Random Wax: 2018-2019 Hoops Portland Trail Blazers Team Set

18-19 Hoops: Nuggets go for their first Championship in franchise history tonight.  This is a Portland Trail Blazers team set I picked up two years ago.  This was a set I like with a nice ice design.  Lillard would be the easy choice to go first here but CJ McCollum is a really good shooter and helped New Orleans be relevant this last season.  Always liked CJ but I understand why Portland decided to try something different.

Nurkic is one of those guys Portland has to figure out this offseason.  He is a good center but not great.  I like him but I am thinking it is time to move on.  I believe the Trail Blazers keep him.  Zach Collins plays for the Spurs now and had a nice contract year.

Anfernee Simons had a really good year.  Kind of the same stats as what you'd expect from CJ.  He's younger and should be a piece for some time.  I just hope this year wasn't a fluke.

Are these guys still on the team?  No.  All good.  This offseason is all about figuring how to get a team around Dame that can compete.  He has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Portland and also says he wants to win.  Can those two converge soon?  That's the big question.  I love Dame.  He's great and my favorite all-time Trail Blazer.  We'll finish it off with him and here's to hoping he is in Portland for the rest of his career.

Random Wax: 2018-2019 Hoops

Andre Iguodala on a "Get Out of the Way" insert seemed appropriate way of starting this 2018-2019 Hoops basketball post.  Golden State is headed to their fifth straight Finals appearance and it'd be hard to bet against them no matter who faces them from the East.  I've busted quite a bit of these cards and the design and inserts keeps me coming back.  

  I pulled a Trail Blazer!  Who is no longer in the playoffs...  Zach Collins doesn't look in his element dribbling the ball that's for sure.  I'm a fan of the Lights Camera Action cards and pulling a LeBron James is nice even if it is in an outdated uni he's wearing.

  My overall pull was OK.  LeBron was definitely the headliner though Wiggins, Beal and Gasol are very good players in their own right.  

Hard to root against a guy like Stephen Adams.  He's from Australia, has the tats and the hair bun.  My first Moritz Wagner (Michigan U.) card.  Whoo hoo!  Fun pack and I wouldn't bet against seeing more some time in the future.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards
5 – RC
1 – Hoops Tribute
1 – Lights Camera Action
1 – Get Out of the Way
1 – Class of 2018
1 – Teal Explosion Parallel

Random Wax: 2018-2019 Hoops

I've opened quite a bit of the 2018-2019 Hoops but I like this set and will probably open more in the future.  This pack really shines with some of the greats of today's game being right on top.  It was highlighted by LeBron James in a great photo.   My first James Hoops card of the year so I can check that one off the list.

The other big hitters are also some of the NBA's elite players.  That Celtics' uni is a favorite of mine.  I like that green and black combo together.  Harden's card has a great photo of him as well.  I hadn't pulled any of these three from this years Hoops so that really helped make this pack a winner.

One of my Hawks in John Collins.  He really is a good young power forward and I'm hoping he can be a part of the future anchored by rookie star Trae Young.  I like these Get Out of the Way inserts and Harden's take is a nice card.

You have to like what Buddy Hield is doing in Sacramento where the Kings are looking like a team ready to be a playoff team soon.  Hield is averaging 21, 5 and 2 while shooting 44% on seven three point attempts a game this season.

BREAKDOWN:

30 - Total Cards

5 - RC

2 - Hoops Tribute

1 - Class of 2018

1 - Faces of the Future

1 - Blue Parallel

1 - Retired Legend

1 - Get Out of the Way

Random Wax: 2018-2019 Hoops

Finally had a 2018-2019 Hoops pack that delivered.  Kevin Durant highlighted this pack that had plenty of star power.  Durant is such a great player whose story probably gets a little lost in the fact that one, he played during the LeBron era, and two moved to an established championship team much to the chagrin of many fans and media members.  Still this guy is an elite player who in my opinion, only has one player who is better than him currently in the league.

  Donovan Mitchell is still struggling but to his credit, I think, he is trying to shoot his way out of his malaise.  A nice hall of famer and Maverick rookie Luke Doncic whom Dallas hopes is another Dirk Nowitzki in that he will have a long hall of fame career with the team.  Doncic is doing well so far averaging 18 PPG, 6 RPG and almost 5 APG and should be the league rookie of the year.

A nice blue parallel of KAT and the Trae Young rookie.  Traded for Doncic during the draft, my Hawks are hoping Young can be the franchise moving forward.  I don't doubt his skills but his shooting is another thing.  That HAS to get better for him to succeed in the NBA otherwise I see him as another Ricky Rubio - great ball handling skills but no consistent shot.

A couple of stars of the league and De'Aaron Fox who has stepped it up in his second year in the league.  I really like him.

Nice photo of Jerami Grant and I pulled personal collection guy DeMar DeRozan.  This was a fun pack for sure with great variety and plenty of stars.  I learned something.  The retired legends I've listed prior are actually part of the Hoops Tribute subset making up the final 20 cards of the base set.  I pulled Bill Russell this pack but I've pulled him before and showed him off in that post.  There are some great players in this subset so I'll definitely be on the lookout for those.

BREAKDOWN:

30 - Total Cards

2 - RC

1 - Blue Parallel

1 - The Pulse

1 - Faces of the Future

1 - Lights Camera Action

1 - Hoops Tribute (Retired Legend)

2018-2019 Hoops Holiday Blaster Box

I've been eyeing these 2018-2019 Hoops Holiday cards for some time.  The best way to think of these is a blaster full of nothing but winter parallels and the print run for these must be less than the standard cards.  These blasters also guarantee a hit which for me was a T.J. Leaf Rookie Remembrance Relic which I show at the end of this post.  This Anthony Davis card shows off the snowflakes really well.  You can't see them that well on all the cards but you can on the majority and I like these overall.  They are just different enough from the standard cards to get my attention, snow flakes are cool and they aren't any more expensive than the standard cards.

These are all from the Hoops Tribute subset that is a mix of current stars and retired greats.  You can't really tell but the Kevin Durant is a Winter Purple parallel.  I really like this subset and actually just picked up that Dr. J standard card on COMC.

 A really good pull though I wouldn't call it great.  With 300 cards though your not going to nab a LeBron in every pack.  Nice card of Andre Drummond skying to the rim.  Al Horford will go into my personal collection and you can't go wrong with Ben Simmons right now. 

As you can see the snowflakes are pretty much a non factor on some cards like this Og Anunoby card.  After an inconsistent start Kent Bazemore has been a better scorer for my Hawks most of December.  Tough news for John Wall and the Wizards as he'll be out the rest of the season due to wrist surgery.

Cool Greek Freak Get Out of the Way insert and I really like the Knicks' NYC jersey Kristaps Porzingis is wearing on his Lights Camera Action insert.

I think this is my first Otto Porter Jr. card of the year.  

BREAKDOWN:

88 – Total Cards
14 – RC
6 – Hoops Tribute
4 – Retired Greats
3 – Lights Camera Action
3 – Purple Winter Parallels
2 –Get Out of the Way
1 – The Pulse
1 – Faces of the Future
1 – Class of 2018
1 – Rookie Remembrance Relic

Random Wax: 2018-2019 Hoops Basketball

Grabbed another pack of the 2018-2019 Hoops basketball.  Definitely not a star laden pack.  DeMar DeRozan is a favorite of mine so this Get Out of the Way insert was a nice pickup.  After that about all I had to admire were the nice looking cards and photos.

 I like that retro uni Lance Stephenson is wearing.  I don't remember ever seeing it before to be honest and there is a possibility it is one of the other special unis teams wear throughout the year.  Markelle Fultz is struggling to find anything resembling a shot and it looks as though injuries were the root cause.  Nice card of Trey Lyles skying for what I am assuming is a dunk.

Shaq is the other highlight of this pack though I think I pulled him in a previous pack.  I wish there were more than one retired great in each pack.  Not a lot to say about the rest of these cards.  Again this was not a sexy pack.  I've done better and hopefully my next pack will get me back on track.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

4 – RC

1 – Teal Explosion

1 – Faces of the Future

1 – Get Out of the Way

1 – Retired Great

1 – Class of 2018

Random Wax: 2018-2019 Hoops Basketball

Grabbed my second pack of the 2018-2019 Hoops basketball.  My first pack was a real dud as far as the pull went so the Hoops gods made up for it with this pack.  I really like this Jimmy Butler card but I have to figure out how to keep my scanner from cutting off those white borders.   

Two Jimmy Butler cards in this pack which makes three of his Hoops' cards on the year in just two packs.  That definitely helps my personal collection. The other cards are a purple parallel and a Lights, Camera, Action insert.

I'm seeing stars.  Again this was a great pack with plenty of star power.

Donovan Mitchell is struggling this year after a great rookie season but hopefully he can get it going.  Great photo of Blake Griffin.  I've always liked him.  The only Trail Blazer card in this pack but a good one in Jusuf Nurkic who is averaging 15 and 10 for Portland.  No Hawks this pack but I can't complain considering my pull.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

2 – Lights Camera Action

1 – Purple

1 – The Pulse

1 – Retired Legend

1 - RC

2018-2019 Hoops Basketball

I was excited to see the 2018-2019 Hoops basketball cards but that is where the excitement ended.  Don't get me wrong.  I like the design and some of the inserts to include this Jimmy Butler card which I really like.  But that card is about the only highlight of this pack.  I like Butler and he is a PC guy so that is good but my pull was a real downer.  It is all in the eye of the beholder but again outside of Butler I just don't see any other star power.

  Again I like the design.  Nothing too flashy though the player's position would be a nice addition.  The backs are the standard boring black and white which is standard for Hoops.

I did like the photos which seemed to have plenty of players going to the hoop.  No matter what I said I'm sure I'll grab more of these.  One pack doesn't a "season" make.  

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

5 – RC

1 – Purple Parallel

1 – Retired Legend

1 – Class of 2018

1 – The Pulse

1 – Lights Camera Action