NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
It’s been 0 hours and days since the NBA had some sort of drama or jaw-dropping play. The NBA Cup comes to an end as the Bucks face the Thunder in what should be a fun matchup of two teams looking to send a message as well as spark a run. The topic of NBA ratings falling is not going away anytime soon. We go courtside, and I hit you with my three weekly headlines that have caught my attention this week.
Are You Watching?
I won’t throw a bunch of numbers at you about the ratings dips, but I will share the two that matter. 11- years, 76 billion dollars that is how much the media partners paid for the rights to show games with the new media deal. Everyone thinks they know the answer: the regular season is too long, players jump teams too much, and load management. The social justice focus has turned away the league’s conservative fans. Even the subject of effort from the players that do suit up has been brought up. Remember when Joel Embiid, one of the faces of the league, said he would never play the second game of a back-to-back? Could it be that since players don’t seem to care about the regular season, the fans are doing the same? Could this be much to do about nothing, and we wait to see if the playoff ratings take a dip? That is when the games matter, right? I am off my job every Sunday for 17 weeks because every game matters in the NFL, and I watch my beloved Yankees here and there during the season but never miss a playoff game. Should the league consider a shorter season? I’ve heard the rumbling about the best players being from outside the USA, so people tune it out, I call BS on that since I can rattle off 25 American-born players who can ball out. The last thing, and the one that gives me major “Old man yelling at clouds” vibes, is the style of play. When did we become the get-off-my-lawn types? I grew up with ’90s hoops of guys having to take life insurance policies to go into the lane, and the midrange game was king. Now in the era of I want to be Steph Curry, everyone is jacking up three-pointers, even players who know damn well they shouldn’t be. This leads to ugly games where we watch guys get cardio while laying enough bricks to build a new arena. What do YOU think is making fans tune out?
Is Jimmy Leaving Miami?
After leading the Heat to two NBA Finals, could Jimmy Butler’s time in South Beach be coming to an end? And if so, where would he go? Rumors are all over the internet, and one quick scroll down the timeline will have your head spinning. The Warriors refuse to let their championship window close, the Suns are seeing that Bradley Beal in street clothes has been a common theme, and is there a sleeper team? One thing about Pat Riley and the Heat is they will not be bullied into a rush job IF they move Butler. The idea of Jimmy teaming up with KD and Book excites me a lot more than Beal. He dragged the Heat to the finals twice, true, BUT the road in the west is so much rougher that it will be a true challenge. A move to the Warriors on the financial side doesn’t make much sense for the Heat. This upcoming NBA trade deadline should be BUSY, with some real names moving and changing the landscape of teams. I am here for all of it.
So, About The Lakers.
Sitting at 14-12 in 10th place out west, the Lakers look a lot like the team from last season, don’t they? Add LeBron and even Bronny to the list of names that could be on the move, now, how much do we believe that I will let you decide. Has Father Time finally caught up with the legend who missed games due to personal reasons? Went through a 0-for-20 run from deep and looked well old. JJ Reddick was seen by some as the 2nd coming of Phil Jackson after a few games, and now those same people have gone into witness protection. What does the team need? I think the following could bring some juice to the Lake show.
*A really tough center who can bang with the big boys
* An athletic guard who can also play solid D
* In today’s NBA, a three and D wing who fits with Bron and AD.
Every year, there is talk about who is buying and who is selling, this is the last year of AD and Bron together, so it makes sense for the Lakers to make moves to give them an honest shot to make one final run as a duo.
Swing back next week for another edition of Courtside Chronicles and drop some comments on what you think about my three topics and your own. As always, find me on X @JoeCardoso301.
