This week, Grind City Media’s Kelcey Wright Johnson posed early predictions for a number of awards that the NBA will handout at the end of regular season. Is Zion Williamson or Tyler Herro the most improved player? Could rookie of the year be Cade Cunningham or Jalen Green? Chris Finch or Steve Nash for coach of the year? Is James Harden, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Jayson Tatum for all NBA?
(0:42) MVP Awards
(2:39) Most improved player
(4:25) Rookie of the year
(5:13) Coach of the year
(7:08) First team all NBA
This week, Grind City Media’s Kelcey Wright Johnson posed the question if NBA Players were featured in the uber popular Netflix series Squid Game, which players would win what events and why? Is James Harden the Red-Light Green-Light king or Luka Doncic? Zion Williamson over Steven Adams and LeBron James? And which players would win it all!
(0:00) Introduction to Squid Games
(0:59) Red Light, Green Light
(2:46) Tug-o-War
(3:32) Hop-Scotch
(4:48) Cutting/Precision Game
(6:22) Overall Winner(s)
With NBA Training Camp starting this week, Grind City Media’s Kelcey Wright Johnson & Jon Roser discuss which throwback NBA teams deserve a hard knocks series like the Larry Brown & Allen Iverson Philadelphia 76ers, the Jail Blazers of the late 90s, and more.
On the heels of J.J. Redick unexpectedly announcing his retirement from the NBA after 15 seasons this week, Grind City Media’s Kelcey Wright Johnson and Jon Roser discuss players who rocked the sports world with surprising retirements of their own to include Barry Sanders, Michael Jordan, Calvin Johnson, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Willis and more!
Following Chris Bosh’s Hall of Fame Enshrinement speech this week, Grind City Media’s Kelcey Wright Johnson and Lang Whitaker discuss the best speeches ranging from ceremonies and awards, to press conferences, rants, and movies from notable figures like Michael Jordan, Vanessa Bryant, Monty Williams, Kevin Durant & more!
Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Kelcey Wright Johnson weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Monday, August 23, 2021 at 9:55 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: IMHO
Well Kelcey, the end of the summer is upon us. Rosters are basically set, rookies are settling in with their new teams, and (for the most part) free agents have found homes. But before we turn our attention to football fulltime, at least for a few weeks, let’s take a glance back on the NBA summer that was, and let’s start with the team side of things.
Give me a team that you think had a great offseason. I’ll begin, and I’ll start us off in Chicago with Da Bulls. I really like what the Bulls have done over the last few months, especially bringing in DeMar DeRozan to play alongside Zach LaVine, giving them two big-time scoring options in the halfcourt. They also snatched up Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso in free agency, two players who can be successful without needing the ball in their hands, and they still have Nikola Vucevic, who they grabbed at the trade deadline last season. Sprinkle in young players like Coby White and Patrick Williams, and to me this is a team with a lot of upside! They aren’t contenders quite yet, but they have a lot of good pieces in place.
What about you? Which team gets your vote of confidence for their offseason work?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2021 8:42 AM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Lang! It’s funny you mention that because on the video portion of IMHO this week, we talked about the teams that didn’t do well last year, who we think will do well this year. For me, I agree that the Bulls are probably #1 in my books. But to force everyone to watch the video, I will pick a team that we didn’t cover.
I think the Knicks had a pretty good off-season; adding Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, and extending Julius Randle. On top of that, they’ve managed to retain Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel and picked up two guys I am very intruiged in; Keon Johnson and Kai Jones. And that’s all in addition to guys like Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin who played important and meaningful minutes last year’s playoff run. This upcoming season, New York is going to be an interesting mix of young guys (like Johnson, Jones, Barrett, etc) and high-level veteran scorers.
Please keep in mind, as I write this…The Knicks are my third choice as the team with the best off-season moves but I do truly believe in what the Knicks’ front office has done. Do I think they’re a championship team coming out of the East next year? Probably not. But do I think they’ll make it out of the first round next year? Yeah, I do…and I think they’ll probably have home court advantage too (unlike last season).
I want to take a step out of NBA reality for a second and ask you somewhat of a fictitious question that I saw trending on Twitter today – I hope you’ll bare with me.
Who is the best player out of these *combinations*?
First option is Rudy Gobert with Jokic’s offense and playmaking ability. Second is Westbrook with Curry’s shooting. Third option is Harden with Drue’s defense. And last is Tatum with Kawhi’s defense.
I literally CANNOT wait to hear your answer.
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at 9:54 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
Unlike you, I am not as high on the Knicks. First of all, they were good last season! They finished as a top four team in the East! So, it’s not like they needed to do some huge rebuilding project. But I was surprised they went out in free agency and targeted a guard with a bad recent injury history. And then they signed Evan Fournier who, you know, is fine. Not really a player known for his defense, like most Tom Thibodeau players, but ok, he’s fine.
It all feels eerily similar: The Knicks announce they’re going to rebuild and collect assets, and then they start signing up old veteran players. And they’ll be fine, but not a contending team. And then the process starts all over again.
When I read your question, I immediately thought of the GIF of John C. Reilly looking confused: Wait, what?
Anyway, to me the least impressive of the three combinations was Tatum/Kawhi. Because Kawhi himself isn’t that far off from being a combination of the two. I’d probably put Westbrook/Curry in third, and then Harden/Jrue in second. But to me, the most impressive transformer would be the mix of Gobert and Jokic. It’s such a clear fit of weaknesses and strengths, and when you add in the size of the two, it just seems like a dominant basketball player. The one thing that scares me is that both seem to have moments where they are not completely locked in—flopping, refusing to shoot, etc. Would that be doubled if they were combined?
Kelcey, I read this morning that Jared Dudley was hired by Jason Kidd as an assistant coach on the Dallas Mavericks staff. This seems like such a smart move — Dudley has been around the NBA forever, and has consistently been known as a great teammate. He knows what it takes to get a job in the league, and how to contribute to his team without being on the floor.
But this got me thinking: Name a current player that will make a great coach one day. And it doesn’t have to be a big name: I was thinking of someone like former Grizz guard Garrett Temple, who is a quality person and player, and understands how the NBA works. Who springs to mind for you?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2021 4:25 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
HAHAH! Wow – I’m so happy you rated these for me! I didn’t really think about the Tatum/Kawhi one the way you did but you’re totally right. Those two don’t quite complement each other the way the others do. Kawhi is very much a two-way player, defending well and scoring with ease. I bet he would take those young Tatum knees at this point though…Too soon? Eek!
To answer your question, the first player that popped into my mind who I think would make a great coach after retirement is Chris Paul. He is such a vocal, lead-by-example player and has really been ‘lightly coaching’ Devin Booker and the rest of the young Suns for an entire season. Now, I’m not taking anything from Monty because I think he’s great, but veteran point guards play a massive leadership and teaching role on young and developing teams. On top of that, Paul is smart and well-spoken and has been a huge part of the NBPA for years, given the task of representing all the players. In my opinion he would make a really great coach. He’s similar to someone like Steve Nash, who was a veteran point guard and was a lead-by-example kind of player – which is why I think, in time, he is going to become a very good coach. Heck, same goes for Becky Hammon who is an assistant coach with the Spurs under (arguably) one of the best coaches in NBA history. She played six seasons, was an All-Star point guard every year and is on her way to becoming the first female head coach in the NBA.
I wonder why point guards just make such good coaches…I guess a big part of their basketball identities is communication and leadership which are so crucial translating over to coaching. Point guards are naturally equipped to lead teams.
On the flip, Lang, are there are any players who you think maybe should never become coaches? The first player that came to my mind when I thought about this question was Dennis Rodman, but what do I know.
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Thursday, August 26, 2021 at 10:11 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
Well, call me misguided or an idealist, Kelcey, but I kinda feel like you should never say never. Because as weird of a fit as some players might seem to be as coaches, you gotta remember that they’ve literally spent their entire lives soaking up information and coaching from those who came before them. Take for instance my main man Rasheed Wallace, who led the league year after year in technical fouls, and has since successfully transitioned to the coaching side.
So I dunno, I feel like everyone has value, it’s just finding the right situation and fit. I just can’t wait to hear “BALL DON’T LIE” coming from the sidelines this season.
Grind City Media’s Kelcey Wright Johnson and Jon Roser make their boldest predictions yet for the NBA’s Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Sacramento Kings to have breakout seasons and why months in advance to Opening Night.
Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Kelcey Wright Johnson weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2021 11:31 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: IMHO
Kelcey, we are in the thick of NBA Summer League action, which means the NBA Offseason, or what passes for an NBA offseason these days, is only a few days away! And just when we thought we were going to get a couple of weeks off, that rug got yanked out from under our feet last night.
So there I was, seasoning up a whole chicken and getting ready to throw it into the oven for our Sunday night dinner, when a friend called me to tell me that he just saw on Twitter that the Grizzlies were trading Eric Bledsoe for Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Kelly Oubre. My first thought was, Isn’t Oubre a free agent? Then I thought, OK this is a pretty good trade! He asked me what I knew about this deal and I told him I knew less than him—just because I work for the team doesn’t mean they tell me jack. (A few minutes later he called me back to let me know it wasn’t Kelly Oubre, it was Daniel Oturu.)
Anyway, we’ll see how all of this turns out, and whether any of those three guys ever actually suits up for the Grizz. But bigger picture, do we think history matters? Because Pat Bev has some bad blood in the past with Grizzlies’ fans. If a player who was formerly an enemy gets traded to your team, are we OK with just letting that go and instead embracing the new guy?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2021 8:37 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Haha! I had to read that email twice because Rondo, Oubre and Pat Bev would be a wild get for Bledsoe.
But anyway – to simply answer your question about Patrick Beverley: Yes.
Of course I remember the choke hold on Mike Conley four years ago when Pat Bev was on Houston. And yes, everyone remembers the two-hands-to-the-back-push-from-behind to Chris Paul this past playoffs.
Has he committed some questionable plays? Yes. But is he one of those guys that although you hate playing against him, you love to have on your team? Also yes. That’s a case that current Grizzlies fans should be familiar with; every other team in the NBA hates playing offense against Dillon Brooks. But do we, as Grizz fans, love his heart and tenacity? Of course.
If I’m being completely honest with you, Lang, that was me in college. I played four years of basketball at one school where I was the Dillon Brooks of my team. I was an intense and aggressive defender that no one liked playing against. But when I transferred for my fifth year of eligibility to another school…I quickly won them over.
And I think Pat Bev will do the same. At first, fans will remember that he was once enemy number one of the Grit and Grind era…but I think he will win them over very quickly with how well he buys in to the culture and how much hustle he brings to the squad.
I mean, look. He’s already embracing the team’s identify (as if he wasn’t the most Grizzlies player in the league that wasn’t already a Grizzly).
As I write that, it makes me think…The Grizzlies are known for being all grit and grind and that is totally what Pat Bev embodies. What other NBA players, who aren’t on the Grizzlies, do you think are the most gritty and grindy?
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 12:12 PM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: RE: IMHO
How fast things change! In the time between you sending me that email and me responding, everything changed, lol. The Grizzlies traded Beverley to Minnesota, and got back Jarrett Culver and Hernangomez the Lesser in return. As I said on Twitter: Farewell to Patrick Beverley, Grizzlies legend.
Every time we start to think the NBA is just a lot of fun and a way to keep us all entertained, we get reminded that it’s still a business. Like you said, Kelcey, Beverley undoubtedly would have fit perfectly into the ethos of Memphis, where hard work and grinding for what you get is always valued. But looking at it practically, Beverley is 33 years old, and the Grizz were able to flip him for a 22 year old (Culver) who was the 6th overall pick a few years ago.
But as to your original question, which are the grittiest players in the NBA? I’ve always thought Russell Westbrook should be at the top of that list. That dude has played monster minutes and put up monster stats, all while playing an incredibly physical, athletic brand of basketball. I’d also put Jimmy Butler on that list, as well as a guy like James Johnson, who I believe is a black belt in some martial art? And heck, what about new Grizz big man Steven “Grizzly” Adams? Doesn’t he belong on that list?
In other news, did you see the clip of Draymond Green interviewing Kevin Durant? As odd as it all was, it was interesting to hear Draymond fearlessly pass some blame to Steve Kerr and Bob Myers for the way things ended with KD there in Golden State. But it did get me thinking: Which NBA players would you most want to host a podcast or show where they would be open and honest?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2021 7:52 AM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Oh man, Lang…I have thought about this a lot. Because I love the Road Trippin podcast where Allie Clifton hosts the show with Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye – I think that dynamic is perfect. I also really love JJ Redick’s podcast and the way he is able to get NBA guys to open up.
There are so many options…you know, ratings-wise, people would listen to a LeBron James podcast. Steph Curry would be pretty great too. Kyrie would bring up some interesting and out-there topics and perspectives. Jaren Jackson Jr. you know would be entertaining as heck. But if I had to choose just one, I think I’d go with Blake Griffin.
Hear me out. He’s hilarious, like literally does stand-up comedy. He’s been around the league so long that he would have a billion friendships and connections to get good guests, and I think he’s at the age in his career now that he wouldn’t be scared to just speak his truth. Episode one: hard fouls and crazy dunks.
Or wait. Maybe I want to change my answer to Kawhi Leonard…to have him speak open and honest? To have him speak at all? I know it’d never happen, but a girl can dream!
Anyway, I woke up to Anthony Davis trending on Twitter this morning. And it’s all because of his NBA 2K rating! Lang; you’re well versed in 2K as the GM and Head Coach of Grizz Gaming…should AD feel some type of way that he doesn’t have a top 10 rating or he is out of line here? Is he a top 10 player in the league??
From: Lang Whitaker
Date: Friday, August 18, 2021 at 8:50 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: RE: IMHO
Well, let’s not confuse different things here. Anthony Davis is definitely one of the ten best players in the NBA. He has a unique combination of size and speed and agility, and when he’s healthy, there is no player in the NBA that can really match up against him.
But let’s be real: Anthony Davis not having a top ten rating in 2K has nothing to do with how good he is on an NBA court. NBA 2K is a game that people play. AD’s rating in that game has zero actual connection to his ability to dominate in the NBA. Could he find some sort of motivation in this rating, the same way LeBron has found fire in his lack of votes in a random poll of scouts? Sure. Should he find motivation there? Well, that’s for him to figure out – you get motivation wherever you can find it, I suppose.
We’re in that time of the NBA calendar where rosters are mostly settled, where NBA GMs and coaches and players take vacations, and where stories that would only be a blip otherwise become talking points argued about on television. I guess AD can do AD, but me? I’m ready for the real games to start.
With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics behind us (2020 Summer Paralympics Begin August 24) – Grind City Media’s Kelcey Wright Johnson & Lang Whitaker discuss their picks for top international NBA Basketball players of All-Time to include Dirk Nowitzki, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Luka Doncic, Hakeem Olajuwon, and some surprise candidates like Kyrie Irving. Then, Kelcey and Lang finish the segment by naming the single greatest International player of all-time.
Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Kelcey Wright Johnson weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Monday, August 9, 2021 10:06 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: IMHO
And we are back! Kelcey!! The free agent moratorium has passed, which means team employees (like, you know, you and I) are now free to speak our minds, and to share our humble opinions.
And MAN has there been a lot happening! We’ve seen free agents jump from Conference to Conference, and even teams that we thought may not be all that active made some moves. Kawhi and KD stayed on their respective coasts and each re-upped for the long haul, while teams like Chicago have been frisky, and other teams like the Pelicans haven’t done all that much.
But let’s start with the players, since free agency is about players, after all. What move was the biggest surprise for you? And I know your answer is probably going to be Kyle Lowry, so let me follow up by asking if it was sad seeing him stamp his passport and return stateside to Florida?
From: Kelcey W. Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2021 6:34 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
What’s up, Lang? I missed chatting with you – phew! It’s good to be back.
Sure, let’s start with Kyle. Definitely sad to see him leave the Raptors, but I think it has solidified who the greatest Raptor of all time is — the team plans to retire his number in the rafters of the Scotiabank Arena when he ends his career. That’ll be the first number they ever retire. And so, yes it is sad, but it also makes the Toronto girl in me so happy.
Some people might read that and say “Kelc, you’ve lost your marbles; what about Vince? Or Bosh? Or DeMar? Or Kawhi?!”. I’d giggle back and let them know their points are valid but let me say this: Kyle had a franchise-high All-Star appearances, he’s the franchise leader in assists and steals (and third in scoring behind DeMar and Bosh). They only started counting charges in 2016, but he leads in that and if they started counting earlier, he’d probably have 1,000,000,000 by now. He showed up in the big moments; like game 6 in the 2019 finals (a big 26 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals), he was the ultimate leader…and lastly, the cultural impact he made on the entire country is unimaginable. “We The North” just simply wouldn’t exist without him.
But enough about Kyle.
Westbrook to the Lakers was probably the most shocked I was during free agency last week.
I don’t quite know why it shook me to the core when I got that Woj bomb, but I just really didn’t see it coming. I knew he wanted out…but to the Lakers? Who are already so star-studded? Wow. Now, yes, there are some questions surrounding the age of that team, is there enough ball for them all, etc. Did all their moves (and it felt like they signed a whole brand new roster in a week’s time) make them better? I don’t have any of the answers quite yet…but I’ll give them this; I’m intrigued to see.
Let me skip ahead to some Lakers news that came out right before I started typing this to you…Dennis Schroder signs with the Celtics for one year on a $5.9M exception after declining the Lakers $84M extension (four years, guaranteed money). I’m shook for him. My stomach hurts for him. What do you make of this cautionary tale?
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2021 10:15 PM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
I love Dennis. I remember when he was a rookie on the Hawks, and nobody had heard of him, and he showed up like the German Rajon Rondo, all arms and angles, but not afraid to score. He became a mainstay on those Hawks teams, and eventually the Hawks moved on from Jeff Teague and handed the reins to Dennis, who seemed to love the spotlight. He’s bounced around a bit since then, but the whole LA thing never made sense to me. Dennis needs the ball to be successful. He’s not a spot-up shooter or a dude who sets up others. Dennis is a nightmare in one-on-one play, and that was never going to be in the cards in LA.
I don’t know how the Celtics plan on using him, but he’ll be more explosive than Kemba was, giving the Celtics that backcourt spark they haven’t had in a while, maybe since Isaiah Thomas was there.
Now, did he fumble the bag, as the kids say? Well, as you mentioned, he’s balling for a lot less money this season than he would have been otherwise. But you know what? Considering where he came from, scraping to make ends meet as a kid in Germany, getting paid $6 million to play basketball for the next year isn’t so awful. Add in the $70 mil he’s already cleared and he’s OK. He’s also still 27 years old. So I think we will see him bet on himself for a season, and then let’s see what he’s able to clear next summer.
Meanwhile, as free agency starts to wind down, I’ve been glued to summer league the last few nights. Summer League is always fun to discover players you never would have seen otherwise. For instance, I love that dude on the Magic with tats and blonde hair, who looks like he should be playing on the old guys court at the Y. He can read the floor! He just looks scary.
We are also getting to see all the rooks get their first NBA burn. Which players in Vegas have caught your eye early on??
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2021 9:16 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
When I began researching this draft class I knew it was going to be a super strong class…fast forward a few months now that we’re seeing them all at the Las Vegas Summer League, and I think I was right. We’ve some really great performances!
The first performance that caught my eye was Davion Mitchell on defense. HE LOCKED UP BOUKNIGHT! Did you see that clip on Twitter? Looks like he was the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year this season for a reason.
Then we got some major match-ups with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green (the first and second draft picks this year). Green ended up leading the Rockets to the victory after scoring 25 points, going 6/11 from the field in only 30 minutes. He also hit 10 of his 11 free throw attempts.
Evan Mobley has been playing well. In Wednesday’s victory, he had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. He’s a steal for the Cavs.
And hey – I know Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman aren’t NBA rookies, but they are Summer League rookies because there wasn’t the Las Vegas event last summer due to COVID but they’ve really been playing well (I’ve been soooo impressed).
Have there been any summer league “rookies” that you’re surprised with?
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Friday, August 13, 2021 8:54 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: Re: IMHO
When I saw the clip on Twitter of Davion Mitchell locking folks up, it reminded me of a few years back when the Grizz drafted Jevon Carter and let him lock guys up at Summer League. Because the truth is, the defensive bar at Summer League is set pretty low. For the most part, players don’t go to Vegas looking to showcase their on-ball defense.
Which is ironic, because that’s one of the things teams are looking to see. Do you think NBA teams care how many points a guy can score in Summer League? Nah, they want to see if you can make the right read in pick-and-roll coverage, or if they understand how to rotate defensively, or a million other little things. Scoring is the thing that gets you in the highlights, but it’s literally the last thing most NBA teams need.
So when I watched the Warriors the other day, I wasn’t really that impressed by Jonathan Kuminga’s offense, as he tried a Euro Step on every drive. But that doesn’t really matter – the Warriors can coach that part of his game, or ostensibly they can. I liked the poise I saw from Jalen Suggs, and though his shot selection could use some work, he seemed like the kind of player who can control a game. Jalen Green immediately looked like he belongs at the next level, and I feel like Evan Mobley showed me enough to know he’s going to be fine also.
