Rockets

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/embiid332.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="440" />
<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James had 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors with a 122-101 victory Friday night in Game 6 of the second-round series.
The seventh-seeded Lakers will face Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Nuggets in the Western Conference finals starting Tuesday night in Denver.
Anthony Davis had 17 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers, who never trailed in a closeout victory that punctuated their increasingly incredible late-season surge.
Austin Reaves scored 23 points, highlighted by a 54-footer from midcourt at the halftime buzzer for the Lakers. They improved to 7-0 at home since the regular season ended with three wins in seven days over the Warriors. Los Angeles also snapped Golden State&rsquo;s streak of 28 playoff series with at least one road victory &ndash; an NBA-record run encompassing Stephen Curry&rsquo;s entire career.
Davis said he attributes the Lakers&rsquo; late-season roll to &ldquo;togetherness. We want to shock the world.&rdquo;
James, Davis and the Lakers are the first team since 2014 to eliminate Curry&rsquo;s Warriors from the playoffs before the NBA Finals. Golden State has played in six of the last eight NBA Finals, missing the playoffs entirely in the other two seasons.
Curry scored 32 points while missing 10 of his 14 3-point attempts for the sixth-seeded Warriors, whose pursuit of their fifth championship in nine seasons ended with three straight road losses and an inept offensive performance by Curry&rsquo;s teammates in Game 6, including a 3-of-19 effort by Klay Thompson, who missed 10 of his 12 3-point attempts.
The Splash Brothers were far too dry when it mattered against the Lakers: Thompson went 10 for 36 on 3-pointers in the series&rsquo; final four games, while Curry was 14 for 49.
Donte DiVincenzo had a playoff-high 16 points for the Warriors, but Curry was their only starter in double figures, with the other four shooting 11 for 38.
The Lakers immediately took charge in the first quarter, survived the Warriors&rsquo; few rallies and blew it open in the fourth quarter with a balanced effort led by the 38-year-old James, a four-time NBA champion. The 20-year veteran can still assert his will as forcefully as almost any elite player, and he quarterbacked the Lakers&rsquo; offensive effort while Davis played another standout defensive game.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell scored 19 points as the Lakers capably survived the third-quarter ejection of Dennis Schr&ouml;der, the sparkplug guard and primary defender on Curry. Schr&ouml;der was tossed after receiving his second technical foul of the night from an exchange with Draymond Green, but his absence scarcely seemed to help the Warriors, who couldn&rsquo;t make their open shots far too often.
The Lakers haven&rsquo;t lost back-to-back games since March 17, and they&rsquo;ve lost just once at home since March 26. On a 27-12 roll since bolstering their supporting cast around James and Davis at the trade deadline, Los Angeles is headed to the conference finals for the second time in the superstars&rsquo; four-year partnership.
After knocking off the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the first round, the Lakers followed that series&rsquo; exact win-loss pattern against the champs: Steal Game 1 on the road, and then coolly capitalize on their homecourt advantage to seal the series with three straight wins in front of their frenzied, celebrity-studded crowds.
Schr&ouml;der had five assists and defended doggedly in his first start of the postseason for the Lakers, but the German points guard was ejected on a curious call after Green pushed the ball into Schr&ouml;der&rsquo;s face.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State went a dismal 13-35 on the road this year, including the postseason. ... Curry moved into 11th place on the NBA&rsquo;s career playoff scoring list, passing Dwyane Wade. ... Andrew Wiggins scored six points while playing with fractured rib cartilage, apparently resulting from a tussle with James in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
Lakers: Schr&ouml;der took the starting spot of Jarred Vanderbilt, the defensive specialist who hadn&rsquo;t made a field goal in three straight games. ... James passed Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal for fourth place on the NBA&rsquo;s career playoff rebounds list. James has played in a league-record 278 postseason games. ... Jack Nicholson was courtside for the third time in the Lakers&rsquo; last four playoff games, joined by his son, Ray. Others in attendance: Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, Bad Bunny, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, Michael B. Jordan, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, Jack Harlow, Dr. Dre, Woody Harrelson, Tyler the Creator and Trae Young.

LeBron James had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, eliminating the Warriors and leading the Lakers to the Conference Finals.

LeBron James, Lakers eliminate Warriors with 122-101 victory

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) &mdash; JT Shumate and Dante Maddox Jr. combined to score 39 points and Toledo needed five starters scoring in double-digits to offset a 43-point effort from Emoni Bates and lift the Rockets to an 84-79 victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night.
Bates scored 29 straight EMU points in the first half and he established career highs for points scored (43), field goals made (15), and 3-pointer made (9). He was 15 of 23 from the field, 9 of 14 from deep and 4 for 4 from the line while grabbing seven rebounds.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Emoni Bates scored 29 STRAIGHT POINTS for Eastern Michigan excuse me?!?! 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/ZCJVk6304U">pic.twitter.com/ZCJVk6304U</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1618053735892267009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Eastern Michigan (4-16, 1-6 Mid-American Conference) held an 11-point lead with 6:51 left after Jalin Billingsley hit two free throws to make it 67-56, but Maddox hit two 3s and added three more from the line and Shumate hit a 3 and knocked down five straight free throws and the Rockets (14-6, 5-2) pulled out the win.
Shumate was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and went 9-for-9 from the line and scored 20 points to go with nine rebounds. Maddox hit 4 of 7 from distance and 7 of 10 from the line to post 19 points. RayJ Dennis added 17 points, Setric Millner Jr. had 16 and Ra&rsquo;Heim Moss contributed 10.

Toledo needed five starters scoring in double-digits to offset a 43-point effort from Emoni Bates.

Toledo spoils Emoni Bates’ career night, beats Eastern Michigan

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James scored 30 points, Russell Westbrook had 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers smoothly overcame Anthony Davis' latest injury in a 126-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
Davis missed the second half with a right foot injury, but the Lakers still produced some of their prettiest team basketball of the season down the stretch of their second win in six games. Westbrook had his second triple-double off the bench this season, while Thomas Bryant scored 21 points, Austin Reaves 16 and Dennis Schr&ouml;der 15.
&ldquo;The pace changed, and the game changed,&rdquo; Westbrook said. &ldquo;You could see it. When we play that way, it's hard to beat us.&rdquo;
The victory was particularly satisfying after the Lakers blew a late lead in regulation and lost to the Celtics in overtime on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;It's huge, especially after the heartbreak loss we had last time against Boston,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;We started to get defensive stops, and we were able to get out and execute offensively.&rdquo;
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, whose three-game winning streak ended. Jamal Murray scored 23 points and Aaron Gordon had 17, but Denver couldn't keep up with the Lakers' second-half surge.
Coach Michael Malone lamented the Nuggets' lack of &ldquo;urgency to get back, effort to get back, toughness, resiliency, whatever you want to call it&rdquo; in the second half of their second loss in three meetings with the Lakers this season.
Davis apparently got hurt when the star big man landed awkwardly after a layup attempt under the basket in the first quarter, although he kept playing until halftime. Davis had X-rays at the arena, and coach Darvin Ham said Davis will be evaluated again Saturday before the Lakers determine the severity of the injury.
&ldquo;(When) we know something, then we go from there,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;Wish the best of news for sure, especially for AD.&rdquo;
James took over at center in Davis' absence, sometimes guarding the 6-foot-11 Jokic and grabbing nine rebounds. He catalyzed LA's offense along with Westbrook, who revved up to produce one of his best halves of basketball since joining his hometown team last season.
Davis scored 10 points in the first quarter, but went scoreless in the second while playing eight minutes. He didn&rsquo;t return from the locker room with his teammates for the second half.
The injury creates a new wave of uncertainty about Davis' perpetually problematic health. He is averaging 28.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game this season despite managing lower back stiffness for several weeks.
After leading the Lakers to a 2020 championship in his first season alongside James, Davis played in about 50% of the Lakers&rsquo; games over the past two years while bedeviled by numerous injuries. The eight-time All-Star has missed only four games this season while enjoying a return to his dominant form from his best seasons in New Orleans and Los Angeles.
Denver and Los Angeles have already met three times this season, and they'll conclude their series Jan. 9 in Denver. Lakers coach Darvin Ham got his first career victory when his team beat the Nuggets on Oct. 30.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr. missed his 11th straight game with a heel injury, but he participated in Denver's shootaround. ... Denver got just 23 points off the bench.
Lakers: Wenyen Gabriel missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left shoulder. ... Juan Toscano-Anderson sat out with a sprained right ankle. ... James passed Hakeem Olajuwon for ninth place on the NBA's career steals list.
&nbsp;

LeBron James scored 30 points, and the Lakers overcame Anthony Davis' latest injury in a 126-108 victory over the Nuggets.

Davis injured, but LeBron leads Lakers past Denver 126-108

The season isn&rsquo;t even two weeks old. Only 5% of the games have been played. Drawing any conclusions at this point would be ridiculous.
Except, perhaps, this one: The Los Angeles Lakers are in trouble.
The Lakers are taking <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-denver-nuggets-nba-sports-7b0f85af40a87094c2d47289bf06bd75">an 0-4 record into Friday&rsquo;s game at Minnesota</a>. They&rsquo;re at the bottom of the Western Conference, and if Orlando wasn&rsquo;t 0-5 the Lakers would have the worst record in the NBA. They&rsquo;re 78-87 since winning the 2020 NBA title. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-nba-sports-basketball-629ff8ed250c8bd969461db178c91e85">LeBron James &mdash; on pace to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA career scoring leader in a few months</a> &mdash; is winless after four games for the second time in his career, the other being his rookie season.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s plenty of time for us to right the ship,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;It starts now. It starts yesterday.&rdquo;
It should have started in July.
The Lakers surely know this: James is at his best when surrounded by shooters. They maximize the value of his passing game and they open lanes for him to attack the rim, which even in Year 20 he does probably as well as anyone.
And this team, evidently, doesn&rsquo;t have shooters. The Lakers better go find some.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-nba-sports-business-9607b103973941f78e2a2425f3fdf028">Frank Vogel got blamed</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-nba-sports-basketball-russell-westbrook-f04900c25b080a4d97a37a8fbf355f0b">Russell Westbrook gets shamed</a>, and it&rsquo;s entirely possible that neither of those guys is the primary reason why the Lakers are struggling. They were 8 for 30 &mdash; 26.7% &mdash; from 3-point range against Denver on Wednesday night. They&rsquo;re shooting 22.3% from beyond the arc so far this season, by far the worst in the NBA. Small sample size, but awful nonetheless.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to make some shots,&rdquo; James said after the 110-99 loss to the Nuggets.
It sounds simple. It isn&rsquo;t.
The last time a team shot worse than 22.3% from 3-point range in a season was 1990-91. Washington &mdash; then the Bullets &mdash; shot 19.4% that season. They made only 55 shots from deep that whole season. It wasn&rsquo;t really a part of the offense.
Now, 3&rsquo;s are essential. Vital. An absolute must. The Lakers are averaging 25 points per game from 3-point range. The league average, entering Thursday, is 36. That&rsquo;s an 11-point difference. The Lakers aren&rsquo;t good enough right now to make up an 11-point difference.
&ldquo;Obviously, it&rsquo;s four games. Obviously, the four games that we&rsquo;ve been playing have been on national TV. Obviously, everyone&rsquo;s been able to watch,&rdquo; Lakers guard Patrick Beverley said. &ldquo;The critique is there for everyone to do. But it&rsquo;s the game of basketball. Everyone&rsquo;s going to even out.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not just the shooting. Westbrook isn&rsquo;t healthy; hamstrings are touchy, so who knows when he&rsquo;ll be right again. Anthony Davis &mdash; the guy who was supposed to extend James&rsquo; career by being Robin to his Batman, or even vice versa &mdash; has been dogged by injury after injury, and he was grabbing at his left side repeatedly in Wednesday&rsquo;s loss in Denver. The Lakers didn&rsquo;t have Kendrick Nunn at all last year, they haven&rsquo;t had Dennis Schroder yet this year and won&rsquo;t for probably a few more weeks.
It&rsquo;s always something.
But shooting better is the quickest fix.
Miami figured out the formula that turned James into a champion: surround him with shooters and let him work. In the Miami days, it was Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and &mdash; of course &mdash; Ray Allen. The Cleveland title year, he had J.R. Smith and Kevin Love, with Kyrie Irving knocking down perhaps the biggest 3 of that season in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. The title year with the Lakers, there was Danny Green.
On this Lakers team, there&rsquo;s ... well, not really anybody yet.
Key word: Yet. A trade has to be coming.
Blaming Westbrook isn&rsquo;t fair. He&rsquo;s not an elite shooter. Never has been. This isn&rsquo;t news. But he averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists last season. He was one of five players who finished last season with those averages. Five. Luka Doncic, James Harden, Dejounte Murray and two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic were the others. Saying 33-49 was Westbrook&rsquo;s fault is comical.
But his massive-and-expiring contract that will bring back the most in return, and that&rsquo;s why he&rsquo;ll be the player that is moved if the Lakers find a dance partner.
The Lakers aren&rsquo;t the only team off to perhaps a surprising &mdash; not the good kind of surprising &mdash; start. Brooklyn is taking a 1-3 record into Dallas on Thursday night. Philadelphia is 1-4 going into its game Friday at Toronto. Miami avoided a 1-4 start by winning in Portland on Wednesday.
But 1-3, 2-3 and 1-4 all are better than 0-4. The West is loaded. The Lakers have given all the contenders a head start. And if the Lakers don&rsquo;t make a move soon, this season looks destined to end like last season did: badly, and early.
___
Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org

“There’s plenty of time for us to right the ship,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It starts now. It starts yesterday.”

The Lakers are going to have to look for some help

It's been nearly one month since the NBA's free-agency period got underway, and most of the notable players have already been signed. However, there are still a handful of available players.
Here's a look at the remaining free agents:&nbsp;
COLLIN SEXTON, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Collin Sexton injured his left knee last November, and an MRI revealed a torn meniscus that required season-ending surgery. The market has dried up for Sexton, and his best bet may be re-signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers on the qualifying offer (worth $7.2 million) and then hitting unrestricted free agency next summer. During the 2020-21 season, Sexton averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor, 37.5% from downtown and 81.5% from the free-throw line. However, he struggled defensively, and the Cavs registered a league-worst 60-159 record over the first three years of his career. With Sexton out of action last season, Darius Garland emerged as an All-Star and the 44-38 Cavs made the Play-In Tournament.
MILES BRIDGES, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Miles Bridges is coming off a breakout season, averaging a career-high 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.9 threes and 0.9 steals. It seemed like the forward was due for a massive pay raise and Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak even said that the team was going to re-sign him. However, that was before Bridges was arrested for domestic violence on the eve of free agency. Bridges' wife, Mychelle Johnson, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1542723880619581440/photo/4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently spoke out</a> about Bridges' alleged abuse and documented her serious injuries. Not only has this situation understandably scared teams away, it's also very possible that the NBA will suspend Bridges.
MONTREZL HARRELL, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Montrezl Harrell just delivered another productive and efficient season as a reserve, averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23.1 minutes, while shooting 64.5% from the field. Harrell started the season with the Washington Wizards and then got traded to the Charlotte Hornets prior to the deadline. However, it's worth noting that the 28-year-old is facing felony drug charges after officers claimed to find three pounds of marijuana in his car during a traffic stop back in May. That's likely why the former Sixth Man of the Year is still available.
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DENNIS SCHRODER, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last offseason, Dennis Schroder signed with the Boston Celtics at a significant discount. After struggling during the first half of the season, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Daniel Theis. He finished last season averaging 13.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 threes per game, while shooting 43.1% from the field, 34.4% from three-point range and 85.3% from the free-throw line.
HASSAN WHITESIDE, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Hassan Whiteside is a solid backup center who protects the rim. Last season, while backing up Rudy Gobert on the Utah Jazz, he averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game. In eight starts, the 33-year-old averaged 11.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 63.5% from the field.
CARMELO ANTHONY, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, 37-year-old put up 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 threes, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals in 26.0 minutes per game with the Los Angeles Lakers. In recent years, he has shot the ball much better from three-point range, knocking down 37.5% of his three-point attempts last year and 40.9% from deep the year before. Anthony has been working out with his son, Kiyan, at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas as he prepares for next season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Carmelo Anthony (<a href="https://twitter.com/carmeloanthony?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@carmeloanthony</a>) working out at <a href="https://twitter.com/impactbball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@impactbball</a> in Las Vegas: <a href="https://t.co/Rnz8Bam7EO">pic.twitter.com/Rnz8Bam7EO</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547693404414365702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

DEMARCUS COUSINS, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Cousins became a key contributor after joining the Denver Nuggets in February, averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per contest. He looked great at times during the playoffs too, scoring an efficient 19 points in 15 minutes during Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors. The 31-year-old can still help a team.
&ldquo;I belong in this league,&rdquo; Cousins said after Denver was eliminated. &ldquo;I was given the opportunity; I'm thankful for Mike Malone. I spoke with him before. A lot of doors closed for me. Mike looked out, gave me an opportunity. I just tried to take the best advantage of it as I could. That's what I did.&rdquo;
JEREMY LAMB, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, the Indiana Pacers traded Lamb to the Sacramento Kings as part of the Domantas Sabonis deal. In 56 games, Lamb averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 three in 16.7 minutes a night. The 30-year-old struggled with his shot, knocking down just 38.3% of his attempts from the field and 32.4% of his threes (after shooting 45.1% from the field and 40.6% from three the previous year).&nbsp;
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TRISTAN THOMPSON, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, Thompson suited up for the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls, averaging 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. At this stage of his career, the 31-year-old is a solid backup big man who can provide frontcourt depth.
ANDRE IGUODALA, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, Iguodala rejoined the Golden State Warriors, averaging 4.0 points, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 19.5 minutes across 31 games. At this stage of his career, the 38-year-old is mainly a veteran leader and strong locker-room presence, but he can still produce in limited reserve minutes. Don't be surprised if he re-signs with Golden State.
HONORABLE MENTION: LaMarcus Aldridge (UFA), Wayne Ellington (UFA), Blake Griffin (UFA), Markieff Morris (UFA), Isaiah Thomas (UFA), DJ Augustin (UFA), Sharife Cooper (UFA), Dwight Howard (UFA), Rajon Rondo (UFA), Jordan Nwora (RFA), Lou Williams (UFA), Eric Bledsoe (UFA), Juan Hernangomez (UFA), Josh Jackson (UFA), Duane Washington Jr. (UFA), Paul Millsap (UFA), Eric Paschall (UFA), Moses Brown (UFA), Jarrett Culver (UFA), Rodney Hood (UFA), Avery Bradley (UFA), Kent Bazemore (UFA), Michael Carter-Williams (UFA), Brandon Goodwin (UFA), Tony Snell (UFA), Ben McLemore (UFA), Langston Galloway (UFA), Elfrid Payton (UFA)

Nearly one month into the NBA's free-agency period, which players are still available?

2022 NBA Free Agency: Which players are still available?

At first glance, the Boston Celtics seem gridlocked in their ability to bring an NBA Finals contender over the top for next season. The Celtics will likely reside as a luxury tax-paying team, meaning they're already out of room to sign players aside from a modest $6.3 million mid-level exception, and their entire main rotation is under contract for next season.
So what can Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens do in his role as lead team-builder? Stevens has a few more cards to play in the form of Traded Player Exceptions, commonly abbreviated as TPEs.
Boston has been a TPE merchant in recent seasons, and the franchise's salary-cap dexterity has allowed it to make impactful moves on the fly without raw cap space. The Celtics are Exhibit A of how these exceptions can keep contenders flexible. With well over two-thirds of the league filled to the salary-cap brim this summer, TPEs are like a secret staircase for teams as they try to ascend to NBA glory.
So how exactly do they work, and which squads can take advantage this summer?
Trades in the NBA don't go down with perfectly balanced salary scales. So if one team sends out more salary, under the collective bargaining agreement, the difference becomes a Traded Player Exception. Teams can then absorb future player salaries from future trades into the exception, bypassing any constraints from the salary cap boundaries.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/trade-exceptions-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com's Steve Aschburner</a> compares the TPE to a gift card. The simile tracks in that TPEs can sort of "buy" player salaries, but they also expire one year after the trade initally creates them.
Here's a current example: Boston completed a sign-and-trade with the New York Knicks on July 18 of last summer, sending Evan Fournier to New York with a second-round pick in exchange for cash considerations. Because Boston traded Fournier's salary and received only the bag of cash back, it created a TPE that Spotrac values at around $17.1 million. The Celtics can now absorb a player (or multiple players) into that TPE via trade until July 18.
Seems like a smart move, right? Well, it is, but a TPE isn't just hacking the CBA. Rules and consequences exist. Here are some important ones (and check out a larger breakdown from <a href="https://www.sportsbusinessclassroom.com/listing-the-current-nba-trade-exceptions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Pincus</a>:
<ul>
<li>Teams cannot stack TPEs. For example, if the Celtics want to trade for LeBron James, they cannot combine all of their various exceptions into one super-TPE to absorb his salary. There is one trade exception per player salary.</li>
<li>TPEs do not supersede the hard cap (tax apron). This will particularly affect the Celtics because they are already approaching the hard cap, and might make the Fournier TPE, for example, less valuable than it's worth.</li>
</ul>
Though not a rule or a certainty, teams seeking to create a trade exception likely have to trade additional pieces to create it. The Knicks weren't going to simply let Boston make a TPE, so they managed to pick up an additional draft pick. Similarly, when Boston dealt Gordon Hayward to the Charlotte Hornets and created a massive, $28.5 million TPE, Charlotte also swiped two second-rounders from the Celtics.
Sometimes, trade exceptions are a natural byproduct of a deal. In other cases, they're the prize. Dozens of trade exceptions are littered around the league, but most are too small to be a realistic sponge for any player contract.
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Here are the teams with exceptions valued at over $5 million (figures provided by Spotrac), which could theoretically net a rotation-caliber player.
BOSTON CELTICS
So we've discussed the Celtics a bit already, but returning to the Fournier TPE, it's unlikely they use up the full $17.1 million (<a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/evan-fournier-trade-exception/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt John elaborated on this at Heavy.com</a>). It could still add a rotation player who fulfills needs such as movement shooting, center depth and bench scoring. The Celtics also hold TPEs valued at $6.9 million (from trading Juancho Hernangomez to San Antonio) and $5.9 million (from trading Dennis Schroder to Houston).
Boston pulled this stunt last summer where it traded Tristan Thompson for Kris Dunn in a three-way trade with the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics used a $5 million TPE to absorb Dunn's salary, thus creating a larger TPE from Thompson, which they then&nbsp;used to absorb Daniel Theis' salary. That's one example of them finessing the system. But again, when you're up against the tax apron, your options become limited.
BROOKLYN NETS
The Nets have two plausible TPEs to use. One is an $11.3 million TPE in the fallout of the James Harden blockbuster. Brooklyn also holds a $6.3 million TPE created when they dealt DeAndre Jordan to the Pistons.
Brooklyn has some time to use the Harden TPE; it expires in February 2023. But the Jordan TPE perishes on Aug. 19.&nbsp;
Obviously, Brooklyn's roster situation is in flux with the rumors flying around <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-destinations-for-brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-nba-trade-rumors-offseason-los-angeles-lakers-la-clippers-new-york-knicks-wizards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie Irving</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-kevin-durant-brooklyn-nets-possible-destinations-rumors-phoenix-suns-miami-heat-boston-celtics-new-york-knicks-memphis-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Durant</a>. Should the Nets extend Irving, they'll likely be hard-capped out, and won't be able to maximize these exceptions. Sean Marks and the front office cap-crunching team have their work cut out for them.&nbsp;
CHICAGO BULLS
Chicago has one trade exception, valued at $5 million, from when it sent Daniel Theis to the Rockets. It's unlikely this TPE becomes an asset of significance, but if the Bulls want to use it, they must do so by July 7.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
By trading Josh Richardson to Boston last summer, Dallas created a trade exception worth just under $10.9 million. That could be a helpful tool for the Mavericks, but it's literally expiring today! The Mavericks are flirting with being a hard-capped team, so unless something changes within minutes of writing this, the TPE will not yield a player.&nbsp;
DETROIT PISTONS
Detroit is going to, very briefly, hold a $9.2 million TPE by trading Jerami Grant to the Trail Blazers, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/detroit-pistons-acquire-veteran-kemba-walker-york-knicks/story?id=85620180" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Bobby Marks.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;However, Marks reports that Kemba Walker, acquired in the draft-night move that also landed Jalen Duren, will have his salary absorbed into that TPE before being bought out. That's some quick maneuvering by the Pistons to acquire an exciting lottery talent in Duren.
INDIANA PACERS
Here's an interesting case. The Pacers have two notable TPEs in their holster: a $10.5 million exception from trading Jeremy Lamb to Sacramento, and a $7.3 million exception from trading Doug McDermott to San Antonio. Indiana is projected to be a rare team with significant cap space this offseason, and as a will-they-won't-they rebuilding squad, they could take several pathways with these exceptions.
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Perhaps Indiana sees an opportunity to add two rotation players to the roster and make a push for the postseason. The playoffs feel unlikely with the current 2022-23 roster, but you never know, and Indiana does have a reputation for being stubbornly competitive.
Or &mdash; maybe the Pacers have a long-term vision and use these exceptions to take players on undesirable contracts, attached with draft picks or young players. It's a way for Indiana to build its draft chest without sacrificing flexibility. The McDermott exception expires on July 7, while the Lamb TPE poofs away in February 2023. I expect at least one, if not both, to be used.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Clippers are another franchise that is essentially hard-capped out. But they do have two TPEs worth monitoring. One is a $9.7 million exception created in the Serge Ibaka deal this past February. The other comes from sending Rajon Rondo to the Memphis Grizzlies and is worth $8.3 million. Again, I'm skeptical of these being used, but they are worth mentioning for a playoff contender that won't be players in free agency for a while.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
The Pelicans created a $17 million trade exception last offseason when they sent Steven Adams to the Grizzlies. They've already reaped the rewards with their acquisition of Larry Nance Jr. New Orleans absorbed his $10.7 million salary into the TPE when it traded for him this past season. There's still about $6.4 million remaining, though, so the team could use it to add another player.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
In acquiring Jerami Grant on his $20 million salary, Portland maximized its large TPE from the CJ McCollum trade. The Blazers still have one more $6.9 million exception that could be of use. They're projected to have some cap space to work with, so it might be an opportunity to take extra advantage.
TORONTO RAPTORS
The Raptors have a few smaller exceptions, with the most notable being a $5.2 million TPE stemming from the Goran Dragic trade. Toronto is over the salary cap, but might be able to squeeze in a player with these constraints while staying under the luxury tax apron.&nbsp;
UTAH JAZZ
Trading Joe Ingles to Portland gave Utah a $9.7 million trade exception. Given that they need to find a spark after yet another disappointing playoff exit, the Jazz should find a way to use this exception, ideally on a perimeter defender or frontcourt player behind Rudy Gobert.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Washington owns three trade exceptions ranging between $3-6 million. While they can't stack them, the Wizards could use the $5.2 million TPE (created in dealing Montrezl Harrell to Charlotte) to add some guard or wing depth. As long as Bradley Beal is around, this franchise is hunting the playoffs, and the TPEs can help them get there.
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Ethan Fuller breaks down which NBA teams hold significant trade exceptions entering the 2022 offseason.

How does a trade exception work, and which NBA teams can use them?

The NBA G League today announced that the Rio Grande Valley Vipers have earned three annual performance awards for this season, including&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8htEopW0yJ8" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8htEopW0yJ8" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">guard Trevelin Queen being named the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Most Valuable Player</a>. Additionally, head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah is the recipient of the Dennis Johnson Trophy as the 2021-22 NBA G League Coach of the Year, while General Manager Travis Stockbridge has been named the 2021-22 NBA G League Basketball Executive of the Year.
NBA G League Head of Basketball Operations Malik Rose will present all three winners with their awards tonight before the Vipers host the Texas Legends in the Western Conference Semifinals at the Bert Ogden Arena (8 p.m. ET, ESPNews).
Rio Grande is the second team in NBA G League history to earn MVP, Coach of the Year and Basketball Executive of the Year accolades in the same season. The MVP and Coach of the Year awards were voted on by the league&rsquo;s 28 head coaches and general managers, while Basketball Executive of the Year was voted on by the general managers only.
Queen, a two-way player with the Houston Rockets, averaged 25.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.3 steals in 19 games.Queen (6-6, 190, New Mexico State) received an NBA GATORADE Call-Up when he signed his two-way contract with the Rockets on Dec. 18, 2021, and has appeared in 10 games for Houston this season. He is the third Rio Grande Valley Vipers player to win the Kia NBA G League MVP award, joining Mike Harris (2009-10) and Andrew Goudelock (2012-13). In his third season as head coach of the Rockets&rsquo; NBA G League affiliate, Abdelfattah steered the Vipers to the top regular-season record in the Western Conference (24-10), earning a bye in the NBA G League Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Under Abdelfattah, the Vipers led the league in points per game (124.5), free throws made (12.4), offensive rebounds (16.5) and total rebounds (51.4).Since being named head coach prior to the 2019-20 season, Abdelfattah has led the Vipers to a record of 48-43 and two consecutive playoff appearances. He is the second head coach in Rio Grande Valley history to earn Coach of the Year honors, joining current Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch (2009-10).
Stockbridge becomes the first executive in Vipers&rsquo; history to win the Basketball Executive of the Year award. Key player acquisitions by Stockbridge included Marcus Foster (18.7 ppg, 4.3 apg), Mfiondu Kabengele (17.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg) and 12-year NBA veteran Gerald Green (16.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Since Stockbridge became general manager in 2019, five Rio Grande Valley players have earned GATORADE Call-Ups: Queen, Armoni Brooks, Anthony Lamb, Ray Spalding and Brodric Thomas.
The Sioux Falls Skyforce is the only other NBA G League team to win all three awards in the same season. Sioux Falls accomplished this feat for the 2015-16 season, with Jarnell Stokes winning MVP, Dan Craig earning Coach of the Year and Adam Simon receiving Basketball Executive of the Year honors.
Motor City Cruise guard Saben Lee, who was on assignment from the Detroit Pistons, and South Bay Lakers two-way guard Mason Jones finished in second and third place, respectively, in voting for Kia NBA G League MVP.
Raptors 905 head coach Patrick Mutombo and Agua Caliente Clippers head coach Paul Hewitt finished in second and third place, respectively, for NBA G League Coach of the Year.
Delaware Blue Coats General Manager Prosper Karangwa and Raptors 905 General Manager Chad Sanders finished in second and third place, respectively, for NBA G League Basketball Executive of the Year.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers have earned three of the G League's end-of-season awards, including MVP for guard Trevelin Queen.

Vipers' Trevelin Queen named NBA G League Most Valuable Player

March Madness is underway!
Across the country, teams are competing in conference tournaments and trying to punch their ticket for the NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is almost here, and then the tourney starts next Tuesday.
If you missed any of the Day 2 action, here's a recap of what went down on Thursday.
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Games of the Day
Indiana def. Michigan 74-69 &mdash; B1G Second Round
With 11:03 remaining, Michigan led 60-43 and appeared to be in complete control. The Hoosiers would go on a 20-2 run and took the life right out of the Wolverines, completing the comeback by winning 74-69. Trayce Jackson-Davis led all players with 24 points and 4 blocks in a stunner. Indiana faces No. 1 Illinois next.
Texas A&amp;M def. Florida 83-80 in OT &mdash; SEC Second Round
This one was wild. The Aggies dominated all afternoon and held a 9-point lead with 1:07 to play, but the Gators went on a 12-3 run of the next 50 seconds to tie it at 70-70, forcing the game into overtime. They stayed deadlocked at 78-78 with 1:10 left in overtime when Hassan Diarra hit a triple with one second on the clock to win 83-80. A huge win for a true Bubble Team in A&amp;M.
Arizona def. Stanford 84-80 &mdash; Pac-12 Quarterfinals
The largest lead either way today was 7 points &mdash; in a game where Stanford was given a whopping 5% chance of victory. The Cardinal took a 75-74 lead with just over three minutes to go, but the Wildcats had answers. Kerr Kriisa exiting with injury is important to monitor, but Christian Koloko led the team with 24 points as Arizona survives and advances.
Miami (FL) def. Boston College 71-69 in OT &mdash; ACC Quarterfinals
Kam McGusty led the Canes with 16 points in the nail-biter, as they avoided the upset in overtime. Only one basket was scored in the final 2:30 of the contest &mdash; a Jordan Miller layup that sealed the deal. A big save by Miami.&nbsp;
Villanova def. St. John&rsquo;s 66-65 &mdash; Big East Quarterfinals
The Red Storm let a 17-point second half lead slip away to end their season. Villanova was carried by its starting five, with only 7 points coming from the bench unit. Caleb Daniels led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Justin Moore added 15 points of his own.&nbsp;
Toledo def. Central Michigan 72-71 &mdash; MAC Quarterfinals
In a game where the largest lead was 7 points for each team, Toledo held on for the 1-point win. Harrison Henderson scored with 20 seconds remaining to make it 71-70 Central Michigan, but a RayJ Dennis layup with 10 seconds left would seal the deal. Setric Milner Jr. led the way with 22 points for the Rockets. It's a big win for Toledo who currently projects a No. 13 seed.
Providence def. Butler 65-61 &mdash; Big East Quarterfinals
This one was back-and-forth from the tip, as the teams traded leads the entire contest. Tied at 55 with 3:06 remaining, Simas Lukosius hit a big pair of free throws for Butler to take the lead, but Al Durham hit a huge triple with 43 seconds to go for the Friars to take a 61-59 lead. Durham would follow with a dunk at the end of the game to seal the deal at 65-61. Despite the loss, it was a hard-fought game by the Bulldogs.&nbsp;
Wyoming def. UNLV 59-56 &mdash; Mountain West Quarterfinals
The Cowboys held a 9-point lead in the second half, but allowed the Rebels to fight their way back into it. Xavier DuSell hit a huge three with 30 seconds, and then, Brendan Wenzel iced the game with a pair of free throws. A great game from UNLV&rsquo;s Bryce Hamilton comes up just short.&nbsp;
Akron def. Buffalo 70-68 &mdash; MAC Quarterfinals
This was a fight from start to finish. Led by Ali Ali&rsquo;s 19-point effort and a pair of Greg Tribble free throws with four seconds remaining, the Zips survive and advance. They will face No. 1 seed Toledo on Friday afternoon in the MAC semis.
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The Upsets, the Madness
Oklahoma def. Baylor 72-67 &mdash; Big 12 Quarterfinals
The Sooners took the lead with 11:51 to play and never gave it back. With a balanced offensive attack of five players in double-digits, Oklahoma shocked the Bears. Jacob Groves led the way with 15 points, while Marvin Johnson provided 12 off the bench.&nbsp;
Vanderbilt def. Alabama 82-76 &mdash; SEC Second Round
Bama led by 10 points at the break but Scotty Pippen Jr. and Co. had other plans. Vandy roared back to take a 68-67 lead with 4:26 to play, and was able to hold the Crimson Tide off the rest of the way. Jordan Wright hit a pair of free throws late to ice the game, and the Commodores advance. Pippen Jr. ended with 26 points and 7 assists.
TCU def. Texas 65-60 &mdash; Big 12 Quarterfinals
The Horned Frogs had a win probability of 29.3% entering this one, and that&rsquo;s all they needed. After being down 40-20 in the first half, TCU did a complete 180 and outscored the Longhorns 45-20 the rest of the way. Mike Miles and Co. are setting themselves up well, and will take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 semis.
Penn State def. Ohio State 71-68 &mdash; Big Ten Second Round
The Nittany Lions were given a 24.2% chance of winning today, and they did just that behind Sam Sessoms' 18 points off the bench. Jalen Pickett also had a huge game with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Penn State moves on to play No. 3 Purdue.&nbsp;
Grambling def. Southern 60-58 &mdash; SWAC Quarterfinals
Led by Tra&rsquo;Michael Moton&rsquo;s 12 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, Grambling took the lead with 10 minutes left in the game and never gave it back. The Tigers will face Texas Southern next.&nbsp;
Tulsa def. Wichita State 73-67 &mdash; American First Round
The Golden Hurricane had four players with 10 or more points, including two with at least 20. After an 11-19 season, this was a nice win for Tulsa as it tries to make a late push in the conference. Tulsa will move on to face No. 2 SMU.&nbsp;
Portland State def. Southern Utah 77-65 &mdash; Big Sky Quarterfinals
The Vikings entered this game under .500 on the season, but put up 77 points on 51.9% shooting from the floor. They held Southern Utah to a lowly 36.8% from the floor and are able to advance.
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Standout Performers
Noah Fernandes (UMass): 29 points, 7 assists
Spencer Jones (Stanford): 28 points, 8 rebounds
Jimmy Boeheim (Syracuse): 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists
Keegan Murray (Iowa): 26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Grant Sherfield (Nevada): 25 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds
Joel Murray (Long Beach State): 25 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana): 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 10-17 FG
Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke): 26 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
Nate Watson (Providence): 26 points, 7 rebounds, 9-14 FG
Scotty Pippen Jr. (Vanderbilt): 26 points, 7 assists
Tristen Newton (East Carolina): 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists
Jordan Walker (UAB): 26 points, 5 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
EJ Liddell (Ohio State): 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Orlando Robinson (Fresno State):&nbsp;25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
Christian Koloko (Arizona): 24 points, 9 rebounds, 10-12 FG
Dillon Jones (Weber State): 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals
Julian Champagnie (St. John&rsquo;s): 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA): 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Prentiss Hubb (Notre Dame): 23 points, 5 assists
Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside):&nbsp;23 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
Amadou Sow (UC Santa Barbara): 21 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Bryce Hamilton (UNLV): 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Mahki Morris (Abilene Christian): 22 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds
Chuba Ohams (Fordham): 20 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals
Darien Jackson (Tulsa): 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Brady Manek (UNC): 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Malique Jacobs (Kent State): 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Kowacie Reeves (Florida): 21 points, 6 rebounds
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17866936_lg.jpg" alt="" width="381" height="272" />
2022 NBA Draft: Prospect Watch&nbsp;
Keegan Murray (Iowa): 26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke): 26 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
EJ Liddell (Ohio State): 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Orlando Robinson (Fresno State):&nbsp;25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
Christian Koloko (Arizona): 24 points, 9 rebounds, 10-12 FG
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA): 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Tari Eason (LSU): 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Justin Lewis (Marquette): 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Ochai Agbaji (Kansas): 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Trevor Keels (Duke): 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Jabari Walker (Colorado): 18 points, 16 rebounds
Iverson Molinar (Miss. State): 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Julian Champagnie (St. John&rsquo;s): 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists
Collin Gillespie (Villanova): 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
David Roddy (Colorado State): 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
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March Madness is underway! If you missed any of the Day 2 action, here's a recap of what went down during Thursday's games.

March Madness: Conference tournament Thursday recap

After the Los Angeles Lakers were embarrassed by the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Tuesday night (before Los Angeles lost to a bad Portland Trail Blazers team missing half their roster), a reporter asked LeBron James how his squad stacks up against Milwaukee and the league's other elite teams.
LeBron gave a surprisingly candid response: "<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-players-believe-changes-must-be-made-before-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We ain't on their level</a>."
When asked if he believed the Lakers could eventually reach the Bucks' level this season, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/lebron-james-admits-lakers-are-not-on-championship-level#:~:text=After%20the%20game%2C%20LeBron%20James,a%20flat%2C%20%22No.%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James replied</a>, "Where they are right now? I don't know. Do I think we can reach the level where Milwaukee is right now? No. Is that what you want to hear from me? No. We can't get to where they are right now. They're the defending champions for a reason and I guarantee you if you would've asked teams coming out of the bubble if they could get to the level that we were playing at when we won a championship, they would've said the same thing."
Let's flashback to the championship group for a second, shall we?
It may seem like it's been 16 years or so since LeBron led LA to a title in the bubble, but, incredibly, it's been less than 16 months. The Lakers beat the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Finals on Oct. 11, 2020. The team's two cornerstones, Anthony Davis and LeBron, remain, but the rest of the rotation has been turned over completely.&nbsp;
So, how did this team go from raising the Larry O'Brien trophy, to being four games under .500 and fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament just a year-and-a-half later?&nbsp;
Let's break it down.&nbsp;
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In the offseason following their championship, LA's major move was trading Danny Green (a significant two-way contributor on their title team) and LA's 2021 first-round pick (Jaden McDaniels) to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Dennis Schroder. That summer, LA re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (three years, $39 million) and used its cap space to ink free agent Montrezl Harrell to a two-year, $18.9 million contract. They also brought in Wesley Matthews and Markieff Morris for the veteran minimum and inked Marc Gasol to a two-year, $5.3 million deal.&nbsp;
In mid-March, in the days leading up to last season's trade deadline, the Lakers were cruising. More than halfway through the 2020-21 campaign, the Lakers' were 15 games above .500 and owned the league's second-best record at 28-13.&nbsp;
At that point, the Lakers made a decision that would come back to haunt them. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but the Lakers arrived at a fork in the road and chose the wrong path. They've been headed downhill ever since. (Over the past 11 months, the Lakers are 43-51 in the 94 games they've played).&nbsp;
On the eve of the 2021 trade deadline, the Lakers and Toronto Raptors were engaged in serious discussions on a potential deal that would have sent Kyle Lowry to LaLa Land, giving LeBron and Co. the established veteran point guard (and proven winner) the team desperately needed. The Lakers and Raps <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> were close to finalizing a swap sending Schroder, Caldwell-Pope and some draft capital to Toronto in exchange for Lowry. Yet, in the hours right before the deadline arrived, "the sticking point was the inclusion of Talen Horton-Tucker," <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic</a>.&nbsp;
"Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' vice president of basketball operations, insisted that price was too high for the 35-year-old Lowry, and that he was not willing to trade Horton-Tucker, the 20-year-old combo guard who has emerged as a valuable rotation player for the Lakers in his second season," Buha and Oram <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/">reported</a>.
Looking back, it's impossible not to wonder how the future of several franchises might have changed if the Lakers had been willing to pony up for Lowry, who is now averaging 13.0 points and 8.1 assists per game for the Heat. This is the same Heat team that is poised to enter the All-Star break with the best record in the Eastern Conference.&nbsp;
As we know, the Lakers stood pat at last year's deadline and would struggle mightily in the six subsequent weeks. Over a 25-game stretch from mid-March through the first week in May, LA posted an 8-17 record.
The Lakers would eventually be eliminated in six games by the Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. Anthony Davis returned to the Lakers' starting lineup in Game 6 after missing the second half of Game 4 and all of Game 5 due to a groin injury, but logged just five minutes before limping off the court. It was the first and only time in LeBron's career that he lost a first-round series (he had been 14-0).
"What matters to me is getting this team back healthy," James told reporters after the loss to Phoenix.
Well, as it turns out, Pelinka and James were unwilling to run it back with the same squad and hope the group would avoid injuries.&nbsp;
Instead, the Lakers rolled the dice, agreeing to one of the most dramatic and controversial trades in recent NBA history.&nbsp;
On the evening of July 29, both Woj and Shams <a href="https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1420855153410854925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Lakers had consented to take on Russell Westbrook (and his onerous contract).&nbsp;
A week later, the trade was officially announced. LA had traded away Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (whom the Lakers had selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft) in exchange for Russ and several future second-rounders.&nbsp;
The justification from the Lakers was that they viewed Westbrook as an offensive powerhouse that could lighten the load LeBron had been forced to carry.&nbsp;
The Lakers rounded out their roster this past offseason by adding Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk and Rajon Rondo. They gave Kendrick Nunn the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9 million for two years). They also re-signed Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal worth $32 million.
Shockingly, despite advanced analytics that confirmed he was a near-perfect fit playing alongside LeBron, the Lakers decided not to bring back Alex Caruso, who had excelled as a role player in LA. Caruso's aggressiveness and versatility on the defensive end, as well as unselfishness on offense, made him an ideal wingman to AD and King James.&nbsp;
However, having Westbrook on the books for $44.2 million in 2021-22 and another $47.1 million in 2022-23 undoubtedly played a part in Pelinka's decision to let Carouso leave.&nbsp;
Still, as he explained on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-the-lakers-botched-alex-carusos-free-agency-and-lost-a-key-piece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JJ Redick's "Old Man and the Three" podcast</a> back in November, Carouso had hoped to re-sign with the Lakers and was even willing to give them a hometown discount. Before ultimately accepting the offer he received from Chicago (a four-year, $37 million contract, though the final season only carries a $3 million guarantee), <a href="https://twitter.com/oldmanandthree/status/1458257821405954052?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caruso said</a> he and his agent "went back to L.A., asked if they could do the same, they said no. We asked for something else that was a little bit less; they said no."
As it turns out, the concerns many critics envisioned over the summer related to potential issues arising from the addition of Westbrook have reared their ugly head. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Westbrook's declining athleticism has hamstrung the former All-Star.
At various points this season, Westbrook's alarming regression has been uncomfortable to watch. In the closing minutes of LA's victory over the New York Knicks last weekend, Russ found himself alone in the corner and as he was about to launch a three-pointer, the home crowd <a href="https://twitter.com/FanMahome/status/1490172360892329985">screamed at him not to shoot</a>. Coach Frank Vogel yanked him out of the lineup in overtime vs. New York. In the Lakers' embarrassing loss to the Bucks on Tuesday, Westbrook was benched for the final 14 minutes of the game, including the entire fourth quarter. Russ sat out Wednesday's loss to Portland with a "lower back" injury.&nbsp;
His counting stats on the season are solid (18/7/7), but the peripheral numbers are putrid, and his plus/minus is the worst on the team. This season, the Lakers have been outscored by 123 points with Westbrook on the floor, whereas they have outscored their opponents by 35 points with Russ on the bench.
The situation has careened toward rock-bottom this month. Over the Lakers' last four games, Westbrook is shooting just 27% from the floor, 15% from downtown and 55.0% from the free-throw line. He's also leading the league in turnovers.
Yet, now that the 2022 trade deadline has passed, we know that Lakers fans have no choice but to hope Russ can somehow locate his confidence and contribute to winning.&nbsp;
It has been rumored this week that the Houston Rockets were willing to trade John Wall to the Lakers for Westbrook, but Pelinka was reportedly unwilling to include LA's 2027 first-round pick, which Houston was demanding. Will the decision come back to bite LA, as refusing to include THT at last year's deadline did? Even if Wall failed to live up to expectations, would it have amounted to addition by subtraction?&nbsp;
Although Monk has been fantastic, and Melo has given LA as much as they could have hoped for, Howard, Ellington and Bazemore have failed to deliver. Ariza is averaging 4.2 points while shooting 36% from the floor. Rondo is no longer on the roster. Nunn, hampered by a bone bruise in his right knee, has yet to log a single second in an NBA game this season. Horton-Tucker is converting career-lows from the floor (41%) and behind the arc (27%). Despite playing nearly six more minutes per game, THT is averaging fewer assists this season (2.7) than he did in 2020-21, while still committing 1.5 turnovers a night.
Sum it all up, and you see why the Lakers have lost more than half of their games and find themselves in ninth place in the West, despite LeBron authoring the greatest season in NBA history by a 37-year-old.&nbsp;
This is a particularly bitter pill for Lakers fans to swallow considering the team purportedly had several different options to choose from this summer when shopping around their Kuz/&rsquo;Trez/draft picks package, including a deal for Sacramento sharpshooter Buddy Hield. In that scenario, the Lakers could have held onto KCP and added Hield, and the combined salary of both players still would have been $8 million less than Westbrook's cap hit of $44.2 million.&nbsp;
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To be fair, it's worth noting that in 2020-21, Westbrook played his best basketball of the season after the All-Star break. Over the Wizards' final 35 games of the season, he averaged 23.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 13.4 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting a respectable 44% from the floor, 32% from behind the arc and 72% from the FT line. Washington closed the regular season by going 17-6 over their final 23 contests and advanced to the playoffs.&nbsp;
Will Russ and his teammates feel less pressure now that the deadline has passed? LeBron and the Lakers don't need Westbrook to dominate the ball and chase triple-doubles, but they do need him to focus on playing the best defense of his career and help facilitate the offense, especially when James needs a breather.&nbsp;
If Russ cannot shake out of his slump, LA will have a very tough time getting back on track and achieving the goals they set for themselves back in October.&nbsp;
And if Los Angeles fails to right the ship (wasting a year of "Prime LeBron" in the process), the team's fans will look back with rage on the terrible trades and free-agency failures over the past 12 months that led to the Lakers' demise.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer delves into the errors of the Lakers' ways following their championship success one-and-a-half years ago.

How the Lakers managed to turn a contending team into a sub-.500 mess

Oh, they're tapping into their Bubble Bag.
That was my initial thought once I caught wind of Anthony Davis' opening bucket against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. With Davis making his return after missing over a month of basketball, it made sense to try to get him going early. I can't say I expected "opening possession of the game" early, but it certainly wasn't a bad plan.
The possession started with Russell Westbrook bringing the ball up the floor. The possession ended with a LeBron James-Davis pick-and-roll from an empty corner. Neither of those things are special on their own; combined with each other, you actually get a bit of a rarity.
I would like to present an obscure stat, if you don't mind.
Heading into Tuesday's action, there had been 471 instances of Davis setting a screen for LeBron with an empty corner; only 43 of those came after a point guard &mdash; we'll say Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, Rajon Rondo and Alex Caruso &mdash; brought the ball up the floor first, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
A few things about that.&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Tracking data is equal parts fascinating and terrifying with how deep in the weeds it can get.</li>
<li>The degree in which LeBron has not only made half-court decisions, but dictated things from the inbound pass is&nbsp;wild&nbsp;to me. So much responsibility for a guy this deep into his career.</li>
<li>Funny enough, the guard-bringing-it-up possessions have been much more fruitful (nearly 1.3 points per possession) than the LeDoItHimself ones (0.96 PPP), though you obviously have to account for the difference in volume.</li>
</ol>
(To the latter point, this kinda signifies the push-and-pull of LeBron usage in the half-court. On one hand, you want to get LeBron off the ball some to take pressure off of him &mdash; if not full-blown breathers &mdash; at least in an attempt to get him attacking an already-bent defense instead of asking him to do the bending [word to Janet]. On the other hand, do you really want to take LeBron James off the ball too often? He's a human computer!)
As for the actual play, the design was nifty. Let's take a look at it, then dig into why it works.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/g2itj6" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
I can't stress how much I love the setup. Things kick off with LeBron snapping the ball to Westbrook, which is just good fun. More importantly, we get Iverson action to get LeBron stationed on the left side of the floor.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_01_26_15_48_52_lg.png" alt="" width="586" height="330" />
From there we get, depending on your read of this play, either Option 1 of the set (Westbrook-Davis pick-and-roll) or a decoy to set up the juicy stuff. Stanley Johnson is the tell here; he's in position to screen for LeBron, though the real fruit is what that does for James Harden. In theory, Harden has to decide between tracking (read: switching) an off-ball LeBron screen or providing weak-side help if Davis rolls to the basket.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_01_26_16_10_47_lg.png" alt="" width="584" height="329" />
With the Westbrook-Davis pick-and-roll leading to nothing (intentional or not), Stanley Johnson relocates to the right corner. Harden follows &mdash; well, kinda &mdash; setting up the empty corner ball screen.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_01_26_16_11_04_lg.png" alt="" width="586" height="330" />
Day'Ron Sharpe is a lot of things &mdash; we'll dig into him in the next Rookie Report on The Dunker Spot (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscribe!</a>) &mdash; but "strong vertical leaper" is not one of those things. The Lakers (read: LeBron) know that, which makes the setup particularly cruel. You're asking a rookie big with leaping challenges to defend a Davis lob with no help present. You already know how the play ends.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_01_26_16_11_26_lg.png" alt="" width="586" height="330" />
This play took me back to the Bubble, particularly the Lakers' series against the Portland Trail Blazers. They also dabbled in off-ball trickery while setting up an empty corner for LeBron, though they went the HORNS Stagger route.&nbsp;
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If you see a player in each corner, and a player stationed at each elbow at the beginning of a possession, you can bet your bottom dollar it's a HORNS alignment. The "stagger" portion is the two screens being set for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.&nbsp;
The strain is pretty evident. You have to account for the movement shooting threat, while also being in position to load up against LeBron and Davis. That isn't an easy thing to do!
Davis only finished with 8 points (on 8 shots) on Tuesday. As he ramps up, it wouldn't shock me to see the Lakers tap into more of these actions to get him back in rhythm.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down Anthony Davis' first bucket since mid-December, and what it could mean for the Lakers moving forward.

Explain one play: Breaking down Anthony Davis' return bucket

The 2022 NBA trade deadline is on February 10 at 3 p.m. ET, which is exactly one month away.
However, in recent weeks, things have been very quiet on the trade front since COVID-19 has been ravaging NBA rosters. In December, 247 players were sidelined due to the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, so executives have mostly been focused on finding replacement players. This season, 586 players have appeared in at least one game, which is a new NBA record.
Needless to say, front offices didn't have much time to weigh their trade options. And while the NBA G League Showcase in Las Vegas is typically where a lot of trade conversations take place, that wasn&rsquo;t the case this year.
"We are in survival mode," one NBA executive <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/32946948/what-insiders-buzzing-g-league-showcase-ongoing-roster-chaos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told ESPN</a> at the G League Showcase. "Right now we are living in a day-to-day world, and my primary focus is making sure that there are at least eight healthy bodies each game."
While there have been some minor NBA trades recently (such as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cavs-smart-and-swift-to-acquire-backup-point-guard-but-is-rondo-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajon Rondo to Cleveland</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nuggets-trading-bol-bol-to-pistons-for-rodney-mcgruder-draft-pick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bol Bol to Detroit</a>), executives who spoke to BasketballNews.com confirmed that things were very quiet throughout December.&nbsp;
However, now that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-only-47-players-out-nbas-new-covid-protocols-seem-to-be-working" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fewer and fewer players are landing in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols</a>, trade talks are finally starting to heat up.
"There is starting to be some momentum on the trade market," one Eastern Conference general manager told BasketballNews.com.
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One Western Conference executive added: &ldquo;It was very quiet last month. Now that most teams have made it past COVID (for now, knock on wood), it&rsquo;s picking back up.&rdquo;
It remains to be seen whether this uptick in trade talks will actually translate to completed deals.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Things are heating up in the sense that teams are starting to show their cards more,&rdquo; said the Western Conference executive. &ldquo;But I doubt anything is actionable until closer to the deadline.&rdquo;
Multiple executives predicted that this trade deadline would be pretty active. But that will likely depend on how many sellers emerge between now and February 10.
&ldquo;I think it will be a run-of-the-mill deadline as far as activity,&rdquo; said the West executive. &ldquo;On one hand, it&rsquo;s wide open this year, so more teams might be willing to make a move and really go for it; on the other hand, there are so few sellers and there&rsquo;s not much of interest on those teams, so there may not be many impact players available.&rdquo;
BasketballNews.com will keep you up-to-date on the latest news and rumors. Recently, our staff broke down potential landing spots for trade candidates such as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Simmons</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exploring-trade-destinations-for-domantas-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Domantas Sabonis</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-myles-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Myles Turner</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-jerami-grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-buddy-hield" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buddy Hield</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-christian-wood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christian Wood</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-caris-levert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caris LeVert</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/finding-the-perfect-team-and-deal-for-terrence-ross" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Terrence Ross</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-dennis-schrder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dennis Schr&ouml;der</a>.

After a very slow December, multiple NBA executives told Alex Kennedy that trade talks are starting to heat up.

After a slow December, trade talks are 'heating up' around the NBA

Admittedly, it feels stupid to talk about trades right now amid the postponements caused by the Decepticon Variant, but so long as the season rages on &mdash; whether or not it should be is another conversation, one the NBA probably knows the answer to because of recent cancellations &mdash; I guess we&rsquo;ll keep talking about basketball.
Well, let&rsquo;s give this a shot, and hopefully, it&rsquo;ll provide a boost to your day...
We&rsquo;re gonna play Stay or Trade, which goes as it sounds, and it will involve four noteworthy guys who are now available to be dealt following Dec. 15. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-trading-will-barton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote about one of them already</a>, so no Will Barton talk today. Let's proceed with who we will discuss. 
Dennis Schr&ouml;der, Boston Celtics &mdash; $5.9 million expiring
Disregarding that even ESPN is using eyeball emojis in their YouTube video titles, Bobby Marks <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVL-QTZvdAQ">says he expects Schr&ouml;der to be traded</a>. On the most recent episode of The Dunker Spot, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-65-bring-i-t-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jones Jr. and Nekias Duncan discussed Boston's needs</a>&nbsp;as part of their mailbag segment.&nbsp;
Schr&ouml;der was&nbsp;famously a mini-mid level signing&nbsp;after passing on a reported $84 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers,&nbsp;allegedly desiring for north of $100 million. At least he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CT2ibrTsWAK/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=b9fddcbe-5a95-4f46-ab7e-d7494deca917" target="_blank" rel="noopener">let y&rsquo;all cook him for it</a>.&nbsp;
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The fit with the Celtics has been productive, but it&rsquo;s looking increasingly likely that it&rsquo;ll be short-term. Schr&ouml;der&rsquo;s producing and, as of now, is in line to recoup some&nbsp;of the money he reportedly turned down. Currently, he&rsquo;s averaging 17.1 points and 4.8 assists per game on 44/34/89 shooting splits, roughly on par with where he&rsquo;s been since his fourth season (2016-17). As Marks outlined, all signs point to him being on the move, and the Celtics, in theory, selling high.
Schr&ouml;der&rsquo;s $5.9 million could combine with, say, Josh Richardson&rsquo;s $11.6 million. For now, leave that to the side. Juancho Hernang&oacute;mez and his $7 million are sitting there, and he's averaging just 4.2 minutes per contest with another $7.5 million to come next year. If you pair him and Schr&ouml;der with Romeo Langford's $3.8 million, you&rsquo;re at about $17 million combined. 
From there, throw in however many draft picks it takes. Use those three contracts and your draft capital, and do what you can to convince the Toronto Raptors to bring in Fred VanVleet. Two unprotected first-rounders, at least; unless you make it Schr&ouml;der and Marcus Smart. Though, that would have to wait until the latter&rsquo;s restriction is lifted after Jan. 25. (None of this has to happen immediately, anyway.)
But if I&rsquo;m Toronto, I&rsquo;m mostly telling Boston to headbutt Trey Murphy&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/_Andrew_Lopez/status/1472321597415563265">dry ass chicken sandwich</a>,&rdquo; and get the f&mdash;outta here. Worth a shot if you&rsquo;re the Celtics, though.&nbsp;
Verdict: Trade 
Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks &mdash; $21 million 
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17295187_lg.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="383" />
Hardaway's production is declining like his contract right now.
So far, through 28 appearances, he&rsquo;s at 14.4 points per game on 38/33/74 shooting splits. It&rsquo;s his worst scoring output since 2016-17 and among the worst splits of his career. His contract is outlined as follows, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardati02.html">per Basketball-Reference</a>:
2021-22: $21.3 million
2022-23: $19.6 million
2023-24: $17.9 million
2024-25: $16.2 million
We&rsquo;ve always said the same two things about the Mavs for at least two years now. The first is the constant questioning of Luka Dončić&rsquo;s fit next to Kristaps Porziņģis. The second is: How could the Mavericks get adequate shot-creation next to Luka?
Hardaway Jr.&rsquo;s contract would be a burden to move, but none of us expect him to finish all four years in Dallas, do we? We&rsquo;re just anticipating it&rsquo;ll be increasingly difficult to deal him in Year 1 of the contract.
Verdict: Stay (for now)
Kemba Walker, New York Knicks &mdash; $8.7 million
After being removed from the rotation, Kemba Walker returned on Saturday night well-rested against his former Celtics, netting a season-high 29 points while hitting 5 of 11 shots from three and converting 8 of 12 free throws. The 13-17 Knicks are 10-9 in games Walker plays this season, and were 2-8 following his benching. Their defense has taken a step back, and Walker&rsquo;s been partially to blame. Still, he was effectively scapegoated for a team-wide issue. Now, he&rsquo;s playing again because of a COVID outbreak in the organization that primarily hampered their depth at guard.
Walker&rsquo;s averages are at 12.6 points and 3.1 assists in 25.2 minutes per contest. The minutes and assists are the lowest of his career, and his scoring is only second to his rookie season of 2011-12. His 112 Offensive Rating is actually on par with where he&rsquo;s been since 2015-16, his breakout offensive season. His defense, well, is about what you&rsquo;d expect. But, for where the Knicks are, he can still be productive offensively and gives them their best shot-creator at the point guard position since... Raymond Felton?!?
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Walker is due $9.2 million next season, making him a trade candidate. But seeing as how the Knicks still might need him in some regard, honestly, they should just keep him around at this time. We&rsquo;ll reevaluate the situation next month or something.
Verdict: Stay (for now)
Kelly Olynyk, Detroit Pistons &mdash; $12.2 million
Kelly Olynyk is up to 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds (and 2.3 assists) on 46/34/60 splits. Olynyk is a nice player, and is apparently already being <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-ben-simmons-trade-rumors-james-harden-jerami-grant-20211118.html?utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_campaign=edit_social_share_twitter_traffic&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=&amp;int_promo=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thrown around in trade rumors</a>. Olynyk may or may not get attached in a trade to Jerami Grant&rsquo;s deal, but the Canadian 7-footer is bringing home $12.8 million next season and $12.1 million in 2023-24, so his deal is long-term in this climate.
Combining him with Grant puts you at $32 million of incoming salary. That&rsquo;s the Porziņģis, CJ McCollum, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Ben Simmons, K&mdash;sigh, Kyrie Irving, territory financially. None of that sounds entirely realistic except maybe Simmons since it was at least credibly reported as a possibility.&nbsp;
Otherwise, you&rsquo;re looking at sending Olynyk to a big-needy, playoff-worthy team, who probably wouldn&rsquo;t want a long-term commitment right now. This will probably be an easier process next season, save for adding to a Grant deal, but if you can make one, why not?&nbsp;
Verdict: Trade if you can, but not by himself

Bryan Fonseca looks at four veterans who are trade-eligible and debates whether or not their teams should deal them away.

Stay or Trade: Pondering the fate of 4 eligible veteran candidates

Entering the 2021 offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers had some tough decisions to make. Seven of their players were set to enter free agency, including Alex Caruso, Talen Horton-Tucker, Dennis Schroder, Andre Drummond and Markieff Morris.&nbsp;
Since Los Angeles had several key contributors hitting the open market and limited cap flexibility to work with, the team had to prioritize whomever they valued the most. That ended up being Horton-Tucker, as they re-signed the 20-year-old restricted free agent to a three-year deal worth $32 million.
The current version of the Lakers looks nothing like last year&rsquo;s squad. They brought in 14 new players &mdash; including familiar faces like Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, who were on the team as recently as the 2019-20 championship season. Of the 19 players who suited up for the Lakers last season, only LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Horton-Tucker are still in L.A.
The Lakers were widely regarded as the favorite to win it all last season before injuries ruined their campaign and they likely would&rsquo;ve been a top contender this year had they brought back the same group, but Rob Pelinka and the Lakers&rsquo; front office felt that big changes needed to be made. They decided to blow up the roster, pulling off a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook and betting on the incoming talent over continuity and chemistry.
So far, the Lakers are 6-5, which is No. 8 in the Western Conference. They have two embarrassing losses to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder, and the team is clearly going through an acclimation period due to the roster turnover. After allowing a league-best 104.8 points per 100 possessions last season, the Lakers' defense has dropped to 15th this year.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Lakers&rsquo; offseason was the fact that they didn&rsquo;t try harder to keep Caruso, who had become a fan favorite and very important role player for the team. He'd always find a way to impact games with his terrific perimeter defense, relentless motor, catch-and-shoot ability and excellent chemistry with James. Good things always seemed to happen when he was on the floor, even if his contributions didn&rsquo;t always show up on the stat sheet.
However, the Lakers didn&rsquo;t make much of an effort to re-sign Caruso, even though he was willing to take a discount to stay in Los Angeles. They didn&rsquo;t have much contact with his camp leading up to free agency and then proceeded to low-ball him, which is why he accepted the Chicago Bulls&rsquo; four-year, $37 million offer. Caruso detailed his free-agency experience on <a href="https://twitter.com/OldManAndThree/status/1458257821405954052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.J. Redick&rsquo;s podcast, The Old Man and the Three</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Our guy Alex Caruso (<a href="https://twitter.com/ACFresh21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ACFresh21</a>) on what exactly happened In free agency that led him to The Chicago Bulls. Full episode w/ Alex drops tomorrow. Subscribe here: <a href="https://t.co/3wGZq3EszW">https://t.co/3wGZq3EszW</a> <a href="https://t.co/U7EqsAgz9q">pic.twitter.com/U7EqsAgz9q</a>
&mdash; TheOldMan&amp;TheThree (@OldManAndThree) <a href="https://twitter.com/OldManAndThree/status/1458257821405954052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&ldquo;So going into it, I really didn&rsquo;t know what to expect, and I really didn&rsquo;t hear much from any team &mdash; including the Lakers &mdash; leading up to 6 p.m. Then, they called and the Lakers made their offer, but it wasn&rsquo;t an offer I was going to accept because I was going to be able to get considerably more money from another team,&rdquo; Caruso explained. &ldquo;I need to get as much money [as I can]; this is real life that we're talking about and I need to be financially secure &mdash; for me and [my] people. There was talk with a bunch of different [teams] about the mid-level, which I think was four [years] for $40 million. We never got anybody to that actual number, but there were a couple teams that got close.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And then my agent texted me and said, &lsquo;Hey, Chicago is interested in signing you.&rsquo; I didn&rsquo;t know that financially it was going to be able to work; I thought that once Zo (Lonzo Ball) signed with Chicago, I was like, &lsquo;Okay, so Chicago is off the list.&rsquo; But they [said] they were going to look at this, that and the other to try and make it work. I got on the phone with AK (Bulls GM Artūras Karni&scaron;ovas) and with Billy [Donovan], and the way they were just talking about how they wanted to play and how they saw me as a player, I thought they hit the nail on the head. I thought everything they said&hellip; I was like, &lsquo;I think that&rsquo;s accurate, I think that&rsquo;s what I bring to the table, I think that&rsquo;s how I can help the team win, I think that&rsquo;s the direction that this team wants to go.&rsquo; I thought there was a need for the stuff that I had.
&ldquo;Essentially we got that offer, went back to L.A. and asked if they could do the same, they said, &lsquo;No.&rsquo; [We] asked for something else that was a little less, they said, &lsquo;No.&rsquo; So I said, &lsquo;Okay, if that&rsquo;s what it comes to, I&rsquo;m ready to go to Chicago and start the next chapter.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s been great. I think it&rsquo;s been a great decision for me.&rdquo;
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Redick asked a follow-up question about the Lakers' initial offer, and Caruso revealed that it was below $15 million over two years.
It certainly seems like Caruso made the right decision, as he has been thriving in Chicago. He has been terrific off of the Bulls&rsquo; bench, averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds and a career-high 2.6 steals in 27.5 minutes per game, while shooting an efficient 40.7% from three-point range.
Caruso currently leads the NBA in steals (2.6), while also ranking second in deflections (4.3) and sixth in loose balls recovered on defense (0.9). On Wednesday, Caruso had six steals in 23 minutes in the Bulls&rsquo; 117-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Opponents are shooting 38.8% from the field when defended by Caruso, which is 4.4% lower than their usual field goal percentage.&nbsp;
The Bulls are off to an excellent 8-3 start, which is tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference. The only team with a better winning percentage than Chicago (.727) is the Golden State Warriors (.900). Chicago has the NBA's fourth-best defense (allowing 101.0 points per 100 possessions) and sixth-best offense (scoring 108.9 points per 100 possessions).
The Lakers could use Caruso right about now &mdash; and the fans would certainly love to have the scrappy underdog back in Staples Center &mdash; but the front office didn&rsquo;t think he was worth the money he received. It remains to be seen whether the Lakers will regret that assessment.

Alex Caruso wanted to stay with the Lakers and even offered a discount, but L.A. low-balled him. Now, he's thriving with the Bulls.

How the Lakers botched Alex Caruso’s free agency and lost a key piece

There are certain things you can count on every NBA season. One of them is a week-long debate in late January surrounding which players should and shouldn&rsquo;t have been named All-Stars.
We can&rsquo;t even agree on who the top-12 players in each conference are, so how on earth were we supposed to somehow figure out who the top 75 NBA players in history were?
Fact of the matter is that we never were.
On Thursday night, the NBA completed its three-day-long process by which it named the members of its 75th anniversary team. It&rsquo;d been 25 years since the league named its 50 greatest players in history in 1996, so &mdash; as has been tradition since the league named its 25 greatest players in 1971 &mdash; it was time to serve up some honors.
Heading into the season, it was unclear whether the league would simply add 25 more names to its top-50 list or effectively start from the beginning. Although there would have been significant overlap, starting anew would have given more players from previous generations a chance at cracking the list.
It wasn&rsquo;t meant to be, though.
As it turns out, the NBA 75 included all 50 of the NBA&rsquo;s Top 50 Players and 26 more (due to a tie).&nbsp;
Bob McAdoo and Dominique Wilkins were the only two nominated players who were snubbed from the top-50 list, with Dennis Rodman and Gary Payton making the cut this time. The other 22 are contemporaries, the great majority of which are no-brainers.
Of the 22 contemporary players named to the 75th anniversary team are 14 with whom the general public can&rsquo;t take issue: Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, James Harden, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade.
To varying degrees, credible arguments could be advanced against the eight others: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Reggie Miller, Paul Pierce and Russell Westbrook. And for Giannis, Davis, Leonard and Lillard, the arguments against them are mostly with respect to their pitch count, which a voter could reasonably decide to go either way when determining whether that should be a factor or not.
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At the end of the day, we ended up with a list of players who can rightfully lay claim to being one of the top 75 in history.&nbsp;
As is always the case, there are some notable omissions, with Vince Carter and Dwight Howard being the two contemporary players who have the best argument as snubs. That&rsquo;s just the way the cookie crumbles. And that&rsquo;s kinda the point.
Whether it&rsquo;s All-Star selections or where a player is drafted in the All-Star draft, the conversation and controversy that surrounds these lists and distinctions is what has made the NBA a multibillion dollar industry. And that&rsquo;s not to say that there&rsquo;s any nefarious or malicious intent on the part of the NBA for bestowing these honors &mdash; the league named 25th, 35th and 50th anniversary teams before the 75th team &mdash; it&rsquo;s just a fact. Our opinions are formed mostly by what we see and a bit of what we hear. As a basketball community dispersed across the world, we have varying degrees of values and exposures that help us formulate our opinions.
It&rsquo;s important that we keep that in mind.
Somewhere in Barcelona, there&rsquo;s a 24-year-old basketball fan who&rsquo;s shocked that Pau Gasol didn&rsquo;t make the cut. RJ Barrett and Dillon Brooks are probably texting Vince Carter as we speak. Chris Bosh is probably looking at his career profile on Wikipedia and comparing it to Reggie Miller&rsquo;s and trying to make sense of it all&hellip; Klay Thompson came out and posted an IG story wondering why he didn't make it. It&rsquo;s the nature of the beast.
Where we can all find common ground and some understanding when it comes to these kinds of exercises is that the league itself doesn&rsquo;t unilaterally bestow any honor &mdash; it doesn&rsquo;t choose its own MVP or name its own All-Stars, so it certainly wouldn&rsquo;t take the liberty of keeping a responsibility with this magnitude to itself. As it always does, the league carefully selected a panel of 88 individuals to vote for their top 75 players and Ernst &amp; Young LLP &mdash; the independent accounting firm the league entrusts most of its matters to &mdash; tabulated the results.
Those entrusted with votes included former NBA and WNBA greats, select members of the media and team personnel. As a class, they can rightfully be entrusted to know the game of basketball, and at the end of the day, this was the most fair way to come to a conclusion, even if Tracy McGrady, Chris Webber or Grant Hill don&rsquo;t like it.
As the NBA begins the 75th season in its long history, the game has continued to thrive and has grown tremendously. Three of the league&rsquo;s teams have received <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nbas-projected-revenue-and-franchise-valuations-reach-alltime-highs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">valuations north of $5 billion</a> and the league is hoping to leverage our curiosity, attention and willingness to watch and debate into another television deal that may see its revenue <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nbas-projected-revenue-and-franchise-valuations-reach-alltime-highs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">triple once again</a>.
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If you go back and evaluate the tenure of the late, great David Stern, it will become obvious that his desire was to help the league expand and to grow the game of basketball. When he took over the league in 1984, it had 23 teams. By the time he stepped down as Commissioner in 2014, it had increased to 30, including expansion into Canada.
For Silver &mdash; whether his intention or not &mdash; the hallmark of his reign has been the expansion of the league&rsquo;s bottom line. Merely months after assuming his role, he came out in support of legalized sports gambling in the United States and shortly thereafter oversaw the league&rsquo;s negotiation on a TV deal that tripled the league&rsquo;s television revenue.
From minimizing the back-to-back games to reducing travel schedules and revising the All-Star game to implementing rule changes, Silver&rsquo;s tenure has seen the league focus on improving the quality of games and making them more fun to watch. We as fans win.
So does the league&rsquo;s bottom line.
In the end, to a large extent, pro sports will continue to be about debating. That didn&rsquo;t begin with the NBA&rsquo;s 75th anniversary team, and, obviously, it won&rsquo;t end with it, either. We&rsquo;ll continue to talk about it, and for sure, we&rsquo;ll continue to argue among ourselves. Just like the league intends.
It's no coincidence that Silver kicked off his annual start-of-season presser by saying, "In terms of our 75th anniversary, we look forward to celebrating the players and teams, both past and present, that have helped shape the league... Many of you I know have created your own lists, and several of them I&rsquo;ve been reading. There&rsquo;s no doubt that the various rankings will generate a season-long debate and conversation among fans and all of you."
Somewhere, Silver is smiling, even if Vince Carter isn&rsquo;t.

The NBA released it's 75th anniversary team and there were snubs, such as Dwight Howard and Vince Carter. But isn't that the point?

There were major snubs from NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, as expected

The NBA released the remaining 25 players of the league's 75th anniversary team Thursday night on TNT.
Here is the official release from the NBA, which lists all 75 players that made the team and the people that voted on the NBA's top 75 players of all-time team:
"A total of 158 NBA championships and 730 NBA All-Star selections. &nbsp;A combined 110 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards. &nbsp;More than 1.5 million points scored.
Those are just some of the collective accomplishments of the players who comprise the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which was announced across TNT and ESPN from Oct. 19-21 as the league tipped off its landmark 75th Anniversary Season.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters. &nbsp;Voters were asked to select the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History without regard to position. &nbsp;Panelists did not rank their selections. &nbsp;Current and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves.
As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th Anniversary Team features 76 players. &nbsp;Team highlights include:
&bull; Eleven active players have been named to the 75th Anniversary Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
&bull; All 50 members of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, which was named in 1996, have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team.
&bull; The 75th Anniversary Team includes four players who played in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 (Paul Arizin, Bob Cousy, George Mikan and Dolph Schayes), the first winner of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award (Bob Pettit for the 1955-56 season) and the first winner of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award (Jerry West for the 1969 NBA Finals).
&bull; Bill Russell joins Cousy, Mikan and Pettit as the only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams: the 25th Anniversary Team (10 players named), 35th Anniversary Team (11 players named), 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team. (The 25th Anniversary Team was the only one of the four teams that did not allow for the inclusion of active players at the time.)
&bull; Six international players from six countries and territories have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).
&bull; The five NBA legends who are serving as ambassadors for the 75th Anniversary Season are part of the 75th Anniversary Team: Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Nowitzki, Pettit and Oscar Robertson. Representing different eras of the league&rsquo;s history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 2021-22 season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team is listed below in alphabetical order, followed by the list of voters. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP. &nbsp;For player profiles on each member of the 75th Anniversary Team, click here and visit NBA.com/75."
<table style="width: 95.7926%; height: 464px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 27px;">
<td style="text-align: center; width: 149.879%; height: 27px;" colspan="4" width="691">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Damian Lillard</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Scottie Pippen</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Ray Allen</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Willis Reed</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Karl Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Oscar Robertson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Carmelo Anthony</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Moses Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Archibald</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Pete Maravich</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dennis Rodman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Arizin</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob McAdoo</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Garnett</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin McHale</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dolph Schayes</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Mikan</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Sharman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elgin Baylor</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hal Greer</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Reggie Miller</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Larry Bird</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Havlicek</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Thurmond</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kobe Bryant</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wes Unseld</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wilt Chamberlain</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Allen Iverson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hakeem Olajuwon</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dwyane Wade</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Cousy</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Russell Westbrook</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Gary Payton</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Anthony Davis</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jason Kidd</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dominique Wilkins</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave DeBusschere</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kawhi Leonard</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Pierce</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 97.1703%; height: 798px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 170.677%;" colspan="4" width="719">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM VOTING PANEL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jack McCallum</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Marv Albert</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">David DuPree</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Brian McIntyre</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">David Aldridge</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Wayne Embry</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ann Meyers</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bob Ryan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sam Amick</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Yoko Miyaji</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Simmons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sam Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Aschburner</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Stephen A. Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rachel Nichols</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Marc Spears</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Russ Granik</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Erik Spoelstra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Howard Beck</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Becky Hammon</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Hannah Storm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sue Bird</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Ernie Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Candace Parker</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sheryl Swoopes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Carol Blazejowski</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Mike Breen</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rod Thorn</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doris Burke</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Scottie Pippen</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rudy Tomjanovich</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jerry Colangelo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Steve Kerr</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Gregg Popovich</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Peter Vecsey</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doug Collins</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Bob Lanier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaun Powell</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Cynthia Cooper</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Kara Lawson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ahmad Rashad</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rick Welts</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Costas</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Lisa Leslie</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Willis Reed</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Nancy Lieberman</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Tim Reynolds</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Michael Wilbon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Zach Lowe</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bill Rhoden</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Pat Riley</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jackie MacMullan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Oscar Robertson</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jeff Zillgitt</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Some notable snubs include Tracy McGrady, Bernard King, Alex English, Vince Carter, Tony Parker, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Bob McAdoo, and Pau Gasol to just name a few. This list was part of the NBA's marketing campaign for the league's historic 75th season and will surely spark a conversation/debate amongst NBA fans all over the world.

The NBA released the final 25 players of the 75th anniversary team Thursday on TNT.

Final 25 members of NBA's 75th Anniversary Team announced

Perhaps the most significant change with this year's Boston Celtics comes from the team's one constant.
Marcus Smart is Boston's longest-tenured active player. Since joining the franchise as the No. 6 pick in 2014, Smart has watched the lead-guard torch pass from Rajon Rondo, to Isaiah Thomas, to Kyrie Irving and to Kemba Walker, while he settled in primarily as an off-ball guard.
Now, in his eighth season, Smart is poised to take that mantle. Sure, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will drive the offense and the team as a whole. But Boston's heart and soul appears to now be its primary table-setter, a role Smart hasn't been entrenched in since his college days at Oklahoma State.
This means Smart assumes new responsibilities as a communicator, playmaker and creator. It's an interesting fit for one of the best all-around defenders and streakiest shot-makers in the NBA.&nbsp;
"He's our leader now," said Enes Kanter on the first day of training camp.
After a practice this past Wednesday, new Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said that he doesn't want to micromanage an entire game, and specifically mentioned Smart as someone who has done a great job arranging the offense in training camp.
"I like to give the players freedom to be coaches out there, and I feel Dennis [Schr&ouml;der] and Marcus have done a great job throughout camp," Udoka said. "I try to come down and call plays since they know the package we have off of makes and misses. But I'll get up and mention a coverage or call out a play if I have to."
Udoka also mentioned that he specifically brought assistant coach Damon Stoudamire aboard to work with Smart this season. Stoudamire played 13 seasons as a point guard in the NBA and was previously the head coach at Pacific University.&nbsp;
Evidently, Udoka and the Celtics are investing in Smart's development as a floor general. Positional data from Cleaning the Glass estimates that Smart has played at least 60% of his seasonal minutes at shooting guard in each of the last six years. Futhermore, 2020-21 was the only season in his career that the 27-year-old spent more than 20% of the time at point guard, and that was likely boosted with Kemba Walker's injuries.
So this is new professional territory. What can the team and the fans expect on the offensive end?
While Smart's responsibilities might change, his total usage likely won't. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown exist, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/al-horford-brings-back-varying-skill-set-to-completement-boston-celtics-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al Horford's return</a> &mdash; coupled with Schr&ouml;der's acquisition &mdash; adds some new ball-movers to the mix. Make no mistake, though: Smart is assuredly the best passer on Boston's roster.
BBall Index has developed advanced metrics for all sorts of passing attributes using tracking data. In seven of their 11 "playmaking" categories, Smart placed in the 80th percentile or above. That includes measurements such as Passing Creation Quality (whose passes lead to the best quality of shot), Passing Versatility (who has the greatest range of passing types), Points from Assists per 75 possessions and the site's overall "Playmaking Talent" grade, in which Smart was in the 90th percentile.
In essence, these stats claim Smart is a malleable playmaker who can hit teammates in all sorts of situations. He averaged a career-high 5.7 assists per game last season. The tape backs up the statement:
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In the footage, we see: an on-target bounce pass, a one-arm toss to the weak-side corner, two beautiful alley-oops and an aggressive hit in transition. Smart's court vision is apparent. He has a vet's knowledge of the playbook and can also push the pace.
That buzzword, "pace," has become a preseason theme for Boston. We saw the Celtics speed things up in their preseason opener against the Orlando Magic and again versus the Toronto Raptors. Though the pace led to some sloppy turnovers, there were a few moments I liked with Smart, including this play:
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It's nothing crazy. Smart flips the ball up to Brown and follows the pass as he and Robert Williams set up a double screen. It gets Brown running on the perimeter, and with Wendell Carter Jr. defending in drop coverage, opens up a three-point attempt. This is how Boston should intend to play with pace: by catching the defense off guard and putting Brown and Tatum downhill in advantageous spots.&nbsp;
The Celtics also frequently used Smart as a screener against Orlando, which makes sense given his physical 6-foot-4 frame. He typically returned to his traditional off-ball role whenever Schr&ouml;der or Payton Pritchard shared the floor. I'd expect this to continue into the regular season.
Now, let's get to the scoring, which has drawn the ire of Boston fans since Smart entered the league. He's a wild card of a shooter, and while I think it's an overblown concern, the fact remains that his 32.2% career clip on catch-and-shoot threes is... dead last among active players (min. 800 attempts). It is what it is at this point.&nbsp;
But the real concern, and the ultimate swing skill to me, is his rim pressure. Smart has struggled throughout his career getting to and finishing at the basket. According to Cleaning the Glass, 21% of the guard's field goal and free-throw attempts last season came from attacking the rim (29th percentile at his position), and he made only 49% of his field goal attempts (15th percentile).&nbsp;&nbsp;
Part of the problem was his role; Smart wasn't in position to attack with a ball-dominant guard beside him. But the 27-year-old relies heavily on brute force and touch to muscle his way to the hoop. He doesn't lean on a floater, and lacks explosiveness and leaping ability.&nbsp;
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The silver lining is that Smart made solid playmaking decisions when he attacked. Per BBall Index, he passed out of drives 41% of the time, and 30% of those passes became assists &mdash; both healthy numbers. But will Smart intimidate enough to collapse the defense? Boston doesn't have many at-rim terrors on paper, so he'll need to step up (as do Tatum and Brown).&nbsp;
Saturday night showed promise. Smart posted 7 assists against just 2 turnovers in the Celtics' win over the Toronto Raptors, drawing praise from teammates for his aggressive play. He finished just 2-of-7 from the field, with many of those being missed shots at the basket. But he also showed what happens when he does pressure the defense.
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"Tonight, he quickly realized that if he puts pressure on the rim, the way that we're playing, the defense is collapsing, so it was opening up shots for all of us." Horford said. "He did a really good job recognizing. The thing about Smart is, he justs adjusts to how they're playing; he just figures it out."
In many facets, we know what we're getting with Smart: an all-world defensive pest, a loose-ball magnet and a cerebral decision-maker. The team and fan base should also know they are not&nbsp;getting a ball-dominant, walking-bucket point guard in the vein of past Celtics.
Marcus Smart's offensive impact will be largely defined by how he sets the table for his teammates and how he feasts when the plate is for him. If the veteran can't pressure defenses and keep a fast pace, Boston may revert to its past scoring inconsistencies. But if things break correctly, Smart can unleash the point guard skills necessary for his teammates to thrive.

Ethan Fuller breaks down how Marcus Smart fits in as the Celtics' true point guard.

What does Marcus Smart at point guard look like for the Celtics?

The GOAT argument has heated up in recent years, with a growing contingent claiming LeBron James over the incumbent greatest of all-time, Michael Jordan. But no matter if it&rsquo;s Jordan, James, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, championships are a prerequisite.
Of course, team success is predicated on talent, and in basketball, one player impacts outcomes more so than in football or baseball. Still, the idea that the best player ever should inevitably be a decorated champion is oversimplified.&nbsp;
Ultimately, I posit that great players can achieve only so much on their own. A great supporting cast is also necessary. And if you examine the GOAT list, it becomes clear that great supporting casts are also a prerequisite. And with that being said, let&rsquo;s identify the best supporting casts of all time.
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5. Boston Celtics, 1980-1988
Key role players: Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell, M.L. Carr, Danny Ainge, Nate &ldquo;Tiny&rdquo; Archibald, Dennis Johnson
Championships: 3 (1980-81, 1983-84, 1985-86)
These teams saw some turnover, but the core remained mostly intact throughout the '80s &ndash; Bird, McHale, Parish and Archibald or Johnson. The 1983-84 and 1985-86 iterations had five players average 30 or more minutes per game, and all three championship teams featured five players averaging double figures in points per game. They were incredibly role-oriented and players were intimately familiar with those roles. But ultimately, the main case for the Celtics is that they boasted three of the 50 greatest players ever for their entire run in the '80s.
Side note: Despite having a reputation for being banged up, Bird missed very few games in his prime, making it incredibly difficult to examine how the Celtics fared in his absence. In fact, between the 1980-81 and 1985-86 seasons, Bird missed only five regular-season games. While that&rsquo;s clearly a ridiculously small sample size, the Celtics were 5-0 in those games without Bird. It&rsquo;s not enough to make the case that the Celtics&rsquo; supporting cast achieved anything significant in his absence, but it&rsquo;s something.
4. Miami Heat, 2012-2016
Key role players: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller
Championships: 2 (2011-12, 2012-13)
The Heat were a surprisingly deep team. All we really remember is the Big Three and Ray Allen&rsquo;s clutch three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. But there was far more depth in Miami than we care to remember. Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Chris Anderson and Norris Cole all played big roles for the Heat. While there was a high degree of turnover in Miami in the 2010s, the key contributors were mostly the same. And they utilized lots of players; the 2011-12 team played 12 guys for 13 or more minutes per game, and the 2012-13 squad did so with 11 players.&nbsp;
But clearly nothing was more important for Miami than the Big Three. James was obviously the team&rsquo;s engine, but Wade and Bosh were crucial to Miami&rsquo;s success. Wade averaged more than 21 points per game in both championship seasons, whereas Bosh averaged slightly less than 20 points per game while taking on significantly more defensive responsibilities than in Toronto. Wade and Bosh combined to make the best one-two punch of any of the supporting casts on this list, making their inclusion here obvious.&nbsp;
3. Golden State Warriors, 2014-2018
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Key-role players: Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Ande Iguodala, Shaun Livingston
Championships: 3 (2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18)
This team is the hardest to write about, mainly because calling Durant a role player feels like it's backwards. Durant has half as many MVP awards as Curry and more scoring championships. But the premise of the article is that the great teams have supporting casts and that great supporting casts support starts &ndash; and Curry is that star. He was in Golden State for their first championship without Durant, and he remains there following Durant&rsquo;s departure. In total, Golden State won three championships in a relatively short amount of time, and in the one year which they did not win the championship, they set a new single-season NBA win record (73).&nbsp;
But however you view this team, it accomplished a great deal &ndash; and it was not predicated on one star. On the contrary, the Warriors spread the wealth. The 2017-18 Warriors, for example, averaged 113.5 points per game, 73 of which came from Curry, Durant and Thompson. And everyone on this team felt like part of the supporting cast at times. Further, 14 players averaged 13 or more minutes per game &ndash; which is more than any other team on this list.&nbsp;
2. Chicago Bulls, 1995-1998
Key role players: Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley
Championships: 3 (1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1997-1998 &mdash; six in total, but the teams and supporting casts are distinctly different, separated by Jordan&rsquo;s retirement)
Eras make a difference. And the 1990s Bulls, featuring Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, were just flat-out better than every other team in the NBA in the 1990s. Want proof? The Bulls were one of only five teams with two starters in the All-Star games in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Oh, and their second All-Star, Pippen, was second runner-up for MVP in 1993-94, leading the Bulls to the third-best record in the Eastern Conference in 1993-94 without Jordan. Ironically, Pippen was probably the most equipped to go head-to-head with Jordan.
Jordan, Pippen and Rodman brought unmatched defensive versatility, and Jordan and Pippen were unstoppable, thanks to an unprecedented combination of size and skill. Add in a 6-foot-6 point guard (Harper), a big, ultra-skilled wing (Kukoc) and a dead-eye shooter (Kerr), and it was just too much for teams in the 90s to handle. Bottom line: Jordan was obviously unstoppable. But one player can&rsquo;t do everything on his own, and the fact that this team is still arguably the best team ever more than 30 years since they were dismantled speaks to just how great their supporting cast really was.
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1) Los Angeles Lakers 1979-1988
Key role players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Byron Scott, James Worthy, Mychal Cooper, A.C. Green and Mychal Thompson.
Championships: 5 (1979-80, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88)
The Showtime Lakers are about as unique a team as you&rsquo;ll come across in basketball history. Their most important player was unquestionably their point guard, Magic Johnson, evidenced by his leading the Lakers to a championship as a rookie while filling in as center in a decisive game. Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer and arguably, at his peak, the best player ever. James Worthy is also an all-time great, having been named a member of the NBA at 50&rsquo;s top 50 players of all time.&nbsp;
But nothing speaks to the team&rsquo;s versatility more than this &ndash; Byron Scott led the Lakers in scoring in 1987-88 (21.7 points per game) despite the presence and health of Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and Worthy.&nbsp;
Great players are clearly the building blocks on which great teams are built. But great supporting casts are a necessary part of all dynasties, too. Without them, teams run out of gas and get out-maneuvered by complicated defensive schemes. At the end of the day, you need both &ndash; and sometimes more &ndash; to win championships in the NBA.

Drew Maresca takes a look at some of the best supporting casts around NBA GOAT candidates.

Which NBA teams had the best supporting casts of all time?

The NBA announced in early August that the 2021-22 season&rsquo;s salary cap would be $112.414 million, and the luxury tax threshold will be $136.606 million. That means that if rosters remain unchanged for the duration of the season &ndash; which we know will never happen &ndash; 13 teams will pay the luxury tax.
Those teams will be the Brooklyn Nets ($176.573 million in payroll), Golden State Warriors ($174.854 million), Los Angeles Clippers ($166.384 million), Los Angeles Lakers ($163.121 million), Milwaukee Bucks ($158.206 million), Utah Jazz ($153.954 million), Philadelphia 76ers ($143.668 million), Boston Celtics ($143.524 million), Portland Trail Blazers ($140.566 million), Miami Heat ($139.645 million), Washington Wizards ($138.710 million), Toronto Raptors ($137.624 million) and the Indiana Pacers ($137.567 million), <a href="https://hoopshype.com/salaries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to HoopsHype.com</a> &nbsp;&ndash; meaning that nearly half of the league will pay into the luxury tax.&nbsp;
The NBA utilizes a progressive tax system that dictates that teams less than $10 million over the threshold pay a dollar-for-dollar tax, teams over by between $10-to-$15 million pay $2.50 for every dollar over the threshold, teams over by between $15-to-$20 million pay $3.25 for every dollar over the threshold and so on. But ignoring the business implications of paying the luxury tax, how many of these teams are getting the bang for their buck in relation to the total cost of those payrolls and how easy might it be for them to get back under it? Let&rsquo;s explore each team's situation:
Brooklyn Nets: $39.967 million over 
The Nets enter the 2021-22 season as the presumptive favorites to win the NBA championship. They re-signed Kevin Durant to a 4-year/$198 million extension. They also added Patty Mills and James Johnson, but lost Jeff Green. Ultimately, it&rsquo;s worth the price for Brooklyn so long as Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden can remain healthy for playoffs &ndash; so if you&rsquo;re the Nets, you pay anything you can to keep this group together. (Editor's Note: This payroll will change once <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-trading-deandre-jordan-to-pistons-for-sekou-doumbouya-jahlil-okafor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's trade for Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor</a> is made official on Sept. 15)
Takeaway: Worth it!
Golden State Warriors: $38.239 million over
The Warriors are in a very different situation than the Nets. They are not presumptive favorites. In fact, they may be in a fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference for another year. Still, the Warriors have to shell out the dough. Their new arena, the Chase Center, opened in downtown San Francisco just in time for the 2019-20 season. COVID-19 has obviously hindered the Warriors ability to extract income from their new home, but it&rsquo;s finally time to cash in. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will fill the arena&rsquo;s seats. They probably won&rsquo;t be pure buyers at the deadline &ndash; although we could see a move in which Golden State swaps some of its young talent in exchange for a more age-appropriate fit &ndash; but the Warriors will not ship out pieces just to cut costs.
Takeaway: Not objectively worth it; but not *not* worth it.
Los Angeles Clippers: $29.778 million over
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is probably a little stressed right now &ndash; or he would be if paying his team&rsquo;s payroll had any real impact on his net worth. Either way, the Clippers appear poised to write a big check to the NBA for... another championship-less season. With Kawhi Leonard out for the foreseeable future with a partially torn ACL, the team's hopes for a title are likely out too &ndash; and they&rsquo;re on the hook for his $36 million this season, which is essentially dead money. Fortunately, the Clippers' roster is still formidable. They&rsquo;ll still be a playoff team, even in the brutally competitive West, meaning they&rsquo;ll continue to be must-see TV. They can get back to contending for a championship next season.
Takeaway: Not worth it this year; but tough it out, next season will be better.&nbsp;
Los Angeles Lakers: $26.515 million over
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The Lakers are in a good spot... for now. Sure, they are on the hook for a big, honking tax check; but they also look like the best team in the West. Acquiring Russell Westbrook (in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell) adds another major salary to the Lakers&rsquo; books. But Westbrook, along with Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, are big-time additions. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook might not coexist perfectly, which could result in as disappointing an outcome as the 2003-04 Lakers, but what options did they have? The Nets are stacked, and the Lakers want to win.
Takeaway: Worth it, but it could also end really badly.&nbsp;
Milwaukee Bucks: $21.6 million over
The Bucks are obviously happy with the outcome of last season. And despite what Jerry Krause would&rsquo;ve had you believe, you always bring back a defending-champion roster; Milwaukee did mostly that. The team brought George Hill back on board and added Grayson Allen. They interestingly let P.J. Tucker walk, but they&rsquo;re still well-stocked. The Bucks could be buyers at the deadline; but they&rsquo;ll be operating under a hard cap, so it&rsquo;ll be tricky.
Takeaway: The champs should always be kept together. Worth it!
Utah Jazz: $17.348 million over
The Jazz are unassuming, but their roster is rock solid, and they finished last season with the best record in the NBA. Had it not been for injuries to Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell heading into the playoffs, who knows what might have been in a year where the presumptive favorites were both eliminated before the conference finals. But the Jazz enter the 2021-22 season looking even better, having added Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside, and re-signing Mike Conley. Utah let Derrick Favors and Georges Niang walk, but still enter the season with approximately $154 million in salary. Utah will likely stand pat for the season in hopes of making a run at a championship.
Takeaway: Worth it!&nbsp;
Philadelphia 76ers: $7.062 million over
The 76ers are in an unenviable situation with Ben Simmons, who has decided that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-tells-sixers-he-wants-out-intends-to-skip-training-camp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he wants out of Philadelphia</a>. Simmons will make $33 million in 2021-22, and his deal is guaranteed through the 2024-25 season. So, it&rsquo;s safe to assume there will be some changes regarding the Sixers' team salary. The two teams most <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commonly associated with Simmons</a> &ndash; the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings &ndash; have payrolls below the luxury tax threshold, meaning they both have more wiggle room to maneuver in trades. Philadelphia could end up with a slightly lower payroll than it has now after a Simmons deal inevitably takes place, but the team's outlook is very much undecided less than a month from the start of the season. That&rsquo;s not where you want to be as a team with championship aspirations.
Takeaway: Depends on what happens with Simmons, but it&rsquo;s probably not going to be worth it. &nbsp;
Boston Celtics: $6.918 million over 
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From a salary standpoint, Boston and new team president Brad Stevens have maneuvered smartly. They shed Kemba Walker&rsquo;s painful contract, receiving Al Horford in the exchange. They backfilled Walker&rsquo;s spot with Dennis Schroder, who only cost $5.9 million for a year. They also added Josh Richardson ($11.615 million) via free agency and a $17 million trade exception from a sign-and-trade with the Knicks for Evan Fournier. If the right player becomes available, they could use that TPE, or they could punt on 2021-22 in hopes of a brighter future. Still, the Celtics will only go as far as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take them. (Editor's Note: This payroll will change once <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mem-agrees-to-trade-hernangomez-to-bos-for-dunn-edwards-pick-swap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's trade for Juancho Hernangomez</a> is made official on Sept. 15)
Takeaway: Not worth it, but Boston made some headway in cleaning up a previously cluttered salary cap.
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.96 million over
Portland finally did something this offseason, swapping out Derrick Jones Jr. for Larry Nance Jr in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. Nance will be a good fit for the Trail Blazers, but they didn&rsquo;t add nearly enough to improve to the extent that they&rsquo;ll compete in the Western Conference.&nbsp;
Takeaway: Not worth it. Portland should get very creative, and fast &ndash; or risk losing Lillard.
Miami Heat: $3.039 million over
It seems like Miami is perpetually either in contention or one piece away from it. After a surprise trip to the NBA Finals in 2019-20, the Heat very well may have added that piece in Kyle Lowry. They also stole PJ Tucker away from Milwaukee, and kept their core intact. The Heat&rsquo;s cap situation gets very tricky in a few years, and it&rsquo;ll get even tricker if they sign Tyler Herro to a long-term extension; but for now, you can&rsquo;t blame Miami for going for it.
Takeaway: Worth it, for now.&nbsp;
Washington Wizards: $2.104 million over 
The Wizards had themselves a good offseason. They turned Russell Westbrook into Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Montrezl Harrell, and they added Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday. Still, the Wizards are going to have to play incredibly well just to qualify for the playoffs, and that&rsquo;s not what teams paying the luxury tax hope to accomplish.
Takeaway: Not worth it, but at least they&rsquo;ll be competitive.
Toronto Raptors: $1.018 million over
The Raptors are entering a mini-rebuild. With Kyle Lowry moving on, the Raptors will look to build around Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. They&rsquo;ll probably look to move Goran Dragic, who publicly voiced displeasure with landing in Toronto, so they&rsquo;ll likely end the year with a slightly different look.
Takeaway: Not worth it, but they could be interesting.&nbsp;
Indiana Pacers: $961,000 over
Indiana didn&rsquo;t make any major changes, and is stuck in quasi-purgatory as the Pacers gauge what their team can do. Ultimately, they will probably let results dictate their course of action. If they&rsquo;re in the playoff picture as we approach the trade deadline, they could be buyers. Conversely, if Indiana struggles, it could just as easily sell some assets.
Takeaway: Well-positioned to move under the tax threshold.&nbsp;
The luxury tax can be incredibly punitive; and, unfortunately, it impacts how teams make roster decisions. Looking beyond profitability, owners are right to demand a good return-on-investment when paying the luxury tax. No one wants to cut a big check for nothing. Be on the lookout for teams that aren&rsquo;t competitive to look to shed salary before the deadline. Conversely, teams in contention will look to add talent regardless of where they are pertaining to the luxury tax.&nbsp;

Drew Maresca examines the 13 teams in the NBA paying the luxury tax and whether their respective rosters justify the spending.