Community Shootaround

The Bucks seemed to be on the upswing and a good bet to make the playoffs coming into this season.  As the trade deadline approaches, the outlook doesn’t look so rosy.

They have one of the league’s most dynamic players in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has blossomed into an All-Star starter.  They also made a wise choice in the second round of last June’s draft in Malcolm Brogdon, who has exceeded all expectations as a scorer and playmaker.

Little else has gone right for the franchise this season. Despite the efforts of Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have floundered below the .500 mark, due in part to Khris Middleton‘s injury. Middleton made his season debut on Wednesday after recovering from a torn hamstring. Just when the Bucks had all their main pieces in place, they suffered another devastating setback.

Second-league scorer Jabari Parker tore his ACL on Wednesday. He will miss the rest of the season and probably a good portion of next season. The snake-bit Parker also suffered a torn ACL during his rookie campaign, and one can only wonder how a second major knee injury will affect the remainder of his career and the fortunes of the Bucks franchise.

That leaves the Bucks front office in a difficult spot. They recently traded center Miles Plumlee to the Hornets in what was, by all appearances, a salary dump of a questionable contract they handed out last summer. But Milwaukee still has limited financial flexibility after shelling out big money to acquire free agents Greg Monroe,  Mirza Teletovic and Matthew Dellavedova and retain John Henson.

Teletovic and journeyman Michael Beasley figure to get more playing time in the wake of Parker’s injury. Milwaukee finds itself with the 11th-best record in the East but it’s only one game in the loss column behind the Pistons, who currently hold the eighth and final spot.

That leads us to today’s topic: In the wake of Jabari Parker’s knee injury, should the Bucks make a move before the trade deadline to improve their playoff chances? Or should they stand pat and try to regroup in the summer?

Please take to the comments section to give us your input on this subject. We look forward to hearing your opinion.

LeBron James has never shied away from publicly criticizing team management if he feels something needs to be fixed.

With the Cavaliers enduring their worst stretch of the season — losing six of their last eight — their franchise player has gone of the offensive once again. James has openly questioned the front office for not surrounding the team’s Big Three with enough quality pieces. Most recently, he has lobbied for another playmaker to take some of the pressure off him and point guard Kyrie Irving.

Cavs GM David Griffin has tried to confront James’ criticisms head on, not only meeting with him but also telling the media that James’ recent comments were inappropriate and misguided.

According to an ESPN report today, James is not only upset with the current state of the roster but also at odds with owner Dan Gilbert over the payroll. James doesn’t believe the luxury tax bill should influence roster decisions, and even the recent acquisition of sharpshooter Kyle Korver to take the place on injured J.R. Smith has failed to appease The King.

Griffin stated this week that the club is willing to increase payroll if that move will make it “appreciably better.”

Cleveland has certainly been spending money since James rejoined the organization. As Hoops Rumors’ Luke Adams points out, the Cavs paid $107MM in team salary and $54MM in luxury tax last season. Those numbers are currently at about $127MM+ and $27MM+ for the current season.

That brings us to today’s topic: Was LeBron James out of line for his comments criticizing Cavs management and the state of the roster? Has the Cavs front office done enough to win another championship or should they keep spending, regardless of luxury-tax implications, to upgrade the roster?

Please take to the comments section and share your thoughts on this topic. We look forward to hearing your voice.

The NBA will announce the full rosters for 2017’s All-Star Game this Thursday, but in the meantime, the league has revealed which players will participate in the weekend’s Rising Stars Challenge. This year’s 20 participants were confirmed by the NBA today in a press release.

Here are 2017’s Rising Stars rosters:

U.S. Team:

• Devin Booker, G (Suns)
• Malcolm Brogdon, G (Bucks)
• Marquese Chriss, F (Suns)
• Brandon Ingram, F (Lakers)
• Frank Kaminsky, C (Hornets)
• Jahlil Okafor, C (Sixers)
• D’Angelo Russell, G (Lakers)
• Jonathon Simmons, G/F (Spurs)
• Karl-Anthony Towns, C (Timberwolves)
• Myles Turner, C (Pacers)

World Team:

• Joel Embiid, C (Sixers)
• Dante Exum, G (Jazz)
• Buddy Hield, G (Pelicans)
• Nikola Jokic, C (Nuggets)
• Trey Lyles, F (Jazz)
• Emmanuel Mudiay, G (Nuggets)
• Jamal Murray, G (Nuggets)
• Kristaps Porzingis, F (Knicks)
• Domantas Sabonis, F (Thunder)
• Dario Saric, F (76ers)

Some of this year’s choices are no-brainers — players like Embiid, Porzingis, and Towns have made strong cases to play in the All-Star Game itself. However, some of the picks are up for debate — Chriss, Ingram, and Exum are among the players whose contributions this season have been modest.

The rosters for the Rising Stars Challenge won’t necessarily inspire the same sort of passion and fervor that the All-Star starters and reserves will. But we’re still curious to know what you think of this year’s picks. Are there any players on these rosters that you think should be replaced? Any guys that should be participating in this game that you’re surprised not to see on either list above?

Jump into the comments section below and let us know what you think!

Nikola Mirotic‘s career-worst three-point percentage (.311) is “troubling,” but even with an inconsistent long-range shot, the Bulls big man has been about a league-average player this year, writes Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider-only link). In Pelton’s view, that makes Mirotic an intriguing trade candidate — if shots start to fall for the former first-round pick, he’d be a bargain at his current salary, making him a potential buy-low target for teams scouring the trade market.

Within his latest piece for ESPN.com, Pelton identifies a few more possible bargain trade targets in addition to Mirotic. Kenneth Faried, Jared Dudley, Tim Frazier, Richaun Holmes, and Tyus Jones also make the cut. In most cases, these players are on teams that have more than enough depth at their respective positions, which could make them expendable, or at least make them available at a modest price.

With the 2017 trade deadline just a month away and many contending teams looking to upgrade their rosters without shaking things up too significantly, the idea of buying low on a solid rotation player will be very appealing to those clubs.

Today’s discussion question, then, is this: Which players around the NBA do you think buyers should target as a potential buy-low trade candidates? Are any of Pelton’s suggestions particularly appealing, in your opinion, or are there other players flying under the radar that would be affordable and would benefit from a change of scenery?

Jump into the comments section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Seven teams appear set for the Western Conference playoffs. As long as none of them self-destructs, the Warriors, Spurs, Rockets, Clippers, Jazz, Grizzlies and Thunder will be fighting for playoff seeding between now and April.

But below them, there is a fascinating race shaping up for the eighth seed. Denver holds the spot right now with a 17-24 record coming into tonight, one game ahead of Portland. But eight teams are bundled within 4 1/2 games of one other, setting up a battle that could make every Western Conference game significant over the season’s final three months. It could also affect the moves that teams try to make between now and the February 23rd trade deadline.

Let’s look at the contenders:

• Nuggets (17-24) — Denver has plenty of cap room available if it decides to make a serious run at the playoffs. The Nuggets have accepted that pairing big men Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic didn’t work and are actively seeking to trade Nurkic. Denver has the potential to shake up its roster more than any other team on this list.
• Trail Blazers (18-27) — Portland has been a disappointment after grabbing the fifth seed last season, but has remained in the race because other teams are struggling as well. Defense is the main issue for the Blazers, who need to find a rim protector to make a serious playoff run.
• Pelicans (17-27) –New Orleans was short-handed in the early part of the season, with Tyreke Evans injured and Jrue Holiday taking a leave of absence to care for his ailing wife. Dwight Howard trade talks have apparently fallen through, but don’t be surprised if the Pelicans try to land another big-name star to team with Anthony Davis.
• Kings (16-26) — Rudy Gay‘s Achilles tendon tear may have been the death knell for Sacramento’s playoff hopes. The Kings, who have dropped four straight games and eight of their last 10, will be without their second-leading scorer and rebounder for the rest of the season.
• Timberwolves (15-28) — Trade rumors involving the Pistons may be dead, but Minnesota is trying to find a taker for Ricky Rubio before the deadline. The Wolves are expected to make a long-term commitment to their young core of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, but may try to acquire veteran help for a playoff push.
• Lakers (16-31) — L.A. has fallen on hard times after a promising 10-10 start. The organization must decide whether an effort to make the playoffs is worth it, considering that its first-round picks goes to Philadelphia if it falls outside of the top three.
• Mavericks (14-29) — Even after a disastrous start, owner Mark Cuban vowed that his team would not consider tanking. With plenty of veteran talent on the roster, Dallas is both a threat to make the playoffs and an attractive trading partner at the deadline.
• Suns (13-29) — Phoenix would reportedly like to move both P.J. Tucker and Brandon Knight. The Suns have a roster full of younger players who will probably get increased playing time over the second half of the season.

Who is your pick to be the eighth playoff team in the West? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.