And-Ones: 2018/19 Odds, Fredette, Hensley, USA Basketball
The Warriors have already been set as the favorites to win the 2018/19 title, relays Ben Fawkes of ESPN, but there’s a huge variable that hangs over the equation. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook gives Golden State 5-4 odds to capture the championship, followed at 7-2 by the Rockets and Sixers, two teams believed to be in the running to sign LeBron James.
“When you have LeBron in free agency, you have to be careful,” oddsmaker John Murray said. “You’ve got Philadelphia, Miami, the Lakers and even Houston as potential destinations [outside of Cleveland]. We cut all of those teams’ odds down, and we’ll raise back up the teams he doesn’t sign with.”
Murray adds that the Rockets would take over as favorites if they are able to add James and keep Chris Paul and Clint Capela. The Celtics, who come in at 8-1, will be favored to win the East if James leaves Cleveland and goes anywhere but Philadelphia. The Lakers and Heat are tied for fifth place at 20-1, followed by the Spurs at 25-1 and the Cavaliers at 30-1.
There’s more basketball-related news to pass along:
- Former lottery pick Jimmer Fredette hopes to use The Basketball Tournament this summer to get another shot at the NBA, writes Myron Medcalf of ESPN. The 10th selection in the 2011 draft, Fredette played for four teams in five years before heading overseas. “I would always love to get another chance in the NBA,” Fredette said. “I’ve gotten better in China and improved every year. … You hope somebody takes notice.” He has another year remaining on his Chinese Basketball Association contract.
- J.R. Hensley, a prominent NBA agent, has been placed on 18 months’ probation, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. The action came because Hensley refused to fully cooperate in an investigation of potential violations, according to a press release from the NBPA.
- The USA Men’s Under 18 National Team made its first round of cuts this morning, trimming the squad from 33 players to 18. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog has the complete list of players who advanced.
Injury Updates: James, Thompson, Iguodala
Even though he scored 51 points, LeBron James played much of Game 1 of the NBA Finals with blurred vision after being poked in the eye by Draymond Green. As the Cavaliers ran through their first practice today since Thursday’s loss, James reported that his eye has improved, relays Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“It doesn’t look better, but the docs told me it’s better,” James said. “It’s just going through a stage right now of recovering. … I’m taking my medication that I’ve been given by the doctors. My eyedrops and my antibiotic to help me with the recovery as fast as possible. But it’s an eye. I mean, it’s going to recover as fast as it can on its own. There is nothing you can do. I can’t ice it or anything like that.”
James was attempting a dunk in the second quarter when Green contested it and hit him in the eye, recounts Jenna West of Sports Illustrated. That eye was seen bleeding during a close-up camera shot later in the game.
As we passed along earlier, Golden State guard Klay Thompson is hopeful about his chances to play in Game 2 after a collision with J.R. Smith that left him with a high ankle sprain. Thompson was limping at today’s practice, tweets Ethan Strauss of The Athletic, and said he’s not sure he could play if the game were tonight.
Thompson expressed frustration at Smith for what he considers a reckless play, relays Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who adds that Nick Young will probably start if Thompson can’t go.
“I’m going to do what I can in these next 24 hours or so to loosen it up as much as possible, get some stability back,” Thompson said. “I’m optimistic for tomorrow. That’s the hard part of the game we all have to endure. Got to let it go. It happens. I’ve just got to move on.”
While Thompson is listed as questionable for tomorrow, Andre Iguodala remains doubtful with a bruised knee he suffered in the Western Conference finals, West relays in a separate story. Iguodala continues to make progress, but still has pain in the knee and inflammation in the surrounding nerve.
Klay Thompson Plans To Play In Game 2
Lost in much of the hoopla surrounding the newsworthy finish in Game 1 of the NBA Finals was the injury suffered by Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson during the middle of the first quarter when J.R. Smith rolled under him and crashed into his legs.
Thompson ended up returning to the game and finished with 24 points, but according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, Thompson suffered a high left ankle sprain during the play that has left him with significant bruising in the ankle.
Thompson still plans to play in Game 2 tomorrow night, but admits that he has been receiving around-the clock treatment since late Thursday night. Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Thompson said the pain got worse from last night to today and that if the game were tonight, he’s not sure if he could play.
Slater adds that the team is officially listing Thompson as “questionable” for tomorrow night.
Canada Basketball Unveils 18 Training Camp Invites
Canada Basketball has announced its preliminary 18-man roster of players who have been invited to participate in training camp and exhibition play ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers next month, reports Josh Lewenberg of The Sports Network.
Among the 18 named individuals, eight played in the NBA last season – Khem Birch (Magic), Chris Boucher (Warriors), Dillon Brooks (Grizzlies), Cory Joseph (Pacers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Kelly Olynyk (Heat), Dwight Powell (Mavericks), and Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers).
The preliminary roster also includes former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, as well as three other G League players – Aaron Best, Olivier Hanlan, and Kaza Kajami-Keane.
The remaining six players are former first-round pick of the Magic, Andrew Nicholson, former college standouts’ Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim, Baylor’s Brady Heslip, and Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos, as well as brothers Phil Scrubb and Tommy Scrubb.
As also highlighted by Lewenberg, notable absences include Trey Lyles (Nuggets), Nik Stauskas (Nets), and most glaringly, Andrew Wiggins (Timberwolves). Per Lewenberg, multiple sources indicated that one factor in Wiggins’ decision to decline Canada Basketball’s invitation is his strained relationship with national team head coach Jay Triano, who left Wiggins on the bench during the final moments of a qualifying game for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Myers: Warriors Roster Can't Last Forever
- The Warriors accomplished something unprecedented by building an elite, all-time roster as the organization pursues its third championship in four years, In an insightful piece, Mark Medina of the Mercury News writes that Warriors general manager Bob Myers understands that Golden State’s window of dominance will not last forever. “No team should last forever. It’s not good for anybody,” Myers said. “I’m fully aware. I don’t need a reminder from Houston to know how fragile this whole thing is. That’s a part of it. That’s why you have to appreciate it.”
- Kevin Durant has reiterated his desire to remain with the Warriors as he heads for unrestricted free agency this summer. However, after a close call in the Western Conference Finals, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic (subscription required) wonders whether or not the Warriors’ future is more fragile than expected.
- Before Quinn Cook became a crucial part of the Warriors‘ roster, he was a promising G League prospect within the Cavaliers organization. Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue viewed Cook as a solid player. In turn, Cook said he took one major lesson from his tenure with Cleveland, Mark Medina of the Mercury News writes. “I took what I learned from there and took some things with me that I still use today,” Cook said. “The biggest thing was being a sponge.”
2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Golden State Warriors
With lucrative new contracts for Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala hitting the books in 2017/18, the Warriors’ team salary started getting awfully expensive, even with Kevin Durant accepting a team-friendly rate on his own new deal. Durant likely won’t take a discount again, so Golden State’s salary and tax bills will only get pricier going forward, but as long as the team keeps winning titles, ownership will likely be happy to sign off.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Warriors financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Stephen Curry ($37,457,154)
- Klay Thompson ($18,988,725)
- Draymond Green ($17,469,565)
- Andre Iguodala ($16,000,000)
- Shaun Livingston ($8,307,692)
- Quinn Cook ($1,544,951)
- Damian Jones ($1,544,951)
- Jordan Bell ($1,378,242)
- Jason Thompson ($945,126) — Waived via stretch provision
- Total: $103,636,406
Player Options
- Kevin Durant ($26,250,000)
- Total: $26,250,000
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- Patrick McCaw ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Total: $1,699,698
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Nick Young ($6,230,400): Non-Bird rights
- Zaza Pachulia ($4,520,880): Early Bird rights
- Kevon Looney ($2,227,081): Bird rights1
- No. 28 overall pick ($1,630,249)
- Matt Barnes ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
- JaVale McGee ($1,499,698): Early Bird rights
- David West ($1,499,698): Early Bird rights
- Total: $19,107,704
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: None
- Durant intends to opt out of his contract and sign a new deal with the Warriors. Even before taking that new deal into account, Golden State projects to be over the cap, with $103MM+ in guaranteed salaries.
Footnotes:
- Looney’s Bird rights are limited because the Warriors declined the fourth-year option on his rookie scale contract. Any contract offer from Golden State can’t have a starting salary that exceeds his cap hold.
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Andre Iguodala Considered Doubtful For Game 2
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala is doubtful to play in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, coach Steve Kerr informed the media, including ESPN’s Marc Spears (Twitter link).
Iguodala hasn’t played since banging knees with the Rockets’ James Harden in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. In his absence, Kevon Looney has seen his role expand and Shaun Livingston has also gotten more playing time.
The Warriors have labeled Iguodala’s injury as a left lateral leg contusion/bone bruise.
Kevin Love Won’t Be Suspended
The NBA won’t suspend Kevin Love for leaving the bench area during an altercation at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, tweets Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.
A source tells Mannix that NBA officials determined that Love stepped onto the court to protest a foul call against Tristan Thompson and returned to the bench when physical confrontations began (Twitter link).
The incident was precipitated when Thompson took exception to a jumper by Shaun Livingston to beat the shot clock in the final seconds of Thursday’s overtime. Thompson tried to block the shot and elbowed Livingston in the chest. That led to an altercation that resulted in Thompson pushing the ball in Draymond Green‘s face after being ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul. Green was restrained by teammates before he could retaliate.
League officials are still reviewing Thompson’s actions and will announce later today if he will be suspended for Game 2, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).
Adam Silver Speaks On Hard Cap, Other Topics
A salary cap system that has contributed to the same NBA Finals matchup in four straight seasons was among the topics commissioner Adam Silver addressed Thursday in his annual pre-Finals news conference, relays Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.
The Warriors and Cavaliers have the league’s two highest payrolls, with both topping $137MM. This season’s biggest salaries belong to Golden State’s Stephen Curry at $34.7MM and Cleveland’s LeBron James at $33.3MM.
Amid complaints that having the same two teams meet for the championship every season is harmful to the league, Silver addressed questions on whether a hard salary cap is needed, similar to the NFL’s. The current system allows teams to go over the cap to re-sign their free agents and provides yearly exceptions for teams that elect to use them.
“Now [the hard cap is] something that we’ll continue to look at,” Silver said. “There are pros and cons to doing it. Historically, one of the issues in our league was we didn’t necessarily want to break up teams. There is a different sense in the NBA than the NFL, and the chemistry and dynamic that comes together with a group of players.”
Any changes to the salary cap would have to be negotiated with the players’ union through collective bargaining, Aschburner notes. The year’s cap is set at $99MM, with the luxury tax threshold at $119.2MM.
Silver touched on several other topics during his session with the press:
- He declined to comment on the specifics of the accusations surrounding Sixers executive Bryan Colangelo, noting that the team is conducting an investigation, but acknowledged the charges tarnish the league’s reputation. “Here we are, Game 1 of the Finals,” Silver said. “It’s not necessarily something we want to be talking about.”
- Some gambling enterprises are objecting to a 1% “integrity fee” that Silver hopes to collect through legalized sports betting, but he believes it’s a fair price to compensate the league for intellectual property and its role in preventing fixing scandals.
- Changes could be coming soon to the one-and-done system, with more players opting to enter the G League rather than going to college for one season. “If you have, in essence, college saying, ‘We don’t want these players,’ it would be hard for us not to respond,” Silver said.
- After another year filled with significant player injuries, the NBA will continue to study the benefits of a shorter season, but Silver said action is unlikely without data showing that a 72- or 75-game slate would resolve the problem.
- Despite interest from Seattle and other cities in acquiring an NBA franchise, Silver indicated expansion won’t be coming soon, tweets Ben Golliver of Sport Illustrated. “Expansion is not on our agenda right now,” the commissioner said. “… I’m very focused on creating a competitive 30-team league right now… [Our focus is]: What is it we can do system-wise, training-wise to create more competition within this league?”
Poll: 2018 NBA Finals Predictions
Although both teams had to recover from 3-2 deficits in the Conference Finals, the Warriors and Cavaliers are once again meeting in the NBA Finals, vying for the Larry O’Brien trophy for the fourth consecutive year.
Before the Warriors acquired Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016, the first two series between the two teams were competitive, with Golden State winning the first meeting and the Cavs roaring back from a 3-1 hole in the second meeting to even the score. However, Durant and the Dubs dominated Cleveland in last year’s Finals, and oddsmakers expect a similar outcome this time around.
One sports betting site, Bovada.lv, has installed the Warriors as -800 favorites for the 2018 NBA Finals. For those unfamiliar with betting formatting, that means you’d need to risk $800 on a Warriors win in order to make a $100 profit. Conversely, Cleveland is a +500 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the Cavs would result in a $500 profit if they pull off an upset.
The ongoing absence of Andre Iguodala for the Warriors makes this year’s matchup a little more intriguing, since Iguodala has typically been tasked with being the primary defender on LeBron James during the Finals matchups between the two teams. His left knee bone bruise will make that a difficult task, even if and when he’s able to get back on the court.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers may be missing a key contributor of their own, with Kevin Love‘s status for Game 1 still up in the air. As long as Love remains in the NBA’s concussion protocol, James won’t have a ton of help as he and the Cavs go up against a star-studded Warriors squad led by Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
LeBron’s presence “represents the small possibility of a miracle,” according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who writes today about what lineups the Cavs might lean on in order to give themselves a fighting chance against Golden State. No matter what Cleveland throws at the Warriors though, it probably won’t be enough, Lowe concedes.
So, rather than simply asking you in today’s poll which team will win this year’s Cavaliers/Warriors showdown, we want you to make your prediction a little more specific. Will the Warriors sweep? Will this be a longer series? Do the Cavs have a chance? Vote below, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts on the 2018 NBA Finals.
What will be the outcome of the 2018 NBA Finals?
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The Warriors will complete a gentleman's sweep (5 games) 50% (557)
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The Warriors will win a longer series (6 or 7 games) 18% (197)
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The Cavaliers will pull off the upset 17% (190)
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The Warriors will sweep 15% (172)
Total votes: 1,116
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