Load Management, Fat Shaq and League Pass Pistons - 10/29/23

Your daily 5-6 min dive into all things NBA.

Author

Vikram Dimba
October 29, 2023

Welcome to “Hoop’d There It Is” - Your daily 5-6 min dive into all things NBA.

Who I’m Watching for Tonight (10/29/23)

Definitely watching Thunder/Nuggets. Jokic is my fav player to watch in the NBA. Pair him against Chet, and throw in some SGA action - lots to watch and look forward to here.

Also, I'm keen on the Clippers game. Not just because I have Russell Westbrook on my Hoop’d team 🏆, who showed some spark in the first game and had Kawhi Leonard floored with his game-tying attempt (though a miss) in the second. It's rare to see Kawhi and PG in action together, so I'm seizing the chance before one inevitably takes a seat. Plus, they're up against Wemby, so that's a bonus!

What Stood Out to Me Last Night (10/28/23)

  • Should we start talking about Jalen Duren? Look at his 3 game start: 18.0 PPG, 15.3 RPG, 4.0 APG with 2.6 BPG on 80% from the field. 📈

  • Cade looked great too, he’s so in control.

  • Lavine had 51 points and the Bulls lost by 16 to the Pistons 😲

  • Speaking of Lavine, I’m on the Ausar Thompson bandwagon. He switched off onto Lavine when he had ~49 points and locked him down in the fourth quarter.

  • It was a bit disappointing to see Jimmy Butler and Donovan Mitchell take breaks early in the season. Coupled with the Cavs missing key players due to injuries, some matchups went from must-watch to "maybe next time". With the NBA's growing visibility, no game flies under the radar. 😕

Random NBA Thought

Shaq said on a podcast with Tom Brady the other day that he was 415 pounds with the Lakers when they won their third championship in 2002. That seems absurd to me. How can a 415 pound human being average 36/12/4 in the NBA Finals for his third straight Finals MVP?

…however, a deeper look at pictures from the time does show Shaq appearing bulkier in the '02 Finals compared to 2000. While Shaq might be stretching the truth a tad, he certainly packed on pounds.

Reading more into this - this was an intentional decision by Shaq.

It was after the Lakers’ first championship that Shaq made a decision that had immediate rewards but proved to be a long-range disaster. Feeling that massive centers like Arvydas Sabonis and Luc Longley were pushing him around in the low post, Shaq felt that he needed to be heavier. In his equation, mass equaled power equaled total domination. He therefore instructed his personal chef to overload his meals with meat and potatoes and the pounds quickly began to accumulate.

Jordan Zim

The prime Shaq during their first championship was a force to be reckoned with. It was easily the best version of himself and one of the most dominant basketball peaks ever. It's a perennial "what if" when it comes to Shaq – beyond his free throws, it's always been "what if he maintained his fitness?" His weight gain was a point of contention with Kobe, leading to their eventual split and Shaq's transition to Miami.

But still can’t argue 3 rings and 4 finals appearances. 🤷 

Old School Memory Fantasy Style

On February 10th, 2017, Draymond recorded one of the most intriguing stat lines in league history: a triple-double with only 4 points. This must be the highest fantasy output for any player who has scored fewer than 5 points in a single game.

Learn more about how we’re looking to change fantasy basketball at hoopdfantasy.com.