Around the League - '24-25 Season

[60WinTim]

Really bad loss by the Nuggets to the Wizards who were on a 16 game losing streak. It drops the Nuggets below the Wolves, who take over the 8th spot!

[60WinTim]

Really bad loss by the Nuggets to the Wizards who were on a 16 game losing streak. It drops the Nuggets below the Wolves, who take over the 8th spot!

Update: the Suns loss tonight puts the Wolves in 7th place. And a win tomorrow against GS would put them in 6th place. And if the Rockets beat the Clippers, we would move into 5th place.

Dang! That would be a pretty quick assent!

[BloopOracle]

Tonight the Wolves play their 27th straight game against a California team

[rapsuperstar31]

[Charania] The Miami Heat have agreed on a trade to send center Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers, sources tell ESPN. The Pacers will send a swap of a future second-round pick to the Heat for Bryant, who is trade-eligible on Sunday.

All players signed this summer become trade eligible on Sunday.

[Q-is-here]

Tonight the Wolves play their 27th straight game against a California team

Make that the 28th straight game!

[Lipoli390]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/429 ... iling-west

Sometimes it’s comical to see how hard the national sports media try to keep the LA Lakers relevant, writing or talking about them when there is no good reason to do so, and offering a depth of analysis they don’t deserve. I opened up the NBA page of ESPN this morning and once again the featured article was about the Lakers. In this article, ESPN writer Dave McMenamin offers three reasons the Lakers aren’t doing well. Truth is, there is one reason - the Lakers’ roster isn’t good. If anything, the Lakers’ record exceeds the collective capabilities of their players. Anthony Davis is the only all-star caliber player on the roster and he struggles to stay healthy. LeBron is still a good player, but at age 40 he’s no longer a great player and probably comes up just short of being all-star caliber. As for the rest of the roster? None of the other players are worth mentioning.

There are so many other articles that could have been written and featured. Here are some topics:

1. The resurgence of the Grizzlies with the return of Ja Morant as they now occupy the 2nd position in the West. Ja Morant is clearly a difference maker. But is it more than the return of Ja?

2. The ascent of the Houston Rockets as we are beginning to see the success of their multi-year rebuilding program.

3. The accelerated development of the Spurs as they have put together a 13-12 record around 2nd-year player Wemby and a cast of other young players.

4. The emergence of the Orlando Magic who, like the Rockets, are seeing the fruits of their multi-year rebuilding process. When you look at what OKC and the Celtics have done and what we’re now seeing from the Magic and Rockets, you see the blueprint for sustained success in the NBA — building through the draft with smart picks, not overloading your payroll, avoiding the hale Mary moves, etc.

5. The fall of the Bucks and the failed Lillard gamble. This is an example of the larger truth that you rarely succeed in the NBA today by trading for high-priced aging superstars. We’re seeing that same approach on the road to failure in Phoenix as well. It’s part of a bigger story.

6. Why the Wolves have fallen from second the 7th best in the West. Is losing KAT the difference?

There are lots of other interesting stories and angles to write about in the NBA. But instead, we have a featured article that pathetically seeks to turn one simple reason into three for the mediocrity of a team with a mediocre roster. It’s lots of ink but no meaningful or interesting substance for anyone outside the LA area and possibly not even interesting to many inside the LA area.

The national sports media are as bad as the national political media. I’m thankful we have message boards like this one so I can read smart, thoughtful analysis on the Wolves and sometimes other teams.

[rapsuperstar31]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/429 ... iling-west

Sometimes it’s comical to see how hard the national sports media try to keep the LA Lakers relevant, writing or talking about them when there is no good reason to do so, and offering a depth of analysis they don’t deserve. I opened up the NBA page of ESPN this morning and once again the featured article was about the Lakers. In this article, ESPN writer Dave McMenamin offers three reasons the Lakers aren’t doing well. Truth is, there is one reason - the Lakers’ roster isn’t good. If anything, the Lakers’ record exceeds the collective capabilities of their players. Anthony Davis is the only all-star caliber player on the roster and he struggles to stay healthy. LeBron is still a good player, but at age 40 he’s no longer a great player and probably comes up just short of being all-star caliber. As for the rest of the roster? None of the other players are worth mentioning.

There are so many other articles that could have been written and featured. Here are some topics:

1. The resurgence of the Grizzlies with the return of Ja Morant as they now occupy the 2nd position in the West. Ja Morant is clearly a difference maker. But is it more than the return of Ja?

2. The ascent of the Houston Rockets as we are beginning to see the success of their multi-year rebuilding program.

3. The accelerated development of the Spurs as they have put together a 13-12 record around 2nd-year player Wemby and a cast of other young players.

4. The emergence of the Orlando Magic who, like the Rockets, are seeing the fruits of their multi-year rebuilding process. When you look at what OKC and the Celtics have done and what we’re now seeing from the Magic and Rockets, you see the blueprint for sustained success in the NBA — building through the draft with smart picks, not overloading your payroll, avoiding the hale Mary moves, etc.

5. The fall of the Bucks and the failed Lillard gamble. This is an example of the larger truth that you rarely succeed in the NBA today by trading for high-priced aging superstars. We’re seeing that same approach on the road to failure in Phoenix as well. It’s part of a bigger story.

6. Why the Wolves have fallen from second the 7th best in the West. Is losing KAT the difference?

There are lots of other interesting stories and angles to write about in the NBA. But instead, we have a featured article that pathetically seeks to turn one simple reason into three. It’s lots of ink but no meaningful or interesting substance to anyone outside the LA area and possibly not even interesting to many inside the LA area.

The national sports media are as bad as the national political media. I’m thankful we have message boards like this one so I can read smart, thoughtful analysis on the Wolves and sometimes other teams.

It's all about the clicks. While you and I and most of us on here would rather read any of the tops you listed over another Lakers story, the sad truth is anything Lakers or Bronny related is going to get significantly more traffic and ad revenue money than talking about Houston or Orlando. The actual writer of articles shouldn't care strictly about the revenue, but it's the corporate world we live in.

[rapsuperstar31]

[Duncan] The Hornets and the Bulls combined to miss 75 three-pointers last night, the most in a regulation-length game in NBA history!

[Lipoli390]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/429 ... iling-west

Sometimes it’s comical to see how hard the national sports media try to keep the LA Lakers relevant, writing or talking about them when there is no good reason to do so, and offering a depth of analysis they don’t deserve. I opened up the NBA page of ESPN this morning and once again the featured article was about the Lakers. In this article, ESPN writer Dave McMenamin offers three reasons the Lakers aren’t doing well. Truth is, there is one reason - the Lakers’ roster isn’t good. If anything, the Lakers’ record exceeds the collective capabilities of their players. Anthony Davis is the only all-star caliber player on the roster and he struggles to stay healthy. LeBron is still a good player, but at age 40 he’s no longer a great player and probably comes up just short of being all-star caliber. As for the rest of the roster? None of the other players are worth mentioning.

There are so many other articles that could have been written and featured. Here are some topics:

1. The resurgence of the Grizzlies with the return of Ja Morant as they now occupy the 2nd position in the West. Ja Morant is clearly a difference maker. But is it more than the return of Ja?

2. The ascent of the Houston Rockets as we are beginning to see the success of their multi-year rebuilding program.

3. The accelerated development of the Spurs as they have put together a 13-12 record around 2nd-year player Wemby and a cast of other young players.

4. The emergence of the Orlando Magic who, like the Rockets, are seeing the fruits of their multi-year rebuilding process. When you look at what OKC and the Celtics have done and what we’re now seeing from the Magic and Rockets, you see the blueprint for sustained success in the NBA — building through the draft with smart picks, not overloading your payroll, avoiding the hale Mary moves, etc.

5. The fall of the Bucks and the failed Lillard gamble. This is an example of the larger truth that you rarely succeed in the NBA today by trading for high-priced aging superstars. We’re seeing that same approach on the road to failure in Phoenix as well. It’s part of a bigger story.

6. Why the Wolves have fallen from second the 7th best in the West. Is losing KAT the difference?

There are lots of other interesting stories and angles to write about in the NBA. But instead, we have a featured article that pathetically seeks to turn one simple reason into three. It’s lots of ink but no meaningful or interesting substance to anyone outside the LA area and possibly not even interesting to many inside the LA area.

The national sports media are as bad as the national political media. I’m thankful we have message boards like this one so I can read smart, thoughtful analysis on the Wolves and sometimes other teams.

It's all about the clicks. While you and I and most of us on here would rather read any of the tops you listed over another Lakers story, the sad truth is anything Lakers or Bronny related is going to get significantly more traffic and ad revenue money than talking about Houston or Orlando. The actual writer of articles shouldn't care strictly about the revenue, but it's the corporate world we live in.

Rap - i think you’re right about the root cause. But there’s also an element of laziness as well as a tendency to underestimate the audience. I would challenge those in the media to delve into and report on other teams, topics and angles. I think they’d find their audience isn’t as simple or dumb as they might think. A little effort on their part and they might get more clicks with interesting, fresh content than they get lazily pandering to familiar geographic or demographic groups.

[AbeVigodaLive]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/429 ... iling-west

Sometimes it’s comical to see how hard the national sports media try to keep the LA Lakers relevant, writing or talking about them when there is no good reason to do so, and offering a depth of analysis they don’t deserve. I opened up the NBA page of ESPN this morning and once again the featured article was about the Lakers. In this article, ESPN writer Dave McMenamin offers three reasons the Lakers aren’t doing well. Truth is, there is one reason - the Lakers’ roster isn’t good. If anything, the Lakers’ record exceeds the collective capabilities of their players. Anthony Davis is the only all-star caliber player on the roster and he struggles to stay healthy. LeBron is still a good player, but at age 40 he’s no longer a great player and probably comes up just short of being all-star caliber. As for the rest of the roster? None of the other players are worth mentioning.

There are so many other articles that could have been written and featured. Here are some topics:

1. The resurgence of the Grizzlies with the return of Ja Morant as they now occupy the 2nd position in the West. Ja Morant is clearly a difference maker. But is it more than the return of Ja?

2. The ascent of the Houston Rockets as we are beginning to see the success of their multi-year rebuilding program.

3. The accelerated development of the Spurs as they have put together a 13-12 record around 2nd-year player Wemby and a cast of other young players.

4. The emergence of the Orlando Magic who, like the Rockets, are seeing the fruits of their multi-year rebuilding process. When you look at what OKC and the Celtics have done and what we’re now seeing from the Magic and Rockets, you see the blueprint for sustained success in the NBA — building through the draft with smart picks, not overloading your payroll, avoiding the hale Mary moves, etc.

5. The fall of the Bucks and the failed Lillard gamble. This is an example of the larger truth that you rarely succeed in the NBA today by trading for high-priced aging superstars. We’re seeing that same approach on the road to failure in Phoenix as well. It’s part of a bigger story.

6. Why the Wolves have fallen from second the 7th best in the West. Is losing KAT the difference?

There are lots of other interesting stories and angles to write about in the NBA. But instead, we have a featured article that pathetically seeks to turn one simple reason into three. It’s lots of ink but no meaningful or interesting substance to anyone outside the LA area and possibly not even interesting to many inside the LA area.

The national sports media are as bad as the national political media. I’m thankful we have message boards like this one so I can read smart, thoughtful analysis on the Wolves and sometimes other teams.

It's all about the clicks. While you and I and most of us on here would rather read any of the tops you listed over another Lakers story, the sad truth is anything Lakers or Bronny related is going to get significantly more traffic and ad revenue money than talking about Houston or Orlando. The actual writer of articles shouldn't care strictly about the revenue, but it's the corporate world we live in.

Rap - i think you’re right about the root cause. But there’s also an element of laziness as well as a tendency to underestimate the audience. I would challenge those in the media to delve into and report on other teams, topics and angles. I think they’d find their audience isn’t as simple or dumb as they might think. A little effort on their part and they might get more clicks with interesting, fresh content than they get lazily pandering to familiar geographic or demographic groups.

Maybe. Maybe not. I've mentioned this before...

A couple years ago, Zach Lowe mentioned that most of the top 10 (most popular) podcasts of his had nothing to do with actual basketball games. The were primarily about trades or FA gossip. For many, many years, the NBA grew its brand by reaching out to the casual fan. And let's be honest, casual fans don't care about pick-and-roll coverage or pin downs.

Casual fans will click on a link about LeBron James. Or Bronny James. Most of this forum of "legit basketball fans" will not. So be it. We're not the ones clicking for cash, buying jerseys or sneakers, or even the most active social media folks.

And in an industry more dominated by money than anything else... well... there you have it.

-------------------

And yes, there are parallels to the political world. Bad stuff = clicks. The blunt force of Trump = clicks. People hating things = clicks. Nuanced policies or contextual takes = zzzzzz. Meanwhile, a few power players keep making ALL the money while we bitch and moan about it but without any legitimate recourse to do anything about it.

It's getting worse. And this is one time where for the first time... I don't know if it'll get better.

Blame the media. Blame the powerful people making money off the media. Blame anyone and everyone... but never ourselves.