Community Shootaround

Evan Turner has never lived up to the expectations that come with being the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, but that doesn’t mean that the swingman doesn’t provide value to his squad on a nightly basis. The 27-year-old is coming off a solid campaign for the Celtics that saw him average 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 28.0 minutes per outing, while primarily coming off the bench for Boston. While Turner’s numbers aren’t necessarily eye-popping, he was a vital cog in the Celtics’ rotation this season and was my choice for this season’s Sixth Man of the Year award that went to the Clippers’ Jamal Crawford.

Turner, who earned $3,425,510 this season, is set to become an unrestricted free agent and could be in line for a starting salary of over $10MM per year on his next contract, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. “You hear players talk all the time about doing whatever it takes to win, but he’s doing it,” one NBA executive told Blakely regarding Turner. “Start, come off the bench, play a few minutes, play a lot of minutes. He’s done everything they’ve asked him to do and from what I hear hasn’t grumbled a day about it. Every team needs a guy like that in their locker room.”

“If you’re looking for him to come in and put X amount of points and X amount of assists per game and [shoot] this or that from the field, he’s probably not your guy,” another executive told the CSN scribe regarding the future unrestricted free agent. “He helps you win games. That’s probably his greatest strength.”

This brings me to the topic for today: How much is Evan Turner worth on the open market?

Turner may not put up gaudy statistics and he isn’t capable of being a team’s primary scoring option on a nightly basis, but his versatile skill set certainly allows him to be a solid contributor on a winning team. With the salary cap set to increase significantly next season, the league should see some interesting deals inked this offseason, with quite a few players assuredly set to end up with player-friendly pacts over the summer. But how much will Turner be worth on his next deal and what team would be the best landing spot for him? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

The league announced on Tuesday that Steve Kerr was selected as the NBA’s Coach of the Year. Kerr missed the first 43 games of the season while recovering from multiple operations on his back, but it appears voters were willing to overlook that in light of Golden State’s 73-9 record overall, the best in the history of the league. The Warriors adapted seamlessly to his absence, going 39-4 under acting head coach Luke Walton, who was also eligible for the award.

Kerr, 50, maintained a consistent presence around the team in practices while he was recovering, and it was clear the relaxed tone he set during last year’s championship season remained. He finished second in last year’s voting to Mike Budenholzer. Golden State went 34-5 to close the regular season after Kerr returned in January, though a knee injury that will sideline Stephen Curry for at least the next two weeks threatens Golden State’s bid for a repeat championship.

This brings me to the topic for today: Should Steve Kerr have won Coach of the Year?

There’s no denying the success Kerr has had since arriving in Golden State, and it is certainly a credit to him and his staff that the team seemingly didn’t lose a beat despite his early-season absence. But is coaching under half a season’s worth of games, no matter how successful the team was, worthy of snagging such a prestigious award? The success the Warriors had under Walton’s command certainly lends weight to the argument that Kerr wasn’t necessarily deserving of the accolade, but it’s arguable that it was his system and culture that allowed the team to continue to be successful in his absence.

But what say you? Are you OK with Kerr winning the award, or do you feel another coach was more deserving? Take to the comments section to lend your support to Kerr’s selection, or if you are on the other side of the argument, share with us whom you believe should have won the award this season. We look forward to what you have to say.

The league will announce the winner of the 2016 Rookie of the Year award sometime this week and Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to pick up the hardware. Towns looked like a future star for the Wolves this season, averaging 18.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. No other player won Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference, as Towns took home all six honors throughout the season.

Kristaps Porzingis won the honors for the Eastern Conference for the first three months of the season and through the first half of it, he appeared to be a challenger for the Rookie of the Year award. Porzingis, who averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game this season, tailed off during the second half of the season, but he should come in at No.2 on most ballots once the results are announced.

Third place on this year’s ballot won’t be as unanimous, as there as many contenders for this spot. That brings us to tonight’s question: Who are you putting on your top three for Rookie of the Year? Towns and Porzingis may be firmly atop many ballots, but if they’re not at the top of yours, tell us who took their spot. If they are atop your list, let us know who the third place finisher is. There are slew of candidates for this spot.

Emmanuel Mudiay had a slow start to the season, but he started to find his form after returning from an ankle injury in January. The 2015 No. 7 overall pick averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals during 30.4 minutes per game this season.

Jahlil Okafor looked monstrous at times for the Sixers this season, averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He also added 1.2 blocks per game and sported a player efficiency rating of 17.1. He looked to be a lock for the third spot, but he missed 29 games as a result of injury and suspension, which could very well keep him off many ballots.

Myles Turner finished the year strong, but he missed 22 games earlier in the season with an injured thumb. The No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 draft didn’t rack up the minutes per game that the other contenders saw, but he did win the Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month award in February and averaged 16.3 points and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes this year.

Devin Booker, who wasn’t as involved in the offense until late in the season, impressed once he received an opportunity. The 2015 13th overall pick averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 34.3% from behind the arc.

Norman Powell, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow all deserve consideration as well. Even though they don’t have the numbers to match some of the other contenders, all three are playing key roles for playoff teams.

Let us know who you think the top three rookies are in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

The Wizards have reached an agreement in principle with Scott Brooks that will make him the team’s new head coach. Brooks has reportedly landed a five-year, $35MM pact to come to Washington and take over for Randy Wittman, whom the franchise fired last week. In seven seasons as an NBA coach, all with Oklahoma City, Brooks has a regular season record of 338-207. His career postseason mark is 39-34.

There was apparently a time element involved in the negotiations, with Washington wanting to secure Brooks prior to the Rockets post opening up, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Brooks and Jeff Van Gundy were the reported co-favorites for Houston’s head coaching job. The Rockets still haven’t officially decided the fate of interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who reportedly enhanced his chances of keeping the job when the team clinched a playoff berth on the final night of the regular season, but the latest reports seem to cast significant doubt on his return. Brooks was reportedly wary of the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard‘s player option, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com noted, even though Howard has long been expected to opt out. Stein reported earlier that the Rockets were second only to the Wizards among the options Brooks was considering.

While Brooks is certainly a solid coach, one of the reasons the Thunder fired him was that his teams were believed to have underachieved. It remains to be seen what impact Brooks can have for the Wizards on the court, but he may have been hired just as much for what he can do off of it with regard to Kevin Durant. The Oklahoma City small forward, who is from Washington, D.C. and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, played for Brooks with the Thunder and the pair reportedly had a solid relationship. Signing Durant is apparently far from assured for the Wizards, with friends of the forward telling the Vertical’s Chris Mannix that he doesn’t want to deal with the pressure of being surrounded by family, friends and hangers-on from his native Washington.

This brings me to the topic for today: Was Scott Brooks a smart hire for the Wizards if the team FAILS to land Kevin Durant this summer?

If hiring Brooks leads to Durant signing with the Wizards, then it was a wise move for the franchise to lock him up before other teams came calling. But how will the addition of Brooks appear if Durant remains in OKC or heads elsewhere? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions on the hiring of Brooks, to declare whether you believe this tilts the scales in Washington’s favor in regard to signing Durant, and to express what you think of the move if the team fails to land the Slim Reaper. We look forward to what you have to say.