Community Shootaround

NBA fans already got the gift they wanted most this Christmas when the owners and players hammered out a new collective bargaining agreement. That document, which was ratified by both sides this week, takes effect in 2017/18 and will run for seven years with an opt-out after six seasons.

Labor peace is a great gift for the league, but what’s Christmas with just one present? Around the NBA, there are players and teams who know what they want for the holiday season.

• Nerlens Noel would like a resolution to the frontcourt logjam in Philadephia.
• The Cavaliers would like a veteran point guard to back up Kyrie Irving, and maybe a shooting guard to help ease the loss of J.R. Smith with a fractured right thumb.
• The Raptors would like a starting power forward to insert into an otherwise potent lineup.
• Rudy Gay would like a ticket out of Sacramento, even if he has to wait until summer to opt out of his contract.
• The Jazz, Mavericks and Grizzlies just want better health for their players after an injury-riddled start to the season.

Almost all NBA fans have wishes, too. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, we would like to hear yours. If Santa could bring your favorite team just one thing tomorrow morning, what would it be?

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

The NBA players inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame this year were household names — Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming.

Shaq and AI were “no-brainer” inductees, superstars whose accomplishments made them first-ballot inductees. Ming’s impact from an international perspective overshadowed his early retirement due to foot issues.

There’s a lot more mystery concerning the next class that receives basketball’s ultimate honor. The nominees for the 2017 Hall of Fame among NBA players includes plenty of big names, many of whom have been passed over numerous times by the voting committee.

Topping the list of newcomers are Tracy McGrady, Ben Wallace and Muggsy Bogues. McGrady was a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection and two-time scoring champion. Wallace won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times, while the 5’3” Bogues proved that even a guy his size could carve out a lengthy career.

Other nominees in the player category include Chris Webber, Paul Westphal, Jack Sikma, Maurice Cheeks, Mark Price, Swen Nater, Sidney Moncrief, Tim Hardaway, Bobby Jones, Kevin Johnson, Marques Johnson, Mark Aguirre, Junior Bridgeman, Terry Cummings and Geese Ausbie.

Out of the latter group, Webber might be the most surprising holdover. The five-time All-Star has failed to make the cut the last two years.

This brings us to our question of the day: Which 2017 nominees do you think are most deserving of induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame?

Jump into the comments section below and share your selections for next year’s Hall of Fame class.

The NBA announced this week that it will make changes to the way starters for the All-Star Game are determined, reducing the influence of the fan vote. Instead of being determined entirely by fans, as they have been since the 1974/75 season, All-Star starters will be voted in by fans (50%), players (25%), and coaches (25%).

The timing of the change is interesting — it comes a year after veteran center Zaza Pachulia was nearly voted into the game as a Western Conference starter due to a fan push, and it comes at a time when the NBA is in the process of finalizing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Under the old CBA, players on rookie contracts could qualify for more lucrative contract extensions if they had been voted an All-Star starter, but the new CBA is doing away with that criteria for its designated player extensions. In other words, at a time when the NBA seems to be getting more serious about its All-Star Game voting, it’s now a little less critical for players to crack the starting lineup.

While fans certainly haven’t always picked the top five players in a given conference to start the game, All-Star weekend is essentially a series of exhibitions designed for the fans. It’s easy to make the case that fans should get to watch the players they want to see in the All-Star Game. There’s also no guarantee that the choices made by players and the media will be any better than those made by the fans. A handful of players have already talked about casting their ballots for their teammates, and Kyrie Irving is among the players who believes there may be some bias on the part of the media as well.

What do you think? Will the new All-Star voting rules help create stronger starting lineups for the game? Was it necessary to change the way All-Star starters are selected? If so, was there a more effective way to do it? Jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts!

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement is expected to reduce the number of preseason games played by teams, adding a little extra time to the regular season and reducing the number of back-to-back games teams need to play throughout the season. While that will help cut back on players’ workloads, many coaches will still look for opportunities to keep their top players rested and healthy by making them healthy scratches in certain situations.

It’s a practice that was first popularized by Gregg Popovich, who often rested Tim Duncan and other key Spurs players during one half of back-to-backs, occasionally drawing the ire of the NBA if Duncan and co. happened to be scratched for a nationally televised game. Popovich and the Spurs once received a significant fine from the league for sending their stars home early, but since then, even as more teams have adopted the strategy, the NBA hasn’t responded by attempting to put a halt to it.

It’s easy to see both side of the argument. On one hand, the NBA’s top teams want to keep their best players fresh for the postseason, and don’t want to risk pushing them hard on a random week in the winter if it could jeopardize their availability at all for the spring. Those Spurs teams, led by Popovich, were often at their best in the postseason, and based on what we’ve seen from San Antonio and other clubs, it’s easy to make the case that the strategy is an effective one in the long term.

On the other hand, the NBA pays its bills in large part due to the money its fans are willing to pay to watch games in person and on television. Fans are less likely to tune in to a Cavaliers game if LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love are all sitting, as they were earlier this week against Memphis. And many fans who paid big money for tickets in the hopes of seeing those stars in person weren’t thrilled to see the JV team instead.

There’s no simple solution. While the NBA doesn’t want to alienate its fans, imposing any penalties on teams who rest healthy players may simply inspire those clubs to invent a short-term injury. Encouraging teams to rest players during home games instead of on the road is a possibility, but that won’t make everyone happy — some fans only get a chance to see their home team once or twice a year, and could still miss out on the opportunity to see their team’s stars.

What do you think? Is this an issue the NBA needs to address at all, or does it make more sense to simply let coaches manage their teams as they please, even if it leads to some grumbling from fans?

Jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts!

The NBA world has been deeply affected by the news of the passing of longtime TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager. His brave and prolonged battle with cancer made him an inspiration to many people, whether or not they were fans of the NBA.

Sager went through great lengths to continue his broadcast duties, even driving long distances or flying across the country after undergoing chemotherapy treatments. His speech at the ESPYs this summer, which was as powerful as the 1993 speech made by cancer-stricken former college basketball coach Jim Valvano, will never be forgotten.

Sager had a long and distinguished career as a television and radio reporter. He was the young reporter running onto the field in 1974 after Hank Aaron hit his historic long ball and became the all-time home run king. Sager covered a wide variety of sports during his long and distinguished career but he’ll be remembered the most for his work on NBA broadcasts.

He always took his job seriously, though his attire was often comical. He never seemed to wear the same outfit or sports coat twice, and every one seemed wilder and more outrageous than the previous one.

His in-game interviews with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich were remembered for Popovich’s brief, and often terse, responses. But no one was more supportive of Sager than Pops when Sager’s illness was revealed.

Players, coaches and fans showed their love and support the last few years when they saw Sager. Unfortunately, we’ll never again have the pleasure of seeing Sager doing an interview or giving us an update on an injury or in-game strategy.

This leads us to our question of the day: What will you remember most about Craig Sager?

Jump into the comments section below and share you memories of one of the NBA’s best all-time reporters.