John Wilmes

Chicago

Contributor at Freelance

Bert Gets Hurt: https://t.co/VDFpQT7Vgh / previously: Jad's Dad Milo /// [email protected]

Articles

The Nuggets And Clippers At The End Of Certain History - RealGM Analysis

1 week ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

It was pretty weird of the Denver Nuggets to fire head coach Michael Malone, with just three games left in the regular season. I said as much, last week, when the basketball world was still processing the shocking decision. That digestion is still ongoing. But we have since seen a three-game winning streak from the Nuggets, featuring some of the most connected team defense they’ve had all season.
Denver Throws Dynamite At Their Demise

2 weeks ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

I don’t know Nikola Jokic, and neither do you. This is true for any NBA player, but It’s even more true with Jokic. The Denver Nuggets’ three-time MVP is notoriously media-avoidant, appearing in only two brief national commercial campaigns despite his elevated pedigree, and refusing roughly ninety-nine percent of non-mandatory interviews; once, he appeared on teammate Michael Porter Jr.’s podcast. There may be a few other optional public discussions he’s participated in, but none come to mind.
Pistons Up Bucks Down - RealGM Analysis

3 weeks ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

In December, the Milwaukee Bucks looked like a title contender. Maybe they weren’t at the upper crust of that NBA populace. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were clicking together like never before, though, and the team was taking on a more hard-nosed identity in their run to the NBA Cup title.
The New Bulls Charge

1 month ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

Only on occasion do the Chicago Bulls live up to their namesake. In the 2020s, they have rarely looked like a group of animals stampeding; their style has been more a veteran plodding, landing them near the middle of the league in pace, at best. But this season, though the season-long results haven’t been any better, the twenties have gotten to roaring in Chicago. The Bulls are third overall in possessions per game, and charge even more relentlessly since a trade deadline makeover.
What Of The 2025 Dark Horse Contenders - RealGM Analysis

1 month ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

“I think that who you are in the regular season, that’s who you are in the playoffs,” said Nikola Jokic over the weekend. He wasn’t saying this after a win; far from it. His Denver Nuggets had just lost to the bottom-dwelling Washington Wizards, at home, 126-123. The night before, Denver had just barely put in enough effort to beat a Los Angeles Lakers team missing four starters, 131-126.
The Thunder And Rockets A Prescription For NBA Depression - RealGM Analysis

1 month ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

If you follow the winds of discussion around the NBA, online and in mass media, you will experience very little of the game itself. Favored in this ecosystem are overexpressed impressions formed from highlights or—more often—purely from imperfect memories and irrational feelings. These utterances, the most animal of human communicative impulses, are very valuable in today’s eldritch, transitioning economy, tying itself to flimsy masts as the digital leviathan tramples over everything.
Disaster Capitalism At The NBA All Star Game

2 months ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

The NBA’s new format for the All-Star game could have been a success. Dividing the field of honorees into smaller teams who play quick games in a short tournament is a novel enough concept that, at first, it did seem to inject new competitive life into the evening. This felt especially true when Victor Wembanyama, there for the first time, terrorized the floor with his uniquely spacious capacities.
Why The Luka Trade Will Never Be Forgiven

2 months ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

I have already written twice about the Los Angeles Lakers’ trade for Luka Doncic. First about the trade signaling that the league’s new collective bargaining agreement has empowered owners and front offices after more than a decade of growing player power—then, about how the swap might play out on the court. The move is of a magnitude serious enough that writing about it once more feels warranted. In part three of three, the public’s reaction, and the concepts it stems from, will be considered.
Who Are The Lakers And Mavericks Now?

2 months ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

After trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers are—once again—one of their sport’s glitziest, most premier teams. On paper, Davis and Doncic have similar accomplishments: a few appearances in the top ten of MVP voting, perennial All-NBA and All-Star accolades, a number of deep playoff runs. Doncic has achieved these same things more quickly, however; he’s six years younger.
Who Are The Lakers And Mavericks Now - RealGM Analysis

2 months ago | basketball.realgm.com | John Wilmes

After trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers are—once again—one of their sport’s glitziest, most premier teams. On paper, Davis and Doncic have similar accomplishments: a few appearances in the top ten of MVP voting, perennial All-NBA and All-Star accolades, a number of deep playoff runs. Doncic has achieved these same things more quickly, however; he’s six years younger.