The Dallas Mavericks are in the driver's seat to land Cooper Flagg

 On Monday, the NBA had their Draft Lottery, which figures out the order that teams will draft. Picks 1-4 are determined by the lottery and then picks 5-14 are determined by record once the top four teams have been figured out. As you can see from the graphic above, the Dallas Mavericks won the top pick despite having 1.8% odds of doing so. The Spurs, 76ers, Hornets, Jazz, Wizards, Pelicans, Nets, Raptors, Rockets, Trail Blazers, Bulls, Hawks, and Spurs follow in that order. 

Of course, the Utah Jazz are the big losers in this given they came in with the league's worst record and had 14% odds of winning the top pick. Their strategy of tanking to get the top pick hasn't been going so good, but hey, getting the 5th overall pick still isn't a bad place to be picking all things considered. 

Going back to the Mavericks, by securing the top pick, this means they are now in the driver's seat to select Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, who is has been the consensus top pick in the draft for quite a while. Flagg had a fabulous freshman season in Durham, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game on 48.1% shooting from the field, 38.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 84.0% shooting from the foul line. Duke reached the Final Four, losing to Houston 70-67 in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. Flagg was obviously a major reason why they went so deep. 

Assuming they do indeed select Flagg, the Mavericks will be getting a new super star talent to replace Luka Doncic, who they traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis earlier this season. Given his skills and gifts at 6'9", 205 pounds, Flagg certainly has the potential to make Mavericks fans forget about Doncic rather quickly. 

Still, there will be a lot of pressure on Flagg to deliver the goods and be the new face of the franchise. While that pressure would be there no matter where he goes, he'll be under an even bigger magnifying glass in Dallas given the recent Doncic trade. He'll immediately get compared to Doncic and given how good Doncic is, those aren't easy shoes to fill. 

It certainly will be interesting to see how Flagg does in Dallas (assuming he goes there) and where the Mavericks are five years out. One thing is certainly true: By winning the lottery, the Mavericks have an opportunity to look really smart for trading Doncic even though everybody has to know they had no crystal ball. 

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The Dallas Mavericks gave up on Luka Doncic

 

                                             (Credit: LM Otero/AP Photo) 

The biggest move at this year's NBA trade deadline was undoubtedly the three-way deal between the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Mavericks. Given that Doncic is one of the brightest young stars in the NBA, it was a shocker to the basketball world to see the Mavericks willingly trade him to a Western Conference foe. Davis will be turning 32 years old later this season and being as injury prone as he is, it's far from a guarantee that he'll produce to the level that the Mavericks want him to. Actually, on that note, Davis reportedly might need to undergo surgery to address an injury, so there ya go. 

Doncic in contrast is turning 26 years old later this season and is only in his seventh NBA season. He's arguably not even in the prime of his career yet. At least he shouldn't be. Most guys peak at the ages of 28-30. To trade one of the brightest young stars in the league before he's hit his prime can only signal one thing: The Mavericks gave up on Doncic. 

Now the obvious question is why? Why did they give up on him? They were faced with either having to give him a max deal this summer or trade him at the deadline and they chose to move him. Why? 

The word on the street is the Mavericks were worried about Doncic's conditioning and durability. When looking at his career stats, you'll see that in four of his seven seasons, he's played 61-66 regular season games. He's barely cracked 70 games once as a rookie with 71 games played and in a league that plays 82 games per regular season, you need guys who can play at least 75 games per season with a good deal of regularity. Doncic hasn't hit that mark once. And if he's not able to hit that mark, it's hard to have faith in him being able to play deep into May and June during the playoffs. Though I should note, Doncic did play in all 22 playoff games for the Mavericks last season in which they lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals in five games. 

Still, the questions about durability and conditioning appear valid when you look at Doncic's body of work. He's getting a lot of money to play in the NBA and when he's missing 20% of the regular season, that makes him cost a good deal amount more per game played. Of course, the irony of this trade is what I mentioned earlier which is that Anthony Davis is injured all the time. He's at least played in 75+ regular season games three times in his NBA career, but he too is frequently playing around 65 games per season if not fewer. 

Obviously, as I said, the Mavericks really didn't want to pay Doncic a max deal and just didn't have the faith that they could build a consistent title contender around him. That's pretty amazing considering that they were in the NBA Finals last season. For Doncic, this could prove to be a wake up call for him to get in better shape and take his conditioning more seriously. Or it could just plant even more seeds of doubt in his mind. It'll be interesting to see how he responds.

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Saturday Slam: The Los Angeles Lakers probably wish they could tank this season

 

                                             (Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn/USA TODAY Sports) 

The Los Angeles Lakers are 0-5 with road losses to the Warriors, Nuggets, and Timberwolves and home losses to the Clippers and Trail Blazers. LeBron James is averaging 25.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while Anthony Davis is doing his part with 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. However, the rest of the team is pretty weak. Lonnie Walker IV is averaging 13.4 points per game on 41.5% shooting from the field, which isn't bad, but Russell Westbrook is really stinking it up, averaging 12.3 points per game on an absolutely horrible 30.9% shooting from the field. It's just bad. Like really bad. 

And then after Westbrook, there just isn't much. Westbrook was supposed to be the third part of a "Big Three" and he's far from fulfilling that role. He's weighing them down like a really big paper weight. 

The easy answer to this problem of course is to trade Westbrook. But he's turning 34 in a few days and he has a contract paying him $47M this season. Nobody, even in today's NBA, will want to take on that contract. He'll also be an unrestricted free agent next season, so teams will be able to pick him up for a lot less money assuming he continues to build a house of bricks in Los Angeles. 

The Lakers are in a bind. Trading Westbrook is a long long put and yet so long as they have him, they're going to continue to struggle. If they had a lottery first round pick available for next season, they could at least entertain the possibility of tanking for this season. Letting Westbrook brick their way into the NBA draft lottery where they could get a high pick and use that piece to build around for the future. 

But given all these win-now moves that they've made, the Lakers don't have that option. If they were to win the NBA draft lottery after the season, the pick would go to the New Orleans Pelicans, who as part of the Anthony Davis trade, have the rights to swap first round picks with the Lakers in 2023. So that option, as attractive as it looks right now, is off the table for them. 

If the Lakers do want to turn this around, they need to do so like now. They have a home stand starting Sunday that begins with the Nuggets followed by the Pelicans, Jazz, and Cavaliers before making a return trip to Utah to face the Jazz. This upcoming home stand is crucial. They need to at least post a .500 record on this home stand (2-2) to stay afloat. If they go 1-3 or heaven forbid 0-4, they could be looking at a really really bad season without having any of the benefits of tanking. It can't get any more brutal than that. 

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Tomahawk Tuesday: How concerned should the Los Angeles Lakers be right now?

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 5th in the Western Conference standings, 8 games back of the top seeded Utah Jazz, 7 games back of the Phoenix Suns, 6 games back of their inner city rivals Los Angeles Clippers, and 4 games back of the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers have slipped back in the standings due to LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (calf) missing extended periods of time. James has played in 41 games this season while Davis has played in 26. Fortunately for the Lakers, Davis is now back, having played three games since his return. But James' return date is still up in the air. 

To the question at hand, the Lakers should be moderately concerned right now, but there's no reason to panic. They're the defending champs and at full strength, they should be favored to come out of the Western Conference. All four of the teams ahead of them are teams that have never won an NBA championship, which means all four of those teams still have a lot to prove. 

On top of that, some of those teams ahead of them are dealing with injury issues of their own. The Jazz have had to play without Donovan Mitchell for the past 10+ days or so due to his ankle injury and the Nuggets have lost Jamal Murray for the season due to a torn ACL. The Suns' Chris Paul has had injury issues in the past and the Clippers' Paul George likewise has found ways to get hurt in the playoffs. So, everyone is dealing with injuries right now or at least has the threat of injuries hurting their seasons. 

That all said, the Lakers still find themselves in a tricky spot. If they stay at the 5 spot, they'll likely have to win the championship without home court advantage in every series they play in. Home court advantage is crucial in the NBA and to not have it puts your team at a real disadvantage. Plus, they have no shot at winning the title without James and Davis healthy. If those guys go down again come playoff time, it's game over. 

I'm confident that James will be fine in the playoffs. He's rarely shut down like this and I suspect part of this is just being overly cautious for the playoffs. But Davis has had real injury issues for his entire career, which is why I was skeptical of their title chances a year ago. So, he's definitely one to watch throughout the duration of the season. 

The bottom line is the Lakers still are the slight favorites to come out of the Western Conference in my book, but they have their work cut out for them and none of the teams ahead of them are going to back down without putting up a real fight. The Jazz, Suns, and Clippers in particular see an opening here and have to be motivated to see a wounded Lakers team currently chasing them. It'll be interesting to see how they finish the season and whether or not the Lakers will be able to gain some ground before the playoffs start. 

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Saturday Slam: Where things sit at the 2021 NBA All-Star Break

 

2021 NBA All-Star Weekend is here, which means we are at the unofficial halfway mark of the 2020-21 NBA season. I have never done this particular blog post before, but here's to new beginnings! In case you have been out of the loop up until this point, below is a quick breakdown of where things sit in the NBA at the All-Star break. 

Out East, the Philadelphia 76ers are the top ranked team with an impressive 24-12 record. Joel Embiid is getting MVP consideration for the way he's guiding the Sixers and deservedly so. The Brooklyn Nets led by Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are in the #2 spot at 24-13, just a half game back. The #3 Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo are at 22-14, just 1.5 games back of the Nets and 2.0 games back of the Sixers. Those three teams are leading the charge out East and honestly, it is anyone's guess of as to which of those three teams will get the top seed in the conference. 

Seeds #4-10 are really close: Boston Celtics (19-17), New York Knicks (19-18), Miami Heat (18-18), Charlotte Hornets (17-18), Toronto Raptors (17-19), Chicago Bulls (16-18), and Indiana Pacers (16-19). This grouping is key because the top six seeds overall in each conference will clinch an automatic berth to the playoffs while seeds 7-10 will play in a wildcard tournament of sorts to determine the final two seeds. 

The rest of the East #11-15 goes as follows: Atlanta Hawks (16-20), Washington Wizards (14-20), Cleveland Cavaliers (14-22), Orlando Magic (13-23), and Detroit Pistons (10-26). Honestly, all of those teams still have a pulse to perhaps get the #10 spot. So, it's going to be interesting to see who out East gets that #10 spot and gives themselves a shot at making the playoffs. 

Out West, it's also looking pretty interesting. The Utah Jazz occupy the top seed and best record in the NBA at 27-9. Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Mike Conley are the three All-Stars from that team. Conley being an injury replacement for Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker. There was a bit of a controversy this week with Mitchell and Gobert being the last two picks of the All-Star draft despite being on the best team in the league. Personally, I think this will just give those guys more of a reason to be motivated in the second half of the season. 

The #2 seed belongs to the Phoenix Suns at 24-11. I wrote about the Suns earlier this year on here and felt they could be serious contenders, so I'm not at all surprised about them being this high. In addition to Devin Booker, Chris Paul has been a major part of their success. 

The #3 team is the Los Angeles Lakers at 24-13. Many have them as the favorites to come out of the West because of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If those two guys stay healthy, it's tough to pick against them. 

Seeds #4-6 aren't far behind: Los Angeles Clippers (24-14), Portland Trail Blazers (21-14), and Denver Nuggets (21-15). Honestly, I feel a little bad putting them in a different group. They're right there and certainly could come out of the West. Once again, as a I said above, seeds 7-10 are battling for those two wild card spots if you will. So being #6 is key as it guarantees a playoff spot. 

Seeds #7-10 seem to be in a pretty comfortable spot in terms of at least securing a spot in that wild card tournament: San Antonio Spurs (18-14), Dallas Mavericks (18-16), Golden State Warriors (19-18), and Memphis Grizzlies (16-16). It's even possible one of them or two of them jumps up to the #5/6 spot and avoids the play-in tournament. 

Seeds #11-15 are a bit removed from the rest: New Orleans Pelicans (15-21), Oklahoma City Thunder (15-21), Sacramento Kings (14-22), Houston Rockets (11-23), and Minnesota Timberwolves (7-29). 

In terms of what to watch for and how to make sense of all of this, I think with the East, it's going to be really interesting to see who gets that top seed in the conference. The 76ers, Nets, and Bucks could all get it and whichever team secures that spot will have the inside track to reaching the NBA Finals. 

Many people are picking the Nets to go the distance, but I have some reservations based on the fact that it's tough to elevate yourself into contender status in one season. Let alone win the whole thing. A team that has been gelling more over the last couple of seasons like the Bucks or 76ers is probably a more safe bet at this point, but hey, maybe the Nets will surprise me and get it done. 

Out West, it's all about the Jazz right now and whether or not they can hang onto that top seed and go the distance. A lot of people see them as a great regular season team but are skeptical of their chances to win it all. For the Jazz, it's paramount that they finish with the best record in the league if they want to win the championship. Just because of how tough of a place Salt Lake City is to play in. 

If the Jazz can lock up that home court advantage, they're going to be a really tough out. On top of that, they wouldn't have to see the Lakers until the conference finals in all likelihood. So that's another benefit. Perhaps the Suns knock out the Lakers and they don't see them at all? A lot of what happens out West hinges on whether or not the Jazz can hang onto that top spot. If they do, look out. If not, they're still dangerous, but I wouldn't call them the favorites. 

The wildcard in all this is the Clippers. We know the Lakers are going to be right there and I think the Suns are showing what they can do and are playing up to their max potential. But the Clippers are kinda flying under the radar and not playing as well as they could. If they get their act together, maybe they're a team that can go the distance. 

One other thing to keep an eye on is where Blake Griffin ends up now that the Pistons have released him and bought out his contract. If he indeed ends up with the Nets, that could shake things up even further. You know I'll do a blog post about that if that indeed comes to fruition. 

On that note, enjoy NBA All-Star Weekend and enjoy the second half of the season. It's shaping up to be a wild ride! Lots to look for and get excited about! 

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Saturday Slam: How will the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers be remembered?

 

                                             (Credit: LakersDaily.com) 

One year after starting their journey for a title in October of 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers finished the job in October of 2020, defeating the Miami Heat in six games. This is the Lakers' 17th title in franchise history. LeBron James won his 4th NBA championship and 4th NBA Finals MVP while Anthony Davis won his first NBA championship. It was a strange season given the time off due to COVID-19 and the return to the bubble in Orlando, but as they always say, a win is a win and the Lakers found a way to get it done despite all the adversity. 

There will be some who will put a bit of an asterisk next to this championship, but I find that to be unfair. Especially since the Lakers came in as the top seed in the conference. The way this season was set up being in a bubble and played on a neutral court favored lower seeded teams and put higher seeded teams who earned home court advantage at a bit of a disadvantage. To win this title despite losing out on home court advantage is just another feather this Lakers team can put in their cap. 

More broadly speaking, this Lakers team will be remembered as the team that brought a title back to Los Angeles after a decade. The Lakers went through some dark times after their 16th championship in 2010. Giving Kobe Bryant an excessive contract, a lack of real identity or future, and tragically, the death of Bryant and his daughter earlier this year. To the credit of James, he came to Los Angeles firmly believing he could win a title and believed that Anthony Davis, a guy who has had injury issues over the years, could be his sidekick. 

In addition to James and Davis, this Lakers team truly embodied what it means to be a team. Head coach Frank Vogel did a really nice job of bringing everyone together and getting everyone to buy in. Rajon Rondo, Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dwight Howard, and others played their roles and made sound contributions. Unlike other teams that won due to superior star play, the Lakers won by their depth and unselfishness. This was the most likable Lakers team I've seen win a title for this very reason. 

Ultimately, there's a lot to like about this year's Lakers team. LeBron James showed why he's an all-time great, Anthony Davis proved he could deliver in the NBA Finals, and everyone came together to get the job done. It'll be interesting to see if this team can defend their title and bring an 18th banner to the Staples Center. 

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Tomahawk Tuesday: How should the Los Angeles Lakers approach the rest of the regular season?

                                             (Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The NBA restart season begins on Thursday with two games: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz followed by Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers. Both games will air on TNT with the Jazz and Pelicans tipping off first (6:30 PM EST). In case you are unfamiliar with the format, each of the remaining 22 teams will play eight seeding games and if the ninth seed in each conference is within four games of the eighth seed, then a play in series will be triggered. That's the skinny.

While some teams are fighting for their playoff lives or jockeying for position, the Lakers pretty much have the #1 seed in the Western Conference locked up. They need just two wins to clinch. This is overall a good position to be in as the Lakers can more or less view the eight seeding games as tune up games and bonus scrimmage games to get themselves back in shape. However, there is the challenge of balancing rest versus rust. Obviously, the Lakers want to make sure their players stay fresh for the playoffs, but given the amount of time guys have had off, they also don't want guys to get too rusty.

Personally, I think the Lakers should err on the side of avoiding rust. There are only eight seeding games to play and they still do need to clinch the top seed. If they had everything wrapped up right now, that might change things a bit. But, given that they still need to secure the top seed and the fact that the number of seeding games is so few, the Lakers should use these final games to establish a good rhythm and make sure they're all ready to go come playoff time. Opening up against the Clippers is a great way for them to get their juices flowing as the Clippers are one of the teams in the West that is seeking to topple them off their perch.

LeBron James is also a workhorse and rarely gets injured, so I think the Lakers should feel pretty confident in his ability to log significant minutes with little risk. The only guy who I might be cautious with is Anthony Davis. He has a fragile history and the Lakers would probably be wise to not overwork him. If there's a guy who they should be careful with and mindful of, it's Davis. If he goes down, their road to an NBA championship becomes a lot tougher.

Outside of that, it really should be all systems go for the Lakers. They have the top record out West and have the luxury to view these eight seeding games as additional tune ups. As we look at the Western Conference, they're definitely the team to beat.

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Saturday Slam: Can anyone stop the Los Angeles Lakers?

                                         (Credit: Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports) 

It didn't take long for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to find synergy on the basketball court. The newly formed Los Angeles Lakers are 20-3, having won 9 of their last 10 games. I got a chance to watch the Lakers a bit this week as they defeated the Utah Jazz 121-96 in Salt Lake City on Wednesday and the Portland Trail Blazers 136-113 in Portland on Friday.

What really stood out to me is how effortlessly they dominated. James and Davis looked like they were out there on the playground having fun while Dwight Howard was prancing around like a happy little kid as he blocked shots, grabbed rebounds, and even made a 3-pointer. Watching James and Davis execute a pick and roll is a thing of beauty and also very frightening for opposing teams. When they get it going, it's hard to see anyone stopping them.

In addition to having a superstar duo in James and Davis, the Lakers have a really good supporting cast around them in Howard, Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, and JaVale McGee. Aside from Kuzma, that's a pretty veteran group and it shows in how well they play.

While the Lakers have a lot of depth, it really is James and Davis that are making them go. James is averaging 25.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 10.7 assists per game, and 1.3 steals per game while Davis is averaging 26.6 points per game, 9.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.7 blocks. Both are putting themselves in the MVP conversation and playing some of the best basketball of their careers. Especially Davis.

At this point, the only thing I can see slowing down the Lakers is the grind of the NBA season. If Davis catches the injury bug and others get banged up, there is a real chance some other team comes out of the West. Otherwise, this is the Lakers' to lose. They have two of the top five players in the NBA and are already playing like a cohesive team. If you are the rest of the NBA, you should be very afraid.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: Los Angeles Clippers send early message to Lakers on opening night

                                          (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) 

On opening night, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated their crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers 112-102 behind 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block from Kawhi Leonard. Even though it was just one game, the Clippers sent an early message to the Lakers by winning this game. Especially since Paul George (shoulder) did not play.

To a large extent, there was a lot of mystery going into this game considering the fact that both teams have rebranded themselves. The Clippers have added Leonard and George while the Lakers have brought in Anthony Davis, Danny Green, and others to join LeBron James. Both teams expect to make deep playoff runs and contend for the NBA championship as a result of their offseason moves. Given that both teams have a lot of new pieces, what we saw tonight is just a prelude to what we'll see come May and possibly June.

That all said, it's still huge for the Clippers to win this game considering the rivalry that they have with the Lakers. By winning tonight, they set the tone for the rivalry and made it clear to the rest of the Western Conference in the process that they are indeed a legit threat to win the conference despite having a ton of new pieces. Once George comes back, that should take them to another level, which is kind of scary to think of.

As for the Lakers side of this, they have to brush this off as one game and remind themselves that they too were short handed as Rajon Rondo and Kyle Kuzma were both out. On top of that, they're still figuring out how to get their pieces to work together and that come the second half of the season, they're going to look a lot more cohesive.

Overall, tonight was a good night for the NBA. The Clippers and Lakers played a hard fought game, showing that their rivalry should be fun over the course of this season and possibly beyond. The NBA has been stagnant when it comes to rivalries over the years, so this should give the league a nice little pop during the course of the regular season and hopefully the playoffs.

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Saturday Slam: Will the Los Angeles Lakers survive the NBA playoffs?

By unloading Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Jemerrio Jones to the Washington Wizards in addition to having Anthony Davis waive his $4M trade clause, the Los Angeles Lakers have freed up $32M in cap space. As a result, they now a chance to land one more max player to join LeBron James and Davis.

With James and Davis alone, the Lakers have a much more competitive team than they did last season. If they can add one more max level player (such as Kawhi Leonard), there's a possibility that we'll see them in the NBA Finals next season. Especially since the Golden State Warriors are hobbled.

That all said, the Lakers shouldn't be banking on a 2020 championship just yet. For one thing, we don't know who they'll add in free agency. Secondly, health is a major concern. James is 34 years old and played in just 55 games last season due to various injuries including a hamstring. While some of the games he missed were due to caution, it's no secret that he is getting older and has a lot of miles on his legs.

As for Davis, he's much younger (26 years old) but also not as durable. He has never played 82 games in any NBA season and on average misses a shade over 16 games a year. What's particularly alarming is that Davis has never made a deep run in the playoffs. Given his injury woes, it's far from a guarantee that he'll be holding up come late May and June.

The bottom line with the Lakers is that as good as they project to be on paper, it's hard to predict how well they'll navigate the injury bug. If this were a shorter season with fewer playoff games, I would like the Lakers' chances to go the distance. But when we're talking about an 82 game season and a playoff format consisting of four rounds all of which are a seven game series, I don't know if I like their chances. The NBA playoffs are a grind and I'm far from convinced that the Lakers have what it takes to survive.

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Mock Draft Monday: Inside the 2019 mock draft process

The 2019 NBA Draft is on Thursday at 7:00 PM EST on ESPN, which means it is the time of year in which I am scrambling to get my mock draft done in time. It's a hectic process, but a lot of fun at the same time. In this blog post, I would like to quickly address how I go about compiling my mock draft so as to give everyone a better understanding of the process that I undertake.

#1. I get the picks figured out before the analysis: In years past, I used to laboriously write analysis pick by pick, which made the whole mock draft much more stressful. Some of the following fears used to cross my mind: What if I don't get it done in time? What if I crap out at pick #50?

Those fears have subsided as I first take care of the full mock draft without analysis. This way, I know that if worse comes to absolute worse, I at least have a mock draft to show everyone even if it's light on the analysis.

By the way, for those that are curious, I do have a rough draft mock draft completed with all 60 picks. I won't give it all away right now, but I will tell you that I have Zion Williamson going #1 overall to the New Orleans Pelicans, Ja Morant going #2 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies, and R.J. Barrett going #3 overall to the New York Knicks. #60 to the Sacramento Kings is Nevada shooting guard Caleb Martin. Picks 4 through 59 you'll have to wait until late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning to find out what those are!

#2. I pay attention to other mock drafts: The main NBA draft site I go to for information, big boards, and mock drafts is NBADraft.net. I help them out with some analysis of prospects and in general I've always been a big fan of the site. While I don't copy my mock draft from them or anywhere else, I do want to make sure that my selections are within the window of relative probability. E.g. I don't want to have a guy projected to go in the top 25 slide into the mid 40s on my mock.

#3. I first focus on what a team needs. If an immediate need isn't obvious, I roll with best available: When thinking about which player to peg where, I look at each team's roster and see what they most need. For example, if a team has a young point guard that is excelling, but is in need of a wing, I'll have them select a wing over a point guard provided the wing is within the window of being picked in that slot. If there isn't such a player that fits a pressing need, then I have the team take the best player available even if they already have a talented young player at that position. I know I said I wouldn't give away any more secrets, but this is exactly how I approached the draft selection of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They don't need a point guard given the presence of Collin Sexton and I think there are other positions of need that they can adequately address with the #5 overall pick.

Quickly touching more on best available, this usually means highest rated player, but sometimes it can mean the guy who I feel has the most potential. Oregon center Bol Bol for example is a bit of project, but he has a ton of potential due to his physical tools and natural gifts. I'm going to factor that into the "best available" equation in addition to who is the best player right now. Remember, the draft is all about projecting who will be the best in five years and beyond. Some teams have an immediate need, but others can be more patient and see how guys pan out.

Also, if a team has multiple picks, I might be a little more liberal in them rolling the dice on a guy who has very high odds to either boom or bust. If a team has just one pick in the first round for example, I figure they'll probably be more conservative with their selection.

#4. I don't try to predict trades: Predicting trades is impossible to do even if you sense one. E.g. The Lakers trading the #4 overall pick to get Anthony Davis. I operate under the assumption that the team in the slot will make that pick and then if a trade happens, it is what it is. That said, I do try to wait until Wednesday night to post my mock draft to account for as many trades as possible, but at the end of the day, trades are a monkey wrench in the mock draft that you just have to accept.

#5. The mid-late second round is a total crap shoot: There are probably 35-40 players in any given draft that you know are going to get picked, it's just a matter of where. Some could go late first round, others could do early second round, but you know with about 90-95% certainty that they're going to get picked somewhere.

Outside of those 35-40 guys, it's anyone's guess who gets picked with picks #41-60. Rather than going off the big board or sticking to the script, I have some fun with these picks and see what sticks to the wall and what doesn't.  I don't give it too much thought because the late second round typically is pretty random. Remember Chukwudiebere Maduabum going #56 to the Lakers (traded to Denver) in 2011?

#6. I'm not afraid to make my mock draft unique: Why have a mock draft if it's just like every other mock draft? This doesn't mean you ignore projections, data, and scouting reports, but if you're going to do a mock draft, make it your own. Have some fun. You never know what prediction you have will come true and it's more fun to have a unique take that nobody else has (provided you have sound reasoning to back it up).

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Mock Draft Monday: Zion Williamson would be foolish to return to school

                                          (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images) 

I'm kicking off a new segment on NBALord.com that I hope people will find entertaining and informative. The NBA Draft is an area I would like to explore more on here. Especially since I already do a lot of prospect evaluations for NBADraft.net and also recruiting coverage covering Cal basketball for Rivals.com. With that said as a brief intro into this new segment, what better way for me to kick things off than some discussion on Zion Williamson?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know who Zion Williamson is. I really shouldn't need to tell you who the Duke superstar freshman is. He's been all over ESPN and Sports Center for the past nine months and is projected by virtually every NBA Draft expert to go #1 overall in the upcoming draft.

The only "drama" in the whole thing is will he spurn the New Orleans Pelicans and return to school in hopes of landing with a better market. While none of us expected the Pelicans to win the lottery, they won it fair and square and deserve the chance to draft Williamson, making him their main franchise piece for the future. Don't get me wrong. If I was Williamson, I would have also been hoping for Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles. But the downside of going to New Orleans instead doesn't outweigh the risk of returning to school for another year (remember his shoe blowing up?)

Furthermore, while New Orleans isn't as exciting of a landing spot as those major markets are, it's also a better landing spot from a pure basketball standpoint: David Griffin is a well respected basketball executive leading the front office while Anthony Davis is also there as one of the top players in the NBA. Putting aside the drama surrounding Davis and his future, assuming Griffin can convince "The Brow" to stay in New Orleans, the Pelicans could really be cooking with gas should they draft Williamson. They could be looking at a playoff appearance next season and before long find themselves competing with the Trail Blazers, Nuggets, and Warriors to come out of the Western Conference.

If Williamson were to return to school, he would have nothing to gain other than possibly going to a better city in 2020. On the flip side, he would risk injury, not developing his game as well as NBA scouts would hope, and perhaps even going to a worse situation than New Orleans (E.g. Cleveland). It would be a stupid move to return to Duke and even he knows it.

As much as New Orleans may not excite him, Zion Williamson should be excited about the chance to put on a Pelicans uniform. He'll get a chance to convince Anthony Davis to stay and help put a relatively new NBA franchise on the map. All in all, it's actually a pretty good spot for him.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: Could the Los Angeles Lakers miss the playoffs?

After failing to acquire Anthony Davis at the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a bit of a rough spot, sitting 10th in the Western Conference with a 28-29 record and a full three games back of the 8th seeded Los Angeles Clippers. At the beginning of the season, the expectation was the Lakers would for sure make the playoffs. How far they would go was the only question. But now, the discussion has shifted to whether or not this team will even make the playoffs, making this season more disappointing than people expected.

While I think all teams like the All-Star break because of the rest and days off, the timing of it is better for some teams than others. As winners of 3 of their last 10 games, the All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time for the Lakers, who lost badly to the 76ers in Philadelphia and narrowly lost to the Hawks in Atlanta following their dramatic one-point win in Boston. The hope is that with some time off and a chance to regroup, they'll be able to get back on the winning track.

Given that they have LeBron James, it seems like a foregone conclusion that they will make the playoffs. I mean, he's carried teams on his back before so why should we expect anything different come March and April when that final playoff push comes? The answer is health. James has already missed some time due to a strained left groin and there's concern that it may bother him for the rest of the season. On top of that, Rajon Rondo has missed some time with a hand injury while Josh Hart (left knee) and Lonzo Ball (left ankle) are currently on the shelf. When you're a young team that is still trying to gel, such injuries can prove to be very costly.

                                         (Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) 

If the Lakers are able to get healthy down the stretch of the season, I have little doubt that they'll find a way to sneak into the top 8 of the Western Conference. However, if they're unable to stay healthy and the injury bug continues to plague them for the rest of the season, then odds are good they'll be on the outside looking in come playoff time. While James expected a rebuild when he came to Los Angeles, I don't think missing the playoffs was supposed to be part of the plan. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out in the second half of the season.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: What should the New Orleans Pelicans do about Anthony Davis?

                                         (Getty Images) 

The big news in the NBA world over the last few days is the revelation that Anthony Davis wants out of New Orleans and that he has no plans to sign an extension. The news came from his agent Rich Paul, resulting in a $50,000 fine for Davis since the league prohibits players or their agents from publicly requesting trades. Despite the fine, the cat is already out of the bag and now the whole league knows Davis wants to find a new home.

The big question on everyone's mind is what should the Pelicans do? The soonest he can opt out of his contract is the summer of 2020, so the Pelicans don't have to make a move before the Thursday, February 7th trade deadline. At the same time, why prolong the inevitable? If a guy wants out and isn't willing to change his mind, you might as well move the player and get as much back as you can.

One thing that is for certain is that the Pelicans are going to be fielding a lot of calls about Davis over the next few days as the trade deadline approaches. A lot of teams are going to want to roll the dice on Davis, even if it means having him for just a year and a half. If the Pelicans get an unbelievable offer, they have to pull the trigger and get back whatever they can for Davis.

If the Pelicans don't get an over the moon type of offer, they might be smart to hold on to him and see what type of offers they get next season. The only concern is there will be less teams willing to risk a big move to get him. Kinda like what the Raptors did to get Kawhi Leonard. Right now, a lot more teams are going to be interested in rolling the dice on Davis than they will in a year, making now the time for the Pelicans to move Davis if at all possible.

Regardless of whether or not Anthony Davis publicly requested a trade, I think it's safe to say we could all see this coming. The Pelicans have struggled to put together a winning team around him and given his talents, he's certain to want to go to a place where he feels he can contend for a championship. With that in mind, the Pelicans might as well not delay the inevitable. While they shouldn't be willing to accept any deal, they should be aiming to make a move before the February 7th trade deadline. If they don't, they'll just have their franchise hanging in some weird limbo state until they finally get rid of him. The sooner they can move on from him and start afresh around a new crop of talent, the better.

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Skyhook Sunday: The New Orleans Pelicans are on fire

When DeMarcus Cousins went down for the season due a torn Achilles, most people, including myself, assumed the New Orleans Pelicans were doomed and would find themselves back in the NBA Draft lottery. Instead of doing what we all expected, the Pelicans have decided to defy the odds makers and prove that they can still make some noise this season.

As of right now, the Pelicans are 4th in the Western Conference with a 36-26 record and have won eight straight games. Those eight wins have come at Brooklyn, at Detroit, vs. Los Angeles Lakers, vs. Miami, at Milwaukee, vs. Phoenix, at San Antonio, and at Dallas. While not the most intimidating schedule, the Pelicans still deserve a lot of credit for winning all of those games.

Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday have both really stepped up for the Pelicans during this stretch. Davis has had four games of 40+ points and one game of 50+ points while Holiday has had scored 20+ points in each of these games including a 36 point game at Milwaukee and 30 point game at Dallas. These guys are being asked to carry the load for their team and are doing so in spades.

The big question is whether or not the Pelicans can keep this up or if they will fade as we head into March. When looking at the schedule, I think there's good reason to think they can keep this up.  They do have games against the Rockets, Warriors, Celtics, and Spurs left, but they also have games left with the Clippers, Kings, Jazz, Hornets, and Mavericks. Their schedule isn't a cakewalk by any means, but it is manageable. What helps is teams behind them like the Timberwolves and Spurs are dealing with injuries of their own, so it isn't like they are at full strength either.

My personal prediction is that the Pelicans will make the playoffs, but it's honestly too soon to say whether or not they will hang onto home court advantage in the first round. Seeds 3-8 seem to be changing every day, so it really is anybody's guess of as to how those positions will shake out. But that all being said, the very fact that the Pelicans are even in discussion to get home court advantage in the first round is remarkable. They are definitely turning into one of the feel good stories of the season.

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Saturday Slam: What exactly are the New Orleans Pelicans becoming?

The New Orleans Pelicans are becoming something, but what is it, exactly? In an effort to build around Anthony Davis, they've traded for DeMarcus Cousins, re-signed Jrue Holiday to a 5-year, $126M deal, and now added Rajon Rondo on a one-year deal. The combination of Davis, Cousins, Holiday, and Rondo is certainly interesting, but will it produce the results the Pelicans want?

Before I dive into the concerns that I have with what the Pelicans are doing, let me quickly say why this could work. First, Anthony Davis is the best big man in the NBA. He averaged 28.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game last season. The dude is a beast. When you got him as your franchise centerpiece, you got a shot to be really good.

Second, DeMarcus Cousins is arguably the second best big man in the NBA. He's been in need of a change of scenery and paring him with a guy like Davis could be what he needs to reach his full potential. When you got two of the best big men in the NBA, there's good reason to think you'll succeed.

As for Holiday and Rondo, both have proven their value as elite level point guards. Rondo has tailed off since his best days in Boston, but he's still a very good pass-first point guard. As for Holiday, he averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, which are very solid numbers.

The concerns I have with the Pelicans has nothing to do with the individual talent they are adding. It has to do with the blend of talent that they are adding, specifically putting DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo together. The very best of teams can handle one head case if they have a strong leader and know what they are doing. The Pelicans have added two head cases in Cousins and Rondo without having the pedigree of a championship level team. That alone raises serious concerns.

As far as what these guys bring to the court from a pure basketball standpoint, it's unclear how Holiday and Rondo will play together as pass-first point guards. As for Davis and Cousins, there are legitimate concerns about their ability to matchup against smaller and quicker teams, especially in a league that is moving towards positionless basketball.  Such a frontcourt may find better success in an era with more traditional big men.

The bottom line with the Pelicans is that while they are adding talented players to their roster, it's unclear whether or not they are the right fit for each other. If they can find a way to work together and get the most out of each other's talents, the Pelicans could be a really good team. When you consider the upside and also potential for failure, this really is the ultimate example of a "boom or bust" team. I smell bust, but I'm willing to withhold my judgment and see where they are at come playoff time.

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Saturday Slam: How dangerous are the New Orleans Pelicans?

With both Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the New Orleans Pelicans have one of the most intriguing teams in the NBA. Such a front court duo has the potential to do a lot of damage, especially when you add a talented guard like Jrue Holiday to the mix. Davis is averaging 27.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game while Cousins is averaging 27.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. As for Holiday, he is averaging 16.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

At the moment, the Pelicans are 23-36 and 3.5 games back of the 8th seeded Denver Nuggets. After landing DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans are clearly the front runners to finish 8th in the Western Conference standings and face off against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The big question that's on everybody's mind is how dangerous are these Pelicans given their place in the standings at this point of the season?

There are two answers to this question. The first answer is that in the short term, the Pelicans are dangerous enough to make the playoffs and maybe win a game or two against the Warriors. Given that it usually takes at least half of a season for stars to gel, the rest of the season can be viewed as extra time for DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis to gel before training camp of next season. In other words, the trade to land DeMarcus Cousins was much more of a move for next season and beyond than it was for this season. This season, the best the Pelicans can hope for is to make the playoffs and get a playoff series under their belt before next season, which is no small thing. Having a playoff series together before they enter their first full season together would be huge for Davis and Cousins as the go forward as the co-faces of this franchise. It should prove to be growing experience that will help them immensely next season and beyond.

Beyond that, there's nothing to expect out of this season. The Warriors are a vastly superior team given that they have had a lot more time to gel and on paper are still a much better team. The Pelicans won't get past the Warriors by adding DeMarcus Cousins. He's a talented player, but let's keep in mind there's a reason the Kings traded him. He has flaws and the Pelicans have to learn how to deal with those flaws and get past them, something that the Kings couldn't do or weren't willing to do. This season is all about working out some of the kinks so as to hit the ground running next season.

As far as next season's expectations are concerned, this team projects to be a playoff team and possibly a top-four team in the Western Conference. If I could start a franchise with any player in the NBA right now, I would choose Anthony Davis. He's a versatile big man that can do it all on both ends of the floor. When you give him another all-star big man by his side like DeMarcus Cousins and a quality point guard like Jrue Holiday, you could have something special on your hands.

The biggest challenge for the Pelicans will be to figure out how to combat "small ball" lineups, which benefit from having quicker guys on the floor. We saw the Pelicans get torched by the Houston Rockets' "small ball" lineup 129-99 in DeMarcus Cousins' debut. Going forward into next season and in the seasons to come, the Pelicans will need to figure out who else to add to their roster to give them more flexibility against teams that will look to go small against them. If the Pelicans can figure out how to combat smaller and quicker lineups with Cousins and Davis, they could have themselves a championship contending team.

The bottom line for the Pelicans is that with DeMarcus Cousins added to the fold, they have the potential to be really good in the seasons to come, but as presently constituted, they still have work to do both on the court and in the front office. The core players that are certain to stick around like Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis will need to figure out how to play with Cousins and benefit from having him on the floor. As for the front office, their challenge will be to figure out what other complimentary pieces need to be added in order to make their team a true championship contender.

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Skyhook Sunday: The Sacramento Kings were dumb to trade DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans

                                         (Credit: Matthew Addie. Click here for source). 
                                       

After the NBA All-Star festivities wrapped up on Sunday, news broke that the Sacramento Kings have agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and two draft picks, one a 2017 first round pick and the other a 2017 second round pick. For my Saturday Slam piece, I mentioned five teams to keep an eye on at the trade deadline and the Kings were one of the those teams due to all the DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors. Despite insisting that they weren't looking to trade Cousins, Vlade Divac and company decided that in the end, it was in their best interest to move on from the "Boogie" Cousins era. 

For the Pelicans, this is a fantastic move. They have been in need of some sort of blockbuster move to keep Anthony Davis in New Orleans and landing a guy like DeMarcus Cousins definitely qualifies as such a move. Cousins is not even in his prime yet, already averaging 27.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game at just 26 years of age. As for Anthony Davis, he is averaging 27.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. 

Together, Davis and Cousins could form one of the most dangerous front courts the NBA has ever seen, elevating the Pelicans into championship contender status. As far as this season is concerned, the Pelicans are suddenly the favorites to get the #8 spot in the Western Conference and could give the Warriors a good scare in the first round. 

In regards to the Kings, I'm having a hard time buying this move. I understand that rebuilding is a necessary process that all teams have to go through at some point. It's just part of the natural cycle of the NBA. But the Kings seem to be hitting the reset button way too prematurely. Right when they move into a new arena that keeps them in Sacramento for good the Kings decide to trade away their franchise player. I understand that DeMarcus Cousins has had his ups and downs, but the man still puts up 27.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Those are hall of fame type of numbers.

 If you have a guy who is putting up those kinds of numbers at just 26 years of age, you better have a really good reason to trade him in order to sell me on it. Simply saying you weren't going anywhere with him won't cut it. You better have a good reason and as this trade is constituted, I really can't buy it for the Kings. None of the guys they got back are guys who they can build around for the future and they aren't guaranteed to get a super high draft pick, either. If the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins because they were convinced that he wouldn't stay in Sacramento, that's fine, but that doesn't mean you trade him for Ring Dings and a Pepsi. If you are going to trade him for Ring Dings and a Pepsi, you might as well keep him for the duration of his contract (through 2018) and see what you can accomplish with him. Maybe you can get better and make things work out. 

What the Kings are getting back for Cousins is nothing to write home about. Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans, and Buddy Hield are solid players, but not anything that you can build around. Buddy Hield is just a rookie so it's possible he becomes something, but I still don't see him becoming an all-star or anything of that nature. The bottom line is the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins for essentially nothing and what I find to be so stupid about that is that there is no way they can convince me that was the best offer they could have gotten for him. Surely there was some team that could have offered a more promising young talent than Buddy Hield and offered a better overall package. 

The bottom line is that the Kings wanted DeMarcus Cousins out of town as soon as possible and while they very well may have good reasons for that, at the very least they have to make sure they get back something good given his high value. As of right now, the Kings just set themselves back at least five years and maybe more. The Kings have gone from possibly making the playoffs for the first time in the DeMarcus Cousins era to heading straight back to the lottery with no definitive plan of as to who next face of the franchise will be. This was a dumb move by the Kings and unless they have something else up their sleeves that I just don't see, they'll regret this move for years to come. 

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Daily Dunks: 10/19-10/25/15

                                                   (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source) 

     Here is my NBA Daily Dunks page for October 19, 2015 through October 25, 2015. Throughout the week this page will be updated with news from across the NBA until a new Daily Dunks page is created for the following week.

Monday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Warriors signed small forward Xavier Henry (Click here for details).

#2. The Heat signed guard Briante Weber and waived guard Corey Hawkins (Click here for details).

#3. The Magic waived guard Keith Appling and guard Jordan Siebert (Click here for details).

#4. Bucks forward John Henson alleges that a jewelry store discriminated against him (Click here for details).

#5. Mike Krzyzewski will retire from USA Basketball after the 2016 Olympics (Click here for details).

#6. The Cavaliers actually did not pull their 5 year, $80M offer from Tristan Thompson (Click here for details).

#7. Tim Duncan says Manu Ginobili looks the best he's seen in years (Click here for details).

#8. Lamar Odom is improving and starting to do some physical therapy (Click here for details).

#9. Knicks owner James Dolan says the woman who sued Isiah Thomas over sexual harassment made it up (Click here for details).

#10. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr remains out indefinitely (Click here for details).

#11. Chris Webber will teach a masters class at Wake Forest University (Click here for details).

#12. Cavaliers head coach David Blatt says LeBron James "absolutely" will be good to go on opening night (Click here for details).

#13. Clippers guard Austin Rivers is recovering from a hard elbow to the mouth (Click here for details).

#14. Mavericks center JaVale McGee remains out indefinitely (Click here for details).

Monday's NBA preseason scores: 

Hornets 94 Bulls 86. Cavaliers 103 Mavericks 97. Celtics 111 Nets 105. Rockets 120 Pelicans 100. Lakers 104 Trail Blazers 102.

Tuesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Celtics waived Levi Randolph, Coty Clarke, and Malcom Miller (Click here for details).

#2. The Utah Jazz waived Bryce Cotton and Treveon Graham (Click here for details).


#3. Report: Gregg Popovich is the number one choice to be the new USA Basketball head coach (Click here for details).

#4. Jim Buss believes the Lakers have "turned the corner" (Click here for details).

#5. Bucks forward John Henson accepts the jewelry stores' apology (Click here for details).

#6. Andre Drummond won't sign an extension with the Pistons (Click here for details).

#7. Wizards forward Martell Webster is still out with a hip injury (Click here for details).

#8. GMs have voted James Harden, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Marc Gasol as the best last their positions (Click here for details).

#9. NBA GMs vote Anthony Davis the player they would prefer to start their franchise with (Click here for details).

#10. NBA GMs voted the Cavaliers as favorites for the title and LeBron James for MVP (Click here for details).

#11. Lance Stephenson likes the Clippers' chances to win a title (Click here for details).

#12. Nuggets center Jusuf Turkic could return in November (Click here for details).

#13. The Magic plan to exercise Shabazz Napier's third year option (Click here for details).

#14. Boban Marjanovic says Tim Duncan has helped him a lot (Click here for details).

Tuesday's NBA preseason scores: 

Bulls 103 Pacers 94. Bucks 106 Timberwolves 88. Suns 104 Spurs 84. Thunder 113 Jazz 102. Clippers 130 Warriors 95.

Wednesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Knicks head coach Derek Fisher confirmed today that Kristaps Porzingis will start opening night (Click here for details).

#2. The Utah Jazz signed forward E.J. Singler (Click here for details).

#3. The Timberwolves exercised their contract options on Zach LaVine, Adreian Payne, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng, and Shabazz Muhammad (Click here for details).

#4. Stanley Johnson may or may not start for the Pistons (Click here for details).

#5. Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian are calling off their divorce (Click here for details).

#6. The Spurs waived Jimmer Fredette, Youssou Ndoye, Keifer Sykes, and Deshaun Thomas (Click here for details).

#7. The Bucks waived Jorge Gutierrez, Marcus Landry, and Josh Powell (Click here for details).

#8. The Bulls may use Joakim Noah as a reserve (Click here for details).

#9. The Lakers waived Michael Frazier II and Robert Upshaw (Click here for details).

#10. The Nets waived Ryan Boatright, Quincy Miller, and Chris Daniels (Click here for details).

#11. The Cavaliers signed power forward Tristan Thompson to a 5 year, $82M deal (Click here for details).

#12. Pelicans shooting guard Tyreke Evans is out 6-8 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee (Click here for details).

#13. Hornets center Al Jefferson is confident that he'll bounce back with better shooting around him (Click here for details).

#14. Suns center Tyson Chandler thinks the Mavericks have painted his departure from Dallas in the wrong light (Click here for details).

#15. Hawks point guard Dennis Schröder will look for other places to play if he can't be a starter (Click here for details).

#16. Hawks small forward Thabo Sefolosha is suing the NYPD (Click here for details).

#17. In light of the sexual assault allegations against him, Kevin Johnson isn't seeking reelection as mayor of Sacramento (Click here for details).

#18. Carmelo Anthony says the Knicks will use their 27-win projection as motivation (Click here for details).

#19. John Calipari is seeking the USA Basketball head coaching job (Click here for details).

#20. Byron Scott says Marcelinho Huertas has "pretty much solidified a spot" on the Lakers (Click here for details).

Wednesday's NBA preseason scores: 

Grizzlies 82 Hawks 81. Magic 110 Pelicans 107 (OT). Hornets 99 Pistons 94. Heat 110 Wizards 105. Suns 99 Mavericks 87.

Thursday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The NBA and the NBA Players Association will begin new Collective Bargaining Agreement talks in November (Click here for details).

#2. LaMarcus Aldridge says the Trail Blazers did everything they could (Click here for details).

#3. The Kings waived guard David Stockton. Eric Moreland will make the team (Click here for details).

#4. Mavericks small forward Wesley Matthews hopes to play on Friday (Click here for details).

#5. Nike is opening a Jordan Brand only store in Chicago (Click here for details).

#6. Lamar Odom underwent two emergency surgeries, but he is doing better (Click here for details).

#7. Jason Kidd really likes Giannis Antetokounmpo's versatility (Click here for details).

#8. Derrick Rose admits to still having double-vision. He hopes to play on Friday (Click here for details).

#9. To make room for Tu Holloway on their roster, the Mavericks waived Jarrid Famous (Click here for details).

#10. Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is day-to-day with a sore foot (Click here for details).

#11. The Magic waived forward Melvin Ejim (Click here for details).

#12. The Magic waived center Greg Stiemsma (Click here for details).

#13. The Bulls waived guards Jordan Crawford and Marcus Simmons (Click here for details).

#14. The Cavaliers waived forward Nick Minnerath (Click here for details).

#15. The Hawks waived small forward Terran Petteway (Click here for details).

#16. The Thunder waived four players (Click here for details).

#17. The Spurs signed forward Julian Washburn to a non-guaranteed deal (Click here for details).

#18. The Thunder signed Michael Cobbins and Mustafa Farrakhan to non-guaranteed deals (Click here for details).

#19. The Jazz waived forward E.J. Singler (Click here for details).

#20. LeBron James is still not practicing after his back injection (Click here for details).

Thursday's NBA preseason scores: 

Pacers 98 Hornets 86. Celtics 99 Knicks 85. Jazz 98 Nuggets 78. Warriors 136 Lakers 97. Clippers 115 Trail Blazers 109.

Friday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Jimmer Fredette reportedly treats everybody on his team like they are stupid (Click here for details).

#2. Deron Williams and Wes Matthews played for the Mavericks in their preseason finale (Click here for details)

#3. LeBron James may not play in the Cavaliers' season opener (Click here for details).

#4. Pacers forward Paul George is adjusting well to the power forward position (Click here for details).

#5.  The NBA now offers direct access to game streams on Twitter and Facebook (Click here for details).

#6. Bulls point guard Derrick Rose played on Friday, returning from an orbital bone fracture (Click here for details).

#7. Rick Carlisle believes the Mavericks should retire Tyson Chandler's number (Click here for details).

#8. NBA commissioner Adam Silver expects a shorter preseason in the future (Click here for details).

#9. Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson injured his shoulder (Click here for details).

#10. The Thunder exercised options on Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and Mitch McGary (Click here for details).

#11. The Hornets waived Sam Thompson, Jason Washburn, Damien Wilkins, and Elliot Williams (Click here for details).

#12. The Cavaliers waived Austin Daye, D.J. Stephens, Dionte Christmas, and Jack Cooley (Click here for details).

#13. The Lakers waived forward Jonathan Holmes (Click here for details).

#14. The Warriors waived Chris Babb, Jarell Eddie, Xavier Henry, and Chris Udofia (Click here for details).

#15. The Trail Blazers waived Phil Pressey and Omari Johnson (Click here for details).

#16. The Knicks waived Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Darion Atkins, DaJuan Summers, Travis Trice II, and Wesley Saunders (Click here for details).

#17. The Pistons waived Cartier Martin, Adonis Thomas, and Jordan Bachynski (Click here for details).

#18. Heat small forward Gerald Green has been fined $25K for gun gestures (Click here for details).

#19. The Rockets waived Chris Walker, Jeremy Tyler, Will Cummings, and Denzel Livingston (Click here for details).

#20. The Pelicans waived Sean Kilpatrick and Chris Douglas-Roberts (Click here for details).

#21. Gregg Popovich is the new head coach of USA Basketball (Click here for details).

Friday's NBA preseason scores: 

Magic 86 Grizzlies 76. Timberwolves 112 Bucks 108. Celtics 81 76ers 65. Pistons 115 Hawks 87. Raptors 92 Wizards 82. Pelicans 93 Heat 90. Bulls 103 Mavericks 102. Spurs 111 Rockets 86.

Saturday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. A whole bunch of guys were waived from across the NBA as teams have to get their roster sizes down to 15 guys by Tuesday. Rather than littering the page with all of them, which takes up time for me, I have provided four links that will give you all the information you need as to who was waived this weekend. (Click here for link 1. Click here for link 2. Click here for link 3. Click here for link 4.)

#2. Knicks guard Arron Afllalo is expected to miss two weeks with a hamstring strain (Click here for details).

#3. The Hornets' D-League team will play in Greensboro, North Carolina (Click here for details).

#4. 76ers forward Robert Covington is out two weeks with a sprained MCL & bone bruise in his right knee (Click here for details).

Sunday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Timberwolves president Flip Saunders passed away at the age of 60 (Click here for details).

#2. Robert Upshaw has cleared waivers and will play for the Lakers' D-League affiliate (Click here for details).

#3. The Pelicans hope to sign point guard Ish Smith, but the 76ers may snatch him (Click here for details).

#4. The Utah Jazz claimed point guard Phil Pressey off waivers from the Trail Blazers (Click here for details).

#5. The Utah Jazz signed guard Eric Atkins (Click here for details).


---Ben Parker: Follow me on twitter @nba_lord to keep up with the NBA. Also, like my NBA Facebook page NBA Lord Nation and follow my NBA google plus page NBA Lord.