2015-2016 NBA Wishlist w/ Deion A. Sainvil

1.        Wolves flirt with .500 - (Deion): I’ve been a fan of Wiggins since his high school Hoopmixtape. And I’ve always had a soft spot for Ricky Rubio. This year I’m going on a limb and adding the Wolves to my NBA League Pass order. I’m not expecting a Cinderella playoff run from the Wolves, but at the same time, I kinda don’t want to see my money go down the drain with another 16-66 season. All I’m asking for is at least 40 wins this season. It’s possible, with the new additions of Tyus Jones and Karl Anthony Towns, this team could work the kinks out. If not, we can attribute it to the fact that they’re inaccurately in the Western Conference (geographically speaking) and we should send a petition to the NBA to bring them to the East so they can see at least one playoff appearance within the next 10 years.   

     (ThatDude): It’s been a rough…well, decade for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now they are finally starting to pull their scrawny arms out of the hole of disappointments and flex the new muscles they’ve been gaining. The Minnesota Timberwolves are stacked with young, athletic talent that can get any nonchalant NBA fan jumping out of their couch, calling their significant others asking “DID YOU SEE THAT?” when you know for damn sure that they didn’t. Zach Lavine put on one of the most impressive displays I’ve seen in a dunk contest last year and Andrew Wiggins in 1-season can already have a calendar of his posterizers. In addition, a healthy Rubio can have us all drop our jaws asking “HOW DID HE MAKE THAT PASS?” With the addition of Karl-Townes and Tyus Jones, all I can ask for is that the T-Wolves finally do some flexing and get a respectable (for them) 40 wins.

2.       LeBron wins DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year)- (Deion): I’m particularly biased with this one. LeBron is my favorite player and he should be yours too. He’s won almost every accolade in the league so far minus a slam dunk contest win which he will not participate in for whatever reason… Anyway, he really wants this award and, if not for this year, give him DPOY for all the years he’s humbled somebody with a chase-down block. Just please don’t let it be between Dwight, Kawhi and Draymond again. Give it to Anthony Davis, buddy deserves it. He got like four blocks a game last season.

   (ThatDude): LeBron is undoubtedly one of the best defenders the league has seen. He can guard you past the 3-point line if you’re a PG and he’ll outmuscle most bigs in the post. Dwight and Draymond aren’t capable of guarding a PG and Kawhi could guard a post player, but he’ll have a more difficult time than LeBron. However, with that said, LeBron shouldn’t be the Defensive POY. Chase-down blocks are fun, but they aren’t consistent. LeBron is a scorer for his team and as a result he’ll occasionally take a break on the defensive end. Defensive Player of the year should be Tony Allen because, let’s be honest, what else does the guy have?

3.       Warriors get put in their place - (ThatDude): First and foremost, let me congratulate the Golden State Warriors on winning the 2015 championship. With that being said, these Warriors need a reality check and need to be put back in their place, particularly Curry and “YeeeeeUp” Green. Curry throughout the finals was flexing like he was David beating Goliath. It’s true, LeBron is the Goliath of the league, but in no means necessary are the Cavs, especially an injured Cavs team, a Goliath. They simply won a 5 on 1 finals (LeBron vs Golden State Warriors), and barely at that as well. Curry and Mr. “Drunkly Call the Cavaliers Trash” Green need to realize quickly that they are no means an unstoppable team and that they are not as good as they think they are.

        (Deion): I’m not even going to congratulate the Warriors for defeating an injury ridden team that they should’ve swept. Stephen Curry has seen his last MVP and I’ve seen enough of Riley Curry to last me two lifetimes. Hit me up when she’s dating Derrick Rose’s kid. I can’t wait to see the Spurs rip them to shreds. LaMarcus Aldridge and David West are going to have their ways with the Mouse in the House that is Draymond Green. The Warriors will not win 60 games next season. They might not even make it to the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors are a great team, but they will never be a dynasty. They’re a mere footnote in NBA history. So if the media and the general public could ease up on the nut hugging, that’d be great. And off the record, Steve Kerr being hired was the best thing to happen to 2K, dude was a jerk as a commentator.

4.       The Resurrection of El Trece - (ThatDude): It wasn’t too long ago that I looked at my two friends in the eyes and said “Paul George is going to be better than Kevin Durant one day.” If it weren’t for the tragic injury he had with Team USA, I think he’d be pretty close to accomplishing that. But even with the injury, a part of me still believes this guy is going to be a top 5 player and maybe top 3. Albeit, I am more skeptical than I was in past years, he’s simply too special of a player not to. 2016 is the year of El Trece.

         (Deion): While I’m by no means a Pacer fan, I agreed with you when you said PG would one day surpass KD in talent. PG’s leg injury is a huge blow; but KD is also suffering setbacks with his foot, so we’re still not too far off with that prediction. The Pacers need PG more than ever now that Hibbert and West are gone so we’ll see if he steps up and puts his big boy pants on. Hopefully for Indy, Monta Ellis brings something to the table. One thing’s for sure, the Heat will have a winning record over them.

5.       Lakers stay at the kiddie table - (ThatDude): Last year the Lakers had their worst season in franchise history, and to be frank, I’m ready for another terrible season by the Lakers. I’m not saying for it to be as bad as it was last year, but…I’m hoping it’s just as bad. The Lakers (and their fans) are the most annoying franchise in professional sports. They always feel that they’re entitled, that everything should come easy to them and that they shouldn’t have to work hard. Last year the Lakers won a whopping 21 games, and this off-season them and their fans still felt that any player would be lucky to play alongside Kobe in their piss-colored uniforms with hints of pimp purple. I’m tired of this “…but we have 16 championships” bull-crap. IT’S ABOUT TIME THE LAKERS STRUGGLE AND HARVEST RATHER THAN GETTING THESE HOT AND READY ATHLETES THAT REQUIRE NO PATIENCE! Time to build your team, Lakers, and raise them. You’re not the desired girl that every guy wants to have around their arms anymore. You were that, but then you started going to Dunkin Donuts everyday, until you started weighing 400 pounds with no-one looking twice at you.

        (Deion): You hit the nail on the coffin with this one, Eddie. One thing I’d like to add is that D’Angelo Russell is not and will not be the savior of the Lakers. I’m sorry, but an unathletic guard who passes well? Sounds like a domestic Rubio with a jumpshot. Spare me the Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson comparisons; D’Angelo is “okay.” He’s definitely not the best player in the draft. We’ll see where he goes. Randle is done and so is Hibbert. We’re going to see another season of Kobe earning a crap ton of money to sit and shake his head at his team celebrating their 16th win. At least Iggy Azalea will be courtside. Have fun at the kiddie table, L.A. Shoutout to Brian Windhorst.


*For more fresh blog posts ranging over topics of pop culture follow Deion A. Sainvil's "In the Mix" at deisainvil.blogspot.com

Miami Marlins: Your -Insert Year Here- Champions

          Sometimes, being a Miami Marlins fan seems like a full-time job, that more often than not pays no reward. It's like I'm working for a struggling company who doesn't have the resources to pay me. So why stick with them? Why not bandwagon on teams with a history of winning like the New York Yankees or even the Boston Red Sox? Why not jump on the train of new young teams who are flourishing like the Kansas City Royals or the Baltimore Orioles? Well for one, because fans of teams with an established history of winning are the most condescending and annoying fans to represent a jersey. If I ever get in a sports debate and use the argument "look at how many rings we have" will be the day I disappoint all my future generations. There's no way I'm raising any Yankees/Lakers/Duke (etc.) children who live in the past glory even though they weren't in existence for the "Glory Days." I keep my loyalty to the Marlins because, despite years of losing, I know that the talent is there and "Next Year" is within arms reach. And once "Next Year" comes, it'll be even sweeter than any of the 27 championships that the Yankees have won.
          The talent is there ladies and gentleman. We have the superstars in Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton and we have the good role player in Adeiny Hechavarria, Dee Gordon, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna. I'll be the first to admit that there still are missing pieces, mainly in management (Jeffrey Loria, as an owner, would undoubtedly get the trash emoji 🚮 but that's a blog for another day), but the pieces for a great team surely are there. Let's bring it back to Jose Fernandez for another second. This guy, to say it straightly, is a winner. In 21 career starts at Marlins Park, he has 13 wins and 0 losses with an astounding ERA of about 2.somethingsomething. I'm not going to go into full detail about the ERA, the sole 2 to start should be enough to let you know that, as Ned Flanders from The Simpsons would say, is "mighty diddly good." After not pitching for 13 months, Fernandez on his first start didn't pitch phenomenally , but he pitched well. "Oh, but, Eddie, if he didn't pitch that great, how, is still a winner?" HOW IS HE STILL A WINNER?!! BECAUSE HE HIT A HOMERUN THAT GOT THE MARLINS OFFENSE GOING! Even when he isn't at his best, he has an impact on the game that helps his team win. Even if he isn't an active part of the current game, his mere presence and passion for the game is just that of a winner. I won't go into the same rant about Giancarlo Stanton but to keep it short and sweet, if Superman was a baseball player, it'll be in the form of Stanton. I'm sure if Stanton tried to lay down a bunt he'll simply fly out. Man is a beast.

         I had really high expectations for the Marlins this year (and surprisingly so did ESPN) and unfortunately they haven't lived up to the hype thus far, but I still believe 100% that the Marlins have a chance to still make a playoff run. And if the Marlins once again don't make the playoffs this year, then well...there's always next year.