Around the League: Week 21 3/13-3/19

[carey]

Nationally televised games this week

Monday: Atlanta @ San Antonio 8:00PM EST TNT, L.A. Clippers @ Denver 10:30PM EST TNT
Tuesday: Detroit @ Cleveland 7:00PM EST NBATv, Philadelphia @ Golden State 10:30PM EST NBATv
Wednesday: Portland @ San Antonio 8:00PM EST ESPN, Milwaukee @ L.A. Clippers 10:30PM EST ESPN
Thursday: Utah @ Cleveland 7:00PM EST NBATv
Friday: Chicago @ Washington 7:00PM EST NBATv, Minnesota @ Miami 8:00PM EST NBATv, Orlando @ Phoenix 10:00PM EST NBATv, Milwaukee @ L.A. Lakers 10:30PM EST
Saturday: Cleveland @ L.A. Clippers 8:30PM EST ABC
Sunday: Indiana @ Toronto 6:00PM EST NBATv

NBA News

D.A.'s Morning Tip: San Antonio Spurs flex tried-and-true stability as season wanes -- http://www.nba.com/article/2017/03/13/m ... wn-stretch

Flannery: How NBA partisans can enjoy March Madness -- http://www.sbnation.com/a/nba-guide-nca ... hootaround

How Black Utah Jazz Players Have Embraced Salt Lake City -- http://theundefeated.com/features/how-b ... lake-city/

The Demarcus Cousins Paradox

After this weekend's action, the New Orleans Pelicans are 3-6 since trading for DeMarcus Cousins. Their playoff hopes are basically dashed -- New Orleans had only a narrow margin for error when they made the deal, and nine games of mediocrity puts them too far out of the race.

What's especially unsettling is the nature of those three wins. One came in a game in which Cousins was suspended due to an overabundance of technical fouls. A second came in a game in which Cousins fouled out. And the third, on Saturday, happened as Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry benched Cousins (who had five fouls) for the final 10 minutes of the game. That let Anthony Davis cook, and led to a Pelicans win. Tim Cato breaks it down here.

Plenty of Cousins skeptics are using New Orleans' struggles as vindication for their judgment of Boogie. But then how do you explain the Kings' 8-game losing streak? Sacramento has been incapable of scoring against tough defenses late after having won a respectable number of comebacks before trading Cousins.

Fit is the answer: New Orleans will need more time than many of us believed to find out how to play Davis and Cousins together. In the interim, staggering them as much as possible seems like the best plan. The point now is no longer making the postseason, but working out as many kinks as possible, seeing who fits with the big duo and -- well, let's be honest -- preventing the Kings from getting two high picks in the draft.

Right now, Sacramento is on track to pick No. 6 and 7. If the Pelicans flail, that makes the trade look a bit more fair.

Whitness this amazing game winner from "He Who Shall Not Be Named"... that shouldn't have counted. The Blazers are unhappy. -- http://www.sbnation.com/2017/3/12/14897 ... nds-review

A thoughtful piece from Jeff Ziligitt on the whole starters resting and missing key games thing. -- http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nb ... d39eb51b27

For Saturday night’s ABC primetime matchup between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs – the top two teams in the West separated by 1½ games – Warriors coach Steve Kerr rested Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.

The league’s TV partners are paying the NBA $2.6 billion per season to televise NBA games, and Disney can’t be thrilled about Saturday’s development. Same can be said for fans who invested in tickets for this matchup.

“I’m sympathetic to fans who turn out — whether they buy tickets to games or watching games on television and don’t see their favorite player on the floor,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said previously.

And yet, as Silver has pointed out numerous times, “We also have to be realistic that the science has gotten to the point where there is that direct correlation that we’re aware of between fatigue and injuries. And as tough as it is on our fans to miss one of their favorite players for a game, it’s far better than having them get injured and be out for long periods of time. So we’re always still looking to strike that right balance.”

[In2ition]

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/841461608341737477 I'm so glad the Suns decided to not get Rubio in a swap with the TWolves for Knight.

[pickle]

We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

[Wally_West]

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/841461608341737477 I'm so glad the Suns decided to not get Rubio in a swap with the TWolves for Knight.

How I imagine Mori watching that clip

[specialsauce]

hahahaha

[Wally_West]

God damn! https://mobile.twitter.com/IraHeatBeat/status/841031041024425986

[Hermen]

And it was a tight game against Indiana, too bad Dragic didn't play. East 6-10 is interesting, I hope Bucks and Miami make it. Also Houston - OKC matchup would be awesome

[Superbone]

Wow. Looks like a photoshop job on Dragic.

[Superbone]

The Friday Orlando/Phoenix game isn't on NBATV. Just set up my recording a bit ago and it was on regular League Pass.

[carey]

Dragic has the worst luck with that shit. How many teeth has he lost now? 3? Add a huge black eye to the list.

[O_Gardino]

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/841461608341737477 I'm so glad the Suns decided to not get Rubio in a swap with the TWolves for Knight.

How I imagine Mori watching that clip

THAT'S how you imagine Mori?

[carey]

Mori as Dr. Krieger? Lol. I sincerely doubt his wife is a robot.

[In2ition]

We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

According to Gambo, it was on the table, swapping players that both teams wanted to move, but the Suns didn't want Rubio and his contract.

[Mori Chu]

LMAO. Yeah, I got a bit excited watching that Rubio clip. Siiiigh. *swoon*

[LazarusLong]

We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

According to Gambo, it was on the table, swapping players that both teams wanted to move, but the Suns didn't want Rubio and his contract.

I call "ass" on that. Rubio's contract is about the same as Knight's.
Gambo is just swallowing the company line, like a catfish gobbling down stinky chicken livers on a hook.

The problem with that trade would be that one of Booker, Bledsoe or Rubio would have had to come off the bench.
The likely choice, for me, anyway, would be Bledsoe, who is the quintessential change-of-pace guard.
He could sub in for either Booker or Rubio.
But Bledsoe came to Phoenix to be a starter, so that would not have worked out well.
Bledsoe is their guy, and they are going to ride that pony until it breaks down ...

[In2ition]

We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

According to Gambo, it was on the table, swapping players that both teams wanted to move, but the Suns didn't want Rubio and his contract.

I call "ass" on that. Rubio's contract is about the same as Knight's.
Gambo is just swallowing the company line, like a catfish gobbling down stinky chicken livers on a hook.

The problem with that trade would be that one of Booker, Bledsoe or Rubio would have had to come off the bench.
The likely choice, for me, anyway, would be Bledsoe, who is the quintessential change-of-pace guard.
He could sub in for either Booker or Rubio.
But Bledsoe came to Phoenix to be a starter, so that would not have worked out well.
Bledsoe is their guy, and they are going to ride that pony until it breaks down ...

How can you say that Gambo was just swallowing the company line? Do you think that Phoenix wants to get it out there that they had the offer, but didn't do it? To what end would this help Phoenix to let Gambo report this? BTW, I do think that Gambo says stuff to stick up for Sarver, or at least he used to.

As far as if it happened, I don't think they move Bledsoe to the bench. I would think they would still bring Rubio off the bench, or they would play Rubio with Bledsoe and move Booker to the 3, Warren to the 4, Chriss to the 5. But this is a mute point, since it didn't happen anyway. I agree that they are all in with Bledsoe, believing he is the next coming.

Maybe they didn't do it because they have a bigger vision and they are playing the long game.

[O_Gardino]

We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

According to Gambo, it was on the table, swapping players that both teams wanted to move, but the Suns didn't want Rubio and his contract.

I call "ass" on that. Rubio's contract is about the same as Knight's.
Gambo is just swallowing the company line, like a catfish gobbling down stinky chicken livers on a hook.

The problem with that trade would be that one of Booker, Bledsoe or Rubio would have had to come off the bench.
The likely choice, for me, anyway, would be Bledsoe, who is the quintessential change-of-pace guard.
He could sub in for either Booker or Rubio.
But Bledsoe came to Phoenix to be a starter, so that would not have worked out well.
Bledsoe is their guy, and they are going to ride that pony until it breaks down ...

It breaks every other year!

[LazarusLong]

On another topic, former Suns Cliff Robinson suffers a minor brain hemorrhage

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/1890 ... hemorrhage

After eight years with Portland, Robinson spent four years with the Suns, averaging 16.4 ppg and 37% from the arc.
He's also one of five Suns players to score 50 or more points in a game.

[Superbone]

About the Rubio rumor, it was heard from one source and people take it like gospel around here.

[ShelC]

I don't think there was much there to the rumor. We probably spoke and maybe the names were tossed out there. I think the Wolves were closer with the Knicks and Rose, which also seemed more plausible.