One Card Short Of A Full Deck -- March 7, 2019

The Fed: less than six months in office, Jerome Powell managed to push the US into a slow-growth mode by increasing, and promising to increase again, and again, the "Fed rate." The story being spun now is that the "Fed" did this so that it would have an arrow in its quiver, a tool in its toolkit, an ace in its hand if things started to turn sour. By raising rates, the new spin, the "Fed" can now cut rates.

In retrospect, was he missing that one final screw; one card short of a full deck; to be honest, did he have a clue?

I'm Going Slightly Mad, Queen
The blog: I'm not going to look for it but about a week ago I suggested that the next "Fed" move might be a cut. Forget about all that talk about another increase in the "rate." Yesterday, this headline: US economy to slow significantly, and the Atlanta, GA, folks are sticking by their dismal 1Q19 forecast: 0.3% growth. Wow.

Now: over at twitter, John Kemp suggests the next US Fed move will be to cut rates. Wow.

Mom's advice: if you can't say something nice about Jerome Powell, don't say anything at all. So, we move on.

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NBA

Updates

March 18, 2019: and there we are! Or, better, there he is! Dirk had to make four points last night to move up one notch, overtaking Wilt Chamberlain. He made two two-point games relatively early in the game. Really, really exciting. 

March 17, 2019: since the Spurs game, the Mavericks have played two more games. They lost 100 - 99 to the Las Vegas Nuggets; Dirk scored nine points in 19 minutes of play. So, that would have put Dirk 17 points away from moving up the all-time scoring list. Then, yesterday (Saturday), the Mavericks finally won a game, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 121 - 166. Dirk: wow -- 14 points in 29 minutes. It was a home game. That should mean he is one basket from tying Wilt Chamberlain in all-time scoring. Let's check. Wilt Chamberlain, 31,419. Dirk Nowitzki, 31,416. Yes! Three more points. It's a home game, tomorrow (Monday) night -- against the New Orleans Pelicans. Start time: 7:30 p.m. By 8:00 p.m. it "all be over." Tune in late and you will miss the excitement. 

March 14, 2019: the Mavericks lost to the San Antonio Spurs last night. Dirk is now 26 points away from tying Wilt Chamberlain for career scoring. With 15 games to play, Dirk has to average 1.73 points per game. Some here in north Texas are concerned that Dirk may not be able to do that. LOL. Game plan: start Dirk -- once he scores one basket, pull him out to rest. 

March 12, 2019: near the end of the game; Dirk will probably not play any more; he scored eight points tonight. If that's where it ends, then 34 -8 = 28. Dirk would need 28 points over the last ten games to move up one notch on the all-time scoring list, moving ahead of Wilt Chamberlain. 

March 10, 2019: it's early in the second half of the Dallas-Houston Rockets game. Dirk has made six points in the game tonight, suggesting that Dirk needs 34 more points to move ahead of Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time NBA scoring list. The Mavericks have eleven games left after tonight. Assuming Dirk is out for the rest of the game, 34/11 = 3 points per game. Dirk is averaging about five points/game this season.

March 9, 2019: Dirk Nowitzki had a great night last night against the Orlando Magic, scoring 15 points, I believe. I believe Dirk now needs 40 points to become the 6th leading NBA all-time scorer, moving Wilt Chamberlain from 6th to 7th in the process. Dirk is averaging about 5 points/game this season. As noted, he scored 15 last night. If that's all accurate, he needs 40 more points in the 15 remaining regular season games. The Dallas Mavericks won't be playing in the post-season. So, 40 points / 15 games = 2.7 points / game.

Original Post

Am I missing something here?

I don't follow the NBA. I used to -- when Phil Jackson was coaching the Chicago Bulls and we got to watch Scotty Pippin, Dennis Rodman, and Michael Jordan -- but about the time James LeBron move to the LA Lakers I quit following the NBA. But I digress.

From statista:

The talk down here in Dallas is that Dirk Nowitzki might move up one spot in the all-time NBA scoring list. This is likely his last season to play for the NBA. There are eighteen games left in the regular season. His team, the Dallas Mavericks, will not make the playoffs.

The spreadsheet:

• Wilt Chamberlain: 31,419 all-time points scored in the NBA
• Dirk Nowitzki: 31,364
• the delta: 55 points
• Do the math: 55 points / 18 games = almost 3 points exactly / game

But the talk down here in Dallas is, also, that Dirk Nowitzki might not move up one notch.

Give me a break: he needs three points / game on average to move up one spot. Are folks suggesting that one of the best players of all time can't manage that? I must be missing something. But there it is: his average so far this season: 5.4 points/game. In the 2017 - 2018 season, 12 points per game.

By the way, Dennis Rodman was on the team for two reasons: reboundig and scaring the bejesus out of the opponents. He was not know for his scoring, but his career scoring average is still better -- by a long shot (no pun intended) -- than Kirk's current scoring percentage. Wow.

To the best of my knowledge Dennis Rodman was one of the few NBA players (the only one?) to distinguish himself as an American statesman, self-appointed US ambassador to North Korea.