Once a week, we here at Hoops Rumors like to share the best blog content on the internet. In this, our fourth installment, of Hoops Links we take you all over the blogosphere from the upcoming NBA lottery to the Raptors rebuild that never was and the fountain of youth.
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When the dust settled on the 2016/17 regular season, the Magic finished with the fifth-worst record in the NBA. This week, Aaron Goldstone of Orlando Pinstriped Post explored what that means for their lottery odds. The team with the fifth-best odds has won the lottery five times since its inception, Goldstone writes, but a simple look at the probabilities of possible outcomes reveals that the club is most likely to walk away with the No. 6 pick.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Spontaneous Math Tutorials
Author: Aaron Goldstone – @GoldstoneAaron
Link: Orlando Magic lottery odds
Might Kristaps Porzingis have intentionally published the cryptic Clippers tweet to send a message to Knicks owner James Dolan? Behold a conspiracy theory from the nefarious mind of one New York blogger notorious for having once trafficked in deceit himself to improve standing in the workplace. Richard Bertin of Daily Knicks suggests that the hacking claim rings false and that other motives are at play.
Rating: 7 out of 10 And Anyway, Leaving Your Account Open Isn’t The Same As Being Hacked Eithers
Author: Richard Bertin – @RichardBertin
Link: Kristaps Porzingis’ Clippers tweet
The shock of the Raptors‘ sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers has started to give way to action and a Masai Ujiri exit interview this week reassured fans that he’s well aware of what needs to be done. Adam Corsair of South of the 6ix is comfortable having faith in the Raptors president. A full Ujiri rebuild, Corsair writes, is eerily exciting considering we haven’t actually seen one yet.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Vetoed Knicks Trades
Author: Adam Corsair – @ACorsair21
Link: Ujiri’s options for Raptors offseason
He hasn’t played a game in the NBA yet, but that doesn’t stop the Sixers and their fans from planning a future with Ben Simmons in their lineup. Myles Stedman of The Sixers Sense went through each of the top draft prospects for this upcoming class and discussed how they could fit alongside 2016’s first overall pick.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Mock Draft Addictions
Author: Myles Stedman – @StedsTake
Link: Sixers draft prospects
It’s hard to know just what impact LaVar Ball‘s assumed involvement will have on Lonzo Ball‘s NBA career but Anthony Irwin of Silver Screen and Roll cautions that the most famous father in this year’s draft class is likely licking his chops at the size of the Lakers‘ platform. That could be one of several unnecessary distractions.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Luxury Flip Flops
Author: Anthony Irwin – @AnthonyIrwinLA
Link: Lonzo Ball and the Lakers
With age comes wisdom and a vastly improved three-point shot — the Raptors learned this the hard way not long after the Pacers did last month. Is 32 the new 22? The way LeBron James has been tearing through the NBA seems to suggest as much. For the King James Gospel, Dan Gilinsky wrote about how James and the Cavaliers are looking more dominant than ever.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Goats
Author: Dan Gilinsky – @ArmchairQBDan
Link: LeBron James aging well
It was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad season for Pistons fans, and making matters worse is that Andre Drummond may not fully own up to what went wrong. Steve Hinson of Detroit Bad Boys recently broke down an interview the big man gave and wasn’t too impressed.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Mats Of Luscious Shoulder Hair
Author: Steve Hinson – @Shinons8
Link: Andre Drummond discusses Pistons season
It was a rough year for Chandler Parsons this season, as the 28-year-old posted career lows across the board just months after signing a max contract. Still, the most disappointing thing about it wasn’t Parsons’ lack of production, but his lack of awareness as to what it means to commit to the Grizzlies franchise. Joe Mullinax of Grizzly Bear Blues argues that the star should make more of an effort to fit into the Memphis community if he wants to be embraced.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Screencapped Instagram Comments
Author: Joe Mullinax – @JoeMullinax
Link: Chandler Parsons disappointing Memphis season
Minor tweaks to shooting mechanics could help Justise Winslow improve his jumper in much the same way that Kawhi Leonard benefited from slight changes to his own shot. Wes Goldberg of All U Can Heat broke down the Heat forward’s shooting stroke and suggests that establishing a more consistent base could help him increase a woeful 20% “wide-open” three-point percentage.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Spontaneous Physics Tutorials
Author: Wes Goldberg – @WCGoldberg
Link: Justise Winslow shooting mechanics
After a tumultuous few seasons, Lance Stephenson is back with the Pacers and Josh Padmore of 8 Points, 9 Seconds wonders if the swingman can return to near-All-Star form. He argues that Stephenson and the Pacers are just meant to be.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Memes
Author: Josh Padmore – @JPadmore92
Link: Lance Stephenson back with Pacers
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.