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Hoops Rumors’ 2019 NBA Award Picks: Defensive Player Of The Year

April 23rd, 2019 at 2:23pm CST by Hoops Rumors

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until June, we’re making our picks for 2019’s major awards now.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts.

We’re keeping things going today with the award for Defensive Player of the Year. Here are our selections:

Arthur Hill: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Utah’s defensive identity is built around Gobert, who once again ranked among the league’s best shot blockers at 2.3 per game. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award last season despite playing just 56 games, but this year he was on the court virtually every night, acting as an intimidating rim protector who allows Utah’s perimeter defenders to stay at home on 3-point shooters. The Jazz have become one of the league’s best defensive teams, and it all starts with Gobert.

Chris Crouse: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Gobert continues to impress on the defensive end year after year and the 2018/19 season was no exception. He anchored the Western Conference’s best defense, invoking fear into opposing play-makers and swatting away 2.3 shot attempts per game. He finished in the top five in defensive win shares and defensive rating, and no player had a better defensive box plus/minus than Utah’s center.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Joel Embiid should all be considered for the award — it’s fair to wonder how many awards Embiid would have this year if he had played closer to 82 games. Gobert isn’t head-and-shoulders above any of these candidates, but he gets the nod for his body of work this year.

JD Shaw: Kawhi Leonard (Raptors)
To me, he’s still the best defender in basketball today. It’s that simple. He’s able to guard multiple positions for extended periods of time, has great length, anticipation, athleticism, and large hands to disrupt the top offensive threats on each team every night. Despite sitting some games earlier in the season, he was able to do just that with Toronto.

Dana Gauruder: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Gobert posted a career-high 24.6 PER, according to ESPN’s rankings, and a league-high 5.1 Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating, according to Basketball-Reference. Utah’s defense revolves around Gobert’s ability to protect the rim and switch onto a variety of players. The Jazz also gave up the second-fewest 3-point makes in the league because their perimeter players can stick close to shooters while Gobert patrols the lane.

Luke Adams: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
In a tight race that featured at least three or four viable Defensive Player of the Year candidates, Gobert gets the edge as much for his quantity of play as his quality of play. What does that mean? In addition to appearing in 17 more games than fellow rim protector Embiid, Gobert was asked to take on greater defensive responsibilities than players like Antetokounmpo and George.

As ESPN’s Zach Lowe detailed earlier this month, the Jazz surrendered the fifth-lowest share of shots at the basket, thanks in large part to Gobert, who still managed to challenge approximately 27 shots per 100 possessions, per Second Spectrum’s data — Antetokounmpo and George challenged about 15.5 apiece. While the other candidates had terrific years, Gobert’s impact on the defensive end was – in my view – more substantial.

Who is your pick for Defensive Player of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comment section below!

Previously:

Still to come:

  • Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Poll: Which Team Will Win Nuggets/Spurs Series?

April 23rd, 2019 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

While the second round of the NBA postseason are on track to feature a handful of fascinating and entertaining series, the first round has been a bit of a disappointment so far.

The Celtics and Bucks have already advanced to the Conference Finals, sweeping their respective opponents. The Raptors, Sixers, Warriors, and Rockets hold 3-1 leads and are overwhelming favorites to join Boston and Milwaukee in the second round. The Thunder, down 3-1 to the Trail Blazers, have the talent to make a comeback, but face a significant uphill climb, with Game 5 and a potential Game 7 taking place in Portland.

Barring a surprise turn in any of those other series, that leaves us with just one matchup that’s still very much up for grabs — the No. 2 Nuggets against the No. 7 Spurs. With the series tied up at 2-2, Game 5 is schedule to tip off in Denver tonight, and if the first four games are any indication, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect.

Will we see the Jamal Murray who has averaged 24.0 PPG on 51.6% shooting in the Nuggets’ two wins? Or will it be the Murray who managed just 23 total points on 34.5% shooting in Denver’s two losses?

How about Derrick White? The young Spurs guard looked like the best player on the court in Game 3, pouring in 36 points on 15-of-21 shooting. In Game 4, he scored just eight points and was a team-worst minus-19.

After Will Barton struggled mightily in the first three games of the series, the Nuggets pulled him from the starting lineup, inserting Torrey Craig in his place. The move worked well for both players in Game 4, with Craig scoring 18 points and making 5-of-7 three-pointers, while Barton had 12 points and was 3-of-3 from the outside. Will that adjustment continue to key Denver’s success going forward?

And how much of a factor will home-court advantage be for the rest of the series? The two teams have split their home games so far, but during the regular season, no Western Conference clubs were better at home than the Nuggets (34-7) or Spurs (32-9). Conversely, they were also the only two Western playoff teams with losing records on the road — 20-21 for Denver and a dismal 16-25 for San Antonio. Those numbers certainly favor the Nuggets, who will host Game 5 and a possible Game 7.

What do you think? Are the Nuggets on track to win this series and advance to the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2009? Or will Gregg Popovich‘s Spurs win out and become the lowest-seeded playoff team to win a series since the No. 8 Sixers in 2012?

Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to weigh in!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

April 22nd, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

If you enjoy Hoops Rumors on your smartphone or tablet, be sure to check out our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device. Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

  • All the articles from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, Pro Football Rumors, and Pro Hockey Rumors in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our four sites. Not into all four sports? No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
  • Customize what you see. You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
  • Notifications. For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly. Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
  • Commenting. You can read and contribute comments on the app seamlessly.
  • Customer service. If you find a bug, we’ll fix it. If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it. The app is continually evolving and improving.
  • Did we mention Trade Rumors is a free app? What do you have to lose? Download it now!
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Poll: 2019 All-NBA Second Team

April 22nd, 2019 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

In an NBA season packed with incredible individual performances, we’re asking you to decide which 15 players are most deserving of All-NBA recognition.

Last week, we opened voting for the All-NBA First Team, and we now have our answers for which five players you believe deserve spots on that team. Three players – a two-time Most Valuable Player and this season’s top two MVP candidates – were seemingly easy choices, but the final two First Team spots were decided by small margins. Kevin Durant nabbed the second forward slot by just 24 votes, while Nikola Jokic won the center spot by 13 votes.

Here are the voting results so far:

All-NBA First Team

We’re moving on today to the All-NBA Second Team, so be sure to cast your votes below for the two guards, two forwards, and one center that you believe are most deserving of being named to that squad. Don’t forget that a few players – including Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Ben Simmons, and Jimmy Butler – qualify at two positions.

You’ll have about 48 hours for this round of voting before we move on to the All-NBA Third Team on Wednesday. You’ll also have the opportunity to select two players apiece in the guard and forward polls, so be sure to take advantage of that. And if there’s a player not listed below that you believe deserves All-NBA consideration, be sure to mention him in the comments section too — if I agree, I’ll make sure he’s included in our All-NBA Third Team polls later this week.

Guards:

(Select two)

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team guards.

Forwards:

(Select two)

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team forwards.

Centers:

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team center.

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NBA Team Option Decisions For 2019/20

April 22nd, 2019 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Having already created a space to track this offseason’s player option decisions, we’re turning our attention today to team options. Over the next couple months, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the team options for 2019/20, making note of whether they’re picked up or declined.

True team options are somewhat rare in the NBA, since clubs have typically preferred to include a non-guaranteed year or two in player contracts. Non-guaranteed salaries are less restrictive and provide a little more flexibility than team options, which clubs must act upon by a specific date (June 29) each year.

The list below also doesn’t include rookie scale team options for 2019/20, since those third- and fourth-year options function differently than team options on standard veteran contracts. Those ’19/20 rookie scale team option decisions were made during the 2018 offseason, and can be found here.

The standard team options for 2019/20 are listed below. We’ll keep this list updated through the end of June to note the latest decisions.

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Phoenix Suns

April 22nd, 2019 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns approached the 2018 offseason as if they planned to contend, signing Trevor Ariza in free agency to fortify their starting lineup. However, the team didn’t have enough talent – particularly at point guard – to remain in the playoff hunt in the West, and quickly shifted gears, looking toward the future. That focus on the long term figures to continue this summer, as Phoenix likely won’t have the cap flexibility to be a major player in free agency.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Suns financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistic cap room projection: $0
  • With less than $62MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2019/20, the Suns seemingly should be in position to create cap room. However, that figure doesn’t account for Johnson’s $19.2MM player option (a lock to be exercised), Oubre’s $9.6MM cap hold, and a $5.8MM cap hold for their first-round pick. Add those figures and Phoenix’s team salary increases to over $96MM, putting the club in position for its exceptions to push it right to the projected $109MM cap.
  • Max cap room scenario: Let’s say the Suns want to create cap space to pursue a marquee free agent. They could, in theory, renounce Oubre and waive-and-stretch Johnson. That would leave the team with approximately $31.5MM in cap room. That’s probably an unlikely series of events though.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $9,246,000 2
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,619,000 2

Footnotes

  1. Because Bender’s fourth-year rookie scale option was declined, the Suns are ineligible to offer him a starting salary greater than his cap hold.
  2. These are projected values. If the Suns use cap room, they’d lose these exceptions and instead would gain access to the $4,760,000 room exception.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Community Shootaround: Jrue Holiday’s Best Fit

April 22nd, 2019 at 9:12am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pelicans could be in a full-on rebuild this summer and Anthony Davis is not the only player rival teams will be monitoring. Several clubs would have interest in Jrue Holiday should New Orleans make him available, as Sporting News’ Sean Deveney recently reported.

If Holiday, who has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $126MM deal, is put on the trade block, the Suns should be considered a “top contender,” per Deveney. Phoenix has struggled to put out a consistent product at the point guard spot dating back to their trade of Goran Dragic. Arriving in Phoenix would allow Holiday to primarily shift back to the one, a position he played only sparingly over his past two seasons with the Pelicans (just 5% of his minutes in 2018/19, according to Basketball-Reference). The versatile Holiday would be a nice fit next to the offensive-oriented Devin Booker.

The Magic and Bulls would also have interest in Holiday, though as Deveney noted, Holiday’s brother, Justin, didn’t have the best experience in Chicago before the team traded him to the Grizzlies. Still, the Bulls could use an upgrade at the backcourt, as the early returns on the Kris Dunn project haven’t been great.

Orlando’s point guard of the future may or may not already be on the roster. The Magic traded for former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz at the deadline but he has yet to suit up for the team. The potential Fultz-Holiday backcourt combo would be a tough one for opposing offenses should both players stay healthy.

There’s no word yet whether the Pelicans will make Holiday available. Davis isn’t expected to change his stance on his trade request even after he meets with new VP of basketball operations David Griffin. The team could still keep Holiday, building a team around him and whatever they get in return for the 6-time All-Star.

Which team would be the best fit for Holiday? Should the Pelicans keep him and attempt to make the playoffs, or should they make him available to the highest bidder?

Would the Suns, Bulls or Magic be the best fit for the 28-year-old California native or is there another team that would benefit more from making a deal with Griffin and the Pelicans?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

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Community Shootaround: Best Postseason Player

April 21st, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by clarkcrum

The first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs is underway, with all series now having played three or four games. Heading into Easter Sunday, the Bucks, Rockets, and Celtics all had 3-0 series leads over the Pistons, Jazz, and Pacers, respectively, while the Warriors, Raptors, and Blazers lead 2-1 over the Clippers, Magic, and Thunder, respectively. Meanwhile, the Sixers have taken a 3-1 lead over the Nets and the Spurs and Nuggets are tied up at 2-2.

The leading postseason scorer so far is Damian Lillard, who is averaging 30.3 PPG to go along with 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He is also ninth in PER at 27.7. He nearly led Portland to a 3-0 series lead over the Thunder in Oklahoma City with a 25-point third quarter in Game 3.

In the Eastern Conference, Joel Embiid has managed to play his way through pain and put up dominant averages of 25.3 PPG, 13.7 PPG, and 4.0 APG in in three games to give Philly a likely insurmountable 3-1 lead over Brooklyn. His numbers so far rank ninth in scoring and first in rebounding, while he also has the top PER of 40.4.

Other candidates for best player so far include some unsurprising candidates like Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and MVP-front runner James Harden, as well as some less heralded players in Pascal Siakam and Lou Williams. Siakam is averaging a double-double through three games while Williams’ performance in Game 2 of the Clips’ series with Golden State helped lead the biggest comeback in playoff history.

So what do you think? Which player has had the best 2019 postseason so far? Is it one of the players listed above of another player? Is is purely based on stats or for some other, less-obvious reason? Head below to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Five Key Stories: 4/13/19 – 4/20/19

April 20th, 2019 at 9:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

The Warriors are still the favorite to capture a third straight title, but their playoff road got more difficult with the loss of DeMarcus Cousins. The standout center suffered a torn quad while diving for a ball in Game 2 of Golden State’s playoff series with the Clippers. Injury issues will hang over Cousins in free agency for a second straight summer.

Zion Williamson, projected to be the top pick in this year’s draft, officially declared himself eligible. Williamson had an outstanding freshman season at Duke, averaging 22.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.8 BPG and 2.1 SPG in 33 games. He moved into the top spot in most mock drafts early in the season and managed to stay there.

The Pelicans landed one of the top available executives when former Cavaliers GM David Griffin agreed to become their new executive VP of basketball operations. Griffin’s top job this summer will be to work out a trade for star center Anthony Davis, who requested a deal prior to this year’s deadline.

The Grizzlies continued their front office overhaul by hiring Rich Cho as VP of basketball strategy and Glen Grunwald as a senior advisor. Since the season ended, Memphis has demoted GM Chris Wallace and hired Jason Wexler as head of basketball operations and Zach Kleiman as VP of basketball operations.

The Kings finalized a deal to make Luke Walton their new head coach. Walton was unemployed for less than a day after being fired by the Lakers. GM Vlade Divac reportedly wanted to hire Walton three years ago.

Here are 10 more headlines from the past week:

  • The Lakers made progress in their coaching search, meeting with both Tyronn Lue and Monty Williams. Heat assistant Juwan Howard will also get an interview.
  • Howard is also a candidate for the Cavaliers‘ head coaching job. Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, Jazz assistant Alex Jensen and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are also expected to receive interviews.
  • ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups is among the candidates for a front office position with the Timberwolves. Billups previously interviewed for management jobs with the Cavaliers and Hawks.
  • Former All-Star center Dwight Howard opted in for the final year of his contract with the Wizards. He will receive a little more than $5.6MM next season.
  • Hornets center Bismack Biyombo also picked up his player option for 2019/20. Biyombo will make $17MM in the final season of a four-year, $68MM deal.
  • Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. had surgery on his left tibia to relieve a stress injury. The team expects him to be fully ready in time for training camp.
  • Thunder swingman Hamidou Diallo had an arthroscopic procedure on his right elbow to ease the soreness. He was inactive for Game 2 of OKC’s playoff series with the Trail Blazers.
  • Blake Griffin missed the first two games of the Pistons‘ playoff series because of swelling and pain in his left knee. He will find out if surgery will be necessary once Detroit’s postseason run is over.
  • Kevin Durant said again this week that he doesn’t plan to focus on a free agency decision until the playoffs are over. He will be eligible for a five-year, $221MM deal with the Warriors or four years and $164MM from anyone else.
  • Sixers backup center Amir Johnson was fined for looking at his cell phone on the sidelines during the playoff opener with the Nets. Using a cell phone on the bench is a violation of the NBA’s Operations Manual.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/13/19 – 4/20/19

April 20th, 2019 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:

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