This article is part of our Rebound & Rant series.
Holiday stress tends to make everyone a bit angry. Or maybe the constant onslaught of political news has everyone on edge. No matter the source, folks are expressing NBA crankiness. Let's dive into it.
Harden Supposedly Getting Fouled and His Multiple Step BacksDid you catch that Lakers at Houston game last Thursday? I was agreeing with Chris Webber (which is rare) regarding all the soft calls James Harden was attracting. I know, that's his game. Pump fake from behind the line, jump into defender, and take three foul shots. Or drive to the bucket, run into someone and wildly throw your arms around. Whether these are fouls or not, it's not particularly entertaining. The NBA Referees feed (@OfficialNBARefs) chirped back at Webber , drawing a funny response from Kyle Kuzma, who got a tech for protesting this call:
Can we get fined if we tweet back at this account? https://t.co/dtJlwQTfXZ
— kuz (@kylekuzma) December 14, 2018
But the missed call on Monday night versus Utah, when Harden took multiple step backs, was absolutely ridiculous! Enjoy the ESPN gang chuckling at the double step back:
"It looked like he did two step backs." 😂 pic.twitter.com/k0V0AQLStB
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 18, 2018
That same NBA Refs account admitted the error:
The offensive player gathers the ball while on his right foot. He then takes a step with his left foot (step 1) into a hop step, landing first with his right foot (step 2) and then illegally with his left (step 3). We missed this one - it is a traveling violation. https://t.co/BqMAoZHgIu
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) December 18, 2018
This is a long way of me saying I don't enjoy the Rockets on League Pass. And I'm angry about it!
But let's not ignore the season James Harden is having. He's got career highs going for scoring (31.5 PPG), thefts (2.2 SPG) and three pointers (4.1 3PG). As Liss and Nick Whalen pointed out on our SiriusXM show, it's insane that Harden is hitting 4+ threes per game, yet shooting an impressive 45.4 percent from the field.
What The Hell is Phoenix Doing!?!The short answer is, I have no idea. Their Trevor Ariza for Kelly Oubre-and-Austin-Rivers deal highlighted the foolishness of originally signing Ariza in the first place. The Suns then released Rivers, so really they swap the 33-year-old Ariza and his one year, $15 million dollar contract for the 23-year-old Oubre and the last year ($3.2 million) of his rookie deal, plus the possibility to match his restricted free agent deal next year. Generally, it's smart for bad teams to trade old guys for young players with upside. But the Suns already have too many small forwards and no point guard. How are the Suns going to find meaningful minutes for Mikal Bridges (22 years old), Oubre, Josh Jackson (21) and T.J. Warren (25)? I guess any move that gives Jamal Crawford a break is a good move. This may be yet another sign they are giving up on 21-year-old Dragan Bender, the #4 overall pick in 2016.
By the way, Phoenix cutting Rivers does NOT look good for Doc's son. Sure, Austin Rivers is more of a combo guard than a true PG, but he did have four assists per game last year with the Clippers. The Suns are desperate for a legit point guard, yet they wanted no part of the 26-year-old Rivers. And now Memphis has backed out of signing the Duke product. Are there any other members of the Rivers family running an NBA team?
In Washington, the Wizards might play Ariza until his knees bleed. Tuesday, his first game with the Wiz, he played 38 minutes and gathered an amazing six (6) steals. Washington had no depth before this deal, and that depth just got worse after this two-for-one swap. As of Wednesday evening, Ariza's ownership is still at only 74% on Yahoo. Check your waiver wire, but pass if your squad can't absorb his 38 percent field goal shooting. Also, the Wizards just signed Ron Baker, so all their problems are solved (note heavy sarcasm).
Angry Greta!!!Wow, I think I might have to let Greta Rogers do a guest spot on the R&R. I love her! Listen to her give it to the Phoenix City Council in response to negotiating with less-than-ideal Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, who is pushing the city to fund a arena renovations. Wait for the "he's so tight..." moment:
The Suns are 3-0 since Phoenix resident Greta Rogers roasted Suns owner Robert Sarver at city council 👀 pic.twitter.com/tphIi84mxL
— SportsNation (@SportsNation) December 18, 2018
Go Greta! You must admit, Greta has a point. Sarver bought the Suns in 2004. They have had a record of 531-571 ever since, with their best seasons coming from the squad Sarver inherited. Over the last eight seasons, they have yet to make the playoffs and seem destined (again) for Lotteryville this season. In 2016, a fan survey conducted by ESPN ranked the Suns the worst franchise in the NBA and Sarver as the worst owner (thanks Wikipedia and Fansided). Sarver says he'll pay $80 million to improve Talking Stick Resort Arena if the city kicks in $150 million. Otherwise, he'll move the team to Las Vegas or Seattle. So, yeah, I'd say Greta has a point.
Sarver quickly realized he's on the wrong side of this argument and hastily (IMO) had the team post this video:
A message from Managing Partner, Robert Sarver: pic.twitter.com/f2YLC0woYG
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 13, 2018
Hey, Sarver, while you're admitting mistakes, how about getting a real NBA point guard!?!?
I'm ANGRY AT Draymond Green!Draymond, you are killing me and all your other fantasy owners! This is unacceptable! Green helped me win a championship last season, so I got a bunch of Draymond shares this season. That's lead to 14 missed games and an ugly relationship with fellow Warriors' star Kevin Durant. For the 18 games he has played, he's producing an embarrassing 6.5 points per game, a five year low in blocks (only 0.8 BPG) and is shooting an ugly 41 percent from the field. Ugh. I'm mad! Stop picking fights with teammates and improve your game!
Well, ballers, thank you for letting me vent. CHOO-CHOO!
PS - BTW, if you enjoy this little column, give our AWARD WINNING Friday NBA podcast a try, where I usually join Shannon McKeown and Alex Barutha for some epic NBA conversations.
