Carter Pearson: Hola señor cangrejo,
I hope this finds you well. Sorry for my extended delay – the end of this year got me down, and I do not have the fortitude of #heatculture to drag me through the dark night. But hark, what light through yonder window breaks? In the Dairy State, Giannis is the Son.
I’ve been thinking about something since Giannis stayed in Milwaukee with the largest contract in NBA history: For NBA fans without a specific team, I think the only thing you can root for in 2021 is a Bucks title.
My reasoning: Giannis is the first mega-star since early LeBron to go for it alone and aim for a title. All the other guys (AD, PG, Kawhi, KD, later LeBron) left to go for a title. Giannis is sticking it out for a second contract with the team that drafted him, and I’m fascinated to see how it goes. Their offseason was topsy-turvy and we can get into that in a little bit, but emotionally, I think the only correct take is Fear the Deer 2020.
Am I being too sappy here?
J.D. Crabtree: Carter,
No need to apologize. I hovered ever so gracefully in the mid range, keeping our audience at bay.
So recently I have decided to ‘Choose Joy’ for every scenario life throws my way.
Observing toxic Twitter threads and conspiracies? I Choose Joy and delete the app.
Watching bad basketball? I Choose Joy and turn off Kentucky or Duke hoops.
Depressed of being inside? I Choose Joy and go outside.
Tired of super teams ruining our league? I Choose Joy and root for the Bucks.
I don’t think you are being too sappy. I would prefer if less polarizing teams and fanbases everywhere had a nice run at their respectable thrones. This last decade has been a nauseating blend of Bama football, all Boston pro teams, Golden State-Silicon Valley bandwagon nation, Kentucky lottery picks, Lakers runs, and an absence of rising stars in individual sports (Michael Phelps and Simone Biles were our only two that brought unified excitement in the states). It is simply exhausting when the high-brow powerhouses win for so long. The world finds itself in a gray fog.
I know this is an astronomically-focused basketball publication, but Boise State’s upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in ’07 is why we sport. Makes it all feel universal, not run by sports versions of monopolies. Which is why titles by teams such as Villanova (shoutout to thicc boi Kris Jenkins) or a Kansas City Chiefs (shoutout to flyover nation) are positives to me.
I Choose Joy in regards to rooting for a Bucks title ride. They might not have #heatculture, but they have #basketballuniqueness.
From your chef’s table, what else does this season need to be memorable?
CP: J.D — I’m here for Choose Joy 2021. Even if I may or may not have been googling “Twitter coup” a lot recently. I’m working on myself, okay?
For our feast, we need something meaty after the saccharine delight of Giannis’s return to Milwaukee. You’ve always gotta have your flavor profiles balanced.
For this, I’m looking to your (current) town, the Mile High City, to see if the beefiest of boys, Nikola Jokic, can take the Nuggets back to the Western Conference Finals. I think just winning one round is a success for the Nuggs, who I think are closer to the Western pack than the Lakers or Clippers. I know results matter but that series was so fluky. Disclaimer: if MPJ turns into year 2 Tatum, this is an incorrect assessment of their chances.
Either way, in a league dominated by the spread pick and roll, watching the ballet he puts on every night with Jamal Murray is to choose joy. Also, I like to think Nikola’s inner monologue on every Sombor Shuffle and no look scoop pass is simply “Choose Joy”.
What (or who?) are you bringing to our New Year, New League dinner party?
JD: Is Year 2 Tatum a good thing? Man I’m coming at Duke hard in 2021, hang on tight!
The NBA Finals is a crowded joint, very interested to see if the Nuggets can secure a reservation. Will they need to make a move to have a party of (Big) 3?….
If I’m choosing joy at my dinner party, here are the happenings at my hoops tasting:
– Chris Paul keeps the Suns weird, and “are they legit?” conversations alive
– The 76ers make a well-deserved deep run, Ben and Joel are likable
– Playoff Paul plays piquantly, the man gets all the heat
– Durant and Kyrie and Nash and greater hipster Brooklyn have….drama, because drama in the NBA is inevitable
Since this is a hybrid NBA preview, do you mind giving a bold prediction and NBA champion that I can later turn the roast on high?
#ChooseJoy
CP: That’s alotta spice at Tatum. Also, it’s Year 4…
Statistically, he has been better than last year, but the Celtics are worse and he’s having to create more off the dribble. He can definitely cook, but he’s a better chef with a tad more help. I’m not really worried about the Celtics until they get Kemba back.
On your other thoughts — Nuggets — they don’t have enough unless Porter pops but time. Jamal Murray is amazing, but he’s not as amazing as he was in the bubble. He’s somewhere between that guy and the guy who has a lot of tepid regular season games. Philly/Clippers — bunching these together because both have been immensely improved by changes in front office/bench personnel.
In LA, Ty Lou has the Clips playing modern basketball and looking like they’ve gotten over the petty bubble shit. Is this a case where Trez was at fault and now LouWill is marginalized so he can’t be such a negative locker room force? Either way, I’m kinda happy for Paul George even if I’m definitely happy when other players roast him on Twitter. He’s better than Pandemic P.
In Philly, it took Daryl Morey about 3 weeks to fix a roster mired in the doldrums. Now they have spacing, shooting and more flexibility and are bearding in the East. They’ll be shades of the Saric/Redick/Bellinelli/Simmons/Embiid lineups that Philly fans loved a few years ago.
And, even though Ty was an improvement on him in LA, Doc has the stature to tell Embiid and Simmons to man up and figure out how to play together. He can say “it’s on you” and back it up. And if it fails they can just trade Simmons for Harden. That’s a good out.
Bold prediction: the Hawks start is not real and people eventually figure out that Trae Young is a glorified LouWill. This is probably wrong but I think he gives back about 66% of what he gets you on offense.
Finals winner: Lakers. LeBron gets his fifth and becomes the
for me. As much as I want to #ChooseJoy, I think the Lakers have too much and this is going to be a weird year.
What say you?
JD: The clock is ticking on all things Celtics. Reminds me of the Lob City days when everyone was “this is thumbs up! But can we at least go to the Finals?” It is a tough game to play when you self-set the bar high. Everything’s a failure, all the time. That’s not choosing joy.
Damn, I love your bold predictions. There will be no roasting from me because I agree behind the scenes. But I noticed you threw shade at LouWill twice with different deliveries…
Me? Let’s see. No one wants to hear my boring playoff predictions, so here are even more bold outcomes I am promising. Readers, go to Vegas on these:
The Raptors are a 6 seed or lower.
Yes, our beloved ballers from the North have seen their better days. A declining Lowry, a plateauing Pascal (shoutout to a past ‘Kawhi Leap’ winner), and lowered ceiling VanVleet are bum-rushed by the rising powers in the East.
Jaylen Brown wants out by season’s end.
The Boston media have declared Tatum as their king, while Jaylen subtly does the star work. It is time to head to the Knicks and get overpaid.
Luka takes a step back.
See what I did there. This is a learning year for Luka. He is going to get the King James treatment, where everyone takes their best shot at the cover boy. King James had the physical gifts to power through this, while Luka will not. Finishes outside of top 3 MVP voting.
The Rockets miss the playoffs.
Houston, we have a glaring problem. The West is tough enough, one of last year’s favorites is now the least unified.
Joe Ingles has a 40 point game.
Why not.
Finals winner: Lakers. LeBron wins his second COVID championship (Jordan has zero of these). They are too good, and they improved the roster.
Well, Carter, readers, we can all start watching the games upon reading this NBA preview.
It is 2021. Choose Joy with The Mid Range.
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