Watching Luka and AD

  On Saturday, I meandered through the day, avoiding the Michigan-Rutgers game once I knew that Derek Harper, the star freshman point guard likely headed to the NBA after one year in Piscataway, was still nursing the effects of a high ankle sprain which has kept him out of the lineup and is severely compromising the Scarlet Knights’ chances for any post-season play. I did check out the Franklin and Marshall game at Mc Daniel, which was a one-sided road win for the Diplomats, raising their record to 12-6, 5-2 in the Centennial Conference, with the Ursinus bears on tap for Wednesday as six more regular season games remain. 

I also checked in on the best college basketball rivalry, as Duke hosted North Carolina. I wanted to see Duke’s freshman phenom, Cooper Flagg. I saw maybe two minutes of a rout in favor of the Blue Devils. Carolina basketball has sunk to new lows under Hubert Davis’ guidance. Calls for his firing have increased exponentially and may result in just that if the Tar Heels do not make the NCAA Tournament. 

I was really looking forward to the annual visit of the Los Angeles Lakers to Madison Square Garden to face the hot New York Knicks, winners of five straight games. This meant that “King James,” LeBron James, would be playing in his favorite road building, where, like another icon named Michael Jordan, he has had enormous success. 

When I heard talking head Stephen A. Smith, an unapologetic Knicks fan, say that James would have a great scoring night as he seemingly always does at “The Word’s Most Famous Arena,” I was uneasy. 

Sure, LAL came in without star center Anthony Davis, who was nursing an abdominal strain back in Southern California. But during the six game road trip which was necessitated by the Grammys taking over Cryto.com Arena, the Davis-less team won three of four games, suffering only a loss in Philadelphia. Moreover, since a loss at home to San Antonio, LAL had gone 7-3 in their last 10 contests. 

While the Knicks were led by All Star starters Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, with a fine supporting cast which has catapulted New York to third place in the Eastern Conference, I was very wary of this being a trap game on national TV-especially with James’ 23-9 record and a bevy of big games on the Garden hardwood.

And I was right. Both Brunson and Towns threw up dud games. Plus superior defender OG Anunoby somehow sprained his right foot without any apparent contact, leaving James free to exploit the thin NYK defense. James had a big game, scoring 33 points, along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his 10th triple-double of the season, as the Lakers prevailed, 128-112. 

The only remaining drama of the evening was if Bronny James would play. He did, scoring a basket and turning the ball over once. 

I thought this might be an easy blog this week. A quick look at the NHL, college basketball and the NBA, finishing with the NFL and Super Bowl. Except that another Saturday night massacre happened—it wasn’t political; it involved one of the biggest names in pro basketball.

Or so I thought. I had to stay up to pick up my daughter coming back from Manhattan, as NJ Transit made her wait at New York Penn Station, below the site of the aforementioned game, a full hour after they canceled her train. For shortly after midnight, the NBA and Internet exploded like it may have never before for pro basketball. 

In an astounding move, Dallas traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Davis. Yes, there were other pieces in the trade—notably young guard Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first round pick went to the Mavs. And the Utah Jazz received two second-round picks for taking Jalen Hood-Schifino

This was such a hush over the negotiations that none of the principals knew about it. Agents and even Utah GM Danny Ainge was kept in the dark. James was supposedly stunned. 

What began as a discussion initiated by Dallas GM Nico Harrison with his LAL counterpart Rob Pelinka, turned into this mind-boggling trade. Which stunned the basketball world. 

Much has been repeated as to why the trade happened. Pick a reason and it might stick. Dallas may have been tired of Doncic’s apparent lack of great shape. Or they were concerned that he would not resign or extend his contract after next season. Or maybe Harrison truly believed that by acquiring the oft-injured Davis, he could get this Mavericks team to a title after losing to Boston in last season’s NBA Finals. 

Harrison has been excoriated for this move. Yet perhaps it isn’t his biggest blunder. In 2016, while an executive at Nike, he was tasked with negotiating with Steph Curry on a deal to bring Curry into the Swoosh umbrella. That worked out so well that Curry booted quickly to Under Armor and financial joy. 

Of course, we will have to see how this soap opera plays out. With the trade deadline looming, there could be more activity involving both franchises as well as the normal stunners like D’Andre Fox being moved from Sacramento to San Antonio to join forces with Victor Webanyama, or where disgruntled Jimmy Butler will land. It sure upset the sports world on what otherwise would have been a relatively quiet early February weekend. 

I will wait until the All Star break to further discuss the NBA. I have learned from this Saturday that it never seems to be calm in the NBA when you want it to be. 

As to major college hoops, Auburn, Duke, Alabama, Tennessee and Houston are the current top five teams in the Associated Press poll. Nine Southeastern Conference members populate the Top 25. The Big Ten, always thought of as the bellwether of college hoops, has six teams in the Top 25, with Purdue the highest-ranked team at #7. 

Historically, observers have always thought of the SEC as a football conference, while the Big Ten was strong in both football and basketball. Which Ohio State helped cement with its CFP win in January. 

With the proliferation of NIL money and the transfer portal, it is not surprising that the SEC could accumulate so much talent, while the Big East, once the most dominant basketball conference, can only get Marquette, St. John’s and defending champion UConn into the Top 25 at #11, #12 and #19, respectively. 

There is over a full month of regular season play to get through plus the conference tournaments before we reach Selection Sunday on March 16. This poll will change weekly as the teams play each other and surprises occur—like Kansas State halting Iowa State’s 29 home game winning streak; the Cyclones are one of a handful of teams which could make a run to the Final Four. 

Just keep an eye on Flagg and his Duke teammates. Despite the hoopla over Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers, the internal strife that at times played out in public could derail their title hopes. 

I want to mention Iowa’s upset of #4 USC in women’s hoops on the afternoon when the Hawkeyes retired Caitlin Clark’s number. In a class move, the USC team absorbed the loss then stayed to watch the post-game ceremony. The classless move by Arizona State’s Bob Hurley and his team to leave the floor without shaking hands with rival Arizona after a slew of incidents between the players was simply wrong. Get control of your players—that goes for both teams. They got it right in Iowa City. 

A quick mention of the NHL. The usual dirty shenanigans are ongoing in a league known for violence. Right now, it is nice to see that Ottawa, a perennial doormat, along with Columbus, still reeling from the tragic loss of their star player, and the Detroit Red Wings are in playoff positions. Other than the Winnipeg Jets surprisingly continuing to lead the Western Conference and Alex Ovechkin leading Washington in his quest to overtake Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring mark (he needs 18), the big boys are entrenched and a whole slew of teams are poised to make a late season run to a playoff berth. 

In the NFL, reigning defensive player of the year Myles Garrett wants out of Cleveland. Who can blame him? And the Rams once more want to be rid of WR Cooper Kupp, which I don’t get (nor does Kupp). Plus the Jets haven’t said anything more about whether Aaron Rodgers is returning for another year. Oy.

It is time for the Super Bowl. In my house, the women want Philadelphia. There is plenty of reason to believe that the Eagles can dethrone Kansas City. Except that this Chiefs team is poised to make history with a three-peat. Something I am rooting for.

So get your TV’s ready. Plan your food accordingly. Enjoy the game. Let the best team win. The Mavericks host Houston at 3:00 EST and the Lakers are home to Indiana at 4:00 EST. Neither game is televised nationally. 

While we will be watching football in the short term, we will be watching Luka and AD more so.