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Poll: Who Should Be The Mavs Starting Center?

By | at August 23, 2015 12:57 pm

The Mavericks had dreams of running a pick-and-roll offense centered around one of the league’s most efficient behemoths in DeAndre Jordan. Jordan’s decision to spurn Dallas in favor of returning to Los Angeles dampened those plans. The team made several moves this offseason to bring aboard players who could man the starting spot alongside Dirk Nowitzki and it hopes one of the players establishes himself as the clear-cut choice for the job.

Dallas acquired Zaza Pachulia from Milwaukee this summer. The big man started 45 games for last season’s playoff-bound Bucks team and has proven he can be a serviceable starting center, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors notes in his weekly live chat. The Mavs’ acquisition of Pachulia is flying under the radar and perhaps it shouldn’t be. The big man had an impressive 2014/15 season, finishing second among centers in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus. While his underrated defense will help the Mavs cope this season, his presence on the roster isn’t going to make fans forget about DeAndreGate due to the 31-year-old’s lack of upside.

The team added another proven player that lacks upside in Samuel Dalembert. The center previously played with the Mavs during the 2013/14 season. The team made the playoffs and nearly knocked off the eventual champion Spurs with Dalembert in the lineup. The 34-year-old wasn’t a top option on that team, but coach Rick Carlisle knows what he has in the center and could look to give a known commodity the nod. Still, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors explains in his weekly mailbag, Dalembert is better suited for a reserve role at this point in his career.

The most intriguing addition came earlier this month when the team finally signed JaVale McGee. McGee hasn’t developed into the player that many expected him to be when he was selected with the No. 18 pick in the 2008 draft. He has shown flashes of potential and if Carlisle can aid him in reaching his ceiling, Dallas might have found a player that can reach All-Star level heights. The team will need that type of player to emerge if it’s going to compete in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. McGee may not even make the team, as we explained in last week’s Shootaround. Dallas has 15 fully guaranteed contracts on the books and McGee is not one of them.

Salah Mejri, who signed with the team this offseason, is one of those players whose salary is fully guaranteed. Mejri is a long-armed, agile center, who helped Real Madrid win the Spanish League title last season. Dallas likes the 29-year-old and he should get an opportunity to compete for team’s starting five spot.

Dallas also has Jarrid Famous and Dwight Powell on the roster, but neither player possesses a fully guaranteed contract. Both players are more likely to be cut prior to opening night and spend time with the Texas Legends, the team’s D-League affiliate.

The Mavs have a bevy of options to choose from when considering their starting center. Who should start at the five?  In addition to making your selection, let us know what your pitch to Mark Cuban and Rick Carlisle would be in the comment section below.

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.

Who Should Be The Mavs Starting Center?

  • JaVale McGee 47% (602)
  • Zaza Pachulia 38% (484)
  • Salah Mejri 8% (98)
  • Samuel Dalembert 6% (72)
  • Other Player (Please explain below) 1% (14)

Total votes: 1,270

11 comments Dallas Mavericks Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls

Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 2)

By | at August 22, 2015 4:15 pm

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.

We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.

We continue our revisionist history with those same Pistons, who had acquired the second overall pick from the Grizzlies as part of the 1997 trade that sent Otis Thorpe to Memphis. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Detroit’s pick and check back Tuesday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Nuggets will select with the No. 3 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 2 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

Previous Picks

  1. Cavaliers: LeBron James

With the No. 2 Overall Pick the Pistons Select...

  • Dwyane Wade 54% (837)
  • Carmelo Anthony 34% (530)
  • Chris Bosh 5% (80)
  • Darko Milicic 4% (66)
  • David West 0% (7)
  • Zaza Pachulia 0% (6)
  • Luke Ridnour 0% (6)
  • Nick Collison 0% (6)
  • Kyle Korver 0% (4)
  • T.J. Ford 0% (4)
  • Kirk Hinrich 0% (3)
  • Jose Calderon 0% (3)
  • Josh Howard 0% (3)
  • Mo Williams 0% (3)
  • Mickael Pietrus 0% (3)
  • Chris Kaman 0% (2)

Total votes: 1,563

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.

3 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls

Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 8/16/15-8/22/15

By | at August 22, 2015 1:40 pm

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second 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 me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“Now that the Mavs have a glut of centers, which player gets the axe before the start of the season?” — Orien

Well, let me first point out that while Dallas currently has five players who can play the pivot, none of them should especially excite fans of the team. Zaza Pachulia is the likely starter, and while he’s serviceable enough, he’s not exactly going to be an All-Star next season. Samuel Dalembert should have the inside track on being the backup, which is in line with his production level. As for the rest of Dallas’ options at the five, the most intriguing is JaVale McGee, who possesses the highest upside of the lot. That’s not to say McGee will make anyone forget Tyson Chandler, but he’s certainly capable of being the x-factor at center next season for the Mavs…if he’s healthy AND makes the opening night roster. I don’t see Salah Mejri or Jarrid Famous making much of an impact in 2015/16, although perhaps the Texas Legends may benefit from one or both of them in the D-League this coming season. The Mavs’ best hope may be to try and mine some gold when training camp cuts begin, or to hope they can luck out with a D-League player once the season is underway like the Heat did with Hassan Whiteside.

“Is Ricky Rubio on borrowed time in Minnesota, and if so, where might he end up?” — Victor

I don’t know if I’d classify Rubio as being on borrowed time, though I’m sure that Minnesota would listen intently to any reasonable trade offer it received for the 24-year-old. After four NBA seasons, three of which were cut short due to injuries, it’s still difficult to nail down just what kind of player Rubio is, and can be. The Wolves are a team on the rise, and are packed with exciting young talent — including Rubio, though I don’t necessarily think he’s a good fit for their roster as it is currently constituted. Minnesota is badly in need of players who can stretch the floor, something that Rubio, who owns a career slash line of .367/.314/.801, has not demonstrated the capability of doing.

Rubio’s contract will also make him difficult to deal this season, with him set to earn $12.7MM. While the team could probably find a taker, the likely return at this point in the offseason wouldn’t be much to write home about. At the very least, the Wolves would most likely have to take back at least one less than desirable contract to get a deal done. I believe that the franchise would be best served to see what kind of season Rubio can put together, if he can finally remain healthy, and how well he meshes with the team’s core of Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns. If Rubio is in fact dealt, I could see him ending up on the Knicks, though they would need to get very creative to fit in his deal with their current cap situation. With New York not being able to make a big splash in free agency, landing Rubio, who would be an upgrade for the Knicks at point guard, may end up being something that both sides explore. But if I had to guess, I’d say there’s a 95% chance that Rubio is on Minnesota’s roster to begin the season, with him being a potential trade deadline move for the Wolves.

“Will the Pistons deal Brandon Jennings before the season begins?” — Charlie

It’s a pretty good bet that Stan Van Gundy would love to remove Jennings’ salary of $8,344,497 from Detroit’s cap figure prior to October, but it’s highly unlikely that he will be able to. With the point guard recovering from Achilles surgery, and potentially out of action until December, I seriously doubt that there would be too many takers at this point. The Sixers are always a possibility to take on expiring contracts like Jennings’ in exchange for drat picks, and they are in need of a stopgap at the one spot,  but it’s still highly improbable. The most likely scenario is that Detroit hangs onto Jennings and hopes that he shows enough prior to the trade deadline that the Pistons can extract some value from a player who they are unlikely to re-sign next Summer.

“As a Knicks fan (which you have admitted to being), what is your take on their offseason? What is your prediction for the team’s record this coming season?” — Luis

Yes, it’s true…my name is Eddie, and I’m a New York Knicks fan. Now that my terrible secret is out, on to your question. New York’s offseason, which began with dreams of landing LaMarcus Aldridge and/or DeAndre Jordan, instead brought Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, and Kyle O’Quinn to the Big Apple. Not a great haul on first blush, though I think the additions of Afflalo, Lopez, and O’Quinn were solid ones. Williams…not so much. He isn’t a good fit for the triangle, not a great rebounder, and I’m not sure how well he’ll mesh with Melo when/if they play alongside one another. Adding backcourt depth and another big should have been a bigger priority than inking Williams.

I think it’s time for both the team and its fans to realize that there is no quick fix coming. Kevin Durant isn’t signing with New York next Summer, nor is LeBron James. This will be a much more drawn out process than simply loading up on star-level talent during the Summer. It’s also a process that Phil Jackson won’t be around for the end of, regardless of if he finishes out his five-year contract or not. Which for the record, I’d say he won’t. But the addition of Afflalo will be a huge boon for Melo, and Lopez, provided he can remain healthy, will certainly improve the team’s rebounding numbers. I’m also a huge fan of adding O’Quinn, who could really have a breakout season for the team, provided he gets the necessary minutes.

I discussed my feeling regarding the addition of Kristaps Porzingis in last week’s mailbag. But in case you missed that, I’ve grown to be a fan of the pick, though he’s realistically two seasons away from blossoming into a steady contributor. Hopefully the team, and its fans, will have the patience to let the kid develop on the fly. But the best addition that Jackson made on draft night was acquiring Jerian Grant. Regardless of Anthony’s feelings on the matter, flipping Tim Hardaway Jr. for Grant was a fantastic move, as Grant is a much better fit for the team’s system, and he plays point guard, a position of need for the Knicks.

As for my season prediction for New York, I’ll definitely say they’ll be a better squad than the D-League caliber bunch that finished out the season. Reaching the playoffs in the East is definitely within reach, but advancing past the first round is likely a pipe dream. Look for the Knicks to win between 30-38 games in 2015/16, and possibly snag the eighth playoff spot. Expecting anything more will lead to heartbreak. Something Knicks fans know all too well…

Well, that’s all the space I have for this week. Thanks again to all who sent in their inquiries, and please keep them coming! I’ll be back next week with more responses.

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Weekly Mailbag

Hoops Rumors Originals 8/16/15-8/22/15

By | at August 22, 2015 12:20 pm

Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 1)

By | at August 21, 2015 7:43 pm

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.

Over the last two weeks our readers went back and revised history with their take on the 2013 NBA Draft lottery. The final results of those 14 picks were:

  1. Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo
  2. Magic: Victor Oladipo
  3. Wizards: Nerlens Noel
  4. Hornets: Rudy Gobert
  5. Suns: Michael Carter-Williams
  6. 76ers: Ben McLemore
  7. Kings: Mason Plumlee
  8. Pistons: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  9. Jazz: Dennis Schröder
  10. Trail Blazers: Allen Crabbe
  11. 76ers: Shabazz Muhammad
  12. Thunder: Gorgui Dieng
  13. Celtics: Kelly Olynyk
  14. Wolves: Tim Hardaway Jr.

We now take a journey back to June of 2003, and revisit a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, which didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.

We begin our revisionist history with the Cavaliers, who owned the first overall pick courtesy of their 2002/03 record of 17-65. While it was tempting to begin this draft with pick No. 2, and simply assume that LeBron would be the first overall choice, I decided to leave the fate of the Cavs’ franchise in your hands. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Cleveland’s pick and check back Saturday afternoon for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Pistons will select with the No. 2 overall pick that they had acquired from Memphis. Will it be Milicic once again, or will you decide to right that wrong?

But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 1 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if you DIDN’T vote for LeBron with this selection, I’d especially like to hear your thoughts as to why.

With the No. 1 Overall Pick the Cavaliers Select...

  • LeBron James 85% (1,065)
  • Darko Milicic 9% (117)
  • Dwyane Wade 3% (32)
  • Carmelo Anthony 2% (29)
  • David West 1% (11)
  • Chris Bosh 0% (5)

Total votes: 1,259

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.

11 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls

Unusual Timing Marks Jonas Valanciunas Deal

By | at August 21, 2015 1:30 pm

That the Raptors signed Jonas Valanciunas to an extension was no surprise, and the deal’s $16MM average annual value, while high compared to the salaries that other, similarly skilled centers are making, isn’t causing too much of a stir in an increasingly lucrative market for player salaries. Perhaps the most eye-catching element of the extension is its timing.

The Valanciunas deal, while pricey, is for far less than the projected $20.4MM maximum for players with his level of experience next season, when the extension would kick in. That puts it in the minority among rookie scale extensions signed prior to October, the last month of the annual window for these extensions that opens at the end of the July Moratorium and closes on Halloween. This year, October 31st falls on a Saturday, so the deadline is November 2nd.

Seven of the 12 rookie scale extensions signed in July, August or September since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement went into place have been for the maximum salary. Serge Ibaka was the first to sign an early extension for less than the max, taking about $49MM over four years when he inked his extension in August 2012. Trouble has befallen the others to follow in his footsteps, however. Larry Sanders was out of the league less than a season into the four-year, $44MM extension he signed with the Bucks in August 2013, and the Morris twins, who signed their extensions with the Suns last September, have become disgruntled over the trade that sent Marcus Morris to the Pistons.

The Raptors no doubt envision a better outcome with Valanciunas, but the more significant aspect of the timing of their deal is Toronto’s forfeiture of the chance to see if the center would take less with the deadline bearing down on him. The pressure of final-hour negotiations may well have caused the Raptors to blink instead, but it’s clear from the willingness of the sides to act now that both team and player are satisfied with the $64MM figure.

Here’s a look at the max extensions signed in July, August or September under the current collective bargaining agreement. Note that these include extensions in which players made concessions pursuant to the Derrick Rose rule that prevented them from seeing the 30% max, as was the case with the Pacers and Paul George. As long as the deal was worth at least the 25% max, it’s listed here:

Here are the non-max early rookie scale extensions over that same timeframe:

The RealGM transactions log was used in the creation of this post.

Do you think the terms of the Valanciunas extension would have been different if he and the Raptors had waited until the deadline in the fall? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

2 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Toronto Raptors

Rockets Face Tough Choice With Montrezl Harrell

By | at August 21, 2015 10:00 am

NCAA Basketball: Louisville at Pittsburgh
Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jason Terry helped the Rockets make a key step toward completing their roster for the season ahead, agreeing this week to return on what appears to be a one-year, minimum salary deal. That leaves Houston with wiggle room to sign No. 32 overall pick Montrezl Harrell, but the Rockets still face a dilemma as they attempt to do so. Signing Harrell, a Rich Paul client, would almost certainly impose a hard cap on the team, and Harrell’s contract would leave the Rockets so close to that cap that they’d have almost no room to maneuver the rest of the season, barring some kind of other move to clear salary.

The collective bargaining agreement calls for a hard cap of $4MM above the tax threshold on teams that use the $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception instead of the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level. The Rockets have already re-signed K.J. McDaniels for nearly $3.19MM. That’s close enough to $3.376MM that any use of the mid-level for a full-season salary for Harrell would push the Rockets above that figure and trigger the hard cap.

Houston couldn’t have paid McDaniels nearly as much had they not used the mid-level, because they didn’t have cap space and because their Non-Bird rights with McDaniels would provide no more than about $1.014MM, which is 20% greater than the minimum. They were hemmed in with McDaniels because he took his one-year required tender from the Sixers last year, the very sort of scenario Houston is seemingly trying to avoid with Harrell.

High second-round picks almost always end up with more than the minimum salary. That’s the case with each of the five second-round picks from No. 31 through 39 who have signed with their NBA teams so far this summer. Thus, the Rockets probably wouldn’t be able to convince Harrell and Paul to take a deal via the minimum-salary exception, unless it’s his required tender. That tender functions like a miniature version of a qualifying offer. Teams have to submit required tenders to their second-round picks no later than September 5th, or they lose the draft rights to them and they become free agents. The tender is for a one-year, non-guaranteed contract at the minimum salary. Some second-rounders wouldn’t sign the tender out of fear that their teams would cut them in training camp, leaving them with no salary for the season ahead. That’s assuredly not the case for Harrell, who was just two picks shy of becoming a first-rounder and who had been a lottery prospect at times during his college career at Louisville.

Harrell could seek a lucrative deal overseas, but if he signs his required tender, he’d become an NBA free agent next summer. That proved a lucrative path for McDaniels, last year’s No. 32 overall pick, who took his required tender from the Sixers a few months before they traded him to the Rockets. No second-round pick from last year will make a salary this season that comes close to the nearly $3.19MM that McDaniels will see.

Harrell’s association with Paul adds another wrinkle. Paul recently declared that Tristan Thompson, another of his clients, wouldn’t re-sign with the Cavs next year if he took his qualifying offer this summer. The Rockets would have the right to match offers for Harrell next year if he signs his required tender this year, a privilege the Cavs wouldn’t have with Thompson if he takes his qualifying offer, but Houston wouldn’t have Harrell’s Bird rights. The Rockets would probably have to use cap space or their mid-level to keep him, just as with McDaniels. The Gilbert Arenas provision would be around to protect the Rockets from having to commit more than the non-taxpayer’s mid-level, but the Rockets would surely prefer to avoid a bidding war for a player with whom they currently have exclusive NBA negotiating rights.

Averting that scenario may prove just as thorny for GM Daryl Morey and company, however. Any deal that Houston gives Harrell this season that’s worth more than the minimum salary or runs for more than two years would result in a hard cap. The Rockets have a payroll of $85,233,113, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, not counting the minimum salaries for Terry and Chuck Hayes, whom the Rockets have also agreed to sign. Both Terry and Hayes reportedly have one-year deals for the minimum salary. Since their pacts only cover one year, the Rockets would have to pay them no more than $947,276, the two-year veteran’s minimum. The Hayes deal apparently carries only a partial guarantee, though it’s unclear just how much guaranteed money is involved. Assuming Terry’s deal is fully guaranteed, and assuming Harrell would take a first-year salary equivalent to the $1,170,960 that No. 33 overall pick Jordan Mickey will make this season, according to Pincus, Houston’s payroll would be $87,351,349 absent of Hayes. The hard cap would be $88.74MM, so depending on the amount of the partial guarantee for Hayes, the Rockets would only have about $1MM to play with the rest of the season.

That would handicap the team if it wants to make a trade, since the Rockets wouldn’t be able to do a deal that brings their salary above the hard cap. Houston would have to be especially choosy with midseason signees, since their salaries couldn’t add up to more than the $1MM or so that the team would have left to spend. Claiming an intriguing player off waivers would be nearly impossible. Houston could create more flexibility with a salary-clearing trade, but the Rockets, who are title contenders, must be careful not to trim too much talent from the roster, especially after injuries left the team thin at critical times last season. Waiving a player via the stretch provision before September 1st would represent another path to increased flexibility beneath the hard cap, but that, too, would reduce talent, since no obvious waiver candidate exists.

The constraints of that hard cap nonetheless seem more palatable than allowing Harrell to hit the open market next year. The Rockets could match competing bids for him, since he’d be eligible for restricted free agency, but they wouldn’t truly hold sway over his price point. A hard cap would provide Morey with a measure of control, since he’d have several months to find a trade that reduced salary without draining talent. That’s a difficult task, but Morey has proven among the most canny and creative dealers in his eight-plus years in charge of Houston’s front office. No one stands a better chance of wriggling free from the chains of the hard cap than he does.

Regardless, we’ll soon find out just which less-than-appealing option the Rockets choose. For now, we know simply that the Harrell dilemma proves that negotiations between teams and their second-round picks are infinitely more fascinating than the straightforward rookie scale signings of their more celebrated first-round counterparts.

What do you think the Rockets should do with Harrell? Leave a comment to tell us.

29 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Houston Rockets

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/20/15

By | at August 20, 2015 11:00 pm

Sixers center Joel Embiid underwent a second surgical procedure on his right foot this week, and he is more than likely going to miss his second straight campaign. The 21-year-old has yet to play a regular season NBA minute since being selected by Philly with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, no stranger to taking chances, knew Embiid’s medical issues made him a gamble, but he decided to roll the dice anyway on the big man from Cameroon, by way of Kansas University. It was a high-risk, high-reward proposition for the Sixers, and one that has in no way panned out for the franchise as of this writing.

This brings me to the topic of the day: Will Joel Embiid ever play for the Sixers, and if so, what kind of production should the team expect from him?

Will Embiid ever live up to being the No. 3 overall pick? While we’re not looking at a taking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan situation here, is there a player who the Sixers should be haunted by passing on to select the young Kansas center? What are the best/worst case scenarios that you envision for Embiid’s NBA career? Will he even have what can be considered a career, or do you see him never suiting up in the league? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. Sixers fans, feel free to vent and work out whatever issues you may have with the team if necessary. 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.

6 comments Community Shootaround Hoops Rumors Originals

Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 14)

By | at August 20, 2015 5:16 pm

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 lottery picks 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.

We wrap up our run through the lottery picks tonight with the Timberwolves, who acquired the No. 14 overall selection from the Jazz that year. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Minnesota’s pick and check back Friday night for the results. 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.

Thanks to all the positive reader responses we’ve received regarding this series of posts, we’re going to take a crack at redoing another draft. In last night’s poll we asked readers to vote on what year we should tackle next, and in a very close count, the 2003 NBA Draft was victorious. So join us Friday night for your chance to rewrite history and vote for whom the Cavaliers should have taken with the No. 1 overall pick that year.

2013 Draft Results thus far:

  1. Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo
  2. Magic: Victor Oladipo
  3. Wizards: Nerlens Noel
  4. Hornets: Rudy Gobert
  5. Suns: Michael Carter-Williams
  6. 76ers: Ben McLemore
  7. Kings: Mason Plumlee
  8. Pistons: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  9. Jazz: Dennis Schröder
  10. Trail Blazers: Allen Crabbe
  11. 76ers: Shabazz Muhammad
  12. Thunder: Gorgui Dieng
  13. Celtics: Kelly Olynyk

With the No. 14 Overall Pick the Wolves Select...

  • Tim Hardaway Jr. 21% (248)
  • Steven Adams 19% (219)
  • Alex Len 12% (137)
  • Otto Porter 11% (129)
  • Trey Burke 10% (117)
  • Anthony Bennett 10% (113)
  • Cody Zeller 9% (103)
  • C.J. McCollum 6% (74)
  • Lucas Nogueira 1% (11)
  • Shane Larkin 1% (6)
  • Reggie Bullock 1% (6)
  • Andre Roberson 1% (6)
  • Nemanja Nedovic 1% (6)
  • Archie Goodwin 0% (4)

Total votes: 1,179

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.

7 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls

The Kevin Love Trade: One Year Later

By | at August 20, 2015 11:30 am

The one-year anniversary of the Kevin Love trade is Sunday, but we’ll get the jump today and look back at last year’s foremost blockbuster. The official announcement of the deal, which took place on August 23rd, 2014, was a long time coming, as the Cavs and Timberwolves had been working on the swap for months and had to wait for Andrew Wiggins to become eligible for inclusion in the deal. The Sixers became involved during the process, and they scored a first-rounder and two players in exchange for Thaddeus Young.

The Cavs, who went to the Finals, and the Timberwolves, who finished with the league’s worst record, won the lottery and picked Karl-Anthony Towns No. 1 overall, have predictably taken divergent paths since the swap. The Sixers have continued in their slow rebuilding, with their involvement Love trade just one part of a lengthy process. However, the story for many of the figures involved is more complicated.

Below is a look at each of the six players in the trade and what’s happened to them in the past 12 months. We’ve also broken down the fate of the draft pick promised as part of the deal. See it all here:

  • Kevin Love (Timberwolves to Cavaliers) — The past season was one to forget for Love, who put up his worst numbers of the past five years. Some of that was to be expected, as he figured to play more of a complementary role on a team with greater talent than he’d ever played with in Minnesota, but Love and new Cavs coach David Blatt struggled to find a role that maximized the power forward’s abilities. A shoulder injury in the first round of the playoffs that knocked him out for the rest of the postseason somehow served as a fitting coda to a frustrating year. Rumors that he’d flee Cleveland for the Lakers or Celtics dogged Love all season, but he just as consistently denied them, and he affirmed his long-term commitment to the Cavs when he re-signed in July on a five-year max deal, one that also made clear Cleveland’s belief in him as a max player.
  • Andrew Wiggins (Cavaliers to Timberwolves) — The centerpiece of the package going to Minnesota is already well on his way to making this known more prominently as “the Andrew Wiggins trade.” He entered college two years ago with the expectation that he’d become the next NBA superstar, and while he underwhelmed at Kansas, he spent his first pro season regaining a sterling reputation. He didn’t fall too far with the Jayhawks, having done enough to become the No. 1 overall pick in 2014, and he ran away with voting for the Rookie of the Year award this spring.
  • Thaddeus Young (Sixers to Timberwolves) — The Timberwolves apparently insisted on receiving Young instead of the Heat’s first-round pick that had been Cleveland’s, in the hopes that the veteran forward would help the team compete for a playoff berth last season. Injuries scuttled the idea of a playoff run soon after the season began, and while Young was Minnesota’s third-leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, he reportedly told the Wolves he would opt out at season’s end, helping prompt them to trade him to the Nets at the deadline for Kevin Garnett. That swap completed a circle of sorts for Minnesota, which had drafted Love to replace Garnett a year after the deal that sent KG to Boston in 2007. Young fit in seamlessly with the Nets and re-signed with Brooklyn on a four-year, $50MM deal.
  • Anthony Bennett (Cavaliers to Timberwolves) — The 2013 No. 1 overall pick showed some improvement last year after his profoundly disappointing rookie season, but he still averaged only 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. The Wolves reportedly brought up Bennett’s name in trade talk with other teams at the deadline, and they apparently spoke to the Celtics in June about the idea of dealing Bennett to Boston. In a series of polls in which Hoops Rumors readers have been reconstructing the 2013 draft, Bennett has gone undrafted through 13 picks so far.
  • Alexey Shved (Timberwolves to Sixers) — The shooting guard whose minutes had fallen off in 2013/14 after a strong rookie season in 2012/13 spent this past year bouncing from team to team. The Sixers traded him to the Rockets in December in a deal that essentially netted the Sixers the 58th overall pick in this year’s draft, and Houston flipped Shved to the Knicks at the deadline. New York reportedly failed to offer Shved the $2.814MM salary for the coming season that he had been seeking, so he instead signed with CSKA Moscow on a three-year, $10.2MM deal that makes him Europe’s highest-paid player.
  • Luc Mbah a Moute (Timberwolves to Sixers) — Mbah a Moute posted the highest points and minutes per game of his seven-year NBA career with the Sixers, whose stripped-down roster allowed him greater opportunity than ever. He also served as a mentor for fellow Cameroon native Joel Embiid as Embiid sat out the season with injury, but with Embiid’s career in limbo following another season-ending problem with his foot, Mbah a Moute signed with the Kings last month for a $1.55MM salary. However, Mbah a Moute’s health also came into question, and Sacramento voided the deal because of a shoulder issue. The union was to have filed a grievance earlier this month.
  • Miami’s top-10 protected 2015 first-round pick (Cavaliers to Sixers) — The Heat’s debt is still outstanding on the pick that was originally part of Cleveland’s ransom for LeBron James in the sign-and-trade deal that sent him to Miami in 2010. The Sixers nearly wound up with the draft choice this year, but the Heat emerged from the lottery with pick No. 10, the last within the protected range. That pick is again top-10 protected for 2016, but barring another injury-filled season in Miami, the Heat should make playoffs, an outcome that would see the selection finally convey to Philly. A slight possibility exists that the pick will end up going to the Warriors thanks to the Gerald Wallace/Jason Thompson trade. If the pick somehow falls within the top 10 again in 2016, the Heat will keep it but will be forced to send their 2017 first-rounder, with no protection, to the Sixers.

What’s your take on the trade now that a year has passed? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

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