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NBA Announces 2017/18 All-Defensive Teams

May 23rd, 2018 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its 2017/18 All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with Defensive Player of the Year candidates Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis headlining the First Team.

Gobert led the way in voting, receiving 94 of 100 potential First Team votes. He also received four Second Team votes, and was left off of just two ballots, earning him 192 total points (two points per First Team vote; one point per Second Team vote). It’s his second All-Defensive First Team nod.

[RELATED: NBA Announces 2017/18 All-Rookie Teams]

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the All-Defensive recognition will pay off financially for Gobert, who earns a $500K bonus as a result of his spot on the First Team. Meanwhile, Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday will receive a more modest $100K bonus for being named to the All-Defensive First Team.

Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:

First Team

  • Rudy Gobert, C, Jazz (192)
  • Anthony Davis, F/C, Pelicans (163)
  • Victor Oladipo, G, Pacers (136)
  • Jrue Holiday, G, Pelicans (105)
  • Robert Covington, F, Sixers (90)

Second Team

Rockets point guard Chris Paul (74 points) and Thunder forward Paul George (69) narrowly missed earning spots on the All-Defensive Second Team. A total of 29 other players received at least one vote, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.

You can find the full voting results right here.

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Eastern Notes: Alkins, Hawks, Evans, Moore

May 21st, 2018 at 11:08pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavaliers took down the Celtics by a score of 111-102 to tie up the series at two games apiece. The effort was led by LeBron James who scored 44 points and told ESPN’s Doris Burke after the game that Cleveland needs to head to Boston on Wednesday with a “bunker mentality.” Brad Stevens’ team has yet to lose at home in the playoffs, going 9-0 thus far.

While we await Game 5, let’s take a look at some notes from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Arizona’s Rawle Alkins will work out for the Hawks this week, Adam Zagoria of The New York Times reports (Twitter link). In addition to the no. 3 overall pick, Atlanta owns the no. 19, no. 30 and no. 33 picks in the upcoming draft.
  • The Sixers may make sense as a destination for Tyreke Evans, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype contends. Philadelphia had interest in the swingman at the trade deadline, though it came at a time in which Markelle Fultz was not available to play. It remains to be seen whether the team still has interest in Evans.
  • The Pacers could also be a fit for Evans, as Urbina writes in the same piece. Urbina points to Evans’ ability to effectively run the pick-and-roll and Indiana’s financial flexibility as reasons why the pairing could happen.
  • Mark Montieth of Pacers.com takes a look at Ben Moore‘s season, one in which the combo forward played just nine minutes for the Pacers. Moore signed a two-way deal with Indiana partway through the 2017/18 campaign and spent nearly all of his time in the G League.
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Five Potential Picks In This Year's Draft

May 19th, 2018 at 1:55pm CST by clarkcrum
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Combine Notes: Bridges, Sixers, DiVincenzo, Sexton

May 18th, 2018 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Michigan State wing Miles Bridges, a probable lottery pick, interviewed with the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Cavaliers, Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers earlier this week, and was set to meet with the Sixers, Hornets, and Knicks on Friday, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Bridges is one of several intriguing prospects the Sixers are meeting with in Chicago this week, according to Pompey, who adds Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr., Michigan State power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., and IMG Academy guard Anfernee Simons to that list. Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo was also scheduled to interview with Philadelphia on Friday, Pompey tweets.

Finally, Pompey has details on Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo, who has been impressing NBA evaluators at this week’s combine and says he’s received plenty of “positive feedback.” According to Pompey, DiVincenzo has had meetings with the Lakers, Magic, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Spurs, Hawks, and Grizzlies in Chicago.

Here’s more on meetings taking place at the combine:

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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Indiana Pacers

May 18th, 2018 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers’ decision to send Paul George to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis last summer received more criticism than just about any other trade or signing. With George poised to potentially leave OKC and Oladipo headed for a potential All-NBA nod, those reviews look misguided in retrospect. That deal was the first in a series of moves that set up the Pacers with enviable cap flexibility going forward.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Pacers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Bojan Bogdanovic ($9,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.3
  • Darren Collison ($8,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.2
  • Al Jefferson ($6,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
  • Alex Poythress ($1,544,951)6
  • Ike Anigbogu ($688,242) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.4
  • Total: $25,233,193

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $14,602,734

  • Few NBA teams have more wild cards affecting their cap situation than the Pacers, who entered the offseason with five players on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts and four more with player or team options.
  • Our projection accounts for Indiana’s five fully guaranteed salaries, Thaddeus Young‘s player option, full salaries for Bogdanovic, Collison, and Anigbogu, Stephenson’s team option, and cap holds for the first-round pick and one empty roster spot. The result? A total team salary of $86,397,266.
  • It goes without saying that things could much look different for Indiana. A big free agent splash seems unlikely, but if the team really wanted to clear space, it could renounce its free agents, decline some options, and waive its non-guaranteed contracts. With just their five guaranteed contracts, Young’s player option, and Anigbogu on the books, the Pacers could get up to nearly $35MM in cap space. Still, they’re unlikely to simply cut loose solid values like Stephenson, Bogdanovic, and Collison.

Footnotes:

  1. Jefferson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 2.
  2. Collison’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
  3. Bogdanovic’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 29.
  4. Anigbogu’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
  5. Young’s salary would still be non-guaranteed until July 1 if his option is exercised.
  6. Poythress’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 25.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2018 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 17th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

While the Sixers were knocked out of the 2018 playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the underdog Celtics, few teams are better positioned in this year’s draft than Philadelphia. The 76ers own six of the 60 picks in the 2018 NBA draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

As our full 2018 draft order shows, the Sixers are one of seven NBA teams that holds more than two selections in this year’s draft. On the other end of the spectrum, eight teams have just one pick in 2018, while two teams – the Heat and Raptors – don’t have any selections.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2018 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

  • Philadelphia 76ers (5): 10, 26, 38, 56, 60
  • Phoenix Suns (4): 1, 16, 31, 59
  • Atlanta Hawks (4): 3, 19, 30, 34
  • Dallas Mavericks (3): 5, 33, 54
  • Orlando Magic (3): 6, 35, 41
  • Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 45, 55
  • Denver Nuggets (3): 14, 43, 58
  • Los Angeles Lakers (3): 25, 39, 47

Teams with two picks:

  • Sacramento Kings: 2, 37
  • Memphis Grizzlies: 4, 32
  • Chicago Bulls: 7, 22
  • New York Knicks: 9, 36
  • Los Angeles Clippers: 12, 13
  • Washington Wizards: 15, 44
  • San Antonio Spurs: 18, 49
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: 20, 48
  • Utah Jazz: 21, 52
  • Indiana Pacers: 23, 50
  • Brooklyn Nets : 29, 40
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: 53, 57

Teams with fewer than two picks:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers (1): 8
  • Milwaukee Bucks (1): 17
  • Portland Trail Blazers (1): 24
  • Boston Celtics (1): 27
  • Golden State Warriors (1): 28
  • Detroit Pistons (1): 42
  • Houston Rockets (1): 46
  • New Orleans Pelicans (1): 51
  • Miami Heat (0)
  • Toronto Raptors (0)
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Bojan Bogdanovic To Play For Croatia This Summer

May 16th, 2018 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Count Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic among the players who intends to represent his country during this summer’s 2019 World Cup qualifiers. As he tells FIBA.basketball, Bogdanovic will look to turn things around for Croatia after the squad went 1-3 in the first two sets of qualifiers.
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Hawks Notes: Pierce, Defense, Schroder

May 15th, 2018 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

During his introductory press conference on Monday, new Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce talked about his passion for defense, and indicated that he’ll be looking for defensive-minded assistants as he starts putting together his staff in Atlanta, as Charles Odum of The Associated Press writes.

“If we weren’t doing this press conference right now, I’d probably have these guys doing some defensive drills,” Pierce said, referring to the Hawks players who attended the presser. “That’s who I am.”

In addition to the four Hawks who were in attendance on Monday, Sixers forward Robert Covington – who was in Atlanta visiting a family member – showed up to support the former Philadelphia assistant. Covington had nothing but praise for Pierce, calling him a “great coach” who is “absolutely” ready for his first head coaching job.

Here’s more out of Atlanta:

  • During Monday’s presser, Hawks GM Travis Schlenk said that he and Mike Budenholzer remain on good terms, despite the former head coach’s departure from Atlanta. “I talked with [Budenholzer] a couple days ago,” Schlenk said, per Odum. “No hard feelings at all.”
  • In a Q&A with Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pierce spoke at length about the defensive strategies he employed in Philadelphia, which he’ll bring to the Hawks.
  • Dennis Schroder, who led the Hawks in points (19.4 PPG) and assists (6.2 APG) last season, made comments this week at a press conference in Germany that made it sound like he wouldn’t mind moving on from Atlanta. Schroder said he could imagine playing for teams like the Bucks and Pacers (Twitter link via David Hein), adding that he doesn’t want to keep finishing “second-to-last in the Eastern Conference” (link via Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net). Schroder is under contract for three more years at $15.5MM annually, but wasn’t drafted or extended by the current management group, so he could emerge as a trade candidate for the Hawks.
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Centers Could Be Paired Togethere

May 14th, 2018 at 5:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Pacers centers Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis could play together more often next season, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star reports. They bring varied skill sets to the floor, which could allow them to complement each other. Turner prefers to shoot jumpers and 3-pointers off of ball screens, while Sabonis rolls to the basket more often and shoots mid-range jumpers, Michael notes. “They’re different in how they play,” coach Nate McMillan said. “Part of it this season was allowing those guys to spend some time on the floor and possibly developing into a spread player at the 4 or the 5, depending on who was guarding who.”
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