Poll: James Harden Or Serge Ibaka?
The Oklahoma City Thunder will face an interesting predicament next season, as both James Harden and Serge Ibaka enter the final season of their rookie contracts. With stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook already signed to long-term max deals, the team will try to find a way to lock up the rest of its core. An excess of talent is certainly a good problem to have, but it won't be easy for the Thunder to bring all their players back — Durant and Westbrook alone are slated to earn $30MM+ in 2013/14, the first year in which luxury-tax penalties increase.
Harden has made great strides in each of his first three seasons, earning his first All-Star berth and scoring 16.8 PPG on .491/.390/.846 shooting in 2011/12. His 21.1 PER this year raises his career average to 17.2, and he's become arguably one of the top shooting guards in the NBA and the odds-on favorite for Sixth Man of the Year.
Ibaka, meanwhile, isn't the scorer than Harden is, but he's averaging 10+ rebounds per 36 minutes for the third straight season, and is leading the league in blocks with an incredible 3.7 per game. His 17.5 career PER is actually slightly better than Harden's mark, and he's a legit contender (and David Aldridge's pick) for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.
GM Sam Presti says the team will do everything it can to ink extensions for Harden and Ibaka, and perhaps one or both players would accept slightly below-market deals to keep playing for a perennial title contender. I think retaining both is possible, perhaps at the expense of Kendrick Perkins, but let's say circumstances prevent the Thunder from keeping both players. If you're Presti, which player is your top priority? Who do you re-sign to play alongside Durant and Westbrook long-term? Harden or Ibaka?
Would You Re-Sign James Harden Or Serge Ibaka?
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Serge Ibaka 52% (428)
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James Harden 48% (403)
Total votes: 831
Poll: How Would A Suspension Impact Lakers?
Metta World Peace attacked Thunder guard James Harden on Sunday afternoon with a vicious elbow to the side of the head after World Peace scored on a dunk near the end of the second quarter. The blow caused Harden to collapse on the ground, writhing in pain. World Peace unsuccessfully attempted to convince officials that he was merely celebrating his thunderous two-handed slam with the raucous Lakers crowd.
As a result of his actions, World Peace was ejected from the game for a Flagrant 2 while Harden was treated for concussion-like symptoms and did not return in second half. Given World Peace's notorious history involving violence, many talking heads including Magic Johnson and Jon Barry concluded it would be appropriate for the former St. John's star to receive a suspension for his actions. With the Lakers set to conclude their regular season on Thursday against the Kings, it would not be unlikely for a potential suspension of World Peace to extend into the playoffs.
Will The Lakers Win The First Round Of The Playoffs If Metta World Peace Faces A Suspension?
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Yes 62% (332)
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No 23% (124)
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He won't be suspended for the playoffs 15% (81)
Total votes: 537
Poll: Which UK Prospect Will Be The Best Pro?
On Tuesday, NCAA champion University of Kentucky's full starting five declared for the 2012 NBA draft. Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, and Marquis Teague will all be going pro, with Davis expected to be the first pick overall. Which of these highly-touted prospects do you think will have the best NBA career?
Which Kentucky Player Will Have The Best NBA Career?
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Anthony Davis 57% (434)
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 32% (241)
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Terrence Jones 5% (39)
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Doron Lamb 3% (23)
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Marquis Teague 2% (18)
Total votes: 755
Poll: Will The Nets Land A First-Round Pick?
As they prepare to move from New Jersey to Brooklyn this summer, the Nets are in an interesting situation. With cap space to spare, the team will be looking to retain potential free agents like Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Gerald Wallace. How much room the team has to re-sign its own players and pursue other free agents will depend on its luck in the coming weeks though.
The Nets have a chance to land two picks in the top 20 of what's expected to be a deep draft. However, there's also a possibility that the Nets end up with zero first-rounders. New Jersey's own pick is ticketed for Portland if it doesn't end up in the top three, while the Rockets' first-rounder will only be sent to the Nets if it's not in the top 14.
As Hoops Rumors' tentative draft order shows, the Nets are currently tied with the league's sixth-worst record, and the Rockets are tied with the Suns for the eighth seed in the West. Our order, which doesn't account for tiebreakers, actually shows the 32-29 Rockets at 17th overall, but the 32-29 Suns hold the playoff tiebreaker, moving the Rockets up to 14th. So if the season ended today and everything held to form, the Nets wouldn't own a first-round pick.
With just a handful of games left in the season, how do you see the Nets' draft prospects lining up? Will New Jersey luck out and jump into the top three with its own pick? Will the Rockets edge out the Suns and Jazz to earn a postseason spot, handing their pick to the Nets? How many first-rounders do you think the Nets will hold when June arrives?
How Many First-Round Picks Will The Nets Land?
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Neither pick 38% (106)
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Only the Rockets' pick 31% (87)
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Their own pick and the Rockets' pick 19% (54)
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Only their own pick 12% (34)
Total votes: 281
Poll: Whose Injury Will Have The Largest Postseason Impact?
With recent comments from Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy suggesting Dwight Howard‘s chances of playing in this year’s playoffs is “50-50” due to a herniated disc in his back (Twitter link), and Lakers star Kobe Bryant sitting out his fifth straight game today with a shin related issue, we ask which key player’s injury will have the largest impact on several contenders trying to make their run at the championship.
Whose Injury Has The Biggest Playoff Implications?
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Dwight Howard 50% (221)
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Derrick Rose 30% (135)
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Kobe Bryant 16% (71)
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Other 4% (17)
Total votes: 444
Poll: Where Will Eric Gordon End Up?
Earlier today, Luke Adams posted a breakdown of Eric Gordon‘s free-agency outlook for the summer. Later, SI.com’s Sam Amick named the Mavericks, Pacers, Suns, and Trail Blazers as teams that could potentially compete with the Hornets for Gordon’s services. The fourth-year guard, acquired by New Orleans in the Chris Paul trade, is set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Where do you think Gordon will end up: back with the Hornets, with one of these rumored suitors, or somewhere else entirely?
Where Will Eric Gordon End Up?
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Indiana 32% (198)
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Other 25% (151)
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New Orleans 15% (91)
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Dallas 11% (69)
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Phoenix 10% (60)
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Portland 7% (42)
Total votes: 611
Poll: Where Will Deron Williams End Up?
Deron Williams has made it clear he will test free agency this offseason. There will be no opting back in, unlike a certain other player we know. Williams is already talking about his options come summer and if one thing is clear, it’s that he will be the offseason’s biggest prize.
It sounds like Williams will consider resigning with the Nets if they are able to put together a contender-worthy supporting cast. Whether they are able to do that remains to be seen. So I ask the readers, where do you think Deron Williams will end up?
Feel free to offer any alternatives to options provided in the comments.
Where Will Deron Williams End Up?
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Mavericks 53% (539)
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Lakers 19% (193)
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Nets 13% (128)
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Somewhere else 10% (101)
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Blazers 3% (35)
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Pacers 3% (28)
Total votes: 1,024
Poll: Who Will Win Defensive Player Of The Year?
With the public's general opinion on Dwight Howard taking a turn for the worst in light of yesterday's comments by his head coach, Stan Van Gundy, are Howard's chances of winning a fourth straight Defensive Player of the Year award suffering? Or is it still his award to lose?
Who Will Win Defensive Player Of The Year?
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Serge Ibaka 38% (216)
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Other 18% (103)
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Dwight Howard 17% (98)
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LeBron James 15% (88)
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Andre Iguodala 12% (70)
Total votes: 575
Poll: Who Is The Second-Best Draft Prospect?
Barring a major development between now and June 28th, there's no argument from basketball experts that Anthony Davis will be selected first overall by whichever team lucks out in May's draft lottery. The same consensus isn't evident for the rest of the draft, however. While Davis' teammate at Kentucky, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, has gained momentum as the potential second overall pick, he's certainly nowhere near the lock Davis is.
DraftExpress.com ranks Kidd-Gilchrist behind UConn freshman Andre Drummond, while both DraftExpress and ESPN.com's Chad Ford have Thomas Robinson of Kansas and Bradley Beal of Florida in their top fives. Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and UNC's Harrison Barnes had disappointing elimination games in the NCAA tournament, but are among the other players who have been discussed as top picks.
So we'll pose the same question that Reid Cherner of USA Today asked earlier today: If you're drafting second overall, and Davis is off the board, which draft prospect do you consider the best available? If your choice isn't listed as one of our options, feel free to specify and explain your vote in the comments section. And be sure to continue checking out our tentative 2012 draft order to stay up-to-date on which NBA teams have the best shot at a high draft pick.
Who Is The Second-Best Draft Prospect?
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 40% (195)
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Thomas Robinson 28% (137)
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Harrison Barnes 10% (51)
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Jared Sullinger 10% (50)
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Bradley Beal 7% (32)
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Someone else 4% (21)
Total votes: 486
Poll: Who Is The NBA’s MVP?
With only a few weeks left in the NBA’s regular season, the MVP race is starting to heat up. Who do you think is most deserving?
Who Is The NBA's MVP?
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Kevin Durant 40% (421)
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LeBron James 21% (222)
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Kevin Love 17% (179)
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Kobe Bryant 15% (159)
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Other 4% (44)
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Chris Paul 2% (25)
Total votes: 1,050