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The unabashed tank, unfortunately. It’s been whispered for a while that Victor Wembanyama is a generational talent, but after his mind-blowing performance in his Las Vegas exhibition games this month, it seems all but certain that it will be a race to the bottom for a chance to draft him.
The Eastern Conference bloodbath. For decades, the imbalance between conferences was so glaring that league officials once flirted with the idea of a 1-16 playoff seeding to offset years of Western dominance. However, the tables have turned, and the East has at least eight teams that are capable of winning 50 games or more. Look for most Eastern Conference games to feature playoff-like intensity because there will be a few good teams on the outside looking in once the postseason starts.
The return of the super-team. Last year, the big-name-infused Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets dealt with all sorts of chemistry problems: the Lakers missed the postseason altogether while the Boston Celtics humiliated the Nets in the first round. It would be hilarious for that to happen again but unlikely. Sometimes talent trumps all.
Normalcy. Although last year featured a full 82-game schedule, player absences owing to Covid protocols plagued the regular season. Another year on, fans should be able to refocus their attention entirely on basketball – for example, Kyrie Irving will be in the news for his peerless dribbling again, rather than his science lessness.
Bang the over on the Los Angeles Lakers. Yes, the roster is a bit of a disaster, but that’s mostly because Russell Westbrook’s salary is eating up the equivalent of two or three competent role players. With more teams bowing out of competitive basketball to tank, the trade options for Westbrook’s contract are about to become a lot more plentiful, and the team will look different by the trade deadline.
Russell Westbrook will flourish as a sixth man. Westbrook’s Los Angeles homecoming has been a nightmare thus far. But with his new role as a sixth man, Westbrook (who averaged 18/7/7 last season) will feast against second units and remind the league of why he’s a future Hall of Famer.
Draymond Green doesn’t last the season with the Golden State Warriors. It doesn’t matter how valuable Green has been historically for the team, the video that emerged of him attacking teammate Jordan Poole feels like the beginning of the end for the veteran, unless he escapes further controversy. And Green thrives on drama.
The NBA commentariat won’t use LeBron James’s inevitable coronation as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer to engage in more tedious GOAT discussions. Sports debates are fun, but Jordan v LeBron v Kobe etc has become what The Simpsons once lampooned as a “daily conversation in which we rank and rerank three demigods” and is boring at this point.
I can’t help but marvel at the potential symmetry of another generational big man ending up in San Antonio. I also love the idea of one very fun Wembanyama victory lap season for Coach Pop before he retires. They’re due for a renaissance in south Texas, and we know the Spurs are no stranger to international talent, so it makes sense on several levels.
Magic often appears to be on Orlando’s side when it comes to No 1 draft picks. Over the past three decades, the franchise has landed Shaquille O’Neal; Chris Webber, who would be traded for Penny Hardaway; Dwight Howard; and Paolo Banchero. If Orlando can pull off more wizardry in 2023, Wembanyama would fit perfectly with the team’s emerging stars and immediately lead them to the playoffs.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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