Monday Morning Media Roundup: November 28th, 2022

Nov 28, 2022 - 12:30 PM

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The Mavs were in town last night. They lost. Here’s the intro to this week’s MMMR:

Let’s roundup!

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Giannis Antetokounmpo impressed by Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley: ‘He can be better than me’ (CBS Sports)

I appreciate that we’re already in the “Giannis praises up-and-coming young player” phase of his career. Giannis routinely backs every random rookie that ends up on the squad before they almost inevitably wash out of the league, so at least he’s setting his sights a little higher with Evan Mobley. Obviously, if it was as easy as getting a seven-footer and molding him into a superhuman, every team would have a Giannis of their own. We’ll see if Mobley can hit the right physical notes to get there, but he’s a promising young big man all the same.

Giannis Antetokounmpo eyes elite company with another big season (NBA.com)

Basketball has a long history and comparing players/eras comes easily — see any infographic a local broadcaster’s production team throws up between timeouts comparing a Tony Snell 0/0/0/0 in 15 minute to some one-off game Michael Jordan had in the 1980s. Single game comparisons aren’t quite salient, but stretches of even a season or two are worth comparing. Quintuple so for five season runs. If Giannis can nab another MVP or title next summer, he’ll cement one of the stronger five year stretches in league history.

Seven NBA Observations About Giannis’s Shooting, Myles Turner’s Stock, and More & Q&A: Shaq on His NBA Beginnings, His Legacy, and Why He’s So Critical of Today’s Players (The Ringer)

Two pieces that aren’t directly related, but get to the heart of the perpetual stylistic crossroads a guy like Giannis stands at. On the one hand, improved shooting offers the team a strategic wrinkle and would allow him to avoid exerting as much energy on offense. On the other, there’s the precedent of a Shaq who opted to brutalize through brawn and bravery; damn the jumper. I doubt we’ll ever move beyond this crossroads — instead, we’ll come to appreciate that Giannis ends up a different kind of player stuck between both points altogether.

Fan Post of the Week

“Everyday is Thanksgiving” indeed, retired janitor. And every day is also an opportunity for us to keep making ladder-related jokes and telling ladder-ridden stories in a bid to keep Laddergate alive and well. Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all, and another happy FPOTW win to rj!

Know Your Enemy

• New York Knicks - Posting & Toasting - The Knicks are reportedly targeting a first-round pick to trade Immanuel Quickley

That scary spot between being kinda okay and good is the most fraught in NBA team building timelines. Either your young players are good enough to take the leap and carry you with them (see: Giannis) or they turn out to be a cut below expectations and force the front office to get creative with trades, drafting, and free agent signings. The Knicks have moved from abject failure to kinda okay. Can offloading a young piece like Quickley get them moving a step forward?

• Los Angeles Lakers - Silver Screen & Roll - Quin Snyder has been working with Darvin Ham after every Lakers game as an unpaid coaching consultant

Darvin Ham’s still learning in these early days as a head coach. I’m sure consulting with colleagues who aren’t currently employed by an opposing team is somewhat common in coaching circles, and it speaks well of Ham that he seeks out consultation from peers he respects. Hopefully Darvin can coordinate a successful palace coup d’état and get Synder a job as POBO or GM after ousting Rob Pelinka.

• Charlotte Hornets - At the Hive - Gordon Hayward sidelined indefinitely with fracture in left shoulder

Charlotte continues to run one of the finest inadvertent tank jobs we’ve seen in quite some time. Just months ago they looked set to be one of the lower-end East teams taking a leap forward. Then Miles Bridges was arrested and plead no contest to domestic violence charges right before free agency opened up. LaMelo Ball has played a total of 3 games so far. Cody Martin appeared in 71 games for Charlotte last year and has played a single minute this one. They literally re-hired a coach that ran the Hornets from 2013-2018 with two playoff appearances and zero advances past the first round. Just wait until MJ can get in the gym with Victor Wembanyama next summer!

The Social Media Section

This is Giannis saying he thinks he could beat Jordan, Magic, and Shaq by himself because God knows Liam and Maverick can’t D up for their lives

Wisconsin’s favorite Arkansan

LeBron retire playing for the Bucks on a minimum challenge:

There’s the Christian Wood we know and loved (?) teaming up with the Jason Kidd I loathed

Did Jrue mean “we will morally win”? I guess draws against Wales and England counts as that.

Wes is back posting on Insta

I’m a simple man: I see drone footage of Milwaukee skyline, I post

Shoutout Mrs. Antetokounmpo

I hope Serge asks FVV why he effortlessly torches us for 40 every time we see him

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Riley’s 2022-2023 Weekly Prediction Record: 9-10

Milwaukee’s Actual 2022-2023 Record: 14-5

Our second long home stretch of the season is now at an end, and we’re off to the Big Apple for a one-off away game against the Knicks on Wednesday. Then it is back to Milwaukee to host the Lakers on Friday before hopping on a late night jet to get over to Charlotte to play the Hornets and a fan-friendly 5 PM tip-off time.

I think we’ll beat all three teams, each of which encompass varying degrees of mediocrity and incompetence in unique combinations. The Knicks will be playing the second game of a back-to-back, LA is old as sin, Charlotte doesn’t actually want to win. That should line up for a positive week for Milwaukee!

Happy Monday!