They should’ve canceled the Celtics parade and stopped writing speeches. The NBA playoffs were a snooze fest. Some fun games, yes. Overall, there was no real defining moment. Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for not igniting a single emotion from the neutrals that watched.
Brilliantly executed? Yes. But no spice for me, nor anyone else. The lowest TV ratings in three years signal a shift in what NBA fans want. What the people want is close, exciting playoff games and series. The three game sevens that happened this playoffs had an average margin of victory of 13 points. Not necessarily exciting basketball. The consensus “best series” was the Minnesota Timberwolves versus the Denver Nuggets. But, they only had two games decided by single digits.
What the people (NBA fans) want is exciting off-season news. This occurs via trade rumors, actual trades, trade requests, coaching hiring sagas (cough cough Lakers), and the NBA Draft. Following the game through reporters and journalists to see what your team will do is almost more fun than watching what your team will do yourself. On Thursday, June 20th, the people finally got what they wanted.
J.J. Redick Will Coach The Lakers
If someone said to the common NBA fan that JJ Redick would be the Lakers coach three months ago, their response would be, “Haha.” Yet, this isn’t the Twilight Zone (I think), this is real life. Redick has zero coaching experience, has a relationship with LeBron, and has never had to lead a team of men. This is one of those “are these people the smartest people in the room, or the dumbest,” scenarios.
JJ Redick seemed, by all accounts, to be trying to build a long and successful career in sports media. I enjoyed his interviews with various NBA players, especially the one where Ben Simmons was delusional. Redick does have a way of making players feel comfortable on his podcast, along with the respect they seem to have for Redick before the mics even turn on.
Sidenote: The Victor Wembanyama interview was also great.
Does that ability to have people respect you almost universally respect him translate to NBA coaching? It might, and if LeBron is vouching for him, then others could follow.
Whether or not Redick is a good hire is one thing that can be debated. However, what can’t be debated is how idiotic the Lakers went about hiring a head coach. It seemed that Redick was the guy after they interviewed other candidates. Then, they had a weird four-day Dan Hurley exclusive negotiation. Even more odd was that Dan Hurley considered it.
JJ Redick may be a good coach, but he may not. Whatever the case is, he isn’t put in a great position to succeed due to the organization he is joining having no idea what they want, or what they’re doing.
Alex Caruso For Josh Giddey
Finally, a trade that doesn’t involve draft picks with protections and second-round picks. Nonsense, that is. This is a proper trade, my young guy for your established veteran. This trade can be judged based on how well Caruso helps the Thunder over the next five years and how much Giddey helps the Bulls over the next five years.
For Oklahoma City, trading for Alex Caruso right now is an indication that they aren’t messing about. Caruso could help every team in the league. He gives the Thunder an increase of seven percent on three-point shooting over Giddey. But more than that, someone who defenses have to respect in the playoffs. Giddey had lost the respect of opposing defenses in the playoffs. Yes, Giddey is a playmaker, but the Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their primary ball handler and playmaker. Giddey and SGA never meshed well together to continue the experiment with an obvious win-now team.
Caruso is also an incredible defender. He is someone who will likely be guarding Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, and Kyrie Irving in future playoff series.
For the Bulls, Giddey is exactly the guy they need. A POINT GUARD. The Bulls lacked a distributor last season and ever since Lonzo Ball went down. Giddey is still only 21 and has plenty of room to grow. The Bulls did well with this move because only a year ago it seemed that Giddey was tipped to be a future all-star. Giddey is going to be great for a Bulls team looking to rebuild.
Malik Monk Re-Signs With The Kings
I used to pray for times like this. As a Sacramento Kings fan, I thought, surely there was no way Malik Monk would re-sign with the Kings. Due to “Bird Rights,” the Kings could only offer Malik Monk 4/$78 million. Other teams could offer more money. When it was announced Malik Monk would re-sign on Thursday night, it was clear he took a discount to stay.
This decision has massive ramifications for the Kings and the rest of the NBA. Monk seemed like a prime candidate for teams that were ready to contend. The Magic, the 76ers, and the Spurs. Now, those teams must pivot toward other players. Klay Thompson is now in a prime position to get a competitive offer to lure him away from the Bay Area.
For the Kings this is huge. They’re giving him a key to the city. Their offseason plans are now more clear with Monk re-signing. They can now proceed with the knowledge that their culture is good enough to keep talented players and potentially lure them. The Kings will only have their mid-level exception available. However, this should be enough to land a tier-three free agent. Think of guys like Kyle Anderson, Kelly Oubre, or Malik Beasley.
We Want More!
Give me your fake trades, your rumors, and your fake lineups. Is the NBA off-season more exciting than the regular season? Maybe. Whatever happens with the discourse around the NBA being more fun than actual basketball is a problem. More rising stars such as Wemby, Anthony Edwards, and Chet Holmgren would help. It might even out, it might not. Don’t let the new media rights deal fool you, the actual basketball is not getting enough people to watch.
If you enjoyed, “The NBA Off-Season is ON” please check out Belly Up Sports for more great content! Follow me on Twitter/X @nikgable37
Featured Image: Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images
