NFL
By: Greg Rector
Missing In Action
Another week in the NBA is upon us. The Warriors will be without Steph Curry for about a month with a shoulder injury and to the surprise of no one the Lakers Anthony Davis will also miss at least the next month with a right foot injury. Tough to see the big names go out especially when it will be long-term.
New Leaders
The Memphis Grizzlies took over the Western Conference lead while the Milwaukee Bucks did the same in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks will also get Joe Ingles (ACL), back this week. He is expected to debut against the Pelicans.
As Cold As Ice
No, not the Foreigner song, instead it’s the Washington Wizards who have dropped ten straight games. They were one game above the .500 mark prior to the losing streak. Plenty of trade talk from both the fanbase and the media pundits for Washington. The player most often getting mentioned is Kyle Kuzma. The Charlotte Hornets are also on a 7 game losing streak. Can’t we all agree that as great as he was as a player Michael Jordan’s ownership has been an abysmal failure?
New York New York
On the opposite end of the scale, these days are the two teams in New York City. The Brooklyn Nets (6 Ws) and New York Knicks (7 Ws), are both sizzling right now. Saw the Nets twice this week and while the big two are doing what’s expected of them in Brooklyn the supporting cast has improved, with Joe Harris contributing for the Nets after struggling early on. The Knicks meanwhile have been very efficient in their seven wins. Can they sustain this level? I have more faith in Brooklyn doing so over the Knicks.
Changing of the Guard
Maybe not this season but soon the decade of dominance for the Golden State Warriors could come to an end. Thanks to their road woes and now the loss of Steph Curry the Warriors could get eclipsed by the Clippers for the best regular season winning percentage over the last decade if the Clippers can put together a few winning streaks this season. The Warriors have a .658 percentage while the Clippers are at a .620 percentage for the decade. It might be unlikely but the way the Warriors are struggling on the road, then the Clippers could put a dent into the Warriors’ lead. The Raptors’ .609 percentage is taking a bit of a hit but with the weaker Eastern Conference overall for the last decade they are still way up on the next-best team the Miami Heat at a .576 percentage. Of course, this just shows you that regular season and playoff success are not always so intertwined. Remember the 73-win season ended in agony for Golden State.
The Victor Sweepstakes
Everyone is pretty much locked into seeing Victor Wembanyama the 7’3″ center playing in France currently as the number one draft pick. The race to the bottom and the possibility of having the best chance at drafting Wembanyama I believe will come down to four teams. The Hornets, Rockets, Pistons, and Spurs. Of the four teams, it would be a scary thought to have Gregg Popovich get his hands on another “big man” considering how successful he was with guys named Robinson and Duncan. Who do you all believe will win the Victor sweepstakes?
That’s another week in the association for me. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, A Blessed Kwanza, or Happy holidays to one and all. Enjoy the holiday and the basketball.
