LaMarcus Aldridge signed a 3-year, $72.3 million contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. In doing so, both Aldridge and the Spurs have shown that, while the marriage isn't perfect, it is necessary. In two seasons with San Antonio, Aldridge has sported averages of 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Showing posts with label Around the NBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Around the NBA. Show all posts
Recap: The 2017 NBA Trade Deadline
[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/510121476[/embed]
Ah yes, the NBA Trade Deadline. Aside from July 1st in a loaded free agency class, the trade deadline is probably the most exciting day of the NBA’s calendar year. The suspense, the surprises, and the rumors of teams making phone calls take center stage just days after the All-Star Game. NBA Twitter is fully engaged and locked in to the accounts of the likes of Adrian Wojnarowski, Shams Charania, Marc Stein, Brian Windhorst, etc., hoping to be hit with huge trade announcements.
Now, the trade deadline isn’t always as exciting as Twitter rumors make it out to be. Sometimes, nothing happens that would shift the NBA landscape or, as was the case last year, stuff doesn’t materialize until after the 3 PM Eastern/2 PM Central deadline (trades can still be announced after the deadline, so long as the league is notified before). This year, the madness started with two major moves before the All-Star Break had fully settled down – and no, I’m not talking about the Mason Plumlee/ Jusuf Nurkic trade.
On February 14th, the fans of Toronto got a pretty nice Valentine’s Day gift in the form of Serge Ibaka, a guy who has undoubtedly slipped defensively compared to his role on a monstrous Thunder team a few years ago, but a guy who has improved his shooting range and will definitely help the Raptors in their quest to dethrone the Cleveland Cavaliers in the east. For a team that sees Kyle Lowry’s free agency on the horizon (he can opt out of his contract at season’s end) and is clearly in “win now” mode, giving up an inconsistent bench player like Terrence Ross and a low first-round pick is not a ton to give up for a guy with the name-value Ibaka has.
Then, on Sunday, February 19th, just hours after the All-Star game ended, the Sacramento Kings dropped a major bombshell when they agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins (and Omri Casspi) to the New Orleans Pelicans for a lackluster package of Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and two picks in this year’s draft. This move pairs Cousins with Anthony Davis and now gives the Pelicans the most formidable backcourt in the NBA. It also allows for the Kings to move on from the controversial Cousins or, perhaps more importantly, it allows for ‘Boogie’ to move on from the highly dysfunctional organization that is the Sacramento Kings. With the addition of a superstar like Boogie, expect the Pelicans to make a major push for the eighth-seed in the Western Conference (they’re only 2.5 games back).
There was a lot of chatter about Paul George and Jimmy Butler potentially being moved with the Boston Celtics and their treasure chest of assets being the likely destination, but, alas, those moves weren’t meant to be.
Here’s a recap of the moves made at the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline (including those mentioned above):
Not a lot off significant moves were made at the actual trade deadline as some of the most impactful moves were made in the days leading up to it. However, there are some clear winners as far as teams improving at this year's deadline goes. First, as mentioned above, both the Pelicans and DeMarcus Cousins are huge winners following the most notable move of this deadline. Also, the Raptors, who have fallen to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings in recent weeks, are big winners with the additions of Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker – two pieces that will certainly help the Raptors make a run at the Cavs.
The Houston Rockets, who will always be active at the trade deadline, were also big winners with the addition of Lou Williams – a perennial sixth man of the year candidate (and Eric Gordon’s only competition in that regard this season) and a scorer that is seemingly a perfect fit for what Mike D’Antoni wants to do with that offense. Also, trading K.J. McDaniels and Tyler Ennis away for essentially nothing (Marcelo Huertas is going to be released) gives the Rockets some extra cap space, allowing for the acquisition of players that may be bought out post-deadline (i.e. Andrew Bogut or Deron Williams).
The NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, but the excitement for the rest of this season is just ramping up. With championship contenders looking to sign free agents to bolster roster depth and with roughly 26 games left in the season, the NBA is preparing for the last, most exciting phase of the calendar year – The Playoffs.
Ah yes, the NBA Trade Deadline. Aside from July 1st in a loaded free agency class, the trade deadline is probably the most exciting day of the NBA’s calendar year. The suspense, the surprises, and the rumors of teams making phone calls take center stage just days after the All-Star Game. NBA Twitter is fully engaged and locked in to the accounts of the likes of Adrian Wojnarowski, Shams Charania, Marc Stein, Brian Windhorst, etc., hoping to be hit with huge trade announcements.
Now, the trade deadline isn’t always as exciting as Twitter rumors make it out to be. Sometimes, nothing happens that would shift the NBA landscape or, as was the case last year, stuff doesn’t materialize until after the 3 PM Eastern/2 PM Central deadline (trades can still be announced after the deadline, so long as the league is notified before). This year, the madness started with two major moves before the All-Star Break had fully settled down – and no, I’m not talking about the Mason Plumlee/ Jusuf Nurkic trade.
On February 14th, the fans of Toronto got a pretty nice Valentine’s Day gift in the form of Serge Ibaka, a guy who has undoubtedly slipped defensively compared to his role on a monstrous Thunder team a few years ago, but a guy who has improved his shooting range and will definitely help the Raptors in their quest to dethrone the Cleveland Cavaliers in the east. For a team that sees Kyle Lowry’s free agency on the horizon (he can opt out of his contract at season’s end) and is clearly in “win now” mode, giving up an inconsistent bench player like Terrence Ross and a low first-round pick is not a ton to give up for a guy with the name-value Ibaka has.
Then, on Sunday, February 19th, just hours after the All-Star game ended, the Sacramento Kings dropped a major bombshell when they agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins (and Omri Casspi) to the New Orleans Pelicans for a lackluster package of Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and two picks in this year’s draft. This move pairs Cousins with Anthony Davis and now gives the Pelicans the most formidable backcourt in the NBA. It also allows for the Kings to move on from the controversial Cousins or, perhaps more importantly, it allows for ‘Boogie’ to move on from the highly dysfunctional organization that is the Sacramento Kings. With the addition of a superstar like Boogie, expect the Pelicans to make a major push for the eighth-seed in the Western Conference (they’re only 2.5 games back).
There was a lot of chatter about Paul George and Jimmy Butler potentially being moved with the Boston Celtics and their treasure chest of assets being the likely destination, but, alas, those moves weren’t meant to be.
Here’s a recap of the moves made at the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline (including those mentioned above):
- Portland Trailblazers traded Mason Plumlee, a 2018 second-round pick, and cash considerations to the Denver Nuggets for Jusuf Nurkic and a 2017 first-round pick
- Orlando Magic traded Serge Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round pick
- Sacramento Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and 2017 first- and second-round picks
- Brooklyn Nets traded Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullogh to the Washington Wizards for Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton, and a 2017 first-round pick
- Philadelphia 76ers traded Ersan Illyasova for the Atlanta Hawks for Tiago Splitter, a protected 2017 first-round pick that has a pick-swap option
- Los Angeles Lakers traded Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first-round pick
- Philadelphia 76ers traded Nerlens Noel to the Dallas Mavericks for Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson, and a 2017 first-round pick
- Houston Rockets traded KJ McDaniels to the Brooklyn Nets for a heavily protected future second-round pick
- Chicago Bulls traded Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, and a 2018 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne, and Anthony Morrow
- Milwaukee Bucks traded Roy Hibbert to the Denver Nuggets for a heavily protected second-round pick
- Houston Rockets traded Tyler Ennis to the Los Angeles Lakers for Marcelo Huertas
- Atlanta Hawks traded Mike Scott to the Phoenix Suns for cash considerations
- Phoenix Suns traded P.J. Tucker to the Toronto Raptors for Jared Sullinger and 2017 and 2018 second-round picks
Not a lot off significant moves were made at the actual trade deadline as some of the most impactful moves were made in the days leading up to it. However, there are some clear winners as far as teams improving at this year's deadline goes. First, as mentioned above, both the Pelicans and DeMarcus Cousins are huge winners following the most notable move of this deadline. Also, the Raptors, who have fallen to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings in recent weeks, are big winners with the additions of Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker – two pieces that will certainly help the Raptors make a run at the Cavs.
The Houston Rockets, who will always be active at the trade deadline, were also big winners with the addition of Lou Williams – a perennial sixth man of the year candidate (and Eric Gordon’s only competition in that regard this season) and a scorer that is seemingly a perfect fit for what Mike D’Antoni wants to do with that offense. Also, trading K.J. McDaniels and Tyler Ennis away for essentially nothing (Marcelo Huertas is going to be released) gives the Rockets some extra cap space, allowing for the acquisition of players that may be bought out post-deadline (i.e. Andrew Bogut or Deron Williams).
The NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, but the excitement for the rest of this season is just ramping up. With championship contenders looking to sign free agents to bolster roster depth and with roughly 26 games left in the season, the NBA is preparing for the last, most exciting phase of the calendar year – The Playoffs.
Should the Warriors trade Klay Thompson?
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It's no secret that there were questions coming into the 2016-17 season which of the Golden State Warrior players would have the hardest time adjusting. On the one hand, Kevin Durant was joining a new system after being the focal point of an offense in Oklahoma City. Then you have Steph, who was used to being the magician in Oakland, throwing crossovers, 35-foot three point shots, and acrobatic finishes at the rim that left you in awe. Of little question was Draymond Green, often noted as a system player and though he's far from that, his game is very adaptable.
But what about Klay Thompson, who took the second-most shots on the team in 2015-16? An obvious 3-point threat, Klay was often the recipient of the ball in Golden State's pass-friendly offense. He lit the bottom of the net on fire on a nightly basis, shooting 42% from three, and 51% inside the arc. He played solid defense. He was a key contributor to that team's success, and yet, he has struggled the most to adjust to the addition of Kevin Durant.
Shooting an abysmal 19% on three point shots on the second-most attempts per game of his career, Thompson has found no success in the early going. Beyond that, he has looked out of sync with the offense. In this clip here, Klay is denied twice and looks completely dejected.
[embed align="right"]http://gty.im/511912722[/embed]
The contracts certainly line up enough to do so, and Sacramento is unlikely to retain Cousins when he becomes a free agent after next year. Klay Thompson is still an elite shooter, a good defender, and a team-first player. Sacramento could start building around Thompson, Golden State could get the interior help they currently lack.
The Warriors lost a significant rim protector in Andrew Bogut, and Zaza Pachulia is currently averaging 0.6 blocks per game. While Cousins isn't an elite rim protector, he does have seasons of 1.7 and 1.4 blocks per game. The real benefit, though, would be the massive upgrade on offense. Pachulia is currently averaging 6 points and 8 rebounds per game, where Cousins is averaging 27.8 and 9.2. Pachulia hasn't attempted a 3-point shot this season, and Cousins is a career 29% 3-point shooter.
It certainly seems as though the Warriors would be hard-pressed not to complete that sort of trade...
It's no secret that there were questions coming into the 2016-17 season which of the Golden State Warrior players would have the hardest time adjusting. On the one hand, Kevin Durant was joining a new system after being the focal point of an offense in Oklahoma City. Then you have Steph, who was used to being the magician in Oakland, throwing crossovers, 35-foot three point shots, and acrobatic finishes at the rim that left you in awe. Of little question was Draymond Green, often noted as a system player and though he's far from that, his game is very adaptable.
But what about Klay Thompson, who took the second-most shots on the team in 2015-16? An obvious 3-point threat, Klay was often the recipient of the ball in Golden State's pass-friendly offense. He lit the bottom of the net on fire on a nightly basis, shooting 42% from three, and 51% inside the arc. He played solid defense. He was a key contributor to that team's success, and yet, he has struggled the most to adjust to the addition of Kevin Durant.
Shooting an abysmal 19% on three point shots on the second-most attempts per game of his career, Thompson has found no success in the early going. Beyond that, he has looked out of sync with the offense. In this clip here, Klay is denied twice and looks completely dejected.
Klay Thompson had three shot attempts blocked in a five second span earlier in the first half #GSWatPOR https://t.co/M8kE45kVaM
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) November 2, 2016
In that game, Thompson shot 6-of-17 overall, and 0-of-7 from beyond the arc, yet the Warriors won by 23 points. Beyond that game, Klay has looked uncomfortable and is sticking out like a sore thumb in an offense that normally flows like the Grand Rapids. In last night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Klay had one of his better games on the season, but what the box score doesn't tell you is that he was playing in garbage time against the end of OKC's bench. When Klay was in the game with the starters, he had several plays where it was evident he was not on the same page with his teammates. A lot of his production came when the Warriors were already up by 20 points. Ian Clark has also become a staple for the team, and he plays a hybrid role between point and shooting guard. Clark is currently shooting 41% from three and his per-36 scoring is equivalent to Thompson's thus far.
It sounds ludicrous, but think about it; the Warriors have enough offensive power to go around on the perimeter, but lack a presence inside. Could they send Klay Thompson to the Sacramento Kings for DeMarcus Cousins? More importantly, should they?
[embed align="right"]http://gty.im/511912722[/embed]
The contracts certainly line up enough to do so, and Sacramento is unlikely to retain Cousins when he becomes a free agent after next year. Klay Thompson is still an elite shooter, a good defender, and a team-first player. Sacramento could start building around Thompson, Golden State could get the interior help they currently lack.
The Warriors lost a significant rim protector in Andrew Bogut, and Zaza Pachulia is currently averaging 0.6 blocks per game. While Cousins isn't an elite rim protector, he does have seasons of 1.7 and 1.4 blocks per game. The real benefit, though, would be the massive upgrade on offense. Pachulia is currently averaging 6 points and 8 rebounds per game, where Cousins is averaging 27.8 and 9.2. Pachulia hasn't attempted a 3-point shot this season, and Cousins is a career 29% 3-point shooter.
It certainly seems as though the Warriors would be hard-pressed not to complete that sort of trade...
EXCEEEEPT, there's actually a lot of reason to be optimistic about Klay turning things around. He's currently shooting a career high 60% on 2-point field goals, 91% on free throw attempts, and the defense is still there. Klay is a few hot streaks away from joining the coveted 50/40/90 club. Only 7 players in NBA history have been part of that club while averaging 15 or more points per game.
The Warriors would also be giving up some of their offensive versatility if they brought a score-first center like Cousins in. Right now, they have wings that are capable of playing the 2, 3, and occasionally 4, along with Draymond Green being the perfect "stretch-5" for Golden State. Losing Klay would mean more minutes being allocated to Clark, Livingston, Iguodala, and though those players are perfectly capable, they don't bring the two-way versatility that Thompson does.
The right approach for the Warriors, and the one they will likely take, is to wait and see. If Klay is still struggling near the trade deadline, it's possible that he gets moved. But given his track record as a steady character, it seems certain that his performance will be a distant memory come playoff time. The Warriors are a team built on chemistry, shooting, and camaraderie. Klay is an important part of that organization and brings all three of those elements along with him.
The 2015-2016 NBA season comes to its historic end
With just ten seconds left in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals,
LeBron James sank a free throw to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 93-89 lead
over the defending champion Golden State Warriors. As he walked to the bench during
the timeout that followed, he held up his left index finger and repeated, ‘one
stop, one [expletive] stop,’ knowing that the Cavaliers were just one
successful defensive play away from winning the Larry O'Brien trophy and ending the
city of Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought in all major sports.
Kevin Durant's free agency decision is a simple one
By Jorge Flores on June 1, 2016
Fresh off an incredible Western Conference Finals series between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder, murmurs of Kevin Durant’s free agency status have grown louder and more speculative. After all, the NBA is a year-round league now and the offseason storylines can be just as fun as the actual games being played.
2016 NBA Finals Preview And Predictions
By The Staff on June 1, 2016
The NBA Finals are here, and we at Red Nation Hoops couldn't be more excited. This year we're being treated to a rematch of the new, healthy, and improved Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2015 NBA Champs themselves in the historically great 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
NBA Players as Game of Thrones Characters: Conference Finals Edition
By Taylor Pate on May 26, 2016
Follow @taylorlpate
The NBA Conference Finals are upon us. At the time of this writing, the Mountain-esque Cleveland Cavaliers are making the Toronto Raptors look like Oberyn Martell, leading by 41 points in the fourth quarter. In the Westeros, er...Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder have all but thrown the Golden State Warriors out of the Moon Door, gaining a 3-1 series advantage. In honor of the great games we've seen thus far, I'll be comparing players from these Conference Finals to their Game of Thrones counterpart.
Follow @taylorlpate
The NBA Conference Finals are upon us. At the time of this writing, the Mountain-esque Cleveland Cavaliers are making the Toronto Raptors look like Oberyn Martell, leading by 41 points in the fourth quarter. In the Westeros, er...Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder have all but thrown the Golden State Warriors out of the Moon Door, gaining a 3-1 series advantage. In honor of the great games we've seen thus far, I'll be comparing players from these Conference Finals to their Game of Thrones counterpart.
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