Hoops Rumors Polls

When we asked last week whether the Rockets would earn a spot in the 2014 NBA Finals, only about one in six of you said yes. That's a fairly strong signal that Houston isn't the favorite to come out of the Western Conference, but there doesn't appear to be a consensus on which team is the frontrunner.

Popular betting site Bovada.lv lists Oklahoma City as the team most likely to represent the West in the Finals, with 6-to-1 odds to capture the 2014 title. However, the Thunder have stood relatively pat this summer, while losing their best scorer off the bench (Kevin Martin). As Grantland's Zach Lowe outlined in his latest piece, many of OKC's main competitors in the West look at least as dangerous as they did last season, if not moreso.

Last year's Western champs, the Spurs, should remain a serious contender even as Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili move into their late 30s, having tweaked the edges by adding players like Marco Belinelli and Jeff Pendergraph. Teams like the Clippers and Warriors added key complementary players like J.J. Redick and Andre Iguodala, respectively, and appear to be gaining on the conference's top teams. The Nuggets, having lost Iguodala could take a step back, but the club won 57 games last season, so even a moderate drop-off should leave Denver in the playoff picture. The Grizzlies, who might have the NBA's best defense, also can't be ruled out, especially after earning a spot in the Western Finals this year.

What do you think? Which team do you like to win the West next spring?

There wasn't much change at the trade deadline this year, but the summer has been one of drastic moves for many NBA teams. The Nets traded for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Dwight Howard left the Lakers for the Rockets, and the Warriors found a way out of their luxury tax predicament that allowed them to add Andre Iguodala and still shed payroll.

There are plenty of other teams who look better than when the 2012/13 season ended. The Cavs signed Andrew Bynum to a partially guaranteed deal that hedges against further injury for the former All-Star, and they added Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Pelicans pulled off a draft-night trade to land Jrue Holiday, and they signed Tyreke Evans to an offer sheet that was too rich for the Kings' blood. The Trail Blazers addressed their bench, their major weakness from this past season, the Pistons wooed Josh Smith to Detroit, and the moribund Bobcats used some of their plentiful room for improvement, signing Al Jefferson.

Let us know which team you think made the greatest strides forward this summer, and leave a comment to explain your vote.

A year ago, Deron Williams was the only unrestricted free agent to sign a maximum-salary deal, and his $98.77MM contract falls short of the $107.34MM pact inked by Chris Paul earlier this month. Still, even with Paul and Dwight Howard landing max deals this summer, the amount of $40MM+ contracts signed this time around is just six, compared to nine a year ago.

That number still figures to increase by at least one, if and when Nikola Pekovic finalizes a new contract with the Timberwolves. Even Brandon Jennings has a shot at a $40MM deal, though that's appearing less and less likely. Still, overall, it looks like we'll see slightly fewer massive free agent deals this year than last.

With 12 months of hindsight, it's easier to look back at last summer's $40MM+ signings and determine which ones look like bargains and which ones are potential albatrosses. Players like Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert got off to solid starts in justifying their lucrative long-term deals, while JaVale McGee's and especially Gerald Wallace's big contracts look questionable.

Without the benefit of hindsight, it's a little harder to tell which deals will work out and which ones won't. But in today's poll, we're asking you to weigh in on which of this summer's six biggest contracts appears most ill-advised. A few factors to consider when placing your vote:

• Paul's contract with the Clippers includes a fifth-year early termination option.
• Howard's deal with the Rockets includes a fourth-year player option.
• Al Jefferson's contract with the Bobcats includes a third-year player option.
• All of the other deals are fully guaranteed.

Since forming their Big Three in the summer of 2010, the Heat have won the Eastern Conference three consecutive times, knocking off the Bulls, Celtics, and Pacers respectively. As long as LeBron James continues to be the undisputed best player on the planet, Miami probably remains the favorite to win the East, but the team could be a little more vulnerable in 2013/14.

Mike Miller, who has made several big shots in the postseason during the last three years, is no longer on the roster, and so far this summer, the team hasn't used its taxpayer mid-level exception to bring in a veteran contributor like Shane Battier or Ray Allen. Throw in the fact that Dwyane Wade is, at best, entering the tail end of his prime, and there may be an opening for an upset in the East next season.

Four other Eastern Conference teams make up a clear-cut top five, along with the Heat. Last year's Eastern Conference Finalists, the Pacers, have tweaked their bench, and are expecting to have a healthy Danny Granger back in their lineup. The Bulls, who lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, will get former MVP Derrick Rose back. The Knicks are retaining most of the players that helped lead the team to a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference, and the Nets made perhaps the biggest splash of the summer, adding Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and Andrei Kirilenko, among others.

So which of these clubs do you think has the best chance to upset the Heat and earn a spot in the NBA Finals this season? The Nets, Bulls, Pacers, Knicks, or a darkhorse squad? Feel free to use the comments section to weigh in with your thoughts.

With free agency kicking off today, news and rumors around the NBA have been flowing nonstop. A few big names are already off the market, including Chris Paul, but most are still available. After Dwight Howard, who is unquestionably the most sought-after player left, which player is best?

After weeks of thinking we had a pretty good idea of how draft night would play out, our expectations were thrown out the window when the Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett first overall, and the shockers kept coming from there. When the dust settled, which of these major moves or decisions surprised you most?

The Clippers and Celtics finally ended their week long back-and-forth negotation deciding the value of Doc Rivers, with the Clippers finally agreeing to give up an unprotected 2015 first-round draft pick. Is Rivers worth that much?