Community Shootaround Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Community Shootaround: Orlando’s Playoff Chances

November 19th, 2016 at 6:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Things haven’t gone as planned in Orlando. The Magic were expected to make major improvements this season under new head coach Frank Vogel. The additions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo were supposed to take the Magic out of the rebuilding phase and elevate the team’s defense.

Entering Saturday, Orlando is tied with Golden state for 15th in the league in defensive efficiency this season, up slightly from 17th last year. The lack of drastic improvement on the defensive end, coupled with the team’s offensive struggles (27th in the league in offensive efficiency), has led to a ho-hum 6-7 record.

As big of a disappointment as it has been for the Magic so far, it’s not inconceivable that they turn it around. New players need time to learn how to play with each other (just ask the 2010/11 Heatles). New systems take time to master. Combining both is asking for a delay in winning results.

That leads us to tonight’s topic: Can the Magic rebound and make the playoffs this season? If not, what should the franchise do to better position itself for a playoff run?

Their frontcourt is overcrowded and the franchise might be better off shipping out some of its depth for a scorer on the wing. A trade after December 15 might make the most sense, as many players who signed this offseason will then be eligible to be included in a trade.

Instead of making major moves, perhaps a smaller adjustment should be made, like reducing Jeff Green’s minutes. The forward is sporting a career low 9.3 player efficiency rating and the team has been outscored by 92 points in the 260 minutes he’s played this season.

Should this team make any more changes or should it trust that the changes it has already made will pan out? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Community Shootaround: Early Leaders For MVP

November 18th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Most NBA teams have only played 11 or 12 games so far, meaning we’re about one-seventh of the way through the 2016/17 regular season. While that’s too early to make any concrete declarations about how the rest of the season will play out, it has given us a preview of which players figure to be involved in the race for 2017’s Most Valuable Player award.

Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders examines this subject in a piece today, providing some early power rankings for the MVP race. In Maroney’s view, James Harden is the early frontrunner for the award. Harden, who is doing it all for the Rockets so far, is leading the league in assists by a comfortable margin, with 12.8 per game, and also ranks in the top five in scoring with 28.5 PPG. He has recorded three triple-doubles in his first 12 games of the season.

Behind Harden, Maroney places LeBron James second, with Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Blake Griffin filling out the rest of his list.

Some of those players, like DeRozan (33.3 PPG) and Westbrook (31.8 PPG, 9.8 APG, 9.5 RPG), are in the conversation because of the incredible numbers they’re posting so far. Others, like James, Paul, Durant, and Curry belong in the discussion because they’ve been as great as ever for the NBA’s best teams.

Slumps, injuries, and team performances could derail some of these MVP résumés over the course of the season, but based on what you’ve seen so far and what you expect to see the rest of the way: Who is your early pick for the MVP award? Will a dark horse not even mentioned by Maroney emerge as a candidate, or will the eventual winner be one of the 11 players he listed? Do you agree that Harden is the early favorite, or would you lean toward another player?

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

Community Shootaround: Brandon Knight

November 17th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

It was less than two years ago that the Suns sent Miles Plumlee and a first-round pick out as part of a three-team trade that netted them Brandon Knight. Phoenix signed Knight to a lucrative extension in the summer of 2015, and he seemed poised to become a huge part of the team’s future, but as we approach 2017, Knight’s place in the Suns’ long-term plan doesn’t look quite as clear.

The emergence of 2015 first-rounder Devin Booker has made the Suns reevaluate the roles of Knight and Eric Bledsoe, both now and going forward. Booker certainly isn’t going anywhere, and an October report from ESPN’s Zach Lowe suggested the team doesn’t want to move Bledsoe either, which leaves Knight as a potential odd man out. A strong start this season would have helped create a palatable trade market for Knight if the Suns wanted to deal him, Lowe wrote at the time.

Twelve games into the season though, that strong start hasn’t materialized. It’s still very early, but so far, Knight has posted career-worst marks in PPG (12.8), FG% (.377), 3PT% (.286), and APG (3.2), signaling that the transition to a bench role hasn’t been a smooth one. Still, in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7FM, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said his club won’t rush into any major roster changes, and isn’t considering trading the veteran guard at this point.

“We’re certainly not looking to move Brandon, we haven’t been close to trading Brandon,” McDonough said. “I think he’d love to be starting, we understand that. He’s accepted the role very well. I think you guys will see him go on a run here. As you know, watching him play the last couple years, he has the ability to get hot and put up a lot of points in a hurry and take over stretches of games — he hasn’t done that yet for us consistently but I think it’s coming.”

The Suns loaded up on young frontcourt talent in this year’s draft, using a pair of top-eight picks to snag Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, but most of the team’s notable current contributors are guards or wings — Booker, Bledsoe, Knight, and small forward T.J. Warren are Phoenix’s top four scorers, with shooting guard Jared Dudley tied for fifth. If the Suns were to consider trading Knight, they could target a big man, or perhaps a shooter. A future draft pick or two would likely also appeal to the Suns, who aren’t necessarily looking to contend immediately.

Still, there’s no rush to move Knight. As McDonough notes, the 24-year-old is streaky and his stock isn’t particularly high at this point. He’s also under contract through 2019/2020, meaning the Suns can be patient and assess how their pieces all fit together as Booker, Warren, and the young bigs continue to develop.

What do you think? Should the Suns be looking to move Knight before this year’s deadline to address other areas of need, or to add future picks? Or should they wait things out, knowing that they could still trade Knight a year or two from now if their areas of need become more obvious by that point? Jump into the comments section and weigh in with your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Washington Wizards

November 14th, 2016 at 7:31pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Marcin Gortat had some harsh words for the Wizards’ second unit following the team’s loss to the Bulls on Friday night. “We need energy. We need effort. We’ve got to make shots,” Gortat said (via Steve Aschburner of NBA.com). “I think there’s a lot of things we can do better. I think right now, as far as I know, I think we’ve got one of the worst benches in the league right now.”

The second unit was an area of concern heading into the season, as I detailed in the team’s Offseason In Review, and the reserves have justified the uneasiness. Journeyman Marcus Thornton has been the team’s best backcourt reserve, but that’s not a particularly impressive status, as he’s only sporting a player efficiency rating of 10.1. New addition Trey Burke hasn’t provided much of a spark. He only has 12 assists on the season and the team is being outscored by 57 points during the 125 minutes in which he was on the court.

Rookie Tomas Satoransky has been inconsistent and he’s only knocked down one of his eight heaves from behind the arc. Fellow rookie Sheldon McClellan had a solid game on Saturday and coach Scott Brooks should give him some more run as a result, but he’s not an electric play-maker who can jump-start this unit.

The problem is compounded by Bradley Beal, who was shooting an icy 29.4% from 3-point before missing the last couple games with a hamstring injury.

That leads us to tonight’s topic: Do the Wizards need to make a move in order to compete for a playoff spot?

Washington has disappointed so far this season, winning only two of its nine games. The franchise signed several big men this offseason and the signings point to a Gortat trade, as I speculated prior to the season. Should the Wizards deal Gortat for some backcourt help or should they make another move to help bolster the bench? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Community Shootaround: Alvin Gentry, Brett Brown

November 13th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

A story today by Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net says that Alvin Gentry may be down to his last days as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Amico has talked to several coaches and GMs who think Gentry will soon become the first coach to be fired in the new season.

The Pelicans are off to a disappointing 1-9 start after finishing 30-52 last season. That means Gentry has won about a third of his games after taking over a team that made the playoffs under Monty Williams.

However, the Pelicans have been beset by injuries and other misfortune ever since Gentry became their coach. They have played without Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter this season, as well as Jrue Holiday, who is on a leave of absence tending to his wife during her health crisis. A year ago, star center Anthony Davis was shut down for surgery in March and played just 61 games. In addition, injuries limited Holiday to 65 games and Evans to 25. Eric Gordon, who left in free agency, appeared in just 45.

Gentry has been dealt an unfair hand in New Orleans, but it’s not clear if that will be enough to save his job. Pelicans management was counting on becoming a contender after giving a $145MM extension to Davis last summer, and they made be ready to replace Gentry just to shake things up.

Another snake-bitten coach is off to a slow start in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have lost eight of their first nine games, but haven’t had overall No. 1 pick Ben Simmons or power forward Nerlens Noel because of injuries. In addition, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor both started the season on minutes restrictions related to concerns about their health.

Even so, there was a report this week that Brett Brown could be on the hot seat. He was hired by former GM Sam Hinkie, and the new regime may want to make a change to send a message to the team and let the fans know the Sixers are getting serious about trying to win.

That brings us to tonight’s question: Under the circumstances, do Gentry or Brown deserve to be fired? And if they are, who would be the best replacements for the Pelicans or Sixers?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

Community Shootaround: Anthony Davis

November 10th, 2016 at 6:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

No team in the NBA is floundering more than the Pelicans. The only other winless franchise heading into Thursday was a perennial doormat, the Sixers, whose best-laid plans were shattered when top pick Ben Simmons suffered a preseason foot injury.

New Orleans lost its first eight games despite the efforts of its franchise player Anthony Davis, who is averaging 30.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. Clearly, the Pelicans have done a poor job surrounding the 23-year-old with the necessary pieces to be a contender. So, does it make any sense to explore trade options for Davis?

On the surface, the notion seems silly, almost unfathomable. Why would they give up on a budding superstar, a likely future MVP, who is under team control through at least the 2018/19 season?

Certainly, it would require a haul of quality young players and draft picks to even consider making such a move. And the Pelicans would basically be waving the white flag on the next few seasons, like the Sixers did in their rebuilding process.

The flip side is that the franchise has nosedived since its playoff appearance in 2014/15, after which Davis agreed to an extension. They hired a veteran coach in Alvin Gentry with the anticipation of being perennial playoff team but injuries and questionable personnel decisions have set them back.

Their current second- and third-leading scorers, guards E’Twaun Moore and Tim Frazier, won’t be mistaken for the backcourt of J.J. Redick and Chris Paul. They have two starters, Solomon Hill and Omer Asik, averaging a combined 8.1 points.

To be fair, the Pelicans have been without arguably their second- and third-best players. Tyreke Evans is expected to return sometime next month from a knee injury, while Jrue Holiday should be back soon after taking care of his ailing wife. But Evans has undergone three procedures this year, and both players are unrestricted free agents after the season.

The Pelicans lost Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon in free agency and signed two unheralded players in Moore and Hill. In the long run, those moves might turn out to be solid investments but the Pelicans are undeniably lacking in impact players beyond Davis.

New Orleans could pin its hopes on attracting top free agents and finding a big-time player in the lottery. But its lottery pick from this year’s draft, Buddy Hield, has yet to find his shooting stroke.

Another potential issue is that Davis has struggled to stay on the court. He’s never made it through more than 68 games in any of his first four seasons.

That leads us to today’s question: Given the state of the franchise, should the Pelicans even consider trading Anthony Davis?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

Community Shootaround: Early-Season Impressions

November 8th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

As of today, the NBA’s 2016/17 regular season is two weeks old, which isn’t enough time to set anything in stone, but has given us a chance to get an early impression of how teams and players look. In some cases, those impressions have reinforced what we thought we knew heading into the year. For instance, Stephen Curry, who made a record-setting 13 three-pointers in last night’s win over the Pelicans? He’s still pretty good.

On the other hand, the two weeks of NBA action so far have also provided plenty of surprises. Clubs like the Pacers, Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Wizards are off to unexpectedly slow starts. The Hornets and Thunder rank among the league’s top five teams. The Lakers look fun and competitive under new head coach Luke Walton. And in Philadelphia, it’s Joel Embiid, not Ben Simmons, who is turning heads and has grabbed the early lead in the Rookie of the Year sweepstakes.

Elsewhere in the NBA, we’ve seen some less surprising – but still very impressive – results. The Cavaliers are the league’s only unbeaten team. James Harden is putting up video-game numbers, having already posted 30+ points and 15+ assists in four separate games. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook aren’t far off from averaging triple-doubles.

Similarly, some of this year’s struggling players and teams aren’t exactly shocking. The Knicks, with a new head coach and an overhauled roster, have struggled mightily on defense and aren’t firing on all cylinders on offense either. Anthony Davis has looked like one of the NBA’s best players, but the rest of the Pelicans haven’t done much, en route to an 0-7 start. And once again, the Sixers have been held winless in October and November so far — they haven’t had a victory in either of those months since 2013.

Two weeks into the regular season, which players and teams have impressed or disappointed you the most? Have you changed your opinion drastically on any team since the preseason, based on what we’ve seen so far? What are the highlights of the season for you so far? Take to the comments section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the first two weeks!

Community Shootaround: Lakers’ Playoff Chances

November 5th, 2016 at 6:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers own a record of 3-3 after upsetting the Warriors on Friday night. The win was a surprising feat for the struggling franchise and coach Luke Walton remained stoic about the outcome, adding that “it was just good to see the progress continuing.”

Although it is too early in the season to celebrate anything substantial, the young season has been promising thus far for a team that was expected to be a strong contender for the 2017 No. 1 pick. Julius Randle looked like a monster in the paint, scoring 20 points and nabbing 14 rebounds in Friday’s win. D’Angelo Russell looked like the team’s point guard of the future, making three of his seven shots from behind the arc. Lou Williams, who scored 18 points in the win, believes the team is destined for a great season. “We’ve got a lot of young talent here,” Williams added. “Finally it’s starting to look like we have some pieces in the right places.”

So that leads us to tonight’s topic: Can the Lakers make the playoffs this season? This team loves basketball and with other assumed contenders (Dallas and New Orleans, we’re looking at you) struggling out of the gate, we may see a surprising team make a push toward a postseason birth.

Why not the Lakers? Veteran additions Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng have fit in nicely with Los Angeles. If the young core can keep producing, this could be a team that competes on a nightly basis and gives itself a shot at snatching the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Do you believe the Lakers will compete for the playoffs? If not, how many wins will they earn this season? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on this team. We look forward to what you have to say.

Community Shootaround: NBA’s Winless Teams

November 4th, 2016 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday, we examined the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams, asking which clubs will be legit contenders this season and which ones will fall off after a hot start. Since then, four of those teams have lost a game, leaving the 5-0 Cavaliers as the league’s final undefeated club. However, there are still four teams that have yet to record a win.

The 0-5 Pelicans have gone winless despite the Herculean efforts of Anthony Davis, who has averaged 31.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 3.0 BPG, posting games of 45 and 50 points. The 0-4 Mavericks have lost one game in overtime and another by a single point. The 0-4 Sixers have now lost 41 consecutive games in the months of October or November since 2013. And the 0-3 Wizards haven’t seen the floor much yet, but will have a few chances to pick up their first win soon, with three games in the next four nights.

While there was some excitement surrounding the 76ers coming into this season, buoyed by Joel Embiid‘s impressive showing so far, Philadelphia was never viewed as a serious contender this season, particularly after Ben Simmons went down with a broken foot. However, New Orleans, Dallas, and Washington all had playoff aspirations. Have we misjudged those teams, are will it just take them a few games to get going this season?

What do you think? Which of the NBA’s four remaining winless teams will turn things around, and which ones are well on their way to landing in the lottery? Do you expect to see any of these four clubs in the postseason next spring? Weigh in below in our comments section with your thoughts and opinions!

Community Shootaround: NBA’s Undefeated Teams

November 2nd, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2016/17 NBA season is now eight days old, and already 25 teams have suffered at least one loss, leaving just five undefeated teams. The Thunder, Clippers, Bulls, and Hawks are 3-0, while the Cavaliers are 4-0.

Of those five clubs, the Cavaliers and Clippers were expected to be title contenders this year, so their hot starts don’t come as a real surprise. However, the other three remaining undefeated franchises had more question marks entering the season. The Thunder and Hawks lost top free agents this summer, in Kevin Durant and Al Horford, and the Bulls’ roster construction led many observers to question whether they’d have enough shooting and spacing to be effective on offense.

While three or four games is hardly enough of a sample size to draw definitive conclusions about any NBA team, it’s worth keeping an eye out for early signs of potential surprises. So today’s Community Shootaround discussion questions center around these five clubs.

Which of the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams do you think will continue to rank among the league’s elite? Are the Cavs and Clippers still the only safe bets among the group, or do the Thunder, Hawks, and Bulls have a good chance to keep up their hot starts and outperform expectations? Are any of these clubs mediocre squads that have been helped in the early going by soft schedules?

Weigh in below in our comments section with your thoughts on which of the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams are for real, and which ones you expect to come back down to earth soon.