SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #21 Orlando Magic

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #21 Orlando Magic

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by | Oct 2, 2019 | Featured, NBA

There are officially 21 days until the start of a new NBA year and that is means for celebration. Preseason ball came back last night while you were probably asleep and James Harden recorded his first triple-double of 2019-20 for Houston Rockets as they played the Shanghai Sharks, in a game that didn’t count but still entertained.

The rest of the league is to start their preseasons on Friday and the days following the weekend. We will get the opportunity to witness the newer dynamic tandems share court time for the first time, big names in new threads and contenders practice obtaining their chemistry in short outings for four quarters. We are getting really, really close to NBA basketball, and it feels like I’m repeating myself when I say that the anticipation is killing us all.

But to get back on track, coming in at No. 21 is the 2018-19 first-round exit Orlando Magic.

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21. Orlando Magic (41-41) – With 42 Wins Last Year And A Stolen First-Overall Selection, Can The “Magic” For The Magic Continue?

Admit it. If you were asked last fall about Orlando’s ability to contend with the likes of the Heat and Wizards in the Southeast, you’d have never seen a postseason berth in the realm of possibility for these one-time underhanded Magic.

Don’t lie. You know you didn’t predict the Orlando Magic to be a topic of relevance in the yearly NBA Playoff Picture, and it’s okay, I didn’t either.

Steve Clifford should earn a presidential medal of freedom for the way he’s revived one of the more infamous and unlucky NBA franchises in recent memory. The Magic are developing fundamentally, and in the right way going from the top down. We all cannot wait for what is to come in Mo Bamba’s second year while Nikola Vucevic is coming off an All-Star season, the first of his career in fact. They’re maintaining stability by keeping their starting five from last year. They are adding wing depth by getting a proven and credible defender in Al-Farouq Aminu that has extensive postseason experience.

All of the things that the Magic are doing are just right. Problem is, there isn’t a lot to look forward too when it comes to their backcourt. D.J. Augustin is a veteran with some slightly impressive numbers and he only missed one game last season, but he was wildly inconsistent in his 81 starts, as he’s never averaged more than 15 points per game, or over 6 assists a game, over the entire course of his career. There’s no other reasoning that the Magic will need a reboot at the PG position, and it does not look likely that Augustin is the likeliest candidate to stick around for this rebuilding period that’s lasted for over eight seasons.

But, if all turns out well for their offseason pickup at the guard spot, that lengthy search that most teams that are looking for a franchise guard may not have to be undergone.

The disenfranchised Markelle Fultz is looking for a roster to fully call a professional roster home and hasn’t had the luxury of doing so, so at the tender age of 21, the 2019 season may be his last chance to maintain a spot in the NBA. His rookie season, being fair of course, was plagued with concurrent injury and mismanagement, causing him to miss over 68 games with that bizarre shoulder condition that altered his shooting form so many times you’d think he was a toddler learning the B.E.E.F method (Balance, Eye Contact, Elbow Follow Through).

Still, his ceiling for the type of guard he could be is too magnanimous to ignore. He averaged 18 points a game when he was a high schooler at DeMatha High, then went on to compete in the Pac 12 at Washington, putting up some scary good numbers by averaging 23.2 points per contest. He was equally able to get to the bucket by using an effective dribble, albeit with a 6’9 wingspan at a 6’4, 201-lb figure and shoot effectively from everywhere at a 47 percent FG percentage and a 41 percent rating from deep.

Now, his NBA numbers haven’t been great (averaged 7.6 points off a combined 41.2 shooting percentage in two seasons as a Sixer) but picture this: with a chance to develop in a low-pressure, media-dilute environment with a point guard’s coach in Steve Clifford, who is mainly responsible for the professional evolution of guards like Kemba Walker, Markelle Fultz is afforded the gift of getting healthy, boosting his confidence and growing into a franchise point guard for an evolving organization that could very well challenge for a consecutive playoff spot in a conference that doesn’t look that threatening.

Also with their backcourt situation: the Magic drafted Auburn Guard Chuma Okeke with the 16th overall pick. A volume scorer whose season ended abruptly with a torn ACL in a national tournament game, Okeke was the diamond in the ruff for the first-time Final Four visitors. He scored 12 points per contest and was a sniper from deep, nearly leading the team in 3pt percentage. The rookie will have to sit out the year and learn the system, but for a team that lacks guard depth, some may feel that the Magic made an unnecessary move of going back to the well in drafting a guard.

Touched on a little bit earlier, the Magic’s core maintained their stability in re-signing the likes of the cleared-for-takeoff Aaron Gordon and second-year man Jonathan Isaac out of Florida State. Gordon has improved his game every year since his rookie season in 2014 and looks to be living up to his four-year, $84 million contract signed just last year. Gordon’s numbers dipped slightly in 2018-19 from his 17.1 ppg standard, but that isn’t a reason to cast away the power forward whose game has expanded from just inside the restricted arc as a dunker to the three-point arc, shooting at a respectable 35 percent from deep with confidence.

If Gordon can take the leap to become an All-Star like his counterpart in Vucevic, the Magic could have one of the most arduous duos in the entire league to guard down low.

The Magic will also bring back the uber-athletic Terrence Ross, who saw a rise in his numbers in a career year as the leader of the second unit. He averaged 15.1 ppg off 42 percent shooting, while also posting the second-best efficiency rating of his tenure as a 2 guard in the NBA. The Magic are still looking to see if the improved games of a previously-conceived-to-be-average Evan Fournier and Jonathan Isaac make the leap to complement their teammates because if they do, the Magic will have more than enough firepower to compete and possibly win the Southeast Division and earn yet another postseason berth.

The Magic are literally the proverbial “what if” team in the Eastern Conference. They play in a division so impacted by free agency and injury and will have every opportunity to snatch the lead of the Southeast from the clutch of the Miami Heat (who, as you know, snagged Jimmy Butler in the offseason).

Some questions for next season: is Markelle Fultz the guy he was championed to be in the draft and can he earn a starting spot? Can Aaron Gordon take the next step to assert himself as an All-Star? Was Jonathan Issac worth a first-round draft pick? Can Mo Bamba flex his 7-foot frame and produce in some valuable minutes all season while staying healthy? Orlando only needs a couple of these things to happen for them to make the playoffs, luckily.

The only negative is that the Magic still don’t have the franchise guard they can trust to run the offense and produce consistently to make the Magic a practical threat in the East. So, worst-case-scenario, the Magic have a plan B in passing off some draft and free agent capital to make some trades.

The Magic will probably be a game better than what they were a season ago, and with the All-Star status of Nikola Vucevic and potential of Aaron Gordon being a multifaceted defender and scorer, the Magic will be able to further solidify their identity as an eventual contender in a weakened East sooner rather than later.

Oct 2, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #22 Minnesota Timberwolves

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #22 Minnesota Timberwolves

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by | Oct 1, 2019 | Featured, NBA

This list is counting down pretty fast, and the countdown to preseason ball is coming to an end. Hardwood hoops will commence in five days with the Rockets tipping off against the Clippers in Honolulu, Hawaii. The countdown to NBA basketball is nearing its quarter-point, and the anticipation towards another season is brewing in the pots of all 30 clubs across the league.

So, it’s only right that the SneakerReporterTop 30 NBA Teams list continues with team No. 22, since there are officially 22 days until the season opener between New Orleans and Toronto on October 22nd. Today’s team on the list: the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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22. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-43) – Another Year; Another Unsuccessful Postseason Push

Another outside-looking-in team that missed the postseason in 2018 by just 12 games, the T’Wolves are under new leadership and it doesn’t look like there is a favorable situation to look forward to in Minnesota. A lot of adversity is hitting these Wolves with free agents and a rather underwhelming draft, and since there is new leadership in place, there aren’t many members of this roster that are tied to anyone on the roster, meaning that nearly all of the contracts and commitments made in the past came from the previous regime, which means everyone starts with a clean slate.

That being said, the clock is ticking, and ticking fast, on the Timberwolves’ decision on their lone All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who is entering the first season of his 5-year, $190 million extension signed in 2018. Modern NBA history isn’t like the past in roster cornerpieces being willing to grind out the growth and maturation of an NBA roster, as current All-Stars aren’t proven to commit long-term if they don’t have a chance to win right away.

The pressure of a thousand tons lie squarely on the new front office to turn the ship to either garnish the roster with additional talent to accompany the 23-year-old big man or ship him elsewhere in the efforts to gain some replacements from the draft or in the offseason.

Seeing the current situation that the Timberwolves are in is not the prettiest, but it’s not the worst in the world. Still, they maintained and will return the same roster for this upcoming season, with staples like Robert Covington and Josh Okogie ascertaining their roles in the starting five. Also, there is some value in their depth of ex-Knick Noah Vonleh, former All-Star guard Jeff Teague, and former Ohio State Buckeye Keita Bates-Diop.

What is the main issue in the further development and progression of this Timberwolves team: the regression and unfortunate disappointment that has been Andrew Wiggins’ tenure as a Timberwolf. Once dubbed the “Canadia LeBron” and the steal of the 2014 NBA Draft, Wiggins has yet to live up to that magnanimous potential, and just has not met the mark of being the key accessory and compliment to Towns’ offensive output. The Canadian has struggled mightily in the past two years, once being a 23 ppg scorer but dissolving into an 18.1 ppg scorer that shoots under 41 percent from the field.

His contract has perturbed the Wolves even more than his abysmal play with his 5-year, $147 Million extension signed back in the October of 2017, which obviously sets itself as an abrasion to the cap possibilities of acquiring extra assistance for their first-rounder in Karl Anthony Towns.

If the former No. 1 overall pick were to improve his three-point shooting, shot selection, and defense, the Wolves would have been a very different team in the past two seasons. Instead, the Wolves can either trust in head coach Ryan Saunders to keep the struggling Wiggins on the floor to regain that confidence or deal him at, or before, the February trade deadline.

The Timberwolves do have some hope – and are justified in their optimism – in the skyrocketing potential of their first-round selection taken with the 11th overall pick Jarrett Culver.

The Big 12 player of the year at Texas Tech played a significant role in getting his Red Raiders to the national championship game, and keenly displayed how he’d fit like a puzzle piece into the formulated picture of an ideal stretch four.

The draft piece acquired as a result of the Dario Šarić deal is the first marked action by the President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. Expectations are sky-high for Culver to make his mark on a roster deprived of a second offensive option, though Culver showed difficulty in scoring the basketball, especially in the national tournament and most notably, in his 5-of-22 outing in the national championship. Minnesota did not intend to have a high lottery pick for a long time after selecting Wiggins and Towns No. 1 overall in back-to-back drafts. Culver restores that belief moving forward.

The 6-foot-7 wing was known for his defense at Texas Tech, eventually developing a scorer’s mentality when it mattered most. When push came to heave, the young Culver was unafraid to put up shots in critical moments, which impressed scouts across the league due to his unflappable nature.

The offensive part of his game will come, but the Timberwolves want his defense right now and will be content to let the rest of his game progress in time.

What is also of imminence to mention, is the increasing confidence Josh Okogie has in his game going into his second season. Selected No. 20 in the 2018 draft, Okogie was a regular highlight maker for the Wolves and looks to carry that playmaking tenacity into his second season. Okogie burst onto the scene last season using his hustle and pesky defensive skill to set others up, or himself in the open court.

And on a team tethered by injuries, Okogie was asked to start in 52 games last season and answered the call, shooting a surprising 38.6 percent from deep while averaging 7 points per contest. In a loaded backcourt last year with the likes of Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague both going down, Okogie did not disappoint and became a premier point of emphasis for former coach Tom Thibodeau to involve in the offense.

Some other key additions to this Wolves roster include Golden State’s Jordan Bell, Portland’s Jake Layman, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Tyrone Wallace, an undrafted free agent out of LSU in Naz Reid and veteran guard Shabazz Napier. Layman and Bell provide extra wing and perimeter defense, Tyrone Wallace is a nice plug and play pick and roll guard that is quite effective at creating space off the dribble, and, if given the minutes, Naz Reid can develop into a solid rotational rebounder and finisher at the rim that can be etched into some second-team lineups.

So, in looking at the Wolves’ ability to score the ball, it doesn’t look promising. Other than the talented KAT, who averaged 22 points per game off 53 percent shooting, their second-best offensive player is Andrew Wiggins, which obviously isn’t helping the Wolves’ solving their biggest problem.

Minnesota will claim playoff aspirations this season as they’ve done for the past four years, but that is, as they know, way easier said than done in such a contentious Western conference. Then again, the Wolves can contend for a playoff spot this year and if Wiggins’ numbers take a step in the right direction, then, well, no more work will have to be done in getting Towns his additional help.

If things don’t turn out the way they want, the Timberwolves’ situation will get even uglier than it is now. Towns is signed through 2023-24, but in the current era of the player’s voice being louder than management itself, those contract lengths are delays of the inevitable days leading up Towns voicing his displeasure. If something like an Anthony Davis saga occurs for the T’Wolves, imagine what the other 29 franchises across the league will do to gauge trade possibilities.

Minnesota needs to, at the very least, be contentious enough to get a record that exceeds .500 ball, which, yes, sounds pretty fartfetched, but if possible, it will give Towns more than enough reason to believe the growing Wolves are something worth sticking around for. That will mean that Towns will be relied on more than he ever has in his career, so that Rosas’ front office can find the right plan to keep Towns on this someday potentially-competitive roster.

 

Oct 1, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #23 New York Knicks

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #23 New York Knicks

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by | Sep 30, 2019 | Featured, NBA

Before the day is out, we are officially 23 days away from the NBA regular season and the eagerness for the first tip could not be any greater. Coming up next into our SneakerReporter Top NBA Team countdown on day 23 is team 23: the New York Knicks.

The Knicks finished with the league’s worst record in 2018 and tied their franchise record for the worst win-loss ratio in a single season. On top of that, what looked to be a pragmatic procedure to feed fans’ optimism in possessing all that cap space to sign two max free agents was abhorrent mismanagement that blew up in their faces.

And of course Knicks fans, I’ve got good news and bad news for y’all: you got the Duke man that you wanted to build around for the future. Bad news: It wasn’t Zion.

What feels like broken promises – having all that cap space to sign two free agents in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to blowing it on low-tier talent in Julius Randle and Taj Gibson, and losing out on the first overall pick in the Draft Lottery to the Pelicans – are probably just more cycles of sun and moon for everyday Knicks fans. It’s gonna be a long road back to the top of the East, and that’s putting it nicely. With what they have, however, owner James Dolan, President Steve Mills, and GM Scott Perry, and head coach Dave Fizdale think what they have is enough to turn the Garden into Eden again someday.

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23. New York Knicks (37-45) – Trust Me Knicks Fans, It Really Could Be Worse…

The Knicks are looking for a miracle, for lack of a better term. The Garden has not seen a postseason contender since 2013 when the Carmelo Anthony-Amare Stoudamire faction took the Knicks to the conference semis, ultimately losing to the Conference finals-bound Indiana Pacers in 6. Since then, it’s been gut punch after gut punch for fans who’ve felt like their favorite team playing in the Mecca was finally on the cusp of turning into contenders.

The cap space meant for Kyrie and KD to splurge within the city that never sleeps was dealt to Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis and Julius Randle, who in the most obvious of insights don’t hold a candle to the immensity of Kyrie and Durant’s name as KD and Uncle Drew took the trip to smaller NY borough Brooklyn to grow the smaller market into an Eastern powerhouse. Still, it could be way worse for the Knicks, and really, it’s a blessing in disguise.

In reality, the three veterans will be tasked with assisting the Knicks’ coaching staff in the professional and mental development of their new pieces picked up in the draft, and namely, their first-round selection, scoring aficionado R.J. Barrett. You ask anyone if the Knicks’ plan all along was to draft the 6-foot-7, 208-lb guard out of Duke, and they’d have a belly-aching laugh, proclaiming you were crazy. I mean, Knicks fans premade Zion Williamson jerseys and theorized different starting lineups with an assumed big three of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Zion Williamson, all before March Madness even started at the end of the college basketball season.

But, to quote some boring summer reading assignment for my eighth-grade English class, “the best-laid plans go awry”. The Knicks may not have seen Barrett in their future and things did not go as planned. That doesn’t mean its time to sulk over what could’ve been, but work on and go with what is their future. And Rowan Alexander Barrett is just that, if not more.

The Duke guard played understudy to the most efficient and electric player in the nation Zion Williamson, but that did not mean he didn’t get his. As a freshman, it was Barrett, not Williamson, who led the entire ACC in scoring. The duo led the nation in scoring, with Zion’s numbers being lower than Barrett’s. That number could be misleading, considering that Barrett’s numbers saw a rise in productivity by being the go-to scorer after Williamson went down with a foot injury (after blowing his sneaker to smithereens against UNC in January 2019).

The crafty lefty was a 3-level offensive dynamo under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, averaging over 22 points a game, 4.3 assists per contest, and most surprisingly, 7.6 rebounds a game to earn Consensus 1st Team All-American honors. Barrett possesses an impressive blend of size, fluidity, and body control. He’s garnered professional comparisons to Manu Ginobili for his ability to get creative and ambidextrous at the rim, and James Harden to get hot from anywhere, create off the dribble as a slasher and make plays as an off-ball cutter.

His 6’10 wingspan meshes well with his unflappable scoring mentality, and in games that he struggled to put the ball in the basket, which, to be frank, were a good few, Barrett never showed discouragement or dismay, for he kept putting up shots. His consistency was a problem at Duke last season but as a playmaker, the native of Toronto, Canada displayed no shortage of Ball IQ. As his body and mind mature further into his career, his defensive skills will improve, and that will come with the proper development at the next level, of course.

Barrett can be a franchise centerpiece – that is, if he is afforded the proper coaching and established time with a starting five in the regular season. He’s too dynamic of a playmaker to leave on the bench as the sixth man to kick off his career.

As it goes for the rest of the Knicks, the destruction of the old-look Knicks in the post-Kristaps Porzingis era could not have come at a sweeter time.

The onlookers in the Garden probably won’t miss the likes of Emmanuel Mudiay, Mario Hezonja, Noah Vonleh, Lance Thomas and Luke Kornet, and for the moment be content with an offensively-maturing Julius Randle, who stepped up big in the scoring department, with his numbers going from 11.1 ppg to 21 ppg in a matter of two years. Randle may fit the rebuilding timeline and could be shipped to gain draft capital a few years from now, but was the only player to have guaranteed money beyond the 2019-20 season on the roster, which gives the Knicks organization plenty of flexibility.

Other additions in the offseason were: Michigan’s Ignas Brazdeikis (a result of a draft trade), Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Bobby Portis, and Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock and Marcus Morris.

None of those names really jump out, which isn’t really something Knicks fans want to hear. But, the Knicks are getting not only veteran leadership in the locker room but pieces that are legitimate floor spacers. Elfrid Payton, in 42 total games last year, performed like a starting point guard, averaging 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. Though hampered by ankle pains that caused him to miss 40 games last year, he’ll have every opportunity to challenge both Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina for a starting guard spot (if his health permits) as a dual slasher and craftsman as a floor general.

On the topic of the Knicks starting backcourt, the Knicks will be heavily reliant on the offensive output of second-year guards Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. Ntilikina’s efforts on defense have been significant in his short time as a Knick, has held all of his matchups to shooting a little over 45 percent. That hasn’t translated to his scoring ability, only averaging 5.7 points per game off 36 percent shooting.

For that reason, his time in New York may be getting cut even shorter. When the Knicks traded for Dennis Smith Jr. by dealing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks trusted the 21-year old two-way scoring guard to be an athletic pick and roll maestro. While he has time to develop in that role, he will have to earn his minutes in this rotation, regardless if he is a starter.

The acquisitions of Marcus Morris, Wayne Ellington, and Reggie Bullock do not solve the Knicks perimeter scoring problem right off the bat, but they sure are better than nothing. The twin of the Pistons’ Markieff Morris who has to secede from the dysfunction of the 2018 Boston Celtics, Marcus Morris backed out of a deal with the San Antonio Spurs after agreeing to a two-year, $20 million with the organization, all in the idea to agree to a one-year deal that was $5 million less.

Both Ellington (who came over from the Pistons) and Bullock (after one year with the Lakers) fit the bill when it comes to three-point shooting as their averages combine to around 35 percent from deep., which may not be much of an upgrade considering that the Knicks were the third-worst 3 point shooting team in the league last year.

What the Knicks are hoping to have those numbers skyrocket, is the second-year outlook on 2018 first-rounder Kevin Knox. A stretch forward that’s potential is through the roof from a defensive standpoint, Knox will be looked at as a veteran now and not some darling teenager that posted memorable highlights on social media sites in the Summer League. Make no mistake about it, Kevin needs to step it up in the offensive department.

Averaging 12 ppg by shooting 37 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc is obviously not going to cut it and if he wants to avoid a sophomore slump, David Fizdale must run the offense through his 6’9, 216-lb multifaceted athlete for his numbers and confidence to grow.

When discussing the frontcourt situation for New York, the combination of Taj Gibson and second-year man Mitchell Robinson could be a dynamic rim-protecting swat fest when taking Robinson’s rookie year into consideration. Last year, Robinson instantly made a name for himself when he broke the Knicks’ rookie blocks record by swatting away nine shots in just his 12th game in the league and averaging 2.4 blocks per game. With the veteran Gibson, who over the course of a career averaged 1.1 BPG and 4.1 rebounds per game, it will be beneficial for Mitchell’s development into a polished big man.

So adding all of the Knicks offseason woes together, the casual viewer will be writing off the young, prospective Knicks roster that has more upside than their previous failing rosters by a mile. But do realize, even if this is the Knicks team of the impending future, there is enough to challenge in a less-talented Eastern conference right now, as crazy as it sounds. Moreover, if Mills and Perry want to get serious about contending, they have enough bargaining chips to get some big-name free agents by shipping off the pieces they acquired this offseason.

So no, all isn’t terrible for the Knicks in their teardown and reconstruction. And for the Garden to be rocking again, the work that is cut out for them must be accomplished.

But in order to do so while remaining the numero uno spot in the Big Apple, the Knicks must play hard night in and night out so that they can assert themselves as a postseason-pushing team that will incite fear of those who enter the Madison Square Garden during any road trip.

Sep 30, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #24 Oklahoma City Thunder

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #24 Oklahoma City Thunder

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by | Sep 29, 2019 | Featured, NBA

The time is now to include yet another edition of the SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 team list. Media day was yesterday for some of the teams, to make your anticipation that much more fervent. We all cannot wait to see what our favorite teams will do in their 2019 campaigns, as some hope that their teams finish with a positive record while also supplanting the evidence to separate themselves from the bottom of the pack as a come-up team that will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

That being said, that ties into the synopsis of today’s team: the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It’s not the first time OKC has experienced a blowup. It’s the first season in franchise history that not a single member of the original OKC Four (the individual-and-combined success quartet of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Serge Ibaka) will be wearing Thunder blue, and as sad as it is seeing their beloved Russell Westbrook head down south to reunite with his old Thunder buddy James Harden for the Rockets, the plan to grow the next generation of Thunder is now the #1 priority for General Manager Sam Presti.

Along with persuading veteran and probable first-ballot hall of fame guard Chris Paul to stick around for what could be a really bright future in OKC.

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24. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-46) – And So Begins The Long And Painful Road To Recreating a Champion

Yesterday afternoon, Russell Westbrook took questions, posed for photographers and chatted it up with fellow teammates, staying in accord to his customary media day schedule. Just another year-opener in the career of the 8-time All-Star and 2017 Most Valuable Player.

This time, it was in Houston Rocket red. Frivously and freely dancing in his photo sessions, smiling after every question that came his way, the longtime, and now former, top dog of Oklahoma City sat beside his new – er, old – teammate James Harden. The era of the original Thunder quartet is 100% over.

That doesn’t mean its time for Thunder fans to sulk and lament their misfortune in free agency, though.

Sure, that may have been one of the worst offseasons in franchise history (actually, no, it probably is the worst occurrence in franchise’s short history, more than losing KD to Golden State) losing both Paul George and Russell Westbrook in a matter of weeks, a duo that had cemented themselves as a difficult out in back-to-back postseason visits. And for the first time since 2008 – OKC’s inaugural season – they will be without a superstar for the entire 2019 season.

That is if Chris Paul stays in Oklahoma, which now looks as likely as someone winning the lottery without buying a ticket.

Surely, the Thunder wish they can have the most probable chance of winning the Chris Paul sweepstakes, though the eight-time all-star and seven-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team is getting attention from teams, most notably the Miami Heat. It makes sense for the 34-year old to salvage whatever time is left in his career with a viable contender that can challenge for a deep playoff run, so his departure seems almost imminent.

Still, the offer stands for Paul to stay put and help build this roster to contention for the next couple of seasons, especially with the Thunder’s basket case of first-round draft picks in 2020 (by virtue of the Clippers) and beyond to help make the Thunder a young and potentially dangerous team to face in the coming years. But without Paul, the Thunder find themselves in the deepest and darkest of uncharted territories their organization has ever entered.

With one slim perception of this Thunder roster, the Thunder have a really good chance to have a record over .500, and it isn’t too farfetched to believe so. Billy Donovan is well accustomed to throwing out his most seasoned vets on the floor at once, so expect the same in 2019. Dennis Schroeder, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and CP3 (if he’s still on the roster come October 23) is still a solid starting five, and there’s no denying that. Yet their bench will be the biggest question mark heading into a new campaign.

Though, that very question has some finality to it. Donavan will allow his inexperienced-yet-prodigious pieces in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo and rookie Darius Bazley to blossom out of rookie status and into revered bench depth that will one day command the franchise’s direction. That may not happen right away for next season, considering how packed the West is, and specifically, the Northwestern division altogether.

But with all the draft assets the Thunder get in 2020 and 2021 from the Clippers (The Thunder received Danilo Gallinari, SGA, a 2021 Miami Heat first-round pick, a 2022 first-rounder, 2023 first-round swap rights, a protected Miami 2023 first-rounder, a 2024 first-rounder, 2025 first-round swap rights and a 2026 first-rounder for Paul George) and what Sam Presti got from trading Westbrook (ending up with Chris Paul, conditional 2021 swap rights, a protected 2024 first-rounder, conditional 2025 swap rights, and a protected 2026 first-rounder), the Thunder could be set up pretty nicely by filling in some crucial spots that need addressing for the next decade.

Assessing the current roster’s potential for this upcoming season, understanding that this Thunder team will easily be the most underwhelming roster in franchise history, if that’s even worth mentioning. There are still some volume scorers on this roster that should not be overlooked, like former Knick, Nugget and Clipper Danilo Gallinari. The Italian scoring machine hadn’t played through a full season since 2013 but he was critical for getting buckets for the Clippers last year. While accumulating 19.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 43.3 percent from deep last year, we saw Gallinari at his peak as a starter in this league.

Among the duo of Tobias Harris and 2018-19 sixth man of the year Lou Williams, ‘Nilo matched their offensive productivity and adapted to the swing of the trendy big man, a versatile inside-out scorer that is dually gifted in his footwork on the low block.

From a defensive standpoint, the Thunder possess who some would argue to be one of the most consistent defenders in Andre Roberson. Before he ruptured his left patellar tendon in the January of 2017, the Thunder – during the era of Westbrook/Carmelo/Paul George –  posted one of the best defensive plus/minuses in the league and after he went down, the team’s defense was 12.5 points worse per 100 possessions when he left the floor. He was too valuable of a piece for the Thunder that year, ultimately leading up to their first-round exit.

Now healthy, having him around the facility is a plus but there is no full guarantee he will be half the player he was because he hasn’t even set foot on NBA hardwood in over two years. Roberson, a former defensive standout at Colorado, reached the NBA All-Defensive Second Team with the likes of new Laker Anthony Davis and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the last season he played, Roberson was one of 11 players to finish with at least a block and steal per game.

Thunder fans still have the defensive prowess and efficiency of veteran big man Steven Adams, who is now qualified as the most original Thunder player on the roster. Heading into his 7th season with the only franchise he’s known, Adams tallied 13.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 59.5 percent from the floor on 52 percent shooting – a career-best. He has been, and will still be the most reliable player on the floor. If you need a stop at the rim, a basket out of the pick and roll, Adams is your guy.

The New Zealand native could very well compliment the games of this Thunder team endowed with a strong backcourt rotation, making the floor spacing possibilities with Dennis Schroeder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and/or Chris Paul a point of emphasis to utilize on a nightly basis.

Speaking of the Thunder backcourt depth, a perfect blend of youth and experience will benefit this growing roster. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks like he’s the franchise guard for the future, and Billy Donavan will do what he can to make sure the second-year guard out of Kentucky will get as much in-game repetition as he possibly can. SGA impressed his rookie year, starting 73 games and coming off the bench for 11 games, averaging 10.8 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per contest and 3.3 assists a game on 47.6 percent shooting.

Widely praised by his LA Clipper teammates for his twitchy ability to slash, create space for others and separation between him and his defender, all while holding his own on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 2.3 steals a game.

Aside from him is Dennis Schroeder, who is going into his second year as a member of the Thunder. An aggressive guard who mirrors the all-around effort of Russell Westbrook, Schroeder put together a solid 2018-19 after coming over from Atlanta as their former starting guard. Though his numbers took a dip since he came off the bench for the first time in his career, the German guard’s lightning-quick penetration and microwavable-scoring efforts anchored Oklahoma City as a part of their rotation.

Now, onto the topic of their first-round selections in this year’s draft. The Thunder selected high school standout Darius Bazley with the 23rd pick, and though he did not play a single minute of college basketball as a result of serving a million-dollar internship with New Balance.

One fun fact: Rich Paul – his agent, and LeBron’s agent, too – helped him with the plan. As it goes, NBA rules dictate that a draft prospect must be one year removed from high school graduation before they can declare for a draft. Instead, Bazley decided to forego the NCAA to disregard his amateur status, worked on his game at his 6’9, 200-lb frame, seven-foot wingspan and now looks to be a multitalented, pure athlete that can score and defend anywhere on the floor.

Other pieces like Hamidou Diallo, who now reunites with his old classmate in SGA, the bouncy Terrance Ferguson, and the project of former Sixer and 7-footer Justin Patton, the Thunder have nowhere to go but up. And that may just be the best thing about this young unit.

Speaking hypothetically here: suppose CP3 says ‘hey, you know what? I’m already satisfied with where I am now and I believe I have what it takes to make these young guys into contenders in the next 2 years.’ Well, imagine that pairing of ball IQ at the guard spot, a scary three-to-four man attack in transition, and a frontcourt full of big men that can both shoot, set some mean screens and rebound? Say, that ain’t bad.

Hypotheticals aren’t reality and things aren’t going to get off on the best foot. Yes, the Thunder raked in a lot of different accolades as the fourth-best defensive team in the NBA (due to Paul George nearly winning defensive player of the year) but with the replacement of PG with a rusty Andre Roberson, and the nightly triple-double-grabbing output of Russell Westbrook with Chris Paul or his younger counterparts, the Thunder will struggle. But that’s expected when you stick with your most inexperienced pieces. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

Granted, the Thunder could stick to this starting five for this year and by doing that, be in a position to relinquish some expiring contracts en route to getting cap space to sign some max free agents, like how they did in the 2017 offseason when they signed Paul George. Also, those picks acquired this summer could be even more bargaining chips to get the players Sam Presti may want in a couple of years down the road.

Whatever happens, the power of destiny lies in the palms of the Thunder’s organizational division. So yeah, this is what the first-ever rebuild of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s franchise will entail. You have no stars to fall back on, so suck it up, make the right decisions in free agency and put the future of Thunder basketball in good hands.

The clock to recreate that fearsome Northwestern division foe starts now.

Sep 29, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #25 Chicago Bulls

SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams: #25 Chicago Bulls

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by | Sep 27, 2019 | Featured, NBA

Officially a week away from the NBA preseason, it’s another day, and another step closer to the end of the SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 Teams list. We’re nearly halfway through the lottery teams on our list, so let’s not waste any time and continue with our list.

Today’s squad at team #25: the Chicago Bulls.

The post-Derrick Rose era has not been pretty as we all have come to understand, with the Bulls undergoing coaching staff facelifts, roster overhauls and very little, if any postseason success. The six-time NBA champs haven’t really been in the conversation of the most viable threats in the Eastern Conference in the past 5 years, consistently putting up sub .500 records and finding themselves on the outside looking into the playoff picture.

Still, the Bulls show a lot of promise in the development of their young superstars in Lauri Markkanen, Zach Lavine, Wendell Carter Jr. and a bevy of other stockpiled assets to give their future a glimmer of hope.

While the Bulls may not challenge the likes of a Milwaukee, Boston or Philadelphia right now, the Bulls are still chipping away at the process of building a contender in the next couple of years with pieces that can only get better.

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25. Chicago Bulls (35-47) – Maybe Not A Contender, But Definitely Not A Pushover

Maybe, just maybe…its time for Bulls fans to remove their vice grip from the throats of GarPax (dubbed organizational tandem of VP of Player Operations Jon Paxson and GM Gar Foreman), since they’ve basically been doing it for just about an entire decade.

For the first time since Jimmy Butler’s departure, the Bulls do not have to worry about being in the basement of the Eastern Conference. There is no major coaching controversy, and fans actually have a reason to believe their team’s record will look way different than how it did in 2018 one year later.

Chicago is growing the right way. The Bulls landed their point guard Coby White out of North Carolina and it looks like the Kriss Dunn era could be reaching its end in Chitown. So, the quartet of White, Markkanen, Carter, and Lavine could be a team to circle on your favorite team’s schedule, for these formidable four could wreak havoc on the East for years to come, and who knows, maybe this year.

Aside from their first-round pick, the trio of Markkanen, Carter Jr. and Lavine project to share the court for the majority of the season (with health permitting, obviously) and each has a different skill set which could help provide balance and structure to a team that has severely lacked it recently.

Markkanen, as some describe as another unicorn adjacent to Kristaps Porzingis, fits the bill of his nickname in a lot of ways. As the seventh pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Finnish stretch big is known for his soft touch from outside the arc, as well as his astounding agility inside the paint. Also, the 22-year-old, third-year power forward has displayed some top-tier ball IQ in his two years as a starter.

The Finland native has drawn ceiling expectations to potentially being the next Dirk Nowitzki, and though his sophomore season was put on hold by an elbow injury that caused him to miss over 30 games last year, do not be surprised if Markkanen makes some major strides in 2019. Last season, he joined All-Stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Vucevic as the only players in the league to average at least 18 points per game and 9 rebounds while drilling over 36 percent of their three balls.

He will undoubtedly be the center of the Bulls offensive nucleus, but what will be the most intriguing thing to watch this year is how, or if, Zach Lavine makes that next step to being an elite shooting guard for the Bulls to run the offense through. We know Lavine to be a natural athlete with explosive hops that even the gym of the United Center can barely contain, but though he experienced career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage last year, he has shown that he still lacks the ability to continually make smart and efficient decisions on offense and defense.

Hence, that’s where their first-round selection in Coby White comes in. So yes, Bulls fans can make it sound like both MJ and Coby (when pronounced, sounds like “Kobe”) both played for the Chicago Bulls.

Now, is he the same kind of guard? Yes and no, realistically, considering he is a shiftier on-ball and off-dribble scorer who’s drawn pro comparisons to Gilbert Arenas, and to some, Derrick Rose with how he was able to get by defenders with a tight handle that’s low to the ground while at North Carolina. White finished the season at UNC averaging 16.1 points and 4.1 assists per game earning All-ACC 2nd Team honors. But like Kobe, expect Coby to show a high motor on both ends of the floor, play hard defense and give mismatches something to remember at his athletic frame of 6’5, 185 lbs.

With an altered backcourt that will prioritize speed, change your expectations of the Bulls being 23rd in the league again in terms of the total pace of play as they were in 2018. The Bulls should be making some nice highlights in transition that will more than likely be posted on social media a lot this season, as they are now a team that can equally make you pay in the open court and halfcourt with the duo of Markkanen and Carter making their effect known down low.

Though the Bulls have their work cut out for them on the defensive end, their front office has made some good moves in free agency to bring in veteran enforcers to cover for their young core’s growing pains. The Bulls went and picked up Thaddeus Young in the offseason, which is good for the youthful Bulls considering he provides advice on what it takes to contend in the postseason. Young has been a part of some good Indiana Pacers rosters that have reached the conference finals when his former cohort Paul George burst onto the national scene.

He is capable of guarding small forwards and power forwards evenly, meaning he could be a necessary adversary for a team that has had trouble guarding anyone over the last couple of years. Young also has an eye for disrupting passing lanes, too. With fast hands and an even faster eye for picking the quintessential moment to jump the pass, only six players (Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Paul George) have more steals between 2015 to 2019 than Young.

Wendell Carter Jr. may not make headlines for his ability to put the ball in the basket, but what he makes up for in his offensive insufficiency, he makes up for in his potential as a talented defender that can stick with just about anyone, anywhere, on the court.

In his rookie season, Carter was on a pedestal that not a single other rookie big man was able to reach. He finished 21st in overall true plus/minus among all of the league’s starting centers, a list that included the likes of Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid, Al Horford and DeMarcus Cousins. There’s no doubt that the path he is on now can make him one of the league’s most intimidating defenders and his ability to move laterally off the switch, while still timing up blocks at the rim makes for a picture-perfect fit for the modern NBA that forces hybrid power forwards and centers to cover all positions.

Aside from their acquisitions in the offseason, the Bulls let some players walk in free agency like guards Antonio Blakeney, Wayne Selden, Bobby Portis (to the Knicks) and Timote Luwawu-Cabbarot (who just signed a training camp deal with the Cavs yesterday). Some names that will stay for the Bulls 2019-20 campaign are guard Ryan Archidiacono, Otto Porter, Denzel Valentine, Walter Lemon Jr., Shaquille Harrison, 2018 lottery pick Chandler Hutchinson and big man Christian Felicio.

Also, the Bulls picked up some beneficial parts to their team that could help them out in a variety of ways, more so on the offensive end. Chicago finished last season with the third-lowest team 3 point percentage in the league and 19th in the league when measuring threes made in a single season. But, that should change a little with the addition of former Washington Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky. Averaging 8.9 points per game while nearly shooting 40 percent from deep, Satoransky has shown flashes of being a starter, even on such a guard-saturated roster.

Along with his capacity to score and pass at a high level for a reserve, Satoransky’s 6-foot-7 size and ability to play the point guard position give him an advantage over most guards defensively.

Head coach Jim Boylen can only see up when theorizing how good these young Bulls can be this year, and the Bulls certainly have the talent to challenge for one of the final spots in the depleted bottom-half of the east, but the question remains: is it smart to do so now and waste the opportunity to get another lottery pick?

Tanking for another high draft pick is a good choice, but the Bulls do want to establish some competitive spirit, and it certainly looks like they can right now. Looking ahead, it looks like their next best chance to add a superstar is during the 2021 offseason, where the free agency class is already looking like one of the best we’ve ever seen, and probably better than this past offseason with all-stars, like that of Chicago’s very own Anthony Davis, having his one-year deal with the Lakers end.

In order to be a real contender for one of the top guys, they should look at how the Clippers and Nets were able to attract big market stars to small-market clubs this summer. as even though those two franchises are considered little brothers to the big city Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. The Chicago Bulls are a big and legendary name and if they put out a good product in 2019-20 while showing organizational stability, the plan to compete right away could make the Windy City a potential free-agent draw.

If Chicago can position themselves to make a run at the playoffs the next two seasons to show that they are trending in the right direction, that right there can be the ultimate difference as to whether they can get a star in the future.

 

 

Sep 27, 2019 No Comments