We had our say on the 2013/14 NBA season this morning, unveiling our predictions for the coming year. If our opinions are any indication, it’ll be a wide open race for the title this season. Only two of our eight writers are picking a Heat three-peat, with just as many envisioning Derrick Rose capping his comeback with a championship for the Bulls. The Spurs, Thunder, Nets, and — thanks to me — the Pacers received one vote apiece. I hesitated a little after yesterday’s news that Danny Granger will miss the first three weeks, but I’m confident he’ll return to health and that the team’s new-look bench, led by Luis Scola, will be enough to lift the Pacers over the top.
We collectively picked six different contenders, but that might not cover the entire list of teams with legitimate hopes. Among us we’ve named what appear to be the four strongest Eastern Conference teams, but the Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies and Warriors all seem primed to make runs out of the West. So, I’ve added those clubs as options, too, along with an “other” choice if you think a dark horse will emerge from the pack. Let us know who you think will win, and follow my lead by explaining your choice in the comments.
Perhaps the most high-profile roster cut this week was the Sixers’ decision to let go of Royce White, the 16th pick from the 2012 draft. White’s psychological disorders have been well-documented since his time playing college ball at Iowa State, where he excelled as a versatile 6’8″ force. There were doubts about his mental health leading up to the draft, but his abilities on the basketball court made him a top-five talent, as far as Rockets GM Daryl Morey was concerned. Morey, who had three first-round picks last year, figured he would use one on the high-risk, high-reward White.
Alas, Morey’s gamble went bust. White and the Rockets engaged in a back-and-forth all season long about language that White wanted to have inserted into his contract to provide for his mental health. The Rockets countered that the league’s collective bargaining agreement wouldn’t allow them to put special provisions in his standard rookie-scale deal, and White went the entire regular season without appearing in an NBA game, only hitting the court during preseason and for 16 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate.
Morey decided to write off his loss halfway through the two-year guaranteed portion of White’s contract, trading him to the Sixers for Philadelphia’s 2014 second-round pick. Morey sweetened the deal for his former assistant, newly minted Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, adding the rights to Turkish prospect Furkan Aldemir and, as we learned yesterday, enough cash to cover White’s 2013/14 salary.
White’s brief tenure in Philadelphia was a quiet one. He made few headlines, and the story that he didn’t accompany the team for its exhibition games in Europe was somewhat overblown, since the Sixers left other players on their roster home, too. White appeared in five preseason games this month and even started one, averaging 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per contest. He seemed mentally and physically prepared to play.
Still, Hinkie and the Sixers decided that it wasn’t worth keeping White around, even though they have a roster that’s roundly expected to finish with the league’s worst record this season. That leaves more questions than answers surrounding the future of a player whom Morey, and likely other league executives, considered better than most lottery picks based on talent alone less than a year and a half ago.
White’s future might not include the NBA. He’s never played in a regular season game, so, officially, he has yet to make his debut. Let us know whether you think he ever will, and leave a comment to explain your thinking.
More than 45% of Hoops Rumors readers who voted this weekend believe the Jazz agreed to give Derrick Favors too much in his new four-year extension, while fewer than 6% think Favors should have gotten more, suggesting the deal is player-friendly. I posed the question before today’s revelation that the deal, worth $48MM in base salary, is slightly less lucrative than the $49MM+ figure that was originally reported, though I imagine the difference wouldn’t skew the results too far.
Perhaps the most striking news to come out of Jazz camp since the news of Favors’ deal is that the team is working on an extension for Gordon Hayward that would be worth more than the one Favors just got. The Jazz should have a better idea of what they have in Hayward than they do with Favors, since Hayward has seen about 30% more minutes the past two seasons than his counterpart has. Hayward has shown continual improvement, but he still drifted in and out of the starting lineup last season on a team that featured uninspiring wing talent, like Randy Foye, Marvin Williams, Alec Burks and DeMarre Carroll. Those names don’t inspire the same confidence as Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, who blocked Favors’ path to the opening tip.
I predicted a four-year, $40MM deal for Hayward in August, when I broke down his extension candidacy, but it sounds like the Jazz are prepared to exceed that amount by more than $8MM. Do you agree that Hayward deserves more than Favors? Let us know, and elaborate in the comments.
The Jazz locked up one of their promising young players this weekend, signingDerrick Favors to a four-year extension for more than $49MM. The total could exceed $50MM if Favors cashes in on incentive clauses. GM Dennis Lindseypointed to the 22-year-old’s defense, rebounding and youth as reasons why the team felt comfortable enough to commit more than $12.25MM a year to a player who’s never averaged as many as 24 minutes or 10 points a game.
Favors’ range doesn’t extend any farther than three feet away from the basket. He shot just 29% last year from outside that limited territory, as I pointed out when I looked at his extension candidacy in August. His offensive shortcomings were why I figured that Favors would see a deal similar to the four years and $44MM that the Bucks gave fellow defensive stalwart Larry Sanders in his extension.
Still, executives from around the league told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who broke the news of Favors’ extension, that Favors would have received multiple offers of contracts worth $13MM a year if the Jazz had let him hit restricted free agency next summer. Favors’ ability to finish 13th in the league in blocks per game last season despite playing just 23.2 minutes per contest no doubt intrigues many NBA decision-makers.
Lindsey said yesterday that he’s primarily focused on Favors’ defense, and that the Jazz are willing to wait for his offense to develop, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune notes on Twitter. Favors is set to become a regular starter for the first time in his career this season, so we’ll soon see how the Jazz mitigate Favors’ limited range when he’s on the floor for most of the game. Regardless of how it goes, the Jazz have already committed major money to a big man whose shooting percentage has declined each year since his rookie season. They gave up the chance to see how he performs this season and use it to gauge whether to re-sign him in free agency next summer.
Let us know what you think about the Favors extension with a vote, and explain your position in the comments.
Within the last week, Hoops Rumors readers have weighed in on the odds of the Cavaliers and the Wizards making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. About 72% of poll respondents predicted Cleveland would earn a postseason berth, while more than 54% were optimistic about the Wizards’ chances.
Both Cleveland and Washington were lottery teams last year, so if they’re going to participate in the 2014 postseason, a couple teams will need to drop out. The No. 8 Bucks are one candidate, though many of you still expect them to return to the playoffs. The Celtics, having finally started their rebuilding process, are a good bet to relinquish their spot as well.
One Eastern playoff team that has flown under the radar for much of the offseason is the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta lost a marquee free agent in Josh Smith, but the team was able to add Paul Millsap to join Al Horford in the frontcourt. Millsap arguably isn’t quite the all-around player that Smith is, but he came at a much more affordable price, and could be a bargain for the Hawks.
In addition to the Horford/Millsap pairing, Atlanta will enter the season having brought back point guard Jeff Teague and sharpshooter Kyle Korver. Elton Brand was signed to provide additional frontcourt depth, Louis Williams is expected to return from the ACL injury that sidelined him for most of last season, and youngsters like Dennis Schröder and John Jenkins should provide some upside. On the bench, highly regarded ex-Spurs assistant MikeBudenholzer will take over as head coach, replacing Larry Drew.
So what do you think? Do the Hawks have enough talent to earn a top eight seed in the East, or will the absence of Smith and the improvement of conference rivals mean that Atlanta falls into lottery territory for the first time since 2006/07?
As our Chuck Myron outlined last night, former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner is in somewhat of a lame duck situation in Philadelphia. While he will likely go down in history as a draft-day bust considering where he was picked, Turner is certainly not a bust as an NBA player and could probably be a useful and effective piece in the right situation. But that doesn’t do much for him in Philadelphia where the Sixers are intent on rebuilding from the ground up — a plan that reportedly doesn’t include Turner.
We know the Sixers haven’t even broached the idea of an extension with Turner, making the chances of the two sides working something out before the October 31st deadline remote to say the least. If they trade him before October 31, he could sign an extension with his new team. If that doesn’t happen, Turner is destined for restricted free agency next summer where the Sixers — or his new team if he’s traded this winter — will have the option to match any offer sheet he signs with another team.
Turner has said all the right things about the unique situation in Philly, but that doesn’t make his fate any less interesting. So what will it be — what will the Sixers do with the former Ohio State star?
Heading into the 2013/14 season, we’ve polled Hoops Rumors readers on whether a handful of contenders will reach the playoffs. So far, you’ve weighed in on the Cavaliers, Bucks, Lakers, and Trail Blazers, but none of those teams could use a postseason berth quite as badly as the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards haven’t appeared in a playoff game since the 2007/08 season, meaning the club hasn’t made the postseason since owner Ted Leonsis assumed control of the franchise in 2010. Leonsis hasn’t been shy about spending to contend, having inked John Wall to a max extension earlier this offseason, and approaching tax territory for Washington’s 2013/14 team salary. The Wizards owner has made comments indicating he’s tired of appearing in the lottery and expects the team to be in the playoff hunt this season.
Do the Wizards have the talent to finish in the top eight in the East? That answer will largely be determined by Wall’s health and development, but the team played well in the second half last season, and added third overall pick Otto Porter to the fold this summer. With continued improvement from the club’s young players, including Bradley Beal, and contributions from veterans like Nene, Trevor Ariza, and Martell Webster, Washington should definitely be in the mix for a postseason berth.
Of course, health is always a concern. Emeka Okafor and Chris Singleton have already suffered injuries, leaving the Wizards a little thin in the frontcourt. Wall and Nene have also missed time with injuries in recent years, and would put a serious dent in the team’s chances if they were to do so again.
What do you think? How will in the Wizards fare going up against teams like the Pistons, Hawks, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Raptors for a spot in the back half of the East’s top eight? Will Washington end its postseason drought and make the playoffs this season?
With yesterday’s news that Trey Burke will be sidelined a few weeks with a broken finger, the Rookie of the Year race took an interesting turn before the season even started. Who do you think will win?
NBA teams will be forced to make a lot of moves in the next two weeks, as teams pare down their preseason rosters to the 15-man regular season limit. Extra players must clear waivers by October 28th, making 4pm Central time on October 26th the deadline for teams to make their camp cuts. Nearly 100 players will be exiting NBA rosters, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors detailed yesterday.
Perhaps the most difficult decisions will be made in Phoenix, where the Suns have 16 fully guaranteed contracts. They’re the only team with more than 15 such deals, so unless they can find a trade partner soon, they’ll wind up owing a full season’s salary to a player they won’t be carrying. New GM Ryan McDonough also has Dionte Christmas on a partially guaranteed deal and James Nunnally on a make-good contract, further complicating matters. Christmas and McDonough have a history with the Celtics, and Nunnally was a sought-after camp invitee, so if the GM and president of basketball operations Lon Babby are tempted into keeping one or both of those players, multiple Suns with guaranteed deals could hit the road.
For the purposes of our poll, we’ll simply assume that the Suns will cut only one guaranteed contract. Which do you think is likeliest to go? We’ve included their 2012/13 salary figures via ShamSports to assist your choice. Leave a comment if you think someone you don’t see here is a better bet to end up on waivers. The other option here is a wild card — if you think the Suns can find a team willing to absorb one of their guaranteed contracts via trade and finalize the transaction by October 28th, they won’t have to cut any of their guaranteed guys.
Since LeBron James left Cleveland in free agency in 2010, the Cavaliers have won just 64 games in three seasons — that’s two fewer wins than LeBron’s Heat accumulated last season alone. But with a pair of No. 1 picks (Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett) on board, as well as an All-Star center (Andrew Bynum), there’s some optimism about the Cavs’ chances headed into the 2013/14 season.
In spite of the talent on the Cavs’ roster, however, there are plenty of concerns as well. Irving has missed time with injuries in each of his two NBA seasons, and he still doesn’t qualify as nearly the injury risk that Bynum does. Bennett, meanwhile, was the first overall pick among a class considered by draft experts to be the weakest in years. Throw in the fact that Anderson Varejao is coming off a lost season, and that the team will be relying on Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters to take major steps forward, and the question marks begin to add up.
With five legit contenders at the top of the Eastern Conference (or four, if you’re not bullish on the Knicks), there should be three playoff openings up for grabs in 2014. Many of the conference’s lottery teams, such as the Pistons, Raptors, and Wizards, will be looking to grab one of those spots, and 2013 playoff clubs like the Hawks and Bucks expect to return to the postseason.
If they stay healthy, the Cavaliers have as good a chance as any of those playoff hopefuls to earn a spot. But injuries are a real concern, and this is still a very young team. So what do you think? Will we see the Cavs return to the postseason next spring for the first time since 2010?