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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 11/23/2021
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Luke Adams
10:20
Hey all. Get your questions in now and I'll get to as many as I can when we get started at 12:00pm CT!
12:01
Lots of early questions today. Love to see it. Keep 'em coming! Here we go...
Elton the GM
12:01
Now that Walton was fired, who is next coach up on the hot seat
Luke Adams
12:02
This is actually going to be the subject of a Community Shootaround post I intend to publish today or tomorrow. I think there are two groups worth keeping an eye on: Coaches of rebuilding teams that have been even worse than expected (Dwane Casey, Stephen Silas) and coaches of teams with title aspiration that have underperformed (Frank Vogel).
I don't get the sense that any more coaching changes are imminent though. Maybe a little later in the season.
Alan C.
12:03
Who do you think are the best buyout candidates come trade deadline.
Luke Adams
12:05
John Wall is the only really obvious one at this point. Veterans on expiring contracts on lottery teams are always candidates, but a lot of guys who fit that bill this season could be moveable in trades (ie. Thad Young, Marvin Bagley, etc.)
12:06
Gary Harris is another one to watch if he stays healthy. His contract definitely won't be a trade asset if he keeps playing like he has so far.
Josh
12:06
MIP Poole, Herro, or Maxey? Or am I forgetting someone else?
Luke Adams
12:07
There will be more candidates (MIP is one award where you can often make a decent case for 10-15 guys), but those three would be a great place to start. Even though I don't love picking second-year guys, I might lean Maxey at this point.
12:08
Maxey wasn't just a typical high draft pick who we'd expect to take major strides in his second year -- there were real questions about how he'd handle the increased role that he was unexpectedly being thrust into, and he's responded better than even most Sixers fans could've imagined.
Kevin from Ma
12:08
What has happened to Payton Pritchard?
Luke Adams
12:10
Sophomore slump? Growth isn't always linear for young guys and I still believe in Pritchard's offensive game. He'll be better than what we've seen so far. Still, I do worry that his defensive limitations will hinder his ability to be a go-to rotation guy in the postseason.
Clippers
12:10
Who can clippers target to upgrade roster?
Luke Adams
12:12
I'm skeptical that the Clippers will be looking to make any major in-season roster upgrades this year. Without knowing what they can expect from Kawhi in the spring, it doesn't really make sense for them to go all-in this season. Getting a fully healthy roster would be their best chance of making any real noise in the playoffs.
Klemeb
12:12
Is any news about new injury of Doncic? Tnx.
Luke Adams
12:14
Haven't seen anything from the team indicating whether yesterday's practice incident was a setback or nothing to worry about. The fact that he's still listed as questionable for tonight's game instead of doubtful or out feels like a promising sign that if he did suffer a setback, it wasn't too serious.
32 Teams
12:15
Will the league ever expand?  Seattle, Vegas or Mexico City?
Luke Adams
12:17
I'd be surprised if there's not serious progress on this front within the next five years. It feels like just a matter of time until Seattle gets a team. Vegas is realistic too -- Mexico City feels a little far-fetched, at least until the league has a few years to assess how the Mexico City G League team is working out.
Chris
12:17
Will the kings consider trading fox and hield for green Simmons and a pick?
Luke Adams
12:18
I don't know about that specific package, but the more the Kings struggle, the more it feels like they're the best bet to roll the dice on Simmons.
12:20
If they're willing to discuss Fox, I wonder how enthusiastic the Sixers would be about acquiring him. He and Simmons share a lot of the same downsides (subpar shooting, at their best in transition) and Fox isn't nearly the defender that Simmons is. But it's definitely an intriguing idea.
Ichiro
12:20
If you took a true talent 60-win NBA team and made them all wear hats during games the way baseball players do, how much would that hurt their end-of-season record? Presumably their vision would be impeded to some extent, but would it be a major issue or just a minor inconvenience?
Luke Adams
12:22
This is a very funny question that I can't stop thinking about now. I feel like impaired vision wouldn't even be the worst side effect -- basketball is a physical sport with a lot of guys playing in close proximity, and the brims of caps would constantly be hitting opponents or getting pushed over players' eyes. A major issue for sure.
Luke Adams Fan
12:22
What are your opinions on the Raptors? Rebuilding, Playoff Contending, Contending?
Luke Adams
12:23
Play-in contending. They're not a top-six team in the East and I'm not sure they're realistically top-eight either. But they won't be a pushover unless they start resting guys in the second half like they did last year.
Alan C.
12:23
What is the likely outcome of the Wall situation?
John Wall
12:24
I'll take only 30M next year for my freedom. Will Houston accept?
Luke Adams
12:25
A buyout looks like the most realistic outcome here. There just aren't that many contracts out there that could realistically be swapped for Wall's, and it makes way more sense for Houston to eat some dead money than to give up any assets to make a trade.
12:27
As for the actual numbers, Wall is due to make $47.4MM next season, so accepting just $30MM would mean he's giving up over $17MM. I'll bet the Rockets would be fine with that. It's more than Blake Griffin forfeited in his buyout with the Pistons ($13.3MM).
Having said that, I don't think the Rockets will seriously consider a buyout until after this year's trade deadline.
Marc
12:27
I know it's early, but do you think the Bulls are for real?
Luke Adams
12:29
They've certainly exceeded my expectations. I thought they'd be a great offensive team that would struggle on defense and wasn't deep enough to handle injuries to their top guys. They've somehow even been better on defense than on offense and are off to a great start despite missing Coby White, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic for multiple games.
12:30
I'm not ready to pencil them in as a top-four seed quite yet, but their floor is definitely higher than I initially believed. They look like a solid playoff team.
JJ
12:31
Knicks need to switch up their starting 5. Fournier to the bench for Burkes would be my choice. Do you think that would help the first unit?
Luke Adams
12:32
It'd be worth a try. Benching your top free agent signing isn't a great look, but maybe playing against more second units is what's needed to get Fournier going. He's been really bad lately.
D-Rock in BKLYN
12:32
Supposing Sean Marks convinces Kevin Durant and James Harden that trading vaccine-refusing Kyrie Irving and getting a package that helps us win a championship this season, given the biggest needs of the team, which is rebounding, rim protection, and a lead-Guard to alleviate responsibility off James Harden, what's the best package YOU can create for the Brooklyn Nets?
Luke Adams
12:37
It's really hard to come up with a viable Kyrie trade. Between his 2022 free agency and the locker room concerns, I just can't see too many teams rolling the dice. One of the L.A. teams might be the best bet (assuming I'm correct that the city's vaccine mandate doesn't apply to players at the Staples Center). They have the contracts necessary to make it work and are two of the only teams that could realistically handle Irving and be confident about re-signing him.
12:38
I don't think you'd be too excited about the return as a Nets fan in either case though. It'd center around either Westbrook or Bledsoe.
Ben Simmons
12:39
Where am I playing on January 1, 2022?
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