SR – NBA Free Agency 2020: Top 10 Players Staying and Going

SR – NBA Free Agency 2020: Top 10 Players Staying and Going

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by | Nov 16, 2020 | Featured, NBA, uncategorised

With the NBA season officially set to begin on Dec 22, 2020, and the Free agency and The NBA Draft happening this upcoming week it’s important to remember exactly what players are available in this unique offseason and how the NBA could look drastically different come the 2020-21 season. This year’s free-agent market is not quite as top-heavy but it does have some names that will surprise ppl if they land in the right spot. Let’s look at the Top 30 Free agents that could potentially change the NBA landscape as we know it. 

  1. Anthony Davis (player)
  2. Brandon Ingram (restricted)
  3. DeMar DeRozan (player)
  4. Andre Drummond (player)
  5. Gordon Hayward (player)
  6. Danilo Gallinari
  7. Mike Conley (early termination option)
  8. Fred VanVleet
  9. Montrezl Harrell
  10. Davis Bertans
  11. Christian Wood
  12. Malik Beasley (restricted)
  13. Serge Ibaka
  14. Bogdan Bogdanovic (restricted)
  15. Jordan Clarkson
  16. Goran Dragic
  17. Carmelo Anthony (player)
  18. Tristan Thompson
  19. Evan Fournier (player)
  20. Aron Baynes
  21. Derrick Favors
  22. Marc Gasol
  23. Jerami Grant (player)
  24. Tim Hardaway Jr. (player)
  25. Wesley Matthews
  26. Marcus Morris
  27. Paul Millsap
  28. Kelly Olynyk (player)
  29. Dario Saric (restricted)
  30. Dwight Howard

Last Year Kawhi Leonard took up much of the free agency headlines and threw the NBA into a frenzy as he made his way off a 2019 NBA Championship in Toronto to LA when he teamed up with Paul George for the Clippers. A blindsided deal that seemingly happened overnight for the NBA created the title odd favorite. This year, don’t expect to see find that same excitement in free agency, in fact just get ready for teams to either add key piece/s to gear toward a championship or teams to show you they are just trying to rebuild. The excitement will be there, you’re just going to have to look for it. 

Free agency is set to start on November 20 at 6 pm ET and teams will be permitted to contact free agents or their representatives at that time. Players will be allowed to officially sign contracts with teams starting Nov. 22 at 12:01 p.m. ET. As we have already seen this week, trade negotiations are already starting. Players and teams are positioning themself for free agency. It’s important to remember through all of this what teams are really gearing up to get certain free agents and what teams are just gearing up for something completely different than what we saw a season ago. 

To understand where each player realistically might end up it just has to do with the amount that player is valued to make in this year’s market and the terms of their contract either being restricted or not. Instead of getting too deep into trying to explain that all that, what is more, important to know going into free agency week are the Top 10 FA most likely to stay where they are and the top 10 most likely to be on the move. So let’s break it down.

 

Top 10 Most Likely to Stay:

  1. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers – Davis did decline his option for the upcoming season however it’s most likely just to get a few more dollars from the lakers in a new contract. It would be hard to see AD leaving the Lakers and Lebron as they are coming off the duo’s first season and championship together.
  2. Fred Vanvleet, Toronto Raptors – Vanvleet has already made it clear stating he wants to get paid this offseason. Rightfully so, the man played a huge role in the Toronto Raptors 2019 and the franchise first-ever NBA title. Without ever really having to pay Kawhi the raptors do have some money to play around with and it is going to come down to paying either Vanvleet or Ibaka and in most cases where I would say you pay for the size, I think Fred and the Raptors are more on the same page with this one. Expect the Raptors to pay their guy.
    Fred VanVleet is on fire in the playoffs ever since his son was born - Business Insider
  3. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans – The former #2 overall pick has seemed to find a home in New Orleans. Appearing as an All-Star for the first time in his career this season there is no reason that New Orleans wouldn’t match any contract offer any team comes to him with. Look for the Pelicans to offer B.I a contract close to a max before any team can even try to get him.


    Pelicans reportedly have 'every intention' of re-signing Brandon Ingram - ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

  4. Demar Derozan, San Antonio Spurs – Demar initially declined his option from the Spurs and it had everyone thinking he was going to get traded, and like we do so often when thinking about DeMar DeRozan lead us to think where he could help. Now although the Lakers did seem like a viable option for the 4-time all-star the money doesn’t make sense. With declining his 27 million dollar option I think the only place he ends up is back in San Antonio. He may even take less to give him the option to be tradeable this year to a potential better contender.
    Lakers odds of landing DeMar DeRozan this season, revealed - Lakers Daily
  5. Montrez Herrell, Los Angeles Clippers – We all know things didn’t go as planned for the Clippers this year but Trez was one of this team’s most pleasant surprises. Averaging 18 pts and 7 rebs off the bench this year was enough for Herrell to win 6th man of the year. With that type of value, it would be crazy to see the clippers just let him go.
  6. Andre Drummond, Clevland Cavaliers – The All-Star center told ESPN, “Yeah, it’s going to be hard to give up, so you can count on me being in Cleveland still. I definitely will be in Cleveland.”
  7. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Sacramento Kings – it’s the kings they need the most talented players they can get and he plays well with Buddy Hield and D’Aron Fox.
  8. Danillo Gallinari, Oklahoma City Thunder – Thunder looking to rebuild, one of the most reliable shooters and screeners in the league to help space floor and create with whatever young guys they throw out there with him.
  9. Carmelo Anthony, Portland Trailblazers – Started a playoff game for the team last year and fills a void they need.
  10. Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks – Need reliable wings to play with Luka and Kristaps. Proved his offensive efficiency and two-way player ability last year.  

 

Top 10 Most Likely to Go:

  1. Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics – Hayward has been thrown around in trade rumors since the departure of Kyrie Irving. But his 34 million guaranteed makes him untradeable. He has just not played up to what the Celtics needed him to be when they signed him to the deal they did. Whether it is the injury or the changing teams around him Hayward just seemed to never find a real groove for the Celtics.

    NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks Ready To Swoop In On Hayward, Await Celtics Decision

  2. Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors – This could be an interesting offseason for Ibaka. We have already seen The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers come out in expressing interest in the big man. It will be interesting to see what type of money Ibaka wants or if he wants to compete for another ring. I could see him taking a pay cut to potentially go to the Lakers or Nets and compete while he is at this good of a point in his career still.

    Serge Ibaka wants to re-sign with the Toronto Raptors

  3. Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz – Clarkson proved he is still an elite scorer and 3 point shooter last season for his time with the Jazz. He still has instant offense, and when put around the right offense he can create his shot taking pressure off some of the guys around him. Oddly enough, Jordan Clarkson just seems like one of the players the Knicks are going to drastically overpay this free agency and I don’t see Clarkson turning it down. Especially if the Knicks don’t hit with one of the top guys they want and do as poorly in the draft as always they will sign Clarkson late for a lot.
     Utah Jazz: Midseason grades for Jordan Clarkson
  4. Goran Dragic – Dragic showed his value this postseason and while it’s hard for me not to see Miami re-signing Dragic, I just believe that they will make a push for other free agents and try to make trades that may involve Dragic being an assent for them in either the draft or as they try to acquire a different piece.

  5. Tristan Thompson, Clevland Cavaliers – If the Cavs pay Drummond I don’t see Thompson and Drummond becoming the Cavs duo of the future, and with teams like Warriors, Bucks, Suns, Lakers, Celtics, and Heat all looking for bigs it makes sense for Thompson deciding parting ways with the Cavs.

  6. Marc Gasol, Toronto Raptors – With showing that he is a championship-caliber center still with the ability to stretch the floor It almost makes perfect sense to me why Marc Gasol should end up in Golden State. He has the potential to stay and make the money he wants in Toronto but he’s at this point in his career Gasol knows what he brings to the table and wants to be on the best team he can play for. We will see if that ends up being the Raptors.
  7. Paul Milsap, Denver Nuggets – With the emergence of Michael Porter Jr. the Nuggets won’t need the same production from Milsap and if they do resign Jerami Grant (which they should) Milsap becomes even less key of a piece.

  8. Wesley Mathews, Milwaukee Bucks – Wesley proved he’s a valuable stretch the floor guy and he is capable of guarding well at this point in his career. Because his game fits so well with Giannis is makes a lot of sense that he would stay but I think because of the playoff collapse the Bucks are going to try and shake things up a bit and it won’t include Wes. Wes Could sneak in with a contender like the Lakers, Nets, or Golden State for the right price.

  9. Aaron Baynes, Pheonix Suns – Baynes is another versatile big that a team could grab at a good value he’s a great pic and roll center that I could see ending up in a Golden State or Milwaukee depending on what each team does during the draft and before.

  10. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers – Dwight is another center that will capitalize off off teams needing bigs this offseason.
    Whether the Lakers resign him or not I expect Dwight to be a competitor next year after showing his defensive capability in this past postseason. His ability to guard Jockic might just make a Golden state realize he is the center that would best help them return to form.  

Nov 16, 2020 No Comments
A True Boston Celtics Legend, Tommy Heinsohn, dies at 86

A True Boston Celtics Legend, Tommy Heinsohn, dies at 86

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by | Nov 12, 2020 | Featured, NBA, uncategorised

 

Tommy Heinsohn has been a huge part of the Celtics franchise since the moment he began his career as a player back in the 1950s. Heinsohn had an outstanding playing career for the Celtics as he was a part of the dynasties of the ’50s and ’60s. He won 8 championships with the Boston Celtics and made 6 all-star appearances. He averaged over 18 points and almost 9 rebounds a game over the course of his career earning himself a spot in the Basketball Hall Of Fame. After his playing career ended with the Celtics in 1969 he became the Celtics’ head coach, leading them to two more Championships in 1974 and 1976. He then furthered his career with the Celtics becoming the LEGENDARY color commentator his career for the Celtics in 1981. In all, Tommy Heinsohn was a part of all 17 Celtics Championships in his 60 years as a player, coach, and broadcaster.

“Celtics games will not be the same without Tommy, and he will be dearly missed by those who share his fervor for basketball,” said  NBA Commissioner Adam Silver via ESPN. The Celtics owner also weighed in stating that, “Tommy was the ultimate Celtic. For the past 18 years, our ownership group has relied hugely on Tommy’s advice and insights and have reveled in his hundreds of stories about Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, and how the Celtics became a dynasty. He will be remembered forever.”

 

 

Tommy was there for the start of the tradition of toughness and grit that we have all grown to know and love about Celtics teams. Later in his career, as a broadcaster, he coined the phrase “Tommy Points” which basically were the toughness plays that lead to winning. Things such as diving on a loose ball, securing a crucial rebound or making a go-ahead basket were all types of plays that Heinsohn in the game recaps would reward the “Tommy Point” to. He gave it this title because that’s who he was as a player. One of the toughest guys out there who did what he needed for the team to win. In fact, Heisohn embodied this grit and passion his whole career dating all the way back to his days at Holy Cross. He graduated from Holy Cross in 1956 as the school’s all-time leading scorer and after he was drafted by the Celtics there was no let down when he went on to win rookie of the year in his first season. He beat out teammate Bill Russell for the Rookie of the year that season and scored a crazy 37 points and 23 rebounds in the final game of the NBA finals against the St. Louis Hawks. Tommy just always delivered. Whether it was as a player, coach, or broadcaster you could tell how passionate about winning and then how that transitioned to his love for the Boston Celtics.

My favorite thing about the Great Tommy Heinsohn was that he just never seemed to stop playing for the Celtics. In his days when he was the head color commentator for the Celtics, he captured the whole Boston Sports audience with his familiar Boston accent and the way he would passionately criticize players. The way Tommy would comment on players and situations was similar to the way a die-hard Celtics fan uncle yells at a TV during a game as if the players could hear them. Tommy just sounded like the Boston Celtics and will always sound like the Boston Celtics to me. Tommy influenced many Celtics fans in Boston to only listened and watch Celtics games on the local broadcast and radio networks even when they were are on major networks. It was the relatability, he came off as a fan just like the viewer/listener at home. Tommy highlighted the perspective of a Celtics coach and fan in his broadcasting, he was never neutral, he made it obvious he was riding for his Celtics. If you know anything about Boston sports fans….. they loved that. I loved that and I am personally going to miss hearing his voice call games. As long as I have been a Celtics fan I’ve associated his commentary voice with that parquet floor and loved the moments of games where I felt like the lead Tommy Heinsohn and I shared the same excitement for such a huge play or such a huge win. He was a true legend, professional, and most memorable of all Celtic and he will truly be missed. Rest Easy Tommy, thank you for all you’ve done.

 

Players and Coaches Weigh in on the Passing of Tommy Heinsohn Via Twitter:

Nov 12, 2020 No Comments
Jordan Brand Officially Unveils Their Holiday 2020 Lineup

Jordan Brand Officially Unveils Their Holiday 2020 Lineup

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by | Sep 23, 2020 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers, uncategorised

‘Tis the season and Jordan Brand is bringing gifts. After a tumultuous year of speculation, Jordan Brand officially unveils their upcoming releases for the holiday season. 

The full sleight of Jordan’s holiday releases is headlined by the return of the Fire Red 4s emblazoned with the ‘Nike Air’ heel branding for the first time since their release. Alongside the fateful return of an icon are 11 other colorways including a duo of women’s exclusive colorways. While we don’t have dates for these just yet, it won’t be long before Michael Jordan is sliding down our chimneys.

Air Jordan 13 “Hyper Royal”

Air Jordan 12 “Concord”

Air Jordan 12 “Reverse Flu Game”

Women’s Air Jordan 8

Air Jordan 5 “What The”

Air Jordan 4 “Sashiko”

Air Jordan 4 OG “Fire Red”

Air Jordan 3 “Court Purple”

Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black Gold”

Air Jordan 1 High OG “Dark Mocha”

Women’s Air Jordan 1 High OG “Lucky Green”

Air Jordan 1 High OG CO.JP “Midnight Navy”

Sep 23, 2020 No Comments
Drake Gets Justin Bieber to Take His Place in Popstar Music Video

Drake Gets Justin Bieber to Take His Place in Popstar Music Video

Celebs

by | Sep 4, 2020 | Celebs, Featured, uncategorised

Drake was right when he said Shit don’t even usually get this big without a Bieber face…”

DJ Khaled surprises fans this morning by dropping a massive video for his hit single “Popstar.” Directed by X, this eight-minute clip enlist the help of one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, Justin Bieber.

In the opening scene, a relentless Khaled tries to get Drake to shoot a video for the track. Well the restrictions on international due to COVID-19, isn’t helping. Add on the fact Drake is trying to finalize his own album Certified Lover Boy, where is he gonna find time to show a video.

After receiving a barrage of calls and texts from Khaled, Drizzy calls in a favor asking the Biebs to star in the video in his place.

The video then cuts to a morning-after scene, with Bieber passed out in bed surrounded by women. A mansion full of partiers ready to keep the festivities going.Bieber shows off his tatted chest and dance moves while rapping along to Drake’s lyrics and draped in his flashy wardrobe. His manager Scooter Braun even makes a cameo.

At the end of the video it turns out this was in fact, a complete dream sequence for the singer. But here’s the twist as the Justin and Hailey take their dog for a morning walk, the pop star’s phone rings and he looks down to see a call from Drake.

“Popstar” was released in July alongside “Greece” and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both tracks are set to appear on Khaled’s upcoming album Khaled Khaled.

Check out the video below:

Sep 4, 2020 No Comments
WWE RE-LAUNCHING 90’s FACTION?

WWE RE-LAUNCHING 90’s FACTION?

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by | Jul 22, 2020 | Featured, uncategorised

In the past few Raw episodes, MVP and Bobby Lashley have partnered together, creating a new stable named “The Hurt Business.” The recent episode on Raw showed this stable branching out, adding a new member, the 24/7 Champion Shelton Benjamin.

In this week’s episode on Raw, WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons was seen in a segment backstage chatting with MVP and Bobby Lashley. Dave Meltzer later mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio, the plans for relaunching the 90’s Faction, the Nation of Domination, or creating a faction similar to it.

 

“There was an idea; I don’t know if it was dropped. Originally, it was going to be on the show for a revamping of The Nation of Domination, and Ron Simmons was going to be a part of that angle, but they dropped that angle for this show. They may be building to it later, they may have dropped it completely, but they had brought him in for that angle. So, therefore, that is why he was on television.” –Dave Meltzer

 

The Nation of Domination (NOD) was a faction in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 1996 to 1998.

The group was formed by Faarooq (Ron Simmons) in 1996. In the late 1997/early 1998 incarnation of the Nation, NOD group members consisted of Kama Mustafa, who was later known as The Godfather, Faarooq, The Rock, and D’Lo Brown. The Nation then betrayed Faarooq with The Rock emerging as the Nation’s new leader adding Mark Henry and Owen Hart.

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Jul 22, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #10 Oklahoma City Thunder

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #10 Oklahoma City Thunder

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by | Jul 20, 2020 | Featured, NBA, uncategorised

 

In Today’s breakdown, we are going to look at a very impressive Oklahoma City Thunder squad that sits at the 5th spot in the Western Conference but, could position themself as best as 3rd by the time the playoff comes around. For a team that most people expected to be at the bottom half of the western conference playoff picture when the year began, OKC has been fuel by its veteran leadership from G Chris Paul in addition to a bunch of hungry young and talented players.

Gone are the Days of the MVP talents of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading this team to the playoffs but The Thunder will not be experiencing any type of playoff drought because of this. The team has a new identity and they have only improved as this year has gone on and the team is able to build more chemistry. The new selfless identity of this team that displays some of the most balanced scorings of an NBA roster, has put the Thunder not only in a playoff position but serious playoff contention.

Oklahoma City Season in Review (40-24, 5th in West)

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have an overall record of 40-24 this year to claim the 5th seed in the West. They are only 1 game behind the Utah Jazz who are in 5th place and 3 behind the Nuggets who are in 4th. With 8 games left I expect these three teams along with the Houston rockets who only sit a half-game behind the thunder to make the 3-6 seeding interesting. The Thunder’s success this season has a lot to do with their success on the road after starting off poorly.

After losing their first 6 road games the Thunder have won 19 of their last 24 games outside of Chesapeake Energy Arena. This has so much to do with G Chris Paul’s leadership role but also speaks to the maturity of the rest of this thunder squad. Leading Scorer for the Thunder, G Shai Gilgous-Alexander has emerged always been a talented multi-level scorer. It’s clear Shai didn’t want to be seen as just some guy in the Paul George trade he’s played aggressive all year long and it brought out the best in him and his teammates. The dynamic that he and Paul have been able to create for this team on a nightly basis has been incredibly fun to watch. They are both dynamic playmakers and have done a great job this year of getting the most out of the rest of the squad. Chris Paul has worked the pick and roll game with Steven Adams this year to perfection and their wings have shown the ability to be consistent enough from the field to keep the floor spaced. The 20 points per game that this team gets out of Danillo Gallinari and Dennis Schroder should also not go overlooked. Danillo has been a star in his role for this team mainly as a pick and pop guy all year long. The playmaking ability of all the guards whether it be Paul, Gilgous-Alexander, or Schroder has really unlocked part of Gallinari’s game. Schroder has always been a really underrated guy in my personal opinion. He’s always produced a great number over the course of his career no matter starting or coming off the bench. Like Shai, he can score on all levels and is always under control. This team is full of players that just don’t get rattled very easily so its no coincidence this team followed up their first 6 road losses with the second-best road record in the NBA behind the Los Angels Lakers.

 

 

 

 

The Thunder are a very smart team but they are also very young and athletic especially when you look deeper into the roster. With guards like Hamidou Diallo, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, and Terrance Ferguson they have depth and athleticism from the wing position which will really help defensively down the stretch. The Thunder have been great with utilizing their young guys this year and it seems like their rookies especially have gotten more confident as the year has gone on. Despite the well-balanced scoring, the Thunder gets every night, the Thunder’s defense is the strongest part of this team’s identity.

 

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder surprisingly rank bottom-ten in the league in points per game, assists per game, 3-point percentage, field goals attempted, and several other offensive categories. The Thunder do the little things that result in wins. They rank first in the league in opponent free throw attempts holding their opponents to an average of 17.2 attempts from the line this year. OKC also is only letting up a 12.2 second-chance points per game that rank 2nd in the league. They are efficient and sound of defense this year and it hasn’t mattered whether its at home or on the road. Surprisingly enough the thunder has a better win percentage on the road this year than at home. I think this stat actually means a lot more than you think as the season restarts because this team has proven they don’t need to be home to win all year long and with no games, for the rest of this season being played inside the Chesapeake, this team looks certain to bring their defense to Orlando to make a deep run in the playoffs.      

 

 

 

 

 

Looking into the Bubble:

Looking into the bubble the biggest news for the thunder seems to be that G Dennis Schroder may not be able to play. Schroder announced to the media last week that his wife is pregnant with their second child and that she should be giving birth sometime during when the completion of the regular season. Schroder has made it clear to the organization and media that he intents to be there for his wife and is trying to work something out with the team where he can return to the team in the safest way possible.

 

 

 

While this might be tough to hear from a fan perspective, this is the right thing for Dennis Schroder to do during these crazy times. The man should be with his wife and newborn before all else and it’s good to see Coach Billy Donavan and the rest of the Organization are fully behind him.

 

With this being said, without Schroder this team is taking a massive hit at a time they will need him more than ever. Schroder’s scoring off the bench is crucial for this team. We are talking about a potential 20 points a game missing for 3-4 weeks in which cold be first-round playoff series. I don’t think this team will be able to replicate what they have done for most of the regular season without him but they have had players step up countless times this year but not quite for what seems to be an extended period of time.

 

 

 

Without Schroder, they will still have to make sure their defense stays as strong as its been. Schroder provides playoff experience for this team so losing him even though in different playoff circumstances hurts them even more. The young guys are really going to have to step up defensively to give these guys a boost and the scoring from Shai, CP3, and Gallinari with having to increase by volumes for this team to produce in the same way. The good news though is that they are capable. They are healthy they have the talent and now if they can just execute they could potentially get hot enough to really compete in the Western Conference playoffs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jul 20, 2020 No Comments