NFL
By: Greg Rector
Memphis Meltdown
No NBA fan wants to see things like what unfolded this weekend on Instagram. I am not Ja Morant. I do not walk a mile in his shoes or any other NBA player’s. What happened over the weekend is something that he has to deal with. As someone who has long felt the access to weapons is simply out of control along with the willingness of too many to use them, I’m just glad there were no shots fired and further tragedy did not happen. I wish him well in the steps he is taking. The news didn’t get any better for the Grizzlies as Brandon Clarke was lost for the season with an Achilles injury. Dillion Brooks also reached the automatic suspension threshold for having 16 technical fouls. I have said before in this column that the level of vitriol between players and other activity on social media is going to lead to bigger problems. Hate seeing it play out. The Grizzlies will need to rally for one another minus their leader in Morant and find a way to win without him for an undetermined amount of time at this point as there is no timetable for his return.
Knicks Are Dangerous
Don’t look now but the New York Knicks are playing great basketball right now. After beating the Boston Celtics for the second time in a week yesterday the Knicks have a nine-game winning streak going. Everything is clicking for the Knicks right now. Sitting 5th in the Eastern Conference and if they keep playing this type of basketball they could get past the Cleveland Cavaliers and have the chance to get home court in the first round of the playoffs. That would be huge for them. Everyone is contributing and unlike so many other Tom Thibodeau teams we’ve seen before the starters aren’t being run into the ground. Playoff Knicks are a dream come true for the NBA. The Josh Hart deal is looking very good right now.
Durant Returns
The Phoenix Suns have won all three games with newly acquired Kevin Durant in the lineup. He’s fit in very nicely with Chris Paul and Devin Booker as expected. We’ve seen this before from Durant when he had Klay Thompson and Steph Curry as teammates. Clearly one has to believe if healthy that Phoenix will be heard from come playoff time. Durant also passed legendary Oscar Robertson on the all-time NBA scoring list this week. I have been watching the NBA since 1975 and have watched many great players but I have to say for my money Kevin Durant is the most versatile “scorer” I have watched. The Suns’ trio is being called the “Mid-Range Mafia” by some. I think that fits quite nicely.
Timing Is Everything
The strength of schedule predictions for the NBA season is a very fickle thing. When a season starts this metric is based on the previous season and the impact the off-season has on every roster. Really a complete shot in the dark. As a season unfolds though things change with the strength of schedule results. No one for instance had the Sacramento Kings doing as well as they have to this point of the season as an example. One team that has been consistently high on the list of teams with a tough strength of schedule facing them has been the Toronto Raptors. They started the season with seven games against some very good teams and currently as the regular season comes down to its finish they also have the toughest remaining schedule. Even when they were supposedly facing weaker opponents they ran into those teams at times they have been playing very good basketball. It happens every season to teams and just shows how hard this league can be from top to bottom. Get an opponent in a funk and the wins are a bit easier, face teams playing well night after night and it is very hard to be more than a .500 team in the NBA. Toronto plays the Nuggets, Lakers, and Clippers this week all on the road. The best team in the west, and two teams fighting for playoff positioning. Good luck with that task Raptors.
Rookie Of the Year
Last week I went over the NBA coach of the year candidates and the regular season MVP race. This week I’ll hit the Rookie of the Year category. Paolo Banchero will win the award. Simple as that. For months the Orlando Magic first overall pick has been leading the pack in the race. Many other rookies have had good years for their teams, but Banchero has been out front of all of them. Mathurin and Nembhard have played very well for the Pacers. Keegan Murray has definitely helped the Kings to their surprising spot in the standings as well. Banchero though has been the impact player the Magic needed and has been awfully consistent in doing so.
That’s it for this week in the association.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregsCowboys
