A big three grows in Brooklyn, but will it take root?
Klay Thompson’s absence seems to have people confused. Out of sight, out of mind, and as the NBA shines a heavy spotlight on Brooklyn, some bold proclamations don’t quite ring true.
Some crazy times lie ahead for the Nets, whenever they can unveil their Big Three: James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Irving has returned to the team, after a fivegame absence due to “personal reasons,” but he’s being held out of Saturday night’s game against Orlando due to the league’s coronavirus protocols.
While we wait, let’s delve into the historic implications.
“Maybe the greatest collection of three shotmakers any team has ever had in history,” former NBA player Tim Legler said on ESPN, and he isn’t alone in that evaluation. The New York media will play up this threesome as a Mount Rushmore of such magnitude, just leave the fourth spot vacant. Put Chris Gatling in there; doesn’t matter. And think about it: Love the idea or recoil in disgust, when was the last time you were so interested in a regularseason development?
Just remember that the true answer to Legler’s claim is Thompson, Durant and Stephen Curry during the Warriors’ championships clinched in 2017 and ’18. It was the first and only time the NBA had three of history’s greatest shooters on one team, and that
wasn’t even the most distinctive feature. They actually shared the ball. They sacrificed for each other. They scurried around the court like Bob Cousy’s Celtics and Walt Frazier’s Knicks, not at all desperate to have the ball in their hands. To stop any of those three, you first had to find them.
Imagine Nets head coach Steve Nash trying to fashion a Golden Statestyle offense with his new, highpowered trio. Durant will do whatever’s asked of him; he proved that under Steve Kerr’s system. As a team player, a reliable offthecourt presence and a clutch shooter under duress, he’s far superior to Irving and Harden.
You’d like to think Irving settles primarily into the role of distributor, with his peerless ballhandling skills. Then you remember that he couldn’t stand playing second fiddle to LeBron James’ Stradivarius. You picture Harden moving without the ball, Currylike, and ditching the idea of dribbling out the shot clock before unloading. But that would take some class. This is a man who partied his way through the start of the Houston Rockets’ training camp, showed up overweight, blatantly lost interest in games and ripped his teammates (“not good enough”) just before Wednesday’s trade. After all those topofthechart seasons, Harden became a despised figure in the locker room — those players are delighted he’s gone — and someone destined to be booed the next time he shows up in Houston.
I’d love to be Dead Wrong in Public here. I’d like to think Nash holds unyielding command over his superstars, in the manner of all great coaches. Maybe the Nets become a ballsharing machine, and the whole season goes by without any of these guys shutting off the New York media. I sure do dream a lot. And no, Klay Thompson, you are not forgotten.
Friendly advice
Charles Barkley is a big fan of James Wiseman, but he made some relevant points after the rookie was schooled by Nikola Jokic during Denver’s win over the Warriors on Thursday night. “He was trying to push too much on Joker. You’ve got to stay off a guy,” Barkley said on TNT. “Guys who push against you are easy to score against.” And: “Come on, man. You’ve got to get more than five rebounds” in 27 minutes . ... Star power in Brooklyn? Add the great Sabrina Ionescu to the mix when the WNBA season starts. Her New York Liberty club shares Barclays Center with the Nets . ... For a man who went 552 days between games, Durant performs like a man who never had Achilles surgery. Impressive . ... Harden had the gall to call himself “an elite teammate” Friday, when he’s the reason Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook had to leave the Rockets. ... We’ve made this point before, but it becomes more evident each year: Curry actually likes to fall down after casting off shots, even with minimal contact. Who’s to argue with genius? ... As part of its pandemic vigilance, the NBA may eliminate shootarounds — a notion certain to be applauded by the players. Show up in the morning with a game that night? Total waste of time for everybody . ... More good news: Players are banned from touching hands with teammates at the freethrow line. Not sure who started this, several years ago, but it’s very dumb. (Ball clanks off the front rim.) “Hey, great miss, man.” And if it goes in, why would you want your routine interrupted? ... LaVar Ball made a fool of himself touting his kids, Lonzo and LaMelo, as future pros. Turns out he was absolutely right; they’re both tremendous passers who work hard on their weaknesses. LaVar seems to have retreated into the background these days, and that’s a blessing . ... Quite a baseball story unfolding in Chicago. Tony La Russa returns to the dugout from a nineyear absence (and two DUI incidents) to manage the White Sox at 76. Liam Hendriks signs to hold down the closer’s job. It’s looking like a World Series team with the likes of Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Lucas Giolito. The lineup is loaded, but the Sox aren’t ruling out exCal slugger Andrew Vaughn, who has yet to face DoubleA pitching but matches impeccable mechanics with considerable power . ... We recently fantasized about frontoffice mastermind Theo Epstein becoming commissioner of baseball. He was named an MLB consultant to “onfield matters” Thursday, and that’s a start. Epstein is deeply concerned about analytics’ negative effects on the game . ... More bad news for the Giants: hardhitting Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber have joined the Washington Nationals, who aim to join the Dodgers, Braves, Padres among the National League elite (with the Mets coming on fast). As for the Giants’ acquisition of pitcher Alex Wood, they could use a lefthanded starter. Other than that, dullsville.