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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 4/5/2022
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Luke Adams
12:14
Thanks for all the early questions, guys. I only have 45 minutes today, so let's start getting through as many as we can...
Brian
12:15
Would Toronto even consider Siakam for Gobert? Their switch-heavy defense would seem to suggest they wouldn't
Luke Adams
12:16
That rumor was an odd one to me. As much as we've talked in the last year or two about the Raptors needing a center, I don't think they need to acquire a center like Gobert who would significantly change the way they play (and who would require a major acquisition cost). I'm treating that one with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Trog
12:17
Do you see the NBA policing hardship contracts more rigorously in the future? Tanking teams essentially shut down players/make up phantom injuries, and then replace those quality players with hardship 10 day contracts ... ala G league filler.
Luke Adams
12:19
I think that'd be a difficult thing to police, mainly since I don't think any of the injuries are invented out of thin air. Some (like the surgeries a few OKC guys underwent) are clearly real, and I don't see how the NBA would be able to pass judgment on stuff like Jusuf Nurkic's plantar fasciitis. Could Nurkic play through that injury if the Blazers were in contention? Probably, but it's still a real issue, and if the NBA essentially forced players to play through injuries, that could lead to a whole new set of problems that far outweigh a few 10-day hardship signings.
Black Ace57
12:19
After the year he’s had, would it be smart for the Wizards to just let Beal leave? The super max looks like it could be something they will regret.
Luke Adams
12:20
I've mentioned in a couple previous chats that I have a very bad feeling about a max deal for Beal. My thoughts on that haven't changed, but it doesn't sound like the Wizards' thoughts have changed either -- by all accounts, they still plan to move forward with that offer.
Ayton
12:21
What team am I playing for next season and how much money will I be making?
Luke Adams
12:22
I'd be shocked if you left the Suns unless something goes wrong in the playoffs this year. Something like five years and $160MM seems about right to me. A little less than the max, but more than you could get from another team.
Phoenix Suns
12:23
Wich team in the west do you think is the most dangerous for us? I think we will have the upper-hand against all the teams  in our conference and the only real threat to us are the Bucks.
Luke Adams
12:24
The Suns are definitely the best team in the West right now. It's too bad some other challengers aren't healthier -- if Kawhi, Steph, Jamal Murray, MPJ, and a few other guys were at 100%, we'd be in for an incredible postseason. I still think it'll be fun, but it's hard to imagine any team knocking off the Suns unless they really take their games up a level in the playoffs.
12:25
I'm surprising myself with this answer, since I'm still a bit bearish on their playoff upside, but I think the Grizzlies might be the biggest threat in the West.
Walt
12:25
Will magic Johnsons comments about LeBron and demar derozan cause any changes this offseason? More likely they move lebron and/or Davis? Seems to me that this was a line in the sand?
Luke Adams
12:28
I know Magic still has some influence in the Lakers' front office, but I'd be sort of annoyed by his comments this week if I were part of the Lakers' organization. You can find tweets from him supporting the Westbrook trade last summer and saying it would make the team a championship contender. His comments on ESPN this week struck me as revisionism to some extent and pure fantasy in other respects (ie. claiming the Lakers could've had DeRozan, Hield, Caruso, and KCP, when there was no way that would've been possible based on CBA/cap rules).
Fun Guy
12:28
After the Clips win the play-in game. Will I join them in 1st Rd? (Kawhi Laugh). We'll be a dangerous team and the league knows it!
Luke Adams
12:29
I'd be very, very surprised if we see Kawhi this season. We know he's not reckless about coming back from injuries early, and it hasn't even been nine months since he underwent ACL surgery. It just feels too soon.
Joel John
12:29
Is there a possibility of kings moving Barnes this off season, if so for whom?
Luke Adams
12:30
I suppose it's possible. But he's a good fit for the roster and is on a fair contract. If I were them, I'd want to extend him, not trade him. If you get the sense he's not interested in staying beyond next season, maybe you start thinking more seriously about a trade.
Eric from LA
12:31
The East looks like a blood bath.  Who are your picks and WHY?
Tobi
12:31
Wild Wild East this year, is any team worried about their first round match up to the point that they would "rest starters" to avoid a certain team?
Luke Adams
12:33
It's great that so many segments of the East race are so close this season, since I think it makes late-season tanking unlikely. If you're a top-four seed, it's impossible to know at this point who you'd be playing at any given spot.
I suppose if the Nets end up in the 9/10 play-in game, they can only get the No. 8 seed, so maybe you'd rather have No. 2 than No. 1. But Brooklyn could easily win out this week, so the No. 7 seed is still in play for them.
12:35
As for my predictions... I'm reluctant to make any forecasts until we get a sense of what the first-round matchups are. But I have the most confidence right now in the Bucks and Heat and I'm less bullish on the Nets' upside than most the general consensus (they have some big holes without Joe Harris and Ben Simmons).
MIP
12:35
By Vegas odds Ja is going to be a runaway winner for Most Improved Player, yet a sizable number Grizzlies fans say he's not even the most improved player on the team -- Desmond Bane is. Why do second year players never win the award but third year is fine? I don't get the logic in that.
Luke Adams
12:36
I don't really get it either. It's one thing if a second-year player just gets more playing time and his numbers look better because of that, but if he's making major strides, I don't think being a second-year player should disqualify him from consideration.
Amir Coffey
12:37
Jose Alvarado’s two-way contract was converted to a regular contract on March 28th, do you believe he may have financially benefitted more by declining a regular contract and headed to the open market? Or do you believe declining the conversion would negatively affect his reputation because then it looks like he is prioritizing money in front of playing for his team in the play-in tournament?
Luke Adams
12:40
I doubt that insisting on a conversion instead of accepting a long-term team-friendly deal would've hurt his reputation much. And yeah, you're probably right that he could've done a little better if he'd gone that route (Danuel House did this in 2019 and ended up getting something like $3.5-4MM per year on his next deal). The $1.5MM rest-of-season salary for this season was a nice bonus for him though -- I totally understand why a rookie would want to lock in that money rather than rolling the dice on the open market.
Rockets fan
12:40
Could the Rockets trade Woods to move up into the top ten with there second pick in the draft?
Luke Adams
12:42
Well, it's not just as easy as throwing two positive assets in a package and pulling the trigger on a trade -- you'd need to find a team in the top 10 that Wood would fit. But I do think it's worth mentioning that that second Rockets first-rounder (via the Nets) could be pretty good. Even if the Nets make the playoffs in the play-in, which we expect, it could be as high as No. 16 or so. I wouldn't have guessed that entering the year!
Raptors fan
12:42
Raptors doing damage in the playoffs? I can see them taking Miami to the brink but Milwaukee and Philadelphia might be alot more difficult with Giannis and Joel
Luke Adams
12:44
The Raptors are going to make life very difficult for whichever team they face in the playoffs. I have a hard time picturing them getting out of the first round against Miami, Milwaukee, Boston, or Philadelphia, but I won't be surprised at all if they push it to 6-7 games, and their odds of advancing are definitely well above zero.
ohio440guy
12:44
Any chance of the Cavs making some noise in the payoffs ? perhaps winning a series ?
Luke Adams
12:45
I'm less enthusiastic about the Cavs, who I don't even consider a lock to make it through the play-in (playing the Nets and Hawks in some order would be tough). If they were healthier, maybe it'd be a different story, but I think they're still a year or two away from making any real postseason noise.
Heat
12:45
Can we really afford to give Tyler Herro a huge contract this summer? It wouldn't kick in until 2023/24, but for a bench guy who gets targeted on defense to be making anywhere close to a max seems pretty unwise considering how much money we have invested in Butler/Bam/Lowry/Robinson (oof) already.
Luke Adams
12:47
If I were the Heat, I'd probably want to hold off until 2023 (I doubt his stock will get much higher, and if it does, you'd happily pay him at that point). But if he pushes for an extension this offseason, you probably have to do it. I like Herro at $20-25MM+ more than I like Robinson on his current number, and Miami could probably get off Robinson's deal if they have to.
Montrezl Harrell
12:47
With Miles Bridges being a restricted free agent and Charlotte most likely matching any offers he receives, do you foresee Charlotte guaranteeing the remaining $7.6 million of Kelly Oubre’s $12.6 million and/or guaranteeing the remaining $4.3 million of Mason Plumlee’s $8.5 million contract?
Luke Adams
12:49
It looks likely to me. You've already guaranteed nearly half of their salaries and they've been pretty good this year -- even if you don't view them as part of the long-term plan, you can probably trade their expiring contracts for at least neutral (if not positive) at those prices.
Gobert DPOY?
12:49
It seems like Gobert probably isn't going to win DPOY despite leading the league in rebounding and remaining an elite defender. Yeah, the Jazz aren't great on D, but they are when he's on the court -- not his fault the roster is flawed. Who realiatically deserves it more than Gobert? (I don't think it's obvious he should win, but I don't really think anyone else has a more compelling case, either.)
Luke Adams
12:51
I actually agree with you on Gobert, but the narrative of the reeling Jazz and potential voter fatigue all but guarantee he won't win it. I expect it to go to Jaren Jackson or Bam Adebayo, even if many of their advanced numbers aren't better than Gobert's.
Garland
12:52
Do you think Darius Garland is worthy of a full max extension this summer after all the improvements he's made this season? Will the Cavs give it to him?
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