Is Jrue Holiday a future Hall of Famer? Plus, predicting the West

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What do we have to do in order to get every American Gladiators event into the Olympics?

The West Gauntlet

What is success in the Western Conference?

We have 64 days between now and the start of the 2024-25 NBA season. I counted. And by counted, I mean I plugged it into some calculator on the internet. As we get closer to the start of the next season, it means we’re getting closer to season previews and those hallowed predictions everybody loves to keep as receipts for the end of the season. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the Western Conference and how that is going to shake out.

To be completely upfront, I’ve mostly been thinking about it in the terms of just two teams — your 2024 Western Conference finalists. The Timberwolves and Mavericks possibly overperformed last season. Going into the preseason, I’m not sure how many of us had them in the conference finals, especially Dallas, a team toiling around .500 before the trade deadline. Both of these teams challenged the Nuggets for the conference crown. The Wolves eliminated the then-defending champions. Then, the Mavs immediately snatched the crown from Minnesota to make the Finals.

We head into the new season with maybe the deepest West we’ve ever seen — minimum of 12 good-to-elite teams. The Spurs will look to make a leap. Utah will be decently competitive for as long as it chooses to be. And we know Portland is in the early stages of a rebuild. Could Golden State make noise again? The West is crowded. It is going to have multiple teams left out of even the Play-In Tournament, either due to injuries, bad luck or just due to capacity.

So, what does that mean for the Wolves and Mavs in how we judge their season? This entire conversation is contingent on health, first and foremost. Let’s just assume no major injuries keep them from competing in the postseason. How far do the Mavs and Wolves have to go in order for people to say last postseason wasn’t a fluke?

Let’s start with the Wolves because I think it’s an easier conversation. Minnesota lost a little bit this summer with Kyle Anderson going to Golden State. However, the Wolves are going to hope for a healthy campaign from Karl-Anthony Towns and another leap from Anthony Edwards as he continues to mold into whatever supernova he’ll be in the near future. All that can happen, and the West could still bone them. Almost everybody assumed the Nuggets were going to compete for title after title after title, and we’re not so sure now. Denver also still has the best player in the world, and any of its young guys stepping up changes the conversation. Here’s my breakdown of what each stage could mean for Minnesota’s convo:

First-round exit: They’re frauds.
Second-round exit: Entirely dependent on whom they lost to and how they lost.
Conference finals: Completely legitimate, but how do they get to the NBA Finals?
NBA Finals: Everybody gets an Ant tattoo.

As for the Mavericks, think about everything that happened since the deadline. They brought in Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. They turned their defense around completely. They brought in Klay Thompson to spread the floor for Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. They rounded out some role-player spots too. This roster is absolutely better than it was a year ago, as long as Klay stays healthy.

So, what does that mean? Is the defensive excellence going to carry over? Did the Mavericks lose too much with Derrick Jones Jr. departing? This is how their breakdown will probably go:

First-round exit: Welcome to Fluke City, population, you.
Second-round exit: They’re good but just caught lightning in a bottle last year.
Conference finals: This team is on the cusp of a title.
NBA Finals: There’s a new sheriff in town.

Regardless of what happens, we can trust that the internet will have measured, fair takes about either team if they come up short of last year.

The Latest From Shams

France’s Yabusele nears NBA return

After a standout performance in the Paris Olympics, French forward Guerschon Yabusele will be back in the NBA soon.

According to league sources, the Sixers are finalizing a deal with the 28-year-old, who averaged 14 points per game for France during the Summer Games. The French earned silver in the men’s basketball tourney after dropping the gold-medal game to the U.S.

AI is going crazy 🙄🧸✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/MOrMeutTdp

— Guerschon Yabusele (@yabusele28) August 14, 2024

Yabusele was drafted 16th overall in the 2016 draft and played for the Celtics from 2017-19. He hasn’t been coy about a potential return to the league, sharing a post to X on Aug. 11 that said “Been waiting for a 2nd chance.. I’m ready.”

Check out this story for more details on Yabusele’s contract situation and how he may fit in Philly.

Jrue HallofFameday

Is Jrue Holiday nearing the Hall of Fame?

Let’s be honest. You hadn’t really considered this idea much, had you? Don’t worry; I’m right there with you. I had never really thought about Jrue Holiday as a Hall of Fame possibility until this summer. And no, it wasn’t the second NBA championship that really got my wheels turning on this. It was thrown my way after Team USA won another gold medal.

Let’s lay out the résumé real quick so we can know how seriously to take this:

Two-time NBA champion: And was the acquired piece to put the 2022 Bucks and 2024 Celtics over the top.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist: Remember, it’s not the NBA Hall of Fame. It’s Basketball.
Two-time NBA All-Star: Selected in 2013 and 2023, the longest gap in NBA history.
Six-time All-Defense: Three first-team, three second-team selections.
Two healthy seasons from passing Bob Cousy for all-time assists. Cousy is currently ranked 22nd. Holiday is 36th.

There’s actually something here. Holiday has been the best perimeter defender of his generation. Him having only six selections for All-Defense is criminal. The Bucks absolutely do not win a title in 2021 without acquiring him in 2020. The Celtics might not win the title this year without acquiring him in 2023. Although that one is a good debate to have.

Considering Michael Cooper is in the 2024 class of Hall of Famers, I think the comparison is apt for showing Holiday’s candidacy. Holiday has been a better player, better defender and has better numbers across the board while also playing significantly more games. Cooper has more titles (five) but also got to play with Magic Johnson for over a decade. He has more DPOY awards (one) and All-Defense selections (eight), but Holiday also plays in a much tougher era to defend because of rules and skills.

None of this is to diminish Cooper, by the way. It’s just to show that Holiday, now with two straight Olympic gold medals to boot, just put his name into heavy consideration the past few months.

Be Water

Jaylen Brown’s pool training amuses internet

It’s been a weird summer for Jaylen Brown. He won his first NBA championship, along with the NBA Finals MVP hardware. He got left off the Team USA squad for the Olympics, and then suggested a conspiracy might be at play regarding the footwear he endorses. Now, we can add underwater training to the mix after photos of him went viral over the weekend. He’s training in a pool, holding dumbbells to keep him underwater, and I guess he’s dribbling too? What in the Aquaman is going on here?

Maybe the funniest part of these pics and the jokes being made on the internet was Brown’s caption when he posted the photos. He said, “Take this pic before I drown.” That’s legitimately funny! There’s also this video of Brown making comparisons to drowning and anxiety, so he’s clearly teaching himself composure under the water.

The dribbling-of-a-basketball-underwater thing feels like something one of those fraudulent Instagram trainers would suggest doing. That’s not actually going to help his left-hand dribble, but he also just balled out on the biggest stage, so I’m not sure those jokes about his left apply anymore. All of this was a fun reminder of the weird workouts Kyle Korver used to do, carrying a massive rock as he ran on the ocean floor. Whatever happened to just dribbling through some cones?

Bounce Passes

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Is Devin Booker going to get more NBA respect after what he did in Paris?

Most-clicked in Friday’s newsletter: Our rankings for every team’s In-Season Tournament court designs.

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