#NBAVineRank: 10-9: Wizards and Spurs crack the top 10
By Ian Levy
Welcome back to #NBAVineRank, our latest project here at The Friendly Bounce. We’ve ranked all 30 teams in terms of Vineability, and are counting them down as we kill time in the offseason. Today let’s see who cracked the top 10.
25-21: Hey look, there are the Pacers
19-16: This is the Lake Show, but don’t drown though
15-11: Miami Heat just miss the top 10
10 Washington Wizards (6.8125)
9 San Antonio Spurs (7.3125)
Is Paul Pierce a bigger loss for the Wizards in terms of Vineability or actual on the court production?
Taylor (@TaylorBojangles): Vineability. What are the Wizards doing this high? Did I miss something? Randy Wittman is still their coach, which probably means they’re going to keep running a forehead-slappy offense. John Wall and Bradley Beal are probably gonna be great, but the rest of this team feels really dull.
Ryne (@RynePrinz): Granted, he didn’t have the greatest of regular season, but he came up HUGE in crunch time during the playoffs. I say on court production, because that’s why they brought him there.
Donnie (@donniebuckets): No matter how he was playing, Pierce was always a threat late in games. He was an extra dimension for a team that desperately needed it. Jared Dudley was a solid Plan B, but it has to be on the court.
Zach (@ZachOliverNBA): Easily on the court. Outside of his “I called game” Vine, I can’t think of much he did last year that got Vined, so, yeah, on court.
Ian (@IanDougherty): On the court, for sure. John Wall and Brad Beal are great, but last year Pierce was a guy they could give the ball with less than 5 seconds on the clock, and he’d make positive things happen. His moving on to the Clippers leaves a huge hole in the Wizards’ offense.
Jack (@jackhaveitall): Tie. Obviously his on court production was huge for them, especially in the playoffs. But his “I called game” Vine was top five in the last decade. He produced on both ends, plain and simple.
Over/Under 4.5 Jimmer Vines that appear this year?
Taylor: Under. Is he going to even play? Unless he emerges as a Bob Sacre type bench celebration guy, I can’t imagine seeing much out of Jimmer.
Ryne: Under, although I wouldn’t be too disappointed if I’m wrong.
Donnie: You guys are no fun. OVER! Jimmer’s where he belongs, we should all rejoice. One stepback three, one crossover, one Spurs bench reaction, one time getting dunked on while trying to take a charge and one time being berated by Pop puts him at five already.I’m ready to usher in the age of San Antonio Jimmer.
Zach: Under. He’s bad at basketball.
Ian: I’m not even sure Jimmer makes the final cut for the Spurs, so under.
Jack: I really want it to be over, so what to h*ck, over! I believe in the Spurs. I believe in Jimmer.
We all know John Wall is the most Vineable player on the Wizards, and in this group, so who is the most Vineable player on the Spurs?
Taylor: Kawhi, with Boris Diaw checking-in with the honorable mention vote.
Ryne: I’ll say Kawhi as well, but Bobo and Manu share my honorable mention vote because of their passing.
Donnie: For me, it’s Manu. His jump passes and flops are the reason Vine was invented. He is one of the most unique players in league history, and we’ll all miss him when he’s gone.
Zach: Probably Kawhi, but, I’ll throw LaMarcus Aldridge’s name out there also. He can do some fun things in the post, and will have a nice block sometimes, so you can never forget about him.
Ian: It looks like everyone is saying Kawhi or Manu, so I’ll go with a dark horse and say Tim Duncan. While actually playing, Duncan doesn’t do much Vine-worthy stuff, but during stoppage and on the bench, if you pay close enough attention, you can see him laughing at Dwight Howard or discovering that he has arms.
Jack: Manuuuuuuu.