Community Shootaround

The Bulls currently have a bit of a logjam at the power forward position heading into training camp. Veteran Pau Gasol is the expected starter, but after him things become a bit muddled. The remainder of minutes at the four spot will need to be divvied up between Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, rookie Bobby Portis, Cameron Bairstow, and offseason signee Cristiano Felicio. While not all of these players are assured of a regular season roster spot, new head coach Fred Hoiberg will certainly have some tough calls to make, not just during the preseason, but over the course of each and every contest throughout the season.

This brings me to the topic of the day: Who should the Bulls’ power forward rotation consist of during the 2015/16 season?

Time for you to play head coach and make the call. Should Gasol be utilized off the bench to better take advantage of his versatility, or should he indeed remain the starter? As for the rest of the rotation, who makes the cut, and what should be the minutes allotments between those players? If you feel that the team is too stacked at the four, who would you trade, and why? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

One of the Rockets’ most significant offseason moves was the acquisition of Ty Lawson from Denver. But the 27-year-old is not guaranteed a starting spot, according to coach Kevin McHale. Whether or not this is simply a coach being diplomatic remains to be seen, but for now it would appear that Lawson will compete with Patrick Beverley, whom the Rockets re-signed this summer for $23MM over four years, for the starting point guard job.

This brings me to the topic of the day: Who should be the Rockets’ starting point guard in 2015/16?

For a quick comparison, here are the 2014/15 stats for both players:

1. Patrick Beverley: 10.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.5 TPG in 30.8 minutes per contest. His slash line was .383/.356/.750.
2. Ty Lawson: 15.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 9.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 2.5 TPG in 35.5 minutes per night. His slash line was .436/.341/.730.

Which player will give the Rockets the best chance to win this season? In your opinion, does one fit within Houston’s system better than the other? If your pick is Lawson, do you believe he’ll be able to stay out of trouble throughout the 2015/16 campaign? Take to the comments section below to weigh in with your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

On Tuesday, Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron ran down the list of the longest-tenured primary executives around the NBA. Around the league, head coaches are usually the first ones to shoulder the blame when a season goes awry, sometimes unfairly so, especially given that most NBA coaches aren’t directly involved with the construction of their teams’ rosters. That burden falls to each team’s primary basketball executive, be he a GM, team president, or president of basketball operations. Regardless of their title, these are the men who are tasked with putting together the best roster that they possibly can, and they have to do so within the bounds of the salary cap.

It’s certainly a difficult job, and one that garners constant criticism and scrutiny, not only from the fanbase, but the owners and shareholders as well. While the turnover rate among front office personnel isn’t quite as high as those who represent the coaching ranks, it’s not a job where most executives can expect a multi-decade run with the same franchise. Turnover is inevitable, which segues perfectly into the topic of the day: Who do you predict will be the next primary team executive to be fired?

For convenience, and with a big thanks to Chuck for compiling, here’s the current list of primary front office executives arranged by tenure:

1. Pat Riley, Heat: September 1995
2. Mitch Kupchak, Lakers: August 2000
3. R.C. Buford, Spurs: July 2002
4. Danny Ainge, Celtics: May 2003
5. Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards: June 2003
6. Donnie Nelson, Mavericks: June 2005
7. Daryl Morey, Rockets: May 2007
8. Sam Presti, Thunder: June 2007
9. John Hammond, Bucks: April 2008
10. Gar Forman, Bulls: May 2009
11. Billy King, Nets: July 2010
12. Dell Demps, Pelicans: July 2010
13. Rich Cho, Hornets: June 2011
14. Bob Myers, Warriors: April 2012
15. Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers: June 2012
16. Rob Hennigan, Magic: June 2012
17. Dennis Lindsey, Jazz: August 2012
18. Ryan McDonough, Suns: May 2013
19. Sam Hinkie, Sixers: May 2013
20. Masai Ujiri, Raptors: May 2013
21. Tim Connelly, Nuggets: June 2013
22. Doc Rivers, Clippers: June 2013
23. Larry Bird, Pacers: June 2013 (returned to organization)
24. David Griffin, Cavaliers: February 2014
25. Phil Jackson, Knicks: March 2014
26. Stan Van Gundy, Pistons: May 2014
27. Chris Wallace, Grizzlies: May 2014 (returned to power)
28. Mike Budenholzer, Hawks: September 2014
29. Vlade Divac, Kings: March 2015
30. Milt Newton, Timberwolves: September 2015 (interim)

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 Bucks announced yesterday that they have extended the contract of GM John Hammond through the 2017/18 season. Hammond’s deal was originally set to expire at the end of this coming campaign. “A great deal of our team’s success and progress is due to the vision and hard work of John,” Bucks owner Wes Edens said of his GM. “He’s assembled a talented and competitive roster and we’re very pleased that he will continue to lead basketball operations.”

Hammond has been the team’s GM since April of 2008, and during his tenure the franchise has an overall regular season record of 240-318. During his tenure Milwaukee has made three playoff appearances, all resulting in first round exits, but the Bucks are certainly a franchise on the rise, and the roster is packed with young, talented players who have intriguing upsides. All of these players were either drafted or acquired on Hammond’s watch, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, who the team outright stole with the 15th overall pick back in 2013. But before I praise Hammond too much for being a draft whiz, he was also the man who made the call to take Joe Alexander with the No. 8 overall pick back in 2008. That was Hammond’s first draft as a GM, so I’ll cut him some slack on that pick, though I’m not so sure Bucks fans will be so quick to forgive. The GM is also responsible for landing one of the bigger free agent prizes of this offseason in Greg Monroe, who surprised quite a few people when he announced his decision to join the Bucks.

This is a good spot to segue into the topic of the day: What are your feelings on John Hammond’s contract extension with the Bucks, as well as the job he has done thus far with the team?

Are you a believer in Hammond and his ability to shape the Bucks into a title contender? Or are you on the other side of the debate, and question if he is the right man for the job? What were his best and worst moves since arriving in Milwaukee? 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 Timberwolves have named assistant coach Sam Mitchell as interim head coach while Flip Saunders continues to battle cancer, which was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports on Thursday. The team still has the hope that Saunders will be able to return to his coaching duties sometime during the coming campaign. The first concern, of course, is with Saunders’ health. But the franchise also has to worry about the coming campaign, which will be an important one, as it needs to determine which of its talented young players are long-term building blocks.

This brings me to today’s topic: How will the absence of Flip Saunders affect the Timberwolves’ 2015/16 season?

The Timberwolves are not expected to be title contenders this season, and the team will need to show marked improvement to even have a shot at a playoff berth in the notoriously difficult Western Conference. Mitchell has previous head coaching experience, having spent four plus seasons as coach of the Raptors from 2004/05 through part of the 2008/09 campaign. Through 345 regular season games Mitchell has compiled a mark of 156-189, and he owns a lackluster 3-8 postseason mark. He was named Coach of the Year back in 2007, when he guided Toronto to a 47-35 regular season record, and secured the Atlantic Division crown.

Advancing to the playoffs would be a huge step for the Wolves as a franchise, but that should be considered a secondary goal in 2015/16. The team’s priority should be to develop the wealth of young talent it possesses on the roster. Mitchell, being a former NBA player, may have an advantage over Saunders in that regard, having had first hand experience regarding what is required to be an NBA player. Mitchell does have the reputation of being more of a staunch disciplinarian than Saunders, and it’s unknown how that may affect the team’s locker room chemistry.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Will the absence of Saunders hamper the team’s development, or will things remain status quo in Minnesota this season? What chance do you give Mitchell of having the interim tag removed from his title and officially becoming the head coach? He is a favorite of owner Glen Taylor after having spent 10 seasons with the franchise as a player, which certainly won’t hurt Mitchell’s cause.

Take to the comments to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.