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Hoops Links Vol. 5: Shirley Temple Lies, Milkshake Theft, More

May 18th, 2017 at 8:49am CST by Austin Kent

Welcome to the fifth installment of Hoops Links, where we round up our favorite content from around the NBA blogosphere and shine a light on it here. Every week we set out to feature entertaining, original content powered by the blogging community.

See your own piece plugged? Well done! Now share the love by spreading the word about Hoops Links – we’re talking favs, retweets, postcards to mom and everything in between. Help us build a bigger stage for your best work!

If you want to hit us up with a link in the future, make sure to drop me a line on Twitter (@AustinKent) or even just email HoopsRumorsTips@Sports.ws. Remember, we want to be intrigued and captivated. It also helps if the content is relatively fresh (considering we publish on Thursdays).

Without further ado…

With a roster full of young players and a negligible chance of winning a meaningful amount of ball games, the Suns made the decision with months remaining in the season to tank unabashedly. After Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, in which Phoenix dropped from a projected No. 2 seed to the No. 4 seed, Adam Maynes of Valley of the Suns wrote a spirited column suggesting that the organization got what it deserved.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Angry Earl Watsons
Author: Adam Maynes – @Adam4America
Link: Phoenix Suns tank fail

Joel Embiid verticalWe’re all happy to buy into the quirky Joel Embiid narrative whenever the goofy big man does something like sip a Shirley Temple on live television. But what if we’re living a lie? Kyle Neubeck of Liberty Ballers revealed that the pink beverage at Embiid’s side during the Draft Lottery was little more than a prop.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Red Pills
Author: Kyle Neubeck – @KyleNeubeck
Link: Joel Embiid’s Shirley Temple prop

Are the Bulls less likely to deal Jimmy Butler to the Celtics now that Boston has landed the No. 1 pick in the draft? Vijay Vemu of Blog A Bull suggests as much, writing that Danny Ainge took a risk holding onto the pick at the deadline rather than going the safe route and dealing for an established star.

Rating: 7 out of 10 Fortunate Gambles
Author: Vijay Vemu – @VJVemu
Link: Jimmy Butler to Celtics less likely

The Hawks could have done more to involve Dwight Howard in their offense, Da’Vonte Hughes of Soaring Down South writes, suggesting that the big man had reason to be upset with how he was utilized during his first season Atlanta.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Neglected Supermen
Author: Da’Vonte Hughes – @CookieByNature
Link: Dwight Howard non-option for Hawks

Did you forget that Joel Anthony was still in the NBA? You aren’t alone. Dan Devine of Ball Don’t Lie noticed the big man’s name trending on Twitter and discovered that people all around the world were shocked to see the veteran big man suit up in the Spurs‘ blowout loss Wednesday.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Two-Time NBA Champions
Author: Dan Devine – @YourManDevine
Link: Joel Anthony trends on Twitter

There are similarities between Jimmy Butler and Stanley Johnson, including underwhelming freshman and sophomore seasons, says Luke Wolthuis of Piston Powered. Could Johnson, a well-built two-way forward, make a leap similar to that of Butler’s in Year 3?

Rating: 7 out of 10 Better Late Than Nevers
Author: Luke Wolthuis – @WolthuisLuke
Link: Stanley Johnson, Jimmy Butler comparison

Harrison Barnes verticalAlthough he may not win the award, Harrison Barnes deserves a spot in the Most Improved Player conversation, Sam Guertler of Mavs Moneyball suggests. The forward’s offensive game improved dramatically in his first year as a targeted weapon in Dallas, without any compromise in efficiency.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Additional Better Late Than Nevers
Author: Sam Guertler – @SamGuertler
Link: Harrison Barnes Most Improved Player

It takes a delicate balance of usefulness and expendability for a player to suit up for three different franchises in one season. This year, Ersan Ilyasova dressed for the Thunder, Sixers, and Hawks, and still managed to set a new career high for points in a season. Miles Wray of The Step Back took a good long look at how the season stands up historically.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Bonus Points For Playing For Two Altogether Different Teams Last Year
Author: Miles Wray – @MilesWray
Link: NBA players who play for three teams in one season

It was hard to evaluate the first season in the NBA for Jakob Poeltl, a lottery pick on a reigning Eastern Conference Finals squad, but Brian Boake set out to do so anyway for Raptors Rapture. In Poeltl, the Raptors have a cheap, malleable option to audition as their Stretch 5 of the Future.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Teenage Mutant Ninjas
Author: Brian Boake – @NewmarketBrian
Link: Jakob Poeltl’s future with Raptors

Over the years, Gregg Popovich has simply owned Mike D’Antoni in the NBA playoffs, so much so that the J.R. Wilco over at Pounding the Rock had a particularly specific video commissioned just to drive home the point.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Academy Award-Winning Method Actors
Author: J.R. Wilco – @JRWilco
Link: Gregg Popovich, Mike D’Antoni History

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Los Angeles Lakers

May 17th, 2017 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers posted a bottom-five record for the third straight season, but there were some positive signs for the franchise in 2016/17. The Lakers appear to have found a keeper in head coach Luke Walton, and after some turmoil in the front office and the ownership group, Jeanie Buss re-asserted control of the organization and brought in Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to run the basketball operations department. Johnson and Pelinka caught a break when the Lakers kept their lottery pick – now No. 2 overall – and they’ll be tasked with determining how best to return the franchise to contention.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Lakers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Cap Holds

  • Nick Young ($10,343,444) — If player option is declined
  • No. 2 overall pick ($6,286,560)
  • Tyler Ennis ($2,666,707)
  • Thomas Robinson ($1,471,382)
  • Metta World Peace ($1,471,382)
  • No. 28 overall pick ($1,414,920)
  • Total: $23,654,395

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Maximum Cap Room: $22,856,044

  • With nine guaranteed contracts, two cap holds for first-round picks, and one cap charge for an empty roster slot, the Lakers would have $78,143,956 on their books. That would give the team a sizable chunk of cap room, albeit not quite enough for a maximum salary player. The Lakers aren’t likely to sign anyone to a max contract this summer, but if they wanted to, they’d need to move guaranteed contracts and/or draft picks to create space.

Footnotes:

  1. Black’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 4.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.

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2017 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 17th, 2017 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery officially established the order for the top 14 picks next month, and contributed to finalizing the rest of this year’s draft order as well. Trades can – and likely will – happen in the coming weeks, and on draft night itself. But for now, we know what the 60 picks in the 2017 NBA draft will look like.

After breaking down this year’s draft picks by round on Tuesday night, we’ll examine 2017’s selections by team today. No club in ’17 has stockpiled picks like the Celtics did a year ago, when they had eight, but a handful of teams have added at least a couple extra selections, with the Sixers’ five picks leading the way. Those teams at the top of our list will likely be busy fielding calls about possible trades in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the draft.

Teams listed below are sorted by their total number of picks, with their highest pick acting as a tiebreaker. Here’s the full breakdown:

  • Philadelphia 76ers (5): 1, 36, 39, 46, 50
  • Boston Celtics (4): 3, 37, 53, 56
  • Orlando Magic (4): 6, 25, 33, 35
  • Utah Jazz (4): 24, 30, 42, 55
  • Phoenix Suns (3): 4, 32, 54
  • Sacramento Kings (3): 5, 10, 34
  • New York Knicks (3): 8, 44, 58
  • Portland Trail Blazers (3): 15, 20, 26
  • Atlanta Hawks (3): 19, 31, 60
  • Brooklyn Nets (3): 22, 27, 57
  • Los Angeles Lakers (2): 2, 28
  • Charlotte Hornets (2): 11, 41
  • Denver Nuggets (2): 13, 49
  • Chicago Bulls (2): 16, 38
  • Milwaukee Bucks (2): 17, 48
  • Indiana Pacers (2): 18, 47
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (2): 21, 51
  • San Antonio Spurs (2): 29, 59
  • Houston Rockets (2): 43, 45
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (1): 7
  • Dallas Mavericks (1): 9
  • Detroit Pistons (1): 12
  • Miami Heat (1): 14
  • Toronto Raptors (1): 23
  • New Orleans Pelicans (1): 40
  • Washington Wizards (1): 52

The Cavaliers, Warriors, Clippers, and Grizzlies currently don’t have any picks in the 2017 draft.

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2017 NBA Draft Order

May 16th, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2017 NBA draft lottery results are in. The tiebreakers have been determined. And traded first-round and second-round picks have been accounted for. Taking all of those factors into consideration, here’s the complete order for the 2017 NBA draft:

First round:

  1. Philadelphia 76ers (from Nets via Celtics)
  2. Los Angeles Lakers
  3. Boston Celtics (from Kings via Sixers)
  4. Phoenix Suns
  5. Sacramento Kings (from Sixers)
  6. Orlando Magic
  7. Minnesota Timberwolves
  8. New York Knicks
  9. Dallas Mavericks
  10. Sacramento Kings (from Pelicans)
  11. Charlotte Hornets
  12. Detroit Pistons
  13. Denver Nuggets
  14. Miami Heat
  15. Portland Trail Blazers
  16. Chicago Bulls
  17. Milwaukee Bucks
  18. Indiana Pacers
  19. Atlanta Hawks
  20. Portland Trail Blazers (from Grizzlies)
  21. Oklahoma City Thunder
  22. Brooklyn Nets (from Wizards)
  23. Toronto Raptors (from Clippers)
  24. Utah Jazz
  25. Orlando Magic (from Raptors)
  26. Portland Trail Blazers (from Cavaliers)
  27. Los Angeles Lakers (from Celtics via Nets)
  28. Los Angeles Lakers (from Rockets)
  29. San Antonio Spurs
  30. Utah Jazz (from Warriors)

Second round:

  1. Charlotte Hornets (from Nets via Hawks)
  2. Phoenix Suns
  3. Orlando Magic (from Lakers)
  4. Sacramento Kings (from Sixers)
  5. Orlando Magic
  6. Philadelphia 76ers (from Knicks)
  7. Boston Celtics (from Timberwolves)
  8. Chicago Bulls (from Kings)
  9. Philadelphia 76ers (from Mavericks)
  10. New Orleans Pelicans
  11. Atlanta Hawks (from Hornets)
  12. Utah Jazz (from Pistons)
  13. Houston Rockets (from Nuggets)
  14. New York Knicks (from Chicago)
  15. Houston Rockets (from Trail Blazers)
  16. Philadelphia 76ers (from Heat)
  17. Indiana Pacers
  18. Milwaukee Bucks
  19. Denver Nuggets (from Grizzlies)
  20. Philadelphia 76ers (from Hawks)
  21. Oklahoma City Thunder
  22. New Orleans Pelicans (from Wizards)
  23. Boston Celtics (from Cavaliers)
  24. Phoenix Suns (from Raptors)
  25. Utah Jazz
  26. Boston Celtics (from Clippers)
  27. Brooklyn Nets (from Celtics)
  28. New York Knicks (from Rockets)
  29. San Antonio Spurs
  30. Atlanta Hawks (from Warriors)
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2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Washington Wizards

May 16th, 2017 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards’ 2016 offseason, which included huge new deals for Bradley Beal and Ian Mahinmi, received mixed reviews. However, while Mahinmi battled injuries and didn’t have the impact Washington had hoped, Beal delivered on his contract extension with a career year, and new head coach Scott Brooks turned out to be the Wizards’ most important offseason addition.

After coming within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Wizards will now have to decide whether to follow up Beal’s deal with a similarly lucrative extension for Otto Porter. The club’s lack of cap flexibility will make it tricky to acquire additional reinforcements whether or not Porter returns.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Wizards financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • Otto Porter ($7,732,904 qualifying offer / $14,734,953 cap hold)
  • Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,663,316 qualifying offer / $7,088,241 cap hold)
  • Trey Burke ($4,187,598 qualifying offer / $8,466,495 cap hold)
  • Total: $30,289,689

Cap Holds

Trade Exceptions

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Maximum Cap Room: $6,646,794

  • Renouncing all their free agents and waiving their non-guaranteed salaries would leave the Wizards with nine guaranteed contracts and three cap charges for empty roster slots, totaling $94,353,206. That doesn’t leave the Wizards much room to work with, so it makes more sense for the team to stay over the cap, which would allow for possible deals with RFAs like Porter and/or Bogdanovic.

Footnotes:

  1. Mac’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($50,000) after July 1.
  2. Ochefu’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($50,000) after July 1.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.

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Five Key Offseason Questions: Utah Jazz

May 15th, 2017 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

On the surface, the Utah Jazz seem poised to be a serious contender for years to come. They bounced back from an injury-riddled, 40-42 campaign in 2015/16 and finished 20 games over .500 this season. That 51-31 record was good enough for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

They made some noise in the playoffs, defeating the more-heralded Los Angeles Clippers in a hotly-contested series that took the full seven games to decide. The Jazz stunned the Clippers at the Staples Center after losing Game 6 in Salt Lake City. There was no shame in getting swept by the much more talented Warriors in the conference semifinals.

Utah’s top players are either in or approaching their prime years. The problem is that as many as five key contributors could enter the free agent market this summer, including its franchise player. Within a couple of months, the Jazz could continue to build upon the momentum of a successful season or be faced with a major rebuild.

Here’s a look at the biggest questions confronting the club this offseason:

1. Will Gordon Hayward remain the face of the franchise or be lured away by another playoff team?
Gordon Hayward vertical

There’s little doubt that Hayward will sacrifice the $16.7MM salary he was scheduled to earn next season and opt out of the final year of his contract. What Hayward decides to do will have enormous implications on the franchise’s future.

Hayward’s value is at its peak after he set new career marks in PPG (21.9) and RPG (4.7) this year. It’s possible that Hayward could opt in and then sign a massive extension, which could eat up to 35% of the team’s cap if he is named to an All-NBA team, which will be unveiled Thursday.

The more likely scenario is that Hayward shops his services and tests the market, though by possessing his Bird rights the Jazz can pay him more than any potential suitor. The Jazz will have to max out Hayward, or come close to doing so, to have any hope of keeping him around. The Celtics certainly come to mind among contending teams that might view Hayward as the missing piece to a championship. Plenty of others will make a pitch for him should he decide to enter the market.

The Jazz would have little choice but to pay whatever is required to keep Hayward because without him, they immediately have the look of a lottery team.
Read more

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Community Shootaround: Zaza Pachulia

May 15th, 2017 at 5:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The player on the Warriors that everyone is talking about right now isn’t named Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant or Draymond Green. Rather, journeyman center Zaza Pachulia has been thrust into the spotlight in an unflattering manner.

Spurs star Kawhi Leonard injured his already tender left ankle during the third quarter in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when Pachulia moved into Leonard’s landing spot after Leonard released a jump shot. Leonard did not return, which turned into a game-changing development. Golden State was able to wipe out a 25-point deficit and escape with a victory, something that probably wouldn’t have happened if Leonard had landed cleanly and remained in the game. Leonard is likely to miss Game 2 and his status for the remainder of the series is questionable.

Afterward, the Spurs’ franchise player was diplomatic and didn’t criticize Pachulia for the way he closed out defensively. Coach Gregg Popovich expressed a totally different viewpoint on Monday, ripping Pachulia for a “totally unnatural” act and said Pachulia has a history of careless and dangerous plays. Popovich added that it didn’t matter whether Pachulia intended to harm Leonard, comparing him to a driver who commits manslaughter because he or she was texting at the time.

In response to Popovich’s comments, Pachulia denied that he was a dirty player. However, there’s no denying that Pachulia’s play significantly reduced the chances of the underdog Spurs pulling off an upset in Game 1 and the series in general.
That leads us to our question of the day: Do you feel Zaza Pachulia deserves to be suspended for injuring Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals? If so, how long should the suspension last?
Please take to the comments section. We look forward to hearing what you have to say on this hot-button issue.
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NBA Jersey Sponsors

May 15th, 2017 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Note: As of 2020, we’re no longer keeping this post up to date.

The NBA’s three-year pilot program to sell a small patch of real estate on teams’ jerseys officially got underway during the 2017/18 season, when clubs started wearing Nike uniforms. As part of the NBA’s jersey sponsorship pilot program, teams have reached agreements with sponsors and will dedicate an upper corner of their new uniforms to an advertisement patch for their new business partners.

As more teams make announcements, we’ll use this space to track their agreements with sponsors. Here are the details on the deals finalized so far, with links to stories on those agreements:

  1. Atlanta Hawks: Sharecare
  2. Boston Celtics: General Electric
  3. Brooklyn Nets: Infor
  4. Charlotte Hornets: LendingTree
  5. Chicago Bulls: Zenni Optical
  6. Cleveland Cavaliers: Goodyear
  7. Dallas Mavericks: Chime
  8. Denver Nuggets: Western Union
  9. Detroit Pistons: Flagstar Bank
  10. Golden State Warriors: Rakuten
  11. Houston Rockets: ROKiT Phones
  12. Indiana Pacers: Motorola
  13. Los Angeles Clippers: Bumble
  14. Los Angeles Lakers: Wish
  15. Memphis Grizzlies: FedEx
  16. Miami Heat: Ultimate Software
  17. Milwaukee Bucks: Harley-Davidson
  18. Minnesota Timberwolves: Fitbit
  19. New Orleans Pelicans: Zatarain’s
  20. New York Knicks: Squarespace
  21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
  22. Orlando Magic: Disney
  23. Philadelphia 76ers: StubHub
  24. Phoenix Suns: PayPal
  25. Portland Trail Blazers: Performance Health (Biofreeze logo)
  26. Sacramento Kings: Blue Diamond Almonds
  27. San Antonio Spurs: Frost Bank
  28. Toronto Raptors: Sun Life Financial
  29. Utah Jazz: Qualtrics (5 For The Fight logo)
  30. Washington Wizards: GEICO
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NBA Team Option Decisions For 2017/18

May 15th, 2017 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

Having created a post last week to track this offseason’s player option decisions, we’re turning our attention today to team options. In the coming weeks, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the team options for 2017/18, making note of whether they’re picked up or declined.

True team options are somewhat rare in the NBA, since teams 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.

Still, there are several team options around the NBA for the 2017/18 season, as detailed below. We’ll keep this list updated through the end of June to note the latest decisions.

Here’s the current breakdown:

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

  • None
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Five Key Offseason Questions: Oklahoma City Thunder

May 15th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by ChrisCrouse

Russell Westbrook received an opportunity to be the clear leader of a team for the first time in his career this past season and he delivered one of the greatest statistical seasons in recent memory. He averaged a triple-double, something that hasn’t been done since Oscar Robinson accomplished the feat in 1962, and he’s likely to take home the MVP award as a result.

The Thunder remained a major story this season because of the milestone, but they were clearly not legitimate title contenders; Kevin Durant‘s departure removed them from that elite class. Westbrook was able to put up numbers post-Durant, but he was unable to elevate the team beyond the first round of the NBA playoffs. His season ended at the hands of the Rockets in a series that highlighted team play over individualism.

Here are five questions facing the Thunder as they enter the offseason…

1. How will the front office upgrade the roster around Westbrook?NBA: Playoffs-Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets

A lack of flexibility plagues GM Sam Presti, and the roster is filled with over-priced ancillary parts.

Extensions for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo kick in this summer and for the next four years, the team will pay on average $46MM per season for two players who are unlikely to ever make an All-Star team. Enes Kanter, who saw a total of 45 minutes of playing time this postseason, will take home nearly $18MM during the 2017/18 campaign and Kyle Singler, who owned a paltry 5.9 player efficiency rating this season, will eat up nearly $4.7MM.

In all, the Thunder have roughly $110MM in guaranteed salaries on the books for the 2017/18 season against an estimated $101MM salary cap. The team owns the No. 21 overall pick in the upcoming draft and it will have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, as well as a trade exception worth approximately $4.9MM, available for use. Those tools don’t inspire much hope for an improved roster and with the team’s lack of flexibility, making substantial changes will require Presti to perform some wizardry.

2. Which of their own free agents will the Thunder retain?

Read more

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