Michael Backus

9.1K posts

Michael Backus

@MikeJBackus

https://t.co/h8JIpL9cfp

Albuquerque, NM Sumali Eylül 2011

1.2K Sinusundan574 Mga Tagasunod

Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2h

@nathanmarzion I still don't see how the Bucks put a contending team around him. After this year, though don't control their picks until 2031; this team is not very good and they lack the resources to get a lot better. Hard to see how there's a better option than trading Giannis.

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Nathan Marzion@nathanmarzion·13h

He won't outright say this, but it's clear Giannis wants a lot of change (as he should). He wants a coach that won't make excuses, he wants a #2 guy, he wants a better style of play, and he wants better communication from the front office. Get serious again, and he'll stay here.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·6h

@TheDunkCentral Not sure I buy this; Bontemps poll came out a few days ago and he polls actual voters from a cross-section of the country and his poll had Kon getting 80 first place votes to Flagg's 20. Hard to believe a couple of late games in silly season would sway 60 voters.

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NBACentral@TheDunkCentral·1d

BREAKING: After dropping 45, Cooper Flagg is now favored to win NBA Rookie of the Year over his former teammate Kon Knueppel.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·6h

@NationMffl You can't forget that Flagg struggled the first half of the year and Kon was head and shoulders the best rookie in that period. Flagg is amazing, I'd take him over KK at this point, but Kon's had the more consistent season from beg to end.

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MFFL NATION@NationMffl·17h

PJ Washington on Cooper Flagg: “I just don’t understand why anyone else can be Rookie of the Year… He’s done everything. Especially at his age. The things he’s doing, it’s unbelievable… It’s two different ballparks… He’s 19, doing what he’s doing. Being the main guy is a lot harder than being a rotational player hitting corner shots or just hitting 3s. He’s initiating most of our offense. To be 19 doing that is unheard of.” (via nytimes.com/athletic/71750…)

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·6h

@jeff_on_sports That's fair. I don't mean to denigrate Flagg, but we also shouldn't forget the first half of his season was rough (tho from the start, his ability to get to the rim was amazing) & big scoring games playing for a tanking team where he's the 1st option doesn't carry as much weight.

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jeffonsports@jeff_on_sports·7h

@MikeJBackus I forgot the Lakers and Magic are actively tanking teams and not desperately vying for playoff seeding right now!

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jeffonsports@jeff_on_sports·1d

lmao people were saying cooper flagg wouldn’t go top 3 in 2026 and the kid is the same age as boozer, DP, and AJ rn putting up 45 and 51 in back to back NBA games

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·8h

@LukaDoncicStanD Look who he's lost to in the last three or four years and tell me he deserves it over Jokic twice, Embiid (scoring more than a point a minute that season) or Shai last year.

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Luka Doncic Last Stan(d)@LukaDoncicStanD·9h

Anyone else would have had 1 MVP at LEAST by now. Luka is one of the most disrespected athletes ever

HoodiDavis@HoodiDavis

Please don’t disrespect Luka Doncic ever again 😭

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·8h

@awfulannouncing Idiot god boy say what?

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Awful Announcing@awfulannouncing·11h

"I was saying years ago, I would love to see a white American superstar in the NBA…Cooper Flagg is a great white American player, and he is going to be a superstar. That's great to see, I think it's just good for the league" – Chris Broussard

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·8h

@MavsMuse Dude hasn't played a game that matters in all of 2026; I like his game, but you're giving way too much credit to big games in silly season where one third of the entire league is tanking, including Dallas.

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MavsMuse@MavsMuse·1d

One of the reason I love Cooper Flagg is he’s one of those players that turns it up to a whole different level when it’s necessary. The MOMENT the roty straw poll came out saying Kon was running away with it, Coop dropped 96 points in 48 hours and broke all kinds of records. That’s the kind of thing you only see from the Kobes and Jordans and LeBrons. He has that fire and drive, but also the skill to make it happen. We’re watching the future of basketball in a 19 year old kid right now.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·1d

@PerSources Tell yourself that boyo, I'm sure it will help your deluded sense of self importance.

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Per Sources@PerSources·2d

Every NBA media member that doesn't vote Nikola Jokić for MVP doesnt know anything about basketball.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@mikevwvo @hutchinson So because you have a blue mark and say the most idiotic bullshit possible we should take your ravings seriously. Go fuck yourself.

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Michael Vanwagenen@mikevwvo·2d

@hutchinson Remember, when looking at comments, who does or doesn't have a checkmark. It's not perfect, but most of the trolls and weirdos don't have a checkmark and are best ignored as being TDS/Elon haters/unserious/ignorant/ foreign or bots.

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Hutch@hutchinson·2d

Seriously what the fuck happened with Gen X why are they so Trumpy??

Polling USA@USA_Polling

Generic Ballot Polling Among Gen-X: 🔴 GOP: 45% 🔵 DEM: 41% Morning Consult / March 29, 2026

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@DocLanceP @HeatNationCom @BleacherReport You want Herro? Cool, take him.

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Lance 'Doc' Pearson 🅙@DocLanceP·2d

@HeatNationCom @BleacherReport smdh, give me a break. Any trade with Miami starts with either Bam or Herro.

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Heat Nation@HeatNationCom·2d

Trade idea from @BleacherReport... HEAT GET: Giannis Antetokounmpo BUCKS GET: Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 2030 1st-round pick, 2032 1st-round pick (top 3 protected)

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@LegendOfWinning Agree. Teams can usually fashion together a great defense even with weak links. Esp easier to hide small men on D. So for me, Jokic's defense is a much bigger problem than Shai's (and Shai is a totally functional defender on a great defensive team) bec we need 5s to rim protect.

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LegendOfWinning@LegendOfWinning·2d

I hate this argument so much… Not making an All-Defensive team does not mean that defense isn’t considered when determining how valuable a player is. It’s just that most players defense isn’t good enough to make up the offensive gap but Wemby, just like Giannis, is the exception

Onyx@OnyxOdds

"DeFeNsE MaTtErS FoR MVP"

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@zakfilm I guess but one film is terrible (Magnolia) and one is at best perplexing so... I agree, at one time, he was regularly cast in roles that require some acting. But that is long gone, he's basically a wind up action toy now.

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Zak@zakfilm·2d

People are too quick to forget that Tom Cruise is actually a great actor. In 1999, Magnolia and Eyes Wide Shut came out which displayed his tremendous range and vulnerability to the craft. Even his audacity with such unusual detail on the absurd. Both performances are some of the finest acting seen among PTA and Kubrick films. He made these roles his own.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@LegendOfWinning Well, the last Bontemps straw poll says it's not that close, 80 first place votes for Kon, 20 for Flagg. These are the same group who votes on the award, so I see no way Flagg ends up winning.

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LegendOfWinning@LegendOfWinning·2d

Kon has been consistent and available. His floor is so high that he is already a legit elite offensive weapon. But Cooper’s ceiling is far greater and shows flashes of already being a top 20 player, like last nights 51 points I’m still leaning towards Kon but this has been a great ROTY race

Kalshi Hoops@KalshiHoops

Rookie of the Year remains a VERY close race on Kalshi: 70% — Kon Knueppel 29% — Cooper Flagg What’s the greatest rookie season of the past decade?

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@Betsycashmoney In a sane world, LaVine would not opt in on the $49 million and the Kings would sign him to a more tradeable contract, say 3 years, 105 mil, with a team option on the 3rd year. Not sure ZL would take that, but it's a very tradeable contract.

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Betsey@Betsycashmoney·2d

@MikeJBackus Sure, but that's not terribly common. Typically (although not ALWAYS) the buy out is equal to the amount of his new deal-- and the new contract is usually in the ~$2-6M range It usually depends how badly the player wants out

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Betsey@Betsycashmoney·3d

For his sake, I genuinely hope they buy him out so we can at least see him play on ONE NON-TERRIBLE TEAM before he's old 😭😭😭

NBA Base@TheNBABase

Zach LaVine will reportedly OPT IN to his $49 million player option with the Sacramento Kings this summer, per @BrettSiegelNBA

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@MavsMuse Just wanted to add, I read BR's Kon page wrong, his TS is a truly amazing .644 (not .595 as I said), that's crazy for a rookie.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@MavsMuse Kon is shooting 43 percent from 3, Flagg 29. Kon's TS is .595, Flagg's is .550, well below league average. These numbers are not close. The award is not who would you rather have going forward, it's who had the better season. No way to figure that as anyone but Kon.

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MavsMuse@MavsMuse·3d

Cooper Flagg just made 6 three-pointers on 9 attempts. 67% from deep enroute to 51 points tonight. Kon Knueppel, the ROTY favorite due to his shooting efficiency, has NEVER had a more efficient game with 6+ threes. Wild.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@townbrad Kon's BPM is 3.3, Flagg's is 1.3, his TS is almost 100 points better than Flagg and Flagg has on the whole been a disappointment as a defender, no surprise for a 19 year old rookie, but we're comparing seasons.

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Brad Townsend@townbrad·2d

Notice that 7 of your 9 Knueppel bullet points are about 3-pointers. Yes, we know he’s a hell of a 3-point shooter, the best rookie deep threat since Curry and maybe the best ever. And?

rip mavs@martysmavs

Just not even close to correct and so many of coopers achievements being in the caveat of “teenager” is humorous like yea duh because not all great rookies happen to be “teenagers” like that’s not a thing to use for accolades.

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Michael Backus@MikeJBackus·2d

@THEEJoeMess @thenba_vault @PlayoffSports_ Bigs simply can affect a defense in a way guards can not, especially in today's game where it's relatively easy to switch off an elite defender. Rim protectors are more important today than they've ever been because of the space.

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