Mon, August 12th, 2019

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Written while listening to A Tribe Called Quest's Ego

Why wouldn’t you want to go to China with Gregg Popovich?

Yesterday, Marvin Bagley withdrew his name from consideration for Team USA’s FIBA World Cup roster, which begins August 31, in China. He plans to focus solely on the Kings, who have a real chance to go only slightly under .500 this season. 

In an international tournament, for a country that produces the deepest talent pool in the world, a second-year player dropping out probably shouldn’t matter. 

But, in 2019, it kinda does. It’s become en vogue to pass on playing for Gregg Popovich and Team USA this summer. Even Landry Shamet is doing the Homer Simpson fade.With the tournament 19 days away, this field of 16 will eventually make up the 12-man roster: 

• De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Joe Harris, Kyle Kuzma, Kyle Lowry, Donovan Mitchell, Mason Plumlee, P.J. Tucker, Myles Turner and Derrick White, Bagley’s replacement.  

That’s … not a very good crew!There are/is: 

• Three lower-level All-Stars in Walker, Lowry and Middleton. 

• A Plumlee brother. 

• Admittedly, some exciting young players in Fox, Tatum, Kuzma and Mitchell. 

• One Marcus Osmond Smart. 

The World Cup team in 2014 was much more star-oriented, even if that team also included a Plumlee:

  So, why? 

• The stock answer: While honored by the chance, I am choosing to focus on the season. 

• The real answer: The 30-50 feral hogs in my backyard while my children play. Just kidding. 

• CJ McCollum, who was an early dropout, last week on The Woj Pod: “[Guys who dropped out later] looked at it like ‘Why would I go and potentially be the face of a losing roster?' Or the workload part. If we all play, the workload is less — 20-25 minutes, you get blowouts, you’re moving on. A lot of guys don’t play, minutes might go up, usage might go up, and that affects your summer as you go into March when that crash comes."

• Ryen Russillo, on the Bill Simmons Podcast: “It’s a play off of … how impressionable guys are. It’s like, ‘Hey, wait a minute -- you’re not going? Well I’m not going.’ Then it turns into this thing where nobody wants to go. … It’s kind of funny how patriotism has nothing to do with anything other than, like, are the cool guys going?”

  What these players are passing on:

• A chance to work with and pick the brain of Gregg Popovich, who ain’t gunna be around forever.

• An all expenses paid trip to China.

• An opportunity to grow their personal #brand in the Chinese market of 500 million basketball fans.

  But don’t worry, we have the solution

Over the last 16 years, who has represented Team USA with more class and dignity than… Carmelo Anthony?!Oh, nevermind. They don’t want him either. 

It’s still worth watching, though

No, we won’t be watching an All-Star team that dominates through sheer talent. But…

• We will probably be watching Marcus Smart mentally violate some poor point guard from Venezuela.

• There’s plenty to be excited about if you’re a Celtics fan, mostly the fact that Tatum and Brown will be playing basketball Kyrie-free.

• De’Aaron Fox is a future star, who has a gravity to his personality that’ll be on display throughout the tournament.

[READ: How USA Basketball can solve the problem of stars dropping out of the FIBA World Cup] 

The “Rich Paul Rule”

(The short guy in the middle is Rich Paul)

• Last week, it was reported that the NCAA plans to add criteria for agents representing college players looking to enter the NBA Draft. Under new rules, said agent must now, among other things, have a four-year degree and three consecutive years of National Basketball Players Association certification. 

• This was seen by many as a motion to quell the influence of people like Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who brokers much of the power in the NBA despite not having...a four-year degree. 

• This morning, he responded with an op-ed in The Athletic, which you can read for free.

• This afternoon, the NCAA announced it would retract its four-year degree requirement, an obvious win for Paul. 

• His best line: “However, requiring a four-year degree accomplishes only one thing — systematically excluding those who come from a world where college is unrealistic. Does anyone really believe a four-year degree is what separates an ethical person from a con artist?”

Iso-Joe’s 4-point buzzer-beater

This, from a BIG 3 game last week, is the most Joe Johnson thing in the world.

 Quick Hits 

• LeBron, on Rich Paul: #StayWokeFolks

• The NBA schedule for 2019-20 was released this afternoon. Here it is. Notable: Less back-to-backs and more earlier start times for the Lakers. 

• This De’Aaron Fox dunk during Team USA practice is worth watching several times. 

• Andray Blatche showed up out of shape for his season in the Philippines. His coach wasn’t the least bit surprised. 

• Steve Nash will be joining the TNT crew. Will he survive the nightly roasts by Chuck and Shaq?

• Dennis Rodman is on TikTok and his first video is… powerful? 

• Vince Carter, 42, the only active player who played in the 1990s, will be back with the Hawks next year for one final season. He’s also older than Trae Young’s dad. 

• Gregg Popovich, on mass shootings in America. 

• Roy Hibbert, the biggest casualty of the 3-point revolution, has joined the 76ers as a player development coach.

 Concrete Reads 

• How Rich Paul could build a case against the NCAA over its new criteria for agents [Sports Illustrated]

• ICYMI: Kevin Durant speaks out his injury, the Nets and the Warriors [Yahoo! Sports]

• This meaningless NBA ranking has Kobe Bryant fans, the biggest losers in the world, up in arms [Deadspin]

 Podcast Pick

Brian Windhorst on his long history covering LeBron James [ESPN]