Hoops Rumors Polls

It seems like Andray Blatche, with the Nets on a non-guaranteed deal, is a strong bet to make the team, since Tim Bontemps of the New York Post reported this week that "it's pretty clear" he'll be in coach Avery Johnson's rotation at the start of the season. Yet many other players on non-guaranteed contracts simply have their eyes on the last spot on the bench, much less significant playing time. As our list of non-guaranteed contracts shows, several former stars and wayward lottery picks are in training camps with teams this month, hoping they can revive their careers or at least draw another NBA paycheck.

Let us know which of the players listed below has the best shot to make his team's regular season roster. Feel free to refer to our roster counts for the Eastern and Western conferences if you want to get a better feel for their chances. If you think another marquee name on a make-good deal has a better shot than anyone listed here, click "none of the above" and let us know who you have in mind in the comments.

As we covered earlier this afternoon, the NBA announced today that it has adopted an anti-flopping rule for the 2012/13 season, designed to discourage players from embellishing contact. Given the increase in flopping we've seen in the Association in recent years, it's hard to argue that the NBA wasn't right to do something to try to discourage the practice.

But is the NBA's solution the best approach the league could have taken? "Flops" will be determined using video review after the games, with first-time offenders receiving a warning, and fines starting with the second violation. I would guess that only egregious flops will be considered, but there's still a level of subjectivity involved — as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News points out, there can be a fine line between selling a call and "flopping" (all Twitter links).

McDonald rightly adds that there could also be a disparity between an in-game call and a post-game ruling. For instance, a player could sink a pair of game-winning free throw following a foul that is ruled later to be a flop (Twitter links). Among the other cons for the new rule: Players are now being fined significantly more for "flops" than for technical fouls, which max out at $5K.

No rule instituted to prevent flopping will be perfect, and it's a step in the right direction for the league to adopt a policy for the coming season. But are you happy with the NBA's solution, or would you rather see flopping combated in another way? Submit your vote below and feel free to weigh in under the comments section.

Earlier this week, Luke Adams detailed which fourth-year players are eligible to receive extensions.  As Luke notes, Blake Griffin and Serge Ibaka, both of whom fall into this category, have already signed long-term deals this summer.  Griffin signed a maximum-salary deal and Ibaka signed for 4-years, $49MM.  The rest of the guys on the list have until October 31 to sign new deals with their respective teams or they will become free agents next summer.

Teams also have until October 31 to pick up their fourth-year option on players entering the third year of their rookie contracts.  Luke posted a list of those guys as well, none of whom look like surefire NBA stars just yet.  That said, several of them will likely get paid big bucks next summer.  But which ones?  Out of all of these guys, who deserves the biggest extension next summer?  Feel free to justify your vote in the comments section.

The Lakers and Clippers have each spent the offseason competing in a blatant arms race to takeover the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers made the two biggest splashes, trading for Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, but the Clippers improved their depth, signing multiple free agent veterans like Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill, Lamar Odom, and Matt Barnes. 

Which team do you think won the offseason battle, and heads into the 2012/13 season as the better team? 

We passed along a piece by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News yesterday that laid out five scenarios that could play out for the Thunder and James Harden, who face an Oct. 31st deadline for negotiating an extension. Here's what Deveney says could happen:

• The Thunder could trade Harden, as with a rumored deal for Bradley Beal at draft time.
• Harden could sign a max extension with the Thunder, putting the team in a serious payroll bind.
• Harden could sign an extension with the Thunder at a discount, as Serge Ibaka did with his four-year, $49MM deal. 
• The Thunder fail to match another team's deal with Harden after letting him become a restricted free agent next summer.
• The Thunder let him get to restricted free agency, but re-sign him next summer.

Deveney believes the final option is the one that will play out. That's the only scenario in which Harden could get a five-year deal, so it might be the most lucrative scenario for him, but it involves risk for both sides.

What do you think? Let us know how you believe the Harden situation plays out by voting below. If you have anything to add to the debate, feel free to leave a comment.

Chicago, Miami, Indiana, and Atlanta finished with the top four records in the East last season. Interestingly enough, although the Atlantic Division champion Celtics were awarded the fourth seed in the playoffs, they did not have homecourt advantage in their first round series against the fifth-seeded Hawks, who had one more regular season win than Boston. 

A significant amount of roster changes with several teams in the East could have a major effect on the playoff landscape, including Dwight Howard's move to the West along with Derrick Rose's recovery from injury. Having said that, which Eastern Conference team that did not finish with homecourt advantage in the first round last season has the best chance of doing so in 2012-13? 

Keeping on with today’s Phoenix Suns obsession, Hoops Rumors would like to know who of the team’s offseason acquisitions you think ends up being the least productive, relative to their pay and expectations. 

There are several serviceable NBA players who remain on the free agent market with just weeks to go before training camp begins. Most of them are trying to pry more than the minimum salary from teams with limited cap space and exceptions remaining. Who do you think is the best free agent yet to sign?

Perhaps it's Alonzo Gee, a restricted free agent who seems destined to return to the Cavs. Leandro Barbosa, a double-figure scorer six of the last seven seasons, is an intriguing candidate. It could also be veteran swingman Mickael Pietrus, who has averaged double-figure points only once in his nine-year career but has consistently been a part of the rotation for playoff teams. Kenyon Martin is a season and a half removed from being a fixture in the Nuggets starting lineup, and helped the Clippers to the playoffs last year. Maybe it's Derek Fisher, who possesses five championship rings and more postseason experience than any remaining free agent. Mehmet Okur has a rare combination of size, at 6'11", and an outside shooting touch. Matt Barnes could shore up a team's perimeter defense on the second unit. Maybe it's someone else. 

In any case, let us know who you think is best, and feel free to look over our comprehensive list of free agents before you cast your vote.