Early Season Headlines

We are two weeks into the NBA season and already there is so much to talk about. We’re going to talk about surprise teams and the teams that are in panic mode. Finally, the elephant in the room none other than Jimmy Butler talk.

What is brewing in Sacramento: Breakup the Kings, they are hot and rolling after the win on Thursday vs Atlanta they have won five games in a row and starting the season with a 6-3 record. Head Coach Dave Joerger is finally playing his best players in De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein. Fox has come into his own looking like the high lottery pick he was Cauley-Stein looks to be finally putting up the numbers expected out of an athletic shot blocking big man who can score around the rim. The one that should be more talked about is Hield, dusting off the persona that he is only a three-point shooter and getting it done by putting the ball on the floor and getting others involved. His passing is rapidly evolving for a young wing player that is not only a good shooter. Think of these improved skills as JJ Redick’s game but doing it earlier in his career. Playoffs are not yet in the cards for the Kings but the future is finally coming together post DeMarcus Cousins.

Panic Mode: It’s the theme right now in Houston and Washington with the Rockets at 1-5 and the Wizards at 1-6 there are differences in why it’s a slow start for either team and their overall situations. With Houston, it’s missing James Harden with a hamstring injury on top of Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony not playing well then, you’re going to lose games. In the off-season by not being able to re-sign Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute is going to rear its ugly head on the defensive end. With the Wizards it’s about the core not fitting right, poor coaching doesn’t help, and the players don’t like each other. With seven free agents after the season the mentality with some of them is that they want to get theirs and not help the team win games. All of this won’t get any better when Dwight Howard makes his season debut Friday night Vs OKC. This team is in trouble and will have to work hard just to make the playoffs. If not expect big changes in the off-season.

Jimmy Butler Saga: This is still going on with no end in sight from what we can see. Butler sat out Wednesday nights game vs the Jazz due to his body being sore and needed rest. It looks like he is picking and choosing when he wants to play, and this situation looks ugly. They still want too much for him in a trade and the stalemate continues, who is going to blink? It must be Head Coach and GM Tom Thibodeau giving Butler what he wants and that is to be traded out of town. Will they take a Mimi offer or somebody from the outside to end this nonsense? Both parties involved has handled this poorly and at the end of the day all this talk about Butler wanting to win and it’s not about the money is a load of you know what. He wants a max deal to a team that trades for him and he wants to play with players who have heart it’s as simple as that. Miami is a perfect landing spot for him and we will see if the Heat will include a Josh Richardson package to get a deal done. Miami absolutely shouldn’t think about putting Richardson in a deal and just eat dead money by releasing guys or buy them out after the season to sign Butler in free agency for next season. Miami really needs to find a trade partner for Goran Dragic to get Miami in a better direction for the foreseeable future.