Pacific things we knew, didn't
We did the Atlantic, the Northwest, the Southeast, so, Southwest.
SUNS
Mike Budenholzer was fired on Monday and good, he doesn't need this shit. Mike Budenholzer can be a terrific head coach, he earned a paid break from the NBA and I hope he takes it and every last bit of Mat Ishbia's money. Coach Bud signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Suns last summer and I hope Bud comes back in the 2029-30 season, aged 60, $40 million richer, starting salary of well over $12 million. I hope he comes back, kicks everyone's ass, and coaches for as long as he wants to.
Mat Ishbia came in and spent money in an attempt to build a championship and failed, badly. But, um, he also came in and spent money. We can't claim as much for outfits in Chicago or Denver or Memphis or kabillionaires in Portland, we can't say the Thunder ever spent money.
Nobody knows what happens next in Phoenix, the team had the largest payroll in the NBA in 2024-25 and its ownership and lead front office personnel already proved they aren't to be trusted with whatever happens next. Yet I'd rather be without a pick in Phoenix than full of options in Charlotte, because I don't know if Charlotte (or Chicago, or Denver, or OKC) will exercise any of those options on behalf of the public trust.
And, boy howdy, did Mat Ishbia contribute to the public trust in 2024-25. And to his hairdresser as well, let me tell you, those colors don't come cheap.
In his first offseason Mark Cuban traded for Loy Vaught and Christian Laettner. Comparatively, Ishbia was overwhelmed with making famous friends and securing superduper stars, to an embarrassing degree. The one time he betrayed this starbleepery was to claim cleverness, simulating the basketball savvy of Tilman Fertitta, declaring Chris Paul dead and gone.
Paul turned into Bradley Beal, whose does the same exact thing as the other two stars on the Suns' roster. This happened once before, when Charles Barkley came to the Rockets' door in 1996, three guys (Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles, Clyde Drexler) who wanted the ball on the left block so they could go to their right hand. The Rockets nearly made the Finals because Barkley and Drexler focused on other things, rebounding and playmaking. Devin Booker tried to do other things this season, Kevin Durant as well, Beal attempted to fit in but these are not multi-faceted All-Stars, even at their respective peaks. These are bucket-getters.
No person who is familiar with NBA basketball would consider Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and then Bradley Beal a foundation. That's a redundant core, energies fighting themselves, the type of thrust which requires star power at the other positions to counter. Wild ask, five stars on the court at once, but a championship-level return out of a foundation such as this requires a superior playmaker and volume outside shooter at guard, ensuring the Suns aren't tossing up two-pointers all the time.
Devin/Durant/Beal demands the same long-range touch from its center, the remaining position. And also that center is gonna have to be like Bill Russell all the time.
Out of the question, but at least regular season supremacy was in the cards. The Suns coulda stayed healthy and pushed their odd advantages but the rotations were all over the place, rookies dragged in and out of the lineup, players were injured, the team lost faith in Jusuf Nurkic and for tall reason.
Only a Coach of the Year performance does anything with this group and I was one of several people who thought we would see one from Mike Budenholzer this season, powering his way through a rather tough time in his life. It didn't happen, nobody's fault but the person who thought Booker then Durant then Beal was a good idea. The person who thought throwing Budenholzer back on that stage would work.
That would be, the boss. We don't know what pressure the boss put GM James Jones under to toss more than the Suns had to, letting the Wizards have first-round swap rights in 2026, 2028 and 2030 for a player with what was already acknowledged as the worst contract in the NBA. Or if that was Jones' idear, or the other guy's concept, the agent's kid.
Trade Booker? Devin is beautiful but if I'm an NBA GM I don't need a shooting guard, to start. Let alone one staring down 30, expecting to be paid the most for every minute of it. That's Devin's right, I hope he succeeds, but he's a hard trade sell in a market perpetually after point guards and bigs. Ishbia has two hopes with Booker: Devin takes less to join a contender and the Suns earn a three-team return, or Mat Ishbia finds another Mat Ishbia to overrate a famous NBA player, securing scads of picks and prospects in a trade.
The Houston Rockets could absolutely use a sensible scorer like Booker and I'm hardly one to value first-round draft picks, especially picks as low as Houston's. But the Rockets should be in no hurry to offer more than a single pick, if that. Mikal Bridges for four draft picks isn't the expectation anymore, Luka Dončić for a single first-round selection is.
LAKERS
We knew J.J. Redick would put in the effort, and that effort isn't anywhere near enough. If it were about the hours, few coaches would ever be fired. Certainly not Redick's predecessor, or his predecessor, or whoever came before that. I bet it was Mike Brown. Was it Vogel? No, wait, Brown.
Sometimes teams need a change of voice in the locker room, the next NBA team to switch coaches and thrive under new head coaching hire Darvin Ham will realize as much, the Lakers recognized as much about 15 months ago and that's why Ham works for the Bucks now. Not to take over for the Bucks' head coach, but to give the Bucks' head coach's message a thicker sound in the mix. Strapping Doc Rivers' voice up to a chorus pedal, maybe a miniature delay, no gimmicks, just making sure Doc's message is amplified with the spatial treatment he earned long ago.
Doc Rivers had Ricky Davis and Antoine Walker on the same team, alright? When that became too much, Rivers' boss Danny Ainge started a rebuilding effort with Ricky Davis and Gerald Green. And we wonder why Doc's trachea sounds like a claw-footed bathtub being struck by a tuba.
A sound we call, "Tom Waits but the 80s albums."
We knew there would be a change in the Lakers locker room because the Lakers made one, it was on TV and the news: J.J. Redick and his associate cast of feudin' Gen X tumblers. Let's watch Brooks/McMillan again.
It is a bummer that coaches can't have podcasts, and not because I miss J.J. Redick's. It is because I would like to see every assistant coach born in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s have a podcast, every journeyman NBA ex-head or assistant coach should be free to lay down 60 hours of rock-solid NBA podcast gripe. Naming names, recalling payroll numbers, saluting nobody.
We knew the Lakers hired a new coach. We did not know he'd be this great, right away.
Probably shoulda known: Redick talked a major game on television and in our ears, the best way out of scraping off the quicksand is with a mix of confidence and humility.
Redick communicated with his charges this season, he didn't let his decisions do the talking, he kept with his players and he sustained the same microphone tone with LeBron James. Critics already decided Redick's voice was obsequiousness defined and that's fine, J.J. was never going to win those votes. Might as well burrow into making the last few years of James' career as pleasant as possible.
L.A. CLIPPERS
We knew they wouldn't give up. We wouldn't believe James Harden falling off in the regular season until we watch it happen. The man got on Metta World Peace's last nerve thirteen years ago, he was capable of handling another six months of five star NBA'ing.
We knew it would stay grooving under Ty Lue, but didn't think the health would hold up. None of us had any reason to.
Season isn't over, either, says the jerk on our shoulder. Everyone but the Clippers sweat the payoff: James Harden can't blurt his way through the playoffs again, Kawhi Leonard must remain healthy and he'll have the best opportunity to, with space between every game and limited travel. Every NBA watcher said the Clips would be championship capable if healthy and meant it, Tyronn Lue's turned into our Larry Brown, a wee overachiever.
Now it's actually happening. Norman Powell's All-Star start leveled off but just in time for Kawhi. Ben Simmons sops minutes off the bench, doing nothing but for that one play nobody else can do. Kris Dunn is your favorite basketball player's favorite basketball player. Ben Simmons is every basketball player's least favorite basketball player.
We didn't know it would happen! There was always a chance, and the chance took hold. The uniforms look good, too. This is pleasant. This is, fine?
SACRAMENTO
We knew they'd be middling.
Sacto was and is in much the same position the Suns are in. Superior mid-range scoring in abundance is fun but not a flex. Keegan Murray commits to his stretch position, Malik Monk can create outside shots, De'Aaron Fox was on board for a bit and there was always the chance Kevin Huerter came around, fine. Otherwise, this team was all two-pointers.
That's the difference between a top-two offense and a top-seven. The Kings rank but seventh in offense, and this roster needs an all-world offense to survive its defense.
Did not think they'd cut Mike Brown. Thought they'd sooner make a decision on Fox or Sabonis or both, coalesce under coach. Nah, I shoulda known they wanted Doug Christie in that throne all along.
Did not think they'd survive this, the Kings ran 27-24 under Doug Christie, losing a topflight point guard and adding the potent if superfluous Zach LaVine. Did not think Doug's Kings would be desultory, but that we'd view a new coach learning on the job, learning through more losses than wins. Instead, and in the West, Christie thrived.
Adding Zach gave the Kings a shot in the arm. Sacramento fans know what it is like now, those shots aren't good but holy lord do they go in. He made 56 percent of his twos as a Bull this season, and 56 percent of his twos as a King. LaVine made 44 percent of his threes this season as a King, and also 44 percent while a Bull. It was a consistent season.
To an outsider there appears a definite wedge between the camps, LaVine and DeMar DeRozan look a little out of place amongst the other guys who weren't on the Chicago Bulls a few months ago. DeMar and Zach weren't close in Chicago but can't help but be on the same page here, not because Sacramento is bad or "hell" but because it is new.
Keon Ellis was key, Brown had him at 16 minutes per game in December and we knew he'd earn far more reps under Doug Christie, but could he play complete minutes? Keep positive overall, and not take chances better kept for a bit-player?
Instead, he took chances best suited for a hound on a 10-day deal, stalking opponents as if they weren't ever going to be his friend. Doing his best to turn into some hoped for center-point guard hybrid, entry-level Jrue Holiday. As Sacramento wraps one shooting guard around another and can't figure out why the stretch four can't find shots.
The lineups don't work together, but the team plays hard and is entertaining to watch. Sacramento deserves greater coherency, though. They just traded for the Bulls, and the Bulls aren't any good.
WARRIORS
We knew they'd make a move. Admittedly the options were cut once Lauri Markkanen skulked back to Salt Lake City but there were options, many of them underwhelming.
We didn't know Jimmy Butler would be what they needed. There are plenty of stars out there, but Jimmy is unique, and the Warriors are a special fix.
Butler runs lanes Klay Thompson doesn't, didn't, transition or through the trees in half-court. JBIII finishes plays Shaun Livingston couldn't, splashes free throws Andre Iguodala missed, makes the plays under pressure that many others could not. I suppose I'm expected to create some outlandish comparison, Sidney Moncrief joining Midge Ure-era Thin Lizzy, all I can think of is how much I enjoy watching the Warriors play, and that I hope they don't biff it with four losses in five games.
Because I need more Steve Kerr, on record, getting to the point.
Why is everyone injured? Why do players need to play fewer minutes? Why do players need to sit out more games, in spite of decreasing back-to-backs, in spite of five-star travel and full-time medical staff on hand?
Because the game changed. Way, way more sprinting now. Stops and starts.
“Pace and space,” Kerr said. “When I played, you didn’t have to run out to 30 feet to cover a shooter. Now, you do. Back then, you played the game at a very small circumference. Now, it’s a big, wide circle, and you have to cover the entire court. Everyone is playing faster.”
I could hug him, telling the world in a paragraph what it takes me two columns to kinda get into.
Actually, this picture does it better than Steve or I:
I do not want to demean the contributions of those who came before us, but go watch a game from the 1990s. A bit more standing around. Certainly less expectation to keep glued to the three-point line, in upright defensive position.
“The numbers do show that our players and the NBA are covering way more ground than they were 15, 20 years ago,” Kerr said. “That’s easily trackable. That’s, I think, significant information. It matches up with what we are seeing on the floor.”
Science, man, now don't tell me Steve is going to get into capi–
“What I don’t have faith in is America’s willingness to cut back on a few profits here and there in the name of quality. I don’t think that’s in our nature in America.”
(Just bruised my sternum from pounding it with my fist four times.)
Listen, I'm not saying Steve's Lincoln Project stuff wasn't embarrassing. What I am saying is we have at least three years to shove Steve even further to the left before putting his winning grin on all 50 ballots (plus whatever we've annexed by then).
THE SLY, SLICK, AND THE WICKED
Serious question, did anyone make a Tom Waits/clawfoot bathtub/tuba joke before me? That sounds stolen.
And from somewhere real embarrassing. Like, Patrick Duffy's character said it to Sasha Mitchell's character in 'Step by Step.'
Beside the year-end reviews linked-to above, the postseason previews started and will continue, consider subscribing, support independent hoops! We say whatever.
