Community Shootaround

The new-look Cavaliers made a statement today, annihilating the Celtics in Boston in a nationally televised game. The problems that plagued the team all season appear to be vanquished with a younger, faster and more athletic lineup now in place around LeBron James.

All four newly acquired players made an impact with Jordan Clarkson scoring 17 points, Rodney Hood adding 15 with three 3-pointers, George Hill posting 12 points and Larry Nance Jr. contributing five points and four rebounds.

The ball was moving, there were no signs of in-fighting on the court and the issues with defense appear to have been resolved. Most importantly, James looked happy and energized by his new crop of teammates.

“They were phenomenal,” coach Tyronn Lue told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “They played hard and they competed, and it was just good to see the team smiling again and having fun.”

Nobody in Cleveland was having much fun for the past month or so. Especially not Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade or Derrick Rose, who were all sent packing in three separate deals just before Thursday’s trade deadline.

“Attention to detail was at an all-time high this season,” James said in a post-game interview on ABC. “We have players who can get their own and are pretty smart.”

It’s only one game, of course, but it’s a very impressive start for a group that hasn’t played together before and it may be enough to propel the Cavaliers to a fourth straight NBA Finals. But we want to get your opinion. Does this new collection of talent make Cleveland the favorites to win the East? Please leave your response in the comments section below.

As soon as the NBA’s trade deadline passes, the buyout market begins. Each year, there are some prominent players who either don’t get traded or get shipped to teams that have no intention of keeping them.

Buyouts are a win-win situation for the players and their non-contending teams. The clubs save a few dollars by negotiating down an unwanted salary, and the players are free to sign with a team headed to the postseason. It’s an even bigger win for the contending teams, who are able to add significant talent at minimal cost. Buyouts seem to have replaced trades for the league’s elite organizations, as the five teams with the current best records — the Warriors, Rockets, Raptors, Celtics and Spurs — were all idle as Thursday’s deadline passed.

A handful of players have already agreed to buyouts — Joe Johnson, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, Derrick Rose, Tony Allen and Josh McRoberts. Johnson and Wright are headed to the Rockets. Belinelli should have several suitors, including the Warriors, Spurs, Celtics and Thunder. Rose has reportedly attracted attention from the Timberwolves and Wizards. Allen may be headed to the Thunder, while McRoberts will have to convince somebody he can still play after suffering a foot injury and being pushed to the far edge of the bench in Dallas.

More buyouts may be coming with Ersan Ilyasova, Shabazz Muhammad, Vince Carter, Corey Brewer, Kosta Koufos, Marreese Speights, Tyson Chandler and possibly Joakim Noah among the candidates. Also, free agent center Andrew Bogut, who was waived by the Lakers in January, is reportedly close to signing with a contending team and Boris Diaw may be ready for an NBA return.

That brings us to tonight’s question. Who do you see as the most valuable free agent on the market between now and the end of the season? Please share your opinion in our comments section below.

The 2018 NBA trade deadline is now behind us, and it was a little busier than expected. A dozen deals were completed on Thursday, after four more trades were finalized in the 10 days prior to the deadline.

The Cavaliers stole the show on deadline day, completing three trades that sent out a total of six players and saw them land four new players: George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance. It was a fascinating roster overhaul for the Cavs, who surrendered their own 2018 first-round pick along with Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert, and Channing Frye, but hung onto the Nets’ 2018 first-rounder.

Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype spoke to several players from around the NBA to get their trade-deadline impressions, and the Cavaliers were the team mentioned most frequently. Trevor Booker called Cleveland the deadline’s “biggest winner,” while an anonymous Eastern Conference guard lauded the Cavs for acquiring several “guys who are hungry.” Multiple players pointed specifically to Hood as a player who will have an impact in Cleveland.

The Lakers also received praise from more than one player who spoke to Kennedy. L.A. only made one trade on deadline day, but it was a big one — in exchange for Clarkson and Nance, two players on multiyear contracts, the Lakers took on a pair of expiring contracts and nabbed the Cavs’ 2018 first-round pick. The move puts the team in great position to go after two star free agents in 2018 or 2019.

The Jazz, who moved Hood and Joe Johnson and landed Crowder and Rose, will also active on deadline day, as were the Heat, who reunited with old friends Wade and Luke Babbitt. The Knicks and Suns each picked up a former top-10 pick, with New York acquiring Emmanuel Mudiay and Phoenix trading for Elfrid Payton. The Pistons added bench depth in the form of James Ennis and Jameer Nelson, while the Trail Blazers got out of the tax. The Nuggets and Mavericks were among the other teams who were active.

Conversely, several potential title contenders had very quiet deadlines. The Spurs, Rockets, Warriors, and Celtics didn’t make any trades on Thursday, and the Raptors‘ only deal was a back-of-the-bench move. Some potential sellers were unexpectedly quiet too, as the Clippers hung onto Avery Bradley and DeAndre Jordan, the Grizzlies kept Tyreke Evans, and the Hawks retained Dewayne Dedmon, Marco Belinelli, and Ersan Ilyasova.

Our full 2018 trade deadline recap can be found right here.

Based on all those moves, and even a few trades from last week too, if you want to count the Blake Griffin and Nikola Mirotic swaps as deadline deals: Which teams – or players – do you think were the winners and losers of this year’s trade deadline?

As multiple 2017 blockbuster trades have shown, our early impressions of a trade can sometimes be off base (just ask the Pacers, who are very happy with Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis these days). But we’re still curious to know what you think of the latest deals from around the NBA. Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

The Pistons were expected to make some sort of move before the trade deadline to improve their playoff prospects. But did anyone see this coming?

Likewise, the Clippers were shopping a couple of their veterans, namely Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan. But how many thought they’d move Blake Griffin this quickly after re-signing him to a five-year, $171.1MM contract over the summer?

Both organizations made very different decisions regarding the direction of their franchises by agreeing to a blockbuster deal on Monday. The Pistons took on Griffin and his huge contract along with a couple of reserves. Detroit shipped two starters, Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley, along with Boban Marjanovic and two draft picks to the Clippers. Los Angeles will get a first-rounder in the June draft unless it’s a top-four pick.

Harris and Bradley lead the Pistons in scoring, though Bradley’s production has dipped since he suffered a groin injury in December. Harris has become an above-average 3-point shooter this season and his contract expires after next season. Bradley is on an expiring deal.

The Clippers gave themselves major cap relief by dealing Griffin’s contract and picked up two solid veterans along with a likely lottery pick. Detroit received a perennial All-Star to pair up with Andre Drummond in the frontcourt, though Griffin’s injury history adds to the risk. But the Pistons clearly weren’t going anywhere with their current roster and now have a marquee player who might bring some more fans into the usually half-empty Little Caesars Arena.

That brings us to our question of the day: Who do you think will benefit the most from the blockbuster trade involving Blake Griffin, the Clippers or the Pistons?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section. We look forward to what you have to say.

Last week, the NBA announced the 10 starters for this year’s All-Star Game. Barring injuries, the players on the court to start next month’s event will be the following 10:

• Backcourt:
  • Kyrie Irving (Celtics)
  • DeMar DeRozan (Raptors)
  • Stephen Curry (Warriors)
  • James Harden (Rockets)
• Frontcourt:
  • LeBron James (Cavaliers)
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
  • Joel Embiid (Sixers)
  • Kevin Durant (Warriors)
  • DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans)
  • Anthony Davis (Pelicans)

Although there are still five representatives from each conference among that group of starters, there will be a twist on the usual format this season. Top vote-getters James and Curry will each captain one All-Star squad, picking teams from the pool of players in what will essentially be a star-studded fantasy draft.

While that draft will ultimately include all 24 players named to the All-Star teams, James and Curry will focus first on the above group, filling out their starting lineups before moving on to the reserves. As explained on NBA.com, James will pick first from the group of those eight remaining starters, with Curry picking second. They’ll alternate after that until all the starters are off the board.

The NBA continues to say it won’t televise the event, so we may not actually get to see how the draft plays out, but it’s still fun to speculate. Will James use his first pick to select Curry’s Warriors teammate Durant? Will LeBron avoid selecting Kyrie? Will the star Pelicans bigs get separated? And, of course, who will be the last player picked?

We want to hear your two cents on how the draft will look for the All-Star starters, so jump into the comment section to make your predictions. What do you expect the two starting lineups to look like? Which players would you like to see team up? What order would you pick the All-Star starters in if you were drafting the teams?

No team has been tied to more trade rumors than the Cavaliers, and that figures to intensify after today’s performance. The defensive woes that have plagued the team all season were on full display in a 148-124 loss to the Thunder.

Cleveland has fallen to 27-18, and only two wins over the lowly Magic have saved the team from an eight-game losing streak. The Cavs are coming up on a critical week, with a trip to San Antonio Tuesday, followed by four straight games against Eastern Conference playoff contenders. Cleveland is just four games ahead of ninth-place Detroit in the loss column, and the possibilitties of losing home-court advantage in the first round or missing the playoffs entirely don’t seem so far fetched.

The most glaring problems are on defense, where a rim protector like DeAndre Jordan could make an immediate difference. Jordan has fallen to 1.0 blocks per game this season, but he has been among the NBA’s best shot blockers and rebounders for several years and would fill an obvious need in Cleveland. The 29-year-old can opt out this summer, which is why the Clippers are tempted to deal him.

But according to reports, L.A. will only consider the trade if Cleveland includes the unprotected Nets’ first-rounder it received from Boston in the Kyrie Irving deal. The Cavs have free agent concerns of their own with LeBron James not guaranteed to return and would like to keep the pick to help with a potential rebuilding project.

Brooklyn entered the day tied with Phoenix for seventh place in our Reverse Standings. For perspective, the seventh and eight players taken in last year’s draft were Lauri Markkanen and Frank Ntilikina. The Nets have plenty of room to move up or down, lodged three and a half games behind the Magic and Kings for the top spot, but only four games ahead of the 12th-place Knicks.

That brings us to our question for the night. Taking into consideration the fact that Brooklyn’s pick doesn’t guarantee a high lottery spot, plus the Cavaliers’ defensive problems and LeBron’s uncertain future in Cleveland, should GM Koby Altman be willing to part with the pick to obtain help now? Jump into the comments section below and give us your feedback.

The NBA’s new All-Star format will re-shuffle the Eastern and Western Conference players once the 24 All-Stars are selected, but up until that point, the voting process remains essentially unchanged. That means that, as usual, fan voting will help determine the 10 players – five from each conference – dubbed starters for next month’s game. Voting concluded last night, and this year’s All-Star starters will be announced later in the week.

As of the last update on voting results, there were no huge surprises in either conference. In the East, Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan were the top backcourt vote-getters, while LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid led the way in the frontcourt. Out West, teammates Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green were all among the top vote-getters, with James Harden and Anthony Davis joining them.

Those 10 players would be worthy starters, but they’re hardly the only candidates for the job. In an ESPN Insider piece published several days ago, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton makes the case for Al Horford and DeMarcus Cousins to join the starting ranks for the All-Star Game. Last week, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News argued on behalf of Kristaps Porzingis in the East, and left out some big names in the West in favor of Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

There are other players – including Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo – with legitimate cases for starting roles, but we’re limited to 10, five in each in conference. With that being said, which five Eastern and five Western players do you think should be selected as All-Star starters for 2017/18?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

We’ve reached the midpoint of the NBA season and several players have stood out during the first half of the schedule.

Certainly, last season’s runner-up in the MVP chase has made his mark once again. Entering Monday’s action, Rockets superstar guard James Harden topped the scoring column by a significant margin. He was averaging 32.3 PPG before being sidelined by a hamstring issue. Led by Harden, who is expected to return this week, the Rockets got off to a 25-4 start.

The Greek Freak, Bucks point forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, leads the All-Star voting while taking another step in his development. He’s averaging 28.4 PPG, second only to Harden, while also ranking in the Top 20 in rebounding, steals and blocks for a playoff contender.

LeBron James is showing no signs of wear and tear despite all the minutes he’s logged during his storied career. The Cavaliers forward ranks third in scoring (27.1 PPG), 24th in rebounding (8.0) and fourth in assists (8.8) while being forced to carry a heavy load with Kyrie Irving in Boston and Isaiah Thomas recently returning from a hip injury.

Speaking of Irving, he’s doing quite well in his new home. The Celtics point guard is averaging 24.0 PPG as Boston cruised into the second half of the season atop the East despite the season-opening loss of Gordon Hayward.

Kevin Durant (26.3 PPG) is enjoying another banner season and carried the Warriors for a stretch when Stephen Curry suffered an ankle injury. Jimmy Butler (21.5 PPG) might not boast the gaudy numbers of the aforementioned group but he’s sparked the resurgent Timberwolves with his defensive intensity and offensive versatility.

That leads us to today’s question: Which player do you feel was the league’s first-half MVP and what is your reasoning behind your selection?

Please weigh in below in our comments section. We look forward to your opinion on this topic.