Would Warriors top Globetrotters?
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Here are a few intriguing storylines to watch in the 2018-19 season:
How would the Warriors stack up against the in-their-prime Harlem Globetrotters?
The Warriors are expected to win their fourth title in five seasons, with a victory parade already scheduled for June 18, 2019, that will start at Oracle Arena in Oakland and, in unprecedented fashion, end four months later in front of the team’s new arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco.
As for Warriors vs. Globetrotters, that is a difficult one to decide.
The Warriors could field a starting five of DeMarcus Cousins (when healthy), Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — that’s a combined 25 AllStar Game appearances. The Globetrotters would counter with Marques Haynes, Curly Neal, Tex Harrison, Geese Ausbie and Meadowlark Lemon, who was globe-trotting into his 60s.
During this championship run, the Warriors’ longest winning streak was 28 games; meanwhile, the Globetrotters once won 8,829 games in a row, all on the road. But I believe it’s clear that the Warriors played a tougher schedule (the Western Conference) than the Globetrotters (the Washington Generals).
And give Golden State credit for this: It won a title last season with goofy Nick Young on its roster.
Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony are with new teams. This is not good news for their new teams.
The two future Hall of Famers are current liabilities. They consistently make teams worse these days — the Wizards, with Howard, and the Rockets, with Anthony, are the latest victims.
Howard no longer is a great rebounder and defender, and his offensive game never developed beyond the desire to dunk. Anthony never has played much defense, and his offensive game now consists of standing 23 feet from the basket and waiting for the ball or a TV timeout.
Howard is with his fourth team in four seasons, and Anthony is with his third team in three seasons; with any luck, both might end their careers by playing with 10 teams in 10 seasons.
Igor Kokoskov is the Suns’ new coach. He is not from here.
A longtime NBA assistant for six teams, the Serbian-bred Kokoskov is the first person born and raised outside of North America to become an NBA head coach.
Considering the current anti-immigration climate in Arizona and Washington, it is rather impressive that Kokoskov has walked between the xenophobic raindrops to climb the NBA’s coaching ladder.
Before the White House gets wind of this, it should understand that Kokoskov became a U.S. citizen in 2010. I just hope he has his papers in order.
Note to 76ers fans: You can stop reading this column right now.
Couch Slouch continues to reject the entire flawed premise of The Process and believes that, rather than progress, The (Morally and Spiritually Bankrupt) Process will show regress. #DTTP
Ask The Slouch
Special Daniel Snyder Edition:
Q. Snyder has put his Potomac, Maryland, mansion on the market for $49 million. Would the home’s value increase or decrease if he threw in a couple of Washington football team season tickets? (Pete Perry, La Plata, Maryland)
A. Pay the man, Shirley.
Q. If Snyder ran NASA, would the astronauts to Mars need to buy seat licenses and pay for their time in the training module? (David Kahn, Brookeville, Maryland) A. Pay the man, Shirley.
Q. I see where Snyder has his home for sale — will parking at the realtor’s open house be $50 or $60? (Charles Raasch, Alexandria, Virginia)
A. Pay the man, Shirley.
Q. Can any Cabinet-level member invoke the 25th Amendment in regard to the R*dsk*ns’ owner? (Jim Smallwood, Richmond, Virginia)
A. Pay the man, Shirley.
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