Inside the NBA's recent size revolution, Reggie Miller & Charles Barkley sound off on Kyrie Irving, and MJ once cost the Bulls $100K.

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NBA

Inside the NBA's Recent Size Revolution

Due to an influx of injuries, the Orlando Magic are currently the poster boys for massively tall lineups, but the numbers show that they’re not as much of an outlier as you might think. For the first time since 2014-15, the percentage of total minutes that has gone to players 6-7 and taller is up. This increase is particularly noteworthy with seven-footers whose total minutes have nearly doubled from 4.3% to 8.3% since last year.

This trend seems to be a response to the 3-point revolution and the high number of skilled and crafty playmakers in the league. By utilizing bigger and longer lineups, teams can cut down on driving and passing lanes by making them look more crowded than they are.

As a result of this new emphasis on height, we’re also seeing the first increase, albeit only slightly, in post-ups after eight consecutive seasons of decline. Meanwhile, second chance points are also significantly on the rise. So far this season, twelve teams have scored more than 15 second-chance points per 100 possessions, the most in a decade, and significantly more than the zero teams from 2020-21.

KYRIE IRVING

Reggie Miller & Charles Barkley Sound Off on Kyrie Irving

The Nets are 2-6, have just fired their head coach, and yet Kyrie Irving has found a way to be their biggest problem with his unforgivable displays of antisemitism. Irving’s latest actions were a major topic of conversation on TNT’s Tuesday night broadcast, and current analysts and former NBA greats Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley had plenty to say on the subject.

Miller called out NBA players for staying silent in the wake of these horrific actions and noted the difference between how the players responded to a prejudiced owner vs. a player. He said: “if you’re gonna call out owners, and rightfully so, then you’ve got to call out players as well. You can’t go silent in terms of this for Kyrie Irving. I want to hear the players and their strong opinions as well, just as we heard about Robert Sarver and Donald Sterling.”

Barkley added to the discourse that he believes that the NBA made a mistake and that Irving should have been suspended. He said: “we’ve suspended people and fined people who have made homophobic slurs. And that was the right thing to do. If you insult the black community, you should be suspended or fined heavily.” Barkley believes that because of Irving’s talent, people will listen to what he has to say, and what he has to say is incredibly dangerous. Without any real discipline from the league or the Nets, it's unlikely this situation improves anytime soon.

MICHAEL JORDAN

Michael Jordan Once Cost the Bulls $100K

When Michael Jordan first returned to the NBA in the middle of the 1995 season, he decided to do so while wearing the number 45. Jordan made the change after his father’s tragic passing, after wanting his return to feel like “a new beginning.”

MJ wore 45 for the 22 games that season before making an impromptu switch back to 23 after Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals. But because the Bulls didn’t notify the league that he'd be changing the number, the Bulls incurred a $25,000 fine per game. MJ’s number switch appeared to initially work as the Bulls won Game 2, but ended up losing the next three. MJ wore 23 for four games that series, bringing the grand total fine to $100,000.

This $100,000 fine is believed to be the largest collective non-fighting fine in modern times, but considering everything MJ did for the Bulls and the city of Chicago, it’s a small price to pay to keep him happy.

THE RUMOR MILL

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