5 Things: The End of… Whatever That Was

So…that’s done. Preseason 2.0. Preseason Reprise. The Revenge of Preseason. Whatever you wanna call it, it has now concluded. Let the games in this new, weird environment begin!

1. Welcome back J.R. Smith. There he is, that unrepentant gunner that he will always be. Canning ridiculous shots? Check. Unforced, bonehead plays? Check. Silly tight handle in what appears to be zero space? Check. Honestly, I’m into all of it. Why not? I look at it like a retro throwback jam. There’s something refreshing that, in the middle of the madness, J.R. Smith is still J.R. Smith. Makes “normal” feel kind of within reach.
2. Devontae Cacok’s rebounding acumen. Rebounding crosses all lines. If you’re good at it, if you have size, if you’re on the court the ball seems to find you. Cacok has the tenacity to overcome his lack of size. He gets after it and has some nifty low post moves that don’t translate all that well to the modern game. Still, may end up being the most likely South Bay Laker to see big minutes.
3. Alex Caruso (aka the King of +/-). I have always dug what Alex Caruso brings, He doesn’t hold back, he’s a team-first guy, he can score better than he’s shown at the NBA level. He may never shine any brighter than that. For me, it’s bright enough. If you play the game the right way, if you honor the basketball gods by making the extra pass, the smart cut, by diving for loose balls, you will have earned my respect and appreciation.
4. Dion Waiters showing off his skill set. Dion may end up being a season-altering pick-up. For literally nothing we added a 3 tool player. Scores inside, scores outside, makes plays. My biggest concern is how quickly he can be acceptable on defense. So far, not really acceptable at all. We got 8 seeding games to work out kinks like this and I feel that Vogel and the staff are up to the challenge.
5. No injuries. Can’t be overstated enough. The most important thing coming out of these scrimmages was that no serious injuries be suffered. While we had some scars it sounds like that we’ll be seeing the team at full strength when the season kicks off.

So, as we approach the reboot of the NBA, I want to pause and remember how we got here. This is an unprecedented, possibly unnecessary, moment in time. While we will never live in an alternate reality where COVID-19 went the way of Ebola, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, and other novella viruses we will survive this. The way the NBA has come together through everything that is rocking the planet right now is not only to be commended but in my opinion admired. Is it perfect? Certainly not, and what human endeavor is? Especially in the face of adversity. So do, please do, enjoy this moment. You’ve earned it. Yes, it’s only basketball and there are definitely things of a weightier matter going down. But one way or another it’s happening. Because on Thursday it matters. Again.