The Los Angeles Lakers failed to acquire six-time All-Star
Anthony Davis at the trade deadline. The New Orleans Pelicans were not pleased
with how the Lakers handled trade negotiations back in late-January/February for Davis, who publicly stated
he wanted to be dealt.
A new report suggests that the Pelicans won’t even consider
trading Davis to the Lakers this offseason.
"I have been told that there's no way Anthony Davis is
coming here [to the Lakers], through the Pelicans," Marc J. Spears said while appearing on ESPN's The Jump. "They're just not going to do it."
ESPN’s Michael Wilbon claimed he also heard that Davis-to-LAL
is a no-go come this summer.
Trade talks turned contentious before the NBA's trade deadline when Davis' agent, Rich Paul,
made it public knowledge the big man did not want to play for the Pelicans in
the long-term. Paul also represents Lakers superstar LeBron James, who stated
his desire to play with Davis.
The
Lakers reportedly leaked details of the offers they presented to New Orleans for Davis, incensing
the Pelicans’ front office.
LeBron may not get his wish to play with Anthony Davis next season. (Joe C. Hong/AP)
Another major hurdle for the Lakers is that two of their biggest trade chips—Brandon Ingram and
Lonzo Ball—have been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Ingram is dealing with blood clots, having been diagnosed
with Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in his right shoulder. This could be a serious
detriment to the remainder of his career, and as a result, has lowered his trade value. Ingram finished this season averaging 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds
and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor, 33.0
percent from beyond the arc and 67.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Ball has not played since mid-January after suffering a Grade
3 ankle sprain. He averaged 9.9 points and 5.4 assists per game this season and
shot 40.6% from the field and 32.9% from three. Ball has played in just 99 out
of a possible 164 games in his two-year NBA career.
The Pelicans will have plenty of suitors for Davis this
summer. The Boston Celtics will be the favorites to land Davis, so long as they
agree to deal rising star Jayson Tatum to New Orleans. The Lakers could get back in the mix
for Davis, but their chances of trading for the forward/center have
decreased significantly in recent months.
Los Angeles Lakerssuperstar forward LeBron James hopes his team can acquire longtime friend Carmelo Anthony, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Anthony, a 10-time All-Star and fellow member of the 2003 NBA Draft class, remains on the Houston Rockets' roster, but is no longer associated with the team after the two sides decided to part ways after just 10 games. Anthony, 34, is eligible to be traded on Dec. 15.
Taking a gamble on Anthony, a 16-year veteran who is a shell of his former self, does not seem worth it for the Lakers. They have won 11 of their past 14 contests and are finally starting to form an identity. Youngsters Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hartare emerging into solid players and developing strong outside games. Veteran big men Tyson Chandler and JaVale McGee are playing their best basketball in years, crashing the boards on both ends of the floor.
The Lakers would be well-advised to stay away from LeBron's pal, Anthony, who played downright atrocious in his short stay with Houston. In 294 minutes with Anthony on the floor, the Rockets were outscored by 63 points. The Rockets outscored other teams by 17 points in the 330 minutes he sat on the bench.
LeBron James wants to team up with his friend Carmelo Anthony. (Getty Images)
Anthony, a terrible defender his entire career, was not committed to the Rockets' defensive schemes. Opposing players shot 3.6 percent better with Anthony defending them on average.
Is James' loyalty to Anthony so strong that he would risk sabotaging the Lakers' season? Would he stick his neck out for a player who some league executives speculated has already played his final NBA game?
Let's not forget that Anthony is currently being paid $26.8 million by theAtlanta Hawks to not play for them after they bought his contract out. Assuming the Lakers and every other NBA team resists trading for Anthony, then the Rockets would be the second team this year to pay Anthony to not play for them, as Houston would owe him the remainder of his $2.4 million veteran's minimum contract.
Maybe James is just pretending that he wants the Lakers to acquire Anthony to show support for a friend. Maybe he truly knows the Lakers are way better off without Anthony and that his buddy isn't nearly the player he once was. Because it's pretty obvious for even the most casual of NBA fans to understand that Anthony, a likely Hall of Famer, is washed-up and not worth the risk.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett looks down upon Kevin Durant for taking the easy path to winning a championship. Garrett explained his frustration with Durant for joining the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016, fresh off the team’s record-setting 73-win season. “KD broke the league,” Garrett said on Thursday in an interview with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan when asked if he watched this year's NBA Finals. “You hopped onto a 73-9 team and he took the easy way out in my mind,” Garrett said.
Myles Garrett says Kevin Durant broke the NBA by signing with Golden State. (Ron Schwane)
Garrett wisely pointed out that Durant signing with the 73-win Warriors—who narrowly defeated Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 Western Conference Finals—is not comparable to LeBron James joining the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010. James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency because the talent around him was subpar (Mo Williams was the second-best player on the 2009-10 Cavaliers!?!), unlike Durant who was playing alongside future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook. James went to Miami, which had lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2010, to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Durant signed with a Golden State team that had already maintained significant success without him, winning the title in 2015 and reaching Game 7 of the Finals in 2016.
“It's different when LeBron left. He went to [Miami to join] Wade and Bosh but it wasn't something that was already guaranteed, something you already knew was going to have immediate success. [James] had to gel and work things into place.”
The Warriors have won two straight titles with Durant. Garrett, the first overall selection of the 2017 NFL Draft, is not surprised by Golden State’s dominance.
“They were 73-9 before and you put the second-best player in the world on an already all-time great team and of course you're going to have success, pretty easy success. Anyone can have an off night and they can still find a way to win.”
Game 3 of the Finals supports Garrett’s assertion. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled to get anything going offensively that night. Curry (11 points) had a horrific shooting night—missing 13 of 16 shots, including nine of his 10 three-point attempts—while Thompson was held to 10 points. But Durant bailed out his teammates with an otherworldly performance, scoring 43 points (15-of-23 shooting) with 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Now a two-time Finals MVP, Durant has played tremendous in each of the past two postseasons with the Warriors. But the fact remains that Durant is dominating on a roster that was already a powerhouse without him.
A competitive drive would prevent Garrett from ever hopping onto the best roster in the league just to win a championship, he says.
“If I were him I would've never made a move like that in the first place,'' he said. “Me, I'm too competitive to try and ride on somebody's coat tails to get a W. But for him, you might as well stay at the spot you're at now. There's no point in leaving since you've already taken that moniker where he's been called the snake and cupcake and all that. You might as well stay and just keep on winning.”
It’s hard to argue with any of Garrett’s criticism for Durant.
Durant undoubtedly took the easiest path to a championship. While a member of the Thunder, Durant almost dethroned the Warriors with the help of superstar teammate Russell Westbrook. Leaving the Thunder for the Warriors—a month removed from the teams’ seven-game Conference Finals showdown—was a snake move, no matter how you spin it.
Garrett, who shined with Cleveland when healthy (11 games played) in his rookie season, is preaching to the choir of many NBA fans who are upset with Durant. The media far too often coddles Durant, who spited his former Oklahoma City teammates and coaches passive aggressively with burner Twitter accounts, while also whining about the criticism sent his way for his move in free agency.
It’s refreshing to hear a fellow professional athlete speak out against Durant, who has coasted to consecutive championships.
LeBron James looked exhausted at times during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 2 loss at Oracle Arena on Sunday night. James has been incredulous in Cleveland’s deep playoff run. In his past four postseason games—two against the Golden State Warriors and two versus the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals—he has averaged 41.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists in a whopping 46.5 minutes per contest.
LeBron looked exhausted in Game 2 of the Finals. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Given those gaudy numbers, his usage rate on the court and lack of rest, James should be tired. Just don't tell that to Fox Sports 1 Analyst Skip Bayless, who has spent much of the past decade hating on James and diminishing the many accomplishments of the greatest player of the 21st century. Bayless mocked how James was called tired by ESPN Analyst and former NBA player Chauncey Billups and asserted NBA icon Michael Jordan would never be labeled tired.
Think about this: Chauncey Billups just said on ABC that LeBron "looked a little tired." IT'S ONLY GAME 2 OF THE NBA FINALS. I covered Michael Jordan when he was year older than LeBron is now. NOBODY EVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT MJ BEING TIRED. That would've been blasphemous.
Interestingly enough, Jordan actually was called “tired” twenty years ago—by none other than Bayless himself in a column he wrote during the 1998 NBA Finals.
That is some poetic justice right there. Bayless tried desperately to pedal the Jordan/James storyline, and it backfired. He must not have remembered writing that column, but people (aided by some quick research) don’t forget, Skip. People don't forget.
For the first time all postseason, LeBron James did not lead his team in scoring. Kevin Love scored a team-high 17 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who got pummeled by the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. James has had some historic postseason games at TD Garden, but struggled mightily on Sunday—posting just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting with seven turnovers—in a demoralizing 108-83 defeat.
It certainly took a team effort to shut down James, but Marcus Morris was the driving force behind the Celtics containing the NBA’s best player. Morris guarded James on a team-high 39 possessions and held him to 3-of-10 shooting with five assists and four turnovers in those instances. James missed all five of his three-point attempts and was never able to get into a rhythm offensively.
Morris played suffocating defense on James in the Celtics' Game 1 win. (David Butler II/USA Today Sports)
"Personally, I think I’m probably the best guy defending him in the league, outside of Kawhi [Leonard],” Morris said.
Earning the start over center Aron Baynes as the Celtics went with their small-ball starting unit, Morris backed up his claims in the series opener. The 6'-9” forward used his strength and toughness to slow down James, who looked out of sorts all afternoon and finished with a stunning minus -32. It was just one game in what is expected to be a long series, but there is an extended history of “Mook” containing “The King”—proving that Morris' lofty claims have some serious merit.
UPDATED – LeBron's last 12 Games vs. a Marcus Morris team – 20.6 PPG – 14.6% from 3 – Has not reached 30 points in a single gamehttps://t.co/ajQR7pQppT
Not only did Morris play terrific defense, he also had a strong game on the offensive end, posting 21 points with a team-best 10 rebounds. Morris says the injury-riddled Celtics—who were underdogs on Sunday for the fifth time in six games (5-1 record in those contests)—believe they are capable of defeating any opponent.
“Our confidence is very high,” Morris said. “The younger guys to the older guys, we think we can compete and play with anybody. At the end of the day, all the talking done off the court. Once we step between them lines, we have to compete no matter who we have out there, and that's what we've been doing.”
Harden
leads the NBA in scoring (31.0 ppg) and player efficiency rating (30.62) and
ranks third in assists per contest (8.9). All the meanwhile, the Houston Rockets
are on a 16-game win streak and maintain the NBA’s best record. Further
evidence of Houston’s dominance?—the Rockets are 33-1 when Harden, Chris Paul
and Clint Capela suit up.
James Harden and the Rockets have a realistic shot to win the NBA title. (Tom Gutierrez/AP)
2.Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Behind
the brilliance of Davis, the Pelicans have won nine consecutive games and vaulted
to fourth-place in the Western Conference standings—all without DeMarcus
Cousins, who was lost for the season to an Achilles injury. For the month of
February, Davis ranked first in scoring, second in steals, third in rebounding
and third in blocks. According to NBA.com, he is the first player to finish
top-3 in the aforementioned marks since 1973-74—the season steals and blocks
became official statistics.
During the current nine game winning streak Anthony Davis is averaging 37.7 points 14.6 rebounds 3.0 steals 2.8 blocks 53.2% FG% 41.9% 3PT% (NOT A MISPRINT) 61.8% TS% 33.2% USG%
— The Bird WWWWWWWWWrites (@thebirdwrites) March 7, 2018
3.LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
James
looked like the early favorite to win MVP through the first two months of the season,
but now Harden is by far and away the leader of the race. The Cavs have
struggled since the calendar flipped to January, hurting James’ chances to
capture his fifth MVP trophy. Even so he has been great in the absence of Kevin
Love and the departure of failed experiment Isaiah Thomas, averaging a
triple-double for the month of February.
Congratulations to @KingJames – the Eastern Conference #KiaPOTM for the seventh February in a row! For the first time in his career, LeBron averaged a triple-double for the month with 27.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 10.5 APG. DETAILS → https://t.co/m5X26947UApic.twitter.com/6i1ZeJbvlp
The
Blazers are riding an eight-game win streak, thanks in large part to Lillard. In
the eight victories, Lillard has posted per-game averages of 32.6 points, 6.4
assists and 4.4 rebounds. As clutch as they come, Lillard is shooting 46.1%
from the field in that span and Portland now has the third-best record in the
West and the fifth-best mark in the NBA.
5.Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Durant
won’t win MVP as long he is a member of the Warriors (unless Stephen Curry goes
down with a long-term injury), but he can remain in the conversation because of
his stellar play. Durant is averaging 25.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists
with a 25.56 player efficiency rating. He is the driving force of the Warriors
(50-14), who trail the Rockets by a half-game for the best record in the NBA.
With the NBA releasing its 2017–18 schedule on Monday, here is a glance at the must-see home contest for all 15 squads from the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta Hawks
Vs. Denver Nuggets (Oct. 27): Atlanta opted not to re-sign Paul Millsap, who compiled four All-Star seasons with the team before joining the Nuggets in the offseason via free agency. The Hawks will likely pay some sort of tribute to their former star Millsap, who conveyed his anger that Atlanta did not even make him a contract offer.
For a franchise in full rebuild mode, Millsap’s return to Atlanta might be the only thing Hawks fans can get excited about this season.
Boston Celtics
Vs. Washington Wizards (Dec. 25): The Celtics host a Christmas Day game for the first time in 53 years when the Wizards visit TD Garden in a rematch of last year’s seven-game Eastern Conference semifinals series.
John Wall and Isaiah Thomas will go head-to-head on Christmas. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The two best point guards in the East — Washington’s John Wall and Boston’s Isaiah Thomas — take center stage in a rivalry that now includes both of the Morris twins — with Markieff Morris entering his second full season (acquired at the 2016 trade deadline) with the Wizards and Marcus Morris now a member of the Celtics.
Brooklyn Nets
Vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Feb. 2): Lakers president Magic Johnson chastised Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell after trading him to Brooklyn. Russell didn’t pan out as expected with the Lakers, something Johnson made clearafter dealing the guard. Johnson said the Lakers needed “a leader” and someone whom “players want to play with” and Russell apparently didn’t fit the bill on either accounts.
Russell gets the chance to make Johnson eat his words (at least for one night) and goes head-to-head against the guy who replaced him, Lonzo Ball.
Charlotte Hornets
Vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 9): Will the attention-seeking LaVar Ball, father of Lonzo Ball, make the trip for the Lakers’ only visit to Charlotte?
If so, it would be intriguing to see Lavar, who has manipulated the media into covering his every move, interact with Michael Jordan. Lavar — successfully boasting his way into the league’s limelight with his incessant, nonsensical trash-talking tirades and all — claimed he would have “killed” NBA legend Jordan in one-on-one. Jordan snickered at Lavar’s comment, saying he could defeat LaVar playing on just one leg.
Chicago Bulls
Vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Feb. 9): Jimmy Butler returns to the United Center — this time as a visitor and a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, who is entering his third season as Minnesota’s coach and president of basketball operations, also makes his lone visit of the year to Chicago for what is the Bulls’ only scheduled nationally televised game of the season.
Minnesota’s Tom Thibodeau (left) and Jimmy Butler (center) visit the Bulls in February. (AP Photo)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Vs. Golden State Warriors (Jan. 15): The Cavs look for redemption against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who defeated Cleveland in a lopsided five-game NBA Finals last June.
Detroit Pistons
Vs. Charlotte Hornets (Oct. 18): Opening night against Charlotte in the Pistons’ new home court, Little Caesars Arena, should make for a boisterous atmosphere in downtown Detroit.
Indiana Pacers
Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Dec. 13): Expect boos when four-time All-Star Paul George returns to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. George demanded a trade and got his wish as the forward was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Paul George makes his lone trip of the season to Indianapolis in December. (Robert Scheer/IndyStar)
Miami Heat
Vs. Boston Celtics (Oct. 28): Kelly Olynyk plays his first game against the franchise that drafted him back in 2013 after signing a four-year, $50 million contract with the Heat this offseason.
Miami faces Gordon Hayward, who chose to sign with the Celtics over the Heat this summer.
Milwaukee Bucks
Vs. Toronto Raptors (Jan. 5): The upstart Bucks get a chance early in the 2018 calendar year for revenge against the team that knocked them out of the postseason.
The Bucks hope to prove they are now on Toronto’s level.
New York Knicks
Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Nov. 13): LeBron James has put on a show at Madison Square Garden on multiple occasions, averaging 28.5 points per contest in New York’s home arena. MSG is the only arena where James has topped the 50-point plateau twice.
But the main story-line here is Kyrie Irving playing against the Knicks (assuming Irving is still on Cleveland’s roster come mid-November), a team that is reportedly on his wish list for trade destinations.
According to reports, Kyrie Irving is interested in playing for the Knicks. (Darren Abate/AP)
A minor subplot is Derrick Rose’s return to New York, where he played one season and registered 18 points and 4.4 assists per game before signing with the Cavs this offseason.
Orlando Magic
Vs. Miami Heat (Oct. 18): No contest stands out in particular on the schedule for the Magic, who look destined for another losing season, so opening night against the in-state rival Miami Heat might be the game to attend for Orlando fans.
Philadelphia 76ers
Vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (March 24): The first overall pick in each of the past four NBA drafts — the 76ers’ Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons and Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins — will be in action for this contest featuring a bevy of young talent. Joel Embiid versus Towns could provide fireworks.
Toronto Raptors
Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Jan. 11): Cleveland has knocked Toronto out of the past two postseasons, as the Cavs swept the Raptors in the second-round last year.
It’s only a regular-season contest, but this game gives the Raptors a chance to see if they shortened any of the gap between themselves and the three-time reigning Eastern Conference champions.
Washington Wizards
Vs. Boston Celtics (Feb. 8): The Wizards host the team that defeated them in the East Semifinals for the first time in 2018.
The home team won every matchup (regular season and playoffs) last year.
The Celtics finished in first place in a historically weak Eastern Conference last season with a 53–29 record. The East got worse and the Celtics improved by adding All-Star forward Gordon Hayward, who is in the prime of his career.
The Cavaliers are the three-time reigning Eastern Conference champions, and yet, the franchise is in turmoil. Kyrie Irving demanded a trade, a trade for Paul George was scraped at the last minute and LeBron may skip town (again) next summer.
LeBron James will become a free agent next summer. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Remarkably, the Cavs remain the favorites to reach the Finals for a fourth straight year, even though it’s likely Irving will be moved at some point before February’s trade deadline.
As long as James is in Cleveland, the East is the Cavs to lose.
3. Toronto Raptors
Toronto brought back Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, but lost P.J. Tucker and Patrick Patterson in free agency. Still, the core of Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Ibaka, Jonas Valančiūnas and the emerging Norman Powell — set to be a starter in 2017–18 following the trade of the underachieving DeMare Carroll to the Brooklyn Nets — makes the Raptors a near-lock to finish in the top-half of the East standings.
4. Washington Wizards
The Wizards locked up John Wall for the foreseeable future with a supermax contract and re-signed Otto Porter to a max deal to maintain one of the best starting units in the conference.
The bench, which was terrible a season ago and hampered the team in its postseason run, managed to get worse with Bojan Bogndanovic defecting to the Indiana Pacers via free agency. With that said, they have the conference’s top point guard and have a great shot to win a playoff series for the second straight year.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
A starter in the 2017 All-Star Game, Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the NBA’s must-watch players. ‘The Greak Freek’ showcased his all-around game last year, becoming the first player in league history to finish in the top 20 in total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks for a single season. Antetokounmpo’s presence alone makes the Bucks a playoff contender in the East.
The return of forward Jabari Parker — who tore his ACL this past February, abruptly ending his third season in the league — could be the added boost that propels the franchise to its first playoff series win since 2001.
6. Charlotte Hornets
After reaching the postseason in 2016, the Hornets took a step back last year, finishing 10 games under .500 and missing the playoffs all together.
Kemba Walker was the lone bright spot, as the 27-year-old point guard earned his first All-Star appearance.
Dwight Howard holding his Hornets jersey in his introductory press conference. (David Foster III/Charlote Observer)
Active in the offseason, the Hornets traded for Dwight Howard, who should fit perfectly in Charlotte’s inside-out offensive attack.
Howard joins a strong frontcourt that includes Frank Kaminsky, Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller and lengthy forwards Nicolas Batum (who actually starts at shooting guard, even though he stands at 6'10") and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a defensive stalwart.
Howard has had a rough-go since forcing his way out of Orlando, but the three-time Defensive Player of the Year actually played quite well for Atlanta a season ago — averaging 13.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per contest . He should see his role on offense expand for the playoff-bound Hornets.
7. Miami Heat
Miami came up just short in its bid for a playoff spot last season. After a woeful 10–31 start to the year, the Heat flipped the script and registered a 31–10 mark for the second half of the season.
Returning the same cast of characters with Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and James Johnson leading the squad, Miami also added former Celtics center Kelly Olynk in free agency. The Canadian sharp-shooting big man bolsters one of the strongest benches in the league — which already includes combo guard Tyler Johnson and guard/forward Josh Richardson.
Add in that 21-year-old Justice Winslow — who played just 13 games last season after tearing his labrum in his right shoulder —will return to the fold and likely become a major contributor, and it’s hard to foresee a scenario where Miami misses the playoff for a second consecutive year.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers will be the ultimate wild card team for the 2017–18 season. In all likelihood, health will be the major determinant of success. Joel Embiid, who showed flashes of brilliance last year before his season was cut short after undergoing surgery to address a meniscus tear in his left knee, needs to prove he can stay on the court. Ben Simmons — who sat out the entire season — must also live up to expectations in order for Philadelphia to become a force in the East.
Joel Embiid has played in just 31 games in three years since being drafted by the 76ers. (Aaron Doster/USA Today)
The depth of the 76ers is impressive. J.J. Redick was signed to a 1-year deal in the summer and will likely slide into the starting shoot guard role, while free agent addition Amir Johnson is expected to come off the bench.
If the top overall selection of June’s NBA Draft — Markelle Fultz — joins Simmons, Embiid and Dario Saric in the starting rotation, swingman Robert Covington, one of the league’s most unappreciated players, would anchor a formidable second-string unit.
Philadelphia fans have adhered to the “Trust The Process” philosophy set forth by former general manager Sim Hinkie for years now. This seems like the season their faith in the longterm rebuild is rewarded with a postseason appearance.
In order to make room for Gordon Hayward and his
reported 4-year, $128 million max contract, the Boston Celtics opted to part
ways with shooting guard Avery Bradley. The Celtics traded Bradley, one of the
league’s best perimeter defenders, and a 2019 second-round pick to the Detroit
Pistons in exchange for forward Marcus Morris.
Before President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge
and his team sent Bradley to Detroit, Boston reportedly shopped Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder in trade talks. When the 2017-18 season concludes, Smart will be
a free agent—albeit a restricted one—like Bradley (unrestricted), but the
popular opinion held that Crowder was the most likely to be moved because he
plays small forward, the same position as the newly-signed All-Star forward Hayward,
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the No. 3 overall pick from June’s NBA Draft.
That logic was flawed in many aspects. As evidenced by the 2017 Finals, the NBA
is becoming a positionless league—a sentiment echoed by Celtics head coach Brad
Stevens.
“I don’t have the five positions anymore,” Stevens said. “It may be as simple as three positions now, where you’re either a
ball-handler, a wing or a big.”
By Stevens’ definition, Crowder is a wing—one who is
fully capable of starting alongside Hayward. Crowder’s contract—which pays him
$6.7 million this season, $7.3 million in 2018-19 and $7.8 million in
2019-20—is one of the best in the league and makes him an asset worth holding
onto. Furthermore, the 6’9” 27-year-old remains Boston’s top defensive option
against Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
The Celtics realistically had no shot of re-signing
Bradley in the summer of 2018. They just inked Hayward to a massive deal—a
summer after signing Al Horford to a monster contract—and still need to pay
Isaiah Thomas, a free agent in 2018 who averaged 28.9 points per game last
season and finished 5th in MVP voting. Teams, including the Pistons,
will likely offer Bradley a lucrative, long-term deal, perhaps in the $25
million (annual) range, a contract the Celtics will not be able to match.
Even if the Celtics could fit Bradley in the team’s
cap, it’d be senseless to throw massive amount of money at the guard who has
sit his ceiling as a player. Not when his understudy Smart, 23 and three years
younger than Bradley, can do many of the same things defensively and is still
evolving on offense. Smart took a big leap this past season, elevating his
scoring and ball distribution on offense, while also improving his off-ball
guarding and one-on-one defense.
Assuming Crowder starts next to Hayward and Horford
in the frontcourt and Smart continues to be the first guy off the bench for the
Celtics, Jaylen Brown is set to become a permanent member of Boston’s starting-five.
Brown played much better as a starter, averaging 9.5 points in 20 starts and
reaching double-figures in scoring 10 times. Brown, who saw in uptick in
minutes as the season wound down and even managed to be a part of the Celtics’
playoff rotation, has as much upside as any player from the 2016 NBA Draft
Class. And while the Summer League is hardly a preview of things to come, it’s
impossible to ignore Brown’s dominance in the exhibition contests in Salt Lake
City. In the summer league games in Utah, Brown averaged 17.5 points and 10.5
rebounds per game.
Jaylen Brown looks to build upon a strong rookie season. (Winslow Townson/AP)
Brown’s insertion into the starting unit also opens up more playing time at the wing positions to rookie Jayson Tatum and the newly-acquired Marcus Morris, a tweener forward who last season averaged 14 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 42 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point territory.
The 6’9” Morris is not nearly the player Bradley is,
but he provides the Celtics with two things the often-injured Bradley did not:
elite durability and a lengthy defender to guard LeBron. Morris has played in
77 or more games in each of the past five seasons and no player guarded LeBron
more effectively than Morris in the 2015-16 regular season.
One under the radar positive about Marcus Morris? Durability. Here's his games played totals over last 5 seasons: 77 82 81 80 79
According to ESPN.com’s Tom Haberstroh, James
averaged just 20.5 points per 100 possessions when defended by Morris that
season—much lower than his 36.5 points per 100 possessions average on the
season.
LeBron James has words with Marcus Morris, then a member of the Pistons. (USA Today Sports/Tim Fuller)
In this past regular season, Morris ranked 66th among all players in defensive win shares. The only two Celtics players that ranked ahead of Morris?—the aforementioned Crowder and Smart.
While it may be tough for the Celtics to wave goodbye
to Bradley, who became a solid role player under former head coach Doc Rivers
before ultimately becoming a First-Team All-Defense member (2015-16) and
reliable offensive player (16.3 points per game in 2016-17) under Stevens, he
was the odd man out after a trade became inevitable following the Hayward
signing.
The Celtics were never going to get equal value for Bradley—not when it became obvious they were looking to deal the guard before he hit free agency—but acquiring another guy for Stevens to throw at LeBron on defense is hardly a major loss. And while Bradley’s tough-nosed defense and underrated shot-making ability will be certainly missed, especially as the Celtics’ newcomers take time to jell with their teammates, his departure opens the door for Brown to potentially become a star, something Bradley will never be.
