The Derrick White Appreciation Society
Plus: Disrespecting Jrue, playoff picks, and more
Thank you for reading this free preview of Hoopology. We’ll be moving behind a paywall soon. Paid subscribers get two posts per week, one on Wednesday and another on Sunday. This week: Praising Derrick White, disrespecting Jrue Holiday, and thoughts on the other playoff series.
As a 50-year-old grownup with some level of sophistication and aesthetic taste, I haven’t been in the habit of buying jerseys for several decades. No offense to those who do. Now, if I were to be someone who would purchase an NBA player’s jersey, I would get Derrick White’s No. 9 in both home and away. (Not any of that alternate nonsense. We have standards here.)
White has been my favorite player in the league for so long that I consider him among my favorite players of all time. Others include: Micheal Ray Richardson, Eddie Jones, and Manu Ginobli. Give me big guards who can defend, score, and run a team and I’m happier than Larry Brown conducting a 3-hour practice.
I think about Larry a lot in the context of basketball players because he was the first NBA coach I ever covered as a young newspaper reporter with the Wilmington News-Journal back in the 90s. Larry was a coach’s coach who had a particular type of player he enjoyed working with, and it wasn’t always who you assumed. Here was a Hall of Famer with love in his heart for both Derrick McKey and Derrick Coleman.
What Larry valued more than anything was a certain kind of mental toughness that could be classified as cerebral, rather than outwardly vocal. Coach always preferred to do most of the talking anyway. George Lynch, Vern Fleming, Buck Williams, Billy Owens, Tayshaun Prince, Eric Snow, the Derricks. Those were Larry’s type of players, and he wouldn’t shy away from moving Heaven, Earth, or next year’s draft pick to bring his guys with him wherever he went.
I have absolutely no doubt that Larry would have loved coaching Derrick White so much that he would have traded for him every time he changed jobs. It may not sound like much, but I honestly can’t think of a bigger basketball compliment than Larry Brown would have traded half his roster and a couple of first round picks to get you on his team. It’s certainly more meaningful than a middle-aged guy buying your jersey.
A few words about Jrue Holiday
Whenever I watch games with my son, I tell him to watch Jrue Holiday. He usually ignores me because he’d rather watch Jayson Tatum or see if J.D. Davison is active. (Kid likes the underdogs.) Every once in a while, my son sees what I see and we both kind of laugh about how awesome Holiday is at basketball.
It could be a simple pass or an impossible deflection. It might be a shot that he has no business even taking, let alone making. More often than not, Holiday winds up making the right play. Even when he doesn’t, we both agree that it’s OK in the grand scheme of things because Holiday’s always right there when you really need him.
It’s been making the rounds that Phoenix guard Bradley Beal felt disrespected when (former) Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer suggested Beal play more like Holiday. Beal has somehow played a dozen seasons in the NBA and hasn’t sniffed the second round of the playoffs since 2017. To put it another way: Beal’s been a max player his whole career without ever having the pressure of playing on a contender.
That isn’t to say Beal hasn’t been a paragon of professionalism. He’s always conducted his business with an admirable no-nonsense sincerity. Still, I know who I’d rather have on my side. Bet Budenholzer does too. No disrespect, of course.
Two DJ’s
Having Holiday and White on the same team is like having two Dennis Johnson’s in the same backcourt. Both players are smart, fearless, tough, and way more athletic than you realize. The difference is that while DJ was a rather notorious pain in the ass (moody used to be the word sportswriters would use), both Holiday and White give off nothing but the best vibes as people and teammates.
As one examines the matchups in Boston’s first round series with Orlando, backcourt stands out as a particular area of strength for the C’s and a substantial weakness for the Magic. (You know who could really help Orlando next season? Bradley Beal.)
While all the focus seems to be on the frontcourt stars, my guess is the Boston backcourt will be the ones to settle the issue. I already made my prediction in Wednesday’s Hoopology, but I’ll reiterate that five games seems like the right amount of time for this series.
Thoughts and educated guesses on the other series
OKC vs. Memphis: I don’t know what to make of the Grizzlies and I don’t think anyone else does either. You can try making the argument that their level of unpredictability makes them a little bit dangerous, but OKC looks danger-proof. At least for this round. Thunder in 5 only because I never have the guts to call for an outright sweep.
Houston vs. Golden State: The one series I absolutely wanted to see because these guys clearly don’t like one another. More of this competitive animosity please. There are so many fun subplots here from Draymond Green vs. Dillon Brooks to whatever the Warriors are gonna do about Alperen Sengun. I’ve seen too much of Steph Curry over the years to pick against him, but everyone will know Amen Thompson’s name before this series is over. Warriors in 6.
Lakers vs. Minnesota: I don’t trust either one of these teams, if we’re being honest. I don’t trust the Lakers depth and I don’t trust the Wolves will make enough shots even after shredding LA’s porous defense in Game 1. With all the focus on Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic, the only variable I truly believe in this series is the team with LeBron James will probably win. Lakers in 7.
Denver vs. Clippers: On paper, this is the best first round matchup in either conference and I’m appropriately conflicted. I’m having a hard time picking against Nikola Jokic with homecourt advantage. I’m having an equally tough time picking the Clippers because I’ve been alive on this planet for more than half a century and the Clippers always find a way to Clipper. Witness their Game 1 turnover meltdown. Dare I? I (still) dare. Clips in 6.
Cleveland vs. Atlanta: It will be hilarious watching the 64-win Cavs deal with the unpredictability of 37-win Miami Heat Playoff Devil Magic. Does Cleveland abandon its defensive principles after Haywood Highsmith hits an unsustainable number of 3’s? Is Davion Mitchell really the best Mitchell in this series? It’s only funny when it’s not your team playing Spo-Ball in April. Cavs in 5, but a tough 5.
New York vs. Detroit: I don’t totally buy the Pistons yet, but if I absolutely had to pick one first round upset in the East, it would be here. That said, the Knicks will probably win this series and I want it noted for the record that A) I really like this Knicks team and B) The NBA is a much better place when the Knicks are entertaining. I just don’t think they’re going much farther than the second round. Knicks in 6.
Indiana vs. Milwaukee: It’s a decent rule of thumb to take the team with the best player in a 4-5 series, but even after accounting for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s greatness, it’s hard to make a case for the Bucks. Complicating things is the potential return of Damian Lillard. I’m not convinced it’s going to matter because Indy’s actually good. Not great, but exceptionally good. Pacers in 5 (And then things start getting dicey in Milwaukee … )