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🏀 Can LeBron Outrun Father Time?

🏀 Can LeBron Outrun Father Time?

December 20, 2022

Happy Tuesday BTP family! We had ourselves an action-packed Monday night that included Donovan Mitchell facing Utah for the first time since he was traded, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoiling Dame's historic night, and a 24-12 Packers victory over the Rams that keeps their playoff hopes alive. The Argentina Soccer team returned back home this morning to celebrate their World Cup victory over France which consisted of Lionel Messi almost getting knocked off a bus! Luckily, Messi and the other players celebrating on the bus are okay. In today's rendition of BTP we break down Dame's masterful achievement, how Udonis Haslem got scammed for $15M, and why LeBron needs to return to his old self in order to carry the Lakers to the playoffs.

Stay warm!

FRANCHISE ACHIEVEMENT

SGA Spoils Damian Lillard's Historic Night

Last night Damian Lillard passed the legendary Clyde Drexler to become the Trail Blazers’ all-time leading scorer, but despite his best efforts, the Trail Blazers still took an L. Dame needed 21 points to set a new record which he comfortably got to in the third quarter. He ended his night with 28 points, including a clutch reverse layup to tie the game with 6.5 seconds remaining.

As a member of the Trail Blazers, Drexler scored an impressive 18,040 points in 867 games across 11-plus seasons, averaging 20.8 points per game before being traded to the Rockets in the mid-90s. Lillard, who easily ranks among the most important athletes in their respective NBA cities, breezed past his record in just his 730th NBA game and should have no problem extending it, so long as he can stay healthy. This season, Dame is averaging 28.3 PPG while shooting just under 40% from three, and he’s been even better since returning from a calf strain that sidelined him earlier this season. Unfortunately, injuries have become part of Dame’s narrative in recent years, as he played in just 29 games last season.

While Dame will undoubtedly be the story of this game in the long term, right now, the night belongs to the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA's breakout season is in full force, as the 24-year-old treated us to yet another 35-point performance and a buzzer-beating jumper for good measure.

CRYPTO SCAM

NBA Player Udonis Haslem Claims FTX 'Gypped Him' Out of $15M

The collapse of crypto exchange FTX massively impacted the lives of countless people, and as it turns out, that includes longtime Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem. Haslem wasn’t actively investing in FTX, but as a paid spokesperson, his deal included an equity share that had grown to $15M!

The 42-year-old Haslem has made over $70M in player contracts over his 20-year NBA career, so it’s not like FTX's collapse has him on the streets, but it's a significant loss. As a vet-minimum guy for the last five years, that $15M represents more money than he’s made in his previous five contracts combined.

Speaking to the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, Haslem explained that he “got gypped out of $15 million” but added that FTX “didn’t dupe me. I signed a contract with a company and that’s part of it.” Even though FTX was a gigantic failure, Haslem isn’t ashamed to have been involved because he believes his intentions were in the right place. He saw FTX doing a lot of charity work and wanted to use them to help improve his city. Ultimately, according to Haslem: “I was able to give small-business loans, I was able to do a lot for my charities,” so even though he lost a massive bag, he accomplished his mission.

FATHER TIME

LeBron Needs to Outrun Father Time Before it's too Late

For the majority of Lebron James' career, he was the ultimate floor raiser. Look no further than the eight straight years that having LeBron on your team literally meant a walking NBA Finals berth. Unfortunately, in Year 20 and at 37 years old, James, while still elite, just isn’t that guy anymore. That’s why he sought out a co-star in Anthony Davis and passed him the proverbial torch. The only issue? AD is hurt again, and he’s gonna be out for a while.

Last night’s beatdown at the hands of the Suns was a good reminder of how flawed this Lakers roster is. Most teams built around two max players have a hard time finding sufficient depth around them, and the problem with the Lakers is that they have three. To compensate for Russ’s massive deal, LA has resorted to filling out their roster with nine minimum-salary players and asking them to fill the void of a missing $37M superstar, or in last night's case two superstars and it’s an impossible task.

Without Davis, the Lakers need to replace approximately 70 shots per game, and that responsibility, as it has so many times before, will fall on LeBron James. Unfortunately, James' underlying numbers suggest that this plan is unlikely to succeed. LBJ's individual shot-creation metrics are down across the board; from pick-and-roll points to isolation, even his signature drives per game are down. There’s no shame in not being able to be the best guy on a championship team at his age and career minutes logged, but because of the Lakers’ poor roster construction, anything less, and the season is likely over.