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Poll: Los Angeles Clippers’ 2017/18 Win Total

September 16th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The summer of 2017 represented the end of an era for the Clippers, who sent nine-time All-Star Chris Paul to Houston in a blockbuster trade that helped replenish their depth, but cost them a superstar. While the Clips did well to extract several pieces of value for Paul, who could have joined the Rockets as a free agent, the club will face a challenge as it enters the coming season without its longtime starting point guard.

With Paul, J.J. Redick, and Raymond Felton all gone, the Clippers’ new-look backcourt will be fortified by Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams – two players acquired in the CP3 trade – and international import Milos Teodosic, who will get his first taste of NBA action after years of starring in Euroleague play.

Meanwhile, the frontcourt no longer features Luc Mbah a Moute, Marreese Speights, Paul Pierce, or Brandon Bass, but Danilo Gallinari was a big acquisition for the Clippers, Willie Reed should provide solid minutes off the bench, and the trade with the Rockets also provided a couple interesting young forwards in Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell. Of course, Blake Griffin – locked up to a new long-term contract – and DeAndre Jordan are still the mainstays up front.

The Clippers look deeper and more balanced than they have in recent years, but losing Paul will hurt. The club has played a certain style with CP3 leading the way for years, so it will be interesting to see what adjustments Doc Rivers makes with his new group. It also remains to be seen how Gallinari will acclimate to his new team — he looks like a natural stretch four, but he’ll likely end up spending more time at the three if he plays frequently alongside Griffin and Jordan.

The Clippers have won between 51 and 57 games in each of the last five seasons, but oddsmakers aren’t as enthusiastic about the new-look roster, with offshore betting site Bovada putting the team’s over/under for 2017/18 at 43.5 wins.

What do you think? Will the post-Paul era result in some struggles for the Clippers in a tough Western Conference? Or does the team still have enough talent to win 44 or more games this year? Vote below in our poll and then jump into the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Previous over/under voting results:

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Five Key Stories: 9/9/17 – 9/16/17

September 16th, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Missed this week’s biggest NBA headlines? We’ve got a recap for you. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

Josh Richardson verticalThe Heat locked up Josh Richardson through at least 2021, reaching an agreement on a four-year extension worth about $42MM. Richardson wasn’t a first-round pick and wasn’t eligible for a rookie scale extension, but Miami could offer him up to 120% of the estimated average salary, which worked out to a starting salary of about $9.4MM, with subsequent annual raises. The final year of Richardson’s new four-year deal, which goes into effect in 2018/19, will be a player option.

Tony Allen found a new NBA home, agreeing to a minimum salary, one-year contract with the Pelicans. New Orleans had been in the market for help on the wing, and have now added plenty of toughness to their roster in 2017, having acquired Allen, Rajon Rondo, and DeMarcus Cousins.

The Timberwolves worked out a deal with Shabazz Muhammad, ensuring he’ll return to Minnesota. Muhammad, who was an unrestricted free agent, was looking for a more substantial offer, but ultimately turned down a little more money to re-sign with the Wolves for the minimum salary. His new deal includes a few bells and whistles, including a second-year player option, a 15% trade kicker, and the ability to veto trades.

The NBA’s Board of Governors is set to vote on draft lottery reform on September 28. The league’s proposal would give the top three lottery seeds a 14% each at the No. 1 pick, and would put the top four lottery spots up for grabs.

The Bucks have reached an agreement to bring back veteran guard Jason Terry. Although he just turned 40 years old, Terry hasn’t shown any desire to call it a career, and drew interest from the Timberwolves as well before striking a new deal with Milwaukee. It’ll be a guaranteed one-year, minimum salary pact for Terry.

Here are 10 more notable NBA stories from the last week:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/9/17 – 9/16/17

September 16th, 2017 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team compiles original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:

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Hornets Sign Terry Henderson

September 16th, 2017 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have signed undrafted rookie Terry Henderson to their 20-man offseason roster, according to a tweet from his agency, Assist Sports (Twitter link). RealGM’s official NBA transactions log confirms that the signing has been finalized.

Henderson, 23, began his college career at West Virginia, but transferred after his sophomore year and played the rest of his college ball at North Carolina State. The move to N.C. State was a homecoming for the 6’5″ shooting guard, who is a Raleigh native — he’ll remain in North Carolina after having signed with his hometown Hornets.

In his final college season, Henderson appeared in 32 games, averaging 13.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG, with a shooting line of .433/.384/.769. NCAA eligibility and transfer rules prevented Henderson from returning to the Wolfpack for one more year in 2017/18, as Luke DeCock of The Charlotte Observer detailed in the spring.

While the Hornets only have 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts at the moment, Henderson seems more likely to head to the G League and become an affiliate player for the Greensboro Swarm than he does to crack the team’s 15-man regular season roster.

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Timberwolves Re-Sign Shabazz Muhammad

September 16th, 2017 at 12:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 16: Muhammad’s new deal with the Wolves includes a second-year player option, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM.com. That option will be worth the minimum salary, so it’s likely to be declined, but it gives Muhammad some insurance in the event of a major injury or a poor showing in 2017/18.

Muhammad also got a 15% trade kicker on his contract, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

SEPTEMBER 15: The Timberwolves have issued a press release formally announcing that Muhammad’s deal has been finalized.

SEPTEMBER 12: Veteran free agent Shabazz Muhammad is nearing a deal that will keep him in Minnesota, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Muhammad will receive a veterans minimum salary of $1.6MM, and his Bird rights will remain in place for a potentially longer contract next summer (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old swingman has spent his first four NBA seasons with the Timberwolves. He entered the offseason as a restricted free agent, but became unrestricted when the Wolves renounced his rights to free up cap room.

Muhammad remained a free agent for so long because he has been unwilling to accept a minimum deal, but that’s all Minnesota has left to offer. The Wolves spent big on free agents this summer, signing Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague and using their mid-level exception to acquire Jamal Crawford. Several teams reached out to Muhammad early in free agency, with the Hawks, Nets, Bucks and Knicks among the suitors.

Muhammad has developed into a reliable reserve for Minnesota over the past two seasons. He appeared in 78 games last year, starting just one, and averaged 9.9 points per night.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link), Muhammad turned down a higher offer from another team to return to the Wolves — that rival suitor may have been the Lakers, who were linked to the free agent swingman and have their full room exception available. Additionally, Muhammad’s new deal will give him the ability to veto trades during the 2017/18 season.

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Suns Sign Alec Peters To Two-Way Contract

September 16th, 2017 at 12:05pm CST by ChrisCrouse

SEPTEMBER 16: The Suns have finally made their agreement with Peters official, having formally signed him to a two-way contract earlier this week, according to RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.

Phoenix has now filled both two-way slots on its roster, with former Lamar standout Mike James occupying the other one.

JULY 6: The Suns will sign Alec Peters to a two-way contract, league sources tell Chris Reichert of 2 Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link). Peters was selected by Phoenix with the No. 54 pick in the 2017 draft.

Players on two-way deals will spend most of their season in the G-League since they cannot spend more than 45 days with an NBA club, as our glossary page on two-way contracts shows.

Peters spent four years at Valparaiso and won the Horizon League Player of the Year award during his senior year. He scored 23.0 points while grabbing 10.1 rebounds per contest last season.

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Southeast Notes: Howard, Richardson, Oubre, Spoelstra

September 16th, 2017 at 9:57am CST by marksuleymanov

Dwight Howard will suit up for his fifth team in seven seasons as he prepares for a new start with the Hornets. The 31-year-old has been an effective player, when healthy, but has regressed from the player that was an MVP candidate in Orlando.

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes Howard views his opportunity with the Hornets as a chance to reestablish himself. Under the guidance of his former and current coach Steve Clifford, Howard feels he can prove doubters wrong and prove to himself he can still be a productive player.

“This opportunity for myself to really get back everything that I would say has been taken away. I’m not too much worried about the naysayers, the rankings and stuff, but just the hearts of the people,” Howard said. “I’m in a much better place mentally, physically and spiritually than I have been in a couple of years.”

Despite the downward trend in recent years, Howard posted 13.5 PPG and 12.7 RPG while scoring from the floor at a 63% clip last season in Atlanta. Charlotte has a need for defense and that is one part of Howard’s game that remains a threat.

Read more news around the Southeast Division below:
  • In a separate column, Bonnell writes that the Hornets did not have much financial flexibility to acquire a premier backup point guard after acquiring Howard. That led to the signings of Michael Carter-Williams and Julyan Stone; one player who has not done much since winning Rookie of the Year and the other hasn’t played in the NBA since 2014.
  • In his latest Ask Ira column, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes that Josh Richardson‘s four-year, $42MM contract extension is a worthwhile investment for the Heat. While he may not consistently crack the starting lineup, Richardson will be a key part of the team’s core going forward, Winderman adds.
  • Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni shared the honors of the new Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award, NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner writes.
  • Chase Hughes of CSN Mid Atlantic writes that Kelly Oubre, after a productive sophomore season in Washington, will be one of the team’s most vital players. Hughes notes that Oubre is the “most athletic player and best wing defender” on the Wizards‘ bench and will need to be consistent in that role to help the team.
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Hoops Rumors Seeking Part-Time Writers

September 15th, 2017 at 10:30pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re looking to add part-time contributors to the Hoops Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 30 NBA teams, with no discernible bias. We want you to be as comfortable writing about Fred VanVleet and Nicolas Brussino as you would be writing about LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
  • Knowledge of the salary cap, the collective bargaining agreement, and transaction-related concepts.
  • At least some college education.
  • Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both preferred.
  • Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics, and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is preferred.
  • Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
  • Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance quick writing with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use an RSS feed reader. Ability to use Twitter. Both of these are crucial.
  • Availability. You must have strong weeknight and weekend availability, along with the ability to work at least one or two regular shifts per week.
  • Flexibility. You must be available to work on short notice.

If you’re interested, email hoopsrumorsparttimers@gmail.com by Friday, September 22 (4:00pm central time) and take a couple paragraphs to explain why you qualify and stand out. Many will likely apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to every applicant.

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Community Shootaround: Statement Jerseys

September 15th, 2017 at 9:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The NBA unveiled a batch of new jerseys in a promotional event Friday night, adding the Statement edition jerseys to the already revealed Icon and Association editions.

Marketing aside, the mass scale reveal of alternate jerseys is oddly satisfying, although many of the new threads have already been announced or leaked through various means over the course of the summer.

While some of the jerseys are more or less similar to third jerseys that teams have worn in the past, several are completely new designs, including Golden State’s new kit that pays homage to the city of Oakland.

Our question for tonight’s Community Shootaround is to simply gauge what readers think of the big reveal. Have a particular favorite? A least favorite?

Prefer the bold simplicity of Phoenix’s new threads to the unique concept on display with the new Kings jersey? How about this new Jazz piece that looks like it may have been developed in MS Paint?

Weigh in below!

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Los Angeles Notes: Ingram, Rivers, Hart

September 15th, 2017 at 8:50pm CST by Austin Kent

After an uninspiring rookie season, Lakers forward Brandon Ingram has been devoted to working on his jumpshot and adding to his frame. The 20-year-old has been lifting weights, eating better and intentionally trying to eat more, Mike Trudell of the team’s official website writes.

While Ingram’s numbers slowly improved in the second half of his first campaign, he has a long way to go to live up to the hype that surrounded him following his second-overall selection in the draft. That’s not so much a knock on Ingram’s performance as it is a reminder of his ceiling, he actually ended up averaging a respectable 13.2 points per game on .475 shooting after the break in 2016/17.

Trudell writes that Ingram couldn’t always rely on his jumpshot to open up space on the floor and that, coupled with the inevitable transition from college to the pros, contributed to his less than stellar first season.

“I went into the game [at Summer League] and it all felt natural“, Ingram told Trudell. “I felt like myself again. I felt like I was just playing regular basketball. Now I feel even better. Better conditioned, stronger. We’ve been putting in so much work in the weight room.”

There’s more from L.A.:

  • Rather than decide which of Kobe Bryant‘s jersey numbers to retire, the Lakers decided to put them both in the rafters, the team’s official website said. The ceremony will take place on December 18.
  • The Clippers had a busy offseason this summer and shaking things up could serve them well in the long run, Shaun Powell of NBA.com implies. Doc Rivers has been relieved of his roster management responsibilities and will be able to focus on coaching with Blake Griffin now the lone focal point of his offense.
  • Lakers guard Josh Hart has his priorities straight and knows just how he wants to contribute to his team in Year 1. “For me, defense is personal,” Hart told the team’s official website. “Obviously it’s tough to stop people one on one. But when you have that mind set of taking this personal; it’s just you and the other guy, and there’s one ball. And one person’s gonna eat, and I want that to be me.”
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