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2018/19 Over/Unders: Pacific Division

October 12th, 2018 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2018/19 NBA regular season will get underway in just four days, which means it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from Bovada and the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, to have you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Having already looked at the Atlantic, Central, and Southwest divisions this week, we’re moving onto the Pacific today…

Golden State Warriors

2017/18 record: 58-24
Over/under for 2018/19: 62.5 wins
Major offseason moves:
- Added: DeMarcus Cousins, Jonas Jerebko, Jacob Evans
- Lost: David West, Nick Young, Zaza Pachulia, JaVale McGee
  - Note: Patrick McCaw also remains unsigned for now.

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Warriors poll)

Los Angeles Lakers

2017/18 record: 35-47
Over/under for 2018/19: 48.5 wins
Major offseason moves:
- Added: LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, JaVale McGee, Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
- Lost: Julius Randle, Brook Lopez, Luol Deng, Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, Tyler Ennis, Thomas Bryant

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Lakers poll)

Los Angeles Clippers

2017/18 record: 42-40
Over/under for 2018/19: 36.5 wins
Major offseason moves:
- Added: Marcin Gortat, Luc Mbah a Moute, Mike Scott, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerome Robinson
- Lost: DeAndre Jordan, Austin Rivers, Sam Dekker, C.J. Williams

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Clippers poll)

Phoenix Suns

2017/18 record: 21-61
Over/under for 2018/19: 29.5 wins
Major offseason moves:
- Added: Deandre Ayton, Trevor Ariza, Mikal Bridges, Ryan Anderson, De’Anthony Melton, Richaun Holmes, Elie Okobo, Isaiah Canaan
- Lost: Elfrid Payton, Alex Len, Brandon Knight, Jared Dudley, Marquese Chriss, Alan Williams, Tyler Ulis

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Suns poll)

Sacramento Kings

2017/18 record: 27-55
Over/under for 2018/19: 25.5 wins
Major offseason moves:
- Added: Marvin Bagley, Nemanja Bjelica, Yogi Ferrell, Ben McLemore
- Lost: Garrett Temple, Vince Carter, Bruno Caboclo, Nigel Hayes

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Kings poll)

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

Boston Celtics (59.5 wins): Over (53.63%)
Toronto Raptors (55.5 wins): Over (56.95%)
Philadelphia 76ers (54.5 wins): Under (51.19%)
Brooklyn Nets (31.5 wins): Under (56.04%)
New York Knicks (28.5 wins): Under (54.13%)

Southwest:

Houston Rockets (56.5 wins): Over (69.33%)
New Orleans Pelicans (45.5 wins): Under (53.4%)
San Antonio Spurs (44.5 wins): Under (60%)
Dallas Mavericks (34.5 wins): Over (55.16%)
Memphis Grizzlies (34.5 wins): Under (60.87%)

Central:

Indiana Pacers (47.5 wins): Over (62.04%)
Milwaukee Bucks (47.5 wins): Over (73.7%)
Detroit Pistons (38.5 wins): Over (56.36%)
Cleveland Cavaliers (30.5 wins): Over (55.42%)
Chicago Bulls (29.5 wins): Over (61.8%)

Warriors To Sign Jaleel Cousins To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 12th, 2018 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are signing center Jaleel Cousins to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Golden State doesn’t currently have an opening on its 20-man roster, so a corresponding move will be required to finalize the signing.

Cousins, the younger brother of Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, went undrafted in 2016 after playing his college ball at South Florida. Since then, he has played for the G League’s Texas Legends and Reno Bighorns, and also spent time with the Formosa Dreamers in Taiwan. The Warriors figure to waive him shortly and have him play for their own G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

Golden State is currently carrying six players on non-guaranteed contracts, though one of those players – Alfonzo McKinnie – is reportedly receiving a two-way deal. That leaves five other candidates to be cut to make room for Cousins — Deyonta Davis, Marcus Derrickson, Danuel House, Kendrick Nunn, or Tyler Ulis.

Green Talks Warriors' Dynasty; Cousins Ramps Up Conditioning Drills

October 11th, 2018 at 6:27pm CST by JD Shaw

Draymond Green doesn’t see the Warriors‘ dynasty ending anytime soon, telling ESPN’s Sam Alipour that if the team stays together, only old age can stop them.
DeMarcus Cousins has ramped up his conditioning drills, though it’s unclear when he’ll make his return to the court, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes. “We’re literally taking it week-by-week,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But he’s ramping up conditioning aspect of it. That’s a good sign.”

Warriors Sign Deyonta Davis, Waive Will Cherry

October 11th, 2018 at 5:15pm CST by JD Shaw

The Warriors have signed free agent Deyonta Davis, waiving Will Cherry to create roster space, the team announced in a press release Thursday.

Cherry is expected to play in the G League with Santa Cruz, Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated tweets. He signed a contract to join the Warriors on Monday.

Davis, 21, holds career-averages of 4.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 98 games. He’s spent the past two NBA seasons with the Grizzlies, also seeing action with the team’s G League affiliate.

Davis was drafted with the No. 31 pick in 2016 by Boston. Before then, he spent one collegiate season at Michigan State.

The Warriors still have 20 players on their active roster, with NBA rules requiring that they soon waive three players to reach the season limit.

Community Shootaround: Kevin Durant’s Future

October 10th, 2018 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

Since joining the Warriors during the summer of 2016, Kevin Durant has signed short-term contracts, opting out and signing new deals twice since then. Those short-term commitments weren’t necessarily a sign of his unwillingness to commit to Golden State long-term, but rather a byproduct of the constraints of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Those short-term contracts allowed Durant to maximize his year-to-year earnings if he wanted to (instead, he opted for a team-friendly discount in year two) and will put him in position to ink a five-year contract with the Warriors in 2019, when the team will finally have secured his Bird rights.

However, while Durant’s return to Golden State was a given during the last two summers, that no longer appears to be the case for 2019. Despite winning back-to-back titles with the Warriors, earning Finals MVP honors both times, Durant isn’t viewed as a lock to remain in the Bay Area for many years to come.

Those rumblings about Durant’s possible departure grew a little louder last week, when multiple national NBA writers, including Chris Haynes, Chris Mannix, and Tim Bontemps, suggested that people around the NBA viewed the Knicks as a legit suitor for nine-time All-Star. Now, a local reporter has joined the conversation and added further credence to the idea that Durant could head elsewhere.

Following up on a radio appearance on KNBR, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic wrote last night that he’s not reporting that Durant will leave Golden State at season’s end, but if he had to guess, he’d predict the 30-year-old will head elsewhere.

As Thompson explains, Durant’s comments about keeping his options open and taking things “season by season” strike a different tone than what he’s said about his situation in past years. Additionally, Thompson says he’s spoken to several people within the Warriors’ franchise about the subject, and gets the same sentiment from most of them: they hope he stays, but wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves.

It’s hard to imagine any team besides the Warriors entering the 2019 offseason as the favorites to sign Durant, especially if they win another title. After all, they’ll be able to offer him more years and more money than any other club. Still, many teams around the NBA will have the cap space necessary to sign a maximum-salary free agent, and several of those teams will be eager to pitch Durant on becoming the new face of their franchise.

What do you think? Is it crazy to think that Durant might leave Golden State next year after his run of success with the team? Do you expect him to stick around the Bay Area beyond 2019, or will rival teams have a real chance to lure him away?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Danuel House Vying For Roster Spot With Warriors

October 9th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

With Patrick McCaw still unsigned, there may be an opportunity for Danuel House to earn a regular season roster spot with the Warriors. Anthony Slater of The Athletic (subscription required) takes a closer look at House’s case for a place on the 15-man squad.

Suns Rumors: Nash, Morris, Connelly, Point Guards

October 8th, 2018 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Suns guard and Hall of Famer Steve Nash has no interest in replacing GM Ryan McDonough, who was abruptly dismissed on Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Though Nash is a favorite of owner Robert Sarver, Nash does not want the time-consuming responsibility of running a front office, Wojnarowski adds. Nash is currently a Warriors consultant. Vice president of basketball operations James Jones and assistant GM Trevor Bukstein have taken over GM duties in Phoenix on an interim basis.

We have more from Phoenix:

Former Suns Markieff Morris and Mike James voiced their distaste for McDonough on social media, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. McDonough infuriated Morris, currently with the Wizards, and his brother Marcus Morris by trading Marcus to the Pistons in the summer of 2015 after they signed team-friendly contracts with Phoenix. “Bout time lol,” Morris tweeted after learning of McDonough’s dismissal. James, who was waived last December after signing a contract two weeks earlier, tweeted, “I don’t think he was the right person for that job.”
Suns assistant GM Pat Connelly and director of scouting Courtney Witte were also fired on Monday, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. Connelly was the Wizards’ director of player personnel before he was hired by Phoenix in 2013. More front office changes could be on the horizon, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link).
Isaiah Canaan, Shaquille Harrison and rookies De’Anthony Melton and Elie Okobo continue to compete for point guard duties and none has emerged, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. First-year coach Igor Kokoskov admits that he needs to see much more from all of them. “A lot of mistakes,” he told Rankin and other media members. “There’s a lot of room for improvement.”
The timing of McDonough’s firing is an example of how Sarver has made a mess of the franchise, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. The Suns will probably never reach their potential with Sarver heading the organization, Bontemps adds.

Warriors Sign Will Cherry To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 8th, 2018 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 8: Cherry has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Warriors, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, adding that the guard is expected to end up playing in Santa Cruz.

SEPTEMBER 19: The Warriors are expected to add Will Cherry to their 20-man offseason roster, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. A source tells Carchia that Cherry is set to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the defending champions.

Cherry, who went undrafted out of Montana in 2013, appeared in eight games for the Cavaliers during the 2014/15 season, but has otherwise spent most of his professional career playing overseas. Having played in Lithuania, Germany, Turkey, the 6’0″ point guard last suited up for Croatian club Cedevita Zagreb.

In 25 ABA League games last season, Cherry averaged 11.1 PPG and 3.2 APG. He also posted a team-best 11.8 PPG and 4.1 APG in 15 EuroCup contests.

The Warriors technically only have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, but Patrick McCaw figures to eventually become the 14th, and the team will likely start the season with an open roster spot to avoid increasing its projected tax bill. As such, Cherry may end up with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate.

Looney Received Calls From Five Teams

October 5th, 2018 at 7:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors forward Kevon Looney drew lukewarm interest from a handful of teams in free agency, he revealed to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News. The Rockets, Timberwolves, Clippers, Sixers and Hawks made contact but “nobody really offered,” Looney said. He was an unrestricted free agent after Golden State declined to pick up his option last fall but he settled for a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal.

Knicks Viewed As Legit Suitor For Durant In 2019

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

Kevin Durant‘s next opportunity to reach free agency is nearly nine months away, but speculation about his decision has already begun. And according to various reports compiled by Dan Feldman of NBC Sports, the Knicks are viewed by many insiders around the NBA as a legitimate candidate to challenge the Warriors for Durant.

“The New York Knicks have a very good shot at luring KD away from the Bay Area,” Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports said during an appearance on FS1’s Undisputed (video link). “His business partner, Rich Kleiman is based in New York, huge New York Knicks fan. Their business is located and based in New York. KD’s dad is a big New York Knicks fan. The same allure that LeBron [James] had toward the Los Angeles Lakers – just the building, the culture – is the same thing, the same way, I know, that KD feels about the Knicks.”

Having named New York as a viable landing spot for Durant, Haynes cautioned that the Warriors will still “obviously” have the edge to re-sign him. Golden State will hold Durant’s Bird rights at the end of the 2018/19 season, and because he’ll have 10+ years of NBA experience, he’ll be eligible to earn a starting salary worth 35% of the cap.

Based on current cap projections, that means the Dubs could offer a five-year deal worth up to $221.27MM, giving them a significant upper hand. Any rival suitors with the cap room necessary to sign a maximum-salary free agent could only offer a four-year contract worth a projected $164.05MM.

Still, Haynes isn’t the only national NBA reporter hearing buzz about the Knicks and Durant. As Feldman details, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post and Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports both conveyed similar sentiments during Bontemps’ recent appearance on Mannix’s podcast.

“I’ve been really surprised at how many people are – NBA types that I talk to on a regular basis – are convinced it’s going to be New York,” Mannix said. “There are a lot of people, Tim, that believe the Knicks are a prohibitive favorite to land Durant.”

If the Warriors win their third straight championship next spring, it’s hard to imagine Durant jumping ship. Of course, if Golden State falls short of a title, leaving also may not be a great look for the two-time Finals MVP, who was criticized for leaving the Thunder after they blew a 3-1 series lead against the Warriors in 2016. Throw in Golden State’s ability to offer the most years and money, and it makes sense that the Dubs would still be considered the odds-on favorites. Still, it sounds like Durant’s 2019 free agency won’t be a mere formality like it has been the last couple summers.