With no new games to watch as the NBA continues its coronavirus-related suspension, the league announced this week that it’s making League Pass available for a free trial through at least April 22.
That means that NBA fans will have the opportunity to rewatch any games from the 2018/19 or 2019/20 seasons, along with a few dozen games from previous seasons deemed to be classics.
With that in mind, a panel of ESPN writers picked out 30 games – one for each team – worth rewatching from the last two seasons, including the Celtics‘ double-overtime win over the Clippers last month, the Rockets‘ 159-158 win over the Wizards earlier in the season, Kawhi Leonard‘s first return to San Antonio last season, and several memorable playoff games from the 2019 postseason.
ESPN’s list is a good start, but it’s hardly exhaustive. So we want to open up the conversation to you.
Are you taking advantage of the free League Pass preview? If so, which games from the last two seasons are you watching first? Which of the league’s classic games are you curious to rewatch or perhaps check out for the first time? And which games would be your all-time top picks for rewatching, regardless of NBA League Pass availability?
Earlier today, we saw NFL legend Tom Brady change teams, opting to take his talents to Tampa Bay (be sure to check out our sister site Pro Football Rumors for the latest during NFL free agency).
The NBA has seen many great star players change teams in recent years. LeBron James did it three times, leaving the Cavaliers for the Heat, the Heat for the Cavs, and then the Cavs for the Lakers.
Some have compared the Brady signing to LeBron’s move, while others have matched it up with Michael Jordan joining the Wizards in the early 2000s. Brady is the greatest QB to play football and many consider Jordan the best to ever play basketball. Yet, the comparison of the two moves doesn’t go much further than that. Jordan came out of retirement to play for Washington while Brady just came off a season where he led his team to a division title and a playoff berth.
That leads us to tonight’s question: Where does Brady moving to Tampa Bay rank in terms of monumental moves among star players and what NBA move would you compare it to? Is it bigger than LeBron going to Miami or – with the 43-year-old quarterback on the last leg of his career – is the signing not as colossal?
Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!
March 7th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum
Now that the Nets have abruptly parted ways with highly-respected head coach Kenny Atkinson, there is one more big-ticket name available for this summer’s intriguing coaching carousel. With several otherteams potentially looking to make coaching changes in the offseason, we at Hoops Rumors felt it was high time to speculate wildly about summer 2020 coaching hires.
There may be coaching vacancies among several glamor NBA franchises, including the Knicks, Nets (Atkinson’s Nets replacement, Jacque Vaughn, will be merely an interim coach this season), Bulls, Rockets and Sixers.
Atkinson served as an assistant coach in New York and Atlanta before finally getting a crack at the lead job in Brooklyn. He coached the rebuilding Nets, without a single All-Star, to an impressive 42-40 record and a playoff berth last season. At 28-34, the team is currently the No. 7 seed in the East, despite All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant appearing in a combined 20 games this year.
Mike D’Antoni is a coaching free agent this summer, and even if Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta may be wary of bringing him back, he will not be hurting for work. A great 212-95 regular season record, a Coach of the Year Award in 2016/17, and one Western Conference Finals appearance should ensure that.
Though interim Knicks head coach Mike Miller has coached a hapless New York squad to a competent 15-26 record, his job security has been openly challenged by Knicks brand manager Steve Stoute. Miller may have done enough in a tough environment to warrant a look from another franchise.
Top assistant coaches like Becky Hammon with the Spurs, Tyronn Lue with the Clippers, Adrian Griffin with the Raptors and Nate Tibbetts with the Trail Blazers could all get a head coaching opportunity this summer.
We want to know what you think. Who are the best available coaches on the market this summer? Which teams would match best with which available or potentially-available coaches?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
After winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in 2019, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo looks like the overwhelming favorite to do so again in 2020.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.6 PPG and 13.8 RPG, both improvements on last season’s numbers, while playing just 30.8 minutes per contest, his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2013/14. In addition to his outstanding per-36 numbers, the reigning MVP is a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, and his team holds the NBA’s best record by a comfortable margin, at 53-9. Milwaukee also has an eye-popping +16.7 net rating when Antetokounmpo is on the floor, tops in the league.
Antetokounmpo’s case for a second consecutive MVP award is obvious, and makes him the clear frontrunner. However, not everyone is prepared to hand him the trophy quite yet.
With the Lakers poised to take on Milwaukee on Friday night in a battle of the NBA’s No. 1 seeds, head coach Frank Vogel argued that LeBron James should be considered a frontrunner for the 2020 MVP award, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. Vogel pointed to the intangibles James brings, including his leadership ability, as a factor for why the four-time MVP should receive serious consideration this spring.
“The body of work he’s put forth for our team I don’t really think it compares to anybody else,” Vogel said. “A lot of great performances throughout the year with other players, so I don’t want to take anything away from anyone else, but it’s pretty unbelievable what he does. What he means to us on both sides of the ball, defensive IQ and the way he impacts the game with his strength, athleticism, scoring the way he does, but also leading the league in assists. And the most important stat is how much we’re winning. So, to me, it’s his.”
In laying out James’ case for MVP, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report highlights the extent to which LeBron drives the team’s entire offense with his scoring and play-making. As Pincus points out, the Lakers’ offense falls off a cliff when James sits and the defense gets a little worse too — the club has a +10.4 rating with the 35-year-old on the court, compared to -1.0 when he’s on the bench.
One advance scout who spoke to Mark Medina of USA Today said his vote would go to Giannis, but admitted that the race is close enough for him to be convinced either way. One NBA executive speculated to Medina that voters may not be inclined to choose a back-to-back winner: “My gut would be since Giannis won it last year, people would give it to LeBron.”
We want to know what you think. Does LeBron have a legit NBA shot, or is Giannis running away with the award? If you think the race is still up in the air, what would have to happen in the season’s final five or six weeks to seal the deal one way or the other? Are there any other candidates you think could emerge as realistic alternatives?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Players available on the buyout market typically don’t become difference-makers for their new teams. Occasionally, productive players will join a playoff team late in the season and help buoy that club heading into the postseason, like Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli did for the Sixers in 2018 or Enes Kanter did for the Trail Blazers in 2019.
More often than not though, buyout-market additions don’t significantly move the needle. A year ago, the late-season signees who saw the most playing time down the stretch were Wayne Ellington (Pistons) and Wesley Matthews (Pacers), whose teams didn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs. The eventual-champion Raptors signed a player off the buyout market, but that player – Jeremy Lin – barely saw any action during the team’s title run.
With that in mind, we don’t want to overstate the impact that this year’s post-trade-deadline acquisitions will have the rest of the way. Still, it’s possible one of those players could be this year’s Ilyasova, Belinelli, or Kanter, playing an important role for a team that wins a playoff series or two — or even makes a Finals run.
As our roundup of the 2020 buyout market shows, there are a few candidates who could potentially fit that bill. One is new Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, who was bought out by Detroit last month. While some league observers viewed the signing of Jackson as unnecessary for a team that already featured a fairly strong, versatile backcourt, the ex-Piston has looked great in his first six games in Los Angeles, averaging 9.2 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG on .500/.409/1.000 shooting in a part-time role.
Although he was technically waived in December rather than bought out in February, Rockets forward Jeff Green also signed after the trade deadline and has excelled with his new team. Serving as a de facto center in Houston’s microball lineup, Green has posted 7.7 PPG and 2.5 RPG with an impressive .593/.500/.833 shooting line in six games (17.5 MPG).
In Milwaukee, new Bucks forward Marvin Williams hasn’t put up eye-popping numbers, but he has been a steady, reliable presence on the wing, providing solid defense against opposing scoring threats. His best game so far came against the rival Raptors, when he recorded nine points, five rebounds, and a pair of steals in just 16 minutes of action while frequently guarding All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.
Rockets forward DeMarre Carroll and Lakers forward Markieff Morris are among the other recent additions who are seeing part-time minutes for their new teams. It’s even worth mentioning Anthony Tolliver, who signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies on Monday and promptly knocked down 4-of-5 three-pointers in a blowout win over Atlanta. If he sticks with the team beyond his 10-day deal, maybe he could help Memphis hang onto the No. 8 seed in the West.
A handful of somewhat intriguing players are still on the free agent market, including J.R. Smith, Dion Waiters, Tyler Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, and Allen Crabbe. It’s possible one or more of those players will sign with a contender soon and play a key role in the coming weeks.
What do you think? Will any of these players really make a difference for their new clubs down the stretch and in the postseason? If so, which one do you think is the best bet to make an impact?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
February 28th, 2020 at 7:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder
Thanks to analytics, the NBA has undergone radical changes in the way the game is played.
The traditional center has become more and more obsolete. The mid-range jumper and isolation plays are discouraged, rather than being a staple of every team’s offense. A big man’s game has been replaced by small ball.
Now, every game is a bevy of drives to the basket and 3-point shots. It wasn’t long ago that players would get benched for taking transition threes. Now, coaches get upset if someone passes up a good long-range look on the fast break.
But like eating too dessert, has the emphasis on 3-point shooting become too much of a belly-ache instead of sweet satisfaction?
The amount of 3-point attempts has skyrocketed in just a decade. In 2009/10, the Magic led the league in 3-point attempts at 27.3 3-point tries per game. The Grizzlies ranked last at 12.4 per game.
Five years later, the Rockets led the league at 32.7 attempts per game but there was a big dropoff to second place in that category, as the Cavaliers shot an average of 27.5. The Timberwolves ranked last at 14.9 and 10 other teams shot fewer than 20 per game.
Look at where we are today. The Rockets, no surprise, rank first with a whopping 44.2 attempts per game. The eight teams immediately below them shoot at least 35 per game. The Pacers rank last at 27.7 per game.
That’s right. The team taking the fewest 3-pointers this season would have ranked first in that category 10 years ago.
The way things are trending, 3-point attempts will continue to rise, though not as dramatically as they have the last five or 10 years.
Is it time for the league to step in and prevent every game from essentially turning into a 3-point shooting contest? They could try to experiment with limiting the amount of threes that could be taken, such as counting shots beyond the arc as three points only at certain times of the game. Or they could do something really drastic, like erase it altogether.
The latter is a pipe dream, but there are many fans out there who would like to see basketball return to its roots.
That brings us to our question of the day: Do you like the dramatic increase in 3-point shooting in recent years or do you think the NBA should take steps to curtail or discourage teams from taking so many 3s?
Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.
The Eastern Conference playoff picture hasn’t been entirely set yet, but at this point, it seems unlikely that a team outside of the top eight will crash the party. The 25-32 Magic, who currently hold the No. 8 seed, are far from untouchable, but they still hold a 4.5-game lead on any of the conference’s also-rans.
That means the Wizards, Bulls, Hornets, Pistons, Knicks, Hawks, and Cavaliers will likely finish the year in the lottery. Our Community Shootaround discussion today centers on which of these clubs is best positioned going forward.
Of those teams, only the Pistons weren’t also in the lottery a year ago. But much has changed since then. Longtime cornerstones Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond are gone, and Detroit only has a 2023 second-round pick to show for it. Blake Griffin, who had one of the best years of his career in 2018/19, has barely played this season due to health issues. The Pistons are headed for a full-fledged rebuild, and while there are some promising young players in the mix, including Luke Kennard, Sekou Doumbouya, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, it will likely be a long process.
The Wizards, like the Pistons, still have an injured veteran star (John Wall) occupying a major chunk of their cap. Unlike Detroit though, Washington is potentially in position to get back into the playoff mix when that star returns next season. Bradley Beal has taken his game to another level in recent years, and the Wizards have unearthed some productive role players like Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner to go along with prospects such as Rui Hachimura and Troy Brown. The team also wants to re-sign Davis Bertans this summer.
The Bulls and Hawks entered the season as popular sleeper picks to challenge for the postseason in the East. That hasn’t happened though. While Zach LaVine has looked better than ever in Chicago, the Bulls haven’t gotten the production they expected out of recent lottery picks like Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., who has once again dealt with injuries.
Atlanta, meanwhile, saw its season derailed early by John Collins‘ 25-game PED suspension. Trae Young has become one of the league’s best offensive players, but the young supporting cast still isn’t ready to contend. Both the Bulls and Hawks have some cap flexibility going forward, but they’ll need more from their young building blocks in order to take a real step forward.
The Knicks and Hornets have been plagued by cap mismanagement in recent years and have lacked a true superstar. Both teams should have some flexibility this summer and beyond, and young players like Devonte’ Graham, PJ Washington, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson have promise. But it would definitely be premature to pencil in any of those players as perennial All-Stars — the management groups in New York and Charlotte will need to keep looking for potential high-end talent.
As for the Cavaliers, you could make the case that their 2019/20 season has been the worst of any of these teams. Newly-hired head coach John Beilein lasted just 54 games, veteran players like Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson have been disgruntled, and neither Collin Sexton nor Darius Garland looks like a lock for stardom. Kevin Porter Jr. has exceeded expectations and the Cavs will have some contracts coming off the books this offseason, but Love’s massive deal and the decision to acquire Drummond complicates their cap outlook going forward.
What do you think? Which combination of core players, front office personnel, and future cap flexibility would give you the most confidence if you had to pick one of these seven Eastern Conference teams? Which one do you think has the brightest outlook beyond this season?
Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts!
February 24th, 2020 at 6:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder
There was a flurry of activity around the NHL on Monday as its trade deadline arrived.
There were plenty of moves just before the NBA trade deadline as well, but that passed nearly three weeks ago.
It hasn’t been that way for very long. The NBA traditionally scheduled its trade deadline after the All-Star break but that changed a couple of years ago.
Players and executives grew weary of speculation regarding trades during All-Star weekend. That culminated in 2017, when a much healthier version of DeMarcus Cousins was dealt from Sacramento to New Orleans just after he represented the Western Conference in the All-Star festivities. The following year, the trade deadline was moved up to 10 days prior to the All-Star Game.
The league and its players have reaped some benefits from an earlier trade deadline. It removes the uncertainty surrounding the also-rans and teams on the fringe of the playoff race a lot sooner.
It also buys more time for those organizations to reach buyout agreements with some veterans who don’t figure in their long-term plans. For the contenders, it allows newly-acquired players a greater chance to gain chemistry with their new teammates and provides the coaches with more time to set rotations and determine their postseason approach.
On the flip side, it amounts to extended tank-a-thons for teams that are not in contention. Those teams are now playing out the string with makeshift lineups for over two months. An earlier trade deadline also kills off the anticipation of what teams might or might not do, which is often as exciting and intriguing to fans as the games themselves.
That brings us to our question of the day: Do you like the fact the NBA moved the trade deadline prior to the All-Star game a couple of years ago? Or would you prefer to see it switched back to later in the season?
Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.
The NBA’s 2019 free agent frenzy took place less than eight months ago, and many of the players signed at that time made their regular-season debuts with new teams less than four months ago. However, it’s already clear that some of the signings completed last July were ill-advised.
The Kings, for instance, are almost certainly regretting investing in Dewayne Dedmon on a three-year, $40MM contract with nearly $28MM in guaranteed money. Dedmon was expected to be the club’s starting center this season, but lasted just four games in that role before being supplanted by Richaun Holmes, who signed a far more team-friendly deal around the same time. Sacramento ultimately surrendered a pair of future second-round picks to get out from under Dedmon’s contract at the trade deadline.
While the Kings were at least able to find a taker for Dedmon, that wasn’t the case for the Spurs with DeMarre Carroll — the two sides reached a buyout agreement this week. Most players who are bought out at this time of year are on expiring deals, but Carroll – who signed a three-year, $21MM pact with San Antonio last summer – still had a fully guaranteed 2020/21 salary and partial guarantee for 2021/22.
Carroll gave back a little money when he was cut this week, but it was still a costly mistake for the Spurs — particularly since agreeing to sign both Carroll and Marcus Morris in the offseason resulted in the team trading away Davis Bertans to accommodate both incoming forwards. Morris reneged on his tentative agreement with the Spurs days later, and now Carroll is gone as well.
The Dedmon and Carroll signings are two of the most obvious failed free agency moves from the 2019 offseason, but they won’t be the only ones.
The Bulls, for instance, may want a do-over on their three-year, $40.6MM ($32.4MM guaranteed) deal with Thaddeus Young. The Sixers and Kings might not invest so heavily on their four-year contracts for Al Horford and Harrison Barnes if given a second chance. The Knicks‘ free agent signings won’t hurt them much because they’re all short-term, but besides Morris, it’s not clear that any of those veterans will turn into a long-term keeper or a valuable trade chip.
We want to hear your thoughts. Which of 2019’s free agent signings do you think teams will regret, even if they might not be considered full-fledged mistakes quite yet? Are there any long-term contracts signed in 2019 that will be viewed as albatross deals in a year or two?
In John Beilein’s case, the doubters turned out to be right.
After four decades in the college game, the 67-year-old coach wasn’t able to handle the adjustment to the NBA. The lifestyle, the personalities and the expectations of his players were all foreign to Beilein, who built his reputation guiding athletes between the ages of 18 and 22.
While he had his share of those with the rebuilding project in Cleveland, the atmosphere is different in the NBA. The coaches have all the power in college, but in the pro ranks the balance shifts to the players, who weren’t receptive to long practices and intense film sessions in the midst of an already-grueling 82-game schedule. Beilein seemed out of place both on and off the court as he tried to adapt to the game strategies and player management techniques of a league that was totally new to him.
Beilein resigned today in a move that everyone knew was coming. His 14-40 record and a growing litany of player complaints made the parting inevitable.
He becomes the latest successful NCAA coach to crash and burn in the NBA, joining a large group that includes John Calipari (72-112 with the Nets), Rick Pitino (192-220 with the Knicks and Celtics), Tim Floyd (90-231 with the Bulls and Hornets) and Jerry Tarkanian (9-11 in a brief 20-game stay with the Spurs).
But regardless of the results, some NBA teams believe the solution to their problems can be found on a college campus. The Knicks, for example, reportedly expressed interest in both Calipari and Villanova’s Jay Wright to take over the team next year.
The Celtics’ Brad Stevens, one of the few to successfully transition from college to the NBA, met with Beilein in the summer of 2018 while he was considering an opportunity with the Pistons. Stevens, who reached the NCAA title game twice at Butler, talked to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com in October about how to he was able to make the transition work.
“I think one of the great things about being here (in Boston) is that we have unbelievable leadership in our front office and ownership and they don’t ride the highs and lows — a game, a week, a month, they just kind of stay the course,” Stevens said. “I really appreciate that. You feel empowered to work in that environment. … If you’re looking at it coming from a college situation where you have a lot of job security I think the question you want to know is, ‘there will be ups and downs and is it going to be something they recognize they can’t overreact to one bad week or bad month?’”
We want to get your opinion. Is it a mistake for NBA teams to look to the college ranks for head coaches? Or are there a lot more potential success stories out there like Stevens just waiting for an opportunity? Please leave your responses in the space below.