Community Shootaround

Monday was the leaguewide cutoff for teams to exercise their 2016/17 rookie scale options on any eligible players. If a team passed on exercising its option on a player, that player will now become an unrestricted free agent next summer, instead of a restricted free agent, as would have been the case if the team had exercised the option and allowed the player’s contract to run its full course. Any team that declines a rookie scale team option will only be permitted to re-sign that player for no more than the option amount next offseason, a rule in place to prevent teams from circumventing the salary cap to funnel higher paydays to star young players after two or three seasons. You can see the full list of players who were eligible this fall, as well as the status of their options here:

This brings me to the question/topic for today: Which rookie scale team option that was exercised prior to this year’s deadline was the biggest surprise, and why?

These rookie scale options are bargains for the teams in most instances, and as a result franchises will usually exercise them, even if the player hasn’t quite lived up to his potential during his time in the league thus far. But there are cases where it may be evident that a player isn’t cut out for the NBA, and the team may be better served to decline the option and move on. Browsing the list of eligible players linked above, were there any who fell into the latter category whose team may have been better served to have cut its losses and declined that player’s option? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

The Pistons are set to retire the numbers of former players Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace this season, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Both were major contributors on Detroit’s 2003/04 NBA championship squad, the franchise’s last. Billups, who was also affectionately known as “Mr. Big Shot,” retired after the 2013/14 season. The point guard rejoined the Pistons for that final season after he had been traded to the Nuggets in November of 2008 for Allen Iverson. Wallace, a rebounding whiz and defensive monster, left Detroit after the 2005/06 season when he inked a four-year, $60MM deal with the rival Bulls. Big Ben would return to the Motor City in 2009/10, and he remained a member of the Pistons until his retirement after the 2011/12 season.

This brings me to the topic/question if the day: Where do Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace rank among the all-time Pistons greats?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on these two Detroit sports greats. Do any of you out there disagree with the team’s plan to retire their numbers? If so, why? We look forward to what you have to say on the subject.

The chatter about a potential scenario in which Knicks team president Phil Jackson would return to work for the Lakers and fiancee Jeanie Buss has resurfaced in NBA circles over recent weeks, according to a report by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. It should be noted that Jackson can reportedly opt out of his five-year deal with the Knicks after this season, though that doesn’t necessarily imply that the executive will depart New York at that time. Speculation emerged earlier this year that Jackson wouldn’t finish out his contract, though he did go on record back in June saying that he wanted to stay around long enough to help the Knicks turn around their fortunes.

This brings me to the topic/question for today: Will Phil Jackson depart the Knicks to return to the Lakers organization?

Is a reunion in the cards for Jackson and the Lakers, or will the Zen Master call it a career once he walks away from the Knicks? How much longer do you believe Jackson will remain with New York? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts, predictions, and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

Winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award is one of the most prestigious individual achievements in all of sports. Snagging the award takes not only great individual numbers, it also requires the player to elevate his franchise, as well as his teammates, with his play and production throughout the grueling 82-game schedule. Stephen Curry earned the award for the 2014/15 campaign, securing 100 out of 130 possible first-place votes, with James Harden coming in second followed by LeBron James in the third slot.

While Curry, Harden, and James are all likely to be in the discussion for this year’s MVP award, there are a number of players who possess the skills and ability to thrust themselves into consideration for this season’s honor. This brings me to the question/topic for today: Who will win the 2015/16 NBA MVP Award?

Let’s get those predictions on record now. That way you’ll have documented proof to show your friends in the spring when the award is handed out. Take to the comments section below to share who you believe will win the award, as well as the stat line you think that player will put up to deserve such an honor. We look forward to what you have to say.

The league deadline for teams to pare down their rosters to the regular season maximum of 15 players has passed, and a flurry of activity transpired over the weekend with upwards of 140 players being waived by their teams. While most of these departing players weren’t expected to make it into the NBA this year, there were still a number of talented athletes who were let go who arguably belong in the league this season.

This brings me to the topic/question of the day: Which player not making his team’s regular season roster came as the biggest surprise?

Who do you feel absolutely should have made the cut and started the regular season with a spot in the limelight? It could be a young player who you believe has more upside or talent than one the team retained, or a cagey veteran whose locker room intangibles you feel outweigh the player kept in his place. But don’t just stop at providing a name … tell us all why you feel this way. Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

An unwillingness to adjust his freewheeling college game to the NBA style of play led to Jimmer Fredette‘s lack of success in the league, a former NBA assistant told Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. The Spurs waived Fredette on Wednesday, though four other NBA teams still reportedly have some level of interest in him. Fredette is a former lottery pick, having gone 10th overall to the Kings back in 2011. Still, he didn’t make too much of an impact during his rookie season, and his numbers have declined ever since. He shot only 18.8% from three-point range last season with the Pelicans and didn’t make a three-pointer in the preseason this month for the Spurs.

This brings me to the topic/question of the day: Does Jimmer Fredette have a future as an NBA player? If so, what adjustments to his game need to be made?

Fredette thus far has shown himself to be a one-dimensional player, and his one marketable skill, outside shooting, hasn’t been consistent enough to allow him to stick on an NBA roster thus far in his professional career. Do you believe Fredette can alter his game enough to become a reliable contributor in the league, or is his dream of being an NBA player at an end? Is there a team or system that would be ideal for the shooting guard? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss said that he doesn’t regret signing Kobe Bryant to a two-year, $48.5MM extension back in 2013, regardless of how Bryant’s tenure with the franchise ends, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. “You give Kobe Bryant $50MM for two years,” Buss said regarding the Mamba’s contract. “Are you kidding me? What did he bring us? In this day and age, what did he bring us, for 20 years? And if that isn’t what you’re supposed to do, then I have no idea what life is all about. You pay the guy. You believe in the guy. If he ends up [staying healthy], that’s fantastic. Well everybody [in the media] cut me up for that, but I’d say over 200 fans have come up to me and said, ‘Thank you so much for letting my kid see Kobe Bryant for two more years.’ And I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m glad I can see him for two more years.’ ”

Buss also took the time to refute a report by Henry Abbott of ESPN indicating that the organization was anxious for Bryant to depart so it could begin rebuilding properly, Amick adds. “It’s [expletive], that’s exactly what that was,” Buss said when asked about the article. “The organization absolutely loves him. You know why? Because he has made a living, as we [have] with the Lakers for the last 20 years, because of this man. Magic Johnson carried us [to] this part [of their history] … and Kobe Bryant has carried us for 20 years. So every person that works in that organization, why would they hate him? Why would they want him out of there? There’s only a basketball or a Kobe hater that would want that. There’s no other reason.”

This brings me to the topic/question of the day: Do you believe that the Lakers made a mistake in signing Kobe Bryant to an extension back in 2013? What are your feelings on franchises rewarding players for their past performances more so than their current production level?

Should a team pay big money for the twilight years of a player’s career as a way to thank him for past service, or should he be forced to take a pay cut that is in line with the production he currently provides? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on Bryant’s deal, as well as the concept of loyalty contracts in general. We look forward to what you have to say on the subject.