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Hoops Rumors Live Chat 3/24/2022
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RocketsFan22
11:02
I am curious going forward what could be the plan for the Rockets. Is Silas safe with his job and other coaches to start and who could be possibly moved during off season. I love a lot of the players but wanting to see better from team  Maybe be a little optimistic to at least get to perhaps a play in team perhaps. So curious what will help them.
Dana Gauruder
11:07
You can start with the fact they'll get another high lottery pick. The 3 biggest salaries on their books could all be in different uniforms. Christian Wood will be entering his walk year, Eric Gordon's 2023/24 salary isn't fully guaranteed and John Wall's monster contract will expire after next season. Wood and Gordon were prominent in trade rumors before the deadline and I could see both of them getting dealt. And I can't imagine John Wall wanted to sit around another year -- perhaps the Westbrook deal with the Lakers will finally go down. What you're going to see is a very young team built around this year's lottery pick, Green, Sengun, Porter, etc. Similar to what the Pistons look like this year with 3 second-year players and a lottery pick starting. You'll have at least one more year of pain but the Rockets should start making progress the following year and contend for a playoff berth.
Dubs fan
11:10
Hard to believe the Warriors cannot find a better Backup point guard than Chris Chiozza.  He's too small for the NBA, gets picked on Defensively, and can't even get a Shot up offensively.  Why not swap out his 2-Way Contract for Carsen Edwards?  Carsen is one of the Leading scorers in the GLeague.  I'm pretty sure Carsen is free to Sign a 2-Way Contract as I don't believe he is on one with the Utah Jazz's gleague team the Salt Lake City stars.  With Steph Curry out, we have to find an upgrade behind Jordan Poole.  Last night Chiozza's lack of defense almost cost us that game.
Dana Gauruder
11:14
At this stage of the season, the Warriors probably don't feel the need to make a move unless Curry has a setback. They seem fairly optimistic he'll return by the end of the regular season. With nine games left, it's likely they'll ride with what they have. Chiozza only played nine minutes last night -- perhaps they'll slide Payton or Lee from the wing spots to back up Poole if they're not satisfied with Chiozza. It's tough for a playoff-bound team to throw a young player in there and expect him to produce immediately.
David
11:15
Expiring deal or not, what team would possibly want to trade for Westbrook at all? Someone looking to increase ticket sales?
Dana Gauruder
11:20
I don't know at this point if Westbrook has that kind of general appeal. The tough thing is matching up the salaries in a trade -- 47 mill next year. That's why the Wall thing makes the most sense -- my headache for your headache type of thing. If someone does trade for Westbrook, most likely it will be a rebuilding team like the Rockets, who will then buy him out. They could stretch his salary out or take the cap hit and free up that 47 mill for the following summer. Westbrook could then seek out a playoff-caliber team willing to put up with his deficiencies, kind of like where Carmelo was a few years ago. He may have to reinvent himself and a second unit scorer.
DC
11:20
Besides Westbrook, who won't be on LAL next season?
Dana Gauruder
11:27
A lot of those vets who are signed to minimum contracts. Ariza, Nunn, Howard, Carmelo, Ellington, Bazemore, Bradley are all vulnerable. They've got to get younger and more athletic. The fact that Stanley Johnson was struggling to find work until the Lakers signed him and he's now playing 20-25 minutes a game speaks to how creaky and unproductive the roster has become. Monk has reestablished his value and the Lakers will have competition in trying to re-sign him -- he's an unrestricted free agent. You'll see a pretty substantial roster turnover, though I don't think LeBron or AD are going to be traded.
Trog
11:27
Mavs and Jazz game coming up tomorrow could be a preview of a spectacular 4-5 matchup in the West. Who are you taking in a first round playoff series between them?
Dana Gauruder
11:29
Teams are still jockeying for position in terms of playoff seeding but if that matchup came to fruition, certainly a 6 or 7 game series is on tap. Love to watch Doncic but I'd give the edge to the Jazz. They were banged up at the worst time last season after a great regular season. If Mitchell and Gobert are healthy, I like the Jazz to make a deep run. It's really a make or break postseason for that group.
Trog
11:29
Most "pundits" tend to go chalk based on past performance when they make predictions (especially preseason) and ignore trends, such as if players' and teams' trajectories are rising/falling. Case and point ... how many selected the Lakers to finish atop the standings and the Grizzlies towards the bottom. So my question: which teams currently at the bottom do you see at the top next year and vice versa?
Dana Gauruder
11:35
I will raise my hand and state that I thought the Lakers were overrated coming into the season. I thought the Westbrook trade was a really bad move and that's obviously been a major part of their downfall. Some of this has to do with offseason moves -- such as what the Bulls did to make themselves relevant again. I think the Raptors, by upgrading their bench, could be really solid for the next few years. The Pistons, with their young core plus another high lottery pick, should be a lot better. In the West, Denver and Clippers should obviously have better records when they get their injured stars back in action regularly. The Pelicans should be way better, presuming Zion plays at least half the season (or they deal him for a huge haul of players and picks).
Play In Tournament
11:36
Do you expect it to continue? I understand the ratings and additional games, however it seems to me the games are meaningless towards the end of season with so many teams tanking and teams 7-10 are basic locks.
Dana Gauruder
11:40
I do expect it to continue. The win-or-else format should make it more exciting for fans at the start of the playoffs, much like those wild-card games in MLB. It allows more franchises to say 'Hey, we made the playoffs.' And there's going to be plenty of tanking in the bottom slots no matter how many teams get in.
Ted Knox
11:40
Dana, do you think it’s conceivable in the next CBA that something can be done about players sitting out seasons or taking extended personal reasons absences? (Simmons, Wall, Harden, Hachimura, Lowry are examples.) We are having more and more players not living up to their end of their contracts and it isn’t fair to either the owners or the fans. I don’t think you could get a no-play/no-pay clause, but a compromise might be something like reducing the player’s pay by half for the games they choose not to play.
Dana Gauruder
11:48
Ted, I would love to see that, though trying to establish those guidelines/penalties are really tough. Remember, these max extension and built-in rules to help teams retain their top free agents was supposed to prevent stars from bolting. Now, it doesn't matter so much how many years they have left on their contracts, they can just force a trade if they don't want to play there anymore. There are different circumstances in some of the examples you mentioned -- Simmons (disgruntled, now back issues) and Wall (no desire for either party for him to play on a lottery-bound unit), for examples. The extended personal absences, such as Hachimura, are not just confined to NBA. You're seeing it in other sports (NFL, Ridley is an example from last season) and likely to see some examples in MLB this year. It's a fine line to being sensitive to mental health issues but also paying players to be out on the court. Right now, NBA franchises are inclined to let players take those hiatuses without financial penalties.
aol Ted
11:48
between kuzma, rui and deni avdija, who is the odd man out rotation wise next year?
Dana Gauruder
11:50
I think they'll resolve that dilemma by trading one of them. Kuzma has a tradeable contract (2 years left, $13 mill per) and has the most value at the moment, so he's the one most likely to go.
kristopherll
11:51
Now that Tyreke Evans has been waived by the Bucks' G League affiliate, do you think he'll get another shot in the NBA? Or is it over for him in the league?
Dana Gauruder
11:53
I believe he also sprained his ankle, which contributed to that decision. I don't think he'll stop trying to find a place in the league -- my educated guess is he'll get an invite to training camp somewhere and try to earn a spot that way.
Mike
11:53
Detroit Pistons are looking good lately. If they get a top 5 pick and some notable free agents with there 30 million in cap space this summer, do you see this team making playoffs next year?
Dana Gauruder
11:57
I live in Michigan and see them all the time. They definitely should win quite a few more games but even grabbing the last spot the play-in tournament would be a significant accomplishment. Look at the teams who headed to the playoffs this season -- which ones could they pass -- the Hawks, Hornets, Cavs? It's more likely they win 35-40 games and finish just out of the play-in race. But no doubt, better days are ahead as long as Cunningham and their core guys stay healthy next season.
Black Ace57
11:58
What should be the Knicks plan going forward? It seems clear that Randle is not a future piece and they have a number of vet role players who aren’t long term either. Do they just rebuild/retool the next 2 years?
Dana Gauruder
12:02
Try selling that to the Knicks faithful! That's the problem. They overvalue certain players (like Randle) and wind up in this dilemma. I just can't see the Knicks front office throwing up their hands and going into a full rebuild, like the Pistons, Rockets, OKC are doing. They'll be looking to trade for another star and make the playoffs next season, as usual. The other problem is that outside of Barrett, their draft picks have just not lived up to expectations.
That's all the time we have today. Our next chat will be next Thursday.
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