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Community Shootaround: Nets, Sixers Playoff Hopes

February 17th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

We’re a week removed from the biggest trade in the NBA this season and the early returns haven’t even come in.

James Harden has yet to make his Sixers debut. Ben Simmons remains a few weeks away from wearing a Nets uniform.

According to VegasInsider.com, the Nets and Bucks are currently co-favorites to win the Eastern Conference with the Sixers having the third-best odds.

It will be fascinating to see who ultimately benefited from the trade or perhaps if both teams weakened themselves.

This is an all-in move by the Sixers, given Harden’s age and penchant for quickly souring on the team he’s on. Brooklyn was backed into a corner by Harden’s desire to play in Philly but the deal may end up improving its chemistry.

Harden obviously gives the Sixers a formidable 1-2 offensive punch with Most Valuable Player candidate Joel Embiid. The latter has delivered the best season of his career, keeping Philadelphia within striking distance of the conference’s best record despite Simmons’ refusal to play.

Harden will certainly ease the scoring burden on Embiid. The Sixers had to surrender one of their best shooters, Seth Curry, in the deal but held onto defensive stalwart Matisse Thybulle and young point guard Tyrese Maxey. While Philadelphia apparently tried to dump Tobias Harris’ contract prior to the deadline, he’s still a solid, consistent, low-maintenance contributor.

If and when the Nets get all their pieces back from injuries, their roster remains stacked. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can carry the scoring load and won’t have to incorporate Harden into the equation. Given that Adam Silver criticized New York City’s vaccine mandate this week, there’s a good chance Irving will eventually be able to play home games.

Simmons’ lack of perimeter shooting could be masked by the weapons around him. He’s also one of the top defenders in the league, so if his free throw shooting isn’t a total disaster, he should be able to finish out games. That’s a best case scenario for Simmons and the Nets – it’s anyone guess whether Simmons is physically and mentally ready to perform under playoff pressure.

With Curry, Patty Mills and Joe Harris (whenever he returns from his ankle issues), there are plenty of perimeter shooters to space the floor for Brooklyn.

Both teams will have to build chemistry on the fly and it’s important to note Embiid, Harden, Durant and Irving have all dealt with significant injuries in recent seasons, often during the postseason.

That leads us to our question of the day: In the wake of the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons trade, which team will go deeper into the playoffs – the Sixers or Nets?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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Community Shootaround: 2022 NBA All-Star Rosters

February 4th, 2022 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

After revealing the 10 All-Star starters for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game last week, the league announced the seven reserves from each conference on Thursday night. The All-Star rosters are as follows:

Western Conference

Starters:

Reserves:

Eastern Conference

Starters:

Reserves:

We can expect at least two players – one from each conference – to be named as replacements in the coming days, since Green and Durant aren’t expected to play in the All-Star Game.

Before that happens though, we want to get your take on which players were the most notable omissions from the initial 24 All-Stars and which guys should be first in line when replacements are selected.

I’d personally have a hard time subbing out any of the Western players who were selected as All-Star reserves — I thought the coaches did a pretty good job. When it comes to naming Western Conference replacements, Spurs guard Dejounte Murray would probably be at the top of my list, followed closely by Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Suns forward Mikal Bridges.

There were plenty of deserving candidates in the Eastern Conference, where you could make legitimate cases for Hornets starters LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Pacers center Domantas Sabonis, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. Obviously, there’s not room for all of them, but any would be worthy replacement All-Stars, and some of them probably had stronger cases than Middleton to be included in the top 12.

What do you think? Did voters get it right with the initial 24 All-Stars or were any of those players undeserving? Which players do you think should be the top choices for commissioner Adam Silver when he names replacements?

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Community Shootaround: Kings Trades

January 29th, 2022 at 11:23am CST by Dana Gauruder

Give the Kings some credit — at least they’re consistent.

Just when it looked like the franchise was on the upswing, the team has produced another disastrous season. Despite all the lottery picks dotting the Kings’ roster, they’re destined to miss the postseason party for the 16th consecutive season.

The latest dumpster fire is raging out of control. They’ve lost five straight and 10 of their last 12 games, including a 53-point thrashing by the Celtics on Tuesday, to drop 14 games below .500.

A coaching change from Luke Walton to Alvin Gentry backfired, as the team only got worse after it let Walton go.

Not surprisingly, Sacramento has been involved in more trade rumors than any other team. The latest one floated around is that the Lakers might have some interest in Buddy Hield.

The Kings have seemingly been trying to trade Hield virtually since he signed an extension that runs through the 2023/24 season. It was also reported on Friday that they’ve pulled out of the Ben Simmons sweepstakes due to Philadelphia’s overwhelming demands.

The Kings were reportedly considering offering Tyrese Haliburton, Hield, Harrison Barnes, and two future first-round picks in exchange for Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle. Another report later indicated the Kings want to build their roster around Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox and weren’t interested in taking back Harris in a Simmons deal.

The Kings have also reportedly told Fox he wasn’t going anywhere, though that could be just posturing at this point. They’ve also been linked to other hot names on the trade market, such as Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Jerami Grant.

In any case, it’s hard to imagine the Kings not doing something significant in the next two weeks.

That leads us to our question of the day: What players should the Kings target prior to the trade deadline? And which players do they need to shed to turn their fortunes around?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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Community Shootaround: Play-In Tournament

January 23rd, 2022 at 4:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Last season marked the debut of the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, where the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference compete for the No. 7 playoff spot, and the ninth and tenth seeds compete to play the loser of the seven/eight match up, with the winner earning the No. 8 spot.

In other words: seven vs. eight — winner advances to playoffs as seventh seed, loser plays the winner of the nine vs. ten matchup. Nine/ten winner vs. seven/eight loser — winner advances to playoffs as eighth seed. So the ninth and tenth seeds need to win two consecutive games in order to advance.

In the West last season, the Lakers defeated the Warriors in the No. 7/8 matchup, advancing as the seventh seed, while the Grizzlies defeated the Spurs in the No. 9/10 matchup and then beat the Warriors to advance as the eighth seed.

In the East last season, the Celtics defeated the Wizards to advance as the seventh seed, while the Pacers defeated the Hornets in the No. 9/10 matchup but then lost to the Wizards, so Washington was the eighth seed. Ultimately, all of the seventh and eighth seeds fell in the first round of the playoffs last season.

This season, the current Nos. 7-10 seeds in the West are the Lakers (23-23), Timberwolves (22-23), Clippers (23-25) and Trail Blazers (19-26). Only two games (four losses) separate the No. 9 Clippers from the No. 6 Nuggets (23-21). The No. 5 Mavericks (26-20) are also within reach, but the top four seeds have separated from the pack.

At the bottom-end of Western play-in contention, less than three games separate the No. 10 Blazers from the No. 11-13 seeds, the Pelicans (17-28), Kings (18-30) and Spurs (17-29).

The East is extremely competitive this season, as the No. 7 seed Hornets (26-20) are only three-and-a-half games out of first place, so the top end of the standings are very much in flux. The Nos. 1-6 seeds all have between 26 and 30 wins and 16 and 19 losses, a separation of just three games.

There’s another distinct cluster in the standings, with the current Nos. 8-12 seeds all within three games of each other. Those teams are the Raptors (22-21), Wizards (23-23), Celtics (23-24), Knicks (23-24) and Hawks (20-25). (The Celtics lead the Wizards 91-69 on Sunday at the time of this release.)

We want to know what you think. Who will make the Play-In Tournament this season in both conferences? Are there any clear-cut favorites? Who will advance as the seventh and eighth seeds? Will any teams currently in the top six in either conference drop down?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Community Shootaround: MVP Race

January 21st, 2022 at 11:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Now that the season is more than halfway through, it’s time to do another check-in on the MVP race. After a terrific start to the season, it seemed like Warriors star Stephen Curry might be a lock for his third trophy if he maintained his production — unfortunately, he’s been in one of the worst slumps of his career the past couple of months.

Through his first 20 games of the season, running through the end of November, Curry was averaging 27.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.6 APG, and 1.9 SPG on .452/.412/.943 shooting. From the start of December until now, a span of 21 games, those numbers have fallen to 25.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.1 SPG on .395/.359/.900 shooting. Curry recently had a stretch of nine straight games of shooting below 50% from the field, unheard of for the greatest shooter ever.

After starting the season 24-5, the Warriors have gone 8-8 over their last 16 games, so the team has cooled off recently as well. However, at 32-13, Golden State still holds the second-best record in the league, only trailing the 35-9 Suns. There’s still time for Curry to turn things around, but other players have certainly performed better lately.

The NBA’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant, looked like a top contender for the award prior to suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee on January 16, which is expected to sideline him for four-to-six weeks. Through 36 games, he’s averaged 29.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 5.8 APG on .520/.372/.894 shooting. The injury and missed games could ruin his MVP chances, but he’s been excellent for the Nets, who hold a 29-16 record in the East.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP, has been carrying his team in the absence of several injured players, including the teams second- and third-leading scorers from last season, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Although Denver is just 23-21 (1-4 without Jokic), he has been completely dominant, averaging 25.9 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 7.4 APG, and 1.4 SPG on .569/.367/.789 shooting. Jokic leads the league in several advanced stats, including win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player, per Basketball-Reference.

Over the past five-plus weeks, Sixers center Joel Embiid has arguably been the best player in the league, putting up 33.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.5 BPG on .550/.380/.837 shooting in just 32.3 MPG (15 games) — more than a point per minute, and nearly 12 free throw attempts per game. His season averages are quite impressive too, but he’s played just 33 games to this point, which is always a concern with the injury-plagued big man. There’s no denying his impact when active, as Philadelphia holds a 23-11 record when he plays, and is just 3-8 in games he’s missed.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is another top contender, stuffing the staff sheet with 28.6 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.5 BPG while playing strong defense for the defending champion Bucks, who hold a 29-19 record.

Lakers superstar LeBron James continues to impress in season 19 at 37 years of age, putting up stellar numbers yet again, but Los Angeles has struggled and sit at 23-23 through 46 games. Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan is having an outstanding season and should at least be in the conversation — Chicago is 28-16, second-best in the East.

Suns guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker deserve recognition as the two best players on the league’s best team, although they figure to take votes away from each other and don’t have the same type of numbers as other candidates. Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is having fantastic third season and could garner some votes. Memphis is 32-16 after defeating Denver Friday night.

We want to know what you think. Who’s been the MVP so far? Who do you think will end up winning the award? Are there any dark-horse candidates you like? What would your five-man ballot look like at this point?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Community Shootaround: Jerami Grant

January 14th, 2022 at 9:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jerami Grant hasn’t played in over a month, but he’s one of the hottest names on the trade market.

The Pistons forward is recovering from thumb surgery and he’s not expected to return until next month at the earliest.

Grant’s ability to impact the game at both ends of the floor intrigues many teams bound for the playoffs or trying to reach the postseason. Grant signed a three-year free agent contract with the Pistons prior to last season, spurning a chance to remain with the contending Nuggets, mainly due to his desire to have an expanded offensive role.

Grant averaged 22.8 PPG as the No. 1 option for one of the league’s worst teams in 2021/22. He was averaging 20.1 PPG this season prior to the injury.

He’ll have to accept a lesser offensive role again if he’s dealt but his ability to guard multiple positions will ensure that he’ll get plenty of playing time wherever he may wind up.

The Pistons don’t need to deal him – he’ll have plenty of value in the offseason as well, particularly since his contract expires after next season – but they should get a solid return for a combo forward in his prime if they move him by the Feb. 10 deadline. They’ll likely want at least one first-round pick along with a rotation piece for Grant.

Some of the teams who have been mentioned as potential suitors include the Wizards, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Lakers, Hawks, Bulls, Pacers and Grizzlies. The Knicks just added a young forward in Cam Reddish and the Blazers might go into rebuild mode with Damian Lillard sidelined by an injury during an already disappointing season. Supposedly, the Bulls are unwilling to part with Patrick Williams, which would dramatically reduce the chances of them acquiring Grant.

The surprising Grizzlies could enhance their chances of a deep postseason run by adding Grant to an already potent lineup. The Lakers could naturally use Grant’s versatility, though it might be harder for them to put together a suitable package. The floundering Hawks are in desperate need of a defensive boost, and the Wizards want to do everything they can to keep Bradley Beal happy. The Pacers are reportedly willing to deal some of their top players, including Myles Turner, Caris LeVert and perhaps Domantas Sabonis.

That leads us to our question of the day: Which playoff contender would benefit the most by trading for Jerami Grant and where do you think the versatile Pistons forward will wind up?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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Community Shootaround: Western Conference All-Star Voting

January 11th, 2022 at 10:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In the sequel to this weekend’s consideration of potential Eastern Conference All-Star starters following the first results of fan voting for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, we’ll take a look today at the players who are in the mix (and deserving to be in the mix) for Western Conference All-Star starting gigs.

During the voting process, players are separated by conference. Three frontcourt players will be selected and two guards will be chosen. Fan votes are weighted as 50% of the total vote. The remaining 50% will be split evenly between players and media members. The league’s head coaches will then pick the All-Star benches after starters are announced.

The All-Star Game is set for February 20 at the Cavaliers’ home arena, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Online fan voting began on Christmas Day 2021, and will conclude at 11:59 p.m. ET on January 22. The fan voting results so far were announced by the NBA on January 6.

Lakers small forward LeBron James received 2,018,725 fan votes to lead all frontcourt players in the West, followed by the reigning MVP, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, with 1,649,809 votes. Clippers small forward Paul George, out with a long-term shoulder injury, is currently in third place with 1,072,591 votes. Surprisingly, Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins is outpacing his more decorated — and, let’s face it, just plain better — All-Star teammate, power forward Draymond Green.

The 933,355 fan votes for Wiggins are significantly more than the 691,423 fan votes Green received. Wiggins has made far more of a scoring impact than Green has, to be fair, though Green’s passing and versatile, league-best defense make him the more crucial contributor to the Warriors’ 30-10 record.

Lakers big man Anthony Davis (592,281 votes), Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (474,794 votes), Lakers reserve forward Carmelo Anthony (319,128 votes), Jazz center Rudy Gobert (218,819 votes) and Suns center Deandre Ayton (177,115 votes) round out the top 10.

Among this top 10, only Anthony is truly unworthy of consideration, though the notion of the barely-available Davis meriting a look for his contributions as the second-best player on a .500-level club seems shaky. At present, George has played just one fewer game than Davis has, though that is subject to change. Gobert, who along with Green looks to be a favorite to win another Defensive Player of the Year award this season in one of the West’s elite teams, deserves the third starting frontcourt nod over George.

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry leads the West’s guards (and also every other player in the NBA) in fan voting with 2,584,623 votes. Far behind Curry are fourth-year Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic, already a two-time All-Star, with 787,690 votes and third-year Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant with 669,033 votes. Tonight, Morant led the fourth-seeded Grizzlies to a 116-108 statement win over Curry’s Warriors. The victory marked 10 straight for Memphis. The 29-14 Grizzlies occupy the West’s fourth seed, far ahead of Doncic’s fifth-seeded Mavericks at 22-18.

Curry’s Golden State teammate Klay Thompson, who has played a grand total of two games this season, received a nonsensical 367,743 fan votes last week, the fourth-most for any West guard. Thompson far outpaced the more worthy Suns backcourt tandem of Devin Booker (338,526 votes) and Chris Paul (315,912 votes), who in turn are just ahead of Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (217,546). Among this group, Mitchell, Paul and Booker all could make a case to start. The same cannot be said for Thompson.

As of this writing, this fan voter would start Jokic, James, and Gobert for the Western Conference’s frontcourt trio, with Curry and Morant occupying the two starting guard spots.

We want to know what you think! Who deserves to be a Western Conference All-Star starter? Are there any borderline starters you think could be determined based on their play during this last month of voting? Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

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Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference All-Star Voting

January 9th, 2022 at 8:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The 2022 NBA All-Star Game will take place on February 20 at the Cavaliers’ home arena, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Will a Cavalier or two make the cut for the first time since LeBron James headed West in 2018? Time will tell, but the odds look good. The chances of a Cav earning an Eastern Conference starting spot, however, look slim.

Online fan voting started on Christmas Day, and is set to wrap up on January 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The first results of fan voting were announced by the NBA on January 6.

Players are separated by conference in the voting process (though not in the games), and divvied up across the frontcourt and backcourt. Fan votes will be weighed at 50% of the total vote, with 25% allocated to player voting results and an additional 25% given to journalists. Head coaches will vote for the All-Star benches after starters are announced.

Today, we’ll take a look at the leaders in the clubhouse to earn an All-Star start in the Eastern Conference, in addition to making the case for a few other notable players deserving of a shot.

Nets forward Kevin Durant led all Eastern Conference players with 2,360,435 results in his favor after the initial tally. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was nipping at his heels with a robust 2,145,835 fan votes of his own. Sixers center Joel Embiid received 1,236,060 fan votes. The top three frontcourt vote-getters (again, as determined by a split of fan, player, and media votes) will earn starter honors.

The selections of Durant, Antetkounmpo, and Embiid (all in the early running for MVP consideration) were largely expected. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Heat forward Jimmy Butler were the only other frontcourt players to earn 500K or more fan votes.

While Butler is clearly enjoying an All-Star-level season, which would be his sixth overall, he has only appeared in 23 of a possible 40 games for the 25-15 Heat. Currently sidelined with an ankle injury, Butler is expected to return to the court soon, and, provided that he does, should be a lock to make the coaches’ picks for East reserves.

Tatum and Boston wing Jaylen Brown have each had productive individual seasons, but it has not translated to team success for the 19-21 Celtics, currently the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference. A team in danger of missing the play-in tournament seems unlikely to earn two All-Stars. Brown is listed in the backcourt for fan voting, while Tatum is in the frontcourt.

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, who was a big part of the trade that netted Brooklyn superstar guard James Harden, has blossomed into an All-Star caliber talent with Cleveland this season. Allen and guard Darius Garland are the Cavaliers’ two All-Star candidates this season, though neither looks to have the votes to claw their way into the starter conversation. Allen was sixth in the first fan voting results for Eastern Conference frontcourt players with 168,019 votes. Garland ranked ninth among East guards (behind two much less-worthy candidates, whom we will discuss in a bit) with 119,399 votes. Rookie Cleveland power forward Evan Mobley, an early leader for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, will most likely not make the cut, though he has been a crucial part of the team’s incredible turnaround this season.

Other frontcourt players who have put up solid numbers on good teams in the conference include young Hornets forward Miles Bridges, enjoying a Most Improved Player-level season with an upstart Charlotte club. Hawks power forward John Collins also has a case, though the team’s middling record could limit Atlanta from getting more than one All-Star this year. Other candidates for All-Star consideration (though probably not worthy of starting) include a cadre of recent All-Stars, among them Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis, Raptors power forward Pascal Siakam (though he has missed 14 games so far), Knicks power forward Julius Randle, and Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic has stabilized after a rough shooting start, and has improved on defense this season.

In the backcourt, the two current frontrunners to start are Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan (1,487,598 fan votes), enjoying a comeback season in Chicago at age 32, and Nets guard Harden (892,065 votes), who – despite having one of his worst seasons in years – remains one of the better guards in the NBA.

The selection of DeRozan here has stirred up a bit of controversy — not because of his merit, but because of his positional listing. The 6’6″ DeRozan is the Bulls’ starting small forward, and moonlights plenty as a small-ball power forward. When he last made an All-Star team, with the Raptors in 2018, DeRozan was a shooting guard, but he was unlocked in subsequent seasons at the three and four while with the Spurs. Regardless, DeRozan looks to be a lock, provided he stays relatively healthy for the rest of the voting window.

Hawks point guard Trae Young is right behind Harden with 862,878 fan votes, while Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine (776,043) and second-year Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball (422,247) round out the top five vote-getters among backcourt players. LaVine may not boast the late-game heroics or ball-handling ingenuity of his fellow Chicago swingman DeRozan, but he has put up terrific numbers as one of the undisputed two best players for the East’s best club as of this writing. Chicago boasts a 26-10 record.

Young, fresh off leading his Atlanta team to a surprising Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2021, is enjoying a great statistical season individually, but it has not translated to team success, in part because Young’s defense has been… apathetic at best. The Hawks are currently the No. 12 seed in the East with a 17-22 record. Ball has led Charlotte to a 21-19 record and the East’s eighth seed. Young, LaVine and Ball are all more deserving starters than Harden this season, though Harden remains worthy of a (bench) All-Star slot.

Insanely, Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, who has played in all of one game this season, is right behind Ball with 267,929 fan votes, while Knicks reserve point guard Derrick Rose, out for months following an ankle surgery and having put up fairly pedestrian numbers on a non-playoff team, has gotten 232,501 votes of his own. Neither player will get a shred of votes from players or journalists, and neither player has a chance of making the All-Star team, as a starter or reserve, this season.

Veteran Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, who finished tenth during this initial window of fan voting, has emerged as perhaps the representative best player for a frisky Toronto club. Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday and Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal also seem worthy of All-Star berths, though they both finished outside the top 10 this year in fan voting and appear doomed to join the ranks of the reserves.

New Heat point guard Kyle Lowry has had a down scoring year but has been the steady hand guiding the ship for a terrific Miami club missing its best players, Butler and big man Bam Adebayo, for a significant portion of its season. Yes, sixth man Tyler Herro is averaging significantly more points than Lowry (20.6 PPG to 13.7 PPG), but their overall shooting percentages are fairly similar. Herro is connecting on 42.7% of his field goal looks to Lowry’s 42.2% shooting from the floor. Lowry, a six-time All-Star with the Raptors, has proven to be the better set-up man and defender by a long shot.

As of right now, this fan voter would slot Durant, Antetokounmpo and Embiid among his three starting frontcourt players, and put the two Bulls, DeRozan and LaVine, into the two starting backcourt spots.

We want to know what you think! Which players comprise your Eastern Conference All-Star starters? Are there any borderline starters you think could be determined based on their level of play over the ensuing month?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

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Community Shootaround: Early Check-In On MVP Race

November 25th, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Luke Adams

With the lone exception of the Spurs, all of the NBA’s teams have played between 18 and 20 games so far this season (San Antonio is at 17), meaning we’re just about at the one-quarter mark of the season. With that in mind, we’re taking stock today of the top performances of 2021/22 to date.

The NBA’s top scorer so far is the same player who finished atop the leaderboard last season: Stephen Curry. Curry’s 28.2 PPG is nearly four full points below his 2020/21 average, but it looks like he’ll have a much stronger case for Most Valuable Player consideration this time around based on his team’s performance.

The Warriors, who finished just a few games above .500 and didn’t make the playoffs last season, have a league-best 16-2 record this season — and they’re still waiting to add Klay Thompson and James Wiseman to their rotation. Curry has led the charge, knocking down 41.8% of an eye-popping 12.9 three-point attempts per game, while chipping in 6.8 APG and 5.8 RPG. Golden State plays like an average team when Curry sits (-0.3 net rating) and an all-time juggernaut when he’s on the court (+20.4).

As the top scorer on the NBA’s best team, Curry would almost certainly win the MVP award if the season ended today, but if he or the Warriors slow down, there are plenty of other contenders to consider, starting with last year’s winner.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has matched last season’s scoring average (26.4 PPG) while establishing new career-highs in RPG (13.6), FG% (.593), and 3PT% (.410) in the early going. He also leads Denver in APG (6.4), and the gap between the team’s net rating when he’s on the court (+12.6) and off it (-14.6) is even bigger than Curry’s.

Unfortunately, that net rating with Jokic off the court may be the thing that ultimately sinks his chances. The injury-plagued Nuggets have been brutal whenever the reigning MVP sits and it’s led to a middle-of-the-pack 10-10 record so far. Like Curry a year ago, Jokic isn’t going to win another MVP award if his team finishes in play-in range.

How about another star on a No. 1 seed then? The 14-5 Nets, who have a two-game cushion in the Eastern Conference, have been led by a version of Kevin Durant playing at the height of his powers. He’s right behind Curry for the scoring lead (28.1 PPG) and has posted a career-best .556 FG% to go along with 7.6 RPG and 5.3 APG. Brooklyn has a +6.0 net rating when he plays, compared to +0.3 when he sits.

Durant’s case will be hurt a little by the fact that he has another former MVP – James Harden – helping him out, but if the Nets finish atop the East without Kyrie Irving playing at all, that’ll be a point in Durant’s favor.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Clippers forward Paul George, Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Suns guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker, and Bulls wings Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are some of the other stars who would be in the conversation if the season ended today. Sixers center Joel Embiid and Lakers forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis are among the others who could force their way into the conversation if they stay healthy and their teams move up the standings.

We want to know what you think. Is Curry the MVP so far? Who is the biggest threat to take the award from him if everyone stays healthy? Are there any dark-horse candidates you like? What would your five-man ballot look like at this point?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Community Shootaround: Coaches On The Hot Seat

November 24th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Luke Walton became the first head coach to be let go during the 2021/22 NBA season earlier this week, but he may not be the last.

Although coaching changes happen most frequently in the spring once a team’s season has ended, some clubs decide not to wait that long, preferring to get a head-start on the transition midway through the year. Given the success Nate McMillan had in turning the Hawks’ season around when he took over for Lloyd Pierce in March, it’s possible we’ll see a couple more teams besides the Kings try to replicate that reversal of fortune with an in-season change.

With that in mind, we want to know which head coaches you believe will be most at risk during the 2021/22 season.

A report earlier today from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report suggested that Stephen Silas of the Rockets may be the next coach to find himself on the hot seat. Houston has been the NBA’s worst team so far this season, with a 1-16 record, a 15-game losing streak, and a last-place ranking in several important offensive categories.

Still, the Rockets didn’t enter the season with postseason aspirations, and Silas has another year left on his contract after this season. Would a team on track to finish at the bottom of the NBA standings really be in a rush to make a midseason change and commit to paying two coaches for the next year-and-a-half, with a playoff berth seemingly multiple years away?

Sports betting site BetOnline.ag has Silas listed third in its odds for the next NBA head coach to be fired. Pistons head coach Dwane Casey, whose team is off to a 4-13 start, is atop that list. Like Silas, Casey wasn’t expected to lead his club to the playoffs this season, but there was an expectation that the Pistons would perhaps be a little more competitive than they have been.

On the other hand, with the exception of a blowout home loss to the Kings, the Pistons have been beaten by good teams so far, and all indications are that the organization thinks highly of Casey. In fact, he signed a contract extension just six months ago, locking him up through 2023/24. If things really go south in Detroit this season, maybe he finds himself on the hot seat, but I’m skeptical we’re at that point yet.

BetOnline.ag lists Frank Vogel of the Lakers between Casey and Silas as the second-most likely candidate to be the next coach fired.

The Lakers entered the season with championship aspirations but have underachieved so far, posting a 9-10 record. LeBron James‘ absences due to injuries and a one-game suspension have contributed to Los Angeles’ struggles (the team is 4-7 without him), but even with James in the lineup, the club has looked disjointed and inconsistent.

Like Casey, Vogel received a contract extension earlier this year. However, that extension didn’t really represent a massive vote of confidence. Entering the final season of the three-year contract he signed in 2019, Vogel had just one year tacked onto his deal, despite winning a title in 2020. Since his one-year extension only covers 2022/23, it wouldn’t necessarily preclude the Lakers from making a change if their struggles continue.

What do you think? Are Silas, Casey, or Vogel in any real trouble yet? Is there another head coach whose job security looks more tenuous to you? Do you think we’ll get any more in-season coaching changes in 2021/22?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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