You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 11/30/2021
powered byJotCast
Luke Adams
10:47
Today's live chat will get underway in a little over 70 minutes. Get your questions in early and I'll get to as many as I can beginning at noon CT!
12:01
Hey everyone. Thanks for all your questions so far! Let's dive in...
Ry
12:02
Could a Kemba + more get John Wall?
Luke Adams
12:03
Could it? Sure. I'm not sure why the Knicks would want to do that though. I don't know that Wall is a meaningful on-court upgrade from Kemba, and the contract is a whole lot more onerous than Kemba's.
Koby Altman
12:04
How much is it going to cost us to retain Ricky Rubio next summer? He's been an important mentor and ball mover for us this season. We looked great last night spanking the Mavs in Dallas.
Luke Adams
12:05
If Rubio keeps playing like this, it's probably unrealistic to expect him to take a pay cut. His current deal is 3/$51MM. I could see him getting something in that range again.
Eric in LA
12:05
Any chance Indiana is gonna have a fire sale soon? Team has great assets and isn’t going anywhere…
Luke Adams
12:07
I'm not sure the Pacers would agree with that assessment. They'd argue that they've outplayed their record so far (their +1.0 overall net rating is much better than their 9-14 record would indicate) and can still look forward to getting T.J. Warren back a few weeks from now.
That's not to say I view them as a legit contender. But their ownership group has always resisted bottoming out and I can't see them going that route in Rick Carlisle's first year either. I don't see a fire sale this year.
WCF
12:08
The Western Conference Finals start tonight ... who do you pick?
Luke Adams
12:10
I think the Jazz might have something to say about penciling in the Warriors and Suns for the WCF quite yet... But as for tonight's matchup, it seems too easy to assume Golden State and Phoenix will each win their home matchups this week, so I'll take the Dubs tonight.
Mitchell Robinson
12:10
How much do you think I can get in free agency? Something in the range of Wendell Carter Jr. or Rob Williams?
Luke Adams
12:12
That'd be about $48-50MM over four years. I think that'd be a pretty nice outcome for you at this point. If you miss more time with injuries this season, I think you're getting less than that.
Fantasy GM
12:12
Why does every NBA expert dismisses the perfect swap btw Simmons and Irving?
Luke Adams
12:14
I can't see the Sixers doing that. Irving's off-court behavior makes him too risky for a Sixers team that needs to hit a home run with the Simmons trade to ensure their window of title contention stays open.
12:15
Even from the Nets' perspective, I think they might be more comfortable rolling the dice on NYC's vaccine mandate getting dropped in 2022 than on trying to fit in a star player whose confidence seems shot.
DC
12:15
Can LAL make any trade to help get better or do they have the assets other than THT to move???
Luke Adams
12:17
The Lakers are in a really tough spot from a trade perspective. THT and Nunn are their only players not earning either the max or the min, so one or both of them would have to be included to acquire any player making between, say, $10-20MM, and it'll be difficult to acquire a player earning much more than that. That'll really limit their options.
Adam Nelson
12:17
Which player staying with their current team after the trade deadline would shock you?
Luke Adams
12:19
I suppose it's Ben Simmons. I could see a scenario where he's still in Philly beyond the deadline, but I'd be pretty surprised if that's the route the team takes, since it would mean essentially giving up on title contention for a year.
There are other guys who seem like locks to move on sooner or later, but many of them are more likely to be bought out than traded (John Wall, Goran Dragic, etc.)
Cavs Fan
12:20
Any chance that the Cavs could swing a trade for Eric Gordon and Danuel House from the Rockets?  A couple of offensive minded players for the bench would really help them make a playoff run this year.
Luke Adams
12:21
I don't hate the idea, but if you're sending Love to Houston, you'd probably have to attach a draft pick or two to get it done. The Cavs might not be at the point yet where they're sacrificing that sort of asset in a win-now move.
GabeOfThrones
12:22
Any chance Kemba turns back into an efficient offensive player that isn’t a total defensive liability again, or is he cooked?
Luke Adams
12:23
Maybe resting his knees will help, but he was never a great defender. The fact that offenses are so good these days at exposing a team's weakest defenders only exacerbates the issue.
12:24
I hope he can bounce back, since he's too young to be on his last legs, but I do worry about the potential of him going the Isaiah Thomas route (undersized scoring guard whose value drops off a cliff due to a chronic health issue and defensive shortcomings).
Matt
12:25
Any chance lavine gets traded because Bulls choose not to pay him next summer?
Luke Adams
12:27
If you'd asked me two or three months ago, I would've said yes, there's a chance. Now I think the odds are pretty much zero. The Bulls look legitimately improved and LaVine is obviously a major part of their success. They'll take their chances with him in free agency.
Dan
12:27
Who are the next 3 GMs who should be fired?
Luke Adams
12:29
Neil Olshey is the most obvious candidate here. David Griffin too. As for the third.... I could see Jeff Weltman or Kevin Pritchard being in some trouble within the next year if their teams don't start taking positive strides (in terms of player development for the Magic and win-loss record for the Pacers).
12:30
Monte McNair and Rafael Stone could be in the conversation too, but it feels a little too early on both counts. They were hired in Sept and Oct of 2020.
I should clarify I'm not calling for these guys to be fired, but they look most at risk to me, based on their roster decisions and where their teams stand.
J Rod
12:31
Do the Kings make a major roster shakeup before the deadline? Does Simmons make sense if they're willing to give up Fox or Haliburton?
Luke Adams
12:33
They should absolutely consider a shakeup if the on-court results don't improve in the next month or two. I don't know that Simmons and Fox would fit together all that well (two ball-handlers who can't make threes doesn't seem like a recipe for success), but if the Kings are willing to give up Fox and the Sixers are interested, that idea intrigues me.
W logan
12:33
Clippers are schizophrenic. I can't figure them out. Give me hope!
Luke Adams
12:35
Honestly, I didn't have them in the top 8 of the West this year without Kawhi, so they're exceeding my expectations so far. Any team missing a perennial MVP candidate is going to look shaky at times -- they'll be fine once they get back to full strength.
Basketball Addict
12:35
I’m putting the trade for Westbrook as the dumbest move of the off-season.. traded most of their depth for a player who can’t shoot well.. especially from the 3point range and is careless protecting the basketball.. personally think Lakers might have hard time even making the playoffs .. what do you say???
Robert
12:35
The returns so far on the westbrook trade favor the wizards. Did u see that coming?
Luke Adams
12:37
I always liked the trade from the Wizards' perspective (their upside building around Beal and Westbrook was really limited), but I have to admit I didn't expect it to be a disaster from the Lakers' perspective. It's trending that way early, though it's worth noting that Westbrook took a while to adjust to a new team last year too, and was incredible in the second half.
12:38
It wouldn't surprise me if the Lakers end up in play-in territory again this season, but I think a top-six finish is far more likely. There are a ton of question marks in the West this season beyond the top three teams (GSW, Phx, Utah). The fourth seed right now has a 10-9 record! So the Lakers aren't exactly digging themselves a deep hole yet.
Load More Messages
Connecting…