The Missing Piece To A Championship For Sure
As I was watching the Houston Rockets build a 40-point lead on the Milwaukee Bucks last night, I was struck by a clear thought: This team is one player away from contending for a championship. The Bucks, I mean. Houston was just getting lucky last night (it took luck to be so open for all those threes). I got excited, because I knew the trade deadline is today, and the Bucks would surely be wheeling and dealing to bring a player here who could bring all their ill-fitting pieces together and turn them into a team that can compete with the Lakers, Magic, Cavs, and Nuggets. He would arrive, and everything John Hammond has done up until this point would suddenly make sense.
The player? John F-ing Salmons.
Take a look at these stats: 42% on field goals. 12.7 points per game. 6’6″ tall. A five-to-three assist-to-turnover ratio. The 38th best shooting guard in the entire NBA according to John Hollinger’s PER rating. Averages over one rebound every ten minutes of play. There’s only one word to describe John Salmons, and that word is stone-cold-fresh-chillin’.
Sure, the Bucks had to give up two expiring contracts to get him, but when you think about it, he’s totally worth it. Just the thought of Mr. Salmons standing there as the offense flows around him and jacking up a shot every time he gets the ball makes my basketball pants fly around the room with excitement. Finally, I understand why Hakim Warrick was signed in the first place. It wasn’t for the dunking and the cool beard. Hakim Warrick was here solely to bring us our saviour, John F-ing Salmons!
Watch out, all other teams. Milwaukee hereby serves notice that they are now members of the NBA Elite, and a perennial powerhouse to be reckoned with at the highest levels of professional basketball skill.
Now, if only they could trade some more expiring contracts for Royal Ivey, they’d be golden. Wait…what? Really? They got him, too? Somebody start planning the parade right now! Our Ivey-Salmons yin-yang backcourt will be unstoppable! You’d need an army to defend two players of that magnitude!
