Welcome To Shut Down SZN
Ah yes, we’ve finally reached the point of the NBA season where we see teams start to shut down players for the year. Some are legit and actual injuries, and others are such a clear sign of tanking it’s a slap in the face to Adam Silver. I totally understand if you’re a team in contention and you want to give some guys some rest before a daunting playoff run starts, that makes sense. But some of these guys being shut down indefinitely and for the season is pretty comical. Teams just not giving a fuck what their fans and the league things when ping pong balls are at stake.
For example take the guy in that picture above, Kent Bazemore. By default, he’s probably their best all around player avergaing 12.9 points on 42/39% splits. It was announced that he has a bruised knee and is going to miss the remainder of the season. He didn’t tear anything, nothing fractured or sprained or anything like that, just a bone bruise. Now I ask you, could this have anything to do with this decision?
I don’t have to ask because you know the answer. If the Hawks were in contention for a playoffs spot, is Bazemore being shut down? Of course not and I respect the Hawks for not trying to hide it at all.
Unfortunately, there are also a bunch of guys who have real injuries that are being shut down at a brutal time because they play for contenders. Basically pick a guy on the Celtics and they fit this description, but it also fits for guys like Avery Bradley. A key component for a Clippers team fighting for their playoff lives, he’s now out 6-8 weeks after undergoing surgery on an abdominal injury, more specifically his adductor and rectus abdoninis muscles. That sounds awful but also kinda funny to say out loud.
At least when you look at a team like DAL who is in the business of tanking, they’re at least shutting down guys who are really hurt like Wes Matthews. He’s now out for the year after fracturing his fibula which sounds brutal. A guy that worked really hard to come back from his achilles injury and was having a nice year, he certainly won’t help them win a game by accident moving forward.
This got me thinking, who else do we expect to see get the Kent Bazemore treatment? If I had to guess, I’d be willing to bet that these guys are also going to be shut down for an “injury” and not because their team stinks and they want better lottery odds
1. Reggie Jackson - Remember him? He’s been out forever and there were rumblings he may start practicing soon. To that I say, did you see DET last night? They’ve quit. So something tells me even if his ankle is truly at a point where he could play, we won’t see him again. What’s the point? So they can be 6 games out of the playoffs instead of 7?
2. Baby Dirk - The Bulls are already laying the groundwork for this one in my opinion. He’s already experiencing “back spasms” which I anticipate will be followed with a “he never really responded the way we wanted him to in his recovery, so we’re sitting him out”
It’s already been reported that he’lll miss tomorrow’s game against MEM, so yeah this feels like a safe bet.
3. Tyreke Evans - This actually may have already been happening as Evans has missed 10 games with a “rib” injury and has “no timetable” for his return. Here’s his timetable, October 2018. Memphis knows that playing Evans usually led to wins, and it’s no surprise the team that has lost 18 games in a row is not playing their best player. What exactly did he do to his ribs that forces him to miss this kind of time? I saw reports talking about “slight cartilage damage” but when the injury happened in late February he was day to day. Then the Grizzlies did nothing but lose and now there is no timetable? Something stinks and it’s not just the quality of basketball in Memphis.
4. Aaron Gordon + Evan Fournier - Now Aaron Gordon’s situation is nothing to joke about. His concussion is no joke and he should in no way rush back. Given where ORL is in the standings, it wouldn’t shock me if they just call it a season for him, which would be a shame because he’s been great.
Evan Fournier also has a sprained MCL, which Google tells me is basically a 4 week injury. Well 4 weeks from now the regular season is over, so I’m going to say even though the team hasn’t officially announced it and even if he’s able to come back sooner, it’s a wrap for him as well.
5. Kawhi Leonard - By far the biggest name on this list and maybe he shouldn’t be included because he team doesn’t stink, but it’s getting more and more apparent that we may not see Kawhi again this regular season. Hell if the Spurs somehow miss the playoffs we may not see him until next season. First he’s cleared then he’s not, then he sits for a while and it looks like he’ll finally be back this week, then we learn he most likely won’t. I don’t get it, is he hurt or not? Is it mental? So weird.
6. Blake Griffin - He isn’t listed as having an injury, but you tell me if this looks like a person that wants to keep playing basketball
It’s only a matter of time before we hear about “soreness” or something like that leaving DET to be “cautious” about their franchise player. Nothing to do with the record though, they’ll want to make that clear.
7. Cody Zeller - Another guy battling a “sore” knee, it is true that Zeller has been dealing with some knee issues for about a month, and at this point with CHA being 7 games out of the playoffs, even if he shows to be healthy at some point over these last few weeks, it makes no sense for CHA to play him.
8. Skal Labissiere – Skal had a pretty scary fall which caused him to mess up his hip and he’s missed the last two games because of it. SAC is right in the thick of the tanking race, currently sitting in the 6th spot but could very well end up top 3 if things go right for them. That’s why to me it’s probably more important they just shut down Skal and let the chips fall where they may. You see he had been playing well over his last 5 games and the Kings were 3-2 over that stretch. That’s unacceptable for a team right in the middle of a tanking race, which means it’s probably time to shut him down.
9. Jarrett Allen – Out of nowhere Jarrett Allen has this foot injury that kept him out of the game last night and it’s being considered “soreness”. Um yeah OK I don’t believe you. The Nets have lost 14 of their last 16 and if you look at those games Jarrett Allen had been playing juuuuusssst a little too well. Sure they still lost but there were close games in there that were close in the first place because of how Allen played.
Now this is tricky because the Nets don’t own their first pick so you’d think they would actually want to play him but at this point why risk anything? He had a great rookie year and is their most promising young player. Just sit him and then hope next year when you actually have your first round pick that he helps you not stink out loud.
I can’t really throw shade at organizations that pull this stunt. I mean the Celtics did the exact same thing with Pierce’s foot injury the year they won 25 games or whatever. It just makes sense. All I ask is that teams just be a little bit better about lying about it. Everybody knows that if you have a minor injury at this point of the season while playing for a shit team and get shut down it’s because you’re more interested in the lottery odds than putting the best team out on the floor. We know it, you know it, the NBA knows it, just embrace it.