Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
November 15th, 2019
5 years of Warriors dominance was really starting to take it’s toll on the league. In fact, it changed it’s dynamic completely.
These Villains were so strong ... Teams who felt like they had even the slightest chance of beating them were pressured to go all in to make a run at it. Teams that couldn’t compete with the elite of the league, opted for drastic rebuilds instead and shifted their focus towards a distant, brighter future.
There was no point sticking around in mediocrity in this climate. Those who did, got burned quickly.
That’s why, in this Warriors superteam day and age, stunning blockbuster trades were no rarity.
We’ve seen this before with the Melo, PG13, Kyrie - IT trades. Then Cousins got traded. Marc Gasol was moved. And most recently, Drummond was shipped early on in the season.
But this trade fever didn’t slow down. It was only just getting started.
Just ahead of our next matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, another major shift of power surprised everyone.
And it wasn't exactly in our favor ...
The Clippers are one of those teams that got burned trying to stay competitive with a mediocre squad that just wasn’t cutting it. They had to come to terms with themselves, but remained in denial for far too long.
A painful 1-13 start to this season blatantly exposed their urgent need for a rebuild. And thus, the Clippers hit the panic button and blow up their core.
The first one to move? Blake Griffin.
Blake, a superstar PF in the final stages of his prime, no longer holds future value for this Clippers franchise. He'll be swapped for Mohamed Bamba, the 2018 5th overall pick, a young PF with huge potential.
Absorbing Batum's aweful (expiring) contract is a price they must pay to make the salaries work. Though they get a lottery protected first rounder in return also.
The Hornets are currently 5th in the volatile East and are aiming to disrupt the hierarchy of the conference. Malik Monk has developed into a borderline All Star and Kidd-Gilchrist, Kaminsky and Howard are all solid contributors.
Griffin will get a pretty neat opportunity at competing again in Charlotte alongside that (much younger) squad. But especially him and Kemba Walker running the show ... Sheesh! That's something to look out for!
Given his already established connection to the Jordan brand and Hornets' owner Michael Jordan himself, Griffin shouldn't have much trouble fitting in quickly. Especially when given a solid chance to really compete again in the East.
And if anyone had any doubts left, Griffin erased those by putting on a show in his Hornets debut. Griffin put up 18 points and 7 rebounds. He gave it to us outside and inside on an elite level. Walker and Monk were lighting it up from outside around him. All of that backed up by Dwight Howard in the post down low was giving us some serious trouble and will almost certainly be a nightmare for many other teams in the league.
Things continued to go back and forth all game long and turned this game into a nerveracking nailbiter. Salvation finally came in the very last second.
Tied at 99-99, our youngest stud - Collin Sexton - took a chance to catch the spotlight. Off a pass from Marquese Chriss, Sexton didn't bother to pass up the shot and hit a gutsy three from the corner, winning the game for us at the buzzer, leaving the Hornets stunned and devastated.
With that, Sexton shot his way to stardom, putting the league on notice that this 2nd year rookie is not to be messed with. This kid is the future, ladies and gentlemen.
November 15th, 2019
5 years of Warriors dominance was really starting to take it’s toll on the league. In fact, it changed it’s dynamic completely.
These Villains were so strong ... Teams who felt like they had even the slightest chance of beating them were pressured to go all in to make a run at it. Teams that couldn’t compete with the elite of the league, opted for drastic rebuilds instead and shifted their focus towards a distant, brighter future.
There was no point sticking around in mediocrity in this climate. Those who did, got burned quickly.
That’s why, in this Warriors superteam day and age, stunning blockbuster trades were no rarity.
We’ve seen this before with the Melo, PG13, Kyrie - IT trades. Then Cousins got traded. Marc Gasol was moved. And most recently, Drummond was shipped early on in the season.
But this trade fever didn’t slow down. It was only just getting started.
Just ahead of our next matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, another major shift of power surprised everyone.
And it wasn't exactly in our favor ...
Spoiler
The Clippers are one of those teams that got burned trying to stay competitive with a mediocre squad that just wasn’t cutting it. They had to come to terms with themselves, but remained in denial for far too long.
A painful 1-13 start to this season blatantly exposed their urgent need for a rebuild. And thus, the Clippers hit the panic button and blow up their core.
The first one to move? Blake Griffin.
Blake, a superstar PF in the final stages of his prime, no longer holds future value for this Clippers franchise. He'll be swapped for Mohamed Bamba, the 2018 5th overall pick, a young PF with huge potential.
Absorbing Batum's aweful (expiring) contract is a price they must pay to make the salaries work. Though they get a lottery protected first rounder in return also.
The Hornets are currently 5th in the volatile East and are aiming to disrupt the hierarchy of the conference. Malik Monk has developed into a borderline All Star and Kidd-Gilchrist, Kaminsky and Howard are all solid contributors.
Griffin will get a pretty neat opportunity at competing again in Charlotte alongside that (much younger) squad. But especially him and Kemba Walker running the show ... Sheesh! That's something to look out for!
Given his already established connection to the Jordan brand and Hornets' owner Michael Jordan himself, Griffin shouldn't have much trouble fitting in quickly. Especially when given a solid chance to really compete again in the East.
And if anyone had any doubts left, Griffin erased those by putting on a show in his Hornets debut. Griffin put up 18 points and 7 rebounds. He gave it to us outside and inside on an elite level. Walker and Monk were lighting it up from outside around him. All of that backed up by Dwight Howard in the post down low was giving us some serious trouble and will almost certainly be a nightmare for many other teams in the league.
Things continued to go back and forth all game long and turned this game into a nerveracking nailbiter. Salvation finally came in the very last second.
Tied at 99-99, our youngest stud - Collin Sexton - took a chance to catch the spotlight. Off a pass from Marquese Chriss, Sexton didn't bother to pass up the shot and hit a gutsy three from the corner, winning the game for us at the buzzer, leaving the Hornets stunned and devastated.
With that, Sexton shot his way to stardom, putting the league on notice that this 2nd year rookie is not to be messed with. This kid is the future, ladies and gentlemen.
Thanks for following! There's a lot more exciting stuff still to come 
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