotational minutes, so Minnesota's goal in free agency was to reload the bench. The key signings include Kyle Anderson, Eric Paschall, Austin Rivers, and Brynn Forbes, along with the resigning of Taurean Prince. 

Rotation:

PG: Russell, McLaughlin, Rivers

SG: Edwards, Nowell, Forbes

SF: McDaniels, Prince, Moore

PF: Towns, Anderson, Paschall

C: Gobert, Reid

NBA OFF SZN: ATL/SAS

Yesterday, the Atlanta Hawks made a win-now move and traded Danilo Gallinari to the Spurs in exchange for star guard Dejounte Murray. I don't have much to say on Atlanta's end. After underachieving in 2022, the Hawks needed to add some on-ball defense that can compliment Trae Young's play style. Young is an elite scorer and facilitator, and having Murray will take some of the scoring pressure off of him. Murray averaged 21.1 points and 9.2 assists last season, but his 2 steals per game stand out. Murray will have no issue guarding bigger guards, so I think he can transition into the 2 role even though he's a natural 1. He has the length and size. Atlanta's back court will be set for the near future. We'll see what other moves the Hawks make going forward as John Collins and Clint Capela have been in trade rumors since the dead line. 

From San Antonio's POV, are we going to see a true tank from the Spurs? San Antonio received 3 future firsts, including Charlotte's 2023 which has high potential to be in the lottery. The Spurs organization has a winning culture, so I don't think this rebuild will last long.

NBA Trade Deadline: SAC/IND

Adrian Wojnarowski dropped one of his Twitter famous “Woj bombs” hours ago, reporting that the Sacramento Kings are sending Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristian Thompson to Indiana in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, and Jeremy Lamb. This move shows us that the Kings plan to compete for a play-in spot and are “win now” mode, while the Pacers make a move to get younger and escape the purgatory that is the 4/5 seed. 

Sacramento rarely hits on their draft picks.  Tyrese Haliburton was one of their few home runs, so it was a shock to see him be dealt away like that. Playing in his 2nd year, at 21 years old, he has proven that he could be the foundational piece to a rebuild in Sacramento. The question is, how long would that rebuild take before the Kings are truly competitive? With this move, it’s hard to argue that the Kings won’t at least compete for a playoff spot, but at the same time, the ceiling just got a lot lower. It's hard to say what the King's long term expectations are, but short term, they want to be a playoff team. This franchise currently holds the longest active playoff drought and are in desperate need of a winning culture. Could this move backfire down the road? No doubt. 

Indiana had found themselves in an difficult spot after PG’s departure. The team was good every year, but never an actual threat to contend. There will be some initial regression after losing an all star caliber player in Domantas Sabonis, but the future is bright. Shortly after breaking the news of the trade, Woj also commented on Pacer's center Myles Turner and his thoughts on Tyrese coming to Indiana. Woj said, "Turner gets to play center now and appears thrilled with the idea of playing with Haliburton." What center wouldn't want to play with a playmaking guard like Tyrese, who just dished 17 assists in his last game in Sacramento?   

NBA Legend Joakim Noah Retires

Okay, NBA Legend may be a stretch, but Joakim Noah did have an outstanding NBA career that included a couple of All-Star appearance's, a Defensive Player of the Year Award, and a most impressively a 4th place finish in the 2013-14 MVP voting.

As a Bulls fan though, Noah meant so much more than the accolades. He wasn't a flashy player by any means; but you always knew he was going to play his nuts off for you, and when you play in a city like Chicago that is the easiest way to get to the people's heart. Watching him play the 2013-14 season was special. That was a middling Bulls team that quickly had the excitement of Derrick Rose's return wear off after he had to have another knee surgery that would end his return after just 10 games. That combined with Luol Deng being dealt for essentially money (shout out Jerry Reinsdorf) midseason, the exciting era of Bulls basketball that appeared to be on the horizon was dead before we could blink. Jo had other plans though, he went and had his best season as an NBA Player and led the Bulls to 48 wins. Jo put up 12.6 ppg with 11.6 boards and as one of the better passing big men in the game he put up 5.4 assists and included 4 triple doubles. The numbers just don't do Jo justice in describing how good he truly was for that team. but his production was recognized. Not only did this season lead him to be the Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA but also ended up 4th(!!!) in the MVP voting.

He wasn't the flashiest or the most skilled but no one played harder and maximized their production like Jo.

Luka Doncic GOAT convo?

Not to jump the gun, but I think Luka Doncic just surpassed LeBron James and Michael Jordan on the greatest of all time list. Dropping 43 points, grabbing 17 boards, and dishing 13 assists in a must win game 4 of the west conference first round will do that for you. But seriously, Luka is a different breed, sheeeeet he's a different culture. That "white boy," as Trez would say, is something the rest of the NBA isn't ready for. How many guards are grabbing that many boards??? I mean come on.

I'm gonna pump the breaks quick, but I just wanted to acknowledge Luka's performance today. This series could easily be 3-1, in favor of either side, but being tied 2-2 with this Clippers team puts Dallas in a good position. 

FINAL SECONDS RECAP ICYMI:

In the Clippers' last possession, they drew up a nice look for their Morris twin to hit the go ahead three off of a Kawhi drive and dish, but they left The Slovenian Sensation too much time. With a foul to give, Reggie Jackson made the vet move and fouled Luka as he bought it up forcing the Mavs to inbound the ball again with a little over 3 seconds left. Luka rubs off a screen to get open on the top left corner and hits a harden style step back 3 over Reggie Jackson to win the game for Dallas in overtime. 

NBA 2020 Mock Draft

1. Minnesota Timberwolves: LaMelo Ball (PG, USA)

The Timberwolves win the NBA lottery for the second time in 6 years and basically the 3rd time in 7 years when you consider the trade for Wiggins. KAT has turned into a high tier Center and Wiggins was flipped into the young rising star, DeAngelo Russell. I think they take the 6'7" point guard because it's about time the T-wolves have a player with some clout. There's not enough excitement in MN and the youngest Ball brother will bring plenty of that. Oh yeah, and he's a dawg on the court too. Don't screw this up, Timberwolves.

2. Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman (C, Memphis)

The Warriors dynasty was cut short by some major injuries this season. More or less, it was put on hold for a year. Next year, Steph and Klay return, and Draymond Green's bum ass couldn't play any worse than last season. With the addition of Wiggins in the middle of the season, they've put together a team that'll be similar to the 15'-16' team. (Wiggins is arguably a better Harrison Barnes, just wants more touches.) The only thing the Warriors have been missing is an elite rim protecting center. James Wiseman will provide for the Warriors what we all feared DeMarcus Cousins would bring to that super team in 2018. Except Wiseman will enter his prime with GS, rather than regress. 

3. Charlotte Hornets: Anthony Edwards (SG, Georgia)

I'm definitely tweaking for having someone this good fall to no. 3, but I seriously don't think this draft class has a clear cut no.1 pick like previous classes have had. The Hornets need literally everything. They've been directionless for years, and unfortunately I don't know that anyone in this class is changing or saving this organization. But I do think that Anthony Edwards is a good start. With a Donovan Mitchell floor and a D-Wade ceiling, I'm exited to see Edwards' career pan out.

4. Chicago Bulls: Deni Avdija (SF, Israel) 

Congrats to Chicago for jumping out of the purgatory that is the 7th pick in the NBA Draft. Hiring Karnisovas as the new VP of basketball operations and firing Jim Boylen is a good start for Chicago digging its way out of their situation. We'll see what other moves they make, but drafting 4th helps. Deni Avdija is a lot like Toni Kukoc in the way that he plays big but is also a playmaker. He would compliment Lavine well. We'll probably see the Bulls projected 7th in the 2021 NBA Draft too.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Onyeka Okongwu (PF/C, USC)

Onyeka is everything I thought Cam Lard was at Iowa State. Wait my readers aren't familiar with CAMERON LARD?? Whatever, undersized centers with explosive offensive abilities. He doesn't stretch the floor too much, but he has the ability to get himself to the rack with ease. Cleveland's situation is similar to the Hornets. I'm sure they're still riding the high of the days with LeBron. I don't blame them, but eventually they'll have to bring in some new talent that can make a run in the east. I like their combination of young pieces and vets, but they still have a ways to go.

6. Atlanta Hawks: Tyrese Haliburton (PG, Iowa State)

I'm so fuckin biased lmfao. I haven't seen a mock draft with him going above 9th, but no please bare with me here, hear me out... Haliburton is the second best guard in this draft. Lamelo is the flashy pick, Tyrese is the SAFE pick. One thing Haliburton does exceptionally is protect and distribute the rock. His A/TO  ratio at ISU was near 5/1. A 6'5" playmaker to play alongside an elite scoring point guard in Trae Young could be a nasty combo. It's optimistic, but this is MY mock draft jerks. 

7. Detroit Pistons: Cole Anthony (PG, UNC)

I don't even think Cole Anthony is good but here we are. Pistons: you're stuck with him. He's short and ugly. I actually know two people who had that same take on Trae Young and look how wrong they were. I assume I'm wrong about Cole too. 

8. New York Knicks: Killian Hayes (PG, France)

I, like many other NBA scouts, have seen very little of Killian Hayes. Apparently he only played in ten games this year and there isn't much footage of him. Except the reason I haven't seen him is because I'm too ignorant to watch guys not playing in NCAA basketball games and also I'm not a fucking scout. But I have read that he averaged 7 ppg in a professional league at 17 years old. He's also a 6'5" ball handler and idk he just screams Knicks to me. I wanted to mock up the Knicks taking a PF so bad, but alas, I'll give them a guard.

9. Washington Wizards: RJ Hampton (PG, USA)

I wonder when the Wizards will move on from their all star duo of Beal and Wall. I definitely think this draft will find them at least a temporary point guard replacement. It's hard to guess what John Wall's career will look like once he returns, so whoever Washington drafts could find themselves being a longterm solution. From watching highlights, RJ is noticeably faster than everyone on the court fwiw. He's also young and tall. The NBA loves young and tall.

10. Phoenix Suns: Isaac Okoro (SF, Auburn)

Okuru is a bit undersized for a forward but he might be the most athletic player in this class. I'm probably sleeping on his potential a little bit to have him falling to 10, but I like his fit in Phoenix. He'd be a solid role player right away with some Derrick Jones Jr. potential. Maybe not THAT explosive, but that play style. 

11. San Antonio Spurs: Obi Toppin (PF, Dayton)

Obi will not fall to 11th. I don't even know how this happened in my mock. BUT IF HE DOES, Spurs are taking best available. 

12. Sacramento Kings: Precious Achiuwa (PF, Memphis)

The Kings are so close to escaping the lottery. DeAaron Fox and Buddy Hield are such a solid back court, and with some solid role players they are a legit threat to sneak into the west playoffs. Unfortunately, the west is stacked per usual, and even the young teams are starting to come together. Will be interesting to see who makes the developmental jump between Sacramento, Phoenix, New Orleans, and Memphis. 

13. New Orleans Pelicans: Tyrese Maxey (SG, Kentucky) 

Ditto to my Kings analysis. Maxey would fit nicely as a scoring guard with more of a Lou Williams role. 

14. Boston Celtics: Devin Vassell (SG, Florida State)

How the hell is Boston in the lottery every single year. I feel like we're living in someone's 2k simulation. 

This Absolute Legend Is Back On His Bullshit:

 

    Take a good long look at the picture. This man is our new overlord, and a champion of reasonable men everywhere. This absolute legend's name is Elliot Shorr-Parks and folks, I guess we should start calling him Elliot Whore-Barks, because he's got women barking in pleasure after he lays down that A1 hog game on them. This is the face of a man that would cuck you with your girlfriend, and there's nothing you can do about it. But that's besides the point, yesterday ESP tweeted that: 

 "I could maybe score a touchdown. I could luck into a home run. I could probably get two points in an NBA game. I could play hundreds of games of hockey and never, ever score a goal. It looks impossible."

    This is the time of things I would say in the middle of a Bipolar break from reality. In between feverishly researching the clearcut links between the small business owner that declined my month expired coupon for $1 off a sandwich and Jeffrey Epstein, and forgetting that my toilet is clogged before shitting in it, I would also probably say a similar thing as ESP. 

There seems to be a running trend of people thinking they're more athletic and more talented than they are. The average person could maybe, and I say MAYBE get a base hit off of a major league pitcher. Over 162 games and an average of 4 at bats a game, I think that enough people could time it up well enough by game 90-95 to throw their bat across the strike zone to put a tiny little single over the 2nd baseman. But no one, especially not the Notorious ESP could actually expect to put enough of a whack on a journeyman relievers slider to hit it 350 feet over the fence. There's no chance of the home run, but I respect the effort.

Next, I don't believe he could score a touchdown either. ESP probably thinks that he could punch in a 1 yard touchdown out of a goal line set, because he'd never get off the line against any NFL Corner. Regardless, I think that he'd probably get mashed into a pile of dust by a blitzing Khalil Mack, and he'd be out of the game with a broken neck pretty soon. People forget how strong NFL players are, and even from the one, this little slut isn't reaching pay dirt.

Lastly we have the NBA. ESP thinks he can get a bucket, and I don't hate the optimism. 82 games, all he has to do is be left open enough once for the ball to go through the basket. But so much of the NBA is about getting open, and even the laziest of defenders are going to be locking up ESP. You can almost guarantee that he's not getting the ball, so if you lock him down, you get to spend less energy on defense. Even if he did get the ball, the shot is getting blocked before it even releases out of his hand. No chance our 5'7 manlet is getting the ball over Brandon Clarke's outstretched arms, much less Giannis or Anthony Davis coming to close out. I guess if you gave him 10 open 3's a game, he may make 1 or 2 in a season.

I would actually say the NHL is the easiest to score a goal in, because if he gets knocked unconscious, it's easier for his NHL teammates to bank in an empty netter off of the size of this lads forehead. Corralling it against the boards? Nah, throw it off this asshole's landing strip of a forehead and call it a day.

Sorry Elliot, you may be the big swinging dick of beat writing twitter, you may be up to your neck in hot snatch, and you may be cucking me, but you will NEVER be an athletic success in any major sports league. You dumb bitch.

NBA PLAYOFFS: Predicting the West

We get playoff basketball tomorrow we get playoff basketball tomorrow we get playoff basketball tomorrow we get... Holy hell, those eight regular season games took forever but the NBA playoffs are finally here and in new fashion? That's right baby the Western Conference starts the playoffs tomorrow with a playin game between the Trailblazers and Grizzlies. If the Blazers win, they earn the 8th playoff spot while the Grizzlies need to to win against Portland twice to earn the spot. Two teams with losing records battling it out to get swept by the Lakers gives off major March Madness energy. 

Quick RIP to the Suns. 8-0 wasn't enough.

FIRST ROUND:

Alright so based on our Average at Best fan poll, 0% of our followers want to see Memphis as the 8th seed so for round one we have: Lakers vs. Trailblazers. As I mentioned previously, neither team is going to take down LeBron and AD in round one. There was so much hype riding on three mediocre teams (which don't get me wrong, I love the hype) when in reality the eighth seeds have advanced to the second round only five times since the 1983-84 season. That being said, a Blazers 8th seed seems better than your average 8th seed. Coming off a WCF trip in 2019 and with the star power of Dame, Portland is a sneaky team. 

Prediction: Lakers 4-1 

One of my favorite matchups in the playoffs is this 4 vs. 5 in the west: Rockets vs. Thunder. Everyone is aware of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston and officially started the Thunder's rebuild, but everyone doesn't consider... The thunder finished with the same record as the Rockets and right behind in the standings. People were writing off the Thunder as Chris Paul's gravestone where he would spend the last few years of his career in Oklahoma with a tanking team. People were wrong. I am people. The Thunder will be able to create mismatches for the Rockets' size (like literally every other team) but I don't see them outplaying Brodie and the Beard. 

Prediction: Rockets 4-2 

This next series holds near and dear to my heart. We got the Nuggets vs. Jazz. Both teams have third tier all stars with the exception that Nikola Jokic could be a tier two guy. (might fuck around with tiermaker to explain my opinion there) But, you know what else both teams have? That's right, an Iowa State alumni playing in a meaningful role. Denver's Monte Morris is one of the better backup point guards in the league and Utah's Georges Niang is an excellent offensive threat at the 4 or 3 position. 

Prediction: Nuggets 4-1

One of the best 2 vs 7 matchups I've seen in awhile: Clippers vs. Mavericks. This series has everything. Elite star-power, explosive scorers, lock down defenders, and maybe even Kawhi's laughter. Luka and Kristaps are comfortably in the top 6 for PPG in the bubble, although their 3-5 bubble record wouldn't show it. The Clippers did not impress in their eight games either, but it's hard to doubt Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. No fuck that, I'm doubting them and the entire Clippers organization. This is the best season the Clippers franchise has ever had and after a first round exit, they'll be rebranding and relocating. 

Prediction: Mavericks 4-3 

JIM BOYLEN FIRED AS HEAD COACH OF THE CHICAGO BULLS

OFFICIAL: Boylen relieved as Bulls head coach.

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 14, 2020

 

The entire city of Chicago right now @barstoolchicago pic.twitter.com/0tjQVIfuA1 https://t.co/C1nqGVO9ku

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 14, 2020

When the Bulls brought in Arturas Karnisovas on board in April to head up the Basketball Operations of the Bulls, I think just about everyone and their brother expected Boylen to be removed from his position swiftly along with all the other changes that happened around the front office, that did not happen. Instead, the front office underwent sweeping changes and Boylen remained put. As the saga dragged on throughout the summer we heard Boylen release a couple of statements all along the lines of him saying he would be "blindsided" if he was let go as head coach.

These same sentiments were echoed in reports that Jim Boylen has had full support from ownership and Jon Paxson (who isn't making basketball decisions anymore). This made me about 99.7% sure Boylen's toe head would be back strolling the sidelines next year. Well we found out this morning I was dead wrong, Jim Boylen has officially been let go by the Chicago Bulls and I think this is probably Zach Lavine when he woke up and heard the news.

Bulls fans rn: pic.twitter.com/ie4aJDLp2Z

— p (@pg13sav) August 14, 2020

With Boylen now gone it feels like all the STINK from the Gar/Pax era has officially been washed away, AK now gets the opportunity to go through a real hiring process and pick his own guy for the job.

Arturas Karnisovas makes the change on Boylen and will start a search right away for his replacement. Among many expected to be considered: Denver assistant Wes Unseld, Jr., former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson; Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin; Bucks assistant Darvin Ham. https://t.co/SxGYny4Biy

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 14, 2020

Woj mentions these four names here and there will be a blog later on detailing each candidate and who my preferred selection would be for the job. Until then, I need to go wilt away in corporate America for the next 6 hours. Go Bulls. 

NBA: Race for the 8 seed

"Put some respect on my name." These were Dame's words last night in the bubble after dropping 61 points in a win versus the Mavs. With 61 last night and 51 the night before, Damian Lillard joins a short list of NBA stars who have scored 112 or more points in a 2 game window. (Jordan, Harden, & Kobe are the others.) After moving to 9th on the list of most 50 point individual performances, Lillard and the Blazers also moved up to 8th in the western conference standings surpassing the Grizzlies and moving a half game ahead of them and the Suns. 

When the Grizzlies entered the bubble, the eight seed was theirs to lose. Despite the Grizzlies temporary lead in the standings, the talk around the NBA was about the excitement of seeing Zion in the playoffs, Dame time vs. King James, or Coach Popp's Spurs playing as the eighth seed. (The Spurs were a stretch, I just like DeMar DeRozan.) Surprisingly, there was no buzz around the clear cut ROTY, Ja Morant, taking on LeBron's Lakers in the first round. We'll see if being counted out creates extra motivation for Memphis as they play their final regular season bubble game against the Bucks tomorrow in an obvious must-win match up.

As for being counted out, the Phoenix Suns have been the afterthought of the NBA for this entire decade. Yet, here are they are sitting at 7-0 since the NBA restart on July 31st. The eighth seed is still such a long shot for Phoenix, but they have put themselves in a position to attain it. Whether they make the playoffs or not, what the Suns are doing is important for their future and Devin Booker's NBA career path*. 

*I agree with Dray, free D-Book!!!!

**Except I want him in Minnesota playing with KAT and D-Lo 

***Minnesota is arguably as bad/ worse than Phoenix historically 

https://t.co/laqxDLrXpD

Who do we want to see in the 8th seed for the Western Conference?

— Average at Best (@_AverageBest) August 12, 2020

"Player Health Matters, But So Do Dollars" - Adam Silver

In wake of recent COVID-19 surges across the country, specifically in Florida where the NBA restart is scheduled to occur, Adam Silver held a conference call to discuss the leagues return to play policy and if there were any growing concerns regarding the restart. Unfortunately, I was not able to get on the call, as I am not credentialed and this blog is not big enough for the NBA (or anyone) to recognize it's existence. Fortunately, for someone like myself, I am very well connected in the media and have lots of friends that were able to get me looped into the call through some back channeling and secret deals. Once the call was concluded I was able to use my boyish charm and sweet good looks to get Mr. Silver to stay on the line for a 1 on 1 interview with me. I said it was off the record but here I am recording it; good thing I didn't have credentials anyways.

"Mr. Silver thanks for joining me today, I just wanted to start off by asking straight up, is there a real risk that the season may have to be canceled?" - Jake

"Please Heywood (I was going by my alias, Heywood Jablome) call me Adam. While we have seen a large uptick in cases of COVID-19 in Florida, we are still planning to move forward with our July 30th start date. We feel we have strong safety measures to make the restart as safe as possible for the players and personnel involved." - AS

I then went on to ask what exact measures the league was going to take, just outside of the players being locked in a bubble away from human civilizations for potentially up to 3 months. 

"Thanks Heywood, what a great and well thought out question. To start we will be testing every other day and conducting anti-body tests every 2 weeks. In addition to this, if a player was to test positive they will need to quarantine for 14 days and will not be cleared to play again until they test negative twice. This will work out great because these guys definitely ARE NOT confined to a bubble and showering together daily. Finally, we will mandating that each player and member of team personnel wear a "smart ring". This ring will be able to detect temperature, sleeping pattern, breathing rate, etc. We hope that these will help up recognize players that may be at risk to testing positive up to three days in advance. They were definitely not recommended by Daryl Morey to track if James Harden is going to the strip club. The last thing we want to do is track and control our players whereabouts and behavior. *wink*" - AS

Trevor Ariza, Avery Bradley, and Davis Bertans have come out and said recently that they will not be joining their teams in the bubble; and we assume more players will be following their lead soon. I asked Adam if there is a concern about more players deciding not to play.

"No there really isn't. I truly feel that players will be deterred from not playing due to fear of getting chastised by Kendrick Perkins on 'Get Up'. Silver would go on to say, "Look, I understand players not wanting to play but if they don't LeBron told me that they 100% would not be invited on the banana boat ever in their lives. That is a valid enough threat to bring the good players back to the floor in my opinion."

It was at this point Adam told me he soon would have to hop off to wax his head for an appearance on ESPN, but he had time for one more question. I asked what he would tell the critics that felt that the season was being rushed or forced in a time where the current pandemic does not seem to be under control.

"I would tell them that obviously the players health matters, but so do the dollars in everyones pockets. I don't mean the millions it would make the owners and the league and our TV networks; but also the players. So while it may seem forced to get the league back on the floor, at the end of the day we are just trying to get as much out of this season, not only in terms of finances, but also to crown a champion and complete the season as legitimately as possible ... but also make more money."

It will be interesting to see how the league responds to the uptick in cases, there is still a month to tell but I know Adam Silver (and the bank accounts) seem excited to get the ball rolling.