Trade deadline today. Probably not expecting much, right?
19 thoughts on “August 31, 2020: The Line Is Dead”
DId anyone else watch the "Black Panther" special last night? It was something to watch knowing Chadwick Boseman had passed.
I made it about 5 seconds into the tribute aftewards before I was this close >< to crying and turned it off. I just couldn't manage.
Funny, some dust fell into my eye right about the same time.
watched both the movie and the follow-up tribute.
I suspect that it is hard to over-state the cultural impact that Boseman's Black Panther was beginning to have with a generation (or two, or three) of Americans. That may be me as a white dude comic book/superhero movie fanboy misinterpreting. But I don't think so. Boseman was poised to be a huge cultural icon and voice for change. He carried himself with such incredible strength and dignity -- unthreatening and inviting to white people while, at the same time, empowering to young, black people. He will be sorely missed.
NBA:
1. LAC (LT: 5) – They survived a feisty DAL team and in the process re-asserted themselves as the favorite in my book. Why? Kawhi Leonard is a fully actualized superstar.
2. MIL (LT: 2) – Wait and see on how they look against MIA.
3. LAL (LT: 3) – They are big and they have LBJ. He and Anthony Davis are a huge part of the LAL offense, but both of those guys are hard to stop when they are rolling. Lots of questions in the bubble about their offense and POR is a bad defensive team, but they appear to be rounding into shape.
4. TOR (Last time: 1) – I didn't see the game on Sunday between TOR/BOS. I think TOR is still the favorite in this series, but a 20+ point beat down in game 1 is not a great way to start a series. That's kind of TOR's way though, to lose game 1.
5. BOS (LT: 4) – Beat TOR 4 of 5 times so far. I'm not sure why I have TOR as the favorite, except that I think TOR has been the better team in the bubble.
6. MIA (LT: 8) – NGL. I want MIA *cough* Jimmy Butler *cough* to lose.
7. HOU (LT: 6) – Can Harden get to the basket against LAL? Can HOU defend Anthony Davis? They are going to dispatch OKC while the LAL rests up.
8 (tie). UTA (LT: 9), DEN (LT:12) -- In the history of the NBA, only two times (MJ, Iverson) had a player gone for 50 twice in the same series. This series has produced two more such players (Mitchell, Murray). Both of these dudes have been ridiculous. Game 7 is gonna be on ABC Tuesday night. You should watch.
10. OKC (LT: 11) – I don't see them beating HOU two times.
OUT: ORL, IND, POR, DAL. Carmelo is still a rotation player. Luka is the future of the NBA.
As long as the Miami games are close, they'll lose. Nobody is worse in the last thirty seconds than Butler.
Luka is the future of the NBA.
I don't really disagree, but, man o man, Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell.
This series has been epic. Murray and Mitchell have been going off the whole time. Murray had 50 points on 24 shots in an elimination game. That is bonkers.
Seriously, this league is absolutely brimming with young talent. The basketball being played in the bubble has been so, so good. The biggest weakness in the NBA is the long season and apparently torturous travel. To see teams day in and day out play at such a high level... well, it is breathtaking.
yes, the clubbing travel definitely takes a toll on the quality of play.
On the other, more serious hand, the bubble also takes a toll. It has got to be pretty stressful. You see it in the chippiness in some series. Not that players can't get personal in the normal playoff grind. But it seems heightened.
Source: Deal is Clevinger, Greg Allen and PTBN to Padres; Quantrill, Arias, Cantillo, Hedges, Naylor and Miller to Indians.
It's a little scary that the Indians are rebuilding and contending at the same time.
Joe Sheehan is not impressed.
I know some people really like Arias, but to me, the Indians traded Clevinger for six guys who will never have a four-win season in the majors. They need to be the next MLB team to be sold. What Dolan has done with a core that was a run from a World Series win in 2016 sucks.
now, if the Indians traded Clevinger for six guys who will collectively be worth 12+ wins per season (2+ each, or only about half of his threshhold) over the next 5 years...
last year, Cleveland had only 6 guys who contributed 3+ rWAR each, and six position players with 50+ starts who earned less than 2.0 rWAR.
[edit: looking further at that list of SD guys. Quantrill looks to be a useful bullpen arm, but unlikely to generate much beyond 1.0 rWAR in a season; Hedges is a replacement-level catcher; Naylor has a chance to be a decent player -- he looks to be a good bet to be a 2+ rWAR player for a few years and seems likely to get every chance to prove himself as a corner OFer with Cleveland, whose OFers have been horrible at the plate this year; dunno on Arias and Miller]
They need scrubs that aren't so thoroughly scrubby. Lindor is a free agent after 2021. They have two years for stars and scrubs average players to pan out.
Bingo. The bottom of that lineup is...a long ways down.
Cleveland currently is next to last in the AL in OPS+ and SLG, and 13th in R/G. They are half a run per game below average. At the same time, they lead the league in RA/G by over half a run (1.6 RA/G better than average!) It seems as though they could afford to trade some peak pitching for a bunch of mediocre average hitters.
What they really need, however, is some power. They have been above average in getting on base, thanks to a lot of patience at the plate, but they have no power to speak of. Something has to give, eventually. As a team, their OBP is a hundred points higher than their BA. which has led to a LOT of guys left on base (6.9 per game, compared to 6.3 for the Twins).
Please don't tell me that that Quantrill is Paul's son.
DId anyone else watch the "Black Panther" special last night? It was something to watch knowing Chadwick Boseman had passed.
I made it about 5 seconds into the tribute aftewards before I was this close >< to crying and turned it off. I just couldn't manage.
Funny, some dust fell into my eye right about the same time.
watched both the movie and the follow-up tribute.
I suspect that it is hard to over-state the cultural impact that Boseman's Black Panther was beginning to have with a generation (or two, or three) of Americans. That may be me as a white dude comic book/superhero movie fanboy misinterpreting. But I don't think so. Boseman was poised to be a huge cultural icon and voice for change. He carried himself with such incredible strength and dignity -- unthreatening and inviting to white people while, at the same time, empowering to young, black people. He will be sorely missed.
NBA:
1. LAC (LT: 5) – They survived a feisty DAL team and in the process re-asserted themselves as the favorite in my book. Why? Kawhi Leonard is a fully actualized superstar.
2. MIL (LT: 2) – Wait and see on how they look against MIA.
3. LAL (LT: 3) – They are big and they have LBJ. He and Anthony Davis are a huge part of the LAL offense, but both of those guys are hard to stop when they are rolling. Lots of questions in the bubble about their offense and POR is a bad defensive team, but they appear to be rounding into shape.
4. TOR (Last time: 1) – I didn't see the game on Sunday between TOR/BOS. I think TOR is still the favorite in this series, but a 20+ point beat down in game 1 is not a great way to start a series. That's kind of TOR's way though, to lose game 1.
5. BOS (LT: 4) – Beat TOR 4 of 5 times so far. I'm not sure why I have TOR as the favorite, except that I think TOR has been the better team in the bubble.
6. MIA (LT: 8) – NGL. I want MIA *cough* Jimmy Butler *cough* to lose.
7. HOU (LT: 6) – Can Harden get to the basket against LAL? Can HOU defend Anthony Davis? They are going to dispatch OKC while the LAL rests up.
8 (tie). UTA (LT: 9), DEN (LT:12) -- In the history of the NBA, only two times (MJ, Iverson) had a player gone for 50 twice in the same series. This series has produced two more such players (Mitchell, Murray). Both of these dudes have been ridiculous. Game 7 is gonna be on ABC Tuesday night. You should watch.
10. OKC (LT: 11) – I don't see them beating HOU two times.
OUT: ORL, IND, POR, DAL. Carmelo is still a rotation player. Luka is the future of the NBA.
As long as the Miami games are close, they'll lose. Nobody is worse in the last thirty seconds than Butler.
I don't really disagree, but, man o man, Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell.
This series has been epic. Murray and Mitchell have been going off the whole time. Murray had 50 points on 24 shots in an elimination game. That is bonkers.
Seriously, this league is absolutely brimming with young talent. The basketball being played in the bubble has been so, so good. The biggest weakness in the NBA is the long season and apparently torturous travel. To see teams day in and day out play at such a high level... well, it is breathtaking.
yes, the
clubbingtravel definitely takes a toll on the quality of play.On the other, more serious hand, the bubble also takes a toll. It has got to be pretty stressful. You see it in the chippiness in some series. Not that players can't get personal in the normal playoff grind. But it seems heightened.
It's a little scary that the Indians are rebuilding and contending at the same time.
Joe Sheehan is not impressed.
now, if the Indians traded Clevinger for six guys who will collectively be worth 12+ wins per season (2+ each, or only about half of his threshhold) over the next 5 years...
last year, Cleveland had only 6 guys who contributed 3+ rWAR each, and six position players with 50+ starts who earned less than 2.0 rWAR.
[edit: looking further at that list of SD guys. Quantrill looks to be a useful bullpen arm, but unlikely to generate much beyond 1.0 rWAR in a season; Hedges is a replacement-level catcher; Naylor has a chance to be a decent player -- he looks to be a good bet to be a 2+ rWAR player for a few years and seems likely to get every chance to prove himself as a corner OFer with Cleveland, whose OFers have been horrible at the plate this year; dunno on Arias and Miller]
They need scrubs that aren't so thoroughly scrubby. Lindor is a free agent after 2021. They have two years for stars and
scrubsaverage players to pan out.Bingo. The bottom of that lineup is...a long ways down.
Cleveland currently is next to last in the AL in OPS+ and SLG, and 13th in R/G. They are half a run per game below average. At the same time, they lead the league in RA/G by over half a run (1.6 RA/G better than average!) It seems as though they could afford to trade some peak pitching for a bunch of
mediocreaverage hitters.What they really need, however, is some power. They have been above average in getting on base, thanks to a lot of patience at the plate, but they have no power to speak of. Something has to give, eventually. As a team, their OBP is a hundred points higher than their BA. which has led to a LOT of guys left on base (6.9 per game, compared to 6.3 for the Twins).
Please don't tell me that that Quantrill is Paul's son.
Indeed he is.
RIP, John Thompson
A giant chicken who refused to play either GW or Maryland.
That's not cowardice, it's wisdom.