Hoops Rumors Originals

Weekly Mailbag: 4/10/17 – 4/16/17

April 16th, 2017 at 10:44am CST by Arthur Hill

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

What are the chances Klay Thompson could be pried away from Golden State when he hits free agency? — FTD, via Twitter

Thompson signed a rookie scale extension three years ago that has him under contract through 2018/19. It’s hard to predict how the NBA will look two seasons down the road, but we do know a few things. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will both sign max deals this offseason, while Draymond Green has a near-max contract that he agreed to last summer. That leaves Golden State with a very top-heavy salary structure with four players putting the team close to the cap. In two years, Curry will be 31, Durant will turn 30 and Thompson and Green will be 29. All four will still be in their primes and Golden State figures to remain among the NBA’s elite teams. There’s no reason to think the Warriors will be ready to break up their core by then, even with looming luxury tax concerns. Look for Thompson to get another max deal in 2019 and finish his career with Golden State.

Will the Lakers be better next season? — Broad Feet, via Twitter

With a nucleus of young, talented players, L.A. should improve at least a little bit every season. D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. could eventually develop into a team that makes regular playoff appearances. But what the Lakers need is a star to build around, and there are only a few ways to get one. L.A. has imperiled its draft pick with a few late-season victories, falling behind Phoenix into third place in our Reverse Standings. If that pick drops out of the top three on lottery night, it will be transferred to Philadelphia, leaving the Lakers with no shot at Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz or any other franchise-changing talent. The team won’t appear more attractive to free agents than it was last year, and the huge contracts it gave to Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov will be a drain on the salary cap for the next three years. The dream of signing Paul George is at least a year away. So the Lakers might be a little bit better next season, but real improvement will require patience.

Whenever anyone makes the MVP case for James Harden over Russell Westbrook, they point to Houston’s record vs. OKC’s. Couldn’t the same argument be used to make the case for Kawhi Leonard over Harden? The Spurs’ supporting cast isn’t much better than the Rockets’, and the gap between San Antonio and Houston is as big as the gap between Houston and OKC. — Jonathan C., via email

That’s a very good argument. Leonard averages nearly 26 points per game on the second best team in the league, and the defensive gap between him and Harden is huge. It should be a very interesting three-man race for MVP, with LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas and maybe some others also getting votes. Westbrook’s triple-doubles will impress voters, as will Harden’s gaudy numbers in points and assists, but you could make the case that no one has done more to help his team win on a nightly basis than Leonard.

Community Shootaround: Next Coach Fired

April 15th, 2017 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

It was an unusually good year for NBA coaches in terms of job security. For the first time in 53 years, an entire season passed without a coach being fired. In fact, it has happened only twice before: during the 1960/61 season when the league had just eight teams and in 1963/64 when there were nine.

But this run can’t last forever, and eventually a coaching change will be made. It may even happen during the playoffs to a coach whose team gets knocked out earlier than expected.

Part of the explanation for the firing-free season is that so many of the league’s lower-tier teams recently made coaching moves. In the East, the Nets, Magic and Knicks all started the season with new men behind the bench, as did the Lakers, Timberwolves and Kings in the West. Earl Watson in Phoenix was hired midway through last season.

So who are the leading candidates to be the next coach fired?

Alvin Gentry is rumored to be on the proverbial “hot seat” in New Orleans, with management threatening to ship off him and GM Dell Demps unless “significant progress” was made over the last month of the season. The Pelicans dropped six of their last 10 and finished seven games out of a playoff spot, so we’ll see if that’s significant enough.
Fred Hoiberg has been under fire seemingly since the day he took the job with the Bulls. Last year, he was the target of public criticism from Jimmy Butler, and this season featured benchings, quickly followed by non-benchings, for Rajon Rondo and Nikola Mirotic. But the Bulls crawled out of the pack to earn a playoff spot and Hoiberg still has a lot of support in the front office, so he might be safe.
Stan Van Gundy has two seasons left on his $35MM deal with the Pistons, but things didn’t go well this year in Detroit. Reggie Jackson‘s physical problems and Andre Drummond‘s motivational issues raised questions about whether it was wise to invest so much in them. Van Gundy has a lot of power in the organization, but he’ll need to get off to a good start next season, especially with the franchise moving into a new downtown arena.
Brett Brown has one of the worst coaching records in modern history, but little of it is his fault. The Sixers weren’t trying to win under former GM Sam Hinkie, and now that Brown has some talent to work with, most of it was injured. He should get a chance to coach a healthy Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Jerryd Bayless next season, but Philadelphia fans will get restless quickly if the team doesn’t start to show some success.
Jeff Hornacek should be worried when Knicks president Phil Jackson starts using words like “mentoring.” That’s what Jackson plans to do more of next season, which means a greater emphasis on the triangle. If Hornacek can’t adjust, Jackson won’t hesitate to find another coach who will.

We want to get your input. Who do you believe will be the next NBA coach to be fired? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/8/17 – 4/15/17

April 15th, 2017 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Throughout the week, the Hoops Rumors staff likes to publish original content to supplement our news feed. Here are some of our favorites from the week that was.

We examine important dates for the NBA offseason, all the way up to the start of training camps in late September.
Two-way contracts will be introduced next season that will increase roster sizes and affect the way players are assigned to the D-League.
Our weekly look at the NBA’s best blog posts will be moving to a new day.
Luke Adams broke down the playoff and draft implications of the final day of the regular season.
Draft lottery odds are set with the season coming to an end.
The Hoops Rumors staff made its picks for Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year.
We look back at our over/under predictions for the just-completed season.
A Community Shootaround asked readers to forecast first-round playoff upsets.
Miss last week’s Hoops Rumors Originals summary? Look back on it here.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

2017 NBA Award Picks: Coach Of The Year

April 14th, 2017 at 2:36pm CST by Hoops Rumors

With the 2016/17 NBA regular season in the books, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our selections below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.

We’re keeping things going today with the award for Coach of the Year. Here are our picks:

Dana Gauruder: Mike D’Antoni (Rockets)
Many people thought D’Antoni was washed up and might not get another head coaching job. The Rockets rolled the dice and D’Antoni’s decision to make James Harden the primary ball-handler turned out to be a brilliant stroke. Houston has the second-most feared offense in the league behind only the uber-talented Warriors.

Austin Kent: Mike D’Antoni (Rockets)
In his first year with the Rockets, D’Antoni completely changed the culture of the organization. He didn’t just gradually facilitate the inevitable improvement of his players — he transformed how the team approaches the game. From the get-go, D’Antoni executed an unconventional vision and his decision to let Harden steer the ship as a point guard instantly spurred the team’s offensive metamorphosis and pushed Houston from a forgettable good team to a dark-horse great team.

Chris Crouse: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
Popovich is the best coach in the league. The Spurs remain in contention for a title every year and Popovich’s ability to get the most out of the team’s talent is a major reason why — just look at Dewayne Dedmon and Jonathon Simmons this season. David Lee appeared to be on his way to out of the league only two seasons ago, but this year under Popovich, you can argue that he had his most effective season as a pro. D’Antoni and Erik Spoelstra both deserve credit, but Pop continues to prove he deserves the award.

Arthur Hill: Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics were supposed to get better after adding Al Horford in free agency, but hardly anyone expected a No. 1 seed. Boston doesn’t have a superstar like the other elite teams, but Stevens constantly has the team playing above its talent level. He took Isaiah Thomas, who was cast off by both the Kings and Suns, and turned him into an MVP candidate, and he gave rookie Jaylen Brown a smooth transition into the rotation. Stevens has been recognized as one of the league’s best bench coaches for years, and now he has a No. 1 seed to back it up.

Luke Adams: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
D’Antoni, Spoelstra, Scott Brooks, and a handful of other coaches have strong cases for this award, but it’s hard to vote against Popovich, who coaxed 61 wins out of a roster that’s not exactly loaded with All-Stars. While Kawhi Leonard is a bona-fide MVP candidate, many other Spurs are either past their primes (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Pau Gasol) or haven’t yet peaked (Jonathon Simmons, Kyle Anderson, Davis Bertans). Tim Duncan‘s retirement seemed to mark the end of an era in San Antonio, but the Popovich-led Spurs didn’t miss a beat in Duncan’s absence.

Who is your pick for Coach of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!

Previously:
April 13: Executive of the Year

Still to come:
April 17: Most Improved Player
April 18: Sixth Man of the Year
April 19: Defensive Player of the Year
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Revisiting NBA Over/Under Predictions For 2016/17

April 13th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

At the start of the 2016/17 NBA season, we took a close look at the projected win totals for each NBA team, with the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv. Division by division, we ran through every club from the Warriors (66.5) to the Nets (20.5), allowing you to weigh in and vote on whether you though each team’s win total would ultimately end up above or below its preseason projection.

With the regular season now in the books, we’re taking a look back today at the results of those votes to see how we fared in our predictions. Listed below are the over/unders for each team, the results of our preseason votes, and the team’s regular season record. Our correct calls are noted in green, while the ones we missed are marked in red.

Here are the results:

Atlantic (2-3)

Boston Celtics (52.5 wins): Under (54.59%)
- Record: 53-29 (Over)
Toronto Raptors (50.5 wins): Over (54.63%)
- Record: 51-31 (Over)
New York Knicks (38.5 wins): Over (71.41%)
- Record: 31-51 (Under)
Philadelphia 76ers (23.5 wins): Under (54.62%)
- Record: 28-54 (Over)
Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Under (60.74%)
- Record: 20-62 (Under)

Central (2-3)

Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5 wins): Over (66.5%)
- Record: 51-31 (Under)
Detroit Pistons (44.5 wins): Over (55.03%)
- Record: 37-45 (Under)
Indiana Pacers (44.5 wins): Over (73.06%)
- Record: 42-40 (Under)
Chicago Bulls (38.5 wins): Over (61.9%)
- Record: 41-41 (Over)
Milwaukee Bucks (34.5 wins): Over (67.48%)
- Record: 42-40 (Over)

Southeast (2-3)

Atlanta Hawks (43.5 wins): Over (59.84%)
- Record: 43-39 (Under)
Charlotte Hornets (42.5 wins): Under (62.22%)
- Record: 36-46 (Under)
Washington Wizards (42.5 wins): Over (51.6%)
- Record: 49-33 (Over)
Orlando Magic (37.5 wins): Over (54.42%)
- Record: 29-53 (Under)
Miami Heat (34.5 wins): Under (61.45%)
- Record: 41-41 (Over)

Northwest (1-4)

Utah Jazz (49 wins): Under (68.72%)
- Record: 51-31 (Over)
Portland Trail Blazers (45.5 wins): Over (69.92%)
- Record: 41-41 (Under)
Oklahoma City Thunder (43.5 wins): Over (65.71%)
- Record: 47-35 (Over)
Minnesota Timberwolves (40.5 wins): Over (50.11%)
- Record: 31-51 (Under)
Denver Nuggets (37 wins): Under (68.81%)
- Record: 40-42 (Over)

Southwest (3-2)

San Antonio Spurs (58.5 wins): Under (57.4%)
- Record: 61-21 (Over)
Houston Rockets (44 wins): Over (52.76%)
- Record: 55-27 (Over)
Memphis Grizzlies (42.5 wins): Over (59.69%)
- Record: 43-39 (Over)
Dallas Mavericks (38.5 wins): Over (69.71%)
- Record: 33-49 (Under)
New Orleans Pelicans (37 wins): Under (70.9%)
- Record: 34-48 (Under)

Pacific (3-2)

Golden State Warriors (66.5 wins): Over (67.32%)
- Record: 67-15 (Over)
Los Angeles Clippers (53.5 wins): Over (61.96%)
- Record: 51-31 (Under)
Sacramento Kings (34 wins): Under (58.1%)
- Record: 32-50 (Under)
Phoenix Suns (30 wins): Over (52.6%)
- Record: 24-58 (Under)
Los Angeles Lakers (24.5 wins): Over (65.92%)
- Record: 26-56 (Over)

On the whole, we were just 13-17 when it came to accurately predicting over/unders for 2016/17, so hopefully no one took our votes to Vegas before the season got underway.

Before the season, our readers were most bullish on the Pacers, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Bucks to outperform expectations, but ultimately only Milwaukee exceeded their projected win total out of that group. The other four teams fell multiple games short.

Our readers were most bearish on the Pelicans, Nuggets, Jazz, Hornets, and Heat, strongly voting for the under in each case. However, Denver, Utah, and Miami all exceeded expectations, surpassing their projected win totals.

Which teams disappointed or impressed you most based on preseason expectations? Jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.

2017 NBA Award Picks: Executive Of The Year

April 13th, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Hoops Rumors

Now that the 2016/17 NBA regular season has come to an end, we’ll be making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our picks below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.

We’re kicking things off today with the award for Executive of the Year. Here are our selections:

Dana Gauruder: Daryl Morey (Rockets)
The Rockets spent big bucks on free agents and those moves paid off. Eric Gordon stayed healthy for a change and emerged as the second-league scorer and Ryan Anderson filled the role of stretch four. A trade deadline move gave them another valuable piece – Lou Williams – for the playoffs.

Austin Kent: Bob Myers (Warriors)
The Warriors added a top-five player without disrupting their 73-win core. We can try to come up with excuses to give the award to somebody else, but that’s all they are — excuses. The addition of Kevin Durant may have interfered with the team’s flow at the beginning of the season but there’s no denying that the organization is in a better place in the long run. This front office hasn’t made many moves since the summer, but the few moves they’ve made have been smart and calculated. I give them full credit for adding Zaza Pachulia as a bargain bin replacement for Andrew Bogut and recognizing JaVale McGee’s value when other teams failed to.

Chris Crouse: Daryl Morey (Rockets)
Dwight Howard may no longer be the force he was during his prime, but he’s still a top center in the league and losing those types of players are supposed to hurt a franchise. The Rockets didn’t flinch when he left and part of the reason was the presence of Clint Capela. Morey had faith in the young center and that allowed him to use the majority of his resources to upgrade the team’s other positions.

Adding players is only part of the job of GM; knowing what you already have is equally as important. Morey deserves credit for assembling a team of shooters around James Harden, but he wouldn’t have been able to make some of his offseason moves if he didn’t have a great pulse on what he already had in-house. He checks all the Executive of the Year boxes for me.

Arthur Hill: Daryl Morey (Rockets)
After hiring Mike D’Antoni as coach last summer, Morey fully committed to the D’Antoni style of play. The Rockets have favored the 3-pointers and layups philosophy since Morey took over in 2007, but they never had the shooters to make it really work. This year, Morey signed Gordon and Anderson in free agency, then traded for Williams at the deadline. Add in the signing of veteran center Nene to a team-friendly deal, and it’s easy to see what the Rockets increased their win total by 14 games.

Luke Adams: John Hammond (Bucks)
Hammond’s work in free agency last summer wasn’t overly impressive, with lucrative long-term deals for Miles Plumlee and Mirza Teletovic not working out as planned. But newly-added Matthew Dellavedova was a crucial rotation piece in Milwaukee this season, and Hammond did excellent work in other areas.

Landing Tony Snell and Michael Beasley in two offseason trades in exchange for players who weren’t in the Bucks’ long-term plans was deft, as was snagging potential Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon in the second round of the draft and dumping Plumlee’s contract at the deadline. Meanwhile, many observers expected the Bucks to get whatever they could for Greg Monroe in a trade, but Hammond hung onto him and watched as he became one of the league’s most effective bench scorers. He also ignored calls to tank when Jabari Parker went down — that turned out to be the right decision, as the Bucks finished the season on an impressive 20-11 run, climbing to No. 6 in the East.

Who is your pick for Executive of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!

Schedule:
April 14: Coach of the Year
April 17: Most Improved Player
April 18: Sixth Man of the Year
April 19: Defensive Player of the Year
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: MVP

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2017 NBA Draft Lottery Odds

April 13th, 2017 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s 2016/17 regular season now in the books, the odds for this year’s draft lottery have been set. With the help of our Reverse Standings, as well as information from LotteryBucket.com, here is the 2017 lottery order, along with each team’s chances of landing a top pick:

Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)
- No. 1: 25.0%
- Top-3: 64.3%
- Lowest pick: No. 4
- Note: Celtics acquire pick due to ability to swap first-round picks with Nets.
Phoenix Suns
- No. 1: 19.9%
- Top-3: 55.8%
- Lowest pick: No. 5
Los Angeles Lakers
- No. 1: 15.6%
- Top-3: 46.9%
- Lowest pick: No. 6
- Note: Pick will be sent to Sixers if not in top 3 (odds: 53.1%).
Philadelphia 76ers
- No. 1: 14.7%
- Top-3: 45.3%
- Lowest pick: No. 7
- Note: Sixers have right to swap picks with Kings, so their No. 1 and top-3 odds are a little higher than they otherwise would be. No. 1 and top-3 odds for Sixers’ own pick are 11.9% and 37.8%, respectively.
Orlando Magic
- No. 1: 8.8%
- Top-3: 29.12%
- Lowest pick: No. 8
Minnesota Timberwolves
- No. 1: 5.3%
- Top-3: 18.3%
- Lowest pick: No. 9
- Note: Timberwolves won tiebreaker with Knicks.
New York Knicks
- No. 1: 5.3%
- Top-3: 18.2%
- Lowest pick: No. 10
- Note: Knicks lost tiebreaker with Timberwolves.
Sacramento Kings
- No. 1: N/A
- Top-3: 2.5%
- Lowest pick: No. 11
- Note: Sixers have right to swap picks with Kings, rendering No. 1 pick impossible and greatly reducing odds of top-3 pick.
- Note: Pick will be sent to Bulls if not in top 10 (odds: 0.01%).
Dallas Mavericks
- No. 1: 1.7%
- Top-3: 6.1%
- Lowest pick: No. 12
New Orleans Pelicans
- No. 1: 1.1%
- Top-3: 4.0%
- Lowest pick: No. 13
- Note: Pick will be sent to Kings if not in top 3 (odds: 96.0%).
Charlotte Hornets
- No. 1: 0.8%
- Top-3: 2.9%
- Lowest pick: No. 14
Detroit Pistons
- No. 1: 0.7%
- Top-3: 2.5%
- Lowest pick: No. 14
Denver Nuggets
- No. 1: 0.6%
- Top-3: 2.2%
- Lowest pick: No. 14
Miami Heat
- No. 1: 0.5%
- Top-3: 1.8%
- Lowest pick: No. 14

Playoff, Lottery Implications For Wednesday’s Games

April 12th, 2017 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Wednesday is the last day of the 2016/17 regular season, and for many teams, there’s not a whole lot to play for tonight. A number of playoff seeds are already locked in, while other teams have been out of contention for weeks. The Hawks, Nets, Wizards, Bucks, and Cavaliers are among the teams expected to rest players tonight, and that’s just in the Eastern Conference.

Still, nearly every single game on tonight’s slate will have some sort of impact on playoff or draft lottery seeding, and a couple playoff spots in the East remain up for grabs. As such, it’s worth running through each game on the slate and identifying the importance of each contest.

Our notes below relate to playoff seeding, draft lottery positioning, and traded draft picks that may be affected by tonight’s results. If a team’s draft pick might improve from No. 22 to No. 21 with a loss tonight, that’s not something we’d mention here. But if a team can improve its draft lottery odds with a loss, or if a traded pick will be impacted by a result, we’ve made a note of that.

For a full breakdown of draft positioning, be sure to check out our 2016/17 NBA reverse standings (note: our reverse standings don’t currently account for playoff tiebreakers, so they have the Heat in playoff position rather than the Bulls — those teams should be flipped).

Here’s what to watch for in tonight’s games:

Milwaukee Bucks (42-39) at Boston Celtics (52-29)

Playoff implications: Celtics clinch No. 1 seed in East with win (or Cavaliers loss).
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: None

Brooklyn Nets (20-61) at Chicago Bulls (40-41)

Playoff implications: Bulls clinch No. 7 seed in East with win and Pacers loss. Bulls clinch No. 8 seed with win and Pacers win (or loss and Heat loss). Bulls eliminated with loss and Heat win.
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Bulls enter draft lottery with loss and Heat win.

Toronto Raptors (50-31) at Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)

Playoff implications: Cavaliers clinch No. 1 seed in East with win and Celtics loss.
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Raptors will send their own 2017 first-round pick to Magic with win and Clippers loss. Raptors will send Clippers’ 2017 first-round pick to Magic with loss and Clippers win. If Raptors and Clippers both win (or lose), coin flip will determine which pick Magic receive.

Minnesota Timberwolves (31-50) at Houston Rockets (54-27)

Playoff implications: None
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Timberwolves‘ lottery odds will increase with loss and Knicks win. Timberwolves’ lottery odds will decrease with win and Mavericks or Kings loss.

Atlanta Hawks (43-38) at Indiana Pacers (41-40)

Playoff implications: Pacers clinch No. 7 seed in East with win (or with Bulls and Heat losses). Pacers clinch No. 8 seed with loss and either Bulls or Heat win. Pacers eliminated with loss and Bulls and Heat wins.
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Pacers enter draft lottery with loss and Bulls and Heat wins. If Pacers miss playoffs, their 2017 second-round pick (protected 45-60) will be sent to Nets.

Washington Wizards (49-32) at Miami Heat (40-41)

Playoff implications: Heat clinch No. 7 seed with win and Pacers and Bulls losses. Heat clinch No. 8 seed with win and Bulls win and Pacers loss (or with win and Pacers win and Bulls loss). Heat eliminated with loss (or with Pacers and Bulls wins).
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Heat enter draft lottery with loss or with Pacers and Bulls wins.

Philadelphia 76ers (28-53) at New York Knicks (30-51)

Playoff implications: None
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Sixers‘ lottery odds will increase with loss and Magic win. Sixers’ lottery odds will decrease with win and Magic loss. Knicks‘ lottery odds will decrease with win and Timberwolves loss.

Detroit Pistons (37-44) at Orlando Magic (28-53)

Playoff implications: None
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Magic‘s lottery odds will increase with loss and Sixers win. Magic‘s lottery odds will decrease with win and Sixers loss.

Denver Nuggets (39-42) at Oklahoma City Thunder (47-34)

Playoff implications: None
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Nuggets‘ lottery odds will decrease with win and Bulls or Heat loss.

Dallas Mavericks (32-49) at Memphis Grizzlies (43-38)

Playoff implications: None
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Mavericks‘ lottery odds will increase with loss and Timberwolves or Kings win. Mavericks‘ odds will decrease with win and Kings or Pelicans losses.

San Antonio Spurs (61-20) at Utah Jazz (50-31)

Playoff implications: Jazz clinch No. 4 seed in West with win and Clippers loss.
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: None

Los Angeles Lakers (26-55) at Golden State Warriors (66-15)

Playoff implications: None
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: None

Sacramento Kings (32-49) at Los Angeles Clippers (50-31)

Playoff implications: Clippers clinch No. 4 seed in West with win (or Jazz loss).
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Kings‘ lottery odds will increase with loss and Timberwolves or Mavericks wins. Kings‘ lottery odds will decrease with win and Mavericks or Pelicans losses. If Kings‘ lottery odds decrease, so too would their odds of keeping their top-10-protected 2017 first-round pick.

New Orleans Pelicans (33-48) at Portland Trail Blazers (41-40)

Playoff implications: None
Draft lottery/traded pick implications: Pelicans‘ lottery odds will increase with loss and Kings or Mavericks wins. If Pelicans‘ lottery odds increase, so too would their odds of keeping their top-three protected 2017 first-round pick.

Send Your Best Blog Posts Our Way

April 12th, 2017 at 11:03am CST by Austin Kent

Hoops Rumors will be expanding how we engage with the basketball blogosphere and ramping up our current Hoops Links offerings. We love what the blog community means to the sports world and want to make sure that we shine a light on the best original content pumped out by journalists and fans alike.

Typically, we’ve posted our weekly round-up of the blogosphere’s best content on Sundays. That will change going forward so that we can publish our weekly celebration of the internet’s top material during the middle of the week when readers are chained to their cubicles desperate for distraction material.

Help us help you be that distraction material.

My name is Austin Kent and I’ll be the primary point of contact for this venture heading forward, you can get at me on Twitter at @AustinKent. With or without content submissions, I’ll be constantly scouring the web for the best blog content, the funniest material, and the most thought provoking analysis printed on this here contraption we call the internet.

If you’ve put your blood, sweat and tears into an original long-form feature for your own independent blog, send it my way. If you know of a particularly entertaining post from a major networked blog, yeah, we want that too. At the end of the day, we want the highest quality content churned out by the fan community, regardless of the publication’s pedigree, and we want it all.

This is a green light to promote your favorite blogs, even if that blog is your own. Just be aware that we receive a significant volume of submissions and will only be able to share the best of the best with our readers.

What are you waiting for? It’s time to start generating content.

Twitter: @AustinKent
Email: HoopsRumorsTips@sports.ws

Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contracts

April 11th, 2017 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement didn’t undergo a significant overhaul during the latest round of negotiations between the league and the players’ union, but the NBA’s new two-way contract represents one major change. The two-way contract will allow clubs to retain the NBA rights for a couple extra players, bumping each team’s maximum roster size from 15 to 17, with those two new spots reserved for players on two-way contracts.

Up until now, teams have had the ability to assign certain players on their NBA rosters to the G League for assignments, but haven’t retained any NBA control over the rest of the players on their NBADL affiliates. Two-way contracts will change that, since they’re essentially G League contracts that allow a player’s NBA team to call him up for NBA assignments and prevent him from being poached by a rival NBA club.

Salary cap guru Larry Coon recently published a primer for two-way contracts over at ESPN.com, so with the help of his breakdown and the new CBA, we’ll present the key details on how these deals work. Let’s dive in…

Who is eligible to sign a two-way contract?

Players with fewer than four years of NBA experience can sign a two-way contract with a team. However, teams cannot sign a player to a two-way contract for three seasons. The deals are limited to two years, and can’t include options.

Although two-way contracts can be for up to two years, a player who has three years of NBA experience can’t sign such a deal, since he’d have four years of service after the first season. As such, two-way contracts for players with three years of experience are limited to one year.

How do two-way contracts work for the teams signing them?

A team gets up to two roster slots for two-way contracts, and doesn’t need to use salary cap room or a cap exception to finalize those deals. They also don’t count against a team’s salary cap.

However, there are some limitations facing teams when they sign two-way contracts. For one, if a club wants to sign a player on an overseas roster to a two-way contract, the NBA team is not allowed to pay that player’s international buyout. Additionally, NBA teams can’t sign players to two-way contracts after January 15 of each season.

How much are players paid on two-way contracts?

Unlike the usual NBA and G League contracts, two-way deals will vary in salary depending on whether a player is in the G League or on an NBA assignment. When a player is in the NBA, he’ll receive the prorated portion of the minimum salary for a player with his years of experience. When a player is in the G League, he’ll earn a prorated portion of a set G League salary. For 2017/18, that figure is $75K. It will increase 3% annually, as follows:

Year	Salary
2017/18	$75,000
2018/19	$77,250
2019/20	$79,568
2020/21	$81,955
2021/22	$84,414
2022/23	$86,946
2023/24	$89,554
2024/25	$92,241

Players on standard NBAGL contracts currently earn no more than $26K annually, so two-way contracts will significantly increase the earning potential for some G Leaguers, despite still falling well short of a full-season NBA minimum salary.

How much time can players on two-way contracts spend on NBA rosters?

If a player is on a two-way contract, he can spend no more than 45 regular-season days on an NBA roster (or a prorated portion of 45 days, if he signs after the season begins). That doesn’t include time spent with an NBA team in training camp. It also doesn’t include time spent with an NBA team before the G League season begins or after it ends. Still, it’s somewhat limiting.

Any day that a player on a two-way contract travels with the NBA team (including remaining with the team on the road), participates in workouts or practices, or is on the roster for a game counts toward those 45 days. If a team wants to keep its two-way player on the NBA roster for more than 45 days, it has to convert the player’s two-way deal into a standard NBA contract, after which he’d no longer count as a two-way player.

In a situation where a two-way contract is converted to a regular NBA deal, the typical 15-man roster rules would apply to that player. For instance, he could be assigned back to the G League, but he’d continue to earn an NBA salary, since he’d no longer be a two-way player.

Additionally, a player on a two-way contract must have his deal converted to a standard NBA contract in order to participate in the postseason. A player on a two-way deal isn’t playoff-eligible.

Can players on two-way contracts be traded? What happens when their deals expire?

Players on two-way contracts can be included in trades. However, they can’t be dealt within 30 days of being signed, and their salaries don’t generate trade exceptions for NBA teams.

Additionally, players on two-way deals accrue Bird rights toward free agency. So, if a player spends two seasons with a team on a two-way contract, that team would have Early Bird rights to re-sign him when his contract expires.

Meanwhile, a two-way player whose contract expires will be eligible for restricted free agency if he spent at least 15 days on NBA assignment in the last season of his two-way contract. Otherwise, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

How will two-way contracts affect NBA roster construction?

This remains to be seen, but we can probably make a few predictions about how teams will use two-way contracts. In some cases, clubs may attempt to convince second-round draft picks to sign two-way contracts, though player agents figure to push for NBA deals.

Undrafted free agents figure to be prime candidates for two-way deals. Each fall, many teams will invite a handful of undrafted rookies to training camp even though they don’t have a path to earning an NBA roster spot. Many of those players end up being waived and subsequently joining their team’s G League affiliate. With two-way contracts, teams will have the opportunity to retain the NBA rights to a couple of those players rather than having to risk losing them in free agency.

For instance, last fall, Okaro White was one of several players waived by the Heat after he didn’t make the team’s regular-season roster. He headed to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League squad, but could have been signed by any NBA team, since the Heat no longer held his NBA rights. Eventually, White earned another shot with the Heat, signing a pair of 10-day contracts in January before he was locked up for the rest of the season in February. Under the new CBA, Miami would have the opportunity to secure a player like White at the start of the season with a two-way contract, even if he wasn’t one of the 15 players to make the team’s NBA roster.

Two-way contracts should also be useful for teams that find themselves ravaged by injuries during the season. If a club has two or three rotation players on the shelf, that club could bring its two-way players to the NBA to provide some depth as its regulars get healthy.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from Larry Coon was used in the creation of this post.

Load More Posts