Like a lot of people in San Luis Obispo, I met Jessica Slate while on the sideline at high school and Cal Poly games locally. As someone who is a San Luis Obispo native and has a ton of NBA knowledge, the beginning of the NBA season was a perfect time to finally have Jessica on the podcast. We discussed the league, what it’s like growing up as a fan on the Central Coast, and a few players Jessica thinks could break-out this year. You can find Jessica on twitter @thejslate or on Instagram. 

The most worked-up I ever got about a personnel decision the Lakers made in the Kobe era was when they gave up Trevor Ariza. 

Really. 

Photo by Keith Allison [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

That offseason, the Rockets signed the UCLA product for a little more than $5 million per season and the Lakers went out and signed free agent Ron Artest (Metta World Peace). World Peace signed with the Lakers for slightly more than the Rockets signed Trevor for, and the two basically switched teams.

I wasn’t happy. Why would a team that just won a title get rid of a 24 year old starter on that title team in favor of a 30 year-old Artest/World Peace who had a weird game and was a wild card at best?

The litmus test was whether the Lakers would win a title with World Peace, and I suppose they accomplished that. World Peace made a game clinching jumper in game seven of the finals to justify all of it. So I guess it all came out in the wash. While Metta aged, Trevor was in his 20’s. I’m not saying he would have mitigated their plans, but you can’t tell me Ariza wouldn’t have helped the teams that a washed World Peace finished his NBA career with.

This season, Ariza’s departure from the Rockets and the nose dive Houston has taken so far this year are further evidence to support the idea that he was, and still is really good. Ariza, now 33, is still a good player. Nine years later, I still think he’s one of the best guys out there to fill gaps and holes a team has.

The shame is that he’s on a young team in Phoenix that has too many of those holes for anyone to deal with. I’m not sure if his $15 million deal is tradable this season, but you know he could plug into virtually any contender and make them marginally better. He may be hitting the tail end of his highly useful career, but I will always believe in Trevor Ariza and the power of players like him. Basketball games are often decided on the margins, after all. 

Harrison Faigen is a young writer who is getting his reps in. Along with writing about the Lakers and DFenders for Silver Screen and Roll, Faigen is a student at Cal State Fullerton and an editor at the Daily Titan on-campus in Orange County. 

Faigen talked about the DFenders, Cal Poly alum David Nwaba, the Lakers’ situation as it stood a few weeks ago, and Big West basketball.

So last week was an exercise in the early bird getting the worm, or biting the hand that feeds, I don’t know, I don’t do “analogies” (no idea why I air quoted that, I definitely meant analogies). To give you some context, I am about to move to New York for two months to shoot a show for Netflix (I can’t say much more than that), and so life has been busy with packing, getting our place ready for sub-leasers, blah, blah, humblebrag, humblebrag. Needless to say there was some ball dropping during that time, and yes, that is supposed to be a really bad pun in regards to basketball.

I was seriously about to write a post about how the Lakers need to seriously fire Byron Scott.  Then, they fired Byron Scott.  Then, I was going to write a post about Byron’s firing and give some suggestions as to what the new coach should do.  Then, they hire Luke Walton after I wrote more than enough for a full post. I was going to talk about how it’s not personal, and how Byron is, and will be a Laker for life.  I was going to talk about how I used to work Byron Scott basketball camps over the summers while I was at Cal Poly, and how every experience I had with man, painted him as a great leader. However, over all of that, I was going to say that he still deserved to be fired. I guess for fun’s sake, here is that post:

Nothing personal.  As I said, I used to work Byron’s camps.  I am a die-hard Lakers fan, and as I have already all stated (maybe I should just delete the first paragraph here, but comedy is repetition, so this will all probably come up again), and Byron will always hold a special place in all of our hearts for the Showtime days. Those days of Showtime are long, long gone, and Byron seemed to be the only person who still felt like kids who were born years after Showtime ended, would want to hear stories about it.

THE PEOPLE v. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY – Pictured: (l-r) Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson. CR: FX

When I was twenty working Byron’s camp, hearing stories about running with Magic, and Worthy, and Rambis was all I wanted. Sitting with the man who recruited him to Arizona State tell us stories how OJ took Byron on his recruiting trip to USC (yeah, that OJ as in Orenthal J. Simpson the person, but not this picture, this picture is of Cuba Gooding Jr).   Now to a kid in his early 20’s…in 1996, this kind of story was  really cool. But telling those same stories to a twenty-year old in 2016 is like someone telling me stories about Gail Goodrich in the 90’s. I respect them, but do I really wanna hear them? Probably not.

Maybe, if you cast John Travolta as Gail Goodrich, I would wanna hear the hell out of that because Travolta’s Robert Shapiro is the best/worst performance by an actor in twenty years. Unless Ryan Murphy changes his plans for Season 2 of American Crime Story, twenty-year old Kenny would probably not want to hear about how things were back in the 60s, so why would we expect D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to just fall over themselves because they are being coached by a Lakers legend. They need to respect him, but not pine over him.

Which leads me to my next point, which is Byron’s offense was totally outdated. Before I continue, I am not an analytics guy, meaning specifically that I don’t know how to compute a lot of them, but I respect the data that they represent. Byron, very famously, does not respect analytics, and it showed on the court. Everything that the Lakers did this season was slow. A ton of one-on-one (there is a for sure an analytic that will show you the lack of ball movement in the Lakers offense), working deep into the shot-clock, leading to a usually contested shot. If the year was 2010, then what I just described would called “the NBA”, but those times are long gone.

Offenses now are predicated on movement and spacing, you know, the stuff that the last Lakers coach who everyone hated preached and coached. We all thought he was crazy when he wanted to bring Pau Gasol off the bench, or have Pau sit out at the three point line to shoot threes.

For the record, that was really stupid, and he really messed up with Pau, but he had the right idea, in that, unless you have a back to the back post player like Al Jefferson or Hassan Whiteside, you really shouldn’t be playing someone deep in the post for over 30 minutes a game, much as Byron did for the ENTIRE YEAR! Look, we all love Roy Hibbert on “Parks and Recreation” (and I am not just saying that because I was in four episodes of the show, but any chance I can get a shameless plug for a really great show, that also gives me residuals if you go and stream it, I’m gonna go for it),

…but the fact that Byron never at any point played Larry Nance at center, and Julius Randle at power forward, show a real lack of creativity. I mean, once the season was lost, he should have really unleashed the kids on the NBA. Nance starting at center would have probably generated the same stats that THE Roy Hibbert was giving (please crunch the numbers analytics person, and Nance’s athleticism would have added more than Hibbert’s length.  See below.

LeBron James is the Shaq and Michael Jordan of his generation rolled into one. Insanely difficult to guard. Even more difficult to officiate. James is the poster-child for his generation.

Wilt. Magic. Bird. Pretty good company for LeBron James. #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/n6TsHHB7Ny

— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 15, 2015

Anybody can criticize him for choosing to go only to teams with good players, but it’s nothing dozens of other NBA stars haven’t done in search of an elusive title.

So when BOTH Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving sustained season-ending injuries during the playoffs, James was left on his own. I guess I shouldn’t feel bad for him exactly — these things happen — but it does give us the opportunity to see what happens if one player is left to do it all on his own, how that would go.

I mean even MJ had Pippen.

The last player I can think of to win a title without another dominant hall-of-famer?

Well, the Pistons didn’t have any HOFers, did they? The Rockets, with just Hakeem Olajuwon, won the title in back-to-back seasons. Hakeem was and is still vastly underrated.

But back to my point. LeBron James of six years ago maybe would have done something silly and rolled over. People still don’t like what they call “antics,” but I see a guy who is doing everything he physically can right now to give his team a chance to win. Their offense runs through him every time. It’s a conscious choice everyone on the team makes — from the coach on down. You have to get the ball to your best player as much as possible. LeBron isn’t giving me any reason not to just sit back and admire his game. Two or three years ago, I’d have been REALLY hesitant to name him in a top-10 all-time list. I think he’s a no-brainer top-five at this point. A few more seasons could see him sniffing the very top.

Let’s not forget, LeBron James has gone to five straight NBA Finals and six overall. In his two finals appearances with Cleveland, who has been the second-best player on the floor for the Cavs? Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Anderson Varejao? Definitely not Matthew Dellavedova. It very well could be Tristan Thompson. Think about that for a minute. Going into gave five, LeBron was AVERAGING 36 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. He raised his averages in all three categories, but not surprisingly, it looks like he’ll end up 0-2 in the finals with Cleveland.

We are witnessing greatness. To call it anything else is to not give yourself just due. It’s one of the greatest performances of my lifetime, and it’s coming in a losing effort, which makes it all the more remarkable.

The rest of the Cavs team aside from LeBron is how much better than, say, the Lakers? I don't think much better, honestly…

— fansmanship (@fansmanship) June 15, 2015

The Warriors are going to do it, and surprisingly easily

Yes, I’m not a total curmudgeon. Let’s talk about the W’s!

I’m also enjoying the Warriors’ greatness they’ve captured this year. Most of the time, a team like Golden State, with its young nucleus, has to go through a gauntlet of more experienced, and equally talented teams along the way. Much of the time, teams see playoff heartbreak multiple seasons before ever ascending to the top.

The Lakers sure had to. Who remembers Kobe airballing shots in Utah? Or Shaq not able to overcome San Antonio. Other teams, like the Kings and Blazers of 15 or so years ago, never actually even got over the hump. Those were great teams, too.

Which is why Golden State’s ascent to, what I’m assuming will be, an NBA championship this season is so remarkable. The core guys went through a lot of garbage seasons together to get here, but they weren’t ever at a level where they were great, but not quite good enough. They’ve managed to get though the season and playoffs pretty healthy and, relative to other teams, adversity-free.

Props to Steve Kerr, the training staff, and the players themselves for making that happen. It’s also nice when you have such a unique player like Steph Curry who the front office has surrounded with all the right parts.

I don’t care that Andre Iguadala, for example, can’t make free throws. He’s a perfect fit as a part of a winning team. Just the kind of supporting cast member that an MVP-level player needs.

In a few days, the Warriors are going to, almost certainly, be THE winning team in the NBA this season.

Defense wins. It’s a mantra coaches preach over and over, but it’s often overlooked in the NBA, where the greatest players in the world sometimes score even on the best defenses.

The Memphis Grizzlies are 6-1 on the season and they get it right on defense. In what ways do they get it right on defense?

They lead the league in fewest points allowed during games.

Teams                                                                                                 Points Allowed Per Game

1. Memphis Grizzlies                                                                       86.7

2. Houston Rockets                                                                         89. 7

3. Portland Trail Blazers                                                                 91.2

4. Golden State Warriors                                                                93.8

5. New Orleans Pelicans                                                                  94.3

They lead the league in fewest assists allowed per game.

Teams                                                                                                  Assists Allowed Per Game

1. Memphis Grizzlies                                                                        16.5

2. Houston Rockets                                                                          17.3

3. Portland Trail Blazers                                                                 17.4

4. Minnesota Timberwolves                                                           18.4

5. San Antonio Spurs                                                                       19.0

They are top 6 in the league in steals per game.

Teams                                                                                                 Steals Per game

1. Milwaukee Bucks                                                                          10.3

2. Golden State Warriors                                                                10.0

3. Philadelphia 76ers                                                                       9.8

4. Washington Wizards                                                                   9.5

5. Atlanta Hawks                                                                              9.5

6. Memphis Grizzlies                                                                       9.0

Marc Gasol is a big reason why Memphis is so tough in the middle. By Augustas Didžgalvis (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

The Grizzlies have physical defenders who keep their hands in the passing lanes and make proper rotations to stop the offensive players on their drives. Tony Allen who makes Shooting Guards fight hard for shots leads their defensive attack. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph who play physical defense in the post anchor their defense.

Their strong defense allows them to keep games close ensuring that they have a chance to win.

Here is a clip of The Grizzlies holding the high-scoring Phoenix Suns to 91 points.

It’s safe to say, the Grizz are getting it right.

Thus far into the 2014-2015 NBA season and sadly enough we can already see that the Los Angeles Lakers are who we thought they were. They currently sit at 0-5 through their first five games. Granted, they have played some of the top Western Conference teams in all five games and have managed to keep a few games close. With Kobe Bryant back, this group of Lakers may be more exciting to watch than last year’s team, but they sure aren’t even as close to as successful.

They are ranked dead last in the NBA in points allowed per game and rank 21^st overall in rebounding. They lost their big-time rookie in Julius Randle during the season opener to a broken leg and once that happened, it seemed another dark cloud would hover over the Lakers season. Coming into the season not many people realistically saw the Lakers contending, but to watch the Lakers get blown out in most of their games so far is just saddening. The NBA is a much better entertainment source when the Lakers are relevant and right now they are anything but.

The “40^th ranked player” according to ESPN, Kobe Bryant is averaging 27.6 points per game thus showing his doubters that he has returned to at least a part of his former self after the injuries. Another bright spot for the Lakers has been the play of  Jordan Hill, who has been the Lakers second best player averaging 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. It has seemed at times that Kobe has resorted back to 2004-2005 Kobe where he would rather shoot a fully contested shot than pass to his teammates. If the Lakers want to even be somewhat relevant Kobe is going to have to learn to trust his teammates instead of shooting almost every time he has the ball.

While it is still early, the Lakers’ play has been terrible and looks like another long season in Laker land. Nick Young is on his way back back soon and he should help them with some things but his lack of production on defense won’t help them at all. Despite all this losing, it seems as if Laker fans aren’t reeling after losses or calling for Scott’s job like they did D’Antoni; after all Laker fans get to watch Kobe once again and that is all they could ask while him fades off into retirement in a few years.

Over the last few seasons the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen victim to a massive amount of key injuries that have not only derailed their winning hopes but the hopes of fans as well. It has become something to expect over the last few years where it has take over its own role over the team. From Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and all the other role player injuries that have missed games yet despite this fact the worst injury of them all happened in the season opener against the Rockets.

The Lakers may have gotten Kobe back but lost rookie Julius Randle to a major injury. By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, via Wikimedia Commons

Seeing his first regular season game in front of the Staples Center crowd, Randle struggled to find his way. He played just 14 minutes and seemed a little nervous. In the fourth quarter of the blowout game, Randle suffered a broken leg and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher as Staples Center went silent. It was like watching Kobe tear his Achilles all over again, except it was for a rookie who had never played a single game in the NBA.

How could this happen? Especially to a player like Randle in his first career NBA game, it’s just unfathomable. The injury to Randle seems like a foreshadowing for things to come — for the Lakers having another bad season. With the injury to Randle, the Lakers will need to look to rely more on Ed Davis, Ryan Kelly, and Carlos Boozer. The only glimpse of hope that Laker fans should enjoy if Randle is indeed out for the season is that their crosstown rival Blake Griffin also missed his entire rookie season and (some could argue) came back stronger because of it.

Injuries and situations like this make you forget about the game and put a sense of perspective into sports. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt no matter what team you root for, so let’s all hope and pray that Randle comes back stronger because of this and it will then be a bump in the road to success for the young kid. Until then all we can do is wait and say, get well soon Julius. We already miss you!

The 2014-2015 NBA Season is upon us. In order to remain competitive, teams make under-the-radar signings that they hope will become productive players. These players are considered role players who have not reached their full potential.

One player who fits this bill is Trevor Ariza with the 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers. His regular season averages through his first nine seasons for his career are 9.7 points; 4.6 rebounds; 2 assists; 1.4 steals, and 0.03 blocks per game. His per game averages for 2008-2009 was 8.9 points; 4.3 rebounds; 1.8 assists; 1.7 steals, and 0.03 blocks per game. These numbers do not jump off the stat sheet but his value for the Lakers during the playoffs was important.

During the 2008-09 NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic Trevor Ariza stepped up and averaged 11 points; 6 rebounds; 1.6 assists; 1.8 steals; and 0.02 blocks per game. In three of the five games against the Magic, Trevor scored in double figures providing an added scoring threat the Lakers really needed. He played a key role in helping the Lakers secure their fifteenth NBA Title as a franchise, Phil Jackson’s 10th NBA Title as a head coach and Kobe Bryant’s fourth NBA Title as a player.

My choice for a breakout player this season is Ed Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers. This past offseason, the Lakers signed the 6’10” Davis to a 2-year $2.08 million contract. He is in his sixth year and has averaged 6.9 points; 5.9 rebounds; 0.7 assists; 0.5 steals; and 0.9 blocks per game. He has averaged 20 minutes per game through his career but has not played a key offensive role for any team he’s been on. With the Los Angeles Lakers and head coach Byron Scott he has a chance to have a breakout season. Bryon’s offense values the use of post players. Byron’s defense needs centers that can protect the rim.

Ed Davis can provide inside scoring and rim protection. Because he is projected to be the primary backup center for the Lakers, he should get 22 to 24 minutes per game, and that number could go up with good play. Through this year’s preseason, Ed Davis shot 73 percent from the field. He knows what his game is and he plays around the post. He can be an effective post player because most of his shots are hook shots, dunks and layups. In other words, he tries not to be something he isn’t. He knows his role.

With more touches he can increase his scoring average into double-digits. On the defensive side of the ball, Davis is athletic and aggressive. With consistent playing time and a defensive mindset he can increase his block totals to about 2 blocks per game and his rebound totals from 5.9 to 9 rebounds per game.

My projected stats for Ed Davis are 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists and 1 steal per game. It’s an optimistic projection, but consistent playing time should lead to consistent improvement for Ed Davis.

Here is a clip of Ed Davis scoring 12 points and getting 4 blocks against the Denver Nuggets in the preseason on October 6th, 2014.

We all know about the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, Warriors, and the rest of the top Western Conference teams. The opposite of this is the Pelicansbut the team that nobody is talking about is the New Orleans Pelicans. Led by power-forward Anthony Davis, the Pelicans are stacked with different playmakers and weapons that will help them legitimately compete. They’ve got Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, and Ryan Anderson. They traded for center Omer Asik, who brings some veteran leadership along with a pounder in the paint on defense. Having the rim protection of Asik and Davis will make it very difficult for competitors to score inside on the Pelicans.

Tyreke Evans and the Pelicans will surprise people this coming NBA season. By Keith Allison, via Wikimedia Commons

Davis is 21 years old and Holiday is 24. Both Gordon and Evans are 25, and Anderson is 26, so the Pelicans’ core players are still so young and have much to learn and grow. Being that they are still a very young team and with the youth comes immaturity and lack of experience but this team is extremely talented and they will compete for a playoff spot this season. They won’t win the NBA title but they will be in the running for the 7^th or 8^th seed in the Western Conference. Every season each conference has a surprise team and this season, the Pelicans will be that team in the West.