#I can get a week extension but I almost straight missed the deadline. I went into the school app to double check something else

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

holy fucking shit I thought I had an assignment due on the 31st. It's due tomorrow. babygirl I have not started.

[tomtenadia]

A Little Braver - ch. 5

So, here is ch. 5 for you all.

We finally get to meet the mysterious man that Aelin was kissing.

Also, the firehouse gets a great news

Enjoy it!

Ten days had passed. Aelin had been discharged from the hospital and allowed to move around in crutches providing she took it easy, a concept totally alien to her. She had gone back to the station as soon as she could do it.

The deadline for the performance review was fast approaching and she had spent the last few days at the station. They only got a week extension so she had offered to help but all she could do was sit and direct the show. Also, working kept her mind off… things… and as in things she meant a certain arsehole who had gone completely awol. She had texted him and never got a reply. Lately every time she tried to phone him she was told that the phone was not available. So she had stopped. He clearly was offended by what she had said. She just wished he had spoken to her, explained why her confession had terrified him so much. Just as she had finally found the resolve to try again after losing Sam, he had gone and ruined everything.

A glove hit her face “planet Earth calls Aelin.”

She refocused for a second and noticed Ansel’s red mane of hair in front of her.

“Dorian is looking for you. He is in your office and Aedion is there already.”

Aelin groaned “can they come to the couch? I am so comfy here.”

“Apparently not.”

“Fine.” She dropped the documents she was revising and grabbed her crutches and pulled herself up.

At snail pace she made her way to her office and once she got there she saw Aedion standing in front of her desk while Dorian had his feet up on it and was sitting relaxed on her comfortable chair.

“I don’t care if you are the chief. First, feet off my desk, second, arse off my chair.”

Dorian moved away and let her sit down and grabbed her crutches.

“So, what is so important that I had to leave my spot on the couch?”

Dorian passed her the documents he was holding, with a grin. He was positive this was going to cheer her up.

“No fucking way. You did it.”

He smiled at her smugly “Not entirely my merit.” He confessed “As you remember, the community protested in front of the government in the aftermath of the embankment accident. They did it just before the budget review was due. The government could not ignore them and what you all did that night. And I guess that the statement from your cheerleader had helped a lot as well.”

“Who?”

“Someone I am not allowed to mention in your presence.”

Aelin stare darkened all of a sudden.

“We are getting a second engine, but that engine needs staff.” She pointed out, her excitement taking a hit “I was just getting to that” added Dorian quite quickly, “Thomas has offered to give you a few men to help staff the second engine. It will have a mixed crew of newbies and experienced staff for a while. Aedion and I thought it was the best way to go.”

Aelin nodded “I want to help interview the candidates. Aedion is busy with drills. I, on the other hand, I have plenty of time.”

“As if I can sideline you. You are the captain after all.” Added Dorian knowing full well that if Aelin had her mind set on a task it was almost impossible to dissuade her.

“I want a bigger female presence. I can’t believe that from all the candidates that graduate from the academy there are no good female firefighters.”

“I can spread the news at the academy and see who applies and go from there.”

“Good.” Aelin relaxed on the chair.

“We have also have been invited to a party thrown by the mayor.”

“You are joking.” Aelin hated that kind of party. She had been to a few and it had been a nightmare.

“There is no escaping it. We have all the be present and dress mess is required.”

“My leg is in a protective support, if I wear dress mess I need to wear the skirt which means heels and can you see where I am going with this?” Aelin protested.

“I guess we can do an exception for you. Wear your regular blue trousers, make sure your boots are shining and wear your uniform shirt with the tie, not the t-shirt. And don’t forget the hat.”

“I can live with that.”

“When is the dreadful event?” Asked Aedion who hated those ceremonies just as much as Aelin.

“This Saturday.”

“We are on night shift, you genius.”

Dorian smiled dangerously “Not anymore. Second team is taking the night shift. Let me remind you that attendance is compulsory and pass the info to the team.”

“Yes, Chief.” And Aelin was very tempted to flip him off, but he was still her boss.

“Lys and Elide are to come as well. They are part of the team.”

“Oh so, no one is immune to this horrible shenanigans. Lovely.” Aelin sat back, still annoyed at the invitation.

“No darling, if I have to suffer, you will all go down with me.” And with that Dorian disappeared behind the door.

“Come on Aedion, let’s go and ruin the team’s day.”

Slowly the two made their way back in the common area where the squad was relaxing. Aedion had put them through a gruelling session of drills in the morning and now they needed time to unwind. No one had taken nicely the fact that the review has been postponed only by a week, but at least they hadn’t asked Aelin to attend as well with a destroyed knee. She would be there of course but on the sidelines.

“Ok, people,” Aelin shouted as she slowly made her way to her team “Brullo, switch off the tv for a minute.”

“That doesn’t sound promising,” complained Ren.

“Where are Lys and Elide?”

“In the ambulance doing inventory.” Replied Nox.

“Ok, can you please go and get them?” She asked him.

He nodded and ran away and got back a few moments later with the two ladies in tow.

“Ladies, sit.”

“Uh oh.” Said Lysandra, sitting on Aedion’s lap.

“Now that everyone is here, I have an announcement.” She smiled wickedly and the team shivered. That was her scary smile “Our esteemed mayor has decided to throw a party this Saturday. Bad news is… we are all invited so that he can show us how he appreciates what we do for the community.”

“Fuck no,” shouted Ansel, while finishing the bowl of cereals she was eating.

“We are on night shift.” Added Brullo.

“No we are not. Dorian gave the shift to second team. We are all free.”

A chorus of very rude words erupted from the team. Yeah, everyone hated those parties.

“Oh and by the way… it has to be dress mess.”

The protests grew louder. Aelin let them vent for a moment before putting an end to it.

“Guys!” She shouted, and the room went quiet “I know none of us like those parties, but my hands are tied. Dorian made it pretty clear that this is mandatory. So, protest how you want but there is no getting out of it.”

The team went back to their protest when Aelin raised her voice again “Did I say I was done?”

The group went silent again.

“The second piece of information is hopefully a bit more welcome.” And she really hoped so “we are getting our second engine.”

The cheers that erupted from the team were of pure joy.

“How did you do it?”

“You have to thank Dorian. He is the one who pulled the trick.” And Rowan apparently. No, she was not going there.

“He really is better than his old man. We have been pleading the old bastard for ages and nothing. A few months in charge and Dorian gives us the second engine. If it wasn’t that I am I straight I’d kiss the guy.” Said Ren happily and everyone laughed. 

Good, Aelin thought, they needed the good spirits.

“How will we do for crew?” Asked Ansel.

“Thomas is willing to give us some of his experienced men from one of his engines and take a few newbies. We’ll man the engine with a hybrid crew. Half experienced and half newbies. I need everyone to help with training. Aedion and I will do the main stuff but you guys are involved in this as well. I am out of commission for a while so I can only do classroom training.”

“We’ll help you, cap.” Chimed Nox happily.

Aelin turned to Ansel “I have asked to have a few more ladies in the team.”

“Thanks for that. Far too much testosterone in here.”

Aelin sat back down on the sofa, her knee started to get sore again “We are going to have other women hopefully, just don’t break their hearts.” She told Ansel.

Two of the guys sprayed what they were drinking, Aelin laughed “Oh come on, don’t tell me you had no idea Ansel was swinging on both sides.” Joked Aelin smiling at the woman.

“Both…” asked Brullo still quite shocked.

Ansel drank her coffee very calmly “Men, women, on a few occasion both at the same time.”

Aelin laughed at the expression of the guys.

“Ansel, I think you broke our boys.”

Aelin mobile went off and for a moment she hoped. But that hope had been short lived.

“Give me two minutes,” she said at the person at the phone. She stood and very slowly she made her way back to her office.

Once she got off the phone she stayed in her office to work. Then the dispatch siren went off and she heard the team depart and staying behind broke her heart.

She worked a bit longer but her mind could never fully concentrate. So she decided to do something stupid while the team was out on a call. She booked a taxi and not long after she was in front of the station waiting for her ride.

The driver got her at the airbase pretty quickly. She took out her pass and she hoped it worked even without him about. The man at the main gate let her through after checking her badge. So apparently he had told people she was allowed on the premises. That was a start. Painfully she reached the second check point and a guard approached her. Ok, her luck had already ran out.

“Can I help you, miss?”

“Yes, I am here to see captain Whitethorn.”

The man looked at her with curiosity for a second.

Did she got to the right airbase? As far as she knew there was only one and the first guy let her in.

“I am sorry miss but the captain and his team left a week ago.”

“Left?” Her voice trembled.

“Yes ma’am. They have been recalled and deployed a week ago.”

“Oh.” Was all Aelin managed “Th— thank you.” She turned and made her way back to the exit. Her heart slowly breaking. She sat down on a cement wall and let the sobs come. She took the phone and dialled his number and it went to voicemail “You could have told me. Instead you left. You just left me. Do you really hate me that much?” She sobbed and brushed her hand against her eyes “I hate you and I wish I never met you. Don’t ever bother look for me when you come back… I don’t want to see your face anywhere near my station. I am done with you, captain.” She hung up the phone and lowered her head and kept crying. She was done with men. She was done with pain and a broken heart. It was not worth it.

Eventually she pulled herself upright again and started walking. She had no idea to where, which she then realised that with crutches was a really bad idea. She had to stop a few times, exhaustion taking root. But the pain in her leg was keeping away the pain in her soul. It was much later when she realised she ended up in the west of Orynth and decided to go to west station, perhaps she could bribe the guys to give her a lift back to her firehouse.

Once outside the station, Thomas was the first one who noticed her. He ran to her and Aelin collapsed in his arm.

“Aelin, what are you doing here?’

“I need to sit” was all she managed. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the section with all the bunk beds. He placed the crutches on the floor and sat on the bed at her side.

“What happened?” He asked when he noticed her puffy eyes “Why are you over here? On your own?”

“I was at the airbase.”

Thomas looked at her in shock “are you telling me that you walked in your condition from the airbase to here?”

Aelin nodded. “Can you give me a lift back?”

“Of course,” he patted her leg “let me go and tell the guys.”

He came back not long after, and lifted her in his arms “Let’s go.”

Once in the car Aelin relaxed and leaned her head against the window.

“Excited about the big night with the Mayor?”

Aelin groaned and Thomas laughed.

“Exactly the reaction my whole team had as well.”

She sighed “Dorian said it’s mandatory and I think for the very first time I have been this close to hit him. But he still is my superior.”

Thomas chuckled “If there is someone who can hit the chief without repercussions is you.”

Aelin turned and looked at him with a questioning stare.

“I mean because you are close. It’s not news that the man is madly in love with you. He might let you off if you beat him. Actually he might even like it.”

This time it was Aelin’s turn to laugh “Dorian and I… nothing ever happened. We are just really good friends. Not even a kiss.”

“So now the news is that you have your eyes set on a certain airforce captain.”

Aelin tensed at those words “You all are a bunch of crazy gossiper, you know that?”

Thomas shrugged “What did he do?”

“I don’t want to talk about him.” Her tone hard and the man at her side realised it was time to shut up. They were at her station anyway.

Aelin noticed the engine was back and she knew she was in trouble. They clearly had noticed her absence. When she decided to look at her phone again she saw a lot of message and missed phone calls from Aedion. Damn, she was screwed.

“Here you are, my lady.”

Aelin leaned over and kissed him on the cheek “thank you so much for the ride.”

“Anytime.” He opened his mouth as if to speak, then stopped and tried again “if you need to talk, I am here. I know you have your friends, but if you prefer to talk with someone who is not around you all day, I am here.”

“You are wonderful.”

He helped her get out of the car, they said goodbye and he drove away again.

Aedion came marching on as soon as he noticed she was back “where the hell have you been? Why don’t you answer your bloody phone? We came back and you were not here, where you were supposed to be.” She felt bad for making them all worry but she did not feel like explaining herself so she just moved past him and in silence she dragged herself to her office and slammed the door shut.

She sat down at her desk and plopped her leg on the spare chair the guys had placed at her side so she could stretch her injured leg, hoping for the pain to subside. She took a few minutes for herself, then texted Lysandra telling her she needed her and Elide.

The two women arrived a few minutes later. They sat on the chair in front of her desk and Aelin knew that Lys was just as mad as Aedion had been.

“Where were you? We came back and you were gone.”

“I went to the airbase.” She confessed, looking outside the window, the sky looked heavy grey and she was positive snow was coming.

“As in the airbase. His airbase.”

Aelin nodded “I needed answers. I needed to know why he left that way. I had to ask him why all this hate.”

“And?”

Aelin felt tears sting her eyes again “he was gone.” She paused “the whole team has been recalled and left for a mission a week ago. No goodbyes. Nothing. He just took off.”

Lysandra stood and ran to hug her friend “what an arsehole.”

Aelin started sobbing again “all I could do was leave him an angry voicemail telling to get away from me forever.”

“I am seriously going to kick his arse.”

Aelin pulled back from the hug “Not worth it remember?”

“We all go to that stupid party and we’ll find you a man there. Perhaps a hot wealthy man.”

Aelin chuckled “You know what, screw it. I’ll remain single all my life and if I want a good time I might ask Ansel.”

The two women laughed “she might take you up on that, you know, right?” Added Lysandra.

“Can we just stop talking about it? Fine he is hot but is he not a nice man. I want to forget that I even contemplated the fact that I had feelings for the bastard.”

“Copy that. I will pass the message along.”

“Have you considered that he might not be able to reply to you because of where he is? Perhaps he is on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the sea.”

Lysandra and Aelin stared at Elide.

“What?” She said shrugging “Lorcan gave me his number, he told me to text him. But he added as well that in the case he was going to leave for a mission not to worry if he did not reply because sometimes their phones don’t work.”

“So you knew they were away?”

“No,” replied the woman lifting her hands “I haven’t heard from him in a while. He is not the greatest of texter and I haven’t spoken to him in a while. I had no idea he was away until now when you told us.”

“Basically airforce boys do not know how to communicate. Got it.” Sarcasm dripping from Aelin’s voice.

Aelin shifted uncomfortably in her chair and Lysandra noticed that.

“Are you okay.”

“Just my leg, bothering me like hell today.”

“Sure, if you only just didn’t walk from the airbase to west station…”

Dispatch alarm went off and the two ladies ran out as the ambulance was needed.

Aelin tried going back to work but her brain was not there.

Out of boredom and curiosity and probably a deep desire for punishment she looked up the captain online. The search engine brought up a page about him. He was only two years older than her. Native of Wendlyn but moved to Terrasen when he was quite young for his father’s job. According to the article he climbed the ranks quite quickly and was thought to be one of the most promising captain in the TAF in a very long time.

“Nerd.” She joked.

Then she scrolled down to personal life and she got even more curious but froze when she read the paragraph.

Fuck.

The man had been married. His pregnant wife had died in a car accident over a year and a half before. She opened the link to the newspaper article about the accident and noticed the picture of the accident site. Her eyes fell on one detail of the image and swore.

She stood and wobbling she went to the file cabinet where she kept the reports for the old cases. She found the one she needed and sat back down. Lyria Whitethorn, that was the name of the woman. She had a look through the case file. She did remember it. It had snowed heavily and the road and had been icy and pretty bad in some areas of town. That accident had been horrendous and it had involved quite a few cars. Lyria’s car had been stuck under a lorry. According to the police it seemed like it had lost control and smashed under the lorry that had crashed against the barriers at the side of the road. She died on impact. It had been an horrendous night. They spent hours working under the snow and only one person had come out alive from that disaster.

She leaned back and felt tears running down her face. They had one big thing in common. They both had lost someone they loved. And all of a sudden it hit her. His reaction. His fear. And for a moment contemplated that he was just as scared as her to get involved again. She closed the file and  grabbed her head in her hands. How badly had she fucked up? 

She took her phone and dialled his number. The number was not available and she left him a voicemail message again “Hey it’s me again. I know you are away and probably can’t get this message. If you listen to the old one as well, just ignore it. I was mad. I did not mean it. I… just… let’s just talk when you get back. Please. Be safe, okay?”

She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes and cried for both of them, for what they had lost and for the fear of committing again. 

Saturday eventually arrived and Aelin was at home getting ready for the party. Lysandra and Elide had joined her since Lys was going to drive them all.

Aelin had been in a bad mood since her discovery about Rowan but had not told anyone about it. To do so would mean reveal his secret and she could not to do that. It was far too personal.

“You’d think that being barely able to walk would excuse me from such horrible events.” She growled while tying her tie.

“You have been in a funk for a few days. Are you okay?” Lysandra had noticed her bad mood.

“Fine.” She snapped. “I am sorry…”

“Just don’t piss off any politicians, okay? We need them.”

Aelin sighed “I will behave.”

They arrived at the venue not long after and they noticed the already high number of cars present.

“Are we too late to bail?” Asked Elide who had been uncomfortable as well at the idea.

“Unless you want Dorian to rip you a new one, I would leave aside that plan for now.”

The three women made their way to the main entrance where someone checked their names against a list. Aelin for a moment hoped that someone had messed up and forgot to add them.

But that hope died quickly when the man greeted them a bit too happily.

“Ok, are we ready?” Said Aelin gathering the courage she needed to face such a horrible night.

They entered the venue and the notes of classical music hit them.

“At least they have great taste in music.” Commented Aelin staring at the great hall.

Dorian spotted them from the distance and walked to them with a brisk pace “Ladies, you made it. wonderful. Go, mingle, have fun. There’s plenty of food.” He grabbed Aelin’s hand “You come with me. The mayor wants to meet you.”

“What?” Blurted Aelin, sweating cold all of a sudden.

“The mayor would like to speak with you. He met Thomas already. Now it’s your turn.”

“I am not speaking to the mayor.”

“Aelin… this is an order from your superior.”

The woman growled back “Oh, so pulling rank, now?”

“Come,” he repeated.

Aelin turned to Lysandra and Elide “if I don’t come back soon, please come and get me. I love you both.”

Dorian rolled his eyes and he started walking and Aelin followed behind.

Eventually they arrived where the mayor was entertaining some guest and Aelin wanted to turn away, but Dorian sensed her intentions and placed a hand on her lower back in warning.

“Ah, Dorian, I see you have captain Galathynius with you. Wonderful.”

Aelin leaned on one crutch and extended her hand to the man “please to meet you sir.”

“The honour is mine captain. And thank you for coming even in your conditions.”

As if I had a choice and she looked at Dorian glaring at him.

“I just wanted to offer my thank you in person for what you do in the community and what you did the night of the embankment accident.”

“The community comes first.” She commented and Dorian gently nudged her sides at her comment.

“You are absolutely correct, captain. I am aware that you will be getting a second engine at east station, I hope this is a welcomed news.”

Aelin smiled “Very much sir. It has been a long time coming and we are very excited.”

“This is my email,” he gave her a business card “email me. Any idea, concerns or anything else related to your job. I will do my best to make it happen.”

Aelin took the card and was speechless. 

“Now unfortunately being the host forces me to go around and be pleasant with all these strangers. I don’t think there is alcohol enough to survive such an evening.”

He gave her a huge grin, waved at Dorian and walked away.

“Are we sure that was the mayor?”

Dorian nodded dumbfounded.

“Do you think he was drunk?”

Dorian shrugged, just as confused as her “Just don’t loose that card.” The man then left her and she had a moment alone to look around and enjoy the music. She hadn’t been at a classical concert in a lifetime and missed it. Or at the opera. She wanted to go to the opera again.

She had her eyes closed when she perceived a figure at her side. She opened her eyes again and noticed it was Thomas, looking at her in a curious way “Hey you.”

She looked at him and froze. The man in front of her was gorgeous. She was used to see him in his everyday uniform or the fire gear, and his hair tied and under an helmet. She almost did not recognise him. He had his dress mess uniform on, and his hair was free and she discovered it reached his shoulders. 

“I almost did not recognise you there.”

He grinned “I know, without soot and dirt on me it must be a challenge.”

She smiled back at him.

“How is your night going?” He asked, moving closer to her.

“Counting the minutes until Dorian tells me it’s okay to go home.”

She shuffled in her position and he placed a hand on her back “you should sit down.”

“Does this place have a balcony?”

Thomas grinned “Follow me, m’lady.”

“Did you meet the mayor?” She asked as they started walking.

“I did.”

“And?”

“He gave me his business card and told me to tell me if there was anything we needed.” He made his way through the crowd.

“Me too. I am going to email him and ask a bucket load of expensive equipment.”

“I have my wish-list ready.” Thomas commented smiling wickedly.

They arrived at the balcony and once there Aelin leaned heavily against the wall.

“Are you okay?” Suddenly Aelin noticed their proximity. Thomas was right in front of her.

“I am fine.”

“Want something to drink?”

“Please. Wine if they have it.”

He smiled and she noticed his dimples appear “I’ll be right back.” And she felt her face flush hot.

What was happening to her? Why all of a sudden she was attracted to him?

She saw Lys walking by and waved at her.

“What are doing here?”

“Hiding.” She said hurriedly “I have a problem.”

“What did you do?”

“I want to do something stupid.”

“As in?”

“Thomas.” She explained.

Lysandra looked at her friend with a puzzled face.

“As in he is the one one I want to … do”

“Holy fuck,” she exclaimed almost spilling all her wine on her uniform.

“How?”

Aelin looked up “I don’t know. He was here, he was nice, he smiled and I just… have you seen him tonight?”

“No I was with Aedion and the guys.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t do… anything.” Then she moved away “he is coming back.”

Thomas came back with the drinks and placed them on the ledge beside them.

She had known and worked with the other captain for a very long time. They had gone through the academy together. And never, not once she had ever felt a smidge of attraction for him.

He leaned against the wall just beside her, shoulders brushing gently “is your team ready for the performance review?”

Aelin nodded “Yes, Aedion and I are going through as many different scenarios as possible. They are ready. But I hate that I will have to stare from the sidelines.” She told him “How did yours go?”

Thomas drank some wine “We had a few bad moments. My newbie fucked up a couple of things and threw the whole team off track for a moment but they did recover splendidly. Manon was the best in our individual challenge.”

“Ohh I like her. Can I please get her and Asterin for my new engine?”

“We’ll see.” The man gave her a wide smile that made his dimples come back.

She pinched his side and he grabbed her hands to block her. She stopped and stared at him for a moment and then they both moved at the same time. Their lips met and he pushed her against the wall and she left her crutches fall on the ground. His hand behind her back to hold her up. The kiss deepened and Aelin opened for him and a small moan escaped her.

“Oh shit.” Said a voice at her side and Aelin recognised Lysandra and Aedion at her side.

She and Thomas broke apart quickly. Thomas coughed embarrassed, looked at Aelin and excused himself.

“What the fuck was that?”

Aelin’s hand went to her mouth, her lips still swollen by the kiss.

Aedion kneeled to pick up her crutches and passed them to her.

In that instant the rest of the team arrived.

“Why is everyone out here? It’s cold.”

“Aedion and I just discovered Aelin making out with Thomas.”

“Do you mean captain Hamilton?” Asked Brullo.

“I thought you liked the silver haired fox.” Added Ansel.

“Are you and Thomas a thing now?” This time it was Ren.

“I don’t know okay?” Aelin shouted, frustration rising “It happened.”

“You… happened to trip on his lips?” Nox gave her a smug smile and Aelin would have stormed out if she hadn’t been on crutches.

Aelin placed the glass back on the ledge and started to walk away. Lysandra caught up with her “I am sorry. It just came out.”

“Lys, I don’t care.”

The woman grabbed her arm “Aelin, please…”

“What? I don’t know what I was doing okay? We kissed. And I don’t understand my feelings anymore.” She leaned against the wall, her knee throbbing with pain “I haven’t known my feelings since Sam died.” She sniffled “I work. I throw myself into work because that it’s when I do not think that he is gone from my life.” She closed her eyes and tried to put all her pain back “it just felt nice for a moment to have that again. And I know I am sounding like a pathetic mess… I don’t know why I did it.” Aelin sobbed “I am so tired of hurting.” A tear appeared at the corner of her eyes “you have Aedion. I don’t have anyone.”

Lysandra hugged her friend “I am so sorry.”

Aelin leaned into her friend “we are fine.” She pulled back “but I am going home. I am in a ton of pain and I really want to lie down.”

“I’ll tell Dorian if he starts looking for you.”

“We are off tomorrow. Fancy a girls day? We can invite Elide and Ansel.”

“Yeah. Yeah, please.”

“Good,” Lys patted her shoulder “now go home and relax.”

She was outside ready to call a taxi when she heard a voice calling her. She turned and saw Thomas running to her.

“Aelin,” he stopped in front of her “I am sorry. I have no idea what got into me. I was there and all of a sudden I wanted to kiss you.”

She turned to him and moved closer enough to kiss him. His hand slipped to her waist and pulled her closer. She melted in his arms and felt his hand caressing her back.

“I was going home.” She said against his lips.

“I can’t let you piss off Havilliard on your own.”

She kissed him again and then detached so he could call a taxi.

Their ride home arrived not long after and the journey to Aelin’s flat was not too long. 

They made it to her flat and he lifted her in his arms and walked to the bedroom. He dropped her on the bed and leaned on top of her and kissed her deeply, his hands trailing on the sides of her body and Aelin leaned into the touch. Her hand trailed up to his face and then fisted into his golden hair and pulled him down for another kiss. Maybe it was a mistake but she could not care.

Slowly he started to unbutton her shirt and Aelin did the same for him and not long after they were both naked and Aelin stared at his body and realised the man was so incredibly well built. 

“You will have to lead the dances, captain.” He lowered himself again over her and kissed her in a way that made her forget all the pain and hurt.

It was later, after their adventure in bed. 

Aelin smiled at him satisfied. The man had skills and for a while he made her forget the real reason why that night she had searched for comfort in him.

They were now sitting in bed, their back against the headboard and the blanket covering them up.

“Did we just mess up our friendship?” He asked turning to her “I am not complaining I just…”

She sighed at his side “I think we did it for the wrong reasons.”

He agreed “Epically awesome rebound sex?”

Aelin nodded and Thomas turned to her “you are stunning though, and if the captain can’t see it, well, it’s his loss.”

“You are a sweet man” and she caressed his face “and your ex is a bitch.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him down, “fancy watching stupid movies? We can also order in. There’s a place round the corner that stays open till late. I had no food at that stupid party.”

“I’ll get the beers.” He said getting off the bed and putting his briefs back on. 

Aelin grabbed a discarded t-shirt “I’ll order the food.”

He came back with the beers and offered one to her “to our own party.”

They clinked the bottles and went to camp on the sofa.

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@rowaelinismyotp

@swankii-art-teacher​

@courtofjurdan

[soaringlanddormitory]

and ;w; if it's okay, May I also ask for: “i don’t need a man.” for Miyoko & Kuga (can be romantic or platonic whatever you prefer ;w;) and “i wouldn’t dare let you down.” for Yuki/Marui, aaand maybe “is it tears or just the fucking rain?” for Nene/Eizan

Yes!! Of course!! This will be the first time i’m writing Miyoko though ahhh but I hope you end up liking it!!

Miyoko/Kuga

The Chinese Cuisine RS had been busy for the past couple of weeks and it was mostly because the Moon Banquet Festival was coming in soon. Kuga, as always, was the one leading the research society because he was the president of it. He commanded each one of them and continued to watch the synchronized movement of everyone inside the place. “Alright! One! Two! One! Two! Do it faster!”

He stopped yelling at his men for a second once he spotted someone entering the place. He actually expected it to be someone from the Elite Ten to call him for a meeting because he has been ignoring the messages they sent him for almost the whole day but he saw someone else. Someone who he didn’t expect at all. A grin got plastered on his face and he called out to her. 

“Miyoko-chin!” He raised his hand as he began going to her. “Is there something you want to tell me? Hm? Hm?” He was pretty excited to know the reason why she was here since she didn’t come her too often because she knew that he would end up questioning her just like this. She sighed before rolling her eyes.

“Nothing, really.” She replies, a bit uninterested. “If you expect me to ask if I could join- you’re wrong.” She states this bluntly before she crosses her arms and looks over at the men who were working their asses off for the next Banquet Festival. “I only wanted to observe how your men worked. You’re graduating soon anyway.” 

He wouldn’t openly admit he was confused, but what was she talking about? He could only make intelligent guesses, so he placed his hand under his chin, imitating the post of the statue “The Thinker”. Once he made a guess, he brought it up. “Are you actually planning to be the president once I graduate, Miyoko-chin?”

She stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes. “Maybe, who knows?” He pouted because of her reply- he hoped for something more direct. Not something like this. She ended up opening her eyes again, but it was to only focus on the people who were currently cooking.

“You’d need a lot more men if you want to actually beat me! The Chinese Cuisine RS loves their ever-so-great leader!” He gestured to himself and Miyoko only gave him another stare- well, it was more of a glare. He waited for her response to his comment, a bit interested on her sudden reaction.

“I don’t need your men to add up. I’ll make it change in a different way while you’re out of Totsuki.” She squinted at him. “In fact, I don’t need a man. I don’t need them in general.” Once she says these words, she ended up leaving the place with only a few word left to him. “Enjoy your reign while it lasts.”

Kuga stood there silently, but a tiny smirk began forming on his lips. “Miyoko-chin is always so interesting.” He went back to his place, but there were thoughts that invaded his mind that he chose to ignore. “Enough of being so casual, let’s get back to work!”

Yuki/Marui

How many days were left again before they reached the deadline of looking for evidence? Oh… It’s not days left, it’s just hours. Marui was currently panicking because of the deadline that was nearby while Yuki only looked around the place to look for any possible clues. The whole place was filled with clues that were missing, so they couldn’t make any assumptions just yet.

“Oh god, we’re too near the deadline…” Marui mumbles as he looked around the house to look for more clues. “We might end up disappointing the head chief because of this!” Not going to the deadline as planned wasn’t always a good thing- but of course, extensions were accepted. The problem was that Marui never went pass a deadline his whole life, and he didn’t want a criminal case to be the first.

Yuki only tried to look for more things that seemed out of place, and she admitted that the criminal did a really good job in keeping themselves clean. “Don’t panic, Zenji!” She tried to reassure him. “We can do this!” Her positive atmosphere was always a perfect match for someone who was worried about almost everything.

He sighed loudly, showing a little sense of giving up. “We can’t do this within 4 hours, Yuki…” He brought up what he thought were facts. “This house is too big, if we explored this place for 4 hours, it would only be half of the house. According to my calculations, we’ll need 8 to 10 hours… We can’t do it!” He had to point out things he thought were true and Yuki began pouting at her partner before slapping both of his cheeks with her hands- cupping them seconds later.

“I think it’s best if you stop panicking first.” She brought up her side of the whole thing and he knew he had to listen to her. “You’re one of the smartest people I know, and that isn’t a joke! We’ve been friends for so much years and I still haven’t found anyone who has matched your skill.” She voiced out what she held in. “So don’t panic because I know you can do this. I trust you! Completely!”

She was the person who knew what to say in the worst times, and he was always relieved that he ended up with someone like her, partner in work and of course, his partner in life. He began calming down, and he ended up gaining confidence again. “Thank you, Yuki…” He thanked he before he began smiling. “For calling me the smartest person you know. Now… I wouldn’t dare let you down. I should show everyone that you’re right.”

Yuki began grinning before nodding her head. “That’s right! Prove to everyone that you’re the smartest detective in the world and that the books in your room mean something!” She cheered for him and before they could actually get serious, he spoke up against her.

“Of course they mean something! Why would I buy them if they didn’t mean anything?!” He ended up fixing himself after saying that before he pushed his glasses up, “Nevermind, we’ll talk about that later. Pass me my magnifying glass. We have a case to solve.”

Yuki felt proud of herself and she wanted to savor the moment. She was able to make him gain confidence even in situations like this. She handed him the magnifying glass. “Here it is! Now…” She brought out her own tools to start on the serious part of her work. “Let’s do this!”

Eizan/Nene

It was pretty dark because of the weather- and it was actually something that suddenly happened. The weather forecaster said that the rain would stop a couple of minutes and soon it would be sunny again, but there were people who were in a hurry to go to places on time. 

Eizan was lucky enough that he had an umbrella so he could go to the Elite Ten Council Meeting in peace. The main reason why he had an umbrella was because he didn’t bring it out of his bag from two days ago because he decided to keep his thing in tact as he believed that he had no reason to change the things he brought in daily life.

However, there was someone else who wasn’t lucky enough... and that was the surprising thing. Nene Kinokuni didn’t bring an umbrella, but this was mostly because she was in a hurry ever since she woke up. She didn’t know why or how she woke up an hour later than usual, and she ended up not being fully prepared for the day.

He was walking to his destination but he immediately stopped walking once he saw a girl covering her body with a school bag to avoid getting too wet by the rain. “Kinokuni?” He mentioned her name to himself, and after focusing harder at the figure that was pretty far away, he confirmed it was her. Shit! It is Kinokuni.

He may have had a crush on her and he would rather choose to not show any kind of gesture to make it obvious, but he didn’t want to be straight-out evil and leave her alone she can be soaking wet. Yeah sure, he was evil- but not that evil. He grumbled and sighed, giving up on thinking what he should do. He ended up going to her to shelter her with his umbrella.

“Eizan?” She looked up at the male who was currently looking away from her direction. Even if he wasn’t looking at her, she was already able to tell it was him by the figure. “... Thank you.” She muttered softly and he looked back for a moment, noticing that her face was all wet, and that her clothes weren’t the only thing drenched by the rain.

“Tch. Whatever.” Even if that was his initial reaction, he began worrying for her a bit more because of how there were also some drops of liquid on the corner of her eyes. Did she cry? He didn’t want to show any portion of concern so he ended up wording it horribly. “Is it tears or just the fucking rain?” He wanted to punch himself on the face for the question he just asked.

Nene didn’t respond for a moment while they continued to walk together so they could both end up in the Elite Ten meeting. “It was the rain.” She soon answers his question, even if it sounded pretty unpleasant to the ears. “Thank you for worrying though. I truly appreciate it.” There was another moment of silence between the two until Eizan shrugged.

“You’re welcome, I guess.”

[canaryatlaw]

alright, so today was fine. since I had no actual commitments I didn’t set an alarm, but I was planning on doing some bar prep work to try to get ahead, because they didn’t have anything set for today since it was a holiday. The BBQ with my roommate and her friends never ended up happening, this weekend at least, it might some time in the future, we’ll see. So it was just me today, which I’m sure is good for focus, but it’s also driving me slightly stir crazy. It’s better when I can at least get out for a little while, even if it’s just to PT. But anyway, I woke up slightly before 1, got up and decided I wanted to make waffles, I wasn't fully satisfied with the recipe I used last time so I looked up a new, slightly more complicated one (it required separating eggs, whipping the egg whites, and then folding them into the batter, so it was a bit of work) but I was more pleased with the results. For some reason they’re not browning uniformly, it’ll be in like the bottom of the pockets but not so much around the surface. Idk, I’ll have to figure out how to fix that at some point. but yeah, those were good, so I ate them and did some preliminary internet stuff, checking notifications and such, then went over to see what I could do for bar prep. The next two assignments were reviewing the property notes, then listening to the property lecture. So I looked over the notes, then launched the lecture, which was about 4 hours and 15 minutes, which is a lot of course but there are ten minute breaks built in every so often so that helps. The professor giving the lecture seemed nice, definitely a tad eccentric, and she frequently ended up doing impressions of singers and other celebrities in an attempt to draw an association with the concept so we could remember it better, lol. It was at least a little less boring. I still hate property though, but at least I did remember some concepts and stuff. There’s just a ton of information being thrown at you all at once and you’re doing your best to keep up. I stopped it a few times to do a few random things, so I ended up finishing around 7:50, at which point I went to go watch Supergirl, which airs at 7 in my time zone but I had it recorded. Honestly, this was my favorite episode in quite a while. There were a lot of scenes that were like, straight up making me emotional, and just really well done. I LOVED when Mon-El went back to the woman at the booth to return the disguises they grabbed and he goes completely out of his way to help this sick little boy, when he had no real reason to do so, only out of kindness and like....I wish they’d have more scenes like this, because if they did I think I’d like Mon-El a lot more. It works very well for him and it’s much better characterization than what he otherwise gets. I also loved the Winn and Ruby scenes, and the Alex and Ruby scenes for that matter too. I desperately hope that both Sam and Ruby come out on the other side of this unscathed, but at this point I seriously doubt that is going to happen, and it looks like they’re definitely setting Alex up to be the one who will end up taking care of Ruby. Those scenes were really precious. And I haven’t even gotten to the scenes with Kara and Alura!! ohmygoodness!! I LOVE Erica Durance so freaking much, forever my Lois Lane, and while I adored Laura Benati as well, if they had to recast the role (which they did) I am so glad they picked Erica. All of their scenes were just like, ahhh, this is so good, this is the content we’ve been denied all this time, Kara getting the love she deserves from the mother she lost so long ago. And it’s such a different dynamic than Kal-El and Jor-El because Kara actually grew up on Krypton, she had an actual relationship with her parents, she was acutely aware of just how much she was losing when she was sent away. And just seeing them reunite was like, ahh, it made my heart so happy. Of course, I know that the current set up is not sustainable, with Kara’s mother being off on another planet, obviously something is going to change (and despite what next week’s promo indicated I highly doubt it’s Kara moving to Argo), and I just hope they don’t kill anybody to make it happen (especially Alura, for that matter) because that would honestly just be cruel at this point. I did kind of have to laugh at the promo when it was like “with Supergirl gone, who will protect the earth??” and I’m just like, uh, last time I checked you guys had this cool dude named Superman that was pretty competent in saving the world a few times before, so you’re really not entirely screwed, lol, it’s at least worth taking into consideration. Once I finished that episode I switched back to the Great British Baking Show, which I’m almost at the end of the second season and legit, the 3 contestants that I liked the most from the first episode are now the final 3 remaining lol, like seriously what are the odds of that happening?? So they’re all kicking ass, which is always great to see. While I was watching, in addition to doing computer things, I went through the clothes I had marked “donate” and see if there was anything I could potentially sell to one of those, essentially like upscale thrift shops that will buy gently used clothes from you, but they’re always super specific about what they want, so I had a lot of stuff that was in pretty good quality, but wasn’t on their list, so I only ended up with like 3 things, but I think I’m going to go through the clothes I marked for winter too because there are a lot of clothes in there that either don’t fit me or I don’t like anymore that I didn’t want to get rid of, but I bet I can find some stuff that I’m really okay with parting with. And yeah, that was basically my day, after a few episodes I started getting ready for bed and here I am. Well, tomorrow is supposedly (hopefully) the day of truth, when I find out if I got the NY job or not, and by extension, whether I’ll be moving back to NY or staying in Illinois. Honestly, I’m not leaning towards either direction in terms of what I think will happen, because I honestly have no idea, it’s really a complete toss up at this point. Either one could easily happen. At this point I’m low key hoping I can stay in Illinois because I like my life here (which I’ve gone on about in length in past posts) but I’ve decided that if the job does happen, I’m going to trust God and His plan for my life. It will also just really be nice to know, like either way there’s a lot more I can do as far as making future plans when I’ll know where I’ll be. Idk if they’re going to email or call me, I’m somewhat worried they’ll call and I’ll be in suspense but they’re just like “yeah we still haven’t decided yet” at which point I think I would go crazy. I would think putting a deadline on it to get an answer sooner than they made other picks would possibly push me towards the no pile, but I really don’t know at this point. Just going to have to wait and see. I’ll try to post on here when I receive the news, but then of course I’ll talk about it in my night post in case you missed the earlier one. Tomorrow is chill, just PT and bar prep, should be good. And that’s about all I got for now. Deep breaths about tomorrow, either way things are going to be fine, we’ll make it be fine. Goodnight babes. Love you all very much.

[acapelladitty]

Professor Jonathan Crane has a very interesting encounter with one of his students, a Miss Harleen Quinzel, who is much more than she appears (AO3 link at bottom)

Keeping his voice as even as possible, Jonathan swept his eyes slowly across the lecture hall as he posed his question.

“Can anyone see the flaw in Mr. Lloyds' hypothesis?” Total silence met him as each student valiantly fought to avoid his eye lest they be chosen to answer him. “No one at all? I am disap-”

“He had failed to account for the inclusion of environmental factors which may add bias to the results. His decision to host the questionnaire within a cramped, dark office space may create anxiety within the participant and skew the results.”

As the female voice rang out confidently across the room, Jonathan raised an eyebrow. Impressive. She had picked up the obvious issue and had been able to explain it perfectly. Seeking out the source of the voice, his eyes met a young blonde woman who sat a few rows from the front.

“Correct, Ms?”

“Quinzel.” The woman smiled pleasantly as he focused on her.

Wanting to further test her, he pushed his glasses back up his nose and continued.

“And how could this bias be eliminated?”

“The questionnaire could be presented to the participant within a more open space which may eliminate some anxiety but it is impossible to completely eliminate the bias as we have no knowledge of what fears the participants may already possess.”

“Excellent!” Giving a rare smile, Jonthan nodded at her. “Now, you are all required to take note of Ms. Quinzels' observation and I would like each student here to discover at least two other issues which could arise from Mr. Lloyds' method. We will discuss your findings on Wednesday.”

Walking back behind his small podium, Jonathan clicked the small laptop to bring up the next screen of the powerpoint.

“Now, as you can see -”

x-x-x-x-x

The remainder of the lesson continued on in regular fashion, with the majority of students putting in the minimal effort while their desperate eyes darted to and from the large clock which would signal their freedom.

Before long, the shrill cry of the bell announced that the lesson was over and the quiet auditorium erupted with noise as bags were ripped open and chairs were vacated. Sighing, Jonathan walked to the other side of his small table and took his seat again, ignoring the class as they left. He had no more lectures until the late afternoon which gave him some time to finish marking the rest of the lab reports which he had collected earlier in the week.

Leaning over the desk, his pen was poised over the paper when a soft cough grabbed his attention.

Glancing up, he realised that he was not alone.

“Miss Quinzel!?” He exclaimed as the blonde stood confidently before him, “Would you like to speak with me?” He gestured to the empty chair which sat on the opposite side of the desk.

Smiling at him, she slid into the seat.

“Sure, Doc.”

Returning her smile, with a small one of his own, Jonathan corrected her.

“I prefer Professor.”

“Sure, Professor.”

“So what can I do for you, Miss Quinzel?”

“Call me Harley, everyone does.”

“What can I help you with, Harley?”

“Can I just say, Professor, that you are one of my favourite lecturers here,” Harley began, her voice full of praise, “and it was your lecture last year on the development of phobias in the modern world that inspired me to take this class.”

“I am pleased to hear that.”

“You were also the lecturer who stuck up for me that one time I almost got suspended and I always wanted to say thank you for it.”

Hmm. He had never seen this women before today and any memory of having assisted her was not coming to him.

“I did? I must apologise because I cannot reca-”

“It was early last year,” Harley elaborated, “and I almost got suspended cause some creep tried to put his hands on me in my social class and I knocked him out with a very hard punch. Your signature was on the bottom of the sheet which said I was allowed to stay at the university.”

A memory hit him and he nodded in recognition, giving her a simple explanation.

“I do not like bullies.”

Recalling the incident, he also remembered a little bit more about the woman before him. She had been one of the few to receive a full athletic scholarship into the university. For gymnastics, he was sure. At the time of the incident she had been in the top third of her class and if her work today was any indication she was still excelling.

His thoughts were interrupted as Harley spoke again.

“I actually have a favour to ask of you, Professor Crane.” Her voice was still friendly but the lightness of it caused his interest to perk.

“Yes?”

Placing his hands on the desk, he cursed silently as he accidentally knocked his pen off the edge. As he bent down to retrieve it he amused himself with considering what kind of favour she could need. Most likely an extension on a deadline. Students these days had no respect for deadlines.

Pulling himself upright and placing his hands on the desk again, he was surprised to notice that Harley had not appeared to have moved a single inch.

And yet the top button of her blouse had come undone.

Refraining from rolling his eyes and a little disappointed with her actions, he sat silently as he waited for her to continue.

“I was planning on interning at Arkham over the coming summer and I would love it if you gave me a recommendation, Doctor Crane.” Still as happy as ever, she even went so far as to bat her eyelashes at him.

Setting his mouth in a straight line, Jonathan shook his head as he glanced back at his papers.

“I do not have that kind of power, Miss Quinzel.”

Her body leaned forward enough to force Jonathan to look at her and when his gaze locked with hers he found himself momentarily caught off-guard at her expression.

Gone was the bubbly attitude and friendly exterior, now replaced by staunch determination which was only overshadowed by a look of pure hunger which he recognised.

Ambition.

With absolutely no trace of an accent, she argued his rejection.

“Yes, you do. When new criminal patients are admitted into the asylum you assist on the majority of their evaluations and I am aware that you host both private and group sessions with patients who have conditions which range from depression to sadistic psychopathy.”

Clearing her throat, she continued.

“Your word would mean a lot to the staff and I know you could get me in the door. My grades are good enough to make me a serious candidate but I want to be certain of a place.”

All thoughts of the lab reports gone from his mind, Jonathan focused fully on her for the first time since she had taken the seat.

“Why?”

“You are notorious for being the final word professionally on phobias and human fear. That is your niche.” She gestured to him with a hand. “I have a very large interest in extreme personalities and Arkham is perfect for me to explore that niche interest.”

She had done her research. The majority of his published works were centered on human phobias and their varying origins. An idea had even come to him recently and he had started a private project which was designed to explore whether or not a chemical compound could be created to stimulate the brain into experiencing fear and anxiety.

Fear was his niche.

“And to what end would you like to explore these personalities?”

Her serious expression disappeared and was quickly replaced with another one of her bright smiles, a smile which did not quite cover the ambition in her eyes.

“I want to help people get better. I want to help these people overcome their illnesses.”

She was lying.

But he did not particularly care.

Arkham was truly full of the worst of humanity and if his private project came to fruition he was hoping to get permission to use some of its criminal inhabitants to volunteer to test the formula.

Considering the woman before him for a minute silently, his instincts were telling him that she bore no genuine ill will towards the patients. She was ambitious, but not dangerous, and if she wanted to experience the fresh hell that was Arkham Asylum then he would not stop her.

She had caught his interest and that was a rare occasion in itself.

So he would do it.

Pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he gave her a sharp nod.

“I will see what I can do for you, Miss Quinzel. On the condition that you continue to excel in your chosen subjects.”

“Aww thanks Doctah Crane! You're the absolute best!” She exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. “Also, I really hope your meeting with the faculty goes well!”

Again off-footed by the blonde, Jonathan covered his shock and asked.

“How do you know about that?”

“People talk.” She shrugged.

“I am not concerned by my meeting.” He confessed. “I will most likely receive a small disciplinary for my actions, perhaps a week off with no pay, and then I will return to my work immediately.”

“If it makes ya feel any better,” Harley soothed him, “I would have loved to have seen a gun fired in class. It would be really scary but exciting, yeah?” “Not everyone shares your opinion, child.”

“Everyone else is boring.”

Checking her watch, Harley jumped from the seat like it had burned her.

“Sorry Professor, but I need to get to my next class or i'm gonna be late! Thank you again for helping me out.”

“Think nothing of it.” He offered evenly, watching her passively as she practically ran from the auditorium, her shoes clacking against the flooring in her hurry.

As soon as she had disappeared from sight, Jonathan pulled the glasses from his face and sat them down gently top the stack of paper before him.

Miss Quinzel was not prepared for Arkham.

Twisting his mouth, Jonathan estimated that she would last a month at the most before the stress caused her to request a reassignment and he had no doubt that a tell-all, exploitative novel penned by one Dr H. Quinzel exploring the sensationalist world of super criminals would soon find itself on the best sellers list.

But he would fulfil her request and make a recommendation for her internship. He could type up the letter in the early hours of the following morning, just before he started to prepare for his meeting with the faculty board and faced whatever asinine punishment they had in store for him.

With her grades and his influence within the asylum, he had no doubt that she would be accepted. It was a dangerous job but the incarceration of super-criminals such as Victor Fries and the Joker had resulted in the security of the asylum being drastically improved and it was almost impossible for the inmates to physically harm the doctors.

She would be safe from any potential attack and, after all, it was only an internship.

What was the worst that could happen?

AO3 link - http://archiveofourown.org/works/11248272

[jenchoy1984]

Best and Worst Fashion and Beauty Retailer Return Policies

If you’ve ever experienced buyer’s remorse and returned to the store only to be rebuffed by the cashier because “exchange only,” you understand my plight.

There’s a little urban legend that years ago, a man went to Nordstrom to return a set of tires. Nordstrom doesn’t sell tires. As the story goes, the man had purchased the tires at the store that existed in the space prior. In the spirit of excellent (arguably over the top) customer service, Nordstrom honoured the return and they continue to represent the gold standard in customer satisfaction today.

Unfortunately not every retailer follows in their footsteps. Some retailers have short and strict time constraints in regards to returns. Others, straight up don’t seem to want to take their own merchandise back. 

Much of the time, frustration and money can be saved by simply being aware of retailer return policies. Here are some of the best and worst policies so you don’t end up with a garage full of items you need to post on Kijiji. Trust me, it’s not fun times. 

BEST

Nordstrom

Canadians have long awaited the arrival of Nordstrom and for good reason. The department store carries a number of coveted labels and is the perfect place to shop if you’re a little fickle. 

The return policy at Nordstrom allows customers to return any item in its original condition at any time for its full value. If you thought 30 day return policies were fair, Nordstrom is down with taking that dress back six months later. 

Anthropologie 

Living the bohemian dream means you don’t have to worry about changing your mind in three months. Anthropologie won’t mind one bit if you return an item way down the road if it hasn’t been worn and includes your original receipt. 

Uniqlo

The Japanese import just arrived in Canada and has a pretty solid return policy. Customers have 30 days with the original receipt to return unworn items. Beyond that, items with or without a receipt can be returned for store credit.

The Gap + Banana Republic + Old Navy + Athleta

The Gap will tolerate your fickle nature for what amounts to a month and a half. You have 45 days for a full refund. After that, you’ll be given a merchandise credit. 

The Gap’s sportswear sister brand, Athleta has an unbelievable return policy that allows you to return worn clothing that you’re not completely satisfied with. 

Sephora

I’ve heard rumours of Sephora’s almost too good to be true return policy. Beauty products often take time to prove their worth or fail miserably. Most retailers wouldn’t take back an opened and used container of face cream but Sephora will gladly provide a full refund.

It’s no surprise the beauty retailer enjoys a loyal following due to their more than fair return policy. 

American Eagle Outfitters + Aerie

American Eagle Outfitters and Aerie have a pretty generous return policy. Procrastination is a thing and that’s how I often miss return deadlines. Well, AE doesn’t believe in time limits for returns so you’re entitled to your money back as long as the item(s) are in its original condition accompanied by a receipt. 

The only caveat is, if you purchased a sale item, you will be refunded the amount it is currently priced at. 

Lush

The natural beauty company’s return policy reflects their understanding of the nature of skin and body care products. It’s not a one size fits all kind of business and that’s why they allow returns on used items. 

If you tried a face mask out and it just doesn’t jive with your skin, Lush will gladly take it back for a full refund. Granted, you can’t leave a crumb of soap and demand your money back. At least 75 per cent of the product must be in tact and returned in its original packaging within 45 days. 

Hudson’s Bay

HBC has always been customer friendly, especially in regards to returns. You have thirty days to return regular priced or sale clothing and accessories for a full refund. Beyond that, merchandise credit is offered. 

If you really need some cushioning on return deadlines, HBC has their own credit card that allows you 90 days to return items. If you can’t return an item in three months, you may have to address your procrastination issues. 

Honorable Mentions: 

H&M - 30 days

Ann Taylor - 45 days

WORST

Forever 21

Generally, you can’t return anything at Forever 21. Their return policy only addresses exchanges, which can be done if accompanied by the original receipt. 

The one loophole is that they’ll allow returns on items purchased online. If you tend to change your mind, go the online shopping route. 

Mendocino

It’s hard to believe there are still retailers who refuse to give you any margin for error. Mendocino is one such store that won’t accept full refunds once you exit their store. 

Mendocino currently allows online returns at a cost of $7 to the customer. If you purchased the item in store, you have 10 days for an exchange only. 

Rudsak

Considering the hefty price tag of the majority of Rudsak’s products, you would think they’d give ample time to deliberate after the fact. Not the case. 

All Rudsak items, even that $1,500 coat is exchange only within 14 days of purchase. 

Winners + Marshalls

At Winners and Marshalls, customers are only given ten days to return merchandise for a full refund. Not the most appealing return policy but the retailer does allow further leniency if you sign up for their TJX card.  Use your card at the time of purchase and you’re given an extension of 30 days to return items. 

Lululemon

Two weeks can fly by and that’s why Lululemon doesn’t get an A + when it comes to their return policy. With an original receipt, you only get 14 days to return unworn, unwashed merchandise. 

Performance wear needs to well, perform and it’s hard to determine that before you’ve worked out in it, so it’s interesting that Lululemon clothing can only be returned if unworn. Surely, there should be a better plan in place for gym gear. 

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

What We Learned: It's hard to talk yourself out of the Predators

The Nashville Predators are the clear-cut Stanley Cup favourites. (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

It is obviously trite to simply say that the team with the best record in the league is also the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

There’s more to it than that, usually. But I spent time the last few days trying to brain-genius my way into believing that someone other than the Predators should be considered something even resembling a favorite to win the Cup, but it’s been difficult to say the least.

Remember, this is a team that kinda walked away with the Presidents’ Trophy despite playing in the same division as the second-best team in the league and missing its third-best defenseman for 38 games to start the year. They have arguably the best defense and most center depth of any team in the league. Their goaltender is almost certainly going to win the Vezina this year. Their coach is excellent at what he does.

Put another way, this is a team that was an injury to its No. 1 center away from making the Cup Final terrifyingly competitive just last season, and they’ve improved markedly since then. There is a huge difference between running Ryan Johansen, Mike Fisher, Colton Sissons, and Calle Jarnkrok down the middle, and going with Johansen, Kyle Turris, Nick Bonino, and Fisher. For that reason alone it’s hard to see where a lot of teams in the postseason will be able to match up with them, let alone that terrifying defense in which literally all their higher-end defensemen are on different pairings, with the exception of Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis, who are kinda forced together by the numbers game of “you can only have six defensemen.”

So to the earlier point, let’s try to talk out the whole “Why the Predators shouldn’t be the favorites” thing here, and see where that gets us.

The first and most obvious thing to keep in mind here is that Pekka Rinne is playing so far above his head this year (.927 versus his .914 seen over the previous five seasons) that the bottom could drop out at just about any time and not really be that much of a surprise, right? But among goalies with at least 3,000 minutes played this season, he’s sixth in the league in all-situations expected save percentage, which is to say that Nashville does a really good job of making his life easy.

Keep in mind, too, that Rinne went .930 in the playoffs last season. And while a lot of that was because he allowed three goals in four games against Chicago, he also had a .918 in his other 18 games, so that’s still well above average. And if we want to slice things even thinner, 14 of the 42 goals he allowed in the playoffs came against the Penguins after injuries had rocked the club.

Not surprisingly, it’s the second year in a row in which the Prds have really limited opponents’ opportunities, which is easier when you add an elite defenseman like PK Subban to an already-solid group. Subban, for his part, has had a borderline-Norris-worthy campaign despite playing the majority of his 5-on-5 minutes with Alexei Emelin.

It’s tough, therefore, to imagine what happens to Rinne even if things fall apart, simply because “league average” might be the floor for his performance anyway. A team this talented up front can probably win on “league average.”

Because that’s another thing, they traded for a decent young right wing at the deadline by the name of Ryan Hartman, and while he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire for them offensively (because he’s not on the Nashville power play), he’s pretty good in a lot of areas of the game. He might be the team’s eighth-best forward. Which is pretty good because he was a bigger contributor in Chicago the past two seasons (though that’s a team with its own problems).

Plus, getting Eeli Tolvanen more NHL time probably helps him become a legit depth scoring threat as well.

The other major impediment to a Nashville Cup run is probably, as mentioned earlier, the fact that they’re going to have to play the Jets in the second round. But the thing is, they went 3-1-1 against Winnipeg this season, never losing a regulation game on the road, and despite the fact that most of those contests were actually pretty high-scoring; only one featured fewer than eight goals, and the Preds won that game 3-1.

Not surprisingly, the margins between these teams in terms of underlying numbers head-to-head were pretty close. In all situations, the Preds were minus-14 in shots, but also spent the majority of those games with narrow leads, and the Jets are a team that can mount furious comeback attempts.

Obviously the playoffs are a different animal, MTS Centre is going to be a cauldron, all that sort of thing, but the Preds’ only regulation loss came on Dec. 19, before they added either Ryan Ellis back to the lineup or rounded out the team’s depth to some extent with Hartman. Put another way: The Preds and Jets played three times since Feb. 27, two of them in Winnipeg, and went 2-0-1. Again, you don’t want to put too much weight on this kind of thing, but this should be considered a factor.

Other than these two big factors, I’m not seeing a lot to be worried about for the Preds here. Maybe you say they have some potential depth issues up front, but this is a forward group with a top-12 of Johnansen, Turris, Bonino, Tolvanen, Hartman, Sissons, Filip Forsberg, Kevin Fiala, Craig Smith, Viktor Arvidsson, Eeli Tolvanen, and I dunno, Austin Watson? They’re not all gonna shoot the lights out but if you’re running Mike Fisher between any two of those wingers your fourth line is in good shape.

Maybe you also say that the Preds have a great top-four D but the bottom two — Emelin and Matt Irwin — leave a little to be desired. Tough to disagree with that, but again, both play primarily with guys who can prop them way up in Subban and Roman Josi, and if their minutes need to be limited in tight spots, rolling four or five (I think Irwin’s a higher-end third-pair guy) is likely to work out pretty well for this club.

As Alex Ovechkin said about only getting to 49 goals this season, “[Poop] happens,” so obviously the Preds could get bounced in the first round and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the history of the sport. They could also get to a Cup Final and lose to one of the very good teams on the Eastern side of the bracket.

If you want to make the case that the Bruins have a better shot at this, that’d be hard to disagree with, except to say that in all likelihood they’ll have to play two 100-point teams in the first two rounds. And Nashville doesn’t, which is why I’d give them a slight edge.

I just haven’t seen that much to convince me otherwise.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Ducks/Sharks has seemed predestined for a while now, but it’s kind of a shocker that this Anaheim team got to 101 points, isn’t it? Maybe that’s an indictment of the division.

Arizona Coyotes: This Raanta extension is kind of a must for the Coyotes, because he was very good this year, but also hurt a lot. Not that they’d be a playoff team if he played the full season, but you’d feel like there was something to build on.

Boston Bruins: I guess it makes a lot of sense that it took a Lightning collapse and the Bruins battling through about a thousand injuries to set up a “win the East in the last game of the season” scenario. This season has felt like a real slog for Boston even as they mowed down almost everyone in their path.

Buffalo Sabres: If this isn’t the Sabres’ season in a nutshell: Adam Wilcox comes on in relief and stops 14 of 14 in his first-ever NHL appearance, and loses in regulation. This team is a nightmare.

Calgary Flames: The fact that anyone is criticizing Mark Giordano for the Flames’ horrible season is incredible to me. He was awesome this year, just phenomenal, and the rest of the team let him and about six other guys down (Dougie Hamilton, the 3Ms, Monahan, Gaudreau) by being awful.

Carolina Hurricanes: Not sure how you justify this season to yourself if you’re a decision-maker in Carolina. Really not sure how you keep the coach.

Chicago Blackhawks: Y’know what? Sure.

Colorado Avalanche: It just makes sense that the Avs get into the playoffs on the last day of the season because Nathan MacKinnon said, “I got this.” You never want to say their incredible turnaround was all on him, but…. it might have been.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets kind of succeeded a lot this season despite some big injuries. And now everyone is getting back to full health. Could be bad news for the Caps.

Dallas Stars: No way to know where this team goes over the summer. Like I said a couple weeks ago, their depth is a real problem and I’m not sure they have much of an opportunity to address it unless they get awful creative.

Detroit Red Wings: Hey you know how you missed the playoffs because your GM did a bad job for like eight years straight? Gotta bring that GM back for the full decade.

Edmonton Oilers: How many more seasons do you think we’ll see this exact headline about McDavid being amazing and the rest of the Oilers being trash? Put me down for “at least next year, too.” Milan Lucic scored one goal over his last 46 games of the season, and it was against the Coyotes’ backup. Hooooo boy.

Florida Panthers: Maybe if you have to get something like six games to go exactly right, down the winning and losing margins, over the last few days of the season, just to get a play-in game for yourself, you kinda sucked all along. Just my thoughts.

Los Angeles Kings: Losing their last game of the season ensured the Kings would have to play Vegas in the first round, which I think is a better pull for them than Anaheim would have been. (I also think it’s a better pull for Vegas to not have to play the Sharks, but whatever.)

Minnesota Wild: Low-key great coaching job by Bruce Boudreau this year. This team really turned it on in the second half, going 27-11-8 after Christmas.

Montreal Canadiens: I clicked on this link out of morbid curiosity. “Is there really ‘good’ to this Canadiens season?” Turns out the answer was “Brendan Gallagher and that’s basically it,” which sounds about right.

Nashville Predators: Hate to say this for the Avs or whatever but without Semyon Varlamov, this seems — like much of the Preds’ season — to be a walkover first-round matchup.

New Jersey Devils: Frankly I’m shocked New Jersey scored three with Taylor Hall a healthy scratch.

New York Islanders: Not the best summation of the season here: The Isles got a bunch of goals from all their good players and barely won, whereas if you were boiling down their entire campaign to one game they would have lost 7-5. So long to John Tavares.

New York Rangers: Can’t say it any better than “They fired Alain Vigneault pretty much right after the last game of the season.”

Ottawa Senators: For how many seasons does “Getting smoked without Erik Karlsson on the ice” accurately describe every second of Senators hockey? Well, next year will be fun, huh?

Philadelphia Flyers: I’ve really come around on the Giroux MVP case. The Flyers are horrible without him, and he has to do basically everything. I think I’d still give it to MacKinnon, but this ended up being awful close.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Didn’t seem like a true matchup of destiny until the last week of the season, but: Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers Pens/Flyers!!!!!!!!!!!

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks just barely being not-good-enough to get home ice in the first round (which they missed by one point) sounds about right given how bad they were to start. Sharks/Ducks could be a real good one.

St. Louis Blues: Alex Pietrangelo floated a conspiracy theory after they lost their last game and missed the playoffs, that the league was out to get them. Maybe talk to the GM who traded away Paul Stastny. He has 13 points in 19 games since he got traded. That might have been worth one single point in the standings, no?

Tampa Bay Lightning: I don’t know what it is about this weekend that summed up so many teams’ seasons so poetically, but the Bolts losing to a rotten Carolina team in OT is at least a good wrap-up of their last quarter of the year for sure.

Toronto Maple Leafs: That this is the best team in Leafs history and they still finished third in their division seems about right, just like, on the whole.

Vancouver Canucks: I can think of no more fitting an ending to two Hall-of-Fame careers than losing in a shootout to one of the worst teams in the league.

Vegas Golden Knights: Vegas went 2-1-1 against the Kings this season, but because it’s the NHL standings, the Kings went 2-1-1 against Vegas. Their two most recent matchups, though, were both Kings wins. Could be a nasty series.

Washington Capitals: It’s weird that the Caps won the division handily and Columbus tanked the last game of the season to draw them in the playoffs. This was a great year for Washington and it’s like, “We’d rather get them than someone else.” Very weird.

Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck had the winningest season for any American-born goalie ever (check where he went to college for more insight there!) but it’s kinda funny that all the Jets needed to turn into a juggernaut was reliably above-average goaltending.

Play of the Weekend

The MVP ………. of my heart!!!!

Gold Star Award

PLAYOFFFFFFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Minus of the Weekend

All but one team played on the final night of the season, so of course all but one of the games started between 7 and 10 p.m. And of course that kinda-important Bruins/Panthers season-ender was opposite WrestleMania. Incredible. This league is insanely good at scheduling things.

Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Week

User “Kshahdoo” has one that made me say, “Uhh, yes please.”

Bobrovsky, Wenberg for Tavares, 1st

Signoff

…… For steamed hams?

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

[flauntpage]

The Outlet Pass: Charlotte's Tailspin, Cavs Trade Targets, and NBA What-Ifs

1. Can Charlotte Turn Things Around?

The Charlotte Hornets are stuck in an injury-induced tailspin. They’ve dropped eight of their last 10 games, including two straight at home against the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. Their head coach is out with a health issue (get well soon, Steve Clifford) and they’re four games back of a playoff spot, with four teams—the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets—standing in their way.

At one point last week they went to their bench and I literally didn’t know the first names of two players on the court. Michael Carter-Williams is making Marcus Smart look like Glen Rice and Malik Monk is barely in the rotation while Donovan Mitchell (the next guard selected) is averaging 27.2 points per game in December.

Charlotte's starting five is fine when everybody’s healthy but they've only played Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Dwight Howard, and Jeremy Lamb together for seven minutes all season. Normally, they are stuck with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the floor, dragging the offense down. Just look at how disrespectful the Thunder are to MKG in the play below.

Kidd-Gilchrist isn’t fooling anyone from deep, but he’s now a modestly-reliable safety valve from 15 feet and in. The Hornets are rushing to execute a 2-for-1 on this particular sequence, but it’s still jarring to see an NBA starter find himself SO open and not come close to touching the ball.

Their primary Batum + Bench unit was doing pretty well before Cody Zeller had knee surgery, though, partially because Lamb was in it. When Dwayne Bacon replaces Kidd-Gilchrist in the starting lineup they destroy people.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the Hornets just not being very good when Walker isn’t in the game. According to Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 22.1 points per 100 possessions better with Walker on the floor. Even if Batum is the de-facto primary ball-handler, their offense is stagnant and averages less than one point per possession. That’s so bad, but everything goes to hell when they’re both out. (The starting five is okay, but not crushing opponents enough to justify heavy minutes together while the bench can’t fend for itself.)

In what almost felt like season-saving victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, interim head coach Stephen Silas stretched Walker and Lamb’s playing time into a 15.5-minute stint to open the second half. In his eyes, Charlotte’s bench was a Rob Zombie-directed blood bath. Slaughter would commence the second he switched up his backcourt.

Silas knew Charlotte needed that game. For extending his starters, he was rewarded with ridiculous, completely unsustainable shot making against a defense that sorely missed Andre Roberson (I think Alex Abrines just fouled another three-point shooter). But a win is a win is a win.

With their upcoming schedule providing zero seconds to exhale, the Hornets will either get healthy, tinker with the rotation and stop their ship from sinking, or face some difficult questions before the trade deadline. (‘Does anyone want the $76 million left on Batum’s contract? How about the $29 million owed to Marvin Williams?’ or, ‘Can we please for the love of God find a backup point guard?’)

Barring a significant transaction, next year’s roster will look about the same as this one, plus whoever they get in the draft. But whether or not this team views itself as a buyer or a seller is another relevant discussion. The Hornets have enough talent to make the playoffs and even win a few games once they get in (or even an entire series if they can somehow grab the sixth seed).

Rebuilding won’t be easy with this cap sheet, and Walker is smack dab in the middle of his prime. If Monk doesn’t make rapid progress from here on out, do they think about dealing him and/or their first-round pick in the 2018 draft for immediate help? Injuries stink and so does bad luck, but the Hornets aren’t as rudderless as they currently feel. We’ll know even more about the direction they should head as the next couple months unfold.

2. This Year’s NBA What-Ifs Are Pretty Great

This season has been filled with a handful of shocking developments. After a possible career-altering injury to their best all-around player, the Boston Celtics are very good. With their entire roster 100 percent healthy (relatively speaking), the Oklahoma City Thunder are not very good. The Indiana Pacers are good. The Miami Heat are bad. The Portland Trail Blazers are Stranger Things Season 3.

Based on reports and rumors from various points throughout the offseason, here’s a semi-educated look at how things might look today had a few key moves gone down a bit differently.

A. Carmelo Anthony is traded to the Portland Trail Blazers

For the sake of argument, let’s just say Portland gave up Evan Turner, Mo Harkless, and a future first-round pick. So, in all likelihood, the Blazers would start Melo at the three, Al-Farouq Aminu at the four, and Jusif Nurkic at center. That starting five looks offensively unstoppable on paper, but, like, so does Oklahoma City's. Make this trade and what happens to Portland's top-five defense? Are they still rebounding this well? Do they score at will or does Anthony further impede what’s been an unusually static offense?

Photo by Joseph Weiser-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to transforming into a gigantic whoopee cushion whenever he's around the basket—Melo’s days of getting to the free-throw line are, at 33 years old, understandably dunzo—his assist to usage ratio ranks in the ninth percentile at his position. Even though the percentage of his shots that are unassisted hasn’t been this low since he was with the Denver Nuggets (which feels 7,000 years ago), he still loves long twos and there are defiant insecurities related to how he’s approached the seasons' first couple months. His stubbornness has contributed to the league’s most glaring disappointment, and he’s shooting 37.6 percent from the floor over the Thunder's last 10 games.

Would things be different in Portland? Would Anthony play better off C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, next to role players who won’t clog the floor and know how to pass? The stakes would be pretty low; Portland would remain unable to circumvent its own flaws and triumphantly battle through a ruthless playoff bracket. But they might be incrementally better than they are now, guaranteed a spot in the postseason, with pleasant vibes carrying them forward.

The other key side effect, assuming every other move happens as it has, is that Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott would still be on the Thunder instead of enjoying Westbrook-free serenity in midtown Manhattan. How would Anthony being in Portland affect Paul George in Oklahoma? Besides more shot opportunities, it’s hard to say. Assuming Billy Donovan chose to stagger his two best players, George would have more time on units that’d call for him to be one of the dozen best players in the world. The team's defense might be even better than it already is.

Westbrook could also spend more time going Full Westbrook, even though Full Westbrook as we knew it last year might be a permanent thing of the past.

B. Gordon Hayward signs with the Miami Heat

Would Kyrie Irving express interest in re-signing with the Boston Celtics if Hayward chose a different team, or were Al Horford’s harmonious style, stable ownership, and Brad Stevens' genius already enough? If not, the Celtics would likely be in the middle of the Eastern Conference with Marcus Smart starting at point guard and Terry Rozier playing 30 minutes a night. They'd disintegrate when Horford hit the bench, and any long-term injury that'd keep him out would be fatal. Also, Jae Crowder would still be around, likely clogging a pipeline that's seen Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown flourish.

If Hayward is healthy, what does Miami’s roster look like? (WHERE IS KELLY OLYNYK?!?) Is Miami better than it is right now or would Hayward struggle within the cramped confines of a Hassan Whiteside-Justise Winslow frontcourt? Even if they didn’t want to re-sign James Johnson or Dion Waiters with Hayward in tow, the Heat might still turn to decreasingly unconventional means, perhaps permanently plopping the one-time All-Star at the four, and having guards like Goran Dragic and Wayne Ellington set ball screens for him 35 feet from the basket.

C. Paul George is traded to the Boston Celtics

Things have so far worked out fine in Boston, but let me crawl out on a limb and declare that this team would be really freaking good if they somehow had Paul George, healthy Hayward, Irving, and Horford on the same team. Sub George for Tatum right now and they’re (maybe but not definitely) a better regular-season team. Their ceiling elevates on both ends in the postseason.

The more important ripple effect here is with Westbrook and the Thunder. Does he sign his extension or demand a trade? What does professional basketball in Oklahoma City even look like? And where are the Indiana Pacers? They don’t have Victor Oladipo (a hipster’s MVP candidate if there ever was one) or Domantas Sabonis. Their optimism would instead spout from Tatum’s magical touch and any other assets Kevin Pritchard could pry from Danny Ainge.

Even though this exercise is purely hypothetical, I’m far too lazy to trace imaginary steps and figure out what Boston’s roster would actually look like, but if the Celtics’ starting five somehow had four All-Stars and Jaylen Brown, um, that team would probably go to the Finals.

3. So, Who Isn’t Shooting Threes?

The highly scientific requirements to answer this question are such: A) a player has to launch no more than one three per game, B) he must average at least 12 minutes, and C) he needs to have appeared in at least 20 games. Here are the 49 players who qualify.

If you hold those benchmarks up against last season (and raise the minimum number of games to 55) that number rises by 12 players. Five years ago that same list had 99 players on it. For those counting at home, with my admittedly arbitrary qualifiers, that means the number of players (who actually play) who don’t use the three-point line is about half what it was during LeBron James’ third season in Miami—hard evidence of a revolution that’s been identified in real time.

Photo by Shanna Lockwood - USA TODAY Sports

Let’s go back to this year’s group, which reads like an endangered species list. How many players on there are useful despite their inability/unwillingness to shoot threes? If we first look at total minutes played, Ben Simmons unsurprisingly ranks first and is a revelatory prospect who's simultaneously defying convention while meeting his expectations. From there we’re infested by a crap ton of traditional big men who impact the game in other areas. They rebound, protect the rim, and set screens. Some space the floor by diving through the paint. Some are still dangerous at the elbow, and can engineer decent offense with their vision and a mid-range jump shot. A very small handful do damage with their back to the basket.

The non-bigs here are exactly who you’d expect: T.J. McConnell, Kyle Anderson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Shaun Livingston, Tony Allen, Ish Smith, Kidd-Gilchrist, Dejounte Murray, etc. Omri Casspi is on there for some reason, too, somehow posting the highest True Shooting percentage of his career and the lowest three-point rate (The. Warriors. Are. Not. Fair.)

Over a third of everyone listed is at least 29 years old; five years from now this register will probably be half as long as it is today. This is foreseeable and a little depressing. The three-point shot is a game-changing roller-coaster, and when a collection of great shooters help frame the court in a way that broadens driving and passing lanes, the aesthetics can be breathtaking. (The. Warriors. Are. Not. Fair.)

I also just enjoy watching guys like Kidd-Gilchrist and Hollis-Jefferson—those who stand out with idiosyncratic limitations—but if you’re trying to win a championship right now it’s hard to justify their presence in your rotation. None of this is new, but stopping to think about what it means for basketball’s future every so often is necessary. I don’t want every team to play like the Rockets even though no team in the world is more entertaining.

4. Houston’s Angles are Ridiculous

Speaking of the Rockets, I’ve thought about this pass almost every day since it happened:

Like, what the hell? I have so many questions, starting with: In the moment: when did Chris Paul first believe that flinging a one-handed cross-court pass—directly parallel with the baseline—would actually work? Was it born from frustration or design?

As the shot clock ticks on, Tarik Black appears unsure of what he’s supposed to do. Paul directs him to set a down screen for Trevor Ariza, but Ariza instead jogs away in an attempt to drag his man to the weakside corner. Black then runs up to set a ball screen for Paul. There’s six freaking seconds on the clock and not even two dribbles into his assault Paul rifles the ball at an impossibly difficult and rare angle to create a wide-open three on the other side of the floor.

As the pick-and-roll unfolds, Thabo Sefolosha points for Royce O’Neale to stay in the paint and help defend what, in all likelihood, will either be a shot from Paul or Black. Does Paul see this and know it means Sefolosha is about to drop half a step toward the baseline to worry about Ariza in the corner? How is he so smart?!?

Paul and James Harden combine to average 19 assists per game. They’re second and third in the league in that category, respectively. But the Rockets only rank 12th in assist percentage and 29th in passes per game. They’re 28th in secondary assists and 13th in potential assists. That’s partly due to the fact that no team isolates more frequently than Houston. They maximize the space provided by their collection of human catapults and take advantage of the virtuous one-on-one skills possessed by their dual MVP candidates. (Not only do they isolate more than anybody else, no team is more efficient when attacking that way. This team is absurd.)

But Houston’s offense doesn’t peak when the ball is dribbled. Jaw-dropping, spontaneous passes made at angles very few players can even dream about allow the Rockets to generate efficient shots that catch defenses off balance. The surgical precision seen above is not attainable for most guards around the league, but it's basically second nature for Paul and Harden. Quick sidebar: Harden is probably going to win his first MVP this season, but not enough words can be written about Paul, who’s re-asserted himself as the second-best floor general in basketball and an automatic All-NBA member. Passes like that one help explain why.

5. J.J. Redick’s Game Isn’t Supposed to Expand, but it Has

At 33 years old, Redick is playing 33.5 minutes a night for a team that’s averaging 103.2 possessions per 48 minutes when he’s on the floor. Redick has never played this fast and his minutes have never been this high. As everyone fawns over Paul distancing himself from the formulaic style he enjoyed in L.A.,, Redick is experiencing the exact same thing in a role that doesn’t allow him to step on the gas whenever he wants.

Instead of seeing his responsibilities narrow, Redick’s doing more stuff in different ways. According to Synergy Sports, the percentage of all his jumpers that were off the dribble last season was 39 percent. Right now, that number is 47 percent, somewhat-expected uptick that's lowered his accuracy and can partially be attributed to greener teammates.

But heading into the season, without Paul for the first time in half a decade, I wasn’t sure Redick could do much beyond space the floor while Simmons ran high pick-and-rolls or Joel Embiid corralled entry passes on the block. Glue him to the corner and run him off a bunch of pindowns and Philly couldn’t be criticized for misunderstanding their marquee free agent acquisition. Instead, they’ve expanded his responsibilities in some very smart ways.

The ball feels like it’s in his hands far more than it was in Los Angeles. Instead of running through an endless maze of bodies, Redick's slicing defenses open with direct hand-offs and a bit more pick-and-roll action, all ultimately designed to turn the defense’s brain into toast.

Knowing the Lakers want to switch everything, Philly has Redick’s DHO turn into a staggered screen-and-roll. But Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t stop his pursuit—because Redick is that scary—momentarily putting two on the ball and allowing Redick to find Robert Covington wide open on the opposite wing. Kyle Kuzma switches off Amir Johnson in time to run Covington off the three-point line, but his off-balanced helps introduce the ball to the basket.

Whenever he sets a ball screen, two defenders are forced to communicate in an instant. Should they switch or fight through? Sometimes that question goes unanswered and both follow Redick. And sometimes the split-second hesitation is all a monster like Simmons needs to spark a match and pour gasoline all over the court.

Philadelphia is not good when Simmons and Embiid aren’t on the floor, but Redick stabilizes things as best he can, preventing bad from becoming apocalyptic. His assist rate in those minutes soars up to 25.8 (with a dependable 5.67 assist-to-turnover ratio) and his True Shooting is an uncanny 68.2. Covington is the only Sixer with a higher usage percentage.

All this is a pleasant surprise. I, personally, thought Redick was entering a different phase of his career after Joe Ingles crushed him in the playoffs. But in a new environment, as an elder statesman, Redick has shown that he's far more than a shooter, in a league that should be able to make good use of his talent for years to come.

6. C.J. Miles and The Babies

Since O.G. Anunonby cracked Toronto's starting lineup and Delon Wright dislocated his right shoulder (two events that basically happened at the same time, about a week before Thanksgiving), Raptors head coach Dwane Casey decided to hitch 30-year-old C.J. Miles to a bunch of children. Norm Powell (24 years old), Jakob Poeltl (22 and in need of a better nickname than "Austrian Hammer"), Fred VanVleet (23), and Pascal Siakam (23).

This is Toronto's second-most common five-man group over the past month, and they've been absolutely dreadful on both ends. But guess what? I don't care! Stubborn Casey is good sometimes. Yes, the Raptors should go back to a Lowry + Bench unit that makes opposing second units weep—swap Lowry in for Miles and that exact same supporting cast crushes everybody—but this makes me feel like Miles is a lovable babysitter that you can't, in good conscience, stay mad at.

Playing Miles at the three as opposed to the four doesn't make a ton of sense, but using him to space the floor for an inexperienced collection of players Toronto will need in the playoffs is fine enough for now.

7. Austin Rivers is an Isolation Genius...or Something

Thanks to a slew of notable injuries that have quickly transformed the perennial playoff-contending Los Angeles Clippers into the Los Angeles Clippers, Austin Rivers has been thrust into a role far greater than his ability can handle. But despite being an inefficient, borderline first-option with shaky shot selection, Rivers is also one of the league’s top one-on-one players.

Photo by Kim Klement - USA TODAY Sports

According to Synergy Sports, Rivers averaged 0.94 points per possession in isolation situations last year, a figure that placed him in the 73rd percentile. That’s not bad, even though it was likely boosted an unquantifiable degree thanks to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick, Marreese Speights and even Ray Felton occupying the opposition's attention in various ways.

This year, surrounded by G-League talent more nights than not, Rivers’ isolation numbers are even better. He’s averaging 1.05 points per possession (74th percentile) and is actually more efficient than established All-Stars like Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and DeMar DeRozan.

Some of this is because the career 35.5 percent three-point shooter has canned 40.7 percent of his outside attempts—including 42.7 percent of his 3.0 pull ups per game. And some of it’s because he never ever ever turns it over. But few players symbolize the “million dollar move, 10 cent finish” expression better than Rivers, who’s a master at breaking his man down off the dribble, entering a crowd of rim protectors, and lofting a prayer towards the basket.

Given that this is such an uncertain time for the Clippers, swapping Rivers out for a second-round pick and expiring money (he has a $12.6 million player option for next year) should be an objective for their front office. Maybe there's a general manager out there who sees these numbers (particularly that impressive shooting) and wonders if Rivers can help his playoff team in a seven-game series.

8. Cleveland’s Juiciest Asset Is Not Really That Juicy

The Brooklyn Nets are, officially, no longer atrocious. Heading into Wednesday night’s action, they had a higher winning percentage than 10 teams despite not having their opening night backcourt starters for most of the season. They’re below average on both sides of the ball, but only three teams launch threes more frequently and only one owns a faster pace.

Brooklyn’s starting five—DeMarre Carroll, Spencer Dinwiddie, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Tyler Zeller, and Allen Crabbe—has obliterated opponents by 25.3 points per 100 possessions since Kenny Atkinson turned to it right before Thanksgiving, and adding Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and healthy D’Angelo Russell to the mix will only improve their depth and diversify their offensive options.

When teams start to really tank in March and April, the Nets will be busting their ass to win games and get better at everything they do. All this is bad news for the Cleveland Cavaliers. What was once their crown jewel for Kyrie Irving might now be Zach Collins (who's actually playing pretty well, but that's beside the point).

Does this mean Koby Altman should aggressively shop his best asset around the league? It’s probably still a little too early for that, considering their current rhythm and fact that they’ve yet to see what Isaiah Thomas looks like in their rotation. But the odds of that pick staying in Cleveland feel a lot lower today than they were a couple months ago.

The pick’s dropping value also changes what it’s worth. That means strapping a top-three protection to it and checking on Aaron Gordon’s availability is far more likely than getting someone like Paul George or DeMarcus Cousins. Realistic targets are now closer to the Harrison Barnes, Batum, or Rodney Hood mold (a lottery pick for any of those three is still a dramatic overpay, even though they’d help the Cavs match up better against the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets in the Finals).

A couple weeks ago, before the Memphis Grizzlies fired David Fizdale, I wrote that Cleveland should give up the Nets pick for Marc Gasol. I didn’t believe they ever would, but now it’s not so crazy! When you have LeBron James doing UNBELIEVABLE LeBron James things every night, holding back as a front office feels criminal.

What’s the worst that could happen? They lose in the Finals, he leaves, and they don’t have the 10th pick in the draft? How much better off would Cleveland be if they hold onto that pick, lose in the Finals and watch him leave? They were arguably the worst franchise in the league during the four seasons he spent in Miami. Dark days lie ahead no matter what. The best thing they can do is go all-in and capitalize on a historic season from an all-time icon. Trade the pick, Cleveland! Convince him to stay! You're screwed if he leaves even if you have it!

9. David Nwaba is a Good NBA Player

Every time I watch Nwaba he makes three to five effort-intensive plays that makes Chicago feel like a competitive team. He’s just so damn physical, a tenacious rebounder who defends, draws fouls, finishes around the rim, and never turns it over.The Bulls (yes, the Bulls) are outscoring opponents by 4.5 points per 100 possessions with Nwaba on the floor, performing like a 53-win team. He’s awesome, and aside from the fact that he doesn’t shoot threes and there won't be a ton of money to go around this summer, one of the league’s 30 teams would be smart to offer present the restricted free agent with an offer sheet.

10. Finding Hope in Memphis

Almost exactly one year ago, Deyonta Davis tore the plantar fascia in his left foot, a devastating injury for any human being but particularly savage for someone who plays professional basketball and weighs 240 pounds. It essentially ended his rookie season.

In year two, as Marc Gasol’s primary backup thanks to Brandan Wright’s nagging groin injury, Davis is averaging 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. But in limited time he’s shown decent mobility on the defensive end and a feathery touch around the basket.

As someone who isn't fast enough to scamper around the perimeter, Memphis has him drop defending almost every pick-and-roll. Here he is stepping up to force Abrines to pass to Jerami Grant, then sliding back and forcing a turnover.

Now, against an actual playmaker who knew how to string his dribble out a bit longer, this sequence would probably not have the same result. Davis struggles against bigs who can shoot, too, forcing the Grizzlies to late switch or surrender open threes.

But according to Cleaning the Glass, whenever he's on the floor Memphis allows a ridiculous 11.3 fewer points per 100 possessions. (Opponents are also barely hitting threes when Davis is in the game, so, yeah, that's kind of meaningful and has nothing to do with his defense.)

On the other end, he's shooting 79 percent at the rim. That's really good! And aside from the natural hiccup as he learns to read the floor, taking shots as a roller when he should hit the open man, there are examples of him identifying what he needs to do and executing immediately.

Before he even catches Ben McLemore's pass out of Washington's trap, Davis' eyes are set on the opposite wing, initiating a sequence that leads to an open three and one of the most beautiful possessions Memphis has experienced all season.

He's still a project, but one who only played 600 minutes in college and hardly saw the floor last season. Davis is shooting 72.7 percent whenever he rolls to the basket; the day Gasol leaves Memphis will be dark, but Davis is beginning to flash the talent of someone who deserves a chance to *attempt* to fill those humongous shoes.

The Outlet Pass: Charlotte's Tailspin, Cavs Trade Targets, and NBA What-Ifs published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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The Outlet Pass: Charlotte’s Tailspin, Cavs Trade Targets, and NBA What-Ifs

1. Can Charlotte Turn Things Around?

The Charlotte Hornets are stuck in an injury-induced tailspin. They’ve dropped eight of their last 10 games, including two straight at home against the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. Their head coach is out with a health issue (get well soon, Steve Clifford) and they’re four games back of a playoff spot, with four teams—the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets—standing in their way.

At one point last week they went to their bench and I literally didn’t know the first names of two players on the court. Michael Carter-Williams is making Marcus Smart look like Glen Rice and Malik Monk is barely in the rotation while Donovan Mitchell (the next guard selected) is averaging 27.2 points per game in December.

Charlotte’s starting five is fine when everybody’s healthy but they’ve only played Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Dwight Howard, and Jeremy Lamb together for seven minutes all season. Normally, they are stuck with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the floor, dragging the offense down. Just look at how disrespectful the Thunder are to MKG in the play below.

Kidd-Gilchrist isn’t fooling anyone from deep, but he’s now a modestly-reliable safety valve from 15 feet and in. The Hornets are rushing to execute a 2-for-1 on this particular sequence, but it’s still jarring to see an NBA starter find himself SO open and not come close to touching the ball.

Their primary Batum + Bench unit was doing pretty well before Cody Zeller had knee surgery, though, partially because Lamb was in it. When Dwayne Bacon replaces Kidd-Gilchrist in the starting lineup they destroy people.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the Hornets just not being very good when Walker isn’t in the game. According to Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 22.1 points per 100 possessions better with Walker on the floor. Even if Batum is the de-facto primary ball-handler, their offense is stagnant and averages less than one point per possession. That’s so bad, but everything goes to hell when they’re both out. (The starting five is okay, but not crushing opponents enough to justify heavy minutes together while the bench can’t fend for itself.)

In what almost felt like season-saving victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, interim head coach Stephen Silas stretched Walker and Lamb’s playing time into a 15.5-minute stint to open the second half. In his eyes, Charlotte’s bench was a Rob Zombie-directed blood bath. Slaughter would commence the second he switched up his backcourt.

Silas knew Charlotte needed that game. For extending his starters, he was rewarded with ridiculous, completely unsustainable shot making against a defense that sorely missed Andre Roberson (I think Alex Abrines just fouled another three-point shooter). But a win is a win is a win.

With their upcoming schedule providing zero seconds to exhale, the Hornets will either get healthy, tinker with the rotation and stop their ship from sinking, or face some difficult questions before the trade deadline. (‘Does anyone want the $76 million left on Batum’s contract? How about the $29 million owed to Marvin Williams?’ or, ‘Can we please for the love of God find a backup point guard?’)

Barring a significant transaction, next year’s roster will look about the same as this one, plus whoever they get in the draft. But whether or not this team views itself as a buyer or a seller is another relevant discussion. The Hornets have enough talent to make the playoffs and even win a few games once they get in (or even an entire series if they can somehow grab the sixth seed).

Rebuilding won’t be easy with this cap sheet, and Walker is smack dab in the middle of his prime. If Monk doesn’t make rapid progress from here on out, do they think about dealing him and/or their first-round pick in the 2018 draft for immediate help? Injuries stink and so does bad luck, but the Hornets aren’t as rudderless as they currently feel. We’ll know even more about the direction they should head as the next couple months unfold.

2. This Year’s NBA What-Ifs Are Pretty Great

This season has been filled with a handful of shocking developments. After a possible career-altering injury to their best all-around player, the Boston Celtics are very good. With their entire roster 100 percent healthy (relatively speaking), the Oklahoma City Thunder are not very good. The Indiana Pacers are good. The Miami Heat are bad. The Portland Trail Blazers are Stranger Things Season 3.

Based on reports and rumors from various points throughout the offseason, here’s a semi-educated look at how things might look today had a few key moves gone down a bit differently.

A. Carmelo Anthony is traded to the Portland Trail Blazers

For the sake of argument, let’s just say Portland gave up Evan Turner, Mo Harkless, and a future first-round pick. So, in all likelihood, the Blazers would start Melo at the three, Al-Farouq Aminu at the four, and Jusif Nurkic at center. That starting five looks offensively unstoppable on paper, but, like, so does Oklahoma City’s. Make this trade and what happens to Portland’s top-five defense? Are they still rebounding this well? Do they score at will or does Anthony further impede what’s been an unusually static offense?

Photo by Joseph Weiser-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to transforming into a gigantic whoopee cushion whenever he’s around the basket—Melo’s days of getting to the free-throw line are, at 33 years old, understandably dunzo—his assist to usage ratio ranks in the ninth percentile at his position. Even though the percentage of his shots that are unassisted hasn’t been this low since he was with the Denver Nuggets (which feels 7,000 years ago), he still loves long twos and there are defiant insecurities related to how he’s approached the seasons’ first couple months. His stubbornness has contributed to the league’s most glaring disappointment, and he’s shooting 37.6 percent from the floor over the Thunder’s last 10 games.

Would things be different in Portland? Would Anthony play better off C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, next to role players who won’t clog the floor and know how to pass? The stakes would be pretty low; Portland would remain unable to circumvent its own flaws and triumphantly battle through a ruthless playoff bracket. But they might be incrementally better than they are now, guaranteed a spot in the postseason, with pleasant vibes carrying them forward.

The other key side effect, assuming every other move happens as it has, is that Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott would still be on the Thunder instead of enjoying Westbrook-free serenity in midtown Manhattan. How would Anthony being in Portland affect Paul George in Oklahoma? Besides more shot opportunities, it’s hard to say. Assuming Billy Donovan chose to stagger his two best players, George would have more time on units that’d call for him to be one of the dozen best players in the world. The team’s defense might be even better than it already is.

Westbrook could also spend more time going Full Westbrook, even though Full Westbrook as we knew it last year might be a permanent thing of the past.

B. Gordon Hayward signs with the Miami Heat

Would Kyrie Irving express interest in re-signing with the Boston Celtics if Hayward chose a different team, or were Al Horford’s harmonious style, stable ownership, and Brad Stevens’ genius already enough? If not, the Celtics would likely be in the middle of the Eastern Conference with Marcus Smart starting at point guard and Terry Rozier playing 30 minutes a night. They’d disintegrate when Horford hit the bench, and any long-term injury that’d keep him out would be fatal. Also, Jae Crowder would still be around, likely clogging a pipeline that’s seen Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown flourish.

If Hayward is healthy, what does Miami’s roster look like? (WHERE IS KELLY OLYNYK?!?) Is Miami better than it is right now or would Hayward struggle within the cramped confines of a Hassan Whiteside-Justise Winslow frontcourt? Even if they didn’t want to re-sign James Johnson or Dion Waiters with Hayward in tow, the Heat might still turn to decreasingly unconventional means, perhaps permanently plopping the one-time All-Star at the four, and having guards like Goran Dragic and Wayne Ellington set ball screens for him 35 feet from the basket.

C. Paul George is traded to the Boston Celtics

Things have so far worked out fine in Boston, but let me crawl out on a limb and declare that this team would be really freaking good if they somehow had Paul George, healthy Hayward, Irving, and Horford on the same team. Sub George for Tatum right now and they’re (maybe but not definitely) a better regular-season team. Their ceiling elevates on both ends in the postseason.

The more important ripple effect here is with Westbrook and the Thunder. Does he sign his extension or demand a trade? What does professional basketball in Oklahoma City even look like? And where are the Indiana Pacers? They don’t have Victor Oladipo (a hipster’s MVP candidate if there ever was one) or Domantas Sabonis. Their optimism would instead spout from Tatum’s magical touch and any other assets Kevin Pritchard could pry from Danny Ainge.

Even though this exercise is purely hypothetical, I’m far too lazy to trace imaginary steps and figure out what Boston’s roster would actually look like, but if the Celtics’ starting five somehow had four All-Stars and Jaylen Brown, um, that team would probably go to the Finals.

3. So, Who Isn’t Shooting Threes?

The highly scientific requirements to answer this question are such: A) a player has to launch no more than one three per game, B) he must average at least 12 minutes, and C) he needs to have appeared in at least 20 games. Here are the 49 players who qualify.

If you hold those benchmarks up against last season (and raise the minimum number of games to 55) that number rises by 12 players. Five years ago that same list had 99 players on it. For those counting at home, with my admittedly arbitrary qualifiers, that means the number of players (who actually play) who don’t use the three-point line is about half what it was during LeBron James’ third season in Miami—hard evidence of a revolution that’s been identified in real time.

Photo by Shanna Lockwood – USA TODAY Sports

Let’s go back to this year’s group, which reads like an endangered species list. How many players on there are useful despite their inability/unwillingness to shoot threes? If we first look at total minutes played, Ben Simmons unsurprisingly ranks first and is a revelatory prospect who’s simultaneously defying convention while meeting his expectations. From there we’re infested by a crap ton of traditional big men who impact the game in other areas. They rebound, protect the rim, and set screens. Some space the floor by diving through the paint. Some are still dangerous at the elbow, and can engineer decent offense with their vision and a mid-range jump shot. A very small handful do damage with their back to the basket.

The non-bigs here are exactly who you’d expect: T.J. McConnell, Kyle Anderson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Shaun Livingston, Tony Allen, Ish Smith, Kidd-Gilchrist, Dejounte Murray, etc. Omri Casspi is on there for some reason, too, somehow posting the highest True Shooting percentage of his career and the lowest three-point rate (The. Warriors. Are. Not. Fair.)

Over a third of everyone listed is at least 29 years old; five years from now this register will probably be half as long as it is today. This is foreseeable and a little depressing. The three-point shot is a game-changing roller-coaster, and when a collection of great shooters help frame the court in a way that broadens driving and passing lanes, the aesthetics can be breathtaking. (The. Warriors. Are. Not. Fair.)

I also just enjoy watching guys like Kidd-Gilchrist and Hollis-Jefferson—those who stand out with idiosyncratic limitations—but if you’re trying to win a championship right now it’s hard to justify their presence in your rotation. None of this is new, but stopping to think about what it means for basketball’s future every so often is necessary. I don’t want every team to play like the Rockets even though no team in the world is more entertaining.

4. Houston’s Angles are Ridiculous

Speaking of the Rockets, I’ve thought about this pass almost every day since it happened:

Like, what the hell? I have so many questions, starting with: In the moment: when did Chris Paul first believe that flinging a one-handed cross-court pass—directly parallel with the baseline—would actually work? Was it born from frustration or design?

As the shot clock ticks on, Tarik Black appears unsure of what he’s supposed to do. Paul directs him to set a down screen for Trevor Ariza, but Ariza instead jogs away in an attempt to drag his man to the weakside corner. Black then runs up to set a ball screen for Paul. There’s six freaking seconds on the clock and not even two dribbles into his assault Paul rifles the ball at an impossibly difficult and rare angle to create a wide-open three on the other side of the floor.

As the pick-and-roll unfolds, Thabo Sefolosha points for Royce O’Neale to stay in the paint and help defend what, in all likelihood, will either be a shot from Paul or Black. Does Paul see this and know it means Sefolosha is about to drop half a step toward the baseline to worry about Ariza in the corner? How is he so smart?!?

Paul and James Harden combine to average 19 assists per game. They’re second and third in the league in that category, respectively. But the Rockets only rank 12th in assist percentage and 29th in passes per game. They’re 28th in secondary assists and 13th in potential assists. That’s partly due to the fact that no team isolates more frequently than Houston. They maximize the space provided by their collection of human catapults and take advantage of the virtuous one-on-one skills possessed by their dual MVP candidates. (Not only do they isolate more than anybody else, no team is more efficient when attacking that way. This team is absurd.)

But Houston’s offense doesn’t peak when the ball is dribbled. Jaw-dropping, spontaneous passes made at angles very few players can even dream about allow the Rockets to generate efficient shots that catch defenses off balance. The surgical precision seen above is not attainable for most guards around the league, but it’s basically second nature for Paul and Harden. Quick sidebar: Harden is probably going to win his first MVP this season, but not enough words can be written about Paul, who’s re-asserted himself as the second-best floor general in basketball and an automatic All-NBA member. Passes like that one help explain why.

5. J.J. Redick’s Game Isn’t Supposed to Expand, but it Has

At 33 years old, Redick is playing 33.5 minutes a night for a team that’s averaging 103.2 possessions per 48 minutes when he’s on the floor. Redick has never played this fast and his minutes have never been this high. As everyone fawns over Paul distancing himself from the formulaic style he enjoyed in L.A.,, Redick is experiencing the exact same thing in a role that doesn’t allow him to step on the gas whenever he wants.

Instead of seeing his responsibilities narrow, Redick’s doing more stuff in different ways. According to Synergy Sports, the percentage of all his jumpers that were off the dribble last season was 39 percent. Right now, that number is 47 percent, somewhat-expected uptick that’s lowered his accuracy and can partially be attributed to greener teammates.

But heading into the season, without Paul for the first time in half a decade, I wasn’t sure Redick could do much beyond space the floor while Simmons ran high pick-and-rolls or Joel Embiid corralled entry passes on the block. Glue him to the corner and run him off a bunch of pindowns and Philly couldn’t be criticized for misunderstanding their marquee free agent acquisition. Instead, they’ve expanded his responsibilities in some very smart ways.

The ball feels like it’s in his hands far more than it was in Los Angeles. Instead of running through an endless maze of bodies, Redick’s slicing defenses open with direct hand-offs and a bit more pick-and-roll action, all ultimately designed to turn the defense’s brain into toast.

Knowing the Lakers want to switch everything, Philly has Redick’s DHO turn into a staggered screen-and-roll. But Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t stop his pursuit—because Redick is that scary—momentarily putting two on the ball and allowing Redick to find Robert Covington wide open on the opposite wing. Kyle Kuzma switches off Amir Johnson in time to run Covington off the three-point line, but his off-balanced helps introduce the ball to the basket.

Whenever he sets a ball screen, two defenders are forced to communicate in an instant. Should they switch or fight through? Sometimes that question goes unanswered and both follow Redick. And sometimes the split-second hesitation is all a monster like Simmons needs to spark a match and pour gasoline all over the court.

Philadelphia is not good when Simmons and Embiid aren’t on the floor, but Redick stabilizes things as best he can, preventing bad from becoming apocalyptic. His assist rate in those minutes soars up to 25.8 (with a dependable 5.67 assist-to-turnover ratio) and his True Shooting is an uncanny 68.2. Covington is the only Sixer with a higher usage percentage.

All this is a pleasant surprise. I, personally, thought Redick was entering a different phase of his career after Joe Ingles crushed him in the playoffs. But in a new environment, as an elder statesman, Redick has shown that he’s far more than a shooter, in a league that should be able to make good use of his talent for years to come.

6. C.J. Miles and The Babies

Since O.G. Anunonby cracked Toronto’s starting lineup and Delon Wright dislocated his right shoulder (two events that basically happened at the same time, about a week before Thanksgiving), Raptors head coach Dwane Casey decided to hitch 30-year-old C.J. Miles to a bunch of children. Norm Powell (24 years old), Jakob Poeltl (22 and in need of a better nickname than “Austrian Hammer”), Fred VanVleet (23), and Pascal Siakam (23).

This is Toronto’s second-most common five-man group over the past month, and they’ve been absolutely dreadful on both ends. But guess what? I don’t care! Stubborn Casey is good sometimes. Yes, the Raptors should go back to a Lowry + Bench unit that makes opposing second units weep—swap Lowry in for Miles and that exact same supporting cast crushes everybody—but this makes me feel like Miles is a lovable babysitter that you can’t, in good conscience, stay mad at.

Playing Miles at the three as opposed to the four doesn’t make a ton of sense, but using him to space the floor for an inexperienced collection of players Toronto will need in the playoffs is fine enough for now.

7. Austin Rivers is an Isolation Genius…or Something

Thanks to a slew of notable injuries that have quickly transformed the perennial playoff-contending Los Angeles Clippers into the Los Angeles Clippers, Austin Rivers has been thrust into a role far greater than his ability can handle. But despite being an inefficient, borderline first-option with shaky shot selection, Rivers is also one of the league’s top one-on-one players.

Photo by Kim Klement – USA TODAY Sports

According to Synergy Sports, Rivers averaged 0.94 points per possession in isolation situations last year, a figure that placed him in the 73rd percentile. That’s not bad, even though it was likely boosted an unquantifiable degree thanks to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick, Marreese Speights and even Ray Felton occupying the opposition’s attention in various ways.

This year, surrounded by G-League talent more nights than not, Rivers’ isolation numbers are even better. He’s averaging 1.05 points per possession (74th percentile) and is actually more efficient than established All-Stars like Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and DeMar DeRozan.

Some of this is because the career 35.5 percent three-point shooter has canned 40.7 percent of his outside attempts—including 42.7 percent of his 3.0 pull ups per game. And some of it’s because he never ever ever turns it over. But few players symbolize the “million dollar move, 10 cent finish” expression better than Rivers, who’s a master at breaking his man down off the dribble, entering a crowd of rim protectors, and lofting a prayer towards the basket.

Given that this is such an uncertain time for the Clippers, swapping Rivers out for a second-round pick and expiring money (he has a $12.6 million player option for next year) should be an objective for their front office. Maybe there’s a general manager out there who sees these numbers (particularly that impressive shooting) and wonders if Rivers can help his playoff team in a seven-game series.

8. Cleveland’s Juiciest Asset Is Not Really That Juicy

The Brooklyn Nets are, officially, no longer atrocious. Heading into Wednesday night’s action, they had a higher winning percentage than 10 teams despite not having their opening night backcourt starters for most of the season. They’re below average on both sides of the ball, but only three teams launch threes more frequently and only one owns a faster pace.

Brooklyn’s starting five—DeMarre Carroll, Spencer Dinwiddie, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Tyler Zeller, and Allen Crabbe—has obliterated opponents by 25.3 points per 100 possessions since Kenny Atkinson turned to it right before Thanksgiving, and adding Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and healthy D’Angelo Russell to the mix will only improve their depth and diversify their offensive options.

When teams start to really tank in March and April, the Nets will be busting their ass to win games and get better at everything they do. All this is bad news for the Cleveland Cavaliers. What was once their crown jewel for Kyrie Irving might now be Zach Collins (who’s actually playing pretty well, but that’s beside the point).

Does this mean Koby Altman should aggressively shop his best asset around the league? It’s probably still a little too early for that, considering their current rhythm and fact that they’ve yet to see what Isaiah Thomas looks like in their rotation. But the odds of that pick staying in Cleveland feel a lot lower today than they were a couple months ago.

The pick’s dropping value also changes what it’s worth. That means strapping a top-three protection to it and checking on Aaron Gordon’s availability is far more likely than getting someone like Paul George or DeMarcus Cousins. Realistic targets are now closer to the Harrison Barnes, Batum, or Rodney Hood mold (a lottery pick for any of those three is still a dramatic overpay, even though they’d help the Cavs match up better against the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets in the Finals).

A couple weeks ago, before the Memphis Grizzlies fired David Fizdale, I wrote that Cleveland should give up the Nets pick for Marc Gasol. I didn’t believe they ever would, but now it’s not so crazy! When you have LeBron James doing UNBELIEVABLE LeBron James things every night, holding back as a front office feels criminal.

What’s the worst that could happen? They lose in the Finals, he leaves, and they don’t have the 10th pick in the draft? How much better off would Cleveland be if they hold onto that pick, lose in the Finals and watch him leave? They were arguably the worst franchise in the league during the four seasons he spent in Miami. Dark days lie ahead no matter what. The best thing they can do is go all-in and capitalize on a historic season from an all-time icon. Trade the pick, Cleveland! Convince him to stay! You’re screwed if he leaves even if you have it!

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9. David Nwaba is a Good NBA Player

Every time I watch Nwaba he makes three to five effort-intensive plays that makes Chicago feel like a competitive team. He’s just so damn physical, a tenacious rebounder who defends, draws fouls, finishes around the rim, and never turns it over.The Bulls (yes, the Bulls) are outscoring opponents by 4.5 points per 100 possessions with Nwaba on the floor, performing like a 53-win team. He’s awesome, and aside from the fact that he doesn’t shoot threes and there won’t be a ton of money to go around this summer, one of the league’s 30 teams would be smart to offer present the restricted free agent with an offer sheet.

10. Finding Hope in Memphis

Almost exactly one year ago, Deyonta Davis tore the plantar fascia in his left foot, a devastating injury for any human being but particularly savage for someone who plays professional basketball and weighs 240 pounds. It essentially ended his rookie season.

In year two, as Marc Gasol’s primary backup thanks to Brandan Wright’s nagging groin injury, Davis is averaging 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. But in limited time he’s shown decent mobility on the defensive end and a feathery touch around the basket.

As someone who isn’t fast enough to scamper around the perimeter, Memphis has him drop defending almost every pick-and-roll. Here he is stepping up to force Abrines to pass to Jerami Grant, then sliding back and forcing a turnover.

Now, against an actual playmaker who knew how to string his dribble out a bit longer, this sequence would probably not have the same result. Davis struggles against bigs who can shoot, too, forcing the Grizzlies to late switch or surrender open threes.

But according to Cleaning the Glass, whenever he’s on the floor Memphis allows a ridiculous 11.3 fewer points per 100 possessions. (Opponents are also barely hitting threes when Davis is in the game, so, yeah, that’s kind of meaningful and has nothing to do with his defense.)

On the other end, he’s shooting 79 percent at the rim. That’s really good! And aside from the natural hiccup as he learns to read the floor, taking shots as a roller when he should hit the open man, there are examples of him identifying what he needs to do and executing immediately.

Before he even catches Ben McLemore’s pass out of Washington’s trap, Davis’ eyes are set on the opposite wing, initiating a sequence that leads to an open three and one of the most beautiful possessions Memphis has experienced all season.

He’s still a project, but one who only played 600 minutes in college and hardly saw the floor last season. Davis is shooting 72.7 percent whenever he rolls to the basket; the day Gasol leaves Memphis will be dark, but Davis is beginning to flash the talent of someone who deserves a chance to *attempt* to fill those humongous shoes.

The Outlet Pass: Charlotte’s Tailspin, Cavs Trade Targets, and NBA What-Ifs syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

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The Outlet Pass: Charlotte's Tailspin, Cavs Trade Targets, and NBA What-Ifs

1. Can Charlotte Turn Things Around?

The Charlotte Hornets are stuck in an injury-induced tailspin. They’ve dropped eight of their last 10 games, including two straight at home against the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. Their head coach is out with a health issue (get well soon, Steve Clifford) and they’re four games back of a playoff spot, with four teams—the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets—standing in their way.

At one point last week they went to their bench and I literally didn’t know the first names of two players on the court. Michael Carter-Williams is making Marcus Smart look like Glen Rice and Malik Monk is barely in the rotation while Donovan Mitchell (the next guard selected) is averaging 27.2 points per game in December.

Charlotte's starting five is fine when everybody’s healthy but they've only played Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Dwight Howard, and Jeremy Lamb together for seven minutes all season. Normally, they are stuck with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the floor, dragging the offense down. Just look at how disrespectful the Thunder are to MKG in the play below.

Kidd-Gilchrist isn’t fooling anyone from deep, but he’s now a modestly-reliable safety valve from 15 feet and in. The Hornets are rushing to execute a 2-for-1 on this particular sequence, but it’s still jarring to see an NBA starter find himself SO open and not come close to touching the ball.

Their primary Batum + Bench unit was doing pretty well before Cody Zeller had knee surgery, though, partially because Lamb was in it. When Dwayne Bacon replaces Kidd-Gilchrist in the starting lineup they destroy people.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the Hornets just not being very good when Walker isn’t in the game. According to Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte is 22.1 points per 100 possessions better with Walker on the floor. Even if Batum is the de-facto primary ball-handler, their offense is stagnant and averages less than one point per possession. That’s so bad, but everything goes to hell when they’re both out. (The starting five is okay, but not crushing opponents enough to justify heavy minutes together while the bench can’t fend for itself.)

In what almost felt like season-saving victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, interim head coach Stephen Silas stretched Walker and Lamb’s playing time into a 15.5-minute stint to open the second half. In his eyes, Charlotte’s bench was a Rob Zombie-directed blood bath. Slaughter would commence the second he switched up his backcourt.

Silas knew Charlotte needed that game. For extending his starters, he was rewarded with ridiculous, completely unsustainable shot making against a defense that sorely missed Andre Roberson (I think Alex Abrines just fouled another three-point shooter). But a win is a win is a win.

With their upcoming schedule providing zero seconds to exhale, the Hornets will either get healthy, tinker with the rotation and stop their ship from sinking, or face some difficult questions before the trade deadline. (‘Does anyone want the $76 million left on Batum’s contract? How about the $29 million owed to Marvin Williams?’ or, ‘Can we please for the love of God find a backup point guard?’)

Barring a significant transaction, next year’s roster will look about the same as this one, plus whoever they get in the draft. But whether or not this team views itself as a buyer or a seller is another relevant discussion. The Hornets have enough talent to make the playoffs and even win a few games once they get in (or even an entire series if they can somehow grab the sixth seed).

Rebuilding won’t be easy with this cap sheet, and Walker is smack dab in the middle of his prime. If Monk doesn’t make rapid progress from here on out, do they think about dealing him and/or their first-round pick in the 2018 draft for immediate help? Injuries stink and so does bad luck, but the Hornets aren’t as rudderless as they currently feel. We’ll know even more about the direction they should head as the next couple months unfold.

2. This Year’s NBA What-Ifs Are Pretty Great

This season has been filled with a handful of shocking developments. After a possible career-altering injury to their best all-around player, the Boston Celtics are very good. With their entire roster 100 percent healthy (relatively speaking), the Oklahoma City Thunder are not very good. The Indiana Pacers are good. The Miami Heat are bad. The Portland Trail Blazers are Stranger Things Season 3.

Based on reports and rumors from various points throughout the offseason, here’s a semi-educated look at how things might look today had a few key moves gone down a bit differently.

A. Carmelo Anthony is traded to the Portland Trail Blazers

For the sake of argument, let’s just say Portland gave up Evan Turner, Mo Harkless, and a future first-round pick. So, in all likelihood, the Blazers would start Melo at the three, Al-Farouq Aminu at the four, and Jusif Nurkic at center. That starting five looks offensively unstoppable on paper, but, like, so does Oklahoma City's. Make this trade and what happens to Portland's top-five defense? Are they still rebounding this well? Do they score at will or does Anthony further impede what’s been an unusually static offense?

Photo by Joseph Weiser-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to transforming into a gigantic whoopee cushion whenever he's around the basket—Melo’s days of getting to the free-throw line are, at 33 years old, understandably dunzo—his assist to usage ratio ranks in the ninth percentile at his position. Even though the percentage of his shots that are unassisted hasn’t been this low since he was with the Denver Nuggets (which feels 7,000 years ago), he still loves long twos and there are defiant insecurities related to how he’s approached the seasons' first couple months. His stubbornness has contributed to the league’s most glaring disappointment, and he’s shooting 37.6 percent from the floor over the Thunder's last 10 games.

Would things be different in Portland? Would Anthony play better off C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, next to role players who won’t clog the floor and know how to pass? The stakes would be pretty low; Portland would remain unable to circumvent its own flaws and triumphantly battle through a ruthless playoff bracket. But they might be incrementally better than they are now, guaranteed a spot in the postseason, with pleasant vibes carrying them forward.

The other key side effect, assuming every other move happens as it has, is that Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott would still be on the Thunder instead of enjoying Westbrook-free serenity in midtown Manhattan. How would Anthony being in Portland affect Paul George in Oklahoma? Besides more shot opportunities, it’s hard to say. Assuming Billy Donovan chose to stagger his two best players, George would have more time on units that’d call for him to be one of the dozen best players in the world. The team's defense might be even better than it already is.

Westbrook could also spend more time going Full Westbrook, even though Full Westbrook as we knew it last year might be a permanent thing of the past.

B. Gordon Hayward signs with the Miami Heat

Would Kyrie Irving express interest in re-signing with the Boston Celtics if Hayward chose a different team, or were Al Horford’s harmonious style, stable ownership, and Brad Stevens' genius already enough? If not, the Celtics would likely be in the middle of the Eastern Conference with Marcus Smart starting at point guard and Terry Rozier playing 30 minutes a night. They'd disintegrate when Horford hit the bench, and any long-term injury that'd keep him out would be fatal. Also, Jae Crowder would still be around, likely clogging a pipeline that's seen Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown flourish.

If Hayward is healthy, what does Miami’s roster look like? (WHERE IS KELLY OLYNYK?!?) Is Miami better than it is right now or would Hayward struggle within the cramped confines of a Hassan Whiteside-Justise Winslow frontcourt? Even if they didn’t want to re-sign James Johnson or Dion Waiters with Hayward in tow, the Heat might still turn to decreasingly unconventional means, perhaps permanently plopping the one-time All-Star at the four, and having guards like Goran Dragic and Wayne Ellington set ball screens for him 35 feet from the basket.

C. Paul George is traded to the Boston Celtics

Things have so far worked out fine in Boston, but let me crawl out on a limb and declare that this team would be really freaking good if they somehow had Paul George, healthy Hayward, Irving, and Horford on the same team. Sub George for Tatum right now and they’re (maybe but not definitely) a better regular-season team. Their ceiling elevates on both ends in the postseason.

The more important ripple effect here is with Westbrook and the Thunder. Does he sign his extension or demand a trade? What does professional basketball in Oklahoma City even look like? And where are the Indiana Pacers? They don’t have Victor Oladipo (a hipster’s MVP candidate if there ever was one) or Domantas Sabonis. Their optimism would instead spout from Tatum’s magical touch and any other assets Kevin Pritchard could pry from Danny Ainge.

Even though this exercise is purely hypothetical, I’m far too lazy to trace imaginary steps and figure out what Boston’s roster would actually look like, but if the Celtics’ starting five somehow had four All-Stars and Jaylen Brown, um, that team would probably go to the Finals.

3. So, Who Isn’t Shooting Threes?

The highly scientific requirements to answer this question are such: A) a player has to launch no more than one three per game, B) he must average at least 12 minutes, and C) he needs to have appeared in at least 20 games. Here are the 49 players who qualify.

If you hold those benchmarks up against last season (and raise the minimum number of games to 55) that number rises by 12 players. Five years ago that same list had 99 players on it. For those counting at home, with my admittedly arbitrary qualifiers, that means the number of players (who actually play) who don’t use the three-point line is about half what it was during LeBron James’ third season in Miami—hard evidence of a revolution that’s been identified in real time.

Photo by Shanna Lockwood - USA TODAY Sports

Let’s go back to this year’s group, which reads like an endangered species list. How many players on there are useful despite their inability/unwillingness to shoot threes? If we first look at total minutes played, Ben Simmons unsurprisingly ranks first and is a revelatory prospect who's simultaneously defying convention while meeting his expectations. From there we’re infested by a crap ton of traditional big men who impact the game in other areas. They rebound, protect the rim, and set screens. Some space the floor by diving through the paint. Some are still dangerous at the elbow, and can engineer decent offense with their vision and a mid-range jump shot. A very small handful do damage with their back to the basket.

The non-bigs here are exactly who you’d expect: T.J. McConnell, Kyle Anderson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Shaun Livingston, Tony Allen, Ish Smith, Kidd-Gilchrist, Dejounte Murray, etc. Omri Casspi is on there for some reason, too, somehow posting the highest True Shooting percentage of his career and the lowest three-point rate (The. Warriors. Are. Not. Fair.)

Over a third of everyone listed is at least 29 years old; five years from now this register will probably be half as long as it is today. This is foreseeable and a little depressing. The three-point shot is a game-changing roller-coaster, and when a collection of great shooters help frame the court in a way that broadens driving and passing lanes, the aesthetics can be breathtaking. (The. Warriors. Are. Not. Fair.)

I also just enjoy watching guys like Kidd-Gilchrist and Hollis-Jefferson—those who stand out with idiosyncratic limitations—but if you’re trying to win a championship right now it’s hard to justify their presence in your rotation. None of this is new, but stopping to think about what it means for basketball’s future every so often is necessary. I don’t want every team to play like the Rockets even though no team in the world is more entertaining.

4. Houston’s Angles are Ridiculous

Speaking of the Rockets, I’ve thought about this pass almost every day since it happened:

Like, what the hell? I have so many questions, starting with: In the moment: when did Chris Paul first believe that flinging a one-handed cross-court pass—directly parallel with the baseline—would actually work? Was it born from frustration or design?

As the shot clock ticks on, Tarik Black appears unsure of what he’s supposed to do. Paul directs him to set a down screen for Trevor Ariza, but Ariza instead jogs away in an attempt to drag his man to the weakside corner. Black then runs up to set a ball screen for Paul. There’s six freaking seconds on the clock and not even two dribbles into his assault Paul rifles the ball at an impossibly difficult and rare angle to create a wide-open three on the other side of the floor.

As the pick-and-roll unfolds, Thabo Sefolosha points for Royce O’Neale to stay in the paint and help defend what, in all likelihood, will either be a shot from Paul or Black. Does Paul see this and know it means Sefolosha is about to drop half a step toward the baseline to worry about Ariza in the corner? How is he so smart?!?

Paul and James Harden combine to average 19 assists per game. They’re second and third in the league in that category, respectively. But the Rockets only rank 12th in assist percentage and 29th in passes per game. They’re 28th in secondary assists and 13th in potential assists. That’s partly due to the fact that no team isolates more frequently than Houston. They maximize the space provided by their collection of human catapults and take advantage of the virtuous one-on-one skills possessed by their dual MVP candidates. (Not only do they isolate more than anybody else, no team is more efficient when attacking that way. This team is absurd.)

But Houston’s offense doesn’t peak when the ball is dribbled. Jaw-dropping, spontaneous passes made at angles very few players can even dream about allow the Rockets to generate efficient shots that catch defenses off balance. The surgical precision seen above is not attainable for most guards around the league, but it's basically second nature for Paul and Harden. Quick sidebar: Harden is probably going to win his first MVP this season, but not enough words can be written about Paul, who’s re-asserted himself as the second-best floor general in basketball and an automatic All-NBA member. Passes like that one help explain why.

5. J.J. Redick’s Game Isn’t Supposed to Expand, but it Has

At 33 years old, Redick is playing 33.5 minutes a night for a team that’s averaging 103.2 possessions per 48 minutes when he’s on the floor. Redick has never played this fast and his minutes have never been this high. As everyone fawns over Paul distancing himself from the formulaic style he enjoyed in L.A.,, Redick is experiencing the exact same thing in a role that doesn’t allow him to step on the gas whenever he wants.

Instead of seeing his responsibilities narrow, Redick’s doing more stuff in different ways. According to Synergy Sports, the percentage of all his jumpers that were off the dribble last season was 39 percent. Right now, that number is 47 percent, somewhat-expected uptick that's lowered his accuracy and can partially be attributed to greener teammates.

But heading into the season, without Paul for the first time in half a decade, I wasn’t sure Redick could do much beyond space the floor while Simmons ran high pick-and-rolls or Joel Embiid corralled entry passes on the block. Glue him to the corner and run him off a bunch of pindowns and Philly couldn’t be criticized for misunderstanding their marquee free agent acquisition. Instead, they’ve expanded his responsibilities in some very smart ways.

The ball feels like it’s in his hands far more than it was in Los Angeles. Instead of running through an endless maze of bodies, Redick's slicing defenses open with direct hand-offs and a bit more pick-and-roll action, all ultimately designed to turn the defense’s brain into toast.

Knowing the Lakers want to switch everything, Philly has Redick’s DHO turn into a staggered screen-and-roll. But Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t stop his pursuit—because Redick is that scary—momentarily putting two on the ball and allowing Redick to find Robert Covington wide open on the opposite wing. Kyle Kuzma switches off Amir Johnson in time to run Covington off the three-point line, but his off-balanced helps introduce the ball to the basket.

Whenever he sets a ball screen, two defenders are forced to communicate in an instant. Should they switch or fight through? Sometimes that question goes unanswered and both follow Redick. And sometimes the split-second hesitation is all a monster like Simmons needs to spark a match and pour gasoline all over the court.

Philadelphia is not good when Simmons and Embiid aren’t on the floor, but Redick stabilizes things as best he can, preventing bad from becoming apocalyptic. His assist rate in those minutes soars up to 25.8 (with a dependable 5.67 assist-to-turnover ratio) and his True Shooting is an uncanny 68.2. Covington is the only Sixer with a higher usage percentage.

All this is a pleasant surprise. I, personally, thought Redick was entering a different phase of his career after Joe Ingles crushed him in the playoffs. But in a new environment, as an elder statesman, Redick has shown that he's far more than a shooter, in a league that should be able to make good use of his talent for years to come.

6. C.J. Miles and The Babies

Since O.G. Anunonby cracked Toronto's starting lineup and Delon Wright dislocated his right shoulder (two events that basically happened at the same time, about a week before Thanksgiving), Raptors head coach Dwane Casey decided to hitch 30-year-old C.J. Miles to a bunch of children. Norm Powell (24 years old), Jakob Poeltl (22 and in need of a better nickname than "Austrian Hammer"), Fred VanVleet (23), and Pascal Siakam (23).

This is Toronto's second-most common five-man group over the past month, and they've been absolutely dreadful on both ends. But guess what? I don't care! Stubborn Casey is good sometimes. Yes, the Raptors should go back to a Lowry + Bench unit that makes opposing second units weep—swap Lowry in for Miles and that exact same supporting cast crushes everybody—but this makes me feel like Miles is a lovable babysitter that you can't, in good conscience, stay mad at.

Playing Miles at the three as opposed to the four doesn't make a ton of sense, but using him to space the floor for an inexperienced collection of players Toronto will need in the playoffs is fine enough for now.

7. Austin Rivers is an Isolation Genius...or Something

Thanks to a slew of notable injuries that have quickly transformed the perennial playoff-contending Los Angeles Clippers into the Los Angeles Clippers, Austin Rivers has been thrust into a role far greater than his ability can handle. But despite being an inefficient, borderline first-option with shaky shot selection, Rivers is also one of the league’s top one-on-one players.

Photo by Kim Klement - USA TODAY Sports

According to Synergy Sports, Rivers averaged 0.94 points per possession in isolation situations last year, a figure that placed him in the 73rd percentile. That’s not bad, even though it was likely boosted an unquantifiable degree thanks to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick, Marreese Speights and even Ray Felton occupying the opposition's attention in various ways.

This year, surrounded by G-League talent more nights than not, Rivers’ isolation numbers are even better. He’s averaging 1.05 points per possession (74th percentile) and is actually more efficient than established All-Stars like Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and DeMar DeRozan.

Some of this is because the career 35.5 percent three-point shooter has canned 40.7 percent of his outside attempts—including 42.7 percent of his 3.0 pull ups per game. And some of it’s because he never ever ever turns it over. But few players symbolize the “million dollar move, 10 cent finish” expression better than Rivers, who’s a master at breaking his man down off the dribble, entering a crowd of rim protectors, and lofting a prayer towards the basket.

Given that this is such an uncertain time for the Clippers, swapping Rivers out for a second-round pick and expiring money (he has a $12.6 million player option for next year) should be an objective for their front office. Maybe there's a general manager out there who sees these numbers (particularly that impressive shooting) and wonders if Rivers can help his playoff team in a seven-game series.

8. Cleveland’s Juiciest Asset Is Not Really That Juicy

The Brooklyn Nets are, officially, no longer atrocious. Heading into Wednesday night’s action, they had a higher winning percentage than 10 teams despite not having their opening night backcourt starters for most of the season. They’re below average on both sides of the ball, but only three teams launch threes more frequently and only one owns a faster pace.

Brooklyn’s starting five—DeMarre Carroll, Spencer Dinwiddie, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Tyler Zeller, and Allen Crabbe—has obliterated opponents by 25.3 points per 100 possessions since Kenny Atkinson turned to it right before Thanksgiving, and adding Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and healthy D’Angelo Russell to the mix will only improve their depth and diversify their offensive options.

When teams start to really tank in March and April, the Nets will be busting their ass to win games and get better at everything they do. All this is bad news for the Cleveland Cavaliers. What was once their crown jewel for Kyrie Irving might now be Zach Collins (who's actually playing pretty well, but that's beside the point).

Does this mean Koby Altman should aggressively shop his best asset around the league? It’s probably still a little too early for that, considering their current rhythm and fact that they’ve yet to see what Isaiah Thomas looks like in their rotation. But the odds of that pick staying in Cleveland feel a lot lower today than they were a couple months ago.

The pick’s dropping value also changes what it’s worth. That means strapping a top-three protection to it and checking on Aaron Gordon’s availability is far more likely than getting someone like Paul George or DeMarcus Cousins. Realistic targets are now closer to the Harrison Barnes, Batum, or Rodney Hood mold (a lottery pick for any of those three is still a dramatic overpay, even though they’d help the Cavs match up better against the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets in the Finals).

A couple weeks ago, before the Memphis Grizzlies fired David Fizdale, I wrote that Cleveland should give up the Nets pick for Marc Gasol. I didn’t believe they ever would, but now it’s not so crazy! When you have LeBron James doing UNBELIEVABLE LeBron James things every night, holding back as a front office feels criminal.

What’s the worst that could happen? They lose in the Finals, he leaves, and they don’t have the 10th pick in the draft? How much better off would Cleveland be if they hold onto that pick, lose in the Finals and watch him leave? They were arguably the worst franchise in the league during the four seasons he spent in Miami. Dark days lie ahead no matter what. The best thing they can do is go all-in and capitalize on a historic season from an all-time icon. Trade the pick, Cleveland! Convince him to stay! You're screwed if he leaves even if you have it!

9. David Nwaba is a Good NBA Player

Every time I watch Nwaba he makes three to five effort-intensive plays that makes Chicago feel like a competitive team. He’s just so damn physical, a tenacious rebounder who defends, draws fouls, finishes around the rim, and never turns it over.The Bulls (yes, the Bulls) are outscoring opponents by 4.5 points per 100 possessions with Nwaba on the floor, performing like a 53-win team. He’s awesome, and aside from the fact that he doesn’t shoot threes and there won't be a ton of money to go around this summer, one of the league’s 30 teams would be smart to offer present the restricted free agent with an offer sheet.

10. Finding Hope in Memphis

Almost exactly one year ago, Deyonta Davis tore the plantar fascia in his left foot, a devastating injury for any human being but particularly savage for someone who plays professional basketball and weighs 240 pounds. It essentially ended his rookie season.

In year two, as Marc Gasol’s primary backup thanks to Brandan Wright’s nagging groin injury, Davis is averaging 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. But in limited time he’s shown decent mobility on the defensive end and a feathery touch around the basket.

As someone who isn't fast enough to scamper around the perimeter, Memphis has him drop defending almost every pick-and-roll. Here he is stepping up to force Abrines to pass to Jerami Grant, then sliding back and forcing a turnover.

Now, against an actual playmaker who knew how to string his dribble out a bit longer, this sequence would probably not have the same result. Davis struggles against bigs who can shoot, too, forcing the Grizzlies to late switch or surrender open threes.

But according to Cleaning the Glass, whenever he's on the floor Memphis allows a ridiculous 11.3 fewer points per 100 possessions. (Opponents are also barely hitting threes when Davis is in the game, so, yeah, that's kind of meaningful and has nothing to do with his defense.)

On the other end, he's shooting 79 percent at the rim. That's really good! And aside from the natural hiccup as he learns to read the floor, taking shots as a roller when he should hit the open man, there are examples of him identifying what he needs to do and executing immediately.

Before he even catches Ben McLemore's pass out of Washington's trap, Davis' eyes are set on the opposite wing, initiating a sequence that leads to an open three and one of the most beautiful possessions Memphis has experienced all season.

He's still a project, but one who only played 600 minutes in college and hardly saw the floor last season. Davis is shooting 72.7 percent whenever he rolls to the basket; the day Gasol leaves Memphis will be dark, but Davis is beginning to flash the talent of someone who deserves a chance to *attempt* to fill those humongous shoes.

The Outlet Pass: Charlotte's Tailspin, Cavs Trade Targets, and NBA What-Ifs published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv