Hoops Rumors Polls News & Rumors

News broke this morning that the Cavaliers have indefinitely suspended Andrew Bynum for conduct detrimental to the team. This news started a flurry of rumors regarding Bynum’s future with the Cavaliers. We have put together a comprehensive list of all those rumors. Most of those rumors have included teams that will not be interested in trading or signing Bynum if waived rather than teams that are interested in Bynum. Two teams – the Heat and Clippers, have emerged as teams that would be interested in Bynum if waived.

Due to Bynum’s injury history, the contract he signed with the Cavaliers is not fully guaranteed. This will make the guarantee date of January 7th an important date for Cleveland’s front office. If they don’t trade or cut Bynum by then, they will owe him his entire $12.25MM salary for 2013/14 instead of his only $6MM currently guaranteed salary.

As another calendar year nears an end, it seems like an appropriate time to look back on 2013 in the NBA. Another year removed from 2011’s lockout, the NBA was firing on all cylinders in 2013, providing a great seven-game Finals in June, plenty of big offseason moves, and a handful of surprises to start the 2013/14 season.

While there were plenty of stories worth remembering in 2013, we want to know which one will stick with you the most. Was it Game Six in Miami, when Ray Allen made one of the biggest shots in NBA history? The Dwight Howard saga that finally ended with the big man leaving the Lakers for Houston? Or perhaps a bid to move the Kings that pitted Sacramento against Seattle for several months, before the team ultimately stayed put?

Vote for your most memorable 2013 NBA story below, and if we left out your pick, feel free to add a comment.

Earlier today, we passed along a piece from Grantland’s Zach Lowe that outlined a proposal to overhaul the draft system, by abolishing the lottery and introducing a “wheel” system. The proposal, which is in the very early stages of being considered by the league office, would ensure that every NBA team drafted once in each spot between 1 and 30 over a period of 30 seasons. Teams would receive a top-six pick once every five years, under the proposed cycle.

There would be plenty of pros for such a system, which would entirely disincentivize tanking and would provide each team with an equal opportunity to add young talent. However, you could argue there’d be just as many cons. Bottom-dwelling teams would only be guaranteed one high pick every few years, which could make for a significant uphill climb, and may result in years of apathy from fans. It’s also not hard to imagine college players deciding whether or not to enter the draft based on which teams are known to have high picks for that year.

Our earlier post and Lowe’s original article detail plenty more pros and cons, and if the NBA ever became serious about implementing the idea, it’s possible that it would undergo several modifications before taking effect. Still, based on the general concept, do you like the idea of the wheel system? Is it improvement on the current draft lottery, or would it simply create a new and equally problematic set of issues? And if you don’t think either system is ideal, what would your preference be?

The past few days have been disappointing for those who like to see trades happen. Houston’s much-ballyhooed December 19th deadline to trade Omer Asik came and went without a move, but he’s not the only significant player who appears to be staying put for now. Wednesday we heard that the Lakers aren’t interested in trading Pau Gasol. That news came just a couple hours before a report indicated that the Celtics were similarly disinclined to trade Rajon Rondo. The Bulls are “determined” not to trade Luol Deng, as we passed along this morning.

Still, there are a few noteworthy trade candidates who could be shipped out well in advance of the February 20th deadline. Just about any Raptor seems liable to go, and Kyle Lowry has been the most-discussed Toronto player, even if GM Masai Ujiri isn’t urgently trying to unload him. Iman Shumpert has consistently emerged in rumors for weeks. Dion Waiters and Thaddeus Young have had to beat back reports that they’re anxious to be traded. Jason Thompson is reportedly on the block amid roster upheaval in Sacramento, as our Luke Adams examined this afternoon. Then there’s Asik, who doesn’t seem long for Houston, even if he’s still a Rocket for now.

Let us know which player you think is most likely to be the centerpiece of the next trade. I’ve included “Someone Else” as a choice in case your pick isn’t on the list. If you choose that option, leave a comment to let us know who you have in mind.