Ten Things I Think
1. I think Cam Newton is the NFL’s MVP through the season’s midway point. He is the Panthers offense – everything goes though him. Patrick Mahomes is having a wonderful season, but he also has perhaps the most dynamic group of skill positions players the sport has ever seen. Can you even name one of Cam Newton’s receivers? Didn’t think so, and Newton has the Panthers at 6-2 and right on the heels of the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.
2. I think the Lakers are much worse than I thought they would be. LeBron is doing LeBron things, posting his standard stat line, but it is not leading to wins. The Lakers defense has been porous at best and Luke Walton has inexplicably not settled on a consistent rotation. Now maybe that is because he is still trying to find lineups that mesh well together, but we are at a point in the season where teams need consistency to build upon. The Lakers don’t have that and unless they make a significant trade or can Walton, I am not sure postseason play is in their future.
3. I think Klay Thompson is the best third wheel in the history of the NBA. Hell, one could make the argument that he is the second-best shooter in the history of the sport. James Worthy and Robert Parish were phenomenal back in the day, but I am not sure a team has ever had a third option more dynamic than the second splash brother, Klay.
4. I think James Conner’s superb play has hurt Le’Veon Bell in the midst of his holdout. Look at these numbers: extrapolated out over the course of this season, Conner is on pace for 302 carries, 1,412 yards, 18 TDs; 76 catches, 758 yards, 2 TDs. Last season Bell, in the same offense, had 321 carries, 1,291 yards, 9 TDs; 85 catches, 655 yards, 2 TDs. This is not to say that Le’Veon Bell is a poor player; he isn’t. But he also isn’t worth north of $15 million annually when a team can get the same level of production for $580,000, which is what Conner is making in this season.
5. I think Bryce Harper winds up in pinstripes. The Yankees are feeling the heat: Boston won its fourth World Series this century and appear to be the favorite heading into 2019. It has also been rumored for years that Harper has his eyes set on the Bronx. Brian Cashman needs a left-handed bat to slide between the triumvirate of Judge, Stanton, and Sanchez and Harper would be just that. He will come at a great cost, but since when are the Steinbrenners concerned about money?
6. I think the Wizards are the NBA’s most disappointing team thus far. John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, and Dwight Howard and you still can’t avoid the cellar of the putrid Eastern Conference? I am not calling for Scottie Brooks job just yet, but he better turn things around in DC, and quickly, or else there will be some major changes being made in the nation’s capital.
7. I think the Kings are the NBA’s most surprising team thus far. It just feels like the Kings were destined to remain in mediocrity; I thought of them like the Browns of the NBA. While Sacamento might not keep up their torrid pace, their overall play has been very encouraging. De’Aaron Fox looks like he is destined to be a star and Willie Cauley-Stein is really beginning to come into his own. If Sacramento can manage to acquire a bona fide star, they have the pieces in place to be a team that can make some serious noise in the coming years in the Western Conference.
8. I think I want to see Draymond Green leave Golden State. Hs contract isn’t up until after next season, but he reportedly wants a contract that the Warriors simply will be unable to afford. To me, Draymond is entirely a product of the pieces around him with the Warriors. If he were to sign with, say, the Pistons I do not believe he would attain the same level of success. I really, really want to see him try to swim on his own.
9. I think I understand the Packers trading away HaHa Clinton-Dix. Green Bay only received a fourth-rounder in exchange for their multi-dimensional safety. Had they lost him via free agency this offseason, which is likely what they feared and why they traded him in the first place, they would have been the recipient of a third-round compensatory pick. This is not to mention that Aaron Rodgers is their quarterback and he only has so many years left so why in the world would you weaken his defense?
10. I think the Bucks, and not the Sixers, with finish in the top-three in the Eastern Conference, along with the Raptors and Celtics. Prior to the season, while I picked Giannis to win MVP, I was unsure of how dominant the Bucks would be. After a few weeks, I am ready to elevate Milwaukee above Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference hierarchy. There are too many questions regarding Markelle Fultz and the 76ers depth that leave me skeptical no matter how sensational Joel Embiid, and to a lesser extent Ben Simmons have been.
