Community Shootaround

The Timberwolves have named assistant coach Sam Mitchell as interim head coach while Flip Saunders continues to battle cancer, which was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports on Thursday. The team still has the hope that Saunders will be able to return to his coaching duties sometime during the coming campaign. The first concern, of course, is with Saunders’ health. But the franchise also has to worry about the coming campaign, which will be an important one, as it needs to determine which of its talented young players are long-term building blocks.

This brings me to today’s topic: How will the absence of Flip Saunders affect the Timberwolves’ 2015/16 season?

The Timberwolves are not expected to be title contenders this season, and the team will need to show marked improvement to even have a shot at a playoff berth in the notoriously difficult Western Conference. Mitchell has previous head coaching experience, having spent four plus seasons as coach of the Raptors from 2004/05 through part of the 2008/09 campaign. Through 345 regular season games Mitchell has compiled a mark of 156-189, and he owns a lackluster 3-8 postseason mark. He was named Coach of the Year back in 2007, when he guided Toronto to a 47-35 regular season record, and secured the Atlantic Division crown.

Advancing to the playoffs would be a huge step for the Wolves as a franchise, but that should be considered a secondary goal in 2015/16. The team’s priority should be to develop the wealth of young talent it possesses on the roster. Mitchell, being a former NBA player, may have an advantage over Saunders in that regard, having had first hand experience regarding what is required to be an NBA player. Mitchell does have the reputation of being more of a staunch disciplinarian than Saunders, and it’s unknown how that may affect the team’s locker room chemistry.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Will the absence of Saunders hamper the team’s development, or will things remain status quo in Minnesota this season? What chance do you give Mitchell of having the interim tag removed from his title and officially becoming the head coach? He is a favorite of owner Glen Taylor after having spent 10 seasons with the franchise as a player, which certainly won’t hurt Mitchell’s cause.

Take to the comments to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

On Tuesday, the NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approved changes to how teams qualify for the playoffs and how they will be seeded. Teams will now be seeded based on the order of their regular-season records. Previously, every division winner was guaranteed a top four seed in its conference regardless of record but did not receive home-court advantage if its playoff opponent had a better regular season mark.

The Board also approved changes to tiebreaker criteria for playoff seeding and determining home-court advantage. Head-to-head results have become the first criteria to break ties for playoff seeding and home-court advantage between two teams with identical regular season records, with the second criteria being if a team won its division. Under the old system, a division winner was awarded the higher seed and received home-court advantage in series between two teams with identical records.

This brings me to today’s topic: What are your thoughts on the new playoff seeding structure?

Will this new seeding structure make for improved playoff matchups, as well as increase the overall importance of regular season contests? Do these new rules penalize teams in weaker divisions since a top four seed would have been guaranteed to divisional champs under the old system? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts, opinions, and concerns regarding these dramatic changes to the current playoff structure. We look forward to what you have to say on the matter.

The Mavericks are reportedly encouraged by what they have seen from Deron Williams during informal workouts this Summer, with the veteran said to be looking leaner and quicker than he has in recent seasons. Williams certainly has quite a bit to prove this season after securing his release from the Nets via a buyout arrangement and signing on with Dallas this offseason.

This will be the second season in a row that the Mavs have added a former All-Star point guard to the roster, with the ill-fated trade with the Celtics for Rajon Rondo last December not working out for the franchise in the least. Williams’ departure from Brooklyn will likely have few fans shedding tears over the loss, with him not nearly coming close to fulfilling the expectations that came with his arrival via trade back in February of 2011. The veteran is expected to be the starter at the point for the Mavs in 2015/16, though exactly how much he has left in the tank at this point is certainly up for debate. In fact, that’s the perfect segue into today’s topic: How will Deron Williams fare in Dallas this season?

While I seriously doubt that many fans will expect a return to the star-level production of his Utah days, the change of scenery could certainly help revitalize Williams’ career in the NBA. What do you predict Williams’ stats to be this season in Dallas? Does anyone believe he can be an All-Star in 2015/16, or do you see his downward slide continuing this season? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts, opinions, and predictions regarding Williams’ upcoming season. While there’s no prize for being right, there is a certain measure of satisfaction that can be had by being proven correct…and having had your predictions documented in the comments section below for all posterity. We look forward to what you have to say.

Earlier today, we learned Jared Sullinger, David Lee and James Young are the players on the Celtics who have the most riding on this season, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

All three make a lot of sense because Sullinger will be a restricted free agent if he does not get an extension, Lee is on a new team after losing his starting job last season with the Warriors and Young is a entering an important season in terms of his growth.

Those players are not alone in the league. From Wesley Matthews to Reggie Jackson, there are so many other players with something to prove this season because of large contracts, pending free agency, age and many other factors.

Thus, our topic of the day: Who are some players with the most to prove this season and why?

Please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.

Note: Since these Shootarounds are meant to be guided by you the reader, we certainly welcome your input on the topics we present. If there is something you’d like to see pop up here for a discussion, shoot us a message at hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com.

New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry calls Anthony Davis a “generational player” who compares to some of the greatest stars the NBA has ever seen. As an assistant with the Warriors, Gentry coached last season’s MVP in Stephen Curry, and he believes Davis will capture that same honor before he’s through.

“It is up to us to make him as good as he can possibly be, and not settle for him to be less than great in this area or that area,” Gentry said to Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. “I told him that I have no doubt that he is going to be an MVP in this league. And I said to him, ‘We are going to be really, really good if you also win Defensive Player of the Year.”’

It’s natural for a newly hired coach to make gushing remarks about his best player, but it’s also easy to understand why Gentry is so excited. At age 22, Davis is already a two-time All-Star. Last season, he earned first-team All-NBA honors and led New Orleans to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. In addition, he won an NCAA championship at Kentucky and a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics.

Some scouts questioned his physical strength and mid-range shooting when he came out of college, but Davis has improved in both areas. He posted career highs last season with averages of 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.9 blocks.

Today’s topic is: Will Anthony Davis be the NBA’s best player over the next decade or do you see another young star who can come along and eclipse him?

Please share your thoughts and opinions on Davis in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.

Note: Since these Shootarounds are meant to be guided by you the reader, we certainly welcome your input on the topics we present. If there is something you’d like to see pop up here for a discussion, shoot us a message at hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com.

One of the more challenging aspects of being a first round draftee in the NBA is that you generally have a complete lack of control as to where you will play throughout the duration of your rookie scale deal. Some first year players find themselves in the ideal situation, and their development is hastened as a result. But there are other draftees who are not so lucky for one reason or another, and they begin their careers at a slight disadvantage.

These reasons can include being blocked on the depth chart by already established players, ending up in a system that is a poor fit for a player’s skillset, or even landing smack in the middle of a toxic locker room situation, which can certainly act as a demotivating factor that early in a professional career. There are also some players, who, based on their draft position, are weighted down with unrealistic expectations that they will single-handedly elevate their new clubs into the company of the league’s elite during their rookie seasons.

This brings me to today’s topic: Which 2015 NBA first round draft pick is entering the most difficult situation, and why?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on which 2015 NBA Draft pick’s professional career will have the roughest beginning, and why you believe that to be the case. We look forward to what you have to say.

Note: Since these Shootarounds are meant to be guided by you the reader, we certainly welcome your input on the topics we present. If there is something you’d like to see pop up here for a discussion, shoot us a message at hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com.

Their have been quite a few prognostications of doom unleashed regarding the Nets’ 2015/16 campaign, and much of this pessimism revolves around Jarrett Jack, who is projected to be the team’s starting point guard this season. While Jack is not likely to earn an All-Star nod anytime soon, it’s not like he’s replacing Chris Paul or Stephen Curry in the team’s rotation. Former starter Deron Williams certainly wasn’t getting the job done for the franchise, and the team was all too happy to reach a buyout deal with him earlier this offseason.

Jack started 27 games for the Nets last season, and they went 11-16 overall in those contests. For the season, the 31-year-old averaged 12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists to accompany a slash line of .439/.267/.881. The veteran isn’t a neophyte to starting in the NBA, with a total of 310 starts over the course of his 10 year NBA career. But it should also be noted that Jack hasn’t been a starter for an entire season since the 2006/07 campaign, when he was on the court for the opening tip during 79 times for the Trail Blazers that campaign. That season Jack notched averages of 12.0 points and 5.3 assists and Portland finished an underwhelming 32-50.

This brings me to the topic/question of the day: Do you feel that the Nets are better off with Jarrett Jack as the starter, or would the team have been better served to retain Deron Williams?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.