Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/17/15
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:
- 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.
- 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.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/16/15
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:
- Pat Riley, Heat: September 1995
- Mitch Kupchak, Lakers: August 2000
- R.C. Buford, Spurs: July 2002
- Danny Ainge, Celtics: May 2003
- Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards: June 2003
- Donnie Nelson, Mavericks: June 2005
- Daryl Morey, Rockets: May 2007
- Sam Presti, Thunder: June 2007
- John Hammond, Bucks: April 2008
- Gar Forman, Bulls: May 2009
- Billy King, Nets: July 2010
- Dell Demps, Pelicans: July 2010
- Rich Cho, Hornets: June 2011
- Bob Myers, Warriors: April 2012
- Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers: June 2012
- Rob Hennigan, Magic: June 2012
- Dennis Lindsey, Jazz: August 2012
- Ryan McDonough, Suns: May 2013
- Sam Hinkie, Sixers: May 2013
- Masai Ujiri, Raptors: May 2013
- Tim Connelly, Nuggets: June 2013
- Doc Rivers, Clippers: June 2013
- Larry Bird, Pacers: June 2013 (returned to organization)
- David Griffin, Cavaliers: February 2014
- Phil Jackson, Knicks: March 2014
- Stan Van Gundy, Pistons: May 2014
- Chris Wallace, Grizzlies: May 2014 (returned to power)
- Mike Budenholzer, Hawks: September 2014
- Vlade Divac, Kings: March 2015
- 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.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/15/15
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.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/14/15
At this time last year, very few people anticipated that the Golden State Warriors would be the NBA’s premier team in 2014/15. While the Warriors had a strong young nucleus, they also had a rookie head coach in Steve Kerr. There were plenty of questions regarding their core group after the Warriors lost in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs to the Clippers.
You know the rest. From start to finish, the Warriors were more than just a contender. They dominated in the regular season, then validated their gaudy 67-15 record by storming through the playoffs and knocking off the hobbled Cavaliers in the Finals.
A repeat would seem to be well within their reach, given that all their starters are back, as well as many of their key reserves. Not only do they have the league’s reigning MVP in Stephen Curry, they re-signed restricted free agent and versatile forward Draymond Green to a long-term contract.
The Warriors had some good fortune last season, as their core players remained relatively healthy throughout the season. An injury to a key performer could drastically change their outlook. As we’ve seen many times before, it’s not easy to remain the top dog in the Western Conference.
The competition is fierce and several teams will be nipping at the Warriors’ heels. The always-dangerous Spurs added prized free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. The Clippers remained a viable contender once free agent DeAndre Jordan changed his mind and spurned the Mavericks to stay in L.A. The Thunder possess the league’s best 1-2 punch in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Rockets reached the conference finals and have their own formidable superstar duo in James Harden and Dwight Howard. The Grizzlies are chock-full of wily, playoff-tested veterans. Even the Pelicans, behind the league’s best young big man Anthony Davis, can harbor realistic dreams of a deep playoff run.
Our topic of the night, just two weeks away from training camp, is this: Which Western Conference team poses the biggest threat to the Warriors’ supremacy?
Take to the comments to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/13/15
Former NBA great Moses Malone passed away in his sleep at the age of 60 today. Many around the league have expressed their condolences to the Malone family, and we at Hoops Rumors are also saddened to learn about Malone’s death.
A member of the Hall of Fame, Malone, a ferocious rebounder, was named one of the 50 greatest NBA players in 1996.
He was named league MVP in 1978/79, 1981/82 and 1982/83.
Our topic today is in honor of Malone. The question: Where do you think Moses Malone ranks as one of the league’s all-time big men?
Please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/12/15
On Friday evening, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed 11 new members, including NBA stars Spencer Haywood, Jo Jo White and Dikembe Mutombo. Kentucky coach John Calipari was one of four coaches to be inducted. Tom Heinsohn was inducted as a coach as well as George Raveling and Australia’s Lindsay Gaze. ABA star Louis Dampier, early African-American player John Isaacs, women’s basketball great Lisa Leslie and referee Dick Bavetta were all enshrined as well.
The Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, includes greats from many walks of basketball life. The NBA is represented in the Hall, as is the WNBA, the international ranks and collegiate ranks. The Hall even has a section for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Members are enshrined for their entire body of work. If an NBA player played in the Olympics or had a stellar college career, those experiences are considered in the selection process. It’s a nice way to appreciate what a player has done in basketball across all venues in his career, but in some cases it doesn’t exactly display who the best NBA players are. It doesn’t have a single set of standards that applies to all potential inductees the way Hall of Fames for other sports do.
So the topic tonight is a simple one: Should the NBA have its own Hall of Fame? Or should the current Hall of Fame remain and be celebrated for its uniqueness?
Take to the comments to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/11/15
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.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/10/15
Back in April, teams were advised by the NBA’s Board of Governors that the league’s salary cap could rise past the $100MM mark as soon as the 2017/18 season. The league has been careful to stress to its teams that any projections are contingent on the NBA and its players avoiding a work stoppage after the 2016/17 season when the league and the NBPA can opt out of the current CBA. A higher salary cap will certainly increase the amount of teams that will have available cap space to compete for free agents, not to mention the average annual salaries that will be agreed upon as a result.
One other effect that may also result from a significant salary cap increase is in how expiring contracts are valued as potential trade chips. We may have already witnessed the beginning of a change in how these deals are regarded, given the difficulty that Cleveland had in dealing Brendan Haywood and his sizable non-guaranteed contract this offseason. In the past, non-guaranteed or expiring contracts like Haywood’s were highly sought after commodities that would allow teams to shed salary without having to take back undesirable deals or unwanted personnel.
This brings me to today’s topic: What effect do you see a rise in the salary cap having on how non-guaranteed/expiring deals are valued?
Will the increase in the salary cap make it nearly impossible to recoup anything of value in exchange for these types of contracts? If so, just how dramatic will the change be? Or are you on the other side of the fence, and believe that teams will fall over themselves to use every bit of available cap space, and thus, will still need trade partners to help them recover from contractual missteps? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/9/15
On Tuesday, the NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approved changes to how teams qualify for the playoffs and how they will be seeded. Teams will now be seeded based on the order of their regular-season records. Previously, every division winner was guaranteed a top four seed in its conference regardless of record but did not receive home-court advantage if its playoff opponent had a better regular season mark.
The Board also approved changes to tiebreaker criteria for playoff seeding and determining home-court advantage. Head-to-head results have become the first criteria to break ties for playoff seeding and home-court advantage between two teams with identical regular season records, with the second criteria being if a team won its division. Under the old system, a division winner was awarded the higher seed and received home-court advantage in series between two teams with identical records.
This brings me to today’s topic: What are your thoughts on the new playoff seeding structure?
Will this new seeding structure make for improved playoff matchups, as well as increase the overall importance of regular season contests? Do these new rules penalize teams in weaker divisions since a top four seed would have been guaranteed to divisional champs under the old system? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts, opinions, and concerns regarding these dramatic changes to the current playoff structure. We look forward to what you have to say on the matter.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/8/15
The Mavericks are reportedly encouraged by what they have seen from Deron Williams during informal workouts this Summer, with the veteran said to be looking leaner and quicker than he has in recent seasons. Williams certainly has quite a bit to prove this season after securing his release from the Nets via a buyout arrangement and signing on with Dallas this offseason.
This will be the second season in a row that the Mavs have added a former All-Star point guard to the roster, with the ill-fated trade with the Celtics for Rajon Rondo last December not working out for the franchise in the least. Williams’ departure from Brooklyn will likely have few fans shedding tears over the loss, with him not nearly coming close to fulfilling the expectations that came with his arrival via trade back in February of 2011. The veteran is expected to be the starter at the point for the Mavs in 2015/16, though exactly how much he has left in the tank at this point is certainly up for debate. In fact, that’s the perfect segue into today’s topic: How will Deron Williams fare in Dallas this season?
While I seriously doubt that many fans will expect a return to the star-level production of his Utah days, the change of scenery could certainly help revitalize Williams’ career in the NBA. What do you predict Williams’ stats to be this season in Dallas? Does anyone believe he can be an All-Star in 2015/16, or do you see his downward slide continuing this season? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts, opinions, and predictions regarding Williams’ upcoming season. While there’s no prize for being right, there is a certain measure of satisfaction that can be had by being proven correct…and having had your predictions documented in the comments section below for all posterity. We look forward to what you have to say.