The 2023 NBA Lottery winner is...
The Wednesday morning edition of "Four things to know before 4 AM" is live!
More on that tease of a headline soon. I am back with another Snippets, covering three aspects of basketball (last night’s NBA Draft Lottery, a preview of the NBA Conference Finals and an update involving punishment of one of the best WNBA teams), and an appetizer of MLB content.
1) The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, a.k.a. “The Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes”
The ping pong balls were bouncing last night, and the team that will most-likely select the 7-foot, 5-inch (reportedly) Frenchman is none other than…
The San Antonio Spurs had the best odds for the number one overall pick (tied with the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons at 14%) after only a 22-win season (tied with the Rockets for second-worst in the NBA). This was the worst record under future Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich’s 26-year career coaching the Spurs.
When was the last time the Spurs had a 20-win regular season? I’m glad you asked. It was the year prior to the Spurs hiring Popovich, way back in 1997. Do you know where this third-worst team (at 20-62) picked, and who they selected? The ping pong balls bounced favorably then, too, as the Spurs were awarded a number one pick and drafted none other than five-time NBA champion, two-time MVP Timothy Theodore Duncan (Tim Duncan).
People naturally would think last night’s draft lottery was ‘rigged’ in favor of the Spurs, but Wembanyama could not have landed in a better spot. By going to San Antonio (versus the undisciplined Rockets, Pistons and Hornets), Wembanyama can be coached by a living legend who already has a great foundation with the organization.
I have already mentioned Wembyanyama several times in my Snippets posts, as he is the best prospect since LeBron James, and his lanky, long body and skillful dribbling, outside shooting and interior defending is something a teen would create in his NBA2k video game.
Also, for those wondering, the Washington Wizards - who do not know how to tank properly (lose games by starting young players in front of veteran stars because the organization knows they are not a playoff team) - ended up with the eighth overall selection in next month’s draft. It’s the umpteenth year the franchise is drafting towards the bottom of the lottery, as the team has been unfortunately mediocre and not horrible. By finishing with a worse record, they have the better chance of landing a superstar player like Wembanyama. Instead, owner Ted Leonsis disregards his ‘other’ organization in favor of his main team he focuses on in the Washington Capitals - who coincidentally are also picking eighth overall in their draft after a predictably mediocre season.
2) WNBA issues penalties (suspension; loss of draft pick) for top team after investigation
I mentioned, back in late January, that a former Las Vegas Aces’ forward (Dearica Hamby) was deeply upset after the team released her once she was pregnant, despite both sides agreeing to a contract extension months beforehand.
In addition, the Aces potentially had under-the-table payment offers to prospective free agents (like newly-added Candace Parker), which circumvented the league’s salary cap.
Well, just three days before the WNBA season opener, the league issued a punishment towards the Aces and head coach Becky Hammon:
The initial outrage from the WNBA faithful was that the punishment was too light (a forfeiture of a 2025 1st round pick, and just a two-game suspension for Hammon). I would tend to agree, as late first round picks-onward have a absolute dreadful time cracking an actual WNBA roster - and especially for a preseason WNBA Finals favorite.
This Twitter user put this penalty in perspective:
This is true, as the New York Liberty owners Joe and Clara Tsai were fined $500,000 for illegally using chartered flights during the late 2021 season. In comparison, the Aces have yet to be fined as an organization.
As Sports Illustrated’s Dan Lyons said in early February 2023:
“A similar fine for the Aces could either serve to punish the players as much as any other party or further show that Las Vegas is open for business and will go above and beyond to bring in top talent.”
In addition, how can players now establish a foundation of trust with their organizations after this latest punishment? The WNBA Player’s Association (WNBPA) said just that, in a release shortly after the news of the penalties was released to the public:
The Aces released a statement last night, and they, too, are upset that Hammon was suspended. The Aces also denied any “under the table” payments during the 2023 free agency period:
This is an ever-evolving story, and I wonder what will come next.
3) NBA Conference Finals Preview
Note: I wrote this section below after last night’s game one of the Western Conference Finals, but my thoughts still are valid, as I missed watching this game due to prior commitments.
We have now reached the semifinal stage of the NBA playoffs. Four teams are left, and you may notice something oddly familiar with this foursome. They are the same four teams that reached the conference finals during the 2020 bubble season.
The NBA Finals ended up with the fifth-seeded Miami Heat against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, as Miami advanced after six games, while the Lakers had an easier job against the Nuggets (4-1 series).
This year, both the Lakers and Heat are the surprise eight seeds that have made remarkable runs through the playoffs, dispatching the number one (Milwaukee Bucks), number two (Memphis Grizzlies), number five (New York Knicks) and number six (Golden State Warriors) teams on the backs of their stellar defenses.
Let’s go through both matchups and my predictions.
Western Conference Finals: Los Angeles Lakers - Denver Nuggets
Like I said above, these two teams met under different circumstances three years ago. However, both teams look significantly different now, with the Nuggets the almost undisputed favorite to reach the NBA Finals. This Denver team is much deeper and much more experienced than the 2020 version, and is much more sound defensively (minus defensively-porous Nikola Jokic). The Lakers have gotten surprise performances from across the board in these playoffs, whether it’s Rui Machimura’s 53.3% shooting from deep or Austin Reeves’s solid 15.4 points per game or Jarred Vanderbilt’s defense.
The difference in this series is the Lakers’ offense versus the Nuggets’ defense. The Lakers offensive rating ranks eighth among all playoff teams, while the Nuggets defensive rating is fifth. Can LeBron James and company get quality shots against a playoff-average defense in the Nuggets? Can Rui continue being a difference-maker from beyond the arc in the playoffs? Lastly, can James and Anthony Davis stay injury-free after an arduous first several series - first, the Play-In Games, then round one against the Grizzlies and last round against the up-tempo Warriors? The Nuggets have been smooth sailing through these playoffs, as they took care of business against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns - two lackluster playoff teams.
My pick: Nuggets in five
Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics - Miami Heat
Unlike the other series, where both teams have completely revamped their rosters from the 2020 playoffs, these two teams have familiar faces from their last Eastern Conference Finals matchup. Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent and Udonis Halsem (surprisingly has not retired!) remain for the Heat. Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams and Robert Williams are still here for the Celtics.
The keys for this series is how the Celtics will defend THE MVP of the playoffs so far in Jimmy Butler. The Heat superstar has been unworldly in the playoffs, and Butler shows no desire to head to the Bahamas any time soon. Butler is averaging 10.1 free throws per game in the playoffs, the most by anyone who made it out of the first round. He’s shooting 52.7 percent on 20.7 shots per game, while only turning it over twice a night.
On the flip-side; the Celtics’ superstar, Jayson Tatum, cannot have a cold shooting performance throughout a series like he did in games four to six against the Philadelphia 76ers last round. The Heat are so precise in almost everything they do that a shooting slump from Tatum could potentially bury the Celtics.
The best defensive team in the playoffs goes against a team that had to fight the overachieving Atlanta Hawks in six games, then a grueling seven-game series against the Sixers. Despite all of this, the Celtics are the deeper team, since the Heat are still going to be without standout guard Tyler Herro (broken hand).
My pick: Heat in six
4) Arenado, Judge, Acuna and Robert Jr. are EN FUEGO at the plate: 17 HRs combined in 20 total games
Rounding out today’s Snippets is a quartet of MLB stars who are on fire over the past week. Each has had multiple home run streaks concurrently:
St. Louis Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado has hit a HR in five straight games
New York Yankees RF Aaron Judge has five HRs in last four games (two multi-HR games)
Atlanta Braves CF Ronald Acuna has hit a HR in three straight games
Chicago White Sox CF Luis Robert Jr. has hit a HR in four straight games
The Cardinals are 4-1 during Arenado’s HR streak after a dreadful 13-25 start to the season, and since Judge came off the Injury List on May 9, the Yankees are 5-2.
The Braves and White Sox do not have the same luck during their outfielders’ HR streaks. The White Sox are only 2-2, while the Braves are in a stunning free-fall - losers of five of their last six games (1-2 during Acuna’s tear at the plate).
I wonder which player extends his home run streak. I would be pleasantly surprised if I jinx it and all four players’ go homer-less tonight.
Well, that is going to do it for another Snippets on this Wednesday morning.
Stay tuned for my weekly MLB Power Rankings - week seven edition - later this week.
Until next time, signing off.