NFL
By: Greg Rector
Joel Embid 101
As in 101 points in two games for the Sixers’ big man over the weekend in wins over the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz, Philadelphia led by those two huge nights are back to being a .500 team. Have they figured out their keys to being a consistent group on the floor? When Joel Embid is playing this well it’s an impressive sight.
Better in Brooklyn
In someone’s forced absence and with a new permanent head coach in Jaque Vaughn, the Nets have looked better. Getting Seth Curry back has been huge for Brooklyn. Curry is a “glue guy,” the player that makes everyone else settle down and leads by example.
On Fire
The Washington Wizards sit at 8-6 and are riding a 4-game winning streak. The last three of those wins have come against Western Conference powerhouses in Dallas, Utah, and Memphis. Wes Unseld Jr has his guys playing very well. If Porzingis can avoid the injury bug they are not fun to play against. They are joining the Jazz on the list of surprise teams so far.
Moaning in Minnesota
On the other end of the surprise teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves paid a heavy price to acquire Rudy Gobert, they weren’t expecting to sit two games below .500, and simply put they don’t look good at all as a group. Karl Anthony Towns is struggling on the defensive end playing as a 4. De’Angelo Russell can’t buy a basket as well. The Timberwolves need to solve their issues soon.
Fox On The Run
De’Aaron Fox is leading the young Sacramento Kings and thanks to his recent hot streak the Cavaliers, Lakers, and Warriors have all fallen to a determined bunch. Getting Kevin Huerter was a very good move for them along with Damontas Sabonis and rookie Keegan Murray. Fox is the engine for this team though and he has relished being just that.
Who Pulls The Trigger
I don’t think we will be waiting very long this season for trades to take place. There are too many teams with obvious issues and in this climate of players who will express their frustrations openly (Hello Anthony Davis) the pressure to shake up rosters is going to grow especially in some of the bigger markets. Lakers and Knicks fans are unhappy, there is an obvious need in Dallas for someone who can help Luka Doncic, Toronto has suddenly got health and rotation issues. The number one team that should be getting calls for players is likely the Oklahoma City Thunder. I don’t see a Shai Gilgeous – Alexander blockbuster coming, though I could see another Canadian in Luguentz Dort, drawing interest. Still plenty of talk surrounding the Indiana Pacers duo of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. Anthony Davis for one would love to have Turner so he can return to playing the 4 and be more of the rover that he’s comfortable with.
Parity Abounds
There’s no sure thing this season as in most years. You can’t look at the scoreboard on any night and not see at least one surprising score and more often than not there are two or three of them. I talked about that on the NBS Spaces for the NBA season outlook and still feel we’re headed to seeing teams bunched together record-wise all year long. The talent disparity has shrunk and that’s a real positive to see.
Coaching Hot Seat
Stephen Silas with a 2-13 record has to be feeling the pressure in Houston, along with Dwayne Casey in Detroit sitting at 3-11. At this point, I think Casey would be the first of those two to go. We shall see. That’s the “Quick Hits,: around the association for this week.
