GM vs. Dame — Harden update — Key NBA dates

Fri, Sept 29th, 2023

The Opening Tip

Jrue Holiday had some iconic moments with the Bucks
A very important update on the James Harden standoff
Actual basketball begins soon

1. Blazers GM Joe Cronin simply said ‘no’

Two days after the trade that sent Dame Lillard to Milwaukee, there are 28 other GMs secretly worshiping the altar of Blazers GM Joe Cronin.

Cronin is, perhaps, the first head exec in this era to be told by a star player and his agent that the star wants to be traded to a specific team and, rather than sullenly oblige, actually say ‘no.’
We know this for fact, because B/R’s Chris Haynes dropped a piece last night from Dame’s side, which ultimately painted Cronin as someone uninterested in being bullied.
Whether or not that led to a better return for Dame than what Miami offered will be up for debate for years to come.

From the article … Dame apparently tried to play both sides:

‘Lillard then said if a deal couldn't be worked out with the Heat, he would prefer to rescind his trade request and return to the Trail Blazers.

Cronin's response to the seven-time All-Star was that there was no coming back. Lillard was shocked, sources said.’

(It sounds like these guys aren’t used to not getting their way.)

Also … His agent did indeed try to scare other teams off:

‘Portland made it clear through the media it would take the best offer for Lillard and wouldn't be limited to just Miami.

In return, Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, relayed to teams that Lillard would not be content if Portland traded him to a team other than Miami.’

(If your strategy as an agent is to sabotage any leverage your star’s current team has, you should probably be prepared for the possibility that the team might not like that.)

Last thing … they left Dame on read:

‘For approximately three weeks, calls and texts to the Trail Blazers from Lillard and Goodwin went unanswered.’

(That’s a little bit funny.)

The end result of this saga is two-fold:

Dame gets to play on a title contender with a generational superstar
Heat fans are super angry. So, you know, it can’t be all bad.

[READ: Inside the messy divorce between Dame and the Blazers]

2. Daily GIF: Iconic

Jrue Holiday, who was sent to Portland in the deal, had some incredible highs during his time as a Buck, including the instantly iconic steal + alley-oop in Game 5 of the 2021 Finals.

Watch in-full here.

3. Trivia time

10 coaches have 1,000 wins. Four of them have never won a title. Name ‘em.

Answer at the bottom.

4. Meanwhile...

There is no update on James Harden’s angry holdout in Philly, other than the fact that he threw a party in Houston recently, which included the women above holding a sign of his favorite quote.

5. Actual basketball starts soon

Key dates:

Oct. 2: Media days start around the NBA
Oct. 5: The preseason starts
Oct. 24: The regular season begins with a sick double-header
Nov. 3: The in-season tournament, which, at worst makes regular season games a little more interesting and, at best, will create a worthwhile tradition that improves a sleepy part of the calendar, begins.

We're close.

6. Quick Hits

The Dame-Portland standoff created some Grade-A media beef.
Now that Jrue Holiday is available, every contender wants him.
Dame and Giannis have been flirting with each other for a while.
Jimmy Butler called on the NBA to investigate the Bucks for tampering, even though Butler was not-subtly alluding to Dame being on the Heat all summer.
New ridiculous Kyrie quote is here.
‘Half the NBA’ is going to attend USC-Colorado this weekend.

7. Reads

The Heat didn’t panic for Dame. Maybe they should have. [The Ringer]
Six contenders who should trade for Jrue Holiday [SI]
Deep dive on the Dame trade [Bill Simmons Podcast]

Trivia answer: Donnie Nelson, Jerry Sloan, George Karl, Rick Adelman.

That's the buzzer.
Thanks for reading the 338th edition of The Grip.
Copyright © 2023 The Grip, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

The Grip

630 Ninth Ave

Suite 1411

The Mecca, NY 10036

Add us to your address book

update your preferences | unsubscribe from this list

Older messages

FIBA World Cup — No one wants James — The poor Nets

Friday, August 25, 2023

Fri, Aug 25th, 2023 The Opening Tip The FIBA World Cup started this morning The James Harden saga reminds us of a vintage NBA moment Giannis is flexing his player-empowerment muscle 1. FIBA World Cup

BK diaspora — Rogue Twitter account — Spurs fit check

Friday, June 30, 2023

Fri, June 30th, 2023 The Opening Tip Why can't the 2017 Warriors drink beer? A random Twitter account is out-scooping the scoopsters The Spurs legends took a personality pic 1. These people are

Jokic: All-timer — NBA parity — Team Canada

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Thurs, June 15th, 2023 The Opening Tip Quick Spencer Dinwiddie vibe check Team Canada is coming for us We're in the age of NBA parity 1. Our GOAT list now includes Jokic Obviously, you remember the

Jokic vs. media — Morant punishment — Playoff triple-doubles

Friday, June 2, 2023

Friday, June 2nd, 2023 The Opening Tip An example of why the Nuggets are so hard to guard The league has apparently found more bad Ja Morant stuff The Celtics' offseason comes down to one question

More Ja drama — Jackson vs. Jokic — Philadelphia Second-Rounders

Monday, May 15, 2023

Monday, May 15th, 2023 The Opening Tip Jayson Tatum is a Game 7 legend Mark Jackson forgot to put Nikola Jokic on his MVP ballot The Sixers are massive chokers 1. Maybe Ja Morant is the bad influence

America 🤝 Tyrese Haliburton

Friday, December 8, 2023

Fri, Dec 8th, 2023 The Opening Tip LeBron is timeless Two current losing streaks are flirting with history Chuck spent last night's TV coverage roasting everyone 1. He's Here, He's Perfect

Holiday Hardware 🏆

Friday, December 8, 2023

Lakers, Pacers in IST Final. Rahm Goes Rogue. Patriots Upset. MLS Cup, Heisman & The Weekend... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The NBA Point Party 🎉

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Luka, Embiid, Bane & Banchero Go Off on Big Night. Yankees Add Soto. Heisman Finalists & More... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The 4 teams you meet in Vegas

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Tyrese Haliburton at The Singularity, a Zion Williamson interregnum, another Giannis triump and LeBron's war on time itself. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Vegas Bound 🏀

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

NBA In-Season Tournament Final 4. NFL Power Rankings Week 14. MLB Winter Meetings & More... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The 20 Most Valuable Player in the Premier League

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

I have access to a new stat: expected possession value. I would call it “xPV” but then I remembered how my buddy Donnie made fun of me because every stat I cited sounded like an STD. Anyway, I wrote

2 L's in 'Jacksonville'

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Jags Lose MNF & QB Trevor Lawrence. Pacers & Pels Advance in NBA IST. Polls, Heisman & More... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Chicken soup for the sports lover’s soul

Monday, December 4, 2023

Cozy winter vibes ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Chaos Comes! 🏈

Monday, December 4, 2023

CFB Playoff After Wild Champ Weekend. NFL Week 13, MLS Semis, Purdue Falls & More... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sunday Scroll: Breaking the rules never looked so good

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Getting into good trouble ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌