Community Shootaround

Community Shootaround: Will Darius Bazley Create A Trend?

May 1st, 2018 at 5:44pm CST by clarkcrum

As we relayed back at the end of March, McDonald’s All-American Darius Bazley, projected to be a 2019 NBA lottery selection, will forgo his college eligibility and sign a G League contract when’s he eligible to do so this fall.

It’s been nearly 10 years since a player has entered the G League straight out of high school. In 2009, Latavious Williams entered the D-League at just 18 years of age, but as Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days writes, there were just 16 teams back then, of which a small few were even owned by NBA teams.

Next season, the G League is set to tip-off with a record 27 teams, most of which are owned and affiliated with an NBA franchise. Moreover, the league has been trending towards a youth movement for quite some time, with most G League teams filling their roster with undrafted rookies.

Given this infusion of youth, Johnson writes that Bazley’s decision is a watershed moment for the G League, opining that Bazley’s performance next season will determine whether or not other players choose to make a similar leap in future seasons.

Do you agree with Johnson? Do you believe that a successful stint in the G League by Bazley may encourage more high school stars to forgo college and enter the G League or will Bazley’s decision be an outlier regardless of how he handles next season? Could a poor performance hurt the G League’s reputation for developing players moving forward?

Please take to the comments section and let us know what you think.

Community Shootaround: Pacers’ Future

April 30th, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The future looks bright for the Pacers. They surpassed expectations this season, making the playoffs and pushing the Cavaliers to the brink of elimination before LeBron James willed Cleveland to a Game 7 victory.

Indiana’s blockbuster trade with the Thunder turned out better than anyone could have anticipated. Victor Oladipo blossomed into a star, while Oklahoma City crashed in the first round and could lose Paul George in free agency.

The next step is how the Pacers approach the offseason. There’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding other rotation players. The salaries of Bojan Bogdanovic and Darren Collison are not guaranteed for next season. Thaddeus Young and Cory Joseph hold player options on their deals while the team has a contract option on Lance Stephenson.

It’s safe to say some, if not all of those players will return. The bigger question is how to improve the surrounding cast around Oladipo. The team will have the cap room to sign at least one, if not two, impact free agents depending upon those contract decisions.

Trades could also be pursued, and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer suggests a bold approach. He feels the club should pursue the Rockets’ Clint Capela and then put Myles Turner on the trade block. O’Connor also brings up Magic forward Aaron Gordon, a versatile defender, and the Bucks’ offensively-gifted though injury-prone forward Jabari Parker as potential upgrades to the current unit.

That leads to our question of the day: If you were the Pacers’ GM, what changes would you make to turn them into a serious contender?

Please take to the comments section and let your opinion be heard. We look forward to what you have to say.

Community Shootaround: Paul George’s Future

April 28th, 2018 at 1:59pm CST by marksuleymanov

With the Jazz’s 96-91 win over the Thunder on Friday, Oklahoma City was officially eliminated from the postseason after just six games. A 45-point, 10-rebound, and 5-assist performance from Russell Westbrook could not salvage the Thunder’s season. OKC’s two other standouts, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, combined for just 12 points in the elimination game.

With the season over, the focus shifts to the offseason as George will be one of the most coveted unrestricted free agents on the market. In his first season with the Thunder, George enjoyed a typically productive year, averaging 21.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG in 79 games. While those numbers were down from his previous two seasons, he was still a vital cog in the Thunder machine. After the game, George spoke to reporters and addressed his future.

“There was a lot to be happy about: the fans, the city, the organization,” George said (via Sports Illustrated). “Everything has been unbelievable. It’s too soon. I’d love to remain a Thunder, but that’s what this summer is for. We’ll address that in the summer.”

After a rough first-round exit, George’s return to the Thunder — despite his repeated comments that he’s open to staying with the organization — is far from certain. With Anthony wielding a $28MM player option, and various other commitments, the Thunder will have a tough time freeing up the money to offer George a max deal, unless they’re willing to go way into tax territory. While it’s possible George has played his last game for OKC, he said he enjoyed growing with his teammates.

“It was an amazing season,” he said. “Really, a learning experience playing off of [Westbrook], playing off of [Anthony]. [Steven Adams]. Seeing what the potential was like having [Roberson] out there. It was great.”

George, a California native, has long been connected to his hometown Lakers, who will have the cap space and opportunity to pursue him this summer. The 27-year-old five-time All-Star will be a popular player, but his current team seems like a longshot at best to retain him.

What do you think will happen with George? Do you think he will somehow end up re-signing with the Thunder? Does it make sense for the Thunder to pursue him given the financial ramifications? If not, where do you think George winds up?

Community Shootaround: Game 6 Predictions

April 27th, 2018 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

After the Pelicans, Rockets, Warriors, and Sixers won their respective opening-round series in either four or five games, the first Game 6 of this year’s postseason took place on Thursday night, with the Bucks holding home court against the Celtics to push their series to a Game 7.

On Friday night, three more series will play a Game 6, so we want to hear your thoughts and predictions on tonight’s matchups.

In the East, the Cavaliers will look to close out the Pacers in Indiana to advance to the second round. The series has been a back-and-forth affair, featuring several close games and each team picking up a win in the other club’s building. Cleveland’s supporting cast has been somewhat underwhelming and George Hill remains questionable with a back injury, but if LeBron James keeps playing like he did in Game 5 (44 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists), it might not matter.

It’ll be interesting to see if Victor Oladipo can bounce back from an underwhelming Game 5. Since he scored 32 points in the series opener, Oladipo has seen his scoring output decline in each game, all the way down to 12 points in Game 5. His field-goal percentage has dipped in every game too, culminating in a 2-for-15 showing on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in the East, the Wizards will host the Raptors and look to avoid elimination in D.C. The home team has won every game in this series, so the fact that this one takes place in Washington bodes well for a Game 7, but this is another matchup that has been fairly even throughout the first round. Otto Porter is questionable to play in this game for the Wizards, while Fred VanVleet remains questionable for Toronto.

A Game 6 win would be a good sign for the Raptors, who have yet to pick up a statement victory in these playoffs. As long as the Raps keep winning at home, they could theoretically advance to the NBA Finals, since they’re the East’s No. 1 seed, but a solid road win would make them look like a much more formidable opponent heading into round two.

Over in the West, the road team is in a much tougher spot than the Cavs or Raptors — the Thunder trail 3-2 in their series with the Jazz, meaning they’ll need to win tonight in Utah just to keep their season alive. Oklahoma City looked all but dead in the third quarter of Game 5, but stormed back from a 25-point deficit behind huge games from Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

The Westbrook/George duo combined for 79 points in Game 5, with OKC’s next-highest scorer (Carmelo Anthony) scoring just seven. That’s a storyline worth watching in Game 6 — the Thunder probably can’t keep relying solely on the heroics of Westbrook and George, so someone else will need to step up. It’s not clear if Anthony will be that player, as the club looked better when he wasn’t on the court in Game 5.

What do you think? How will tonight’s games play out? Will the three teams in the driver’s seat be able to take care of business and advance to the next round, or can we look forward to another Game 7 or two on Sunday?

Community Shootaround: Wolves’ Offseason Outlook

April 26th, 2018 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves became the latest NBA team to be eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night, dropping Game 5 in Houston and losing their series against the Rockets by a 4-1 margin. With that loss, the offseason is officially underway in Minnesota.

The Wolves’ season came to a disappointing and underwhelming end after the team slipped down to the No. 8 seed and only managed a single playoff win, but there were plenty of positives to take away from the 2017/18 campaign. For one, Minnesota snapped its 14-year postseason drought, earning its spot in the playoffs in dramatic fashion by beating Denver on the final day of the regular season.

“I told the players I’m very proud of what you did, to get out of the hole we were in to win 47 games,” head coach and president Tom Thibodeau said after Wednesday’s loss, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “To get into the playoffs after 14 years of not being in the playoffs, to do it in a very tight playoff race, to finish one game out of the fourth spot, it’s a major jump from where we were two years ago. … I’m very proud of what this team did. It was not easy and they fought like crazy to get it done.”

There are other reasons for optimism in Minnesota. Jimmy Butler‘s knee injury limited the team’s ceiling down the stretch and in the postseason, so the Wolves will be in a better position to make a deeper playoff run next spring if he’s healthy. Additionally, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns are still just 23 and 22 years old, respectively, so there’s room for continued growth from both of those former No. 1 overall picks.

Still, there are some possible areas for concern. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks and The Athletic’s Danny Leroux detail in separate pieces (subscriptions required for both), the Timberwolves’ roster is starting to get expensive, particularly with Towns up for a maximum-salary extension this summer.

Minnesota will have Towns on his modest rookie contract for one more year, but the team already has $110MM on the books for 2018/19, so its ability to spend in free agency will be very limited. The team’s cap sheet for 2019/20 is slightly cleaner for now, but adding new max deals for Towns and Butler would change that equation quickly, potentially putting the Wolves into tax territory and leaving little flexibility for upgrades.

The growing cost of the Timberwolves’ roster mean that the team may have to count on veteran free agents to take discounts to join a potential contender, as owner Glen Taylor recently noted. In order for that to be a viable strategy though, the Wolves will have to convince those free agents of two things: First, that the club is capable of title contention with its current core, and second, that there will be worthwhile roles off the bench under Thibodeau, who notoriously leans heavily on his top six or seven players.

A more extreme approach to addressing the Wolves’ long-term cap outlook would be to make changes to the current core. In a column for The Star Tribune, Jim Souhan makes a case for trading Wiggins and fully committing to Butler, but that’s easier said than done. Wiggins, who is coming off underwhelming performances in Games 4 and 5 of the Houston series, will get expensive on July 1, when his five-year, maximum-salary extension takes effect. Moving a deal that big in terms of years and money can be done – as the Clippers showed with Blake Griffin – but it would be tricky.

As the Wolves’ offseason gets underway, we want to hear your thoughts on what’s next for the club. Do trades need to be made? Does Minnesota have to re-sign Nemanja Bjelica in restricted free agency? Does Wiggins’ new max deal have albatross potential, or will he make it a worthwhile investment? Is Thibodeau the right choice to continue coaching the team and making personnel decisions for the long term?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Heat’s Offseason Outlook

April 25th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat‘s season came to an end on Tuesday night, with a 104-91 loss in Philadelphia resulting in a 4-1 series win for the Sixers. Now that the 2017/18 campaign is officially in the books, Miami faces an important offseason ahead as the front office looks to find a way to turn the Heat from a solid playoff team into a legit contender.

The big summer decisions figure to start with Hassan Whiteside, Miami’s highest-paid player, who is owed a guaranteed $25MM+ salary in 2018/19 and has a $27MM+ player option for 2019/20. After averaging a career-high 32.6 minutes per game for the Heat in 2016/17, Whiteside saw just 25.3 MPG this season, and that number dipped further in the playoffs — he played only 15.4 MPG against the Sixers. As we relayed earlier today, Whiteside wasn’t thrilled with his declining playing time in the postseason.

“At least give me a chance to fight,” Whiteside said. “I can understand if I was playing 30 minutes and I played bad. At least give me a chance. … We played a style of play Coach (Erik Spoelstra) wanted. He wanted to utilize more spacing I guess in the playoffs, so that’s why he did it.”

Whiteside’s discontent with his role and the Heat’s success with Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo at center will create an interesting offseason predicament. Can Miami find a worthwhile trade involving Whiteside, or will the team have to find a way to keep him happy next season? For what it’s worth, at least one report suggests the Heat are expected to explore trade scenarios.

With Whiteside’s contract on the books, the Heat are currently carrying more than $116MM in guaranteed salary for 2018/19, making it virtually impossible to land an impact free agent. Considering Pat Riley has repeatedly made an effort to pursue star players in the past, the team’s inflexibility in terms of cap room presents another fascinating hurdle. To truly transform the roster or land an All-Star caliber player, Miami would almost certainly need to do so via trades, likely moving more than just Whiteside.

Tyler Johnson, whose salary jumps to $19MM+ in 2018/19, and Dion Waiters, who is coming off a season-ending ankle injury, would be trade candidates, though neither player will have significant value. In order to maximize their potential return, the Heat will have to be willing to discuss one or more their more valuable pieces, such as Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Olynyk, and Adebayo.

It also doesn’t help matters that Miami’s best shooter, Wayne Ellington, is an unrestricted free agent. He’s one of a small handful of Heat players eligible for free agency — another is Dwyane Wade, who would probably have to accept another minimum salary deal if he decides he wants to return for another season.

In a piece calling for major offseason roster changes, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald suggests that no Heat player should be untouchable this summer, and notes that Riley is “less likely than ever” to embark on an all-out rebuild. But we want to know what you think.

What’s the best path to contention for the Heat? Is there a realistic trade out there that could raise the club’s ceiling? What should Miami do with Whiteside? Which players on the roster are keepers?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts on the offseason outlook for the Heat!

Community Shootaround: Philadelphia 76ers

April 24th, 2018 at 11:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers won their first playoff series since 2012, beating the Heat in five games and Dwyane Wade, who might have just played his last games in the league, called Philadelphia the future of the NBA.

The future may be now with the rest of the Eastern Conference contenders looking particularly vulnerable.

Boston, a team that’s one win away from meeting Philly in the second-round, is without Kyrie Irving. Toronto is locked in a duel with the Wizards in round-one and Cleveland looks as beatable as any LeBron James team in recent memory.

GM Bryan Colangelo deserves credit for making putting the right ancillary parts around the team’s major building blocks. He signed J.J. Redick last summer and brought in Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli late in the season to add lethal shooting and veteran presence to a young nucleus.

However, credit for the young nucleus belongs to Sam Hinkie. The architect of The Process put the franchise in position to have a championship-level ceiling by deciding mediocrity wasn’t enough. He also didn’t want a team that capped out at 50 wins. He wanted one that could compete yearly for a championship and the organization appears to be closing in on that goal.

With Ben Simmons in the fold, something that happened in part because of Hinkie’s final tanking campaign, the team has a perennial All-Star on board. If Joel Embiid can stay healthy, the team should have two of those. Add in great finds like Robert Covington and patient drafting, like the selection of Dario Saric, and you have a team with a nucleus that appears ready for a decade of dominance. Not to mention that the Sixers will likely add another top-10 pick over the next couple seasons as a result of Hinkie dealing away Michael Carter-Williams back in 2015 and fleecing the Kings later that year.

With the city of Philadelphia celebrating yet again after a first-round series win, tonight’s community shootaround is all about the Sixers.

How far do you see the Sixers going this postseason? Can this team win the Eastern Conference? Does Sam Hinkie deserve more credit than he’s currently getting? Should the organization invite him to ring the pre-game bell like they did with rapper Meek Mill in Game 5 of their first-round series? Will anyone notice that No.1 overall pick Markelle Fultz has only played nine minutes over the last four games?

Let us know your thoughts on everything Sixers-related in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Community Shootaround: Can Budenholzer Return To Hawks?

April 23rd, 2018 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Budenholzer has interviewed for two of the NBA’s open head coaching positions so far this offseason, meeting with the Suns and Knicks about their vacancies. Budenholzer withdrew from consideration for the Phoenix job, but is reportedly interested in landing in New York.

The only problem? Budenholzer already has a coaching job, with two years and about $13-14MM remaining on his contract with the Hawks. While Atlanta has been willing to let Budenholzer interview for other jobs, the team has maintained that it’s open to bringing back its head coach for the 2018/19 season.

Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is skeptical, writing today that he finds it hard to believe that Budenholzer could remain the Hawks’ head coach going forward. As Cunningham outlines, Budenholzer wasn’t thrilled to lose personnel decision-making power to GM Travis Schlenk a year ago, and isn’t all that interested in working through a long rebuilding process in Atlanta.

A person familiar with Budenholzer’s plans tells Cunningham that the head coach would be ready to return to Atlanta if he doesn’t get another job, and the Hawks have maintained that they could be on board with that scenario too. But Cunningham views that scenario as untenable, since it’d be hard for Hawks players to commit to a lame-duck coach who may have his eye on other jobs.

The best-case scenario for both Budenholzer and the Hawks would for him to find another situation he likes, and for that team to offer Atlanta a fair compensation package to let him out of his current contract. That way, Budenholzer could move on to a more favorable situation and Atlanta’s new management group could hand-pick a new head coach after having gotten out from under Budenholzer’s contract.

If Budenholzer doesn’t get an offer though, or if a team that wants him isn’t willing to give the Hawks compensation to let him go, the situation could get messy. It wouldn’t be unprecedented if Budenholzer ultimately remains in Atlanta – Dave Joerger signed an extension with the Grizzlies in 2014 after they let him interview with the Timberwolves – but it wouldn’t be ideal either.

What do you think? Can the Hawks bring Budenholzer back? Will they have the opportunity to make that decision, or will he be offered a job by another team? Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Portland Trail Blazers

April 21st, 2018 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

After exceeding expectations during the regular season, the Trail Blazers went the other way in the playoffs. Coming in as the No. 3 seed in the West, Portland is the first team to exit the postseason after a shocking sweep by the Pelicans.

The focus now turns to next year and how to improve a team that won 49 games. The Blazers are already about $10MM over the salary cap for 2018/19, and that number could go significantly higher. Jusuf Nurkic, Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton are all eligible for extensions this summer, with their qualifying offers combining for nearly $10MM.

Nurkic will be looking for a big-money deal after averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in 79 games. He established himself as Portland’s starting center immediately after being acquired from the Nuggets in a trade last season and won’t be easy to replace if the Blazers decide he’s not affordable.

Most of the team’s salary is tied up in the starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who are both signed to rich contracts through the 20/21 season. In addition, Evan Turner will make more than $36MM over the next two years, and Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard are each around $22MM for the same time frame, meaning no cap relief is coming until at least the summer of 2020.

President of basketball operations Neil Olshey has to decide this summer if the current approach will keep the Blazers competitive or if major changes are needed. Rumors are already circulating that head coach Terry Stotts may be fired after six years on the bench. But the only way to bring radical change is to break up the high-priced backcourt. Lillard is owed more than $89.4MM over the next three seasons, while McCollum will get more than $82.6MM. Either one would bring a healthy trade package in return, and a deal could help ease the financial logjam.

What would you do if you were running the Blazers? Would you break up one of the best backcourts in the NBA, or is there a better solution? Please give us your feedback in the comments section below.

Community Shootaround: Best Available Coaching Job

April 18th, 2018 at 7:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

After getting through the 2017 offseason with no coaching changes, this year is providing much more action. We started a Head Coaching Search Tracker this week to help you keep up with all the latest developments on the coaching carousel.

Three teams currently have vacancies and three others are operating with interim coaches at the helm. Many of the top candidates are interviewing with multiple franchises, which raises the question of which is the best job currently available:

The Hornets expected to be a perennial playoff team when they assembled their current roster, but they have missed the postseason for two straight years. Charlotte could be as much as $20MM over the cap next season with its current roster, so an overhaul is likely, but it’s hard to say who will be heading out. The Hornets have some talent with Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Dwight Howard, Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but their financial situation will limit their flexibility for at least another year unless some bold moves are taken.
Despite having a string of lottery picks, the Magic haven’t shown signs of growing into a contender. Aaron Gordon is probably the best player on the roster, but he’s headed into restricted free agency, so his future in Orlando isn’t certain. Last year’s top choice, Jonathan Isaac, was limited to 27 games by injuries. The Magic have the fifth-best shot at the No. 1 pick in the lottery, but the franchise is likely looking at a long rebuilding process.
The Knicks are trying to escape a dysfunctional era that brought down Jeff Hornacek after just two seasons. New York’s major assets are Kristaps Porzingis, who isn’t expected back until at least December after tearing his ACL, and Tim Hardaway Jr. Enes Kanter can opt out of an $18.6MM salary, so he may not be back next season. New York is ninth entering the lottery and won’t have significant cap room until next summer, so it’s another situation where the front office will have to be patient.
The Grizzlies strung together seven straight playoff appearances before an injury to Mike Conley brought down this season right after it started. Management is confident that Conley and Marc Gasol can still be the core of a playoff team, especially if Chandler Parsons can come back healthier and a decent lottery pick is added. Those three contracts will eat up a huge amount of Memphis’ cap room for at least the next two season, so any improvement is going to have to come from within.
The Suns feel like they’re headed in the right direction with Devin Booker and T.J. Warren joined by the returning Brandon Knight and promising rookie Josh Jackson. Phoenix could have more than $30MM in cap room if it renounces Alex Len and Elfrid Payton, which could make the team a force in the free agent market. The Suns have the best lottery odds and no burdensome long-term contracts other than the expected extension for Booker.
The Bucks are the only playoff team on the list after firing Jason Kidd midway through the season. They have an MVP candidate in Giannis Antetokounmpo signed through the 2020/21 season, with an impressive collection of young talent surrounding him in Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker and Thon Maker. Milwaukee is capped out this summer and Parker will be a restricted free agent, but the financial situation eases significantly heading into the future.

We want to get your opinion. If you were a candidate for all six of these jobs, which one gives you the best chance to succeed? Please jump into the comments section below and give us your feedback.

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