Hoops Rumors Polls

Poll: Northwest Division Winner

The TrailBlazers are the favorites to win the Northwest division this season, but it’s far from a certain outcome. Just a year ago, Portland was expected to be a lottery team after losing four starters, but the team overachieved, winning 44 games and beating an injury-riddled Clippers squad in the playoffs en route to a second round playoff series loss to the Warriors. Portland aggressively pursued high-priced, impact players in free agency and ended up adding Evan Turner on an expensive, four year, $70MM deal. Turner is a perplexing addition for a team that already had wing depth, but his presence should provide insurance of sorts in case of an injury. Turner will also give the team more flexibility with its line-up decisions, as Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors writes in the team’s Offseason In Review. The Blazers’ depth should keep them from sliding too far down the standings, but they remain a strong candidate to regress.

The Thunder had the worst offseason of any team, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors details in the team’s Offseason In Review. Losing Kevin Durant hurts, but Oklahoma City’s roster is not barren. This team can easily go 10-12 players deep on most nights and Russell Westbrook shifting from running-mate to Commander In Chief with a solid supporting cast should be not only fun to watch, but also enough to keep the team in contention for the division crown.

The Wolves arguably have the best young core in all of basketball. They appear to be a year or two away from making major noise in the conference, as I discussed in the team’s Offseason In Review. However, coach/executive Tom Thibodeau is going to get the most out of this roster and if Kris Dunn is able to hit the ground running, Minnesota could exceed expectations.

Denver lurks as a potential playoff team this season. The Nuggets’ success hinges on Emmanuel Mudiay taking the next step and proving he can be a franchise point guard. The franchise is likely a season away from reaching its playoff goal, as Scarito writes in the team’s Offseason In Review. Nevertheless, this team will be frisky on a nightly basis with its depth giving opposing teams trouble.

The Jazz are in position to take a major step forward. The addition of George Hill is an underrated move and his presence, along with 35-year-old Joe Johnson and 34-year-old Boris Diaw, will provide this team with veteran leadership, as Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors notes in the team’s Offseason in Review.  The Jazz have the talent to compete with any team in the league and they are my personal pick to win this division. Despite the injury to Gordon Hayward, I envision this team winning over 50 games and earning a top-4 seed in the Western Conference.

Do you think the Jazz will be atop this division at the end of the season or will another team take home the crown? Don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!

2016/17 NBA Over/Unders: Atlantic Division

The 2016/17 NBA regular season will get underway in just a week and a half, which means it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv, we’re going to run through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, and have you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic. We’ll kick things off today with the Atlantic division…

Boston Celtics

(App users, click here for Celtics poll)


Toronto Raptors

(App users, click here for Raptors poll)


New York Knicks

(App users, click here for Knicks poll)


Philadelphia 76ers

(App users, click here for Sixers poll)


Brooklyn Nets

(App users, click here for Nets poll)

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 30)

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting the 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). We’ve now arrived at the No. 30 overall pick, the final one in our re-draft. That pick was held by the Celtics, who in the “real world” draft, select J.R. Giddens. So cast your vote for who Boston nabs to close out the first round.

Also, 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. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — D.J. Augustin [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]
  23. Jazz — Marreese Speights [Actual Pick — Kosta Koufos]
  24. Sonics/Thunder (from Suns) — Jerryd Bayless [Actual Pick — Serge Ibaka]
  25. Rockets — Kosta Koufos [Actual Pick — Nicolas Batum]
  26. Spurs — JaVale McGee [Actual Pick — George Hill]
  27. Hornets — J.J. Hickson [Actual Pick — Darrell Arthur]
  28. Grizzlies — Luc Mbah a Moute [Actual Pick — Donte Greene]
  29. Sonics/Thunder —Anthony Morrow [Actual pick — D.J. White]
  30. Celtics — ?? [Actual Pick — J.R. Giddens]

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

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 29)

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting the 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 29 overall pick, which was acquired by the Sonics/Thunder from Detroit in a draft day trade. The details of the swap were: The Pistons received the No. 32 (Walter Sharpe) and No. 46 (Trent Plaisted) from Seattle in exchange for the N0. 29 overall pick. In the “real world” draft the Sonics/Thunder nabbed D.J. White with that pick. So cast your vote for who Seattle/OKC selects and check back on Tuesday to see the results, as well as to vote on the final pick in our first round re-draft.

Also, 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. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — D.J. Augustin [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]
  23. Jazz — Marreese Speights [Actual Pick — Kosta Koufos]
  24. Sonics/Thunder (from Suns) — Jerryd Bayless [Actual Pick — Serge Ibaka]
  25. Rockets — Kosta Koufos [Actual Pick — Nicolas Batum]
  26. Spurs — JaVale McGee [Actual Pick — George Hill]
  27. Hornets — J.J. Hickson [Actual Pick — Darrell Arthur]
  28. Grizzlies — Luc Mbah a Moute [Actual Pick — Donte Greene]
  29. Sonics/Thunder — ?? [Actual pick — D.J. White]

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

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 28)

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting the 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 28 overall pick, which was held by Memphis. In the “real world” draft, the Grizzlies selected Donte Greene and shipped him to Houston in a three-team deal on draft night. Greene is still around in our re-draft, but so are some other players who have had NBA success. So cast your vote for who Memphis selects and check back on Monday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Pistons take with the No. 29 pick.

Also, 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. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — D.J. Augustin [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]
  23. Jazz — Marreese Speights [Actual Pick — Kosta Koufos]
  24. Sonics/Thunder (from Suns) — Jerryd Bayless [Actual Pick — Serge Ibaka]
  25. Rockets — Kosta Koufos [Actual Pick — Nicolas Batum]
  26. Spurs — JaVale McGee [Actual Pick — George Hill]
  27. Hornets — J.J. Hickson [Actual Pick — Darrell Arthur]
  28. Grizzlies — ?? [Actual Pick — Donte Greene]

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

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 27)

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting the 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall),Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 27 overall pick, which was held by the New Orleans Hornets. In the “real world” draft, the Hornets chose Darrell Arthur, but he wound up with the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies before draft night was over. Arthur is still on the board in our draft, but so are some other intriguing possibilities. So cast your vote for who the Hornets select and check back on Sunday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Grizzlies take with the No. 28 pick.

Also, 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. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — D.J. Augustin [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]
  23. Jazz — Marreese Speights [Actual Pick — Kosta Koufos]
  24. Sonics/Thunder (from Suns) — Jerryd Bayless [Actual Pick — Serge Ibaka]
  25. Rockets — Kosta Koufos [Actual Pick — Nicolas Batum]
  26. Spurs — JaVale McGee [Actual Pick — George Hill]
  27. Hornets — ?? [Actual Pick — Darrell Arthur]

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

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 26)

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 26 overall pick, which was held by San Antonio. In the “real world” draft, the Spurs nabbed George Hill, who was selected with pick No. 12 by the Kings in our re-draft.  So cast your vote for who the Spurs select and check back on Saturday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Hornets/Pelicans take with the No. 27 pick.

Also, 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. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — D.J. Augustin [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]
  23. Jazz — Marreese Speights [Actual Pick — Kosta Koufos]
  24. Sonics/Thunder (from Suns) — Jerryd Bayless [Actual Pick — Serge Ibaka]
  25. Rockets — Kosta Koufos [Actual Pick — Nicolas Batum]
  26. Spurs — ?? [Actual Pick — George Hill]

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

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 25)

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 25 overall pick, which was held by Houston. In the “real world” draft, the Rockets dealt the pick as part of a three-team trade to the Blazers. The details of the swap were: Portland acquired the draft rights to the No. 25 pick (Batum) from Houston, the Rockets received the No. 33 pick (Joey Dorsey) from the Blazers and the No. 28 pick (Donte Greene) along with a 2009 second-round draft pick from Memphis, and the Grizzlies acquired the No. 27 pick (Darrell Arthur) from Portland. With Batum already off the board in our draft, having been taken at No. 7 overall by the Clippers, we’ll nix this trade and have Houston select for itself here.

So cast your vote for who the Rockets select and check back on Thursday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Spurs take with the No. 26 pick. Also, 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. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — D.J. Augustin [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]
  23. Jazz — Marreese Speights [Actual Pick — Kosta Koufos]
  24. Sonics/Thunder (from Suns) — Jerryd Bayless [Actual Pick — Serge Ibaka]
  25. Rockets — ?? [Actual Pick — Nicolas Batum]

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

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 24)

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 24 overall pick, which was held by the Sonics/Thunder by way of Phoenix. The pick was acquired by Seattle/OKC along with the Suns’ 2010 first-round draft picks and Kurt Thomas in exchange for a 2009 second-round draft pick and a trade exception worth $8MM. The 2008 pick was used in the “real world” draft to select Serge Ibaka, who is already off the board in our re-draft, having gone to the Knicks at No. 6.

So cast your vote for who Seattle/OKC selects and check back on Wednesday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Rockets should have taken with the No. 25 pick. Also, 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. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — D.J. Augustin [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]
  23. Jazz — Marreese Speights [Actual Pick — Kosta Koufos]
  24. Sonics/Thunder (from Suns) — ?? [Actual Pick — Serge Ibaka]

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

Poll: When Will Nets Make Playoffs?

After making the postseason with a 38-44 record in 2014/15, the Nets fell out of contention last season, finishing with a 21-61 mark, the team’s worst showing since its 12-win season in New Jersey in 2009/10. However, while most fans and pundits expect the Nets to be among the league’s worst teams this year, at least one Brooklyn player is optimistic about the club’s chances of returning to the playoffs.

Bojan Bogdanovic, who is coming off an impressive Olympic performance in Rio and is expected to be one of the Nets’ primary scorers in 2016/17, tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post that he believes the team is capable of earning a spot in the postseason.

“They can write what they want,” Bogdanovic said. “But we’re going to work hard to give it our best. When we get in a game, we have a chance to beat anybody. It’s going to be tough, but if we play like we practice, we have a chance.”

Last year’s eight Eastern Conference playoff teams are all expected to be in the conversation once again, and lottery clubs like the Bulls, Wizards, Magic, Bucks, and Knicks also hope to contend for one of the top eight seeds. Even the Sixers added plenty of talent in the offseason and look like they have a chance to get out of the Eastern Conference cellar.

So, today’s poll won’t ask whether or not the Nets will make the playoffs this year — the response to that question would likely be overwhelmingly one-sided. Instead, we’ll ask how long it will take Brooklyn to get back to the postseason. Without their own first-round picks in either of the next two years, will it take longer than three years for the Nets to make it? Longer than five? How long do you expect the rebuild to last in Brooklyn?

Vote in our poll and weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.