We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
It seems like the Pelicans’ 30-point home loss to the Magic -- a game in which Anthony Davis was probably worse than he has ever been in the NBA -- broke something in the local feelings on the fugue state of the franchise. Oleh Kosel at The Bird Writes suggests that something has to give and Davis can’t suit up for the Pelicans any more. Scott Kushner of The Advocate writes that the NBA either needs to let the Pels sit Davis for the sake of the fans or that the Pels need to disobey the NBA on this and face whatever consequences are levied.
I don’t get any of this.
Do Pelicans fans expect the NBA to let the team sit Davis and outright tank for the rest of the season? Why? Because they feel badly because the superstar they landed by being really terrible in the right year is saying goodbye at some point in the near future? Are the Pels feeling entitled to be as awful as possible because they are heartbroken?
The Pelicans have Anthony Davis because they tanked -- in other words, because they were as bad as they could be for a season. Now they are sad that Davis is asking to leave, so they want special permission to tank -- to be as bad as they can be for the rest of the season -- again. Is that right?
The Pelicans knew what they had to do to tank this season: they needed to trade Davis before the deadline or convince him behind the scenes that he was too injured to play the rest of the season. They failed at both. They knew this is what would happen if they failed. No surprises here. If the Pelicans’ front office is surprised, well ... is anyone surprised? The same general manager has run this team since before Anthony Davis was drafted. You’d think some of this ire might be focused on his botched plan to build a contender around the All-NBA superstar he tripped into.
I understand that watching Davis play out the string must be highly alienating. Yes, watching Jahlil Okafor and the gang lose is probably more heartening than watching Davis and the gang lose. In a strange way -- strange in all the ways fandom is strange -- it makes sense. But this is what the Pelicans signed up for when they didn’t trade Davis at the deadline but otherwise opted out of the playoff chase. Be mad at them. Don’t expect the NBA to change the rules to benefit a team that benefited from the NBA’s perverse incentives in the first place.
Scores
Nets 148, Cavaliers 139 (3OT)
Bucks 106, Pacers 97
Pistons 110, Celtics 118
Sixers 126, Knicks 111
Wizards 120, Raptors 129
Grizzlies 110, Bulls 122
Rockets 111, Timberwolves 121
Heat 112, Mavericks 101
Kings 118, Nuggets 120
Warriors 107, Blazers 129
Suns 107, Clippers 134
Schedule
Get-away Thursday. Last real NBA games for a week. All times Eastern. Games on League Pass unless otherwise noted.
Hornets at Magic, 7
Knicks at Hawks, 7:30
Thunder at Pelicans, 8, TNT
Links
A six-question quiz to determine which NBA Slam Dunk Contest dunk you are. I, of course, am the Birthday Cake Dunk. That’s how you know this quiz is infallible.
Luke Walton is safe. Uh huh.
I wrote about how the Lakers are now in a huge pickle with the Davis sweepstakes.
Ooh, Marc Spears asked dunk contest champs how they would improve the event.
Love the Hawks’ little touches on their NBA Jam-inspired scoreboard.
A profile of the heroes behind Basketball-Reference (and the other Sports-Reference sites).
Shea Serrano’s Disrespectful Dunk Index is back!
A reporter uses an anonymous source from the Celtics to complain about her/his conspiracy theory that an anonymous source leaking a rumor to a reporter about Kyrie Irving being interested in the Knicks or Lakers was actually someone from Klutch Sports. Here’s a thought. If you’re really peeved and really confident in your theory, go on the record. Folks are inclined to believe the worst of Rich Paul right now. But all you’re doing whispering s--t to reporters is furthering the cycle.
LeBron wants to follow MJ’s footsteps and own an NBA franchise.
And finally: a lovely piece by Renae and Joe Ingles on their son Jacob’s autism diagnosis. Conversations about these deeply personal realities are hard but healthy for the broader society. Kudos to Renae and Joe for exposing their personal lives for the greater good.
Be excellent to each other.