The Grip - Mon, 11.20.17

It’s time to set Dirk free

November 20, 2017

11.20.17

LAST NIGHT'S SCORES

Raptors 100, Wizards 91Warriors 118, Nets 111Suns 113, Bulls 105Pacers 120, Heat 95Pistons 100, Timberwolves 97Lakers 127, Nuggets 109

S.E.: Do you even care that one of the best 20 best players ever is wasting away his final basketball breaths on a hapless team?

J.S.: No, because he’s a rich millionaire who has an MVP award and a championship ring.

S.E.: The humanity…

Can we get Dirk to a contender?  

Dirk is the walking antithesis of the modern superteam. He is in his 19th season all in one not-very-sexy market. He has never played with another superstar in his prime. He beat the genesis of the superteam in the 2011 NBA finals, essentially single-handedly.

He is an all-time great scorer; in the regular season, in the clutch, in the playoffs, any metric will lead to the same conclusion. Behind Hakeem Olajuwon, he is the best international player ever.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way: Can we please get this dude on a superteam so he can ball out as a seventh man and get another ring?

If you’ve watched Dirk in the last two years, it is evident that he can’t move, play defense, rebound or pass. But the big fella can still drain them.

On a horrific Dallas team with no playmakers, he is still dropping double digits and hitting 40 percent from three while creating his own shot.

Imagine him camped out in the corner while Steph Curry or Kevin Durant draws the defense and kicks to a wide-open Dirk. He would average nine points per game on three shots. He would be….#PeakOldDirk.

Mark Cuban, you greasy shirsey wearing bastard, let’s make this happen.

Watch your step while exiting the bandwagon

Lob City was not a failure. It gave a team that started out in Buffalo and San Diego a real home and it brought the franchise’s first five 50-win seasons. It bred actual fans instead of Lakers-hating hipsters.

Before Lob City, the last star was a decrepit Bill Walton. Before that, it was Bob McAdoo, the 1972 MVP.  

For a franchise that lived through Donald Sterling, Corey Maggette and utter nothingness for decades, the last five years have been a victory lap.

But for the Clippers, at a mediocre 5-10 with an eight-game losing streak, those days are officially dead. Gone. Over. Finished. Doc Rivers, who doesn’t like rebuilds or old stale rosters, probably won’t last the season.  

LOB CITY: 2012-2017.

Reggie Jackson’s antics are a natural Detroit fit

The Pistons, currently sitting at second place in the East, faced off with the Timberwolves in an entertaining early season showdown last night.

With the score tied at 92 a piece with two minutes left in the game, Minnesota stars Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins put the team on their back and closed the game out at home, in style. This is 2017 and Paul George is in Oklahoma City with Carmelo Anthony and nothing really makes sense.

In the span of the final two minutes, Reggie Jackson got an assist, a seven foot jumper, a defensive rebound, a layup and a 19-foot jumper to single-handedly put the Pistons up by three. After Avery Bradley fouled Butler on a three-point attempt with six seconds left, Reggie pulled a dirty play that was reminiscent of the 1980s Bad Boys.

Jimmy’s face says it all:

"Are you forreal right now."

But it worked -- Butler missed the game-tying free-throw and Pistons won the game 100 - 97. Somewhere out there Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas are giving him a standing O for bringing the do-anything-to-win attitude to the Pistons.

#noshame

  • ANDRE DRUMMOND FREE-THROW WATCH: Andre Drummond is shooting 65.2 percent and the Pistons are 11-5.

  • NETS PICK WATCH: The Nets are 6-10 and have the sixth worst record in the league.

  • LAKERS PICK WATCH: The Lakers are 7-10 and have the seventh worst record in the league.

  • The 76ers put up 47 on the Warriors in the first quarter on Saturday, aaaaaand they lost.

  • Did you buy stock in the Orlando Magic? Because they're 8-8 after a 6-1 start.

  • LaVar Ball and that person in the White House are arguing about the UCLA-China incident. Sigh.

  • David Lee officially retired. He will probably be forgotten as time goes, but he was a two-time all star, a champion and a unique talent.

  • Lonzo Ball’s stat line last night: 11 points, 16 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 turnovers

  • A fun read on how every predraft prediction has worked out for LeBron James. Spoiler: He swung and missed on Johnny Football. [Tap Here]

  • ESPN breaks down the recent spike in triple-doubles, and attempts to answer why. [Tap Here]

  • Bill Simmons and Joe House argue the best 20 players in the league. [Tap Here]