Rick Pitino has done a lot of things in his life. Some of those things should make him proud. More shouldn’t. We probably don’t know about a whole lot of the latter.
One thing Rick Pitino has never done is win an NIT. The man has never won the national championship that counts. 35 seasons. No meaningful rings. In the eyes of college basketball’s truest fans, Rick Pitino is a failure.
So, it comes as no surprise that after adding NIT star Deivon Smith through the transfer portal yesterday, Pitino and St. John’s went back for more. Kadary Richmond, NIT champion and top transfer in all of college basketball, is going to be a Red Stormer.
I’m not sure if this is the correct interpretation or not of this high-profile pair of signings. But. As history continues to digest Pitino opting out of the 2024 NIT, one possible explanation is that Pitino made the decision out of respect for the National Invitation Tournament. He knew he couldn’t win it this year. He decided to take the time to focus on 2025. It’s still a longshot—it’s hard to make the NIT and even harder to win it all—but he’s taking his chance. Given his age and how likely it is he’ll eventually be confused for a target of the mafia, he needs to make the best of each of those remaining. Otherwise, he’ll forever be a loser in the annals of college hoops.
Lotteries Are Too Fun
Often, the debate over draft lotteries is how to size them correctly to ensure that 1) teams aren’t intentionally losing to get the first pick but 2) teams aren’t intentionally losing to get a 1-in-1,000 chance at the first pick. This is mostly a problem in the NBA, where players crave opportunities to not compete. So far, no approach has helped.
We’re not going to dive into that debate today. Instead, we want to point something out about draft lotteries:
They’re too much fun.
Lotteries themselves are a great time. Like raffles, roulette, 20-person Jenga, and trying to steal a commercial airplane, lotteries are an exercise in low-probability, high-payout gambling. Also, they use ping pong balls. What is more fun than ping pong balls?
If leagues really want to discourage tanking, all they might need is a rebrand. Don’t call it a lottery. Don’t make it sound fun and desirable. Call it Jury Duty.
Joe Kelly Is Hurt Again
Well this sucks. Joe Kelly went on the IL last night before the game. We really got used to the IL replacing the DL, didn’t we? I already use IL instinctively. DL sounds weird to me. Maybe this just means the change happened a long time ago and I have not noticed that I’m getting older.
It’s a shoulder strain, but the Dodgers said they didn’t see anything on the scans, so hopefully he’s back soon. Hate when this happens in the middle of a hot streak, but hopefully this leads to an appearance with the Chaquetas out in Rancho Cucamonga. Gotta wonder how the Dodgers will hang in there while he’s out.
Wolves Remove Nuggets’ Testicles Via Defensive Ligation
Credit for the heading here goes to a good friend of the blog, who was suggesting alternate headlines ESPN could have used to describe last night’s proceedings. (They went with an abbreviation-heavy headline that wasn’t very concise. The group text was on a conciseness kick this morning. We used a lot of words to say that ESPN and others should be more concise.)
Did the Wolves remove the Nuggets’ testicles via defensive ligation? Yes. Yes they did. It was a massacre out there. Altitude? Not a problem. Michael Malone’s adjustments? Not a problem. Jamal Murray? Not a problem (for the Wolves). The Nuggets head to Minnesota absent notable body parts. Good luck.
I have been loud in these spaces about my disdain for Twin Cities sports fans. However. These Wolves are likable, and I say that as a KAT hater who’s also lower than average on Anthony Edwards (never made an NIT). I also think Minneapolis is enough of a podcast city to know the NBA well, and to care about it to an extent that isn’t true for baseball or football. In other words? I think the Timberwolves have better fans than the Vikings or the Twins. They’re a better side of Minneapolis.
Etc.
Chicago:
- Justin Steele? Back. Cody Bellinger? Back. Seiya Suzuki? On his way back. Bad time to be a hater.
The Ottawa Senators:
- The Travis Green hiring is official, and reviews are still pretty flat. Thankfully, the Sens didn’t move up at all through the lottery, so it’s not like they’re going to give him a great situation to work with.
