Welcome to Glass Slipper! 81-1 is still in play for the Cavs; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Here are my 10 biggest takeaways through four weeks of the NBA season.

1. Dalton Knecht mania.

Oh, the frat boys on campus are flocking to the NBA Store as we speak.

It’s been pretty funny to see all of the folks that neglect college basketball finally discover Knecht. The rest of us have been screaming about this dude for several years, and watching him tumble out of the lottery on draft night induced plenty of you-fools-are-so-stupid shakes of the head. There was literally no chance that Dalton’s intensity and shooting stroke wouldn’t translate to the league. He’s heightening the expectations in LA.

2. Poor, poor New Orleans.

On June 15, 2019, the Pelicans agreed to acquire what was essentially the Lakers’ entire young nucleus. Five days later, they drafted the most hyped prospect since LeBron James. It was a week that would supposedly transform the franchise, and create a wide, thrilling title window. Well, it’s been half a decade. Let’s check in on these dudes! And… huh? They haven’t won a playoff series? Zion has still yet to appear in his 200th game? They’re 14th in the West right now?

David Griffin brought me a championship in Cleveland, and I’ll love that man forever. So it makes me sad that his grand plan has failed in the Big Easy. He’s assembled an incredible collection of talent, but the group is just never healthy at the same time. The Pels are going to be swimming upstream all season, in an impossible conference to gain ground. This is a disaster.

3. Ty Lue’s element.

Speaking of guys that were a part of that Cavs title, let’s give some credit to Mr. Lue. He has a bottom-three roster in the league at the moment, yet the Clippers have stayed afloat while facing a really tough schedule. A Ty team always thrives when its back is against the wall, and we’re seeing it again.

4. Some Portland progress.

This is such a weird roster, and it’s coached by the ever-incompetent Chauncey Billups. Still, the Blazers look… okay? They’re going to have to stop clanking every three at some point, but I kind of like where this thing is headed. Ship Anfernee Simons to a contender for some picks, and offload Deandre Ayton somewhere. When the dust settles, I think those awesome fans up in Oregon will be extremely excited about the future.

5. Devin Booker, the second fiddle.

He’s not a No. 1 option, and that’s okay. It’s Year 10, and his lone meaningful postseason run happened when Chris Paul swooped in and became the guy. Phoenix is 1-6 since Kevin Durant’s injury, after an 8-1 start. Booker was meant to be a Robin, plain and simple.

6. What is Miami’s splash?

Heat players and executives will spend every waking moment bragging about how their organization is constantly all-in on winning. Heat Culture! We’re tougher, we work harder, and we’re better. We’ll emerge victorious at all costs.

Time to prove it. Piece together a Kawhi Leonard trade. Try to pry away one of Milwaukee’s stars. Either do something, or keep quiet. Sitting there and accepting a 39-43 season doesn’t align with your little slogan.

7. Blossoming KAT.

I’m not sure if anyone was anticipating this. Karl-Anthony Towns is the best player on the Knicks. The defense has been rough, but that’s never kept Steph Curry, James Harden, or Nikola Jokic out of MVP talks before. A 27-12-3 line on 55-50-85 shooting splits; Towns has earned his way into those discussions this year.

8. The Dyson Daniels arrival.

It’s here, and it’s beautiful. Outside of Jalen Suggs and the Boston dudes, he’s the best guard defender in the world. Dyson is an absolute dream of a backcourt partner for Trae Young. Get that three-point percentage up into the mid-30s, and we may be talking about a future All-Star.

9. Golden State is fake.

Am I biased? Duh. When I’m 40, I’ll still be tuning into Warriors games just to root against them. I seriously don’t think this is sustainable, though. Giving Lindy Waters III 15 minutes a night is fun, but no one on this Earth would trust him in crunch time during the playoffs. Perhaps Mike Dunleavy’s plan is to flaunt the depth now, so that the assets look more enticing to other GMs at the deadline. All I know is that the current version of Golden State is losing to a healthy Denver in 5.

10. From Paris with Love.

Tyrese Haliburton spent his summer riding coattails in France, and he evidently left his interest in basketball overseas.

Wake up, dude. I called your squad a legitimate title contender before the campaign; I’d appreciate it if you stopped embarrassing me.

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