Community Shootaround: 2016/17 Schedule
For years, the idea of a sellout crowd packing Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena to watch Kevin Durant hasn’t been big news. But when it happens on Feburary 11th, it will be one of the most important nights of the season.
The NBA released its schedule for 2016/17 this week, and Durant’s return to OKC to face his former fans is among the highlights. Durant shook the franchise on July 4th when he announced he was joining the Warriors, and Thunder fans have been waiting for the new schedule to see which date they should circle on their calendars.
But Durant wasn’t the only big name to change teams this offseason, and there are many more eventful nights on the schedule. Along with Durant’s return, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated ranks these as the most intriguing games to watch:
- Warriors at Cavaliers, December 25th: These teams have met in the last two NBA finals and may be headed for a third. But first, they will be part of the annual ABC/ESPN Christmas marathon. The addition of Durant should add spice to an already intense rivalry.
- Knicks at Cavaliers, October 25th: It may be Cleveland’s most anticipated home opener ever as the city will raise its first championship banner in any sport since 1964.
- Cavaliers at Warriors, January 16th: LeBron James and company will make their first trip back to Oracle Arena since winning Game 7 of the finals.
- Bulls at Heat, November 10th: Miami fans still may not be over the shock of Dwyane Wade leaving town by the time this game tips off. Wade’s career with the Heat included 13 seasons and three NBA titles, and he remains a fan favorite no matter what uniform he wears.
- Rockets at Lakers, October 26th: The reality of the post-Kobe Bryant era settles in as L.A. plays its first home game without him on the roster since 1996.
- Pelicans at Spurs, October 29th: There will be a similar situation in Texas, as San Antonio starts its first season without Tim Duncan since 1997.
- Knicks at Bulls, November 4th: Chicago native Derrick Rose comes to town in a visiting uniform for the first time in his NBA career. Accompanying him will be long-time Bulls center Joakim Noah.
- Spurs at Warriors, October 25th: Both teams were chasing history for most of last season before Golden State got there with 73 wins. With Durant gone from Oklahoma City, there’s a good chance these will be the top two teams in the West again.
- Lakers at Sixers, December 16th: The top two picks in the draft, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, square off for the first time in the NBA.
That brings us to tonight’s question: Which game are you most anticipating next season and why? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Community Shootaround: Melo’s Legacy
In an interview with ESPN’s Marc Stein, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony indicated that if his professional basketball career were to end without him winning an NBA championship, he’d still consider it a success if he walked away with three Olympic gold medals and an NCAA title. “I would be very happy walking away from the game knowing that I’ve given the game everything I have, knowing I played on a high level at every level: high school, college, won [a championship at Syracuse] in college and possibly three gold medals,” Anthony said.
Anthony has long been a polarizing player among fans, thanks to his gaudy statistics and lack of playoff success over the course of his career. The tale of the tape on the forward’s NBA career thus far is: In 902 career regular season games Anthony has averaged 24.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists to accompany a shooting line of .453/.344/.812. He’s a nine-time NBA All-Star, has won an NBA scoring title (2013) and is one of the more versatile players the league has ever seen on the offensive side of the game. But…he’s only made it out of the first round of the playoffs twice in his 13-year career.
The player whose career I’ve often compared Anthony’s to is former Hawks great, Dominique Wilkins. While Melo’s game is certainly different from the “Human Highlight Film’s,” Wilkins is a prime example of a star whose statistics never translated into an NBA title. To further illustrate my point, take a gander at Wilkins’ career numbers, which are eerily similar to Anthony’s. In 1074 career regular season contests, Wilkins notched averages of 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists to go along with his shooting line of .461/.319/.811. Wilkins enjoyed a bit more playoff success, advancing past the first round on four occasions during his time in Atlanta, but never past the second round.
I reference Wilkins because despite never having won an NBA title, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006 and is generally regarded as one of the greats of the game, though not in the same conversation as Jordan, Bird, Magic, etc. Unless the Knicks strike gold in the near future, it appears that Anthony is also destined to end his career with an impressive stat line, but no ring to silence his detractors.
This brings to today’s topic, which is a two-parter: What will Carmelo Anthony‘s NBA legacy be if he fails to win a title during his career? And if he indeed fails to lead a team to a championship, is he worthy of being inducted into the Hall Of Fame?
Take to the comments section to share your thoughts on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year
The Sixers, with the first overall pick in June, landed one of the most highly-touted college players of the last several years, adding former LSU forward Ben Simmons to their roster. Simmons’ performance in Summer League action already has Sixers fans salivating at his potential, but the No. overall pick isn’t the only Philadelphia player with a chance at the 2016/17 Rookie of the Year award.
As Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweeted last month, the 76ers actually believe three candidates for the Rookie of the Year award, though Simmons is the only one of the trio actually drafted this year. Croatian forward Dario Saric, a 2013 lottery pick, is arriving in Philadelphia after spending several seasons developing overseas, while Joel Embiid, 2014’s third overall pick, is hoping to finally be healthy after two lost seasons.
While the Sixers are probably the team most likely to have the 2016/17 Rookie of the Year on their roster, there are a few other intriguing contenders. Second overall pick Brandon Ingram figures to see plenty of action right away on a fairly young Lakers team, and the same might be true for players like Timberwolves point guard Kris Dunn (No. 5 pick) and Nuggets shooting guard Jamal Murray (No. 7).
Of course, the most polished player to be taken in the top 10 of this year’s draft was former Oklahoma sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who will join a Pelicans team that lost Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson and badly needed some outside shooting. Hield, who will turn 23 later this year, is perhaps more NBA-ready than many of his fellow 2016 first-rounders.
It’s still too early to get a clear idea about which rookies will see the most playing time, and which ones will be given the opportunity to make the biggest impact. But what’s your early read on the situation? Which first-year player do you think is headed for a Rookie of the Year award?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on this year’s crop of rookies. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Community Shootaround: Toronto Raptors
After consecutive first-round playoff exits, the Raptors broke through this spring, winning a pair of postseason series before becoming the only Eastern team to win any games against the eventual-champion Cavaliers. Toronto ultimately fell 4-2 to the Cavs, and the series didn’t really feel that close, but it was still an impressive step forward for a franchise that had never before been on the winning end of a seven-game series.
This offseason, the Raptors were relatively quiet, with the exception of the one massive deal they handed out to DeMar DeRozan. With no cap room to spare after completing that move, Toronto lost veteran free agents Bismack Biyombo, Luis Scola, and James Johnson, ostensibly replacing them with Jared Sullinger and a pair of first-round picks — Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam.
While the Raptors may not be any better on the court in the short term, the team’s roster is one of the youngest in the NBA, with Poeltl and Siakam joining an under-25 group that also includes Jonas Valanciunas, Cory Joseph, Norman Powell, Delon Wright, Lucas Nogueira, and Bruno Caboclo. There may not be a budding mega-star in that group, but Valanciunas and Joseph are already key contributors in Toronto, and Powell and others could join them in that group.
Still, for now, the Raptors don’t appear to have the firepower to match up with the Cavaliers, and the division-rival Celtics gained significant ground this offseason as well. That brings us to today’s discussion question: What do the Raptors have to do to take the next step?
Does the club need to package some of its assets in an effort to trade for another impact player to complement its All-Star backcourt of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry? Is it just a matter of being patient and waiting for young players to improve? Did the team make a mistake this summer by letting Biyombo go and/or giving DeRozan a huge contract? Should Valanciunas and Terrence Ross – both on very affordable deals compared to most of the contracts signed by free agents this summer – have been dangled as trade chips? And will Lowry, who can opt out in 2017, be around for the long term?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on the Raptors. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Community Shootaround: San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich will be coaching Team USA at the next Olympics. The team he regularly coaches had quite an eventful summer.
Topping that list was the retirement of the Spurs’ longtime franchise player Tim Duncan. The franchise began its succession plan to replace Duncan last season when coveted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge chose to chase championships with a perennial contender. Aldridge will have another veteran big man who knows all about winning titles alongside him next season, as 36-year-old Pau Gasol also selected the Spurs via the free agent route.
San Antonio, which lost David West to the rival Warriors, didn’t stop there in its frontcourt makeover. It signed Dewayne Dedmon and another graybeard by NBA standards, 33-year-old David Lee.
The Spurs imported a couple of their draft-and-stash prospects, combo forwards Livio Jean-Charles and Davis Bertans, on low-cost deals with two-year guarantees. They also did well in the draft, nabbing guard Dejounte Murray, a player who was projected to go much higher than the 29th pick.
The newcomers join current franchise player Kawhi Leonard, along with the backcourt trio of Tony Parker, Danny Green and Manu Ginobili, as well as promising rotation pieces Jonathon Simmons and Kyle Anderson.
Clearly, the Spurs have a roster built to go deep in the playoffs, especially if some of those younger players blossom. They probably won’t have to worry about getting knocked out by the Thunder again in next year’s postseason. But the team that was easily second-best in the league during the regular season last year must once again contend with a star-laden Warriors roster fortified by the addition of superstar Kevin Durant.
This leads to our question of the day: Do the Spurs have enough firepower on their current roster to overcome the heavily-favored Warriors next season?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Community Shootaround: Ray Allen
Only a handful of players have suited up for an NBA game past their 40th birthday. Ray Allen, who turned 41 last month, is hoping to join that list.
Allen has been out of the league since walking off the court after Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals. He remained a productive player to the end, averaging 9.6 points in 73 games while helping Miami capture the Eastern Conference title.
Allen didn’t return to the Heat after that season, but he never really retired either. Over the past two years, there have been rumors that he was working out and getting ready to sign with a contender, but nothing ever materialized. Those rumors have started again, and Allen confirms that there’s a lot of truth behind them.
The 10-time All-Star says he has had conversations with the Celtics and Bucks about possibly joining them next season. Boston is where he won his first NBA title in 2008 and Milwaukee is the team he broke into the league with in 1996, so he has fond memories of both places.
Allen also says that Spike Lee, one of the Knicks’ most famous fans, has been texting him in an effort to convince him to come to New York. The Cavaliers, Warriors, Spurs and Clippers are other teams that have been mentioned in the rumor mill.
Allen may be the best 3-point shooter the NBA has ever seen. He holds the career record with 2,973 made, more than 400 better than his closest challenger, and the career playoff 3-point record with 385. In his two seasons in Miami, he shot 42% and 38% from 3-point range.
That brings us to tonight’s question: Do you believe Allen can still play in the NBA, and which team would be best for him? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Community Shootaround: Franchise Tag
If the NBA operated under the NFL’s rules, Kevin Durant would still be in Oklahoma City.
That’s because football teams can use a franchise tag each year to lock up their best free agent for another season. That allows them to try to work out a long-term contract while preventing the player from negotiating with other teams.
After receiving the franchise tag, the player receives either 120% of his previous year’s salary or the average of the top five salaries at his position throughout the league, whichever number is higher. It’s a price the Thunder would have gladly paid to keep Durant in their lineup for another season while trying to work out a longer deal.
As we count down toward the expected reopening of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement in December, many owners want to adopt some form of the franchise tag. The concept had several vocal supporters at an owners’ meeting last month in Las Vegas, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
Such a measure would gives teams in smaller markets, such as Oklahoma City, a better shot at retaining their own free agents. It would also discourage the formation of “super teams” like the Warriors who have many league observers concerned about competitive balance.
While not publicly endorsing a franchise tag, Commissioner Adam Silver is among those who believe the current arrangement needs to be tweaked.
“I do think to maintain those principles that I discussed in terms of creating a league in which every team has the opportunity to compete, I think we do need to re-examine some of the elements of our system so that I’m not here next year or the year after again talking about anomalies,” Silver said. “There are certain things, corrections we believe we can make in the system.”
The players union is strongly opposed to a franchise tag, and Bontemps speculates that it could be one of the most divisive issues during the next round of negotiations. The union is fighting for more player control and wants to see free agency arrive earlier rather than later. Players see the nine years Durant spent with the Thunder franchise as long enough and believe he earned the right to play wherever he desires.
That brings us to tonight’s question: Does the NBA need a provision similar to the franchise tag that will level the playing field in free agency, or do the players deserve full free agency without more restrictions? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Community Shootaround: Miami Heat
It’s been an offseason of surprises in Miami, where the Heat’s roster looks much different than it did a couple months ago.
After months of posturing over whether or not the team would be willing to offer Hassan Whiteside the max, Miami relented, holding off aggressive rival suitors to re-sign the star center to a four-year deal. However, several days later, the Heat lost their other key free agent, longtime star guard Dwyane Wade, when he decided to head to Chicago. With Wade no longer on their books, the Heat turned around and matched Tyler Johnson‘s pricey four-year offer sheet from the Nets, an outcome that likely surprised even Johnson.
The Heat also got one of the bargains of the summer when they signed Dion Waiters using their room exception, but the addition of Waiters – along with veterans like James Johnson, Wayne Ellington, and Luke Babbitt – raises questions about the club’s plan for 2016/17.
Will Miami hand the reins to young players like Whiteside, Johnson, Justise Winslow, and Josh Richardson, and start looking ahead to the future? Or is this still a team focused on immediately contending with the help of its veterans?
The status of Chris Bosh could go a long way toward determining the Heat’s future, at least in the short term. If Bosh can return to the court, the club will have its eye on the playoffs and on the 2017 free agent market, where it could pursue an impact player to complement Whiteside, Bosh, and the team’s other core players. If Bosh is deemed medically unfit to return, the Heat may shift into retooling mode. Of course, even with Bosh on the floor, it doesn’t look like Miami has enough talent to seriously challenge LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the East.
Complicating matters is Russell Westbrook‘s recent extension with the Thunder — if the Heat were already looking ahead to the 2017 free agent period, Westbrook likely would have been atop the club’s wish list. Instead, he no longer looks like a viable target until at least 2018.
What do you think? How do you think the Heat should move forward? Should they shift into retooling mode, allowing their young players to take on larger roles? Or should the team still be exploring the trade market and looking ahead to next summer’s free agent market in an effort to make upgrades and compete immediately? Are those two scenarios even mutually exclusive, or is there a way for the club to do both?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on the Heat. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Community Shootaround: Russell Westbrook
After a month of trade speculation, Russell Westbrook shut down that talk earlier today when he signed a brand-new contract extension with the Thunder. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Oklahoma City brass had been prepared to explore the trade market for a package of young players and draft picks if Westbrook had given the team the impression that he was “unenthusiastic” about the future in OKC. However, in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s departure, Westbrook re-committed to the Thunder, forgoing free agency in 2017.
“The idea of running out to find a super team, that isn’t who he is,” a source close to Westbrook told Wojnarowski. “He thought, ‘These are my guys here,’ and he wanted to go to battle with them.”
While Thunder fans – along with GM Sam Presti – can breathe a sigh of relief for now, Westbrook’s “three-year” extension essentially only guarantees him one extra season in Oklahoma City. The first year of the deal is 2016/17, for which he was already under contract, and the third year (2018/19) is a player option, meaning Westbrook could opt out in 2018, when he becomes eligible for a higher maximum salary.
It’s entirely possible that Westbrook intends to re-sign with the Thunder again at that point, but the team certainly can’t take that for granted, and will have to work hard to fortify the roster around Westbrook over the next year or two. Within his column (linked above), Wojnarowski reiterates something he reported in July, writing that OKC has its eye on Blake Griffin, who played his college ball in Oklahoma and can become a free agent in 2017.
With Westbrook locked up, the Thunder would have to make a trade or two – or part ways with one or two of its RFAs-to-be – in order to create room for Griffin, but the cap work certainly wouldn’t be a major roadblock for the team — the bigger challenge would be convincing Griffin to leave Los Angeles to return to Oklahoma City.
Of course, even if signing Griffin isn’t in the cards, there are a number of other avenues – in free agency or on the trade market – that Presti and the front office could explore to upgrade the roster before Westbrook reaches the open market in 2018.
Today’s discussion questions revolve around the future for the Thunder and for Westbrook: Do you expect Westbrook to stay in Oklahoma City beyond 2018? Is this just a temporary reprieve for the Thunder, or is it a sign that Westbrook is committed to the franchise for the long run? What moves do you expect the Thunder to pull off in the next year or two to get back into title contention?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on the future for the Thunder and for Westbrook. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Community Shootaround: Trading Block
Major league baseball teams just completed a whirlwind of activity prior to the non-waiver trade deadline this afternoon. The NBA’s trade deadline doesn’t arrive until after the All-Star break but there could still be a big deal or two prior to training camp.
We’ve already seen some well-known players swap uniforms this offseason, mostly during the week of the draft. Derrick Rose was dealt to the Knicks. Serge Ibaka was sent packing to the Magic in a deal that brought Victor Oladipo to the Thunder. The Pacers picked up a pair of starters in Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young, while George Hill wound up with the Jazz in one of those deals.
Overall, there really hasn’t been a flurry of activity via the trade market. With the rising salary cap, most teams opted to improve through free agency.
Several All-Star caliber players enveloped in trade rumors in recent months appear to be staying put, a group that includes DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler and Blake Griffin.
There are some other starters out there who could eventually get dealt, with an All-Star heading that list. Russell Westbrook‘s situation is fluid, as the Thunder await to hear if he’ll sign an extension. The Sixers have made it known — probably too public — that they’re willing to deal either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor.
The Kings are more than willing to move Rudy Gay, while the Bucks are looking for someone to take Greg Monroe off their hands. Kenneth Faried, Ricky Rubio and D’Angelo Russell are some other players who have heard their names pop up on the rumor mill. It’s also fair to wonder what the Wizards will do with Marcin Gortat, considering they spent a lot of money to sign another center, Ian Mahinmi.
That leads us to our question of the day: Which high-profile player is most likely to be traded prior to the start of the season?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.