New York Knicks

After monitoring the NBA awards races all season, Nekias Duncan shares his final selections for DPOY, ROY, MIP, 6MOY and more.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA award selections: DPOY, 6MOY, MIP, more

Nekias Duncan checks back in with this year's NBA award races with an in-depth look at who leads the pack through the end of February.

2022-23 NBA award front-runners Vol. 2: MVP, DPOY, ROY, more

In the latest installment of his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes the two-way brilliance of Shawn Kemp.

Blazing the Trail: Shawn Kemp, the aerial artist

Welcome to Basketball News' 10-part mini-series, Blazing the Trail, where Mat Issa breaks down the most revolutionary players of the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout this series, we'll examine how these players changed basketball and pioneered their respective skills. 
In this first installment, Mat goes in-depth on Hall-of-Fame point guard Steve Nash and his incredible effect on the point guard position, with insight from Mike D'Antoni, Raja Bell and more. 
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When Steve Nash earned back-to-back NBA MVP awards in the mid-2000s, some circles viewed his achievements as a horrid oversight on the part of voters.
How is it possible that &mdash; in a world featuring the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal &mdash; the league&rsquo;s most prestigious regular-season honor could be awarded to someone averaging less than 20 points per game? The nerds are ruining our sport!
But what if I told you the so-called "nerds" got this one right? What if Nash really was the most valuable player in the world? And what if he was a pioneer who blazed the trail for a generation of All-Star floor generals?
Let&rsquo;s find out.
What Made Nash Special
To understand Nash as a quarterback, we first need pick the brain of his offensive coordinator that season: then-Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D&rsquo;Antoni.&nbsp;
D'Antoni is a well-traveled basketball mind with an ideology morphed during his playing days at the University of Marshall, a brief stint in the NBA and his legendary career in Italy. At his core, he believed in efficiency, creativity and enabling players with the freedom to express themselves.
&ldquo;Basketball is an art,&rdquo; D&rsquo;Antoni told Basketball News via Zoom. &ldquo;Everybody could be Picasso if you had rules. [In basketball], there are no rules.&rdquo;
Raja Bell, a two-time All-NBA defender and Nash&rsquo;s former running mate, explained D&rsquo;Antoni&rsquo;s philosophy in detail.
&ldquo;Taking the reins all the way off &mdash; that&rsquo;s what D&rsquo;Antoni essentially did for players, and that&rsquo;s why most people have so much success with him offensively," Bell explained to Basketball News. "[With him], there are no bad shots. Every time you toe that line, and you're open, he wants you to let it go. [With] other coaches, you miss one, they might get you out of there or talk to you about driving the ball. Mike never did that.&rdquo;
D&rsquo;Antoni&rsquo;s greatest contribution to the game was, without question, his implementation of the spread pick-and-roll offense.&nbsp;
For those unfamiliar with the scheme, Orlando Magic assistant Dylan Murphy (better known by some as the author of the invaluable <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/the-basketball-dictionary-5c3835e9fe58">Basketball Dictionary</a>) defined the concept in layman's terms.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just the basic idea of putting guys around the three, running pick-and-roll and making [the defense] pick between protecting against the roll, protecting against the ball-handler getting to the rim or protecting the three-point line,&rdquo; Murphy said.
To visualize how the Suns utilized this pick-and-roll variation, here's an example.
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In Nash, D&rsquo;Antoni obtained the conduit who could bring his pace-and-space vision to fruition. As D&rsquo;Antoni puts it, Nash wielded four attributes that made him the ideal spread pick-and-roll conductor: great shooting, playmaking, decision-making and finishing.
D&rsquo;Antoni called Nash one of the greatest shooters ever, and like one of Steve&rsquo;s jumpers, he was right on the money. According to Cleaning the Glass, Nash placed in the 90th percentile or higher in three-point and mid-range shooting every season from 2004 to 2010. Nash's proficiency from long range made drop coverage and going under screens a moot point for defenses.
His playmaking and decision-making exist in the same rarified air. The ultimate <a href="https://www.npr.org/2006/05/16/5408616/steve-nash-basketballs-selfless-socialist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on-court Marxist</a>, Nash had every high-value delivery method in the book at his disposal. From 2000 to 2012, he placed in the 97th percentile or higher in Ben Taylor&rsquo;s Box Creation stat (a metric that estimates playmaking), leading the league in that category seven times during that span.&nbsp;
Lastly, the Canadian floor general boasted a reliable finishing profile thanks to his dexterity and footwork that were groomed by years of soccer and jump-roping. His training as a finisher made him a master of dribble penetration, something that separated him from Utah Jazz great John Stockton. Nash constantly got two feet in the paint, which allowed him to hypnotize defenses and pick them apart accordingly.
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On-Court Production
Despite facing a great deal of criticism for their offensive-orientated approach, the Suns demonstrated a championship-caliber recipe nearly a decade before The Splash Brothers hung a banner at Oracle Arena.
<a href="https://www.compare.bet/en-us/news/which-teams-are-eligible-for-an-nba-finals-run-this-season">Historically</a>, teams that make the Finals either have a great deal of balance on both ends of the court or are outlier-level elite at one end of the floor.
Under Nash, Phoenix finished top-two in the league in Offensive Rating every season from 2004 to 2010. For reference, the only other all-time primary ball-handler to accomplish this feat was Magic Johnson (1984-90), and it&rsquo;s safe to say that those offensively-slanted Los Angeles Lakers teams were indeed championship-caliber.
Individually, Nash put together the best offensive profile of any of the other MVP contenders of his time (not to mention that his team had the best record in the league that year):
2004-05 MVP Candidates: Offensive Stats (By Percentile)*
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.9243%;">
Player
</td>
<td style="width: 17.1018%;">
Scoring Volume
</td>
<td style="width: 18.6684%;">
Scoring Efficiency
</td>
<td style="width: 13.3159%;">
Passing
</td>
<td style="width: 14.6214%;">
Playmaking
</td>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
Spacing
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2715%;">
Off. BPM
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.9243%;">
Duncan
</td>
<td style="width: 17.1018%;">
93rd
</td>
<td style="width: 18.6684%;">
56th
</td>
<td style="width: 13.3159%;">
61st
</td>
<td style="width: 14.6214%;">
64th
</td>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
12th
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2715%;">
87th
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.9243%;">
Iverson
</td>
<td style="width: 17.1018%;">
99th
</td>
<td style="width: 18.6684%;">
47th
</td>
<td style="width: 13.3159%;">
81st
</td>
<td style="width: 14.6214%;">
99th
</td>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
64th
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2715%;">
87th
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.9243%;">
Nash
</td>
<td style="width: 17.1018%;">
55th
</td>
<td style="width: 18.6684%;">
97th
</td>
<td style="width: 13.3159%;">
100th
</td>
<td style="width: 14.6214%;">
100th
</td>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
97th
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2715%;">
100th
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.9243%;">
Nowitzki
</td>
<td style="width: 17.1018%;">
96th
</td>
<td style="width: 18.6684%;">
84th
</td>
<td style="width: 13.3159%;">
69th
</td>
<td style="width: 14.6214%;">
78th
</td>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
99th
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2715%;">
98th
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.9243%;">
O&rsquo;Neal
</td>
<td style="width: 17.1018%;">
97th
</td>
<td style="width: 18.6684%;">
89th
</td>
<td style="width: 13.3159%;">
62nd
</td>
<td style="width: 14.6214%;">
72nd
</td>
<td style="width: 10.9661%;">
1st
</td>
<td style="width: 12.2715%;">
95th
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Data Provided by Backpicks.com (scroll right to view full table on mobile) 
And while guards typically have a limited impact on the defensive side of the ball, Nash did enough on that end (by way of charge-drawing and off-ball intellect) to help propel the Suns to around average on defense from 2004 to 2010.
So why didn&rsquo;t the Suns make the NBA Finals?
Luck and shooting variance are two obvious, uncontrollable factors. However, Nash and D&rsquo;Antoni have both <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-nash-on-the-horry-shove-2007s-heartbreak/id1483525141?i=1000461769297" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that they wished they doubled down more on what made them so special: zagging when others continued to zig.
&ldquo;You got all the criticism. You got all the people [criticizing you]. And you do sometimes back off when you should double down on it,&rdquo; D&rsquo;Antoni said.
&ldquo;At the time, Mike was so ahead of most of the NBA. There probably was some pressure &mdash; even within his own camp &mdash; to do things he might not have in his gut wanted to do, and given the time that&rsquo;s passed, wouldn&rsquo;t do now,&rdquo; Bell added. &ldquo;You could see that manifest itself in the way Mike coached with Houston, where he essentially said, 'F*** everything else. This is what we&rsquo;re going to do.'&rdquo;
To understand what "doubling down" essentially entails, let&rsquo;s take a look at a play from the Suns' infamous clash with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.
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In this clip, Nash forces the legendary Tim Duncan out to the perimeter in a manner analogous to how Stephen Curry <a href="https://streamable.com/fps4dz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced Robert Williams III and Al Horford to the three-point line </a>in the 2022 Finals.&nbsp;
Unfortunately for Phoenix, instances like that were few and far between. After Duncan strummed their defense to the tune of 33 points in Game 1, the Suns scrapped their original starting lineup that featured Amar'e Stoudemire at center, and instead turned to a more conventional rotation with Kurt Thomas playing the 5. The two teams were playing chicken, and the Suns were the ones to duck first.&nbsp;
The following year, Phoenix acquired an aging Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal as a last-ditch effort to battle with Duncan. But all this countermeasure amounted to was a gentleman&rsquo;s sweep at the hands of the Spurs in the 2008 postseason.
&ldquo;The way we beat them was not gonna be to match up to their better bigs," Bell said. "It was going to be to make them match down to, in theory, our better smalls."
Rather than try to outbid the best big in the Western Conference, Phoenix should have forced San Antonio to keep pace with its superior spacing.
&ldquo;I should have made Steve shoot more," D&rsquo;Antoni reflected. "He should have shot more threes. He&rsquo;s one of the best shooters ever."
Weaving the Thread&nbsp;
The dirty little secret about our series is that basketball has existed for far too long for there to be any true pioneers in the 1990s and 2000s. Each of these trailblazers was influenced in some way or another by the players who came before them.
For Nash, that player was Isiah Thomas.
&ldquo;My hero growing up was Isiah Thomas," Nash stated on the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-nash-ep-34-all-the-smoke-full-episode-stayhome/id1483638752?i=1000473893537">All the Smoke</a> podcast in May 2020. "He had everything, but he wasn&rsquo;t jumping over people, so I was like, 'Okay, there is someone I can try and emulate.' He was quick, but other than that, he used his skill level, his creativity [and] his competitive nature. The fight in him was incredible."
Like Nash, Thomas was adept at knifing his way into the paint and making mincemeat of his adversaries once he got there (<a href="https://streamable.com/vlfunj" target="_blank" rel="noopener">like this</a>).
However, Nash wasn&rsquo;t a mere copycat. He expanded on his idol&rsquo;s dribble penetration. Before him, a ball-handler's entry into the paint signified one of four outcomes: a shot, a pass, a foul or a turnover. Nash&rsquo;s odyssey to stardom birthed a new wrinkle to basketball's dark arts &mdash; the perpetual dribble probe.&nbsp;
Better known today as &ldquo;Nashing.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Just because Steve was driving to the basket, didn&rsquo;t mean that he was going to finish right there,&rdquo; D&rsquo;Antoni explained.&nbsp;
Akin to how a hockey player may continuously cycle the puck around the ice to tire out an opponent, Nash would often maintain his dribble in the paint to extend the period in which he commanded the defense's gaze, which created more opportunities for teammates to spring free.
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&ldquo;With Nash, he popularized it, where he would keep his dribble alive past the basket," Sporting News writer Steph Noh explained to Basketball News. "He would go along the baseline and circle around the lane. And by extending his dribble like that, it would extend the time where teammates could get open, [and] it would give defenses the opportunity to make a mistake and let their guard down.
"And you&rsquo;ve seen that pretty much every small point guard that isn&rsquo;t a freak has found how effective that technique is and incorporated it into their own game &mdash; across all levels."
D&rsquo;Antoni believes Nash owns original patent rights on the technique.
"I think he was the first one that started doing that," D'Antoni said.
Impact on Today&rsquo;s Game
When asked who in today&rsquo;s game most resembles the former two-time MVP, Bell immediately suggested the reigning Finals MVP, Stephen Curry.
&ldquo;Steph Curry reminds me a lot of Nash. They&rsquo;re great athletes, don&rsquo;t get me wrong. But they&rsquo;re not put-your-elbow-in-the-rim type athletes.&rdquo; Bell said. &ldquo;These are athletes that people could see themselves in.
&ldquo;They both have really great hand-eye coordination, really good pace, great handle &mdash; like, they have it on a string. Even if it doesn&rsquo;t look like the AND1 mixtape all the time, I think they use it efficiently and effectively. They both have a great ability to be in the pocket [and] under control. [Both] have great vision. They are very similar.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Along with Curry, another All-NBA guard who warrants comparison to the Phoenix legend is Trae Young. Young even <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-116-trae-young/id1525281746?i=1000562762348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly stated</a> that he picked up one of his most recognizable dribble moves &mdash; <a href="https://youtu.be/spnrMvqzjek" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his hesitation dribble</a> &mdash; from studying Nash.&nbsp;
Nash&rsquo;s legacy doesn&rsquo;t end there. Young guards like Fred VanVleet have earned All-Star nominations by following the pathway Nash carved out for them when he was dealing in the mid-2000s.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He kind of made it okay to dribble the air out the ball a little bit, keeping looking, because you knew he wasn&rsquo;t being selfish about it,&rdquo; VanVleet said in an March 2018 interview with <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/steve-nashs-basketball-legacy-can-seen-played-every-night/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SportsNet</a>.
There&rsquo;s no question that Nash&rsquo;s environmental footprint on the league is intense. And when you combine those innovative tactics with progressive coaching and elite scoring efficiency and playmaking, you get something more than just a great player.
You get an MVP, a Hall-of-Famer and, most importantly for us &mdash; you get a revolutionary.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/nash-tree.jpg" alt="" width="599" height="599" />
Tune in next week for Part 2 of Blazing the Trail, which focuses on Rashard Lewis &mdash; the pioneer of the modern-day stretch 4.

In the first installment of his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa goes in-depth on Steve Nash and his effect on the point guard position.

Blazing the Trail: Steve Nash, the magician who danced in the paint

Well, it finally happened. The New York Knicks and a top-tier free agent have agreed to terms on a contract.
Barring any shocking, last-minute changes, Jalen Brunson will be the Knicks&rsquo; starting point guard on opening night in 2022-23, as he and the team came to terms on a whopping four-year, $104 million deal.
After entering the NBA following a successful three-year career at Villanova, Brunson was drafted and signed a partially guaranteed four-year, $6.1 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks before the 2018-19 season, meaning this marks his first big payday.
Even though the agreement was just recently announced, the presumed signing has already been scrutinized ad nauseum. And since he signed with New York, it&rsquo;s been even more polarizing.
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In light of this move, let&rsquo;s step back and examine the facts: Brunson signed a big deal that will pay him a lot of money in 2022-23 and beyond. Additional details about salary have not yet been announced, but regardless of the annual breakdown, is a deal like this warranted?
That depends on how you view value.
Objectively, the Knicks probably overpaid, as least in terms of production. In total, 13 point guards were scheduled to be paid more than $26 million next season as of June 30, 2022: Stephen Curry ($48 million), Russell Westbrook ($47 million), Damian Lillard ($42.5 million), Trae Young ($37 million), Luka Doncic ($37 million), Kyrie Irving ($36.9 million), Ben Simmons ($35.4 million), Jamal Murray ($31.6 million), D&rsquo;Angelo Russell ($31.3), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($30.9 million), De&rsquo;Aaron Fox ($30.3 million), Chris Paul ($28.4 million) and Kyle Lowry ($28.3 million).
For what it&rsquo;s worth, the players just behind Brunson are Mike Conley ($22.6 million), Malcolm Brogdon ($22.6 million), Terry Rozier ($21.5 million), Fred VanVleet ($21.2 million), Spencer Dinwiddie ($20.1 million), Lonzo Ball ($19.5 million) and Eric Bledsoe ($19.3 million).
Most NBA experts can find a few guys on that list that Brunson is probably better than, including Russell, Brogdon, Rozier, Bledsoe &mdash; and probably Ball too.
Considering that each team is at a different place in its development, it&rsquo;s harder to rank starting point guards. But it&rsquo;s fair to say that there are 11 point guards across the league who the Knicks would prefer over Brunson &mdash; Curry, Doncic, Lillard, Young, Jrue Holiday, Ja Morant, Gilgeous-Alexander, LaMelo Ball, VanVleet, Darius Garland and Cade Cunningham. They might also prefer Dejounte Murray, Paul, Fox and Lowry as well, depending on who you ask.
So, an objective review of production from the point-guard position reveals that Brunson might not be an elite producer, yet. Granted, defining point guards is difficult, so bear with me.
In 2021-22, Brunson was tied for the 16th-highest scoring average among point guards (16.3 points per game). He was also 23rd among the position in assists per game (4.8), 16th in total rebounds per game (3.9) and 25th in Defensive Box Plus-Minus (-0.6).
Brunson&rsquo;s production was matched or bettered by a few point guards making less than he is set to earn, including Cole Anthony (rookie deal), VanVleet ($21.2 million) and Dinwiddie ($20.1 million).
But production is also about opportunity, and Dallas used Brunson in a specific way. The fact of the matter is that Dallas already has its lead guard, and it&rsquo;s a no-brainer when choosing who should be the primary creator between Doncic and Brunson. The idea that Brunson will have more opportunities in New York should be exhilarating to Brunson and his believers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Welcome to New York, Jalen Brunson! <a href="https://t.co/lISUdlwnOH">pic.twitter.com/lISUdlwnOH</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1542684979204919301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Further, it&rsquo;s easy to overlook the idea that teams invest in players&rsquo; futures. Sure, most fan bases celebrate signing proven players. But some of the best contracts are those given to players on the verge of breaking out, and that could be precisely where Brunson is in his career.
Brunson&rsquo;s contract was created by optimists who know and love him. Leon Rose, Brunson&rsquo;s former agent, simply believes that giving Brunson the keys to the castle will make him better; the adage of &ldquo;yesterday&rsquo;s price ain&rsquo;t today&rsquo;s price&rdquo; feels eerily relevant. It certainly is for the Mavericks, as they could have signed him for significantly less just a few months ago, and it could be for the Knicks too, if Brunson outperforms this contract.
This deal was also a must-have for the Knicks because not only have they failed to land a major free agent since 2010 &mdash; at which point Amar'e Stoudamire was more of a consolation prize than a home run &mdash; but they&rsquo;ve also been desperate for a starting-caliber point guard for what feels like ever.
Don&rsquo;t believe me? Here&rsquo;s a look at the Knicks&rsquo; opening-night starting point guards for the past 13 seasons: Chris Duhon, Ray Felton, Toney Douglas, Felton (again), Pablo Prigioni, Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, Derrick Rose, Ramon Sessions, Trey Burke, Allonzo Trier, Elfrid Payton and Kemba Walker.
So, it&rsquo;s been a rough, rough stretch.
But that&rsquo;s not all. Brunson turns 26 in August, meaning he&rsquo;s an ideal match for the Knicks' young core. RJ Barret is just 21, Julius Randle is 27, Mitchell Robinson (a candidate to re-sign in New York) is 23, Obi Toppin is 23 and Immanuel Quickley is 22.
Now, back to that list of higher-paid point guards: Only seven of the 13 point guards set to make $26 million or more next year are under 30 years old.
Knicks fans are fractured over the idea of paying Brunson, but if not him, then who?
This league has proven time and again that market size does not explicitly matter, and the idea that free agents will be intoxicated by all that is New York is a dated concept. Culture and success matter more. And if that&rsquo;s the case, and you choose to forego signing Brunson because it&rsquo;s too much money, you&rsquo;ll be stuck in a chicken-and-the-egg situation pertaining to the team&rsquo;s culture and success for even longer.
And then, there&rsquo;s the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and salary cap to consider. Both the owners and players can technically opt out of the current CBA this December. More importantly, the NBA's television deals expire after the 2024-25 season, and the league is allegedly expecting a &ldquo;huge increase&rdquo; in rights fees, according to ESPN.
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CNBC reported last March that the league will seek a new television contract in the range of $75 billion, up from $24 billion, and league revenue obviously impacts the salary cap. This is relevant because, in 2022-23, the salary cap will be $123.6 million, with the tax level coming in at $150.2 million. Forbes&rsquo; Morten Jensen reported last September that the cap could jump to as much as $171 million by 2025, assuming no cap smoothing after a new rights deal and CBA.
Brunson&rsquo;s deal works out to an average annual salary of $26 million, or 17.3% of the full 2022-23 cap. If it does, in fact, jump to $171 million in 2025-26 (and assuming the Knicks have a team salary of $171 million), Brunson would represent only 15% of the team&rsquo;s cap in the final year of his deal &mdash; and the Knicks will have his Bird rights, allowing them to exceed the cap in re-signing him.
It's worth mentioning that Brunson's deal allegedly has a player option in its final year, meaning he can opt out before 2025-26. But at the very least, an increase in the salary cap in 2025-26 would offset re-signing him to a bigger deal, assuming he deserves one. For reference, Curry accounted for 28% of the Warriors' 2021-22 salary. Not that we're comparing Brunson and Curry, but $26 million per year isn't as harmful as it used to be.&nbsp;
So, as much as it may feel arbitrary, and even irresponsible, to hand out a deal like this to a non-All-Star, I ask you this: At what point should the Knicks give out a big contract? And who would agree to come to New York?
Brunson might not be Curry or Lillard, but he&rsquo;s the best player the Knicks have enticed to join them in a long time. And he might be even better than anyone knows.
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With Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have found their new floor general. Considering the price tag, will he live up to expectations?

What does Jalen Brunson's new contract mean for the New York Knicks?

The Phoenix Suns gave Evan Sidery a behind-the-scenes look at the their organization and what it takes to run an NBA franchise.

Inside look at the Suns' rise: The making of an elite NBA organization

I remember it like it was 1,561 days ago &mdash; mostly because it was. I was laying on the futon pad in my dorm, procrastinating studying for my Forensic Science exam by looking through NBA highlights on YouTube (I know, some ~ casual ~ behavior on my part).
My mindless scrolling finally ceased when I stumbled upon this gem:
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A delicious 40-burger. Aaron Gordon&rsquo;s second one in as many months. I thought to myself: He&rsquo;s finally taking that leap. A star is born.&nbsp;
Alas, the three-point shooting and on-ball creation never really materialized to the level necessary to make my prediction come to fruition. And, among his desire to be elsewhere, the Orlando Magic ultimately threw in the towel on his development in 2021, opting to rebuild their roster by trading him to the Denver Nuggets for the likes of Gary Harris, RJ Hampton and a lightly protected first-round pick.&nbsp;
Just like that, it appeared the book on Gordon had been closed. But then something fascinating happened. He transformed his game entirely.
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His New Partner in Matrimony&nbsp;
In a recent episode of the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0r4Ro79PyBlk88QHyXyjXV?si=7a6546a89c7e48cf&amp;nd=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast</a>, co-host <a href="https://twitter.com/MiroslavCuk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miroslav Ćuk </a>likened the new partnership between Gordon and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic to that of a married couple. And when you spend a handful of hours alone in your home office watching the two interact on the court (as I have), you have a hard time contending with that assessment.&nbsp;
Whether it resonates through hookups on 45-degree cuts to the rim, transition outlets, entry passes into a post seal or simple handoff actions, the two have achieved a level of on-court chemistry typically reserved for lifelong companions.
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This season, Gordon is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203932?dir=D&amp;sort=PTS_PAINT" target="_blank" rel="noopener">getting more assisted looks</a> and <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more shots at the rim</a>, and is scoring at the highest efficiency of his career &mdash; in large part because of his new <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2022/03/06/nuggets-journal-aaron-gordon-seeing-the-game-differently/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frontcourt partner.</a> With Jokic, Gordon is no longer bound by the advantage-creating ambitions the Magic had envisioned for him. He&rsquo;s now empowered to roam free as the hyper-athletic play-finisher he was always destined to be.
However, Gordon isn&rsquo;t the only one collecting benefits from this relationship. One could even argue that the symbiotic nature of their dynamic bears some resemblance to that of Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire in the mid-2000s. Now, while I will concede that Gordon isn&rsquo;t nearly the offensive talent Stoudemire was during his heyday, the formula is still the same:
Prodigious playmaker + Dynamite play-finisher = Highly-efficient offense.
The pairings&rsquo; similarities don&rsquo;t end there. From 2004-10, <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1501903698028425216?s=20&amp;t=zA1W-ku5c4z4Rhlxva7hzA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nash</a> averaged nearly 2 assists fewer per 100 possessions when Stoudemire was on the bench (per PBP Stats). In comparison, Jokic has lost <a href="http://www.pbpstats.com/on-off/nba/player?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;TeamId=1610612743&amp;PlayerId=203932">almost 2 assists per 100 possessions</a> in the 365 minutes he&rsquo;s played without Gordon this season.&nbsp;
Historical comparisons aside, the tandem also fulfills the marital trope of taking on aspects of your partner's personality. In the same way that dating someone for a long time might increase your appreciation for <a href="https://squishmallows.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">squishmallows</a> (wait, is that just me?), Gordon&rsquo;s time spent sharing the court with a passing savant has made him a worthy facilitator in his own right:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Aaron Gordon plays 50 games with Nikola Jokic. All of a sudden he's one of the best passers at his position. <a href="https://t.co/PRysqnp5FS">pic.twitter.com/PRysqnp5FS</a>
&mdash; Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarrisonWind/status/1490584645456457729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The numbers appear to back up Wind&rsquo;s observation as well. According to BBall Index&rsquo;s Playmaking Talent database, Gordon is experiencing a career year in passing creation quality, passing versatility and playmaking. He&rsquo;s still by no means the guy you want running the show, but he&rsquo;s more than equipped to connect the dots when the heavyweights start the thread.
A Defensive Swiss-Army Knife
While Gordon's strides on the offensive end have been substantial, it&rsquo;s the defensive evolution he's undergone that has been the most necessary for the Nuggets this season.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Aaron Gordon Defensive Roles by year: 14-15: Perimeter Big 15-16: Perimeter Big 16-17: Chaser 17-18: Perimeter Big 18-19: Perimeter Big 19-20: Chaser 20-21: Wing Stopper 21-22: Point of Attack Per <a href="https://twitter.com/The_BBall_Index?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_BBall_Index</a>.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1501689092693807104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Initially brought in to provide additional backline support to his more floor-bound companion, Gordon has transitioned to a new seat right at the head of the table, playing the part of the Nuggets&rsquo; go-to, point-of-attack stopper. This year, Gordon has spent a whopping 45.4% of his possessions guarding point guards and shooting guards &mdash; the largest percentage of his career by a wide margin (per BBall Index).
Most of this shift in role has been out of necessity, with frailer guards like Monte Morris, Facundo Campazzo and Bones Hyland occupying backcourt minutes; the burden of mixing it up with the best offensive engines in the league has been placed squarely at Gordon&rsquo;s feet. And man, for someone that is learning this gig on the fly, is he holding down the fort.
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I implore you all to take a brief 60 seconds of your day to marvel at the defensive clips above. Take note of all the different variations of player archetypes Gordon has been tasked to go up against. Guile-based miniature guards like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trae-young-made-himself-the-villain-and-hes-leveled-up-accordingly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trae Young</a>, hyper-athletic slashers like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-high-can-anthony-edwards-fly-examining-the-20yearolds-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Edwards</a>, Earth-pushing forwards masquerading as ball-handlers like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/will-luka-doncic-be-able-to-sustain-current-workload-for-potentially-deep-postseason-run" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luka Doncic</a>. Gordon has managed to annoy all of them at different points in the season.
In fact, according to BBall Index&rsquo;s database dating to 2013, Gordon owns the highest <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/defensive-versatility/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defensive Versatility</a> score of any point-of-attack defender on record, ranking 2 points higher than the next closest player (2020-21 Ben Simmons).
This versatility was on full display in a crucial possession of a late-game overtime thriller against the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this week. Here, after stonewalling Brandon Ingram from his attempt at getting to his sweet spot, Gordon picks up CJ McCollum and lands a textbook jump-shot-altering contest:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/044kiv" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Gordon's <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/1323#tab-defense_rebounding">block percentages</a> are down from past seasons, but that&rsquo;s mostly because his new responsibilities on the perimeter make it difficult for him to consistently challenge shots in the interior. He&rsquo;s currently contesting one less shot within 6 feet of the rim per game than he was with Orlando from 2017-20 (per NBA.com).&nbsp;
However, when the moment calls for it, he&rsquo;s shown he&rsquo;s still capable of filling the void that he was originally intended to:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7zc3of" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Indeed, Gordon never blossomed into the sky-walking, scoring superstar the Magic and I imagined he would be after his 40-point eruption in 2017. But that&rsquo;s okay because he&rsquo;s still developed into a great player in his own right. He&rsquo;s Jokic&rsquo;s new favorite offensive partner in crime, a tissue-connecting passer, and the basketball equivalent of a multipurpose weapon of destruction on defense.
Simply put: Aaron Gordon is not the player the Magic wanted him to be, but he&rsquo;s the player that the Nuggets need him to be.
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Mat Issa details how Aaron Gordon has grown his game and fit in with the Nuggets since being traded from the Magic.

After Orlando exit, Aaron Gordon's been exactly what the Nuggets need

Time heals all wounds.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ve been told, anyway.
Unfortunately, it would appear that Zion Willamson is testing the theory.
His massive stature is only surpassed by his incredible talent, but sadly &mdash; more than halfway through what should have been his third season &mdash; it&rsquo;s looking more and more like Zion is the second coming of Yao Ming.
On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/pelicans/article_3452b938-8dd9-11ec-85bd-576e3c354632.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christian Clark of the&nbsp;New Orleans Times-Picayune</a> reported that Williamson may end up requiring a second surgery to repair a broken right foot that has derailed his third season. And at this point, we can&rsquo;t help but to point out the obvious as it relates to the young superstar &mdash; his body simply may not be able to stand up to the rigors of competing at the NBA level.
It certainly is a harsh consideration but, at this point, Zion has appeared in only 42% of the games that New Orleans has played since he was selected with the first overall pick in 2019.&nbsp;
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In fact, Zion has played in so few games, that it might be considered disrespectful of Yao Ming&rsquo;s career to mention the two in the same breath.
If you want to make anyone who&rsquo;s covered the game feel old, just tell them that Yao was drafted with the first overall pick by the Houston Rockets 20 years ago.&nbsp;
Indeed, way back in 2002, the Chinese phenom became the first international player who didn&rsquo;t play collegiately in the United States to be drafted with the first overall pick. He was the only man who ever made Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal look relatively miniature.
Those that knew Yao well and saw him up close often marveled at the power he seemed to have hidden in his legs. Despite his svelte frame, Yao&rsquo;s legs were like tree trunks. Although far from a high-flyer, at 7-foot-6 and playing between 305 and 310 pounds, he put significant stress on his lower extremeties and ultimately fell victim to it.
We may be witnessing the same thing happening to Zion.
With Yao, we found out the hard way that his body simply couldn&rsquo;t hold up. Most people&rsquo;s bodies simply aren't made to play 80-plus basketball games in the span of six months, which is exactly why so many players have only been able to do so with varying degrees of success (and availability).&nbsp;
After missing only two games his first three seasons in the league, things began to unravel for Yao in his fourth &mdash; he missed 25 games after undergoing surgery on his left big toe, and that was just the beginning.
He would miss 62 games over the span of his fifth and sixth seasons, before managing to play 77 games in his seventh. That seventh season ended prematurely, however, as he suffered a hairline fracture in his left ankle during Game 3 of the Rockets&rsquo; second-round playoff series against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Yao would miss the entirety of the enusing season in 2009-10. It should have been his eighth. He returned for the 2010-11 season, but five games in &mdash; despite being put on a 24-minute restriction &mdash; he developed another stress fracture in his left ankle.
He missed the remainder of the season before announcing his retirement the following July.&nbsp;
In the end, he played just 472 of a possible 738 games over his nine-year career.&nbsp;
Believe it or not, and despite all of that, in the three seasons spanning 2005-08, Yao&rsquo;s appearance rate of 65% was still much, much higher than Zion&rsquo;s (42%). And with Yao, it was particularly sad because he and the uber-talented Tracy McGrady were joined in Houston. A duo that had championship-caliber potential simply didn't have the health needed to get a real shot.
In his latter years, we spent more time wondering what Yao would look like with more development and at or near 100% effectiveness. Sadly, we never got to see.
We may never with Zion.
If the Rockets could do it all over again, they probably would&rsquo;ve tried to sell high (or, at least, sell at all) once Yao began spending more time in street clothes than in uniform. Players don't typically get healthier as they age.
Without a doubt, there would&rsquo;ve been at least one or two teams out there that would have been willing to roll the dice on Yao, just as there were teams willing to take chances on oft-injured players such as Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire, Tyreke Evans and even Kristaps Porzingis.
As constituted, the Pelicans are a talented team, especially after having acquired CJ McCollum at the trade deadline. With Brandon Ingram and a few other capable players on the right side of 30 years old, the thought of cutting bait with Zion and taking advantage of another team&rsquo;s willingness to make him their problem wouldn&rsquo;t be absurd.
His value isn&rsquo;t nearly as high as it was one year ago but, if the Wizards were able to find a taker for John Wall, it's easy to imagine that there would be a market for Zion.
Sadly, at this point, he can only be fairly regarded as a big if, whether we like it or not. And continuing to count on him in New Orleans is a proposition that&rsquo;s looking less prudent with each passing day.
Truth is, we&rsquo;d be hard-pressed to find a player of his size and stature who overcame such a turbulent injury history so early in a career.
Perhaps Zion can be the first.
At this point, though &mdash; especially through the lens of the great Yao Ming &mdash; it's probably safe to say that history isn't on his side.
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Moke Hamilton discusses the career parallels of Yao Ming and Zion Williamson, with an eye on their unfortunate injury woes.

Is Zion Williamson the next Yao Ming?

Across the country, mostly in the living rooms of their parents&rsquo; homes, the NBA's 2020 draft class sat with bated breath. Separated by physical proximity, they were united in their collective hopes and aspirations.
As expected, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball were the first three to hear their names called. And after the Detroit Pistons opted for Killian Hayes with the seventh overall pick, the New York Knicks were on the clock.
What was clear when the Knicks were picking at No. 8 was the perpetual truth: the team needed a point guard.
Instead, and rather inexplicably, they opted for another forward &mdash; the Brooklyn-born Obi Toppin.
Back on Nov. 18, 2020, Tyrese Haliburton was the right pick. And as he pushes incumbent De&rsquo;Aaron Fox for lead guard responsibilities in Sacramento, at this moment, the same holds true.
But in the NBA, young players are like securities being traded on the New York Stock Exchange; today&rsquo;s value doesn&rsquo;t guarantee a future payoff.
And now more than ever, opportunity is knocking on Toppin&rsquo;s door.
On Thursday, Julius Randle was placed in the NBA&rsquo;s health-and-safety protocols. Slowly but surely, the sophomore highflier has forced head coach Tom Thibodeau to find minutes for him simply because Toppin&rsquo;s game impact and energy became impossible to ignore. He&rsquo;s taken full advantage of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/as-a-franchise-player-julius-randle-has-left-a-lot-to-be-desired" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lazy and uninspired effort</a> of many of the team&rsquo;s players who were ahead of him on the depth chart. And now, he will go from being an afterthought to a feature attraction, even if only for a handful of games.
In the NBA, opportunities come and go. One minute, you&rsquo;re a rookie whose potential alone earns you adoration and admiration. The next thing you know, you&rsquo;re buried on the bench next to Kevin Knox.
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Way back in 2009, the Knicks needed a point guard (surprise, surprise) and head coach Mike D&rsquo;Antoni lusted over an undersized guard from Davidson University named Stephen Curry. The front office was all-in on selecting him as the mastermind of the team&rsquo;s offense, and the prospect was equally exciting to Curry and those close to him.
The only problem was that the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves had both indicated a want for depth at the guard position. The two teams owned the fourth, fifth and sixth picks. Ironically, the Golden State Warriors were perhaps the one team selecting ahead of New York that didn&rsquo;t appear to have a need at guard.&nbsp;
According to verteran reporter Marc Stein, the Warriors&rsquo; ownership group <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=4284512" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled to Memphis</a> to meet with promising third-year guard Monta Ellis to discuss his future with the team, including the fact that he would be handed the keys to the offense. This came after Golden State agreed to trade veteran Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks and received another guard prospect, Acie Law, in return. Aside from those two, the likes of Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson were also demanding minutes. Curry was not believed to be filling a position of need in Oakland.&nbsp;
The prevailing sentiment was that Golden State would go big with its seventh pick, and when Curry was the selection, there was a belief that he would be included in a trade to Phoenix that would land Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire with the Warriors.
That obviously didn&rsquo;t happen, and needless to say, Curry quickly managed to work his way through the crowded rotation and become a truly revolutionary player.&nbsp;
He somehow managed to fulfill his mighty destiny wearing the jersey of a team that didn&rsquo;t seem to need him at the time.
Sound familiar?
It&rsquo;d be crazy to compare Toppin, even at this stage, to Curry. But the soil must be tilled before the crop thrives. And if a player has that kind of potential in him, he&rsquo;ll make the most of his opportunity when it&rsquo;s presented.
For Toppin, now is certainly the time for him to begin to kindle.
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In five of the six drafts between 2015 and 2020, the Knicks had a top-10 selection. They ended up with Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Ntilikina, Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett and Toppin.
Porzingis was obviously a good pick, and it&rsquo;s too soon to make any definitive declaration about Barrett or Toppin. But even with those three, it&rsquo;s impossible to not think of them in connection with another player who could have paid New York greater dividends.
It&rsquo;s easy to wonder what could&rsquo;ve been if the Knicks ended up with the second pick in 2015 and selected D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, particularly when Porzingis is now in Dallas. Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo were selected after Ntilikina in 2017, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Miles Bridges lead the pack of players who could&rsquo;ve been donning a Knicks jersey rather than Knox.
As promising as Barrett has seemed at times, one must remember that the Knicks had the league&rsquo;s worst record in 2018 and that even the &ldquo;consolation prize&rdquo; of Ja Morant would&rsquo;ve actually been the long-awaited savior. Had they won the lottery and selected Zion Williamson, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant may have landed at Madison Square Garden rather than Barclays Center.
Of course, none of this matters that much right now, but that historical context makes it impossible to ignore Haliburton&rsquo;s coming of age in Sacramento and compare it with the strides that Toppin has (or hasn&rsquo;t, depending on your perspective) made in New York.
Fortunately for Obi, his story is really just beginning.&nbsp;
And when we look back at it in the not-so-distant future, the opportunity that now avails could either be the beginning of the end, or the most important chapter.
When he heard his name called by Commissioner Adam Silver, Toppin was emotional. He vowed to do all he could to become a difference-maker.
He now has the chance to make good.

With Julius Randle on the shelf, the Knicks will be relying on Obi Toppin. This is the sophomore's chance to show what he's made of.

This is the opportunity Obi Toppin has been waiting for

A year-and-a-half ago, the thought of an NBA front office choosing to model themselves after the Phoenix Suns would&rsquo;ve seemed laughable. After all, you need to experience success in order for teams to try to duplicate it.&nbsp;
From July 2015 through July 2019, the Suns were by far the worst team in the NBA, accumulating a 113-280 record. It wasn&rsquo;t particularly close either; the New York Knicks had the league&rsquo;s second-worst record over that span, yet they won 17 more games than the Suns during that five-year stretch.
Entering last season, the Suns hadn&rsquo;t made the playoffs since 2009-10, which was Steve Nash and Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire&rsquo;s final season together in Phoenix. This 10-year dry spell marked the league&rsquo;s second-longest active playoff drought (trailing only the Sacramento Kings&rsquo; 15 years) and the fifth-longest in NBA history.&nbsp;
Then, after a decade of mediocrity, the Suns began to change how they are perceived.&nbsp;
It started when they hired head coach Monty Williams, who&rsquo;s beloved and respected around the NBA. From day one, he made it his mission to shift the league-wide view of Phoenix.
"That was Monty&rsquo;s biggest thing coming into [his first] season... We had many conversations, and he said his first step is we need to change the perception of this team and how people view us,&rdquo; Devin Booker told <a href="https://uproxx.com/edge/devin-booker-interview-suns-last-dance-jordan-kobe-nba-best-gamer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dime Magazine</a> last year. &ldquo;And if that&rsquo;s having to get a little nasty, play tougher, more physical, [then we will], but people are going to know when they play against us [that we&rsquo;re] some talented, hard-working guys... I think that the first step in recreating a franchise or a culture is gaining respect from around the league."
While the Suns missed the playoffs by half a game in 2019-20, they turned heads with their strong play and 8-0 record in the NBA Bubble. From there, the team took off. 
The additions of Chris Paul and Jae Crowder took Phoenix to the next level, and suddenly, Phoenix emerged as a legitimate contender atop the Western Conference standings. During last year's playoffs, the Suns became the first team to advance to the NBA Finals immediately after snapping a 10-year postseason drought. 
The turnaround was nothing short of miraculous, with Phoenix going from worst to first seemingly overnight. However, in reality, the Suns had quietly been heating up for some time &mdash; with Booker honing his game as he approached superstardom, Ayton taking the next step in his development and the team's chemistry continuing to improve.&nbsp;
After becoming a juggernaut, the Suns began receiving a lot of national recognition and praise. James Jones was named the NBA&rsquo;s Executive of the Year, Williams was the runner-up in the NBA&rsquo;s Coach of the Year race and Paul finished fifth in Most Valuable Player voting. Phoenix's decision-makers now had credibility, and other teams want to know what buttons they pushed to undergo this transformation.
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What were the keys to the Suns&rsquo; success? They made smart hires (such as Jones and Williams), assembled/developed a terrific young core (led by Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges), acquired the right veteran pieces (including Paul, Crowder, Dario Saric, Frank Kaminsky and, last season, Torrey Craig) and stressed the importance of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/phoenix-suns-credit-tough-conversations-and-constructive-criticism-nba-finals-run-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">communication and accountability</a>.
Rival organizations are taking notice and trying to follow Phoenix&rsquo;s blueprint.&nbsp;
For example, the Portland Trail Blazers are using a similar approach as they plan for the future. In recent months, Damian Lillard has had several meetings with the Blazers&rsquo; front office and owners to discuss the organization&rsquo;s long-term plans. Over the offseason, the six-time All-Star questioned whether the Blazers were doing enough to build a contender around him, but he has since committed to staying in Portland. He recently revealed that the Suns have come up during his chats with the Blazers brass.
&ldquo;The conversations I&rsquo;ve had with Neil [Olshey], he didn&rsquo;t promise me we&rsquo;re about to get LeBron; they didn&rsquo;t tell me we&rsquo;re about to go get a superstar player because I don&rsquo;t think you need all superstar players to win,&rdquo; Lillard recently told <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/amid-chaotic-offseason-damian-lillard-meeting-lebron-james-decision-loomed-sealed-recommitment-trail-blazers-200041277.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo Sports</a>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got CJ [McCollum]; he&rsquo;s an All-Star-level player. We&rsquo;ve got [Jusuf] Nurkic; he&rsquo;s one of the best centers in the league. It&rsquo;s the way you piece the team together.
&ldquo;If you look at Phoenix, they don&rsquo;t have a bunch of stars. They got people who are really good at what they do and understand their roles. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are All-Stars, but Deandre Ayton is a quality center, Jae Crowder is an experienced, quality stretch 4-man that&rsquo;s tough, Cam Johnson is nice and Mikal Bridges is my favorite small forward in the league. You just look at how that team is put together and they&rsquo;re in the Finals coming out of the West. That&rsquo;s what my vision is. 
"I don&rsquo;t see us just landing star players. I&rsquo;m Dame Lillard, and CJ is CJ McCollum. We have the core pieces to do the same thing that Phoenix did. It&rsquo;s just how you fill that in. We just got on the same page &mdash; me, Chauncey [Billups] and Neil. We all spoke and we got on the same page as far as what my thoughts were and how I feel like we can win it. That was good enough for me. I had trust in that. But, we&rsquo;ll see; they can&rsquo;t guarantee me anything and I can&rsquo;t guarantee anything to them, but we got on the same page.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17143631_lg.jpg" alt="" width="649" height="468" />
Making the postseason hasn't been a problem for the Blazers, as they've clinched a playoff spot in eight-straight seasons. However, they've had a hard time advancing deep into the playoffs (aside from their Western Conference Finals trip in 2019, when they were ultimately swept by the Golden State Warriors).
The Blazers are currently 6-8, which slots them at No. 9 in the West. Portland has the NBA's seventh-best offense (scoring 107.8 points per 100 possessions) and 18th-ranked defense (allowing 106.1 points per 100 possessions). While it&rsquo;s not the start that the team had hoped for, there&rsquo;s still plenty of time to turn things around.
&ldquo;Look, I didn&rsquo;t come out here [to lose],&rdquo; Larry Nance Jr. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told BasketballNews.com</a> before the season. &ldquo;I had a comfortable, cushy situation in Cleveland; I lived close to my family, I was happy and it was all good. I did not come out here to half-ass this thing. I&rsquo;m all in, and that means going for it all. Last year, we saw a few teams come out of nowhere; the Hawks came out of nowhere, the Suns came out of nowhere. There were teams that surprised some people, and that&rsquo;s fully what I&rsquo;m planning on doing here.&rdquo;
The Hawks are an interesting comparison, especially since they struggled out of the gate last season. Like the Suns, the Hawks made a huge leap in 2020-21, going from a 20-win team to within two wins of the NBA Finals. And like Phoenix, Atlanta's turnaround was largely due to bringing in the right leaders (GM Travis Schlenk and head coach Nate McMillan), building a talented young core (Trae Young, John Collins, De'Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish and Onyeka Okongwu), acquiring key veterans (such as Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams) and getting hot at the right time.
For the Blazers to follow in the Suns&rsquo; or Hawks&rsquo; footsteps, Nance stresses that they&rsquo;ll need to make significant strides on the defensive end.
&ldquo;Last year, the Blazers finished sixth in a loaded Western Conference and their defense was 28th. Their defense was 28th!&rdquo; Nance <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told BasketballNews.com</a>. &ldquo;If we move that up to, say, 12th, that&rsquo;s a potent combination. Anytime you can surround guards like we have here with guys that are willing to grind on the defensive end behind them? Whew, that&rsquo;s a winning combo."
It remains to be seen whether the Blazers (or any team) can replicate what the Suns or Hawks did last season. After all, that kind of turnaround is extremely difficult to pull off &mdash; even if the blueprint is right in front of you.&nbsp;

After the Suns' miraculous turnaround, rival teams (like the Blazers) are trying to follow Phoenix's blueprint and duplicate their success.

Rival teams copying Suns' blueprint in hopes of becoming a contender

Kyrie Irving has never been afraid of taking the road less traveled.
The only problem, in this instance, is that nobody knows where it leads.
With a few strokes of a keyboard, Sean Marks and his Brooklyn Nets took a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-say-kyrie-irving-cant-play-or-practice-with-team-while-unvaccinated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hard-line stance</a> as it relates to the point guard. In the quest for a championship, Marks declared that Brooklyn would not permit any of its players to serve in a part-time capacity &mdash; superstars be damned.
In other words, with respect to Irving, the messaging was clear: get vaccinated, or else.
Maybe betrayed is too strong of a word, but there&rsquo;s no way that Kyrie could have received the organization&rsquo;s decision positively.
Perhaps it&rsquo;s ironic that Brooklyn would decide that it would rather have none of Irving than half. Of Brooklyn&rsquo;s Big Three, he was the one whose joining the franchise was fairly and accurately declared a homecoming.
Of the three, it is Irving who was first to take his talents to Brooklyn, and it was he who was first to don the Nets' signature black and white threads.
Now, he is another first &mdash; the first to be sent away.
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Sean Marks says the decision on Kyrie Irving was made by himself and Joe Tsai: <a href="https://t.co/vHvQ2UjF6B">pic.twitter.com/vHvQ2UjF6B</a>
&mdash; Nets Videos (@SNYNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYNets/status/1447956798598680576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

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When Irving signed with the Nets in 2019, nobody could&rsquo;ve ever predicted such an outcome. It was as unforeseen as it is unfortunate, especially if you&rsquo;re Kyrie or someone who&rsquo;s sympathetic to his cause.
Behind closed doors and away from the cameras and the microphones, scores of NBA players have expressed reluctance to get vaccinated against COVID-19. But over the course of the summer, it became clear that in order to fully participate and have some semblance of normalcy, the league&rsquo;s players had a simple choice to make.
And for players who call New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco home, the stakes were even higher: full participation with their teams depended on their willingness to get jabbed.&nbsp;
In the end, for the players as a whole, the want to be full-time members of their teams and to enjoy their lives as competitors in the NBA won out. As a class, the league&rsquo;s players understand that their careers are relatively short, and that their window to earn is, as well. Their future generations and familial legacies can be enhanced with the stroke of a pen, and when painted into a corner, invariably, they choose to perform. The decision to go into the Orlando Bubble and continue competition after the murder of George Floyd told us that.
All things considered, the league&rsquo;s players tend to fall in line.
...Only not this time.
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It&rsquo;s become quite cliche these days for head coaches and team leaders to refer to their teammates and one another as "brothers" or as "family," but there&rsquo;s some merit in those declarations. At least during the season, most players spend more time with their teammates than they do with their children. They&rsquo;re married to their coaching staff just as they are married to their spouses.
So whether they say it publicly or not, members of the Nets organization probably look at Irving&rsquo;s refusal to get vaccinated as a stubborn refusal in which he&rsquo;s choosing his personal principles over the team&rsquo;s collective goal. And if you disagree with that, ask yourself why more 95% of the league&rsquo;s players are vaccinated. Ask yourself why Irving is the only member of either New York team who isn&rsquo;t.
And while there are other players around the league who have opted against the vaccination, none of them are on a team that enters the season as a title favorite; none face the possibility of missing 43 of their team&rsquo;s 82 regular season games.
Kyrie made a choice to stand his ground.&nbsp;
Marks had no choice but to do the same.
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Sean Marks on the future of Kyrie Irving as a Net: "The hope is that we have Kyrie back. We'll welcome him back with open arms." <a href="https://t.co/MivSnk9CmG">pic.twitter.com/MivSnk9CmG</a>
&mdash; Nets Videos (@SNYNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYNets/status/1447958806466531337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

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A descendent of Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s tree, Marks saw firsthand the kind of culture that can be built by competent organizational leadership. True success in the NBA begins with standards and equitable administration of a team&rsquo;s ideals. Ask Erik Spoelstra, Tom Thibodeau and the great Popovich, and they themselves will tell you the same.
So when faced with the prospect of allowing Irving&rsquo;s refusal to get vaccinated hover over his team, Marks did what any leader in his position would have &mdash; he made a tough choice.
As a basketball player and personality, Irving is as large as they come. Whether he was available or not would impact not only head coach Steve Nash&rsquo;s game planning, but the team&rsquo;s rotations. Every player, including both Kevin Durant and James Harden, would have had to have two separate instructional sets, catering for life both with and without Irving.
Those situations obviously happen in pro sports, but unlike other scenarios, whether Marks and Nash would subject their team to that reality was completely within their control.
So in the end, it&rsquo;s easy to understand why Marks told Irving to stay away, just as it&rsquo;s easy to understand how Kyrie could be put off.
As a player, Nash gave up sugar. Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire took wine baths. Chris Paul decided to go vegan. For the most part, players view their bodies as not only their temples, but their empires. They spend their pre-professional days doing all they can to develop and take care of their bodies. And although each team employs its own set of medical professionals to support their teams, most players maintain personal relationships with their own set of medical and training professionals whom they trust.
Being told that they must receive a vaccination that a fair amount of the public doesn&rsquo;t fully trust is a foreign concept to the league&rsquo;s players. Irving, in particular, has previously been outspoken in his desire to be, in his eyes, treated more like a person and less like an asset.&nbsp;
From his vantage point, it&rsquo;s not that difficult to understand why he feels that his right to choose should be absolute.
It&rsquo;s also not that difficult to see how, in asking him to stay away, Irving feels like &mdash; despite what is said in the statement released by the Nets &mdash; he&rsquo;s not being supported by the franchise he chose to call his own before either Durant or Harden had found their way to Barclays.&nbsp;
Declaring itself to &ldquo;support&rdquo; Irving while also not permitting him to play or practice with his team seems a bit hollow. By their deeds, the Nets are forcing Kyrie&rsquo;s hand in an attempt to get him to take the vaccine. The team is looking out for its best interests, while Kyrie is doing the same for his. Unfortunately, in this instance, the interests of the parties just aren&rsquo;t aligned.
Like everything else in life, there are two sides to the story. Two ways to look at the situation.
Perhaps it&rsquo;s fitting. Long a contrarian and one who isn&rsquo;t afraid of solitude on an island, Irving has fully embraced the path of most resistance.
Two sides to the story. Two outcomes, two possibilities.&nbsp;
As both a man and a competitor, Kyrie Irving has never avoided the fork. He&rsquo;s long made his choice to opt for the road less traveled.
In this case, though &mdash; despite their common dreams and desire &mdash; it&rsquo;s hard to see it leading back to Brooklyn.

The Nets will not permit Kyrie Irving to play or practice with the team unless he gets vaccinated. So where do the sides go from here?

It’ll be difficult for Kyrie and the Nets to come back from this

Only three times have the Phoenix Suns finished with 60 or more wins in a season. First, it was Charles Barkley in the early 1990s, and then, two-time MVP Steve Nash and the 7 Seconds or Less crew in the mid-2000s. Now, following their special run to the 2021 NBA Finals after missing the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons, the third installment of prime Suns basketball has arrived.
When looking through the Suns&rsquo; schedule (which released on Friday along with every other organization), Phoenix is set up for one of its strongest starts in recent memory. With 9 of its first 20 games against teams that didn&rsquo;t make the playoffs last season, Phoenix is well positioned to be sitting near the top of the NBA standings at the first-quarter mark &mdash; especially since the adjustment period is in the past, as everything clicked together for the Suns&rsquo; dynamic backcourt led by Devin Booker and Chris Paul.
Now, returning all of their top rotation players from a Finals appearance &mdash; and including the additions of two solid second-unit pieces in Landry Shamet and JaVale McGee &mdash; the Suns are running it back to becoming one of the Western Conference&rsquo;s most formidable squads. It should also be noted that Phoenix is leaving open one roster spot into the regular season with half of its mid-level exception ($4.5 million) and full bi-annual exception ($3.7 million) at its disposal. This means the Suns are preparing to strike while the iron is hot upon a stronger buyout market than expected for the upcoming season, further bolstering one of the Association&rsquo;s deepest rosters.
Although many believed the Suns capitalized upon a weaker-than-expected path to the Finals thanks to injuries (Anthony Davis, Lakers; Jamal Murray, Nuggets; Kawhi Leonard, Clippers), this team is still loaded to the gills with win-now players who can play championship-caliber basketball. And the Suns' building blocks of Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges have yet to even turn 25 years old. With the expected advanced development from one of the best young trios in the NBA, plus CP3 continuing to age like fine wine entering his age-37 season, Phoenix is going to create early storylines for its continued run of excellence.
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The best start in Suns franchise history was from the 2004-05 roster led by Nash and Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire, checking in with a 13-2 record through the first 15 games. Examining the 2021-22 schedule for Phoenix, that similar scenario is very much in play. Phoenix is only playing one true title contender on the road in their first 15, which is against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 22 at Staples Center. Here is the schedule in order:
OCTOBER &mdash; Denver Nuggets, @ Los Angeles Lakers, @ Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers
NOVEMBER &mdash; New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, @ Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, @ Memphis Grizzlies, @ Houston Rockets, @ Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Mavericks
There are only two back-to-backs for the Suns in the first three weeks of the regular season, and the final instance isn&rsquo;t really a formidable test on the road against Houston and Minnesota. Aside from the Lakers, Blazers and Grizzlies, the Suns will only play against three playoff teams away from the Footprint Center over this beginning stretch. Add all of these factors together, and the Suns are an easy bet to be at or near the top of the West through the first calendar month of the regular season.
Phoenix&rsquo;s 13-2 start 17 years ago has the makings of being matched or exceeded. Thanks to an early schedule heavily leaning in the Suns&rsquo; favor, there&rsquo;s a plausible route to a 13-2 start.
For a team that didn&rsquo;t find its footing until a few months into last season, having one of the most experienced teams back together with ample amounts of chemistry are good ingredients to rattle off a historically-hot start even with a shortened offseason. Having one of the strongest 9-man rotations in the NBA, Phoenix can feel comfortable trotting out on any night with the chance of notching another W in the win column. On pace for 58 wins over a regular 82-game schedule last season, Phoenix is poised to make another leap to the 60-plus win threshold for 2021-22.
Count out the Suns as a fluky Finals team at your own transgression. This roster is young and hungry, and has the right mix of win-now veteran pieces led by Paul to stay atop the Western Conference&rsquo;s hierarchy moving forward.

The Suns' favorable start to the 2021-22 season gives them the opportunity to maintain elite status in the Western Conference.

Suns' early-season schedule should lead to a hot start in the West

The NBA&rsquo;s trade season usually ramps up on draft night and intensifies on the first day of free agency. So far this offseason, we&rsquo;ve seen Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan traded to the Chicago Bulls, Spencer Dinwiddie dealt to the Washington Wizards and Russell Westbrook moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Teams are always discussing possible trades and doing their due diligence &ndash; seeing who&rsquo;s available around the league and gauging interest in their own players. Every now and then, these talks lead to a major trade that shakes up the power structure of the NBA. Other times however, for various reasons, the talks fizzle out, leaving fans to dream about what could have been.
So with that being said, let&rsquo;s examine five of the biggest trades in NBA history that almost happened.
HONORABLE MENTION
Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire to the Golden State Warriors &ndash; This one is really more of a Steph Curry trade, but Curry hadn&rsquo;t yet played a game as of the rumors, so we&rsquo;ll file it away as a Stoudemire trade. The deal would have sent Stoudemire and the 14th pick in the 2009 draft to Golden State in exchange for the rights to Curry. Had this deal happened, Curry and then-Suns general manager Steve Kerr would have found themselves working together far sooner, but it would have undone the Warriors&rsquo; dynasty. This one would have rocked the league.
Scottie Pippen to the Toronto Raptors for Tracy McGrady &ndash; The Chicago Bulls have received a lot of bad press since &ldquo;The Last Dance&rdquo; aired in 2020, and it became public knowledge that they tried to trade Pippen, and rightfully so. The less explosive of the two deals was this one, a 1997 draft-day deal that would have sent Pippen to Toronto in exchange for McGrady. According to McGrady, Michael Jordan ultimately nixed the deal. In a vacuum, this one wouldn&rsquo;t have been that bad for Chicago, but in reality it could have led to Jordan retiring or leaving Chicago sooner and, thus, leaving a championship on the table.
Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors &ndash; This one is another Curry near-trade, and it was allegedly instigated by Golden State. In 2011, the Warriors tried to package Curry and Klay Thompson in exchange for Paul. The Warriors planned to also add Tyson Chandler to create a quasi-super-team. Imagine that? Some people close to the Warriors still deny this rumor, as they should. Either Curry trade happening probably wouldn't have resulted in Golden State winning a championship, but it also probably would've pushed Kevin Durant to either remain in Oklahoma City or sign elsewhere. Who knows how far the butterfly effect reaches?
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5. Charles Barkley to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Charles Barkley and Ron Anderson
Philadelphia 76ers to receive: James Worthy and Elden Campbell
This one is interesting because of the immediate impact it had on Barkley once it was clear it wasn&rsquo;t going through. According to Barkley in a conversation with Zach Lowe on <a href="http://www.espn.com/espnradio/podcast/archive/_/id/10528553" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lowe Post</a>, Barkley responded to a call from his agent alerting him of the deal by celebrating over drinks with friends. Later that day, Barkley received another call from his agent, letting him know that the deal wasn&rsquo;t going through. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m drunk as [expletive] and we got a game that night,&rdquo; Barkley said.
Ultimately, Barkley was dealt to the Phoenix Suns later that season. He led the Suns to the NBA Finals the following year. Comparatively, the Lakers&rsquo; roster was relatively barren by 1992, so it probably worked out better for Barkley that he wasn&rsquo;t dealt to Los Angeles. Still, it resulted in one of the weirder trade-related stories in NBA history. And just imagine Barkley in Los Angeles&hellip;
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4. Scottie Pippen to Seattle for Shawn Kemp
Seattle SuperSonics to receive: Scottie Pippen
Chicago Bulls to receive: Shawn Kemp and Ricky Pierce
The Pippen-for-McGrady rumor was in 1997. Pippen-for-Kemp was a rumored draft-day deal in 1994, shortly after Pippen refused to go back into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks &mdash; and long before Pippen, Jordan, and the Bulls reconnected for the second three-peat. It&rsquo;s a good thing that this never went through. According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/halloffame10/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&amp;page=100812-pippen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&rsquo;s J.A. Adande</a>, when asked if he would have returned to the Bulls with Kemp, Jordan said, &ldquo;Probably not. I could have played with Shawn, but I wouldn't have been as comfortable as I was with Scottie."
Had this deal been approved, does Jordan return to the NBA? If he doesn&rsquo;t, is he still widely regarded as the best ever (with just three championships)? Or does he stick with baseball? Thankfully, we&rsquo;ll never know.
3. Kevin Garnett to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Kevin Garnett
Minnesota Timberwolves to receive: Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum
This one&rsquo;s pretty straight forward. Garnett wanted out of Minnesota, and the Timberwolves subsequently began accepting bids for Garnett&rsquo;s services. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Lakers owner Jerry Buss that he&rsquo;d like to make the swap with the Lakers, but he needed Minnesota's general manager at the time, Kevin McHale, to sign off.
According to an <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2445357-kg-the-oral-history-part-2-glory-in-boston-quirky-traits-and-returning-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oral history of Garnett&rsquo;s career</a> from Bleacher Report&rsquo;s Howard Beck, Taylor &ldquo;&hellip;didn&rsquo;t know if I wanted [KG] in the West&rdquo; &ndash; so who knows how close this was to going down. On <a href="https://twitter.com/alexkennedynba/status/1305612441796120577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Posecast</a>, Ray Allen said that Garnett to Los Angeles was looking likely, and that KG was leaning toward joining the Lakers, but he ultimately changed his mind once Boston acquired Allen. Had this trade happened, the impact could have been tremendous, robbing Boston of the 2008 championship and probably gifting at least one more title to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
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2. Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Chris Paul
New Orleans Pelicans to receive: Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic
Houston Rockets to receive: Pau Gasol
While Paul was nearly dealt to the Warriors for Curry and Thompson, this deal is higher profile because of the drama surrounding it. This deal was done. Paul was set to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Instead, NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade on behalf of the Hornets because the deal didn&rsquo;t return adequate value to New Orleans, a franchise that was being run by the league due to former owner George Shinn&rsquo;s unprecedented move to sell the team to the NBA. If you weren&rsquo;t an NBA fan in 2011, you missed a hell of a situation.
Ultimately, this one may have robbed a championship from the Lakers, too. The deal would have enabled Los Angeles to keep Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum while adding Paul. The team lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round (4-1), but would the addition of Paul have given the Lakers enough firepower to overcome the Thunder (and LeBron James and the Miami Heat)? We&rsquo;ll never know.
1. Kobe Bryant to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls to receive: Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Luol Deng, Tyus Thomas, Ben Gordon Joakim Noah
In 2007, Kobe Bryant was nearly traded to the Chicago Bulls. Why? Bryant was incredibly frustrated with the inactivity of the Lakers&rsquo; management. It escalated to the point where, according to Bryant, he and his family were looking at houses and schools in the Windy City. When some fans asked Bryant if he was staying in Los Angeles, he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/sports/basketball/29kobe.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told them</a> to &ldquo;buy a Bulls uniform.&rdquo;
Back in 2018, BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s Alex Kennedy spoke with Bryant <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/06/12/free-agents-lebron-john-williams-oscar-shaq-chicago-bulls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on The HoopsHype Podcast</a> about how the trade would have impacted his career.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Ah, yeah, it would&rsquo;ve changed things a lot,&rdquo; Bryant said. &ldquo;I believe we still would&rsquo;ve won championships in Chicago. That&rsquo;s what I think, but I do feel like everything happens for a reason. Honestly, the biggest shock to me was that Shaq didn&rsquo;t know that [I wanted to be traded]. That was the biggest surprise to me, that he was unaware of that! I think had he known how serious I was about going someplace else, he never would&rsquo;ve demanded a trade [from the Lakers]. But when he got traded, that stopped me from going anywhere else, because there was no way that Jerry Buss was going to lose Shaq and me in the same summer. So if he had known how serious I was about leaving, I don&rsquo;t think he ever would&rsquo;ve demanded a trade.&rdquo;
Ultimately, the timing worked out in Bryant&rsquo;s favor. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, which led to Bryant working things out with management. And things worked out just fine for Bryant professionally, as he went on to win two more championships in Los Angeles and he remained with the Lakers for the rest of his career.
***
Trade rumors captivate sports fans more than anything. Most don&rsquo;t come to fruition, and that&rsquo;s fine. They captivate us, distract us and allow us to imagine ideal outcomes for our favorite teams, even if they were never really that close to happening.
Each of the deals mentioned above would have shaken up the league, leading to far different outcomes for a number of franchises.

Drew Maresca examines five blockbuster trades that almost happened, and how they would've altered NBA history.

5 blockbuster trades that almost changed NBA history

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jae Crowder received all sorts of quizzical text messages for his decision to sign with the Phoenix Suns in the offseason.
What was he thinking? The Suns hadn't been to the playoffs in a decade. The West was stacked.
&ldquo;I look like a genius, huh?&rdquo; cracked Crowder, who took his talents to the Suns after helping Miami reach the NBA Finals last season. &ldquo;I knew the type of group these guys were. I felt like they were hungry. They wanted to do some special things and I wanted to be a part of it.&rdquo;
Behind the brilliant backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker and steady contributions from the likes of Crowder, the Suns are roaring into the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010, the last year they reached the postseason.
The Suns completed a four-game sweep of the short-handed Denver Nuggets with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-denver-nuggets-phoenix-suns-nikola-jokic-nba-e666fed6b9cb3f5b93606aaf17a5eb71">125-118 win </a> Sunday night in a testy game in which MVP Nikola Jokic was ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Cameron Payne.
It was the seventh-straight win for Phoenix &mdash; the longest playoff winning streak in team history.
After bouncing LeBron James and the defending champion Lakers in six games during the first round, the Suns made even quicker work of Jokic and the Nuggets.
Now, they get to rest up before playing either top-seeded Utah or the Los Angeles Clippers. The Jazz lead that series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Monday night in Los Angeles. Phoenix was 1-2 against the Clippers in the regular season and 3-0 against the Jazz.
&ldquo;Everybody at this point is banged up and can use that kind of recovery,&rdquo; Phoenix coach Monty William said. "We earned it and we want to take advantage of it.
&ldquo;But right now, I'm not even thinking about that. I&rsquo;m just happy about what these guys have accomplished."
Crowder has become quite a postseason catalyst, with his teams going 22-9 over his last 31 playoff games. Before the 2020 season, his teams were 20-31 in playoff games.
&ldquo;Very impressive how locked in we are as a unit,&rdquo; Crowder said. &ldquo;We have great leadership. We have great coaching putting us in a position to succeed right now.
"I definitely feel like we&rsquo;re connected as a group and it shows.&rdquo;
Right after the final horn, Paul and Booker &mdash; who combined for 71 points &mdash; made their way through the post-series handshakes and hugs near the Nuggets logo.
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Waiting on the side was Williams. He shared a heartfelt embrace with each one.
Williams is tight with Paul, from their coach/guard time together in New Orleans. They have a strong bond away from the court, too, and Paul was there for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/030c056106bc43f291bf5cea03328b96">Williams when Williams lost his wife from injuries in a car accident in 2016</a>.
&ldquo;Monty has been through things in his life that a lot of people don&rsquo;t necessarily come back from,&rdquo; said Paul, who scored 13 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter. "Basketball aside, he means so much to me and my family. So to be on this journey with him and to see it paying off is nice. We&rsquo;re a lot alike. We stay locked in. I don&rsquo;t feel good until the buzzer sounds. Monty&rsquo;s the same way. When the series is over, and the game is over, it&rsquo;s nice to share those moments.&rdquo;
The last time the Suns were this far was 2010 behind a cast that included the likes of Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Grant Hill. They fell to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.
&ldquo;The emotions are happy, grateful, tired, relieved," Williams said of advancing to the conference finals. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s one of those moments for me that quite frankly I never thought I&rsquo;d have a chance to experience. For me, I have a level of gratitude I can&rsquo;t even explain.&rdquo;
To share it with Paul means that much more.
&ldquo;Chris has meant so much to my career, he's meant so much to my life,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;The darkest moment of my life Chris was right there and one of the highlights of my career, he's right there.
"That&rsquo;s where it is right now. I&rsquo;m not really good at waxing eloquent about how I feel other than just telling you I just feel grateful for this opportunity and to be on this team and in this moment and have a chance to move forward.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More AP NBA</a>

The Suns have advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010, the last year they reached the postseason.

Suns rising at the right time, roar into Western Conference Finals

The Phoenix Suns were one of the NBA's most consistent winners during the decades on either side of the turn of the century. They made 19 playoff appearances in 22 seasons with some of the most entertaining teams and major personalities in recent basketball history.
A parching decade of postseason drought in the Valley of the Sun drained much of the fun out of this franchise &mdash; until this season, when Chris Paul arrived to guide Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and a lively supporting cast to the playoffs.
And now that Phoenix has knocked off the injury-plagued defending champions in its first playoff series victory since 2010, there's no telling how far these Suns can go.
&ldquo;These guys over here are battle-tested,&rdquo; Booker said after scoring 47 points in the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ca-state-wire-phoenix-suns-los-angeles-lakers-kobe-bryant-nba-0702c8bda717f8f2408fcd658e6633ab">Suns' clinching victory over the Lakers </a> on Thursday night. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to celebrate our first series like we won a championship. We know we have a tough opponent in Denver coming up soon.&rdquo;
Indeed, the Suns will welcome Denver to Phoenix on Monday night to begin the second round, but they'll start a new series with the knowledge they sent LeBron James to a first-round playoff series loss for the first time in his 18 NBA seasons.
The second-seeded Suns won three straight over the Lakers, whose injury problems didn't completely account for the Suns' excellent play in the final 2 1/2 games. Anthony Davis barely contributed for LA during that stretch, but Booker and Paul put on a show that would have been trouble for any opponent.
The Lakers had the NBA's best defense in the regular season, but Booker dropped 30 points in Game 5 before erupting for 22 in the first quarter of Game 6. He barely slowed his pace thereafter, hitting eight 3-pointers in an all-around floor game that finished off LA.
These Suns aren't the run-and-gun showmen of the Steve Nash/Amar'e Stoudemire era, but they've got a solid supporting cast around Booker, Ayton and Paul. They were too much for the Lakers, who are fairly deep themselves.
Coach Monty Williams was already thinking extensively about the Nuggets in the moments after the clinching victory in the coach's first career playoff series triumph. But when prompted, Williams acknowledged a level of accomplishment, even if it's fleeting for the coaches.
"You do feel a level of excitement, because winning in the NBA is really hard as it relates to one game, but to win a series, you have to enjoy that," Williams said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve moved the program to a place where we want to be, but at the same time, my mind is already moved towards the next thing we have to do, and that&rsquo;s preparing for Denver, right? That&rsquo;s just my mindset.&rdquo;
The Suns also know this journey is going well partly because they're healthy. Phoenix didn't make the 2020 postseason despite going 8-0 in the bubble, leaving the returning players with a decent offseason of rest while the club added Paul, the veteran playmaker whose all-around skills have transformed several franchises.
While the four conference finalists from the bubble have all battled major injury problems undoubtedly rooted in the short offseason, all of the Suns' most important contributors are healthy with the exception of Paul, who has a bruised right shoulder that appears to bother him more in some games than others. While the injury has largely eroded his 3-point shooting ability, Paul can still hit mid-range jumpers while orchestrating the Suns' offense.
The Nuggets were one of those four finalists, and they're without second-leading scorer Jamal Murray. When Ayton lines up against Nikola Jokic next week, he'll know he has a rising team behind him with a strong chance to advance to the Suns' first conference finals since 2010.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m grateful for what our players do every single day,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m grateful for these opportunities. I hope our fans appreciate what&rsquo;s happening, because it is a blessing to be on this journey with this team.&rdquo;
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The Suns will start a new series with the knowledge they sent LeBron James to a first-round loss for the first time in his 18 NBA seasons.

Rising Suns have high hopes after dethroning champion Lakers

Chris Paul had 18 points and nine assists, Devin Booker and Jae Crowder added 17 points apiece and the Phoenix Suns evened their first-round series with a 100-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 on Sunday.
Deandre Ayton had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the second-seeded Suns, who took advantage of Anthony Davis' absence from the second half with a groin injury to reclaim home-court advantage in the series after two straight losses.
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CP3 and Ayton SHINE as the <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a> even the series ☀️ Paul: 18 PTS, 9 AST, 3 STL, 44.1 FPTS Ayton: 14 PTS, 17 REB, 2 STL, 43.4 FPTS <a href="https://t.co/YS7yRPTa7D">pic.twitter.com/YS7yRPTa7D</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1399124703369961472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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LeBron James had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who fell too far behind in the third quarter while Davis was being evaluated in the locker room. Before a last-minute surge, Los Angeles struggled in the absence of starters Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who injured his knee in Game 3.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.
Davis scored six points on 2-for-9 shooting in the first half, then didn&rsquo;t return after halftime. The superstar big man scored 34 points in each of the Lakers&rsquo; two victories in the series, but he hyperextended his leg in Game 3 and appeared to aggravate his accumulated injury woes in the second quarter of Game 4, falling awkwardly and grabbing his leg after a layup attempt defended by Crowder.
Aside from the latest setback for Davis, who missed 30 games in the regular season, the Suns sharply improved their effort against the defending NBA champions and showed solid poise. Phoenix collectively has little experience in the postseason, but Paul excelled again on the big stage in his first playoff run with his new team.
Paul, largely a non-factor in Game 3, ignored his injured shoulder and contributed 12 points and all his assists in the second half. Phoenix dominated the third quarter and hung on for the franchise's first road playoff victory in over 11 years.
The Suns made a 32-15 run starting shortly before halftime and encompassing the whole third, during which they held the Lakers to 15 points on 3-for-16 shooting.
The Suns led by 18 with less than nine minutes to play, but James led a 19-8 run and trimmed the lead to 95-88 with 2:40 left. Phoenix hung on when Paul hung in the air to steal a pass with 1:59 to play before Crowder hit an uncontested 3-pointer in front of the Suns' bench with 1:23 left to seal it.
Booker, responding to the first postseason pressure of his six-year NBA career, also played with improved focus after getting kicked out of Game 3 in the final minute of a sub-par performance for the high-scoring guard.
Phoenix led 54-50 at halftime with 15 points from Booker. The Suns seized control shortly before the break, starting a 24-6 run that spanned halftime.
TIP-INS
Suns: After skipping practice Saturday to rest, Paul went through a pregame workout and was pronounced healthy to play. ... Mikal Bridges and Crowder hit three 3-pointers apiece to lead the team.
Lakers: Davis played despite hyperextending his left knee in Game 3. ... Caldwell-Pope's unavailability was a game-time decision after a pregame workout. ... Los Angeles hasn't won back-to-back home playoff games since 2012.
REPLACING KCP
Wesley Matthews took Caldwell-Pope&rsquo;s starting spot. Both teams missed plenty of open perimeter shots early, but Caldwell-Pope&rsquo;s absence boosted the Lakers&rsquo; 3-point game early: After hitting just nine combined 3-pointers in the first halves of the first three games, Los Angeles hit nine in the first half of Game 4 alone with two apiece from Matthews and Ben McLemore, who got playing time mostly because of Caldwell-Pope&rsquo;s absence.
The Lakers hit just four more 3-pointers in the second half, however. Matthews and McLemore didn't score again after their early burst.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Suns' last road playoff victory was in San Antonio on May 9, 2010, when Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire completed a four-game sweep of the Spurs in the second round before falling to the soon-to-be repeat champion Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
___
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Chris Paul had 18 points and nine assists, Devin Booker and Jae Crowder added 17 points apiece and the Suns evened their first-round series with a victory over the Lakers.

CP3, Suns beat Lakers 100-92, even series after Anthony Davis hurt

Chris Paul scored 28 points, Devin Booker added 21 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109-101 on Wednesday night to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.
The Suns finally figured out a way to beat the Clippers, who won the first two games of the season series. Phoenix didn't trail the entire game but needed a fourth-quarter push to turn back a Los Angeles rally.
The Suns took an 86-80 lead into the final quarter. The Clippers pulled within 93-92 midway though the fourth but Paul scored three consecutive tough baskets to give Phoenix some space.
The 35-year-old Paul continued to play excellent basketball in his 16th NBA season, shooting 10 of 15 from the field, dishing 10 assists and generally looking like a player a decade younger. He was serenaded with "MVP! MVP!" chants from the crowd by the end of the fourth.
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A near flawless outing from CP3 helps the <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a> clinch a Playoff spot in the win! 😤 28 PTS (15 in 4th) 10-15 FGM 4 3PM 10 AST 3 STL 52.6 FPTS <a href="https://t.co/yvpCntGr3J">pic.twitter.com/yvpCntGr3J</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1387624183962775554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Suns improved to 44-18 while the Clippers fell to 43-21. The teams are currently ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively, in the Western Conference standings.
Paul George led the Clippers with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Marcus Morris Sr. added 16 points.
The Suns jumped out to a 39-31 lead after one quarter, making 7 of 9 shots from 3-point range. Phoenix pushed the lead to 14 points by midway through the second before settling for a 63-53 halftime advantage.
Frank Kaminsky led the Suns with 13 points before the break while Booker had 12. George scored 16 for the Clippers. The Phoenix bench outscored LA's reserves 28-8 in the first half.
CLOSE TO NORMAL
The Suns are able to have about 5,500 fans these days at Phoenix Suns Arena, slowly increasing capacity as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes.
It was a festive atmosphere for Wednesday's game that felt almost pre-pandemic, with shirtless fans with S-U-N-S dancing in the stands and huge cheers when Paul hit his crucial buckets in the fourth.
The Suns haven't been in the playoffs since 2010, when Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire made the team a huge draw in the desert.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Guard Patrick Beverley (hand fracture) and forwards Kawhi Leonard (sore right foot) and Serge Ibaka (lower back) didn't play.
Suns: Forwards Jae Crowder (right ankle sprain), Dario Saric (left ankle) and Abdel Nader (right knee) didn&rsquo;t play.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the Nuggets on Saturday.
Suns: Host the Jazz on Friday.
___
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Chris Paul scored 28 points, Devin Booker added 21 and the Suns beat the Clippers to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

Suns beat Clippers, clinch first playoff spot in 11 years

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Booker has earned his second straight NBA All-Star selection. He is averaging a team-high 24.7 points (16th in the NBA), 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting a career-high 50.1 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three-point range and 84.8 percent from the free throw line in 26 games this season.
Behind Booker and fellow NBA All-Star Chris Paul, Phoenix has posted the league&rsquo;s fourth-best record (20-10) and produced its best start through 30 games of a season since 2007-08. With the selection of Booker and Paul, the Suns have multiple NBA All-Stars in a season for the first time since 2009-10 (Steve Nash and Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Davis will miss the NBA All-Star Game after sustaining a right calf strain against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 14. He was voted by NBA head coaches as an All-Star reserve, his eighth consecutive All-Star selection. Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.78 blocks in 23 games this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
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According to NBA rules, when a player selected to the All-Star Game is unable to participate, the Commissioner shall choose a replacement from the same conference as the player who is being replaced.&nbsp; Davis and Booker both play for Western Conference teams.
The NBA All-Star Game rosters will be determined through the NBA All-Star Draft, where team captains Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and LeBron James of the Lakers will select from the pool of players named starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET.
In the two-round NBA All-Star Draft, Booker will be selected with the All-Star Game reserves in the second round. The starters will be selected in the first round. Davis will be assigned to the same All-Star team that drafts Booker.
The 70th NBA All-Star Game is part of NBA All-Star 2021, which will take place on one night, March 7. TNT&rsquo;s NBA All-Star coverage will begin at 5 p.m. ET with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax, followed by the Taco Bell&reg; Skills Challenge and MTN DEW&reg; 3-Point Contest starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. NBA All-Star Game coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET, with AT&amp;T Slam Dunk taking place at halftime.

Suns guard Devin Booker has been named by Adam Silver to replace injured Anthony Davis in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.

Devin Booker named NBA All-Star replacement in West for Anthony Davis

Kyrie Irving -- perhaps now the most talked-about voice in NBA media -- broke his public silence on Monday.
The Brooklyn Nets star spoke publicly to reporters for the first time this season after an extended media holdout. In the press conference, Irving addressed his healthy return to the court, his preseason debut with Kevin Durant and tempering the expectations placed on this year's team.&nbsp;
"You can't make up experience, you can't make up time and you can't make up [what it'll take] to get us as a whole championship-collective train right away," Irving said. "We've got to continue to make progress every single day, and craft.
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<div class="p-rich_text_section">"We know the monsters that are getting together [around the league], which I'm excited for. The league's just gonna be that much more exciting. As a competitor, you wanna build your team the best, without anything mattering when it comes to putting that ball through the hoop [in] Game 1-7 of the NBA Finals. This is the beginning of the journey. Use every day to get better." Irving appeared in his first preseason action Sunday night after a shoulder injury prematurely ended his 2019-20 season in February. In just 17 minutes, the dynamic point guard scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting in Brooklyn's 119-114 win over the Washington Wizards. After this performance, Irving spoke about his prolonged recovery period.</div>
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"It's not the first time I've had a lengthy injury or been out a long period of time," he said. "I've had to build myself up quite a few times in my career."
The Nets are a revamped squad, and new head coach and former MVP Steve Nash made his coaching debut last night. Irving had nothing but praise for Nash and the job he's done.
"Steve's been amazing," Irving said. "It really is a reflection of the type of person he is and the I.Q. he has for the game. He commands the respect, and it's not just coming in and being a typical rah-rah coach and getting on us. It's just giving us a comfortable space to grow, to communicate, to throw ideas out there. And you got a two-time MVP coaching you."
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And it wasn't just Nash -- Irving dished out credit to the entire Nets' coaching staff, which includes Mike D'Antoni and former All-NBA big man Amar'e Stoudemire.
"They have been able to guide us to come together as men in the locker room, and then be able to communicate with them. And then we mesh well in the locker room," Irving said. "And with Mike D'Antoni in the locker room talking about offense -- I mean, come on now, he's led the league in three-point attempts the last few years with his teams and his offensive style."
The Nets have been involved in plenty of rumors -- particularly surrounding the trade availability of superstar James Harden. Brooklyn is reportedly atop Harden's wish list of preferred destinations. Irving said he and the Nets have tried to limit the outside noise.
"There's no control that we have as players to manage what's being said in terms of rumor mills and what's being reported, so let's just leave it at that," Irving said. "James is a great player, we wish him well, and I just want him to be happy and secure in who he is as a man first. And then as a basketball player, whatever happens between those conversations is between them first."
"But with us," Irving added, "we have to focus on us. I play with so many great players in this league, and we all wanna play with one another. But now we just gotta focus on what's out here on the floor."
Irving and Durant represent one of the best duos in the NBA. After a year-long wait, they plan to show up and show out this season. Irving even tossed out a nickname for the pairing.
"It's a new show," Irving said. "It's a new beginning in terms of building and moving forward with the pieces that we have here, and that includes 7-11. So get to know us."

Kyrie Irving spoke to reporters for the first time after a controversial media absence and he covered a wide range of topics.

Kyrie Irving discusses Coach Nash, Harden rumors, more

When a team hits the reset button, there is no singular goal.&nbsp;
The obvious focal point is development, as their young talent gains invaluable experience on the floor against legitimate professional competition and an unfamiliar roster jells with one another. Wins are few and far between usually because of it, which means it&rsquo;ll more-than-likely take a bit of time to build winning habits back up and get back into (or stay in) the postseason hunt.&nbsp;
Unlike many teams after moving on from (multiple) star players, the Los Angeles Clippers didn&rsquo;t really have to go through a rebuild; the franchise simply retooled. First, in the summer of 2017, they shockingly traded Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets for seven players, including Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley. Then, they brought in Danilo Gallinari from the Denver Nuggets. Finally, before the following season&rsquo;s trade deadline, LA dealt Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and Avery Bradley.
Just like that, Lob City was out and a new breed was in. Under the same coaching staff led by Doc Rivers, 2017-18 and 2018-19 saw perhaps the most enjoyable year-and-a-half of Clipper basketball than we&rsquo;d seen in quite some time. Guys were just on the same page. Williams enjoyed All-Star-caliber efforts as the league&rsquo;s best sixth man. Harris and Gallinari put together the best scoring campaigns of their respective careers. Harrell broke out as a ferocious competitor who only needed an opportunity, and Beverley set the tone as far as the culture. Not to mention, they had a then-blossoming rookie in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who was impressing in all facets with his mature skill set. It was all clicking.
But with a star-studded free-agent class then on their minds, the Clippers began to change things around in the middle of that 2018-19 season. Tobias Harris was in a contract year and expected to be paid for the best year of his career (did he EVER), so the team traded him, Marjanovic and Mike Scott to the Philadelphia 76ers for Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala.&nbsp;
That would be the first of many dominoes to fall in LA. With plenty of roster room and cap space, Jerry West and Lawrence Frank went to work by signing reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and acquiring an All-Star in Paul George to pair with him. They had to part ways with Gilgeous-Alexander, Gallinari and an unheard-of amount of first-rounders to acquire George (and land the package deal), completely mortgaging any kind of future they had; but to their credit, the job got done to give Steve Ballmer&rsquo;s ball club a win-now, championship roster&hellip; on paper.
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Pick things up on Dec. 3, 2020 -- that joyous, tight-knit Clipper group seems like a distant memory. The team parted ways with Rivers and will continue his career in Philadelphia, while his lead assistant and 2016 NBA champion head coach Tyronn Lue will take over the reins of a reportedly divided bunch. Harrell hopped to the other locker room and will play at Staples Center in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. JaMychal Green jumped at the opportunity to sign with the Denver Nuggets, who stormed back from a 3-1 playoff deficit to defeat the Clippers just a few months ago, citing that their heart made it an easy decision to choose them over his former team. The Athletic&rsquo;s Jovan Buha wrote<a href="https://theathletic.com/2222210/2020/12/02/kawhi-clippers-chemistry-nba-title/?source=user-shared-article&amp;redirected=1"> an article</a> about how the Clippers&rsquo; culture eroded due to preferential treatment that Leonard and George received (such as letting them determine the practice schedule and when to sit out games, giving them personal security and trainers, etc.).
It all seems like a mess in Clipperland right now, and by no means is the story over with; Year 1 rarely goes swimmingly when a team of stars links up for the first time, and I firmly believe they&rsquo;re going to be better this upcoming year. However, when considering what happened to the Clippers, is it possible we could see a similar situation arise with the Brooklyn Nets?
Hear me out.&nbsp;
We all know how awful it got for the Nets after the early 2010s. Aside from late-round firsts and seconds they would acquire later, there was no path to a rebuild once the post-Boston Celtics holdover era was over because every draft pick was essentially out of the picture. It was damn near impossible for the Nets to not only bring in NBA talent, but also develop their own since there wasn&rsquo;t a whole lot of promise outside of Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams (Lopez lasted the longest and was gone after the 2016-17 campaign). For a significant period of time, Brooklyn&rsquo;s roster was filled with journeymen, cast-offs and undrafted young guys. They simply had no chance.
Until head coach Kenny Atkinson came along.&nbsp;
Then-newly-acting general manager Sean Marks found a way to bring in some fresh faces without draft capital to help Atkinson as much as he could in the 2016 offseason.
In exchange for Thaddeus Young, Brooklyn got a rookie Caris LeVert back from the Indiana Pacers. The franchise took a shot by signing Joe Harris (who had played just 56 total games) to a multi-year contract. Trevor Booker was a well-respected veteran who brought toughness to the locker room. In December of that season, the Nets brought in a recently-waived Spencer Dinwiddie, who hadn&rsquo;t been able to stick with the Detroit Pistons or Chicago Bulls.&nbsp;
That set the foundation for the next offseason, when they traded for D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov on draft night, ending Lopez&rsquo;s career in Brooklyn and sending Kyle Kuzma with him to the Los Angeles Lakers; the team also selected Jarrett Allen at No. 22 in 2017 with a pick that used to belong to the Washington Wizards. DeMarre Carroll was acquired from the Toronto Raptors to provide leadership and a steady presence on both ends of the floor; Allen Crabbe came aboard via a separate trade with the Portland Trail Blazers soon after.&nbsp;
Regardless of the talent on the roster, Atkinson always got the most out of his squad. While you can look at the Nets&rsquo; record over his first two seasons with a perplexed expression as much as you want to (48-116), those players bought into what he was selling. They were playing hard, they were playing tough and they were playing together.
Like the Clippers, maybe the most fun seasons we saw in Brooklyn happened almost organically in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Russell ascended to All-Star heights and consistently ignited Barclays Center, firing off clutch shot after clutch shot and taking a major step with his vision. Harris took a massive leap, becoming the NBA&rsquo;s top three-point shooter in the second year of his contract. Dinwiddie exploded onto the scene with his aggressiveness as the Nets&rsquo; second-highest scorer. LeVert showed us flashes of brilliance before (and after) his foot was dislocated. Allen wowed the world with his hops and refusal to let the opposition score in the paint. Treveon Graham earned playing time with his hustle and commitment on the defensive end of the floor. Unsung heroes like Carroll, Crabbe, Shabazz Napier, Ed Davis and Jared Dudley (acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 2018) really set a great example for the team to follow. Brooklyn made it to the postseason that second year, which was the culmination of a long road back.
When I thought of the Nets, I didn&rsquo;t think of a team that tanked its way back to relevancy; I thought of a team that kept digging itself out of a never-ending hole and refused to falter -- regardless of the position it was originally left in. But things changed in the blink of an eye when the 2019 offseason came about.
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With the team environment and outlook revamped -- and plenty of cap space to boot -- Brooklyn struck gold, landing Kyrie Irving as a free agent and Kevin Durant in a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors (Russell, Napier and Graham went back in the deal). They added DeAndre Jordan as well. They also acquired Taurean Prince from the Atlanta Hawks for Crabbe and then-rookie Nickeil Alexander-Walker (who was flipped to the New Orleans Pelicans). In came more veterans at small prices afterward: Wilson Chandler, Garrett Temple, Lance Thomas and Iman Shumpert a few weeks into the season.
The team at its core was completely altered, unarguably for the better from a talent standpoint -- however, a far cry from what Atkinson was used to and a whole lot more pressure, despite Durant&rsquo;s Achilles injury keeping him out for all of last season. He still had Irving (albeit a banged up one) who only played 20 games in his debut campaign with the Nets. But true to his nature, Atkinson trudged along with the newer pieces, trying to make it work; it just didn&rsquo;t. On March 7, Marks announced that Atkinson had mutually agreed to part ways with the team.&nbsp;
Now, on Dec. 3, the Nets have brand-new leadership in the building. Steve Nash, a respected Hall-of-Fame player and basketball mind, is going to take hold of a roster full of high expectations. He&rsquo;ll have his former Suns coach Mike D&rsquo;Antoni and teammate Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire with him to help the transition, as well as long-time NBA assistants Ime Udoka and Jacque Vaughn (who coached the team at the end of last season).
With a recovered Durant and a fresh Irving, there shouldn&rsquo;t be any major issues with the roster; it&rsquo;s literally built to win. For all intents and purposes, this Brooklyn team has a good mix of veteran specialists and up-and-coming players and big-named staff&hellip; on paper. We get so excited about these colossal transactions because it&rsquo;s like a video game, where you can pair up your favorite superstars with each other and stack a bunch of 90-overall guys. It works in a simulation scenario every time, but in reality you have to factor in chemistry and personal relationships, and that takes a while to establish. This isn&rsquo;t to say it can&rsquo;t work (look what the new-look L.A. Lakers and Miami Heat were able to do in Year 1 last season); this very well could be the next great team in the league in due time. But the Nets should take heed because those Clippers were in almost this same exact spot last year.
Which brings me to my point: I know you&rsquo;re supposed to cash-in on assets and young guys can only get you so far in this league. You&rsquo;re in this business to win championships and put fans in the stands. It&rsquo;s run by stars who make the show worthwhile on the court. With that, though, comes sacrifice, right or wrong; it can range anywhere from accepting lesser roles to destroying what you built to get there to handling stars who want preferential treatment.
Should Jarrett Allen be coming off the bench for DeAndre Jordan? All due respect to DJ, who&rsquo;s paid his dues, but no -- not at the expense of an athletic, developing big man who could start for literally any team in this league. But Allen knows what&rsquo;s coming because of where the team is at now.
You&rsquo;re probably thinking, &ldquo;Who cares how Allen feels? He&rsquo;s not a star,&rdquo; and you&rsquo;re correct with the second statement.&nbsp;
My gripe is with the first question, one that most franchises forget to ask when they enter the spotlight with their big acquisitions -- leaving behind the players who got them there.

The Clippers' culture attracted Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to LA but their arrival ultimately changed things. The Nets should take heed.

Amare