NBA Midseason Grades: Pacific Division

fan base. We know that for so damn long, and now it feels like it's sort of over. You know, it feels done. Many McNair has done wonders. He needs to be extended. His decision making quality very high. What he's done in terms of drafting players that make sense. The Sabonis trade, Oh my god, the Sabonus trade was good.

That's probably the Sabonus trades. Probably the definition if you look into a dictionary of what the NBA was hoping trades would look like, mutually beneficial for both sides, makes both players better, makes both teams better as a result of said trade, Right, my god, both teams, both players flourished because of this trade. They just beat the Lakers last night in Staples. You had people chanting like the

beam in Staples louder than you could even imagine. I think they turned Staples purple for the Kings last night, and that win over the Lakers turns the Kings into the three seas in the West, the three seed. Let me say that again. The Sacramento Kings are currently the three seed halfway through the season. That's cute. Ten games in. We'ren't more than forty one games in right now, folks, and they are the three seed. They were sixty six to one at one point just to win the Pacific Division.

They are now plus one twenty five to win said division. Wow, they're basically they are the leader in the clubhouse to win that division. Honestly incredible. Keithya Murray will talk about him. He's been okay. He's not somebody that has outperformed expectations. I think he's gonna be a good piece for them. He's been up and down. He had ten rebounds against the Lakers, which is very important for his development. He looks like he's gonna be a fan favorite as well.

He already is Malik Monk has been adding a lot in terms of bench scoring, like a little microwave. Obviously, his connection with the Aaron Fox down the stretch, with them going to Kentucky together being best friends, that's worked out like a charm. Harrison Barnes has turned back the clock, turning into warbrs Harrison Barnes. Kevin Herder has still been cave on, even though he's a little out of shape on back to backs. And Fox, of course, as we know, Fox is an all star, Sabonis is an all star.

This team's really good. They can get a backup big at the deadline, someone who can help them in non Sabonis minutes, someone who can pass, someone who can rim protect man. What they have done though at twenty five and eighteen, there's seven games over five hundred seven games insanely good. I just can't believe it. Moving on to our Dubs, they get a C minus. About two weeks ago they probably would have gotten a D plus. They're

gonna be okay. We know that the Dubs are fine, the Dubs are always fine, but at the halfway mark, we just cannot consider this a success in any real way. Let's be honest, Steph is missed time. Jordan Poole has been up and down. The role players they add Gary Payton, he's gone out a porter, he's gone Niamna Nia Biolicha. However you're saying it, you know what I'm saying. He's

gone playing in Europe. Klay Thompson O bright spot. He's getting better, much more balanced scoring, much more balanced shooting in terms of his actual weight distribution. He's taking more set shots, moving off the ball, getting easy buckets. So he's been really good. He's been actually sort of a surprise in terms of this team Steph Cree's injury. I thought maybe they'd go to and eight while he was out. They actually played pretty well. They weathered that storm in

a way that I think was very surprising. But we are worrying about this team in a way where you say, okay, knowing that I think they're gonna be fine. Can I also simultaneously say that there's some fundamental issues here? And I think the answer is yes. But we have to continue to have blind trust, in blind faith in our dubs, because what we know is when the lights get bright, as long as Steph is healthy, as long as Clay

is healthy. As long as Draymond's healthy, as long as Cavon Loney is healthy, They're gonna be able to turn up the volume, turn up the heat when the lights get bright. That's just the way it is. You saw it multiple games in a row. They go down twenty five, they go down thirty, and then in the fourth quarter they turn up the heat. They play the stifling defense. They turn you over, they make you nervous, they get

you flustered. They get into transition. Then steph hits you know some of those thirty foot daggers that he hits. He does the little poo poo motion, he does the little night night sleep mask, and all of a sudden, the thirty point lead has disappeared, and now you are down for That's the Warriors, That's what they do. They always make it dramatic. They always want to do that. But we know that they're still capable of that. So

with that being said, they get a C minus. However, I'm not worried Clippers eight seed right now, they get a C plus. Don't know what to make of them. I don't know what to make of them. On one hand, there their rosters very deep. Bucke getters everywhere. On the other hand, they've all been injured. They've all been out significant minute, significant time. Kawhi, it's like a celebration when he plays five games in a row. It's only happened

one time this season. He plays three games, takes one or two off, plays another three, takes one or two off. That's his cycle. And that's like a good thing. That's like about as good as it's gonna get for Kauhi right now. Paul George hasn't been healthy, John Wall has had signs of brilliance, and then he's on the bench.

They are old as fuck right now. Like that's what that's what you get when you have guys who are in the latter stages of their career, where like oh my knees, ooh my back, ooh I gotta take some time put this icy hot on me, and you're like, oh god, dude, Like, are you guys gonna be able to turn it on during the playoffs or nah? A guy can't tell. Are we gonna get Kawhi the version

of him when he made that shot against Philly? Are we gonna get Kawhi the version when he wouldn't drive with his fucking team to go play the Phoenix Suns when he had a ACL tear, didn't even want to support them. Are we gonna get the PG version of him when he played in Indiana? Are we gonna get the version of PG when he turtled in the bubble and everybody started calling him pandemic P? Are we getting PG thirteen? Are we getting pandemic P? Are we getting

Norman Powell when he want a chip? Are we getting Norm Powell from Portland Trailblazers when he's doing absolutely dog shit? See what I just did there? Are we gonna get Roco from his time in the Philadelphia seventy six ers when he was locking guys down? Are we getting Roco getting fucking rim checked in a playoff game losing the Portland Trailblazer series to the Denver Nuggets throwing the ball

at a bounce? What are we getting? Are we getting Luke Canard when he takes this team out of the door drums when they're down twenty six, helps them win a game just based on bucket after bucket after bucket Or are we getting Detroit Pistons Luke Canard where he's just getting waved? What version of speaking of guys getting waved, what version of Reggie Jackson will we get in the playoffs?

Are we getting mister October or whatever they call him, mister September, or are we getting mister sends your ass home? They could use something. They're gonna probably make a move. Steve Bomber's got unlimited money, so I imagine something's gonna happen. Probably a trade with one of the bottom feeders and they just get automatically better. Boy On Bogdanovich would help them quite a bit. Detroit Pistons are doing absolutely nothing, as you guys are ready. No, let's move on to

the Phoenix Suns. They get a D minus, They get somewhere between a D minus and then like sort of a bee because they've all been fucking hurt. Things could not be going worse. When the Sacramento Kings are curb stomping you to win your division. Curb stomping they are. They are just not a good team right now, they're twenty one and twenty four, but culturally they're even worse than that, right like they are. It started when, let's be honest, Robert Sarvar was just spitting out racial slurs

faster than his name was Twista. You know, you're just giving it to you fast, like like he was on a Kanye West track, like that was what Robert Sarvar was doing. It all blew up when DeAndre Ayton wanted to get paid and they were like, no, you're from the Caribbean, you're too soft. Try to get another deal and we'll see if we have to match it. And then he goes out and get a deal and they

begrudgingly match it. Right, it becomes top. Then when Jay Crowder's like, hey, I'd also like to get paid, and they're like, still, no, we don't want to pay anyone. He goes on strike. Then Cam Johnson goes out for an indefinite period of time. He's gonna be back, but how's he gonna look. Then you get CP three on his vegan nast diet, breaking down, busting down like it's the playoffs. When it's still week four. You got Cam Johnson or campaign excuse me, he's been hurt, Devin Booker,

where's he been on a milk carton? He's been out six sixteen games since December eleventh. Probably won't see him for a while. But the most troubling thing to me about the Suns is since December first, they've lost since just December first, This is very critical. They've lost ten games by ten or more points, which is more then they had all of last year. And this is just since December first. Three of those games are at home, which is the same amount of ten point losses at

the Crib then they had all last year too. So I mean they're getting taken to poundtown, you know what I'm saying, and not a great way, in a bad way, sad way. And the Sun's they gotta do something. They gotta move Drake j Crowder gotta do that. I don't even know if anyone's gonna do that because they know that the Suns are so down bad. He's probably gonna have to wave him or get him for nothing, like just lose him for nothing. They're blowing leads in the

second half. Can you tell? I'm not optimistic? Can you tell? And for the love of the valley, they gotta get Devin Booker back healthy. Can we get Kendall to go on the road with d book Can we give her some sort of magic potion in her watermelon to feed to d book This season's toast if we don't figure that shit out fast, Lakers. Lakers are interesting team too. Set I would say D plus D plus for the Lakers,

maybe maybe a C minus. It's actually like kind of a positive grade because it should be an fait based on what they did and what they've done and what they continue to do. We know they're not gonna move anybody. We know they're not trading those two draft picks. Genie Bus has already gone on record. There's already whispers about, well, we're not trading those twenty five and twenty seven first round picks just to make the play in. Ask Braun

if he wants to make the play or not at all. Hey, we can move these two pieces and these two draft picks and then we'll give you a shot in the plan, or you guys can be the fifteenth seed. How you feel. I think Braun would say, yeah, let's try. Let's try. But she's not doing that. They've been in a bunch of games competitively, they have not been able to close many out. They have eight games where they lost by

six or less. But the thing that makes us all quite troubling is how good Lebron's been throughout it all he's been insane. I have never seen anything quite like Lebron James in year thirty eight of his natural life. He is about to break what we thought was an unbreakable record. He is three hundred points short of Kareem Abdul Jabar's all time scoring number, which, let's be honest, is the only reason Lebron James is still a Laker because he wants to break it. In purple and gold.

Let's be real, He's averaging more points per game right now and last year than in any two year stretch in his twenty year career. Think about that. He's averaging more right now and last year than in any two year stretch ever in his entire career, in his peak of the best goaded Miami Heat years, those peak Cleveland years where he's putting the team on his back. No, no,

what he's doing now better than that. He's averaged twenty nine point four per game from two thousand and five to two thousand and seven, and he's averaging thirty point one between twenty and twenty one and twenty and twenty three. You know those like commercials we've seen where it's like Bron versus Father Time People are making fun of him because they're corny, but they are true. Lebron James is undefeated right now against father Time. He's getting better, which

is not what's supposed to happen. We've only seen this from Tom Brady and that was like a Swan song. And maybe Roger Clemens. But let's be honest, do I really need to say anything more about Roger Clemens that maybe discredits the Fountain of Youth? Ad was playing an MVP level ball before he got hurt. I have to mention because I think it's very important for you to know in case you forgot. He did twist his ankle mid air. In the air. He sprained his ankle, not

on the ground. I've never heard of that before. So the things that happened to Ad continue to literally break the rules of physics. So we'll say that. If you want to call that a mystery, if you want to call that a coincidence, if you want to call that just him being brittle, whatever you want to say, it's all true. And of course Russell Westbrook has been really good off the bench as a sixth Man of the Year,

Kennedy's probably gonna win it. There's no more consistent prop bets to take than Russell Westbrook over fourteen and a half points. He just does it. He's a triple double machine. Off the fucking bench. Austin reeves he's getting small star votes even though he doesn't deserve him. And even Dennis Shrewder has had some good games on a veteran minimum contract. They're doing what they can. It's sad of over there. They're poor. They're poor. Jeanie Bus doesn't have anybody else.

She's getting her decision making advice from Linda Rambis. It's bad. It's bad right now, and they have Lebron James. They'll only be okay and be able to salvage if that they make the play in tournament and maybe make a little run do with the like their upside is what the Pelicans did last year. Then think about how bad that is. So they're three games under five hundred, but yet so are the Suns. So not all bad grades are bad grades.