Monday, November 13 - College basketball won't slow down [The Three]

Hey y’all!

This was kind of a slow week, so I’m planning on releasing quite a few other pieces this week. I’ve got 5-6 in the works, and I’ll release those whenever I feel they’re ready. Not to say that this article isn’t good, it’s great and please read it. But get ready for this week.

We’ve got a college basketball recap/preview, Ballon d’Or award reactions, and James Harden trade explanations, before we start, here are our honorable mentions:

• One of the greatest soccer players ever, Megan Rapinoe, has played her final game game. Read about her career here.

• Dillon Gabriel scored eight touchdowns in Oklahoma’s 59-20 win over West Virginia. He threw for five and passed for two. See them all here.

• MLB Free agency The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes are getting started. Oh yeah, there are a few other guys too. Read all about it here.

• It seems like Bill Belichick may actually be getting fired. Read more here.

• Texas A&M fired head coach Jimbo Fisher, giving him a record $75.6 million to leave. Yep, you read that sentence correctly. Get even madder here.

I’ll talk about that last one with a full-length feature later this week, like I said. But it’s a more die-hard topic, and I prefer to cover the biggest stuff here, stuff that every causal and non-fan should know, and leave the complicated stuff for other pieces not in The Three.

Ok, let’s get into it!

As someone who searches for every amount of basketball I can possibly consume, I cannot be more thrilled that college basketball is here! It’s kind of nice to not follow any of the players for the entire season and just enjoy hoops - that’s how Kansas State’s small guard Markquis Nowell became my favorite player last year - because watching short people be really good at basketball is the freaking best. I had no investment in his career, his big games or anything, but I was able to fully enjoy all 5’9 of him. That’s why college basketball is awesome to me. But, I know that’s not for everyone, so I’ll do what I usually do when I’m late to a season preview - recap some key (men’s and women’s) games and moments, and, in doing so, teach y’all about the upcoming season so everyone can understand. Let’s get into it!

What more is there to say about Caitlin Clark that hasn’t already been said? She’s a star. She’s a superstar. The best player in the game. Cheat code. GOAT. Living legend. I honestly don’t know what to say. She already set the Iowa all-time scoring record, and she’s not slowing down. Yeah, this is likely going to be her last year in Iowa City, but she’s playing like she never has before, averaging a career-high 32 ppg along with 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Just incredible. I had to find out her greatness as she ripped Georgia apart in the tourney last year with 22 points and 12 assists, and I can tell you firsthand - please go watch every one of her games. Every. Single. One.

Arizona may have the best jerseys in all of men’s basketball. Not sure it helped them beat Duke, but I just wanted to mention it. You know what did help them beat Duke, though? Forward Keshad Johnson. The guy was incredible. There was a stretch during the 2nd half where he seemed to be a part of every play. He finished with 15. Duke, the perennial powerhouse, was upset at Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the hardest places to play in the world. Duke’s star, forward Kyle Filipowski, was great (he had 25 points), but some inconsistent guard play and costly turnovers near the end of the game cost them this one. Duke will need guards Tyrese Proctor and Jared McCain to play better to be the true threat many pegged them as this year.

Even though Michigan State guard Tyson Walker is probably the best male guard in college basketball, he alone can’t carry this team. But he sure tried his hardest. He had a ridiculous 36 points (which in NBA terms is like scoring 50) and 6 steals. The rest of the team combined had 41 points. The rest of the starters combined had 21 points. And all of that led to the other guys, the underdogs, James Madison, upsetting them in overtime. The Dukes were led by a couple of sons of - Terrence Edwards Jr (presumably the son of UGA’s all-time leader in receiving yards of the same name, although I couldn’t prove it) and T.J. Bickerstaff (nephew and grand-nephew of J.B. and Bernie Bickerstaff, NBA coaches), with 24 and 21 points respectively. This was the biggest win in JMU’s history, easily. Michigan State must rebound from this if they want to be the elite force that Tom Izzo’s teams usually are.

I don’t understand anything anymore. The one college basketball team I thought I could count on was Flau’jae Johnson, Angel Reese, and the LSU Tigers women’s team. And then, nope! They just go loose to Colorado! College sports are so chaotic and I love it. LSU is still an elite team, don’t get me wrong. They will rebound. Sophomore forward Sa’Myah Smith is evidence of that - she’s averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds while making 75% of her shots. Angel Reese is still Angel Reese - 19 points and 12 rebounds a night like it’s nothing - and new addition Haley Van Lith has been great. But for some reason, this team just isn’t clicking. They aren’t passing that much, and they are struggling from three. And Flau’jae hasn’t been fully herself yet. I’m sure Kim Mulkey will have her girls playing much better soon, but for now, there’s an opening in the NCAAW hierarchy.

53 appearances, 52 goals, 9 assists (61 goals created). The most goals in a single season ever in the Premier League (the top English soccer league). Champions League (league full of best teams every year) top goalscorer. Treble winner.

A little more than a week ago, Lionel Messi won his 8th Ballon d’Or, more than any other player - by a lot (Cristiano Ronaldo is second with 5). That’s awesome, and no one is doubting Messi’s greatness.

But should he have won this year?

See those amazing stats and awards for the 2022-23 season I listed at the beginning.

Well, there’s one thing - They aren’t Messi’s.

No, those stats belong to Erling Haaland, the guy who didn’t win the Ballon d’Or. Messi’s stats are here: 55 appearances, 32 goals, 25 assists (57 goals created). Just based on stats alone, Haaland seems like the worthy winner. So why didn’t Haaland win? Two reasons.

1. The World Cup - Messi was fantastic at the World Cup - just brilliant. He took his Argentina squad to the final at the tender age of thirty-five. He scored 7 goals in as many games, including 2 in the final.

2. Manchester City - Manchester City, Haaland’s team, was - and is - the unquestionable best team in the Premier League. In the eyes of many, that has more to do with Haaland’s incredible teammates - Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, and manager Pep Guardiola are some of the best in the world at their positions, and to many, that only takes away from Haaland’s individual

   greatness.

But both of these arguments are dumb. Really dumb. Erling Haaland is Norwegian. One thing you should know about Norway’s national team: they aren’t great. He absolutely carried his team on his back, scoring five goals in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers, but ultimately lost and didn’t make it to the World Cup. Meanwhile, Messi had the benefit of guys like Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, and Rodrigo de Paul, guys who play for big-time clubs like Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. Oh yeah, and Julian Alvarez, the 3rd-leading goalscorer at the World Cup.

You can flip the second argument around as well. Haaland scored the most goals in a single Premier League season, ever. That’s ridiculous. In case you didn’t know, the Premier League is the unquestioned best soccer league in the world. He plays against the best players, week after week after week after week, and still scores all those goals.

And yes, Messi played in Ligue 1 this year AT FIRST, but then transferred to the MLS, one of the weakest leagues in the world. It was there that he scored 11 of his 32 goals. And yes, that may not sound like a lot, but that was only in 7 games. In 32 games in Ligue 1, he only scored 16 goals, only 0.50 goals per game. But in 7 games in the MLS, he scored 10 goals in 7 games, or 1.4 goals per game. An unfair boost in his scoring.

Yes, Messi is a great player. Possibly the greatest soccer player ever. But that shouldn’t matter here. Giving Messi one more trophy just to cement his legacy as the GOAT - an annoyingly common phrase nowadays - is highly tacky. Messi will forever be remembered. But Haaland should have won.

I’m going to put out a piece later this week covering this more. However, slow news week, so I thought I should talk strictly about the trade and the results to inform everyone here, as more of a traditional The Three piece. Enjoy!

James Harden spent the entire offseason trying to get traded.

Actually, that’s not true. When he wasn’t trying to get traded, he did go to China on a shoe tour! But then he called his boss of eight years a liar. In front of thousands of fans. On

So, not great.

Eventually, he did get that trade request. He and his friend (I assume James Harden has friends), the shoe-addicted lug P.J. Tucker, (also a guy named Filip Petrusev who I don’t believe has ever played a single minute in the NBA) were traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the LA Clippers. In exchange, the 76ers received mega-twin and bank-account sharer Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, every NBA podcaster’s favorite player, KJ Martin (sometimes referred to as Kenyon Martin Jr), who does nothing but dunk, and Nicolas Batum, who does nothing. They also got some future draft picks I don’t want to mention.

You might be saying, “Gee, that seems like a lot of players for this one guy, who doesn’t seem like that great of a person!” Well, James Harden is usually very good. He hits lots of three-pointers and makes lots of passes to people who hit lots of three-pointers. That’s like his whole thing.

Recently, though, he hasn’t exactly been the nicest dude. This has also severely affected his play on the court, it seems, which is a delightful bit of karma for a guy who doesn’t seem to care about his job where he makes 35 million dollars a year. Last year, he averaged 21 points a game and 10.7 assists (a pass that leads to a made shot) a game, which was the most assists in the league.

This year so far? 13.5 points and 4.3 assists. And he’s lost the only 4 games he’s played.

All the while, the Sixers have won all 6 games since trading Harden, and they are now the best team in the Eastern Conference. Center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid, the 76ers’ best player, has also been on a tear without Harden, averaging 33.2 points, 12.3 rebounds (grabbing the ball after someone misses a shot), and 5 assists since the trade.

Guard Tyrese Maxey, who was often stuck behind Harden when James played, has exploded, showing the whole world his insane speed and brilliant smile. He had 50 points yesterday. 50! Man, he’s so awesome. He’s another player in that Anthony Edwards-like Zoomer range - self-aware, self-confident, self-deprecating, all almost to a fault, and yet still so funny and smart. He’s been averaging 28 points and 8 assists since the trade.

Just really awesome stuff for the 76ers.

And for the Clippers, like Clippers fans, I’m sorry. Hindsight is 20/20. This isn’t the first time they’ve traded for an embattled superstar who causes team chemistry problems (Kawhi Leonard, and maybe even Chris Paul?), and knowing (former Microsoft CEO and eccentric Clippers owner) Steve Ballmer, it likely won’t be the last. But a warning: maybe do a vibe check first, y’all. On a franchise with a history of guys like Chris Kaman, Darius Miles, and DeAndre Jordan, guys on different ends of the personality spectrum, you’d think they’d know how to work with different types of people.

And yet, here we are.

Again, I’ll have more on how important vibes can be, especially in this trade, in a later piece coming this week.

Before I go y’all, it’s World Kindness Day - do something kind for someone today, please? In times as hard as these, it’s important to be kind to everyone you meet - always remember that everyone has their own problems. Other people are always going through things of their own, and doing something as nice as holding the door open for someone else can mean the world.

Thanks for having me, it’s been a blast. Sorry for posting so late.

Until next time,

Ian