Poll: Eastern Conference’s Top Six Teams
A year ago, four Eastern Conference teams had serious title aspirations and plenty at stake if they didn’t make deep playoff runs. The Raptors, Bucks, Sixers, and Celtics had set their sights so high that anything short of an Eastern Conference Finals berth would be considered a disappointment. And sure enough, after Philadelphia and Boston were knocked out in the Eastern Semifinals, they made major offseason changes, with Jimmy Butler, J.J. Redick, Kyrie Irving, and Al Horford all departing in free agency.
This season, the situation is a little different. Most Eastern Conference contenders have their core players locked up for the foreseeable future, so if they fall short of expectations in the postseason, that doesn’t necessarily mean roster shake-ups are coming. Still, the logjam near the top of the East’s standings will be fascinating to watch because there are now six strong contenders in the conference, with the Heat and Pacers joining the aforementioned four.
After struggling down the stretch last season when Victor Oladipo went down, Indiana has learned to win without him this season, posting a 22-13 record. It’s reasonable to assume the Pacers will be an even more dangerous team once Oladipo is back, which is expected to happen within the next month or so. As for Miami, the addition of Butler and young players like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Kendrick Nunn has led to an impressive bounce-back season so far for the 25-9 Heat.
The Celtics (23-8), Raptors (23-12), and Sixers (23-13) are bunched together with those two teams, and they’re all looking up at the top-seeded Bucks (31-5).
Based on how well these six teams have played so far, it’s safe to assume they’ll all enter the postseason expecting to win at least one series — and potentially more. But the math is working against them. Only four teams can make it through the first round, so at least two of these aspiring contenders will be one-and-done in the playoffs.
That brings us to today’s poll question: Which of the East’s top six teams won’t make it through the first round this spring?
Vote for two teams below in our poll, then head to the comment section below to explain your picks and to weigh in on which teams you expect to make deep postseason runs.
Which teams won't win a playoff series this spring? (Choose two)
-
Indiana Pacers 37% (1,797)
-
Toronto Raptors 20% (961)
-
Miami Heat 19% (909)
-
Philadelphia 76ers 16% (784)
-
Boston Celtics 7% (341)
-
Milwaukee Bucks 2% (83)
Total votes: 4,875
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
James Nunnally Signs With Fenerbahce
Former Timberwolves and Rockets forward James Nunnally has officially completed a deal with Turkish team Fenerbahce, the club announced today in a press release.
Nunnally had previously been playing for the Shanghai Sharks, but the Chinese club released him from his contract. In 12 games in the Chinese Basketball Association this season, the 29-year-old averaged 22.3 PPG and 5.5 RPG while making 50.0% of his three-point attempts.
A former UC Santa Barbara standout, Nunnally has spent most of his professional career overseas, but has logged a total of 28 NBA games in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Houston. He started the 2018/19 season with the Wolves before being waived at the salary guarantee deadline; he later signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets, but hasn’t played in the NBA since then.
The move to Turkey represents a reunion for Nunnally, who played for Fenerbahce from 2016-18 and and won a EuroLeague title with the organization in 2017.
Gores: Struggling Pistons “Have To Assess Everything”
Speaking on Thursday night to reporters, Pistons owner Tom Gores said that winning is still his top priority, but admitted he wants more than a No. 8 seed and acknowledged that taking a step back in the short term could ultimately help Detroit achieve that goal, tweets James Edwards of The Athletic.
“We have to look at everything because we’re not winning, so you’re not winning, to me, you have to assess everything,” Gores said of his 12-23 squad, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “I think anybody would want to do that. And probably in the next month or so, we’re going to get together as an organization and just discuss things.”
Although Gores didn’t go so far as to say that the Pistons are seriously considering becoming deadline sellers or blowing up their roster, his comments reflect a change in tone. After the club was eliminated from the playoffs by Milwaukee last April, the Pistons’ owner stressed that he doesn’t believe in tanking and wants to establish a winning culture in Detroit. However, the organization’s win-now efforts have been largely unsuccessful.
The Pistons have made the postseason just twice in the last 10 years, both times as the East’s No. 8 seed. The team didn’t win a single game in either playoff appearance and appears on track to miss the postseason again in 2020, despite the fact that the eighth-seeded Magic are just 15-19 — the 11th-seeded Pistons are already 3.5 games back. Injuries have played a part in Detroit’s struggles this season, but Gores doesn’t want to use them as an excuse, as Beard notes.
“We expected to manage minutes and all of that stuff for our players but we’ve had some bad luck, but other teams had bad luck, too, and you’ve got to work through it,” Gores said. “I just think injuries happen. We’ve had more than our share this year, but we have to build a team that can handle it.”
While it’s probably too early in the season for the Pistons to shift into player-development mode, it was interesting that Gores’ comments came on a night when rookie Sekou Doumbouya – the NBA’s youngest player – received his first career start, as Edwards points out at The Athletic.
If the Pistons do become sellers at the deadline, Derrick Rose, Markieff Morris, and Langston Galloway would be among the team’s trade candidates. Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, and Reggie Jackson could be discussed as well, though they’d be trickier to move and the franchise would have to be willing to fully commit to a change in direction.
Caris LeVert Expected To Return Saturday
Injured Nets swingman Caris LeVert is expected to suit up for Brooklyn for a Saturday game against the Raptors, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
LeVert has missed the last seven weeks with a right thumb injury that required surgery. The 25-year-old Michigan alum signed a three-year, $52MM extension with the club this summer.
The 16-17 Nets, currently the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, are reeling after a four-game slump. LeVert (16.8 PPG) and Kyrie Irving (28.5 PPG), two of the team’s three top scorers, have both been out since mid-November.
In his nine healthy games for the Nets this season, LeVert has made contributions beyond his scoring. He is averaging 5.0 RPG and 4.0 APG, while shooting 36.1% of his 4.0 three-point attempts a night. LeVert fell to the No. 20 pick in the 2016 NBA draft in part due to injury concerns. The athletic, 6’6″ wing has played in just 177 of a possible 279 games in his pro career thus far.
Central Notes: Middleton, LaVine, Cavaliers, Budenholzer
Sharpshooting Bucks All-Star wing Khris Middleton has been a key part of Milwaukee’s blistering 31-5 season start. He spoke with The Athletic’s Sam Amick at length about his tenure in Milwaukee, his chemistry with 2019 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the team’s outlook.
“So far, we’ve been special this season,” Middleton relayed to Amick. “But we know it’s just the regular season. That end goal of being the last team standing is our main focus.” The Bucks finished the 2018/19 season with a league-best 60-22 record, but fell to the eventual champion Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“We lose Malcolm [Brogdon, to the Pacers in free agency], a big piece of what we did last year,” Middleton continued. “But the guys we had in the locker room were guys who we still felt could get the job done.” Antetokounmpo’s offensive improvement this season has helped, too. His play with the Bucks has already put him in the driver’s seat for earning repeat MVP honors.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Despite an intimidating January schedule, optimistic Bulls guard Zach LaVine remains confident in his team’s ability to compete for a playoff spot in the East. “We understand the position we’re in,” LaVine said, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I think we’ve thrown some games away. I think we should be right in that hunt. As poorly as we’ve played some nights, we can still make up for it.”
- The Cavaliers continue to struggle in late-game situations this season, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. They coughed up a lead in the fourth quarter yet again tonight, this time in a 109-106 loss to Charlotte. Fedor notes that this failure to close games is a symptom of the team’s young, relatively green roster.
- Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December, according to Bucks.com. Milwaukee boasted the league’s best record at 13-2, and led the NBA in offensive rating (115.5) and defensive rating (99.3).
Atlantic Notes: Randle, Stevens, Temple, Robinson
The improved play of 2019 Knicks free agent signee Julius Randle since Mike Miller became the team’s interim head coach can be attributed to several factors, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov observes.
“I’m just playing with confidence,” Randle said. “I try to take things on a game-by-game focus, not really worried about the big picture of things when it comes to that.” Randle’s jump-shooting accuracy has improved for the Knicks lately. He has been less prone to on-court mistakes, and has been penetrating inside more instead of settling.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe feels that Celtics coach Brad Stevens continues to search for consistent help at the back end of his rotation. Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter and Brad Wanamaker make up the team’s top eight players. Himmelsbach opines that Stevens wants his ninth and 10th options emerge from among Robert Williams, Semi Ojeleye, plus rookies Grant Williams, Javonte Green, Romeo Langford, and Carsen Edwards.
- Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports that the backcourt health of the Nets has worsened, thanks to starting guard Garrett Temple missing tonight’s matchup against the Mavericks with a sore knee. Caris LeVert, Kyrie Irving, and the just-waived David Nwaba have all missed significant time for Brooklyn.
- The rise of springy second-year center Mitchell Robinson numbers among the big reasons why the surging Knicks (10-24 overall, but 6-6 since adding new head coach Mike Miller) seem to be legitimately better, according to the New York Post’s Marc Berman. Robinson’s 70% field goal percentage leads the NBA. “He makes the job really easy for us by running the floor, setting screens and making the right read at the right moment,” guard Frank Ntilikina said of Robinson.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/2/20
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Wizards have assigned center Thomas Bryant, forward Davis Bertans, and rookie point guard Justin Robinson to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Robinson, an undrafted Virginia Tech alum in 2019, has played in nine games for the Wizards thus far. Bryant and Bertans were sent to the Go-Go on rehab assignments to practice, and the Wizards note that the big men will be recalled back to the NBA today.
Southwest Notes: Ball, Porzingis, Capela, Jackson
Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball, acquired as part of the Anthony Davis trade package with the Lakers this summer, got off to a slow start in New Orleans. That said, Ball has displayed marked improvement since returning to the team’s starting lineup four games ago, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
The Pelicans’ increased offensive pace also suits Ball’s athletic game. In his best game for New Orleans Sunday, Ball scored 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a win over the Rockets. Ball’s point tally included connecting on a career-high seven triples.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry appreciated the team’s speed and floor spacing. “I thought our guys did a great job of creating space and just running into space,” Gentry said. “By doing that, I thought we had open shots. That’s the way we have to try to play.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division.
- The Athletic’s Sam Amick spoke with new Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis about his adjustment to supporting Luka Doncic in Dallas. Porzingis is averaging 17.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 2.1 BPG. “In the very beginning of the season, it was a little bit frustrating for me because it’s a new system,” Porzingis told Amick. “[Doncic is] starting to read the game more when maybe I need to get a touch, when to run a play for me or somebody else on the team. And I feel like that connection is getting better.”
- Rockets center Clint Capela returned to the hardwood for Houston on Tuesday after missing two games with a bruised right heel. The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen reports that Capela acknowledged he is still playing through pain stemming from the injury.
- The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears spoke with Grizzlies forward Josh Jackson, currently logging time with Memphis’ G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. “The last time I had fun like this was maybe AAU,” Jackson, taken No. 4 in the 2017 draft by the Suns, told Spears. “Don’t feel bad for me. It’s an opportunity. I am just thankful I get to play basketball.” Jackson is averaging 20.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.3 APG and 2.6 made triples through 18 Hustle bouts.
Jonathan Isaac Out Indefinitely With Hyperextended Left Knee
JANUARY 2: The Magic have released a statement (Twitter link) declaring that, following an MRI today, ascendant third-year forward Jonathan Isaac suffered “a posterior lateral corner injury and a medial bone contusion.”
The team also noted that Isaac would be out indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in eight-to-10 weeks. Orlando is considering “operative and non-operative treatments” for Isaac. This is a huge blow for the Magic, who are already dealing with numerous injuries to their front court as they scrap to make the 2020 playoffs.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter) that the Magic still have an open roster spot, which could be used to add some frontcourt help.
JANUARY 1: Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Isaac injured his left knee this afternoon while driving on a layup attempt during the first quarter of game action against the Wizards.
The Magic have tweeted that Isaac’s injury is a hyperextended left knee. They note that he will be re-evaluated with an MRI tomorrow, when the team returns to Orlando.
The 22 year-old big man lingered on the floor for several minutes clutching the knee. He eventually sat up and was carried off the Capital One Arena hardwood of on a stretcher. Isaac’s fellow Magic forwards Aaron Gordon (sore left Achilles) and Al-Farouq Aminu (knee) are also battling injuries.
Isaac, a 6’11” combo forward out of Florida State, was drafted by Orlando with the sixth overall pick in 2017. He has been enjoying his best statistical pro season to date, averaging a solid slash line of 12.3 PPG/7.1 RPG/2.5 BPG/1.6 APG. Isaac is also shooting a career-best 46.3% from the field. Nicknamed the “Minister of Defense” on the Magic, Isaac has been particularly strong on that side of the floor.
If Isaac, Gordon and Aminu miss extended time with their maladies, second year power forward Amile Jefferson, undrafted in 2017, may get additional run for the Magic. Parry noted that Jefferson was the first on-court replacement for Isaac after the starrier Orlando prospect went down today.
According to Josh Robbins of the Athletic (Twitter link) Isaac told his colleague Fred Katz after the game, “I’ve never hurt my knee before. But as I was down there (on the court), I started to feel better and better just being down there. So I kind of felt just a reassurance that I was going to be OK.”
Community Shootaround: All-Star Lineups
Today, the NBA released the first batch of its 2020 All-Star fan voting returns. Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Lakers forward LeBron James lead the pack with over a million votes apiece.
While many of the top selections feel appropriate, there are several fluky inclusions that reek of trolling. Specifically, Lakers backup point guard Alex Caruso (who averages 5.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.7 APG in just 19.2 MPG) made the cut among the top 10 Western Conference guards, and two-way Celtics backup center Tacko Fall, who has played just three NBA games, made the list of top 10 Eastern Conference front court players.
Irresponsible votes along these lines serve as a clear example as to why fan votes are now only weighted for 50% of the total voting for All-Star game starters. Among the remaining 50%, 25% of the weighted votes are allotted to NBA players, and the remaining 25% of votes are designated for select basketball media. NBA coaches select the 14 bench players. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver makes injury substitutions.
Starting teams consist of two guards and three frontcourt players. Select wing players are listed at both guard and frontcourt positions. Bench teams for each conference comprise two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild card players of any position.
Among Eastern Conference guards, the Nets‘ Kyrie Irving (who has played in just 11 games for Brooklyn) and the 7-27 Hawks’ Trae Young are leading in fan votes over the Celtics’ Kemba Walker. Pistons backup Derrick Rose and Bulls guard Zach LaVine, two offense-only players on teams that are currently sitting on the outside of the East’s top eight squads, round out the top five among East guards. The Hawks have the single-worst record in the NBA. No matter how pretty Young’s offensive stat line is, he does not deserve All-Star inclusion this season. His lackluster defense has played a part in the Hawks’ struggles.
On the Western Conference guards’ bracket, Stephen Curry ranks among the top four in West votes for guards, despite having played just four games this season.
Heat wing Jimmy Butler deserves to start, either at guard or frontcourt. Currently ranked fourth among frontcourt options in the East, Butler is enjoying an MVP-caliber season for the No. 3 team (posting a 24-9 record) in an atypically loaded East.
There are several viable options for first-time All-Star status. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are scoring and defending in bunches for the 23-8 Celtics. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are picking up the slack in the absence of Kawhi Leonard on the Raptors.
Big man Bam Adebayo has emerged as a dynamic two-way force on the Heat. Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon have been keeping the surprisingly resilient 22-12 Pacers afloat as Victor Oladipo continues to recover.
Spencer Dinwiddie has been balling out on the 16-16 Nets sans Irving. Jazz teammates Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert continue to put in work for an under-appreciated 21-12 season. Doncic’s numbers in Dallas have been stellar.
Here are this writer’s choices for the 2020 All-Star teams:
Eastern Conference
Starters: Guard – Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown. Frontcourt – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid.
Bench: Guard – Ben Simmons, Kyle Lowry. Frontcourt – Pascal Siakam, Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum. Wild Card: Domantas Sabonis, Spencer Dinwiddie.
Western Conference
Starters: Guard – James Harden, Luka Doncic. Frontcourt – LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard.
Bench: Guard – Russell Westbrook, Donovan Mitchell. Frontcourt – Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Paul George. Wild Card: Damian Lillard, Chris Paul.
Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, Young, LaVine and Suns guard Devin Booker all have a decent chance at netting an All-Star nod this season, but their teams have been so underwhelming that rewarding them in favor of top players on better squads feels inappropriate.
What do you think? Who are your 2020 All-Star team starters and bench players? Why?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in!