March 6, 2023
Sometimes we need to be reminded that sports is a business, no matter what our emotions tell us. That happened for many of us last week when the Kings traded Jonathan Quick to Columbus, for defenseman Vladislav Gabrykov, and goalie Joonas Korpisalo. Quick is the best goalie in franchise history, and arguably a Hall of Famer. However, you can no longer defend his play. He hasn’t been good this year, and he makes a lot of money. On paper, the Kings made a trade that made them much better, but most fans will be wrapped up in the emotion of dealing Quick. I felt the same way when the Kings traded Wayne Gretzky, my childhood hero. It always hurts when your favorite players get traded, even if in the long run, you’re better for it. Props to Rob Blake for having the guts to do this, because nobody thought he did. I’m not sure if I feel bad for Quick because he got traded, or because he got traded to Ohio. At least for him it didn’t last long and he got traded to Vegas shortly thereafter.
To the NBA where let’s be honest, the Lakers won yesterday thanks to Anthony Davis, but they may still be screwed without Lebron. A week ago, when we thought everyone was healthy, it looked like the team could not only make the playoffs, but make a run. With him gone for at least two more weeks, I doubt they can even make the play in tournament, especially without D’Angelo Russell in the lineup either. I don’t know what’s up with the Lakers medical staff. These guys couldn’t heal a paper cut in a week. Plus, they completely mismanage the information they give out about a players injury, thereby making the fans angry at the player and calling him “soft” for not getting back sooner. One thing is for sure: the Lakers will have every opportunity to get in the play in tournament, even without Lebron. They have the third easiest schedule remaining. That also tells you how little faith I have in them being able to stay healthy.
As for the Clippers, they won last night against the Grizzlies, but still have their own set of issues. I sat here a week ago and told you there could be more chemistry issues to work out once they brought in Russ. So did everybody else. Sure enough, there are chemistry issues and they are just 1-4 since Russ started playing for them. I’m not sitting here telling you it’s Russ’s fault, but don’t act like it’s not a big adjustments with him in the lineup. Does Ty Lue actually enjoy going to work everyday? He has no idea who is going to be available every time he comes to the arena. I mean even in some of the most important games of the season, PG and Kawhi are like “nah it’s a back-to-back I can’t play”. Don’t worry boys. You’ll have plenty of time to rest in the off-season if you don’t make the playoffs because you load managed your way through the last 20 games.
UCLA wrapped up their regular season on Saturday against Arizona with another big win. They are headed into the PAC-12 Tournament as the #1 seed and have a great chance to be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Does it matter though? I mean all we should really care about is if the Bruins are in the West, and that they have a reasonable path to The Final Four. They should get that no matter what happens in next weeks conference tournament. We should be more worried though about the injury to Jaylen Clark, which may very well end his season. It isn’t Clark’s scoring that is the issue, it’s the intangibles he brings at the defensive ends like steals, deflections, and other plays that don’t show up in the box score. I saw Clark in a walking boot after the game Saturday, but was baffled by the fact he was standing on a street corner waiting for someone to pick him up. Someone get this man off his feet immediately! Only at UCLA I tell you.
Speaking of UCLA, Chip Kelly got an extension. The visor is here to stay for a few more years. I don’t love this move, but he had a decent (not great) season in 2022, and a couple of nice recruits coming in. The problem I have with it is that when Chip came in, UCLA didn’t pay him to have one good season in five years. And by “good” we mean respectable finish in the conference, not even winning it. This isn’t great, but par for the course for what is really a basketball school.
Finally, the Dodgers are feeling the pain of not bringing in another shortstop this offseason, after Gavin Lux went down with an ACL injury. Lux is out for the season. Oh so you think Miguel Rojas can replace him? This dude is a less productive hitter than Cody Bellinger was last year, according to advanced metrics. And in case you forgot, Bellinger couldn’t hit Little League pitching last year. The Dodgers will definitely have to get creative because there isn’t a trade out there that can suddenly give them an all-star middle infielder. Even Andrew Friedman’s computer will tell you that!
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