We are back for week 2 of the NBA Twitter Roundup. With the move away from old blog sites, I hope these weekly posts can remind you of a time when the NBA blogosphere was a rich, enjoyable gathering of ridiculously talented and funny writers. I might be neither, but hopefully, I can channel some of that spirit with these fun aggregations of content. As always, check out the great work the rest of the Belly Up NBA crew is churning out, including posts on the fun Memphis Grizzlies, Enes Freedom Kanter waived, and reaction to the Derrick White trade.
With the trade deadline last Thursday, there was going to be some predictable great content put out by the denizens of NBA Twitter. And they did not disappoint. Then we got blessed with the gold mine of a James Harden–Ben Simmons trade and all bets were off. Throw in the NBA All-Star draft on the same day, I could just link tweets and be done.
Ok, without further ado, let’s dive into the fun.
Troel Embiid’s Twitter is Back
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) February 10, 2022
Look, there are many NBA players who are good smack talkers. There are others who are funny, whether with their words or social media posts. The true king of the social media troll game, however, is none other than Joel Embiid.
He’s called out competitors before and after games, just ask Andre Drummond and Karl-Anthony Towns. He once trolled Lavar Ball with an epic location after a game vs the Lakers in Lonzo’s rookie year. Nobody was safe until Joel said he was done with troll wars and focusing on basketball.
Well if you thought Joel was going to sit out the trade deadline that saw his former running mate turned adversary, Ben Simmons traded away, you were gravely mistaken. We are all better for it.
Joel used a picture from a post about showing up at a dude’s hater’s funeral just to make sure he was dead. It included the hashtag #RipBozo. I think it’s safe to say that Joel was thrilled that Simmons was traded and expressed this in truly hilarious fashion.
Nets Tweets
End of an era pic.twitter.com/ycKf7NbHZe
— ???????????? (@WadexFlash) February 10, 2022
Keeping in the theme of the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade, NBA Twitter was going to fire their jokes off. What was supposed to be a big 3 in Brooklyn that would wreak havoc on the NBA, entering this season as the title favorites flamed out in spectacular fashion. Between injuries to Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving and Kyrie’s COVID absence, this didn’t happen. @WadexFlash captured something we have all grown accustomed to, someone popping into a meeting via video.
BEN SIMMONS HAS BEEN TRADED TO THE NETS
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) February 10, 2022
THERE’S A NEW BIG 2.5 pic.twitter.com/jpRblVpYro
Not to be outdone, @WhistleSports knew there is still content to be milked from Kyrie’s part-time status. We are now introduced to the big 2.5 the Nets will employ. At least once they get Simmons and Durant suited up. At the moment, they are rocking an unimposing .5 of all-star capacity.
All-Star Draft Twitter Jokes
this the peak television!! i cant get over how perfect this was lmaooooo pic.twitter.com/fTUHqc9unG
— sean yoo (@SeanYoo) February 11, 2022
If you thought I wasn’t going to milk that Harden-Simmons trade for everything NBA Twitter could offer, you were mistaken. The All-Star draft with LeBron James, Durant, and the TNT crew was the perfect way to cap the trade deadline. And these guys engineered perfect comedy, as @SeanYoo perfectly noted.
Maybe you think it wasn’t planned to get whittle the reserves down to a choice for Kevin Durant between Rudy Gobert and James Harden, but I do. The TNT crew saw it and egged it on. LeBron called the clear-out and picked Fred VanVleet third to last. Then he put the clipboard to his face to conceal his laughter.
This is hilarious ??, Look @ KD face pic.twitter.com/KjoNfR6I9X
— Davie〽️ (@_SayHeyKid) February 11, 2022
The floor was KD’s, and there might not be a better man for the job. As @_SayHeyKid notes, the deadpanned look that KD is so good at first the moment perfectly. He stays so “serious” while everyone else is howling, providing the perfect comedic touch. It was pure comedy, and we are all better for it.
Joe Ali Division
someone please tell dame it’s ok to run away from the grind pic.twitter.com/KWmR49Vzcm
— Joe Ali (@JoeAli) February 8, 2022
Twitter user @JoeAli was a true star this week when it came to the laughs and February 8th was his stage. He started the morning with a perfect tweet to capture the weird stubbornness Damian Lillard has exhibited over the last year. I get Dame wants to show loyalty to the city who drafted him, but then he says he wants to compete for a chip. Can’t have your cake and eat it too when the team is stripping down the roster to save money. You might want the battles, but Jesus never said that meant fighting everyone.
russell westbrook watching this https://t.co/UbKCsfTio8 pic.twitter.com/2oIvBzWQ7b
— Joe Ali (@JoeAli) February 9, 2022
@JoeAli’s second tweet came later that night. I swear, we will work very hard to not turn this space into a weekly roast session of Russell Westbrook, but I can’t predict the internet. The ability to combine a great Soulja Boy rant on The Breakfast Club with a game ops folly in Atlanta, then tie it to Russ…chef’s kiss.
Mikal Bridges Edition
LOL @mikal_bridges pic.twitter.com/iszRsvIWTn
— Aybs (@zonaaybs) February 8, 2022
With NBA games on every night, many of them on local broadcasts, you are bound to get some fantastic cut-ins that catch hilarious moments you would only get in arena. Thanks to @zonaaybs, we were able to see, not only a goofy mascot bit, but Mikal Bridges helping pass the time in a February game. I don’t know much about Bridges personality, but it’s safe to say he’s got some clown in him.
Lol pic.twitter.com/4EqisoY3mt
— Bearded Philosopher (@KiloBeatsOG) February 9, 2022
As NBA Twitter is bound to do, music was quickly added to the clip to match Mikal’s dancing. Both @KiloBeatsOG and @nba_ced were quick on the draw, dubbing in Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s “Family Ties” and Lamar’s “top o the morning” from another collab with Keem on “Range Brothers”. This is truly what NBA Twitter is all about.
https://t.co/nS3YnIPxgy pic.twitter.com/AUv7fPTOjR
— ced (pick #18?) (@nba_ced) February 9, 2022
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