Mr. Logic. He's a pain in the ass.
Had a cup of coffee with the guy the other day and I tried to keep the conversation light.
"Hey, have you seen the new-look Nuggets?" I asked. "They could do some damage this year - sharing the ball, playing great defense, lots of weapons, great effort, chips on their shoulders," I raved on.
"The Denver Nuggets have no chance of advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs this year," he stated with Spock-like detachment.
"Come on, man, have you seen them play?" I asked. "They're playing very good basketball right now (this talk happened before the Clippers game)"
"This Denver team has no reliable go-to scoring option. There has never been an NBA team in the modern era to advance deep in the playoffs without at least one superstar to carry the team when they need a lift. Not one ."
"Maybe so, but there is plenty of talent on this roster ready to fill the void left by CB and Melo, " I said. " Take J.R. Smith, for example. That guy's a freak. All he needs is an opportunity to play regular starting minutes."
"J.R. Smith has had six years to prove himself. He has not proven to be that guy. Statistics show that if a person has not met expectations placed upon them within six years, the odds of those expectations ever being met are 1 to 1,000,000,000,000. It is highly unlikely he will ever be what we call a superstar."
"Well, he would be with a different coach, one that knew how to handle him. George Karl is too inconsistent with him, he doesn't praise him enough when he does well, and he doesn't give him enough regular rotation minutes to get comfortable with his role," I said. "Karl needs to go."
"George Karl is one of the best coaches in the history of the NBA," said Mr. Logic. "He has won over 1,000 games, he has led three different franchises on title runs. Observe the difference in how J.R. Smith performed for George Karl compared to Adrian Dantley. The entire team collapsed last year without his leadership. I'm not sure what the quality is that George Karl has - I find it difficult to measure - but if you measure success by wins versus losses, George Karl is very successful."
"Okay, okay, if not J.R., we've got options. Gallo is a young stud. AAA is a leader with ice in his veins. And he keeps getting better. Nene is having a breakout year. Lawson has mercurial speed and can light anybody up." Any of those guys could be the next go-to guy."
"None of those guys are the next go-to guy. Danilo Gallinari is a career 42% shooter averaging 16 points a game. He is young. It's not practical to think he would make such a transition so soon. When you say AAA, I assume you are referring to Arron Afflalo, the spirited shooting guard. I have noticed some positive qualities with him that I can not seem to describe objectively. I'm afraid his game is limited though. He tries, but he just not physically gifted enough to be the person you are suggesting. Nene Hilario? While his statistics are progressing in a positive trend, the data he has provided over his 8 year career shows that he also will never be that person. Ty Lawson? Too short."
"You know, you really are a buzzkill," I said. "Look, I know the odds are long that my Nuggets make a run this year, but you've got to admit it would be a great story." "Next year, though. Next year, things are looking promising!"
"It is unlikely that there is an NBA season next year due to the CBA expiring. If the two sides can come to an agreement, however, I suspect that the Nuggets will struggle to remain competitive. I overheard Danilo Gallinari, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love talking at the NBA All Star game. They have already agreed to sign together with the Los Angeles Lakers when their current contracts expire. Your favorite team would be best off trading him next year for three or four solid role players while they can get at least 40% of the value back."
"Alright, screw you, Mr. Logic. Why do you always have to stand in the way of my pursuit of happiness, you self-righteous bastard?" I tell you what, I'll put a twelve pack on the Nuggets winning the NBA championship within the next five years. What do you think of that?"
"You know I don't drink. Alcohol is statistically the number one killer in America. And besides, you still haven't paid up on that bet from 1985 when you were so sure that Alex English and a bunch of stiffs could beat the Lakers in the Western Conference championships. I find it peculiar how you continue to believe in this team against such great odds."
