Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 11/12/26
powered byJotCast
This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.
ARTHUR HILL
11:07
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question on the Jazz.
Jazzfan
11:07
Do you see the Jazz recovering from their terrible start and making the playoffs? Also, do the Jazz a first-round pick in 2027?
ARTHUR HILL
11:17
It's been a nightmarish start to a season that was supposed to mark a return to contention in Utah. Expectations were high after acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. at the February trade deadline and getting good lottery luck that enabled them to add an elite prospect in Darryn Peterson. But little has gone right since the season started. The Jazz announced Wednesday that Lauri Markkanen will miss at least four weeks with fractures in his right hand, joining JJJ, who may not return until January due to a torn MCL. At 1-11 in a conference filled with good teams, it already feels like the postseason is slipping out of reach. The Jazz do own their 2027 first-rounder, so this season could turn into a battle to stay out of the bottom three and avoid "relegation" status if the roster can't stay healthy.
Just Curious
11:18
It will be 5 years next month since Ainge took over as CEO of basketball operations for the Jazz. Since then the Jazz have won 137 games and lost 258. How much time does he still have to show some success?
ARTHUR HILL
11:27
Danny and Austin Ainge were brought in to oversee a transition after it was decided that the franchise had reached its ceiling with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. That process has taken longer than expected, but in fairness, the Jazz weren't very lucky in the lottery until this year. That's why the Ainges shouldn't be judged too harshly on their won-loss record, which is heavily affected by years of tanking. Even so, the front office deserves some criticism for sending Walker Kessler to the Lakers for future draft picks this summer if the plan was to start winning right away. He's been great in L.A., while the Jazz are left with a huge hole in the middle that no one on the roster is capable of filling. I expect ownership will be looking for results in the second half of this season and beyond when Markkanen and JJJ will presumably be healthy and Peterson will have built up some NBA experience. If the Jazz are in a similar situation a year from now, that's when changes could come.
Thigmus
11:27
Mikal Bridges has been really bad.  I know he is an Iron Man.....but isn't it time they rest him and fix him?  He is a large part of the Knicks' mediocre start.
ARTHUR HILL
11:36
Bridges has been inexplicably bad this season, shooting well below his career average and not doing enough on the defensive end to make up for it. However, he played a vital role on the championship team and he's under contract for three more years, so the Knicks don't want to embarrass him. Coach Mike Brown has been publicly supportive and has kept Bridges in the starting lineup, even though his playing time is down. The consecutive games streak is a huge part of Bridges' identity, so Brown isn't going to ask him to end that voluntarily. It's true that he's been hurting the team so far, but the Knicks aren't ready to panic. Expect them to keep Bridges in his current role while counting on him to work through the shooting issues as the season plays out.
Memphisfan
11:36
Ty Jerome is having a great start to the season, but his contract expires at the end of the season. Do you see the Grizzlies giving Ty an extension that pays $25 million a year?
ARTHUR HILL
11:46
The Grizzlies are in a strong financial position, so they can afford to give Jerome a healthy extension. Jerami Grant ($34.2MM with a $36.4MM player option for next season) is the only player on the roster making more than $15MM. Memphis will eventually have to factor in extensions for all its young talent, but that's still a long way off. Jerome is the clear leader of the Grizzlies' offense, averaging 26.2 PPG through 10 games, and management will want to keep him in that role. I imagine he's also very happy in Memphis after playing for five teams in eight years. An extension seems almost certain before his option year, with a hefty raise from his $9.2MM salary, and a new deal in the $25MM range is definitely reasonable.
Chip
11:46
In the case of KP he has announced he is stepping away from playing. What the the reasoning for a team to trade for him, take on that contract knowing he is not going to play. That seems like throwing $$$$$$$$ away. Thanks
ARTHUR HILL
11:55
Porzingis is believed to be open to a buyout as focuses on his health issues, so acquiring him provides a chance for a team to save money this season and possibly move off some future salary. The Bucks were reportedly among the teams that the Warriors contacted, so let's use them as an example. Porzingis makes $20MM this year, so it wouldn't take much to match the $26.6MM salary for Myles Turner and give Golden State a potential answer to its center problems. The Bucks would escape Turner's $27.8MM salary for next year and his $29.1MM player option for the following season, and they can probably convince Porzingis to give up part of this year's salary. A Porzingis trade doesn't make sense for a contender, but it could be a wise move for teams that don't have anything to play for.
Chris D
11:55
12 games into the season, what's your take on the Wizwrds? Very poor shooting from 3, stagnant offense, poor rebounding. Do you think they are still in the adjustment period, or that it's already time to contemplate trades or changing the coaching staff?
ARTHUR HILL
12:06
The Wizards have a lot of young talent and are fun to watch, but that hasn't translated into many wins so far. Anthony Davis has been available for 10 of the first 12 games, but the team is only 4-8. It's going to be harder to stay competitive if he has to miss extended time with an injury, which his history suggests is very likely. However, AJ Dybantsa looks like a future star, Kyshawn George is a long-term foundation piece and there's plenty of potential throughout the roster. The Wizards are finally headed in the right direction after years of losing, but Davis feels like an awkward fit. He's too much of a gamble for a new contract, but they can't let him go into his option year this summer if they're not going to extend him. I think they'll be patient with the rest of the roster, but it feels like a Davis trade needs to happen by the deadline.
Just Curious
12:06
I thought the East was supposed to be a better conference this year, but so far they are 10-28 against the West in inter-conference games. What's going on there? Is it just small sample size, or did we all just over-look that the best players and the best coaches are still in the West?
ARTHUR HILL
12:12
We may have overreacted to the star players who moved from West to East this summer, particularly LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, but the conferences are probably more even than the early-season record indicates. The Pacers, Magic and Hornets have all been slowed by injuries, while the Nets, Bulls and Bucks are a combined 5-28, which makes the East look worse than it really is. My guess is "small sample size" is likely the best answer and that the won-loss record between the conferences will be fairly even by the end of the season.
12:13
Thanks for all the great questions. We'll talk again next week.
Connecting…