MVP WATCH
It’s back! A weekly compilation of the top five candidates for the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. Weekly averages in parenthesis:
1) Giannis Antetokounmpo (38.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 5 apg; .672 FG, .750 FT): Let’s just say I’m feeling pretty, pretty good (Larry David voice) about the preseason Giannis MVP prediction.
2) Anthony Davis (34 ppg, 17.5 rpg, 1 bpg; .545 FG, .727 FT): Extreme Browage out of the gate.
3) James Harden (27.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 8.7 apg; .444 FG, .867 FT): Back to the Future for the Rockets with Chris Paul out indefinitely — “The Beard” on the ball.
4) LeBron James (25 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 6.3 apg; .600 FG, .917 FT):Still causing poor Kyrie Irving all kinds of agita.
5) John Wall (27 ppg, 4 rpg, 9 apg; .450 FG, .850 FT): Calling his 2017-18 campaign the “wolf season.” Which is…fine.
BY THE NUMBERS
17 — Consecutive games the Magic had lost to Cleveland before breaking the streak Saturday in a surprisingly dominant 114-93 road win at the Q. Orlando’s losing streak even predated LeBron James’s return to Cleveland; the Magic’s last win over the Cavs was on Nov. 23, 2012. And Orlando’s 37-game lead over the Cavs in the fourth quarter marked just the second time since 2012 that a team was up by 37 points on Cleveland; Golden State accomplished the feat on Jan. 18, 2016.
828 — Career games for newly signed Pelicans guard Jameer Nelson, picked up by New Orleans after Denver waived the 35-year-old guard last week.
6-7.23 — Average height of a player in the NBA this season, per the league’s annual roster survey, released Friday. According to the league’s calculations, the average NBA player weighs 220.45 pounds, is 26.56 years old and has played 4.77 years in the league. The player that most resembles those averages, according to the league, is Milwaukee forward Tony Snell.
I’M FEELIN’ …
1) Eric Bledsoe to the Knicks. Courtney Lee to the Sixers; Jerryd Bayless to the Suns. Jahlil Okafor to Phoenix. Does this not make sense for everyone involved?
2) I would completely back Mark Cuban’s Lottery proposal that, unfortunately, he didn’t officially put on the table for the league’s Board of Governors at its meeting last month. “Worst and You’re Third” is a great anti-tanking solution, and frankly, it’s better than the one that Cuban actually did propose. Owners are never going to get rid of the Draft because the Rookie Scale artificially depresses salaries for so long; if you get an impact player right away, you basically get at least close to half of his playing prime for sub-market value. That’s a return on investment that is too good to give back. But the notion that finishing with the worst record is not only of no value, but will end up hurting your chances in the Draft is a great idea. It could potentially change everything; instead of bad teams giving away their best players at the trade deadline to enhance their odds of finishing last, bad teams might actually become buyers and try to make a playoff run. And there’s absolutely no downside to that for anyone.
3) Grindfather, getting me all up in my feelings.
4) Marshawn Lynch, American Treasure.
NOT FEELIN’ …
1) It’s so awful when a player’s season ends before it really begins. You remember when it happens — Nene in 2005, Julius Randle in 2015. And we’ll unfortunately remember this awful first week of the season, when Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Lin went down with horrific season-ending injuries in Game 1.
2) I can tell you that the Warriors love them some Jordan Bell. Which, again, makes the Bulls’ decision to agree to trade his rights to the Warriors on Draft night beyond perplexing. Chicago isn’t exactly lousy with talent these days, and the franchise is among the most profitable in the league; as I said in June, the Bulls didn’t need the $3.5 million they got from Golden State in the deal. Didn’t make sense then; doesn’t make sense now.
3) Not sure what the deal is with Markelle Fultz’s shoulder,but the free throw form … yikes.
