Super Tuesday: Random Thoughts on the League's Latest Stories

The dust is mostly settled for how the playoffs will shake out, but the NBA's drama persists.

If we weren't there two weeks ago, then now we are really in the dog days of the NBA season.

The playoff seeding is largely determined with only a few moving pieces remaining. The teams that are out of it are not incentivized to be playing good basketball.

What I noticed this week in particular about NBA media coverage is where the stories are gravitating. We have MVP-to-MVP beef, spotlights on individual performances, and the same off-court antics that made basketball a 12-month sport for fans.

So yes, the basketball being played right now is as difficult to be enveloped by as it's been all season. But the larger-than-life personalities that comprise the game are still doing just enough to keep the conversation going.

Spike Lee and the Pathetic New York Knicks

When a team as sorry as the Knicks escapes with a victory against a team as high-octane as the Houston Rockets, that is a cause for celebration. RJ Barrett looked like the No. 3 pick. The Rockets' small-ball strategy was successfully stymied by a gargantuan New York. When I saw Spike Lee on First Take donning Knicks gear and his trademark frames, I thought I knew why.

I obviously did not.

New York, diabolically run by puppet master James Dolan, thought it was about time to confront the team's most famous fan on Leon Rose's first day as president by saying he should enter Madison Square Garden from a different entrance. I don't care who is right or wrong, nothing matters less in this world.

The Knicks are pathetic. Alienating your most ardent supporter is not typically a recommended step in becoming, you know, not pathetic. The fact that this has happened twice, first with Charles Oakley, is even more astonishing. I feel bad for Knicks fans born into this poverty franchise. But congrats on beating the Rockets!

James Harden Called the Eventual Repeat MVP Unskilled

Rachel Nichols is obviously one of the most talented media personalities in the business. She showed her skill once again in her interview with James Harden, successfully goading him into stirring more controversy with the Rockets guard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Harden said it doesn't take skill to have the frame of someone like Giannis, who can impose his will when driving to the basket or defending the rim. He doesn't have the shooting and dribbling prowess of Harden, who claimed that that is what it means to hone your craft and work your way to being one of the NBA's greats.

I truly, truly believe that Harden has a point and should not immediately be lambasted for his comments. The best defense on Harden beyond the 3-point line is still worth more than the best defense someone could play on Giannis in the paint. Harden doesn't have standout physical traits and is the game's best scorer. That does not, however, discredit Giannis' superhuman ability. And at the end of the day, yeah, Giannis is that impressive at his size. He unleashed 41 points and 20 rebounds against the Hornets.

Who is stopping the Bucks in the East?

Speaking of Giannis, his historic accomplishments have made Milwaukee the most formidable Championship contender in the NBA. They play fast and they play smart. Their offense around Giannis is as rock-solid as there is, spacing the floor with four consistent shooters around a freak of nature. On defense, they are even better. The Bucks coax opponents into shooting 3s with their weaker long-range shooters, and play physical around the rim to prevent easy buckets. They haven't reinvented the wheel, and they actually cater to what the NBA has evolved into. Milwaukee makes the other team feel like they have them figured out, and all of a sudden they are down double digits.

The caveat, though, is that it looks like they were figured out by Miami on Tuesday. Bam Adebayo was a brick wall in front of Giannis. The Heat played defense at neck-breaking speed to double, even triple Giannis while being able recover to the open players and force turnovers. Miami has been unimpressive as of late, but they have more size than Toronto or Boston has to counteract the Bucks' freakish shooting and size.

Jayson Tatum, Welcome to the Elite

Tatum lit the league on fire in February to be the Eastern Conference Player of the Month after averaging 30.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists a game. Oh, and he shot 48% from beyond the arc.

The ESPN and The Ringer have written endless about Tatum's production, so I want to look at it from another view — he is well on his way to being an MVP and one of the best players in the league. It could be argued now about whether he is in the Top 10 or not, but there is even a tier within that separating, say, LeBron James from Paul George.

It is an awesome glimpse into what the stars of the league will be. On Sunday following a win over the Pelicans, LeBron said that he was just honored to still be playing while the next class of greats like Tatum, Trae Young, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and more really get rolling with their careers. We could be seeing these guys for the next 10 to 15 years, and it is important to follow them now and watch their growth as they begin to play into their prime.

Who is Currently the Worst Team in the League?

This question will be answered from a Power Rankings perspective than a record perspective, though the two are significantly correlated of course.

It is with a heavy heart that I am declaring my team, the Detroit Pistons, the most mediocre, hapless team in the NBA as of March 3rd. The Warriors contended for this spot, but the imminent return of Steph Curry inspires hope for some more entertaining basketball. The Knicks also were in consideration, but they did just beat the Rockets.

The Pistons have been without Blake Griffin and Luke Kennard for almost the entire season, with other smatterings of injuries to crucial (relative to Pistons-level basketball) players like Bruce Brown. It has been almost a month since Andre Drummond arrived in Cleveland. Markieff Morris and Reggie Jackson were bought out of their contracts. And now, Derrick Rose is out for at least two weeks to the dismay of not only the tens of Pistons fans rooting for wins, but to his fans league-wide enjoying his resurgence into a 6th Man of the Year candidate. Can we get an adult in the locker room in Detroit?

It's a race to the bottom, and Golden State and Minnesota may have it locked up, but the Pistons are surely doing what they can to catch them.