SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz

Featured

As the trade deadline reached it’s penultimate conclusion Thursday afternoon, both the Blazers and Jazz were abstinent in pulling the trade trigger, with only Portland expending the singular asset Skal Labissiere to Atlanta. So, both teams like what they have and are content with pushing towards the playoffs in April, and for a good test, the Portland Trail Blazers look to silence the usually rowdy crowd of 18,300 Jazz patrons inside Vivint Smart Home Arena to see if they can hang with playoff-ready teams since the Jazz sit at the fifth seed in the West.

These two teams faced off less than two weeks ago and that resulted in a Saturday win by the Portland Trail Blazers, in which Damian Lillard felt like keeping up his already fable-like six-game scoring streak, dropping 51 in the process. In his last 8 games, he’s been must-see television and out of nowhere is making MVP noise averaging 42.5 points per game. While the Jazz have an appealing-looking record, Utah has lost five games in a row including two to Denver and that 124-107 loss to the Blazers in Portland last Saturday.

Since then, it’s been a tale of polar opposites for both squads. This losing streak that the Jazz are on killed any momentum of them possibly entering and staying in the top-3 in the West, while the ninth-seeded Blazers are in sniffing distance of the eighth seed in the standings. And they’re scoring in multitudes recently, averaging a whopping 127.4 points in their past seven contests.

What’s to be figured out is if a struggling Jazz team that’s experiencing woes on the defensive end can at least slow down “Dame D.O.L.L.A” and this offensive onslaught that C.J. McCollum (21.3 ppg., 4 rpg., 3.8 apg.) has assisted in bringing to opposing teams and their defensive coverages that have been confusing enough to conceive recently.

Also, the confidence of Gary Trent Jr. has really been a feel-good story to analyze if you’ve tuned into any Blazers games prior to this one tonight. He was mesmerizing to watch in the fourth quarter on Thursday against Houston, chipping in 12 points in the quarter and finishing with a hot 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He’s definitely added another dimension to this Blazers attack and will get another challenge to improve and a chance to showcase his positive development against a tough defensive core in the Utah Jazz.

Utah enters this one well-rested as their last game was on Wednesday, while the Blazers are returning to the court on the second night of a back-to-back. They’ve really found a groove winning five of their last six, and though the Jazz are no pushover led by Donovan Mitchell’s 24.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg., and 4.2 apg., Portland could benefit by getting out of the gates and hitting them in the mouth early with Lillard’s and McCollum’s superb shooting ability.

That’s all to be determined in Friday night’s second ESPN game at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Feb 8, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers

Featured

The Bankers Life Fieldhouse will play home court in this redemption arc, as the Indiana Pacers look to avenge their blown second-half lead in their loss to the comeback kids of Toronto in a rematch, taking place at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN as a part of their Friday night doubleheader.

So, we can just about qualify this Pacers team as an arduous out come playoff time, now compact with guard depth and two all-star (well three, if you count Malcolm Brogdon) caliber players on a Nate McMillan-coached roster that shouldn’t be one of the last teams on anyone’s lists to face in the first round. In the Scotiabank Arena this past Wednesday, Ol’ “Blue-Collar, Gold Swagger” was brilliant for most of Wednesday night in Toronto. They erupted for 43 points in the second quarter, matched a franchise record with 19 3-pointers, and led by 10 points with 2:27 remaining.

And then, everything offensively enriching for the Pacers was nowhere to be found in the game’s final six possessions.

Toronto went ballistic in the game’s waning moments, and on their final six possessions scored at will while forcing four turnovers in the final 1:41. They closed the night with an 11-0 run to stun the Pacers, and of course not complete with the icing on the cake, a standalone three on the J for Serge Ibaka for the win as the Raptors kept their remarkable 11-game winning streak with a 119-118 victory.

The returning Victor Oladipo noticeably struggled in his 5-for-14 shooting night in his first taste of starting minutes this year, complicit in the cold bucketless final seconds in Wednesday night’s loss. Indiana has now dropped three straight and need some momentum if they want to get back into the drivers seat of keeping and maintaining the fifth seed in the Eastern standings, for if they’re able to, they might earn the incentive of avoiding either the streaking Celtics (who are also on a winning streak themselves at five games, respectively) or these Toronto Raptors if either team ends up at the third slot in the East.

The question still persists for these Pacers who look good on paper and could be a dangerous, formidable foe come April: Can they have short memories and answer the adversity by playing four solid quarters against an intimidating, competitive Raptors team literally hours after a gut-wrenching loss?

If the answer to that question is a yes on Friday, that could be a good sign come April.

Feb 8, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

Featured

Tonight’s second round of NBA on TNT action takes place in Tinseltown as the Los Angeles Lakers defend home court against a Rockets team on Thursday night at 10:30 that will look a little…shorter.

That’s no cute sarcasm used by any means, whatsoever. During the rambunctious time before the league-wide trade deadline, Mike D’Antoni is apparently making his new-look Rockets adapt to a run n’ gun brand of ball, prioritizing small-ball lineups in an experiment so wildly bat-stuff crazy that it might just work. And what better way to test out your new experiment in the mad laboratory that is the Staples Center against one of the tallest teams in the league?

The 6’10 Anthony Davis will be more than likely matched up with the much shorter 6’5 PJ Tucker for just about the entire night. Which sounds horrifying. Yes, we’ve been trying to wrap our heads around the same idea as well. But there are some pluses to counter the minuses here as well. Both trade acquisitions in Robert Covington and Jordan Bell will be active tonight, but minutes will be likely and understandably limited.

So Houston is going to be up to their usual ways in their starting lineups, putting Russell Westbrook and James Harden at the top of the key with PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon at the 3 and 4. Since there is no true center, it’s yet to be determined if they’ll send out Danuel House or Ben McLemore at the five, so whoever is matched up with LeBron and AD, it’s going to be a long night, and that just sugarcoating the fact.

And at their longest and tallest, the Lakers will counter that lack of size that the Rockets have with Avery Bradley at shooting guard, Danny Green at the 3, LeBron James at point, Anthony Davis at power forward, and JaVale McGee at the center spot in Frank Vogel’s starting lineup. The Lakers roll into this one confident like an Honors student taking a remedial math class for fun, stomping out the Spurs at home by 27 during San Antonio’s two-game trip in LA.

The last time these Lakers saw the Rockets, they were charged by a second-half comeback behind LeBron’s 31 points and had to overcome James Harden’s 34 points during a Saturday night primetime battle. They lead the season series 1-0, and now have the easiest of opportunities to stau undefeated against Harden’s Rockets that now will have all of the world’s difficulties in trying to win the game on the glass.

They’ll look to advance their two-game winning streak to three games against the best scoring backcourt in the league, and although the Rockets are vastly undersized with their tallest player only clocking in at 6’7 (Danuel House), don’t be surprised if this small-ball brand of hoops that’s eerily reminiscent of the Warriors’ small-ball lineups in the 2010s when they won those championships in the late 2010s reanimates itself in Mike D’Antoni’s new gameplan, starting tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Feb 7, 2020 No Comments
NBA All Star Draft Selections: Team Giannis & Team LeBron Picks

NBA All Star Draft Selections: Team Giannis & Team LeBron Picks

Featured

The starters have been named, and the All-Stars have been informed that they’ll be participating in the festivities of the 69th All-Star Game presented by Jordan Brand. The hype is set for the star-packed duel set to tip-off in Chicago on February 16. But now, only one question remains:

For who will all starters and reserves play for under both teams?

Team Giannis and Team LeBron were general managers in this year’s draft for the second straight year and as the draft took place on TNT at 7:00 p.m. ET, 16-time All-Star LeBron James will be granted the opportunity to draft first, as the King is the leading vote=getter in this year’s grand basketball showcase. Antetokounmpo, the current league Most Valuable Player and four-time All-Star, will pick second.

And as you know, this year’s celebration of the league’s greatest stars will go down a little differently.

As reported by NBA.com’s official ruling, “Each of the first three quarters will begin with the score of 0-0 and will last 12 minutes.  At the start of the fourth quarter, the game clock will be turned off and a Final Target Score will be set.

The Final Target Score will be determined by taking the leading team’s total cumulative score through three quarters and adding 24 points. Once the Final Target Score is set, the teams will play an untimed fourth quarter and the first team to reach the Final Target Score will win the NBA All-Star Game.”

What makes this All-Star Game significant is that for the third year, both captains and team selectors will be playing for a distinct charity of their choice and the two teams will try to win each quarter for Chicago-based community organizations. LeBron’s team will be playing for a charity called Chicago Scholars, which pays attention to first-generation students that are going off to college.

Team Giannis, on the other hand, will be playing for the Chicago charity known as After School Mothers, which helps children get into after school programs, furthering their extracurricular enrichment. The charitable organization was chosen by Antetokounmpo as it reminds him of growing up in Greece while participating in activities after the school day ends. He wants to help give kids the same opportunities at post-school enrichment to needy families who have parents that are unable to give children the proper development of social and physical skills that come with after-school programs.

So let’s get into the draft, and who selected who to play on their team in the 69th NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16, 2020, tipping off at 8:20 p.m. ET on TNT.

________________________________________________________________________________

Team LeBron’s Selections

  1. Anthony Davis – 7x All-Star (and 2017 All-Star MVP), 3x All-NBA First-Team selectee. (26.4 ppg., 9.1 rpg., 3.3 apg.)
  2. Kawhi Leonard – 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA First-Team selectee, 2x NBA Champion, 2x Defensive Player of the Year. (27 ppg., 7.5 rpg., 5.3 apg.)
  3. Luka Doncic – First-time All-Star, 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year. (28.8 ppg., 9.5 rpg., 8.7 apg.)
  4. James Harden – 8x All-Star, 2018 League Most Valuable Player, 5x All-NBA Selectee, 2x Scoring Champion. (35.8 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 7.3 apg.)
  5. Damian Lillard – 5x All-Star, 2018 All-NBA First-Team selectee, 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year. (29.7 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 7.9 apg.)
  6. Ben Simmons – 2x NBA All-Star, 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year, 2017 1st-overall Pick. (16.7 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 8.2 apg.)
  7. Nikola Jokic – 2x NBA All-Star, 2019 All NBA First-Team selectee. (20.6ppg., 10.3 rpg., 6.8 apg.)
  8. Jayson Tatum – First-Time All-Star, Former 2017 3rd-overall Draft pick. (21.9 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 2.9 apg.)
  9. Chris Paul – 10x All-Star (and 2013 All-Star MVP), 4x All-NBA First Team selectee, 7x All-NBA Defensive First Team, 4x NBA Assists Leader, 6x NBA Steals Leader, 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year. (17 ppg., 5 rpg., 6.6 apg.)
  10. Russell Westbrook – 9x NBA All-Star (and two-time All-Star MVP in 2015 and 2016), 2017 League Most Valuable Player, 2x All-NBA First-Team selectee, 2x NBA scoring champ, 2x NBA Assists leader. (26.4 ppg., 8.0 rpg., 7.4 apg.)
  11. Domantas Sabonis – First-time All-Star. (18.2 ppg., 12.6 rpg., 4.7 apg.)

________________________________________________________________________________

Team Giannis’ Selections

  1. Joel Embiid – 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Second-team selectee, 2x All-NBA Defensive Second team selectee. (23.1 ppg., 12.1 rpg., 3.1 apg.)
  2. Pascal Siakam – First-team All-Star, 2019 NBA Champion. (23.7 ppg., 7.7 rpg., 3.5 apg.)
  3. Kemba Walker – 4x NBA All-Star, 2019 All-NBA Third-Team selectee. (22 ppg., 4 rpg., 5.0 apg.)
  4. Trae Young – First-time All-Star, 2019 NBA All-Rookie First-Team selectee. (29.3 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 9 rpg.)
  5. Khris Middleton – 2x NBA All-Star. (20.3 ppg., 5.9 rpg., 4.2 apg.)
  6. Bam Adebayo – First-time NBA All-Star. (15.9 ppg., 10.4 rpg., 4.9 apg.)
  7. Rudy Gobert – First-time NBA All-Star, 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 3x All-NBA Defensive First-Team selectee, 2017 All-NBA Second-team selectee, 2019 All-NBA Third-Team selectee, 2017 NBA Blocks leader. (15.6 ppg., 14.5 rpg., 1.6 apg.)
  8. Jimmy Butler – 5x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA Third Team, 4× NBA All-Defensive Second-Team selectee. (20.5 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 6.2 apg.)
  9. Kyle Lowry – 6x NBA All-Star, 2019 NBA Champion, 2016 All-NBA Third Team selectee. (19.7 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 7.3 apg.)
  10. Brandon Ingram – First-time All-Star, 2017 NBA All-Rookie Second-Team selectee. (25.1 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 4.2 apg.)
  11. Donovan Mitchell – 2x NBA All-Star, 2018 All-NBA Rookie First-Team selectee, 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion. (24.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 4.2 apg.)

Feb 7, 2020 No Comments
2019-20 NBA Trade Deadline Recap: Who Went Where?

2019-20 NBA Trade Deadline Recap: Who Went Where?

Featured

Time is up. We’ve reached the horn for this year’s February trade deadline and in the past couple of days, hours and minutes, there have been some salient developments regarding who- is-getting-sent-where before the beginning of the second half of the 2019-20 season. So far, the biggest (or most noteworthy, depending on your perspective) moves have involved D’Angelo Russell being dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves to pair up with his old buddy Karl Anthony-Towns, in exchange for Andrew Wiggins who will immediately be thrust into a starting role with the Warriors.

Also, in what felt like a mere 20 minutes later, the Cleveland Cavaliers got off with a bargain in dealing for All-Star big man Andre Drummond in exchange for the Pistons now being forced to pick up the expiring veteran contracts of John Henson and Brandon Knight. More trades around the league mainly happened in the Western Conference and some in the East, as the Timberwolves, Clippers, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Sixers, and Heat dominated the headlines prior to the deadline buzzer sounding off, as they all got a huge supply of new parts for their team to operate with.

And there are some unsigned free agents that are still waiting to be signed onto a team, so by the time this is posted, the Lakers may have made a move in signing a Darren Collison right off of his home couch. But, all that and more will be broken down in this year’s official Sneaker Reporter NBA Trade Deadline recap. So let’s get to it.

____________________________________________________________________________

Grizzlies Send Andre Iguodala To The Miami Heat

From ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski – the Heat kicked off the trade deadline countdown last night as the Heat were playing the Clippers by sending Justise Winslow and James Johnson to Memphis for former 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill. Additionally, No Draft picks are being swapped in the deal. Miami is still hoping to complete a three-team trade with Oklahoma City for Danilo Gallinari, but those talks are fully stalled due to Gallinari and his camp reaching a current impasse from disagreements over his extension if he is to be dealt to Miami.

Dion Waiters was to be sent to the Grizzlies as part of the deal, but recent reports (Yahoo Sports – NBA) are stating that Memphis plans to release the veteran guard after acquiring him at the deadline.

____________________________________________________________________________

Sacramento Sends Dedmon Back To Hawks

The Kings finalized a trade last night to send disgruntled big man DeWayne Dedmon back across the country to the team they traded him from in Atlanta, as the Kings sent both Alex Len and Dedmon in exchange for Atlanta’s Jabari Parker and two second-round picks (one for 2020, the next in 2021). The deal provided All-Star guard Trae Young with not only one, not two, but three solid bigs in Dedmon, Nene and Capela as well as give the team extra draft picks to either build up the roster or exchange for better parts to provide value to the roster.

____________________________________________________________________________

Houston Rockets Send Clint Capela To Hawks 

The Houston Rockets pulled the trigger on one of the more head-scratching moves this season, sending their starting center Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks in what was a massive, four-team deal (Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hawks, Rockets) that involved 12 players in the negotiation. The headliners of the trade were 3-and-D forward Robert Covington, who heads to Houston from Minnesota in exchange for center Clint Capela, who goes from the Rockets to the Atlanta Hawks. The aging Nene was also dealt to Atlanta, furthering sapping the big man depth from the Rockets lineup as they’ll now have one of the shortest rosters in the NBA.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets have acquired 6-foot-9 forward Bruno Caboclo from the Memphis Grizzlies, and while the forward saw his role with the Grizzlies diminish, Houston gains a valuable rebounder who averaged a solid 8.3 ppg and 4.6 rebounds per game last season. The Rockets also get a 2024 Warriors second-round draft pick that came from the Hawks. Involving 12 players, the trade is the largest in the NBA since 2000. (Bobby Marks, ESPN)

____________________________________________________________________________

Minnesota Cleans House To Rebuild Core

From the Timberwolves specifically, they liquidated all of their infrastructure as part of that massive 12-player trade that took place Wednesday night. After giving away Noah Vonleh to the Nuggets, Jordan Bell to the Rockets (and then to the Grizzlies), Shabazz Napier and Keita Bates-Diop to the Nuggets, they get a 2020 Nets first-round pick from the Hawks, Malik Beasley, Willy (Juancho) Hernangomez, Jarrad Vanderbilt all from the Denver Nuggets, and Atlanta’s Evan Turner. Gorgui Dieng was also sent away to the Memphis Grizzlies for James Johnson and in the originally reported deal, Johnson had gone from Miami to Memphis as part of the Iguodala-to-Miami swap.

    ____________________________________________________________________________

Denver Nuggets Deal Rotational Parts, Get Parts In Return

Denver was especially busy in their war room before the deadline arose, dealing a litany of their guards and other rotational pieces to adjust themselves amidst a season that’s likely ending somewhere during a deep playoff run. In giving up Hernangomez, Beasley, and Vanderbilt, they get Minnesota’s discarded guard Shabazz Napier as well as their ex-forwards in Noah Vonleh and Keita Bates-Diop, as mentioned earlier. Moreover, they acquire Houston’s Gerald Green as well as Houston’s unprotected 2020 first-round pick.

Jordan McRae finished off the trading period for the Nuggets after Denver and the Washington Wizards agreed to trade the guard to Denver for Shabazz Napier, as Napier was then promptly sent to Denver as part of the 12-player, four-team trade on Feb. 5

    ____________________________________________________________________________

Philadelphia 76ers Trade Ennis III to Magic, Receive Warriors Pieces

Philly needed shooters and wing depth and got exactly what they sought out to get before the deadline arrived. The Sixers agreed to a deal with the Warriors to get two guards into a rotation that sorely needed some space to be made for Embiid, Simmons, Harris and the rest of the team when they’re on the floor in getting Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III. In every trade, of course, someone has to go, so the Sixers sent forward James Ennis to the Orlando Magic in exchange for a second-round pick courtesy of Orlando.

____________________________________________________________________________

Pistons Send Andre Drummond To The Cleveland Cavaliers

From The Athletic’s Shams Charania – The Andre Drummond era in Detroit has come to an end, as the Pistons deal their homegrown All-Star to the Cavs in exchange for guard Brandon Knight, center John Henson and a second-round pick. This season, Drummond is leading the NBA in rebounding (15.8 rebounds per game) while also averaging 17.8 points per game, 2.0 steals per game and 1.7 blocks per game for the Pistons. He has played his entire eight-year NBA career with Detroit as the team’s 2nd all-time rebounder.

____________________________________________________________________________

D’Angelo Russell To The Minnesota Timberwolves

From ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski – D’Lo is on the move again for the third time in three years, as the former first-round pick out of Ohio State teams up with his 2015 draft class buddy in Karl Anthony-Towns for what was a huge two-day overhaul to their core. The Warriors, as a means for compensation, receive former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors and a 2021 protected first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick to Golden State while the Warriors are sending Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to Minnesota.

____________________________________________________________________________

Atlanta Makes Smaller Moves, Picks Up Portland’s Labissiere And Clippers’ Walton Jr.

The Hawks are gaining depth in their big man rotation by making one of the less noisy moves prior to the deadline, acquiring Skal Labissiere from the Portland Trail Blazers. Labissiere is headed to Atlanta for cash in a deal that gives the Hawks a young center that can take it’s time to develop, as Labissiere has been out since Dec. 28 from a lingering knee issue.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

Los Angeles Clippers Bolster Up, Acquire Marcus Morris

The Clippers won an arms race with their esteemed roommates in the Staples Center in the Lakers, acquiring the rugged Marcus Morris who has been known to be an effective 3-and-D space creator off the dribble. As part of a three-team trade, the Clips, Wizards, and Knicks agree to a three-team trade that landed Morris in LA, the Clippers’ Jerome Robinson to the Washington Wizards, and Moe Harkless with a 2020 first-round pick to the New York Knicks.

The Clippers just picked up a 20 ppg. scorer that has been part of many deep playoff runs with the Celtics, and for a Clippers team that could definitely do with a third 20+ point scorer on a nightly basis, Morris could impact a team that’s championship aspirations are high since he was having a standout season with the Knicks. Washington backup guard Isaiah Thomas was also part of the Morris trade but was subsequently let known by the Clippers that he will be let go into free agency. As part of the deal with Washington however, the Wizards will get Clippers guard Jerome Robinson and the Clippers’ Moe Harkless.

______________________________________________________________________

Teams That Didn’t Make Moves

  • New Orleans came close to dealing veteran guard Jrue Holiday, but were unsuccessful in finding a trade partner.
  • The New York Knicks’ exploratory talks with the Los Angeles Lakers broke down in their efforts to snag Kyle Kuzma
  • The Cleveland Cavaliers were mum on dealing Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love and will wait until the end of the season for both of them to make their decision in free agency.
  • The Boston Celtics refuse to pull the trigger in trading for available Wizards shooting wing Davis Bertans, as the price of two first-round picks was too steep for the Celtics to give up.
  • The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder make no further deals.

Feb 6, 2020 No Comments