Was Monday’s gray soggy weather a perfect metaphor for the annual post Derby (post JazzFest) malaise?
For the hoopaholics among us, as for basketball played by the male of the species, we must turn our yearning eyes toward the play for pay league.
Oops, silly me, got to say which one now. (Do not worry. I shan’t utter a word further here about you know what. Today’s post is a nil on NIL zone.)
I’m talking about hoops where the teams have a salary cap they must adhere to.
There is however a rooting interest remaining in the playdowns for U of L fans.
One Donovan Mitchell.
Now a Cleveland Cavalier, he was around the Yum! just when the shit hit the fan for Cardinal men’s basketball.
Two and done he was. No surprise.
Though he was the 13th pick of the ’17 draft, I doubt I’m not the only one who has been more than mildly surprised by his ascendence to legit star status.
He did something in his last two outings that’s only been surpassed once in the history of the NBA. Score 89 in consecutive games. Or, 89 in Games 6 and 7 of a series. Something like that. (Allen Iverson tallied 90 once upon a time. Without practicing if you recall.)
Cleveland closed out team of the future Orlando to meet its conference semi demise against the Celtics.
But we can root.
* * * * *
Mitchell wore the red & black for two seasons.
Each significant in its own way.
He made five starts in his rookie year ’15-’16. His slash line was 7.4/1.7/3.4.
That was the 23-8 campaign that ended with a self imposed ban. Which, just sayin’ in retrospect, did notta lotta good in the long run. Louisville needed lawyers, guns and money.
His sophomore campaign was an uptick. Slash line: 15.6/2.7/4.9.
Those Cards finished 25-9, and on March 17, 2017 beat Jacksonville State, 78-63 in the opening round of the Dance in Indy.
It was, here comes the hard part, U of L’s last victory in the NCAA tournament.
Two thousand six hundred and nine days ago.
— c d kaplan
I watched game 7. What a leader, a little banged up to begin with. He appeared to be sleepwalking through most of the first half, as were his teammates. Down 18 at one point. He came out for the 2nd with fire, and his team followed. Of particular note, Garland was really struggling throughout and Mitchell visibly encouraged him. Then on a 3rd quarter sequence, Garland missed an open 3, the Cavs rebounded, got it out to Mitchell and he drove the lane, kicked to Garland for the same shot he had just missed, and he got this one, then played with confidence the rest of the way. Even with the 89 points, he knows he needs his guys too.
I’m convinced that Ricky P put the reins on Donovan in the hopes he would stay. I don’t think anyone thought he was this good. Certainly I didn’t. I’m really pulling for him
The “play downs!” Excellent Gil Thorp reference!
I may have the details wrong, but I fondly remember DM rubbing Grayson Allen’s face in the Denny Crum court chasing after a loose ball in a 2017 game. I think they had had a bit of a dust up the year before at Cameron. Can’t remember any of the details about that one.
And don’t forget the props he gave Griff the year he won the NBA All Star Slam Dunk contest.
He should have been named Rookie of the Year in 2018, but the NBA fudged the rules to give it to Ben Simmons, who was drafted the year before DM, but sat out his first year with an injury.