By now, you’re probably familiar with the latest scandal involving Republican Georgia Senate nominee Herschel Walker. It’s a doozy. (And no, I’m not talking about the police badge; you can catch up on that in Signals and Noise this week.)
Walker is a pro-life politician who favors banning abortion with no exceptions and has equated the procedure with murder. Yet as The Daily Beast reported a few weeks ago, in 2009, Walker urged a girlfriend he impregnated to get an abortion and reimbursed her when she did. Two years later, Walker once again conceived a child with this woman and once again encouraged her to get an abortion; she chose not to and instead gave birth to their child. Walker has denied the woman’s claims, at one point insisting he did not know her, yet the woman produced receipts and communications with Walker to back up her accusations.
Walker’s defenses have been scattershot and hard to believe, even telling Hugh Hewitt shortly after the story broke that, “Had [the abortion] happened, I would have said it, because it’s nothing to be ashamed of there.” Compounding the problem for Walker is that he’s been outed as a serial liar who frequently says incredibly stupid things, with The Daily Beast reporting in June that Walker had been concealing his parentage of not one nor two but three children from not only the public but his own campaign (who had discovered the truth on their own.) Walker eventually admitted he did indeed have not one but four children.
This story has unfolded against the backdrop of the Dobbs decision this summer, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Numerous states have since implemented strict abortion bans and a national ban has been floated by Republican politicians. Abortion is now a prominent national issue in a way it hasn’t been in decades. To see a Republican nominee for Senate (who, if victorious, could cast votes on Supreme Court nominees and national abortion policy) decry abortion as murder yet pay a girlfriend to get an abortion is quite jarring.
I struggled this week to write about Herschel Walker’s hypocrisy. That’s odd, as I should have something to say about it, since my dissertation was about political hypocrisy. Truth be told, though, writing about this particular affair is just utterly demoralizing, as it requires thinking about politics as a purely cynical, power-driven endeavor. Maybe I’m naive to believe politics is somehow a noble endeavor. Believing it can’t be or shouldn’t be, however, will rot your soul.
Anyway, here’s the condensed version of my analysis of Walker’s hypocrisy.
In general, this kind of double standard—when one’s publicly-stated beliefs do not correspond with one’s private behavior—isn’t as severe as the sort of double standards that involve a politician’s public actions and beliefs. What would matter more is if Walker said he believed abortion should be banned in all cases but then, once in office, voted to legalize it or to only allow a certain group of people allied with himself to have access to it. A public betrayal is more severe than a personal failing.
None of that is to say, however, that one’s personal behavior or conduct is immaterial to one’s public service. A person whose private life is so messed up or who has repeatedly demonstrated bad faith or poor judgment in their private affairs may very well be someone the public should not trust with public responsibilities. This fact alone (and not necessarily the hypocrisy) probably disqualifies Walker from public office: He’s a somewhat shady businessman, has a poor grasp on reality, has seriously threatened to kill people in the past, and is not minimally smart enough to serve in the Senate.
But back to the hypocrisy. This sort of personal hypocrisy could be considered less severe if Walker’s leadership isn’t premised on his moral character. Some politicians base their qualifications for public office on the example they set in their personal life, arguing that since they’ve done right in their private life and have the right set of morals that they’ll do right in their public life. Does Walker qualify in this regard? In some ways, no: His candidacy is based on how he ran for 5,259 yards while playing football for the University of Georgia in the early 80s, during which time he won a Heisman Trophy. In other ways, yes: He’s really running as nothing more than “Herschel Walker,” that celebrity you like, and because he mostly lacks a resume, he’s essentially asking voters to place their trust in him based on his winning personality and character. But I don’t really even think his qualifications run that deep. He’s a Georgia gridiron legend. His resume is a highlight reel. That’s it. There’s no moral or political basis for his candidacy there.
Because the events in question happened over ten years ago, Walker’s hypocrisy could perhaps be excused if he admitted he has changed his mind on the issue since then. Such an excuse hasn’t been forthcoming, though. Walker instead claims the event didn’t happen, which seems to be a lie, especially since he talks about the accusation in the same breath as “redemption,” and to my knowledge hasn’t talked about how his views may have changed on the subject.
The way the hypocrisy really matters, though, is in how Walker characterizes abortion as “murder.” If he does believe abortion is murder, then he needs to explain why he urged his ex-girlfriend to get an abortion/“commit murder” and paid for it. The fact abortion was legal at the time or an option others found acceptable doesn’t excuse it. Murder is a grievous human sin, and he needs to answer for how he participated in an act he describes as murder. Note here, however, that at this point, Walker’s hypocrisy is beside the point: One should be more outraged that Walker committed “murder” than with the fact Walker said “murder” was wrong but was an accessory to “murder” anyway. (Or, more simply, there’s no point in condemning a murderer as a hypocrite when you can just condemn them as a murderer.)
So maybe the real hypocrites here are Walker’s supporters, specifically the many Christian conservatives in Georgia who equate abortion with murder and who have insisted in the past that politicians must have upstanding moral character to earn their support. One might suspect that a pro-life politician who was found to aid and abet an abortion would be beyond the pale for a pro-life “character counts” voter. Yet it does not appear Walker’s support among evangelicals in Georgia has dropped (even though anecdotal reports indicate Republican support for Walker has always been “squeamish”) and polling in the race hasn’t budged (although there might be some very slight slippage in Walker’s numbers, whatever that means.)
Maybe at the end of the day, it’s the nature of the choice, which comes down to voting for either a.) the flawed candidate who promises to vote in accordance with strict pro-life principles, b.) the pro-choice candidate, or c.) not voting at all, with those last two options potentially helping to keep the United States Senate in the hands of a pro-choice caucus. A pro-life voter may say they don’t approve of Walker personally but that he at least votes a pro-life line. (And if some evangelicals still are troubled by the whole character thing, well, “grace and redemption” is a pretty convenient way to deal with the cognitive dissonance and can be selectively distributed as necessary.)
But why would we expect these evangelical voters to behave any differently anyway? They sold their soul at the crossroads to Trump six years ago, so why not get behind Walker? Sure, Trump delivered for them, but at what price? What principles did they have to sacrifice to acquire that power? They certainly can’t be trusted with the keys to the republic. Who in their right mind can take these “value voters” morally seriously anymore? Of course they’d back the guy who funded an abortion.
And let’s face it, these evangelical voters aren’t looking for a campaign validated by the Word of Christ, but by the word of Donald Trump. Walker is a Trumppet (or maybe a TrumPuppet; I’ll let the people decide which one they like better) someone dangling by strings from the penthouse suite at Mar-a-Lago. Or maybe this metaphor makes more sense: Walker is guaranteed to run the play Coach Trump sends into the huddle.
I guess it’s principled in a certain way: Evangelicals in Georgia are standing by the guy because they know he’ll deliver politically on the principles that matter to them. But it’s also profoundly unprincipled, because what they’re saying is all that matters is the exercise of political power on their behalf. Herschel Walker could abort a fetus in the middle of Sanford Stadium and his supporters would still vote for him. And all in the name of what exactly? Christian “principles”? Somehow I don’t think that’s it.
The irony is all this may not be an example of hypocrisy at all. Why? Because hypocrisy implies the hypocrite has violated a principle they actually hold. Can’t be a hypocrite if you have no principles to violate.
And if a pro-life position isn’t based on principle, what is it based on then?
More than any other campaign this year, Herschel Walker’s campaign symbolizes just how dismal American democracy is right now. Bad and unqualified candidates have run for high office before. In some cases they’ve won. But Walker’s campaign seems premised on and almost flaunts how bad and unqualified he is as a candidate. Herschel Walker is not smart, has no qualifications for the office he seeks, and possesses a defective moral compass. That’s exactly what the MAGA movement wants. Walker’s virtue—if you can call it that—is that he is a blank slate who will let Trump scribble whatever he wants all over him. My fear is if Walker wins, we’ll end up with many more lawmakers like him: Public servants who don’t serve the Public; who lack the talent, intelligence, and judgment the office demands; and who are untroubled by a conscience let alone concepts like duty, honor, dignity, and principle.
Signals and Noise
“You know the biggest crowd I have ever seen? January 6. And you never hear that. It was the biggest. And they were there largely to protest a corrupt and rigged and stolen election….It was the biggest crowd, I believe, I have ever spoken to.”—Don Trump, bragging at a rally in Nevada
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times reports Trump has told those close to him he is willing to testify before the 1/6 Committee so long as his testimony is broadcast live. Tempting, but Trump would likely turn that into a circus a la the first 2020 presidential debate.
“What Will Happen to America if Trump Wins Again? Experts Helped Us Game It Out” by David Montgomery of the Washington Post
Mike Pence is using his time during the 2022 election season to campaign for the election deniers whose actions put his life in danger on 1/6.
“They want reparations because they think the people who do the crime are owed that. Bullshit!”—Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, apparently playing a terrible game of word association (Slaves —> Black people —> Criminals) during a rally in Nevada. I’ve said before that Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is the dumbest senator, but I’d forgotten about Tuberville.
Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, during a debate with Herschel Walker: “One thing I have not done — I’ve never pretended to be a police officer, and I’ve never threatened a shootout with police.”
Herschel Walker: “[See, I’ve] worked with many police officers.”
Debate moderator: “Mr. Walker, you know the rules….I’m asking you to put that prop away.”
Walker: “Well it’s not a prop. This is real.”
Fact: The badge is an honorary badge from either the Cobb County or Johnson Country sheriff’s department. It’s not unusual for celebrities to receive honorary badges. It doesn’t make them licensed officers of the law, just as much as the certificate declaring me an honorary Jedi Knight when I was four years old did not make me an official Jedi Knight. Beware mayors of Georgia: Do not give this man the key to your city. He may spend weeks walking around town trying to unlock doors with it.
“Alex Jones is a far more reputable source of information than Rachel Maddow. One of them is censored by the regime. The other promoted by it.”—Republican Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance in 2021, discrediting himself as a reputable source of information by supporting a man ordered to pay $1 billion in damages this week for lying about the Sandy Hook shooting.
Fourteen members of the Laxalt family have endorsed Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto in the Nevada Senate race rather than their family member Republican Adam Laxalt.
Republican Blake Masters must think he’s going to lose because he’s started to question the validity of Arizona’s results in his upcoming Senate election.
Elaine Godfrey of The Atlantic has an interesting profile of Republican Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, a former TV anchor and Barack Obama supporter who’s gone full MAGA. She sounds like a politician who thinks politics is purely a media spectacle.
From Jon King of Michigan Advance: “It’s a situation unprecedented in Michigan political history: A candidate for statewide office is running under the possibility of being indicted by the very office that he’s seeking, with a vow to indict the current officeholder if he wins.” The candidate in question is Republican Attorney General nominee Matthew DePerno.
The Washington state Republican Party keeps flirting with neo-Nazis.
Lisa Mascaro writes for AP about the clout Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia holds within the Republican Party.
“He thinks the job to be the Speaker of the House is a little bit like being a concierge at some rock star hotel, where people come downstairs at all hours and they make crazy demands, and you say, ‘Yes, sir, right away, sir. We’ll have the dim sum and cocaine to your room in 15 minutes, sir.’”—David Frum during a podcast with Charlie Sykes, on Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
This gets so old: “GOP Plans Debt Crisis to Cut Medicare, Social Security” by Jonathan Chait of New York magazine. Norm Ornstein has more on the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling (as well as other problems the nation would have to confront if Republicans won the House) in an article for The Atlantic.
Republicans are looking to win a handful of House seats in New England, where there are currently no Republican representatives in Congress besides Senator Susan Collins.
Julia Terruso of the Philadelphia Inquirer reminds us most undecided voters aren’t wavering between candidates; they just haven’t paid much attention to the campaign yet.
From NBC News: “How an Urban Myth About Litter Boxes in Schools Became a GOP Talking Point”
Democrat Nury Martinez has resigned as Los Angeles City Council President (and from the Council altogether) after the release of an audio recording during which she used racial slurs. It’s part of a wave of scandals sweeping through L.A..
ProPublica reports Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may have broken state law when he redrew (and heavily gerrymandered) the state’s new congressional districts.
The fifty migrants Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida flew to Martha’s Vineyard will probably become eligible for special visas now that a Texas sheriff has certified them as crime victims.
Jezebel reports at least two child incest victims have been denied abortions in Florida since the state’s 15-week abortion ban took effect.
A proposed Biden administration rule would make it more likely that workers such as janitors, construction workers, and gig drivers are classified as employees rather than temporary contractors, which would give them more workplace protections.
The Wall Street Journal reports thousands of federal workers own stock in companies they are tasked with regulating.
Is the Federal Reserve raising interest rates too quickly?
The Biden administration has issued new limits on the sale of semiconductor tech to China designed to limit the country’s military and economic development. This is significant as it signals the U.S. regards China not simply as a rival but as an adversary and that that outlook is bipartisan.
Sounds like Liz Truss may be on the outs as UK Prime Minister. She’s only been in office for about a month. In that time the Queen has died and the economy tanked because she wanted to go full supply-side on taxes.
Only 5% of Americans have received the updated COVID booster.
Oh great, new COVID variants are driving up case counts in Europe and Southeast Asia. It’s probably only a matter of weeks before cases start rising again in the U.S.
On a positive note, at least I don’t have to worry about Deep Impact turning into a documentary.
Garbage Time: A 2022-23 NBA Preview
(Garbage Time theme song here)
Man, I thought I had another week before I had to do this but apparently the new NBA season tips-off this week! Why so early? Just play fewer games, bro: Every team home and away plus an in-season round-robin tournament to tack on a few extra games and to build some pre-Christmas interest in the league. Anyway, the question this preview will answer: Can [insert team here] make the NBA Finals?
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics: Well, this is a helluva team to start with right off the bat! This team made the NBA Finals last season, and this year they upgraded by adding former rookie of the year Malcolm Brogdon (which should take some of the offensive load off Marcus Smart) and Perennial Trade Chip Danilo Gallinari. They also have first-team all-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (who spent much of July wondering if he was going to be traded to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant, which would have been a mistake; I’d have flipped Tatum and his Kobe-Brain for KD.) Of course this team can make the NBA Finals. Will the fact that their coach was just suspended by the team for the entire season for improper workplace relationships that somehow involved the team’s travel office (creepy as hell if you think about it) affect their chances of making the Finals? My guess is they’ll figure it out. If not, maybe GM Brad Stevens will have to step back onto the sidelines for a few months.
Brooklyn Nets: OMG, how to even describe this team…
Last season, the Nets traded disgruntled all-time great shooting guard James Harden to Philadelphia for a former rookie of the year Ben Simmons who [checks scouting report] can’t shoot. Their point guard Kyrie Irving, a seven-time All-Star who has maybe the best handles in NBA history, couldn’t play home games because he refused to take a vaccine in apparent solidarity with that MyPillow Guy; in the off-season, Irving looked around to see if he could pull-off a sign-and-trade to improve on his $37 million player option with the Nets and lo-and-behold (and much to the Nets’ disappointment I’m sure) no team wanted a guy who’s played less than half his games since signing with Brooklyn. And then to cap all this off, a few days after Irving re-signed with the Nets, their star player, Kevin Durant—easily one of the top 10-15 players to ever play the game of basketball—demanded a trade, which was going to take a king’s ransom. But then Rudy Gobert got flipped to the TWolves for an insane haul, which meant the only way Durant was leaving Brooklyn was if some team sent the Nets the past five NBA Finals MVPs in return (look it up; in other words, impossible). So what did Durant do instead? Just demand the Nets fire their coach and GM. The Nets owner replied by saying, “Nope, not gonna happen,” so Durant rescinded his trade-or-fire demand and now he’s stuck in Brooklyn waiting for his team to make like the Russian Army in Ukraine so he can re-demand the trade even though KD WAS THE GUY WHO BASICALLY PUT THIS TEAM TOGETHER TO BEGIN WITH! The Nets got swept by the Celtics in the first round last year. Four months from now, Kevin Durant won’t even be on this team and Kyrie Irving will probably refuse to take the court until Kanye West gets his Twitter account back. There is no way this team makes it to the Finals.
New York Knicks: The Knicks are under investigation for tampering after signing their big free agency acquisition of the season, Jalen Brunson. Jalen Brunson. Averaged 18 points in the Western Conference Finals. He’s good, but come on now. They’ll probably be on TV a lot, but not during the playoffs, let alone the Finals.
Philadelphia 76ers: Sure, they can make it, because they’ve got 2022 scoring champion Joel Embiid (just needs to stay healthy, as always,) good up-and-coming players like Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle, and newly-signed PJ Tucker, who’s a winner. Also means Tucker gets to be reunited with James Harden, and, uh, look, I’m not sure if winning an NBA title or playing defense are part of Harden’s life goals right now, so it also kind of makes me think this team won’t make it to the Finals. But maybe Embiid stays healthy enough to drag the Beard there against his will. Cancun is nice in July, too, James.
Toronto Raptors: I keep hearing about how once OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam realize their full potential this team is going to be a powerhouse but then it’s always Fred VanVleet pulling them over the finish line. NBA fans love watching feisty point guards stick it to tall people, but that only gets you so far. Better to invest in reigning rookie of the year Scottie Barnes. Toronto also added Otto Porter, Jr., who got a ring last year (good for you Otto!) but that was probably peak Porter. The Raptors are still trying to reload that 2019 championship, but it just ain’t happening…at least as they’re currently calibrated. So why not take a shot while the window is still at least partially open? Send some of these pieces to Brooklyn for Durant and see if some free agents follow KD to the North in the offseason. Say what you will about the taxes, I hear NBA players love Toronto.
Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks acquired All-Star Dejounte Murray from the Spurs in the off-season; with Trae Young, he’ll form one of the best backcourts in the league and will definitely tighten the team’s sub-par defense. Atlanta made the conference finals in 2021 but fell back to Earth as expected last season. Murray could be a glue guy who gives the rest of his team the opportunity to shine. Or the Hawks could be stuck in second-tier mediocrity trying to rebottle that spirit of ‘21 before Young runs out of gas. I suspect they’re still a star away from the playoffs, so unless they can find some way to convince Brooklyn to take John Collins and DeAndre Hunter for Kevin Durant, the answer is No.
Charlotte Hornets: Wait, Michael Jordan has acquired two of the three Ball brothers? (Apparently, the best one and the worst one.) What if he gets Lonzo, too? Would that be like some sort of all-powerful NBA Infinity Gauntlet, an unstoppable force capable of turning opponents to dust and rewriting the history of the NBA so that the Hornets
Gimme a break, Nell, they’d be lucky just to make the play-in. (And that’s saying nothing about Miles Bridges’ off-season drama.) Nope.
Miami Heat: I thought the Heat were…was…no, I think it’s were—I thought Miami was a good bet to make the Finals last year and they came within a game of accomplishing that. But I’m not so sure this year. Jimmy Butler is 33 and Kyle Lowry is 36 and everyone’s waiting on Victor Oladipo to step into the breach and they seem to think Tyler Herro is a future star and it seems like we’ve reached peak Bam Adebayo (which has yet to land him on an all-NBA team.) They’re a natural fit for Kevin Durant but there’s some kind of weird rule that keeps them from swinging a trade so long as Ben Simmons is playing for Brooklyn. The Heat are a well-run franchise, so I suppose it’s possible, but I’m not as high on them this year as last.
Orlando Magic: More like the Orlando Tragic. No.
Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal signed a max deal in the offseason so he could build some 82-game chemistry with Kristaps “The Unicorn” Porzingis. Taj Gibson plays for the Wiz now. Does Kyle Kuzma do anything for you? Kevin Durant is from the DC area and apparently wants nothing to do with this team. Here’s a picture of a unicorn dabbing with a basketball.
The Wizards will not be making the Finals.
Central Division
Chicago Bulls: Ah, there was a time when the Bulls were good. I mean recently. Like, the 2022 All-Star break, when they were tied with the Heat for the best record in the East. They ended up with the six seed and got bounced by Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs in five games. You can chalk it up to injury and players taxing themselves to compensate, but I’d also say it’s hard to build a championship team around a mid-range specialist (DeMar DeRozan) and a good player known for how he does cool dunks (not Blake Griffin, Zach LaVine). They do have #23’s missing Ball, Lonzo, and he’s a key component because he can shoot the three, but because he’s spent most of the calendar year in some sort of injury purgatory we should just start calling him Limbo Ball. No Finals for the Bulls.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A tantalizing non-LeBron Cleveland squad! They’ve got a good young core in first time All-Star Darius Garland and twin big-men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Add to that mix newcomer Donovan Mitchell, an All-Star the Cavs snagged from Utah for Collin Sexton and a bunch of draft picks. Mitchell’s gonna look down low and realize he’s got two Rudy Gobert’s he can run pick-and-rolls with and who can make up for his shaky D. But about that…yeah, this team kind of has a Jazz East feel, like really good all-around but nothing that’s going to put them over the top (unless Allen turns into a beast) so I think they’re still a player away from making the Finals, and good luck getting an NBA star to voluntarily play in Cleveland… Hmmm, What if LeBron James decides L.A. ain’t all it’s cracked up to be and concludes he wants to use this youth movement to chase a fifth ring? He did just sign that contract extension, though, which makes another Cleveland stint much harder to pull off.
Detroit Pistons: No. Next.
Indiana Pacers: Probably looking to get worse as the season goes along. No. Next.
Milwaukee Bucks: There’s a school of thought that the NBA Finals champions from 2019-2021 are aberrations, that Toronto only won in 2019 because Golden State broke down, that the Lakers’ championship in 2020 isn’t the real deal because of the Bubble, and that the Bucks’ title in 2021 was the byproduct of a haywire set of circumstances. The Warriors winning last season seemed to restore the natural order to the Association. No player looms larger over the league than Giannis Antetokounmpo, though, who is setting himself up to be the new era’s defining star. He needs championships to do that, and he has the skill and will to do that. Even without their second-best player Khris Middleton, the Bucks took Boston to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jrue Holiday rounds out not necessarily a Big Three but a Giannis and Two Players Who Are Going to Make Your Life Miserable. What does the rest of the roster offer? Outside Bobby Portis, who’s going to play his heart out every night, it’s kind of shaky. Giannis will make up for that, but the Bucks should be looking to upgrade so the Greek Freak doesn’t have to try to close a ten point gap in the final three minutes every night. This is a Finals team, but more than that, Destiny is calling. Warriors vs. Bucks is what we all want to watch come June.
Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks: Why don’t players want to sign with Dallas? Mark Cuban seems like a players’ owner and they’ve won a championship and know how to put together a good team, but they’re never in the mix to land a great free agent or pull off a blockbuster trade. And I’d think players would want to play with Luka Dončić, who’s probably the frontrunner along with Antetokounmpo for both MVP and generation-defining talent. Dončić is like Antetokounmpo in that he could put this team on his back and bulldoze through the postseason, but the Mavs lack the sort of support Giannis has in Milwaukee and it doesn’t look like the cavalry is coming. They’re not a better team than they were last year when they reached the Western Conference Finals. Until they make a move to shore up their roster, I have to reluctantly say they’re a No.
Houston Rockets: The Rockets’ upcoming season:
And remember, they mean to do that. (For the record, that’s a No.)
Memphis Grizzlies: Don’t believe the hype! How many times have we seen a young up-and-coming team over-achieve in the regular season and then go down swinging in the playoffs (they were the Warriors’ toughest out) before scuffling in the next season. No one’s sleeping on the Grizzlies anymore. No one’s gonna let Ja Morant just posterize whoever he wants whenever he wants anymore. Scouts will find their weaknesses. They’re so focused on getting revenge on the Warriors in the second round that a team like Dallas will send them packing in the first. Sorry, they’ve got some hard lessons to learn before they make it to the Finals.
New Orleans Pelicans: Let’s get crazy. Yes, this team can make the Finals. They’ve got a Big Three in CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson, who is like Charles Barkley but graceful. Williamson is also kind of fragile, though. Yet that Big Three is almost unmatched in the West; only Golden State and Denver compare favorably, and in truth, Golden State would probably tear them apart in a series. But if someone other than the Warriors are coming out of the West, it’s got to be someone, and why not a team that can start three legit All-Stars (I know, I know, McCollum’s never been named an All-Star, but that’s because of math, not talent. He’s trying, Jennifer!) Now, you want to get really crazy? Let’s say that Ingram/Zion combo doesn’t quite click right off the bat. Why not flip one of them for a disgruntled Durant? That’s the type of player Brooklyn is shopping for.
San Antonio Spurs: No, at this point, the Spurs are a glorified G-League team.
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets: Eeeesshh, I guess, OK, I’ll say Yes, they can make the Finals but I have no confidence in that pick. Nikola Jokić is a two-time MVP, a center who is a triple-double machine. His passing is amazing, and he carries his team. He forms a big three with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr., but those guys have mostly missed much of the past season-and-a-half. No one doubts Murray has what it takes to thrive in the NBA, just if he’s going to resume that form. Everyone is high on Porter, but he’s yet to live up to expectations or be healthy enough to make a difference. If Porter does finally become the player he’s supposed to be, though, look out. Murray and Porter (and Aaron Gordon) probably don’t have to play like All-Stars so long as they take some of the focus from Jokić. Maybe I’ve talked myself into thinking Denver has a more serious shot at making the Finals than I originally thought.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Imagine it’s a wolf rather than a coyote:
So at the very end of June, Kevin Durant demanded a trade from the Nets and immediately everyone began speculating about how this was going to reshape the league. And how did the TWolves respond? About a week later, they sent four players and something like six draft picks to Utah for Rudy Gobert, the former defensive player of the year who, it turns out, is a complete liability on offense during the playoffs, as in, you don’t guard him unless he gets the ball and then you work hard to keep him from passing the ball so he has to shoot it. That trade instantly rendered Durant untradeable, because if that was Gobert’s price, then Durant was worth a whole lot more. But what’s Minnesota going to do with both 7’1” Rudy Gobert and 6’11” Karl-Anthony Towns, of whom Minnesota managed to win three postseason games despite of? Maybe Gobert frees up Towns to play beyond the arc, which he seems determined to do, or maybe Gobert doesn’t play at the end of games with Towns expected to pick up the defensive slack. D’Angelo Russell is a plus, and Anthony Edwards emits superstar vibes, but the Wolves have leveraged their whole future on Gobert, the sort of player today’s league just isn’t built for. Maybe this is the work of a mad genius. Some NBA analysts think so. I think it’s the work of one of the league’s worst franchises. Not making the Finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder: On draft night, the Thunder used their #2 pick to draft all 7 feet of this 20-year-old forward:
The upside: Chet Holmgren is built like Kevin Durant, can shoot the three and protect the rim, and moves quite well for a twig. The downside: He has no muscles and looks like a ligament on the verge of snapping. Holmgren scored 23 points and recorded six blocks in his Summer League debut. Thunder gonna roll. Then he tried to block LeBron James during a pro-am game in August, came down funny on his right foot, and is out for the season. Thunder gonna tank. No.
Portland Trail Blazers: Pre-bubble, the Blazers were the quintessential good team that just couldn’t get over the hump. Most teams would have torn everything down at that point to start a long rebuild, but while they did trade CJ McCollum, they kept Damian Lillard. And that’s admirable, not only because it keeps faith with the fans but also because any NBA player who wouldn’t want to play in small-market Portland alongside a sharpshooter who is in range as soon as he crosses the half-court line is a fool. But so far, no takers. They won’t make the Finals because they might not make the play-in.
Utah Jazz: Like the Blazers, the Jazz were another one of those quintessential good teams that couldn’t get over the hump. But unlike the Blazers, they responded by initiating a fire sale, and that fire sale is still burning. Honestly, if you look at their roster—Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Collin Sexton—they’ve still got the remnants of a halfway decent team (even if it’s mostly guards) but they want to trade as many of those guys as they can for as many draft picks and prospects as possible because Utah does not want to come anywhere close to making the Finals.
Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors: Yes, and they’re the favorites to win it all. But are we beginning to see the pieces of this dynasty fall apart? A couple weeks ago, word got out Draymond Green had an altercation with breakout star Jordan Poole during practice. Then video of the incident showing Green punching Poole leaked and all was not well in the Bay. Green stepped away from the team to atone for his outburst. This is not the first time something like this has happened on the Warriors, nor is it the first time Green has been at the center of it. It is the first time their dirty laundry got aired in public, though, and now speculation is swirling as to who leaked the video: Poole’s representatives, an outsider, someone out to get Green inside the organization. It was bad enough what Green did, but that was mendable; the leak takes the matter of trust and paranoia to an entirely different level. Both Green and Poole are due massive contract extensions [UPDATE: Poole just got his, and it’s worth $140 million] and there are whispers the Warriors prefer to keep the up-and-coming Poole over the 32-year-old Green even though Draymond remains the team’s emotional heart and soul. Could this be the season the Golden State dynasty crumbles from within? Or does the shot at a fifth title in nine years bind Curry-Thompson-Green-Iguodala + Wiggins + Looney + Poole-Moody-Wiseman (so much talent on one roster!) tighter to one another come playoff time? And if they win the fifth, do they hang together for a sixth? Or will the front office sort this all out for them (so many trade chips!)
Los Angeles Clippers: Kawhi Leonard is back and healthy. Paul George is back and healthy. That means it’s an NBA title or bust for the Los Angeles Clippers. New to the team this year is former Washington Wizard John Wall, who’s mostly been incognito for the past two seasons. Wall doesn’t have to be the focus of attention on this team, just a complementary figure who regulates the pace, directs the action on the offensive end, and scores when the opportunity comes his way. Add to that one of the deepest line-ups in the NBA—Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac, Reggie Jackson, Norman Powell, Luke Kennard, Terrance Mann, Robert Covington—and there’s a reason a lot of prognosticators favor this team over the Warriors for the title. So, Yes, they’re a favorite to reach the Finals. But these are the Clippers, and it isn’t as though Leonard, George, and Wall are paragons of good health. If something’s going to go wrong, it will in LA. (Speaking of something going wrong in LA…)
Los Angeles Lakers: A resurgent Russell Westbrook. A healthy and hungry Anthony Davis. A LeBron James hellbent on getting a fifth ring before Steph Curry does. That could get them close. But that trio couldn’t even stumble into the play-in tournament last year. LeBron has three years left to grab another title before he becomes the principle owner of the Las Vegas Hoopsters and he’s stuck chasing the all-time scoring title with these guys:
Not what he expected when he moved to Hollywood. Oh, and now Westbrook’s got a sore hammy and Davis’s back is bothering him again. No Finals for the Lakers.
Phoenix Suns: Phoenix finished the 2021-22 season with the league’s best record, but the team was exposed in the playoffs and disintegrated in a 123-90 Game 7 blowout at home to Dallas, during which star big man Deandre Ayton was benched by coach Monty Williams for “internal” reasons. Ayton hit the free agency market and signed a max contract with Indiana, leaving Phoenix with the choice to either match the deal to keep their asset or let him go with nothing to show in return. They chose to match; Ayton had no contact with the team until training camp started. Come January, Ayton can be shipped, and there’s a player in Brooklyn the Suns need to seriously look into acquiring to pair with Devin Booker and Chris Paul. This team is not headed to the Finals unless they find a way to bring KD to the desert.
Sacramento Kings: The Sacramento Kings hate the Seattle Mariners. Want to know why? Because this year, the Mariners made the playoffs, which means the Kings now own the longest playoff drought (sixteen years) of any team in the Big 4 professional leagues in North America. The New York Jets and Buffalo Sabres are hoping the Kings suck this year, which they might, but they definitely won’t be good enough to make it to the Finals.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS PREDICTION: #3 Warriors over #1 Nuggets
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS PREDICTION: #2 Bucks over #1 76ers
NBA FINALS PREDICTION: Warriors over Bucks in seven