To start this out I just want to explain what this will be. Every week I’ll go through and give my five big thoughts and my favorite moment from the week.So without any further ado here is “Richey’s NBA Couch Talk Week One”! So the first week of the NBA is already done and it has been a very interesting week. After the best offseason yet I think we might have one of the top NBA seasons to date, so lets hop right into week one!
1. Gordon Hayward and the Celtics season.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you should have heard about Gordon Hayward’s gruesome injury. If you do live under a rock let me catch you up. It’s opening night and the Celtics are playing in Cleveland. His injury happened in the first quarter when Kyrie threw a lob on a Hayward back-cut. Hayward was met at the rim and landed awkwardly. So after the injury many people were saying that the Celtics will drop to a 4 or 5 seed, but I think that is ridiculous. After Hayward went out the Celtics almost went on to win the game. The Celtics are a young, athletic, and have an interesting line-up. I’m not going to be too worried with the Celtics team. I’m not expecting a title, but they’ve got a bright future ahead of them.
2. Don’t sleep on the East
The Eastern Conference has been known for looking like toilet for the past years. This is mostly because LeBron runs the East and the West’s star studded teams. This causes teams in the East to be overlooked. I think there are a few sleeper teams to look out for this season. I’d look out for the Nets, Magic, and the Pacers.
3. The Rooks
This years rookie class has tons of talent and many of them can become superstars. There have been some rookies like Jayson Tatum, Lonzo “Big Baller Brand” Ball, and Ben Simmons (who I still call a rookie) that I have been impressed with. Tatum is a huge piece for the Celtics this year and is playing it well. Big Baller Brand has actually played well during his first games with the Lakers. First he has to play with a target on his back because of Lavar, he had to play against PATRICK BEVERLEY his first game. Then he bounces back and almost messes around and gets a triple double (shout out Ice Cube). And finally the “red shirt” rookie Ben Simmons. I still have no faith in the 76ers and don’t trust the process. Hell, I’m not even sold that they’ll make the playoffs, but I am sold that Ben Simmons will have a nice career ahead of him. He doesn’t have a shot really, his form is nice but nothing falls for him, but he knows how to score around the rim. I think Ben Simmons and Carson Wentz can save Philly sports.
4. Do the Cavaliers have too old of a team?
The Cavs roster looks much different than last year, but does it have potential? Yes, I think the Cavs roster has depth, but they basically have a bunch of old superstars who need to figure out how to play their roles. It also doesn’t help that they have a lot of injury prone players. It is still pretty early in the season, but all I’m going to say is don’t be surprised if the Cavaliers have problems in the post season…..
5. OK3 has potential, but still needs to find their groove.
So one team that made a complete 180 in the offseason was the Oklahoma City Thunder with their newest big four of Brodie, PG, Hoodie Melo, and Kyle Singler. The biggest problem with the team is that there is only one ball. I don’t think they have a problem with sharing the ball, I think they will struggle because all three of them averaged over 20 shots a game last year. It seems like Russ and Melo have actually played well and flowed with the game, but it looks like PG has had some issues offensively. I know they are only three games in so I’m not going to try and destroy the Thunder, but just a few things to say. One, START Jerami Grant and BENCH Andre Roberson. Roberson is a 10 million dollar offensive liability while Grant can defend with his athleticism and length. Not to mention that Grant can score and he doesn’t airball free throws. Secondly, have a rotation where Melo stays on the court when the opposing team puts in their second squad. Lastly, not many people won’t even know who Josh Huestis is, but just know he needs more playing time. He is a long and athletic player who can make tough shots and defend for some solid minutes.
Moment Of The Week:
My favorite moments of the week come from Josh Jackson, a rookie with the dysfunctional Phoenix Suns. The first clip is Josh Jackson “poppin’ off” on a fan. Which he was later fined 35k for, when asked about the situation JJ said he was flipping the bird. The final clip is Josh Jackson expressing how every single Suns fan feels about their team.
Josh Jackson fed up with Marquese Chriss i love the 2017 Suns so damn much pic.twitter.com/I92gDUCdaX
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) October 24, 2017
That will wrap up week one of Richey’s Couch Talk, if you have any suggestions let me know on Twitter!