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The farewell game for Goran Dragic looked like so much fun. He deserves congratulations on a phenomenal career. Sorry that Nikola Jokić had to pour cold water on it. Except for this part!
Beef Court
The case of Magic Johnson vs. Anthony Edwards
If you were wondering how the NBA was going to fill the time between Team USA’s gold medal performance in the Olympics and media day in late September, the answer is … dramatically. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Anthony Edwards was asked about the difference between his generation of players and older generations. His answer was:
“I didn’t watch it back in the day, so I can’t speak on it. They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then. [Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So, that’s why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, ‘Oh, my God.’ But now everybody has skill.”
I’m sure the older generations will handle that critique well! Magic Johnson, one of the greatest to ever do it, fired back during a live interview on stage with Stephen A. Smith:
“I don’t never respond to a guy that’s never won a championship. There’s not nothing to really say. He didn’t win a college championship. I don’t even know if he won a high school championship.”
Time to take this to Beef Court, present both sides, and make a ruling!
The case for Magic: I mean … the resume speaks for itself! High school championship. NCAA title. Five NBA championships. In a span of 12 seasons from his senior year of high school through his ninth season in the NBA, Magic’s teams won seven titles. That’s absurd! He knows winning. He’s also arguably the best passer in basketball history — a massively important skill. And while Magic didn’t look like Jamal Crawford with a basketball in his hand (who does?), he could really handle the rock. He wasn’t a great jump shooter, but he also shot 84.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Anthony Edwards said that Michael Jordan was the only player with any real skill back in the day.
Magic Johnson responded 👀
H/T @ClutchPoints pic.twitter.com/t74xn5J49N
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 25, 2024
The case for Edwards: First and foremost, he did win a high school championship his junior season, but that’s not really the argument-ender here. I think it’s totally possible to respect the older generations for setting the table for current and future generations while also acknowledging skill and athleticism have improved dramatically. Edwards didn’t exactly do that. However, ball skill (shooting and dribbling) has skyrocketed with even average role players compared to prior eras. There was more than Michael Jordan then, but Edwards was making a point. Also, you can’t really say you won’t respond to someone for whatever reason whilst actively responding to them, which is what Magic did here. That’s technically a point for Edwards. I’m just scorekeeping!
🧑⚖ Verdict: As much as I love Edwards and believe his point had some validity beyond the semantics of it all, we rule in the favor of Magic. His career wins out against most, especially in making this point. However, Isiah Thomas using this as a chance to take a shot at “The Last Dance” nearly tanked his case.
More on Edwards: Why the Timberwolves are a box-office attraction.
Suns Rising?
What’s ahead for Phoenix this season?
Who are the Phoenix Suns? Better yet, who do you consider them to be? After finishing last season with a 49-33 mark (sixth in West), they’d like to be considered contenders for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and I guess there is a realistic chance they could be. We’re kind of back to where we were a year ago, wondering if this experiment with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal will work at all. Except this time, we have a season of experience in which the flashes they showed weren’t overwhelming enough to make me believe they can endure. Or even be good enough.
So, how did the Suns change their roster from last season to this one? Here’s the breakdown:
⚠️ EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING ⚠️
For schedule release, we tested how our opponents held up against the Phoenix Sun. @Ticketmaster | https://t.co/IW63nW58XF pic.twitter.com/CAfO0D1Qd9
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) August 15, 2024
The main investment here is the coaching change and point guard upgrades. I believe Plumlee is a better backup big man than Eubanks, and a better fit for what they might want to do with the offensive action. Defensively, he should be better, as well, and he’s more of a starter if Jusuf Nurkić has trouble staying healthy. But the point guard and coaching changes are the biggest deals here.
Jones came in to be the starting point guard. Since leaving Memphis in a trade, he’s been intent on being a starter. It happened with Washington, because of course it did. With Phoenix, this is a bit of a different matter. That means you’re still starting Beal, Booker and Durant together. A starting lineup of Jones, Beal, Book, Durant and Nurk is intriguing, but it has as many questions as it does solutions. That’s probably where Budenholzer comes in.
As much as I’ve chided Budenholzer as a playoff coach over the years (even half-joking the Bucks should have fired him during the championship parade in 2021), he has a very good system on both ends of the floor. It was the case in both Atlanta and Milwaukee. If the Suns accept his style of play and buy in, it’ll be the case in Phoenix too.
What does that mean for the Suns’ playoff hopes, though? How does this team execute defensively with Jones (solid defender but undersized), Beal (not a good defender) and Nurk (tries but can’t consistently get it done) on the court together? We know Durant and Booker will be as good as they can, but everything after that is a mystery. And not in a potentially fun mystery way like entering last season.
The Suns outscored their opponents by 6.6 points per 100 possessions with Durant, Booker and Beal on the floor together during the regular season. They were minus-17.9 per 100 against the Wolves in the playoffs. Do you feel confident the Suns are better than the Thunder, Mavs, Nuggets and Wolves? Me neither. What about against the Lakers, Warriors, Kings, Pelicans and healthy Grizzlies? They’ve improved but have an uphill battle and a lot of questions ahead of them.
Kobe’s Duality
Admiring his remarkable consistency
Last Friday, the basketball world celebrated what would have been the late, great Kobe Bryant’s 46th birthday. As Anthony Edwards demonstrated above, nobody in the sport has forgotten anything about Kobe and the mark he’s left on the game in the years since his passing — on the internet, any chance to celebrate his impact is embraced.
One of the many fascinating things about Kobe’s career is the split time he had between wearing No. 8 and wearing No. 24 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent 10 years as No. 8 and 10 years as No. 24 in the NBA. And the splits between those two eras of his career are pretty incredible. Take a look at this breakdown of those two decades, put together with the help of the outstanding Stathead tool at Basketball-Reference:
We can add in three rings, eight All-Star selections, seven All-NBA (four first team, two second, two third), six All-Defense (four first, two second) and one scoring title as number 8. Then, he had two rings, two NBA Finals MVPs, 10 All-Star selections, seven All-NBA (all first), six All-Defense (five first, one second) and a scoring title in his No. 24 jersey.
Obviously, when you’re getting into the career breakdown of one of the greatest to ever do it, you’re going to run into some historic absurdity. But look how even Kobe’s numbers are across the board. Aside from the scoring increase, his numbers are virtually identical — even though his game changed tremendously throughout those two eras. He even scored 60 points in his final NBA game! The Mamba had a truly remarkable career in every sense of the word. Happy belated birthday, Kobe.
Bounce Passes
John Hollinger didn’t exactly roast these offseason moves, but maybe we should?
From Jon Krawczynski: A touching story about Wolves big man Naz Reid and his fight against cancer.
James Edwards III does it again. You should read about this Detroit vintage sports store.
Most-clicked in Friday’s newsletter: Mike Vorkunov’s NBA 40 under 40 list.
(Top photo: Marvin Ibo Guengoer / Getty Images )
