May 2, 2022
It’s been weeks since the Laker season ended and we’re still getting nasty leaks from the front office. Those leaks are directing blame at Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Rich Paul for pushing the Lakers to trade for Russell Westbrook. This has to be coming from a member of the Lakers staff that knows they are getting fired, and taking their shots on the way out the door. It might even be coming from Judy Seto, who was their Director of Sports Performance, who was recently let go. In any case, the Lakers have people that work for them that have been perpetuating the same rumors for weeks, and basically acting like a bitter ex-wife. However, I am impressed that the Lakers are actually thinking slightly outside the box with a potential coaching hire, requesting permission to speak to Darwin Ham. We haven’t heard much in the way of coaching rumors since the season ended, which makes me think the Lakers have had their eye on coaches that are still in the playoffs.
Elsewhere around the NBA, we’re on to the 2nd round and the Bucks look like they are ready to successfully defend their NBA title, after Giannis dismantled the Celtics in the Garden in game 1. Meanwhile, if you don’t think Chris Paul is amazing, there is something wrong with you. He’s getting older, and feels like he’s only getting better. 14-14 from the field in an elimination game? When I look at the Suns, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Mavs, and T-Wolves, I see five really good young teams that I think the Lakers are going to have problems surpassing in the next year.
To the ice, where the LA Kings are back in the playoffs for the first time in four years. This is going to be quite a retro 1st round playoff series too, facing the Edmonton Oilers for the first time in the playoffs since 1992. This isn’t exactly the same Kings team that last won the Cup in 2014, as they have a whole lot of young players, and a lot less depth. They still have Anze Kopitar, but Drew Doughty is out injured for the playoffs. However, they seem to be playing for both Jonathan Quick and Dustin Brown, who announced that he will be retiring when the season ends. Dustin Brown is the LA Kings equivalent of Kobe Bryant. He’s been an incredible leader for 18 years with the Kings, the captain of a two-time Cup Champion, Olympic Champion, and scored over 300 goals in his career. He’s a borderline hall of famer, but should instantly have his jersey retired. The Kings can find inspiration in trying to win in the playoffs for Brown, and they are already finding it with Jonathan Quick’s stellar play the last couple of weeks. This team probably doesn’t have enough defensive depth to beat the Oilers, but making the playoffs with this many injuries is a nice accomplishment and good progress for a rebuilding franchise.
In baseball, the Dodger finally got some closure to the Trevor Bauer situation. Bauer is suspended for the next two seasons for his involvement in an alleged sexual assault incident last season. That means the Dodgers are off the hook for the remaining $64 million they owe him. I’m happy that the Dodgers are off the hook and all and can move on, but this is incredibly unfair to Trevor Bauer. There were no criminal charges filed. There are text messages from this woman telling her friends that they can go to Europe in style after a few more rough sexual encounters. So now Bauer’s career is effectively over. Bauer gets suspended for two years, meanwhile, the Houston Astros actually cheated on the field, got to keep their World Series trophy, and not a single player was suspended. Good to see where Commissioner Rob Manfred has his priorities.
Meanwhile, the Angels are looking pretty good, winning 8 of their last 11 games. They are sitting in 1st place in the AL West in the early going. It’s strange seeing the Halos with some nice pitching too between Syndergaard, Ohtani, and now suddenly Michael Lorenzen has emerged as a force. Taylor Ward has also been doing his best Ted Williams impersonation, and cannot be taken out the lineup anytime soon either. Considering that Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon haven’t really gotten going yet, there is much to be excited about right now for the Halos.
The NFL Draft went down over the weekend, and I’m going to say something super unpopular: it’s extremely overrated and overhyped. Most of these dudes are going to be out of the league in 3 years, yet teams are falling all over themselves to get more draft picks. I have no idea what the hell the Titans were thinking when they traded AJ Brown to the Eagles. The Rams didn’t have a pick until the 3rd round, but they have managed to find some useful players, and even starters over the last few years. You can also never have enough offensive and defensive lineman, so the Rams were wise to take Logan Bruss in the 3rd round, who can compete for the starting right guard spot. The Chargers did the same by taking Zion Johnson, the best lineman in the draft, with a 1st round pick. I feel like we’ve said they had a great draft the past few years, but the talent just hasn’t led to wins on the field. Can’t say I’m going to be surprised if that happens again.