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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 2/12/26
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ARTHUR HILL
12:04
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question on the Cavaliers.
Embiid’s much shorter brother
12:04
Thoughts on which team improved the most at the deadline? With Harden, Ellis and Schroeder now getting regular minutes, the Cavaliers are starting to look dangerous. And they still have Mobley and Wade on the mend - they are starting to look like a team you don’t want to face in the first round.
ARTHUR HILL
12:11
The Harden trade was surprising, but it may be exactly what the Cavaliers needed. There was talk about breaking up the "core four" for a while, and it became necessary as Cleveland had underachieved for most of the season. Combined with getting Ellis and Schroder from the Kings, the Cavs now look ready for a long playoff run. Harden's postseason history is a concern, of course, but he's surrounded by lots of talent. Jarrett Allen and Mobley, once he returns, are going to love the easy scoring opportunities he'll give them.
theBigLip
12:11
JJJ out for the season? Great tank move for Utah. Do you expect Silver to do anything about the obvious tanking around the league?
ARTHUR HILL
12:19
Tanking has been a problem for decades, and the NBA has never found a way to stop it. A coin flip between the two worst teams was replaced by the lottery, and lottery odds have been flattened to the point where it wasn't a huge surprise when the Mavericks and Spurs wound up with the top two picks last year. Teams are going to be highly motivated to increase their lottery odds when franchise-changing players are available in the draft, and the only way they can do that is by losing. It's a bad look for the league, but the draft provides an incentive for tanking and it's hard to convince teams not to act in their best interest. In the case of the Jazz, Silver can't order them to play JJJ in the fourth quarter or prevent him from having a growth removed from his knee. Silver can take small measures, but tanking will continue as long as the draft does.
Tarunafish
12:19
Are the Hornets the most surprising team this season? Do you think Charles Lee will win Coach of the Year?
ARTHUR HILL
12:28
The Hornets and Suns are this year's biggest surprises. Charlotte looked to be on the way to another high lottery pick early in the season when the team was plagued by injuries, but the improvement was stark once the roster got healthier. Kon Knueppel has exceeded all expectations and looks like he'll be one of the league's best shooters for the next 10-15 years. LaMelo Ball is shooting less this season and is playing the best basketball of his career. The roster fits together well and the stars seem to enjoy playing together. J.B. Bickerstaff will probably be Coach of the Year, but Lee should get some votes. He's done a great job in turning the franchise around.
Guest
12:28
If the Pacers have Haliburton back and add a top-4 pick plus Zubac next season, would they be favorites in the East? Shades of the Spurs after drafting Duncan?
ARTHUR HILL
12:32
Getting Zubac was a huge win for the Pacers, and he sets them up for an instant return to title contention next season. He's not the outside shooter that Myles Turner is, but he's a better rebounder and interior defender. Indiana likely would have been much more competitive if he had been with the team from the start of the season. The core of the NBA Finals roster is still in place, and Haliburton should be back at full strength by training camp. If the Pacers get some lottery luck and wind up with a top-four pick, they have a case to enter next season as Eastern Conference favorites.
teddygreen
12:32
If the Clippers do trade Kawhi Leonard this offseason, several teams will inquire. Which team do you believe that could pursue Kawhi the most aggressively?
ARTHUR HILL
12:41
Marc Stein reported that several teams called the Clippers about Leonard right before the deadline, but he didn't identify any of them. Just about any contender should have interest in adding him, as he's been reminding everyone this season that he's still at an elite level. How aggressive teams decide to be will depend on how the playoffs turn out and who wins the Giannis sweepstakes. At this point, I could see the Rockets, Timberwolves, Lakers and Sixers all making huge offers.
Wizards
12:41
Will the Wizards sign Trae Young and Anthony Davis to extension this off-season? Should they?
ARTHUR HILL
12:46
Both trades made sense for a long-suffering franchise that desperately needed an infusion of talent. The Wizards were able to add a couple of multi-time All-Stars without giving up much in return. Now comes the hard part. Both players are extension eligible this summer, which means it will take a huge financial commitment to sign them for the long-term. There are injury concerns with both players, more prominently with Davis, who only played 20 games this season and just 29 since last year's trade. The Wizards should explore reasonable extensions with Davis and Young, but it would be a huge mistake to give them anything near the max.
Mikey
12:46
Which player do you is more likely to be traded this offseason Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kawhi Leonard?
ARTHUR HILL
12:52
Giannis is almost a certainty to be traded this summer, barring an unexpected series of events. The best-case scenarios for the Bucks are to earn a play-in spot and win at least one playoff series or to fall down the standings and get really lucky in the lottery. Either one could make Giannis reconsider his desire to leave, but they're both very unlikely. Milwaukee is going to have more suitors than ever this summer, and the offers are going to get better than they were at the deadline. I think the chances of a Giannis trade are about 90-100%, while Kawhi is more like 50-50.
theBigLip
12:52
Knicks-Pistons tonight. First two this year were Detroit blowouts. Without Duren and BeefStew, can the Pistons make it 3 in a row?
ARTHUR HILL
1:01
The game is actually next Thursday, but it's going to be a tough matchup for the Pistons without their best two big men. They were able to win at Toronto last night with Paul Reed playing big minutes, but it will be hard to repeat that performance against the Knicks in the Garden. Duren and Stewart are such a huge part of Detroit's identity, and it's a lot to ask Reed to match up with Towns and Robinson. However, if the Pistons are able to win under those conditions, that's a great sign for their chances in a potential postseason rematch with New York.
Thanks for the great questions this week. We'll talk again next Thursday.
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