We may have a new Dunk of the Year.
Memphis rookie Ja Morant is an athletic freak, one confident enough in his skills to go right at a big switched onto him. Say Phoenix’s Aron Baynes. On a critical fourth-quarter possession.
1⃣2⃣ JUST CAUGHT A BODY @JaMorant | #GRZNXTGEN pic.twitter.com/XYWYlmrLAn
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 12, 2019
RIP Aron Baynes.
Memphis won the game 115-108.
LeBron James — who on Saturday night likely will move past Kobe Bryant into third on the all-time NBA scoring list — has reached the point in his legendary career that he only can be compared to other legends.
Specifically, Michael Jordan.
Jordan, now the owner and face of the Charlotte Hornets, was in Paris to watch his team lose to the Milwaukee Bucks, and tried to downplay comparisons to LeBron.
“We play in different eras. He’s an unbelievable player. He’s one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world. I know its a natural tendency to compare eras to eras and it’s going to continue to happen. I’m a fan of his, I love watching him play. As you can see, our league is starting to expand on very talented players. I think he’s made his mark, he will continue to do so. But when you start the comparisons, I think it is what it is. It’s just a stand-up measurement. I take it with a grain of salt. He’s a heck of a basketball player without a doubt.”
Does anyone think the ultra-competitive Jordan actually believes that? Of course not, we saw his Hall of Fame speech. But for fun, let’s take MJ’s words at face value.
Jordan is right. Both that it’s nearly impossible to compare NBA players across eras and that people will continue to do it anyway.
Jordan was a better one-on-one scorer playing in an era where the rules pushed the game toward isolation basketball and playing through contact. LeBron is a much better passer with better court vision in an era where driving-and-kicking to the corner, or making a skip-pass against an overloaded defense, is the smarter basketball play. Jordan broke open barriers as a player who is a brand off the court, but LeBron expanded that in a social-media era and added in a social conscience.
Both are legendary players, both are products of their generation, and both are Mount Rushmore players. Which player you think is the better player says more about you, your age, and your preferred style of play than it does LeBron or Jordan.
But please, commence the arguing in the comments.
PARIS — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 12 rebounds and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 116-103 on Friday night in the first NBA regular-season game in France.
Top plays from The Greek Freak:
30 PTS | 16 REB | 6 AST | 68% FG pic.twitter.com/cNnMIpridy
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 24, 2020
Milwaukee improved to 40-6 with its eighth straight victory. The Bucks have the best 46-game start in franchise history. They were 39-7 in 1970-71 when they went on to win the NBA championship.
Eric Bledsoe added 20 points and five assists for the Bucks.
Malik Monk led Charlotte with 31 points. The Hornets have lost eight in a row.
Milwaukee rallied to tie it at 78 going into the fourth quarter. Pat Connaughton put the Bucks in front with a dunk in the fourth. Then Antetokounmpo got going, drawing a foul as he slalomed through the defense.
Dallas took a big hit this week when center Dwight Powell went down with a torn Achilles. The Mavericks’ starting center was a critical pick-and-roll partner with Luka Doncic, a roll man and vertical threat that allowed Kristaps Porzingis to space the floor (along with other Dallas shooters), plus Powell was a solid team defender.
Willie Cauley-Stein is going to get a chance to fill that role.
Golden State is trading Cauley-Stein to Dallas for a second-round pick.
Golden State is finalizing a deal to trade C Willie Cauley-Stein to Dallas, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 24, 2020
Dallas is sending Golden State a 2020 second-round pick (via Utah) for Cauley-Stein, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 24, 2020
Dallas just made a trade for Justin Patton to waive him and clear out a roster spot for this trade.
Cauley-Stein is averaging an efficient 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a game for Golden State. More importantly for Dallas, he provides the athletic dive man, a threat on the roll they need to keep things open for Doncic.
Dallas could have waited out the market to try and land a better center, but this gives them a reliable fit for minimal cost (a late second-round pick, they kept Golden State’s own second rounder). Cauley-Stein will split time at the five with Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, and Boban Marjanovic.
Willie Cauley-Stein is on a two-year minimum contract- $2.17M and $2.28M. The second year has a player option. As a result of the trade, Dallas will waive Justin Patton.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 24, 2020
For those of you crunching the numbers at home:
Dallas is acquiring Cauley-Stein with the $11.7M trade exception created from the Harrison Barnes trade last February. The exception is needed because WCS signed for part of the non-tax ML (slightly north of the minimum). Golden State will now have a $2.17M trade exception. https://t.co/1hC38E40Fu
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 24, 2020
For Golden State, in the short term, this move creates a couple of open roster spots. One of those likely will be used to re-sign Marquese Chriss, who was waived last week. The other roster spot likely will go to Ky Bowman.
Golden State adds a pick and a trade exception for sending out a player that was not part of their long-term plans anyway.
We have a trade…
That shifts things around on the end of the bench in Dallas so they could create a roster spot forWillie Cauley-Stein (a trade that was announced later). A trade that is mostly about saving some and rolling the dice on a project in OKC.
Dallas is sending Isaiah Roby to OKC for Justin Patton, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Dallas is trading forward Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City for Justin Patton and cash consideration, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 24, 2020
What is really going on here?
For Dallas, this is about clearing out a roster spot, it plans to waive Patton. That roster spot is going to Willie Cauley-Stein in a trade with Golden State, that was just reported. The Mavericks lost center Dwight Powell to a torn Achilles this week and needed to bring in a player or two — via trade or free agency — to help bolster the existing front line of Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, and Boban Marjanovic. Here is Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
We just landed in SLC, catching up, told the Roby-for-Patton move is clearing roster spot for potential future move. Patton will be waived.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 24, 2020
The move also clears out a little cash for Dallas.
In Oklahoma City, they get a young player to develop but also save some money.
Isaiah Roby is in year one of a four year contract.
* 19/20: $1.5M
* 20/21: $1.5M (fully guaranteed)
*21/22: $1.8M (guaranteed on 7/3/21)
* 22/23: $1.9M (guaranteed on 7/3/22)Tax bill in OKC goes from $2.3M to $2M. The Thunder are now $801,066 over the threshold.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 24, 2020
Roby has not played in an NBA game yet. The rookie out of Nebraska — taken 45th overall last June — is a development project, but one who passes the eye test for an NBA power forward. He did a lot of things well in college — scoring, rebounding, works hard off the ball — but can he do that at an NBA level? He’s played in nine G-League games this season, averaging 9.2 points and 7 rebounds a game.