2 Up – 2 Down Report (December)

By:Tyrone Montgomery Jr.

One of the hardest things someone can go through is a divorce. Hearts are broken, stress is elevated in one’s life, and a lot of turnoil comes into existence. Divorces can get very ugly at times. The crazy thing is no one never really see’s it coming. But I’m here to tell you, sometimes there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, a rainbow will appear after that bad storm that just hit your city. That’s exactly what’s happening in The City That Never Sleeps, New York City. In 2014, The Knicks signed former Lakers and Bulls head coach Phil Jackson. He had coached some of the NBA’s Greatest Players. From Kobe & Shaq, to MJ and Pippen. He’s had ALOT of success coaching these players, winning a combined total of 11 NBA Championships. If only…. If only The Knicks had signed Phil Jackson as a coach. Unfortunately, they ended up signing him as a General Manager and President of Basketball Operations. This was the worst decision for them because Phil Jackson had zero experience in this department. Having Jackson in office, it ruined Carmelo Anthony’s relationship with Phil Jackson and The Knicks, as they disappointed season after season. Well The Knicks ousted both of them and are having good results. The Knicks are hitting for the playoffs currently and they are being led by Kristaps Porzingis. This “Unicorn” is dominating on both ends of the floor. Porzingis is 5th in the league in scoring with a little under 26 Points/Game and leads the NBA with 2 Blocks/Game.

Last season, The Sixers went through another season of despressing injuries to important players. From Joel Embiid to Ben Simmons. Everyone has seemed to “Trust The Process” and are now reaping their rewards. Not only are both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid both finally healthy, but they’re both playing at ALLSTAR levels. Embiid arguably should have been Rookie of The Year last season. But he also arguably should have been named to last season’s All Star Team. Simmons, while a rookie, could be the first rookie since Blake Griffin to be named an All Star. Joel Embiid is averaging 22 PPG and 11 RPG. To add on to that he offers 2 Blocks/Game as well. Ben Simmons has had a ton of buzz since he declared for the NBA Draft last year as he has something I like to call “Lebron-Like Qualities.” I’m not saying he’s a King, but once Lebron retires, Simmons has a chance to be “The Fresh Prince of Philadelphia.” We haven’t even made it to All-Star Break, and The Fresh Prince is already known as a walking triple double. He’s averaging 18 Points/Game, 9 Rebounds/Game, while ranking 6th in the league in Assist with almost 7 Assist/Game. With comparisons to Magic, Lebron, and Oscar Robertson, I think we should just leave the comparisons alone and just accept Ben for who he is. Ben! He can score a bit when he needs too. He’s always going to be a good passer. He’s already one of the best defenders in the league. And he can play good both with and without the ball in his hands. Although experiencing much success this season, this team is still without last year’s #1 Overall Pick, Markelle Fultz. The sky’s the limit for this club, and Its time to finally Trust The Process, because The Sixers are a lock to make the playoffs and may even upset someone depending who they will have to play in the first round.

There has never been so much hype upon a player since Lebron James. A lot of it has been brought upon him by his father, Lavar Ball. Some love him, some hate him, but I think we all tolerate him fairly well. Lonzo Ball has finally arrived, but is he what we all expected him to be? Is he meeting everyone’s expectations? Let’s just consider a few facts. 1. He is a rookie. He may have the hype that Lebron had, but Lonzo is still a kid. With kids, you have to expect mistakes and you have to be patient. Its a learning process, and you can say Lonzo Ball is still a work in progress. 2. He plays the game the right way. Every coach loves a player that will make his job a lot easier. A player that knows how to play basketball. Have you ever been on the court playing some pickup and there’s a guy on your team who’s pass button doesn’t work? I mean literally the guy doesn’t pass the ball. U could be wide open and all he knows is to shoot the ball? Yeah, Lonzo’s not that guy. In fact, he prefers to pass the ball and get his teammates involved. I mean that is the role of a PG. Lonzo plays team basketball. He has a good basketball IQ and that’s every coach’s dream. 3. He is struggling to score. Basketball has become a scoring game. No one gets as much credit for team ball and defense like they used to. I mean nearly team in the league scores 100+ Points/Game now. Its all about how many points can you give us. Well its no secret Lonzo Ball is struggling to score. He is shooting 31% for the season. That must improve and it will over time. Lonzo Ball is not a bust. Although he is struggling a bit shooting. As I mentioned before, you can’t expect kids to be perfect. He is a rookie and he is still growing up in the NBA. He does nearly everything extremely well except score and that will improve in due time. Lonzo can ball and When he’s averaging more points per game, the bandwagon fans will come through the woodworks talking about Lonzo Ball.

Last season, Former MVP Kevin Durant left The Oklahoma City Thunder. This hurt the entire franchise, especially All-Star Russell Westbrook. Tension brewed between the two and they seemed to have formed some sort of “Beef.” Questions rose from such a move. How good are the Thunder now? Are The Warriors now “Unbeatable?” Will Russell Westbrook re-sign with The Thunder or will he demand a trade? Is Westbrook and KD still friends? A lot of those questions got answered over the summer. Westbrook became the first player since HOF Oscar Roberson to average a triple double in a single season. Durant and The Warriors took care of business in the NBA Finals pretty easily against The Best Player In The World. Even Lebron wasn’t mad at such a defeat. He handled it pretty good because he knows That Warriors team is as close to unbeatable as you possibly can be. There’s no question KD and Russ aren’t necessarily friends. In fact, the two have formed quite the rivalry, maybe even the best rivalry we have in the league today. Not only was Westbrook named league MVP last season, but his play also attracted other stars. This past offseason, The Thunder traded for Allstars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. With the trade, this makes Oklahoma City the best chance to beat These Warriors. But, they aren’t exactly playing up to par and things look a bit rocky in OKC. They currently find themselves out of the playoffs. On offense, they don’t know who the closer is. They can’t seem to win on the road and this may be mainly because they’re second to last in the league with only 24 PPG coming from their bench. I’m not sure how much longer Head Coach Billy Donavan has, but he has to shake up a few things on his end to hopefully turn things around. Because if things continue to go the way they are, Kevin Durant will have the last laugh as Russell Westbrook and The Thunder may find themselves out of the playoff picture come April.