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Poll: Who Will Be East’s Best Player In 2018/19?

August 19th, 2018 at 6:39pm CST by Luke Adams

During the 2017/18 season, five of the league’s 15 All-NBA players were from the Eastern Conference. Two of those stars – LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan – headed to Western Conference teams this offseason, leaving only three All-NBA players in the East: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Victor Oladipo.

Anteokounmpo, Embiid, and Oladipo will head into the 2018/19 season as virtual locks for the Eastern All-Star team, assuming they stay healthy, especially given the relative lack of talent in the conference. However, they’re not the only stars left in the East.

Kawhi Leonard wasn’t an All-NBA player last year, but he earned a spot on the First Team in each of the previous two seasons. His health remains a major question mark, given his lost ’17/18 season, but if he’s back to full strength for the Raptors, he could be in line for a monster contract year. Having lost their leading scorer in the trade that sent Kawhi to Toronto, the Raptors figure to lean heavily on Leonard on both ends of the court.

Kyrie Irving didn’t miss as much of last season as Leonard did, but injury issues ended his year early as well. Irving earned a little MVP buzz during the first half of the season, and while the Celtics’ roster may be too deep for the star point guard to put up massive individual numbers, he’ll likely be the best player on what is expected to be the best team in the East.

Another Sixer, Ben Simmons, figures to give Embiid a run for his money for the title of best player on Philadelphia’s roster. Already an excellent finisher, play-maker, and passer, Simmons is capable of becoming one of the NBA’s most dangerous players if he can add a reliable jump shot. Both he and Embiid have future MVP potential, though Embiid looks closer to reaching those heights in 2018/19.

Elsewhere in the East, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, Kyle Lowry, Bradley Beal, Kevin Love, and Goran Dragic are among the players that figure to vie for spots on the All-Star roster, but it would be a surprise if any of them is the most effective player in the conference in 2018/19.

What do you think? Who will be the East’s best player next season? Will Antetokounmpo take another step forward and claim that title? Will Leonard bounce back after his change of scenery and reclaim his spot as a First Team All-NBA player? Can Embiid stay healthy all year long and ascend to new heights?

Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts!

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Poll: Which Team Will Win Central Division?

August 16th, 2018 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have won the Central division for four consecutive seasons, and the Cavs, Pistons, and Bulls have combined to claim 12 of the last 14 division titles. However, those clubs won’t enter the 2018/19 season as the frontrunners to finish atop the Central.

Currently, the Pacers and Bucks are viewed as virtual co-favorites for the Central crown in ’18/19. The opening over/unders from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook had the Pacers at 47.5 wins and the Bucks at 46.5. Currently, however, betting site Bodog.eu has both teams projected at 46.5 wins for the upcoming season. No other Central team is projected to get to .500.

Indiana and Milwaukee finished four games apart last season, as the 48-34 Pacers claimed the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, while the 44-38 Bucks came in at No. 7. Both clubs have also made modest upgrades to their respective rosters during the offseason.

Indiana lost Lance Stephenson, Trevor Booker, Al Jefferson, and Glenn Robinson III, but added Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott, Kyle O’Quinn, and Aaron Holiday. In Milwaukee, the Bucks acquired Ersan Ilyasova, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, and Donte DiVincenzo to replace Jabari Parker, Brandon Jennings, and Jason Terry.

As they look to leapfrog the Pacers in 2018/19, the Bucks will be relying on continued development from Giannis Antetokounmpo – potentially the best player in the East – as well as an immediate impact from new head coach Mike Budenholzer. As for the Pacers, they’ll count on continuity from a group that gelled quickly last season, as well as improvements from young players like Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner, and Domantas Sabonis.

What do you think? Do you expect the Pacers to supplant the Cavaliers as the Central’s top team in 2018/19? Will the Bucks take home the Central crown for the first time since 2001? Or will the Pistons, Cavs, or Bulls make a surprise run to win the division?

Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts!

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Poll: Most Likely 2019 Free Agent Prediction

August 15th, 2018 at 8:46pm CST by clarkcrum

As we relayed earlier this evening, an ESPN panel was asked where they think some of the top-projected free agents of 2019 might end up next summer.

The panel believes that both Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler will end up with the Knicks, while Kawhi Leonard will sign with the Lakers and both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will remain with the Warriors in the bay area.

It would still take some doing for the Knicks to open up the cap space for a second max-salary player, but Irving and Butler have reportedly talked about teaming up, potentially in The Big Apple. Moreover, Irving is from the NYC area.

As for Leonard, he and the Lakers have been linked for a while now, with the 27-year-old star already reportedly stating his preference for Los Angeles. Additionally, the Lakers will easily have the cap room to sign Leonard after mostly signing players to one-year deals this summer.

Finally, both Durant and Thompson could be casualties of the Warriors’ luxury tax concerns, especially if the team doesn’t win it all this season and ownership sees the championship window closing, however unlikely that may be.

So, our question tonight is, which of ESPN’s five predictions is most likely to come to fruition? Irving to the Knicks, Butler to the Knicks, Leonard to the Lakers, Durant staying with the Warriors, or Thompson staying with the Warriors?

Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to make your case for your pick.

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Poll: Which Team Will Win Northwest Division?

August 14th, 2018 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

There may not be an NBA division more top-heavy than the Atlantic, where the Celtics, Raptors, and Sixers are all projected to win more than 50 games in 2018/19. However, the Atlantic also features the Nets and Knicks, who are widely expected to finish in the lottery.

In terms of top-to-bottom talent, the Northwest has a stronger case to be considered the NBA’s best division. Last season, four Northwest teams made the playoffs and a fifth missed the postseason by a single game. The five clubs finished the regular season separated by just three games, racking up between 46 and 49 wins apiece.

None of those Northwest clubs took a huge step backward this offseason, but there were no massive upgrades either, with many of the most significant roster moves in the division involving re-signing key free agents. As such, oddsmakers once again view the Northwest as a five-team race, with each of those five teams projected to finish above .500.

According to betting site Bodog.eu, the Thunder are consider the very slight favorites to win the Northwest, with an over/under of 49.5 wins for the season. However, the Jazz (49 wins) and Nuggets (47.5) are right behind them, with the Timberwolves (44.5), and Trail Blazers (42.5) within striking distance.

After we asked you on Monday to assess the top of the Atlantic standings for 2018/19, we’re shifting our focus today to the Northwest.

Will the Blazers repeat as division champions? Will the Thunder or Jazz take a step forward and win the Northwest? Or will the Nuggets or Timberwolves go from vying for the No. 8 seed in the West to battling for the division crown?

Vote below in our poll for the 2018/19 Northwest division winner, then head to the comment section to make your case for your pick.

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Poll: 2018/19 Atlantic Division Standings

August 13th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Winning a division isn’t as crucial in the NBA as it is in many other major professional sports leagues in North America. In the NBA, a club is more likely to worry about its playoff seed within the conference than its spot in the divisional standings.

Still, even if winning a division doesn’t assure a team of a first-round bye or a weak opponent in the postseason, there will be at least one NBA divisional race worth keeping a close eye on in 2018/19. The Celtics, Raptors, and Sixers project to be not just the top three teams in the Atlantic but also the three best teams in the Eastern Conference, based on a handful of early win-loss projections from oddsmakers.

According to sports betting site Bodog.eu, for instance, the Celtics have an over/under of 58.5 wins for next season, followed by Toronto and Philadelphia at 54.5. No other Eastern Conference team is projected for more than 46.5 wins.

The forecast for the Atlantic makes sense. The Raptors (59-23), Celtics (55-27), and 76ers (52-30) were the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference in 2017/18, and there’s no reason to expect any of them to take a huge step back.

The Celtics should have Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving back to lead a deep rotation that includes Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Morris, among others. Young Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons now have a full year under their belts, and if 2017’s first overall pick Markelle Fultz can bounce back from a lost rookie season, Philadelphia has a scary amount of high-level talent on its roster.

The Raptors underwent the most significant changes of any of the Atlantic’s top three teams this summer, with Nick Nurse replacing Dwane Casey on the sidelines and Kawhi Leonard replacing DeMar DeRozan on the court. If Nurse struggles in his first NBA head coaching job and/or Leonard isn’t fully healthy, the Raptors figure to fall short of their projections, but their upside is as high as that of any team in the East.

We want to get your thoughts on how the Atlantic division will play out this season. Will the Celtics make good on their status as favorites and take the division? Will the Raptors defend their Atlantic title? Will the Sixers take a big step forward as their young stars continue to improve? What order do you expect those top three Atlantic teams to finish in?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Poll: Will Wizards Be A Top-Four Team In East?

August 10th, 2018 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

With LeBron James out of the East for the first time since 2003, confidence is on the rise around the conference. Jaylen Brown essentially guaranteed that the Celtics will make it to the NBA Finals, while Brook Lopez has said the Bucks love their chances to come out of the East.

Wizards point guard John Wall joined the chorus this week, telling Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports that he feels like “we’re all equal” in the East. While the Wizards haven’t made it to the NBA Finals in recent years, neither have the Celtics, Raptors, Sixers, Pacers, or any other non-LeBron Eastern team, Wall points out.

“Y’all might have been to the Eastern Conference finals, where we haven’t been to, but none of y’all were going to the Finals. It was one guy going to the Finals,” Wall said. “Ain’t nobody separated from nothing. I know one guy that separated himself from the Eastern Conference every year and that was LeBron James and the Cavs. Other than that … if you lose in the second round, or the conference finals, you still didn’t get to your ultimate goal.”

Wall went on to say that “on paper” a handful of Eastern teams look strong, but he observed that there are still questions about how the Celtics will mesh with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving returning, or how Kawhi Leonard will look with the Raptors. In Wall’s view, the top four or five teams in the East are all bunched together, and he’s willing to put the Wizards “right there” in that group.

This kind of talk is nothing new from the Wizards. Heading into the 2017/18 season, Bradley Beal called Washington the team to beat in the East, despite the fact that the club had been eliminated by Boston in the second round of the 2017 playoffs — multiple Wizards that year claimed publicly that they would’ve beaten the Cavaliers in the postseason if given the chance. This past spring, after losing as the No. 8 seed to the top-seeded Raptors, Markieff Morris told reporters that “sometimes the better teams don’t win.”

So far, the Wizards have done little to back up their big talk, and oddsmakers aren’t convinced they’ll do so this year either — the Wizards’ early over/under of 44.5 wins ranks sixth in the East, behind Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia, Indiana, and Milwaukee. Still, perhaps with LeBron out of the conference, this is the year that Washington makes its run.

What do you think? Are the Wizards a top-four team in the East? Will they claim home court advantage for the first round and/or win a first-round series in the spring?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to weigh in on the Wizards.

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Poll: How Long Will Jabari Parker Be A Bull?

August 9th, 2018 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

It wasn’t one of the most lucrative long-term deals of the summer, and it almost certainly won’t have any impact on the NBA championship in 2019, but the Bulls‘ two-year, $40MM deal with Jabari Parker was one of the most interesting free agent signings of 2018.

The contract, which is guaranteed for $20MM in year one with a $20MM team option for 2019/20, was one of the last big-money deals of July. At the same time the Bulls were finalizing their agreement with Parker, the Nets were using their remaining $20MM+ in cap room to absorb a pair of unwanted contract from the Nuggets, acquiring a pair of draft picks in the process. The Hawks were preparing for a similar deal with their leftover cap space, taking on Carmelo Anthony‘s $27MM+ salary in a trade that allowed them to add a future first-rounder and get out of their long-term commitment to Dennis Schroder.

For rebuilding teams with cap room to spare, moves like the ones made by the Nets and Hawks are common. It often makes more sense for those front offices to essentially rent out their cap space and net a young player or draft pick in the process than it would to use that space to sign a free agent of their own.

The Bulls could’ve taken a similar approach, but instead they opted to use their room on Parker, a former No. 2 overall pick whose NBA development has been slowed by a pair of ACL tears. The hope is that the 23-year-old Parker will bounce back and become a key part of Chicago’s core alongside the franchise’s other young building blocks.

Before his latest major knee injury in 2017, Parker had averaged 20.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG with a .490/.365/.743 shooting line in 51 games during the 2016/17 season. Those are very promising numbers for a player who was still 21 years old at the time.

While Parker’s offensive upside is obvious, there are still plenty of questions about his game. He’s not a strong defender, and his decision-making on offense can sometimes leave something to be desired. Although it’s possible he’ll still evolve into a star, that looks far less certain than it did a few years ago. And it’s not clear how he’ll fit in with the Bulls, whose lineup already features another defensive liability on the wing (Zach LaVine), as well as several players who figure to dominate the ball on offense.

Parker’s short-term deal with the Bulls will give the club an exit ramp. If things don’t work out for the Chicago native, he likely won’t still be a Bull at this time next year, since the team will have the opportunity to decide on his second-year option.

On the other hand, there’s no guarantee that the former Duke forward will remain with the Bulls long-term even if he does excel in his hometown — his two-year pact will give him the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency again in 2020, at which point he could sign with any team.

What do you think? How will the Bulls’ experiment with Parker play out? Will the former top-two pick be one-and-done in Chicago, or will his short-term contract eventually turn into a long-term stay?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts.

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Poll: 2018/19 NBA Rookie Of The Year

July 29th, 2018 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

All 30 of 2018’s first-round picks are now under contract with their new NBA clubs, and odds are that one of those 30 players will become the NBA’s next Rookie of the Year — in fact, it’s very likely that a player picked in the top 11 will win that award.

Before 2016 second-rounder Malcolm Brogdon took home the award in 2017, only one player drafted lower than No. 11 overall had earned Rookie of the Year honors in the last 50+ years — No. 18 overall pick Mark Jackson was named Rookie of the Year in 1988.

That bodes well for the top 11 players taken in this year’s draft. And of those players, two top picks look like the early frontrunners for next season’s award. As Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz detail in an Insider-only ESPN.com piece, their top two choices for 2018/19 Rookie of the Year are Suns center Deandre Ayton and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, as each player seems poised to take on a large role and make an immediate impact for his new NBA team.

Still, those aren’t the only contenders for the award. Both Pelton and Schmitz view Kings big man Marvin Bagley III as a strong challenger, despite an underwhelming Summer League performance. Sacramento is high on Bagley and projects to be a bottom-two team in the West, so he’ll get plenty of opportunities to play. The same can be said of Trae Young, who’s in line for a larger role on the lottery-bound Hawks with Dennis Schroder no longer ahead of him on the depth chart.

Pelton and Schmitz are also high on Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. and Knicks forward Kevin Knox, both of whom had strong Summer League showings this month. Carter and Knox seem better positioned to put up numbers than raw big men like Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies and Mohamed Bamba of the Magic — Jackson, in particular, will have to fight for playing time, given Memphis’ playoff aspirations.

Rounding out the top 11 picks are Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton, Suns forward Mikal Bridges, and Clippers guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all of whom should get a chance to earn regular minutes in their rookie seasons.

It’s possible that a player outside of that group of 11 will be named the 2018/19 Rookie of the Year. One dark-horse candidate is Kings center Harry Giles, the 20th overall pick in the 2017 draft. After missing all of last season, Giles could take the Ben Simmons route and compete for Rookie of the Year honors in what is technically his second NBA season. Health remains a concern for Giles, but he played well in the Sacramento and Las Vegas Summer Leagues this month.

A healthy Michael Porter Jr. would be a candidate for this award too, but the Nuggets figure to take it slow with the rookie forward, who has dealt with back problems this year. Even if he’s effective when he plays, Porter probably won’t see enough action to make a serious case for RoY consideration.

What do you think? Who is your very-early pick for the 2018/19 Rookie of the Year award? Will a favorite like Ayton or Doncic win it, or will we see an underdog candidate emerge?

Vote below in our poll and then head to the comment section to make your case!

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Poll: Should The NBA Adopt 1-16 Playoff Seeding?

July 5th, 2018 at 5:39pm CST by Austin Kent

The conversation surrounding NBA playoff seeding has reached its zenith now that LeBron James has become the latest in a long line of Eastern Conference stars to defect west.

In fact, according to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports, only one* single NBA player with an All-NBA 1st-Team nod under their belt currently plays in the Eastern Conference… and no it’s not Giannis Antetokounmpo but Joakim Noah.

The question at hand is whether the league should think long and hard about ditching the current system that seeds eight teams from each conference separately in favor of one that seeds the best 16 teams in the league, regardless of conference, 1-16.

According to Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press, the most concerning aspect of making such a change would be the increased travel for teams in the postseason. Per league commissioner Adam Silver, such a change would add an overall total of 40,000 travel miles for teams in the postseason.

Currently, the league says it averages about 90,000 miles of total travel, noting that the regular season mark comes in significantly higher at 130,000 miles.

Of course changing the playoff structure would likely mean that the league would be obligated to balance the regular season schedule between conferences, too, something the league estimates would add an additional 150,000 miles of travel between October and April.

That doesn’t mean that it couldn’t still be worth it. Mavs owner Mark Cuban doesn’t see the problem (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports), arguing that the league’s smartest decision in the past decade was to extend the season to allow for more time off between games. Playoff schedules, he says, could be similarly optimized when necessary.

Our question for Hoops Rumors readers, then, is what they think of the debate? Would the NBA benefit from ditching the current format in order to accommodate 1-16 seeding irrespective of conferences?

Let your voice be heard.

*Since this tweet, Dwight Howard has committed to the Wizards, so technically two.

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Poll: Where Will Kawhi Leonard End Up?

July 3rd, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

There have been plenty of huge NBA headlines during the first few days of July, with LeBron James agreeing to become a Laker, Paul George deciding not to become a Laker, and DeMarcus Cousins lining up a deal with the defending-champion Warriors, among others.

However, for the most part, all has been quiet on the Kawhi Leonard front.

After Leonard’s camp made a public trade request earlier in mid-June, the Spurs forward seemed likely to dominate the offseason rumor mill, but for now, the primary suitors for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year may be playing it safe.

As Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports tweets, the Celtics and Sixers appear to be “playing the long game” on the Leonard front, not wanting to do anything rash with their rosters in great shape and LeBron finally out of their conference.

As for James’ new team in Los Angeles, the Lakers‘ other deals this offseason have suggested the club is retaining flexibility for the 2019 offseason, leaving the door open for Leonard to sign as a free agent and for the Lakers to keep all their young players and picks.

While the Lakers – wary of being too patient after what happened with George – may increase their efforts to land Leonard in a trade at some point, they “aren’t keen” on giving up Brandon Ingram, tweets Schultz. Meanwhile, the Celtics won’t give up Jayson Tatum and aren’t enthusiastic about moving Jaylen Brown, and the Sixers prefer to keep Markelle Fultz, Schultz adds.

While Schultz believes Leonard – who is unhappy in San Antonio and reportedly wants to play in Los Angeles – will be dealt eventually, he’s not sure where the star forward will end up. So we’re opening up that question to you.

What team to do you expect Leonard to be with to start the 2018/19 season? Will he get his wish to join the Lakers? Can the Spurs convince him to stick around a little longer? Will a budding Eastern powerhouse like the Celtics or Sixers go all-in for him? Could L.A.’s other team, the Clippers make a surprise play to land him? Or will a wild-card suitor enter the fray and steal him away?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.