Community Shootaround

Warriors interim coach Luke Walton, the NBA’s Western Conference Coach of the Month for November, has guided the Warriors to a 36-2 while Steve Kerr continues to recover from two back surgeries, which is quite impressive given Walton’s relative inexperience as a coach [Edit: the Warriors lost Wednesday to fall to 36-3]. To be fair, he did inherit a roster that won the NBA title a season ago, but nevertheless, Walton has done remarkable work this season, especially considering that he’s just three years removed from his playing days and was thrust into his role with little warning or prep time.

The 35-year-old has expressed an interest in formally becoming a head coach some day, though it’s “nothing I’m trying to rush into,” as he told Ben Golliver of SI.com in November. Walton is likely to be a hot commodity this offseason for teams seeking a new head coach, and the Nets are reportedly eyeing him as they seek a long-term replacement for the fired Lionel Hollins, sources informed Sam Amico of Amico Hoops and Fox Sports Ohio. While the Brooklyn post may not be ideal given the team’s current state and lack of future draft picks, the Nets do happen to have just $45MM in guaranteed salaries against a projected $89MM cap committed for next season. While the franchise may not have much in the way of talent to sell top tier free agents on, the presence of Walton could be an asset when recruiting.

This brings me to the topic/question for today: Would hiring Luke Walton as coach be the right move for the Nets, or should the team look to add a more experienced leader?

There’s no doubt that Walton has done an excellent job holding the team together in Kerr’s absence, but the question still remains as to whether or not Walton is merely a caretaker in Kerr’s absence, or if he is actively making the roster better with his coaching talents. Would the Nets be a good fit for Walton, as well as Walton for the Nets? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

The window to cast votes for the the 2015/16 NBA All-Star game closes on January 18th, and the starters for both conferences will be announced on Thursday, January 21st. The league revealed the latest standings this past Thursday, and Kobe Bryant, who is set to retire at season’s end, leads all players in fan votes by a solid margin. While it may be virtually impossible to argue that Bryant deserves to be an All-Star, much less a starter, based on his play this season, the All-Star game is an exhibition for the fans, and by that standard the Mamba should certainly deserve an invite.

The inclusion of Bryant will likely mean that a more deserving player, based on performance this season, will be watching at home rather than participating. But this is hardly a unique situation, and deserving players are omitted every season. Such are the difficulties in playing in a talent-laden league like the NBA. The All-Star game is also a fan-driven event, and as a result there are occasionally some players voted in due to their popularity who haven’t quite performed like All-Stars. This makes for an opportune time to segue into the question/topic for today:

Which Eastern Conference frontcourt player listed below is the LEAST deserving of All-Star consideration?

Listed below, courtesy of the NBA’s official press release, are the top frontcourt vote recipients along with their vote totals:

1. LeBron James (Cavaliers) — 636,388
2. Paul George (Pacers) — 457,554
3. Andre Drummond (Pistons) — 261,158
4. Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) 255,536
5. Pau Gasol (Bulls) 209,006
6. Chris Bosh (Heat) 194,429
7. Kevin Love (Cavaliers) 172,517
8. Hassan Whiteside (Heat) 168,549
9. Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) 160,170
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) 48,768
11. Jonas Valanciunas (Raptors) 30,023
12. Marcin Gortat (Wizards) 27,185
13. Joakim Noah (Bulls) 23,121
14. DeMarre Carroll (Raptors) 22,797
15. Paul Millsap (Hawks) 21,625

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

No team has endured a more disappointing season than the Pelicans.

A glance at the bottom of the conference standings yields few surprises. Teams such as the Sixers, Nets, Lakers, Timberwolves and Suns weren’t expected to make any noise, either because they’re in rebuilding mode or they simply don’t have enough talent. That wasn’t the case with New Orleans, which appeared to be on the rise after making a playoff appearance last season.

Superstar Anthony Davis signed an extension and the Pelicans kept their core group intact, with the expectation they would continue to build chemistry after winning 45 regular-season games. Veteran coach Alvin Gentry was hired away from the NBA champion Warriors to get the franchise to the next level.

Instead of another jump in the standings, the Pelicans have floundered throughout the first 35 games of the season, recording just 11 victories and possessing the Western Conference’s second-worst record.

Injuries are partially to blame. Tyreke Evans has missed about half of the team’s games, Jrue Holiday was eased back into action after a couple of injury-plagued seasons and Davis has sat out all or most of six games with assorted issues. Then came word on Monday that Quincy Pondexter, who hasn’t played this season but was expected back this month, will need season-ending surgery.

That still doesn’t explain away the team’s woeful showing during the first half of the season. The Pelicans rank in the bottom third of the league in defensive field-goal percentage and rebounding, and in the middle of the pack offensively in adjusted field-goal percentage.

New Orleans has four other players besides Davis averaging at least 12.9 points per game — Ryan Anderson, Evans, Eric Gordon and Holiday — yet none has emerged as the clearcut No. 2 option. Anderson and Gordon become unrestricted free agents after the season, with Anderson generally considered to be the team’s most movable piece if they decide to make a significant trade before the February deadline.

Adding to the intrigue is that the Pelicans are reportedly interested in hiring NBA Hall of Famer and longtime Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars for a major front office role.

This leads us to our question of the day: What is the Pelicans’ biggest need in order to reverse their downward spiral and become a perennial playoff contender?

Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

Thursday was the final day for NBA teams to waive players signed to non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals without their contracts becoming fully guaranteed. Only six players were waived this week, which means that most players who were on the bubble had their salaries lock in for the season. Listed below, courtesy of Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron, are all the players whose contracts became fully guaranteed on Thursday:

• Cliff Alexander (Trail Blazers)
• Cameron Bairstow (Bulls)
• Tarik Black (Lakers)
• Matt Bonner (Spurs)
• Rasual Butler (Spurs)
• Ian Clark (Warriors)
• Robert Covington (Sixers)
• Jared Cunningham (Cavaliers)
• Toney Douglas (Pelicans)
• James Ennis (Grizzlies)
• Cristiano Felicio (Bulls)
• Tim Frazier (Trail Blazers)
• Langston Galloway (Knicks)
• JaMychal Green (Grizzlies)
• Aaron Harrison (Hornets)
• Marcelo Huertas (Lakers)
• Chris Johnson (Jazz)
• Luc Mbah a Moute (Clippers)
• James Michael McAdoo (Warriors)
• T.J. McConnell (Sixers)
• Luis Montero (Trail Blazers)
• Eric Moreland (Kings)
• JaVale McGee (Mavericks)
• Mike Muscala (Hawks)
• Lamar Patterson (Hawks)
• JaKarr Sampson (Sixers)
• Donald Sloan (Nets)
• Ish Smith (Sixers)
• Hollis Thompson (Sixers)
• Jeff Withey (Jazz)
• Metta World Peace (Lakers)

While none of the players listed above possess cap crippling salaries, retaining them could potentially restrict their respective team’s flexibility to make trades or to add players via 10-day contracts for the remainder of the season. Which brings me to the topic/question for today: Which of the players listed above should have been released by his team prior to Thursday’s leaguewide contract guarantee date?

Who do you feel should have been jettisoned by their team, not only to clear their salary off the books, but to allow for a roster slot for a potential 10-day signing or addition via trade in the future? If you are an eternal optimist and feel that all of the listed players should have been retained, who do you believe will make the biggest impact over the remaining games this campaign? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

The NBA D-League Showcase event kicks off today and GMs and scouts from around the league will be in Santa Cruz, California, to watch 19 games over the next five days. This event is significant because it allows league personnel to eyeball potential 10-day contract candidates who can be utilized to bolster NBA rosters. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the headliners of this showcase are: former Nuggets point guard Erick Green; shooting guard Elliot Williams, who was with the Pelicans, Hornets and Jazz last season; point guard Lorenzo Brown; shooting guard Orlando Johnson; and power forward Perry Jones III.

Other notable players who will participate in the event and are worth keeping tabs on, according to Spears, are:  Westchester center Jordan Bachynski; Bakersfield forward Earl Clark; Rio Grande Valley guard Will Cummings; Westchester guard Jimmer Fredette; Santa Cruz guard Darington Hobson; Reno forward Vince Hunter; Idaho guard Pierre Jackson; Rio Grande Valley swingman Nick Johnson; Sioux Falls guard DeAndre Liggins; and Raptors 905 big man Greg Smith.

The 10-day contract has been the starting point for several players who’ve gone on to successful NBA careers, like Anthony Mason, Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, Kurt Rambis, Howard Eisley and a number of others. More recently, C.J. Watson saw his first NBA action on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Warriors in 2008, and he’s since developed into a solid backup point guard. Watson signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Magic this past offseason, which is quite a jump from what he earned while signed to those 10-day pacts.

Now that the preamble is out of the way it’s time for today’s topic: Which of the 10-day contract candidates mentioned above is the likeliest to make an impact in the NBA this season?

I would say that Erick Green has the highest potential to make his mark this season given the number of teams in need of point guard depth around the league. But for teams seeking to take on a project who may bear fruit in the future, I’d highly recommend taking a flier on Bachynski, who has the potential to develop into a useful stretch-four in the NBA. He has a ways to go in terms of his development, but he is a skilled and mobile big man who could have a future as a rotation player in the league if given the right opportunity.

But what say you? Which of the above mentioned players would you like to see your favorite team sign? Who do you think will make the most significant impact in the league in 2015/16? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

The NBA may be going smaller but there’s always room for a talented young big man.

The new wave of “bigs” hardly resembles the traditional version of power forwards and centers. Rather than exclusively setting up shop in the low post, the modern-day version of the big man is much more athletic and versatile.

An exciting development for the league in general is that many of them are just heading into their prime years. Topping that list, at least at the start of the season, was Anthony Davis, who led the Pelicans to a playoff berth last spring.

Davis can overwhelm opponents at both ends of the floor with his varied skills and imposing length. But the 22-year-old’s numbers have taken a slight dip this season while adjusting to a new coaching staff. In particular, Davis’ shooting percentage has fallen from 53.5 a year ago to 49.2 while the Pelicans have lost two-thirds of their games.

In the meantime, several other big men 25 years old or younger have shined during the first half of the season. Pistons center Andre Drummond leads the league in rebounding by a wide margin while also displaying much improved low-post moves.

Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins may be better known for his temper than his production, but he’s the NBA’s highest-scoring big man at 24.4 points per game.

At 6’7”, Warriors power forward Draymond Green may not cut as imposing a figure as many other power forwards, but his all-around contributions have been dazzling. He has posted three consecutive triple-doubles for a team that has lost just two games.

A couple of rookies have also made big impressions in their inaugural campaigns. The Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns has justified his status of being the top overall pick by averaging 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in his first 35 games.

Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis has taken the Big Apple by storm, drowning out the draft-night boos with a torrent of big performances. The 7’3” European import is already the Knicks’ leading rebounder and shot-blocker and has shooting range that extends beyond the 3-point arc.

This leads us to our question of the day: Which frontcourt player 25 years old or younger would you choose to build your franchise around?

Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

The Celtics, much like the Bulls, have an overabundance of front court players on their roster this season. While depth is certainly a nice luxury to possess for any franchise, having more players than minutes to go around can create locker room issues if some team members feel slighted by playing time cuts. It can also slow the development of younger players needing as much game experience as they can get their hands on. With the February trade deadline rapidly approaching and the team clinging to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, Boston’s president of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, could look to alleviate Boston’s frontcourt logjam, as Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com noted on Sunday.

This brings me to the topic for today: Should the Celtics look to deal one or more of their current crop of frontcourt players, and if so, who should the team look to move?

Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger are both eligible to hit restricted free agency after the season, provided Boston tenders them qualifying offers, and David Lee is playing on an expiring deal, which makes them all prime candidates to be moved. The team would likely prefer to deal Lee, seeing as he’s not in the Celtics’ long-term plans, but his $15,493,680 salary for 2015/16 makes him a difficult player to find a suitor for without having to take back a less than desirable contract or two in return. Offseason signee Amir Johnson is also a possibility, and his non-guaranteed salary for next season could certainly be attractive to a team looking to free up cap space. Boston could also look to make a smaller trade involving Jonas Jerebko, whose 2016/17 salary is non-guaranteed, or Kelly Olynyk, who still has one more season on his fully guaranteed contract remaining after this one.

But what say you? Should the team look to deal one of the players I mentioned above, or would you prefer the Celtics stand pat? If you think Boston needs to make a trade, who should the team look to move first? What’s the best realistic trade you can come up with for your choice? Take to the comments section below to weigh in and share your thoughts on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.