Mar 7th, 2023

Ja, reranked — Knicks vibe check — Harden & Houston

March 07, 2023

Tues, March 7th, 2023

  The Opening Tip

  • Grant Williams joined the choke-job Hall of Fame last night

  • Knicks fans are emerging from their cocoon of misery

  • The weirdest rumor in the NBA might have some truth to it

 1. We have revised our Ja rankings 

(Ja Raffe is No. 1 in our new ‘People or animals named Ja, ranked' segment

As the most influential NBA newsletter in the world, we must hold ourselves accountable. That’s why, after ranking Ja Morant our No. 1 Ja in our December, 2021 ‘People or animals named Ja, ranked’ segment, we are issuing an apology and a reranking. First, our apology: At the time of our first Ja rankings, we were unaware that Ja Morant would go on to beat up a 17-year-old; beat up a mall security guard; have his crew pretend to focus a gun on a bunch of Indiana Pacers; and generally wave his piece around like Frank in Always Sunny. So, we’re sorry.Second, our reranking: 

  • 3. Ja Morant

  • 2. Ja Rule, who debuted at No. 3 in our first ranking

  • 1. Ja Raffe, the giraffe in the Memphis Zoo who was named after Ja Morant, before the bad stuff

Any questions/concerns/rebuttals about our list can be heard here.[READ: Ja Morant away from team indefinitely]

 2. Daily GIF: “I’ll make them both”   

Narrator: He missed both, then the Celtics played their third OT period in 24 hours and lost their second OT game in 24 hours.

 3. Trivia time  

The Kings are on the brink of making the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Who was the leading scorer on that team?Answer at the bottom.

4. Knicks fan vibe check  

A staple of The Grip throughout the years has been ragging on the Knicks and, more specifically, prodding our Knicks fan friends to talk about their misery for content, so it’s only right we give them the floor when the team is good.New York has won nine in a row and is firmly in the fifth seed in the East. Our latest Knicks fan vibe check … … ranged from vulgar: 

‘We’re back bitch’ -- Julian R.

To optimistic: 

‘After the win (Sunday) night I'm firmly a believer’ -- David L.

To thankful:

‘Im so proud bro, that’s pretty much it. I used to watch alexi schved’ -- Mike B.

To abstract: 

'It’s like if you went to go buy one bag of chips at a vending machine…but two bags of chips and a candy bar fell out’ -- Ahmi G.

To still pretty skeptical (lighten up dude):

‘Can’t wait to sign quickley to a max deal in two years!’ -- Milton W.

To absolutely euphoric:

‘It’s just a bunch of things going right for a franchise that has had decades of things go wrong. To see a bunch of dogs succeed without a clear cut super duper star is extra gratifying. It’s exciting’ -- Isaac A.

So earnest. Isaac A continued:

‘Also Immanuel Quickley is the best player in the nba.’

Ok, that’s enough.[READ: Wait, the New York Knicks are good? I think I need to sit down]

5. Would James Harden actually go back to Houston? 

The James Harden to Houston buzz, however bewildering it may sound, is now impossible to ignore. It started on Christmas and felt like a bad-faith leverage play, but it isn't going away. In an Athletic report last week: 

‘Sources with knowledge of Harden’s outlook say he’s as serious about a possible return now as he was when he left town.’

And last week from Bill Simmons, who does actually know stuff: 

‘It seems like a foregone conclusion, if you talk to anyone around the league, they’ll be like, yeah, Harden’s going back to Houston.’

Reminder: Houston's 15-49, likely has no future superstars on its current roster, and has numerous times brought its head coach to tears, but if the allure of strip club culture and no state income tax is that strong, who are we to judge. [READ: Harden, Houston and an undeniable bond]

 6.  Quick Hits 

  • LeBron put on a clinic last night on Twitter on how to make people hate your child. 

  • The Kings are a half-game back of the two seed in the West. 

  • Joel Embiid vs. the Pacers on Monday: 42 points on 16 shots

  • Donovan Mitchell had a slick poster on Mike Muscala last night. 

  • The league took away Giannis’ final cheeky rebound on Sunday, which at the time gave him a triple-double. 

  • Alabama’s Brandon Millerwon SEC Player of the Year yesterday despite having clear ties to a murder in January.

 7.  Reads & Pods 

  • Ja Morant acted like a petulant child the Grizzlies couldn't ignore [Memphis Commercial Appeal]

  • The clock is already ticking for the Mavericks with Kyrie Irving [The Ringer]