The All Bumble Team: Replacing the Ailing Nets

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1885 days ago

With news of Brooklyn Nets forward Taurean Prince testing positive for COVID-19, the already short-handed Nets will bring a decimated roster into Orlando which now includes veteran Jamal Crawford.

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, Wilson Chandler, Spencer Dinwiddie, and now Prince are all players that will not travel with the team to the Orlando bubble for one reason or another.

The dwindling of the Nets, in addition to Wizards players also dropping like flies (No John Wall, Davis Bertans, or Brad Beal), makes NBA fans wonder why they even included an extra team from the East.

While the teams not invited to the bubble have planned their own one which spawns nicknames such as “Bumble” and the “Delete Eight”, I have an idea that would make things much more inclusive and EXCITING.

What if Rui Hachimura’s Wizards or Caris LeVert’s Nets were replaced in the eighth spot with a different team entirely?

Let’s call it a squad comprised of the best players from bumble teams.

I can’t take full credit for this idea, as Sarah Sellers (@AnothrHipArtist) first brought up the idea on Twitter. So, here I am taking that jest and making it a (theoretical) reality.

Let’s dive into what this hypothetical, albeit awesome bumble team would look like:

Golden State Warriors

Players To Consider: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green

It’s pretty obvious Steph and Klay should be on this team if healthy. While Wiggins and Green aren’t anything super exciting and may not even start on this squad of Monstars, they are in the upper echelon of talent in this group of players.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Players To Consider: Karl Anthony-Towns, DeAngelo Russell

Isn’t this special? DLo gets to play with Steph again and Wiggins with KAT! Now in all (somewhat) seriousness, KAT is a top-five center in this league. He is easily the best remaining when you remove Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic from the equation. While DLo isn’t pushing Klay or Steph out of the starting lineup, you can’t deny his talent and he is likely to provide a strong scoring punch off the bench.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Players To Consider: Kevin Love, Andre Drummond

Again, assuming perfect health, Love is a no brainer here as a rebounding three-point marksman off the bench who will battle for the starting four spot (haven’t made it that far yet). Drummond is a dominant force down low and will provide solid minutes when KAT has to come to the bench. You could argue for Colin Sexton, but this team is gonna have a lot of star power in guards in which Sexton just doesn’t measure up to.

Atlanta Hawks

Players To Consider: Trae Young, John Collins

To me, this was an easy pick for both of these guys. Trae as a backup point guard is a dream. A guy who can get his shot from anywhere while looking to create for his teammates is huge, considering DLo has more of a scorer’s mindset. Collins is just a beast of a man that will swallow boards and catch the many lobs set up by the Curry/Klay combo. This is considering KAT will likely lurk around the three-point line.

Detroit Pistons

Players To Consider: Respectively, none

Blake Griffin deserves a mention and if it was a couple of years ago, he would absolutely make it. But for a guy who relies on athleticism as much as Blake does, I just like Collins (younger) and Love (better fit/shooter) as stronger options.

New York Knicks

Players To Consider: Mitchell Robinson

Robinson will be mainly a replacement player for KAT and Drummond but he gives you a lot of help at protecting the rim that the other guys just cannot claim. If the team is getting cut up on the inside, Mitch could be a nice deterrent down low.

Chicago Bulls

Players To Consider: Zach LaVine

LaVine will likely fill out the starting wing spot. This would give the starting lineup elite athleticism along with shooting from pretty much everywhere.

Charlotte Hornets

Players To Consider: Devonte Graham

Graham came into the season by storm, showing no fear in his shot selection and growing in his playmaking. Considering he was garnering Most Improved Player buzz, this is a great selection for a third point guard on the bumble team.