Random Thoughts From COVID-19 Quarantine, Including Harden V Simmons, Saleh V Modern Football, And The Devils V The No. 2 Pick
Sweating out my COVID-19 symptoms in the basement these past few days while Game 7 victories by both the detested Celtics and Rangers on Sunday tested my anxiety levels, I was moved to type up a few thoughts:
Nets Notes
1) Stop trying to pick a winner in the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade. The Nets and Sixers each got rid of their respective headaches only to be stuck with new headaches. They’re both home for the summer. Nets fans were all too giddy when Philly flamed out against the Heat in Round 2 last week after a pair of Harden no-shows in the second halves of the last two games. They can’t wait for the Sixers to lavish The Beard with an expensive contract extension that has the potential to age quite gracelessly. Meanwhile, though, Simmons heads into next season dealing with the double whammy of recoveries from microdiscectomy surgery on his back and his issues with “mental readiness” while having not played a game since June 20, 2021. Who knows what his physical and mental condition will be going forward? As for the other pieces of the Nets’ consideration in the deal: Seth Curry is a wonderful shooter, but he’s too small to play alongside Kyrie Irving in Eastern Conference playoff battles; Andre Drummond won’t be back unless he somehow agrees to a veteran minimum deal; and the two first-round picks (the latter a top-8 protected pick in 2027) most likely won’t be of much help in Brooklyn’s current window unless they’re used in trades. It seems to me that both teams have gone backwards in terms of their capacity to contend for the ultimate prize since making the trade. Don’t call it a blockbuster—it was more like mutually assured destruction.
2) Speaking of the picks the Sixers conveyed, the Nets should take the 2022 option on June 1 instead of deferring it a year. The Nets have so few assets to build a better supporting cast around Kevin Durant and Irving than what they went to war with this past season, so having the No. 23 overall selection can only help this offseason. It’s something they can package with one of their trade exceptions, the largest of which is $11.5 million from the above Harden deal, to acquire a player they otherwise couldn’t afford under the league’s salary cap rules. However, if the plan is to stash another rookie contract on this roster, pass. I don’t know what General Manager Sean Marks was talking about last week when he mentioned getting back to the organization’s development roots—if anything, holding three slots this season for rookies Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Kessler Edwards, none of whom contributed a lick in the playoffs, proved to be overkill.
3) NBA reporter Marc Stein mentioned in his weekend newsletter about rumblings that assistant coach David Vanterpool is unlikely to return to the Nets’ bench next season. In my opinion, Marks should have let Head Coach Steve Nash pick a top assistant he trusted more after mentor Mike D’Antoni departed following the 2020-21 season. Steve Clifford was in kind of a background consultant role this season; if he’s again shut out of head coaching gigs in this go-round, he wouldn’t be a bad choice to move to Nash’s side on game nights.
Jets Streams
1) I have to laugh every time Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh talks about getting his team to the fourth quarter with a chance to win games, as if just trying to tread water over the first three quarters is acceptable strategy for the modern game. Not to rehash brutal memories, but in 10 of their 17 games last season, Gang Green never possessed the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in fourth quarters. Many of the blowouts can be attributed to horrendous defense, but maybe Saleh shouldn’t be so conservative early in games—in first halves, the Jets ran on 112 of 200 1st-and-10s last season, the 8th highest run percentage in the league, per Sharp Football Stats. You have to think that trading up to draft running back Breece Hall in the second round will reinforce Saleh’s “let’s play it safe” philosophy in 2022. Just perfect.
2) Anyone find it curious that Vegas hasn’t adjusted the Jets’ over/under win total for the 2022 season since New York’s so-called haul in the NFL Draft? It’s still 5.5, despite a report that Caesars Sportsbook bettors are pouring record amounts on “over.” The league’s schedule-makers did Gang Green no favors, loading up their toughest opponents in the season’s first half (though if quarterback Deshaun Watson is suspended, the Week 2 Cleveland contest might be more competitive). Somehow, the Jets open with four consecutive games against AFC North teams, a first in my memory. Whichever way you bet, I think the outcome won’t be known until the last weekend or two.
3) One last Jets thought: You know how the refrain in politics is, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Well, when it comes to the 2022 Jets, it’s still, “It’s about the quarterback, stupid.” For all the offseason additions, without a major leap from Zach Wilson in his sophomore year, the Jets won’t be playing meaningful games in December for a seventh straight season.
Devils Dealings
1) Based on consensus projections, the Devils just might end up filling a glaring need by picking No. 2 in July’s NHL Draft as opposed to if they had come out of last week’s lottery with a third top pick in the last six years. Most experts believe Montreal will open the Draft by selecting center Shane Wright, leaving New Jersey free to snatch power winger (6-foot 4, 218 pounds) Juraj Slafkovsky, who was named MVP of the 2022 Beijing Olympics for Bronze medalist Slovakia before his 18th birthday. With Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer, the future of New Jersey’s middle is set. That’s why the Devils should also pass on Logan Cooley, who, like Hughes, is an undersized, high-octane center out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, even if he might be the sexier pick.
2) If General manager Tom Fitzgerald hasn’t yet contacted Barry Trotz, egregiously fired as Head Coach of the Islanders last week, he’s guilty of malpractice.
And to all my readers: Please, if you haven’t already, get vaccinated and boosted. I’m not out of the woods just yet, but I’m pretty confident all those injections saved my life.