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Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 3)

August 7th, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.

The first NBA Draft we’re tackling is 2013’s, the year that the Cavaliers surprised quite a few people when they nabbed UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick. Quite a number of talented players were in that year’s player pool, including Victor Oladipo, Nerlens Noel, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Rudy Gobert, just to rattle off a few.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be posting a series of reader polls that will ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll continue onward with the Wizards, who held the No. 3 overall pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Washington’s pick and check back tomorrow night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Hornets should have taken at No. 4. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

Draft Results thus far:

  1. Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo
  2. Magic: Victor Oladipo
With the No. 3 Overall Pick the Wizards Select...
Nerlens Noel 39.29% (517 votes)
Rudy Gobert 30.93% (407 votes)
Michael Carter-Williams 7.67% (101 votes)
Shabazz Muhammad 4.79% (63 votes)
Otto Porter 4.18% (55 votes)
Mason Plumlee 2.05% (27 votes)
Ben McLemore 1.90% (25 votes)
Alex Len 1.75% (23 votes)
Trey Burke 1.37% (18 votes)
Tim Hardaway Jr. 1.22% (16 votes)
Gorgui Dieng 0.91% (12 votes)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 0.84% (11 votes)
Steven Adams 0.84% (11 votes)
Anthony Bennett 0.61% (8 votes)
Cody Zeller 0.53% (7 votes)
Kelly Olynyk 0.53% (7 votes)
C.J. McCollum 0.38% (5 votes)
Lucas Nogueira 0.23% (3 votes)
Total Votes: 1,316

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2015 NBA Draft Grades: Atlantic Division

August 7th, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA Draft is squarely in the rearview and a number of draftees have already provided a taste of what is to come with their summer league play. I held off on my grades until now because I wanted a better context in which to evaluate each team’s selections, with free agency and summer league providing greater perspective. Sometimes, selecting the best available player isn’t the best course of action and it is wiser to nab a player who fits a clear need, which should always be considered when rating how each front office fared in the draft. I’ll begin with a look at the Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics

Team Needs: Scoring, Outside Shooting, Rebounding

Draft Picks:

The selection of Rozier at pick No. 16 was easily one of draft night’s biggest surprises, not because the point guard didn’t possess first-round ability, but because most mock drafts had Rozier projected as a late first-rounder. It’s also a bit of a puzzler that the team would nab a point guard with its first pick, since Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas are already on the roster. But president of basketball operations Danny Ainge obviously saw something he liked in Rozier, and I’ll give him credit for going against the grain and taking a chance on a player he believed in. Rozier’s summer league play was a mixed bag, with him demonstrating an ability to hit the three-pointer, nailing 10 out of the 25 deep balls he attempted, but his turnover rate was a touch high.

I really like the team nabbing Hunter at pick No. 28. The bomber out of Georgia State was projected by a number of mock drafts to be a mid-first round pick, so while it can be argued that the team reached on Rozier, the same case can be made that they landed a steal with Hunter. He had a rough final year in college shooting the ball, but I believe he will be better when he hits the NBA. He certainly fills a major need for the team, but it remains to be seen if he can defend well enough to remain on the court for coach Brad Stevens. I also believe Boston got great value with its selection of Mickey, who was projected to be a late first-rounder, at pick No. 33. Mickey may be a touch undersized, but he has the potential to be a solid rebounder and effective rotation player after some time in the D-League.

Overall Draft Grade: C+. Boston added some interesting pieces, though even Ainge would probably admit to being disappointed in the team’s haul after his unsuccessful attempts to move up in the first round. I don’t see any of these players becoming stars, but Rozier, Hunter, and Mickey should all end up as rotation players for the team.

Brooklyn Nets

Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Scoring, Rebounding, Defense

Draft Picks:

*Acquired along with Steve Blake from Trail Blazers in exchange for Mason Plumlee and the rights to Notre Dame shooting guard Pat Connaughton.

**Acquired from Hornets in exchange for  Brooklyn’s 2019 second-round pick, the less favorable of Brooklyn’s and Cleveland’s 2018 second-round picks, and $880K cash.

The Nets recovered pretty well from having to swap first-rounders with the Hawks. While I would have loved for the team to land a potential future star like Kelly Oubre, who went at No. 15 (Brooklyn’s original slot), Hollis-Jefferson and McCullough were both solid picks. I think the Nets will regret parting with Plumlee, but adding a freakishly athletic defensive monster like Hollis-Jefferson was a wise move for a team that needs to improve defensively. It remains to be seen if Hollis-Jefferson can score enough to become a starter, but he certainly has a wealth of upside, and he should quickly become a fan favorite in Brooklyn.

The team was also wise to take a gamble on McCullough at the end of the first round. McCullough was mentioned as a potential lottery pick prior to his ACL injury last season. The forward out of Syracuse has performed in an extremely limited sample size, but what he did show makes me believe that the Nets landed a future starter. He’s unlikely to contribute much this season, but the franchise did well in gambling on him, especially that late in the first round.

Overall Draft Grade: B-. While neither first-rounder is a sure thing, the team did extremely well in bolstering the roster for the future. Plumlee will certainly be missed, but the rebuild in Brooklyn is off to a good start. The only knock is the team’s failure to land a point guard, though, to be fair, there weren’t many options at the one spot when the team was on the clock.

New York Knicks

Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Center, Frontcourt Depth

Draft Picks:

  • No. 4 Overall — Kristaps Porzingis, F, Latvia
  • No. 19 Overall — Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame*
  • No. 35 Overall — Guillermo Hernangomez, C, Spain**

*Acquired from Hawks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr.

**Acquired from Sixers in exchange for two future second-rounders and cash.

The Knicks arguably landed in the most difficult spot in the entire lottery at No. 4 overall. The first three picks were relatively easy decisions, as Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell were all lauded as potential superstars. But selecting fourth, and with none of the top three players slipping to them, team president Phil Jackson had to decide between Porzingis’ immense upside or taking a more NBA-ready player in Justise Winslow or Willie Cauley-Stein, and Jackson decided to roll the dice and went with the Latvian forward.

I must admit that my initial reaction to the pick wasn’t a positive one, which is why I’m glad that I held off on grading these picks until now. The selection of Porzingis could still end up backfiring spectacularly, given the high failure rate of international draftees, but Porzingis displayed quite a range of skills in his summer league play, though he still is likely a year or two away from being a reliable contributor. The only conundrum is the way he fits in with the team’s current direction. The Knicks have a significant chunk of their salary cap space tied up in Carmelo Anthony, who at 31 years old, doesn’t have much time left as an elite player in the league. If the franchise is trying to win immediately, Porzingis likely won’t provide much of a boon this coming season.

While it took me some time to come around on the selection of Porzingis, I was an immediate fan of the team dealing Hardaway for the rights to Grant, who could easily end up as a steal. Grant is a mature, polished player who will contribute immediately, and he fills a major positional need for the team. Hardaway needed a change of scenery, and he didn’t fit well in the triangle offense. His lack of defensive intensity and poor shot selection likely drove coach Derek Fisher to the brink of madness at times. Flipping Hardaway for Grant may end up being one of Jackson’s best moves as an executive.

Hernangomez is at least a year away from joining the NBA, but he has a wealth of offensive potential. He needs to improve his rebounding and defense if he hopes to make it in the NBA. The center was a solid pick given who was available at pick No. 35.

Overall Draft Grade: B+. Porzingis could end up becoming the next Dirk Nowitzki as easily as he could be the next Darko Milicic. Judging by his play thus far, I think he’ll end up closer to Nowitzki. Nabbing Grant was a solid move, and he should contribute immediately to the team.

Philadelphia 76ers

Team Needs: Talent, Scoring, Outside Shooting, Point Guard

Draft Picks:

GM Sam Hinkie continued his rebuilding through losing plan by nabbing Okafor with the No. 3 pick. The team perhaps could have used a player like Emmanuel Mudiay more, given the presence of former first-rounders Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, and the distinct lack of talent in the backcourt. But with Embiid’s health concerns placing his future in doubt, it’s hard to argue against landing a talent like Okafor, though how he will fit with Noel remains to be seen. The second-round selections of Holmes and Tokoto could also pay dividends down the line, though neither player projects to be a starter in the NBA.

I’m trying to hold my judgement on Hinkie’s plan until all the pieces fall into place, which won’t occur until Dario Saric finally joins the NBA. That’s still at least a season away. But there does come a point when the team will need to show it is moving in the right direction, and it needs to be this year. Much of the team’s fanbase, as well as the rest of the league, is almost out of patience with the franchise, and while it is unreasonable to expect a playoff berth this season, the Sixers really need to show significant improvement. Okafor should help in that regard, though he’ll likely be mobbed in the paint continuously thanks to the team’s distinct lack of outside shooting. Newly acquired shooting guard Nik Stauskas is the X-factor this season. If he can shake off his clunker of a rookie season and start draining outside shots like he did at Michigan, Okafor’s rookie campaign will go much more smoothly.

Overall Draft Grade: B. It’s hard to find fault with the selection of Okafor with the No. 3 pick, but with the team’s wealth of future picks, not making a splash by landing another first-rounder this year is certainly a disappointment.

Toronto Raptors

Team Needs: Defense, Outside Shooting, Backcourt Depth

Draft Picks:

*Acquired from Bucks along with the Clippers’ 2017 first-round pick in exchange for Greivis Vasquez.

The selection of Wright isn’t a game-changer for the franchise, but he was still a solid pick. The Raptors badly needed a solid backcourt defender last season, and that is certainly something that the versatile Wright can be. While, at 23 years old, he doesn’t offer quite the upside that other point guards in this year’s draft do, he should be an immediate contributor as Kyle Lowry‘s backup. The concern regarding Wright is his shooting ability, and his summer league slash line of .375/.000/.778 did nothing to dispel that fear. Wright also has the size and skills to play shooting guard, but if he isn’t a threat from the outside, Toronto will be hard-pressed to utilize him at the two.

As for Powell, he’ll likely spend more time in the D-League this season than with the Raptors, but he was a solid pickup that late in the draft. Powell is a bit undersized, but has a huge wingspan (6’11”) and is a tremendous athlete. If Toronto is patient with his development, he could turn into an effective bench scorer down the line. I’m a big fan of this pick for the team.

Overall Draft Grade: C+. Wright certainly fills a need, but if he doesn’t improve offensively, it will significantly impact his minutes. Powell was a solid second-round pick who could end up outperforming Wright in a few seasons. Overall a decent if unspectacular draft for GM Masai Ujiri.

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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/7/15

August 7th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In the NBA, the point guard is arguably the most important player on the floor, and in today’s era of small-ball, having an effective floor general is growing increasingly vital to the success of any franchise. There are quite a few superstars who man the one spot around the league, though it is certainly up for debate as to whom the top playmaker currently is. We have already looked at John Wall vs. Damian Lillard and Reggie Jackson vs. Eric Bledsoe in past Shootarounds.

Today’s matchup is: Chris Paul (Clippers) vs. Stephen Curry (Warriors). Which of the two point guards would you prefer to start for your team?

Both of these men are not only among the best the point guard position has to offer, but also rank in the upper echelon of players in the entire NBA. Curry is fresh off of an NBA title and a season that saw him earn league MVP honors. His career averages are 20.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, to go along with a slash line of .471/.440/.900. Curry is also an excellent defender, and is an absolute assassin in the clutch. The only real knock on Curry as a player that I can levy is that his career turnover rate of 3.2 per contest is a touch high for a player with his skill level, but this is admittedly a minor quibble given his stellar production.

Paul’s career numbers are equally impressive, with the 30-year-old averaging 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 9.9 assists, and owning a shooting line of .474/.364/.861. Like Curry, the Clippers’ floor General is also an excellent defender, and while he may not be quite the threat from beyond the arc that his counterpart is, he certainly has shown himself to be the superior playmaker. But to be fair, Curry is asked to be more of a scorer in the Warriors’ system than Paul is in the Clippers’. The only real negative in Paul’s portfolio is his injury history, which has shortened four out of his 10 seasons in the league.

If you were the GM of a team and were given the choice between the two players, which one would you choose to lead your team? Why did you pick one over the other? Take to the comments section below to sound off with your thoughts and opinions. 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 me a message at hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter at @EddieScarito to submit topics or ideas for what we should present in future posts.

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Teams Limited To Paying The Minimum Salary

August 7th, 2015 at 12:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Free agency in the NBA is a fast-paced game of musical chairs, and every year, it seems, a few noteworthy free agents emerge from the first two or three weeks in July with no deal and not enough bidders with money left over to create a competitive marketplace. The prime example this year is J.R. Smith, since the only teams with the cap flexibility necessary to give him a salary equal to or better than the nearly $6.4MM option he turned down with the Cavs are the Sixers, Trail Blazers and Jazz, a predicament that leaves the Cavs, who have his Bird rights, with lots of leverage.

Players aren’t the only ones who can box themselves in. Some teams rapidly use up any cap space they might have had along with their exceptions, limiting themselves to only the minimum salary exception until the next July. That’s troublesome both in terms of the value of the contracts they can give, as well as their length, since the minimum salary exception only provides for deals of no more than two years.

Clubs that are less than $4MM over the luxury tax threshold can acquire free agents for more than the minimum and more than two years using sign-and-trades, but such deals require multiple teams and the free agent to sign off, and that’s an extra layer of complication.

These are the teams with no more than the minimum to spend on outside free agents:

  • Clippers — They’re over the cap and over the tax apron, the line $4MM above the $84.74MM tax line. They spent the full $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception on Paul Pierce, and since they’re over the tax apron, they can’t take any player via sign-and-trade.
  • Grizzlies — Memphis is over the cap but out of the tax. Still, they used the $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level on Brandan Wright, and they don’t have the biannual exception available to them because they spent that on Beno Udrih last year. They could acquire someone for more than the minimum in a sign-and-trade if both teams and the player agree.
  • Knicks — The precise value of Kevin Seraphin‘s new contract has yet to be confirmed, but it appears to be for the $2.814MM room exception. Assuming that’s the case, the Knicks, who used up all their cap room, are limited to the minimum, unless they can find a sign-and-trade.
  • Spurs — San Antonio made the most of its flexibility this summer to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and others, but the Spurs are back over the cap and Manu Ginobili re-signed for the room exception. A sign-and-trade is possible, but extra difficult since the Spurs are close to the tax apron.
  • Raptors — Toronto lavished a four-year, $58MM deal on DeMarre Carroll last month to help extinguish its cap room, and the room exception went to Bismack Biyombo. The saving grace is that the Raptors are well short of the tax apron, so a sign-and-trade is a legitimate option.

The following teams have exception money remaining, but they’ve spent enough on their exceptions that the value of them is less than the minimum salary, at least until the minimum salary starts prorating at the start of the regular season.

  • Bulls — A $2.25MM starting salary for Aaron Brooks came out of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception for Chicago, leaving just $1.126MM of it behind. That’s less than a veteran of six seasons or more would make on the minimum.
  • Cavaliers — Signing Mo Williams to a $2.1MM salary for this season reduced Cleveland’s taxpayer’s mid-level exception to $1.276MM, less than the minimum salary for a veteran of eight or more years.
  • Warriors — Leandro Barbosa‘s new one-year, $2.5MM contract came out of the taxpayer’s mid-level, which only has $876K left on it. Only the rookie and one-year veteran’s minimums are cheaper.
  • Wizards — The $4MM that Alan Anderson will see this year leaves $1.464MM on the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, enough to exceed the minimum for all but veterans of 10 seasons or more.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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The Beat: Jody Genessy On The Jazz

August 7th, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron
jodygenessy2

Jody Genessy of The Deseret News

Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. We began the series in the spring with Dan Woike, who covers the Clippers for the Orange County Register and Chris Vivlamore, the Hawks beat writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We’ll resume this feature today with Jody Genessy of The Deseret News, who’ll talk about the Jazz.

You can follow Jody on Twitter at @DJJazzyJody. Click here to check out his stories and here to see his YouTube videos.

Hoops Rumors: If Dante Exum misses this year, how do you see it affecting the Jazz over the long run? Does thrusting Trey Burke into the role of clear-cut starter accelerate the team’s decision-making about whether Burke can be the long-term answer at the point?

Jody Genessy: I view this as a temporary and tough setback for the Jazz. It would have been ideal, obviously, to have Dante Exum make progress in his second year while guys like Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert continue to ascend into the upper echelon of their positions. Assuming he’s out for the season — a likely scenario if he needs ACL surgery — his progression will be halted in most aspects. He can still work on his upper body and study, but his prolonged absence will be a blow to his on-court development, of course.

The good news for the Jazz in terms of Exum is that he’s young. When he’s back, he’ll be 21 years old. The 6’6″ point guard will also still have his size advantage and should have no lingering issues with his knee. Utah will still have plenty of time to groom him into a potential standout playmaker.

I think the Jazz are in a good spot with Trey Burke. His shooting was miserable last season, as has been well-publicized. He only shot 37% from the field and had some truly awful shooting performances. But Burke is also young. He’ll be 23 early in the season and has the benefit of ongoing tutoring under Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who’s known for dramatically improving players’ individual games. Burke, who nicely runs the pick-and-roll, will be fine as a starter if he makes it a priority to facilitate Hayward, Favors, Alec Burks and Rodney Hood.

What probably makes the Jazz the most nervous is their backup point guard position. Newly signed Brazilian point guard Raul Neto is known for being a solid pass-first playmaker and quick on the court. He has some seasoning from time in Spain, but will be a rookie this season, so it’s unknown how he’ll adjust. Summer league standout Bryce Cotton is lightning quick and is terrific at penetrating the lane and being a pest on defense, but he’s small (5’10”) and isn’t a great shooter.

Long story short: Exum remains the long-term answer at point guard for the Jazz.

Hoops Rumors: The Jazz went 19-10 after the All-Star break. That would extrapolate to a 54-win pace over a full season. Do you get the sense that the Jazz think they can win 50 games this year, or is the organization tempering its expectations?

Jody Genessy: You’ll never hear the Jazz make a win prediction, and wisely so. They don’t want to set unrealistic expectations. The Jazz fanbase and media aren’t shy to do this, of course. Though going from 38 wins to 50 is a massive step forward, many people in Jazzland thought that would be a possibility this year, given the team’s terrific second half. Utah’s defensive domination over the past two and a half months was legit, too. The Jazz were excited to see if they could maintain that defensive eliteness while adding some offensive punch, which was lacking for most of Snyder’s first season as head coach.

Not having Exum will help temper expectations to a degree, especially because the Australian gave Utah such a terrific size advantage at the point guard on most nights. Burke is also quick but much smaller — 6’1″.

Fortunately for the Jazz, they still have their most experienced cornerstones in Hayward, a versatile all-around rising star; Favors, a two-way beast; Gobert, the NBA’s best rim protector; and Burks, a dynamic athlete and scorer who missed the second half of last season with shoulder injury. Hood adds a nice offensive threat as he can drain threes and slash.

The problem for the Jazz is they are in Utah, not New Hampshire. The West is brutal, and the team is comparatively deficient at point guard, a position that is immensely deep on the left side of the country.

It would be a terrific Cinderella story if the Jazz managed to make the ball next spring. Right now it seems more like a fairy tale, though. Still, with the amount of talent they have, the Jazz should move into the 40ish-win range or they might have bigger problems than a sidelined point guard.

Hoops Rumors: The Jazz haven’t struck a deal with a single outside free agent summer, signing only No. 12 overall pick Trey Lyles, a pair of draft-and-stash prospects, and re-signing Joe Ingles. Are you surprised that they didn’t at least make a move akin to the Trevor Booker signing from last year to supplement a young roster with a veteran?

Jody Genessy: Going into the offseason, I was convinced the Jazz would try to acquire a veteran 3-and-D guy. Danny Green seemed like a perfect fit. Shooting was such a struggle for Utah last season, so in that sense, yes, I am surprised that restricted free agent Joe Ingles was their only play in free agency.

However, I get why they stood pat. The Jazz will get back a talented scorer and mid-air contortionist in Alec Burks, whom management likes to call their free-agent pickup. They also loved what they saw from Rodney Hood at the end of his rookie season. Utah brass wants to give these two guys opportunities to spread their wings this season, and having another veteran in that position could hamper that.

The biggest weakness coming into this offseason was point guard. Dante Exum and Trey Burke struggled offensively last season. Many people thought the Jazz would try to upgrade that position, but Utah management was willing to be patient and let the young players work out the kinks this season.

Even with Exum’s injury, I don’t think that the Jazz feel pressure to make a huge move to replace him this season.

Summed up: The Jazz love their young core and don’t want to mess with chemistry and playing opportunities, so they feel fine bringing the same team back.

Hoops Rumors: The holdup that kept Lyles from signing until after the start of summer league seemed odd, since rookie scale contracts are largely set in stone and there isn’t much room for negotiation. What happened there? Was it the team that was the catalyst for the delay, was it Lyles, or both?

Jody Genessy: It was weird. There wasn’t any negotiation to be done on the salary. The Jazz always pay the maximum allowed 120% of the salary scale to their drafted players, like all NBA teams almost always do. There were some incentives the Jazz wanted to attach to the contract — summer league, offseason training with the team, etc. — that Lyles’ camp didn’t want in the fine print for whatever reason.

Fortunately, it only dragged out for about a week, forcing Lyles to miss the summer league mini-camp and the first two games of the Utah Jazz Summer League. He still ended up playing in six summer league games with the Jazz in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

Some fans were getting antsy and voiced frustrations at the rookie. But, c’mon, he’s a 19-year-old who doesn’t know the ins and outs of NBA contracts. This bizarre situation was on Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey (who, by the way, accepted the blame) and Lyles’ agent, Rich Paul (yes, LeBron James‘ rep).

Hoops Rumors: From the signings of Raul Neto and Tibor Pleiss to the failed courtship of Ante Tomic, the Jazz seem to have been intent on bringing in draft-and-stash prospects. Why them, and why now?

Jody Genessy: The Jazz really like the draft-and-stash option because it allows them to have players in their system who get experience and grow up as men while not taking up a roster spot. Utah would have signed Raul Neto after trading for him on draft night 2013, but management didn’t want two rookie point guards (Trey Burke was acquired that same night). It made sense for him to get high-level opportunities in Spain, but the timing is good to bring him into the fold now.

The Tomic-Pleiss situation is interesting. The Jazz would’ve loved to have Tomic on their team to bolster their front court now that Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Enes Kanter are out of the picture. For whatever reason — reports claimed it was his girlfriend’s call — Tomic opted to stay in Spain to continue being one of the most dominant European centers.

The Jazz acquired Pleiss, coincidentally Tomic’s backup in Barcelona, in the Kanter trade with the Thunder last February. He isn’t as good of an all-around big as Tomic, but he is huge (7’3″) and is considered an excellent shooter (88% free throw shooter) with good upside.

Pleiss will get a great chance to earn minutes as Gobert’s primary backup right off the bat. Favors is a good option at center because of his strength and athleticism, but he’s playing more power forward in Snyder’s system, so Utah needs another center to be able to provide relief minutes.

Neither player cost the Jazz too much, so the risk is worth the potential reward.

Hoops Rumors: Rudy Gobert will be up for a rookie scale extension next year. It’s probably tough to predict with any accuracy this far out, but can you see a realistic scenario in which the Jazz give the max to the man you dubbed “The Stifle Tower”?

Jody Genessy: The fact that I nicknamed Rudy Gobert might go on my headstone as my greatest life achievement (after completing the One Pound Challenge at Fuddrucker’s the night before my wedding, that is).

Gobert is a freak of nature, and that’s a huge compliment. He is 7’1″ with a 7’9″ wingspan. While working with Jazz trainers and the experts at the P3 performance lab in Santa Barbara, California, Gobert was able to improve his posture and upped his standing reach from 9’7″ to an insane 9’9″. Put in another way, Gobert’s reach is so long he can give Utah fans a high five from France.

The Stifle Tower changed the game for Utah last season. His presence, defensive instincts and athleticism gave the Jazz a unique rim protector and an interior force de resistance. Paired with Favors, the Jazz arguably have the best 1-2 defensive punch in the league around the block.

He’s feisty, honing some offensive skills (including a Tony Parker-like tear-drop floater), amazing on Twitter, a loyal teammate and a huge fan favorite in Utah.

The answer to your question: OUI!!! OUI!!! OUI!!!! (That’s YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! if you’re too lazy to go to Google Translate.)

Gobert is such a unique player, it seems like a no-brainer that he’ll get a deserved max contract.

And, yes, it would only be gentlemanly of The Stifle Tower to subsidize the salary of the author of his nickname — the one Bill Simmons said was the best nickname in a decade — with anywhere from 3-5% of his paycheck.

Thanks for the Q&A, Hoops Rumors! Now it’s time for me to go on vacation — or to make more YouTube videos (Man vs. Universe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtGceibcOJ0LUu75bA3griw).

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Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 2)

August 6th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.

The first NBA Draft we’re tackling is 2013’s, the year that the Cavaliers surprised quite a few people when they nabbed UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick. Quite a few talented players were in that year’s player pool, including Victor Oladipo, Nerlens Noel, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Rudy Gobert, just to rattle off a few.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be posting a series of reader polls that will ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll continue onward with the Magic, who held the No. 2 overall pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Orlando’s pick and check back tomorrow night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Wizards should have taken at No. 3. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

Draft results thus far:

  1. Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo
With the No. 2 Overall Pick the Magic Select...
Victor Oladipo 37.44% (593 votes)
Nerlens Noel 24.43% (387 votes)
Rudy Gobert 20.20% (320 votes)
Michael Carter-Williams 7.01% (111 votes)
Ben McLemore 1.45% (23 votes)
Mason Plumlee 1.45% (23 votes)
Anthony Bennett 1.20% (19 votes)
Alex Len 0.82% (13 votes)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 0.82% (13 votes)
Trey Burke 0.69% (11 votes)
Otto Porter 0.63% (10 votes)
Steven Adams 0.63% (10 votes)
Kelly Olynyk 0.63% (10 votes)
C.J. McCollum 0.57% (9 votes)
Gorgui Dieng 0.57% (9 votes)
Cody Zeller 0.38% (6 votes)
Shabazz Muhammad 0.38% (6 votes)
Lucas Nogueira 0.38% (6 votes)
Tim Hardaway Jr. 0.32% (5 votes)
Total Votes: 1,584

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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/6/15

August 6th, 2015 at 9:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has taken quite a bit of flack over the course of his career for his failure to carry any of his teams to the NBA Finals. With the Knicks in the midst of yet another retooling, the prospects for that to change this season seem remote. While Anthony certainly could benefit from more talent around him, another player who was selected in the 2003 NBA Draft who goes by the name LeBron James, carried a Cleveland squad with arguably lesser talent than this year’s version of the Knicks all the way to the NBA Finals during the 2006/07 season.

This brings me to the question of the day: Could LeBron James lead this season’s Knicks roster (sans Anthony) to the NBA Finals?

Here’s the Knicks’ (fictional) projected 2015/16 depth chart that includes LeBron:

Now for reference, here’s the depth chart for the 2006/07 Cavaliers:

What do you think the Knicks’ record would be this season with James on the team? Would they make the playoffs, and if so, how deep would they advance? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Top Free Agent Assist Makers Still Available

August 6th, 2015 at 1:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

John Lucas III is a journeyman, but he’s appeared in each of the past five NBA seasons, and the Pistons, Magic, Spurs, Mavericks and Clippers all had interest early last month, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported then. Still, nobody’s signed him yet, despite his position atop the list of remaining free agents who dished out the most assists per 36 minutes last season. Lucas didn’t play much in 2014/15, barely meeting our thresholds of at least 20 games played and at least 10 minutes per game, but when he did see the floor for the Pistons, his ball distribution led to points.

The same could be said of Ish Smith, who saw significantly more action with the Thunder and Sixers. He started 14 games for Philadelphia, but he’s no stranger to uncertainty about his NBA job security, having been waived by the Rockets and Pelicans within the past year without having played a single regular season game for either of them.

The market for free agent assist makers is not particularly strong at this point, though it is somewhat surprising to see Norris Cole, who has a qualifying offer of more than $3MM outstanding from New Orleans, down at No. 8. That’s a testament to the notion that point guards, particularly today, do more than just pass. Conversely, point guards aren’t the only ones who hand out assists, and even though swingman J.R. Smith isn’t known for his passing, he checks in at No. 9 below.

Here’s the full list, ranked by assists per 36 minutes from the 2014/15 season:

  1. John Lucas III (7.9)
  2. Ish Smith (7.8)
  3. Kendall Marshall (7.4)
  4. Donald Sloan (6.2)
  5. Nate Robinson (5.9)
  6. A.J. Price (5.1)
  7. Luke Ridnour (5.1)
  8. Norris Cole (5.0)
  9. J.R. Smith (3.4)
  10. Jason Terry (3.3)

Honorable mention:

Which player on the list would you most want your team to sign? Leave a comment to tell us.

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Extension Candidate: Harrison Barnes

August 6th, 2015 at 9:58am CST by Chuck Myron
NBA: Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The championship that the Warriors won this past season was in a way like a fancy dinner out. The meal could scarcely have been better, but now it’s time to pay the check. Golden State will still get off much more cheaply than it could have for this coming season and next, with MVP Stephen Curry tied to a discount contract through 2016/17. However, the fun of winning a title with starting forwards who combined to make less than $4MM is over. Draymond Green will cost $82MM over the next five years, and an extension during this offseason’s eligibility window for Harrison Barnes stands to be even pricier. Grantland’s Zach Lowe estimates that the Warriors and Barnes will negotiate within the space between DeMarre Carroll‘s new four-year, $58MM deal with the Raptors, an average annual value of $14.5MM, and the maximum, which for Barnes is projected to hit $20.4MM.

That’s a fairly wide range, and it epitomizes the back-and-forth career that Barnes has had. He was the top recruit coming out of high school in the 2010 Recruiting Services Consensus Index, but he slipped to the No. 7 overall pick after two years at North Carolina. He started as a rookie, but when the Warriors acquired Andre Iguodala the following summer, Barnes became a reserve, and his game stagnated. He was the subject of trade rumors in the middle of his second season, and his name surfaced in Golden State’s Kevin Love talks last summer, when it appeared that the Timberwolves weren’t as high on Barnes as the Warriors were. Enter new coach Steve Kerr, who made the tricky decision to start Barnes over Iguodala this past season. The gamble paid off and then some, with Barnes showing improved play and Iguodala performing so well as a sixth man that he became just the second bench player ever to win Finals MVP.

Of course, it’s not as if Barnes became a 20-point scorer or the sort of all-court force that traditionally commands eye-popping salaries. He barely managed to become a double-figure scorer for the first time in his career, averaging 10.1 points per game, and though he became more efficient, his 13.4 PER is still below the 15.0 mark of an average player. However, at age 22 for most of this past season, he was a plus defender, registering a positive Basketball-Reference Defensive Box Plus Minus, a victory for any wing player. The 6’7″ specimen with a 6’11” wingspan came in 12th among small forwards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus Minus, and he would have been ranked more highly if Green, rated No. 1, were listed as a power forward.

Kerr’s offense featured different shot selection for Barnes, giving him fewer mid-range looks and more from behind the three-point line and at the basket, as Basketball-Reference shows. The modernized distribution resulted in a sizable year-over-year leap in shooting percentage, from 39.9% to 48.2%. His 40.5% three-point shooting was the league’s 12th-most accurate mark in that category.

The Warriors, in a vacuum, would surely prefer to see if Barnes can keep it up rather than tethering themselves to a deal that would make him the latest Warrior to make more than Curry. Golden State does have the power to control the small forward’s destination beyond this coming season, but restricted free agency can be unpredictable, particularly if the Warriors have interest in limiting his cost. The prospect of unleashing Barnes into a market that yielded Carroll’s deal and $70MM over five years for Khris Middleton must surely be intriguing for agent Jeff Wechsler, particularly given the relative dearth of star free agents in next year’s class outside of Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Al Horford and Joakim Noah.

Rookie scale extensions, particularly those that aren’t agreed upon in early July, tend to involve team-friendly terms and fall short of the max. So, even though the Warriors haven’t given out their Designated Player title to anyone yet, allowing them to sign Barnes to an extension of five years instead of four, it’s unlikely that weapon comes into play, since five-year extensions have to start at the maximum salary.

Golden State, under reigning Executive of the Year Bob Myers, has shown a preference for signing extensions rather than allowing key players to hit free agency, making preemptive strikes with Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut. The Warriors used the timing of the extension to their advantage with Thompson, convincing him to agree to take a starting salary that was his projected maximum salary at the time, but no more. It was, in essence, a plausible max extension, but the max turned out to be about $900K greater than the October projection, a savings of more than $4MM over the life of the deal for Golden State.

The Warriors seem unlikely to dance so closely with the max for Barnes, but what happened with Thompson demonstrates the team’s willingness to get creative to forge a deal. Barnes has motivation to come to a deal while his improvements and contribution to a championship are still fresh in the team’s mind, and to hedge against any regression, be it in his own game or the team’s performance. He’d be betting against himself if he did so, of course.

Jimmy Butler is the archetype for a defensive-minded wing player who turned down an extension, blossomed as an offensive player in his fourth year, and wound up with handsome rewards. Golden State will have to be aggressive in its offer, but I suspect the team will be. I don’t think the Warriors want to approach $20MM a year, but a proposal of between $16-18MM per season that would make Barnes the highest-paid member of his team would probably be enough to convince him to jump on it. Such a number would also be far enough from the projected max to give the Warriors hope that they’ll once more see a bargain when they look back on the deal and take comfort in knowing the youngest starter from a 67-win championship team is committed for the long term.

How do you see extension talks between the Warriors and Barnes playing out? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/5/15

August 5th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In the NBA, the point guard is arguably the most important player on the floor, and in today’s era of small-ball, having an effective floor general is growing increasingly vital to the success of any franchise. There are quite a few superstars who man the one spot around the league, though it is certainly up for debate as to whom the top playmaker currently is. The debate began yesterday when we discussed the merits of Phoenix’s Eric Bledsoe versus Detroit’s Reggie Jackson.

This brings me to the topic and duo of the day: Damian Lillard (Blazers) vs. John Wall (Wizards). Which of the two point guards would you prefer to start for your team?

Both of these players are amongst the best at the position, and each is counted on to be one of the primary scoring options on their respective teams. Each of these point men has his own style, with Wall relying more on his speed and a slashing style that depends more on him getting to the rim than lighting it up from deep. Wall entered the league first, becoming the No. 1 overall pick back in 2010. While his first three campaigns were marred by injuries, Wall has managed to remain relatively healthy the last two seasons. In 2014/15 he posted averages of 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 10.0 assists to go with a slash line of .445/.300/.785. Wall’s career marks are 17.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 8.7 APG.

Lillard didn’t arrive in the NBA with quite the hype that Wall did, but was instead a fast-riser during the pre-draft process, and it surprised a few when the Blazers selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2012. But Portland certainly knew what it was doing, and Lillard quickly elevated his game to become one of the top guards and closers in the league. I’m sure the Kings (and their fans) would love to redo that draft and nab Lillard instead of Thomas Robinson with pick No. 5. While Lillard can take it to the hoop with the best of them, his game relies much more heavily on the deep ball. The 25-year-old appeared in 82 contests last season, averaging 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists with a slash line of .434/.343/.864. Lillard’s career averages are 20.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 6.1 APG, and he’ll certainly need to improve on those in the wake of LaMarcus Aldridge‘s departure if Portland is to have any shot at the playoffs this coming season.

If you were the GM of a team and were given the choice between the two players, which one would you choose? Why did you pick one over the other? Take to the comments section below to sound off with your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

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