The
summer, the National Basketball Association (NBA) had greatest game of musical
chairs in its history with Six of the 15 All- NBA selections changed addresses this
summer via trade or free agency, including the reigning Finals MVP. A couple of
teams via free agency and blockbuster trades put together dynamic duos,
including the boys from “Clutch City;” and both teams from the “City of
Angels.” Perhaps the biggest change that happened this offseason was how a
plethora of teams enter this season with a legitimate chance of winning the
Larry O’ Brien trophy, with this past season’s Finals participants not even being
predicted to be there in June. For each of the 30 NBA squads, all this change
has raised a question, which will be tackled in the J-Speaks 2019-20 NBA
Off-Season Review/Season Preview.
Abbreviation
Key, which represents statistics from this a season ago: ppg-points per game;
rpg- rebounds per game; spg-steals per game; bpg-block shots per game;
FG%-field goal percentage; 3-Pt.%-three-point percentage; opp.-opponent’s, and
T-tied.
Eastern
Conference
Atlanta
Hawks: 29-53
(5th Southeast Division; missed playoffs) 17-24 at home, 12-29 on
the road.
-113.3
ppg-12th; opp. ppg: 119.4-30th; 46.1 rpg-12th
Led
by their electric and dynamic rookie lead guard and ever improving forward, the
Atlanta Hawks recovered from a rough start to finish last season on a strong
note. The front office took a major gamble going to rebuilding mode after
owning the second longest consecutive postseason streak in the East, second
overall in the league that is now showing results. With their hopeful a dynamic
1-2 punch in place; another season under their head coach’s system and some new
building blocks around that dynamic duo, the question for the Hawks is can they
take another step in their maturation of becoming a playoff perennial and
eventually a title contender?
The
Hawks finished last season under first year head coach Lloyd Pierce 23-30 after
a 6-23 start, displaying a thrilling and electric brand of basketball led by 2018-19
Kia Rookie of the Year runner-up in starting lead guard Trae Young (19.1 ppg-Led
Rookies, 8.1 apg-4th NBA) and starting power forward John Collins
(19.5 ppg-Leads team, 9.8 rpg-Leads team 56.0 FG%), who got their fourth and
third-year, contract options for 2020-21 exercised last week are two big
reasons for that optimism in the “ATL.”
After
a slow start to his rookie season, Young, the 2019 All-Rookie selection had a
stellar finish and made the Rookie of the Year race between him and swingman
Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks a much tighter one and proving the skeptics
who came out in full force when Hawks’ General Manager Travis Schlenk, who was
promoted to President of Basketball Operations this summer traded the draft
rights Doncic, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 to the Mavericks for Young, the
No. 5 overall in June 2018, even though that deal netted him a protected 2019
First-Round pick.
Young
proved Schlenk right for that decision by posting averages of 24.7 points, 9.2
assists, and 4.7 rebounds on a respectably 44.2 percent from the field and 34.8
percent from three-point range post All-Star break. He authored 30
double-doubles, which included five games of at least 13 assists; 37 games scoring
20-plus, which included nine games of 30-plus points and posted averages of.
That
stretch included a three-game stretch where he had 36 points, with eight
assists going 8 for 12 from three-point range in the team’s 119-111 loss at the
Houston Rockets on Feb. 25. Young two nights later scored 36, with 10 assists
and eight boards on 16 for 17 from the free throw line in the Hawks 131-123
overtime win versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. He posted a career-high
double-double of 49 points and 16 assists, with eight rebounds on 17 for 33
from the field, including 6 for 13 from three-point range and 9 for 11 from the
free throw line in one of the NBA’s best games of last season, a 168-161
four-overtime loss versus the Chicago Bulls.
“I
think I did okay for my first year,” Young, who shot 41.8 percent from the
field and 32.4 from three-point range said about his rookie season at Media Day
on Sept. 30 to 92.9’s “The Game.” “I think I did alright for me and my
standards. But like for me going into the offseason, especially this year, I
know what to work on. I know what I need to get better at.”
“I
mean, coming in as a rookie, you don’t necessarily know what you need to train
for. You don’t necessarily know what you need to work on to be ready to play in
the NBA. Now that I have a year under my belt, I know in the offseason what I
need to work on. What I need to get better at to perform at an even higher
going into my second year.”
For
Young, that meant getting into the gym and working on his mid-range game, finishing
around the rim even better and playing pick up games against other NBA players.
That work will hopefully make Young a more efficient shooter compared to the
41.8 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from three-point range he shot
last season.
More
than anything, Young has to get better at the defensive end, especially getting
over hard screens set by opposing forwards and centers. That will come with him
making a serious commitment to the weight room as his career progresses and he
understands the defensive concepts under Coach Pierce
After
missing the first 15 games of last season because of left ankle surgery and 21
games overall, Collins averaged nearly a double-double, displaying a
much-improved perimeter shot, making 34.8 percent of his threes to match his
overwhelming athleticism, speed, and power at the basket. He went from 11 double-doubles
his rookie season to 32 double-doubles last season.
The
No. 19 overall pick out of Wake Forest University in 2017 set a new career-high
with 35 points in the Hawks’ 121-101 win at the Bulls on Jan. 23, going 14 for
16 from the field, including 4 for 4 from three-point range with eight boards. He
matched that career-high of 35 points with 16 rebounds, one shy of his
career-high in a Hawks’ 118-112 win at the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 2.
How
important was Collins to the Hawks a season ago? The Hawks when Collins played,
were 24-37 and just 5-16 when he was on the shelf.
“Our
chemistry is like a 1-2 punch, you know, like peanut butter and jelly,” Collins
said about the chemistry he and Young have on the court. “You see us on the
court every day. You see how we interact. So, I feel like we have a great bond.
We have a great pairing with each other and that only going to get better.”
“You’re
gonna see a lot of maturity and growth from his decision making this year. So,
I think that’s only gonna poor out more into the court into great plays. And I
feel like he’s gonna be a great floor general and leader for our team this
year.”
All-Rookie
Second-Team selection in sharp-shooter Kevin Huerter (9.7 ppg, 38.5 3-Pt.%),
who also got his third-year option for 2020-21 picked up connected on 38.5 percent
of his three-point attempts in his rookie season, and the No. 19 overall pick
out of the University of Maryland really showed a lot of promise as a guy who
could become a consistent snipper from three-point range for the Hawks, which
he displayed the night he scored a career-high of 29 points on 11 for 17
shooting, including 5 for 8 from three-point range in the Hawks’ 123-121 win at
the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 11.
For
Huerter, he just needs to consistently make shots than the 41.9 percent clip he
shot a season ago, which should come with more time and experience on the
hardwood with Young and Collins.
Center
Alex Len (11.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 49.4 FG%, 36.3 3-Pt.%) gave his career a real jump
start with his play a season ago, after five rough seasons with the Phoenix Suns,
who selected him No. 5 overall pick in 2013. The 26-year-old, who signed a
two-year deal for $8.5 million the summer of 2018 closed out the season in
strong fashion with averages of 15.6 points and 5.9 boars on 51.9 percent from
the floor and 40.4 from three-point range this past March and April.
Forward
DeAndre’ Bembry (8.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 44.6 FG%) who defensive versatility earned consistent minutes last
season of the Hawks' bench, which was No. 8 in the NBA last season with an average of 41.3 points.
For
the Hawks this offseason was about gaining assets while also drafting players
that will compliment Young and Collins.
The
traded forward Taurean Prince, a protected 2020 First-Round pick and a 2021
Second-Round pick to the Nets on June 6 for veteran shooting guard Allen Crabbe
(9.6 ppg, 37.8 3-Pt.% w/Nets), whose entering the final year of his contract at
$18.5 million, a 2019 First-Round pick (No. 17 overall) and the Nets’
conditional 2020 First-Round pick.
The
Hawks in a draft day deal with the New Orleans Pelicans on June 20 acquired a
2019 First-Round pick (No. 4 overall, via Los Angeles Lakers); a Second-Round
pick (No. 57 overall); a future Second-Round pick and small forward Solomon
Hill- for two 2019 First-Round picks (No. 8 and No. 17 overall); a Second-Round
pick (No. 35 overall); a protected 2020 Second-Round pick (via Cleveland
Cavaliers) and a Conditional 2020 First-Round pick.
That
No. 4 overall pick was small forward De’Andre Hunter from the national champion
Virginia Cavaliers. With the No. 10 pick, the Hawks selected forward Cam
Reddish out of Duke University.
In
a trade with the 76ers, the Hawks dealt the draft rights to lead guard Jordan
Bone (No. 57 overall pick) to the 76ers for the draft rights to a former
college teammate of Huerter’s, center Bruno Fernando, the No. 57 overall pick
out of Maryland.
The
major issue for the guys from the “ATL” in 2018-19 was their inability to put
the defensive clamps on their opponent, which can be understood when you
consider the Hawks emphasis on youth.
Along
with his amazing shooting touch, especially from three-point range, where he
shot 44 percent from three-point range for UVA, Hunter, the highest draft pick
out of UVA since Ralph Sampson in 1983 is a great individual defender, with a
7’2 wingspan, which allowed him to guard multiple positions, which is how he
won the 2018-19 Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Year
and also made the 2019 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team.
He
also is a player with the ability to rise to moment when called upon as
evidenced by his 27-point, nine-rebound performance in the overtime victory in
the National Championship contest over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, scoring 22
of those 27 points in the second half.
“When
I went there, they had a pretty a pretty strong feeling about me. I knew that’s
the place I wanted to be,” Hunter said to ESPN’s Maria Taylor after getting
drafted about his visit with the Hawks pre-draft. “That’s one of my
destinations and I’m happy they traded up and got that pick.”
Reddish
came to Duke last season with credentials that equaled his college teammates in
Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett-more on them later. There were games he played
remarkably well alongside stars Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, more on them
later. Other times where Reddish looked lost on the floor for head coach Mike
Krzyzewski.
Not
being able to work out for NBA teams during the pre-draft process as he was
recovering from injury also did not help the 2018-19 Honorable Mentioned
All-ACC selection, as he was recovering from injury.
When
asked by Taylor to describe his game in an interview, Reddish called his game
“reserved,” which is how he described his personality.
“I don’t think I’m passive,” Reddish said to
Taylor about the misconception people have about him as a collegiate player. “I
just think I was in a different role trying to adjust through this year, but I
think it was well needed. I think it’s going to prepare me for the next level.”
Like
Hunter, Reddish brings a defensive tenacity to the court and he wants to play
at that end of the floor, which he continued to do even when his offensive game
was not up to par at Duke. If the injury issues can be put in the rearview mirror,
Reddish can be the steal of this draft because he has the measurables and the
skillset to flourish alongside Young, Collins and Huerter.
“We
feel really good about getting Cam,” Schlenk said over the summer. “Obviously you take the skill and what he
brings on the basketball [court]. Going through Duke, and they have one of the
best programs in the country, top class under Coach K. So, we just feel really
good about it.”
The
Hawks continued their wheeling and dealing after the draft sending Hill and
center Miles Plumlee to the Memphis Grizzlies for forward Chandler Parsons, who
is in the final year of four-year, $94 million deal he signed in the summer of
2016.
In
a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Hawks acquired guard/forward Evan
Turner (6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 46.0 FG% w/Trail Blazers), who is entering
the final year of a four-year, $70 million deal he signed also in the summer of
2016 in exchange for guard Kent Bazemore, the last player on the Hawks’
franchise setting 60-win squad in 2014-15 that made it to the Eastern
Conference Finals.
“We
are very happy to add Evan to our team, a veteran who we believe can help our
club,” Schlenk said about Turner, whose previous nine seasons were with the
76ers, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and aforementioned Trail Blazers the
past three seasons. “The versatility he has shown throughout his career will be
valuable for us this season.”
Forward
Omari Spellman, the No. 30 overall pick in June 2018 was dealt to the five-time
defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors for center Damian
Jones and a 2026 Second-Round pick.
The
Hawks in a prior deal with the Warriors acquired cash considerations of $1.3
million and a 2024 Second-Round pick in exchange for the No. 41 overall pick in
this past June’s draft in forward Eric Paschall out of the Villanova
University.
In
free agency, the Hawks re-signed veteran swingman Vince Carter on Sept. 20 (7.4
ppg, 38.9 3-Pt.%), who will be playing in an NBA record 22nd and
final season in “The Association.”
To
put this milestone into context, the No. 5 all-time leader in games played
(1,481) and the No. 6 ranked in threes made (2,229) will become the first
player in NBA history to appear in a game in four different decades and will
join Nat Hickey, Robert Parish, and former Hawks big man Kevin Willis as the
only players to appear in a game at age 43 or older when he turns that number
on Jan. 26, 2020.
The
Hawks also in free agency signed veteran forward Jabari Parker (14.5 ppg, 6.6
rpg, 49.3 FG% w/Bulls & Wizards) to a two-year, $13 million deal in the
off-season.
“For
me, I’m just gonna go out there and play. Have fun and hopefully we play well
enough where maybe we’re in the hunt for a playoff spot,” Carter said on Media
Day about his approach to his final season in the NBA.
More
than anything, Vince Carter is the reason why the Toronto Raptors are where
they are essentially and why a flood of players are in the NBA now.
Bringing
back Carter and the additions of Crabbe, Turner and Parker will provide that
necessary veteran leadership that will be important for the development of
Young, Collins, Huerter and the other young Hawks.
NBATV
analyst Earl Watson said that in his last year in the league with the Trail Blazers
in 2013-14 he and then rookies in Crabbe, CJ McCollum and second-year players
in Will Barton, now of the Denver Nuggets and Meyers Leonard now Miami Heat
would be in the gym early and be prepared by Watson on the sacrifice and hard
work it takes to have a long NBA career.
“Hopefully
Allen Crabbe and Evan Turner can do that for these young wing players, and if
they do, this team could be special in late April,” Watson said.
Reddish
specifically if he wants to have a long and productive NBA career needs to get
a hold of Carter and responsibly shadow him because he amongst the main vets on
the Hawks can show him how to be a star player in the NBA, which he became.
The
Hawks are two years removed from 10 straight appearances in the playoffs,
culminating in a franchise record 60 wins and an appearance in the Eastern
Conference Finals four years ago, where they were swept 4-0 by four-time Finals
MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While
they have endured two straight losing seasons, Owner Tony Ressler likes the
direction GM Travis Schlenk through this massive rebuild has provided salary
cap space, draft picks and financial flexibility that has set the Hawks up for
long term success.
With
a young and dynamic 1-2 punch of Trae Young and John Collins; a sharp-shooter
in Kevin Huerter; talented and exciting prospects in De’Andre Hunter and Cam
Reddish; a solid leader on the sidelines in Lloyd Pierce; and a war chest of
assets to use next summer when the contracts of Evan Turner, Chandler Parsons
and Allen Crabbe come off the books, the Atlanta Hawks from the front office,
to the coaching staff and the roster is aligned for achieving their dream of
being a playoff perennial and hopefully a championship caliber team down the
road.
“When
you’re reshaping a roster, and you’re rebuilding a franchise, you need hope.
And the Atlanta Hawks, they have hope,” former Hawks GM from 2015-17 and now
NBATV analyst Wes Wilcox said back on June 21.
Best
Case Scenario:
The Hawks win close to 40 games and are in the hunt for that No. 8 and final
playoff spot. Young and Collins continue to build that great chemistry on the
hardwood. Hunter and Reddish make either the All-Rookie First or Second Teams.
Coach Pierce sees solid improvement, especially at the defensive end.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Hawks regress in their maturation. Young slides in his production and the
rookies have more low moments than high ones.
Grade: B-
Boston
Celtics: 49-33
(3rd Atlantic Division; No. 4 Seed in East) 28-13 at home, 21-20 on
the road. Defeated the No. 5 Seeded Indiana Pacers in East Quarterfinals 4-0.
Lost in the East Semifinals against the No. 1 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks 4-1.
-112.4
ppg-14th; opp. ppg: 106.6-8th; 44.5 rpg-22nd
Inconsistency
amongst the two All-Star acquisitions from last summer and the core young
players fractured the locker room of the Boston Celtics a season ago as they
fell way short of their championship expectations after being just one game
from it the season prior. With a new lead All-Star guard in the fold, along
with three new rookies, the question for the Celtics are they a better team
without their quirky, yet talented All-Star floor general and their stabilizing
big man?
Right
from the start of the 2018-19 campaign head coach Brad Stevens squad was nowhere
near the team that came within one quarter of dethroning then four-time Kia MVP
LeBron James and the four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland
Cavaliers in the late spring of 2018.
While
they showed signs of turning the corner with a 4-0 sweep in the First-Round
against the Pacers and took down the No. 1 Seeded Bucks in Game 1 of the Semis,
they were overwhelmed the next four games to fall to the Bucks in the
Semifinals in five games.
All-Star
lead guard Kyrie Irving had a weird season in 2018-19, where he put up solid
numbers of 24 points and seven assists—but his quirky demeanor rubbed his younger
teammates the wrong and fractured the locker room.
To
put into context how the team played with and without Irving a season ago, they
were 37-30 when he played and 12-3 without him.
Jayson
Tatum (15.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 45.0 FG%, 37.3 3-Pt.%), who team option of $9.9
million was exercised and Jaylen Brown (13.0 ppg, 46.5 FG%), who agreed to an four-year,
$115 million extension on Monday took a major step back from how they performed
in the 2018 playoffs where Tatum played as if he was the best player on the
hardwood as a rookie.
Tatum
in the 65 games Irving was in the lineup last season averaged 15.1 points on
44.3 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three-point range, compared
to the averages 18.6 points on 47.6 from the field and 41.1 percent from
three-point range in the 14 games when Irving was out.
To
illustrate this even further, Tatum last season connected on just 37 percent of
his shots from mid-range and just 36 percent on corner threes, compared to the
accuracy of 44 percent he shot from the mid-range and 54 percent on corner
threes in 2017-18.
“[I
was] making the game tougher than I probably should have,” Tatum said in early
October. “Last year was kind of funky in all aspects. I understand that. I
acknowledge that, and I’m just trying to be better this year.”
Over
the summer, Tatum’s worked with famed trainer Drew Hanlen, who put him on the
program he used for Wizards two-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal earlier in his
career of eschewing long twos and putting more emphasis on taking more
efficient shots.
Tatum
tried to put that into practice in his time with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup
in China in September, where head coach Gregg Popovich of the five-time NBA
champion San Antonio Spurs preached the .5 second system of each player on the
floor had half-second to shoot, drive or pass after they caught the ball.
“He’s
been great,” Coach Stevens said of Tatum, adding this year’s training camp has
been “by far” his best. “He’s shot it. He’s drove it. He’s been aggressive.
He’s not hesitating on his three.
“I
think whatever he needed to improve on, it’s been pretty obvious, but you still
have to build on those habits, and it takes time. He’s really made great
strides. I thought it started at the end of last year, continued through the
summer, and now you can see it. [He knows], “This is what we are doing.
After
some up and down moments early last season, where he came off the bench 18
games in 2018-19, All-Star Gordon Hayward (11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg 46.6 FG%), who was
one year removed from a serious leg injury show signs of the player that he was
with the Utah Jazz averaging 14.7 points on 60.0 percent shooting the final 14
games of last season.
“I
stayed here all offseason, here in Boston and I was able to have a summer with
no restrictions,” the All-Star said to NBATV’s Kristen Ledlow at Media Day on
Sept. 30 about building on his finish to last season. “So, I could train as
much as I wanted to and I was able to get, you know, my reps in and kind of
train like I’m used to. And so, that’s helped me out a lot.”
If
the Celtics are going to be the team that is at the level of the Bucks and
Philadelphia 76ers in the East, Hayward has to get back to that top player
level he was with the Utah Jazz, where he can dominate a game with his play as
a scorer and facilitator.
Also,
Coach Stevens has to decide who will start at the small forward spot between
Hayward or Brown and also has to decide whether to either start 2018-19
All-Defensive First-Team guard Marcus Smart (8.9 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.8 spg-Led
team), who was a shell of himself on both ends of the floor after signing a new
deal last summer in the starting lineup or off the bench.
“I
think that was my biggest challenge, like last year things didn’t always go my
way but I didn’t complain. I didn’t point fingers,” Brown said on what he
learned about himself last season. “You know, I just tried to make the best of
my situation and it took a lot for me to do that.”
When
all signs pointed to Irving leaving in free agency, Celtics nation,
figuratively speaking had no problem driving him to the airport to get him out
of their city.
General
Manager Danny Ainge in a deal with the Charlotte Hornets found Irving’s replacement
in acquiring via a sign-and-trade three-time All-Star Kemba guard Walker (25.6
ppg-10th NBA, 5.9 apg, 35.6 3-Pt.% w/Hornets) on a new four-year,
$141 million super max deal and a 2020 Second-Round pick (via New York Knicks
or Nets) in exchange for Terry Rozier and a protected 2020 Second-Round pick.
“The
organization itself. One of the best ever,” the 2018-19 All-NBA Third Team
selection said to NBATV/NBA on TNT’s Kristen Ledlow on why he wanted to join
the 17-time NBA champions. “So many championships and, you know, when everybody
thinks of the Boston Celtics, you know, they think of a winning culture.”
“And
unfortunately, you know, I haven’t been able to be part of a consistent winning
culture and that’s what I want to be a part of. Something really special and
Boston is perfect, you know? It’s a sports town. They love basketball. The fans
love, you know, guys who compete each and every night and, you know, I just
think I fit perfect with that mold. So, I’m excited to finally get things
started and get it rolling here in Boston.”
The
chemistry might be better with Walker in the fold. But will the C’s win more
games and advance in the playoffs?
Walker,
Tatum, Brown, and Smart got to get a head start on building that chemistry on
Team USA at the aforementioned FIBA World Cup this summer.
“It
was a great experience obviously,” Tatum, said to Ledlow about competing in the
FIBA World Cup in China in September, that he missed most of because of an
injured ankle. “Obviously we didn’t accomplish our goal. I only played two
games but being with my new teammate, old teammates, playing with guys that I
compete against all the time. Getting to play for Coach Pop, Steve Kerr, and
Lloyd Pierce, and Jay Wright, you know was an honor, especially Pop. He reminds
me of Coach K [Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski]. So, I’m very fortunate to play for two
of the best coaches of all-time. It’s an experience I’ll always remember.”
General
Manager Danny Ainge said in a statement by the Celtics of extending Brown, “Jaylen
has made tremendous strides over the last three years and has become a fantastic
for us on both ends of the court. He’s a great person and hard worker, who at
22 years old, can score and defend against the best players in the NBA. Jaylen
is a true professional who did a great job accepting his role last season, and
he is a major part of our championship goals.”
Not
only did Irving walk in free agency this summer, veteran All-Star center Al
Horford declined his $30.1 million option on the final year of his contract and
bolted in free agency and signed with the archrival Philadelphia 76ers.
To
fill that void, the Celtics signed power forward/center Enes Kanter (13.7 ppg,
9.8 rpg, 54.9 FG% w/Knicks and Trail Blazers) in free agency on a two-year, $10
million deal, with the second year being a player option and re-signed reserve
big Daniel Theis (5.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) to a two-year, $10 million deal.
The
positives with Kanter, he is a better scorer and rebounder than Horford,
especially on the offensive glass. The negative, he is nowhere the defender, especially
help defender that Horford has been his entire career. Also, Horford was a
great passer and he was the kind of player when he spoke everyone opened their
eyes and ears and took in what he said.
“The
most important thing for me was off course was the team chemistry and the
coach. And Coach Brad is the type of coach that tells you what you need to
hear. Not what you want to hear,” Kanter said to Ledlow about why he signed
with the Celtics, adding, “and he gives you freedom.”
“So
that’s why I just wanted to come here and just go out there, and just play
hard, play smart, and have fun. I feel like we have something very special. So,
we just gotta out there and just focus on what we can focus on.”
Kanter
and Theis will especially be counted on this season because the Celtics not
only lost their defensive anchor in Horford, they dealt away center Aron Baynes
to the Suns along with the draft rights to guard Ty Jerome, the No. 24 overall
pick in June’s draft for a 2020 First-Round pick (via Bucks), which is lottery protected.
They also might turn to 25-year-old Vincent Poirier from France or second-year
center Robert Williams III.
In
June’s draft, the C’s selected at No. 14 overall Romeo Langford out of Indiana
University. They traded the draft rights to swingman Matisse Thybulle, the No.
20 overall pick to the 76ers for the draft rights to the No. 24 overall pick in
guard Ty Jerome, who was later dealt to the Phoenix Suns, and the No. 33
overall pick in guard Carsen Edwards out of Purdue University. With the No. 22
overall pick, the Celtics chose forward Grant Williams out of the University of
Tennessee.
Langford,
a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, who averaged 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds
played nowhere close to the level in his lone one with the Hoosiers compared to
what he did as a high schooler. He played most of last season with a torn
ligament in his right thumb, which explains why he shot just 44.8 percent from
the field and a woeful 27 percent from three-point range last season averaged.
He did use his uncanny ability to attack the rim, which got him to the foul
line 194 times last season.
“I
know what I’m capable of doing. I’ve been doing it for a long time, at a young
age,” Langford said to Taylor about the faith he had he would be a lottery
pick. “So, there really wasn’t too many doubts in my head that I was going to
be in the lottery.”
The
Celtics also are very high on Williams, a two-time South Eastern Conference
(SEC) Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American, who despite
being undersized at the power forward at 6-foot-7 spot simply got better and
better, as evidenced by his SEC leading 18.8 points, with and 7.5 rebounds on
57 percent shooting.
The
finalist for the Karl Malone Award in 2019 as the best power forward in college
basketball brings a work ethic and a focus to get better, which is how he
developed into an excellent scorer on the box and improved defensively.
Edwards,
a two-time AP All-American, the first Boilermaker to do that since Glenn “Big
Dog” Robinson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1994 draft by the Bucks brings a
scoring mentality, with the ability to make shots from the parking lot. The
six-foot strong guard averaged 24.3 points last season, No. 9 in Division I
hoops, and the most by a Big Ten player since 1994-95. In the 2019 NCAA
Tournament this past spring, Edwards averaged 34.8 points, making a Tournament
record 28 triples. Edwards also has the ability to get to the charity stripe,
which he did 221 times in 2018-19.
The
Celtics also took a flyer on undrafted 7-foot-7 center out of University of
Central Florida Taco Fall, who after his play during the MGM Resorts Summer
League in Las Vegas, NV in July signed a two-way contract earlier this week.
might be limited at the offensive end coming in, he has the one thing you
cannot coach-size. He will at least get a good look in the NBA’s G-League and
if he develops could get some run with the Celtics.
“I
just think it’s a good group,” Coach Stevens said about his first impressions
of Langford, Edwards, Williams and Fall from summer league to now. “They work
the right way. They have the right mind set. They’re willing to be coached.
They’re willing to be talked to by the older players. And yet, they’re not afraid
to share their own thoughts. I like that. Very respectful group of people.
We’re excited to have them.”
The
Celtics also made additions to their coaching staff in former WNBA star Kara
Lawson, who also was a color analyst for the Washington Wizards for NBC Sports
Washington the last two seasons and spent time with ESPN, as well as former
WNBA player Allison Feaster as Director of Player Development.
“We
hired Kara and Allison because their tremendous,” Coach Stevens said. “The
thing that stood out in interviewing Kara was, you know, her wealth of
knowledge about the NBA game. She’s a really humble person, whose achieved at
the highest level, whose excited to coach and who was the best candidate for
our job period.”
In
Feaster, Coach Steven said she was the best candidate for the off the court
role designed to help the players in their personal growth and to handle the
different needs each player has.
The
Celtics underachieved last season losing in the Semis against the Bucks in five
games. They said goodbye via free agency/trade to five key parts of last
season’s playing rotation in Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Terry Rozier, Aron Baynes
and Marcus Morris this summer.
While
they gained an All-Star in Kemba Walker, whose is ecstatic to be part of
playoff team, there is a question if he, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Marcus
Smart and Jaylen Brown have the goods with Enes Kanter, and youngsters Carsen
Edwards, Romeo Langford, and Grant Williams to compete with the Bucks and 76ers
for supremacy in the East?
“We
played without Kyrie last year and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals,”
Smart said on the July 29 edition of ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump” on the Celtics
proving the naysayers wrong about their chances this season. “So, it can be
done, you know? And I think having that chip on our shoulder is that extra
motivation that we needed to get us over that hump and keep going. I think it’s
going to work out for us.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Celtics are fighting for homecourt advantage in the East playoff race. Walker
is an All-Star for the fourth time in his career. Hayward, Tatum, and Brown
return to the level they played at both ends in the 2018 playoffs. Coach
Stevens team reaches at least the Semifinals.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Celtics do not have homecourt advantage in the postseason. There is more
division in the locker room. Hayward, Tatum, and Brown have underachieving
seasons again. The Celtics get bounced in the opening-round.
Grade: C
Brooklyn
Nets: 42-40
(4th Atlantic Division; No. 6 Seed in East) 23-19 at home, 19-22 on
the road. Lost in Quarterfinals against the No. 3 Seeded Philadelphia 76ers 4-1.
-112.2
ppg-15th; opp. ppg: 112.3-18th; 46.6 rpg-7th
The
Brooklyn Nets this past spring earned their first postseason appearance since
2015 this past spring. It was the culmination of craft moves made by the front
office to get hungry and scrappy players that the head coach turned into key
cogs of a playoff team. Now with the addition of two perennial All-Stars and
NBA champions, mixed in with those scrappy players and a couple of solid
veteran additions, and new ownership, the question is for the Nets is are they now title
contenders?
While
the Nets made the playoffs in 2014 and 2015, that swing for the fences deal for
future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and now current NBA studio analyst for ESPN
Paul Pierce-strapped their ability to improve the roster and resulted in a
three-year postseason drought.
Through
some strategic maneuvering by GM Sean Marks in the front office and amazing
work done on the hardwood by head coach Kenny Atkinson the past three years,
the Nets went from a cellular dweller to a team that recovered from an 8-18
start a season ago to a 34-22 finish that got them into the playoffs, where
they fought hard but eventually fell to the more talented 76ers in five games.
The
Nets identity of playing hard and together and utilizing their ability to make
threes is how they went 28-18 in games decided by single digits, which
consisted of an 18-6 finish following a 10-12 mark in those games early last
season.
A
breakout season by D’Angelo Russell, one of the players the Nets took a chance
on when they acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2017
played a major role in the Nets making the playoffs.
After
coming back from what at first looked like a season-ending injury to his right
leg that he sustained on Nov. 12, 2018, a 120-113 loss at the Minnesota
Timberwolves, third-year swingman Caris LeVert (13.7 ppg, 3.9 apg) eventually
returned to the lineup after missing 42 games, and performed very well in the
series against the 76ers, averaging 21.0 ppg on 49.3 percent from the field and
46.2 percent from three-point range. That earned LeVert a new three-year, $52.5
million contract extension on Aug. 26, 2019.
Sharp-shooter
Joe Harris, the No. 33 overall in 2014 by the Cleveland Cavaliers and entering
the last year of a two-year, $16 million deal registered career-highs of 13.7
points on 50.0 percent from the field and a league-leading 47.4 percent from
three-point range and won the Foot Locker Three-Point contest at All-Star
Weekend last February.
Starting
center Jarrett Allen (10.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg-Led team, 59.0 FG%) grew by
leaps-and-bounds a season ago both as a lob threat, rebounder, shot blocker and
all-around defender, especially in space and the Nets rewarded him by
exercising the option on his contract for the 2020-21 season.
Spencer
Dinwiddie (16.8 ppg, 4.6 apg) another former Second-Round pick, No. 38 overall
by the Detroit Pistons in 2014 came to the Nets in the 2016 and went from an
unknown into a Kia Sixth Man of the Year finalist a season ago, which was a big reason, the Nets were No. 2 in bench scoring at 48.2 in the league a season ago and earned
him a three-year, $34 million extension in Dec. 2018.
That contract came courtesy of scoring a career-high 39 points in the Nets 127-124 win over
the 76ers on Dec. 12, 2018. Authoring a double-double of 37 points and 11
assists off the bench in the Nets 134-132 double overtime win over the
Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 26, 2018, his third game of 30-plus points off the
bench, matching Clifford T. Robinson franchise record in the 1980-81 season. He
scored 25 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and overtime of the Nets
145-142 win at the Houston Rockets on Jan. 16.
“It’s
been phenomenal,” Dinwiddie said to NBATV’s Ro Parrish during NBA Summer
League in Las Vegas, NV in July. “A lot of that credit goes to Kenny and Sean.
Sean instilling that confidence and belief and Kenny doing the same on the
court. And beyond that just continuing to work hard, and kind of being
flexible, and adapting to whatever role.”
Another
gem the Nets found in the Second-Round was the 40th overall pick in
the 2018 draft in forward Rodions Kurucs (8.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 45.0 FG%), who
showed an ability to be active whether as someone who can score at the rim off
of cuts in the half court or his ability to score in the open court.
The
Nets got themselves into position to sign two A-List stars this off-season by
trading Allen Crabbe and his $18.5 million salary, and the No. 17 overall pick
in the recent draft, which went to the New Orleans Pelicans to the Hawks for
small forward Taurean Prince (13.5 ppg, 39.0 3-Pt.% w/Hawks); a protected 2020
First-Round pick and a 2021 Second-Round pick on July 6.
“I
think how versatile a lot of us are and how interchangeable we are in the
positions we play,” Prince, who signed a two-year, $29 million extension on Monday said at Media Day to YES (Yankee Entertainment and Sports) Networks' Ryan Ruocco and
Sarah Kustok about he will fit in with the rest of the squad. “One through Four
can pretty much play it all. Bring the ball up the court and I think that’s
gonna serve a purpose for us in being that much more difficult to guard.”
The
also did not make a qualifying offer to forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson; did
not re-sign big man Ed Davis or fellow veteran forward Jared Dudley and traded
veteran forward DeMarre Carroll in a three-team deal to the Spurs.
On
draft night, the Nets traded the draft rights to the No. 27 overall pick in
center Mfiondu Kabengele to the Los Angeles Clippers for the draft rights to
the No. 56 overall pick in guard Jaylen Hands out of UCLA and a 2020
First-Round pick.
That
gave the Nets the necessary salary cap space of $46 million, which they used to
sign perennial All-Stars in two-time champion, and two-time Finals MVP Kevin
Durant and Kyrie Irving and sent shockwaves not just in the Tri-State New York
area but the entire NBA.
Durant
(26.0 ppg-8th in NBA, 6.4 rpg, 5.9 apg, 52.1 FG%, 35.3 3-Pt.%
w/Warriors), a 10-time All-Star came to the Nets via sign-and-trade in a three-team
deal with the Warriors, came over on a new four-year, $164 million super max
deal, along with a protected future First-Round pick, with Russell heading out
West, along with reserve guards Shabazz Napier and forward Treveon Graham, who
were dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Irving,
an All-NBA Second-Team selection this past season (23.8 ppg, 6.9
apg-career-high, 5.0 rpg-career-high, 48.7 FG%, 40.1 3-Pt.% w/Celtics) joined
the Nets on a four-year, $141 million super max extension.
“I’m
looking forward to playing with Kyrie the most right now,” Dinwiddie said to
NBATV’s Ro Parrish during NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League back in July.
“Obviously it’s going to make my life a lot easier. He’s a phenomenal player,
multi-time All-Star. He’s gonna get us a lot of easy shots. So, it’s gonna be
fun.”
Joining
the two stars in the BK are center DeAndre Jordan (11.0 ppg, 13.1 rpg-3rd
in NBA, 64.1 FG% w/Mavericks & Knicks), Irving and Durant’s teammate on the
2016 Gold Medal-winning U.S.A. Men’s National team on a four-year, $40 million;
small forward/shooting guard Garrett Temple (7.8 ppg, 34.1 3-Pt.% w/Clippers
& Grizzlies) on a two-year, $10 million deal; and forward Wilson Chandler
on a one-year deal. The Nets also signed swingman David Nwaba (6.5 ppg, 48.1
FG% w/Cavaliers) to a two-year deal, $3.5 million deal.
Durant,
a nine-time All-NBA selection told NBATV/NBA on TNT’s Kristen Ledlow on the
deciding factor that led to him, Irving and Jordan joining forces in Brooklyn
was the culture that was established and how much those three can add to the
equation in terms of taking the Nets to a championship level with their
experience, and what each of them has accomplished individually.
The
Nets along with adding two superstars, got one of the elite rebounders and rim
protectors in the game in Jordan. A veteran perimeter defensive ace in Temple,
who along with Prince and Harris give the Nets three prolific snippers from
three-point range, along with Chandler. Above all, the Nets have depth and
versatility, which should serve Coach Atkinson well, with the ability to play a
high number of different playing combinations.
“Veteran
leadership is extremely important in this game. I think DeAndre Jordan and
Garrett Temple are gonna help provide that,” Dinwiddie said to Parrish.
“Obviously D.J. is a perennial All-Defensive caliber person and Garrett Temple
obviously has had a lengthy career and is a phenomenal shooter. So, they’re
both gonna add great benefits to the team.”
The Nets also have new ownership as Joesph Tsai, the billionaire co-founder of the China-based global internet company Alibaba Holding Ltd. signed a record $2.35 billion deal to purchase the remaining 51 percent of the team as well as Barclays Center from Russian billionaire owner Mikhal Prokorov at $3.5 billion, marking the highest price ever for a sports franchise, beating out the $2.2 billion now Houston Rockets paid by David Tepper to purchase the NFL's Carolina Panthers and what Tillman Fertitta paid to buy the Houston Rockets in 2017.
To put into perspective how big this moment was for the Nets this summer, from 2007-09 during the "great recession" then owner Bruce Ratner had what then general manager Bobby Marks, now with ESPN as their NBA Front Office Insider called "furlow Fridays" where members of the front office had to take an unpaid day off.
"I sat in those budget meetings. I knew where we were balancing the books," Marks said in late August on ESPN's "NBA: The Jump." "We traded Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter for $.20 on the dollar there."
When Prokhorov purchased the Nets in 2010, they were in debt for $300 million and were sold for as mentioned $2.35 billion.
"It has been an honor and a joy to open Barclays Center, bring the Nets to Brooklyn, and watch them grow strong roots in the community while cultivating global appeal," Prokhorov, who saw the Nets move from New Jersey to Brooklyn a decade ago said in a statement two months ago. "The team is in a better place today than ever before and I know that Joe will build on that success, while continuing to deliver the guest experience at Barclays Center that our fans, employees, and colleagues in the industry enjoy. Without Brett's innovative foresight and leadership, we would not be where we are today with the Nets and Barclays Center."
The
only hitch is that Durant will likely miss the entire upcoming season as he
recovers from off-season surgery on his ruptured right Achilles, he sustained
in Game 5 of the 2019 Finals at the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors on
June 10.
“It’s
been cool to see the progress actually. You know, to see how stronger I’m
getting over time, but still got a longways to go. But I’m just trying to stay
locked in and also still support the guys along the way.”
“Obviously
I’m so used to wanting to get up every day and prove to my teammates how good I
am, and not being able to do that is frustrating for me. But it’s something I
have to get over and figure out different ways to attack the situation as a
teammate. So, looking forward to, you know, the challenge and figuring out new
ways to help and contribute to the group. But ultimately, you know, my best way
of doing it is rehabbing and getting back and, you know, being a strong player
when I get back from this injury.”
For
those that think if the Nets do well this spring and Durant feels better and
can play, Marks squash those hopes by saying in late September, “the
expectation is he’ll be out for the year.”
“His
rehab will obviously be pre-determined by, you know, over the course of the
next few months. How he goes with our performance team and so forth. But ultimately
Kevin will have a large say in, you know, when he comes back and how he’s
feeling. But the expectations now for him to be out for the year.”
Another
person that will make sure Durant is shielded from any expectation from coming
back early is Irving, who said at Media Day about when he came back in Game 5
of The Finals, “We all know K. was not ready to play in that environment. We
all know that, whether people want to admit it or not.”
“He
was out 31 days and we put him on a national stage in The Finals to end up
selling a product that came before the person Kevin. And now, I’m here to
protect that. I’m going to be here to protector of that all throughout the year
and not allowing anyone to infiltrate that circle of, ‘Hey K. do you. Get
right. We’ll be fine. We have expectations as far as our team.”
The
Nets will also be without Chandler the first 25 games of this season as he was
suspended without pay by the league office after he tested positive for the
performance-enhancing drug Ipamorelin in late August, which violated the NBA and
the NBA Players Association’s Anti-Drug Program.
As
for Irving, he is coming off a season in “Beantown” where his numbers were
great, but added more fuel to the fire of his reputation as a unruly teammate,
who displayed an inability to lead a bunch of young players to great heights as
the Celtics were bounced in the Semifinals against the eventual East runner-up
the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
He
talked on Media Day about how the passing of his grandfather, which happened
two weeks following that famed announcement in front of many Celtics fans at TD
Garden prior to the start of last season. The joy Irving said for the game of
basketball was gone and he never got the necessary medical help to get over
that hurdle and the Celtics paid for it.
For
the Nets to have success this season, Irving has to be able to give of himself
to his teammates because if he does, the Nets can do some very special things
this season, even without Durant on the floor.
Since
the 1970s when Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J.” Irving was roaming the hardwood
for the Nets of the American Basketball Association, when they were winning
titles in the 1970s, the franchise has not found that kind of superstar level
talent since. While the likes of Jason Kidd, Deron Williams, current Hawk Vince
Carter, Derrick Coleman, Kenny Anderson and the late Drazen Petrovic provided a
glimpse of the Nets being contenders, the additions of Kevin Durant and Kyrie
Irving has given the Brooklyn Nets that hope again, especially with a
supporting cast of Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and DeAndre
Jordan.
With
Durant out though likely the entire season, the Nets may not be any better then
they were a season ago, even with Irving. If Dinwiddie, LeVert and Allen can
take their games to another level that could put the Nets in the mix for home
court in the postseason in the weaker East.
The
hopes and dreams of the Nets being serious title contenders depends on the
foundation they lay this season with Irving and how he and Durant perform when he
comes back from his ruptured right Achilles, and how well head coach Kenny
Atkinson can coach this talented group that will have high expectations over
the next couple of seasons.
“It’s
like the first day of school. You’re excited. Obviously, we have new class.
Some new classmates that we’ve added to the team and lost some guys obviously.
So, that’s always an exciting challenge trying to figure out a new team and new
squad,” Coach Atkinson said at Media Day. “Obviously we’ve added some talent,
and I think it’s great for the fans. Great for the city. Great challenge for
our us as an organization to keep moving up.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Nets are in the Top 4 in the Eastern Conference. Irving gels with his new team
and becomes a more mature and patient leader. Coach Atkinson is in the running
for Kia Coach of the Year. The Nets reach at least the Semifinals.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Nets are a lower Seed in the East. Irving’s leadership style creates issues
with his Nets teammates and Coach Atkinson. The Nets get bounced in the
First-Round of the 2020 playoffs.
Grade: A
Charlotte
Hornets: 39-43
(2nd Southeast Division; missed the playoffs) 25-16 at home, 14-27
on the road.
-110.7
ppg-19th; opp. ppg: 111.8-14th; 43.8 rpg-23rd
For
eight years, the Charlotte Hornets had an identity in a three-time All-Star,
even though they never were more than a fringe playoff participant. Because of some bad financial decisions made
by their front office four summers back, said All-Star and their second-best
scorer a season ago are gone. With the future in the hands of a rookie and
second-year forwards and their new lead guard, who they traded for arguable the
best player in franchise history, the question for the Hornets, is what will be
their identity be as they begin this voyage filled with unknowns?
Three-time
All-Star guard Kemba Walker, who averaged a career-high 25.6 points on 35.6
percent from three-point range and the breakout season of Jeremy Lamb, who averaged
15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds are the main and only reasons why the Hornets
remained in playoff contention right up to the last night of the regular season
under first-year head coach James Borrego a season ago.
Swingman
Nicholas Batum (9.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 45.0 FG%, 38.9 3-Pt.%), who signed a
five-year, $120 million deal four summers back averaged under 10 points for the
first time since the 2014-15 campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Coach
Borrego said at Media Day that he expects Batum to come into this season to
compete for minutes, especially after competing in the FIBA World Cup for the
French national team. He did say that despite his inconsistency at the
offensive end, Batum really played well defensively and that will be asked for
him again as well as the rest of the team.
“We
need two-way players. Guys that can compete on both ends of the floor” Borrego
said. “We’re not a one-dimensional team and I think Nic’s one of those guys
with his size, his experience that he can give us some defensive presence out
there.”
Forward
Marvin Williams (10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 36.6 3-Pt.%) who exercised the $15 million
player option of the four-year, $54.5 million deal from the summer of 2016 back
in June has been steady with his production with scoring averages of 11.2, 9.5
and 10.1 points the last three seasons. His but his three-point percentage
during that time at 35.0, 41.3 and 36.6 has been inconsistent with overall
field goal percentage of 42.2, 45.8 and 42.2.
The
acquisition of backup center Bismack Biyombo last summer added the last two
years of a four-year, $72 million deal to their payroll but the production as a
rebounder and shot blocker was almost invisible
Injuries
and lackluster play by former lottery picks in big men Cody Zeller (10.1 ppg,
6.8 rpg, 55.1 FG%) and Frank Kaminsky III and forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
(6.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 47.6 FG%), who exercised his player option this summer, and
recent lottery picks in Malik Monk (8.9 ppg) and Miles Bridges (7.5 ppg, 4.0
rpg, 46.4 FG%) also played a role in the Hornets missing out on the playoffs
again.
Those
bad contractual and trades by owner and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and
GM/President of Basketball Operations Mitch Kupchak to the Hornets roster not
only resulted in the Hornets missing the playoffs for the third straight season
but mangled their salary cap to where they were at a disadvantage in terms of
contract negotiations with Walker and Lamb.
The
Hornets could have saved face by dealing Walker at the trade deadline last February
and not losing him for nothing this summer but did not want the embarrassment
of Walker not representing them at the All-Star Game in Charlotte last February
and they wanted to take a shot at making the playoffs.
“You’re
talking about a substantial contract that goes out many years,” Kupchak said
back in late June about offering Walker a super max deal. “When that happens,
it creates some financial inflexibility that you have to deal with. We have to
be mindful of a Kemba contract, should we be lucky enough to re-sign him. There
could be limitations [on other roster moves] absolutely.”
Not
only did not offer Walker a super-max deal of five years at $221.3 million for
making All-NBA, they did not even offer him a max contract of five years at
$189.7 million.
Instead
through a sign-and-trade dealt the all-time leading scorer at 12,009 points to
the Celtics along with a 2020 Second-Round pick for reserve guard Terry Rozier
(9.0 ppg, 35.3 3-Pt.% w/Celtics), who signed a new three-year, $58 million deal
via a sign-and-trade and a protected 2020 Second-Round pick.
The
Hornets also let Lamb walked in free agency and he inked a new deal with the
Indiana Pacers. More on that later
The
Hornets got a player in Rozier, who was looking for a chance run his own team
after being a backup to All-Star lead guard Kyrie Irving the last two season.
After a stellar 2018 Playoffs where he averaged 14.7 points, five assists and
6.1 rebounds in place of an injured Irving and led the Celtics within one win
of The Finals, Rozier regressed last season shooting just 38.7 percent from the
floor overall and overall has shot just 38.0 percent for his career.
Rozier
is not just replacing an all-time franchise great who was not just the leader
and the face of the Hornets, he was loved and respected by the faithful of the
“Queen City.” That is the kind of responsibility that Rozier, whose only
started 30 games in his career with the Celtics to run the show and be the
leader on the floor for head coach James Borrego with nowhere to hide if he
struggles.
He
sounded like a man ready to take on this new challenge saying on Media Day to
NBATV’s Ro Parrish on Sept. 30, “I’m honored. I feel great to be in this
position to, you know, [to] showcase my talent fully,” Rozier said on Media Day
to NBATV’s Ro Parrish on Sept. 30. “Just for them guys [Jordan and Kupchak] to
believe in me means a lot. I’m looking forward to it and I’m ready for it. I’m
super excited.”
The
departures of Walker and Lamb gone, the Hornets lost their top two scorers from
a season ago gives the likes of Monk a shot at some major playing time.
Hopefully
Monk worked on both his body and his game over the summer to where he can turn
those flashes of brilliance, he has displayed early in his NBA career into
consistent efforts on the floor.
Dwane
Bacon, who really shined at the end of last season, scoring 12.6 points as a
starter the last 13 games of 2018-19 has positioned the No. 40 overall pick two
Junes back to take a huge leap. He brings excellent size at 6-foot-7 220 pounds
and is very eager to prove he deserves to be the starter at shooting guard.
Bridges
pulled no punches about how disappointed he was that he made no serious impact
in his rookie season. He went to work on his game this offseason to the point
that he generated some serious internal buzz about this upcoming season from
the organization. He has all the physical tools needed to have a great career
in the NBA. Bridges needs to simply bring it every night, especially at the
defensive end.
“Just
to be a pest on defense,” Bridges said at Media Day Coach Borrego has asked him
to be more consistent with. “He thinks I can be a Kawhi [Leonard] type player
on defense. So, I feel like I can switch 1 through 5 and make everybody’s job
harder on the offensive end.”
With
the No. 12 pick, the Hornets selected PJ Washington, out of the University of
Kentucky.
The
Associated Press Third-Team All-American, who averaged 15.7 points and 7.5
rebounds in 2018-19 is a combo forward, who really improved his ability to make
shots a season ago in his sophomore season for head coach John Calipari and the
Wildcats, going to making just five triples in his freshmen year to connecting
on 33 of his last 78 attempts from three-point range a season ago.
That
versatility to score down low, make perimeter shots and rebound is a
combination that the Hornets hope Washington, who missed summer league because
of a sore left foot can put on full display
“It
helped a lot,” Washington said to Taylor on draft night about coming back for
another collegiate season. “With it, I don’t think I would be a First-Round
pick. So, I definitely credit Coach Cal and the rest of his staff for having me
back and helping me get here.”
With
the No. 36 overall pick, the Hornets selected forward Cody Martin out of the
University of Nevada, where he averaged 12.1 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5
rebounds on 51 percent shooting, on route to being selected for the 2018-19
All-Mountain West Third Team. He is a solid defender and passer, who is solid
in the pick-and-roll.
At
No. 52, the Hornets selected forward Jalen McDaniels out of San Diego State,
who averaged 15.9 points and 8.3 boards on 46 percent shooting for the Aztecs,
earning All-Mountain West Second-Team honor. While he may be an inconsistent
shooter with a slight frame, he has excellent length and a fluid offensive arsenal,
which is how he registered 20 double-doubles in his two seasons at San Diego
State Only two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard registered more double-figure
games in points and rebounds in two seasons than the 20 McDaniels had in
2018-19.
To
put into context how things have gone for the Charlotte Hornets the since the
start of this century, they have not won a playoff series since defeating the
Orlando Magic in five games in the opening-round when their starting backcourt
was All-Star Baron Davis and current TV color analyst for the Pelicans David
Wesley. Also, they have never won a Division title either when they were in the
Central Division or the Southeast.
The
Hornets, who last made the playoffs in the 2015-16 season enter in the 2019-20 campaign
are embarking on another rebuild, without the face of their franchise in Kemba
Walker. They are putting their faith and future in the hands of Terry Rozier,
PJ Washington, Malik Monk and Miles Bridges to lead them to better days.
Going
by the Hornets lottery picks since 2011, only time will tell if they are the
building blocks for a much brighter future, that is very uncertain.
“When
you have a player of Kemba’s magnitude leave a locker room, you know, let’s see
who steps up? Both on the floor and off the floor” Coach Borrego said about who
emerges as the main leader of the Hornets. “Those guys in there should be
salivating right now at this opportunity that’s in front of them. Both on the
floor and off the floor.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Hornets win 30 games or more and the likes of Monk, Washington, Bridges, Rozier
play consistently for Coach Borrego on both ends of the floor.
Worst
Case Scenario:
Another lost season with no improvement and more questions for the front office
of Owner Michael Jordan and GM Mitch Kupchak.
Grade: F
Chicago
Bulls: 22-60
(4th Central Division; missed the playoffs) 9-32 at home, 13-28 on
the road.
-104.9
ppg-27th; opp. ppg: 113.4-11th; 42.9 rpg-25th
Injuries;
a coaching change and the inability to do anything right on both ends last
season played a part in the Chicago Bulls registering the fifth worst record in
franchise history. Not even a major deal at the trade deadline could swing
things in their direction. With some solid additions this off-season via free
agency and the draft, which includes an intriguing new lead guard joining a
very talented young core, the question for the Bulls entering the 2019-20 is
can they remain healthy enough to really turn the corner?
The
Bulls 32 losses at the United Center in 2018-19 set a single season record for
futility at home in franchise history.
As
bad as the team was offensively, they were just as abysmal defensively ranking
20th out of 30 teams in points allowed.
An
avalanche of injuries to key personnel, totaling 290 games played a major role
in the Bulls’ highly inconsistent offensive production.
2017-18
All-Rookie Second-Team selection Lauri Markkanen (18.7 ppg 9.0 rpg, 38.3 3-Pt.%,
36.1 3-Pt.%), missed the first 23 games this season because of a high-grade
lateral sprain to his elbow, with the No. 7 overall pick by the Minnesota
Timberwolves, who was acquired for All-Star Jimmy Butler two summers back missing
a total of 30 games last season.
The
No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Duke in center Wendell Carter, Jr.
(10.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 48.5 FG%), who showed signs he can be an effective inside
player and outside shooter in his rookie season in 2018-19 was shelved the
final 44 games following season-ending surgery on this thumb.
Carter,
Jr. said at Media Day that he used this summer to carve out a niche for himself
on a talented loaded Bulls team as a defender, saying that even after his
surgery he will be an even better defender with his ability to move laterally a
lot better at the defensive end, while being smarter as well as aggressive on
the offensive end.
“Expect
to see a lot more aggressive Wendell, but smarter at the same time,” he said.
“You know, someone whose just gonna go in, know where I can get my shots from. But
know where my bread and butter is and that’s on the defensive side and
rebounding.”
“I’m
gonna do whatever I can to help the team win on the offensive end that’s
realistic, but definitely see a more aggressive, confident Wendell on the
offensive end.”
Lead
guard Kris Dunn (11.3 ppg, 6.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 35.4 3-Pt.%) whose NBA career has
been shaky so far entering Year 3 missed 36 games a season ago because of
injury as well.
Guard
Denzel Valentine (8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg 37.4 3-Pt.% career), the No. 14 overall pick
in the 2016 draft missed all of the 2018-19 season because of a left ankle
injury.
On
top of that, the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Boise
State University in forward Chandler Hutchinson (5.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg missed a lot
of games last season due to a fractured right toe in a game in late January.
The
lack of poor healthy and abysmal play on both ends of the court led to the
front office firing then head coach Fred Hoiberg in Dec. 3, 2018 after a 5-19
start, being replacing with assistant coach Jim Boylen, whose efforts did not
go any better as the team finished the season 17-41 under his watch.
On
Feb. 6, the Bulls swung a deal to acquire forward Otto Porter, Jr. (13.9 ppg,
5.6 rpg, 46.5 FG%, 40.6 3-Pt.% w/Wizards & Bulls) from the Washington
Wizards, who averaged 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 15 games with the Bulls
in 2018-19.
His
addition brought two things the Bulls desperately needed: consistent outside
shooting, connecting on 48.3 percent of his field goals and 48.8 percent of his
threes, and perimeter defense.
“I
think the mentality of this organization changed since I’ve come here,” Porter,
Jr. said on Media Day about the Bulls playoff prospects this season. “I think
just what we want to do here has changed. So, with that being said everybody’s
on the right page.”
In
the handful of games he and the Bulls top gun from a season ago Zach LaVine
(23.7 ppg-Led team, 4.7 rpg-Led team, 4.5 apg-Led team), the Bulls had a pair
of wings who can give opposing teams something to think about this upcoming
season, provided they can stay healthy.
LaVine,
who entered last season fully recovered from a torn ACL in his right knee two
seasons back connecting on a career-high 46.7 percent from the floor a season
ago and 37.4 percent from three-point range. He also rediscovered his
explosiveness, while maturing as a playmaker and gave Bulls’ nation a reason to
buy tickets. He feels his next step is to become a team leader along with
Markkanen.
“It’s
not a lot of pressure because we expect ourselves to, you know, be and go to
that level,” LaVine said at Media Day on Sept. 30. “The more were on the court
together the better chance we give our team because, you know, we ask for that
pressure. We want to be known as, you know, a great combo. And we want to take
our team to the playoffs.”
Markkanen
added to that by saying, “I feel like we both play better under the pressure
anyway. So, I think it’s a positive thing for both of us.”
If
that dream of being an All-Star is going to come true for LaVine, the team has
to start living up to its own expectations first by staying healthy and being
collectively productive. LaVine also has to protect the basketball a lot
better.
The
difference between guys that are All-Stars in the NBA and superstars is superstars
can carry you by themselves into the postseason; can win a playoff series and
be dominant in the fourth quarter. LaVine and Markkanen have All-Star talent
but which one will emerge and be that special player to take the Bulls to that
next level?
“Everything
comes with winning. I feel like if we win and we’re in the right positions, the
sky is the limit for me,” LaVine, a two-time Slam Dunk champion told ESPN’s
Eric Woodyard earlier this month about his expectations for this season. “I had
an All-Star-caliber year last year, but we had 22 wins so it got a little bit
swept under the rug. But that’s how it’s supposed to be when you have 20 wins.
But if I continue to play the way I’m supposed to, there’s no reason I
shouldn’t be an All-Star or All-NBA type guy.”
What
is also needed for the Bulls to reach their full potential is for Dunn to show
rapid improvement this upcoming season.
Ever
since Chicago native and 2011 Kia MVP Derrick Rose sustained a major knee
injury in the opening round of the 2012 Playoffs, the Bulls have not had that
dynamic leader on the floor at the point guard spot, with great offensive
instincts; natural leadership abilities and the skill to make plays for others.
The
front office of GM Gar Forman and Vice President of Basketball Operations Jim
Paxson thought that Dunn would be that player, but his inability to
consistently make shots, demonstrated by his 42.5 percent from the floor in
2018-19; has been inconsistent at the defensive end.
In
June’s draft, the Bulls selected at No. 7 overall pick Dunn’s possible
successor in Cody White out of the University of North Carolina.
In
a sign-and-trade with the Washington Wizards, the Bulls acquired guard Tomas
Satoransky (8.9 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.5 rpg, 48.5 FG%, 39.5 3-Pt.% w/Wizards), on a
three-year, $30 million deal for a 2020 Second-Round pick and the right to swap
a future Second-Round pick.
The
19-year-old White, who averaged 16.1 points in his lone season for head coach
Roy Williams at Chapel Hill brings both good size at 6-foot-3 and a solid
shooting ability, setting the Tar Heel record for three-pointers made by a
freshmen in a single-season with 82, hitting them at a 35.3 percent clip in
2018-19. He also became the first UNC freshmen to score 30 or more three times
in a season a year ago for head coach Roy Williams, who called him the best scoring
point guard he has ever coached.
“My
game is electric. Play with a lot of energy. Can knock down shots,” White said
of how he describes his game. “I just feel like I play hard, you know, with a
will to win. I definitely think I’m a player nobody sees coming.”
His
ability to play off the ball might allow Coach Boylen to play him and Dunn
together possibly. Meaning, White must become a more consistent shooter, as he
connected on just 42.2 percent of his shots at UNC in 2018-19.
In
Satoransky, the Bulls acquired a swingman with incredible court vision and an
ever- improving offensive game, which he has shown as a starter the last two
seasons when All-Star floor general John Wall has been on the shelf because of
injury. The No. 32 overall pick in the 2012 in the 54 starts he had last season
with the Wizards d averaged 10.7 points and 6.2 assists on 48.6 percent from
the floor and 40.4 percent from three-point range.
The
Bulls also re-signed back-up guard Ryan Arcidiacono (6.7 ppg, 3.3 apg, 44.7
FG%, 37.3 3-Pt.%) to a three-year, $9 million deal.
For
Dunn he has to use this competition for the lead guard spot as motivation to
find his niche that will keep him in the play rotation whether he starts or
comes off the bench.
The
best example of this is current ESPN NBA analyst Chauncey Billups who bounced
around before landing with the Detroit Pistons and played a key role in them
winning a title in 2004 as Finals MVP and almost winning another in 2005. That
is the person Dunn needs to get in contact with to be in his ear and hold him
to account on what he needs to do better.
The
Bulls used the No. 38 overall, which they received in a Jan. 3 trade from the
Memphis Grizzlies forward Daniel Gafford out of the University of Arkansas.
Gafford’s
performance in Summer League intrigued the Bulls and Coach Boylen enough that
they signed him to a four-year, $6.1 million contract this summer.
“We
haven’t really had that lob guy. That guy that can just go up and get it, and
he’s one of those types of players. Plus, he’s unselfish” Boylen said about
Gafford to NBATV’s Rick Kamla and Caron Butler during a Summer League contest
between the Hornets and Bulls. “He’s greatest gift is…he knows who he is, and
he likes that and he likes who he is. He’s not maybe trying to be somebody
else. That doesn’t mean we don’t want him to grow. It’s just knowing who you
are now and help us win with that, and we’ll work on the other things. And he’s
got great sense of that.”
The
Bulls in free agency brought in some veteran experience with the addition of
forward Thaddeus Young (12.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 34.9 3-Pt.% w/Pacers) on a
three-year, $41 million deal and forward/center Luke Kornet (7.0 ppg, 36.3
3-Pt.% w/Knicks) on a two-year deal.
Young,
whose played for the 76ers, Nets and Pacers in his first 12 seasons will bring
to the Bulls that much needed veteran presence that will display a work ethic
and competitive focuses from practice to game day and reinforce any message that
Coach Boylen is trying to get across to his young team.
“The
thing I love about Thaddeus Young is he can still play,” Boylen said about
young to Kamla and Butler. “Sometimes, you add leadership, but they’re long in
the tooth and maybe they can’t be the player they were. So, it’s hard for the
guys to rally around them. He can still contribute and play. He played 81 games
the last two years, and the two games he sat out were games when they [Pacers]
were already made the playoffs, and they just held him out to make sure he
didn’t get hurt.”
“He
can still play. He can still contribute. He can come off the bench. He can
start. He can play a couple different spots for us.”
“So,
what we wanted to do was add quality draft picks, which we did. Two great kids
[White and Gafford] and I think are going to be really good pros. And then we
wanted to build depth those first five guys, and that’s what we’ve done.
Veteran depth” Boylen said about what the Bulls added to the roster behind
Dunn, LaVine, Carter, Jr., Markkanen and Porter, Jr.
Speaking
of Boylen, considering how the Bulls finished up last season under his guidance
from him being unpopular with the fans to how he had to put the clamps on a
reported uprising from the players early into his interim coaching tenure, you
would think Foreman and Paxson would have thought to bring in another person to
be this team’s leader on the sidelines. Instead, he had the interim title
removed and was signed to a three-year deal to be the Bulls new head coach.
The
Bulls really did not have another option and had they did not bring back Boylen,
whose been an assistant for 20-plus seasons with the Warriors, Bucks, Houston
Rockets, Pacers and Spurs it would have been another example of the Bulls’
front office inability to find the right head coach to lead them into a better
future.
The
Chicago Bulls missed the playoffs for a second straight season as they endured
one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The front office as well as the
players have high expectations of competing for a playoff spot. In order to
make that massive jump, Kris Dunn has to establish himself as the starting
point guard. Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen have to become the undisputed 1-2
punch for this team, with Wendell Carter, Jr., and Otto Porter, Jr. playing solid
supporting roles along with the likes of Thaddeus Young, Chandler Hutchinson,
Daniel Gafford, Denzel Valentine, Tomas Satoransky, Cody White, and Tomas
Satoransky.
“Our
goals this year are really simple. First and fore most we want to compete at a
high, high level,” Paxson said at Media Day. “We think we can compete. And when
you compete at a high level, you have the ability to be a playoff caliber team
and we’ve set that as a goal.”
“I
don’t think they’re a playoff team yet, but they’re building in the right
direction,” NBATV’s Sam Mitchell said of the Bulls entering this season.
“They’re in a situation where they are still ascending, but those young guys
need to start showing some promise or they need to go in a different
direction.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Bulls win 35 games and are in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the
East. The starting five of LaVine, Carter, Jr., Dunn, Markkanen and Porter, Jr.
click. Boylen has the team believing in his way of doing things from practice
to gameday. White and Satoransky become a consistent part of the playing rotation.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Bulls go through another season of 55-plus losses and injuries. Dunn is on
the trading block and the Bulls are unresponsive to Coach Boylen.
Grade: C-
Cleveland
Cavaliers: 19-63
(5th Central Division; missed playoffs) 13-28 at home, 6-35 on the
road.
-104.5
ppg-29th; opp. ppg: 114.1-24th; 42.7 rpg-26th
The
four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers said
goodbye for a second time to the proud son of Akron, OH and four-time Kia MVP.
It went just like the first departure in the summer of 2010, where they plummeted
to the cellar of the East standings. With a new head coach from the collegiate
ranks now in the fold; a trio of talented young guards; an intriguing young
forward; and an All-Star likely to be traded more assets for, the question is
for the Cavaliers, who will be celebrating their 50th season is how
long will this rebuild take?
The
avalanche of a rough season in the second go-around without two-time Finals MVP
LeBron James began with an 0-6 start, which led to head coach Tyronn Lue
getting the axe, with three years and $35 million left on his contract. Assistant
coach Larry Drew head took over and things got worse as the team finished 2018-19
22-54.
All-Star
forward/center Kevin Love (17.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg 36.1 3-Pt.%), who was re-signed
to a four-year, $120 million extension in the summer 2018 that begins this
season, missed 60 games a season ago because of injury, with 50 of those
absences came following surgery on his toe. Center Tristan Thompson (10.9 ppg,
10.2 rpg-career-high-Leads team, 52.9 FG%) was also on the shelf for 39 games a
season ago because of injury.
“I do want to be here. I always have,” Love
said about the possibility of being traded later this season to Cleveland.com
in early October. “I say that knowing it’s the NBA and it’s a business. I think
especially after seeing last year, the summer leading up to last year and this
summer, the changeover is like unprecedented so you don’t know what is going to
happen.”
Veteran
guard JR Smith was suspended basically for being insubordinate and basically
told to go in the middle of December 2018 to go home as the Cavaliers tried to
facilitate a trade, which did not occur, and he was eventually cut this summer.
Fellow
veterans George Hill and Kyle Korver were traded early last season, with Korver
being dealt to the Utah Jazz on Nov. 29, 2018, netting a 2020 and 2021
Second-Round pick. Hill was dealt on
Dec. 7, 2018 to the Bucks as part of a
three-team deal that involved the Wizards,
which netted the Cavs reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova (6.0 ppg, 3.6 apg, 35.8
FG%), whose in his second tour of duty with the team; forward/center John
Henson and the Bucks’ First and Second-Round picks in 2021.
If
that was not enough, Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert suffered a stroke in May 26
and had immediate surgery for a catheter-based procedure at Beaumont Hospital
in Royal Oak, MI. The 57-year-old billionaire businessman Gilbert has been back
in Detroit the past two months continuing his recovery and has been doing well
according to an update made in late August by Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner.
“On
Friday, Dan Gilbert returned to Detroit to continue his rehabilitation
locally,” Farner said. “We are extremely thankful for all the skilled medical
professionals who have played a significant role in Dan’s recovery and are glad
to have him back home.”
The
Cavs also lost its longtime play-by-play voice in Cleveland native Fred McLeod,
who passed away suddenly at the age of 67. No cause of death was announced.
The
one bright spot for the Cavaliers a season ago was the play of the No. 8
overall pick pick guard Collin Sexton (16.7 ppg, 40.2 3-Pt.%).
After
a slow start to his rookie season, the All-Rookie Second-Team selection out of
the University of Alabama went from averaging 15.1 points on 40.8 percent from
the floor the first 58 games of 2018-19 to 20.8 points on 47.7 percent shooting
from the floor the final 24 games after the All-Star break, to make the
All-Rookie Second Team. He even increased his three-point percentage from 39.2
percent to 41.3 post All-Star.
“As
a team, I feel like we can’t go backwards,” Sexton said about last season. “We
can only move forward and continue to get better. Last season wasn’t a really good
season for us as a whole. We had a lot of injuries. We had a lot of different
things like that. But we can control coming in and just getting better each and
every day and trying to move forward and focus on the things we can control.”
Another
young player who benefited from increased playing time was sharp shooting
forward Cedi Osman (13.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg), who had the third biggest increase in
scoring average amongst NBA regulars of 9.1 points last season.
One
other bright spot for the Cavs in a lost season was their top bench player
Jordan Clarkson (16.8 ppg, 44.8 FG%), who also came over at the Feb. 2018 trade
deadline from the Lakers was very impressive with a career-high average of 16.8
points on 44.8 FG%.
“If
it happens, it happens,” Clarkson said at Media Day about entering the last
season of his contract. “I want to be here in Cleveland. I like what they got
going on here in terms of everything being new. The coaching staff, everything.
It’s kind of like a fresh start, another one. But, I mean, if it happens, it
happens. If not, I mean, we got to sit down and look what our possibilities
could be.”
While
he had a career-high of 18 double-doubles as season ago, compared to the 21 he
registered his first three seasons, forward/center Larry Nance, Jr. (9.4 ppg,
8.2 rpg-Led team, 1.5 spg-Led team 52.0 FG%) on the other hand took a step back
a season ago and there is a fear that the son of former Cavalier great Larry
Nance, Sr. will be nothing more than a scrappy, lunch pail role player. He said
this summer he is ready to take on a bigger role.
In
a summer full of surprising moves around “The Association,” one of the most
underrated moves occurred in Northeast Ohio when the Cavaliers hired longtime
college coach John Beilein on a five-year deal to be their new head coach.
The
66-year-old Beilein had flirted with coaching in the NBA in past years, but
when that call never came, some in the NBA circle thought his time had passed,
particularly when he reached the age of retirement.
The
Cavaliers and General Manager Kolby Altman decided for the third time to go
with the out of left field choice in Beilein, even with all the challenges that
exist with coaches who make the transition from college, where was a head coach
for 41 seasons at SUNY Erie (1978-82), Nazareth College (1982-83), Le Moyne
College (1983-92), Canisius University (1992-97), University of Richmond
(1997-2002), West Virginia University (2002-07) and University of Michigan
(2007-19), compiling a record of 1,067-611 to the NBA.
In
Coach Beilein’s 12 seasons in Ann Arbor, the Michigan Wolverines reached the
NCAA Tournament nine times, which included two appearances in the Final Four.
Won the Big Ten Conference four times in Beilein’s 12 seasons in Ann Arbor, MI.
His 18 NCAA Tournament wins since 2013 is tied for the most in that span.
“I’m
just thrilled to be in this position. To have the support I have from our
administration and the coaching staff that we put together,” the 66-year-old
Beilein said at Media Day about being the Cavs head coach. “We’re gonna have
this incredible growth mindset all year long. And we’re going to be known for
developing players, developing staff, developing teams. And we’re really gonna
work so hard at really representing the great Cavalier history.”
Joining
Coach Beilein on the sidelines is former Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
as Associate head coach; former Cavs player Antonio Lang and former California
Lady Bears head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, the first NCAA women’s head coach to be
hired by an NBA team.
The
Cavs youth movement suggests that Beilein is the right voice and brings the
kind of authority to be the leader on the sidelines for a young team, which
will get even younger as the Cavs odds of being back in the draft lottery this
spring, providing Beilein with additional players in their late teens and early
20s to nurture.
“I
think John Beilein will do very well,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said during NBA Draft
back in June. “He’s gotten a lot of advice from NBA coaches saying, ‘Just be
yourself,’ and Coach Beilein just being yourself is good enough to do well in
the NBA.”
Coach
Beilein will have five such players like that to nurture this upcoming season
with Sexton and Osman, plus the No. 5 overall pick in lead guard Darius Garland
out of Vanderbilt University; small forward Dylan Windler, the 26th
overall pick out of Belmont University; and the No. 30 overall pick in Kevin
Porter, Jr., whose draft rights were dealt to the Cavs from the Detroit Pistons
for four future Second-Round picks and cash considerations.
Garland,
who averaged 16.2 points on 53.7 percent from the field and 47.8 from
three-point range in just his fourth career game as a collegiate scored 33
points, which was the second most ever by a Vandy freshmen. His time as a
collegiate was cut short though by a meniscus tear in his left knee sustained
the next game that required season-ending surgery in November 2018.
“Just
to stay patient,” the son of former NBA guard Winston Garland, who played seven
seasons in the NBA said to Taylor about the hardest part of coming back from
his knee injury. “That was my hardest part, but I mean, I’ve overcome
adversity. I’m ready to go.”
This
seems very similar to someone the Cavaliers took at the beginning of this
decade, whose collegiate career was limited to just 11 games in now Nets’ perennial
All-Star Kyrie Irving. There hoping that Garland, a three-time “Mr. Basketball”
in Tennessee; who led Brentwood Academy to four high school state titles and
was considered Vanderbilt’s best recruit ever can produce at the kind of level.
The
Cavs were very smitten by Garland’s ability to shoot off the catch, off the
dribble and the ability to get his own shot, particularly his ability to make
shots from three-point range.
The
main question for Garland how well does he fit with Sexton?
Both
players can play well without the ball, but both are more comfortable as the
main floor general, even though Garland’s ability to create for others needs to
improve, although he described his game otherwise to Taylor.
“Young
point guard. Playmaker. Gets his teammates involved, but likes to score as
well,” Garland said in describing his game adding, “Just like to win. I’m a
competitor. So, I’m ready to get to Cleveland.”
The
other thing about both players as Larry Nance, Jr., who entering his fifth
season in the NBA pointed out on Media Day is that they are both good people
off the floor, who are coachable on the floor. Nance also said at Media Day how
during the offseason he has taken Garland, Porter, Jr. and Windler around the
city to the likes of practice of the Cleveland Browns of the NFL and to Indians
baseball game earlier this summer.
Nance
also can remain patient with Garland and Sexton because he is old enough to
share some of the ins and outs of the NBA but young enough, just finishing his
rookie contract to help guide them along the start of their NBA journey.
“Hopefully
I got 10 more years of this. Hopefully I can hang around like Channing [Frye]”
the son of former Cavs great Larry Nance, Sr. said. “
Porter,
Jr., who averaged 9.5 points on 41 percent from three-point range for the USC
Trojans in 2018-19 is the wild card of the Cavs’ 2019 draft class. The Seattle,
WA native has lottery talent with great size at 6-foot-6 as a left-handed ball
handler who create his own shot off the dribble as well as create shots for
others. He make step back jumpers and has a great hesitation dribble, just like
perennial All-Star James Harden of the Houston Rockets, who is Porter’s
favorite NBA player.
A
suspension for poor conduct and injuries not only cost him much of his lone
season with the Trojans but deterred a number of teams early on in June’s draft
from selecting him, even though he was great in his pre-draft workouts. He has also
battled some inner demons that developed from growing up without his father,
who was shot and killed when he was just four years old in 2004.
When
he is focused, Porter, Jr. can be a difference maker. If he wants to make it in
the NBA though, he has to mature both on and off the hardwood.
“Just
be great. Do everything I can for the community. Just do everything that he
would do for the family, and just be me,” Porter, Jr. said to Taylor how he
plans to fulfill the legacy of his dad’s.
“I’ve
been battling through adversity all my life. Still am. So really, it’s just a
learning experience from everything and a growth experience. Adversity, you
know, if you overcame it, that’s great. That’s what it’s there for. But it test
you. It’s challenges that you got to overcome. So, having that at a young age
helped me a lot.”
Windler,
a two-time First Team All Ohio Valley Conference selection was one of two
seniors chosen in the First-Round of June’s draft really made the most of his
four seasons at Belmont and helped them qualify for the 2019 NCAA Tournament,
thanks to his stellar senior season averaging 21.3 points and 10.9 rebounds (10th
NCAA) on 54 percent from the field, which helped his draft stock.
He
has a great shooting stroke; is very offensively sound, is a great cutter in
the half court offensively; is a very creative finisher around the basket and
can really rebound.
Windler
though will start this season on the sidelines due to though will likely miss
the s left tibial stress reaction he sustained in late September during a workout.
He is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.
The Cavaliers as a result of this claimed former Warriors forward Alfonzo McKinnie off waivers at the start of this week.
The
50th season of Cavaliers basketball will provide the fans a chance
to enjoy the past, which includes four straight Eastern Conference crowns and
one Larry O’Brien trophy won in 2016. Other than that, it is all about
stockpiling as many assets as possible. That includes what might come if they
trade Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson by Feb. 2020, and giving their young core
of Colin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance, Jr., Winston Garland, Kevin Porter,
Jr., Jordan Clarkson, and Dylan Windler plenty of time to grow from their
mistakes this season.
“We’re
at the point of the year where our guys and our team, everyone, right, is
improving daily,” Beilein said about the team’s expectations heading into this
season. “Getting better daily. Showing great habits in games and practices. It
won’t be on number of wins. It will be, ‘Are you seeing this steady rise in our
play?’”
“If
we get better every single day, we’re gonna have a heck of a year,” Coach
Beilein said.
Best
Case Scenario:
The Cavaliers win at least 30 games. The Sexton/Garland pairing under Coach
Beilein is productive. Osman and Nance, Jr. take another step in their
maturation. The Cavaliers trade Love and Thompson for future First-Round picks.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Cavaliers victory total is in the teens and own the worst record in the
NBA. Coach Beilein does not connect with his team. The Sexton/Garland pairing
has more low moments than high ones on the hardwood.
Grade: C-
Detroit
Pistons: 41-41
(3rd Central Division; No. 8 Seed in East) 26-15 at home, 15-26 on
the road. Lost in Quarterfinals 4-0 against the No. 1 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
-106.6
ppg-23rd; opp. ppg: 108.1-9th; 45.5 rpg-12th
While
they made the playoffs for just the second time the last decade, the Detroit
Pistons in 2018-19 were a team where that could beat anybody, especially when
their 1-2 punch in the front court played at a high level. They also could and
were beaten by anybody, which is why the went just 7-10 to close out the
regular season and had a quick exit in the postseason. Without a difference
making draft pick and little to no salary cap room to woo a A-List free agent,
the question for the Pistons, who made some decent additions over the summer is
do they have enough around their 1-2 punch in their starting front court?
While
the addition of new head coach Dwane Casey did make a difference in 2018-19, as
the boys from the “Motor City” reached the playoffs for only the second time since
2009. But were swept by the East runner-up the Bucks last spring.
The
Pistons made the postseason because of All-NBA Third-Team forward Blake Griffin
(24.5 ppg-Led team, 7.5 rpg, 5.4 apg-Led team, 46.2 FG% 36.2 3-Pt.%), who the
Pistons acquired in late January 2018 played at an All-Star level.
He
played in 75 games a season ago, displaying good heath for the first time in a
number of years, and played with the kind of offensive aggression in the
low-post that made him must-see television while with the Clippers, while
becoming a consistent three-point shooter.
Those
injury concerns resurfaced late last season as a knee issue injured knee but
Griffin on the shelf the last week of the regular season and the first two
games of the First-Round versus the No. 1 Seeded Bucks. While Griffin played
valiantly in Games 3 and 4 at home, the Pistons were no match for the Bucks,
who took them down 4-0.
Griffin
had an arthroscopic procedure on that injured knee and the Pistons hope a full
summer of rest and recovery will allow him to play to the level he did a season
ago, especially since they are on the hook for the final three years of the
five-year, $173 million deal he signed while still a Clipper two summers back.
“Having
a full summer being healthy, being in the weight room, being in the gym since
the end of May, you know, was a first for me,” Griffin said at Media Day on
Sept. 30 about working on his game in the summer as opposed to rehabbing from
injury, which he had to do the last two to three off-seasons. “So, I really
like this summer, you know, made strides not only in just conditioning and
strength, and getting some explosiveness back and improving there but just in
the gym. Being able to get shots up. Being able to work on my game on the
things I felt I needed to work on for, you know, an entire five months almost.”
Unfortunately, Griffin will be out the first two weeks of the season as he continues according to the Pistons his "treatment and conditioning regimen for left hamstring and posterior knee soreness." The Pistons said that Griffin will be re-evaluated "for a return to action" during the first week of November.
The
Pistons were thrilled to get a full 82-game season out of starting lead guard
Reggie Jackson (15.4 ppg, 36.9 3-Pt.%-career-high), whose inability to remain
healthy the previous two seasons, appearing
in just 52 and 45 games cost former head coach and executive Stan Van Gundy,
who acquired Jackson five seasons back his job.
The
biggest thing for Jackson is becoming more of a true floor general to where he
thinks pass first and shoot second.
“Focus
on getting my mind right. Being in the best place I can be,” Jackson said how
he is entering this season at Media Day. “Being prepared to play however it is
how that we’re gonna play with all these guys.”
The
most consistent Piston the past couple of seasons has been center Andre
Drummond, who averaged a career-high 17.3 points and a league leading 15.6 rebounds
on 53.3 percent shooting, and a league leading 69 double-doubles a season ago,
including nine games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.
In
the last three seasons, only Lakers’ center Dwight Howard (51) and Hall of
Famer Shaquille O’Neal (34) have had more 20/20 games in terms of points and
rebounds than the 24 by Drummond, with 20 such games coming in the last three
seasons, which is why he expects to be offered max money if he opts out of the
last year of the five-year, $130 million deal he signed in summer of 2016 this
offseason.
The
All-Star big man took another step in his maturation as a better defender under
Coach Casey, finishing No. 8 in the league in blocks and steals respectably.
“With
the work you put in, you should be rewarded for it-No matter who you are,”
Drummond said to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press earlier this
month. “If it’s me or even a rookie. Everybody feels like they should
make a maximum amount of dollars.”
Pistons
GM Ed Stefanski did not discuss whether the Pistons are in talks with
Drummond’s representatives about a contract extension, which he is eligible for
as mentioned.
“We
really like Andre the person and the player.” Stefanski said. “So, you never
know what occurs. How it’s gonna happen but we like the player as I said. We
like the person.”
Drummond
added about the mindset for himself this season is to be the Kia Defensive
Player of the Year. He feels he accomplishes that the Pistons will be a “good
team.”
Aside
from the play of Griffin, Drummond and Jackson, the Pistons mark of 28-34
following a 13-7 start last season was due to inconsistent play from the rest
of the roster.
The
Pistons’ front office brass led by GM Ed Stefanski hoped for significant
improvement from second year sharp-shooter Luke Kennard (9.7 ppg, 39.4 3-Pt.%),
who the Pistons exercised their team option on for next season has not established
himself beyond being a knockdown sniper from the perimeter, despite his solid
play in the four-game opening-round sweep against the division rival Bucks 15.0
points on 48.9 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from three-point range.
Reserve
guard Langston Galloway (8.4 ppg, 35.5 3-Pt.%) also struggled with ability to
make shots overall from the field at just 38.8 percent.
The
under achieving former First-Round draft choice Stanley Johnson was dealt in a
three-team deal to the Pelicans at the Feb. 7 trade deadline, that brought big
man Thon Maker, who had his ups-and-downs as well with the Pistons. Former
draft picks in Bruce Brown, who has established himself as a solid perimeter
defender and Khyri Thomas have also struggled at the offensive end in their
brief time with the Pistons.
This
off-season, GM Stefanski used his lone draft pick and limited available salary
cap space, to fortify the roster with a supporting cast that compliments
Griffin, Drummond, and Jackson, especially from three-point range, where they
hoisted more triples of all but five teams last season but connected on fewer
than all but seven squads, connection on just 34.8 percent of those tries.
The
Pistons drafted at No. 15 overall forward Sekou Doumbouya from France, who they
are very high on.
They
acquired the draft rights to Kevin Porter, the 30th overall pick on
draft night back in June and swingman Tony Snell from the Bucks for forward Jon
Leuer. Porter, Jr. was then dealt to the Cavaliers for four future Second-Round
picks and cash considerations.
The
Pistons then traded the draft rights to power forward Isaiah Roby (No. 45
overall pick) and two future Second-Round picks to the Mavericks for small
forward Deividas Sirvydis, No. 37 overall pick from Lithuania.
Doumbouya,
who does not turn 19-years-old until Dec. 23 brings good size at 6-foot-9 and
springs, which has him being compared to the 2019 Kia Most Improved Player
Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors. If the native of Conakry, Guinea If
Doumbouya, who spent the last three seasons playing for a French League squad
can be anything close to Siakam, the Pistons might have their future starting
small forward.
The
acquisition of Snell (6.0 ppg, 45.2 FG%, 39.7 3-Pt.% w/Bucks) will only have
upside if the former Bull can play up to the expectations the Bucks hoped when
they re-signed him to a four-year, $44 million deal in summer of 2017.
The
Pistons signed forward Markieff Morris (9.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg w/Wizards &
Thunder) to add depth to their front court as a floor spacer and banger in the
paint; forward Michael Beasley, who will be playing for his eighth different
team since being drafted a decade ago No. 2 overall to a one-year deal.
With
Ish Smith now with the Wizards in free agency, the Pistons signed 2011 Kia MVP
Derrick Rose (18.0 ppg, 48.2 FG%, 37.0 3-Pt.% w/Timberwolves) to a two-year,
$15 million deal and journeyman floor general Tim Frazier on a one-year, $1.9
million deal. They also added veteran Joe Johnson, the MVP and champion of the
“Big 3” one a one-year deal on Sept. 12, but waived him on Monday.
It
was just four years ago that the Chicago, IL native seemed hobbled and finished
from all the injuries he has sustained and his state of mind, but a long-awaited
resurrection came with the Timberwolves for Rose, which included a career-high
50-point performance on Halloween night 2018 in his former team’s 128-125 win
versus the Utah Jazz on 19 for 31 from the field, including 4 for 7 from
three-point range.
The
addition of Johnson and Rose give the Pistons two guys who can get you a bucket
one-on-one when the game is close and can sink game-winners in the closing
seconds. Rose particularly gives Coach Casey flexibility to use him as Jackson’s
understudy or to play them together to where one can worry about scoring,
depending on whose got it going offensively and who can run the team at the
lead guard spot.
“It’s
a new year. We have new people on the team and we got to have expectations, and
goals,” Rose said, “And the goal is to do better than last year.”
“I’m
trying to like grow as a leader and as a person. So, me coming here, one of my
goals is to be vocal. Helping the young guys out with situations that they’re
not used to and just trying to find that common ground with everyone.”
Since
the 2007-08 season the Pistons, who have gone 372-514 mark have been in a place
you do not want to be in sports-not good enough to compete for the playoffs,
but not good enough to be a real threat. Last season was just their third
playoff appearance since 2009, where they have gone 0-12 and have an NBA record
14 straight losses in the postseason.
With
a more balance attack surrounding Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie
Jackson, the Pistons to a man feel that if they remain healthy and play with a
sense of urgency every night, they can not only make the playoffs for a second
straight season but be a threat in the East.
“I
think we have the mindset to come in and compete every night,” Griffin said at
Media Day about the Pistons approach this season to make it back to the
playoffs. “And if we do that, the fans, the city of Detroit will get behind us
and that’s going to be a big part of it for us.”
“We
know what we have on this team,” Rose said. “And one of the reasons I signed so
early is because I see something. Something that you all might not see but I
see something.”
Coach
Casey added saying at Media Day, “We’re not just here to get by or just to get
in the playoffs. We want to do big things and we’re building that foundation.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Pistons make their second straight appearance in the postseason this spring
at right about the middle of the conference. Griffin is an All-Star again.
Drummond is on the cusp of being an All-Star again. The supporting cast of
Rose, Morris, Kennard, and Snell perform consistently for Coach Casey.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Pistons are fighting again to just make the playoffs. Griffin battles
injuries again. The supporting players perform inconsistently
Grade: D+
Indiana
Pacers: 48-34
(2nd in Central Division; No. 5 Seed in East) 29-12 at home, 19-22.
-108.0
ppg-22nd; opp. ppg: 104.7-1st; 43.0 rpg-24th
Last
season the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers were the
headliners of the Eastern Conference, and deservedly so. So were the Indiana
Pacers, until the season-ending injury sustained by their All-Star guard and
top offensive player. While the team managed to make the playoffs, they just
did not have enough to put any kind of fear in the opposition from “Beantown”
in the playoffs last spring. With some very solid off-season additions and
another year in the system of their solid head coach, the question for the
Pacers is can they challenge in the East this season?
The
Pacers were in the thicket of being a Top 3 team in the East until two-time
All-Star guard Victory Oladipo sustained a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his
right knee in the Pacers 110-106 win versus the eventual NBA champion Raptors
on Jan. 23, that shelved him the final 35 games of last season.
Not
only did head coach Nate McMillan’s squad lose their best offensive player, who
averaged 18.8 ppg, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals but the Pacers lost
their leader inspirational leader, who guided the Pacers to a 25-11 mark with
him in the lineup.
Without
their All-Star, which includes and 11-game absence early into last season
because of right knee issue, the Pacers finished the season 16-19, which
included a 4-13 record on the road with Oladipo on the shelf, and a 23-23 mark
overall.
“My
mind,” Oladipo said at Media Day on Sept. 30 on what he is working on currently
along with rehabbing. “With rehab it pretty much speaks for itself. It’s pretty
strategic the things that I have to do. The necessary steps I have to make. But
your mind is another muscle that you need to work on through this process.”
“So,
for me that’s what I’m focused on is building my mind to be in game shape and
being able to withstand some things that I may not be able to work on playing the
game.”
Pacers’
general manager Kevin Pritchard told reporters in the early part of this summer
that Oladipo may not return to the court until December or at the start of
2020.
“We
don’t have a timetable as far as when he will be back playing, you know? We
will really be takin that day-to-day, you know, possibly month-to-month as far
as when he will be returning to play,” Coach McMillan said to Sirius XM NBA
Radio in late December. “And he will not start certainly, you know, doing
anything in training camp with the team.”
The
good news is that Oladipo has gotten back on the court as was evidence by a
video on the Instagram page @bryccestanhopetraining but has said he will take
his time getting back.
Most
teams that lose their best player in the middle of the season normally just
fall flat and try to come back stronger next year. Head Coach Nate McMillan’s
team simply inspired themselves, regrouped and played inspired basketball, where
they did make it back to the playoffs. It was a credit to Coach McMillan, who
finished fourth in the Kia Coach of the Year voting not allowing his team to
quit when the chips were down.
Contributions
from a Bojan Bogdanovic, who averaged 20.9 points after the All-Star break; Kia
Sixth Man of the Year candidate Domantas Sabonis (14.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg-Led team
59.0 FG%, 52.9 3-Pt.%), who agreed to a four-year, $79.4 million contract extension at the start of this week, that could get as high as $80 million, according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski had
30 double-doubles after totaling just 17 in his first two seasons and an ever
improving Myles Turner (13.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.7 bpg-Led NBA, 48.7 FG%, 38.8
3-Pt.%), who came into last season in the best shape of his life and it showed
in the way he rebounded and protected the rim with his shot blocking, and how
when he did get his opportunities in the low-post or when spotted up off of
pick-and-pops he made the most of them.
For
Turner, who played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in China in September, the
big step he has to take is developing an aggressive mindset at the offensive
end to match his will to block shots and rebound, especially since he and
Sabonis, who started just five games in 2018-19 will be starting in the front court this season.
“I
think offensively we’ll be able to figure it out since we do two different
things,” Turner said at Media Day about playing together with Domantas. “The
biggest thing on offense is being able to know where everybody fits in. How
we’re gonna make the engine roll.”
“And
defensively, just guarding perimeter guys or being able to guard ‘stretch fours’
and all that kind of stuff.”
As
good as those three were, former First-Round pick TJ Leaf and forward Doug
McDermott, who signed a big contract last off-season were very subpar.
McDermott
was specifically supposed to make the Pacers a much better three-point shooting
team at a time when that is the most important aspect of a team’s ability to
consistently score.
While
the Pacers ranked in the Top 10 in three-point percentage for the third
consecutive season in 2018-19, according to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, they
ranked in the Bottom 10 in percentage of their field goal attempts from behind
the three-point arc at 29.2 percent, which was dead last in “The Association.” Overall,
the Pacers finished No. 4 in the NBA in field goal percentage in 2018-19 at 47.5
percent but were 22nd in free throw percentage at 75.1 percent.
This
off-season, GM Pritchard used the Pacers $44.0 million in salary-cap room to bring
in more offensive fire power to the Pacers.
They
acquired via a sign-and-trade with the Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon (15.6 ppg
w/Bucks), who last season joined Hall of Famers Larry Bird, NBA on TNT color
analyst Reggie Miller and Steve Nash, future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, the
Nets Kevin Durant, Mark Price and the Warriors Stephen Curry NBA as part of the
50/40/90 club last season, where Brogdon shot 50.5 percent from the field; 42.6
percent from three-point range and 92.8 percent from the charity stripe. In
exchange, the Pacers sent a future First-Round pick and two Second-Round picks
to the Bucks in the deal.
Pacers
GM Kevin Pritchard at Brogdon’s introductory press conference in early July
that when they were putting their offseason plan together, there was a “10
percent” chance the would land Brogdon in free agency. It was a call made by
owner Herb Simon that made the difference in the Pacers getting a player that
med their three T’s of what their team is based on-togetherness, toughness, and
trust.
“I’m
extremely excited to be here,” the 26-year-old Brogdon said. “It’s a great
opportunity. It’s an organization where I immediately feel extremely valued.”
“They
have a great franchise player in Victor Oladipo and they have a great building
blocks in Myles Turner, (Domantas) Sabonis, guys like that and a great coach in
Coach McMillan. So, I’m excited to be here. Excited to be part of this
organization, and I’m ready to start winning.”
The
2016-17 Kia Rookie of the Year gives the Pacers a guy who can run the offense
at the point and can play just as exceptional off the ball. On top of that, the
Pacers took away a good player from one of their biggest conference rivals and
competitors in the Eastern Conference.
“That
point guard position I felt was the most important position to sign. To be able
to bring Malcolm on board, it feels like the perfect fit for this organization
going to the future,” Coach McMillian said. “Getting this guard combination of
Malcolm and Victor going into the future just feels like the right fit.”
“He
checks all the boxes for us. We talk about character. We talk about leadership.
He has won wherever he’s gone. He’s been very successful in his career from,
you know, college basketball into the pros. He’s a pro. He’s a two-way player
and outstanding guard.”
The
Pacers also acquired forward T.J. Warren (18.0 ppg, 48.6 FG%, 42.8 3-Pt.%
w/Suns) in a three-team deal with the Suns and Heat, who also sent a future
Second-Round pick (via Heat) their direction.
Warren
not only gives the Pacers an offensive threat who can play both forward positions,
he can space the floor with his ability to make threes and his addition softens
the blow of losing Bogdanovic, who left in free agency to join Utah.
“I’m
excited. Very appreciative in them trading for me. Excited to get to work and
just eager to get out there and start playing,” Warren said over the summer.
He
added about being on a team where he could play in the postseason for the first
time in his career, “It makes me feel great…I feel like everyday matters.
Everything is taken seriously and I’m ready to contribute to that.”
They
added another floor spacer in guard Jeremy Lamb this summer, whose career
season in 2018-19 with the Hornets, where his confidence and consistency to
take and make shots in the clutch that led to averages of 15.3 points and 5.5
boards, connecting on 34.8 percent of his triples earned him a three-year,
$31.5 million deal from the Pacers.
Without
Oladipo to start this season, Coach McMillan will need Lamb to play at the
level he did with the Hornets in 2018-19 and for him to get better at the
defensive end.
“I’m
excited about the opportunity. About the potential this team has,” Lamb said. “Ready
for the opportunity, and like I said can’t wait to get started.”
The
Pacers added more depth to their backcourt with the signing of reserve guard
T.J. McConnell (6.4 ppg, 3.4 apg, 52.5 FG% w/76ers) on a two-year, $7 million
deal, who will share the point guard duties with the Pacers 2018 First-Round
draft choice in Aaron Holiday, who will be playing alongside older brother
Justin Holiday (10.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg w/Bulls & Grizzlies), who signed a
one-year, $4.8 million deal with the team in the middle of July.
Both
players will get a chance to earn minutes this season because the NBA dismissed
swingman Tyreke Evans for two years earlier this summer after violating the
league’s anti-drug policy. The Pacers also said goodbye this offseason to
forward Thaddeus Young, now with the Bulls; Bogdanovic, who signed with the
Utah Jazz; guard Cory Joseph, who signed with the Kings and Kyle O’Quinn, who
signed with the 76ers.
With
the No. 18 pick in this June’s draft, the Pacers drafted 20-year-old, 6-foot-11
center Goga Bitadze from Sagarejo, Georgia, who brings a lot of tools to the
table as demonstrated by being the first center to win the EuroLeague Rising
Stars Award, which has been won the last two seasons by the 2018-19 Kia Rookie
of the Year Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
The
2018-19 ABA League MVP and Top Prospect recipient, who played for KK Mega Leks
in Serbia can shoot threes; is an effective scorer in the low post; has a nice
shooting touch around the rim and has great shot blocking instincts at the
defensive end.
“I
want somebody whose gonna play hard and protect the rim and Goga does that,”
Pritchard said back in late June of the Pacers First-Round pick. “It was the
easiest decision we’ve ever made in the draft. We were surprised and thankful
he was there.”
“I
think we can keep our defense similar in that we have now two elite shot
blockers. That’s important. To win big, you’ve got to have one guy protecting
that rim and he takes more pride in that than anybody.”
In
a three-way deal with the Utah Jazz and Warriors on draft night, the Pacers
sent the draft rights of forward Jarrell Brantley, the No. 50 overall pick to
them in exchange for a future Second-Round pick and cash considerations.
For
the third straight season, they come in with a number of new faces in Malcolm
Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, T.J. Warren, and T.J. McConnell to go alongside a healthy
Oladipo, when he returns, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner.
After
four straight opening-round exits in the postseason, this is kind of a make-it
or break-it season for the Pacers, who on paper are prime to make some noise in
the East. But now they have to make it happen on the floor.
“For
us, it’s a year of proving it,” Coach McMillan said about the Pacers upcoming
season. “You know, I think we’ve brought in seven new free agents and we all
have something to prove this season. For me, the last three years we’ve had
decent seasons and we’ve been able to get to the playoffs but it’s been
First-Round and out… I think it’s just a year for us to prove ourselves.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Pacers are fighting for any of the Top 3 Seeds in the East with the Bucks
and 76ers. Oladipo returns to the form that made him an All-Star the last two
seasons and he really gels with Brogdon alongside. Sabonis and Turner gel as a
starting tandem in the front court. Lamb and Warren have major offensive
impacts. The Pacers reach the Semifinals.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Pacers are at the bottom of the East playoff race. Oladipo is not fully
himself off the injury. The supporting cast struggles to play to the level
Coach McMillian wants. They get bounced in the First-Round again.
Grade: A-
Miami
Heat: 39-43
(3rd Southeast Division; missed the playoffs) 19-22 at home, 20-21
on the road.
-105.7
ppg-26th; opp. ppg: 105.9-2nd; 46.3 rpg-10th
The
final season for the future First Ballot Hall of Famer and best player in the
history of the Miami Heat fell short of them making the playoffs last spring.
As one era concluded, another one began with the acquisition of a perennial All-Star
from said future Hall of Famer’s college of Marquette. With the acquisition of the
hopeful newest face of the Heat franchise in place; the draft selection of a
very talented and confidence sharp-shooter and the expected emergence of two
former lottery picks, the question for the Heat is do they have enough to get
back to the playoffs and make some noise?
For
the third time in the last five seasons, the Heat finished outside the playoff
picture in the final season of future First-Ballot Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, a
three-time NBA champion, 2006 Finals MVP and the best player in franchise
history.
To
put into context the kind of season it was for head coach Erik Spoelstra’s
squad in 2018-19, they had 32 games that were decided by six points or less, compiling
a 15-17 record, which included a 6-11 mark in games decided by three points or
less.
With
the retirement of Wade, Hall of Fame head coach and long-time Heat President
Pat Riley and owner Mickey Arison was in search of an A-List star to carry the Miami
Heat forward into the future.
In
a four-team sign-and-trade deal with the Clippers, 76ers and Trail Blazers, the
Heat feel acquired four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler (18.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.0 apg,
1.9 spg-5th NBA, 46.2 FG% w/Timberwolves & 76ers), who came over
in a sign-and-trade of a four-year, $142 million max contract and dealt guard
Josh Richardson to the 76ers.
On
paper, this trade worked out for both parties, where Butler, who could have
played the free agent a number of ways, but chose South Beach for a fresh start
with a team that had a culture that fit his personality and the Heat found in
the 2015 Kia Most Improved Player and four-time All-Defensive Second-Team
selection their star player and anchor moving forward.
“It’s
going to be different because this is where I’m going to be hopefully the rest
of my career,” Butler, who has reportedly been showing up to the facility as early
as 3 a.m. said to NBATV’s Ro Parris on Media Day on Sept. 30. “I think I fit
here. The way that they work. The attitude that they go about everything. It’s
me in a nutshell.”
That
kind of work ethic and no-nonsense attitude was something that rubbed his
former teammates with the Bulls, who drafted him No. 30 overall in 2011 and
with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He seemed to fit in well with the 76ers, even
after a rocky beginning, forming a solid kingship with star center Joel Embiid.
In the end, Butler just wanted to be with a team that fit his style and so far,
his interactions with Riley and Coach Spoelstra as he told Parrish are
“clicking the right way.”
“Were
in constant communication. They love to work. I love to work. And we’re just
gonna have to figure everything out a day at a time. I think we’re doing a
great job of it now. The group of guys that we have love to work. Love to be
around one another, and that’s all you can ask going into training camp.”
One
person he was in constant communication about joining the Heat and what their
culture was all about was fellow Marquette Golden Eagle and Alonzo Mourning, the
team’s vice president and former star center after the early practices picking
his brain on the no-nonsense, we defend at all times culture.
“I
think he would make my job easier, along with everybody else’s,” he said to
Parrish about wishing he could have played with Wade, “but I’m fortunate to
have him as a brother and somebody I look up to. But he’s constantly telling me
about the work and how they expect to win right now. And that’s why I’m here. I
do want to win. That’s why I do this. We will do that this year.”
While
the Heat found their leading man in Butler, they were unable snag a co-star to
go alongside him like perennial All-Stars guard Russell Westbrook and Chris
Paul, who were dealt for each other in the middle of July.
On
the eve of training camp in the last weekend of September signed Coach
Spoelstra, who is entering his 12th season as the Heat leader on the
sidelines to a four-year extension, where according to South Florida Sun
Sentinel will take him through the 2023-24 season.
Even
with that four-year run with James, Wade and Bosh at the start of this decade
where they made it to The Finals and won back-to-back titles in 2012 ad 2013,
the thought was the ball was just rolled out and you just let the players
figure it out.
You
do not compile a 523-363 record and those titles and be the second-longest
tenured active coach in the league like Coach Spoelstra has without being able
to keep your players attention.
Coach
Spoelstra, who has risen in the Heat ranks from video coordinator to an assistant
coach to now the head coach through first demanding of himself to grind and
work; demanded that from the assistant coaches to the players themselves. That
is how he has compiled a 523-363 mark and two titles as the Heat’s head coach
and why the Heat have been one of the best defensive team’s year-after-year
since Pat Riley came to town in the middle of the 1990s.
“I
feel honored to be a part of this organization and to be a caretaker and a
Stuart of this culture that Mickey and Pat started. So, I take it very, very
seriously,” he said to Jeff Fox at Media Day.
“I
think he knows the game a lot better than I do,” Butler said to Parrish about
his relationship in the early going with Coach Spoelstra. “So, I’m here to
learn and I think it’s been just tremendous thus far and I can’t wait to really
get to work.”
The
supporting cast around Butler consists of sharp shooting big man Meyers Leonard
(5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 54.5 FG% w/Trail Blazers), who came over in that four-team
deal from the Trail Blazers.
While
the Heat sacrificed their best player last season in Richardson, they got off the
final season of center Hassan Whiteside’s four-year, $94 million deal, which he
opted into this off-season at $27.1 million.
Leonard
is more of an ideal fit for the Heat due to his ability to make threes
consistently, which he did at a 45 percent clip for the Trail Blazers a season
ago, while also being coachable, which is most important when you play for
Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra.
For
most of his career in “Rip City” Leonard underachieved, but really showed out
in Game 4 of the 2019 Western Conference Finals against the five-time defending
West champion Warriors with a career-high of 30 points with 12 rebounds on 12
for 16 shooting, including 5 for 8 from three-point range.
“It’s
been an amazing experience so far. I’m ready for this new opportunity,” the No.
11 overall pick in the 2012 draft, whose in a contract year said about being
with his new team so far. “The Heat saw something in me and I really appreciate
it.”
Two
players the Heat are also hoping for strong season from former lottery picks of
theirs in reserve big man Bam Adebayo (8.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 57.6 FG%), who seems
primed for a breakout season with Whiteside now in the Pacific Northwest and
swingman Justise Winslow (12.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 37.5 4 3-Pt.%).
While
Leonard will provide shooting from the front court, Adebayo, the No. 14 overall
pick in 2017 will see an uptick in his production to where he does the simply
things-set screens, roll hard and finish above the rim and hit the glass on
both ends more effectively and often. Also, he can defend shifty guards off of
switches in the pick-and-roll.
Last
season For Winslow, who showed how versatile he was a season ago playing both
as a facilitating guard and a much improved three-point shooter. In the 37
games he started at point guard, the No. 10 overall pick in 2015 out of Duke
averaged 14.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 45 percent from the
field and 36 percent from three-point range. The 15 games Winslow started at
forward he averaged just 9.7 points, 5.3 boards and 4.4 assists, hitting just
36 percent of his shots and 30 percent of his threes.
“Last
season the excitement was more about Dwyane and rightfully so. He deserved all
that but the excitement is deserved,” Winslow said at Media Day about last
season. “We’re excited. We’re ready to get on the floor and compete.”
Back
in the summer of 2016, the Heat signed James Johnson (7.8 ppg), All-Star Goran
Dragic (13.7 ppg, 4.8 apg), Kelly Olynyk (10.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 46.3 FG%, 35.4
3-Pt.%), and Dion Waiters (12.0 ppg, 37.7 3-Pt.%) to new deals, which they
earned. Last season however, their production was ups sometimes and down other
times.
Injuries,
which limited Dragic and Waiters to 36 and 44 games respectably a season ago,
and, while Winslow was able to thrive in their absence it ultimately kept the
Heat as mentioned out of the postseason.
Waiters specifically has missed 126 of a possible 246 games in his three seasons with the Heat largely due to injuries to his ankle and subsequent surgery on his foot and ankle.
When
healthy and engaged on both ends, Waiters has shown whether off the bench or as a starter he can score
in bunches and has looked ready to in the early stages of training camp as the
new season approaches.
To
put into context how serious the Heat are about the high standards they have
for the entire organization, Johnson was banished on the eve of training camp
for not meeting the team’s conditioning requirements. He returned to camp in
the middle of this month.
“It
was your standards compared to Miami Heat standards,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t
at Miami Heat standards.”
The
Heat added some more outside shooting with the No. 13 overall pick in June’s
draft selecting Tyler Herro out of the University of Kentucky, who looked very
impressive in Summer League scoring 18, 20, 23, 16, 25, and 15 in those five
games in Las Vegas.
To
put into context the kind of impact the All-SEC Second-Team selection, who was
a Heat fan growing up had had on wins and losses for Coach Calipari and the Wildcats
a season ago, when he scored 15-plus points they were a perfect 19-0.
“It’s
just a dream come true,” Herro said to Taylor about being drafted by the Heat.
“I can’t believe that I’m standing here with the Miami Heat hat on, walking
across the stage. So, I mean, it’s a true blessing.”
The
Wisconsin native brings not just the ability to shoot from three-point range,
mid-range and the free throw line, where he connected on a Wildcat
single-season record 93.5 percent in 2018-19, Herro brings a strong competitive
spirit to the hardwood along with the ability to put the ball down and create
his own shot.
What
will make this transition a little bit easier for Herro is he will be joining a
former Wildcat in Adebayo.
“Me
and Bam are pretty close. He text me last night,” Herro said at his Heat
introductory presser in late June. “He’s excited to have me here. He just told
me to be ready to work hard and, you know, come in with a positive attitude.
So, I’m definitely looking forward to playing with him and the rest of the
guys.”
The
Heat also on draft night acquired the draft rights to forward KZ Okpala, the
No. 32 overall pick in the draft out of Stanford University in a three-team
deal with the Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers. The 2018-19 Julius Erving Small
Forward of the Year finalist and All-PAC-12 First-Team selection averaged 16.8
points and 5.7 boards on 46.3 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from
three-point range.
The
Heat traded the draft rights of center Bol, the No. 44 overall pick to the
Denver Nuggets for a future Second-Round pick and cash considerations.
With
the little money they had in their coughers, the Heat resigned for season No.
17 the last player from their championship teams of 2006, 2012 and 2013 in
39-year-old forward/center Udonis Haslem to a one-year, $2.6 million deal as he
will continue to be the veteran voice in the locker room.
In
the five-decade Hall of Fame NBA career of Pat Riley, he has been surrounded by
stars in the NBA. When he was not playing alongside them with the Lakers (Wilt
Chamberlin, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor) or coaching them (Earvin “Magic”
Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Patrick Ewing Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade), he
was busy finding them as an executive (LeBron James and Chris Bosh).
So,
the long-time Heat President and head coach Erik Spoelstra set out to find that
next star and that led them to Jimmy Butler, whose playing style and personality
on both ends fits their culture.
How
Butler, coupled with good health and production from Goran Dragic and Dion
Waiters, and consistent production from the likes of Meyers Leonard, James
Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, and Justise Winslow, and possibly a major addition at
the Dec. 15 or the February 2020 trade
deadline, the Heat might crack the playoff eight in the East this spring and
avoid missing the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 2002
to 2003 right before the start of the Wade era.
“We
only do this for one reason and that’s to win a championship,” Butler said to
Parrish on his expectations for the Heat this season. “We’re not gonna sell
ourselves short. We don’t really care if people think we can do it or not. We
got the right group of guys. The right staff, organization, ownership,
everything.”
“That’s
where we want to be. We’re gonna do everything in our power starting today to
make sure we have the best chance to end up there. That’s all we’re thinking
about. Winning a championship.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Heat make the playoffs as a lower level seed. Butler makes his fifth All-Star
appearance. Dragic and Waiters have healthy and productive seasons. Leonard has
a big impact either as a starter or off the bench. The Heat have a competitive
opening-round series.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Heat deal with injuries to key personnel again. Butler becomes an irritant
to his teammates like he did with the Bulls, Timberwolves and at times the
76ers. The Heat miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since
the start of this century.
Grade: B-
Milwaukee
Bucks: 60-22
(1st Central Division; No. 1 Seed in East) 33-8 at home, 27-14 on
the road. Defeated the Detroit Pistons in Quarterfinals 4-0. Defeated the
Boston Celtics in Semifinals 4-1. Lost in Conference Finals against the Toronto
Raptors 4-2.
-118.1
ppg-1st; opp. ppg: 109.3-11th; 49.7 rpg-1st
The
spring of 2001 was the last time the Milwaukee Bucks advanced past the
opening-round of the playoffs falling one game short of reaching The Finals. Last
season, they won 60 games for the fifth time in franchise history; captured
their first Central Division title and advanced to the Conference Finals for
the first time in 18 seasons behind the Kia MVP and Coach of the Year; a strong
supporting cast and a more modern offensive philosophy. With the reigning Kia
MVP focused of the rough end to last season; their starting lead guard, forward
and center re-signed and new veteran additions in the fold, the question for
the Bucks is are they ready to make a run for their first title in nearly five
decades?
In
the Bucks inaugural season in their new home Fiserv Forum under first-year head
coach Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks went from the No. 7 Seed in 2017-18 the Top
Seed in the East a season ago with their fifth 60-win season in franchise
history and reached the Conference Finals.
This
amazing turnaround under the eventual 2018-19 Kia Coach of the Year was due in
large part to the Bucks evolution at the offensive end, where they finished 20th
in scoring (106.5); 19th in threes made per game (8.8); 14th
in assists (23.2) and 19th in point differential (-0.3) in 2017-18. They
shot up to No. 2 in threes made at 13.5; were tied with the Pacers and Jazz for
No. 3 in assists at 26.0 and led the league in point differential at +8.8.
All-Star
forward Giannis Antetokounmpo elevated his game to an even higher level producing
career-high averages of 27.7 points (3rd NBA), 12.5 rebounds (6th
NBA), 5.9 assists, and 1.5 block shots (Led team) on 57.8 percent from the
field, earning 2018-19 Kia MVP honors back in June and his first All-NBA
First-Team selection.
The
“Greek Freak,” also established a new career-best 54 double-double in 2018-19,
while matching a single-season high with five triple-doubles. He registered 32
games of 30 points or more, including six games of 40-plus points, which
included a career-high matching 44 points with 14 rebounds, eight assists and
two block shots in the Bucks 114-102 win at the Cavaliers on Dec. 14, 2018. He
set a new career-high of 52 points with 16 rebounds, seven assists and two
steals on 15 for 26 shooting and 19 for 21 from the free throw line in the
Bucks 130-125 loss versus the 76ers.
“I’m
really happy about it. I’m not gonna lie,” Antetokounmpo said to ESPN’s Rachel
Nichols about winning Kia MVP in L.A. at the launch of his Nike signature shoe
in the middle of July. “But the MVP word, I don’t want to hear it again ever in
my life. Because it’s a great accomplishment. It’s a great honor. But you know,
that’s in the past.”
The
Bucks rise from ranked 25th and 27th respectably, in
three-pointers made and attempted in 2017-18 to ranking second in both
categories a season ago was in large part to center Brook Lopez (12.5 ppg, 4.9
rpg, 2.2 bpg-4th NBA, 45.2 FG%, 35.2 3-Pt.%), who went from a
skilled big man that scores in the low-post for most of his career to a stellar
marksman from three-point range, making a career-high 187 triples earning a new
four-year, $52 million deal this offseason.
Khris
Middleton, who earned his first All-Star selection last season thanks to a
career-high average of 18.3 points with six rebounds and 4.3 assists on 37.8
percent from three-point range, which earned the South Carolina native and
former Second-Round pick a new five-year, $178 million max deal this offseason
Starting
lead guard Eric Bledsoe (15.9 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 spg, 48.4 FG%), who
the Bucks acquired early last season from the Suns also put together a solid
season in 2018-19, earning the All-Defensive First Team selection a four-year,
$70 million extension near the close of last season.
The
Bucks took down the Pistons and the East runner-up the last two seasons in the
Celtics pretty easily 4-0 and 4-1 respectably in the first two rounds. They won
the first two games of the Conference Finals at home versus the eventual NBA
champion Raptors before dropping the next four games of the series to fall in
six.
Antetokounmpo,
who went 18 for 24 from the charity stripe the first two games of the East
Finals shot a dismal 17 for 37 from the free throw line in Games 3 through 6.
He also was very sloppy with the basketball, committing 21 turnovers the first
four games of the series as the Raptors cut off his driving lanes in the open
court and clogged his shot attempts in the paint in the half court.
This
summer, Antetokounmpo said that led him to really put in the work on his jump
shot this summer, which included seeking advice from one of the best shooters
in the game, who would become his teammate, more on that in a moment.
“A
lot of people might not think I got room to improve. I always think that I can
improve,” Antetokounmpo, who Sports Illustrated ranked as their No. 1
player in “The Association” said to NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner at Bucks Media
Day on Sept. 30. “That’s one thing that I’ve be doing the first day I step in
this league and I want to keep doing it. It’s going to be a day that I’m not
going to improve anymore. But as long as I keep working hard and I keep
believing in myself I think I gonna keep getting better.”
Antetokounmpo
told Aschburner specifically that he could attempt more catch-and-shoot threes.
Be a better playmaker, ball handler. As good as all that is, he needs to make
the mid-range jump shot and become a better foul shooter, which will allow him
to be at his best in the paint dunking and scoring over defenders.
As
far as his possibly free agency in the summer of 2021, the three-time All-Star
said on Media Day called it “disrespectful” to talk about it at this time.
“So,
when the time is right, we’re all gonna talk about it. I don’t think the time
is right, right now,” he said. “I’m not gonna talk about it a lot this season
and I’m not gonna try to address it.”
Bledsoe,
who will miss the start of the season because of a small fracture in his rib
averaging just 10.2 points in the six-game setback against the Raptors on just
29.8 percent from the field and 16.4 percent from three-point range.
For
him, he too has to become a better mid-range shooter and a better offensive
player off the ball, especially in the half court hands in the half court.
Middleton
came up small as well in the series as well averaging just 13.7 points on 41.4
percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three-point range.
“It’s
always about getting better. Never being satisfied,” Middleton said to
NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner at Bucks Media Day on Sept. 30. “I mean I’m sure
Coach Bud will have a lot of motivations for us to get better in different
types of areas since we didn’t win the championship…We didn’t win a
championship last year. So, I think we still have a lot to work on, which I
think we can accomplish.”
Given
the salary cap restrictions and the need to address their own contractual
matters with their roster, the Bucks could not do much in terms of adding an
A-List player to their roster.
While
the Bucks signed as previously mentioned Lopez, Middleton, and Bledsoe to
well-deserved new deals, GM Jon Horst and owners Wes Edens, Marc Lasry, Jamie
Dinan and Mike Fascitelli, they said goodbye to Bledsoe’s starting backcourt
mate in Malcolm Brogdon, dealing him through a sign-and-trade the 2016-17 Kia
Rookie of the Year to the Pacers for in exchange for a future First-Round pick
and two Second-Round picks.
Brogdon’s
shooting ability will try to be replaced by new additions Wesley Matthews (12.2
ppg, 37.2 3-Pt.% w/Mavericks, Knicks & Pacers), who played collegiately at
Marquette University in the late 2000s on a two-year, $5.3 million deal, and
one-year, $2.6 million deal on veteran sharp-shooter Kyle Korver (8.6 ppg, 39.7
3-Pt.% w/Cavaliers & Jazz), who worked with Antetokounmpo on improving his
jump shot over the summer.
Along
with his ability to make shots from the perimeter, Matthews will add some grit
and defensive toughness on the perimeter.
“I
just feel that what I bring as a player fits perfectly with what this team is
about,” the former Marquette Golden Eagle said at Media Day.
Korver,
an All-Star in 2015 with the 60-win Hawks under Coach Budenholzer will also
bring a consistent shooting stroke as demonstrated by his marksmanship from
three-point range of 42.9 percent, which is third amongst active players in the
league and ninth all-time.
“The
Bucks checked a lot of boxes for me,” Korver said at Media Day on why he signed
with the Bucks in the offseason. “And I think being here and just being with
Coach Bud before and being a part of his culture. Knowing what his teams were
all about, I feel like that kind of fit me.”
Last
season as a member of the Jazz, who acquired him early last season from the
Cavaliers, they posted a 22-2 mark when Korver made three or more triples in a
game and were just 8-12 when he connected on just one triple or less.
While
he struggled with injuries after being acquired by the Bucks in early December
2018 from the Cavaliers, veteran reserve guard George Hill (7.6 ppg, 45.2 FG%
w/Cavaliers & Bucks) played big in the Conference Finals with averages of
11.5 points on 41.7 3-Pt. off the bench. That earned him a new three-year, $29
million deal this off-season, giving the Bucks another option if Bledsoe should
struggle again.
“It’s
always tough to lose a guy like Malcolm. A very good teammate and a very focal
point of this organization,” Hill said to Aschburner at Media Day, “But you’re
getting another leader in Wesley Matthews. Another veteran guard. You’re adding
Kyle Korver, whose another veteran presence in there who had success in the
postseason. You have Donte [DiVincenzo] that’s back from injury this year whose
looking pretty good so far. You got Sterling Brown, whose showed us glimpses of
excitement last year.”
The
Bucks also in free agency signed Brook’s twin brother Robin Lopez (9.5 ppg, 3.9
rpg, 56.8 FG% w/Bulls) in free agency reuniting the twin brothers who have not
played together since their collegiate days at Stanford University. Keeping things
within the family, the Bucks claimed off waivers this summer Giannis’ brother
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the No. 51 overall pick in 2014 by the New York Knicks.
“I
think it’s special because Giannis has always stressed kind of like a family
atmosphere with the Bucks and he’s always talked about how important family is,
you know in general,” Brook Lopez said to Aschburner. “I think kind of, you
know, literally shows how important family is to Milwaukee Bucks. Kind of being
in the situation.”
Antetokounmpo
echoed those same thoughts in the middle of July about his older brother being
signed by the Bucks, “It’s definitely going to be fun. Thanasis brings a lot of
energy. A lot of energy. He’s definitely going to be a fan favorite.”
The
Bucks added more depth to the roster in forward Dragan Bender on a two-year
deal after the Suns decline to pick his option on his rookie deal earlier this
summer. The No. 4 overall pick from Croatia in the 2016 draft will be looking
to put a disappointing start to his career behind him and develop into what he
is capable of under Coach Budenholzer.
The
additions of Korver, Bender, Lopez, Hill, and Matthews will provide Coach
Budenholzer with solid depth at every position, which also includes forward
Ersan Ilyasova (6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 36.3 3-Pt.%), guards Pat Connaughton (6.9
ppg, 4.2 rpg, 46.6 FG%) and Sterling Brown (6.4 ppg, 46.5 FG%, 36.1 3-Pt.%),
and forward D.J. Wilson (5.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 36.2 3-Pt.%), that should will make
up for the loss of the aforementioned Brogdon and forward Nikola Mirotic, who
decided to play overseas this season.
“Really
excited about, you know, the new players that we’ve been able to add in Robin
Lopez, Wes Matthews, Kyle Korver. You know, particularly those three guys with
Dragan Bender,” Coach Budenholzer said to Aschburner.
“A
lot of respect for Malcolm and what he was able to do for us last year. But
particularly the three older guys Robin, Wes, and Kyle, we feel like they’re
all guys who’ve played at a high level. They can really help us on both ends of
the court. Fit kind of our style of play. Fit our culture. So, we’re really
excited about those guys.”
On
draft night back in June, the Bucks dealt swingman Tony Snell, along with the
draft rights to guard Kevin Porter, Jr., the No. 30 overall pick to the
Pistons, for forward Jon Leuer. The traded took Snell’s $12 million salary hit
next season off their books.
Last
season the Bucks took a major step in reaching the mountain top of the NBA,
which they have not been since 1971, where Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
and Oscar Robertson led them to the franchise’s only Larry O’Brien trophy.
All-Stars Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, Hall of Fame Ray Allen, and current
Clippers’ assistant coach and two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets
Sam Cassell had them on the edge of competing for a second Larry O’Brien trophy
before falling in seven games to the 76ers and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson 19
years ago.
With
the extensions given to Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez, and one
super max (hopefully) of five years at possibly $247 million to come to Giannis
Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are saying this is the team for the next three to four
years that will try to capture the second Larry O’Brien trophy in franchise
history.
With
LeBron James-and now Kawhi Leonard no longer in the picture in the East, the
Bucks only real competition to get through as we begin the 2019-20 season is
the 76ers.
If
Giannis Antetokounmpo can find a consistent mid-range jump shot, with a
three-point stroke mixed in; Bledsoe and Middleton can become consistent secondary
scoring options and the supporting cast of Wesley Matthews, Kyle Korver, Brook
and Robin Lopez, George Hill can play well on both ends each night, the Bucks
can win the East and be in The Finals.
“We
tried to get better each day. We tried to compete at practice,” Antetokounmpo
said to Aschburner. “We know teams gonna come try to, you know, win games
against us. We got to be ready. We got to do what we did last year, defend
together. Move the ball offensively together. Do whatever we do together and if
we keep doing that, we’re gonna be fine.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Bucks are fighting it out with the 76ers for the No. 1 Seed in the East.
Antetokounmpo jump shot and free throw accuracy become consistent, which will
make him a leading candidate to win his second straight Kia MVP. Middleton and
Bledsoe’s maturation as the No. 2 and No. 3 scoring options for the Bucks
really manifests itself. The Bucks reach The Finals and win it all.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Bucks fall in the Conference Finals again. Re-signing Antetokounmpo gets
hazy.
Grade: A+
New
York Knicks: 17-65
(5th Atlantic Division; missed the playoffs) 9-32 at home, 8-33 on
the road.
-104.6
ppg-28th; opp. ppg: 113.8-9th; 44.7 rpg-20th
After
equaling the worst single season in franchise history and missing the playoffs
for the sixth consecutive season, the New York Knicks hoped their war chest of
cash and getting lucky in the lottery would volt them back to relevance. They did
not get lucky in the draft and no A-List free agents came to the “Big Apple.”
With a roster consisting of veterans that came via Plan B and youngsters in
need of development, the question for the Knicks is this season can will this
be the start of them going in the right direction finally?
For
the sixth consecutive season, the Knicks failed to make the playoffs as the
2018-19 season featured a number of painful points.
They
not only finished with the worst record in “The Association,” but they tied
their worst total for wins in a single season at 17, matching the 2014-15
squad.
Their
18 straight losses from Jan. 7 to Feb. 14 set a single season record for
consecutive losses, falling two games short of the franchise mark of 20
spanning the 1984-85 and 1985-86 campaigns. They lost 26 of 27 games and 31
losses in a 33-game stretch, which also included a franchise record 17 straight
losses at Madison Square Garden.
Perhaps
the biggest blow came when the Knicks dealt All-Star power forward/center
Kristaps Porzingis, the only good move made during the Phil Jackson era to the
Mavericks a week before the Feb.6 trade deadline along with Tim Hardaway, Jr.,
and Courtney Lee for second-year lead guard Dennis Smith, Jr., and two future
First-Round picks
The
talented, but injured Porzingis and the Knicks’ front office of GM Scott Perry
and President Steve Mills have not been on the same page since the Latvia native
tore the ACL in his left knee after a dunk versus the Bucks on Feb. 6, 2018.
While
Smith, Jr. (13.6 ppg, 4.8 apg w/Mavericks & Knicks), the No. 9 overall pick
in 2017 had moments in 21 appearances head coach David Fizdale squad, with
averages 14.7 points and 5.4 assists, his struggles with his shot overall continued as
he connected on just 28.9 percent of his threes, just 41.3 percent overall from
the field and an abysmal 56.8 percent of his free throws.
“You
know, with what other people think, it is what it is,” Smith, Jr. said at Media
Day about what outsiders think of the Knicks grim prospects this season. “I’m
really just focused on winning games. You know, I got to be the best version of
myself to do that. And that’s what I’ve been working towards this summer.”
“The
best version of Dennis Smith, Jr.-you put him out on that Knicks team it’s a
pretty good team.”
Kevin
Knox (12.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg,), the No. 9 overall pick in 2018 also had his moments
last season, but he too was very inconsistent, especially with his shot,
connecting on just 37.0 percent of his field goal attempts.
Smith’s
understudy Frank Ntilikina, the No. 8 overall pick by the Knicks in 2017, struggled
mightily with injuries and consistently making shots as well.
He
played a big role in helping the France in handing Team USA its first major
loss, 89-79 in 13 years at the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals on Sept. 11 89-79
on Sept. 11. The Knicks hope he can bring that newfound confidence into this
season.
The
Knicks did have some signs of hope last season from All-Rookie Second Team center
Mitchell Robinson (7.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg-2nd NBA), the 36th
overall pick in 2018 and undrafted rookie guard out of Arizona Allonzo Trier (10.9
ppg, 44.8 FG%, 39.4 3-Pt.%), who went from being on a two-way contract between
the Knicks and their G League affiliate to earning a full guaranteed contract through
next season in early December 2018. Guard Damyean Dotson, who went from
averaging just 4.1 points as a rookie to 10.7 points, connecting on 36.8 percent
of this threes.
The
hopes for a quick turnaround for the Knicks this season were for not as the No.
1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery went to the Pelicans, with them
getting the No. 3 overall pick, which they used to select swingman RJ Barrett
out of Duke University.
In
a trade with the Sacramento Kings, the Knicks acquired the draft rights to the
No. 47 pick in power forward Ignas Brazdeikis out of the University of Michigan
for the No. 55 overall pick guard Kyle Guy out of the University of Virginia.
Aside
from what he did at Duke as season ago, leading the Atlantic Coastal Conference
(ACC) in scoring at 22.6 points-setting a new freshmen conference record, along
with with 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for head coach Mike Krzyzewski
and the Blue Devils last season, being the only player in the ACC to rank in
the Top 10 in those categories, he wants to be on the big stage of Madison
Square Garden. He wants to be charged with the responsibility of bringing the
Knicks back to prominence. also brings the kind of level-headed focus that is
required to play in a big-time media market and passionate fan base like New
York.
The
native of Canada, who also played for their national team while still a
teenager wanted is more than ready for this
moment that he has been preparing for since he told his father Rowan Barrett,
who played collegiately at St. John’s University in New York and is the Vice
President and GM of the Canadian National Basketball Team at age 12 that he
wanted to make basketball his career.
“I’m
looking forward to playing basketball,” Barrett said at Media Day. That’s it.
“You know, all the media stuff and everything doesn’t really happen without
playing the game. So, I’m just looking forward to playing the game that I love.”
In
free agency, the Knicks had no takers of their war chest of $70 million. They
did not even get in the room with either perennial All-Stars and NBA champions
Kyrie Irving and two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who both signed with the
Knicks crosstown rivals the Nets.
Durant
in speaking with a New York radio station “Hot 97” said in terms of the Knicks
no longer being cool, “I think a lot of fans look at the Knicks as a brand and
expect these younger players who, in their lifetime, don’t remember the Knicks
being good.”
“So,
like I’ve seen the Knicks in The Finals, but kids coming up after me didn’t see
that. So, that whole brand of the Knicks to them is not as cool as let’s say
the Golden State Warriors or even the Lakers or the Nets now. It’s like the
cool thing right now is not the Knicks.”
The
Knicks then executed Plan B signing second and third-tier veterans to short
terms deals in power forwards Julius Randle (21.4 ppg-career-high, 8.7 rpg,
52.4 FG% w/Pelicans), the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 draft on a three-year,
$63 million deal, with the third year being a player option. Brooklyn, NY
native Taj Gibson (10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 56.6 FG% w/Timberwolves) to a two-year,
$20 million deal; Bobby Portis (14.2 ppg-career-high, 8.1 rpg-career-high, 39.3
3-Pt.% w/Bulls & Wizards) to a two-year $31 million offer sheet, which the
Wizards did not match; and forward Marcus Morris (13.9 ppg, 6.1
rpg-career-high, 44.7 FG%, 37.5 3-Pt.% w/Celtics), who bailed on a two-year,
$20 million deal with the Spurs, for a one-year, $15 million deal.
“You
hope for days and wish for things, and I always wanted to play here. And now,
I’m excited to have the opportunity,” Randle said at Media Day about being a
Knick. “I know with that comes a huge responsibility.”
“I
know the way I work. I know how to prepare for the game. I know how much I love
basketball. How serious I am about it and helping this team and trying to win
games. So, I really don’t look at it as pressure. I look at it as, you know, a
huge opportunity and, you know, I just go out there and do what I love.”
The
Knicks also added some depth to the backcourt in free agency, signing Elfrid Payton
(10.6 ppg, 7.6 apg, 5.2 rpg w/Pelicans) and sharp-shooter Wayne Ellington (10.3
ppg 37.1 3-Pt.% w/Heat & Pistons) respectably to two-year, $16 million deals.
Signed swingman Reggie Bullock (11.3 ppg w/Pistons & Lakers) at first to a
two-year, $21 million deal in the middle of July, but reworked it to a
two-year, $8.2 million deal after it was discovering the former Clipper, Phoenix
Sun, Piston and Laker needed surgery for a cervical disk herniation. The team
said it would provide an update on Bullock’s rehab and progress at the start of
training camp.
Throughout
the season, the front office brass had promised the long-suffering Knicks fan
base that they would strike gold in free agency this summer, which led to ESPN
“First Take’s” Stephen A. Smith saying ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump’s: Free Agency
Special” back in early July, “One of the
elite free agent classes that we have ever seen in NBA history-the Knicks
traded Kristaps Porzingis. Sold us the notion that we’re gonna have a big- time
legitimate shot at somebody this coming summer. Kristaps Porzingis is gone and
nobody is here in return,” Smith said on “I can’t even put into words my level
of disgust, frustration and beyond. It’s bad enough that you don’t have Kyrie
and you don’t have KD, but both of them went 20 minutes away to traffic on
Atlantic Avenue to Barclays Center instead of Madison Square Garden.”
Former
NBA journeyman Matt Barnes, who won a title with the Warriors in 2017 echoed
those same feelings by saying, “There’s no hope in New York until [James] Dolan
sells the team man. Give New York some hope.”
It
has been a rough two decades for the New York Knicks, who have gone 672-952
since the start of this century (.414 winning percentage). Have made the
playoffs just five times, including just three this decade and winning just
three series in that span. Six different head coaches have gone through the
“Big Apple” and they have had five draft lottery picks.
They
are in the midst of the longest playoff drought in the Eastern Conference at
six consecutive springs with no playoffs and it will continue this spring.
Yes,
the Knicks loaded up on similarly skilled power forwards. Yes, there is no clear-cut
star on the roster at the moment. They do have cap flexibility and six
First-Round picks over the next four Junes. More than anything, they have a
plan; core young players in Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith,
Jr., and Mitchell Robinson to build with. Players on short contracts in Julius
Randle, Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Wayne Ellington and Bobby Portis who have an
opportunity to show the young core how to be a professional. They also have a
coach and a front office that is in lock step of getting the Knicks back to NBA
relevance. When that happens remains to be seen.
“We’re
not in the prediction business. I’m not here to predict records. But I expect
us to be better,” GM Perry said. “An improved basketball team. And I expect the
team to grow and develop, and show that, and exhibit that throughout the course
of a season.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Knicks win close to 30 games. Barrett is in the running for Kia Rookie of the
Year. Knox and Robinson continue their maturation and Coach Fizdale sees
consistent effort on both ends of the court from his squad.
Worst
Case Scenario:
Another 60-plus loss season with no improvement or progression from the team.
Grade: F
Orlando
Magic: 42-40
(1st Southeast Division; No. 7 Seed in East) 25-16 at home, 17-24 on
the road. Lost in Quarterfinals 4-1 against Toronto Raptors.
-107.3
ppg-24th; opp. ppg: 106.6-5th; 45.4 rpg-19th
The
addition of an established head coach; a career-year by a first time All-Star;
a solid roster and a commitment to the defensive end is how the Orlando Magic won
their first Division title in eight years and earned their first playoff berth
in seven years. Even with the re-signing of their first time All-Star and
reserve guard, who had a breakout season, the question for the Magic is will
any of the three lottery picks on their roster grow into a star that can turn
them into a playoff perennial?
After
a 20-31 start under new head coach Steve Clifford, the Magic went 22-9 their
final 31 games of last season, including 13-6 their last 19 games to reach the
postseason for the first time since 2012, when eight-time All-Star and
three-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, now of the Lakers
was their starting center. Only the Houston Rockets at 24-8 and the Bucks at
24-9 had better finishes to the 2018-19 regular season.
They
took that momentum and won the opening game of the First-Round at the eventual
NBA champion Raptors, before losing four straight games to fall in the series
in five games.
The
play of first-time All-Star selection in center Nikola Vucevic (20.8 ppg-Led
team, 12.0 rpg-8th NBA, 51.8 FG%, 36.4 3-Pt.%), who re-signed on a
four-year $100 million deal and a career-year by Terrence Ross (15.1 ppg, 38.3
3-Pt.%), who remained healthy last season and earned a new four-year, $54
million extension this offseason, coupled with what starters in forward Aaron
Gordon (16.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 44.9 FG%, 34.9 3-Pt.%) and guard Evan
Fournier (15.1 ppg, 3.6 apg) helped the Magic win their first Southeast
Division title since 2010.
They
struggled in the opening-round against the Raptors stingy defense as Vucevic
only registered averages of 11.2 points and eight boards on 36.2 percent
shooting and just 23.1 percent from three-point range. Ross against his former
team averaged just 13.2 points on just 37.0 percent from the field. Fournier
also struggled scoring just 12.4 points on 34.8 percent shooting and 23.5
percent from three-point range, while Gordon managed to average just 15.2
points and 7.2 boards.
“It
changed it a lot because we finally achieved some success,” Vucevic said to
NBATV’s Ro Parris on Media Day on Sept. 30 about his approach to this offseason
after making the playoffs. “We finally got to where, you know, we wanted to after
all these years, especially for me being here for so long, you know? It really
meant a lot to me and I really want to keep that going.”
The
disappointing series against the Raptors aside, what really helped Vucevic have
a break out season in 2018-19 was being put in positions by Coach Clifford to
score either on the block or from his jump shot from either both elbows in the
half court or at the top of the free throw line or three-point line.
The
other reason the Magic played well down the stretch of last season was their
play at the defensive end, where they finished 10th in opponent’s
three-point percentage at 34.7; No. 7 in steals per game at 7.0 and gave up a
league-best 10.7 second chance points to their opponent in March and April of
last season.
“If
we can get to somewhere close to that level by the end of training camp,
preseason or whatever, I think that’s gonna help us out tremendously,” Ross
said at Media Day.
As
good as the Magic’s defensive effort and play from their starting five, which included
veteran starting lead guard D.J. Augustin (11.7 ppg, 5.3 apg-Led team, 47.0
FG%, 42.1 3-Pt.%), their last two lottery picks in big men Jonathan Isaac and
Mo Bamba were mild disappointments.
Isaac
(9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg), the No. 6 overall pick two Junes back out of Florida State
University seemed unsure of whether to a stretch-four or use his 6-foot-10
frame to dominate in the paint. As the year went on, he showed great
improvement and knowing how to utilize that size and length on both ends. It is
now time for Isaac to put it all together and bring it consistently each night
he takes the court.
“It’s
just about being comfortable out there on the court and with changes in my
body, it’s now about being able bump and grind on the inside and take those hits,”
Isaac said of the major work he did on his physique this offseason adding about
his improved shooting stroke, “I feel more like a more confident and consistent
shooter now. All of it, has gotten a lot better for me.”
Mo
Bamba (6.2 ppg), the team’s No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft had his rookie
season cut short to 47 games due to a stress fracture in his left leg.
The
injury was caught early enough back in February that Bamba only needed a minor
procedure to repair that injured shin, which allowed him to get plenty of work
in the weight room this off-season.
He
also during the Magic’s playoff push where Coach Clifford had Bamba file
reports on the center play between the two teams and the offensive and
defensive sets the Magic and their opponent that game ran with assistant coach
Mike Batiste.
“I
don’t think he could have handled it any better,” Coach Clifford said. “He was
very serious about it and put a lot into it, and I think it helped him even
more to understand the value of knowing centers in this league and the guys
he’s going to be playing against for years to come.”
By
re-signing Vucevic, that signaled from general manager John Hammond and
President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman that they were not ready to
turn over the center position to Bamba or give Isaac some serious minutes as a
starter in the front court.
Along
with re-signing Vucevic, the Magic re-signed backup big man Khem Birch to a
two-year, $6 million deal, as well as the 27-year-old Ross to a four-year, $54
million deal and added some depth to their front court with the addition of
Al-Farouq Aminu (9.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 34.3 3-Pt.% w/Trail Blazers) on a
three-year, $29 million deal, who will provide a floor spacer with his ability
to make threes, defend on the perimeter and rebound.
“Versatility,
obviously on the defensive end. Being able to guard so many different positions
gonna help us,” Aminu said at Media Day about on what he can bring to the
Magic. “You got so many guys with length and different things like that. I think
with some of the lineups that we’ll be able to go with defensively are gonna be
tough to score against for sure.”
If
Aminu, Augustin, Ross, and Fournier, who shot just 43.8 percent from the field
and 34.0 percent from three-point range a season ago can make shots
consistently, that will make things easier for Vucevic in the post and provide
driving lanes for Augustin and the other Magic wings.
“Last
year is last year. I really never though about it,” Fournier said about his
shooting struggles of 2018-19 being behind him. “By June it was gone already.
So, last year is last year and now I’m just looking ahead.”
Over
the past seven seasons, the Magic were a fixture in the Draft lottery. That
changed this year with them making the postseason this past spring.
With
the No. 16 pick, the Magic chose forward Chuma Okeke out of Auburn University,
who was on the shelf in the Tigers Final Four appearance because of a torn ACL
in his knee injury sustained in the Sweet 16.
Before
that injury the 6-foot-8 Okeke showed a great ability as a rebounder while also
displaying a steady marksmanship from three-point range. Most pro scouts thought
he would have been a Top-10 pick had he not gotten injured. It is likely that
Okeke will sit out his entire rookie season to rehab and eventually play for the
Magic’s G-League team in Lakeland, FL.
Speaking
of former lottery picks, the Magic acquired the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017
draft in guard Markelle Fultz (7.7 ppg, 3.4 apg w/76ers from 2017-19) from the
76ers at the Feb. 7 trade deadline is fully recovered from the thoracic outlet
syndrome, that has kept him on the shelf since early December 2018.
The
Magic showed how much they believe Fultz will return and play at a high level by
exercising his $12.3 million contract option for the 2020-21 season. While that
is a huge commitment to a player that has played just 33 career games in the
NBA, the only other options are Jerian Grant, who has just struggled in his
time in Orlando and Michael Carter-Williams, the 2011 Kia Rookie of the Year
the Magic re-signed to a one-year deal this off-season is more of a defensive
presence in the spot minutes he played a season ago.
“He
was a consensus number one pick in the draft two years ago, and he’s twenty
years old, and he’s a terrific kid by all accounts…” Weltman said on Fultz to
the Magic on their Twitter page @OrlandoMagic.
Coach
Clifford said of Fultz by saying at Media Day, “Markelle needs to do in my
opinion what Markelle has done since he got here, have good days. That’s what
the best players do. That’s what the best teams do-is have good days, you know?
Put good stretches of days together.”
A
17-win improvement from the prior season Magic won their first Southeast
Division title since 2010; earned their first playoff appearance after a
seven-year absence and won a playoff game in large part due to their defense
and the career-years by Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross.
The
hopes of another postseason berth in Disneyland depends on the internal growth
of Vucevic and Ross to make the right play when they see extra defenders.
Getting steady improvement from Jonathan Isaac, Mo Bamba, and even Aaron Gordon.
If Evan Fournier, Al-Farouq Aminu and D.J. Augustin can make perimeter shots
consistently, especially from three-point range. Perhaps the biggest key is if
Markelle Fultz can play to the level of what the Magic expect him to be, their
present and future look really bright?
“As
I studied the team this summer and I looked back at my notes of last year’s
post practice postgame, the one common theme that I wrote constantly is, ‘We
have a team that wants to win,’” Coach Clifford said at Media Day about the end
of last season.
“We
had a bunch of guys last year if you look at it who had career years and we’re
gonna need that similar mindset this year. If we do that, the continuity will
be good and if not, not so much.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Magic sneak into the postseason as the No. 7 or 8 Seed. Vucevic is an
All-Star again. Isaac and Bamba play solidly and a Fultz sighting takes place.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Magic fall short of the postseason. Vucevic is the only consistent front
court presence. No improvement from Isaac or Bamba. Fultz’s game continues to
be in the shadows.
Grade: C+
Philadelphia
76ers: 51-31
(2nd Atlantic Division; No. 3 Seed in East) 31-10 at home, 20-21 on
the road. Defeated the No. 6 Seeded Brooklyn Nets in the Quarterfinals 4-1.
Lost in Semifinals against the No. 2 Seeded Toronto Raptors 4-3.
-115.2
ppg-4th; opp. ppg: 112.5-19th; 47.8 rpg-4th
A
four-bounce game-winning buzzer beater in Game 7 of the Semifinals by the
eventual Finals MVP of the NBA champions from Canada is what kept the
Philadelphia 76ers from their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since
2001. With their 1-2 punch lead guard and starting center each with their
rookie contracts extended; their starting forward re-signed; the acquisition of
a dynamic two-way guard and the addition of a savvy veteran big man, the
question is for the 76ers entering this season is do they have enough to win
the Eastern Conference and make it to The Finals, especially without two key
scorers from last year’s squad?
The
scene of 76ers two-time All-Star center Joel Embiid stumbling to the locker
room following eventual two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard’s epic four-bounce
game-winning fall away jumper to help the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors
win the series (92-90) in Game 7 of the Semis on May 12 showed how close the
Sixers came to reaching the Eastern Conference Finals and possibly the NBA
Finals.
It
was a tough finish for a team that went 76ers GM Elton Brand went all-in to
first acquire four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves
for starters Robert Covington and Dario Saric and a 2022 Second-Round pick on
November 11, 2018. The on Feb. 6, one day short of the league’s trade deadline
acquired forward Tobias Harris, and sharp-shooting forward Mike Scott for
rookie guard Landry Shamet, a 2020 and the Heat’s unprotected 2021 First-Round picks
and two future Second-Round picks (Pistons 2021 and 2023). A little over 24
hours, the 76ers dealt guard Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, who
played just 19 games to the Orlando Magic for a swingman Jonathon Simmons, a
protected 2019 First-Round pick (via Thunder), and a 2019 Second-Round pick
(via Cavaliers).
While
he did struggle with injuries at the tail end of last season, Embiid had an
incredible year statistically for head coach Brett Brown’s team, ranking in the
Top-10 in scoring at 27.5 (4th NBA), rebounding at 13.6 (2nd
NBA) and block shots at 1.9 (7th NBA), while hitting 48.4 percent of
his field goal attempts and 80.4 percent of his free throws, earning his second
All-NBA Second-Team and All-Defensive Second-Team selections.
The
biggest thing for Embiid, who signed a five-year, $148 million max extension in
October 2017 is being healthy, something he has struggled with since the start
of his career.
The
two-time All-Star said at Media Day on Sept. 30 that he lost 20 to 25 pounds in
the offseason. Meaning, Embiid should at least 70 games this season. If he can
stay healthy then the 76ers have a great shot in representing the East in The
Finals this spring.
Embiid’s
conditioning woes, from missing 14 of the last 18 games to close out the
regular season last year caught up with him in the Semis against the Raptors and
his production dipped from averages of 24.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.8
blocks on 51.1 percent from the field against the Nets to 17.6 points, 8.7
rebounds and 2.2 blocks on 36.3 percent shooting against the Raptors in the
Semis.
“Honestly,
it didn’t matter,” Embiid said to NBATV’s Jared Greenberg about the criticism
he got from 76ers nation about not being in tip-top shape. “I think the biggest
thing for me was losing Game 7, you know?”
Simmons
(16.9 ppg, 7.7 apg, 8.8 rpg, 56.3 FG%), the reigning Kia Rookie of the Year had
a solid season as he used his unique size advantage over nearly all point
guards to register 42 double-doubles and 10 triple-doubles a season ago.
The
23-year-old’s continued inability to consistently make shots outside of 10
feet, it showed itself in the playoffs, going from averages of 17.2 points, 7.6
assists and 6.6 boards against the Nets, Simmons with Leonard mainly guarding
him in the Semis averaged just 11.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 7.3 rebounds. The
62.2 field goal percentage he shot is a little misleading because there were
times where Simmons did not seek to score.
To
bring this point into clearer context, according to Second Spectrum Simmons a
season ago connected on 69 percent of his shots from 0-5 feet. Of his shot
attempts further away from the basket, he shot 42 percent on the 224 attempts
from 6-10 feet; 25 percent of his 61 shots from 11 to 15 feet and just five
percent on his 21 shots from 16-plus feet, which includes his 0 for 6 effort
from three-point range. In his first two seasons in the NBA, Simmons is 0 for
11 from three-point range.
“I
don’t think it’s taking shots just to take them,” Simmons said back in July. “I
think it’s just being aggressive and doing my job. I don’t think it’s a certain
shot. But when you give the ball, I’m able to make plays.”
To
Simmons credit, he worked on his jump shot, but more importantly he told
Greenberg at Media Day that he worked on his free throw stroke, where he has
only connected on just 58.3 percent of his attempts in his first two NBA
seasons. While working on his repetition at the charity stripe to finding a
comfort level with his free throw stroke as well, Simmons also said he worked
on a mindset to be more aggressive at the offensive end, which has been on
display on social media at Samson Center in L.A. over the summer this summer.
“I
feel like this summer I feel in love with the game again,” Simmons told “The
Associated Press” on Sept. 25. “I kind of got back to who I was and having fun
with the game. I felt like the past season I lost that enjoyment side of it but
I feel like this summer has been huge for me. Just the work I’ve been putting
in, I kind fell in love with putting that work in again and I’ve been in the
gym every day working and the results have been paying off so I’m excited for
the season to start.”
The
Sixers showed they have that belief in the 22-year-old Australian by signing
him to a five-year, $170 million extension in the middle of July, which will
begin in the 2020-21 season.
It
is up to him to reward that confidence by becoming a better foul shooter, which
will allow Coach Brown and he can either make a play for himself by going to
the basket and getting fouled or he can make a play for either Embiid or any of
his teammates when he draws a second defender.
Along
with extending Embiid and Simmons and re-signing Tobias Harris (20.0 ppg, 7.9
rpg, 48.7 FG%, 39.7 3-Pt.% w/Clippers & 76ers) to a five-year, $180 million
deal, the Sixers added some major playoff experience and leadership with the
signing of All-Star Al Horford (13.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 53.5 FG%, 36.0 3-Pt.%)
to a four-year, $109 million deal, with $97 of it guaranteed and added Kyle
O’Quinn to provide depth at the center spot.
Along
with his ability to be a guiding force for a team, as he demonstrated in his
time with the Hawks and Celtics that he is dependable, accountable, and
responsible. He and Embiid will work because he brings a demeanor and work
ethic that will allow Embiid and Simmons to focus on playing and develop their
leadership qualities from observing someone like Horford and how he leads and
works.
“I
think I’ve said this in the past, I’ve always been a fan of Joel and just
everything he brings on the court and off the court,” the five-time All-Star
said at his introductory presser as a 76er back in the summer. “There were some
great battles and when this opportunity came along, and the possibility of
teaming up with him, you know, got me really excited about the potential, you
know, how good we could be. Help our team be defensively. Just to get working
together and do some special things. I’m very grateful to be in this
position.”
The
Sixers had hoped to bring back Butler, but when his camp told them that he
wanted to go to the Heat, they granted him his wish by sending him to South
Florida in a sign-and-trade in a four-team deal with the Heat, Trail Blazers
and Clippers acquiring guard Josh Richardson (16.6 ppg, 4.1 apg, 35.7 3-Pt.%
w/Heat), who should be a solid rotational player for the guys of the city of
“Brotherly Love.”
“The
one thing, you know, you’ll get out of me every night is intensity,” Richardson
said at Media Day. I always play every play like its my last. I’ve always tried
to do anything I can to help the team win and I’m kind of a guy that can kind
of morph into anything role that I would need to on a nightly basis to give us
the best chance to win.”
The
other odd man out of the Sixers summer spending spree was sharp-shooter JJ
Redick, who took his 39.7 percent marksmanship from three-point range to “The
Big Easy,” signing with the Pelicans.
With
Redick and Butler no longer in the fold for Coach Brown, it will be up to the
likes of Harris, Mike Scott (5.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 40.1 3-Pt.%), who was re-signed
on a two-year, $9.8 million deal; James Ennis III (6.7 ppg, 46.9 FG%, 35.3
3-Pt.%) and James Ennis III, who were resigned to two-year deals at $9.8 and
$4.1 million respectably and the new additions Richardson, Horford and Trey
Burke (10.9 ppg, 35.3 3-Pt.% w/Knicks & Mavericks), who signed a one-year,
$2.8 million deal to pick up the slack from distance.
Harris,
who averaged 18.2 points and 7.9 boards on 46.9 percent from the floor in his
time with the 76ers last season will likely be the one counted on to make those
clutch shots down the stretch of games Butler had a season ago.
“The
thing that I love about Tobias Harris is he’s a guy you can trust,” Hall of
Famer and NBATV analyst Isiah Thomas said. “You play the guys that you can
trust and at the end of the game, you can trust him to do the right things. To
set the screen, to be in the right position. To take the shot and possibly make
the shot for others.”
In
June’s draft, the 76ers acquired the draft rights to perimeter defensive ace in
forward/guard Matisse Thybulle (No. 20 overall pick) out of the University of
Washington from the Celtics for guards Ty Jerome (No. 24 overall pick), who was
later traded to the Suns and Carsen Edwards. They acquired the draft rights to
guard Jordan Bone (No. 57 overall pick) from the Hawks for center Bruno
Fernando (No. 34 overall) pick, who was later traded to the Pistons. The draft
rights of forward Admiral Schofield and swingman Jonathon Simmons were dealt to
the Wizards for cash considerations.
Thybulle,
the 2018-19 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, who last season became the
first player in the last 20 seasons to register 100-plus steals and 50-plus
blocks in a single season for the Huskies brings a skill that should get him
minutes on the court. It is more likely he will be in the player development
program along with the likes of Furkan Korkmaz and last season’s No. 1 draft
choice Zhaire Smith.
In
2011 owner Joshua Harris bought the 76ers for $287 million, which a brilliant
move for a franchise worth, according to Forbes $1.7 billion. The check he
wrote to re-sign Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, and to sign Al Horford totaled
$459 million, which is more than he paid to purchase the team.
The
76ers shelled out a lot of cash and they sacrificed some draft picks to compete
for a championship this. The hopeful improvements from Simmons on his perimeter
shot and foul shooting, and consistent health and production Joel Embiid to go
along with strong play from the supporting cast will hopefully get them to The
Finals this late spring.
“If
Joel Embiid can play 71 games. If Ben Simmons can become a 68 to 72 percent
free throw shooter to where he’s not a liability at the end of the game, this
Philadelphia 76ers team can be scary,” NBATV’s Sam Mitchell said about the
76ers championship aspirations this season. “This is the right time for
Philadelphia if Joel Embiid can stay healthy. That’s the key.”
“If
he can play 71 games and go into the playoffs healthy for the first time then
we’ll see what Philadelphia can be.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
76ers finish as a Top 2 Seed in the East. Simmons and Embiid are All-Stars
again, with Embiid also being in the conversation for Kia MVP and Defensive
Player of the Year. Simmons develops and consistent jump shot and free throw
stroke. The Sixers make it The Finals.
Worst
Case Scenario:
Another Second-Round exit. Simmons jumper is inconsistent. Embiid fights
through injuries because he is not in shape again.
Grade: B+
Toronto
Raptors: 58-24
(1st Atlantic Division; No. 2 Seed in East) 32-9 at home, 26-15 on
the road. Defeated the No. 7 Seeded Orlando Magic in Quarterfinals 4-1.
Defeated the No. 3 Seeded Philadelphia 76ers in Semifinals 4-3. Defeated the
No. 1 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks in Conference Finals 4-2. Defeated the No. 1
Seeded Golden State Warriors in The NBA Finals 4-2.
-114.4
ppg-8th; opp. ppg: 108.4-9th; 45.2 rpg-17th
Last
off-season, the Toronto Raptors traded for a two-time Kia Defensive Player of
the Year, and a Finals MVP with no assurances he would re-sign. That gamble
worked as they finally made a deep playoff run that ended with their first
title in franchise history. Unfortunately, that said player, who won his second
Finals MVP bolted in free agency to return to the West Coast and join L.A.’s
other basketball squad. Now led by last season’s Kia Most Valuable Player; a
starting lead guard and center on the last year of their contracts, the
question for the Raptors entering this season is how will their defense of
their title go?
Raptors
GM Masai Ujiri planted the seed of their championship run when he made a gutsy
move of first firing 2017-18 NBA Kia Coach of the Year in Dwane Casey and
replacing him with assistant coach Nick Nurse, whose only NBA head coaching
experience was with the G-League.
Ujiri
then traded All-Star swingman DeMar DeRozan, the franchise’s all-time leading
scorer (13,296 points) to the Spurs for two-time Kia Defensive Player of the
Year and 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
Entering
last season following a difficult breakup with the Spurs and a persistent quad
injury that put his image in question, Leonard delivered in a major way leading
the Raptors to their second most wins in a single season with 58 and the No. 2
Seed in the East.
During
a stretch of 22 straight games from Nov. 29, 2018-Jan. 27, Leonard scored at
least 20 points, one game shy of the franchise record held by former Raptor and
current Hawk Vince Carter. During that streak include a career-high of 45
points on 16 for 22 shooting and 13 for 17 from the free throw line in Raptors
122-116 win versus the Utah Jazz on Jan. 1.
Entering
the 2019 NBA Playoffs the question was were the Raptors going to make a stand
when the moment called for it or will they curl up into a ball and hide in the
corner?
After
losing Game 1 in the First-Round 104-101 versus the Orlando Magic on Apr. 13,
the Raptors simply stood up and took down the Magic the next four games to win
the series in five.
Their
Semifinals tilt against the 76ers came all the way down to the last possession
of Game 7, where Leonard would rise to the moment by hitting a game-winning
fadeaway right in front of the Raptors bench that bounced off the rim four
times before falling and punching the Raptors ticket to the Conference Finals.
After
dropping the first two games of the Conference Finals at the Bucks, the Raptors
would win the next four games, including Game 5 in the Bucks house 105-99 on May
23 to reach The Finals for the first time in their 24-year history.
In
the 2019 NBA Finals, they met the back-to-back defending NBA champion Warriors
who they defeated in Game 1 of the series 118-109 on May 30 to give them the
early advantage. They won Games 3 and 4 at the Warriors and won Game 6 to
complete their championship journey and end the Warriors 47-year run at Oracle
Arena in Oakland, CA. Leonard won his second Finals MVP, joining Hall of Famer
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Bucks & Lakers), and LeBron James (Heat &
Cavaliers) as the only three men to win the Bill Russell Finals MVP with
multiple teams.
Along
with the stellar play of Leonard, the Raptors got a breakout season from
forward Pascal Siakam, who averaged career-highs of 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds
on 54.9 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from three-point range, earning
the Cameroon, Africa native the 2018-19 Kia Most Improved Players Award.
As
good as he was in the regular season, he was exceptional in the 2019 Playoffs
with averages of 19.0 points and 7.1 rebounds on 47.0 percent shooting. In each
series, Siakam would author a huge game that would made the difference in each
series.
In
the Game 3 win (98-93) of the opening-round at the Magic on Apr. 19 Siakam had
a then playoff career-high of 30 points with 11 rebounds on 13 for 20 shooting.
In
the Raptors 118-112 double-overtime win in Game 3 of the Conference Finals
versus the Bucks on May 19, that cut the series deficit to 2-1, Siakam had his
fourth double-double of the postseason with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
He
got the Raptors into the win column in Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a new
playoff career-high of 32 points with eight boards, five assists and two block
shots on 14 for 17 shooting in the 118-109 win on May 30. In the Game 6 title
clinching 114-110 win at the Warriors on May 13, Siakam had his sixth
double-double of the postseason with 26 points and 10 rebounds on 10 for 17
shooting.
Lowry
(14.2 points, 8.7 apg-2nd NBA, 4.8 rpg, 34.7 3-Pt.%), who did not
speak to Ujiri for months after the trade of not just his teammate but best
friend in DeRozan meshed well with Leonard, and in the Game 6 title clinching
win had 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Big
man Serge Ibaka (15.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg-Led team, 52.9 FG%) got back to playing at a
level where he was as close to the rebounding and rim protecting demon that he
was in his early years with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The
trade deadline addition of former Kia Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star
Marc Gasol (13.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 4.4 apg, 44.8 FG%, 36.3 3-Pt.%), from the
Memphis Grizzlies, where he spent over a decade brought floor spacing with his
shooting; a defensive prowess and intelligence gave the Raptors another vital
piece to their championship run, which he used as fuel to lead Spain to the
FIBA World Cup title in China this summer.
Gasol
told NBATV’s Jared Greenberg at the Raptors Media Day on Sept. 30 said until
the day he was traded he it was “not easy” for him because of how much he
invested with the Grizzlies, who gave him his NBA start.
“You
care about the team,” Gasol said to Greenberg. “It was hard to let go. But once
you’re into the next challenge, you know, you feed off the energy here. You see
what you’re playing for right away. Masai calls you the minute after the trade
and tells you, ‘Look, we’re going for the championship,’ and you have to be a
big part.”
“So,
as a player that’s all you want. You want to be a part of, you know, something bigger
than you and a chance to win it all the ways. So, I fought it and thankfully
they didn’t listen to me much.”
What
helped the Raptors pull ahead in the fourth quarter of their aforementioned
title clinching win in Game 6 was the sharp-shooting of reserve guard Fred
VanVleet (11.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 37.8 3-Pt.%), who for most of the playoffs could
not hit a shot to save his soul got shot 30 for 57 from three-point range
following the birth of his second child and finished things off in style with
scoring 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, going 5 for 11 from three.
“It’s
a journey, and I mean every word of that” VanVleet said at Media Day about the
road to winning a title. “It’s a journey and I’m looking forward to being on
this journey with this team that we have and attacking that and trying to go
and win another one.”
This
championship seed was also planted by Coach Nurse’s team during the regular
season where they went 17-5 in games Leonard did not play as they tried to
manage his workload and keep him as healthy as possible. The Raptors were also
aided by the rash of injuries the Warriors had to two-time Finals MVP Kevin
Durant, who missed all but the first quarter of the series and All-Star Klay
Thompson, who missed one game because of injury and sustained a torn ACL in his
right knee midway through the aforementioned Game 6.
Entering
the offseason, once the well-deserved championship parade happened and the
entire Canadian nation got a chance to celebrate, came the question would
Leonard re-sign?
Despite
the goodwill he generated; the elusive title he helped the Raptors win; the
pleas of an entire country and the opportunity to return a title contender
intact, Kawhi decided to take his talents back home to California and join the
Clippers.
“You can’t blame a guy for wanting to go
home,” Coach Nurse said about Leonard leaving the Raptors for the Clippers to
reporters at the MGM Resorts Summer League in July. “That’s what he texted me
today, ‘I’m going home,’ you know? I just said [to him], ‘You changed a lot of
lives, man by what you accomplished in Toronto. Mine especially. And thanked
him for what he did, and we’ll look to the future, and we’ll look to do it
again.”
As
far as who will the player to likely fill that void left by Leonard, the likely
candidate is Siakam, who over the weekend, according to a story from Tim
Reynolds of “The Associated Press” agreed to a four-year, $130 million max
extension, which will keep him under contract through the 2023-24 season.
“For
me I think we’re a team,” Siakam said about being the Raptors go-go guy with Leonard
gone to Greenberg at Raptors Media Day on Sept. 30. “We’ve always been like
that and that’s always been who we are, and now with Kawhi gone, you know, I
think its kind of like getting back to being that, you know. Being a real
Toronto team of having that underdog mentality, and people kind of counting us
out. So, it’s back to that.”
Siakam
also said to Greenberg that he wants to use what he observed from Leonard and
incorporate it into his game, from the composure on the floor to where even if
the opposition has a plan to slow him down offensively, he has one counter
after another to go to, which is something Siakam feels he has to bring as well
from being an even better jump shooter, to a better ball handler and play
maker.
The
Raptors also extended Lowry on a one-year, $31 million deal that will keep the
34-year-old, five time All-Star with the Raptors through the 2020-21 season.
Aside
from the big contract, a four-year, $42 million extension of reserve swingman
Norman Powell (9.6 ppg, 48.3 FG%, 40.0 3-Pt.%) signed in October 2017, Baka’s
$23.3 million, Gasol, who opted into the final year of his deal at $25.6
million, and VanVleet’s $9.4 million expires after this season.
In
free agency, the Raptors signed three underachievers in forward Rondae
Hollis-Jefferson (8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, w/Nets); guard Cameron Payne (6.3 ppg
w/Bulls & Cavaliers), and Stanley Johnson (6.9 ppg, w/Pistons &
Pelicans) looking to turn their careers around.
Not
having your rookie deal extended is the kind of motivation for Hollis-Jefferson,
Payne, and Johnson to have solid seasons, where they can cash in if they come
through.
Hollis-Jefferson,
the No. 23 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of University of Arizona is a
very athletic forward who thinks defense first and who wants to put last
season, where he shot a career-low 41.1 percent from the field behind him.
“Definitely
a defensive mindset, a lot of energy, a lot of fun and excitement,” RHJ said
that he will bring to the Raptors this season. “And then offensively, playmaking.
Getting downhill in transition and an improved jump shot.”
Johnson,
the No. 8 pick also in 2015 by the Pistons has the same physical attributes as
his former college teammate at Arizona in Hollis-Jefferson but is still trying
to find his niche in the league.
Payne,
No. 14 overall pick by the Thunder out of Murray State University is a
tough-minded guard who too is looking for a permanent home. He will have the
chance learn a lot about how to be a consistent point guard in “The
Association” from being Lowry’s understudy this season.
“Me
being 23 years old and having dreams and aspirations to be way better than I am
now. Obviously, I want to be with a franchise that has those same ideas,”
Johnson said on why he joined the Raptors because of their ability to develop
their roster.
One
player the Raptors are looking forward to getting back this season is forward
OG Anunoby (7.0 ppg, 45.3 FG%), who missed a majority of the championship run
because of an emergency appendectomy he had in April.
“I’ve
felt really good,” Anunoby said about his physical condition. “Just been
working on everything. Just ready to get back.”
There
were a few reports during the summer about the Wizards potentially luring Ujiri
from Canada to D.C., but it was just a rumor, and why would he leave a place
where he has massive sway within the organization and is paid very well and
enjoys being in Toronto.
“It’s
always been about Toronto,” Ujiri said in late June. “I love it here, and my
family loves it here. My wife loves it here, which is very important. My kids
are Canadians and you want to win more.”
“I
can continue to address teams wanting me and all those things like that. That’s
a blessing in life…For me the blessing is being wanted here and finding a place
that makes you happy and finding challenges that really make you grow as a
person. And this place has made me grow as a person…In my mind I’m here.”
The
Raptors enter the 2019-20 season in a unique situation. While they will have a
bullseye on their chest like most defending champions have had before them,
their prospects for this season can go one of two ways.
They
could ride it out and see how they do in the playoffs or if they are not in
playoff contention decide to trade Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and anyone else they
choose and begin building around Pascal Siakam.
“A
championship you know. That’s always gonna be the mindset, no matter what,”
Lowry said about the Raptors expectations for this season. “That’s something
that I’ve always said and I’ve always believed in. You can’t play basketball
and not want to win a championship.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Raptors make the playoffs in the lower half of the East. Siakam plays his
way into his first All-Star selection. Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka and VanVleet are not
traded. The Raptors extended their opening-round series to seven games before
falling.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Raptors do make the playoffs and defend their championship. Lowry, Ibaka,
Gasol and VanVleet are likely traded, and the rebuild is in full swing.
Grade: B
Washington
Wizards: 32-50
(4th Southeast Division; missed the playoffs) 22-19 at home, 10-31
on the road.
-114.0
ppg-10th; opp. ppg: 116.9-T-27th; 42.4 rpg-27th
The
direction of the Washington Wizards was altered last season with the
devastating injury to their All-Star floor general and the trade of their
high-priced forward. Despite a career season from the other half of the team’s
prolific starting backcourt, boys from the District of Columbia missed the
playoffs for just the second time in the last six seasons. With the possibility
of their starting backcourt being broken up; the drafting of the hopeful next
international star and a team strapped for salary cap space, the question for
the Wizards with the 2019-20 season on the horizon is what is their prospects
for the future?
Wizards
five-time All-Star lead guard John Wall’s (20.7 ppg, 8.7 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.5 spg)
season was cut short again to 32 games due to surgery to repair a bone spur
issue in his left heel. The 28-year-old will also be on the shelf for the
2019-20 season, the first of his four-year, $170 million super max deal he
signed the summer of 2018 due to surgery on his left Achilles after slipping
and falling in his home.
There
is no timetable for the return of Wall, whose scheduled to make $38.2 million
this season; $41.2 million in 2020-21; $44.3 million in 2021-22 and $47.3
million in 2022-23, which is a player option.
“Just
be a leader,” Wall said his role will be this season for head coach Scott Brook’s
squad as he rehabilitates at Media Day. “Just be somebody that can talk to my
teammates through anything.”
“My
job is to help as much as possible from my experience I have of being in the
NBA for so many years…Whatever they need help with and showing them how I
attack my rehab with hard work and dedication. That’s how you should attack
every day at every practice and every game that you do. So, I’m basically like
a coach this year.”
He
also said about when he will play again, “Whenever the doctors clear me or
anything like that, its all up to John Wall and how you’re body feeling and do
you feel you can go out and play the game that you love at the highest level.
So, I’m in no rush.”
The
spotlight turned to his backcourt mate Bradley Beal with Wall on the shelf and
the two-time All-Star registered career-high averages of 25.6 points (Led
team), five rebounds, a team-leading 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals, on 47.5
percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three-point range, producing a
career-high 11 double-doubles a season ago, which equaled his career total entering
last season and the first two triple-doubles of his career.
“It’s
no problem,” Beal, whose played all 82 games the past two seasons about his
leadership and producing at that same level he did a season ago. “I think it’s
more or less expected out of myself…We still have vets here that’s been through
the fire and know what it takes, but I know I’ll have to carry a lot of that
load throughout the year. I’m prepared for it. I’m ready for it.”
Despite
Beal’s breakout season, the Wizards continued to struggle in large part because
the rest of the roster simply did not play at a high level.
Eight-time
All-Star center Dwight Howard, who signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the
Wizards signed last off-season has played in just nine games because of gluteal
injury that required season-ending surgery in November 2018.
Two
players who took advantage of Wall and Howard’s absence were Tomas Satoransky
and Thomas Bryant (10.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 61.6 FG%), who had 14 double-doubles a
season ago, which included a career-high of 31 points and 13 rebounds on a
perfect 14 for 14 shooting in the Wizards 149-146 triple-overtime win versus
the Suns on Dec. 22, 2018.
Bryant
joined the late great Wilt Chamberlin; Hall of Famer Bailey Howell; Billy
McKinney’s and future Hall of Famer Gary Payton as the only players in NBA
history to go perfect from the field in as many attempts in a single game. That
led to the Wizards re-signing him this off-season to a new three-year, $25
million deal.
In
an effort to shake things up last season, the Wizards in the middle of December
traded reserved swingman Kelly Oubre, Jr., and guard Austin Rivers to the Suns
for veteran forward Trevor Ariza, who left in free agency.
At
the Feb. 7 trade deadline, they dealt starting small forward Otto Porter, Jr.
to the Bulls, in exchange for forwards Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis, who both
walked in free agency this summer and a 2023 Second-Round pick.
The
trade of Porter, Jr., especially annoyed a restless Wizards fan base, who have
seen a string of questionable personnel decisions in the 16 seasons of team GM
Ernie Grunfeld, who was given the axe in early April.
“We
did not meet our stated goals of qualifying for the playoffs this season,”
owner Ted Leonsis, whose team went 568-724 during Grunfeld’s tenure, which
included eight postseason appearances said in a statement issued by the
Wizards, “and, despite playing with injuries to several key players, we have a
culture of accountability and a responsibility of managing to positive outcomes.”
Owner
Ted Leonsis, who had a chance to bask in the success of the WNBA’s Washington
Mystics title run this summer took his time to decide the direction he wanted
to take the Wizards after the ouster of Grunfeld. A major culture change was
promised which lasted for weeks before Grunfeld’s deputy Tommy Sheppard was
named the full-time GM, after a failed attempt to hire Denver Nuggets GM and D.C.
native Tim Connelly into the fold.
While
plenty of naysayers pointed out that elevating Sheppard was a continuation of what
has gone wrong with the Wizards, the hires of also hired former front office
employee of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns’ Sashi Brown; former Georgetown
University head coach John Thompson III to executive roles; former Wizards
Antawn Jamison as the new Director of Pro Personnel; former GM and NBA
executive Rod Thorn as the senior advisor to Sheppard; and Laron Profit and
John Carideo as scouts for the organization.
“I
think the biggest thing were trying to do here with Monumental Sports and Monumental
Basketball is make this very much player first in the 360 effort to give our
players the very best medical care. They very best on court development
opportunities,” Sheppard told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in late July.
With
the No. 9 overall pick in June’s draft, the Wizards selected forward Rui
Hachimura out of Gonzaga University, who became the first Japanese player
drafted in the First-Round. They also acquired the draft right to forward
Admiral Schofield, the No. 42 overall pick from the University of Tennessee and
swingman Jonathon Simmons, who was waived.
There
were 46 members of the media, representing 23 outlets in Japan were present at
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY that night of June 20 to see the Toyama, Japan
native and 2018-19 Julius Erving Award recipient be drafted in the Top 10.
“I
mean it’s crazy. It’s unreal,” the Meisei High School grad of Sendei, Japan
said to Taylor after getting drafted and all the media attention he has
received. “It means a lot for me, my family and my whole country, you know? I’m
so thankful.
The
2018-19 Consensus First-Team All-American, who played for Japan’s national team
at the FIBA World Cup in September in China brings an NBA ready physique to the
table, as well as the ability to make pull-up jumpers, shots from mid-range and
the ability to finish well around the rim.
The
Wizards hope that Hachimura, who averaged 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds on 59 percent
from the field last season for the Bulldogs can build a solid chemistry on the
floor alongside Bryant, especially if he can increase the range on his jump
shot.
The
big thing with Hachimura is that is a raw talent that is coachable, which means
he can be molded into the type of player Coach Brooks needs him to be.
He
showed that with the Bulldogs, where he went from scoring 11 points and 3.5
rebounds as a sophomore to 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds on 59 percent shooting
in his junior year.
The
reshaping of the Wizards also consisted of letting all their unrestricted free
agents in Jeff Green and Parker walk in free agency and not matching the free
agent offer sheet restricted free agent Bobby Portis got from the Knicks. They
also dealt Howard to the Grizzlies in exchange for sharp shooting forward CJ
Miles (9.3 ppg, 36.4 3-Pt.%).
They
also traded Thomas Satoransky to the Bulls, receiving the Grizzlies’ and Bulls’
2020 Second-Round picks and the right to swap the Lakers’ 2022 Second-Round pick,
while getting up from under the protection of a 2023 Second-Round pick the
Bulls owed the Wizards as well as getting the better of the Bulls and Pistons’
2022 Second-Round picks.
To
fill the void at the lead guard spot, Sheppard and the Wizards signed two-time
All-Star Isaiah Thomas (8.1 ppg in 12 games w/Nuggets), who has played just 29
games the last two seasons as he recovered from a hip injury sustained in the
2017 playoffs while with the Celtics to a one-year deal. The Wizards also
signed to a one-year deal guard Ish Smith (8.9 ppg, 3.6 apg w/Pistons).
Thomas’
debut with the Wizards will not come at the start of this season as a ruptured
radial collateral ligament in his left thumb sustained during a routine workout
will shelve him for 6 to 8 weeks.
In
a three-team trade with the Lakers and Pelicans, the Wizards acquired young
talents in guard Isaac Bonga; center Moritz Wagner; forward Jemerrio Jones and
the Lakers’ 2022 Second-Round pick. All three players, along with second year
guard Troy Brown will have opportunities to get minutes, especially with the
likes of Ian Mahinmi (Achilles strain), Miles (foot surgery), Brown (calf) and
Thomas (thumb) starting the season likely on the shelf.
“The
three is open,” Coach Brooks said at Media Day about the open competition for
the starting small forward spot because of injuries, especially to Brown. “I
don’t know whose gonna start. I mean, Rui has obviously the opportunities to be
that guy but you have to earn minutes and you have to earn your starting job
and its going to be there for him to earn it.”
Another
player that will be in the mix for serious playing time out the gates is sharp
shooting big Davis Bertans (8.0 ppg, 45.0 FG%, 42.9 3-Pt.%), a career 40.4
percent three-point shooter, who was acquired in another three-team trade with
the Spurs and Nets.
With
the blessing of Leonsis, Sheppard offered in late July a three-year, $111
million max extension to Beal, who signed a two-year, $72 million deal, which
begins in the 2021-22 season, with a player option for the 2022-23 season, that
guarantees him nearly $130 million over the next four years.
Beal
told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt the reason he signed the extension is that the
Wizards were honest with him about the changes they were going to make to position
themselves to be a better team moving forward and followed that up with action
and including him in each decision from who they drafted to who was signed in
free agency.
“We
got a lot of good character guys. Made some changes in our coaching staff. Made
some changes in the front office too,” he said. “The owner Ted Leonsis is
serious about, you know, creating this into one of the best world class
organizations, you know in the league.”
“Didn’t
say it was going to be easy. They said it’d be a challenge but, you know, it
was up to them to be able to, you know, put the right guys. Put the team
together and put one together that I would like in my eyes.”
If
the 26-year-old Beal declines his player option upon reaching 10 seasons in the
NBA in 2022, he would be eligible to sign a five-year, $266 million deal, which
would be the largest contract in NBA history. If he departed the Wizards after
three years for another team, he could sign a four-year, $198 million deal.
“This
was a long process that really covered the entire summer and fall, including
numerous conversations and meetings among Ted, Tommy, myself and Brad,” Beal’s
agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN on Beal’s extension. “This
was probably going to be the most important decision that Brad was going to
make in his career and we wanted to give Ted and Tommy every opportunity to
present their vision for the franchise. And they’ve genuinely done a wonderful
job of getting Brad excited about the future and how they plan to build the Wizards
team around him.”
Last
season, the future of the Wizards took a major left turn with the injury to
Wall and the shake up in the front office with the firing of Grunfeld. While
they did not do anything this summer to suggest they will be back in the
playoffs after a one-year absence, new GM Sheppard did not take any major risk
with the franchise’s future.
How
bright that future is depends on what happens with Beal, if he is traded or not
and if Wall can come next season back and play at an All-Star level? The
Wizards are in store for another rebuild, but they at least have someone else
steering that ship this time in Sheppard. Will Coach Brooks though, who is
entering into his fourth season, with the victories coming fewer and fewer each
season.
“I
don’t know how good we’re gonna be but I know we’re gonna be scrappy and we’re
gonna be tough, and we’re gonna play together, and we’re gonna play hard,”
Coach Brooks said about his expectations for this season. “We’re gonna overcome
some of our inexperience with early on I think with great effort and team
spirit and hopefully our fans will see that. I think they will and I’m excited
to be a part of it.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Wizards win over 30 games. They get a major hall for Beal either in the middle
of December or at the Feb. 2020 trade deadline. Hachimura makes the First or
Second All-Rookie teams.
Worst
Case Scenario:
Another long season for the Wizards with no improvement. Beal gets injured,
diminishing his trade value.
Grade: D-
Western
Conference
Dallas
Mavericks: 33-49
(5th Southwest Division; missed the playoffs) 24-17 at home, 9-32 on
the road.
-108.9
ppg-21st; opp. ppg: 110.1-11th; 45.3 rpg-16th
There
was plenty of reason for fans of the Dallas Mavericks to pay attention in
2018-19. They got a chance to say goodbye to a future Hall of Famer who helped
turn them from a cellar dweller into a postseason perennial and eventually NBA
champions in 2011. A glimpse into hopefully a bright future with a pair of
franchise cornerstones. With the reign Rookie of the Year back for hopefully an
encore of last season; the addition of last season’s prized trade acquisition
coupled with some solid role players, the question for the Mavericks is can
they in a loaded Western Conference make it back to the playoffs after a
three-year absence?
Last
season was one of celebration for future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, who called
it career at the end of the 2018-19 season. To put the first ballot Hall of
Famer’s career of 21 seasons, all in “Big D” into context, he was a 14-time
All-Star. Helped the Mavericks to their first title in franchise history in
2011, winning the Bill Russell Award for Finals MVP. Won Kia MVP in 2006-07; is
No. 6 all-time on the scoring list (31,560) and No. 3 all-time in games played
(1,522).
He
also made way for the 2019 Kia Rookie of the Year in Luka Doncic; the projected
savior of the franchise gave reason for that a very rare smooth changing of the
guard for a team.
“He
gave me a lot of advice as you know. But the best advice I got was have fun on
the court,” Doncic said on Media Day to NBATV’s Ro Parrish about what Nowitzki
told him.
Doncic
(21.2 ppg-Led team, 7.8 rpg-Led team, 6.0 apg-Led team), who was acquired on
draft night 2018 from the Hawks in exchange for guard Trae Young definitely had
fun on the hardwood as a rookie a season ago, looking every bit the player who
dominated the competition in his early years overseas. That calmness under
pressure gave head coach Rick Carlisle the ability to draw plays for the
6-foot-8 swingman in tight ball games.
How
good was the All-Rookie First-Team selection a season ago? Only Jay Vincent’s
53 games scoring 20 or more in the 1981-82 season were better than the 43 by
the Doncic. Vincent’s 15 games scoring 30-plus that same season were better
than the eight Doncic had a season ago.
Players
in NBA history that scored 30 while still a teenager include the Lakers’ LeBron
James (20), Carmelo Anthony (10), the Nets’ Kevin Durant (7), Donic and the
Suns’ Devin Booker (6). Kobe Bryant, the Timberwolves Andrew Wiggins, and
Stephon Marbury each had two such performances.
Doncic
joined Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Grant
Hill, and Sidney Wicks as the only Kia Rookies of the Year to average 19
points, six rebounds and four assists for the season.
The
play of Doncic had the Mavericks faithful thinking playoffs as they were 15-11
after a 114-107 win on Dec. 12, 2018 versus the Hawks, which was their 11th
straight win at American Airlines Center, their longest home winning streak
since a 12-game home winning streak during the 2007-08 season. The Mavericks
though came crashing back down to earth losing six in a row after that win,
going 18-38 the rest of the season, which included a 11-15 mark are home
following a 13-2 start.
Doncic
said to Parrish that will allow him to excel even more this upcoming season was
that for the first time in his life he did not play basketball in the offseason,
giving his body time to rest while also improving his physique in the weight room.
“I
mean, it was just the first offseason I hadn’t rest for more than one month,”
Doncic said to Parrish about his summer. “It was a great summer for me. I
rested enough, I practiced, took care of my body and that was the key for this
summer.”
Doncic
also said that he worked on improving in his game this offseason from taking
care of his body to working on his shooting.
The
other event that provided even more optimism was the late January acquisition
of All-Star Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks, for 2017 First-Round pick
Dennis Smith, Jr., two future First-Round picks.
Porzingis,
the one good move made during the Phil Jackson era in the “Big Apple” was on a
very special arc before tearing the ACL in his left knee in February 2018 that
cost him the entire 2018-19 season.
The
Latvia native brings to the table a unique skill set of scoring inside and
outside with the ability to rebound and block shots, which he put on full
display in 2017-18, where he averaged for the Knicks 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds
and 2.4 block shots, connecting on 39.5 percent of his threes, earning his
first of hopefully man All-Star nods.
Hall of Famer and former running mate of Nowitzki in two-time Kia MVP Steve Nash said to Mavs.com in late September about Doncic and Porzingis, "You've got two players that are incredible difference makers, if the can form a bond and a chemistry and an understanding. They both fit the modern game extremely well...It's going to be exciting to watch them develop together this year."
The
most important thing for Porzingis is to remain healthy, and be the anchor of a
defense that went from giving up on
average 108.7 points and averaging 7.1 steals in going 26-31 the Mavericks in
dropping 18 of their final 25 games a season ago, gave up on average 113.4
points and registered just 5.2 steals.
The
Mavericks showed serious faith that he can by signing him to a five-year, $158
million extension and Porzingis for his part stepped up his level of commitment
this summer by getting in the weight room and improving his upper-body strength
so he can be a better rebounder and rim protector.
“I
feel great physically right now,” Porzingis told Parrish about his health. “I
know I’ve been out for a long time and, you know, that just made me realize how
much I love this game, and how much I missed it when I was out. So, I’m excited
to be back. I feel great physically. I’m in a new place, new city, new
organization, ready to start a new chapter.”
That
decision by team owner Mark Cuban, GM Donnie Nelson and the front office made
shrunk their salary cap space for this summer from $56.8 million to $31.3
million.
In
the draft this past June, the Mavericks traded the draft right of forward
Deividas Sirvydis (No. 37 overall pick) to the Pistons in exchange for forward
Isaiah Roby and two future Second-Round picks.
The
Mavericks priority this summer was to use their salary cap space to retain some
of their own free agents and while also adding some solid players as well.
They
first re-signed 28-year-old reserve power forward/center Dwight Powell (10.6
ppg-career-high, 5.3 rpg, 59.7 FG%), who opted out the final year of his deal
worth $10 million for a new two-year $33 million deal. The Mavericks also
re-signed 27-year-old fellow reserve big man Maxi Kleber (6.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg,
45.3 FG%, 35.3 3-Pt.%) on a four-year $35 million deal and forward Dorian
Finney-Smith (7.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) to a three-year, $12 million deal.
The
Mavericks added some size and depth, literally and figuratively to their front
court with the signing of 7-foot-3 center Boban Marjanovic (7.3
ppg-career-high, 4.6 rpg 61.5 FG% w/Clippers & 76ers) to a two-year, $7
million deal.
They
acquired guard Delon Wright (8.7 ppg w/Raptors & Grizzlies) via a
sign-and-trade on a new three-year, $29 million deal in exchange for the draft
rights to Satman Singh and two future Second-Round picks. Signed sharp-shooter
Seth Curry on a four-year, $32 million (7.9 ppg, 45.6 FG%, 45.0 3-Pt.%-3rd
NBA w/Trail Blazers) for his second stint with the organization and re-signed
veteran guard J.J. Barea, who ruptured his right Achilles that required
season-ending surgery on Jan. 14 (10.9 ppg, 5.6 apg) to a one-year, $1.6
million deal.
“It
feels great. It feels great. It feels like where I’m supposed to be after
having one good year here,” Curry, who averaged 12.8 points on 42.5 percent
from three in 2016-17 with Mavericks said at Media Day. “Missing the second
year with injury. Obviously, it felt good to come back. I’m familiar with the
organization, familiar with the coaching staff. It’s a new roster but I’m
excited and ready to go.”
Carlisle
said at Media Day about Barea, the last player from the 2011 title team still
on the roster, “There’s nothing like championship experience and a guy that has
great international experience that’s done it and can still do it to help you
keep your team situation really focused on what’s important, which is being a
family, being together… And J. J’s done all those things, and that’s a big help
to us.”
The
new addition at the wing positions, coupled with Tim Hardaway Jr. (18.1 ppg
w/Knicks & Mavericks), who along with Courtney Lee was came over from the
Knicks with Porzingis, second-year guard
Jalen Brunson (9.3 ppg, 46.7 FG%), who had a solid rookie season last year, and
sharp-shooting forward Justin Jackson (7.2 ppg, 44.7 FG%, 35.5 3-Pt.%), who
came over at the February trade deadline for forward Harrison Barnes give Coach
Carlisle plenty of options and versatility to play alongside Doncic and
Porzingis.
“I’m
really excited about this group,” Coach Carlisle said about his team entering
this season at Media Day. “The last three years have been challenging but this
team Donnie and Mark and Mike Finley and Keith Brand have put together is
exciting.”
“It’s
a group of guys that has experience but are young enough to grow together.
That’s very exciting.”
For
the first time in 21 years, the Mavericks will not have future Hall of Famer
Dirk Nowitzki. The difference between them and other teams that have been in
this position they have players to move forward with in Luka Doncic and
Kristaps Porzingis, and a clear vision for their future.
Making
it back to the playoffs in an even more stacked Western Conference will be a
tall order, but the Mavericks at least fielded a roster that will be primed and
ready for the challenge of doing what Nowitzki did in turning the Mavericks
into a playoff perennial again and eventually a champion
“We
have huge shoes to fill. You know, with Dirk being gone-he was the face of this
place for 20 plus years,” Porzingis said about the challenge of leading the
Mavericks this season and beyond. “The things he has done for the city, for the
organization is something that is not easy to replicate.”
“So,
we have big shoes to fill. Not just what he did on the court but also off the
court. So, me and Luka are very excited about our opportunity and try to keep
doing what Dirk was doing for this city and for this organization.”
Carlisle
added to that by saying, “One thing that’s a little scary but also very
exciting is that this group of guys led by Doncic and Porzingis has a chance
now to define what Mavericks culture is going to be like going forward.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Mavericks make either the No. 7 or No. 8 playoff spot in the West. Doncic and
Porzingis mesh well and become All-Stars. Coach Carlisle is in the running for
Kia Coach of the Year.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Mavericks miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Doncic
regresses as a player. Porzingis is a shell of himself coming off the knee
injury. The role players play inconsistently.
Grade: B+
Denver
Nuggets: 54-28
(1st Northwest Division; No. 2 Seed in West) 34-7 at home, 20-21 on
the road. Defeated the No. 7 Seeded San Antonio Spurs in Quarterfinals 4-3.
Lost in Semifinals against the No. 3 Seeded Portland Trail Blazers 4-3.
-110.7
ppg-20th; opp. ppg: 106.7-6th; 46.4 rpg-8th
After
just missing out on the playoffs the last two seasons, the Denver Nuggets finally
broke through in 2018-19, winning 50-plus games for the first time since
2012-13 campaign and their first division title in nearly a decade and as the
No. 2 Seed in the rugged West. They took down the battle-tested five-time
champion Spurs in seven games. Their playoff journey concluded though in a Game
7 loss at home versus the Trail Blazers. With their three top players locked up
contractually and with basically the whole team back in the fold, the question
for the Nuggets entering this season are they ready for everybody’s best shot?
The
stellar growth of the Nuggets is in large part due to the emergence of their two
best players in First-Time All-Star center and All-NBA First-Team selection
Nikloa Jokic and lead guard Jamal Murray.
Jokic
last season planted his flag as one of “The Association’s” multi-skilled and
talented big men as the Serbian native increased his production again with
team-leading averages of 20.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 51.1
percent shooting in head coach Michael Malone offense that ran through him, a
rarity in today’s game where it seems like centers are getting phased out or being
labeled as a role players or screen setters.
The
incredible court vision, especially in the half court is how “The Joker”
registered 12 triple-doubles, and a single-season career-high of 56
double-doubles a season ago. Only the late great Wilt Chamberlin with 78 has
authored more triple-doubles by a seven-footer in NBA history than the 28 Jokic
has in the early part of his career, which is seven more than six-time Kia MVP
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at 21.
“I
didn’t play different,” Jokic said at Media Day to NBATV’s Sekou Smith about
his stellar season in 2018-19. “Maybe the media, that crowd of people started
to recognize it more. But to be honest I didn’t play anything different. I
mean, Denver Nuggets is team basketball. We always play like that and they put
me in front of the team. So, but Denver Nuggets is all about team basketball.”
The
other half of this duo is lead guard Jamal Murray, who averaged career-highs of
18.2 points and 4.8 apg, 36.7 3-Pt.%), who made great strides not only
quarterbacking the Nuggets, but made great strides as a leader on the floor,
shot maker, solid compliment to Jokic.
The
No. 7 overall pick from Canada and the University of Kentucky scored 19 of his
career-high 48 points, going 19 for 30 from the field, including 5 for 11 from
three-point range in the Nuggets 115-107 win versus the Celtics on Nov. 5,
2018. He registered 46 points with eight rebounds and six assists on 16 for 24
shooting, including a career-high nine made threes in 11 chances in helping the
Nuggets to a 122-118 win at the Suns on Dec. 29, 2018.
In
the Nuggets 117-113 win at the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 3, Murray scored 34 of
his 36 points in the second half, with 17 of those in the fourth period on 12
for 24 shooting, including 6 for 12 from three-point range with seven boards
and six assists, falling just two points shy of the franchise record 36-point
second half by 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony in a game back in 2008.
What
also allowed the Nuggets to have the second-best record in the West last season
was they had the best home record in “The Association” at 34-7. Counting the
playoffs, went 41-2 when leading going into the fourth quarter and showed their
ability to win close games going 18-5 in games decided by four points or
less.
That
for sure prepared them for the playoffs where thanks to Murray, who overcame a
rough Game 1 performance of 17 points on 8 for 23 shootings in his playoff
debut, a 101-96 loss versus the Spurs on Apr. 13, scored 20-plus in three of
the last four games of the series, which including a 23-point effort on 9 for
19 shooting in 90-86 win in Game 7 on Apr. 27, where he hit the game-clinching
floater with 36.8 seconds remaining.
Jokic
and Murray continued their fine play in the Semis against the Trail Blazers,
where Murray authored back-to-back 34 points performances in the Trail Blazers
house. The first 34 points performance came in a tough 140-137 quadruple-overtime
loss in Game 3 on May 3, where Murray went 14 for 32 shooting, but was just 4
for 12 from three-point range with nine rebounds and five assists in 55
minutes. His 34-point effort in the 116-112 win in Game 4 win two nights later
on a much more efficient 10 for 20 from the field, including going 3 for 7 from
three-point range and 11 for 11 from the free throw line to tie the series at
2-2.
One
of the knocks on Jokic in the early part of his career has been the fact that
his conditioning and work habits were not always up to par for a player of his
skill and talent.
He
put some of that to rest with what he did in the Game 7 clincher versus the
Spurs with 21 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, his second triple-double of the
series in 43 minutes. In the aforementioned Game 3 loss by the Nuggets at the
Trail Blazers, Jokic, who battled foul trouble had his third triple-double of
the 2019 postseason with 33 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists and two block shots
on 13 for 25 shooting, including 4 for 7 from three-point range in 65 minutes.
“Just
experience, you know. Just to play a lot of games. Just to play a lot of minutes
and the ball is in my hands a lot of times, “Jokic, who averaged 25.1 points
and 13.0 rebounds on 50.6 percent shooting in 39.8 minutes said to Smith on his
All-NBA play last season. “I’m relaxed on the court right now. The games really
slow for me right now.”
How
Jokic and Murray played during this playoff run for the Nuggets shows why they
both got big extensions by the Nuggets front office the last two summers. Jokic
signed a five-year $146.5 million extension last summer, while the 22-year-old Murray
inked a new five-year, $170 million deal this summer.
The
Nuggets youth and inexperience caught up with them in a tough 100-96 loss in Game
7 at home versus the Trail Blazers, where they were outscored 83-67 the next
three quarters after leading by 12 points (29-17) after the first. The shot
just 37.1 percent from the floor in the deciding game of the series, which
included an abysmal 2 for 19 from three-point range and a disappointing 28 for
39 from the free throw line. Murry had just 17 points on a rough 4 for 18
shooting, while Jokic had 29 points and 13 rebounds, but only two assists on
just 11 for 26 shooting.
To
put Murray’s first postseason into context, in the wins, he averaged 24.1
points on 50.4 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three-point range,
making 16 threes. In the loss just 18.4 points on 35.6 percent from the field
and 26.1 percent from three-point range, with just 12 connections from
three-point range.
Coach
Malone feels the next step for Murray to be an elite All-Star is for him to
start off on a high note and to be pay more attention to the finer details at
the defensive end.
“Jamal
has shown me, he’s proven to me that he can be an effective defensive player.
But he cannot allow nights when he’s not making shots or whatever it might be
to take away from his attention on that defensive end of the floor,” Coach
Malone said at Media Day on Sept 30 to Altitude Sports Scott Hastings.
Despite
that rough close loss that ended their season on May 12, head coach Michael
Malone’s young team being able to be on the better end of close games was their
ability to get stops consistently, going from dead last in opponent’s
three-point defense in 2017-18 at 37.8 percent to No. 1 at 33.9 last season.
That
defense and stellar play from the Jokic/Murray combo was coupled with the solid
play from their understudy’s in backup guard Monte Morris (10.4 ppg, 3.6 apg,
49.3 FG%, 41.4 3-Pt.%), the No. 51 overall pick in 2017, who barely played in
his rookie season and Malik Beasley (11.3 ppg, 47.4 FG%, 40.2 3-Pt.%).
In
the Nuggets 115-108 win versus the Knicks at the start of the new year, Beasley
had a career-high 23 points with six rebounds and five assists, on 8 for 15
shooting, including 5 for 9 from three-point range in 30 minutes off the bench.
Starting
in place of an injured Murray, Beasley established a new career-high of 35
points, including another 5 for 9 performance from three-point range in the
Nuggets 136-122 win versus the Rockets on Feb.1, which ended a nine-game losing
streak to them.
Morris
had 30 games last season either as a starter or coming off the bench with zero
turnovers. In his only double-double of this season where he had 17 points and
10 assists with seven boards in the Nuggets 107-106 win at the Timberwolves,
Morris had just one turnover in 41 minutes, starting in place of an injured
Murray.
Morris
and Beasley more than made up for tough seasons by starters Gary Harris (12.9
ppg) and Will Barton (11.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg), who missed 25 and 38 games
respectably because of injury.
“This
summer, I stayed like at my same playing weight the whole summer right around
210 [pounds] and my body feels great,” Harris said at Media Day about coming
into this season healthy.” “Cleaned up my eating, you know? Really tried to put
an emphasis on that this summer.”
Along
with Murray getting a huge pay day, GM Tim Connelly, who replaced now Raptors
executive Masai Ujiri six years ago has continued to build the Nuggets into
consistent playoff perennial. He drafted Jokic No. 41 overall in June 2014 and
hired Coach Malone two years later.
The
Nuggets since Malone’s arrival went from 33 wins in 2015-16 to 40, 46 and as
previously mentioned 54 wins in 2018-19. A big part of that is how GM Tim
Connelly has continued the work that former GM Masai Ujiri, now with the
Raptors has, especially with having no contracts that the organization has
second guesses on.
After
being wooed by the Wizards this summer to join them in their front office, Nuggets’
President Josh Kroenke convinced Connelly to stay by extending his contract.
One
of the other under the radar investments made by Connelly and team president
Josh Kronenke in the team that has been the player development coaches in
assistants Ogjen Stojakovic, Stephen Graham and former NBATV employee John Beckett
who have done an exceptional job in developing the young talent of the Nuggets.
“We
are always willing and unafraid to look deep inside of who we are, what we do
and how we do it as a coaching staff to find out how we can be better. And
we’ve done that every single offseason, just like this past one,” Coach Malone
said.
With
very little money in their war chest to go out and improve the roster, Connelly
and Kroenke focused on maintaining the continuity of the team.
The
Nuggets picked up veteran forward Paul Millsap (12.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 48.4 FG%,
36.5 3-Pt.%) $30.4 million option on the final year of his three-year, $90
million contract he signed on July 13, 2017.
While
extending the 34-year-old veteran, who had his worst season since 2009-10, he
brings that veteran presence that Coach Malone can count on to keep things from
getting out of control.
The
edition of forward Jerami Grant (13.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 49.7 FG%, 39.2 3-Pt.%
w/Thunder), who the Nuggets acquired from the Thunder for a 2020 First-Round pick
will provide the necessary rest to keep Millsap from wearing down. Whether he
starts or comes off the bench, if used correctly by Coach Malone, he can bring
a major dimension to the Nuggets to where they can play a big or small lineup
any time.
“Just
the way they move the ball on offense,” Grant said at Media Day that he is
looking forward to the most with his new team. “I think they make the game a
lot easier for everybody else on the team.”
Then
there is the wild card: Michael Porter, Jr., the Nuggets First-Round pick (No.
14 overall) in June 2018, who sat out all last season recovering from a back
injury. The former Missouri Tiger sustained a setback in his comeback when a
minor knee issue scratched his summer league play two months back. If and when
Porter, Jr. gets on the floor, and remains healthy, he provides the Nuggets
another option at either the small forward or power forward spot, who can
spread the floor.
Porter,
Jr., and Grant will be part of a bench unit that consists of the previously mentioned
Morris and Beasley, forward/center Mason Plumlee (7.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 59.3 FG%),
Juancho Hernangomez, (5.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 36.5 3-Pt.%), and Torrey Craig (5.7
ppg, 3.5 rpg).
“It’s
just going to take me being mature because we have such a great team already,
and I’m a first-year player,” Porter, Jr. said about finding playing time on
the Nuggets’ deep roster to The Denver Post. “I don’t know everything
that is going on. I probably won’t get the huge role I wanted off the bat, but
every player started slow. Look at Kawhi [Leonard} when he was first in San
Antonio.”
While
they had no First-Round picks in June’s draft, the Nuggets swung a deal with
the Heat to acquire the draft rights to C Bol, the No. 44 overall pick out of
the University of Oregon. The son of the late former NBA center Manute Bol, who
played 10 seasons (1985-95) in the NBA for the Warriors, Bullets-now Wizards
and 76ers got off to a great start in his Ducks career before a left foot
injury cut his season short at nine games.
Bol,
who averaged 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks shots, on 52.3 percent
from three-point range in those nine games does bring size, that consists of a
7-foot-7 wingspan, a fluid offensive repertoire and an interior presence at the
defensive end. Connelly and the Nuggets will essentially red-shirt Bol as
Porter, Jr. did, and give him ample time to heel that injured foot while
working on building his strength with to prepare him for the 2020-21 season.
“I’ve
been dreaming of this my whole life and it feels pretty good,” Bol Bol said to
Taylor after he got drafted. “I just want to prove everyone wrong, and just
come out and be the best player I can be.”
The
Nuggets used this offseason to reward some of their key personnel responsible
for their rise in Nikola Jokic last summer, Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap, and GM
Tim Connelly this summer.
That
patience with this young core, which will have six members of their playing
rotation in Murry, Jokic, Gary Harris, Malik Beasley, Monte Morris and Michael
Porter, Jr all age 25 or younger on Opening Night 2019 has gotten the Nuggets
to this point where they can say they made the playoffs, near the top of the
rugged Western Conference and fell one game short of being in the Western
Conference Finals this past spring.
Beasley,
Juancho Hernangomez and Torrey Craig hope to be that supporting cast moving
forward as all three are up for extensions on their rookie deals.
“Last
year was great. We got to work even harder this year,” Coach Malone said about
competing for a championship. “I’m very excited to start camp tomorrow and
start working towards hopefully bringing back a championship to this city.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Nuggets will finish in the Top 3 in the stacked Western Conference. Jokic
finishes in the Top 5 of Kia MVP race. Murray is on the fringe of making his
first All-Star team. The Nuggets will reach the Conference Finals.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Nuggets are in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference without
home court advantage. They have an early playoff exit.
Grade: A-
Golden
State Warriors: 57-25
(1st Pacific Division; No. 1 Seed in West) 30-11 at home, 27-14 on
the road. Defeated the No. 8 Seeded Los Angeles Clippers in Quarterfinals 4-2.
Defeated the No. 4 Seeded Houston Rockets in Semifinals 4-2. Defeated the No. 3
Seeded Portland Trail Blazers in Conference Finals 4-0. Lost in The Finals 4-2
against the No. 2 Seeded Toronto Raptors.
-117.7
ppg-2nd; opp. ppg: 111.2-15th; 46.2 rpg-11th
For
five consecutive seasons, the Golden State Warriors dominated the National
Basketball Association capturing three of their six Larry O’Brien trophies in
franchise history. Injuries to their
two-time Finals MVP and their All-Star two-way off-guard from the champagne
flow of matching to the best era in “The Association” since the Shaquille
O’Neal Kobe Bryant Lakers from 2000-04. With a new era set to begin in a new
arena, led by their two-time Kia MVP; their re-signed do-it-all forward and a
young All-Star in the fold the question for the Warriors is are they still a
threat to the entire league?
At
the start of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, the chances of the Warriors joining the
Celtics of the late 1950s and 1960s; the then Minneapolis Lakers (of 1952-54);
the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s (1990-93 & 1996-98) and the Lakers of the
early 2000s (2000-02) as the only teams to three-peat seemed set in stone. They
had good health and were rolling right through the competition.
Two-time
Finals MVP Kevin Durant; the perennial All-Star backcourt of the “Splash
Brothers” in Six-time All-NBA selection Stephen Curry (27.3 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.3
rpg, 47.2 FG%, 43.7 3-Pt.%), and All-NBA All-Defensive Second-Team selection this
past season in Klay Thompson (21.5 ppg, 46.7 FG%, 40.2 3-Pt.%) were All-Stars
again, with the bonus in center DeMarcus Cousins, a former All-Star and All-NBA
performer, who recovered from Achilles surgery to give the Warriors an added
scoring dimension down low.
Last
season, Curry, Thompson, and Durant joined the 1961-62 Lakers trio of Hall of
Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, and Rudy “Musty” LaRusso as the only two
teams to have three players to score 50-plus in a game in the same season.
Head
Coach Steve Kerr became the fastest coach in the four major North American
sports to reach 300 wins when his team won at the Celtics 115-111 on Jan. 26,
doing it in his 377 game. Former MLB skipper Frank Chance needed 426 games to
reach that total, while legendary head coach of the NFL Don Schula and Bruce
Boudreau needed 442 and 496 games respectably to reach 300 wins.
While
All-Stars Draymond Green (7.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.9 apg, 44.5 FG%) and Andre
Igoudala had below average numbers in the regular season, the Warriors still
were still too good to dismiss.
Even
with the Los Angeles Clippers putting up a serious fight in the opening-round,
head coach Steve Kerr’s team found a way to finish them off in six games.
While
they lost Durant, the 2014 Kia MVP to a calf strain in the Warriors 104-99 win
in Game 5 of the Semis against the Rockets on May 8, it did not deter the
Warriors who overtook the sleepwalking Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the Semis
two nights later to win the series in six games.
While
they had to overcome double-digit deficits in the Western Conference Finals,
and they were without Durant for that series, the Warriors swept the Trail
Blazers 4-0 to reach The Finals for a fourth straight season, winning Game 4 in
Portland 119-117 on May 20 in overtime, their 23rd consecutive postseason
road win, extending their NBA record.
Curry
and Green in the win became the first teammates in NBA playoff history to
register a triple-double in the same game with Curry authoring 37 points 11
assists and 13 rebounds, while Green had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists
with three steals.
The
Warriors, down to the Raptors 3-1 got Durant back in Game 5 of The Finals at
the Raptors, and he got off to a great start with 11 first quarter points, but
in the second quarter while making a cross over move on the right wing, Durant
came up lame and immediately fell to the floor grabbing the back of his right
leg, right below the calf and more towards the Achilles area. It was eventually
diagnosed that Durant tore his right Achilles in the Warriors 106-105 win in
Game 5.
In
Game 6 it got worse when Thompson, who had 30 points on the night badly injured
his left knee on a breakaway drive to the basket late in the third quarter.
While he did return for a moment to shoot two free throws as he was fouled on
the play, he was immediately taken out of the game, and it would later be
revealed that he sustained a torn ACL in his left knee.
With
the Warriors down to two All-Stars left in Curry and Green, they had nothing
left to challenge the Raptors, who would win Game 6 and the title in the
Warriors final home game in the 47-year history of Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA.
As
the five-time defending Western Conference champs packed their boxes and moved
from “Oak-town” to San Francisco and the new Chase Center, which cost between
$1.5 and $2 billion to build, which was all private money also embraced for a summer
of serious change and major far-reaching implications from those changes.
Durant
opted out of the final year of his contract worth $31.5 million and move on to
the Nets via a sign-and-trade, with the Warriors acquiring All-Star guard
D’Angelo Russell (21.1 ppg, 7.0 apg 36.8 3-Pt.% w/Nets), on a new four-year,
$117 million deal. The Warriors also acquired from the Nets guards Shabazz
Napier and Treveon Graham, who they dealt on July 8 to the Minnesota
Timberwolves in exchange for the rights to Lior Eliyahu.
Andre
Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP was dealt to the Grizzlies, along with a
protected First-Round pick to clear his $17 million salary of the team’s cap to
acquire Russell. Reserve big man Jordan Bell signed in free agency with the
Timberwolves, while reserve guard Shaun Livingston retired after being waived
on July 10. Guard Quinn Cook signed in free agency with the Lakers and Cousins,
who the Warriors decided to move on from because of the high salary he would
command on the open market and signed with the Lakers, more on that later.
After
the first practice, Russell said to ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell about playing with
Curry for the first time that he called his dad saying in a positive way, “This
is going to be crazy.”
“It’s
definitely somebody I’ve modeled my game after just a little bit, you know, in
some sorts. So, just to get the opportunity to be hands on and see this guy close
up every day. How he works and how he actually goes about his business is a
luxury to have in this league.”
Russell,
who earned his first All-Star selection with the Nets a season ago is coming
off a breakout season where his game on the court and his maturation as a man
all came together.
His
additions gives the Warriors another shot maker and facilitator that will allow
Curry to play off the ball and do what he does best-score from all angles,
especially from three-point range.
“At
the end of the day, two talented guys who know how to put the ball in the
basket. Know how to make plays for each other and teammates,” Curry described
at Media Day of what he foresees him and the 23-year-old Russell doing on the
hardwood this season.
The
Warriors began the shift of the roster on draft night in June, choosing with
the No. 28 overall pick guard Jordan Poole out of Michigan, who averaged 12.8
points in being named Honorable mentioned All-Big Ten.
The
6-foot-5 guard, who hit the game-winner in the Second-Round of the 2019 NCAA
Tournament for the Wolverines against the University of Houston Cougars
registered 12 games last season making three or more triples.
In
a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Warriors acquired the draft rights to
the No. 39 overall pick in Serbian center Alen Smailagic, who played last
season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, their G-League affiliate squad for
Second-Round picks in 2021 and 2023, and cash considerations.
Both
players showed well in Summer League and will likely spend the season in player
development, which might include a stint with the aforementioned Santa Cruz
Warriors, just like Smailagic did, with the possibility of being part of the
Warriors playing rotation.
In
a deal with the Hawks landing the draft rights to the No. 41 overall pick in
forward Eric Paschall out of Villanova University in exchange for a 2024
Second-Round pick and cash consideration of $1.3 million. The Warriors also did
a three-team deal with the Pacers and Jazz, the receiving cash consideration from
the Jazz and sent the draft rights to guard Miye Oni, the No. 58 overall pick
to the Jazz.
The
Warriors rolled the dice in free agency by signing former Sacramento King
lottery pick Willie Cauley-Stein (11.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 55.6 FG% w/Kings), the No.
6 overall pick in the 2015 draft who the Kings gave up on after four seasons.
He will be on the shelf to start this season because of a left foot strain he
sustained in a pickup game in September.
Which
makes the re-signing of big man Kevon Looney (6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg 62.5 FG%), who
really showed a lot of progress late last season even more important as he
earned himself a new three-year, $15 million deal.
Last
season, the 23-year-old No. 30 overall pick out of UCLA in 2015 started 24
times and had some good moments in the playoffs this past spring. In the Game 4
overtime clincher of the Conference Finals at the Trail Blazers, he had a
double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds.
As
the likely starter he will now be counted on to expand his game to be a consistent
rebounder, rim protector and defender in space, which is something that
Cauley-Stein will really provide, as well as the ability to be a great
rim-runner and diver to the rim in the half court.
“I
think my roles gonna change a little bit,” Looney said. “Until he comes back,
we’re gonna have to hold down the fort. Steve likes to play center by committee
anyway. I think everybody’s gonna have a chance to show what they can do and
show what they can provide at the position.”
In
a deal with the Hawks, the Warriors acquired sharp-shooting center Omari
Spellman (5.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 34.4 3-Pt.%) the No. 30 overall pick in the 2018
draft for center Damian Jones and a 2026 Second-Round pick.
“I
wouldn’t say my role would be exclusively shooting the three-ball. I think they
still need other things out of someone playing the big man for this team,”
Spellman said about his role with the Warriors.
The
Warriors also signed on short term deals in free agency guard Alec Burks (8.8
ppg, 36.3 3-Pt.% w/Cavaliers, Kings & Jazz) and Glenn Robinson III, with
his deal being for two years and the second being a player option. They also
signed big man Marquese Chriss this off-season.
“Every
guy in that locker room is going to have a chance to help us succeed,” Curry
said. “There’s an importance on player development more than ever has been. So,
I’m excited about that.”
Coach
Kerr echoed that same feeling by saying at Media Day to NBATV, “The thing our
fans should look forward to is watching our team grow over the course of the
year.”
“This is really a chance to see a bunch of
young guys right from the beginning and watch them grow, watch them develop.
And as we go, hopefully we can kind of blend them in with our veteran players,
and really develop into a good team. But we got a lot of work ahead of us.”
The
Warriors major investments this off-season where a four-year, $100 million max
extension for Green, which also included a 15 percent trade kicker and a
five-year, $190 million max extension to retain Thompson.
The
front office of GM Bob Myers, President Rick Welts, who got multi-year contract
extensions this summer, and owners Peter Guber and Joe Lacob wanted to act on
locking up Green to a long-term deal during this summer and not risk bringing
him back with just one year left on his prior deal. They for sure wanted to get
a deal done for the All-Defensive Second-Team selection, especially with what
they saw from him in the playoffs where he averaged 13.3 points, 10.1 rebounds
and 8.5 assists in 38.7 minutes.
If
Green had waited until next summer and he had won Kia Defensive Player of the
Year, he could have been in line for a super max deal of five years at $240
million; a max deal of five years at $205 million; or a had he decided to test
free agency, a four-year deal of $152 million. Both Green and the team wanted
to get something done this off-season, and they did.
“This
is the NBA. It’ll be a little tougher on us then its been in past years,” Green
said on the upcoming season for the Warriors. “You got to actually show up for
our games now. But that’s fine, you know, as a competitor. You’re looking
forward to that and we’ll enjoy it. But understanding of not burning ourselves
out to early. But I think we kind of got that down.”
The
re-signing of Thompson is not a surprise because long ago he pledged that he
would come back to the Warriors, especially in public when back in the middle
of February he said, “Playing for one team your whole career is definitely
special. Only so many guys have done it in professional sports, so it’ll be a
goal of mine. Hopefully it all works out.”
Considering
how things went south after Durant’s injury, the Warriors will be extra
cautious of when they decide that Thompson comes back. If they have a chance to
be a factor this season, it is likely we will see him after the All-Star break.
If they are just a one-and-done in the playoffs they will sit him out the
entire season and get ready for next season.
“As
much as it kills me not to be on the court, patience is a virtue and rushing
back would be not very smart,” Thompson said at Media Day about coming back way
too soon.
The
most dominant era of NBA basketball since the aforementioned Lakers of 2000-04,
where they won 78.5 percent of their games, that included a new regular season
record with 73 wins in 2015-16; went 16-1 in the 2017 playoffs and won three
Larry O’Brien trophies in five seasons. The Warriors feel they are not finished
winning titles.
Yes,
Kevin Durant is gone out East. Klay Thompson will start this season on the
shelf recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. The key support players like
Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston are gone as well.
The
Warriors still have the two-time MVP Stephen Curry, the only unanimous MVP
selection back in 2015-16 and Draymond Green, the NBA’s ultimate swiss army
knife, who in the 2019 playoffs averaged 13.3 points, 10.1 boards and 8.5
assists and whose team including the postseason is 29-3 when he registers a
triple-double in his career.
Also,
the Warriors still have one of the best coaches on the bench in Steve Kerr, who
will know exactly the right buttons to push.
The
supporting cast will be different and how the likes of D’Angelo Russell, Willie
Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Poole, Alen Smailagic and
Eric Paschall perform that will dictate how far the Warriors go along with the
play of Curry and Green and Thompson if or when he returns will dictate their
prospects for this season.
Former
Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, whose Rockets on back-to-back titles in
1994 and 1995 said after the Rockets second straight title, “Don’t ever
underestimate the heart of a champion.”
The
Warriors do have the heart of a champion, and as they begin this new journey,
the do it with an understanding that they have the pedigree of what it takes to
reach the NBA mountain top. It will be interesting to see if they get back
there again.
“We
have an opportunity to create excitement,” Curry said about the Warriors
creating a brand-new brand of basketball. “A new brand of basketball with the
same DNA of that championship mentality. Attention to detail and expectations.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Warriors are fighting for home court advantage in the middle of the rugged
West. Curry is in the running for his third MVP trophy. Green is in the running
for Kia Defensive Player of the Year. Cauley-Stein and Russell become key parts
of the Warriors rotation. Thompson comes back and is close to the player that
was one of best at his position at both ends. The Warriors reach the Conference
Finals.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Warriors make the playoffs in the bottom half of the West. Curry struggles
to stay healthy again. Thompson does not come back this season or is a shell of
himself when he does. Russell has inconsistent performances. Warriors fall in
the First-Round of the postseason.
Grade: B-
Houston
Rockets: 53-29
(1st Southwest Division; No. 4 Seed in West) 31-10 at home, 22-19 on
the road. Defeated the Utah Jazz in Quarterfinals 4-1. Lost in Semifinals 4-2
against the Golden State Warriors.
-113.9
ppg-11th; opp. ppg: 109.1-21st; 42.1 rpg-28th
Thanks
to an epic historic season by the 2018 Kia MVP, the Houston Rockets registered
50-plus wins for the third consecutive season, and fifth in the last six
seasons. But were once again denied by the Warriors, falling in the Semifinals
in six games after falling in seven games in the 2018 Conference Finals, which
led the Rockets to a blockbuster trade of their aging floor general for a
young, faster lead guard. With the reuniting of childhood friends and the last
two Kia MVPs, coupled with a couple returning key players and the veteran
additions, the question for the Rockets is can they finally make it to The
Finals?
The
Rockets began the 2017-18 season strong out of the gates the first 25 games
with a 21-4 record, scoring 115.0 points on 36.9 from three-point range. The first
25 games of last season, they were 11-14, averaging 108.3 points on 33.7
percent from three-point range in the opening 25 games of last season.
The
experiment of 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who the team was eager to
acquire two off-seasons ago was not working and the two parties mutually parted
ways.
Head
Coach Mike D’Antoni’s got back on track going 42-15 the rest of the regular season
in large part to then reigning Kia MVP James Harden averaging a league leading
36.1 points, the most since Michael Jordan’s 37.1 in 1986-87, with 7.5 assists,
6.6 rebounds, and two steals, on 36.8 percent from three-point range.
From
Dec. 1, 2018 to Feb. 25, the seven-time All-Star registered a streak of 32
straight games scoring 30-plus points, with only Wilt Chamberlin having a
longer streak of 65 consecutive games scoring 30 or more in 1961-62. The
Rockets went 21-11 during this stretch where the six-time All-NBA selection
surpassed future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant’s streak (16 straight games in
2002-03) for the longest streak of 30-plus point performances since the 1976-77
NBA/ABA merger.
Harden
last season authored a total of 57 games scoring 30-plus, which included 28
games scoring 40 or more; and nine games of 50-plus points, and two games of 61
points, which not only matched his career-high for a single game but was a
single-game franchise record.
The
first came at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY where Harden also set a new
Rockets’ franchise single-game record on 17 for 38 shooting and 22 for 25 from
the free throw line with 15 rebounds and five steals in the Rockets 114-110 win
at the Knicks on Jan. 23. The second 61-point performance came versus the Spurs
on Mar. 22 when Harden went 19 for 34 from the field, including 9 for 13 from
three-point range and 14 for 17 from three-point range.
Coach
D’Antoni’s squad needed every single point Harden could put up as nine-time
All-Star Chris Paul missed a lot of time during this stretch because of injury,
playing in a total of 24 games in 2018-19.
2016-17
Kia Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon (16.2 ppg, 36.0 3-Pt.%) play was solid
enough last season, that he got a max contract extension of four years at $75.6
million in early September, with the final year of the deal is non-guaranteed,
unless he makes the All-Star team or the Rockets win a title. If neither takes
place, the deal is listed at three years, $54.5 million, according to ESPN’s
Adrian Wojnarowski.
“We
have a very talented group,” Gordon said at Media Day on Sept. 30. “Nothing’s
changed over the last couple of years. “I’m just trying to win a championship.
That’s what we expect this year.”
Starting
center Clint Capela (16.6 ppg, 12.7 rpg-5th NBA, 1.5 bpg-Led team, 64.8
FG%), had another solid season where he registered career-highs in points and
rebounds, and in double-doubles with 45.
“This
year, I want to dominate even more of what I’m doing,” Capela said at Media Day
on Sept. 30. “Grab more offensive rebounds. Get more block shots. Finish harder
at the rim. Just really be better at what I’m doing.”
The
supporting cast of reserve guard Austin Rivers (8.1 ppg); PJ Tucker (7.3 ppg,
5.8 rpg, 1.6 spg, 37.7 3-Pt.%); Danuel House (9.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 46.8 FG%, 41.6
3-Pt.%), and Gerald Green (9.2 ppg, 35.4 3-Pt.%), who unfortunately could miss
the entire season after breaking his left foot in Japan during the Rockets
preseason tilt against the defending NBA champion Raptors, according to Shams
Charania of “The Athletic.”
When
Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta bought the Rockets for $2.2 billion a few years
back, he was a reasonable and patient person. But every owner has their limit,
and Fertitta was not pleased with the Rockets lackluster effort versus the
Warriors in the Game 6 loss in the Semis that sent them home for the summer.
Something
had to be done and GM Morey did by acquiring perennial All-Star guard and 2017
Kia MVP Russell Westbrook (22.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg-11th NBA, 10.7 apg-Led
NBA) from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Paul, First-Round picks in
2024 and 2026, along with pick swaps of First-Round picks in 2021 and 2025.
“I
didn’t know we get Russ but I knew we needed to get better, you know,” Harden
said to NBATV/NBA on TNT’s Allie LaForce about what the Rockets needed after
the Game 6 loss versus the Warriors in the Semis last spring. “I mean, you look
at the talent from the Warriors and Toronto, who was in The Finals and even the
other teams that are the top tier in this league you need to get better. You
need talent. You need vets that not just can run around and shoot threes and
dunk but think the game of basketball, and I think we have that this
year.”
They
will have some assistance in their quest in new additions of veteran big man
Tyson Chandler, who won a ring with the Mavericks in 2011 when they beat the
Heat the year before. His presence both as a voice of reason and as backup to
Capela will be very important to the Rockets. The Rockets hope to have even
more depth at center if Nene’s injured adductor heals properly.
The
reunion of former Thunder teammates will be in full affect as the Rockets added
defensive perimeter vet Thabo Sefolosha on a one-year, 1.6 million deal. They
also brought back sharp-shooter Ryan Anderson, who played for the Rockets from
2016-18 on a partially guaranteed deal in late September and added former
lottery pick in 2013 guard Ben McLemore on a partially guaranteed two-year
deal.
The
relationship between Harden and Westbrook, who are both just 30 years old is
the selling point because just based on both their style of play, this appears
to be a major fire just waiting to happen because both players have high usage
rates, meaning they do their best work with the ball individually in their
hands, creating opportunities for themselves and their teammates.
In
the last five seasons Harden and Westbrook are No. 1 and No. 2 in points. Only
Westbrook has registered more assists than Harden; more steals than Harden; and
attempted more field goals, with Harden producing more free throw attempts.
The
flipside to why this in the minds of Harden and Westbrook this will work is
because they have played with each other before with the Thunder form 2009-12.
They have known each other going back to their days as youngsters in L.A. and
they trust and respect each other.
“I
think that there are other duos around the league that got together-Kawhi
[Leonard] and Paul [George]; LeBron [James] and Anthony [Davis]; Kevin [Durant]
and Kyrie [Irving]. Soon as me and James got together it was quickly negative,”
Westbrook said at Media Day to NBATV’s/NBA on TNT’s Allie LaForce. “To me I think
it’s very interesting. I’m always looking at it as a blessing and it’s great
because there’s constantly things said about you.”
“I
feel like it’s a positive because I think it’s so great myself and James must
be doing something very, very great or unheard of to make you think we cannot
play together. I think it’s amazing because we’re so comfortable with each
other and how we play the game and what I’m able to bring to the game. What
he’s able to bring to the game, and it’s something we don’t even worry about
because we know what we’re capable of doing.”
While
that might be the case, there is some adjusting that will have to take place.
Harden will have to learn how to play without the ball in his hands.
Being
surround by the best shooting he will have in his career and playing alongside
another great player in Harden, Westbrook must to become more judicious with
his shot selection, especially from three-point range, while continuing to be a
triple-double threat, where he is second all-time at 138 behind Hall of Famer
Oscar Robertson’s 181.
In
the history of the league, only Robertson (22) has produced more 40-point
triple-doubles than Harden (13) and Westbrook (11), who last season Westbrook
set a new NBA record for consecutive triple-doubles with 11 during one stretch
of the season, beating the late great Wilt Chamberlin’s old record of nine
straight in 1968.
In
the Jan. 10 classic tilt that the Spurs won versus the Thunder 154-147 in
triple-overtime, Westbrook had a triple-double of 24 points, 24 assists and 13
rebounds for the Thunder, with the 24 assists tying him with the Lakers’ Rajon
Rondo and Hall of Famer, and NBATV studio analyst Isiah Thomas for the most
assists in a triple-double by a single player in NBA history.
Westbrook
joined Chamberlin as the second player in league history to register a
20-point, 20-rebound, 20-assists triple-double when he had 20 points, 21
assists and 20 rebounds for the Thunder in their 119-103 win versus the Lakers
on Apr 2.
Only
Robertson at 14 has had more games of 20-plus points, 15-plus assists, and
15-plus rebounds than the six by Robertson and Westbrook.
If
nothing else, the Rockets have two of the best passers in the game and two guys
who are the best at getting steals, with Westbrook bringing an athleticism and
ferociousness to get steals and deflections, and defensive rebounds, which will
allow the Rockets to get more chances to score in the open court, off of back
doors in the half court that will led to lob dunks and second chance points off
of Westbrook and Capela’s ability to score off offensive rebounds.
It
will also allow Gordon to be even more open for uncontested threes of their
dribble penetration, which the Rockets have made at a high rate setting a new
NBA record with 1,323 made triples in 2018-19, breaking their previous record
of 1,256 in 2017-18 and 1,181 in 2016-17, which broke the record of the 2015-16
Warriors of 1,077.
Westbrook
however must put the worst shooting season of his career last season, where he
connected on just 42.8 percent from the field, just 29.8 percent from three-point
range and 65.6 percent from the charity stripe in the rearview mirror and be
better.
Having
to put this entire puzzle together will be Coach D’Antoni, who is in the last
year of his contract and will have new assistant coaches in Matt Brase, Brett
Gunning, Dan Hartfield, Elston Turner in the fold this season.
“The
biggest strength I think of Coach D’Antoni and his staff is taking what guys
are good at and putting them in ways to succeed,” Rockets GM Daryl Morey said
in late July. “Not saying they need to change. Figuring out how to utilize
either strengths. And that’s what Mike’s done best than any coach I’ve worked
with. When you’ve got two MVPs, it’s a lot to work with, and there all excited.”
Fertitta
said about D’Antoni at Media Day about his contract situation that he “truly”
does not see him going anywhere and that he will engage about a new contract
when it is up, which both parties agreed on
The
last two years, the Rockets had their chance to take down the top dogs of the
league in the Warriors in the Conference Finals and the Semis a season and they
failed both times. After their setback in the 2019 Semis, management made a
major gamble and traded for Russell Westbrook.
James
Harden and Westbrook for all their incredible stats the past couple of seasons
have no playoff success to show for it.
Westbrook
was sad to leave the only team he’d ever played for, the city that embraced him
and a franchise that paid him. He is now going to a team where advancing in the
postseason and winning a title has increased in “Clutch City” with his arrival,
especially with the high salaries of him in the third year of a five-year, $205
million super max deal he signed two summers back and Harden is in the middle
of deal that will earn him $41.3, $44.3 and $47.4 million the next three
seasons.
The
only thing missing from Harden and Westbrook’s resumes are a title. Checking
off that last piece of business will all depend on their ability to sacrifice
some of their respective individual glory to help the team reach that point
Given their accomplishments-MVPs, scoring titles, triple-doubles, All-Star
appearances-they are certainly due. But it will not be an easy task because how
loaded the Western Conference is with a bunch of solid squadrons.
“To
be able to win something you got to be able to sacrifice some parts of your
game and we both understand that,” Westbrook said. “We both understand that we
have one common goal and that’s to win a championship.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Rockets will win over 50 games again and are amongst the Top 3 teams in the
stacked West. Harden and Westbrook are All-Stars, with Harden in the
conversation for MVP for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Rockets
make it to The Finals and win it all, which leads D’Antoni to a new contract in
the summer of 2020.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Harden and Westbrook tandem has more low than high moments. They are in the
middle of the stacked Western Conference playoff race. They get bounced in the
Semifinals again, and Coach D’Antoni moves on.
Grade: A-
Los
Angeles Clippers: 48-34
(2nd Pacific Division; No. 8 Seed in West) 26-15 at home, 22-19 on
the road. Lost in Quarterfinals against the No. 1 Seeded Golden State Warriors
4-2.
-115.1
ppg-5th; opp. ppg: 113.8-25th; 45.5 rpg-13th
The
Los Angeles Clippers have made a monumental rise in the last eight years, that
began with the “Lob City” era that led to six consecutive postseason births but
did not get no further than the Semifinals. That era concluded two seasons back
as the team tried to retool themselves to become a team that can become a title
contender. After some strategic wheeling and dealing that led to the signing of
the reigning Finals MVP; acquiring the league’s No. 2 scorer a season ago and
some solid supporting players, question for the Clippers is can they put it all
together and win their first title in franchise history?
The
hiring of eight-time NBA champion as a player and executive with the Lakers and
Warriors, who is also two-time NBA Executive of the Year in Hall of Famer Jerry
West, whose more famously known for his link with the 16-time NBA champion
Lakers.
Not
even before the ink dried on his contract that he, owner Steve Ballmer, team
president Lawrence Frank, GM Michael Winger, and head coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers got
to work on turning the Clippers into a title contender.
They
immediately took a sledgehammer to the “Lob City” era trading nine-time All-Star
guard Chris Paul in late June 2017 to the Rockets. Then dealt now six-time
All-Star Blake Griffin, who the Clippers re-signed to a five-year, $173 million
deal that summer to the Pistons in late January 2018. In the summer of 2018,
the Clippers let starting center DeAndre Jordan, who signed with the Nets this
offseason was allowed to walk in free agency.
The
players that came in the Paul and Griffin deals were a part of the Clippers
change in philosophy where they wanted to bring have a roster of low-cost,
clean-slate approach to put themselves in position to strike it big in free
agency this past off-season. More on that in a moment.
The
Paul trade brought, besides bringing a 2018 protected First-Round pick and cash
considerations, netted guard Patrick Beverly (7.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 39.7
3-Pt.%), who last season gave the Clippers their gritty, fight-to-the last-second,
never backdown mentality that gave the Clippers their identity and the opposing
team fits.
Lou
Williams (20.0 ppg-Led team, 5.4 apg-Led team, 36.1 3-Pt.%), who you can make
an argument at times was the Clippers best player on the floor, especially in
the fourth quarter the last two seasons. In 2017-18, he led the league in
fourth quarter scoring average at 7.9, which earned him a three-year, $24
million extension and last season ranking fifth in fourth quarter scoring at
7.6, and was a big reason why the Clippers led the league in fourth quarter
scoring average at 28.8, the most since the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets averaged
30.2 points in the final period, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The
reigning Kia Sixth Man of the Year Award recipient, who won that honor for the third time
in his career recorded a league all-time best 29 games of scoring 30-plus off
the bench, with eight such games coming in 2018-19. The 27th such
performance came in the Clippers’ 134-107 win versus the Suns with 30 points
and 10 assists in just 22 minutes off the bench, which tied him with former
Buck, Seattle Supersonic and Indiana Pacer Ricky Pierce. Williams would become
the new record holder with a 40-point night in the Clippers’ 118-110 win versus
the Thunder.
In
the Clippers 106-101 win at the Bulls on Jan. 25, Williams authored his first
career triple-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists off the bench,
joining former Pacer, Seattle Supersonic and Portland Trail Blazer Detlef
Schrempf, who had 34 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on Feb. 13 1993 versus
the Bucks as the only players in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double
off the bench.
In
the Clippers two wins in the six-game First-Round setback against the Warriors
last spring, Williams had 36 points and 11 assists, on 13 for 22 shooting in
the epic comeback from 31-points down in the Game 2 win in the Warriors’ house
on Apr. 15 135-131. In their Game 5 victory 129-121 that kept their season
alive, Williams had 33 points and 10 assists on 12 for 19 from the field.
Back
up big man Montrezl Harrell (16.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 61.5 FG%), a Kia Sixth Man of
the Year candidate a season ago himself providing a much-needed physical
presence in the paint on both ends that the Clippers otherwise lacked.
If
per chance they should lose Harrell in free agency next summer, they have
waiting in the wings the No. 27 overall pick in center Mfiondu Kabengele of
Florida State, whose draft rights the Clippers acquired from the Nets in
exchange for the draft rights to guard Jaylen Hands, the No. 56 overall pick
and the 76ers 2020 First-Round pick.
“It
feels amazing,” Kabengele said to Taylor after he got drafted. “You work your
whole life for this and to have my friends, family and everybody watching at
home supporting me, I’m just very grateful.”
Last
season, the First-Team All-ACC selection average 13.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and
1.5 block shots on 50.2 percent shooting for head coach Leonard Hamilton. He,
unlike Harrell can post-up, and has a solid face-up game. He is a good offensive
rebounder, shot blocker, who like Harrell brings a physicality to the court
when he steps on it.
If
nothing else, he is the nephew of Hall of Famer and one of the best shot
blockers in NBA history Dikembe Mutombo, who Kabengele said about the best
advice he got from him, “Stay out of foul trouble. Bring a lot of energy.”
The
Griffin deal brought Tobias Harris, reserve big man Bojan Marjanovic, a future
First-Round and Second-Round pick.
Harris
in his time with the Clippers grew into their top offensive weapon, and then
into their go-to guy down the stretch of games when they needed to score.
When
he was traded to the 76ers on Feb. 6, not only did they net All-Rookie
Second-Team selection in Landry Shamet (9.1 ppg, 42.2 3-Pt.%), who averaged
10.9 ppg on 45.0 percent from three-point range in his 25 regular season
appearances with the Clippers, and the 76ers’n 2020 unprotected First-Round
pick; the Heat’s unprotected 2021 First-Round pick and the Pistons’ 2021 and
2023 Second-Round picks, they made the playoffs and played valiantly against
the two-time defending champion Warriors before falling in six games.
The
moment had finally arrived, free agency, where the Clippers set their sights on
a certain player who just helped the Raptors win their first title.
What
was standing in way of said two-time Finals MVP and Southern California native
was the co-tenant rival Lakers, who could offer four-time Kia MVP and two-time
Finals MVP LeBron James, six-time All-Star Anthony Davis and a gaping historic
edge with 16 Larry O’Brien trophies.
In
the end, All-Star Kawhi Leonard (26.6 ppg-7th NBA, 7.3 rpg, 1.8 spg
-9th NBA, 49.6 FG%, 37.1 3-Pt.% w/Raptors) chose the Clippers,
signing a three-year, $103.1 million deal, with the third year being a player
option because they offered the stability and trusted organization that he was
looking for. Plus, the All-NBA Second-Team selection had the chance to have his
own team rather than be a co-star or a third wheel with the “Purple and Gold”
Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
What
sealed the deal in getting Leonard to sign on the dotted line was the Clippers
acquiring All-Star Paul George (28.0 ppg-2nd NBA, 8.0 rpg, 4.1 apg,
2.2 spg-Led NBA, 38.6 3-Pt.% w/Thunder), a fellow California native who requested
that the Oklahoma City Thunder deal him
back home.
Thanks
to some deft management, precise building of assets via the Griffin and Harris
deals, the Clippers had the right package of players and picks to offer Thunder
GM Sam Presti, that he accepted and sent the five-time All-NBA selection and
the All-NBA All-Defensive First-Team George selections to the Clippers in
exchange for guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; forward Danilo Gallinari; their
unprotected 2022, 2024 and 2026 First-Round picks, along with the Heat’s
unprotected 2021 First-Rounder obtained in the Harris deal, and their 2023 protected
First-Round pick in the 1-14 range that was acquired in the four-team deal with
the Heat, Trail Blazers and 76ers-more on that in a moment. This deal also
included pick swaps in 2023 and 2025.
“This
was destiny. We we’re supposed to play together and we’re gonna make it
happen,” George said at his and Leonard’s introductory presser as the newest
Clippers. “L.A. our way.”
Leonard
added by saying, “I think we got a great future. We can make history
here.”
To
put into perspective how big a deal this moment was to bring in the caliber of
players in Leonard and George to the Clippers, Ballmer who has never been
afraid to show his excitement displayed that and them some at the introductory
presser of the Clippers newest additions when he stood at the podium and said,
“I’m just fired up to be here today!”
“Pretty
cool! Pretty damn cool,” he added as he clapped his hands with pure enjoyment.
“I’m pumped to say hello as Clippers to Paul and Kawhi. Come on! Come on!”
Unfortunately,
the dynamic duo will not start the season together as George is on the shelf to
start the season as he recovers from surgery to repair the torn labrum on his
left shoulder and the rotator cuff on his right shoulder.
“I’m
not 100 percent, but if I had to put a percentage on it, I think I’m about 85,
90 ish,” George said about his health to NBA.com’s Shaun Powell at Clippers
Media Day on Sept. 30. “Not all the way there. I still got a little bit of
stuff in range and stuff, and all that to work through. A little strength to
work through. But I’m close. I’m happy where I’m at.”
“I
know what pressure to put on myself and what pressure not to put on myself as
well. That comes with a lot of stress when you’re going through rehab. So, I’m
just in a good place. I know what I need to do. I know what I’m capable of and
ultimately I know when my body’s ready.”
The
additions of Leonard and George were strokes of genius done by the Clippers
front office that no one saw coming and was a great show of how far they have
come from an organization that for years was fraught with dysfunction during
the Donald Sterling era.
Leonard
and George are two of the best players in the game, who get it done on both
ends, as evidenced by their selections to the All-Defensive First Team for
George and the Second Team for Leonard.
Last
season, Leonard came to the Raptors with a damaged public image by his messy
exit from the Spurs. He more than restored that with what he did in the regular
season and his epic postseason, where he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and
3.9 assists in route to winning his second Bill Russell Award as Finals MVP.
To
illustrate how special a postseason run Leonard had, only the 759 points Michael
Jordan scored in the 1992 postseason, and the 748 points LeBron James had in
the 2018 playoffs are more all-time than the 732 points authored by Leonard,
who joined James and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in
NBA history to win the Bill Russell Finals MVP award with two different teams.
Leonard also became the first player in league history to win Finals MVP and
switch teams since the award was first handed out in the 1964 Finals.
“Everybody
being high character. Sacrifice, wanting to win, determination, knowledge,” was
what Leonard said at Media Day about what it takes to win a title. “All that
together just being on the floor. Going out there as one unit. All trying to
accomplish that ultimate goal, you know, I think that’s what drives a
championship team.”
George
was No. 6 in fourth quarter scoring average with 7.1 and finished No. 5 in
total fourth quarter points a season ago, shooting on average of 43.5 percent
from the field; 40.0 percent from three-point range and 88.7 percent from the
charity stripe in the final period in 2018-19.
Those
two coupled with Harrell and Beverly, who was re-signed on a three-year, $40
million deal make the Clippers a superior defensive team, especially on the
perimeter (at least on paper). It will give Coach Rivers a plethora of
combinations and defensive switches to use that it is scary. It is the sort of
challenge that makes being a head coach in the NBA enjoyable and Rivers, who
did one of his best coaching jobs a season ago should enjoy this season just as
much, if expectations are met.
“They’re
going to set records defensively,” former NBA center Kendrick Perkins, who
played on their 2008 Celtics championship team, coach by Rivers said in early
July. “I tweeted last night I wouldn’t be surprised if they averaged 30 steals
a game. This is something we might not see in a lifetime with these three
defensive guys (Leonard, George, and Beverly).”
George
echoed those same sentiments saying to NBA.com’s Shaun Powell about him and
Leonard being the best duo in “The Association,” “When you look at two guys
that play both ends. Two guys that can go get a basket. Two guys that can stop
you from getting a basket. Elite on both ends. I don’t see how you can beat
that.”
Along
with re-signing Beverly, and bringing in Leonard and George, the Clippers
re-signed center Ivica Zubac (6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 54.0 FG% w/Lakers &
Clippers), who averaged 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in 26 games with the
Clippers, after he was essentially stolen from the Lakers in a trade in
February to a four-year, $28 million deal. They also re-signed forward JaMychal
Green (9.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 48.3 FG% 40.3 3-Pt.% w/Grizzlies & Clippers), who
averaged 8.7 points and 6.5 rebounds on 48.4 percent shooting after being
acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies on a two-year, $17 million deal. They also
re-signed swingman Rodney McGruder (6.7 ppg, 34.8 3-Pt.% w/Heat & Clippers)
after claiming him off waivers last season from the Heat. He will add another
sniper from three-point as well as perimeter defense.
In
a four-team deal with the Heat, Trail Blazers, and 76ers, the Clippers acquired
forward Maurice Harkless (7.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 48.7 FG%, w/Trail Blazers) and the
Heat’s future First-Round pick, which was sent to the Thunder in the George
trade.
In
Harkless, the Clippers have another versatile forward, who should fit in well
in the rotation, especially with his ability to defend. Also, his contract of
$11 million is only for this season.
They
added more depth to the bench signing on a one-year, $2.3 million deal veteran
forward Patrick Patterson, who is looking to have a more impactful role than he
had with the Thunder, where he averaged just 15 minutes a game the last two
seasons.
Those
additions coupled with the guys returning should keep the Clippers as the No. 1
scoring bench in the NBA, which they averaged 53.4 points per game a season ago.
“Having
depth is no issue for us,” Williams said. “What Trez [Harrell] and I did last
year was very special but we look forward to building with this new group of
guys and seeing what we can do.”
Perhaps
the biggest reason why the Clippers have a great shot of being NBA champions
this season is the man leading them on the sidelines in Coach Rivers.
This
is a man that has been through every NBA experience you can imagine from being
a player over a decade plus with the Hawks, Clippers, Knicks, and Spurs. He
played with a star player in Hall of Famer Dominque Wilkins with the Hawks. Was
coached by current Heat executive and Hall of Famer Pat Riley while he was with
the Knicks in the middle of the 1990s. Coached the Magic, where now current
assistant coach Tyronn Lue was a player that was very similar to the Clippers
now where they went from a team that had no superstars to one that in the
summer of 2000 signed Hall of Famers Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in free
agency that were decked by a nagging foot injury to Hill, which kept them from
reaching their potential to winning the Celtics 17 title led by future Hall of
Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and Hall of Fame sharp shooter Ray Allen
11 seasons back.
Coach
Rivers also understands that getting to the point of turning the Clippers into title
contenders took time. They had a lot of trial and error from bringing in the
right players. Learning from the mistakes they made in the players they brought
in to having the right people within the organization that people from free
agents respected and can rely on.
With
the talented group that is in place now, Rivers told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that
“winning” has to be their guide throughout this season as the Clippers try to
advance first to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their history
in Southern California.
“You
have to play together. You have to play hard. You have to work hard. You have
to get along, you know, on and off the floor,” Rivers said. “If we do that, we
will have success and if we don’t have that we will not have success, and those
are facts. And those are facts with every team.”
This
was one of the most enjoyable summer the Los Angeles Clippers have ever had. They
added perennial All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and re-signed the likes
of Patrick Beverly and others.
The
Clippers have built a championship roster, on paper. Now Head Coach Glenn “Doc”
Rivers and his staff of Tyronn Lue, Sam Cassell, Armond Hill, Casey Hill, Rex
Kalamian, John Welch, Brendan O’Connor, and newest addition in assistant on
their G-League squad the Agua Caliente Clippers Natalie Bakase (player
development) and the players have to now make it a reality on the hardwood,
which they have two years to do because Leonard and George can opted out of
their deals in the summer of 2021. If Leonard does opt out, he would be eligible
for a five-year, $247 million deal.
“We’ve
done some winning. We want to be the winners. That’s our goal,” Coach Rivers
said about the team’s ultimate goal of winning a title back in late July at
Leonard and George’s introductory presser.
Best
Case Scenario:
The Clippers set a franchise regular season record for wins, finishing in the
Top 3 in the West. Leonard and George are All-Stars and NBA All-Defensive and
All-NBA selections. Leonard is in the running for Kia MVP. The supporting cast
gels together on both ends. The Clippers win the championship.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Clippers fall short of making it to The Finals.
Grade: A+
Los
Angeles Lakers: 37-45
(4th Pacific Division; missed playoffs) 22-19 at home, 15-26 on the
road.
-111.8
ppg-16th; opp. ppg: 113.4-21st; 46.6 rpg-6th
In
the summer of 2018, the Los Angeles Lakers signed their biggest free agent
since Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal 22 summers ago. Injuries and conspired
drama both on the court and in the ruined any chance for the Lakers to end the
longest playoff drought in the history of the 16-time NBA champions. With the
addition of another star player entering his prime years; a much better
supporting cast; and a new coaching staff, the question for the Lakers is do
they have the right mixture to first get back into the playoffs and achieve the
dream of winning title No. 17?
Through
the first 34 games of last season, the Lakers were in the playoff mix with a 20-14
mark with four-time Kia MVP and three-time Bill Russell Finals MVP LeBron James
(27.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 8.3 apg, 51.0 FG%) leading the way.
While
the Lakers earned a big-time 127-101 win at the then back-to-back defending
champion Warriors on Christmas Day 2018, James strained his left groin in the
third quarter that knocked him out of the game and shelved him for 17 games.
That
6-11 without the 15-time All-NBA selection, who suffered the most significant
injury of his career that shelved him for a lengthy period of time, where he
missed a career-high 27 games total in 2018-19.
That
was coupled with injuries to forward Kyle Kuzma (18.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 45.6 FG%),
who missed 12 games last season; veteran guard and NBA champion Rajon Rondo
(9.2 ppg, 8.0 apg, 35.9 3-Pt.%) missed 26 games; an ankle injury cut guard
Lonzo Ball’s second NBA season to 47 games, while a diagnosis of deep venous
thrombosis in the right arm of Brandon Ingram ended his season at 52 games.
The
subsequent trade to bring in superstar big man Anthony Davis from the Pelicans
fell through at the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
The
final nail in the coffin of the Lakers rough 2018-19 campaign came when Team
President and Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson abruptly announced is resignation
at press conference right before the Lakers season finale, a buzzer-beating
104-101 loss versus the Portland Trail Blazers on Apr. 9. Johnson did not even
tell controlling owner and president Jeanie Buss that he was resigning.
And
so, a drama filled 2018-19 season ended with the Lakers missing the playoffs
for a sixth straight spring, finishing the season 17-31 following that 20-14
beginning. James saw his streak of making it to The Finals eight straight
seasons end and missed the playoffs for the first time since his second season
in the NBA in 2004-05.
The
objective for the Lakers front office and GM Rob Pelinka was simple, put
together a roster that would get the Lakers back in the playoffs and be a
perennial participant.
The
trade that fell throw between the Lakers and Pelicans got done with the inclusion
of Wizards as they acquired six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection
in Davis (25.9 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 1.6 spg 51.7 FG% w/Pelicans), sending
Ball, Ingram, Josh Hart, a 2019 First-Round pick (No. 4 overall) to the
Pelicans, along with two future First-Round picks and sending guard Isaac
Bonga, center Moritz Wagner, forward Jemerrio Jones, and a 2022 Second-Round
pick to the Wizards.
“I’m
excited to be here. I’m excited to, you know, start a new chapter in my
career,” Davis said to NBA.com’s Shaun Powell at Media Day. “Excited to just
play basketball again, you know? I think I miss the last 15-plus games [with
Pelicans] and I just wanna, you know, get back on the floor and compete again.”
The
acquisition of Davis brings instant credibility as he possesses the unique
skills to score inside and out, while also being a stellar defender, and will
be the most talented player, no disrespect to Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Dwyane
Wade and Chris Bosh that James as ever had.
“We
don’t know exactly what our offense things that we’re gonna do. Defensively
what we’re gonna do. We haven’t gotten started yet. We got a brand-new coaching
staff. We have brand new players coming into a new system. But we all know how
great Anthony Davis is, and if we’re not playing through Anthony Davis while
he’s on the floor it makes no sense to have him on the floor because he’s that
great,” James said at Media Day about his new All-Star running mate.
“It
doesn’t mean that every time down, you know, we throw it to him and throw it to
him but we have the ability to do that. And he’s been very efficient in his
career. He commands double teams and when you’re able to attract two, you know,
defenders on one guy then you have the numbers game. Now you got 4 on 3 on the
backside. So, it opens it up for other guys on the floor including myself.”
Davis
and James are a perfect pairing in many ways. For starters Davis has a healthy
ego to where he does not crave the spotlight and only at this point of his
career just wants to win.
He
can score 25 points on a solid volume of shot attempts and as mentioned earlier
can bail out his teammates at the defensive end with his ability to block and
alter shots at the basket and in space on the perimeter. Also, he is
comfortable at the offensive end either as the first, second or third offensive
option.
In
the Pelicans 126-121 loss at the Nets on Jan. 2, Davis had 34 points and a new
franchise record 26 rebounds, joining a list that includes Dwight Howard,
current NBATV/NBA on TNT studio host and color analyst Chris Webber and Hall of
Famer and fellow NBA on TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley as the only players
in NBA history to score 34-plus points and pull down 26 rebounds.
The
biggest thing about Davis is just 26 years old, meaning the Lakers will
eventually be his once James decides to retire at the end of his contract. Also,
Davis did not sign a contract extension with the Pelicans, meaning he will be a
free agent at the end of this season.
“I’m
just focused on this season,” Davis told Nichols in the middle of July after
his introductory presser after joining the Lakers. “I don’t know what’s going
to happen. I have one year here. So, I’m going to make the best of it here and
when that time comes around in the summer or when the season’s over hopefully
around mid-June, you know, after we’ve just had this parade…Then we can talk
about that. But until then, you know, I’m trying to do everything I can to help
this team win this year.”
The
two most important things Davis must do in his first season with the Lakers is
stay healthy and use this regular season as a springboard for a stellar
postseason, where he has averaged 30.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.5 block.
Those number though were registered in only two appearances of 13 total games
as a Pelican.
“We’ve
been engaged in a lot of conversations about this year and what we want to do,
how we want to go about it,” Davis said to Powell. “And us being the leaders,
you know, of what it’s gonna take, you know, for our guys to kind of follow us.
So, I think that, you know us [him and James] having a relationship that we
already have and just building on that is gonna help us tremendously,
especially when we have adversity during the season.”
One
player that might possibly be on the shelf at the start of this season is Kuzma
due to a stress injury to his foot, which he sustained right before Team USA played
at the World Cup in China in September in workouts over the summer.
“I
think it definitely sucks just because of, you know, how big this season is for
us but at the same time, you know, health is wealth and I’m ahead of schedule,
getting back and, you know, thirsty to get out there,” Kuzma said at Media Day
on Sept. 27 to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Zach Lowe, and Richard Jefferson.
With
Davis in the fold, Pelinka used the $32 million in the Lakers’ war chest,
thanks to Davis waiving his $4 million trade kicker on forming the rest of the
roster, with assistance from James and Davis.
After
the Lakers failed to sign two-time Final MVP Kawhi Leonard, Pelinka brought in
shooters, in guard Danny Green (10.3 ppg, 46.5 FG%, 45.5 3-Pt.% w/Raptors) on a
two-year, $30 million deal; Guard Troy Daniels (6.2 ppg, 38.1 3-Pt.% w/Suns),
whose shot 40.0 percent from three-point range in his previous six seasons with
the Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Hornets, and Suns on a one-year, $2.1
million deal. Veteran forward Jared Dudley, whose a career 39.2 percent
three-point shooter on a one-year, $2.6 million deal; two-time champion from the Warriors Quinn Cook
(6.9 ppg, 46.5 FG%, 40.5 3-Pt.% w/Warriors) on a two-year, $6 million deal and guard
Avery Bradley (9.9 ppg, 35.1 3-Pt.% w/Clippers & Grizzlies) on a two-year,
$9.7 million deal, who is also a solid three-point shooter at 36.4 percent for
his career and will bring a defensive presence on the perimeter alongside Green.
“I
think it was a pretty easy decision,” Green said to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Zach
Lowe, and Richard Jefferson about joining the Lakers this offseason. “They did
not have a lot of players on the roster but the players they did have on the
roster were pretty damn good. They had Anthony Davis and LeBron I think and two
other guys Kuz and they signed Troy Daniels. I was like, ‘Looks like a great
foundation. It’s a great city and we have a chance to be a contender with those
four.”
To
put into perspective how much the Laker struggled shooting threes last season,
according to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann they shot just 33.6 percent on
catch-and-shoot triples, which was 30th, dead last in “The
Association.”
The
only decent shooter on the team last year was guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
(11.4 ppg), who also re-signed with the Lakers shot just 34.7 percent from
distance a season ago.
“In
terms of shooting, I think the best way to learn in life from things that
didn’t go right,” Pelinka said about not adding shooting around James a season
ago. “I think failure is a much better professor in life than success
sometimes. And we go right down our roster if you look at Danny Green, Quinn
Cook, KCP and Jared Dudley, Troy Daniels, it’s full of multi-dimensional
players that are great shooters. So, we’re really confident in that
construction.”
The
Lakers also re-signed Rondo, who will be reunited with Davis on a two-year,
$2.6 million deal, with the second year being a player option, while also
signing reserve guard Alex Caruso to a two-year, $5.5 million deal.
Along
with adding shooting to the roster, the Lakers with the additions of Green and
Cook, along with re-signing Rondo and McGee have championship experience with
Green and Cook having won multiple time with the Warriors, Spurs and Green with
the Raptors a season ago.
To
put that into perspective, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, there are only
two players to win an NBA title with three different teams in Robert Horry, who
won two titles with the Rockets, three titles with Bryant and O’Neal with the
Lakers and two with the Spurs. John Salley won two titles with the “Bad Boy”
Pistons and one each with the Bulls and Lakers. Green can join that list if the
Lakers win it all this spring.
“We
have so many winners on this team. JaVale’s got two, Rondo’s got one, LeBron’s
got three,” Green said to Nichols, Lowe and Jefferson. So many guys that have
been in the playoffs and been with contenders or been to The Finals and won. So
many veterans that I don’t have to be that main focus or that main leader guy
in the locker room. We can do it collectively as a group and I think it’s going
to be really helpful in the future, especially deep in the playoffs when we
have our depth or we have some injuries.”
One
of those decisions was signing All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year,
$3.5 million deal, who the Lakers hoped would return about as close to the form
he was prior the Achilles injury two seasons back that wrecked his chances at a
big pay day. He never got to training camp as he sustained a torn ACL in his
right knee while working out in Las Vegas, NV in the middle of August.
It
was a major blow to the Lakers, whose only legitimate big man was JaVale McGee
(12.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 62.4 FG%), who was re-signed on a two-year, $8.2
million deal.
They
had brought in late August former Laker Dwight Howard, former Chicago Bull
Joakim Noah and former Warrior Marreese Speights for a workout to see who they
would sign to replace Cousins.
They
chose the eight-time All-Star and three-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year,
who they signed to a non-guaranteed deal for his second tour of duty with the
“Purple and Gold.”
Since
leaving the Lakers in free agency after only one season in 2012-13, Howard
(12.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 62.3 FG% w/Wizards), a future Hall of Famer has suited up
for the Rockets, Hawks, Hornets and Wizards in the last five seasons. His last
one with the Wizards was limited to just nine games because of back surgery.
To
put into context how low Howard has sunk, he did not even get an introductory
press conference when the Lakers signed him to a non-guaranteed deal. He only
got an appearance on their twitter page.
There
is no question that Howard has certainly been humbled, but can he make a
contribution is the question. If he can, the Lakers have a player impact the
game on the glass and as a rim protector.
“I’m
just happy to be here. Happy to be back in L.A. Just filled with so many emotions
but just really happy and thankful to be playing for the Lakers,” the 16-year
veteran said to Spectrum Sportsnet’s James Worthy, Chris McGee and Allie
Clifton on Media Day adding about what he wants to be different this time
around, “I just want to win. That’s the only thing that matters
The
Lakers will have a new leader on the sidelines in former Pacers and Magic head
coach Frank Vogel on a three-year deal, replacing the fired Luke Walton, who is
now the head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
Vogel,
who has a record of 304-291 entering this season comes with head coaching
experience, an even temperament that will be necessary with the job he will be
tasked with in leading the Lakers to a title and a focus on defense.
In
the two seasons the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals against James
in 2013 and 2014 and the Heat, the Pacers allowed just 90.7 and 92.3 points per
game respectably. What will be different with this group that Coach Vogel will
be coaching is they should be a better offensive team then those Pacers squads
led by Paul George, Roy Hibbert, David West, and Lance Stephenson which
averaged just 94.7 and 96.7 points in 2012-13 and 2013-14 respectably.
“As
great as they want to be and we have the talent to be elite at the defensive
end of the floor,” Coach Vogel, the 27th Lakers head coach in
franchise history said at Lakers Media Day on Sept. 27 about his expectations
for the team at the defensive end this season.
“We
got to commit to it. Care factors got to be higher than anybody in the league
and we got to play harder and more physical than anybody in the league
throughout the 82 games. And that will build the standard, build habits of who
we need to be going into the playoffs.”
For
Coach Vogel, he has to be able to evolve with his defensive philosophy to match
how the game is today from being able to have players switch in pick-and-roll
defense.
The
bigger surprise is the assistant coaches he will be working with in former NBA
coaches in Hall of Fame guard Jason Kidd, the highest paid assistant in the
league. Former Nets and Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, Phil Handy, Miles
Simon, Mike Penberthy and Quinton Crawford, which were all choices by the
Lakers’ front office.
The
hiring of Kidd instantly gave those in the NBA circle license to speculate that
if the Lakers should struggle out the gate that Kidd would replace Vogel as
head coach. On top of that, Vogel has James and Rondo, two other coaches on the
floor that can see the game from a multitude of angles.
“You
can’t worry about looking over your shoulder. You got worry about getting good
damn coaches and that is how I feel about this hire,” Coach Vogel said to
ESPN.com’s Ohm Youngmisuk in late May about the hiring of Kidd as a Lakers’
assistant.
In
the first 65 seasons of the Lakers, going back to their start in Minneapolis,
they only missed the playoffs five times. The Lakers went all in on being in
position to end this aforementioned six-year playoff drought, the longest in
franchise history and to win it all this season.
They
brought in a proven head coach in Frank Vogel, even though he was not the
team’s first choice. They have perhaps the best duo in the NBA in LeBron James
and Anthony Davis and added/re-signed win now players in Danny Green, JaVale
McGee, Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, Jared Dudley, and Dwight Howard.
“For
us, anything short of a championship is not success,” Pelinka said back in
July.
“I’ve
been very quiet this summer for a reason. And my mother always taught me,
‘Don’t talk about it. Be about it,” James, whose entering season No. 17 said
about his approach to this season.
“I
like our roster. I like every player that we have from 1 to 14,” Davis said at
his introductory presser in the middle of July. “I’m excited about it and, you
know, I’ll put our roster up against anybody. I feel like that in a seven-game
series that we’ll come out victorious.”
“We’re
never gonna get to the playoffs. We’re never gonna succeed in the playoffs if
we don’t focus on our daily work,” Coach Vogel said at Media Day. That’s going
to be the message all year is to remain in the moment, through the ups-and-downs
of the NBA season. Build the necessary habits to have success in the playoffs.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Lakers make the playoffs in the Top 4 of the stacked Western Conference.
Davis is in the MVP conversation. James is back to being one of the best
players in the NBA thanks to the shooting around him. The Lakers reach The
Finals and win it all, which leads to Davis re-signing a super max of five
years at possibly $203.5 million.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Lakers make the playoffs in the middle or bottom half of the West. James and
Davis struggle to stay healthy. The supporting cast does not play up to par.
Howard becomes a distraction and is waived. The Lakers have an early playoff
exit.
Memphis
Grizzlies: 33-49
(4th Southwest Division; missed the playoffs) 21-20 at home, 12-29 on
the road.
-103.5
ppg-30th; opp. ppg: 106.1-3rd; 41.8 rpg-29th
After
consecutive losing seasons, the Memphis Grizzlies in the span of four months
traded away their two cornerstones of the “Grit ‘N Grind” era, which saw them
make the postseason seven straight times, including an appearance in the
Western Conference Finals in 2013. With a dynamic rookie guard now in the fold
alongside an athletic second-year big man; a new head coach, and a revamped
front office, the question for the Grizzlies will this new era bring the
success of the previous one did?
The
Grizzlies began last season pretty well at 16-11, but a rash of injuries and
the inability to impose their will on teams via tough defense and a methodical
inside offensive attack was gone as the finished last season just 17-38. On
three occasions last season, the had losing streaks of five games or more.
Forward
Jaren Jackson, Jr. (13.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg-Led team, 50.6 FG%, 35.9 3-Pt.%), the
Grizzlies No. 4 overall pick in 2018 draft, who showed flashes of what he could
become a season ago before a deep thigh bruise shelved the All-Rookie
First-Team selection the final 28 games of his rookie season.
“It’s
flattering getting any sort of feedback that’s you know positive or anybody
acknowledging the work you put in. It feels good,” Jackson, Jr. said at Media
Day about emerging as a cornerstone of the Grizzlies moving forward. “I’m glad
I got the rookie stuff over with because now you can kind of being a player.”
Injuries
to swingmen Dillon Brooks (7.5 ppg, 37.5 3-Pt.%) played just 18 games in
2018-19 because of injuries, and Kyle Anderson (8.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 54.3 FG%),
limited both to just 18 and 43 games respectably in 2018-19.
To
put how ravaged the Grizzlies were by injuries last season, they tied their own
dubious record from 2017-18 with 29 different players suiting up to play, while
also setting a dubious all-time league record with 20 different leading scorers
in 2018-19, surpassing the old record of 16 set by the Knicks in 2014-15.
The
front office began the final dismantle of the “Grit “n Grind” era with the
trade of All-Star center Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies second all-time leading scorer,
assists man, games played and No. 7 in three-pointers made to the eventual NBA
champion Raptors on Feb. 7
Starting
center Mike Conley, the Grizzlies all-time leader in points, assists, games
played and three-pointers made was dealt this off-season to the Jazz, more on
who came in return in a moment.
In
return for Gasol, the Grizzlies got center Jonas Valanciunas (15.6 ppg, 8.6
rpg, 55.9 FG% w/Raptors & Grizzlies), who averaged 19.9 points and 10.7
rebounds on 54.5 FG% in 19 games with the Grizzlies last season.
The
Grizzlies also shook things up first on the sidelines firing head coach J.B.
Bickerstaff in April.
“In
order to put our team on the path to sustainable success, it was necessary to
change our approach to basketball operations,” Grizzlies controlling owner
Robert Pera said in April. “I look forward to a re-energized front office and
fresh approach to Memphis Grizzlies basketball under new leadership, while
retaining the identity and values that have distinguished our team.”
They
also remade their their front office demoting longtime GM Chriss Wallace to the
scouting department. Jason Wexler became the new president of the organization,
overseeing both the basketball and business operations, with 30-year-old
Zachary Z. Kleinman replacing John Hollinger as Executive Vice President of
Basketball Operations, with Hollinger moving into an advisory role. Former
Hornets GM Rich Cho also in April was brought on as Vice President of
Basketball Strategy, with Glen Grunwald being named as Senior Advisor.
Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince will remain as a special advisor.
The
Grizzlies really went outside the box in hiring 34-year-old Taylor Jenkins, an
assistant head coach on Mike Budenholzer’s staff of the Bucks the last two
seasons, and the previous five with the Hawks as their new head coach back on
June 11.
Jenkins,
who was on head coach Mike Budenholzer staffs with the Hawks and Bucks from
2013-19, began his NBA journey as an intern in the Spurs basketball operations
department in the 2007-08 season, before moving on to their G-League affiliate
the Austin Toros first as an assistant coach for four seasons before becoming
the head coach in the 2012-13 seasons.
“Biggest
tone we want to set is our competitive environment,” Coach Jenkins said of the
way he wants his team to be at the start of his tenure. “Training camps always
breathe competitiveness. But we want that to be something we sustain, and not
just in the first few days of the season. But carry it all the way to the end
of the season.”
With
the front office staff rearranged or filled with new people and the head coach
in place, it was time to go to work on reshaping the roster.
It
began with the previously mentioned trading of Conley to the Jazz for guard
Grayson Allen; forward Jae Crowder; veteran sharp-shooter Kyle Korver; a 2019
First-Round pick (No. 23 overall) and a protected future First-Round pick.
With
Conley gone, the Grizzlies with the No. 2 overall pick chose hopefully their
floor general for years to come in Ja Morant out of Murray State University.
Around
this time last year, Morant, who recently became a father was a relative
unknown. That all changed with the season he put together, becoming the first
player ever in NCAA Division I history to average 20-plus points at 24.5 (2nd
in Div. I) and 10 assists at 10.0 (Led Div. I) for the Racers, displaying a
combination of athleticism and playmaking that had NBA scouts projecting Morant
as a franchise game changer, who ended being a solid choice behind an even more
dynamic player who went one spot ahead of him, more on that later.
“It
feels good to be able to accomplish my dream,” Morant said to Taylor after he
got drafted.
The
2018-19 AP First-Team All-American from South Carolina brings an offensive
creativity; an athleticism with elite speed very athletic with elite speed
where he can split pick-and-rolls, is a dominant finisher at the basket, with
the court vision to find the open man.
Those
athletic gifts the South Carolina native has, coupled with a by a work ethic,
and focus that Morant had instilled in him through legendary backyard workouts
designed by his dad Ronnie “Tee” Morant from jumping on tires, agility drills,
shooting off-the-dribble shots through cones.
“It
started with me. I feel if you don’t believe in yourself than who will? I had
the right people around me, my family, coaches always lifted me up and pushed
me to work hard and be the best player I could be.”
Morant
also said to NBATV’s Jared Greenberg on playing alongside Jackson, Jr., “We’re
both excited. Obviously, he’s very excited just for to be drafted. We’re
building a relationship and we’re very close.”
Morant’s
understudy will be newest addition Tyus Jones (6.9 ppg, 4.8 apg,
w/Timberwolves), who the Grizzlies offered a three-year, $28 million offer sheet
to the restricted free agent that the Timberwolves did not match.
In
a draft night trade with the Thunder, Grizzlies acquired the draft rights to
forward Brandon Clarke, the No. 21 overall pick out of Gonzaga University for
the draft rights to the No. 23 overall pick in forward Darius Bazley.
Clarke,
who made a big splash by earning Game and Tournament MVP honors during the
NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League in July, displaying his ability to switch off and
guard multiple positions, while scoring well at the rim and on the interior.
The West Coast Conference (WCC) Defensive Player of the Year led not just the
conference but all of Division I in field goal last season at 69 percent, while
averaging 16.9 points and finishing third in the NCAA in blocks shots per game
at 3.2.
“It
was so much work and so much trust in myself, my teammates, and my coaches that
I’ve had,” Clarke said to Taylor about the persistence it took to become a
First-Round draft choice. “So, I’m just really grateful, you know, all that stuff
that happened to me.”
He
added at Media Day on being around teammates of similar age, “We all kind of
just get to go out and just play hard and kind of learn. So, I feel like it’s
just going to be fun competing with the guys.”
The
Grizzlies finished filling out the roster with some minor deals that included
trading forward Chandler Parsons to the Hawks for small forward Solomon Hill
and power forward/center Miles Plumlee.
In
a deal with the Wizards, the Grizzlies acquired eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard,
who was eventually waived for CJ Miles.
Their
deal with Suns brought them forward Josh Jackson (11.5 ppg w/Suns) along with
guard De’Anthony Melton, Korver, a 2020 Second-Round pick and a conditional
2021 Second-Round pick.
Jackson,
a former No. 4 overall pick was a major bust in two seasons with the Suns as
his perimeter shot never improved and he was very immature off the court. He is
just 22 years of age and because the Grizzlies are not in win now mode, he
becomes a worthwhile project in Coach Jenkins’ player development program.
Jackson will start at the bottom level of that program in the G-League.
If
he has any plans on getting back to the Grizzlies main roster, he has to
greatly improve his jump shot and become a much better defender.
“You
don’t change until you hit rock bottom. You’re a lotter pick and you’re
starting the season in the G-League, I think you’re at rock bottom,” NBATV’s
Sam Mitchell said of Jackson’s predicament. “The only way he can go is up now.”
There
are high hopes for Melton also, who offense needs serious work, but has great
defensive instincts where the coaching staff of the Grizzlies can hopefully groom
him into being a specialist or a consistent part of the playing rotation.
Allen
brings something that will for sure get him on the court for the Grizzlies
after being basically a benchwarmer in his one season with the Jazz. He did flash
a glimpse of what he can do if given minutes when he scored 40, though he was
11 for 30 from the field, but went 5 for 13 from three-point range and 13 for
14 from the free throw line in the Utah’s 143-137 overtime loss in their
regular-season finale at the Clippers on Apr. 10.
In
a deal with the five-time defending West champion Warriors, the Grizzlies
acquired 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and a protected First-Round pick for
Julian Washburn.
While
Iguodala is not a part of the Grizzlies future plans and is more of a trade
chip, the question is when will he be dealt and how much the Grizzlies get for
Igoudala?
The
Grizzlies trade with the Mavericks netted them the draft rights to Satnam Singh
and two future Second-Round picks in exchange for guard Delon Wright.
Beginning
with the Feb. 7 trade deadline and with this off-season, Grizzlies owner Robert
Pera wanted to shake up the franchise. Move on from the very successful “Grit
‘N Grind” era and give Memphis Grizzlies a new vision and leadership in the
hopes of accelerating this small-market team that has a bolder and meaningful
future.
The
success of this new era depends on how quickly Ja Morant and Jared Jackson, Jr.
can develop a cohesion on the hardwood and how wisely the Grizzlies front office
can build around this talented duo with what they have now or who they can
bring in going forward.
“We
talk about our three pillars of competing, playing together and getting better
every single day, especially with a lot of young guys but even with our vets
it’s something we want to instill from Day One,” Coach Jenkins said. “Knowing
that each individual comes in with that competitive mentality. But how as a
unit how are we going to do that? How are we going to compete on the practice
floor? How are we going to compete in the training room? How are we going to
compete in our scouting process? And it all leads up to how are we going to compete
on a night-in and night-out basis come game time?”
“So,
for these young guys to start getting that understanding of how important
competitiveness is, that’s super important to start here in Year One.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Grizzlies win at least 25 games this season. Morant is in the running for Kia
Rookie of the Year. Jackson, Jr. takes another step in his maturation as a franchise
cornerstone. Coach Jenkins can develop a system and philosophy that brings the
best out of his players.
Worst
Case Scenario:
Another season of near or above 50 losses for the Grizzlies. Morant struggles
in his rookie season. Jackson, Jr. takes a step backwards in his development.
Coach Jenkins’ message falls on death ears to his players.
Grade: C
Minnesota
Timberwolves: 36-46
(5th Northwest Division; missed the playoffs) 25-16 at home, 11-30
on the road.
-112.5
ppg-13th; opp. ppg: 111.7-23rd; 44.8 rpg-19th
Outrages
melodrama kept the Minnesota Timberwolves out of the playoffs for the 14th
time the last 15 seasons last spring. While they got stellar production
statistically from the 2016 Kia Rookie of the Year, the team saw little to no
growth amongst their talented players, specifically from the 2015 Kia Rookies
of the Year. With a new innovative leader in the front office, the interim tag
removed from their head coach, and some interesting new additions, the question
now for the Timberwolves can their talented 1-2 punch get them back to the
playoffs in an even more stacked Western Conference?
The
melodrama that hit the Timberwolves a season ago began with the trade demands
of All-Star Jimmy Butler, who was eventually dealt to the 76ers in November
2018 for Dario Saric and Robert Covington (13.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 37.8 3-Pt%
w/76ers & Timberwolves). Then came eventual ouster of head coach and
President of Basketball Operations Tom Thibodeau after a 108-86 win versus the
Lakers on Jan. 6, replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Ryan
Saunders, who finished the season with a 17-25 mark.
There
is no question about how talented All-Star center Karl-Anthony, the 2016 Kia
Rookie of the Year and 2015 Kia Rookie of the Year in swingman Andrew Wiggins
are.
While
Towns, whose starting a huge five-year, $190 million contract extension he
signed last summer has had consistent production in terms of his stats to the
tune of a team-leading 24.4 points and 12.2 rebounds (7th NBA) and
1.6 blocks (9th NBA) on 51.8 percent from the field, and 40.0
percent from three-point range, it had not impact for the Timberwolves in the
win column.
To
bring this point into clearer context, in the 18 games Towns has scored at
least 30 points and 15 rebounds, the Timberwolves record is just 9-9.
He
registered a near quadruple-double of 34 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists,
six block shots and three steals in the Timberwolves Dec. 30, 2018 contest at
the Heat, becoming other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35 points, 19 rebounds, nine
assists, and eight blocks against the Suns on Dec. 14, 1975) to have that kind
of stat line, but it happened in a 113-104 loss.
Wiggins
on the other hand has simply regressed not just in terms of his production, but
just he demeanor has been mediocre, especially after signing a lavish max
five-year, $148 million max extension two years ago. Last season, he registered
subpar averages of 18.1 points and 4.8 rebounds, on 41.2 percent from the field.
Team
owner Glen Taylor to get things flowing in the right direction in early May hired
Gersson Rosas, who has spent the last 16 seasons in many roles in the Rockets
front office as the Timberwolves new President of Basketball Operations on May
3, becoming the first Latino to be in that position in NBA history.
Rosas,
unlike Thibodeau brings front office experience where he learned every in-and-out
of “The Association” and how to be
innovative by two of the most respect GMs in the league first by Carroll Dawson
and then by current Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who said of Rosas,
“He’s been way overqualified for his job for a while here. He’s more than
earned his shot although I wish he would’ve gone East.”
Morey
added, “We’re going to have an extremely tough competitor in the West. Minnesota
is going to find how forward thinking; how hard-working, and how talented he is
at putting together a winning team.”
Hall
of Famer and former Rocket Tracy McGrady echoed those same feelings saying on
the May 2 edition of ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump,” “If he learned anything from Daryl
Morey is ow to put a team together and he’s going to do a phenomenal job of
helping KAT, you know, bring some talent in there to help him out win.”
The
first move Rosas made was take interim tag off Saunders and naming him the new
head coach of the Timberwolves in on May 20, even though the Timberwolves
interviewed several prominent NBA assistants like Juwan Howard of the Heat;
David Vanderpool of the Trail Blazers, who is now on Saunders’ staff as the
Associate Head Coach; Pelicans assistant Chris Finch and the Bucks Darvin Ham.
“I
need to recognize someone who is unable to be here in the physical form, but I
know he’s here and he’s looking down and I know he’d say, ‘There’s no place
else he’d rather have me get my start in coaching.’ So, I wanted to make sure I
acknowledge my dad ‘Flip,’ and just thank him for putting me in this,” the
emotional young Saunders said about earning the job his late father once had.
“This is me. It happens. You get emotional over things. But that’s one of the
reasons this is so special today.”
What
got Saunders the job ultimately was the respect he had from the players,
specifically Towns and Wiggins. That he comes from solid blood lines in the
aforementioned late Philip “Flip” Saunders, who coached the team from 1995-2005
and by keeping the younger Saunders in the fold, it maintains some sense of
stability, for a team that has missed the playoffs in 14 of the last 15
seasons.
Towns
in the 37 games he played for Coach Saunders, he averaged 26.8 points, 12.4
rebounds on 54.1 percent from the field and 42.2 three-point percentage,
compared to the 22.4 points and 12.4 boards on 49.5 percent from the floor and
37.9 from three-point range in the 40 games under Coach Thibodeau.
“It’s
going to be a fun for me to have a coach that’s gonna allow me to use all my
talents,” Towns said at his basketball camp this summer to WCCO-TV. “I have a
great coaching staff. I mean, I think we have the best coaching staff possibly
in the game right now from a talent, experience and just the culture
standpoint. And the culture we’re building here is something special.”
Kumbaya
moments only get you so far and for Saunders to get the Timberwolves back to
playoff contention, he has to coach this team to where he holds them to account
for their play and demands that they bring it in practice to the game,
especially from Towns and Wiggins.
One
big emphasis for Coach Saunders entering this season is the team being in
tip-top condition to play at a faster pace offensively and to be a much better
defensive team.
“To
play faster, your defense can become your offense. So, in a way, you know, you’re
a team that’s forcing turnovers,” Saunders said at Media Day on Sept. 30.
“You’re being solid though. You’re not putting yourself in predicaments at the
rim where guys are having to rotate...And then obviously you need to become a
better defensive rebounding team because to get to offense you got to be able
to corral the ball.”
Rosas
added that in the short period of time he has been around Towns has been very
impressive. From the projects the organization has been involved in over the
summer both on and off the hardwood, to supporting his teammates.
As
good as those things are, Rosas has challenged Towns to become a more
consistent defender; be the kind of leader that can get on his teammates when
it is called upon, especially Wiggins and have his production impacts the Timberwolves
winning more games.
When
it comes to Wiggins, Rosas said that he has given him a clean slate to start
but said the two had a real heart-to-heart conversation about what is expected
of him and see what if anything else needs to get him to play with a high motor.
Coach
Saunders said that what he has seen from Wiggins this offseason has been
“tremendous,” from staying in Minnesota over the summer, where he has through
work with the coaching staff through the use of analytics and game-film on what
will unlock that so-called potential that has yet to be consistent on the
hardwood.
“You
learn from it and it’s nothing but motivation, you know. You go into the summer
knowing you go to work,” Wiggins said about last season at Media Day. “People
are gonna doubt you, you know? People are gonna think that, you know, you lost
a step. You lost it and all these things. But all you can focus on is yourself.
And the fact I can prove people wrong, you know, and get back out there and let
people know ‘I’m the same player,’ that’s motivation. So, it means a lot. I’m
gonna work harder. Think harder. I wanna be great.”
Saunders
feels the same way about Wiggins this upcoming season also saying at Media Day.
“I’ve known him since he was about 18 now and I’ve haven’t seen a lot of
players that love this market like Andrew does. And he really loves being here
in Minnesota. And you know so, with the passion. With his commitment we feel
that he’s gonna have a good season.”
In
June’s draft, the Timberwolves dealt the draft rights to the No. 11 overall
pick in Cameron Johnson to the Suns, along with forward Dario Saric for the
draft rights to the No. 6 overall pick in guard/forward Jarrett Culver out of
Texas Tech University. At No. 43 overall, the T’Wolves selected Jaylen Nowell
out of the University of Washington.
“It’s
a dream just to be drafted and be in the NBA is a dream for me,” Culver said to
Taylor after getting drafted. “I worked hard for it, and God gave me the
talent, and I’m here, and I’m truly blessed to be in this position I’m in.”
The
Big 12 Player of the Year, first Red Raider to win that honor averaged 18.5
points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 46 percent from the field.
He
plays both ends of the floor really well, with the ability to guard multiple
positions and can make plays for others on offensive, especially off the
pick-and-roll.
“I’m
an elite two-way player,” Culver said of how he describes his game. “I see
myself as determined, motivated and hardworking. I put in hours and hours to
work on my craft to be great at what I do.”
“I
have a lot to prove. I got out every night trying to prove myself. A lot of
people doubted me. A lot of people didn’t believe in me. So, I stay true to
myself…. I know there’s a lot of great players that played in the NBA and I
just want to be one of them.”
The
biggest thing for Culver to learn is how to shoot, which is something that the
player he will be competing with for minutes at the wing position in last
season’s First-Round pick in fellow swingman Josh Okogie (7.7 ppg), who had
some tough defensive assignments and held his own quite well a season ago. For
him to get more consistent minutes on the floor, he must improve his ability to
make shots consistently His 38.6 field goal percentage he shot a season ago
will not cut it.
“The
one thing I think is the easiest to add through time and effort is the outside
shot,” Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis said about what Culver needs to add to
his offensive repertoire. “He’s got to add that three-point shot or he won’t
last in the NBA. I think he will work hard and add that three-point shot to his
arsenal. And when he does look out.”
The
addition of Culver with Covington, whose time with the Timberwolves was cut
short last season due to an injured right knee that required surgery and Okogie
gives the Timberwolves three players who can guard the two most prolific
scoring positions in the NBA.
“I’m
good now. I’ve utilized my summer to the best,” Covington said at Media Day
about his recovery from surgery both in Minneapolis, MN and with his team in
Nashville, TN. “Only thing now is getting back in playing shape.”
While
the team has some depth at the small forward and shooting guard spots, more on
that in a moment, their backcourt depth took a major hit with guards Derrick
Rose and Tyus Jones, who signed in the offseason with the Pistons and Grizzlies
respectably.
They
still has starting floor general Jeff Teague (12.1 ppg, 8.2 apg), whose
entering the last year of his contract struggled with injuries that limited him
to 42 games in 2018-19.
“It
was very frustrating. Never really been injured before like that,” Tegaue said
at Media Day about last season. “So, I’m glad guys helped me out all summer to
get better and I’m excited for the season to come.”
The
T’Wolve acquire journeyman Shabazz Napier (9.4 ppg w/Nets) to back up Teague,
along with shooting guard Treveon Graham in a deal with the Nets, for the draft
rights to Lior Elizaku.
The
T’Wolves added some depth to their front court, getting via sign-and-trade
restricted free agent Jake Layman (7.6 ppg, 50.9 FG% w/Trail Blazers) from the
Trail Blazers on a three-year, $15 million deal for the draft rights to Bojan
Dublijevic on July 3. They also signed former Warriors big man Jordan Bell and
forward Noah Vonleh to a one-year deals at $1.6 million and $2 million
respectably in July.
Layman
briefly flourished with the Trail Blazers both as a spot starter and off the
bench last season before he lost ground in the rotation, while Bell had a
reasonable role in the Warriors playing rotation the last two seasons, but not
showing consistent improvement led to head coach Steve Kerr reducing his
minutes. Both players will be competing for minutes with fellow reserve big
Gorgui Dieng (6.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 50.0 FG%).
It
was rough 2018-19 for the Timberwolves, who saw all the momentum from 2017-18 making
the playoffs after a 13-year absence go down the drain by missing the
postseason last spring. Even with the hiring of Gersson Rosas and retaining
Ryan Saunders as the new head coach, and with the additions to the roster, the
success of the team will depend on the production and leadership shown by
Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
“One
thing that I do feel good about this team among a number of things, but one
thing I always feel good about with this group especially is how hard they’re
gonna to play,” Coach Saunders said at Media Day. “And they’ve shown that this
summer, and everything these guys have done so far have proven that.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Timberwolves are knocking at the door of a playoff berth in the lower part
of the West. Towns is an All-Star for the third straight season. Wiggins
regains his confidence and knocks on the door of being named an All-Star.
Culver makes one of the All-Rookie squads. Saunders gets the defensive effort
and knockdown shooting from the supporting cast.
Worst
Case Scenario:
Another spring with no playoffs. Towns and Wiggins put up numbers, but do not
have an impact in terms of victories. Culver struggles. Saunders see no
consistent effort on either end of the floor.
Grade: D+
New
Orleans Pelicans: 33-49
(T-3rd Southwest Division; missed the playoffs) 19-22 at home, 14-27
on the road.
-115.4
ppg-3rd; opp. ppg: 114.8-T-27th; 47.3 rpg-5th
Following
their playoff run in 2018 that ended in the Semifinals to the eventual NBA
champion Warriors, the New Orleans Pelicans took a serious backslide into the
lottery after a tumultuous 2018-19 season. A season that saw their franchise
cornerstone wanting out and a front office in need of a major overhaul. Those
changes came to “The Big Easy” from the front office right down to the roster,
which included drafting that rare franchise changing player. The question for
the Pelicans is with all this change that has energized the city result in them
back in the playoff mix?
When
six-time All-Star center Anthony Davis, who joined forces with the most
powerful sports agent Rich Paul, the business partner of the Lakers four-time
Kia MVP LeBron James of “Klutch Sports,” told the Pelicans he would sign a
contract extension and asked to be traded, it began a state of limbo for the
team that would wreck their season.
GM
Dell Demps was fired on Feb. 15. The fanbase wanted nothing to do with Davis
anymore, especially after leaving the Smoothie King Center on Apr. 9 with
T-shirt of the famed Looney Tunes sign off, “That’s All Folks” written across
the chest.
Everything
else about the Pelicans season from Julius Randle’s solid production in what
would be his only season with the team and from All-Star and All-Defensive
Second-Team selection in lead guard Jrue Holiday’s (21.2 ppg, 7.7 apg-Led team,
5.0 rpg, 1.6 spg-10th NBA, 47.2 FG%) continued stellar play on both
ends of the court.
If
there was any team in “The Association” that needed massive sweeping changes
and a bunch of good luck to head right to them, it was the Pelicans, and they
got it big time.
It
began on Apr. 12 when Owner Gayle Benson hired former Cavaliers GM from 2014-17
David Griffin as the new Vice President of Basketball Operations.
Griffin
and Mrs. Benson added some heft to the Pelicans front office with the addition
of new GM Trajan Langdon in the middle of May, who served as the Assistant
General Manager of the Nets since 2016, while also serving as the GM of the
Nets’ G-League affiliate the Long Island Nets. Langdon also spent one season as
Director of Player Administration and Basketball Operations for the Cavaliers,
under Griffin.
In
June, the Pelicans hired former WNBA player and NBA studio analyst for ESPN and
the Knicks for Madison Square Garden Network and CBS Sports’ “We Need to Talk”
Swin Cash as Vice President of Basketball Operations and Team Development. They
also added Hall of Famer and WNBA legend of the New York Liberty Teresa
Weatherspoon to head coach Alvin Gentry’s staff.
“These
are winners to the core who they are as people,” Griffin said to NBATV’s
Kristen Ledlow on draft night about Langdon, the 2018-19 G-League Basketball
Executive of the Year and two-time WNBA champion Cash. “They found that winning
frequency, and we’re going to continue to add people to the mix tuned to that
frequency.”
His
first order of business was to tackle the Davis situation straight on rather
than waiver or tiptoe around it like Demps did. Because Davis was basically
benched for all the second half of this past season, the Pelicans fell into the
2019 NBA Draft Lottery, where “lady luck” was on their side, landing the No. 1
overall pick in a draft, which they used on the most talented and hyped player
to come into the NBA since LeBron James in Zion Williamson.
He
became overcome with emotion as he said with tears to Taylor after being the
first player born in the 2000s to be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft,
“I mean, I don’t know what to say.”
Williamson
added about shaking Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand after getting drafted, “It
don’t seem real that I just shook his hand. I’ve dreamed of this since I was
four, and for it to actually happen I just thank God for it.”
In
his lone season at Duke, the South Carolina native was sensational for head
coach Mike Krzyzewski, with averages of 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1
steals in 2018-19, on 68 percent shooting, the highest field goal percentage by
a freshman in Division I history. The 81 points he had in the 2019 ACC
Tournament were the most by a freshman in the history of the Conference. He
joined current Net Kevin Durant, and now former Pelican in Davis to win the
John R. Wooden.
Beyond
being a great player at Duke, Williamson was just as exceptional off the court
with his humility and the kindness he displayed to his teammates, especially
fellow lottery picks in RJ Barrett, who went to the Knicks No. 3 overall and
Cam Reddish, the No. 10 overall pick by the Hawks.
“I
think to some degree the human element was more powerful than the basketball
element of it,” GM Griffin said to NBATV’s Kristen Ledlow on draft night about
why they took Williamson No. 1 overall. “I’ve said before, you’re talking about
a guy who obviously everybody can watch and knows touched by the hands of God
right?”
“There’s
a population of one. There’s no other person like this as a basketball player.
To be that size, propel his body with that much force, and speed, and have
touch, and be all about winning first-we’ve really haven’t seen that before in
the league. So, the upside is enormous, but the beautiful thing is the work
ethic matches all that too. So, you know work great is never going to be the
reason you don’t succeed. But the human part of this kid is just really
special.”
Williamson’s
impact was so big, that the Pelicans solid more than 12,000 season tickets,
their biggest number in a decade. The NFL’s New Orleans Saints, Louisiana State
University and Tulane Wave have invited Williamson to their sidelines. Nike’s
Jordan Brand there is even huge giant 219-foot banner by the Smoothie King
Center with a photo of Williamson in the middle with the entire city of New
Orleans at his back, with a caption that reads, “Possible Alone Possible
Together.”
To
put into context what these two moves did for the Pelicans, they will be
playing on Christmas Day in the nightcap of the five-game slate at the Nuggets
at 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 25 on ESPN.
One
thing that GM Griffin has made very clear is that Williamson is only a rookie
and any expectation that he will be the best player on this team is a little
premature.
“Look,
this is somebody who’s not supposed to be the savior of this franchise. That’s
not what this is,” Griffin said at Williamson’s introductory presser on June
21. “This is a 19-year-old kind whose going to spend this year learning how to
play winning NBA Basketball. And everything that we’re doing from now until the
end of our time here as a franchise is going to be about long-term sustainable
success.”
Those
expectations will surely be slowed after the news came out at the start of this
week that Williamson will be sidelined approximately
6-8 weeks following arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right
knee, which he injured in the preseason game on Oct. 13 against the Spurs.
Then
came the blockbuster deal with the Lakers, that included the Wizards were Davis
was traded to the Lakers, which became official on July 6 and in return the
Pelicans received guard Lonzo Ball; swingman Josh Hart; forward Brandon Ingram;
the No. 4 overall pick, which would eventually be traded to the Hawks; two of
the Lakers First-Round picks and cash considerations from the Wizards.
Griffin
not only acquired three promising players in Ball (9.9 ppg, 5.4 apg, 5.3 rpg,
1.5 spg w/Lakers), Ingram (18.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 49.7 FG% w/Lakers), and Hart (7.8
ppg, 3.7 rpg, w/Lakers), he acquired the Lakers’ future assets in their two
First-Round picks and First-Round swaps. Meaning, if the Lakers collapse
following the conclusion of the LBJ era, the Pelicans will make out like
bandits, similarly to the Celtics did in that famed trade with the Nets in the
summer of 2013 when those First-Round picks and pick swaps became as worthy as
gold.
For
Ball, a L.A. native who has been directly in the spotlight since entering the
NBA as the No. 2 overall pick in 2017 will finally not have the pressure of
playing in the “City of Angels” and will play alongside Holiday, who should allow
him to play off the ball more as well as be interchangeable on both ends.
The
biggest thing for Ball is to improve his game at the offensive end especially
his shooting stroke. The 40.6 percent from the field, 32.6 from three-point
range and 41.7 percent from the foul line is unacceptable for a player of his
caliber. Also, he has to stay healthy after missing a total of 69 games his
first two seasons because of injury.
“Obviously,
injuries kind of messed up things a little bit,” Ball said of his time playing
in his hometown in the middle of last month. “But you take the bumps with the
bruises and keep moving forward. Only been in the league for two years and
looking forward to this third year in New Orleans, get a fresh start and show
people what I can do.”
Ball
added, “I know New Orleans is excited to have me, and I’m excited to get
started. Moving to a new team, a new situation, a new organization, new
coaches, new everything-it’s a refresh, getting back to playing basketball like
I know I can play.”
Ball’s
teammate Ingram, who had his 2018-19 season cut short at 52 games after being
diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis, a blood clot in his arm in early March.
The prognosis is good for the No. 2 overall pick in 2016. In fact, he has been
a full participant in Pelicans voluntary offseason workouts, according to a
report in late September by Andrew Lopez of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.
“It’s
been exciting,” Ingram said about being back on the floor after last season. “I
couldn’t imagine not being away from the game for about five months without
playing basketball and it made me cherish it a little bit more. Every time I
come out here, I make sure I’m putting good work into my body. Making sure
everything is right before I go out on the court.”
That
is why Griffin brought on board longtime trainer of the Suns Aaron Nelson as
Vice President of Player Care and Performance.
Nelson,
who worked with Griffin from 1993-2010 with the Suns, where he began as an
assistant athletic trainer brings 26 years of experience as the Suns trainer,
with 19 of them as their head athletic trainer and most recently Vice President
of Health and Performance.
In
a pre-draft trade with the Hawks, the Pelicans acquired the No. 8, 17 and 35
overall picks and a conditional 2020 First-Round pick for forward Solomon Hill,
the No. 4, which went to the Lakers and the No. 57 overall pick, and a
conditional 2023 Second-Round pick.
The
Pelicans in that deal acquired the draft rights to center Jaxson Hayes (No. 8
overall) out of the University of Texas; guard Nickel Alexander-Walker (No. 17
overall) from Toronto, Ontario, and Virginia Tech University; and forward
Marcos Louzada Silva (No. 35 overall) from France.
They
will join a cast that includes the aforementioned Williamson, Holiday, Ball,
Ingram, Hart, E’Twaun Moore (11.9 ppg,
48.1 FG% 43.2 3-Pt.%) Frank Jackson (8.1 ppg), Darius Miller (8.2 ppg, 36.5
3-Pt.%), Jahlil Okafor (8.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 58.6 FG%) and Kenrich Williams (6.1
ppg, 4.8 rpg).
Hayes,
went from a guy who did not start at Cincinnati Molyer High School until his
senior year to a guy who grew 11 inches from 6-feet to 6-foot-11 and played
solidly at UT for head coach Shaka Smart, with averages of 10.0 points, and a
Big 12 leading 72.9 percent shooting.
“It’s
really been crazy. Two years ago, today, I was on a high school team hardly
playing. Now, I’m a lottery pick,” Hayes said to Taylor on draft night. “So,
it’s really exciting. I’m just excited for me and my family.”
The
Big 12 Freshmen of the Year and Second Team All-Big 12 selection may be raw
offensively as he took only three jump shots in his lone season with the
Longhorns, but he is a freakish athlete who can jump right out of the gym,
whose has a 7-foot-3 wingspan that makes him a lob threat at the basket; a guy
who can get shots by just rim running and can defend in space as well as
protect the basket.
Those
tools that Hayes has entering the NBA are what the likes of veteran center
Tyson Chandler of the Rockets and the Nets’ DeAndre Jordan have long and successful
careers. The ability to block shots, score off of lob passes, rebound, set
screens to get their teammates open and just play with all out energy. If Hayes
can master those things during his time in the Pelicans development program, he
will stick in this league for a decade.
Alexander-Walker,
the cousin of the Thunder’s newest guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the No. 11
overall pick by the Clippers in 2018 brings excellent size (6-foot-5) to the
backcourt, along with an immense skill to handle the ball, pass, shoot and is
very ambidextrous around the basket.
He
led the Hokies last season in points (16.2), field goals made, assists (4.0)
and steals (1.9), while registering 12 games of 20-plus points.
“What
we dreamed of and all we talked about when we were kids,” Alexander-Walker, a
Third Team All-ACC selection said to Taylor on draft night alongside his cousin
Shai, who called it “a blessing” to see his cousin get drafted.
Alexander-Walker
added, “First time I touched a basketball that’s all I wanted to do. I used to
cry when my mom told me this couldn’t possibly never happen. And for God to
make it happen is a blessing.”
Griffin
has said many times this summer that the Pelicans leader is Jrue Holiday, who
is entering his 11th season in the league, his seventh with the
Pelicans and he is very excited about the potential of the new additions to the
Pelicans.
The
29-year-old Holiday said to NBATV’s Steve Smith pm Media Day on Sept. 30 that
Alexander-Walker has been one his favorite players on the team because he has
“a lot of abilities.” He also said that he is very excited to throw a lob pass
to Hayes in a game and see what he can do with the basketball. When asked how
to describe Williamson, Holiday said he is “normal.”
Holiday
also said about Williamson, “I feel like he has very good character. Very
humble kid and really just loving this atmosphere and everything that New
Orleans brings as well as just the NBA. I feel like he’s very appreciative and
it’s good to see that from somebody so young.”
In
a trade with the Warriors, the Pelicans received their 2021 and 2023
Second-Round picks and cash considerations for the draft rights to power
forward/center Alen Smailagic, 39th overall pick out of the Santa
Cruz Warriors of the NBA G-League.
The
Pelicans traded the draft rights to guard Jordan Bone, the No. 57 overall pick
to the Hawks, who later was dealt to the 76ers and then to the Pistons.
The
reshaping of the roster continued with the acquisition of power forward/center
Derrick Favors (11.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg 58.6 FG% w/Jazz) from the Jazz for two future
Second-Round picks.
“I
saw the potential in the team and I saw where I can like fit in, and I knew
Utah was in a situation where they had to shed salary,” Favors said at Media
Day on why he joined the Pelicans. “I’m excited to be here and I see
opportunity for myself to kind of establish myself as a player and show things
that I wasn’t able to show in the previous couple of years.”
In
free agency, the Pelicans signed veteran sharp-shooter JJ Redick (18.1 ppg-career-high,
39.7 3-Pt.% w/76ers) on a two-year, $26.5 million deal.
As
much as he will provide necessary floor spacing for Williamson and other with
his three-point shooting, the 34-year-old Redick will also provide that
necessary veteran presence, which is why Griffin called his addition
“absolutely paramount to all of this,” adding, “Sweat equity is invaluable to a
young team.”
“It’s
still the start of the season. We still get to play real games. We get to
compete,” Redick said on Sunday afternoon about the team’s expectations to
start, even without Williamson. “We have a deep team. We’ll hold it down as best
we can without him. Obviously, we need him back and hopefully he takes his time
and recovers fully.”
Also,
he will have the motivation to help this team make the playoffs as he has been
in the postseason for 13 straight seasons.
The
Pelicans also signed to a two-year, $8 million deal, EuroLeague forward/center
Nicolo Melli, who was that league’s top scorer in The Finals for the Turkish
club Fenerbahce.
To
make this upcoming season even more stress free, GM Griffin, who worked with
Coach Gentry before with the Suns when Gentry led them to the Western
Conference Finals in 2010 a one-year contract extension extended his contract
for one more year.
Along
with that solid relationship between them, Coach Gentry is still the team’s
headman on the sidelines because he is a remarkable head coach, whose get-after-it
offensive approach is one that is suitable for this young team.
“Every
coach, you almost have to say it, ‘We wanna run,’ but most of us don’t really
mean it” NBATV’s Stan van Gundy said about Coach Gentry’s willingness to stick
to who he is. “Alvin means it. I mean, he says they want to run and they run. I
mean, that’s the feature of the way Alvin’s teams have played. That certainly
seems to fit their personnel.”
Van
Gundy added, “I think there’s good reason, even beyond the history-there’s
great reason for Alvin Gentry to be coaching this team.”
At
the close of last season, there was very little optimism for this season and
beyond for the New Orleans Pelicans, who just the year before reached the West
Semifinals. The selection of Zion Williamson No. 1 overall, along with the
other draft picks; veteran additions via free agency and the reshaping of the
front office has provided plenty of optimism in for not just the present but
the future.
How
quickly the Pelicans turn into a playoff contender this season and eventually a
title contender moving forward will depend on how quickly Williamson, who joins
76ers Ben Simmons (2016-17); now Piston Blake Griffin (2009-10) and former
Trail Blazer Greg Oden (2007-08) as No. 1 overall draft picks to miss the
season opener in the last 25 seasons can develop into a star and how Griffin
can construct a winning cast around him.
“We
want to raise all of our young players in a culture of winning,” Griffin said
to Ledlow. “We don’t believe in the idea of getting higher draft picks. We want
them to experience winning basketball as quickly as possible.”
“We
want to stack successes one on top of the other,” adding, “Pels stay winning.
Every day we’re gonna find something that we identify as our win, and we’re
gonna continue to stack those on top of themselves.”
Coach
Gentry added, “It just seems to be an exciting time for Pelicans basketball and
we’re gonna try to do everything we can to put a product on the floor that they
can really appreciate.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Pelicans are fighting to make the playoffs as a lower seed in the stacked
Western Conference. Williamson is the Kia Rookie of the Year. There is cohesion
amongst the veterans and the rookies.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Pelicans are not in playoff contention late this upcoming season.
Williamson somehow struggles and Coach Gentry’s team does not perform as a
cohesive unit.
Grade: A+
Oklahoma
City Thunder: 49-33
(4th Northwest Division; No. 6 Seed in West) 27-14 at home, 22-19 on
the road. Lost in Quarterfinals against the No. 3 Seeded Portland Trail Blazers
4-1.
-114.5
ppg-7th; opp. ppg: 111.1-16th; 48.1 rpg-2nd
One
shot changed the direction of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s present and future,
where they dealt their All-Star starting backcourt in two mega trades in July
took them from a title contender to a team that hopes build towards that again
in the future. With a future Hall of fame new lead guard in the fold, a guard
they hope to build around going forward, a plethora of draft picks, the question
for the Thunder entering this season and in the years to come is can they ever
get back to a team that was in the conversation for a Larry O’Brien trophy?
Trail
Blazers’ four-time All-Star Damian Lillard sunk a long three-pointer at the
buzzer to sink the Thunder 118-115 in Game 5 on Apr. 23 and officially close
the book on the Thunder in 2018-19 in the opening-round in five games. Before
getting mobbed by his teammates on the Moda Center court, Lillard sarcastic
waived goodbye to the Thunder bench.
It
was a terrible conclusion for a team that finished the second half of last
season at 12-13 following the All-Star break and suffered it’s third straight
First-Round postseason exit since now two-time Finals MVP of the Nets Kevin
Durant left for greener pastures with the Warriors three off-seasons back.
As
this off-season began, the Thunder and GM Sam Presit went about their business,
acquiring the draft rights of forward Darius Bazley, the No. 23 overall pick
from the Grizzlies for the draft rights to forward Brandon Clarke, the No. 21
overall pick out of Gonzaga University.
But
then Clippers head coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers showed reigning Finals MVP Kawhi
Leonard in a free agent pitch meeting a list of potential players to team up
alongside him, which included the Thunder’s top offensive gun last season. What
followed was a trade request by George to Presti that all of a sudden changed
the team’s course because the California native wanted to go home and join the
two-time Finals MVP Kawhi in Leonard with the Clippers. That effect trickled
down to 2017 Kia MVP and perennial All-Star Russel Westbrook, who the Thunder
understood was not willing to sit through a rebuild, nor would it be fair to
ask him to.
The
Thunder first dealt George, a six-time All-Star on July 6 to the Clippers for guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; forward Danilo Gallinari; First-Round picks in 2022,
2024 and 2026; the Heat’s First-Round picks in 2021 and 2023; and the right to
swap First-Round picks in 2023 and 2025.
The
most difficult trade came five days later when Westbrook, a player who spent his
entire 11-year career in OKC, and resigned on a five-year, $205 million super
max extension three summers ago was dealt to the Rockets in exchange for
nine-time All-Star lead guard Chris Paul (15.6 ppg, 8.2 apg, 4.6 rpg, 35.8
3-Pt.% w/Rockets); two protected First-Round picks in 2024 (projected to be
1-4) and 2026 (projected to be 1-4); right to swap First-Round picks in 2021
(projected to be 1-4) and 2025 (projected to be 1-20).
Presti
in another deal that occurred between those trades with the Clippers and
Rockets got a 2020 First-Round pick, a Top 10 protected one from the Nuggets in
exchange for unrestricted free agent to be in forward Jerami Grant.
To
bring what the Thunder have moving forward into clearer context, they have a
total of 15 First-Round picks and four swap rights in four different seasons
between 2020 and 2026.
As
ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell pointed on the July 12 edition of ESPN’s “NBA: The
Jump” the Thunder have been down this road before where they used the draft and
clever trades to build a roster that won 66.6 percent of their regular season
games for a decade, but made only one appearance in The Finals in 2012, where
they lost to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat in five games.
They had two more opportunities for a bit at that championship apple but feel
in the Western Conference Finals in 2014 and 2016.
“That’s
the problem…,” Friedell said. “We live in an era where the draft is more of a
crapshoot then its ever been. We live in an era now where it’s more about
market over team.”
He
added, “This is a bottom-line business in the league [NBA]. It’s all about
titles. That’s why when you look at the legacy of this group-sure they won a
lot. There’s no title.”
While
the title hopes of the Thunder might have been closed with the trades of
Westbrook and George, the team at least on paper is still a playoff contender
entering this season and have their franchise face in Gilgeous-Alexander (10.8
ppg, 47.6 FG% 36.7 3-Pt.% w/Clippers) going forward.
In
the 21-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander from Canada, who started 73 games as a
rookie and all six of their playoff games against the Warriors for the Clippers
in 2018-19, making the All-Rookie Second-Team and is expected to be the lead
face of the franchise going forward alongside center Steven Adams (13.9 ppg, 9.5
rpg, 1.5 spg, 59.5 FG%) Bazley, Andre Roberson, who is returning from 1 ½ year
absence from a ruptured tendon in his left knee, Terrence Ferguson (6.9 ppg,
36.6 3-Pt.%) Nerlens Noel, Abdel Nader, Deonte Burton, Hamidou Diallo, and new
additions in Mike Muscala and Justin Patton.
Gilgeious-Alexander
has all at this early stage of his career. He plays both ends of the court.
He’s long. Has a great ball handling ability and can make plays for others,
while being able to play both guard spots.
On
top of that, he was part of a playoff team, where he learned very quickly every
time you took the hardwood you had something to play for.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” SGA
said about being dealt to the Thunder. “It’s another amazing opportunity that I’m
blessed to have and I know a lot of people wished they had.
“I’m
just gonna continue to be myself. Continue to get better every day and work
hard, and I should be good.”
Gallinari
(19.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 46.3 FG%, 43.3 3-Pt.% w/Clippers) showed last year because
of good health that he can be a major help to a team, especially because he is
a Stretch 4 that can shoot as well as score off the dribble.
The
massive cloud that hangs over the Thunder is the 34-year-old Paul, who has
struggled to remain on the court in the back nine of his career-playing in just
177 of 246 regular-season games the last three seasons. Also, he has bloated
contract that has three years and $124.1 million left on it, which includes a
player option of $44.2 million in the third and final year of the deal in
2021-22, when Paul will be 37 years old.
Paul
was on the shelf for 48 games the last two seasons because of injury with the
Rockets and going back to his last season with the then New Orleans Hornets and
his six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Paul has played in 80-plus games
only in the 2010-11 season with the Hornets and all 82 games in 2014-15 with
the Clippers.
“It
doesn’t change,” Paul, whose No. 7 on the league’s all-time scoring list at
9,181 said at Media Day about his approach to this season. “Man, I tell you I
am who I am. I’m excited about our team.
“We’re
gonna go out to win every single. You know, I always say, ‘Unless they start
playing where you can put seven other guys on the court, eight other guys on
the court, not five, then were in trouble. But I’m excited about what we have.”
The
one clear scenario, or the most hopeful one for the Thunder organization and
Paul is that desperate team comes calling after Dec. 15, when players who
signed contracts this summer become available or before the February 2020 trade
deadline and presents a deal.
The
other scenario is that the Thunder hold onto Paul for at least this upcoming
season, save a year and money off his contract, which would raise his value.
When
Paul is healthy, he has shown to still be an elite guard in the NBA. Only his
former teammate with the Rockets’ James Harden (84); the Lakers’ LeBron James
(77); Westbrook (72); Hall of Famers Earvin “Magic” Johnson (51) and Allen
Iverson (40) have more games of 30-plus points and 10-plus assists than the 40
by Paul.
Paul
also on Media Day addressed his departure from the Rockets in saying about how
things reportedly ended badly between him and Harden, “It’s tough. I enjoyed my
two years there. It was amazing. Had some unbelievable opportunities. Made some
great relationships, but it’s business, you know? Things happen, you know.”
“I
wish them nothing but the best, you know? And like I said, people always try to
tell your story or try to tell your truth. But I have to be who I am, you know,
and continue to do that, and everything else will take care of itself.”
In
reality though, there is no perfect resolution to this situation for Presti or
the Thunder, and they may have to take the deal that hurts the least. Presti
should find a taker for Gallinari, who is an efficient scorer and Stretch 4
that a lot of teams could use, and he is in the last year of his contract at
$22.6 million. Other players that might be dealt for future assets include
Adams and Paul’s understudy Dennis Schroder (15.5 ppg, 4.1 apg).
Adams,
who will enter this season as the longest tenured player on the roster and
Ferguson will likely remain during this rebuild because of their youth at ages
26 and 21 respectably.
Adams
will provide rebounding, setting great screens and will get his points off of
rim runs and catches at the basket. Ferguson really improved his shooting a
season ago and really came along as a defender. For him it is about improving
his all-around game to where he becomes more than just a part-time starter or
reserve.
The
one good thing the Thunder do have as they embark on this eventual rebuild is
head coach Billy Donovan, who ironically is in the final year of his contract.
Aside from the fact that Coach Donovan has gone 15-19 in his four playoff
appearances, including a 4-12 record the last three postseasons, he has
compiled a 199-129 record in his four previous seasons, with them reaching the
Western Conference Finals three late springs back. This is on the heels of a
great career as the head coach of the University of Florida Gators, where he
won back-to-back NCAA National titles, where he developed guys who were not
high level recruits like Udonis Haslem of the Heat, former sharp shooter Matt
Bonner, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Wizards two-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal
and 76ers forward/center Al Horford.
Only
Gregg Popovich of the Spurs and Steve Kerr of the Warriors have produced better
records since Donovan has been on the Thunder sidelines.
“So,
I think we have a real good mix of guys with a lot of different experiences,”
Coach Donovan said of the roster entering this season. “But it’s all gonna come
down to with all these new faces and guys being in new roles, new positions,
you know how well and how long it takes for us to become a team?”
One
shot, that is what it took in the playoffs to change the direction of the
Oklahoma City Thunder. They said goodbye to their All-Star duo of Russell
Westbrook and Paul George. They also said goodbye to being in the mix for a championship
anytime soon.
The
Thunder have in their hands the choice of what they want this season to be. If
they decided to keep the team as constituted, they have the talent to make a
run at the playoffs in the stacked Western Conference. If Presti decides the
team needs to go into full on rebuild or Paul quietly decides he wants to be
dealt, the Thunder can position themselves for the No. 1 overall pick in the
Draft Lottery in May 2020.
At
least the Thunder unlike a lot of teams that have been in the position Presti is
a glimmer of hope for better days ahead with 15 First-Round picks and four pick
swaps between next spring and 2026. Also, they have a loyal fan base, that
really does not have another sports team to support.
“I
think those fans are gonna turn out. That’s a great fan base in Oklahoma City.
They remind me of Sacramento,” NBATV’s Stan Van Gundy said. “This is a loyal
fan base. They don’t have a lot else in terms of pro sports. I think they’ll
back them through this rebuild. As long as that team goes out and plays hard
every night, I think this fan base will stay behind them.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Thunder, if they keep Paul are in the playoff hunt. Gilgeous-Alexander
shows he is the starting lead guard and face of the franchise going forward.
Paul and Gallinari are traded for assets. Some of the younger players develop.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Thunder fall completely of the NBA cliff and lose a lot of games. Paul possibly
becomes a distraction if not traded by February 2020 trade deadline. There is
no improvement amongst the young players.
Grade: B
Phoenix
Suns: 19-63
(5th Pacific Division; missed the playoffs) 12-29 at home, 7-34 on
the road.
-107.5
ppg-23rd; opp. ppg: 116.1-T-27th; 40.4 rpg-30th
Underachieving
Draft Lottery picks, another bad choice at head coach and disfunction in the
front office led to another dismal year for the Phoenix Suns, who missed the
playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, failing to win 25 games for the
fourth consecutive season, and waisted another productive season by the one productive
lottery selection. With new additions in the front office and head coach, and
some veteran on the roster, that left you scratching your head at first glance,
the question for the Suns is do they finally have the right mix to author the start
of a turnaround?
How
bad were the Suns defensively a season ago, they were dead last in “The
Association” 30th in defensive rebounding percentage at 68.3 and in
second chance points allowed at 15.5, according to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann. They
were also No. 26 in opponent’s fast break points at 16.7
That
inability to stop the opposing team led to a 10-game losing streak from Nov.
25, 2018-Dec. 13, 2018 and a franchise worst 17-game losing streak from Jan.
15-Feb. 25.
That
ultimately cost head coach Igor Kosovo his job only after one season, joining
Lindsey Hunter, Jeff Hornacek, Earl Watson, and Jay Triano as the five head
coaches the Suns have had since current head coach of the Pelicans Alvin Gentry
left town six years ago, with Hornacek, who coached from 2013-16 lasting longer
than one season.
There
was also a shake up in the Suns front office as well with former player Pacer,
Heat and Cavalier James Jones was promoted to General Manager and Jeff Bower
assuming the role of Senior Vice President by owner Robert Sarver.
The
two bright spots for the Suns in another lost season were guard Devin Booker
(26.6 ppg-T-7th NBA, 6.8 apg-Led team, 46.7 FG%) and last year’s No.
1 overall pick out of the University of Arizona in center Deandre Ayton (16.3
ppg, 10.3 rpg, 58.5 FG%), who registered 39 double-doubles.
Booker
in the final month of last season put together five games of 40-plus points,
which included games scoring 59 and 50, unfortunately in losses at the Jazz
(125-92) on Mar. 25 and versus the Wizards (124-121) on Mar. 27.
Ayton,
who made the All-Rookie First Team became the first rookie in NBA history to
average 16 points, 10 rebounds and shoot 58-plus percent from the field.
In
an NBA era where big men no longer make their mark offensively in the low-post,
the Arizona native was very effective down there, which led to him registering
a double-double. For Ayton it is now about him extending his range on his jump
shot, being a more aggressive offensive player and improving his defensive
awareness and focus.
Other
than Booker and Ayton-so far, the Suns front office has drafted one bust after
another with their Draft lottery selections. Center Alex Len, the No. 5 overall
pick in 2013 is now with the Hawks. Big man Marquese Chriss, the No. 8 overall pick
in 2016 has yet to be signed after stints with the Suns, Rockets and Cavaliers.
Swingman Josh Jackson, the No. 4 overall pick just two Junes back was dealt
this off-season, more on that in a moment. Forward Dragan Bender, who the Suns
took with the No. 4 overall pick in 2016, signed in free agency with the Bucks
this off-season. The only other lottery pick remaining is last year’s No. 10
overall selection in swingman Mikal Bridges (8.3 ppg) out of Villanova, who had
his ups-and-downs shooting just 43.0 percent from the floor and just 33.5
percent from three-point range.
It
was quite clear that owner Robert Sarver’s group needed a major facelift to the
roster and on the sidelines and fast, which the Suns tried to do this off-season.
They
first hired former 76ers and Thunder assistant Monty Williams, their fifth head
coach in the last five seasons and 20th overall in franchise
history.
In
five seasons as the Pelicans head man on the sidelines from 2010-15, Williams’
record was 173-221, a .439 winning percentage, making the playoffs twice.
What
gives this hire a chance to stick is that Williams is that he has worked before
with Bower and Jones before. As the coach of the then New Orleans Hornets, who
became the Pelicans Williams and Bower worked together. As an assistant coach
with the Trail Blazers on now Pacers head coach Nate McMillan’s staff from
2005-10 where Jones was a player on the 2007-08 squad.
“We
want to be forward thinking,” Coach Williams said to NBATV’s Ro Parrish on
Media Day about changing the losing culture with the Suns. “There’s no reason
for us to try to change something we can’t change. We’ve talked to our players
about the future and all we can do to improve the culture. Be competitive every
night. It sounds cliché, but that’s what I was taught.”
He
added about what he learned from his prior coaching experiences is, “To be more
efficient. In his first opportunity with the Hornets, Williams said that he
tried to do everything comparing himself to a third world dictator with a
machete in his hand. He also said to Parrish that he has put together an
assistant coaching staff of Randy Ayers, Steve Blake, former Sun Mark Bryant,
Willie Green, Larry Greer, Darko Rajakovic, and player development coaches
Riccardo Fois and Ben Strong who he wants to let them coach.
He
learned from five-time championship coach of the Spurs Gregg Popovich that
“less is more,” which Coach Williams says will allow him to be a more efficient
head coach.
That
high character was severely tested when Williams, the associate head coach of
the Thunder in 2015-16 took a hiatus from coaching after his wife and mother to
their five kids Ingrid was killed in a car crash on Feb. 10, 2016. He came back
to coaching when he was hired as an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers last
season.
Booker
said at Media Day to FOX Sports Arizona’s Tom Leander and Tom Chambers that his
interactions with Coach Williams have been about life and what each of the
players are about.
“He’s
been around the game a very long time, 28 years. So, he knows what it takes,”
Booker said about his new head coach. “He’s been around some of the greats and
I think he’s gonna lead that to us and we’re gonna build off it.”
You
would figure in June’s draft that the Suns would have made it a priority to
select the right floor general to lead them into the future.
Instead,
they traded the draft rights to the No. 6 overall pick in guard/forward Jarrett
Culver to the Timberwolves for the draft rights to the No. 11 overall pick in
sharp shooting forward Cameron Johnson out of the University of North Carolina
and for big man Dario Saric (10.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 36.5 3-Pt.% w/76ers &
Timberwolves).
Johnson,
the only senior drafted in the lottery portion of June’s draft is a very
versatile wing who can shoot, especially from three-point range, where he
connected on 46 percent of his triple for head coach Roy Williams and the Tar
Heels a season ago. To go along with his great shooting stroke in the mid-range
and foul line as well as from three-point range, the First-Team All-ACC and AP
Honorable Mention All-American is a great cutter in the half court.
To
put into context how much Bower respects this 23-year-old, when he was the head
coach at Marist College of the MAC five years back, he had Johnson up for a
recruiting visit. Bower and his assistant at that time Brian Adams, who now
works with the Clippers lost out on Johnson, who committed to the University of
Pittsburgh, where he played for two seasons before transferring to Chapel Hill.
The
only issue for Johnson is his durability as a hip injury he sustained cut his
junior year short, but he recovered to have a great senior year in 2018-19,
where he averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.
“If
it comes down it and I need to be inside more, then I’ll be inside more. And if
it comes down to something where over the next couple of years I put on more
weight and transition to there then I will,” Johnson said at Media Day on how
he feels he can be used as more than just a shooter.
In
another trade on draft night in June, the Suns acquired veteran center Aron
Baynes (5.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 47.1 FG% w/Celtics) from the Celtics along with the
draft rights to guard Ty Jerome, the No. 24 pick from the NCAA champion
University of Virginia for a protected 2020 First-Round pick (via Bucks).
One
specific area that Coach Williams will drill home to his team is playing
consistent defense and at the center of that will be Baynes, who was an
integral part of the success of the Celtics the last two seasons and with the
Spurs a few years back.
Baynes,
whose worked his way in the NBA along with former Sun, now assistant coach Mark
Bryant have been working closely with Ayton, who has said both can help him “be
great” from knowing the specifics of being a great big man in the NBA.
“Coach
is not playing this year with defense,” Ayton said to Leander and Chambers
about what Coach Williams expects this season. “Protecting that rim is gonna be
a major key, you know?”
“Last
year, you know, we didn’t really have no threat around the rim. But now, I
think having a coach whose really on top of you every time and a dude like
Baynes to really be on you like, ‘Yo! We gotta protect this rim.’ You have a
way different mindset.”
Jerome
brings good size to the lead guard spot along with a high basketball I.Q.,
which he used to lead the Cavaliers to their first NCAA title in school history
last April. The Final Four All-Tournament Team selection led the ACC in assists
per game at 5.5 in 2018-19, while also averaging 13.6 points. He led the nation
in assists/turnover ratio 3.3 to 1.
In
a three-team trade with the Pacers and Heat, the Suns sent forward TJ Warren
and the remaining three years and $35 million dollars left on his deal, and a
future Second-Round pick (via Heat) to the Pacers for cash considerations,
while also sending the draft rights to forward KZ Okpala, the No. 32 overall
pick to the Heat.
While
Warren was one of the very few Suns First-Round picks they got right, his
salary in the eyes of the front office was not work keeping on their books and
his defense was very spotty. Also, they were more comfortable with forward
Kelly Oubre, Jr., who the Suns acquired from the Wizards in December 2018 for
veteran forward Trevor Ariza.
Oubre,
Jr. (15.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 44.5 FG% w/Wizards & Suns) provided the effort and
energy at the defensive end to go along with scoring 16.9 points and 4.9 boards
in his 40 appearances, which earned the restricted free agent a new two-year,
$30 million deal this off-season.
“I’m
bought in, you know, from the jump and I’m just excited for this season to kind
of just grow with these new guys, and make a name for ourselves,” Oubre, Jr.
said at Media Day to FOX Sports Arizona’s Tom Leander and Tom Chambers.
Guard
Tyler Johnson (10.9 ppg, 34.6 3-Pt.% w/Heat & Suns), who the Suns acquired
at the Feb. 7 trade deadline exercised his $19.25 million player option in the
final year of his four-year, $50 million deal in late June providing some depth
to the backcourt and veteran leadership
While
the signing of veteran guard Ricky Rubio (12.7 ppg, 6.1 apg w/Jazz) to a three-year,
$51 million deal is a welcome move, which will allow Booker to be off the ball,
where he is at his best, perimeter shooting has never been Rubio strength. His strength
is being an excellent facilitator; putting players in the right place on the
court and being the kind of defender who can pick people up full court.
“It’s
not about just putting up big numbers. It’s about those numbers working towards
a goal, which is to win games and win a lot of games,” Rubio, who led Spain to
the FIBA World Cup title in September and won MVP honors said at Media Day on
Sept. 30. “I think I can help them really find a way where we can bring it all
together and make everything work.”
Booker
said to Leander and Chambers that he’s “very excited” about the addition of Rubio.
“At the same time, he knows what it takes to get where were trying to go, and
he’s been there the past few years. So, I’m learning from him. We’re all gonna
learn from him. Learn from each other and hopefully make that next step.”
The
Suns also used their $31.7 million in cap space this summer on former
First-Round pick Frank “The Tank” Kaminsky (8.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 46.3 FG%, 36.0
3-Pt.% w/Hornets) on a two-year, $10 million deal, who is looking to revive his
career after flaming in four seasons with the Hornets, after they chose him No.
9 overall in 2015.
In
a deal with the Grizzlies, the Suns sent packing Jackson, but also reserve
guard De’Anthony Melton, a 2020 Second-Round pick and a conditional 2021
Second-Round pick for second-year guard Jevon Carter and veteran sharp-shooter
Kyle Korver, who they waived in early July.
The
Suns this off-season led by the front office duo of Jeff Bower and James Jones
sent a power message to their fans that they were no longer going to tale be a
laughingstock in the NBA. Whether these off-season moves were the right ones
remains to be seen.
The
two hopeful building blocks are in place in Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton with
the truest lead guard they have had in a couple of seasons in Ricky Rubio and
some good wings in Kelly Oubre, Jr. Cameron Johnson, and Mikal Bridges all in
their early 20s.
They
also have a proven coach in Monty Williams who feels success for this season in
the brutal Western Conference is bringing a competitive, no-nonsense attitude
of getting better from practice to the games.
“It
sounds cliché but we want to compete every single minute we’re on the floor.
Everybody knows we’re playing in a tough Western Conference but I like that. I
think we’re all gonna beat each other up. It’s gonna make us a better team.”
“Our
guys have seen all the predictions, narratives about our team. So, I think when
we get to the end of the year, we’ll see how it all shakes out. But if we have
improvement every month. Devin’s more efficient. Ricky’s running the team without
me having to call plays all the time. Our defense is improving and our
sprint-and-turn in transition. And we have big time video sessions and great
practices everyday we’re gonna have success this year.”
Yes,
the Suns made a statement this off-season, sort of. Will this have a different
result? We shall see.
Best
Case Scenario: The
Suns win more at least 25 games this season. Booker shoots the ball better now
that he can play off the ball. Ayton continues to rack up double-doubles while
improving as a defender. Rubio provides stability at the lead guard spot. The
Suns find a standout at the wing position between Johnson, Oubre, Jr. or
Bridges. Coach Monty Williams’ system takes shape
Worst
Case Scenario:
Another season of less than 20 wins for the Suns. The defensive woes continue.
No standouts at the small forward spot.
Grade: C+
Portland
Trail Blazers: 53-29
(2nd Northwest Division; No. 3 Seed in West) 32-9 at home, 21-20 on
the road. Defeated the No. 6 Seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Quarterfinals 4-1.
Defeated the No. 2 Seeded Denver Nuggets in Semifinals 4-3. Lost in Conference
Finals against the No. 1 Seeded Golden State Warriors 4-0.
-114.7
ppg-6th; opp. ppg: 110.3-17th; 48.0 rpg-3rd
The
2018 playoffs ended with an embarrassing 4-0 sweep by the No. 3 Seeded Portland
Trail Blazers at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans, which led to
speculation of a big- time shakeup in “Rip City.” They redeemed themselves this
past spring by making it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time
since 2000. While that ended in a four-game sweep, it was a season that ended
with the important figures from the front office to the players and coach
getting rewarded instead of pink slips. With
their starting backcourt signed to extensions, along with their head coach and
GM; some savvy additions made via free agency and trades, and getting off some
salary mistakes, the question for the Trail Blazers, entering their 50th
NBA season is can they reach The Finals for the first time in nearly three
decades?
When
you talk about the Trail Blazers, it begins with their starting backcourt of
four-time All-Star Damian Lillard (25.8 ppg-Led team, 6.9 apg-career-high, 4.6
rpg, 36.9 3-Pt.%) and CJ McCollum (21.0 ppg, 45.9 FG%, 37.5 3-Pt.%) who both
had stellar regular seasons once again.
Lillard,
a four-time All-NBA First-Team selection also made some history a season ago as
h moving into second place on the Trail Blazers’ all-time scoring list at
12,909, surpassing former teammate and current Spur in All-Star LaMarcus
Aldridge (12,562 points) in the team’s 122-110 win at the Pelicans on Mar. 15, with
a 24-point effort. He now just trails Hall of Famer and current Rockets color
analyst Clyde “The Glide” Drexler (18,040 points).
In
the Trail Blazers 148-144 double-overtime win versus the Nets on Mar. 25,
Lillard had 31 points and 12 assists, authoring his 20th career game
of at least 30 points and 10 assists, passing Drexler (19) for the most in
franchise history.
To
put how good Lillard has been since coming into “The Association” in 2013 he is
No. 2 minutes played (16,740), No. 4 in total points (11,347) and
three-pointers made (1,321) and tied for No. 6 in games played (467).
The
big question for the Trail Blazers coming into the season was who was going to
step up and be that No. 3 scorer for them. That help was coming from starting
center Jusuf Nurkic, who after signing a new four-year, $48 million contract
the summer of 2018 posted career-highs of 15.6 points, a team-leading 10.4
rebounds on 50.8 percent from the field.
His
scoring and rebounding coupled with the play of Lillard and McCollum gave Trail
Blazers nation a reason for optimism heading down the stretch of last season
entering the postseason.
In
the Trail Blazers’ 113-108 win at the Sacramento Kings to start 2019, Nurkic
had 24 points, a career-high 23 rebounds, seven assists five block shots and
five steals. The Bosnian native became the first player in NBA history to have
20-plus points, 20-plus boards, five-plus assists, five-plus blocks, and
five-plus steals, with block shots becoming an official statistic in the
1973-74 season.
Those
championship dreams took a serious hit on Mar. 25 when Nurkic, who posted 32
points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals suffered a
serious leg injury in the Trail Blazers 148-144 double overtime win versus the
Nets, that ended his season. According to the Trail Blazers that evening he
suffered compound fractures to the tibia and fibula of his left leg.
“I’m
gonna be back when I’m back basically,” Nurkic said at Media Day about his
recovery from his leg injury. “I’m taking it one day at time, you know. When
the doctors decide to go green light, I’m gonna see if I’m ready and decide.
But I don’t have a date or month.”
Ten
days prior, the Trail Blazers lost McCollum to a knee injury that at first was
going to end his season, but it was just a bruised knee that kept him out for a
10-game period, where the team went 8-2 in the absence of him and Nurkic to close
the season.
What
allowed head coach Terry Stotts team to be resilient at the close of last season
was Lillard raising his level of play and leadership. Big man Enes Kanter, who
signed with the Trail Blazers after clearing waivers from the Knicks in early
February and playing really well. Rodney Hood (11.2 ppg, 35.6 3-Pt.%
w/Cavaliers & Trail Blazers), who was acquired from the Cavaliers at the
trade deadline provided a spark off the bench, as did Maurice Harkless,
Al-Farouq Aminu, Jake Layman, Evan Turner and Zach Collins (6.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg,
47.3 FG%), who had his player option picked up over the summer.
That
kind of togetherness and focus is how the Trail Blazers went 48-4 a season ago
when leading after three quarters and earned their 14th 50-plus win
season in franchise history and third under Coach Stotts.
Entering
the 2019 Playoffs, the Trail Blazers looked to redeem themselves from their
disappointing showing the last two springs and led by their starting backcourt
did exactly that.
It
was Lillard, who was exceptional from start to finish in the opening-round
against the Thunder, who swept the Trail Blazers 4-0 in the regular season.
He
began the series registering 30 points, going 5 for 11 from three-point range
in the team’s 104-99 win in Game 1 on May 14. He helped to engineer a 28-13 run
to erase a 15-point lead that he capped with a game-winning 37-footer at the
final buzzer to finish with a playoff career-high of 50-points on 17 for 33
shooting, including a franchise record 10 made threes on 18 tries.
In
the Semis against the Nuggets, the rest of the team picked up the slack for Lillard,
especially McCollum. In the team’s epic 140-137 quadruple-overtime win in Game
3 on May 3, the Leigh University alum tied his playoff career-high with 41
points with eight boards and four steals on 16 for 39 shooting, with four
threes. McCollum finished the series in style with 30 points on 12 for 24
shooting in the Trail Blazers 119-108 win versus the Nuggets to tie the series
at 3-3 six days later and followed that up with 37 points and nine rebounds on
17 for 29 shooting to help the Trail Blazers overcome a slow start to win at
the Nuggets 100-96 in Game 7 on May 12 to win the series 4-3 and advance to the
Western Conference Finals for the first time in 19 years.
As
good as McCollum was in the Semis, Hood was very impressive as the third scorer
averaging 14.7 points on 57.6 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from
three-point range. The former Duke Blue Devil had 19 points in that epic Game 3
win, and 25 points off the bench in the Game 6 win.
The
first trip to the Western Conference Finals was a short one for the Trail
Blazers, who saw their season for the third straight year end in a four-game
sweep, this time at the hands of the eventual five-time Western Conference
champion Warriors, who despite not having two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant improved
to 12-1 in the playoffs against the Trail Blazers.
For
the Trail Blazers this offseason was about rewarding the players, head coach
and GM that got them to the precipice of The Finals, while also making some
shifts in the roster.
Coach
Stotts, whose is second on the franchise’s all-time wins list with 345 was
somewhat on the hotseat entering last season earned a new multi-year contract
extension that last through the 2021-22 season. Only the late great Hall of
Famer Dr. Jack Ramsey’s 453 wins are more than the 61-year-old Stotts’, who has
a 440-417 mark in his 11-year career as a head coach of the Bucks, Hawks and
Trail Blazers.
General
Manager Neil Olshey, who is also the President of Basketball Operations for the
Trail Blazers also earned a contract extension that will keep him in the
Pacific Northwest up to the 2023-24 season. Under his leadership, the Trail
Blazers have made the playoffs six straight seasons, with the last two as the
No. 3 Seed in the stacked Western Conference.
Lillard,
who has become an icon in the Pacific Northwest much like Hall of Famers of the
Trail Blazers in Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, current Rockets color analyst
Clyde “The Glide” Drexler and many others, who had an impact both on the
hardwood and in the Portland, OR community like in the summer of 2018 giving
out hundreds of pairs of sneakers to fans in the East part of Portland, OR.
That
earned the Oakland, CA native a four-year, $196 million super max extension,
that will keep him in Portland until the 2024-25 season. By the third year of
this new deal, Lillard will become the first $50-million-a-season player in NBA
history at $50.75, and a salary of $54.3 in the fourth year, a player option.
This
extension combined with the three years left on his current deal, Lillard will
receive a total of $258 million, which makes him basically untradeable, which
he is fine with as he wants to make the Trail Blazers a championship team.
“The
past few years for us, people didn’t look at us as a real threat. But like, we
went up against teams and I mean, this past season was a perfect example,”
Lillard said about the team’s success a season ago.
McCollum
also signed an extension this summer, a three-year, $100 million extension,
extending with the remaining two years left on his contract to five years and
$158 million.
“Nothing
makes me happier than to be sitting here again making sure we lock up CJ in for
the next five years,” Olshey said in the summer at McCollum’s presser after
inking his new deal.
“That’s
always a factor as the playoffs get closer and closer. It’s the team that’s the
healthiest that has the best chance and hopefully we can be one of those teams.”
While
the Trail Blazers also re-signed Rodney Hood to a two-year, $16 million deal,
they said goodbye via trade or free agency to Harkless, Evan Turner, Meyers
Leonard, Seth Curry and Jake Layman.
Turner,
who they signed to a four-year, $70 million deal in summer of 2016 was traded
to the Hawks for guard Kent Bazemore (11.6 ppg w/Hawks).
“I’m
here to just continue moving the franchise in the right direction. That’s
winning a championship,” Bazemore said at his introductory presser to the Trail
Blazers this summer. “I’m excited to be here and looking forward to getting
after it.”
In
a four-team deal with the 76ers, Clippers, and Heat, the Trail Blazers dealt
Harkless, who they re-signed to a four-year, $40 million deal and Leonard, who
signed a four-year, $41 million deal the summer of 2016 respectably to the
Clippers and Heat in return for center Hassan Whiteside (12.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg-10th
NBA, 1.9 bpg-8th NBA 57.1 FG% w/Heat), who opted into the final year
of his four-year, $94 million deal in 2016 at $27.1 million.
In
2016, Whiteside turned two productive seasons in South Florida into a big-time
pay day. But just as the ink was drying on that four-year, $94 million contract,
the NBA game drifted away from seven-foot-plus players who play with their back
to the basket, replacing them floor-spacing knock down shooters.
The
inability for Whiteside to adjust to the modern era of the NBA game for a
seven-footer, he often found himself on the sidelines, especially in fourth
quarters and that led to major frustrations, and an eventual falling out with
the team.
He
comes to the Trail Blazers with an opportunity to reshape his image and provide
a much-needed presence in the paint on both ends, especially with no timetable for
Nurkic to return.
“Just
coming in and upping the defense more, you know and come help anyway I can,”
Whiteside said to NBATV/NBA on TNT’s Allie LaForce at MGM Summer League in Las
Vegas, NV about what he can bring to the Trail Blazers. “Whether that’s
rebounding or finishing around the rim, and getting my guys open, you know. I’m
excited for what the season’s gonna bring.”
Stotts
added at Whiteside’s introductory presser over the summer, “We can improve
defensively in other areas. But having a guy like Hassan back there gives
everybody else confidence to maybe be a little more aggressive. Maybe changing
some of our defensive schemes, but we’re gonna rely on him a lot just to be the
anchor back there and we’ve had success when we’ve had that kind of player back
there.”
Whiteside
and Collins will definitely bring rebounding and rim protection for the Trail
Blazers, but what they really need from both is consistent play at the
offensive end, which they got from Nurkic before his aforementioned
season-ending leg injury.
Collins
specifically has a real chance to grow his game on both ends to because of his
ability to shoot face-up jumps on offense and he brings a toughness to the
floor. For Collins he hopefully built some upper-body strength in the
summertime and developed a confidence to consistently look for his shot.
“My
first two years what got me on the court was defense and obviously I had good
moments on the other side of the floor,” Collins said at Media Day. “But I
think this year I’m gonna have to be more consistent on the offensive end and
that’s what I really worked on this summer.”
In
free agency, the Trail Blazers added depth to their front court with the
signing on a one-year, $2.6 million deal veteran Pau Gasol; sharp shooting and
defensive ace Anthony Tolliver (5.0 ppg, 37.7 3-Pt.% w/Timberwolves) and former
lottery pick, No. 5 overall in 2015 by the Magic Mario Hezonja (8.8 ppg 4.1
rpg, w/Knicks).
“The
thing that really stands out about is how smart he is,” Coach Stotts said to
the press early in training camp about Gasol. “He was the last guy to come here
in September and he picked things up pretty quickly. He’s seen it all and he
just has a great basketball IQ.”
Tolliver
said about joining the Trail Blazers this offseason, “I was really looking
forward to, you know, an opportunity to go to a team where, you know, I was
valued but also wanted. I couldn’t really pass up the opportunity to play for a
contender and play with guys like Dame and CJ.”
Hezonja
being a bust with the Magic his first three seasons showed some signs in the
“Big Apple” that he hopes to bring shooting and facilitating versatility to
“Rip City.”
“With
my ballhandling skills and my shooting, I think I can open the floor a lot and
make Dame and CJ not on the ball so much,” Hezonja said at Media Day of what he
can bring to the offensive end of the floor.
With
the No. 25 pick in June’s draft, the Trail Blazers selected talented forward
Nassir Little out of the University of North Carolina.
“I’m
just so grateful to have Portland take this chance on me,” Little said to
Taylor after he got drafted in June. “I’ve so much that I can bring to the
table, more than I showed at UNC. And I’m just ready to get started on this
journey.”
By
the measurables, Nassir Little was as good as it gets amongst the members of
the 2019 NBA Draft class. He is strong, supremely athletic, and long forward,
who is great in transition.
The
problem in his lone season for head coach Roy Williams is he just could did not
consistently used those athletic gifts to fit in with what he needed to do
game-in and game-out that made him a standout in high school and the No. 6
rated prospect overall in the 2018 class, according to ESPN 100.
Little
has work cut out for him to earn minutes over the likes of Hood, Bazemore, and
Tolliver. He will also have to compete for minutes against youngsters Anfernee
Simons and Gary Trent, Jr. The good thing about Little coming to the Trail
Blazers he has no pressure to be this team’s savior. He can come in and develop
under Coach Stotts and his amazing coaching staff, which developed former Trail
Blazers Allen Crabbe and Will Barton and McCollum.
“Just
like every young player coming in is work and get better. We’ve got a really
good track record of young guys coming in and getting better,” Coach Stotts
said at Little’s introductory presser. “So, I expect the same thing from
Nassir. He’s a hard worker. He’s a smart kid. He’s gonna have a long career.
But his job is just like a lot of rookies, especially late First-Round picks is
to come in, learn how to be a pro. Learn how to work and be ready when
opportunities come.”
One
person that was instrumental in the Trail Blazers being able to add who they
added this offseason is Jodi Allen, the sister of the late owner Paul Allen,
who passed away from caner on Oct. 15, 2018.
“I
just want to thank Jodi Allen publicly for all of her support this offseason,”
Olshey said at McCollum signing presser this summer. “The resources she’s
provided. She’s largely responsible for what we’ve been able to accomplish this
offseason in terms of building this roster to the point where we think we have
the most competitive roster we’ve had in our seven-year tenure.”
Last
season provided a lot of necessary answers for those that had question about
the Portland Trail Blazers and their mental fortitude. They showed their grit
against the Thunder and Nuggets last spring and showed they can compete with
the top dogs like the Warriors, even though they lost in a 4-0 sweep as mentioned
in the Conference Finals.
They
have the right men in place on the sidelines in head coach Terry Stotts; in the
front office in GM Neil Olshey and the right leadership on the court in Damian
Lillard and CJ McCollum.
With
new faces in place and momentum from the 2018-19, the Trail Blazers enter their
50th season with a focus to get back to the Conference Finals, even
in an ultra competitive Western Conference.
“I
think it’s the deepest team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Coach Stotts said
about the depth on his team at Media Day on Sept. 30. “We’ve added some versatility,
playmaking. We have good size.”
“There’s
a lot to like about the roster and certainly having the carryover from Dame and
CJ, it starts with that. But the guys we’ve brought in I think really fit with
how we want to play at both ends. So, there’s a lot to like, you know? We had a
really good year last year. I think we have a chance to be a better team this
year.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Trail Blazers are fighting for home court advantage in the West. Lillard is
named an All-Star again, with McCollum on the fringe of making it. Nurkic and
Whiteside become a powerful tandem at center. The Trail Blazers return to the
Western Conference Finals.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Trail Blazers are fighting to just make the playoffs and have an early
exit. The supporting cast performance is subpar.
Grade: B+
Sacramento
Kings: 39-43
(3rd Pacific Division; missed the playoffs) 24-17 at home, 15-26 on
the road.
-114.2
ppg-9th; opp. ppg: 115.3-26th; 45.4 rpg-14th
While
they continued the longest drought of consecutive seasons without a player
appearance at 13, the Sacramento Kings offered a sneak peek of their promising
future led by dynamic backcourt and a productive first season from the second
pick in the 2018 draft inside their high-tech gymnasium. With a new coach in
the fold, to go along those dynamic young pieces, the question for the Kings is
this the year they really compete for a playoff spot?
The
principles for the Kings turn around, which had them above the .500 mark
entering the new year (19-17 mark) for the first time since 2006 were
second-year floor general De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, who developed a great
feel for each other on the hardwood with their playmaking and excellent shot selection
that put many opposing defenses on alert.
In
2017-18, Fox, the No. 5 overall pick was a guard with quickness not seen since
Wizards’ guard John Wall came into the NBA with at the start of this decade.
Like most young guards, he did not have the knowledge to when to use that
speed, which was coupled with an inconsistent jump shot.
Last
season, he found a perfect balance of when to use that speed and when not to
and went from scoring 11.6 points to 17.3 last season. From 4.4 assists to 7.3.
From shooting 41.2 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from three-point
range to a solid 45.8 percent shooting and 37.1 from three-point range.
He
showed that balance in registering his first career triple-double scoring a
career-high 31 points with 15 assists and 10 boards on 9 for 13 from the field
and 10 for 11 from the charity stripe in the Kings 146-115 win at the Hawks on
No. 1, 2018. This was the first 30-point triple-double by a Kings player since
1997 when Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond did it versus the Detroit Pistons. Fox
also joined LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history to author a
30-point triple-double under the age of 21.
He
had just one game scoring over 20 in his rookie season. In his sophomore season
in “The Association,” Fox registered 27 games of scoring at least 20.
“I
just think that the biggest difference from my first year to my second year was
my feel for the game,” Fox said to NBATV’s Matt Winer and Steve Smith on Media
Day on Sept. 27. “You know, the speed of the game really changed. It really
slowed down. And I think its gonna continue to slow down, you know, as I get
better. And my decision making I think is taking another step as well. So, just
excited to get back on the court and show people what I’ve done all summer and
hopefully I can show people I can be up there, and help my team win as many
games as possible.”
Fox
also said to Winer and Smith that he received an invitation to work out with
future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and well-known trainer Phil Handley at his
summer camp, where he said that he learned a great deal.
When
the Kings acquired Buddy Hield two seasons back at the February 2017 trade
deadline for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, he was seen as a player who the
Kings hoped would find a role and be productive. He gradually found his way
into the starting lineup and earned his role as a key offensive player for the
Kings, leading them in scoring at 20.7 points, while also improving his
all-around game averaging five boards as well.
The
Bahamas native really shined as a three-point shooter a season ago, surpassing
the franchise record for a single season with 278 triples made, connecting on
42.7 percent of his triples breaking the previous record of 240 set by All-Star
Peja Stojakovic in the 2003-04 season.
To
put into context how stellar Hield, who scored at least 20 points 44 times a
season ago has been from three-point range in his first three seasons, his 602
made threes is more than the Trail Blazers All-Star lead guard Damian Lillard’s
599 made from distance in his first three seasons in the league.
That earned Hield a four-year, $94 million extension at the start of this week and said about the extension at a Tuesday news conference, "I'm here as a King now. and I'm just trying to win games and take us to the playoffs."
While
he missed 22 games in his rookie season because of injury and had to adjust to
coming off the bench for the first time in his basketball life his rookie
season, forward Marvin Bagley III (14.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 50.4 FG%), the No. 2
overall pick in the 2018 draft provided low-post scoring and rebounding,
producing 19 double-doubles for a team that was in major need of it.
“Some
positives came, you know, especially in the summer. But you know, not making
the playoffs was something I really thought about all summer,” the All-Rookie
First Team selection said about last season. “Working out, I just had that in
the back of my mind that we still got to get to the playoffs and show everybody
what we can do. I just can’t wait to get this thing rolling and get back at
it.”
He
will likely be a starter this season, which should give him the boost all young
players need at the start of their professional journey. However, Bagley III
must get better at the defensive end, especially in rotation where he at times
forgot his assignment. He is very talented, which means he will find ways to
score, especially with his unreal athleticism. That said, if he is going to be
an effective player in the half court, he must improve his upper body strength
so he can hold up in the paint.
Then
there was Bogdan Bogdanovic (14.1 ppg, 36.0 3-Pt.%), who at the drop of hat
provided scoring and sharp-shooting off the bench a season ago is a big reason were No. 5 in bench scoring with a 42.7 average a season ago. That earned him an offer from the Kings of a
four-year, $51 million extension that he has until June to sign. .
“Here
the goal is to win more games and be better in general,” Serbian native, who
played for his country at the FIBA World Cup in China in September said at
Media Day about the upcoming season.
These
three men were a huge reason the Kings were in the playoff hunt in the final
quarter of last season, before their youth and experience caught up with them.
That is serious progress for a franchise that for over a decade seemed to be
plagued by one poor decision after another on who they drafted or signed in
free agency.
Despite
that progress, the Kings brass owner Vivek Ranadive and GM Vlade Divac, the
newest addition to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer in early September
gave the man overseeing this maturation in head coach Dave Joerger the axe at
season’s end.
How
did decision come to fruition? Well Coach Joerger clashed with management over
bringing Bagley III off the bench
“After
evaluating the season, I determined that we needed to move in a different direction
in order to take us to the next level,” Divac, who got a contract extension
that will keep him with the Kings until at least 2022-23 said in a statement
about Joerger’s ouster, after three seasons last April. “On behalf of the
entire Kings organization, I want to thank Dave for his contributions to our
team and I wish him all the best.”
It
did not take long for the Kings to find Joerger’s replacement in former Lakers
head coach Luke Walton fired head coach Luke Walton virtually right before he
got his car out of his former employer’s parking lot.
“When
you get into coaching, you know, you spend time reflecting on what’s important
to you as far as a culture and what’s important to winning, and you draw on
those experiences that you’ve had as a player,” The 39-year-old Walton, who was
98-148 in this three seasons with the Lakers, his first full-time head coaching
job said at Media Day on Sept. 27.
“So,
playing under Phil Jackson, you know, who believed very strongly in kind of
being that even keeled warrior mentality. But playing next to Kobe Bryant, who
was the most intense individual I’d ever played the game with. There’s
different things to take from people like that, and I have, what’s true to me
as a basketball person.”
“Coaching
in Golden State, you know, with Steve Kerr and seeing the culture that was put
into place there and the, you know, what that can look like when you get the
players bought in to taking ownership and I try to draw off of that of who I am
as a coach, and what we’re gonna get done here.”
Before
his head coaching stint with the Lakers, Walton was an assistant on the
Warriors title team of 2015 and helping them to a 39-4 record, including 24
straight wins to start the 2015-16 season as the interim leader for an ailing
Coach Kerr following complications from two back surgeries.
This
feels like a win-win for the Kings and Walton, who both are searching for
stability and respect.
To
bring this point into context, the Kings have had nine different head coaches
since firing Rick Adelman in 2006, who led the Kings to eight straight playoff
appearances and the Kings have not been back since.
The
most important thing for Walton entering this new opportunity is to establish
an identity that brings the best out of the likes of Fox, Hield and Bagley III
on both ends and defining roles for each player on the roster.
“This
is gonna be Luke’s first opportunity to really get a team, a good young team
and mold them the way he wants to,” NBATV studio analyst Brendan Haywood said.
“So, I think they’re going to play up and down. That’s going to play to their
strengths…. but I think they’re gonna have to find a way to get better
defense.”
To
illustrate the point Haywood made, the Kings averaged 114 points a game a
season ago but allowed 115. That is something Fox said to Winer and Smith about
what he feels will change under Coach Walton.
“That’s
what we know we have to work on,” he said. “We know we can score with the best
of them last year. But we know if want to take that next step as a team we know
we have to do it at the defensive end.”
“We
got to be able to get stops when we need them and with a young team, we
struggled to close out games. We had a lot of games where we had 20-point leads
and ended up losing. “So, just continue to grow with the experience and be able
to close out games, I think our problem will be solved.”
With
all their First-Round picks belonging to the Celtics in the 2019 draft, the
Kings addition to the roster via the draft came in the Second-Round with the selections
of guard Justin James at No. 47 overall out of Wyoming. With the 60th
and final pick of the draft, the Kings chose guard Vanja Marinkovic from
Partizan Belgrade. They traded the draft rights of forward Ignas Barzdeikis
(No. 47 overall pick) to the Knicks for the No. 55 overall pick in guard Kyle
Guy from the NCAA champion Virginia Cavaliers.
In
free agency, the Kings used their salary cap space to add savvy veterans, a
couple of whom are playoff tested and championship proven in Trevor Ariza (12.5
ppg, 5.4 rpg w/Suns & Wizards) on a two-year, $25 million deal; guard Cory
Joseph (6.5 ppg, 3.9 apg w/Pacers) on a three-year, $37 million deal; big man
Richaun Holmes (8.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 60.8 FG% w/Suns) was signed on a two-year,
$10 million deal and three-year, $41 million deal on center Dewayne Dedmon
(10.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 49.2 FG%, 38.2 3-Pt.% w/Hawks).
The
Kings biggest commitment this summer was to forward Harrison Barnes (14.3 g,
5.5 rpg, 45.5 FG%, 40.8 3-Pt.% w/Mavericks & Kings), who they acquired at
the trade deadline on Feb. 7, declined the $25.1 million option on the last year
of his deal, and re-signed a new four-year, $85 million deal.
Good
swingmen who can score and shoot well from the perimeter and defend do not grow
on trees these days in the NBA and there are very few players that have
championship experience. That is what Barnes and Ariza bring to the Kings, as
well as the ability to simply blend in with a team.
Barnes
specifically gives the Coach Walton versatility to play either the small
forward or power forward, with the ability to score in the low-post and be efficient
with his scoring opportunities.
“I’m
excited about what we have. I like our chances,” Barnes said at Media Day about
their hopes of making the playoffs. “I mean, just seeing the pieces we’ve
added. Being able to come here and just fit right not only from a personality
standpoint but from a performance standpoint.”
While
the likes of forwards Nemanja Bjelica (7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 47.9 FG%, 40.1 3-Pt.%)
and Harry Giles III (7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 50.3 FG%) had their moments last season,
they are not even in the ballpark of being better than Barnes.
Last
season, the Kings were right on the cusp of making the 2019 Playoffs before
their inexperience and defensive focus let them down. The hopes of the Kings
making their first postseason since 2006 will depend on the continued growth of
De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Marvin Bagley III and Buddy Hield under head coach
Luke Walton’s system.
It
will not be easy, especially in the loaded Western Conference. If they can
continue to mature, then they might end this long playoff drought sooner rather
than later.
“We
all know basketball in this room. The West is a monster this year,” Walton said
about the team’s prospects for making the playoffs in the stacked West this
season. “You can have a great year. You can win 40-plus games and maybe you
don’t make it. So, the fans should want us to make the playoffs. The fans
should expect us to make the playoffs and we’re gonna give everything we’ve
have to try to get there.”
“How
we’re gonna get there? Where our focus is gonna be on is let’s show up every
single night. Play with a certain level of competitive greatness. Play with a
certain level of intent and mindfulness as far as, you know, what our culture
is how we play as a team,” Walton said about how the Kings will become a
playoff team. “And if we do that every night, then I think the fan base will be
very happy. And I think we’ll give ourselves the best chance of making those
playoffs.”
Best
Case Scenario:
The Kings are fighting for the No. 8 and final playoff spot in the rugged
Western Conference. Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, who signs the offered contract
extension and Bagley III take another step in their maturation as the Kings
“Core Four.” Barnes has a solid season, while also providing a calming presence
in the locker room, along with Ariza and Joseph.
Worst
Case Scenario: The
Kings do not play well at all under Coach Walton. Hield, Fox, Bogdanovic, and
Bagley III take a step back in their maturation. They are not in playoff
contention by the spring 2020.
Grade: B
San
Antonio Spurs: 48-34
(2nd Southwest Division; No. 7 Seed in West) 32-9 at home, 16-25 on
the road. Lost in Quarterfinals to the No. 2 Seeded Denver Nuggets 4-3.
-111.7
ppg-18th; opp. ppg: 110.0-16th; 44.7 rpg-21st
Despite
the loss of their starting lead guard due to injury and trading their star of
the future for another All-Star and backup center, the Spurs made the playoffs
again and took the upstart Nuggets to the brink before falling in the
opening-round in seven games. As the Spurs usher in a new era with the return
of their starting guard; their All-Star tandem; their future Hall of Fame head
coach with a future Hall of Famer added to his staff, the question is do they
have another season in them to make some noise in the stacked Western
Conference?
Thanks
to a 10-game winning streak late in the season, the Spurs extended their streak
of consecutive postseason appearances to 22 last spring, tying the Syracuse
Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, who made the playoffs from 1950-71. The Trail
Blazers with 21 straight playoff appearances from 1982-2003 and Jazz with 20 consecutive
appearances in the playoffs from 1984-2003 are second and third respectably.
To
put into context how remarkable this streak by the Spurs is, the Warriors and
Rockets are tied for the second longest streak of consecutive postseason
appearances with seven straight appearances, with the Trail Blazers and Raptors
right behind with six straight appearances.
In
the opening-round against the Nuggets, the Spurs used their veteran experience
that has helped them out so many times before to push the No. 2 Seeded Nuggets
to the brink before falling in seven games.
It
was another typical season for head coach Gregg Popovich’s squad where they authored
a winning record for the 22nd straight season, where they were exceptional
at home where they tied the Trail Blazers and eventual NBA champion Raptors
with the third best home mark in “The Association” with a 32-9 mark at AT&T
Center.
The
season was atypical with the fact it was the first time since the 1995-96 that
no Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker were on the roster.
This
new era of Spurs basketball did not start well when second-year guard Dejounte
Murray (8.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, in 2017-18) was lost for the year when he suffered a
torn ACL in his right knee in a preseason game against the Rockets on Oct. 7,
2018.
Perhaps
the best advice he got during this dark time of his basketball life came from
nine-time All-Star of the Thunder in lead guard Chris Paul who called him the
night he got injured that the whole world was going to put their arms around
him at that moment, but that after a week that support would dwindle, except
for those that really genuinely will be there for you.
“I
got to really lock in, you know, try to find myself as a person. As a
basketball player. It’s all around,” Murray said about his journey to get back
on the hardwood. “I just want to show my teammates that I’m a team guy…Just
being there for them.”
Even
though he was the 2017-18 All-Defensive Second team continued to be around the
Spurs while he rehabbed. Murry said that he woke up during this nine-month
period at 8 a.m. every day, ate breakfast, came to the gym where he lifted
weights and then spent time with the coaching staff improving his game.
He
was always on the bench showing support to his team on at games last season. He
never missing a team meeting on game day or a film session a season ago, which
really impressed Coach Popovich.
“Whether
it was Las Vegas [for Summer League] or here in San Antonio, or in L.A. he made
a great effort to be around. To be close to the guys and interact with them,”
Coach Popovich said. “And it’s important obviously this upcoming season.”
Popovich
added, “He’s been so professional about not skipping any steps and doing the
work that he needed to do to rehab his body. That was No. 1 but No. 2 he’s
reached out to people. He’s given himself to the staff…He’s really engaging.
You know it kind of what you might think a point guard does on the court.
Everybody’s got to react to him and he’s tried to do that, even though it’s not
basketball. It’s life, and in that sense he’s really matured.”
That maturity earned Murray a four-year, $64 million contract extension on Monday, according to NBA.com
Injuries
as well as inexperience limited last season’s First-Round draft choice (No. 18
overall) out of the University of Miami draft in guard Lonnie Walker IV to 17
games his rookie season in 2018-19.
The
injury to Murray opened up minutes for second-year guard Derrick White (9.9
ppg, 3.9 apg, 47.9 FG%), who went from a solid role player to being a big
reason the Spurs pushed the Nuggets in the opening round last spring by
averaging 15.1 points on 54.7 percent from the floor in the seven-game series.
White
this summer played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in China in September,
playing for Coach Popovich.
“Overall
it was a great experience for me personally and I learned a lot from it and I’m
grateful to be a part of it,” White said of his experience with Team USA even
though they did not capture gold. “Whenever you can put USA jersey on, it’s a
blessing.”
Third-year
guard Bryn Forbes, who went undrafted also took advantage of getting extra
minutes in Murray’s absence with a breakout season where he averaged
career-highs of 11.8 points on 45.6 percent from the field and 42.6 percent
from three-point range.
The
return of Murray, and the experience that White and Forbes got last season now
gives the Spurs some serious depth at the lead guard spot, which should be a
major plus for them entering this season. Murray gives them athleticism and
length at the defensive end, which the Spurs desperately missed a season ago,
while White and Forbes bring shooting and steady play. Walker IV showed in
summer league that he is ready for a strong second season.
“Our
chemistry off the court is amazing, which makes the game on the court even
better,” Walker IV said about the team’s chemistry entering this season.
He
added about his individual game, “In every aspect of the game I’m not content.
I wanna be the greatest of Lonnie Walker.”
The
Spurs All-Star due of LaMarcus (21.3 ppg-Led team, 9.2 rpg-Led team, 51.9 FG%)
and DeMar DeRozan (21.2 ppg, 6.2 apg-Led team, 6.0 rpg, 48.1 FG%), obtained from
the Raptors for former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard last summer really gelled
together a season ago.
DeRozan
at times was the main facilitator, especially at the start of last season,
producing 23 games of 10 assists or more. In the Spurs 125-107 win versus the
eventual NBA champion Raptors on Jan. 3, DeRozan against his old team authored
the first triple-double of his career with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11
assists with two steals. Of the 12 double-doubles he had a season ago, four of
those 12 double-doubles that were authored were of points and assists.
While
he arrived in the “Alamo City” still wounded by the fact the team he spent his
entire career with and just re-signed the summer prior dealt him. DeRozan
blended in nicely with his new team and teammates, and immediately formed a
bond on the floor with Aldridge, where they did most of their scoring from the
mid-range area.
“Much
more comfortable. Understanding what they expect everyday” DeRozan said as he
enters his second year with the Spurs at Media Day. “You know, everyday last
year was something new for me. I learned and experienced every single day,
trying to learn everybody on and off the court. Everybody in the organization.
So, this time around, feeling 100 percent comfortable.”
After
a tough start to his Spurs career, Aldridge has been very consistent the last
two seasons averaging over 21 points and eight boards.
In
the Spurs thrilling 154-147 double-overtime win versus the Thunder on Jan. 10,
Aldridge had a career-high of 56 points on 20 for 33 shooting and a perfect 16
for 16 from the free throw line with nine boards and four block shots.
“We
weren’t bad last year and, you know we got better over the offseason. Got guys
healthy” Aldridge said of the team heading into 2018-19. “Getting DJ [Dejounte
Murray] back should help. Having guys be here a second and third year should
help. So, having some older guys always help to. So, we come in and just
working out.”
The
Spurs received solid play from the likes of veteran swingman Rudy Gay (13.7 ppg,
6.8 rpg-career-high, 50.4 FG%, 40.2 3-Pt.%), Marco Bellinelli (10.5 ppg, 37.2
3-Pt.%), Patty Mills (9.9 ppg, 39.4 3-Pt.%) and Jakob Poeltl (5.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg,
64.5 FG%).
Gay
specifically in his time with the Spurs has not only become a more complete
player with his ability to not only score, which he has done throughout his
career with the Grizzlies, Raptors and Kings but his ability to rebound and
more importantly, he has impacted the Spurs winning games where as before Gay
had a reputation as a player who played to get his stats.
“This
was honestly one of those summers where I sat back and, you know, let
management be management,” Gay said about his agent and the Spurs reaching a
new two-year, $32 million deal for him to return to the “Silver and Black.” “I
really just let fate work and, you know, it drew me back here. So, let’s make the
best out of it.”
Last
season was another amplifier of Coach Popovich’s ability to make the necessary
adjustments to put his team in the best position to succeed and maintain the
Spurs reputation of excellence that began with the first season of Hall of Famer
David Robinson three decades ago.
Last
season, Coach Pop became the all-time leader amongst NBA head coaches in road
wins, now at 527 and is third on the all-time wins list amongst NBA head
coaches at 1,222, trailing Hall of Famers Lenny Wilkins (1,332) and Don Nelson
at 1,335.
You
end up being able to rise up those all-time ranks that Coach Popovich has when
you do not allow moments like the trading of a franchise player like Leonard or
the losses of franchise staples like Ginobili and Parker to get you down. Or
how four losses the Spurs sustained last season that were by 30-plus points,
which was the most since they sustained six in the 1988-89 season. To put that
in context, the Spurs had only nine such defeats entering last season in the
Coach Popovich era, with five of those defeats coming in the first 1,758
regular-season games with the Spurs.
If
the Spurs are going to make any noise in the aforementioned stacked Western
Conference, they must play better on the road. Prior to these last two seasons,
the Spurs registered 20 straight seasons with a winning road record.
While
there were no significant additions to the roster this summer, the Spurs spent
this offseason locking up the most important figure in franchise history: Coach
Popovich.
There
was speculation league-wide about Popovich’s future once the “Big Three” left
and the fact that he was serving as head coach of Team USA in the World Cup
over the summer. If he wanted to retire from the Spurs, he would still have USA
basketball as his release and the fact that he is in his 70s.
He
showed that he wants to lead this new era of Spurs basketball, agreeing to a
three-year extension, which will make him the highest paid coach in the league.
That
next generation of Spurs includes Murray and Walker, who should be poised to
play big roles for the team this upcoming season will get the most incredible
knowledge from a future Hall of Famer who in his 19 NBA season was a big part
of the Spurs winning all five of their Larry O’Brien trophies, while having a
resume that consists of winning Kia Rookie of the Year and being named to the
All-Rookie Team in 1997-98; winning two Kia MVPs; being selected as an All-Star
15 times; winning Finals MVP three times; being an All-NBA and All-Defensive
selection 15 times respectably.
“He
projects a confidence. He just loves being in the gym. When you’re with Tim you
feel like you’re gonna win,” Robinson said to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols and Richard
Jefferson in Shanghai, China in early October about his former teammate becoming
a Spurs assistant coach.
There
were a couple of subtractions from the coaching staff with assistants Ettore
Messina and Ime Udoka taking other jobs respectably with Olimpia Milano
overseas and the 76ers, while also adding Will Hardy. While she has not been
named the Spurs’ lead assistant yet, holdover Becky Hammon might get the chance
to be the first woman to serve as an NBA head coach if perchance Coach Popovich
is ejected from a game, which happened twice in a single week last season.
“He
just brings that to the table. His bring professionalism. He brings a focus
like Pop. A no-nonsense kind of mentality, and I think that’s gonna play on
those young guys because that’s the thing we’re missing right now. That
leadership in that locker room to make sure that, ‘Hey, let’s take this to the
next level.’ And I think he’ll bring that.”
There
was one odd moment during the summer for the Spurs as free agent forward Marcus
Morris renigged on a two-year, $20 million deal that he agreed to sign during
the NBA moratorium period, and instead signed a one-year deal with the Knicks.
The
Spurs moved on and signed forward Trey Lyles (8.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, w/Nuggets),
whose hopes to find a groove in the “Alamo City” after not finding a groove
with the Jazz or Nuggets. They also added veteran forward DeMarre Carroll (11.1
ppg, 5.2 rpg, w/Nets) via three-team trade with the Nets and Wizards, sending
sharp-shooting forward Davis Bertans to D.C. Carroll, whose contract was
reworked from a two-year $13 million deal to a three-year, $21 million deal.
They also re-signed Gay to a two-year, $32 million deal.
Along
with the new additions they made in free agency, the Spurs with a couple of
picks in the middle and late First-Round hope they found two more players that
will become foundational pieces going forward.
At
No. 19 overall, the Spurs selected 19-year-old Croatian forward Luka Samanic,
whose skill set resembles another Croatian forward in three-time champion with
Bulls Toni Kukoc: who was a huge part of the second three-peat the Bulls had in
the 1990s. Samanic, who played for KK Olimpiza in Slovenia after playing two
seasons in Barcelona is very long, and athletic. Can shoot from deep, with the
ability to make plays off the bounce.
With
the next to last pick of the First-Round of the 2019 draft, the Spurs chose at
No. 29 overall 6-foot-6 swingman Keldon Johnson out of the University of
Kentucky, who in his lone season averaged 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds on 46
percent shooting.
The
2018-19 SEC Freshmen of the Year is described as a relentless competitor, who plays
with a great motor. Can finish at the basket off the dribble very well and has
improved his jump shot and can defend in space and will stick his noise amongst
the trees and go after rebounds.
These
two will be entrenched in the Spurs exceptional player development program that
has produced players like Leonard, Ginobili, and Parker, who played major roles
in helping the Spurs capture four of their five Larry O’Brien trophies.
While
they did not find that necessary superstar player to be a serious title
contender in the loaded West, the Spurs put together the kind of roster that
should have them in the playoffs for a 23rd straight season this
spring, which would set a new all-time league record.
They
have a solid 1-2 punch in the All-Star tandem of LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar
DeRozan, who know how to produce offensively and they do not stray away from
that. Solid roles players in the likes of Patty Mills, Rudy Gay, and Marco
Bellinelli. The Spurs also have young players in Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes, Derrick
White, Lonnie Walker IV, Jakob Poeltl and possibly Luka Samanic and Keldon
Johnson that they can continue the standard that the players that came before
them.
Most
of all, the Spurs have a future Hall of Famer on the bench in head coach Gregg Popovich,
who will make sure his team is prepared each night to compete and win.
Best
Case Scenario: The
Spurs make the playoffs for a 23rd straight season, setting a new
NBA record. Aldridge and DeRozan produced at optimum level again. White,
Forbes, Murray, and Walker IV take another step in their maturation of the
Spurs way. Coach Popovich or the Spurs set a new league or team record. The
Spurs take another opening-round opponent to the brink.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Spurs miss the playoffs, seeing their consecutive postseason streak end.
Grade: B-
Utah
Jazz: 50-32
(3rd Northwest Division; No. 5 Seed in West) 29-12 at home, 21-20 on
the road. Lost in Quarterfinals against the No. 4 Seeded Houston Rockets 4-1.
-111.7
ppg-17th; opp. ppg: 106.5-4th; 46.4 rpg-9th
They
have made the playoffs for three straight seasons, winning 51 and 50 games in
two of those three seasons, thanks to their dynamic shooting guard and one of
the best defensive big men in “The Association.” With the addition of one of
the most underrated guards in the NBA; an emerging sharp shooting forward and two
solid veteran forwards to go with their dynamic guard and center, the question
for the Jazz is are they best positioned to really make a run at the title?
Two
seasons back Donovan Mitchell took the NBA by storm and provided hope for a
Jazz squad that lost All-Star forward Gordon Hayward in free agency to the Celtics.
He
carried that momentum into the opening-round series against then All-Star duo
Russell Westbrook and Paul George of the Thunder to averages of 24.4 points,
5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals in helping the Jazz win the series in
six games. The Jazz would fall in the Semifinals 4-1 against the West runner-up
the Rockets.
Last
season, Mitchell, who played for Team USA at FIBA World Cup in China in
September (23.8 ppg-Led team, 4.1 rpg, 4.2 apg) shook off a slow start and had
a solid second season, where he was tied with Devin Booker of the Suns, and
newest Laker Anthony Davis for No. 7 in fourth quarter scoring average with
6.8.
To
put how good the guy dubbed “Spida,” who finished second in the Kia Rookie of
the Year voting the season prior in the money quarter, he has registered 39
career games scoring 10-plus points in the fourth quarter. Four-time Kia MVP
LeBron James had 33 such scoring quarters through the first two seasons of his
eventual Hall of Fame career. Fellow future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant had 13,
while 2018 Kia MVP of the Rockets James Harden had 11.
Mitchell, who had his third-year team option exercised by the Jazz on Saturday has shown in the early stages of his career he is not afraid of rising to the
moment, which was a major reason head coach Quin Snyder’s team won 50 games for
the second time in the last three seasons.
The
other reason is the back-to-back Kia Defensive Player of the Year, two-time
All-NBA selection and All-Defensive First Team in starting center Rudy Gobert
(15.9 ppg-career-high, 12.3 rpg-4th NBA, 2.3 bpg-3rd NBA,
66.9 FG%), who also played in the FIBA World Cup this summer on the French
national team registered a career-high 66 double-doubles a season ago has
worked himself into being the best rim protector in the league. Last season, the
“Stifle Tower” took a big step forward as a pick-and-roll defender and
offensively developed a near reliable jump hook and semi-jump shot to go along
with his ability to set great screens and getting on the offensive glass to
keep the Jazz offense flow at its peak.
The
Jazz have had their last two postseason runs end at the hands of 2018 Kia MVP
James Harden and the Rockets respectably in five games in the Semis in 2018 and
in the opening-round of 2019 from being a serious contender in the stacked
Western Conference, where they have gone 2-8 the last two postseasons against
the Rockets.
The
biggest reason for those defeats, the lack of a reliable second scoring option
and the production, or lack there-of at times at the lead guard spot from last
season’s starter Ricky Rubio and reserve guard Dante Exum.
While
Ricky Rubio, who signed with the Suns this offseason was a great distributor in
his NBA career first with the Timberwolves and the Jazz the last two seasons,
his inability to shoot consistently is why Mitchell has seen more of the
defensive coverage from the opposing team.
In
the case of Exum (6.9 ppg, 2.6 apg in 42 games), the No. 5 overall pick’s time
with the Jazz has been marred by injuries that have shelved him for a total of
124 games in his first four seasons and will likely start this season on the shelf
again because of nagging knee injury.
At
the Feb. 7 trade deadline, the Jazz tried to acquire a lead guard that could’ve
gotten them over that hump, but the team they were negotiating with held firm to
their starting lead guard. Right before the 2019 draft, the Jazz did acquire
lead guard Mike Conley (21.1 ppg-career-high, 6.4 apg, 36.4 3-Pt.% w/Grizzlies)
from the Grizzlies in exchange for Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, and
the No. 23 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
“I’m
really just excited to get out there and get things going,” Conley said to ESPN
in late June about being dealt to the Jazz.
He
added at his introductory presser, “Really just excited for the opportunity to
be, you know, amongst the culture that the Jazz has already put in place. The
foundations that are there. The players that are already there.”
The
12-year veteran, who re-signed on the then richest contract in NBA history of
five years at $153 million in 2016 was a major part of the “Grit ‘N Grind” era
of Grizzlies basketball in the early part of this decades will provide the Jazz
a consistent knock down shooter, which has helped him average 20-plus points in
two of the last three seasons.
Along
with his play on the court, Conley brings a selflessness, competitive, and
highly motivated attitude into the Jazz locker room where he will make all the
Jazz players raise their level of play even higher.
The
pairing of Conley and Mitchell will provide the Jazz with a dynamic two-way
tandem that will give their opponent’s a fit night in and night out with their
ability to score and play make for their teammates, especially in fourth
quarters have a sidekick to not only handle the scoring load.
“Mike’s
a guy who, like I said I try to learn as much as I can from,” Mitchell said recently
about the early connection he and Conley have developed. “But you know, I think
we’re gelling a lot faster than I think anticipated. I think just from
understanding his knowledge of the game, which is the kind of things we go
over. Obviously, the names are different but the schemes are the same.”
Conley
concurred the respect he had for Mitchell saying at his Jazz introductory presser
over the summer, “I’m really impressed with how mature he is,” Conley said
about Mitchell, who he worked out with in L.A. in late June prior to the NBA
Awards. “For a guy in his situation, face of the franchise. He has everything
at his feet but he’s willing to learn. He’s willing to get better.”
“That’s
impressive to me because you don’t find that in a lot of young guys, and he’s
gonna be special. He already is, but he’s going to be really, really good in
this league.”
The
Jazz added some depth at the lead guard spot with the signing of former lottery
pick Emmanuel Mudiay (14.8 ppg, 3.9 apg, 44.6 FG% w/Knicks), who really showed
some intestinal fortitude after losing out on the lead guard spot with the
Nuggets to Jamal Murray by getting better in the last season-and-a-half with
the Knicks.
Mudiay,
the No. 7 overall pick in 2015 will have no pressure on him and he can settle
into the role as the understudy to Conley, while providing athleticism and
energy to the second unit for Coach Snyder, while also making a full fledge
commitment to being a better defender, like Royce O’Neale, who averaged 10.6
points and 4.6 rebounds on 46.7 percent shooting off the bench in last year’s
playoffs against the Rockets.
“Me
personally, I’ve never played in the playoffs, and I’ve seen what this team has
done in the playoffs, and you know, it’s just a couple of things here and there
that could’ve went the right way for them to go and move on in rounds,” Mudiay
said at his introductory presser over the summer.
“But
I think this year is a great opportunity for me and the team as well to just
keep moving forward into the direction that obviously the ultimate goal is the
championship.”
The
only consistent knockdown shooter the Jazz had prior to this summer was swingman
Joe Ingles (12.1 ppg, 5.7 apg, 44.8 FG%), who shot 39.1 percent from
three-point range a season ago, which was down from the 44.0 and 44.1 the
Australian native shot the last two seasons.
That
said, last season Mitchell and Ingles, who signed a one-year, $14 million extension on Monday made 189 and 188 threes for the Jazz,
which were the second and third most respectably for a single season in Jazz
history, which is on the heels of Ingles setting the franchise mark with 204
made triples the season before, while Mitchell made 187 three-pointers in his
rookie season.
In
last season’s opening-round five-game loss against the Rockets though, the Jazz
connected on just 26 percent of their triples.
They
added some more fire power on the perimeter signing of Bojan Bagdanovic (18.0
ppg-career-high, 49.7 FG%, 42.5 3-Pt.%-career-high w/Pacers) to a four-year,
$73 million deal.
While
that is a huge price tag for a guy that has been basically a role player his
entire career, Bogdanovic has plenty of upside for the Jazz, especially after becoming
their lead option offensively especially after two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo
went down because of a knee injury in late January. He registered games of 37,
35 and 31 points for the Pacers in 2018-19 and averaged 20.5 points from late
January on.
Bogdanovic,
Mitchell, and Ingles should be even more prolific from three-point range this
season, especially with Conley and Mitchell’s ability to penetrate the defense
and find the open man. The same can be said for Ingles, who last season led the
Jazz in assists 42 times.
“So
excited to be part of this organization and culture, and one of the deepest rosters
right now in the league,” Bogdanovic said when he and Conley were introduced at
their presser this summer. “So, so excited to be a part of this and I cannot
wait to start playing for the Jazz.”
The
one glaring weakness for the Jazz may be at power forward, where they sent
Crowder to the Grizzlies in the Conley deal, and traded starting power forward
Derrick Favors to the Pelicans for two future Second-Round picks.
The
Jazz did sign veteran power forward/center Ed Davis (5.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 61.6
FG%), who is a solid rebounder and help defender to fill the void. While they
gain a solid rebounder and defender in Davis, he is very limited offensively.
“I’m
gonna give all I’ve got. I’m not the most skilled player but you know, I’ll say
I’m one of the, you know, the toughest players in the league," Davis said. "So, you know, you’ll
get that every night."
They
also signed Jeff Green (12.3 ppg, 47.5 FG%, 34.7 3-Pt.% w/Wizards), who has played
both forward positions his first 12 years in the NBA and will provide
versatility both with the ability to score off the dribble and make shots off
of drive and kicks. He also is productive whether he is a spot starter or a key
reserve.
The
Jazz might also use at the power forward spot Georges Niang or possibly Jarrell
Brantley, the No. 50 overall pick in this summer’s draft out of the College of
Charleston, who the Jazz acquired his draft right in a three-team deal with the
Pacers and Warriors, as well as the draft rights to the No. 58 overall pick
guard Miye Oni, the No. 58 overall pick out of Yale University. They used their
own draft pick, the No. 53 overall to draft guard Justin Wright-Foreman out of
Hofstra University.
Even
with all the talk of the Jazz being one of the better offensive teams in the
league this season, defense has been the one constant under Coach Snyder, where
the Jazz last season tied with the Bucks for No. 2 in blocks at 5.9 and tied
with the Lakers for No. 8 opponent’s field goal percentage at 45.2 percent.
“Defensively
we can be something special,” Green said late in the preseason. “We just got to
continue to communicate. Continue to get better. Not get content and offensively,
we have scorers on this team.”
“We
have numerous of guys who can put numbers on the board. But defensively I think
is where were gonna be very, very special.”
Coach
Snyder, who agreed to a multi-year extension over the weekend echoed that same thought at Media Day on Sept. 30 saying that the identity
of this team “doesn’t change,” of being an elite defensive squad.
“Personnel
may dictate differently, particularly in certain situations because that’s
playing to your personnel,” Coach Snyder said. “It’s more common to think about
playing to your personnel from an offensive standpoint and we’ll try to do that
to…We’re still gonna emphasize transition defense. Doesn’t matter whose on the
floor. We got to get back. That’s the first line of defense.”
The
Jazz came into this offseason looking to add an elite point guard and another shooter
to go alongside Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles. They found that
floor general in Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic, while also adding vets Ed
Davis and Jeff Green and Emmanuel Mudiay. They now have a complete starting
five with the main scorer in Donovan Mitchell; a stellar lead guard in Mike
Conley; knockdown shooters in Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles; and the pillar
who can dominate the interior on both ends in Rudy Gobert.
They
also have an interchangeable second unit of Ed Davis, Jeff Green, Royce
O’Neale, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Dante Exum.
The
Jazz have the most complete starting five perhaps since the Karl Malone-John
Stockton era and a solid second unit. How quickly they put it all together will
decide how far they go in the stacked Western Conference.
“Well
obviously out ultimate goal is to win a championship. I think that’s ultimately,”
Conley said. “But we’re not fooling ourselves like we’ve been there and done
that. We’re gonna come in everyday and try to maximize each day.”
“So,
I think each day will set us up for the next and hopefully we give ourselves the
best chance of achieving each goal we put out.”
Best
Case Scenario: The
Jazz make the playoffs and are fighting for homecourt advantage. Mitchell and
Conley make their All-Star Game debuts. The offensive and defense become in
sync for the first time under Coach Snyder. The Jazz reach the Conference
Finals for the first time since 2007.
Worst
Case Scenario:
The Jazz are a lower playoff seed and fall again in the opening-round of the
playoffs.
Grade: A+
Information,
statistics, and quotations are courtesy of https://www.nba.com/draft/2019/teams;
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26914752/2019-nba-free-agency-latest-buzz;
https://ww.nba.com/draft/trade-tracker;
www.espn.com; https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20229609/nba-free-agents-team-team-lists-2020-2021;
11/2/18 1 a.m. “Inside the NBA,” presented by Kia on TNT with Ernie Johnson,
Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; 1/7/19 7 p.m. “San Antonio Spurs versus
Detroit Pistons” on FOX Sports Southeast with Bill Land and Sean Elliott; 1/8/19 3 p.m., “NBA” The Jump” on ESPN with
Rachel Nichols, Chiney Ogwumike, and Richard Jefferson; 3/15/19 8 p.m. “Portland
Trail Blazers versus New Orleans Pelicans” on NBC Sports Northwest with Kevin
Calabro, Lamar Hurd, and Brooke Olzendam; 1/11/19 www.nba.com
story, “Gregg Popovich Climbs Into Third In All-Time Coaching Victories;” 1/25/19
8:30 p.m. “Detroit Pistons versus Dallas Mavericks,” on FOX Sports Southwest with
Mark Followill, Derek Harper, and Jeff “Skin” Wade;
1/25/19
1 a.m. “Inside The NBA,” presented by Kia on TNT with Ernie Johnson, Kenny
Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; 1/27/19 7 p.m. “Toronto Raptors
versus Dallas Mavericks,” on FOX Sports Southwest with Mark Followill, Derek
Harper and Jeff “Skin” Wade; 1/27/19 www.poundtherock.com
story “Gregg Popovich Has The Most Road Wins By An NBA Coach…Ever,” by Jeph Duarte;
1/27/19 9:30 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter,” with Steve Levy and John Anderson;
2/6/19 1 a.m. “Players Only Postgame,” presented by Kia on TNT with Chris
Webber, Baron Davis, Shaquille O’Neal, and Candace Parker; 2/26/19 NBATV’s “Gametime,”
presented by Kia with Matt Winer, Derek Fisher, and David Griffin; 3/25/19 3
p.m. “NBA: The Jump” on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Brian Windhorst, Scottie
Pippen, and Jason Kidd; 5/20/19 9 p.m. “Golden State Warriors versus Portland
Trail Blazers,” Game 4 Western Conference Finals, presented by Google Next with
Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Doris Burke; 4/8/19 1 a.m. NBATV’s
“Gametime,” presented by Kia with Rick Kamla, Dennis Scott, and Greg Anthony; 6/13/19
9 p.m. “Toronto Raptors versus Golden State Warriors,” Game 6 of NBA Finals,
presented by YouTube TV with Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Doris
Burke; 6/20/19 7 p.m. “2019 NBA Draft,” presented by State Farm on ESPN with
Rece Davis, Chauncey Billups, Jay Bilas, Adrian Wojnarowski, Bobby Marks, and Maria
Taylor; 6/21/19 8 p.m. NBATV’s “NBA Draft: Next Steps,” with Matt Winer, Sam
Mitchell, Seth Davis, Wes Wilcox, and Bruce Pearl; 7/13/19 8:30 a.m. NBATV “Gametime”
with Casey Stern and Rex Chapman; 8/14/19 3 p.m. edition "NBA: The Jump" on ESPN 2 with Cassidy Hubbarth, Tim Bontemps and Dave McMenamin; 8/16/19 www.nba.com story, "Joseph Tsai To Buy Rest of Nets from Mikhail Prokhorov;" 8/23/19 3 p.m. edition "NBA: The Jump" on ESPN with Cassidy Hubbarth, Royce Young, and Bobby Marks;m; 9/7/19
https://www.nba.com/30teams/30days/2019
by Shaun Powell; 9/20/19 www.espn.com story, “Carter,
42 To Play Swan Song Season With Hawks;” 9/24/19 11:30 p.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,”
with Jared Greenberg and Dennis Scott; 9/26/19 7 p.m. NBATV Forecast “Storylines,”
with Jared Greenberg, Dennis Scott, Steve Smith and Sam Mitchell; 9/27/19 11
p.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Matt Winer and Steve Smith 10/8/19 www.espn.com story, “The De-Kobe-ing Of Jayson
Tatum Has Begun,” by Tim Bontemps; 9/20/19 3 p.m. edition "NBA: The Jump" on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Dave McMenamin, and Richard Jefferson; 9/29/19 9 p.m. NBATV”s “Gametime,” with
Chris Miles, Angel Gray, and Caron Butler; 10/9/19 https://www.nba.com/preview/2019,
presented by Kia by Sekou Smith, Shaun Powell, John Schuhmann, Steve Aschburner,
and Michael C. Wright;
10/19/19 www.cbssports.com
story, “Utah Jazz Sign Coach Quin Snyder To Long-Term Contract Extension, Per
Report,” by Jack Maloney; 10/21/19 www.espn.com
stories, “Jaylen Brown Agrees To 4-year, $115 Million Extension With Celtics,”
by Adrian Wojnarowski and “Zion Williamson Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out 6-8
Weeks,” by Andrew Lopez; https://en.m.wikpedia.org/wiki/Paul_Millsap;
All 30 team’s coverage of Media Day courtesy of You Tube; 10/2/19-10/18/19
NBATV’s Preview of All 30 teams with Chris Miles, Matt Winer, Stephanie Ready,
Kristen Ledlow, Ro Parrish, Isiah Thomas, Sam Mitchell, Brendan Haywood, Brian
Shaw, Greg Anthony, Kevin McHale, Dennis Scott, Earl Watson, Steve Smith, Tony
Delk and Antonio Daniels; 10/22/19 1 a.m. edition NBATV's "Gametime," with Jared Greenberg, Steve Smith and Dennis Scott; www.foxsports.com; www.hoopstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/teamstats/19/7/pts/1-1; https://en.hispanonba.com/coaches/most-wins;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Portland_Trail_Blazers_head_coaches;
and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_40_90_club.
