Friday Roundtable: Biggest NBA Jumps and Falls

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

Cleveland's Kyrie Irving abuses Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd. (via NBA Offseason)

This week's question: Which NBA team will make the biggest rise or fall in 2013-14?

Chris S.:
Here's a wild prediction for you: the Cavs will make the 2nd round of the playoffs...by beating the Nets in the first round.

Cleveland has an MVP candidate in Kyrie Irving, but it's the improvement from Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters that will help them get to the next step. Jarrett Jack is an excellent fit as a crunch-time combo guard, and there are a lot of talented bigs (Andrew Bynum, Andy Varejao, Anthony Bennett, Thompson and Tyler Zeller) to give Mike Brown more flexibility through the long regular season.

The Nets may be the best team money of curious origins can buy, but I don't think they'll be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. There are the very highest of expectations for this group, which will need to gel a talented, yet uninspiring core of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson with...the Celtics' old core of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Jason Terry was thrown in as a parting gift, because headbands are the new black. I'm not optimistic for this team's chances of finding an identity and learning how to play together under head coach Lawrence Frank - sorry, I meant Jason Kidd. Unless Deron Williams transforms from coach killer into a leader who can win over both cliques AND find enough shots to keep everyone happy, this could be a very emo season in Brooklyn. Too many cantankerous cooks in the kitchen.


Zach:
The Detroit Pistons don't come with a reputation this season, not that anyone remembers away -- the team had maintenance work-done over the summer.

Though Jose Calderon's ability to play, composed, at the point and shooting guard positions will be missed, however; Chauncey Billups returns Detroit with the same aura that earned him Finals MVP after leading the Pistons to an NBA Championship in 2004. His lack of ability is compensated by leadership, his production beyond mentoring will come from behind the arc, he's a 39 percent lifetime shooter from three-point range. Billups was 4 of 5 from 'distance' in the season opener against the Wizards, he had 16 points in 31 minutes. 

The Pistons added a turbo with Brandon Jennings, reputation aside -- he's talented. Essentially swapping a third-year player for the man responsible for giving Earth the phrase "Bucks in Six" isn't a raw deal. Knight averaged one turnover more per 48 minutes last season, while Jennings ranked 16th in assists per game at the end of the year. Buckle up because he's the guy behind the wheel. Josh Smith who may attempt to navigate without control all season, but his game works at high speeds much like the rest of the Pistons. Playing aside Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, the addition of "J-Smoove" completes a frontcourt that will look to score in transition -- a lot. 

With a new coach (Maurice Cheeks), new faces and newly-found optimistic expectations --the Pistons in the postseason would be the biggest jump, I believe, a team may make this season.

Alex:
Numerically, the Cleveland Cavaliers will make the biggest jump of any team in the NBA. Point guard and dribbling savant Kyrie Irving was sporadically injured and the front court production was largely ravaged by the loss of Anderson Varejao after the veteran big man began the season on a tear, leading to the Cavs finishing last season with a lowly 24-58 record — third worst in the league. That won't be the case in 2013-14, particularly if some of the health issues ebb. A revamped roster has Varejao backed up by Andrew Bynum, who was considered by some to be the NBA's best center just two years; one of Golden State's bench spark plugs from last season, Jarrett Jack, and Matthew Dellavedova, an undrafted rookie playmaker out of St. Mary's, offer depth behind Irving; and Earl Clark is starting at small forward after showing flashes of previously unquantified talent with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. First-rounder Anthony Bennett should be able to provide bench scoring and, with Irving set to officially ascend to superstar status as back court sidekick Dion Waiters and power forward Tristan Thompson continue to develop, the Cavs can legitimately be projected into the playoffs as high up as the sixth seed. Need proof? Cleveland's already beaten a team considered to be a top-five talent in the Eastern Conference in the Brooklyn Nets squad that made one of the splashiest roster rearrangements over the summer.

The "biggest fall" team is tougher to predict, but the Denver Nuggets seem ripe to drop down the standings. A No. 3 seed in the Western Conference in the previous playoffs, there are numerous departures that stand starkly in contrast to an "addition by subtraction" argument. George Karl may not have a championship on his head coaching resume, but his frenetic offensive system was the perfect fit for speedy point guard Ty Lawson, with his upside being perpetually realized. The abilities of young, athletic players such as JaVale McGee and Kennth Faried could also be maximized in such a system. New head coach Brian Shaw worked in an historically rich culture with the Lakers, but the transition will be abrupt. Factor in the loss of one of the league's premier defenders and a top 10 or 15 overall asset in Andre Iguodala, then the rehabbing of small forward Danilo Gallinari ruling the Italian out until at least December, and the Nuggets could be in store for a long season.

Kyle:
I'm also of the mindset that Cleveland will make a huge jump this season, but seeing as we've covered the Cavs well in this piece, I like the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. I know, this is a risky pick seeing as some accident will happen throughout the course of the season to injure at least three players. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio will break a rib giving a chest bump. That's just the way it's been. I think, and hope for their sake, this year will be different. If Love's 31-point, 17-rebound performance in the season opener is any indication, a massive season is in store for him. Rubio will continue to make plays and keep the offense moving, Corey Brewer can knock down shots and J.J. Barea and Alex Shved are more than capable of preventing a letup with Rubio is on the bench. The addition of Kevin Martin is also looking like a offseason move that will pay off. Martin didn't have a great shooting night against the Magic (23 points on 6-19 shooting), but found a way to get to the line (9-9) and is another weapon on the wing to give Love more space inside.

It's been a building process in Minnesota. It was just four and three years ago that Minnesota won 15 and 17 games respectively. The Timberwolves were 20 games under .500 last season, but the 31 wins shows improvement. This could be the season all the pieces come together and Minnesota finds itself closer to that .500 record.

Shawn:
After toying with mediocrity for years (and at times being downright dreadful) I’ve got the Milwaukee Bucks taking a big step forward. Yes, the Bucks made the playoffs last season, but this was not a team ready to make a postseason run. However, I think Milwaukee is primed and ready to do just that. I love what they’ve done, shaking up the personnel. I’ve been a huge O.J. Mayo fan since he entered the league, and I think the Bucks are the perfect team for him. Mayo’s best years have come as a starter, averaging 18.5, 17.5, and 15.3 points per game in his seasons as a starter. Coming off the bench, Mayo has only averaged 11.3 and 12.6 points per game. Mayo is still only 25 years old, and has his best years in front of him. Going back to a team where he is not only a starter, but one of, if not the, primary scoring option will only help both Mayo and the Bucks reach greatness. 

The addition of Caron Butler is another I think the Bucks did well to make. While Butler’s production has been on a gradual decline the past couple of seasons, what he will bring to Milwaukee is some much needed leadership. The Bucks are a young squad (only three players on the roster are over 30) and having a quality, veteran presence the younger players can look up to is an invaluable piece to have. If the Bucks young front court of Ekpe Udoh, John Henson, and Larry Sanders can continue to develop and take strides forward, and point guard Brandon Knight can begin to realize his potential, Milwaukee is going to be a handful for the rest of the league.

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Friday Roundtable: The Next Former NBA Player Turned Owner

Which of these guys deserves to own an NBA franchise? Probably not Damon Stoudamire. Sorry. (Tsugufumi Matsumoto/AP)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: Shaquille O'Neal recently became an owner of the Sacramento Kings. What retired player do you want buy an ownership stake in an NBA team next?

Alex:

I'm 100 percent sure this is okay within NBA guidelines: Jason Kidd should buy a piece of the New York Knicks. Not only does Kidd have recent history with the 'Bockers, but, if for some reason David Stern and Adam Silver were to look down upon such a purchase, they're overlooking the fact that it would virtually ensure Kidd doesn't become the first NBA player-coach in decades. What we lose in the potential player-coach situation and Kidd backing up Deron Williams while logging minutes with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, we gain in one of the greatest point guards ever becoming the King of New York. Barclay's Center, where Kidd's Brooklyn Nets play, is the House that Jay-Z Built, but could Hova - now without an ownership stake in the BK franchise - really rival the owner of both New York basketball teams, one who happens to hold multiple assist and three-point records in a professional tenure that includes stints with both the Knicks and Nets? I can't decide, and I'm betting you're likely split, too, since no one has been able to agree who rap's King of New York is since the Notorious B.I.G. passed away. Hip-Hop can't agree that Jay is the top dog in its own community; how would they be able to present a united front against Kidd, whose presence would be felt in more than the two boroughs in which his NBA franchises would reside?

Exactly.

Kyle:
Guys, there's plenty of good answers out there. Shawn's is a fine example. I would very much enjoy Barkley as an owner. Kareem could become an owner and have the power to make himself the coach so he can finally get a coaching job. I can't say this one, because the question says retired player, but who wouldn't want to see LeBron James buy the Cavs once his playing days are over to have the Cleveland sports fans who ridiculed him so much in the palm of his hand. Not to mention keeping Dan Gilbert on but in a new role as one of the boys who wipes down the court during timeouts. Then LeBron could trade for and subsequently trade away Andrew Wiggins to New York, where he then buys the Knicks with Jay-Z and sells the Cavs to Chris Bosh.

But again, LeBron isn't retired yet, so that answer will have to wait. So my answer is ... Brian Scalabrine. Why not? I imagine he got the money when challenging and beating all of those civilians to 1-on-1 games in Boston. And that's exactly why he should be an owner. Everyone will doubt him. He will be the butt of jokes. He's a guy who was the butt of jokes throughout his career, yet played 11 years in the league. Scalabrine will compile a team of underdogs who no one will take seriously, Moneyball style, because how could they compete with Miami and then oh my god they are up by 14 already how is that possible? A movie will be made where Scalabrine will be played by Louie C.K. and he will be one of the most praised owners of his generation.

Shawn:

When I first began racking my brain for a suitable candidate to answer this question, I found myself continuously drawn to players who I thought would make good NBA coaches, rather than owners. There are some prominent names who could potentially be very good coaches, but I struggled to find one I thought would be a good owner. However, when it comes down to it, I was able to settle on one former player I desperately want to see become an NBA owner above all others. And it’s really not even close.

It has to be Charles Barkley. 

Think about it. Barkley has the personality to rival even the most flamboyant and impassioned owners, like a Mark Cuban. His personality is infectious and he would be a fantastic interview for journalists and broadcasters who cover his team. Having worked on the other side of the sport as an analyst and broadcaster, I feel Barkley would be very open with any person who is fortunate enough to earn the assignment of interviewing him. His personality lends itself to being very forthright anyway, so having the experience on the other side would only encourage him to be open and honest, with the frankness that only Barkley can provide.

Barkley also has the well-deserved reputation of being a big spender, so opening up the checkbook to bring in high-priced free agents won’t be a problem. His history of gambling could potentially drive fans crazy if Barkley has a hunch on an unproven player. But overall, the willingness to spend money is a plus for an organization. I think you could potentially see another “Dream Team” similar to the one in Miami, because I think Barkley is more than willing to spend what it takes to bring the best to his team. 

Finally, there is one major reason I feel Barkley would be a fantastic owner: He’s never won an NBA championship. Ever. I remember an instance on TNT where everyone on the panel had been to and won an NBA championship, except Barkley. It was brought up extensively, and you could tell it ate at Barkley. He wants that ring. He wants to hoist that trophy in the air, and this is his best chance to do it. His competitive fire would be fantastic to see on the sideline, and a real asset in the locker room. All of these elements combined culminate to why I believe Barkley should absolutely make the investment and become an NBA owner.

Friday Roundtable: Biggest Steals And Surprises From The NBA Draft

 

The surprises started early as Cleveland selected Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. (nba.si.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: What were the biggest steals and biggest surprises of Thursday's NBA Draft?

Alex:
The first surprise came early as the Cavs took Anthony Bennett No. 1 overall, but the biggest surprise was Philadelphia delving head first into rebuilding mode. Adding a second injured center to their roster in Nerlens Noel, the 76ers all but closed the book on their Andrew Bynum experiment and took things a step further by agreeing to trade Jrue Holiday, fresh off his first All-Star appearance and just starting to hit his stride, to the New Orleans Pelicans (who actually look appealing on paper now) in time to hand the franchise keys to Michael Carter-Williams. While MCW has upside to spare, he'll be learning the ropes on a bottom-feeding team that may be making an early play to get Andrew Wiggins in the 2014 draft.

As for biggest steal, I'd look to Detroit. The Pistons selected Petting Siva in the latter half of the second round, but after his career at Louisville, Siva looks like a player who can will his way into making anything happen. I wrote a piece elsewhere in which I borderline-gushed about him this week, hoping to see him paired with a talented big man and provide energy off the bench, if not as a starter. Brandon Knight should be save atop the Pistons' depth chart at point guard, but watching an undersized, athletic player with the speed of Siva work with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond is going to be a thing of beauty.

Kyle:
If you're looking for surprises, the No. 1 pick is a good place to start. Anthony Bennett was thought to go anywhere from No. 1 to No. 8, and coming off an injury with weight problems seemed to be a concern for teams coming in. Apparently not. Cleveland liked him enough to not only draft him, but also keep the pick, as they had earlier mentioned interest in trading the first pick. And it really shouldn't be a surprise, but Charlotte again drew raised eyebrows by drafting Cody Zeller ahead of Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore and Alex Len.

As for steals, Sacramento has to be thrilled that Ben McLemore, who was in the top three of many people's mock drafts, fell to them at No. 7. McLemore should be an athletic, scoring wing player alongside Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans. I also like Portland getting C.J. McCollum to play alongside Damian Lillard in the backcourt. Finally, (I know Alex will agree with me on this) I like Dallas getting Shane Larkin from Atlanta with the No. 18 pick. Dallas wasn't able to get Deron Williams to come back to his hometown last year, and with Darren Collison about to head into free agency, Larkin could be a good scoring point guard for the Mavericks who will need a point guard of the future, especially while trying to land Dwight Howard.

We knew this would be an unpredictable draft coming in, and that theme was carried out throughout the night.

Zach:

The 2013 NBA Draft went how nobody predicted it to go; haywire.  Not a single person correctly predicted the order in which the top 10, not even the top five, selections in the order of which they left the board.  In a time where players like LeBron James, Carmello Anthony and Kyrie Irving appear in the limelight at age 16, yesterday's draft reminded us that even the most elite members of sports journalism and media could indeed, be wrong. 

To me, the whole draft was shocking and surprising.  I'm not an avid college basketball spectator, so my insight came from the great writers here at BDD and other elite basketball minds' predictions and mock-drafts. Nobody saw Anthony Bennett as the No. 1 pick coming. The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing the odds, selecting the former UNLV Runnin' Rebel No. 1 overall, to everyone's surprise. 

Cody Zeller seems to be the jaw-dropping, "what the hell are you thinking," pick of this years crop. CBSSports Draft Tracker labeled the Charlotte Bobcats fourth overall pick a D+. I don't mind the pick. I believe Zeller will give the Bobcats consistency at the low-post position until Michael Jordan and staff finds the other variables for a winning equation.  Zeller can shoot the ball well from both away from the basket, and at the free-throw stripe.  He can also get up the floor and score in transition, which makes up for some liabilities on the defensive end.  If Zeller can beef up and get back to the fundamentals in the low-post, both scoring and rebounding, his game could eventually look similar to a Kevin Love type stretch four.

Ben McLemore, who according to ESPN's Jay Bilas was the best player available, was selected at No. 7 to the Sacramento Kings.  Sacramento brings in a versatile scoring threat sure to put fans in the seats, which is something the Kings organization must do after fighting so hard to keep the team in the state capital and new owner Vivek Ranadive feels good about the pick. 

"Basketball Never Stops," is the phrase coined by somebody who understands the NBA.  Just shortly after crowning a Champion, fans of the league were truly spoiled with entertainment last night.  The 2013 NBA Draft may not be remembered by the collection of talent, but, it is certainly a draft that I will never forget. 

 


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Letter Of Advice To Dan Gilbert As Cleveland Wins NBA Draft Lottery

Dan Gilbert's Cleveland Cavaliers just won the NBA draft lottery for the second time in three years. (msn.foxsports.com)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are familiar with this situation. They were here in 2003 and again in 2011. Now the Cavaliers have won the NBA draft lottery again, giving them the No. 1 pick in June's draft. It would make them seem lucky and happy if it wasn't failure that brought them here so many times.

The history is well known. Cleveland selected hometown hero LeBron James in 2003. James did not win a title in Cleveland and in 2010 he left for the Miami Heat and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wrote an angry letter to the fan base in comic sans. The Cavaliers struggled without James and took Kyrie Irving with the first pick in 2011. That has worked out well in that Irving has grown into an All-Star caliber talent, but still the Cavs struggle. Now Cleveland will most likely draft Nerlens Noel in June, and rumors are circling that the Cavs might look to restore peace with LeBron and bring him back to Cleveland when he enters free agency in 2014.

These are important times for the Cavaliers and Dan Gilbert with crucial decisions that will effect the immediate future of the franchise. To help, Beats Dimes and Drives has written you a letter (styled similar to Gilbert's, but sorry, no comic sans this time) with a few words of advice.

Dear Mr. Gilbert,

As you know, you again won the NBA draft lottery. You have an opportunity to drastically improve your on-court product in the upcoming season, which I'm sure this fan base is desperately looking forward to. 

Clearly the last three years have been disappointing to you all. It must have been hard to focus on basketball when there were so many LeBron jerseys to burn.

You deserve more.

The good news is the pieces are falling into place with a talented point guard and now hopefully a dominate low-post presence in Noel, if that is the direction you choose. Heck, maybe your "former hero" and "self-titled former King" LeBron will even forgive you and give you a second chance. 

Wouldn't that be something? Would you even want him back when he disproved your guarantee of winning a championship before him? You would, and should, because the path the franchise has been down isn't getting you anywhere, which is why I would like to offer some advice.

Stop worrying about LeBron. Move on. Of course you would naturally want him back, anyone would, but LeBron seems to consume you, and having him back won't necessarily make that better. Even after winning the lottery you said, "We thought originally after everything had to be reset that it would be a three-year process," and, "For everyone in Cleveland who has supported us through these three years, I think this is for them." 

It wasn't the apocalypse. Yes he is the best player in the league, but you could have put together other competent pieces. Instead you fired your coach, Mike Brown, hired another that did worse, Byron Scott, and now just brought Brown back. Not to mention paying Luke Walton more than $6 million (second most on the team) this season for 3.4 points per game.

Instead of blaming LeBron's leaving on the destruction of the franchise, make some positive free-agent moves to bring experienced and proven players to Cleveland. Because ...

I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE IF YOU KEEP WINNING THE DRAFT LOTTERY THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE RUNNING A FRANCHISE CORRECTLY.

Most importantly, you have a potential great player in Irving and possibly another in Noel. They may not want to be in Cleveland for the rest of their careers, especially if the only thing they are winning is the lottery. 

If they leave, it will hurt, but learn from your LeBron mistakes. No letters. No obsurd guarantees of championships. No curses or bashing of personalities. 


Focus on how to make the team better without them. It is what should have happened in 2010 and your fans are still waiting. 

They are still waiting on that brighter day and that championship you promised them. And I promise you if you keep with these failed promises and guarantees, no one will be listening the next time you pull up a word document in comic sans on your computer.


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Friday Roundtable: Andrew Wiggins and Tanking NBA Seasons

Andrew Wiggins is a Canadian kid. Will the Raptors make a move to draft him? (blog.vstrator.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: Andrew Wiggins committed to the University of Kansas for a pit-stop before going pro. Which NBA team is most likely to pull the biggest tank job to draft the likely one-and-done talent?

Alex:
Orlando, seemingly, has already taken steps toward this after Dwight Howard forced his way to Los Angeles and the Magic jettisoned J.J. Redick to the Milwaukee Bucks for what looked like spare parts to some. Even so, Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris (in his partial season there) came on strong for Orlando while the team as a whole sank to last place in the entire NBA. Having that front court duo together for an entire season, however, will likely keep the Magic from repeating in that respect.

The team making the biggest (read: worst) play for Andrew Wiggins will be the Cleveland Cavaliers. Forget waiting for LeBron James and his potential homecoming in 2014. He's already established himself as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and has yet to hit 30 years of age, but pairing him with Kyrie Irving would marginalize the young point guard's ball handling wizardry and ability to control the pace of games with James needing to be the primary ball-handler to maximize his talents.

Would that be worth it? With the right role players, absolutely, but the Cavs don't have those kind of ancillary components right now. They have Irving, Tristan Thompson, an underwhelming-as-a-rookie Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao, who hasn't played since December after an injury derailed his fantastic start to the season. Aside from those players, the Cavs roster looks like a scrap heap of journeymen, outcasts and Did Not Play - Coach's Decision All-Stars.

Cleveland was only four losses away from tying Orlando for the league's worst record in 2012-13. Without All-NBA numbers from Varejao in a few early outings or a couple out-of-his-gourd games by Irving, those four wins could have easily gone the other way. If we presume Irving will be better all-around from one more year of experience and Varejao will perform at a slower rate or finally be dealt for pennies on the dollar, the Cavaliers' schedule should look awfully familiar come the end of next season. The only contracts the Cavs have on the books for 2014-15 are those of Varejao (pending trade) and Alonzo Gee, with team options for Irving, Thompson, Waiters and Tyler Zeller. (Those first two are essentially automatic, the third is probable and the fourth, not so much. Sorry, Tyler.)

It isn't a stretch for Cleveland to head into that season with a core including one of the league's top point guards and Wiggins with at least two young role players in tow with Thompson and Waiters. But spurning LBJ in order to form a young team with unknown upside a la the Oklahoma City Thunder? That would be a tank job, especially if it the lottery didn't work in the Cavs' favor.

Kyle:
It seems like it was a lot longer ago than just the 2009-10 season that the Phoenix Suns propelled to a 54-28 record with Steve Nash at the helm and battled the San Antonio Spurs in those gritty playoff matchups where the two teams met three times in four years.

Those better days seem distant because since then the Suns have failed to finish above .500 and no longer have their beloved star in Nash. The Suns were last in the Western Conference with a 25-57 record and seem like a favorable pick to be in a similar position next season with New Orleans and Sacramento having young talent still adjusting to the league.

Phoenix desperately needs help at the shooting guard or small forward positions, especially looking toward the future. The Suns' two shooting guards right now are Jared Dudley (10.9 points per game) and P.J. Tucker (6.4 ppg) and those two will be 29 years old when Wiggins will likely be entering the draft next season. The Suns are slightly better off at the SF position, but Michael Beasley has had multiple off-the-field issues during his time in the NBA and only averaged 10.1 ppg this season. Beasley will also be entering the final year of his contract when Wiggins is drafted. Wesley Johnson is Beasley's backup and averaged eight ppg but only played about 20 minutes a game last season and hasn't asserted himself as a starter.

Not only does Phoenix have the need at Wiggins' positions and the situation that would likely place them in contention for the possible No. 1 draft pick, but Wiggins would also have a talented point guard in Goran Dragic to facilitate the offense. Dragic managed 7.4 assists per game for a team that was No. 21 in scoring, yet is still an scoring threat at 14.7 ppg this year. Imagine the two-man offensive schemes the Suns could develop with Dragic and a versatile, athletic swing man like Wiggins.

The Suns need a star to bring the team back to relevance and what's one more season of poor play for the prospect of Wiggins' potential? Phoenix needs the type of player and style of play Wiggins can offer because that 2009-10 season will only seem longer and longer ago.

Shawn:

My initial, knee-jerk reaction was to say that the Charlotte Bobcats would be the team to throw their season away and do whatever it took to be at the top with a chance to take Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick. However, that would imply that the Bobcats knew how to do something other than lose, and that simply isn’t the case. My second thought was it could possibly be the Mavericks, given owner Mark Cuban’s tendency to do things out of the norm and his burning desire to be in the headlines. But again, while I still think it’s possible, I moved away from that notion. The team I have finally settled on that is most likely to throw its season in order to obtain the player with the most hype before ever setting foot on an NBA floor since LeBron James may come as something of a surprise.

I think the Boston Celtics are the most likely team to throw their season to have a chance to pick Andrew Wiggins.

Yes, I know, it’s blasphemous for me to insinuate that such a storied and respected franchise not only in basketball, but in all of sports, would dare sink to throwing games simply to have a chance at taking one player. However, this is not just any player, and the Celtics have an out that could provide them with a shield from scrutiny and accusations from media about taking a dive on their season.

Under the guise of rebuilding, the Celtics could potentially move all their aging players in order to acquire picks and expiring contracts to give them a chance to build a team around Wiggins, as well as lose the amount of games necessary to have a pick high enough to draft him. Players like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett could still be attractive pieces for contending teams looking for that one last element that will push them into title contention. The team has already been rumored and reported several times in the last couple of years to have been actively trying to trade the one building bock it has in point guard Rajon Rondo.

While fans would be frustrated about losing, the idea of rebuilding has already been placed in their heads as a necessity after the early exit from the playoffs this season, which was largely blamed on the declining play of aging superstars Pierce and Garnett, and the loss of Rondo to injury. The fans know they need a new centerpiece for their team, and this opens the door for the Celtics to move expensive, aging players, and put themselves in a position to lose consistently in the effort to acquire Wiggins.

Fred: 
The Sacramento Kings were founded in 1945 but have only won a single title. That was way back in 1951 as the Rochester Royals.

The Maloof brothers have been destroying the franchise and turning away fans, it's time to give Sacramento something to cheer about. What better way to make your fans happy than by drafting the soon to be college phenomenon Andrew Wiggins?

Tanking is a tricky situation for the new management. It is in their best long term interest to be as bad as possible next year as they have the opportunity to build around a player from the loaded 2014 draft. However, they must show the city of Sacramento that things are truly changing and that they are ready to make the best basketball team possible.

The Kings have a few valuable trade pieces despite winning only 28 games in the 2013 season. The new management should look to clear house and get rid of every trace of the Maloofs while stockpiling young players and draft picks. This will allow them to show their fans that they're ready to shake things up while giving them the best chance possible to land Wiggins.

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Teams Seeking Phil Jackson, But How Much Will They Pay?

Phil Jackson wants back in the NBA, and several teams are reportedly in the running. (ocnnreport.com)

Five games into the regular season, Lakers fans thought their former NBA Championship-winning coach would be coming back to them. Phil Jackson was the fan favorite to replace Mike Brown this season, but instead the organization went with Mike D'Antoni.

Now other teams are calling for Jackson, who in January said he was not going to coach again but has since had a change of heart. The first team to capitalize on this change of heart is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been in contact with Jackson after firing coach Byron Scott. The Cavs will not likely be the only pursuers as the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings are also reportedly both interested.

The question is not can your team land Phil Jackson, but how much will the team give up for him? It might take more than a hefty salary because Jackson wants to be more than a coach. It is being reported that Jackson wants more of a leadership and management role where he has a say in team decisions. This will not be a quick, one or two-year stop as coach and then it's back to retirement. It sounds like Jackson wants to be involved in an organization similar to how Pat Riley has evolved with the Miami Heat.

All three teams mentioned above have young talent that would benefit from Jackson's teaching, but what ownership group is willing to invest management in the successful coach? Remember, Jay-Z's ownership stake in the Nets is for sale and the Kings may have new investors with an open spot for Jackson if the team heads to Seattle.


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Hometown Legends in Their Own Right

Ben McLemore guards Trey Burke during the NCAA Tournament. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Ben McLemore was clearly the best player on the floor for the Kansas for the majority of the Jayhawks' season before it ended in the Sweet 16 to Michigan, the eventual national runner-up revolving around point guard Trey Burke. Both ended up at their respective colleges after options closer to their hometowns fell through, either because they eschewed them (McLemore) or there was not enough playing time available (Burke).

Despite a push from his mother to attend Missouri, McLemore signed with Kansas before the 2011-12 season and was an unseen factor in the program's run-up to playing in the national championship game during what was expected to be a down year. McLemore was able to practice with the team as a partial qualifier, challenging starters to bring their best in empty gyms, not just in front of packed crowds.

In the same high school class was Burke, a native of Columbus, Ohio. Before his Wolverines squad played in the national championship against Louisville on Monday, Burke admitted his adolescent hoop dreams included counting down imagined buzzers while pretending he was an Ohio State player. When it came time to make a college decision, though, the Buckeyes had a starting point guard that perfectly fit their strategy and the defensive identity of the Big Ten in Aaron Craft. Burke's decision was surely spurred along by the fact that, given its roster, Ohio State did not offer him a scholarship, even with Burke's former high school teammate, Jared Sullinger, powering the Buckeyes.

The rest is well-known by now. Burke went to Michigan, adding to the program's resurgence and sweeping the college player of the year awards after leading his team to the national championship game in his sophomore year. Whether or not Ohio State would have been better off with Burke splitting point guard duties with Craft is an argument without a definitive answer, but it wouldn't be Ohio if everything went right in sports, would it?

Burke was never a Buckeye. He didn't transfer to Michigan and never had the opportunity as Ohio State didn't give him chase. LeBron James was Ohio, through and through, until the summer of 2010. He had grown up in Akron, a stone's throw south of Cleveland. When the in-state product declared for the NBA Draft after his senior year of high school, the Cavaliers were coming off a season in which Ricky Davis led the team in scoring (I was surprised, too) and the franchise finished with a 17-65 mark, won the draft lottery and held the top overall pick. James' arrival instantly changed the culture and the buzz around professional basketball in Ohio then spent the next seven years trying to bring an NBA championship to the state that relied on his young success, but reached the Finals only once and could not bring home a banner.

His supporting cast was never grade-A, and the LeBron James of those seven years was still far from being the LeBron James of today. Somewhere through the progressions of James growing frustrated and experiencing playing with other superstars in the Olympics, he thought it best not to sign an extension with the Cavaliers. He strung along the franchise and fans, considering offers from other teams before announcing his chosen team on national television. The Decision was a debacle. Fans burned jerseys, cursed James' name and stood behind Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's comic-sans promise to win an NBA title for Cleveland before James could earn a ring.

That didn't happen, obviously; the opposite events took place as Miami's new Big Three claimed top Eastern Conference honors and played in the Finals directly after uniting, then won a championship while the Cavs toiled near the bottom of the NBA ranks, though not without collecting young talent, including point guard Kyrie Irving. Nearly three years later, the strife seems to have dissipated and there is hype around James' potential return to his home state to don a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey in 2014 after playing out a final season in Miami.

The previous seven paragraphs are filled with old news in a time-driven cycle, but they lead to an old point: the influence of a hometown in sports is a powerful thing. Whether it is nostalgic magnetism that leads to a triumphant return for LeBron in Cleveland or a renewed disgust of the Cavaliers' fan base after a second scorning next summer; whether McLemore spent his sole year playing college basketball at the right school in choosing a blue-blood powerhouse known for producing pros instead of the one under two hours away from his St. Louis roots; these are personal decisions, but in all these situations, there must be an inkling of what Burke felt. Shunned by the school whose players he grew up idolizing, Burke became a certified star on the NCAA level at Ohio State's fiercest rival. He wore gold and navy, but even before the biggest game of his life to that point, Burke was fondly ruminating on those backyard memories of non-existent crowds roaring as he launched a final shot with a game on the line, clad in grey and scarlet during his daydream.

More often than not, athletes do not get the chance to compete for the pride of their land, that place they grew up. For every Larry Bird at Indiana State, there are a dozen Dorian Green's playing at Colorado State instead of in his backyard Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. Burke and McLemore are the rule, not the exception. Deron Williams opted to stay with the Brooklyn Nets instead of playing with the Dallas Mavericks, a franchise near his home. But every once in a while, there is a LeBron James who has it both ways; who knows what it is to play at home and away in a sense that most athletes will never understand. Even rarer is someone with the opportunity to return home after turning it into a fiery mess not so long ago, and to be received with open arms.

Of the 82 games in the NBA regular season, 41 are played on the road. When players return, they are typically not returning to an environment where they have spent the majority of their lives or anywhere near such a place. Coming back to a familiar place is comforting for the average person without the scrutiny of innumerable pundits, onlookers and hangers-on carried by professional and, to an extent, collegiate athletes. Loved or hated, hometowns hold a special draw. They all have specifically tailored legends, tall tales and folk heroes. Athletes often get to be all three, but to build such a reputation while performing exactly where you have sown all your seeds? That's truly admirable and, I have to think, exceptionally satisfying.

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Friday Roundtable: The NBA's Uninjured MVP

 Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving lock eyes during a charity game. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: With Kobe Bryant's injury potentially putting the Los Angeles Lakers in a holding pattern, which uninjured NBA player is most valuable to his team?

Kyle:

The "most valuable player" category is always tricky because people naturally think of the most talented players. While I consider this player one of the best in the NBA, he is not one of the four or five elite scorers that first come to mind.

My most valuable player that a team can't afford to lose to injury is one of the best floor generals in the game; Chris Paul. I considered Carmelo Anthony and James Harden, who both lead their teams in scoring by more than 10 points more than the second leading scorer, but imagine the type of office the Clippers run without Paul. Paul finds his teammates so well (9.6 assists per game) that it almost overlooks the fact he scores 16.6 points per game. Paul's defense and 2.4 steals per game is just as valuable. Other players on the team should be good enough to at least somewhat make up for a lack of scoring, due to injury, on a playoff-caliber team. But good luck finding a backup point guard that can match what Paul brings to the table.

An injury to LeBron James or Kevin Durant would draw questions to the Heat or Thunder's title chances but Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook are both capable of taking over scoring loads. How Paul is able to run the Clippers while he's on the floor is a thing of beauty that fellow Clippers point guards Chauncey Billups and Eric Bledsoe, along with most of the other point guards in the NBA, cannot emulate.

Fred:
Dwight Howard. The Lakers with a healthy and motivated Howard look like a completely different team. Since the All-Star break, Dwight is averaging 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks on 55% shooting. Not surprisingly, the Lakers are 9-3 since then. He’s finally starting to regain his athleticism. He fights hard for rebounds and leaps high for blocks. His demeanor has changed as he finally seems to be having fun on the court again.

The Lakers simply do not have good defensive players outside of Dwight and Metta World Peace. Howard has a tremendous amount of responsibility to protect the paint as speedy point guards blow by the Laker perimeter defense. As soon as Dwight has to come out of the game, the opposing team drives the lane relentlessly without fear. His responsibility is magnified with Jordan Hill and Pau Gasol both being out, forcing the Lakers to go as far as playing World Peace at center while Dwight rests.

There is no denying Kobe has been fantastic this season, but the Lakers wouldn’t have a chance at the playoffs without the recent play of Dwight Howard.

Zach: 
My answer is Kyrie Irving. I just cannot help myself. The guy is not CP3, but he doesn't play in Los Angeles, either. Despite the Cleveland Cavaliers not being a playoff contender this season, Irving has taken fans' recently broken hearts and has begun mending them back together, possession by possession. Irving has brought basketball life back to Cleveland sooner than anyone expected.

This season, Irving averages 23 ppg, shoots over 40 percent from both the field and behind the arc, and dishes away nearly six assists per game. It's not about the numbers. Irving is a showman. Pepsi's 'Uncle Drew' documentaries are enjoyed by everyone, young and old, basketball fan or not. Irving was this year's three-point contest winner at the All-Star Game in Houston. His game presents cunning elements of flash, style and technique all appealing to the eye.

Before Irving even has turned 21, Cleveland has seen plenty of disappointment. We remember Micheal Jordan beating the buzzer, jumping in celebration. We remember 'The Decision', the removal of 'We are Witnesses' posters, and jerseys set aflame as a town feeling betrayed cursed their once hometown hero. Irving will be able to enjoy a well-deserved cocktail a week from tomorrow.

Irving's importance to the Cavaliers is clear. He is the guy and, barring injury, he will be for a long time. 

Alex: 

If Bryant suffered a more serious injury – one that sidelined him for the rest of the regular season – the answer would be Steve Nash. He would be the captain capable of solidifying the Lakers as the eighth seed or possibly overtaking the Rockets to move higher. In the absence of an alternately ball dominant or uber-facilitating Kobe, Mike D’Antoni would hand Nash the reigns to a slightly diluted Seven Seconds Or Less offense that incorporated pick-and-rolls with Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.

As it stands, however, Bryant only has a (badly) sprained ankle and a reputation for playing through pain. Instead of Nash, another point guard is the most important, uninjured asset of his team: Jrue Holiday. Working with the Philadelphia 76ers’ patchwork roster of under-developed young players, journeymen and aging role players in the absence of could-have, should-have, would-have been game changer Andrew Bynum, Holiday has been the brightest spot for a team that was competing for a playoff spot until a few weeks ago.

Aspects of Holiday’s game could certainly use improvement, namely his main duty of ball handling. The fourth-year PG has committed 232 turnovers this season (third in the NBA), but that is due more to his position as a crutch in the Sixers’ offense. It only becomes troubling if the trend continues if/when Bynum returns and Philadelphia’s strategy shifts, as Holiday’s miscues have spiked this season by 1.8 more turnovers per game.

Luckily for his team, the good outweighs the bad: Holiday is fourth in the league in assists with 8.7 per game and second in the overall category with 521. Not surprisingly, he is assisting on 39.1 percent of his teammates field goals when on the floor. Presuming those numbers sustain through the end of the season (or even if he can rack up just 11 more assists), they will all be career highs. While a .445 field goal percentage – brought down by a .326 percentage from long range – does not jump off the page, Holiday is shouldering the 76ers’ burden by playing 38.6 minutes per game, leading the scoring charge with 18.6 points per game (which, if he keeps it up, will make for a career-best season 4.6 ppg higher than his current record) and facilitating at a high rate to teammates of a lesser quality.

Holiday’s Win Shares per 48 minutes has dipped since he became the team’s focal point this season, but his career-high 17.7 player efficiency rating and first All-Star nod validate his performance. Philadelphia is 8.5 games out of the eighth seed. Barring a miracle, the Sixers will miss the postseason. But with even a slightly better supporting cast or even a few games swung by a healthy Bynum? We could get caught up in the pre-playoff rush and be talking Holiday up to be the NBA’s next great point guard.

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Anderson Varejao Deserves To Be An All-Star

Anderson Varejao has morphed from a role player into a player deserving of an All-Star nod. (nba.si.com)

When people think of Anderson Varejao, their minds may wander back to the days when LeBron James donned a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey. 

LeBron was the focal point of an otherwise talent-deprived Cavs squad, and Varejao’s responsibilities were limited to that of mop-up man, rebounder or scrapper. In other words, Varejao was a role player. A valuable piece to the puzzle, but not one of the main pieces. Now that LeBron has been gone for a couple of years, Cleveland is desperate for another star that can bring the Cavs back to the forefront of the NBA. The team drafted talented point guard Kyrie Irving two years ago, who has begun to become one of the better guards in the league, averaging just a shade less than 24 points and six assists per game. The team is young, in a small market, and with the emergence of Irving, these elements again put Varejao in the background. This time, however, he doesn’t belong there at all. This time, he belongs with the All-Stars.

I might ask you to set aside your previous impressions of Anderson Varejao, but that would be a disservice to him. All the old elements and style of play are still there. He’s still a scrapper, rebounder and, in some regards, a mop-up man. The difference is Varejao is putting up better statistics than he has ever before in his nine-year career. He’s averaging a line of 14 points, 14.4 rebounds (that .4 is important. Trust me. I’ll show you why later), and 3.4 assists (the .4 is admittedly less important here). He’s been efficient in his scoring, both from the floor and the free-throw line. Varejao’s shooting barely less than 48 percent from the field and more than 75 percent from the foul line this season.

Let’s start with Varejao’s points per game. Varejao’s career average sits around seven-and-a-half points per game. However, this season, he has raised his level of play and is putting in 14 ppg this season. It’s only the second time in his career that Varejao has averaged double digits in points. The last time was just last season, where he scored 10 ppg. While he probably won’t take Dwight Howard to school off the low block, Varejao’s rise in points is a huge deal and not to be taken lightly. It takes pressure off the other young players on the team to score, like Tyler Zeller, Tristan Thompson or Dion Waiters, and allows them to take on more of a third-option role behind Irving and Varejao. His scoring is significant in that he is still efficient from the field, even though his opportunities have gone up this year. He’s averaging three more shots this season than the next highest total in his career, and is still floating right around the 50 percent mark.

Next, while he has had the reputation of a rebounder for his whole career, Varejao is pulling down more boards than ever before. In fact, he’s pulling down more rebounds than anyone else in the league this season. Varejao is averaging 14.4 rebounds per game, .4 more than the man behind him, Kevin Love (I told you the .4 was important). The evidence that Varejao hasn’t lost any of the scrapper in him from his earlier years is that, out of the 14 rebounds he pulls down in a game, more than five of them come on the offensive end. This can account for some of his scoring numbers going up this year, but it also shows he’s giving his team second-chance opportunities throughout a game. It’s also more than any other player in the NBA. Varejao has been better than rebounding studs such as Love, Howard, Zach Randolph and Joakim Noah.

When you look at it, there’s just no reason for Varejao not to be an All-Star. His statistics are comparable with any other post in the league, and he’s been an efficient player who values and takes care of the ball while getting his teammates involved. He’s also come a long way to get to this point, now in his ninth season, and deserves to be rewarded for his hard work. 

However, with a recent knee injury putting him on the sideline, and his reputation as a role player before this season, Varejao probably won’t get the nod. This is unfortunate and a mistake. First of all, he deserves it; plain and simple. Second, if you’re worried about him taking the honor away from a more deserving player, he won’t take the floor again until March, so put that concern to rest (even though I don’t feel there are many that are more deserving). Finally, why not just reward the guy for the work he’s put in to get here? Fathers everywhere will be able to watch the game with their kids, point to Varejao and say, “See him? That guy wasn’t the best on the floor. He got pushed to the back. But he worked hard and now, he’s an All-Star. If you work hard, someday you can be there, too.” Why not support a dream? Do what’s right. Put Varejao in.

Lord knows, he’s earned it.


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A Few Thoughts on the NBA Draft First Round

Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilcrist were the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the NBA Draft - ESPN.com

The first round of the NBA draft is in the books and now that the dreams have come true, it's time for reality to kick in.

And still the biggest takeaway is we know nothing and won't know anything until they take the court. We don't know if Dion Waiters jumping up to No. 4 is a good pick or if Perry Jones III, taken at No. 28 and has the talent of a lottery pick, was worth the drop.

Since I cannot see into the future, I don't do much predicting of who will shine, but instead hit you with the big takeaways from the first round, in case you missed it.

According to Plan: Just as I tell you we can't predict the future, the first round picks stayed pretty true to what the experts expected. Some jumped higher than thought and others dropped out of the lottery, but those worries were known heading into the night. Dion Waiters seemed high at No. 4, but other than that, the lottery picks weren't very surprising.

Watching Stocks Plummet: Based on the household-style of the names involved, it would be a shock to see how far in the draft Jared Sullinger, 21st pick, and Perry Jones III, 28th pick, if we were still judging them on the beginning of the college season. Injuries were the question marks for both guys, but both - Perry Jones III especially - have been placed in systems in which to succeed. Jones III had top-10 talent, and Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook should be able to get him to play like a star.

Seas of Blue: The players of the first round had two common themes; teammates traveled in packs and the blue bloods were prominent. For the first time in the modern draft era, two teams, Kentucky and North Carolina, had four players each selected in the first round. Throw in Austin Rivers of Duke and Thomas Robinson of Kansas and the powerhouses of college basketball were well represented.

First Round Winner: 
New Orleans: It's hard to not rule the team who has the No. 1 and No. 10 picks as a winner and nearly impossible when the two picks were Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers. For all we know they could both be busts, but that's not likely. From a potential standpoint, those are two solid picks.

First Round Loser:
Cleveland: With a team still hurting from the loss of a talent like LeBron James, the Cavaliers selected two shooting guards (Dion Waiters and Jared Cunningham) both of which were taken with talent left on the board. Cunningham was projected as the No. 37 pick, while big men like Jones III and Festus Ezeli could have made solid backups for Jamison and Varejao.


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Nike Ad Chronciles LeBron's Path to a Title

By: Alex Skov

Well, that didn't take long. One of Nike's premier clients won his first NBA championship last night, and the shoe-company-cum-basketball-overlord capitalized by airing the above advertisement shortly after the Miami Heat clinched a five-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nike's connection with LeBron James extends back years, and to say that the company's admen have been waiting for King James to have some bling to compliment his crown would be an understatement. With the addition of a couple seconds' footage of a newly ordained champion, Nike rolled out an ad that follows James' path from Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary High School through some perfunctory highlights from his early Cleveland Cavaliers days, before picking up steam by capturing moments from his coming out party as a major player against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals then giving time to LBJ's first two ill-fated Finals appearances.

For one viewer in particular, it pays off. Needless to say, it works out alright for LeBron, too. The heft of the Larry O'Brien trophy, the tug of gravity on his championship ring -- it's the weight of the world coming off James' shoulders. New criticisms will surely replace old ones, and more titles will be expected with an initial championship secured. But for now, the young man will celebrate. So will Nike.


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