Who doesn't love a good Kardashian reference? (And no, it doesn't involve Tristan Thompson)
Swish Weekly - January 12
We're excited to bring you a stunning Swish Weekly. There's a ton of news to get to including whether the Warriors can somehow manage to nab Anthony Davis, the rise of Jimmy Butler's Timberwolves, and a quote by Steve Kerr you'll have to see to believe. Let's get into it!
Kawakami: The next great long-term Warriors acquisition target? It's Anthony Davis, but it won't be easy - The Athletic - Tim Kawakami
Unfortunately, the week's most important piece of NBA-content is hidden behind a paywall. Essentially, what Kawakami surmises in his piece is that the Warriors could potentially target Anthony Davis, whether than being through a trade or free agency. Even Kawakami concedes that it would be a hell of a challenge to make salaries work under the current salary cap, but it isn't impossible. It's also incredibly frightening to the other 29 teams in the Association. The basic takeaway from the piece is this: What if the rich wanted to get richer?
Buyers, sellers, untouchables and more trade buzz as deadline looms - ESPN - Adrian Wojnarowski
This piece, that came out early Monday Morning, is arguably the best indication that the trade deadline this year might be slow to pick up, but a flurry once it does. NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski is one of the most connected men in the NBA and according to his market research, teams are currently at a bit of a standstill ahead of February's trade deadline. The names with big buzz around them include Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, guard Lou Williams, and Bulls power forward Nikola Mirotic. The buyers and sellers in the league are beginning to solidify so it's only a matter of time before a deal pops.
Big-Game Jimmy: Butler Leading the Wolves' Rise - The Ringer - Kevin O'Connor
Jimmy Butler is quietly having an MVP-caliber season and despite his tenacious play on the court, is not getting the recognition he rightfully deserves. Butler is leading the fourth-seeded Timberwolves to the playoffs, which will snap a 14-year drought baring some cataclysmic collapse. The Wolves are still playing their starters too many minutes and the team isn't able to finish out games due to fatigue, but they are well on their way to being an interesting post-season team for the first time in forever. This team goes where Butler leads it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/7p85vd/joel_embiid_lit_a_fire_under_karl_anthony_towns/
Joel Embiid lit a fire under Karl Anthony Towns' btt - Reddit.com/r/nba - Granny__Danger*
Not only is "Granny__Danger" one of the greatest reddit usernames of all time, the dude also posted a phenomenal breakdown of Karl Anthony Towns' play before and after their battle on December 12th. Since that game, Towns has posted a 17.5 net rating and is really turning it up on the defensive end averaging 2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while helping the Wolves to a 10-4 record. Butler may be the most important player on this team, but Towns is close behind.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22003210/nba-why-isaiah-thomas-get-great-offer-cavs
Why Isaiah Thomas could get a great offer from the Cavs - ESPN - Brian Windhorst
We're all familiar with the biggest trade of the 2017 offseason which saw the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers swap point guards among other assets. Thomas has come back strong from a hip injury that cut his playoffs short last season and has helped the Cleveland Cavaliers return to championship contending form, but the biggest thing Thomas might be playing for this season is his future. As Windhorst points out in his piece, Isaiah's best shot to rake in the cash might be to stay in Cleveland, with or without LeBron James.
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/steve-kerr-lavar-ball-kardashian-nba/#q4YADBSAeZjokEEM.97
Steve Kerr: LaVar Ball 'Kardashian of the NBA' - SLAMOnline - Marcel Mutoni
LaVar and the rest of the Ball family often make headlines due in very little part to their actual basketball talents. Steve Kerr went on blast Monday to criticize the media's handling of LaVar Ball calling him a "Kardashian of the NBA" in a press conference. Kerr's comments are important and shed light on what has grown into a much larger deal than anyone (outside of LaVar) could have anticipated. Kerr's quote in the piece is fantastic.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/1/10/16873286/trade-deadline-rumors-deandre-jordan-anthony-davis
All Quiet on the NBA Rumor Mill Front - The Ringer - Chris Ryan
This piece by the Ringer's Chris Ryan sums up my feelings to a T. This year's trade deadline rumors have been... how do I say this? Lacking? There's DeAndre Jordan and Nikola Mirotic, but beyond that, no superstar names have been floating around the rumor-o-sphere (is that a word?). Even this article has to use a tease of Anthony Davis moving in 2020 to draw attention. Hopefully this trade season ramps up or we could be in for a bit of a boring second half.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22017334/zach-lowe-goran-dragic-hassan-whiteside-miami-heat-nba
Can Miami get red-hot again without making a big move? - ESPN - Zach Lowe
Last year's Miami Heat team was one of the most interesting and intriguing stories in the sports world. A ragtag bunch of misfits sat at 11-30 before rattling off an unbelievable 30-11 over the second half of the season just to come up short of the playoffs by mere tiebreaker. While this year's team isn't as desperate for talent, their record is below expectations many had for the Heat. Zach Lowe searches for an answer to whether this year's Heat team is more of the first half of last year, or the second.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/marco-belinelli-the-five-best-european-players-ive-ever-faced/
The Five Best European Players I've Ever Faced - The Player's Tribune - Marco Belinelli
I've wanted to put a piece from The Player's Tribune in Swish Weekly for a while now because I think we often get caught up in discussing theoretical aspects of the game and forget that these are actual human beings that we are talking about. Hearing about some fantastic players from the perspective of an insider is incredible and Belinelli is surprisingly insightful. There are a couple of obvious choices, but also some completely off the wall picks that I certainly didn't see coming.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/1/12/16876748/giannis-antetokounmpo-milwaukee-bucks-all-star-game
Deer in the Spotlight - The Ringer - Danny Chau
The final article of the week comes from The Ringer's Danny Chau and focuses on the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his transcendent game. Giannis led the league in All-Star votes after the first numbers were released and while LeBron James has overtaken him recently, Giannis still has a chance to play captain for his squad. Chau compares Giannis to Michael Phelps and his prototypical body for the sport, but Antetokounmpo and his MVP-like numbers seem to have fallen to the wayside as the Bucks have struggled to compete.
That's all for this week. We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Swish Weekly and we look forward to continuing to bring you the best NBA content the interwebs have to offer. If you haven't already, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and especially Instagram @SwishWeekly everywhere. Until next week!
Keep Ballin',
Swish Weekly
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