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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 2/26/26
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ARTHUR HILL
11:01
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question on Damian Lillard.
Rip City Curious
11:01
Portland looks like they really want to make the playoffs. Is there a chance Dame comes back to help the cause?
ARTHUR HILL
11:08
Lillard looked really good in the three-point contest, and his shot hasn't seemed to suffer at all from the long layoff. Plus, Portland needs another reliable scorer with Shaedon Sharpe possibly out for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left leg. While it's a tempting scenario to bring Lillard back for the stretch run, he already ruled out that possibility at All-Star Weekend. He told reporters that he might have considered coming back if he were five years younger, but he's going to do the prudent thing and wait until fall to return. The Blazers' spot in the play-in tournament appears safe, so there's no reason to bring Lillard back early and risk another serious injury.
JD
11:08
Will there be any more buyouts before Sunday? The buyout market has been pretty quiet this year
ARTHUR HILL
11:16
Buyout news has been unusually slow since the deadline, and even Lonzo Ball hasn't found a new team yet despite being a free agent for the past three weeks. Khris Middleton is obviously the biggest name to watch. The Mavericks told him they're willing to negotiate a buyout if he wants one, and he'll have to make a decision by Sunday, which is the deadline to finalize a buyout deal and still be playoff eligible with his next team. At 34, it feels like a buyout is his best option and he's still productive enough to help a contender. A dark horse to watch is Russell Westbrook. He's still a dangerous scorer who plays as hard as ever, and there's little reason for him to stay with the Kings.
Unclemike1526
11:17
Now that the Bulls have swapped out a bunch of expiring contracts for a bunch of other expiring contracts and 1 and a half possible keepers( Dillingham, Ivey) and a bunch of 2nd round picks in the 2030's, What exactly do they do now? I could say in all sincerity that they are worse off now than they were  before the deadline. Thanks. They still have no C or PF of note and don't appear to still want any.
ARTHUR HILL
11:27
Hopefully Arturas Karnisovas has big plans for the cap space he'll have this summer because he didn't do anything to improve the roster with the seven trades he made during deadline week. Ten straight losses is evidence of that, and the Bulls have probably done more to tank over the last month than the two teams that got fined. Karnisovas held onto Coby White and Nikola Vucevic for far too long and surely could have gotten a better return at last year's deadline. The plan is to build around Giddey, Buzelis and Essengue, but that's going to require a lot of patience and a talent for roster construction that the front office hasn't shown that it's capable of. The Bulls can hope for some lottery luck, but it's a very guard-heavy draft outside the top four, so that may provide limited help. Finding front line help has to be a priority, but it also should have been addressed at the deadline. Ownership seems to like Karnisovas, but his job should be on the line if he can't fix things this summer.
Jonathan Kuminga
11:27
Did the Hawks see the real me on Tuesday? If so, what does it mean for Atlanta's future?
ARTHUR HILL
11:34
Kuminga's first game with the Hawks was a huge success, as he scored 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench. He has said for years that he could be productive in the right situation, and he'll get a chance to prove it over the rest of the season. Picking up his $24.3MM team option for next season seems like an easy decision, as there should plenty of trade interest in Kuminga even if he doesn't fit into the Hawks' long-term plans. They have a lot of forwards and some cap issues to consider, but there's no doubt that he's a valuable asset and it was a shrewd move to take advantage of the Warriors' desire to unload him.
Chip
11:34
TANKING SOLUTION - Taking a page out out SAS's playbook these ideas are " Fluid ". This idea follows the patern of the NBA 16 techs = suspension. At the start of the year there will be a list of violations each costs one point. Some violations are sitting players in 4th, mysterious illnesses or injuries, game management,etc. When teams reaches level one they lose their 2nd rd pick. Now if they continue and reach level two they lose their 1st rd pick. Now if they ever reach level 3 the penalties are " Fluid "
ARTHUR HILL
11:41
It's pretty clear that the NBA will adopt some new anti-tanking measures this summer because it's a huge source of negative publicity for the league. The system you propose is intriguing, especially if the violations are made public, because it's an easy way for fans to follow along. Teams that get close to each level of punishment are going to be very careful in their decisions when the consequences are so high. Nobody wants to risk losing draft picks, so teams that might normally tank would at least think twice about their actions.
Scott S.
11:41
Even without the Hornets on fire and Giannis out, the Bucks are back within a game of the play-in. With Giannis back, could Milwaukee actually make the playoffs and be a tough out?
ARTHUR HILL
11:49
It looked like the Bucks' playoff hopes were over when Giannis suffered his calf strain, but they managed to stay competitive and it's not hard to picture them finishing ninth or even eighth if he can return soon. Doc Rivers has done wonders in putting together lineups, and the additions of Cam Thomas and Ousmane Dieng have provided roster depth. The Bucks could develop into the team that nobody wants to face in the postseason, and they might be able to at least provide a scare for the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. That would add some intrigue when the Giannis trade drama resumes this summer.
Tarunafish
11:49
If the Knicks face the Pistons in the playoffs, who would Jalen Brunson guard?
ARTHUR HILL
11:57
Brunson's defensive matchup is always a concern for New York in the playoffs, and the Pistons provide a difficult challenge because they have size throughout their lineup. The Knicks will need their best defender on Cade Cunningham, so they'll have to match up Brunson with either Duncan Robinson or Ausar Thompson. If I were Mike Brown, I would start Brunson on Thompson and hope he can stay in front of him. Brunson's defensive issues are part of the reason the Pistons have dominated the Knicks in the season series, and that's not likely to change if they meet in the playoffs.
Spurs
11:57
Should the Spurs be favored over OKC to come out of the West?
ARTHUR HILL
12:05
The Spurs have won 10 in a row and are only one game behind the Thunder in the loss column. OKC is dealing with a rash of injuries, so there's a real chance that San Antonio could grab the No. 1 seed and have home court advantage throughout the playoffs. De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama barely played together after the trade for Fox last season, so we didn't get to see how effective they can be. Landing the No. 2 pick in the lottery provided another future star in Dylan Harper, so the Spurs have plenty of backcourt depth to go with the toughest individual matchup in the league. I think a fully healthy Thunder team would still win a playoff series, but San Antonio may now be more likely than OKC to put together a dynasty over the next 5-10 years.
Unclemike1526
12:05
One last thought, Does it seem that the Bulls are going to continue their stupidity in trying to make people what they're not? For example, Markannen, Williams and keep trying to pound square pegs into round holes? Is Essengue REALLY going to be a PF? They never seem to learn. Buzelis is a 3 and should stay a 3 where he can do the most damage right? Thanks
ARTHUR HILL
12:13
One of the characteristics of a bad organization is failing to recognize what its players can do best. Patrick Williams' career would likely be viewed much differently if the Bulls had developed him as a wing instead of trying to turn him into a power forward because they didn't have a better option. It's too early to say what Essengue might be because we only saw him in two games, but he's only 19 years old and listed at 200 pounds, so he's not close to being ready for the physical demands of playing power forward in the NBA. If the Bulls are really committed to him as part of the long-term plan, it's going to require a lot of patience while he grows into his body and they'll need to find some veteran big men this summer.
Thanks for the great questions. We'll talk again next week.
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