Blake Griffin can’t catch a break (or, perhaps better phrased: all he can catch are breaks), Damian Lillard gets snubbed again (or did he?), the Sacramento Kings are suddenly good, and Kenneth Faried straight-up Shan Tsung-ed Bradley Beal. Cue the music, it’s time for the Pic And Roll!
Blake Griffin Becomes His Own Punchline
Griffin’s one of the funniest players in the NBA. He’s got tremendous comedic timing with a fine, dry wit, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. There’s a reason his advertising campaigns have been a hit with diehard and casual fans alike. Unfortunately, after idiotically punching his friend – former friend, probably, right? – and fracturing his hand as a result. The amount of time Griffin will miss is up in the air. Some say between four and six weeks, others say it may not be until just before the playoffs. Either way, the Clippers will be missing their best all-around player for much, much longer than they anticipated, and it may just doom them to a second-round match up with the Golden State Warriors.
Naturally, as is its wont, the Internet had a freaking field day with the news, and 2K Sports was particularly savage. Look, punching someone isn’t good. Punching a friend is even worse. Hopefully this is a learning experience for Griffin on both a professional and personal level. He has to make better decisions if he a) wants to keep friends around, and b) doesn’t want to cost his team valuable playoff positioning (not to mention cost himself a hefty portion of his paycheck due to a suspension).
Damian Lillard Gets Snubbed From The All-Star Game…Or Did He?
The All-Star reserves were announced on Thursday, and once again, Damian Lillard, despite a tremendous season, was left off the list. This led to the predictable cry of snubs and “he’ll just use this for motivation,” but, can we just take a step back for a second? Is it really that much of a snub? That’s an honest question, because I’m not sure either way.
The case for Dame: As an offensive talent, he’s among the top-15 players in the league. His entire team was gutted this summer, and the replacements were nowhere near equal, offensively, to the likes of Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge. Dame’s had to carry a heavier scoring load, and is doing so with his same relative efficiency as when he was surrounded by more firepower. And his Trail Blazers are eighth! EIGHTH! They have absolutely no business being in the playoffs, but here they are, neck-and-neck with the Kings and the Jazz for that final spot. C.J. McCollum’s emergence and Terry Stotts’ consistent excellence obviously help, but Dame’s heroics are what have kept them afloat for so long. For that, he belongs in the All-Star game.
The case against: As a defensive talent, he’s among the most unwatchable guards in the league. Obviously, defense isn’t of great concern in the All-Star game, but if we’re picking the best of the best in the league, shouldn’t the other half of the game matter? Kobe Bryant, perhaps unfairly, gets a pass, because it’s his last season. Dame gets no such pass. He’s a matador, and while his effort on that end is more commendable than others, his actual production isn’t. Maybe I’m just being cranky.
The Sacramento Kings Are…Good?
The race for the eighth seed in the West is on, and lo and behold, the Kings are right in the thick of it. Normally, at this point in the season we’d be talking about yet another miserable year, what player they might select in the draft, or whether DeMarcus Cousins will get traded in the offseason. But not this year! This year we’re talking about the Kings as a possible playoff team, and not just a one-off appearance either. Our own Jack Winter went long on the state of the Kings, and how this might be the start of multiple playoff appearances.
Rajon Rondo is back at the top of his game (maybe even better, now that he can reliably shoot), and if the Kings can retain him, they’ll be settled at point guard for the future. That cements a core of Cousins, Rondo, Willie Cauley-Stein and Ben McLemore (who has been trying to come into his own despite front office and coaching shakeups). Maybe it’s not enough to beat the Warriors, but not every team can win a championship. For the Kings to avoid league laughingstock status is an accomplishment in and of itself.
Play Of The Week: Kenneth Faried Steals Bradley Beal’s Soul
“YOUR SOUL IS MINE,” Kenneth Faried said when he blocked Bradley Beal into oblivion. Probably.
