This kid plays hard with a chip on his shoulder. You can tell he hates losing. I love that in a player in any sport. When he made that turnover against the Knicks at the end of regulation, he was disgusted with himself. He reset himself, then basically beat the Knicks on the road in overtime.
I love that. That’s TSN (Toughness, Smarts, Nasty) flowing over the rim of the cup.
He’s not Larry Bird or Magic, but perhaps a taller version of Pete Maravich. This is a guy you could build your team around in either Seattle or Las Vegas. A team which will have the city culture to attract that occasional free agent or late season difference making veteran addition.
I actually hope Shai doesn’t play again this season so as we don’t see Giddey’s usage diminished by making sure Shai gets his little stat padding touches.
I’m getting ready to do my All-Star break awards finalists since we’re now down to the last twenty-five games of the season.
This would be my top four right now for Rookie of the Year:
1 Evan Mobley, 2 Josh Giddey, 3 Cade Cunningham, and 4 Scottie Barnes.
I primarily give Evan Mobley the edge because he’s on a team playing real games and Cleveland is one of the very positive NBA stories this season.
If OKC was playing real games — I would probably have them 1a and 1b right now. Because when you’re tanking shamelessly, the other teams often sit some guys themselves and don’t really come to the arena mentally engaged to play a real game themselves. Yeah, tanking can be a double-edged sword.
Let me be clear on all of this. I’ve been a passionate NBA fan since I was seven years of age. Long, long before Hurricane Katrina blew into New Orleans. I love the game. I don’t want to see another potential star player enslaved here by a GM who can’t put the right pieces around that star.
And the truth is…it might not be Sam Presti’s fault. It might just be the fact Oklahoma City is perceived as a Proud Boy …redneck destination by the elite black players in the NBA.
If the latter is the case…. then the team should be moved to a city where ownership can maximize winning.
To fill those forty-one home dates the good people of Oklahoma City could schedule…tractor pulls, rodeos, motor-cross events, NCAA events, Big 12 and SEC events, maybe find a beer league brawling minor league hockey team, Trump evangelical rallies featuring Marjorie Taylor-Green, a lingerie girl’s football team, etc, ect.
Oklahoma City could find a way to schedule forty-one dates with a level of entertainment which is more in line with the culture of Oklahomans.
So, yeah—it’s kind of exciting watching this kid. Stay put, Shai. Don’t ruin this for me. Let’s watch Josh Giddey the rest of the way. Rest your body, Shai…you’ve almost played half a season…again.