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Hoops Rumors Chat With Luke Adams: 3/6/2017
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Luke Adams
2:03
The trade deadline has passed, but it won't be long until teams can start making trades again. So feel free to get your questions in on potential offseason deals, free agency, the draft, the CBA, the playoffs, or anything else you'd like to discuss!
We'll get underway around 2:30 CT.
Dave
2:32
For all us knicks fans out there....can you give us some glimmer of hope ?
Luke Adams
2:34
Well, you've got Porzingis locked up for a little while yet, and some of the young guys look pretty promising. I think some of the free agent concerns might be overblown too -- even with everything that's gone on with Dolan and Phil, NBA players will still want to play in MSG and wear a Knicks uniform, especially if the money is right.
Mt
2:34
It's a bit early to ask this, but would Kristaps Porzingis be willing to sign an extension when he's eligible? Given the toxic situation with Phil Jackson and Melo, the less than mediocre team the Knicks are fielding, etc.?
Luke Adams
2:37
I think there's a very good chance he'd be willing. Assuming Porzingis stays healthy and keeps improving, he looks like a max contract guy, and max-contract guys hardly ever leave as restricted free agents (look at Anthony Davis, for instance). It just doesn't make financial sense to turn down a max extension offer, especially under the new CBA when sticking with the team that drafted could make you eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension a few years later.
Eavan
2:37
Can you see the Celtics getting Butler without giving up Jaylen Brown ?
Luke Adams
2:39
Yeah, I think so. They have enough assets to replace that value in other ways. If you're the Bulls, I have to think you'd take a package of Jae Crowder/Marcus Smart/2017 Nets pick. That'd be a lot to give up for the Celtics, even without Brown in there.
EL
2:39
Do u see Kyle Lowry resigning in Toronto? How about Serge Ibaka?
Luke Adams
2:41
I think the Raptors are the heavy favorites for Lowry right now, and the slight favorites for Ibaka. A lot of it could come down to how the next 2-3 months play out though. For example, if Lowry isn't able to get back to 100% health for the playoffs and Toronto gets upset in the first round, that would probably dampen the enthusiasm for keeping the whole gang together. Another deep playoff run would bode well for the offseason though.
Daniel
2:41
With the NHL already getting in on a Las Vegas franchise, do you think it will take long for the NBA to follow suit? Maybe a 2 team expansion with Seattle?
Luke Adams
2:43
I think the NHL has been a little more eager to pursue expansion than most other sports, sometimes to its detriment. I get the sense that it's not a high priority for the NBA right now, but that could change within the next few years. Seattle is obviously a viable candidate for an expansion team, and you could probably find a second city to join them, whether it's Vegas, Vancouver, Mexico City, or somewhere else. But it takes a lot of legwork and there are a lot of roadblocks to clear, so I'd be surprised if anything happened in the next 3-4 years.
Craig
2:44
Any chance CP3 and/or Blake leave the Clippers in free agency this summer? If so, which teams would go after them?
Luke Adams
2:46
I'd be shocked if either player left the Clippers this summer. But as I mentioned with the Raptors, a playoff disaster is always an X factor. If a healthy Clippers team gets knocked off in the first round by the Grizzlies or Jazz (ie. a non-"elite" team), what's the next step for the franchise? Would CP3 and Griffin be convinced that Doc and the front office could improve the roster enough to get them over the hump? That'd be interesting to see.
Connor
2:46
Favorite Eastern Conference candidate to potentially knock off Cleveland?
Luke Adams
2:49
The additions of Tucker and Ibaka have made the Raptors a really interesting matchup for the Cavs in the postseason. Tough, defensive-minded players like that could give LeBron the sort of problems that he didn't face in last year's series against Toronto. But Lowry's health is critically important. The Raptors aren't a serious threat if he's not in the lineup and playing well. If he doesn't make it back all the way, the Celtics would be my pick to challenge Cleveland, though I would've really liked to see them add their own equivalent of Ibaka/Tucker at the deadline.
Sean
2:49
Do you expect draft/lottery position to change much from where it is now?
Luke Adams
2:51
I doubt we'll see much movement at the "top." Though with Embiid now out for the season, I could see the Sixers move into that third spot, passing Phoenix and Orlando. Wouldn't be a surprise to see the Kings slip further too -- they're bunched up with a few teams right now, but I doubt they'll pick up many more wins.
Here's how the lottery standings currently look, by the way: http://www.hoopsrumors.com/201617-nba-reverse-standings
Magic
2:51
What is Larry going to demand for pg13?
Luke Adams
2:53
I assume the "Magic" in question here is Johnson, so I'll answer from a Lakers perspective: I think the main problem for the Lakers right now if they're serious about getting George is that they need to keep their draft pick. If that happens, I'd think Larry would want that top-three pick for 2017 along with Ingram and maybe one more piece. Which - in my opinion - is way too much for the Lakers to give up for a player who may sign there in 2018 anyway.
2:54
If Bird starts getting strong signals that George isn't going to re-sign in 2018, maybe the asking price lowers, but I don't think he's there yet.
Kyle
2:54
Why didnt the cba negotiate an amnesty clause like last time only reason i ask is because im a knick fan and in know we screwed with joakim noah
Luke Adams
2:56
When the last CBA was negotiated, the salary cap wasn't set to increase at all during the new CBA's first year, and it was only at about $58MM. That made things a lot trickier for front offices, which was one reason why the amnesty clause was introduced. This time around, the situation is entirely different -- with the salary cap rising so much, there just aren't many bad contracts that teams need to escape from. Deals that might've looked horrible 2-3 years ago seem perfectly fine now that they only represent, say, 10% of the cap instead of 16-17% of it.
CJ
2:57
Any reason the Houston rockets couldn't go all the way and win the NBA championship?
Luke Adams
2:59
The Rockets obviously don't have the same kind of top-level talent that the Warriors do, which is one reason why they probably won't go all the way. But their style of play does make them a pretty interesting playoff team. They shoot so many three-pointers that if they can get hot for a few games, they can beat almost anyone. But that's a pretty big "if."
J
2:59
What would be the most fun unexpected draft lottery scenario?
Luke Adams
3:02
It would be cool to see a promising young team like the Wolves or Sixers jump into the top two and land one more potential star like Fultz or Ball. Though I think an even more fun scenario would be seeing the Pelicans keep their pick (top-3 protected) and get one of those two young guards to team up with Cousins and Davis.
Noah
3:02
Say the Kings come away with 2 top 10 picks (likely 6-9 range). They come away with someone like monk and one of the 2 PGs (fox or the French kid) move Collison and Kosta in the offseason. Possibly Rudy Gay as well. Collecting draft assets... Bringing Bogdonovich from over seas. Could it really jump start the full rebuild?
Luke Adams
3:05
My Pelicans scenario in the last question would somewhat derail this hypothetical Kings rebuild. But assuming Sacramento does keep both of those picks, that would be a good start. Since the Pelicans' pick is top-3 protected though and the Sixers have swap rights on the Kings' own pick, their odds of landing one of those guys at the very top are slim, so they're probably not getting a franchise player in the draft. And vets like Collison and Gay are free agents, so if they're not re-signed, they'll likely walk for nothing. The Kings should be able to add some talent this summer if they draft well, but it's definitely going to be a multiyear process.
Bango
3:05
And the 8th seed in the East goes to....
Luke Adams
3:07
I'll play it safe and say the Pistons, who I think have more talent (and better injury luck) than most of the teams behind them. But it'd be fun to see the Heat sneak in there and play the Cavs in the first round.
Chris
3:07
So the NBA is largely a copycat league. We've been in an era of superteams for the past decade or so. I see the NBA as secretly rooting for teams like the Thunder and more specifically the Rockets to succeed this season. What I mean by this is Houston is a team built around its one star. Should they do well and potentially get to the Finals, the league could be better off by spreading stars around and teams building around one stars skillsets as apposed to multiple stars. What do you think about this? (Sorry for the long winded question)
Luke Adams
3:10
That's a good question. I think you're right to a certain extent. Superteams like the Warriors and (previously) the Heat generate a ton of interest in the NBA. This past offseason was driven by Kevin Durant discussion to an extent that it wouldn't have been if he had simply re-signed with the Thunder. So I think the NBA probably likes the fact that there are one or two superteams in the league. But I bet you're right that the league also doesn't mind seeing those teams lose in the postseason -- a superteam that wins a title every season isn't nearly as interesting a storyline as a superteam that gets knocked off by an underdog.
3:12
Also, the marriage of D'Antoni and Harden is a pretty perfect one that would be hard to replicate, but I wouldn't be surprised if we do see a couple teams try to do the same sort of thing next year, pairing a coach and a star that suit each other as well as those two do, rather than just throwing a coach and star together and hoping they figure it out.
Yanks4lyfeomg
3:12
Where do you see Derrick Rose signing and do you think the knicks will pull off a sign and trade with him?
Luke Adams
3:15
A sign-and-trade seems unlikely to me. That would only be necessary if Rose's new team doesn't have the cap room to sign him outright, and most teams should have space this summer. I wouldn't be counting on getting anything of value for Rose if you're a Knicks fan. As for where he ends up... I kind of think the current Orlando front office would have interest in him if the price is right, but I'm also not convinced they'll still be making roster decisions by July.
Noah
3:15
As to your Rudy Gay comment. He is not a FA at least not yet. He has the player option for i believe around 16M and he has the Achilles rupture so most people believe he will pick up the option and take the guaranteed money as the long term deal will have to wait
Luke Adams
3:17
That's true. I assume most player options will be declined (as they were last year), but a situation like Gay's is one scenario where it's not a sure thing. Still, the statements he put out following the surgery seemed to suggest he's pretty optimistic about a fast recovery. And if he doesn't make that fast recovery and opts into his deal, he probably won't have a ton of trade value anyway.
Josh
3:17
Could you see the Sixers making a move in FA or a trade to bring in a guard. If so who would you suggest
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