Monday Morning Media Roundup: August 21st, 2023

One bit of relatively innocuous speculation Milwaukee Bucks fans can engage in is the relative progress of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recovery from knee surgery. After all, a successful procedure and recovery process should be a good sign for the season to come, so excuse us if we can’t help but glance at that left knee whenever Giannis does anything publicly. If we’ve learned anything about his knee’s condition, it is these two things:

1) It isn’t nearly strong enough to handle the physical load taking part in the upcoming FIBA World Cup as part of the Greek National Team would entail

2) It is strong enough for Giannis to engage in a bunch of goofy stuff every other day

I submit the latest bit of evidence to the jury:

You see that wobble as he tried to land the celebratory pose? Lol. I almost fainted watching this clip.

I’m actually unsure which is putting more strain on that knee: The full leg plant and kick or the jump-and-turn foolery. Also, does this mean we can comfortably place Giannis in Team Ronaldo v. Team Messi? I’d love deeper analysis about how this fits within Giannis’s larger constellation of sporting idols from those readers who follow soccer more closely.

Anyways, it is all stupid and pointless and silly; I frankly wouldn’t care if he up and decided to become a skateboarder having watched a highlight reel of prime near-60 year-old Steve Caballero. But for God’s sake Giannis, don’t blow out your knee three seconds after saying it isn’t fully healed up enough by playing kickball in Nashville, Tennessee.

Do it anywhere other than a city inundated by “Nashty Brides” 24/7/365.

Let’s roundup!

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Milwaukee Bucks’ DJ Shawna talks first-ever “Hoanchella” concert (WISN 12 News)

...you’re seriously telling me that half of the Hoan Bridge isn’t even lit up at night? I’d say keep it that way just so Milwaukee can retain a trace of mild defect and therefore a quirky/weird characteristic most mid-tier American cities tend to have.

You can learn more about the initiative at Light The Hoan’s website if you’re so inclined.

Giannis boots long-distance goal, celebrates like Ronaldo (NBA.com)

You read headlines like this and you start to wonder just how far off we are from Giannis pulling a Michael Jordan and “quitting basketball” for a year to give soccer in Saudi Arabia a go for lolz and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Everyone has their price, and some sovereign wealth funds are more capable and willing to meet it than others.

Team USA never trails in exhibition rout of Greece (NBA.com)

One exhibition game a tournament doesn’t at all make, but it looks like Team USA is progressing forward quite capably against both much lesser competition (sorry, Puerto Rico) and some other contenders like Spain and Greece. From the box scores it appears Bobby isn’t getting a ton of minutes off the bench, but has remained efficient scoring from the field and rebounding his rear off. It’ll be interesting what he takes from this experience working with a totally new group of players and coaches and brings back to Milwaukee.

The NBA’s New CBA Changes the Game for Rebuilding Teams (The Ringer)

I’ve posted a few pieces from all over about the impact the new CBA has had and may have on team building and spending in the coming years. Our focus will, rightly, be on its impact to the Bucks, but I was speculating about how the middle tier of NBA players could get squeezed as well. However, I had overlooked that teams that don’t at least spend to the salary floor by day one of the regular season just flat-out lose that spending space. That’ll force the hand of the rebuilders into handing out annual massive deals (with a ton of team options or non-guarantees, probably) to the best of the average free agents each summer.

That cap space as such will have less value any given season, you wonder what impact such spending rules will have on, say, the desirability of expiring contracts for receiving teams mid-season. Here’s hoping we don’t have to deal with spending minimum minutia for many a year yet.

Fan Post of the Week

The Social Media Section

Bobby Portis becoming the most beloved contemporary American? Keep an eye on this space

Giannis the type of dude to just enjoy getting free custom jerseys with his name on it and seeing his athlete buddies make obscene amounts of money while his posts’ comments sections go to war

A single week’s worth of Serge’s outfits are worth more than the duplex I live in

Pat laughs but also takes to heart the lesson that he is, in some sense, a Giannis Guy like the rest of us plebs.

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After much hemming and hawing — and weekly stating that the competition is just around the corner — the FIBA World Cup is finally upon us. Things begin this Friday, August 25th, although Team USA will have to wait until Saturday for their first matchup against New Zealand. All games for Group C (USA, Greece, Jordan, New Zealand) will take place in Pasay, in the vicinity of Manila.

We’ll keep an eye out for any notable Bobby or Thanasis moments. Good luck to all the competing nations!

Happy Monday!