Bobblehead Nation 2019 Update

So it's been a couple of weeks since I posted my annual post letting all NBA fans (OK, so the 20 or so people who read this blog) know where to get the choicest bobbleheads around the NBA. When I published my Bobblehead Nation 2019 post back in October, I had just over half the NBA teams' promotional schedules and I hadn't even started checking out the G League quite yet. Three weeks or so later, I have done that (the G League part). Time for an update.

First of all, let me say that the G League bobblehead schedule this year is pretty amazing. For the past couple of years, we've seen NBA team bobbles be handed out to fans at the minor league levels on a pretty regular basis. Canton and Santa Cruz have been notable in their rigor in treating Charge and Warriors fans to Cavaliers and...well...Warriors big league bobbleheads. This year, there's plenty of that and I've listed everything I could find below. But there are also a number of bobbleheads available which are exclusive to the G League and that's pretty exciting I think. Looks like some road trips are in order for some die-hard bobblehead collectors. Let's get right to the supplemental list, shall we?

Oh..and there have been a few new NBA promo schedules released. Only one of those (Houston) features bobbleheads. For those fans in Dallas, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Utah...better luck next year. Each of those teams have released promotional schedules since my post last month and there ain't no bobbleheads on them, although the Pels' schedule is mysteriously incomplete in its stopping in December. No way are there four promo nights in November and December and nothing the rest of the season. There has to be a Zion bobble, right? RIGHT??

November

9 Sugar Skull (Windy City Bulls)

Last year my bobblehead update was posted in December. Because the Windy City Bulls are handing out a bobblehead on November 9 (or tomorrow), I've been forced to go early this year. The Bulls are handing out a pretty sweet (no pun intended) Sugar Skull bobblehead (shown above) for their season opener this year. This type of bobblehead is typically handed out in late October to coincide with dia de los muertos. Since the G League season doesn't open until November 8, the Bulls are going with better late than never here. I'd show up to the Sears Centre for this one. The Bulls do note the bobble is available while supplies last. Get there early. This is generally true for all G League giveaways.

18 Russell Westbrook (Houston Rockets)
One of the biggest offseason deals (top 3 after Anthony Davis and Kawhi/Paul George to LA?) has to be the Chris Paul and a like a half million draft picks to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook. I don't think Russ is winning a title in Houston; I also think the Rockets live to rue the day they made this trade. But if nothing else, Westbrook gets a bobblehead out of the deal.

29 Draymond Green San Francisco Edition (Santa Cruz Warriors)

The Warriors got bested by the Cavs in the bobblehead department at the NBA level this year. But they are still kings of the G League bobbles. Try six bobbleheads. That's more than they are giving out in San Francisco (remember there's no more Oakland...). Five of the six match giveaways scheduled at the brand new Chase Center. The last is a G League exclusive. First up? Draymond Green in the mysterious San Francisco Edition. If you miss this one six days earlier in San Fran, drive down to Santa Cruz.

December

13 Kevon Looney Stormtrooper (Santa Cruz Warriors)

Warriors bobblehead #2 in Santa Cruz, two days after the same giveaway in San Francisco. 

14 Austin Carr (Canton Charge)

This is the first of three Cleveland Cavaliers bobbleheads being handed out by the Charge this year. I'm assuming this is a duplicate of the Carr bobblehead given away in Cleveland two nights prior. First 1,500 fans only on this one, folks!

27 DeAndre Jordan Star Wars Night (Long Island Nets)

Brooklyn becomes the third NBA team to have a pile of parent club bobbles at the door of their G League franchise when they open up the arena on December 27. If you missed this one at Barclays on December 21, head out to this game six days later. The Brooklyn club doesn't have an image of this bobble on their website. The Long Island version does (above). First 1,000 fans only.

28 Whammer (Canton Charge)

Bobblehead night #2 in Canton is a repeat of the December 20 giveaway in Cleveland. First 1,500 fans here just like on December 14 in Canton.

January

4 Marvin the Martian and Gus T. Bull (Windy City Bulls)

Are you kidding me? I get that the Brooklyn Nets have co-opted about half the Marvel character list to tie in to their bobblehead promotions this year but Marvin the Martian? In the G League. I'm buying Windy City Bulls season tickets if I'm in the Chicago area. This thing is epic. Photo above. And remember...while supplies last.

6 Raptors Alumni Night (Raptors 905)

No promises here for a bobblehead but the Raptors' minor league franchise is hosting three Alumni Nights (on January 6, February 22 and March 11). All three nights advertise "special appearances, bobblehead giveaways and more." The focus here seems to be on Raptors players who have spent time in the G League. Pascal Siakam, maybe? Fred Van Vleet? Just my own guesses there. I don't see a promo schedule on the Raptors site right now. Could these be exclusive G League collectibles?

11 James Harden Space Bobble (Houston Rockets)
If it seems like every year I write this post, I'm writing about a James Harden bobblehead in Houston, you'd be correct. Seems like they are giving out these things more often than Harden travels in a game (not gets called for traveling, because that wouldn't be very often at all, but actually does travel). In the past five years, there have been four James Harden bobblehead nights in Houston. 2019-20 makes it five out of six. Apparently this one is space themed...cool!

18 Mark Price (Canton Charge)

Bobblehead night #3 in Canton matches the January 4 game in Cleveland. Just like the two prior bobblehead nights for the Charge, there are only 1,500 of these things available.

24 D'Angelo Russell (Santa Cruz Warriors)

Bobblehead night #3 in Santa Cruz is January 24 when the guy traded for Kevin Durant get his own plastic bobble likeness. 10 days earlier, he gets distributed at the Chase Center.

25 Gus T. Bull ASL Bobblehead (Windy City Bulls)

ASL is American Sign Language and this is the third not-available-at-the-parent-club-level bobblehead to be handed out by the Windy City Bulls. This is awesome that a bobblehead is actually addressing a cause of some sort rather than just spitting out an image of a player or mascot for the fans.

February

22 Alumni Night (Raptors 905)

See January 6 above.

28 Klay Thompson Headband Edition (Santa Cruz Warriors)

Well when I speculated about what this bobblehead would look like in my prior post, I was right. It is, in fact, Klay Thompson wearing a headband. And, yes, it's the same color as the one he wore when he dropped 52 on the Bulls.

29 Ben Wallace (Grand Rapids Drive)

No bobbleheads on the schedule for Pistons fans in Detroit but head west to Grand Rapids in late, late February (like, really late) and you can pick up a Ben Wallace bobblehead. Gotta think some Pistons fans are hopping in their cars for this one. I would.

March 

11 Alumni Night (Raptors 905) 

See January 6 above.

14 Stephen Curry Santa Cruz Warriors (Santa Cruz Warriors)

This is the only one of the six bobbleheads available this year in Santa Cruz that's exclusive to the G League. Surprise, surprise, it's Steph Curry. Presumably wearing a Santa Cruz jersey. If the Capital City Go-Go handed out a John Wall Go-Go jersey bobblehead I'd be there for sure. Of course, it's a bit further from San Francisco to Santa Cruz than it is from D.C. to another part of D.C. I'm seeing some Dubs faithful making this drive.

18 Stephen Curry Popcorn Edition (Santa Cruz Warriors)

The Steph in front of a giant tub of popcorn bobblehead that so befuddled me in my prior post shows up in Santa Cruz in mid-March. Go for it.

27 Dr. J as Black Panther (Long Island Nets)

The second Long Island Nets offering in the bobblehead department is the same as Brooklyn's giveaway three weeks prior. If the image above is true to life, I'm not sure how Dr. J is Black Panther. Maybe the real version is different? Looks like the Nets are making 2,000 of these available for G League fans. Get there early.

That's all I got bobblehead-wise until (a) the Thomas Bryant bobblehead gets released at Capital One Arena or (b) the Wizards by some miracle decide that there's another way Wiz fans get a different bobblehead this year (come on...there's got to be a Rui Hachimura bobblehead ticket package somehow). 

I'm still missing some lists from some NBA teams but there have been some bobblehead-less schedules published at the G-League level. Get ready to be disappointed some of you. Hoping for bobbleheads in Aguas Calientes (Clippers), Erie (Bayhawks but the Pelicans G League team), Greensboro (Hornets), Iowa (Wolves, short for Timberwolves), Salt Lake City (Stars which is way better than Utah Jazz) and Stockton (Kings).

Good luck NBA (and G League) bobblehead collectors!!!

Meet The Team 2019

The 2019-2020 Wizards season starts tomorrow. If I were in a different spot in my Wizards fandom, I'd be excited for the next six months or so. We have an exciting young team with a ton of future upside, with heavy heavy heavy emphasis on the word future. It could be a ton of fun to see what this group can do. I'm hoping this team makes some noise and keep me interested for the duration. To be clear, I'm expecting a lot of losing. I just think there's a chance it could be different. Ever optimistic, I know. I'm a fool. I'm a New York Jets fan too, remember.

For as long as I can remember (or about since 2003) the Wizards have hosted a Meet The Team party to introduce season ticket holders to the current players. This event has been mostly a chance to get some swag signed and to get a little free food, although some years the food was absent and the opportunity to get swag signed was pretty limited. And I say since 2003 because I believe this event was on hiatus during the Michael Jordan years as fans were experiencing "the Jordan effect", although I'm sure the Wiz meant something a bit different than the way it turned out.

This event used to be held over at MCI Center / Verizon Center (although once it was at the now-closed Newseum) but for the last ten or 12 years or so we've had to traipse out to Six Flags America in Bowie. Yes, I know my NoVA view of the world is showing in that statement but it's a long way to go, especially when it used to be held at night.

This year, the Wizards changed it up, so for the first time since 2013, I'm writing a few words about this opportunity to say hi to my favorite Wizards players (although not all of them).

The Venue

Whether it's a new change in management or just Ted Leonsis somehow being locked in a dispute with Dan Snyder (who owns Six Flags America), the party was not held out in Bowie and that was very, very welcome. The new venue? The National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

This is a win-win-win. First, the party is held in the same city that the team actually plays in. I get for non-Metro users this might have been more difficult to get to especially on a weeknight but this event belongs in the District. After all, it's the Washington Wizards, not the Maryland Wizards, we are buying into here.

Second, this is an important building. It's right on the National Mall but more importantly, there are pieces of our nation's history which need to be preserved and displayed so we don't ever go through something like this again. Yes, most of what's in the Museum is difficult to see and read and hear (go to the Emmett Till exhibit if you want to experience how cruel people can be to each other) but it's important we not forget. An opportunity for a somewhat private experience in this place is rare. I only regret we didn't have longer.

Finally, it's October and it's cold out at night. Being indoors is good.

The Event

By The Event here I mean the catering. The food (and beverage) choices here were way, way better than the hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, potato salad and lemonade you get out at Six Flags. Passed hors d'oeuvres? Yes, please!!! And especially the chicken croquettes! Mac and cheese station? Shawarma? Chicken and waffles? Yes, yes and yes!!!

The trays of chicken croquettes, mini-Cuban sandwiches and Caesar salad skewers were great. The self-serve food? Not so much. Doors opened at this thing at 6:30. Signings were supposed to start at 7:30. So an hour for some nosh, right? Not so much. The self-serve food stations were supposed to open at 7:15 so for the first 45 minutes of this shindig the catering staff did everything from shooing people away to putting themselves between hungry people and plates to keep them off of the food that wasn't toted about on trays. What a disaster!!! If they do this again, they have to change this up. Don't keep people from the food, folks!!!

Finally on this point (and most important)...free beer. You had me at free beer.

The Signings

I don't know if the food up on the ground level of the Museum distracted people but by the time we wandered downstairs for some signatures the lines were pretty short. And much to our surprise, signings were clearly going on before 7:30. I am pretty positive those two things are related.

I've stood in plenty of long lines to get Wizards jerseys, photos, cards and other items signed over the past two decades so not having to wait long to get John Wall to sign my jersey or Rui Hachimura or Troy Brown, Jr. to sign my Wizards first first round draft picks ball was very very welcome.

Just like they have done the past few years, the Wiz wristbanded some lines. Typically they have issued wristbands for John Wall and Bradley Beal and you can only get one or the other, meaning you need to bring one friend of some sort to get signatures from both. Last year, they did three for Wall, Beal and Dwight Howard. This year, they subbed Rui Hachimura for Howard, meaning you had to bring two friends (I don't have that many tickets any more) to get all the players. This practice sucks! This year, we went Wall and Hachimura. I know Wall's out all year (probably) but he's still my favorite player.

What Was Said

Maybe it was the less crowded lines or maybe it was the couple of beers (OK, three), but this year's event made it way easier to stop and talk to the players. Here's what I got out of my dialog with four of this year's team.

John Wall: I told John I was going to miss him out on the court this year. Simple response: "I know. I'm pissed." Just reaffirms John Wall being my favorite player.

Moe Wagner: Moe went to Michigan. So did I (Class of 1990). For this, I got a fist bump that I screwed up before getting a handshake. I let him know Michigan won a title when I was in school there and that the loss to Villanova killed me. Ish Smith (sitting next to Moe) burst out laughing. I'm sure I handled that wrong. 

C. J. Miles: Miles was sitting next to Isaiah Thomas signing swag. I asked C.J. if this was the Wizards killer section of the Museum. He claimed he wasn't a Wizards killer. He is. November 24, 2015. Verizon Center. 32 points as a member of the Indiana Pacers. Of course the Wiz D that night was awful. 

Isaiah Thomas: Three words here: "It wasn't me." If there was a chance at the greatest glory for the Wizards franchise since 1979, it was game seven in Boston two seasons ago (how quickly things fall apart for my teams...). Thomas killed the Wizards that season. When asked about it, he claimed no involvement. I remember differently. I also think the Celtics took advantage of Thomas' sacrifice and cut him loose. I let him know that and told him I hope he makes a ton of money in the future.

I'm glad the Wizards do this. We need more of these on weeknights downtown. I hope this season brings unexpected surprises. It all starts tomorrow in Dallas. By this time Sunday, the Wizards will already be three games in. Let's just hope we don't lose them all.

Bobblehead Nation 2019

The NBA season starts October 22 so that means it's pretty much time for some excellent bobblehead giveaways over the next seven months or so, right? Well it does if you are (a) in the right location where your local NBA team is actually handing out bobbleheads, (b) are willing to travel somewhere on bobblehead night or (c) know when to check eBay for the latest bobbles that someone's looking to make a couple of bucks on. Either way (or if it's something different) you need to read this annual post.

Over the last month or so, NBA teams have been putting their promotional schedules up on their websites and we've about reached a critical mass where there is enough information to actually write a meaningful post with multiple dates and multiple teams. And this year there are no preseason bobble giveaways (we see you, Golden State Warriors) so everything in this post this year is actually in the future. Very excited about that last part.

This year's schedule is packed full. It features bobbles from some usual reliable sources like the Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets but there are also some shockers on here. Every year I've been writing this post (this is year six), the San Antonio Spurs haven't published one promo schedule with a bobblehead. This year they have three on their calendar. Who'd have thunk it? For those of us Wizards fans, yeah we got the one and only one as usual. Keep reading way to the bottom of this post.

I'll give a spoiler alert and save folks in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles (at least Lakers fans, anyway) Memphis, Minnesota and Sacramento from having to read this whole post. There's nothing for you in this one. The schedule's out and there are no bobbles to be found. Although the Lakers do have two nights just labeled TBA so maybe there's some hope for you there.

Without further ado, here's this year's post.

October 

30 Stephen Curry Popcorn Edition (Golden State Warriors)

Over the last four seasons, the Golden State Warriors have, by my count, handed out six Stephen Curry bobbleheads at pre and regular season games. Yep, for those of you who can do math, that's right...two years in there they gave away two. So it seems right that we would see yet another one this year. The Dubs did not disappoint, not even making it out of October, without a Curry bobble. I gotta tell you though, they are kind of running out of ideas. After multiple regular Steph bobbles, one wearing a San Jose Sharks sweater and even an MVP edition, there's this year's offering which is Steph standing behind a giant thing of popcorn. I got nothing here.

By the way, the Trolley Car in the picture above? Preseason giveaway. You'll probably need to find one on eBay at this point.

November 

20 Lou Williams Underground GOAT (Los Angeles Clippers)

If there's a must have on this year's NBA bobblehead schedule, this (shown above) has to be it. Sweet Lou shooting a J with his three Sixth Man of the Year trophies sitting on a shelf behind him. Are you kidding me? I should find a way to get out to L.A. right before Thanksgiving.

22 Spider-Man (Brooklyn Nets)

Something good is going on in Brooklyn. In the last few years they have been extremely bobblehead focused. This year they enter Warriors territory and have five on the schedule. Good for them. And for Nets fans. As if it weren't great enough getting KD and Kyrie to go to Brooklyn, they also get five bobbleheads. Brooklyn, it seems, is taking a bit of an unorthodox approach to this whole thing. There's a lot of Marvel tie-ins. Either that or the Nets had way more cap space than I thought and managed to sign Spider-Man with the Mid-Level Exception or something.

25 Draymond Green San Francisco Edition (Golden State Warriors)
There's a storyline this offseason that the Warriors decided to tear it all down and rebuild for a year. Gone is Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala was traded and Shaun Livington retired. But they still have Steph Curry, an injured-but-soon-to-return Klay Thompson (just wait two days for the bobble on that one) and of course Draymond Green. Doesn't sound like any sort of rebuild to me. I'd love to see this team playing in Washington wearing the red, white and blue. Apparently the bobblehead version of Draymond Green this year is a San Francisco edition. Whatever that means. Show up November 25 to find out I guess.

27 Klay Thompson Headband Edition (Golden State Warriors) / DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs) 

While I have no ideas on the San Francisco Edition bobblehead on the Warriors' calendar, I'm pretty sure the Klay Thompson Headband Edition bobblehead is Klay Thompson wearing a headband. I could be off base on this one but I think I may actually have this right. I didn't remember Klay actually ever wearing a headband while he played. I found one picture: on ESPN on an article about him dropping an NBA record 14 threes in a game en route to scoring 52 against the Bulls. Maybe there's something there.

On the same day, the NBA stunner of bobblehead announcements kicks off with a DeMar DeRozan bobblehead in San Antonio. Who knows...maybe they give away bobbles in San Antonio every year and I just miss it but for me right now this is huge. Maybe it's because the Spurs' stock is dropping slightly? Who knows? If I'm a Spurs fan, I'm circling this and two other dates on my calendar a can't miss games.

December

3 Austin Carr (Cleveland Cavaliers)

I can't stand the Cleveland Cavaliers. I don't like what they did to the Wizards in three straight playoffs, I resent the fact that the NBA kept handing them number one overall pics, and I really really detest their owner. But, man, do they hand out some bobbleheads. Six this season. SIX!!!! 

It's the Cavs' 50th anniversary and they are pulling out all the stops bobble-wise. They are releasing bobbleheads as voted by the fans representing each era (as defined solely by the team itself - I'm debating attaching the name "era" to some of these) in team history. Austin Carr (ANOTHER first overall pick by the Cavs) starts the party off on December 3 representing what the Cavs are calling "The Early Years Era". Seems like they could have omitted the "era" from that one.

6 Giannis Antetokounmpo MVP (Milwaukee Bucks)
The Milwaukee Bucks haven't had a league MVP since 1974 (Kareem; he won three in Milwaukee if you must know) so it seems natural that they'd celebrate by casting Giannis in resin along with a pretty detailed MVP trophy. If the actual item looks like the picture (see cover photo of this post), this one's going to be worth showing up for,

11 Kevon Looney Stormtrooper Edition (Golden State Warriors)

In recent years, the Warriors have been a bobblehead collector's dream, not just for handing out plastic likenesses of their All-Stars but for celebrating success in bobblehead form deep into their rotation. This year is no exception as December 11 sees breakout star in the making Kevon Looney get his very own likeness in bobblehead form. It's the fourth of five total bobbles being handed out in San Francisco (remember they moved...) this year. Stormtrooper Edition too. Thinking Star Wars there.

20 Whammer (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Two and a half weeks after handing out bobblehead number one, the Cavs are back on the schedule with a Whammer bobblehead. Yeah, I had to look it up too. Apparently he's a polar bear who was the Cavaliers' mascot back in the day. Who knew? Whammer represents the "Gund Arena Era" in the Cavaliers 50th anniversary celebration. He's got to be wearing one of those top 10 worst unis in NBA history that they wore back in the day, right?

21 DeAndre Jordan Star Wars Night (Brooklyn Nets)
Somehow the Nets have managed some Marvel and Star Wars tie-ins this year. I hope they got a package deal from Disney. Bobblehead #2 in Brooklyn drops just before Christmas (these things make great presents, folks!) and one day after the ninth and final Star Wars movies. They get closer than Golden State did to the actual date but somehow I still feel they should have been out in front of this a bit.

22 Bango Snow Globe (Milwaukee Bucks)
I love mascots bobbleheads. Heck, I love anything associated with mascots at all. But a mascot bobblehead that's also a snow globe? Oh! My! God! And it's Bango too, who topped out at number four on my mascot rank (back when I used to do such stuff in the summers) before Hugo's return in Charlotte knocked him down to the five spot. Bango Snow Globe bobblehead? I'm there. Not really, though, since I'd have to go to Milwaukee right before Christmas. Nothing against Milwaukee (in fact, lots FOR Milwaukee). Just not going right before the holidays.

23 Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns)
Only in a world occupied by Kelly Oubre, Jr. can there be a bobblehead series called the Valley Boyz Bobblehead Series. Unfortunately for Wizards fans, that world is no longer Washington, D.C. Fortunately for Suns fans, Kelly is now re-signed in Phoenix and bobblehead fanatics in Arizona are the beneficiaries. Deandre Ayton is up first in this trilogy. That's two years in a row with an Ayton bobblehead. There's got to be something in Phoenix to make up for all that losing.

31 Terry Rozier Star Wars (Charlotte Hornets)
Michael Jordan may not like spending money on free agents, but he sure does love handing out bobbleheads. There are four on the calendar in Charlotte this year, starting with the third (and so far to my knowledge, last) Star Wars themed bobblehead this season. Freshly acquired point guard Terry Rozier gets things kicked off in the Queen City.

January

4 Mark Price (Cleveland Cavaliers)

The Cavs celebrate the "Richfield Coliseum Era" (the third questionable "era" celebrated so far in Cleveland) just after the turn of the new year. I'd definitely show up for a Mark Price bobble, who I assume will be wearing the Cavaliers blue jersey with the orange CAVS logo where the V is a basket. But...since I don't live in Cleveland and they aren't playing the Wizards, I'll be passing.

14 D'Angelo Russell (Golden State Warriors)

Mid-January ends the Dubs' bobblehead run for the 2019-2020 season with their newest All-Star in cast resin, D'Angelo Russell. They swapped Russell for Kevin Durant in the offseason from the Brooklyn Nets (where Russell was an All-Star). There are more plenty more goodies later in the season for Warriors fans but not in the bobblehead department. Have to wait until next year for another five or half-dozen or so.

18 Spencer Dinwiddie as Iron Man (Brooklyn Nets)
Marvel bobblehead #2 in the NBA is available for the taking (or the picking up) at Barclays Center in mid-January two days before the annual Dr. Martin Luther King holiday. After Spider-Man in November, you get Spencer Dinwiddie as Iron Man after the new year. What exactly is this going to look like? I assume he's not fully helmeted, right? Otherwise, it's just an Iron Man bobblehead, right? I should note this one is not on the Nets' promo schedule page on their website but was part of their Instagram promo night announcement. Trusting Insta is right here.

19 Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs)
Bobblefest in San Antonio contines in late January with Patty Mills in bobblehead form. I'm telling you, if I'm in San Antonio, I'm not missing this stuff. I love that the Spurs are doing one of Mills, who is super valuable but will likely never get to All-Star game level. Wish the Wiz could honor more steady players like the Spurs.

31 Notorious B.I.G. (Brooklyn Nets)
I don't know what to say about this one. Bravo, Nets! This has nothing to do with hoops and it doesn't matter at all. Awesome!

February 

5 Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers)
This summer the Clips pulled off the biggest splash signings and trades of the summer, signing Kawhi Leonard on the open market and trading about a million draft picks to Oklahoma City in exchange for Paul George. Now they gotta win. The Clips have never even been to the conference finals before. Seems like this year might be the year. This is the second and final Clippers bobblehead of the year. So in other words, no Kawhi. I would bet that Kawhi has a clause in his contract that the Clips NOT make a bobblehead of him. Note this is not on the giveaway schedule on the Clippers' website but it was in the press release regarding the promotional schedule. I'm counting on the press release being right.

7 Kelly Oubre, Jr. (Phoenix Suns)
I have never ever ever bought a bobblehead off eBay or some other website. I'd consider breaking that fast for this Kelly Oubre bobble. Yes, I know, I've already got one in a Wizards jersey. I'm still bitter about that stupid trade last year.

22 Miles Bridges (Charlotte Hornets)
Miles Bridges got 25 starts and averaged 7.5 points per game as a rookie in Charlotte. With the Hornets being essentially completely irrelevant this year, he gets his first team-issued bobblehead. Good luck with all that.

28 Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
Bobblehead number three in the Valley Boyz Bobblehead Series is Devin Booker. Makes sense to me. Booker's been the only bright spot on the directionless Suns team the last few years. Can't wait to see what this set looks like together.

29 Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Apparently the Gund Arena Era was so awesome in Cleveland that they are handing out two bobbleheads representing those 11 or so years, including one of former Washington Wizard Zydrunas Ilgauskas on February 29. I'm making fun of the Cavs' "eras" a lot here I realize but it's probably deserved. The Cavs still play in Gund Arena to this day, it's just that owner Dan Gilbert has re-named the place after his Quicken Loans and now Rocket Mortgages businesses.

March

1 "Dwayne" Bacon (Charlotte Hornets)
OK so honestly, I'd never even heard of Dwayne Bacon but apparently he's entering his third season with the Hornets. Maybe I'm completely out of touch with non-superstars in the NBA and if that's the case, I'm OK with that. Charlotte (for lack of a better choice) is riding a youth movement this year and I guess someone feels Bacon is a rotation guy. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the Hornets issued a schedule with Bacon's first name in quotes. From everything I can tell, his first name is actually Dwayne. I'm matching the Hornets website however.

4 Daniel "Booby" Gibson (Cleveland Cavaliers)

When I first started researching this post this date was pencilled in as a fan-voted bobblehead representing the New Wine and Gold Era in Cleveland. Apparently between the time I first saw the promotional schedule and the time I wrote this post, the fans voted for a Booby bobble. There wasn't much competition here. Some of the alternates were Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and Ira Newble. I mean, really? Ira Newble? I would have voted for Larry Hughes. LeBron was NOT on the ballot.

6 Dr. J as Black Panther (Brooklyn Nets) / Benny the Bull x Hebru Brantley (Chicago Bulls)
The Nets are the best. At least in the bobblehead department this year. I can't wait to see this one. How's Doc's afro gong to fit in here. Makes me jealous of Brooklyn fans. Almost. This is the last one in Brooklyn this season. What a run!

Over in Chicago on the exact same day, the Bulls are handing out a Benny the Bull bobblehead for at least the third consecutive year (last year's is shown above). This is also the only bobble handed out in Chicago this year which is quite the indictment of the Bulls' roster although if it were me, I'd be all over the Satoransky bobblehead. I'll confess, I had to look up what or who Hebru Brantley was or is (showing my age, I get it...). He's apparently a Chicago hip-hop artist. After the Lou Williams Underground GOAT bobble, I'd circle this as the most intriguing of the year.

7 Mystery (Charlotte Hornets)
Not much to say here. Watch this space I guess. Awesome that the Hornets are going four deep in the bobblehead department this year.

22 Rudy Gay (San Antonio Spurs)
If I'm a Spurs fan, I'm a bit puzzled here. I mean I know Rudy's been a solid contributor the last couple of years but he gets a bobble over LaMarcus Aldridge? Or even Dejounte Murray? Still, they are getting three bobbles this year. Don't be picky. I wouldn't be.

30 Fan-Voted Championship Era & Beyond (Cleveland Cavaliers)

The sixth and final bobblehead to be handed out in Cleveland this season will be determined by fan vote starting November 4 and ending a week later. It's gotta be LeBron, doesn't it? Two reasons why it might not be: (1) Cavs fans still hate LeBron and vote for Kevin Love or J.R. Smith or someone like that just to spite him or (2) owner Dan Gilbert doesn't even put him on the ballot. Number 1 is unlikely; number 2 is very likely and Gilbert also omits Kyrie from the ballot too.

April

15 Thomas Bryant (Washington Wizards)

If I'm a Wizards fan (and I am) I've been sitting around the entire NBA season to finally get a bobblehead handed out to me and my fellow fans at the doors of Capital One Arena. On the VERY LAST day of the regular season, we finally get one. And it's not (thank God) a Bradley Beal or John Wall default bobblehead. This year's offering is breakout star (from last year) Thomas Bryant who went from the waiver wire to a three year, $25 million contract in one year. I'm honestly a little surprised Rui Hachimura didn't make it here but lately it seems that rookies get about as much consideration for a bobblehead giveaway in Washington as they get in Scott Brooks' rotation.

As usual with this post, this list may not be comprehensive. As of the writing of this post, I'm missing schedules from Boston (no surprise there), Indiana, Miami, New York (also no surprise), Orlando, Philadelphia and Toronto in the East and Dallas, Denver, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Portland and Utah in the West. Seems to me that Toronto (to celebrate their 2019 Championship) and Portland (50th season) would want to do something bobble-wise to celebrate this season. I'm also shocked that the Rockets haven't released a schedule; they are usually one of the first to chime in. Maybe there's a second post in the wings in the next month or so.

There are some other interesting non-bobble giveaways out there. Golden State is handing out some All-Star Voting Nesting Dolls and a Stephen Curry Action Figure. The Bulls are also getting into the nesting doll game with a Benny the Bull Nesting Dolls giveaway. If gnomes are your thing, both Milwaukee (Giannis Antetokounmpo) and the Brooklyn Nets (Jarrett Allen) have gnome handouts this year. 

The last thing I'll point out is that this year, there are only two days where multiple  bobblehead giveaways are scheduled on the exact same day. So theoretically, you could get them all in person (except two) given enough time and money. Happy bobble hunting, NBA fans!!!

Is That It?

From 2012 when I started this blog until two years ago, I wrote and published a post each fall called Free Stuff! That annual post was a preview of the Wizards promotional schedule and my writing of that column was generally accompanied by a circling of key dates when good stuff would be available at the doors of MCI Center / Verizon Center for me to add to my Wizards shelves at home. Lunch boxes, nesting dolls, action figures, stuffed G-Wizes and the top of the top giveaways: bobbleheads.

Last year I wrote about the Wizards promotional schedule but I didn't call it Free Stuff! becasue there was barely any stuff on it. I thought maybe this year (and I'm pinning this all on the fact that Ernie Grunfeld is gone for some reason) would be different. Maybe this would be the year when the Wizards would put out an honest to goodness promotional schedule.

It's not. 

This year's promotional schedule is:

• October 30: Schedule Magnet.
• December 18: Rep The District T-Shirt.
• April 15: Thomas Bryant Bobblehead.

That's it. Three nights. A schedule magnet, a t-shirt (that will surely be XL only and thus completely unwearable) and a bobblehead. Pathetic. There are teams out there giving away more bobbleheads than the Wizards are giving away things. This is awful.

Now being a Wizards fan, I have to see the bright side in getting disappointed year after year after year so I'll say two things here. First, I'm thankful the bobblehead isn't Bradley Beal or John Wall since those two seem to be the Wizards' default positions for the annual bobblehead. Second, last year the Wizards had three items on their promo schedule and added a pair of socks later on. Maybe there's hope for a fourth item. Probably a poster.

I'm disappointed. But then again, that's nothing new for me as a Wizards fan. I did circle April 15 on my calendar (or more accurately I took that game's tickets off the Ticketmaster resale site) and I will be showing up that night. 

The picture at the top of this post is the picture used by the Wiz in their announcement. Why? There's nothing Bradley Beal related or Rui Hachimura related about this announcement.

That's all I got here. Out.

The Finals

It's 2019 and the Washington Mystics are in the WNBA Finals. Just like last year. Two years in a row. This year behind a WNBA best offensive team in the history of the league with a superstar who just became the first WNBA player to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc and 90% from the free throw line. They are clearly the best basketball team of any sort here in the Washington, D.C. area.

Game one of the Finals tipped off yesterday, a game that the Mystics came out and won on their home floor just like they should. One down, two more to go until the franchise's first WNBA championship. Yes, it looked like a comfortable victory at the end of the first, second and third quarters for the home squad until a series of offensively futile possessions in the fourth allowed the opposing Connecticut Sun to catch up to within six.

So often in basketball games the team that makes a furious push to erase a pretty big deficit eventually runs out of steam and it happened to the Sun the moment Ariel Atkins hit a big three pointer from the corner and it just broke them. From there the Mystics cruised to victory. One - zero.

What a difference a year makes. 

Last year the Mystics were the clear underdog in the Finals, coming in to the playoffs as the three seed and going through Atlanta in five games to get to the Seattle Storm, the best in the league with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird leading the way for that team while Elena Delle Donne played nursing a bone bruise she suffered in the Atlanta series. It showed. The Mystics got swept 3-0.

They also spent the postseason as nomads, being bounced from Capital One Arena in favor of a construction crew working to give the place a makeover. They played their series against Atlanta on the campus of George Washington University in the West End but then were forced all the way out to Fairfax on the campus of George Mason University. Home court advantage? Not really. We went to that one Finals game there last year and almost didn't make it on time. The traffic was horrendous. That campus is not built to accommodate any sort of traffic surge. 

This year the Mystics own the number one seed in the playoffs, sporting the league's best record overall and the only winning road record in the league. They might have gotten a little lucky. Minnesota's Maya Moore sat out the season and Breanna Stewart was out the entire season with an injury. Then again,  the Mystics are really good. 

They are also no longer nomads. Instead of bouncing between co-opted arenas this year they are playing in their home building, the brand new and oh so unimaginatively named Entertainment and Sports Arena in southeast D.C. The building is the home court of both the Mystics and Wizards' G-League franchise Capital City Go-Go as well as the Wizards main practice facility. It moved the Mystics out of the 20,000 or so seat Capital One Arena and into more intimate surroundings with a seating capacity of just a bit more then 4,000. 

Yesterday's Finals game was my first Mystics game of the season. I could offer a myriad of excuses for not going earlier than that but I won't. I just didn't make it happen and I'm fortunate that I saw the team win in a Finals game this year vs. losing in their only shot last year. It was also my first trip over to ESA.

Did I already say what a difference a year makes?

ESA is a little closer to get to than EagleBank Arena at GMU but the travel time was remarkably different. There was basically no traffic to get out to SE once you got around the Nationals afternoon traffic and the parking lot was super easy to find. 

The arena being rightsized for the crowd is also a huge plus. Watching the Mystics play at Capital One in a half or more empty arena (they only ever sold lower bowl tickets) was depressing. That building is not built to be rocking at 1/5 or less of its capacity. No matter how many people were there the place always looked empty. We even got moved from our end seats to second row on the side facing the television cameras once so the place would look more full on TV. The gym (because that's really what it is) was almost fully occupied on Sunday. I could see a few seats in the upper rows that were empty but the game was played in front of a full house.

This place is bare bones but it works. There's nothing fancy about the building on the outside or the inside. Sure the corridors are a little packed and the triangular space in the corner of the building that's been turned into a merch center is super small but it works. The only disappointment for me was the railing on the stairs actually blocking my view of the court. It got worse when people got to the top of the stairs and stopped to figure out where their seats are (why is this so hard) and blocked basically the whole lane area. It was worse if it was a mascot in the way.

But the biggest difference is on the court. This team is talented and this team is deep. I guess it helps when a former league MVP forces a trade to your team but while Elena Delle Donne is clearly the best player on the team / in the league it's way more than that. 

Three years ago Emma Meessemann was the best player on the Mystics. She opted to sit out last season (the life of a WNBA player often involves playing a full season in Europe in addition to international competition in the WNBA offseason) to rest. Now at the age of 26 she's in her prime and coming off the bench. She can easily go for 20 plus in a game. Off the bench. There's some luck in building this team but there's also some solid drafting and team building.

Two more games. That's all this team needs to bring the first professional basketball franchise to Washington since 1978. If you told me I would have to hold season tickets for 20 seasons to see a basketball championship in this season I'd have taken it. Of course, I have season tickets for the wrong team. I hope this team does it. They and the city deserve it. I won't likely be at any more Finals games this year but I'm glad I got one in. Let's go Mystics!

The 2019-2020 NBA Schedule

The Wizards schedule for the upcoming season was released this past Monday. I know, I know, it's Wednesday already. A late-ish night at work putting a proposal or two together and then a night out at Wolf Trap with the Stray Cats delayed my posting this by a couple of days. Wrote most of it Monday; just had to find some pics to go with the words.

This season promises to be pretty darn grim for the Wizards die-hard faithful but I've written this post every year but the first that I've been writing this blog and so I'm doing it again. Here are my lucky seven takeaways from the annual schedule release. 

But first...what is with this graphic the Wiz have rolled out this year? All-Star Bradley Beal and this year's number one draft pic Rui Hachimura make a ton of sense on the schedule. But what's with Troy Brown Jr. in street clothes and a backpack? Don't get it. Must be getting old. Let's get to my seven things.

1. Rough Start

So this year's already going to be rough enough with no John Wall likely for the whole year, the team trading away or just letting veteran talent walk and no cap space whatsoever to restock the larder. On top of all that, the league has to start this traditionally slow-starting team with three road games in four nights against Dallas, Oklahoma City and San Antonio? Looks like an 0-3 start to me to point this team in a great direction to start the season. I guess the good thing is if they manage to steal a game, the trip is a success.

Think things get easier once we open at home? Umm...no. The season opener is against James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets (God that Westbrook part sounds odd). I'm thinking 0-4 here.

2. Sell High

I have paid entirely too much money for Wizards tickets over the past few years. This year I deleted a couple of generally worthless upper deck seats from my account but I'm still in for north of $8K with no help this year (thanks, Mike!). Looks like I'll be looking to sell what I can when I can, which means I'll likely be absent from the marquee games this year. Again.

So what are those? I'm thinking the Lakers, Golden State, the Clippers, New Orleans and Houston in that order. We get lucky with three of those five after football season is over (always a better time to sell) and got a gift with the Lakers game on a Saturday in March. No Eastern Conference games on the list? I'm thinking no. It's going to be another down year for the East now that the spectacularly successful Kawhi rental in Toronto is over. We didn't even get any resale value out of that one since amazingly Kawhi was still under most fans' radar last regular season.

Maybe Milwaukee provides some value.

3. No TV Love

By my count, the Wizards are on national television twice this year. Twice!!! And once is in November against Cleveland. I mean who's going to tune into that game unless ESPN gets guest broadcaster Steve Buckhantz to sit in on the play-by-play mike. It will probably just get cancelled. 

I get that the Wiz aren't a draw this year. Or maybe really any year the way some other teams are. But two games on national TV??? I mean we do still have one All-Star active. They can't get us one or two more slots? One of the two is an NBA TV game, which doesn't really count since it's just a broadcast of one of the two teams' live feeds. No respect! Not saying this team has earned any. Just no respect anyway.

4. MLK Day!

The Wizards have enjoyed a pretty nice run of consecutive years on the annual NBA Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. These things used to get interrupted by presidential inaugurations but it turns out it's really just by popular presidential inaugurations. As a result of the lack of conflict with the sparse Trump 2017 showing, this is the Wizards seventh consecutive MLK Day hosting a home game. Despite the seriousness of this day, this game is always welcome no matter how bad a season this Wizards are having. Here's hoping this one is just as meaningful as the rest. January 20 vs. Detroit in case you want to mark your calendar.

5. Big 3

No, this isn't a reference to the league started by Ice Cube that continues to spurn D.C. (the league - probably legitimately - claims Cap One is significantly more expensive than other venues) but I just had to get that in there.

Every year the schedule allows the Wizards to play each Western Conference opponent home and away and twice that amount for Southeast Division rivals. The rest of the schedule is filled with four games against six of the remaining 10 teams and just three against the other four. Getting three games against the right teams can get you an easier 5% of the schedule but get the wrong teams missing at home and it can cost you a couple of bucks on the re-sale market. 

This year's three game teams? Toronto, Brooklyn, Indiana and Cleveland. Three playoff teams (including the champs...sort of) is not a bad draw to get. Of course, the Wizards will be so bad this year that none of that will matter anyway. Just one home game against the Raps and Pacers this year. Not too broken up about that since Kawhi's not up north any more. No resale impact there for me.

NBA apparel in Rotorua, New Zealand. No Wizards stuff. Shocker!!!

6. Vacation Time!

Last year I went on vacation in early March figuring the Wizards would be on the road. They weren't. I missed six home games and in the process squandered more than $1,000 in loss via the resale market. This year, I'll be smarter. It's been a few years since I've worried about making sure I'm in town for Wizards games but this season I feel like I have to get to these un-sellable games rather than skipping town.

March is a great time to get out of D.C. Maybe the weekend of the 14th or 28th. Yes, I know there's a home game on the 28th but come on, it's the Lakers. No way am I giving up that resale opportunity.

7. Road Trip?

I believe I've left Washington and seen some hoops on the road each year I've been writing this blog so it would be a shame to not do that this year. But honestly, I want to go somewhere I haven't seen a ball game yet and the more places I go, the fewer there are left on the list.

This year's possibilities for uncharted territory? Considering I'm looking ideally for a Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon game, it looks like I'm stuck choosing between San Antonio in late October (out of town the next weekend so not good) and at Charlotte on April 11. I'd love to go to Charlotte for a game but honestly, this Wizards team will have probably crushed all my spirit by that time. If I open it up to Friday nights, then I can consider Oklahoma City in game two of the season (carries the same problem as San Antonio), Boston on March 13 (yeah I know I said that would be a great weekend for a vacation but I didn't mean to Boston) and Houston on April 10 (which has the same killed my spirit issue as the Charlotte game).

This might be the year I'm done. In more than one way. Holding out hope that the Wiz will be in contention in late March so I can go to the Queen City.

Too little to get out of this year's schedule? Too much? That's all I got. Season starts October 23. Not necessarily looking forward to this one I have to say.