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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 4/12/2022
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Luke Adams
12:00
Thanks for the early questions to everyone who has submitted them! Keep 'em coming -- we'll get underway in just a minute or two.
John Horst
12:02
Was sitting our starters the last game (and ending up with a relatively easy 1st round match with the Bulls, but falling to the 3rd seed and possibly losing home-court for a 2nd round match) the way to go?
Luke Adams
12:05
I think so. As nice as home-court advantage is, any legit contender can beat any other team on the road as well as at home. Giving up a possible second-round home game is a fair trade-off for getting what should be a much friendlier first-round matchup -- the Bulls haven't looked in the last few weeks like they're capable of winning a playoff series.
Rumer Willis
12:05
On April 8th, you cited Ben Dubose of Rockets Wire stating the following about Christian Wood, “I’ve talked to people around the league, and the general sense I get is that with some of the off-the-court concerns that exist regarding his attitude, people think he would be a better fit in a contender’s locker room where there’s a clear veteran star in place.” So, in a general sense, people around the league don’t have on-the-court concerns regarding his attitude. If you can kindly inform me about “the off-the-court concerns" that have been rumored about, it would be greatly appreciated.
Luke Adams
12:08
There have been vague "off-court concerns" surrounding Wood for several years now -- the general consensus is that they were the reason it took him a while to catch on with a team despite his obvious talent. I have no inside info on what exactly those issues ARE, and I don't recall having read any specifics. But I've gotten the sense that they're related to his maturity, ego, accountability, etc. He's not getting into legal trouble or anything like that.
Ted Knox
12:08
Would Philly actually fire Doc Rivers if the Sixers don't win it all this year? and.. Do you think Doc would really take the Lakers job if it's offered (regardless of the championship outcome?
Luke Adams
12:10
I suspect Doc will get a full year with Embiid/Harden before facing any championship-or-bust stakes to save his job. But the nature of their playoff exit would be a factor -- if the Raptors beat them in five games in the first round, then yeah, Doc's seat would get pretty hot pretty quickly.
12:11
As for whether he'd take the Lakers' job... I could see it. He's a coach that most veteran stars around the NBA respect and I bet he'd feel like he could help fix the dysfunction there.
Draft Dodger
12:11
Who are the best point guards in Free agency this year?  The possibility of a quality PG in this year's draft is low and that is the largest single need for the guard challenged Wizards.
Luke Adams
12:13
Our list of FAs by position is here, so you can take your pick: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/01/2022-nba-free-agents.html
Kyrie Irving and Jalen Brunson are probably the cream of the crop, but Tyus Jones, Gary Payton II, and Dennis Schröder are interesting too.
Dennis Smith Jr
12:14
Am I going to play again this year? Or am i done for the season
Luke Adams
12:14
Considering you're not on a roster right now and signings aren't allowed anymore, it's a pretty safe bet your season is over.
Josh
12:14
If Russell Westbrook were to actually turn down his option and become a free agent, what teams might want him and for how much? Is he a veterans' minimum player now?
Luke Adams
12:16
Russ' fit in L.A. was so bad that I think he's actually sort of being undervalued now -- he still averaged 18-7-7 this season, and his shooting rates were pretty close to his career averages. You need to get the right mix of players around him, but he can still be a useful player. On the open market, he'd probably get at least the mid-level.
Trog
12:16
Would it be better for the Rockets to try and unload John Wall to a rebuilding team who can absorb his contract in the offseason (ala DET or OKC), in which case they would have to attach draft picks? Or, since the Rockets are rebuilding themselves ... will they inevitably just buy him out?
Luke Adams
12:18
It's really hard for me to envision a scenario in which the Rockets can trade Wall and come out ahead. Even if they didn't have to give up draft picks, they'd probably have to take on at least one not-so-great multiyear contract. Maybe they'll surprise me, but I feel like they're headed toward a buyout.
Lloyd E
12:18
Vogel and Gentry are out do you see any other teams making changes?
Luke Adams
12:20
There hasn't really been any buzz on any of the other eight non play-in teams making changes, so that leaves the 20 playoff/play-in teams. Of those, the only situations that really feel worth monitoring to me are Quin Snyder/Jazz, Doc Rivers/Sixers, and Steve Nash/Nets.
I don't really think the Sixers and Nets will make changes, but if Philly loses in the first round and Brooklyn somehow loses two straight play-in games, you have to imagine they'd have conversations about it at least.
12:21
As for Snyder, it seems more likely that he'd leave on his own accord as opposed to being fired. There has been a lot of smoke there over the last few weeks.
Guest
12:21
With Jalen Green blowing up post AS weekend, coupled with a guaranteed top 5 pick in the 22 draft, and the promising showing of Sengun. Do you see Houston getting ahead of themselves and trying to shift some of their many assets and young prospects to trade for a proven top player to go with Green and 22 pick to speed up the rebuild?
Luke Adams
12:23
It would be a mistake for them to speed things up, and it's one I doubt they'll make. Green, Sengun, and this year's top-five pick are the long-term core, so if I were the Rockets, I'd be exploring the trade market for Christian Wood and Eric Gordon this summer in the hopes of acquiring even more young players/picks, with an eye toward giving that young core time to grow together.
Eric in la
12:23
Did the Celtics try to win #2 seed to avoid going to Toronto bc they have stars who aren’t vaxxed?
Luke Adams
12:24
That's a popular theory. At this point there's still been no confirmation that it's based in reality. Since they're on opposite sides of the bracket now, the Raptors and Celtics wouldn't meet until the Eastern Finals, which is probably a long shot, so we may never know!
Dubs fan
12:25
Can the Warriors win a Playoff game without Stephen Curry?  Sounds like he might Miss the first 2 games against the Nuggets.  Thanks Marcus Smart !!
Luke Adams
12:26
If Curry were to miss the first two games of the series in Golden State, I bet the series would go to Denver tied at 1-1. The Warriors have enough talent to compete in that series even without Curry at 100%, especially with Klay looking better lately.
bucks
12:26
will they trade for a center in the offseason!
Luke Adams
12:27
Brook Lopez is still under contract for another year, so I doubt it would be a top priority as long as he's healthy. But if they lose Portis and Ibaka in free agency, they'll definitely need some depth there, whether it's via trade or FA signing.
Pat Williams
12:28
If at the end of the 2022 Draft Lottery, the New Orleans Pelicans have 2 of the top 4 picks, what would your reaction be?
Luke Adams
12:29
I remember heading into the 2019 draft, after the AD debacle, feeling like the Pelicans' future was really bright when they were lined up to get Zion and also had the No. 4 pick in that draft and a whole bunch of future first-rounders in hand. That feeling has wavered a little since then, given how little Zion has been able to play, but I'm starting to get it back now, and some lottery luck next month would really cement it.
12:30
For what it's worth, if they were to luck into two top-four picks, I suspect they'd trade at least one for an impact veteran or to load up on more future assets -- they're ready to contend, so they don't need to be bringing in two more rookies next season.
Laker Fan
12:30
I think the best option with Russell Westbrook is waive and stretch, Beats John Wall or taking multi-year contracts from Pacers or Hornets that tie up cap space 2 or 3 years out. Plus, if it frees money to sign Malik Monk it is worth it.  Monk and  Austin Reaves are the best players beside LeBron and AD. What do you think?
Luke Adams
12:33
I don't love the idea of waiving and stretching Westbrook unless he's willing to give up a chunk of money in a buyout. Without a buyout, it's nearly $16MM in dead money for each of the next three years that you can't really do anything with. At least if you were to trade Westbrook and draft assets for a couple big contracts (say, Brogdon and Hield), you could flip them down the road. Deals in the $20MM range would be much easier to move than Russ' $47MM!
Draft Order
12:33
Can you Publish an Article on the Draft Order for June?
Luke Adams
12:34
We'll have this up as soon as the draft order is set -- we're still waiting on play-in results, tiebreaker draws, etc. Not to mention lottery results. I wrote about this yesterday: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/04/checking-in-on-nbas-2022-lottery-s...
HoopLA
12:34
Clips seem to be on a roll. How far can they realistically go in the playoffs?
Luke Adams
12:36
As long as Kawhi remains out (and that seems like a pretty safe bet), I'd view the Clippers as a pretty significant underdog against the Suns or Grizzlies. They miiight have a shot against Memphis, but if they end up facing the Suns, even forcing a Game 6 would be impressive. Phoenix is really good.
Blake
12:36
Does no luka mean dallas is out in first round again?
Luke Adams
12:37
I have no idea what to make of that series. There have been so many red flags surrounding the Jazz over the last month or two that I was prepared to bet on a first-round exit, but if Luka isn't playing or is far from 100%, Dallas' upside is pretty limited.
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