Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Michael Wallace have been covering the NBA
since shorts were short and socks were long, but their opinions about the League
don’t always mesh. #IMHO is their weekly chance to weigh in on the most
pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week
right here.
From: Lang Whitaker Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 9:30 AM To: Michael
Wallace Subject: #IMHO
Man down! So we’re barely at the one-quarter mark of the season and we had our
first coach fired on Monday, when the Chicago Bulls relieved Fred Hoiberg of his
duties. (And considering their start, I bet he really was relieved.) It had been
a long season for the Bulls, that resulted in more than a few reactions such as
this from Hoiberg:
Congratulations to Fred Hoiberg on his newfound liberation from the Chicago
Bulls. Enjoy the $25 million severance. pic.twitter.com/A8BnIATcBM
It’s wild to think that Hoiberg started three years ago as the coach of a team
with Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler… and now all of them are gone.
(And Noah’s here in Memphis!)
But where are the Bulls today? I guess they are rebuilding around young players
like Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. But I’d
argue they still don’t have a superstar, and none of these guys have shown that
they’re on the path to becoming a superstar. So who is the right long-term coach
for them and where they stand right now? I’d suggest maybe a coach with college
experience who could develop their younger players, but they just fired a coach
with college experience who could develop the younger players.
Looking at these Bulls, what’s their path forward?
From: Michael Wallace Sent: Tuesday, December 4, 2018 10:53 AM To: Lang
Whitaker Subject: RE: #IMHO
That last question you just raised underscores the crux of the problem in
Chicago. The Bulls have not had a clear path forward for some time. They’ve been
all over the place in recent years under Gar Forman and John Paxson. The
coaching philosophy and the roster have never blended on one accord. As a wise
man once said, it’s been like having peanut butter, no jelly. Kool-aide, no
sugar. Hoiberg hasn’t done anything to distinguish himself. But he was forced
into a bad spot as a young coach taking over a scarred veteran group. Then the
Bulls traded vets to go relatively young, only to reverse course again and sign
an aging Dwyane Wade and an irritable Rajon Rondo. Then, they blew that roster
up a year after that to get here. Eight years ago, this was the No. 1 seed in
the East as a 62-win team. The fall-off has been steady, frustrating and lacking
direction for some time. A fresh start from top to bottom might be the only
solution.
Lang, I’m a sucker for a good story and a heartfelt message. In a day when most
commercials are either outrageously corny or simply white noise to me, I find
myself stopping what I’m doing every time to watch and embrace that Nike
commercial with Kyrie Irving and his dad playing one-on-one inside an empty
Boston Garden…
It resonates deeply because it takes me back to playing my pops, who once
actually had a tryout with the Bullets way back in the day. As a teenager, there
was no greater accomplishment then than when I actually got over the hump at 15
and beat him for the first time. That first W improved my record against him to,
like, 1-97. But I felt like a champ. I felt like Kyrie. If I could beat Pops, I
could beat anybody. Which hoops commercial hit you the deepest?
From: Lang Whitaker Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 4:53 PM To: Michael
Wallace Subject: #IMHO
Well, to be honest, there’s one hoops commercial I’m particularly partial
toward, especially the terrific actors who play the announcers…
The other hoops commercials that jumped out from my memory were the Converse
Weapon spot where all the guys rapped…
The McDonald’s spot with Larry and Michael playing HORSE…
And I was telling someone the other day about this old Vince Carter ad where he
danced down the street…
But the spot that always really gave me the feels was this TNT promo where they
mashed up generations to show that as much as the game has changed, it’s still
really the same.
(Also, my main takeaway from your last question is that I’ve spent way too much
time watching TV over the years.)
As we hit the quarter pole of the NBA season, the Western Conference is
basically one big log jam. Of the 15 teams in the West, 14 of them are with 5.5
games of each other. But of course we all know only 8 teams make the postseason.
Right now, there are six teams on the outside looking in (Kings, Pelicans,
Timberwolves, Spurs, Rockets, Jazz). If you had to make a choice today, which
one of those six teams would you say is going to be a lock to climb up into the
postseason picture by the end of the season? As for me, I’ll go with the
Rockets, because they’ve been too bad for too long this season, and we know GM
Daryl Morey won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on a deal if it comes to that.
And with defensive coordinator Jeff Bzdelik back in the fold, they have to get
things figured out before long, right?
From: Michael Wallace Sent: Wednesday, December 5, 2018 9:03 AM To: Lang
Whitaker Subject: #IMHO
The Rockets are a great choice, and I certainly see them recovering from this
spell and getting into the playoff picture. But I feel most strongly about the
Jazz. Of all the teams you list, Utah is probably the only one that’s not going
through a bit of an identity crisis. We’ll get a good chance to see the Jazz and
Rockets tonight in the national TNT nightcap. There have been so many moving
parts with the Rockets, Pelicans, Spurs and T’Wolves, and the Kings are learning
who they are in the midst of an internal power struggle. The Jazz defend, are
usually a dominant team at home and have a structured approach to how they
operate. Sure, they’ve stumbled from the gate, but it feels just like that – a
stumble. Eventually, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and Co. will
regain their solid stride and get back to being the Western Conference headache
they’ve been for opponents.
Let’s roll out on this one, Lang. LeBron James comes to town Saturday for his
first visit with the Lakers. This week, he’s had to respond to some critiques
from Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant about his workload and do-everything style of
play. I’ve said from jump that I think LeBron underestimated how much of a wide
shadow in the court of public opinion Magic and Kobe would cast when he joined
the Lakers. There’s nothing LeBron can do in L.A. that Magic or Kobe hadn’t
already done, and he’ll likely never be as revered in Lakers lore the way those
two are. At the end of the day, LeBron knows what he’s doing and has
individually dominated the league for a decade. But is his skin thick enough to
keep taking the high road? Or will he eventually have to tell Magic, Kobe and
Luke Walton, “Chill, I’ve got this.”
From: Lang Whitaker Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2018 10:03 AM To: Michael
Wallace Subject: #IMHO
Well, what’s he got? As I write this, the Lakers are 5 games over .500 and in
fifth place in the Western Conference. Last season, the Lake Show finished a
dozen games under .500 and in 11th place in the Western Conference. For a team
that’s already had a couple of injuries to deal with and is still heavily
reliant on younger/developing players, it seems to me the Lakers are in a pretty
good place!
But then, I’m not a Lakers fan. And there’s a certain sense of Lakers
exceptionalism that exists in Southern California, in part because of guys like
Magic and Kobe, who set and reached impossibly high standards year after year.
What’s a reasonable expectation for this Lakers team? In the mighty Western
Conference, I’d think just making the playoffs would be quite an accomplishment.
But then, I’m not a Lakers fan.
As for your original question, I don’t know any athlete with thicker skin than
LeBron. He’s shown again and again LeBron is willing to publicly state his
opinion and deal with the backlash, all the way up to the executive branch, so I
don’t think the opinions of a few former players will make much difference. King
James is in Los Angeles: the weather’s nice; Bronny’s dunking in high school
games; media mogul deals are being made; the Lakers are in the playoff hunt.
Hey, it’s a wonderful life.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis
Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Lang Whitaker and Michael Wallace are
solely their own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its
Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors.
Their sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and they have no special
access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being
an NBA accredited member of the media.
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