Daily Dunks: 10/12-10/18/15

                                                   (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source) 

Here is my Daily Dunks page for Monday, October 12 through Sunday, October 18, 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. Nets forward Andrea Bargnani hopes to play in the team's final three preseason games (Click here for details).

#2. Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson has a new agent (Click here for details).

#3. Magic forward Aaron Gordon has participated in a full contact practice (Click here for details).

#4. The NBA rookie extension deadline has been moved to November 2 (Click here for details).

#5. The Warriors have officially purchased land for their arena in San Francisco (Click here for details).

#6. Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis has suffered a minor quad injury. He should be ok (Click here for details).

#7. Pistons' Andre Drummond and Warriors' Harrison Barnes are expected to get extensions (Click here for details).

#8. The NBA has a new ad campaign called "This is why we play" (Click here to see it).

#9. Lance Stephenson speaks out on his experience in Charlotte (Click here for details).

#10. The Mavericks may be interested in Larry Sanders  (Click here for details).

#11. Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum got ejected for a flagrant foul on Gordon Hayward (Click here for details).

#12. A Sacramento Kings documentary airing has been delayed over Kevin Johnson sexual assault allegations stemming from 1996 (Click here for details).

#13. UNLV, Kentucky, and LSU are doing a combine for NBA scouts (Click here for details).

#14. The Lakers want Julius Randle to push the ball in transition (Click here for details).

#15. The Wizards expect Nenê to come off the bench this season (Click here for details).

#16. The Rockets claimed Arsalan Kazemi off waivers from the Hawks (Click here for details).

#17. Bulls point guard Derrick Rose could be back doing basketball activity within a week (Click here for details).

#18. Wizards point guard John Wall will play assistant coach Howard Eisley $100 for every game in which he has more than 2 turnovers (Click here for details).

#19. The Warriors waived forward Tony Mitchell (Click here for details).

#20. Pelicans point guard Norris Cole is out indefinitely with a high left ankle sprain (Click here for details).

Monday's NBA preseason scores: 

Grizzlies 91 Cavaliers 81. Knicks 94 76ers 88. Raptors 112 Timberwolves 105. Heat 97 Spurs 94. Pelicans 123 Bulls 115. Trail Blazers 88 Jazz 81.

Tuesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Lamar Odom has been hospitalized due to a drug overdose (Click here for details).

#2. Kings guard Rajon Rondo said his relationship with George Karl isn't very good, but then George Karl said it's fine. It's also possible Rondo was just joking (Click here and here for details).

#3. Thunder small forward Kevin Durant is tired of talking about his foot (Click here for details).

#4. Danilo Gallinari crossed up Stephen Curry (Click here to watch).

#5. Warriors point guard Stephen Curry apologizes for all the good fortune his team had (Click here for details).

#6. Clippers point guard Chris Paul has returned from his finger injury (Click here for details).

#7. Click here for an update on the Celtics' rotation.

#8. Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard says his relationship with LaMarcus Aldridge was always fine (Click here for details).

#9. The Trail Blazers consulted Damian Lillard about their rebuilding process (Click here for details).

#10. Byron Scott hopes the Lakers shoot more three-point shots (Click here for details).

Tuesday's NBA preseason scores: 

Magic 95 Heat 92. Bucks 110 Cavaliers 101. Pacers 101 Pistons 97. Thunder 100 Mavericks 88. Rockets 135 Suns 129 (OT). Kings 107 Lakers 100. Nuggets 114 Warriors 103.

Wednesday's NBA Daily Dunks 

#1. Pops Mensah-Bonsu is retiring (Click here for details).

#2. Lakers head coach Byron Scott thinks the four-point line is a good idea (Click here for details).

#3. Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha wants to move on from what happened with the NYPD (Click here for details).

#4. Click here for an update on the health of 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor

#5. LeBron James is the betting favorite to win MVP (Click here for details).

#6. Marko Milic has retired at the age of 38 (Click here for details).

#7. The Bulls waived  guards Stefhon Hannah and Jake Anderson (Click here for details).

#8. Wizards forward Alan Anderson is out indefinitely following a procedure on his left ankle (Click here for details).

#9. The Jazz waived forward Jack Cooley and forward J.J. O'Brien (Click here for details).

#10. Warriors forward Harrison Barnes is day-to-day with a sprained right knee (Click here for details).

#11. Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is dealing with a bruised calf. It's nothing serious (Click here for details).

#12. Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is questionable for opening night (Click here for details).

#13. The Warriors waived guard Ben Gordon (Click here for details).

#14. The Pelicans signed center Mirza Begic (Click here for details).

#15. Carmelo Anthony wants the Knicks coaching staff to hold him more accountable (Click here for details).

#16. The Mavericks signed point guard Tu Holloway for training camp (Click here for details).

WNBA Finals Game 5: Lynx 69 Fever 52. Lynx win series 3-2 and win the 2015 WNBA Championship.

Wednesday's NBA preseason scores: 

Hornets 113 Clippers 71. Timberwolves 89 Raptors 87. Celtics 109 Nets 105. Pistons 114 Bulls 91. Hawks 100 Spurs 86.

Thursday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Kings waived guard Marshall Henderson and forward Vince Hunter (Click here for details).

#2. The Pelicans signed guard Bo McCalebb (Click here for details).

#3. Thabo Sefolosha has returned to action for the Hawks (Click here for details).

#4. The Jazz waived forward Grant Jerrett (Click here for details).

#5. The Pelicans waived guard Corey Webster (Click here for details).

#6. The Spurs have revealed some new black alternate uniforms (Click here for details).

#7. Nets guard Jarrett Jack was ejected for a flagrant foul on Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (Click here for details).

#8. Pelicans head coach Frank Vogel is confident that Paul George will have a career year (Click here for details).

#9. The Thunder and Dion Waiters are discussing an extension (Click here for details).

#10. Bulls point guard Derrick Rose says he gets double-vision (Click here for details).

#11. Michele Roberts says the NBA Players Union will support Thabo Sefolosha if he sues the NYPD (Click here for details).

#12. Click here to see Jeremy Lin's cameo from "Fresh off the Boat."

#13. Nuggets rookie guard Emmanuel Mudiay believes watching film will help him improve a lot (Click here for details).

#14. Hawks forward Tiago Splitter says getting traded from the Spurs to the Hawks was the best option for a trade (Click here for details).

#15. The Suns waived guard Terrico White and forward Kyle Casey (Click here for details).

#16. Joel Embiid reportedly acted hostile to the 76ers' strength coach last season. 76ers head coach Brett Brown denies this report (Click here for details).

Thursday's NBA preseason results: 

Pacers 107 Cavaliers 85. Warriors 123 Rockets 121.

Friday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Jazz forward Gordon Hayward is day-to-day with a lower back contusion (Click here for details).

#2. Nets center Willie Reed is out 6-8 weeks after undergoing thumb surgery (Click here for details).

#3. The Pelicans waived center Jerome Jordan (Click here for details).

#4. The Lakers have hired Tracy Murray as a shooting coach (Click here for details).

#5. The Lakers exercised their 2016-17 team option on power forward Julius Randle (Click here for details).

#6. The Warriors waived guard Juwan Staten (Click here for details).

#7. The Pelicans signed guard Nate Robinson to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum (Click here for details).

#8. Click here for an update on the Heat's starting lineup, which now appears to be healthy.

#9. The Pelicans waived center Mirza Begic (Click here for details).

#10. The Hornets have signed small forward Damien Wilkins (Click here for details).

#11. Pelicans forward Luke Babbitt is out indefinitely with a hamstring strain (Click here for details).

#12. Click here for an update on Lamar Odom.

#13. Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard says "I'm not going to be the hero" of this team (Click here for details).

#14. The 76ers are reportedly unhappy with Joel Embiid. 76ers head coach Brett Brown denies this report (Click here for details).

#15. Mark Cuban is offering former Mavericks players free heart exams (Click here for details).

#16. Knicks head coach Derek Fisher doesn't like to think of his team as rebuilding (Click here for details).

#17. Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love will play in Sunday's preseason game (Click here for details).

#18. The Cavaliers have pulled their 5 year, $80M offer to Tristan Thompson (Click here for details).

#19. Warriors center Andrew Bogut is out indefinitely with a broken nose (Click here for details).

#20. Report: 76ers' head coach Brett Brown and team president Scott O'Neil were unhappy with GM Sam Hinke's decision to trade Michael Carter-Williams (Click here for details).

#21. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is nearing a return (Click here for details).

#22. LeBron James received an injection in his back that will cause him to miss the final two weeks of the preseason (Click here for details).

#23. 76ers executives belive Joel Embiid was sloppy with his rehab and thus led him to his 2nd foot surgery (Click here for details).

#24. NBA teams could have $1.07B in 2016 Cap Space (Click here for details).

#25. Damian Lillard hopes Terry Stotts stays as his head coach in Portland (Click here for details).

#26. The Warriors signed forward Chris Udofia (Click here for details).

#27. James Harden says he wants to retire with the Rockets (Click here for details).

#28. Heat center Hassan Whiteside has returned from his calf injury (Click here for details).

Friday's NBA preseason results: 

Wizards 127 76ers 118. Knicks 101 Celtics 95. Grizzlies 94 Thunder 78. Hawks 91 Mavericks 84. Nuggets 106 Suns 81.

Euroleague Scores from Week 1: Click here to view scores from Regular Season (Round 1) of Euroleague.

Saturday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. There are no talks between Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers (Click here for details).

#2. Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis feels great about his team (Click here for details).

#3. Mark Cuban likes the Mavericks' chances to be better than last season if they stay healthy (Click here for details).

#4. Craig Sager will work opening night on TNT (Click here for details).

#5. The Pistons hope Brandon Jennings will be back by Christmas (Click here for details).

#6. Jeremy Lin says he was open to a Knicks return this summer, but the Knicks weren't (Click here for details).

#7. Click here for an update on Lamar Odom

#8. Dirk Nowitzki has made his preseason debut (Click here for details).

#9. The Utah Jazz exercised their options for Trey Burke, Dante Exum, Rodney Hood, and Rudy Gobert (Click here for details).

#10. The Cavaliers waived center Chris Johnson and signed forward Jack Cooley (Click here for details).


Saturday's NBA preseason scores: 

Magic 90 Rio De Janeiro Flamengo 73. Hornets 97 Knicks 93. Kings 107 Pelicans 98. Heat 105 Rockets 100. Wizards 105 Bucks 101. Lakers 85 Warriors 70.

Sunday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Derek Fisher says the Knicks are trying to win "right now" (Click here for details).

#2. Lakers forward Julius Randle says Warriors forward Draymond Green can't guard him (Click here for details).

#3. Michael Jordan says Jeremy Lin will be the Hornets' biggest acquisition of the offseason (Click here for details).

#4. Mavericks rookie Maurice Ndour is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his left leg. This might cost him a roster spot (Click here for details).

#5. Mavericks point guard Deron Williams will miss the entire preseason and is questionable for opening night (Click here for details).

Sunday's NBA preseason scores: 

Nets 92 76ers 91. Spurs 96 Pistons 92. Grizzlies 90 Timberwolves 68. Raptors 87 Cavaliers 81. Thunder 111 Nuggets 98. Heat 101 Hawks 92. Trail Blazers 116 Jazz 111 (OT).



---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for my NBA updates. Also, like my Facebook page NBA Lord Nation and follow my NBA Lord Google Plus page for NBA updates. 

The NBA Needs To Fix Its All-Star Selection Process And Possibly Ban Fan Voting All Together

The NBA All-Star Game claims to be a game that features the best players in the game of basketball, rewarding those who have played the best basketball over the first half of the NBA season. However, in recent years, those who get the most all-star votes are frequently not the most deserving players. For example, Kobe Bryant has over 500,000 all-star votes for this season while only having played a couple of games so far. In addition to that, Jeremy Lin has more all-star votes than Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, James Harden, and nearly 5 times the votes of Damian Lillard; and Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge (the two best power forwards in the Western Conference and possibly the NBA), don't have as many all-star votes as Blake Griffin, who is certainly all-star worthy, but not worthy of being an all-star starter.

I could go on and on about other blatant issues with the voting results thus far (Steve Nash having more votes than Damian Lillard; Ray Allen having nearly 100,000 votes; and Kyrie Irving having 3 times as many votes as John Wall), but I will instead try to be solutions oriented and propose some changes to some obvious flaws in the all-star voting system.

Change #1: Don't Allow Fans To Vote Until Christmas; Make Players Play an x number of games before they can get votes. 

This change would fix a lot of problems I think. This would prevent cases like Kobe Bryant getting half a million votes before playing a single minute. If the NBA wants to have the All-Star Game reward the best players in the game with the honors of starting, then they need to make sure that those who are durable and those who actually have played games get the honor of starting. Without this change, the NBA All-Star Game will have to change its name to the NBA Most Popular Players Game, which is actually a different category than being an "All-Star". An "All-Star" is supposed to be a player who exemplifies excellence in the sport among the world's best, not a player who wins a popularity contest. By having players have to play a certain amount of games before they are eligible to be voted for, this would at least guarantee that in order to get in the all-star game as a starter you have to have participated in the season to a certain extent. Guys like Kobe Bryant under this system would either (a) not appear on the ballot until playing a certain portion of games (e.g. 15 games) or (b) appear on the ballot but be locked, meaning that until they play say 15 games, they won't be able to be voted for.

Change #2: Put A Reminder On The Ballot About What An "All-Star" Is

This may not do anything, but it would help if the NBA at least put on its ballot front and center something along the lines of: "An all-star is one who has excelled most at the game of basketball over the course of the season. One should receive votes not based on achievements from previous seasons, celebrity status, or out of blinded favoritism. Voting for an all-star is a vote for a player who you think is honestly deserving of this high honor of based on their play. Votes for reasons other than that are considered unfair by the league."

Now one may ask what good will that do? Probably not much, but it would at least be a reminder to fans under what criteria they should be voting on. It would also add an extra sense of weight and seriousness to the event. Fans should know that being voted an all-star starter is a tremendous honor and that it isn't fair for certain players to not get votes because they play in a smaller market, etc.

Change #3: Be More Selective On Who Gets On The Main All-Star Ballot 

Technically, every NBA player is eligible to be voted for an all-star starting job, but only a select amount are front and center on the ballot. The fact that Jeremy Lin has 5 times the number of votes as Damian Lillard is absurd and an embarrassment that shows an obvious flaw in the voting process. What flaw is that? The flaw is that a player who gains votes entirely based on his international outreach and not basketball abilities is front and center for all to vote for. I like Jeremy Lin a tremendous amount and I respect his journey, etc. But he honestly isn't a player good enough to be one of the select few who are front and center on the ballot. He should have to be voted in via the write-in option, which would lower his all-star votes since so many people would be like "Where's Jeremy Lin?" or at least be too lazy to scroll down and vote him in via write-in. The NBA should only put players on the ballot who they think are clearly all-star worthy or worthy of being starters. Aside from that, everybody else should be write-in.

Change #4: Have A Minimum Stats Requirement For All-Stars 

This would be a really easy thing for the league to implement. I don't know why they don't do this. All the NBA needs to do to ensure the best players get voted in is make the criteria for being an all-star starter a certain level of ability. The best stat to use for this is the efficiency rating, which factors in all player statistics and puts it into a +/- score. The best efficiency ratings are around +25 and above (Kevin Love and Kevin Durant are nearly at +30). In order to be an all-star starter, the league should make it so that a player has to be at +25 or higher in order to be a starter. If two players are both above this level of efficiency, then the fan vote decides from there. E.g. If Blake Griffin gets an efficiency at +25 or higher, then he should be able to start ahead of Kevin Love by having more votes than Kevin Love even though Kevin Love has played better. However, if Griffin doesn't make this mark of efficiency, then having more votes than Kevin Love won't allow him to start ahead of Love (or LaMarcus Aldridge for that matter). I think this type of system would be a fair hybrid between letting the fans decide and making sure the best players in the NBA get to start.

Change #5: Threaten To Take Away Fan Voting Privileges

This seems like a mean tactic, but it's not as mean as the sixth change that I'll propose (I think you will figure out what it will be if you haven't already). Threatening to take away fan voting privileges may be something that the NBA should consider. They should threaten to take away fan voting on the grounds of integrity, stating that unless fan voting starts to more accurately reflect who really should be an all-star starter, then the league will resort to having players, owners, general managers, and coaches make the decisions on who should be an all-star starter as well as an all-star reserve. It would be interesting to see how voting results would differ if the league made such a statement.

Change #6: Take Away Fan Voting Privileges 

If the NBA threatens to take away fan voting privileges, and the fans still vote like idiots, then the NBA will have no choice to but to follow through on their threat and actually cut fans off from the voting process entirely. Seems mean, huh? Well, the reality is that those who are casting these idiotic votes are pissing off the rest of us who are educated basketball fans. Guys like me who vote for Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Stephen Curry because they are the best players at their positions would happily welcome any change that prevented idiot fans from altering the all-star selection process even if it meant that our ability to vote has to be taken away. The NBA says "The game is for the fans", but which "fans"are they talking about? What constitutes a "fan"? A true basketball fan wants to see the best players rewarded for their hard work and see the best five players from each conference start the all-star game. They don't want to see an aging has-been start while the best players sit on the bench to start the game. If the NBA wants to reward the real basketball fans and not the fake fans with blind allegiances to certain players and their own teams, then the NBA should ban fan voting, and give the educated fans who really care about the game the comfort of knowing that guys like them are making the decisions on who is and who isn't an all-star.

If the NBA were to make this change (which I would be happy with), then they should at least allow fans to vote on who should be in the dunk contest, the skills competitions, etc. This should happen at the expense of players' wishes. They should allow fans to vote for whoever they want for these events, which means that if LeBron James gets voted to do the dunk contest, then he has to do it. This way, the more casual fans  who vote based on celebrity status or other non-basketball related reasons would get to see their favorite players participate in a wide variety of events on all-star weekend, but the integrity of the all-star game would remain intact. I think under this system we have a win-win situation. The all-star game would truly represent the best current players in the game (since the only votes are coming from people within the league) and the former stars or players with only celebrity status would still make appearances for those fans who want to see them play even if they aren't worthy of being actual all-stars.

In conclusion, how many of these changes do I actually welcome? The answer is all six, and the last change I welcome the most. The NBA has a problem, and that problem is that they have a system in place which doesn't reward the best players in the NBA with a chance to be an all-star starter. It rather rewards players who play in bigger markets and also rewards delusional fans who don't vote for the right reasons. The NBA has to make changes to make the All-Star Game a game for the best players in the world to shine, and not a game that rewards players based on some other criteria.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord