Could Paul Pierce make the difference in D.C.?

                                           
 
     The Washington Wizards are one of the more interesting teams in the NBA. Bradley Beal and John Wall, who combined for 36.4 points per game last season, have emerged into one of the best backcourts in the NBA to go alongside a solid front court rotation of Nene, Marcin Gortat, and Kris Humphries. However, as good as those five players are, the Wizards likely wouldn't be considered a serious contender if they didn't also have Paul Pierce, who is coming off a one year stint with the Brooklyn Nets.
 
     Now you might be saying that Paul Pierce is old and that what makes the Wizards really dangerous is the combination of players I mentioned before him. That's not at all inaccurate. Those five players I mentioned are going to have to carry the bulk of the load, especially Wall and Beal.
 
     However, I think Paul Pierce's presence is what the Wizards need to get over the hump and into the NBA Finals this season. Beal and Wall can get the Wizards close, but they need somebody else who is capable of doing damage late in games and also providing them with confidence. Especially in the playoffs.
 
     What better man to fill that need than Paul Pierce? He has championship and leadership experience, and ice in his veins. Pierce lives for the big moments, and when the Wizards are in such moments, Pierce will know what it takes to get the job done.

      In addition to being a weapon late in games, Pierce himself can still produce for four quarters. Last season in Brooklyn, Pierce played 28 minutes per game for 75 games and averaged 13.5 points per game. That's very solid production to add to your lineup. Especially when you already have other guys to do the heavy lifting.
 
     The bottom line is that Paul Pierce is a great addition to this Wizards team both because of the intangibles he brings and the actual on court production that he can provide night in and night out. If the Wizards figure out how to utilize him properly and put his abilities to full use, they could find themselves in the NBA Finals this season.

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

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The Orlando Magic could surprise people this season

The Orlando Magic are in recovery mode from the Dwight Howard era and still to some extent the Shaquille O'Neal era. But while the rebuilding period is far from over, I personally think it is foolish to pencil them in as a lottery team for the upcoming season. A combination of the talent they have acquired and the changing landscape of the Eastern Conference could result in the Orlando Magic winning their share of games this season while also making the playoffs.

Last season was no doubt a horrible season for the Magic as they went 23-59, but the good that came of it was drafting Arizona forward Aaron Gordon with the #4 overall pick. Gordon is much more NBA ready than most people think he is and I personally think he will make a huge impact on the Magic this season. While his offensive polish isn't there, his freakish athleticism, defensive abilities, and his hustle is sure to make the Orlando Magic a much tougher team to scheme for. In addition to Gordon, the Magic also acquired Elfrid Payton in the draft who is sure to be a nice fit in the backcourt with Victor Oladipo.

What is probably most overlooked about this Orlando Magic team is the veterans that were acquired. Ben Gordon and Channing Frye may be overpaid, but there is no doubt that they will make the Magic a better team. Gordon should really help the maturation of Payton and Oladipo while also providing a quality scoring threat from beyond the arc, and similarly, Channing Frye should help Aaron Gordon develop as a small forward while also putting up quality numbers. If the veterans and the young guns on this Magic team can mesh, it isn't at all crazy to think that the Magic will win their share of games and possibly sneak into the playoffs.

As for the landscape of the Eastern Conference, things look wide open for that #8 spot with the Pacers, Celtics, 76ers, Bucks, and Pistons all heading to the lottery. Looking at the players that they now have and the state of these other teams, the Magic should easily be hanging around the 9-10 range in the Eastern Conference standings throughout the entire year. In truth, snagging the #8 seed really isn't an unreachable goal for this Orlando Magic team.

In conclusion, the Orlando Magic appear to be on the right track to have a competitive season this year and also in the seasons to come. They have a nice blend of youth and veteran leadership to keep them in the playoff mix until the very end.

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

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Will new ownership produce a better product on the floor for the Clippers?

Earlier this month, Steve Ballmer officially became the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers which subsequently marked the dawning of a new era of Los Angeles Clippers basketball. While the arrival of Steve Ballmer and the departure of Donald Sterling is exciting for the Clippers, will this change actually produce a better product on the floor?

I don't mean to curb the enthusiasm of Clippers fans, but they need to understand why it is that they are excited before they go insane like Ballmer did at the most recent Clippers rally. If Clippers fans want to say they are excited purely on the grounds that they can finally cheer for their team in good conscience, then they have every reason to be excited. But if they are excited because they think a championship is just around the corner, they may be in for some disappointment. 

                                             

I don't deny that having Steve Ballmer as their new owner is a good thing for the Clippers organization. I think it's a great thing for the organization, but not because I think it will result in the Clippers winning more basketball games. If you look at the team that they have on the floor right now, it isn't clear how much better they can really get. 

They have a top flight coach in Doc Rivers, the best point guard in the NBA in Chris Paul, and one of the top five best power forwards in the game in Blake Griffin. Not only that, but they have quality players around those two guys with DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Hawes, J.J. Redick, and Jamal Crawford. 

The Clippers right now are as good as they ever have been, and ironically, the building of this strong team was under the stewardship of Donald Sterling and not Steve Ballmer. Of course, with all the losing that the Sterling era went through, it stands to reason that Clippers fans can expect to see a more consistently competitive product on the floor, but that doesn't mean the product will be any better than what it presently is. 

If you look at this Clippers team, there really is not way to improve the team other than having Blake Griffin and Chris Paul get better as a duo. Ultimately, that will come down to those two players working on their game and perhaps some of the instruction they get from Doc Rivers. Steve Ballmer has zero control over how much better Chris Paul and Blake Griffin get and he also can't do much to better the roster since I really think the roster they have is as good as it can possibly be. 

At the end of the day, I don't see Steve Ballmer producing a better product on the floor for the Clippers. They may get better and eventually win a championship, but it won't be because Steve Ballmer arrived. His arrival energizes the fan base and gives people in Los Angeles better reason to cheer for the Clippers, which in and of itself makes his arrival a great thing for the Clippers. However,  I think it is important we clarify that and not make the mistake of thinking that the Clippers are suddenly going to win a championship because they got new ownership. 

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

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Could Kevin Durant really leave the Thunder for his hometown Wizards?

With LeBron James leaving Miami to return to play for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, many people are now starting to wonder if Kevin Durant will pull a similar move and leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to join his hometown Washington Wizards. Durant was born and raised in the D.C. area and he is proud of where he is from, but would he really leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Washington Wizards when he hits free agency in 2016? While it sounds like pie in the sky for Wizards fans, I will argue why it could actually end up happening.

The first reason why it is possible that Kevin Durant joins the Wizards in 2016 is that he may find their roster more attractive. If Kevin Durant can't win a championship or at least get back to the NBA Finals with Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, he may look at what the Wizards have with Bradley Beal, John Wall, and Marcin Gortat and think to himself that his odds of winning a title with the Wizards are higher than they are with the Thunder.

I don't doubt for one second that Durant likes Oklahoma City a lot, but he is also a very competitive guy who wants to win. If he feels like the grass is greener somewhere else, odds are good he leaves, especially if it's his hometown team calling with an attractive roster.

                                                  (credit: worldsportswag.com)

The second reason why it's possible he makes the move from Oklahoma City to Washington D.C. is that I'm not convinced he really likes playing with Russell Westbrook. Russell Westbrook will be a free agent in 2017, which means that if Kevin Durant re-ups on another 5 year max contract with the Thunder, he'll have to do it with Russell Westbrook still on the team for the following season. It would be hard to negotiate things in such a fashion in which he says "It's me or him" when Westbrook still has one year left on his contract, which is why I think if he doesn't care for Westbrook, he'll probably just go somewhere else to play.

The final reason why I think a move to Washington D.C. is possible is that if Kevin Durant wanted to get out of Oklahoma City, Washington D.C. would be the most publicly acceptable place for him to go. Nobody would criticize him for desiring to bring his hometown team a championship especially since it is the Wizards, a team that has historically been unsuccessful at recruiting marquee free agents. If his hometown team happened to be the Lakers, Bulls, or Knicks, a lot of people would perceive the whole "I wanna play in my hometown" argument through a more cynical lens.

While I think these are legitimate reasons for thinking he goes to the Wizards, there are reasons for why it's also very unlikely that he leaves the Thunder. For one thing, he seems to enjoy playing for the Thunder and seems to really have an attachment to the fans and the Oklahoma City community. Durant has repeatedly talked about how much it would mean to him to bring that city a championship and how he feels a sense of duty to the community. Durant comes off as a really humble and sincere guy. If he says he loves it there, I want to believe him.

In addition, he and Russell Westbrook overall make a great team and he once again seems to like playing alongside Russell Westbrook. While I do think it's possible that things between them are strained, it sure doesn't look like it judging by what Durant says about him. He seems to genuinely enjoy Westbrook's company and seems to want to make things work between them.

Finally, he has a great thing going with the Thunder as is. The fans love him, the community loves him, the Spurs are sure to go away eventually, and the team is really good. Leaving behind the Thunder would be leaving behind a very good team, which may only be one piece away from a championship. He knows what he's getting in Oklahoma City, whereas in D.C. there would be some unknowns such as whether or not the team could afford both him and Bradley Beal.

                                                (credit: washingtonpost.com)

While over $70M in cap space will open up in 2016 to sign Kevin Durant thanks to Nene and Paul Pierce becoming free agents, Bradley Beal will be a free agent, too. Beal is certain to command a lot of money which means that Durant may not be able to play with John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Marcin Gortat. He may only be able to play with Wall and Gortat, which suddenly doesn't sound as good.  Plus, going to the Eastern Conference means playing in the same conference as LeBron James and I'm not sure he wants to do that.

In conclusion, could Kevin Durant really leave the Thunder to join the Wizards? I think it's very possible, but it's far from being a slam dunk. A lot of factors are still at play that could make him lean one way or the other. His love for the city of Oklahoma City, the fact that he knows what he's getting there, and also being in an opposite conference from LeBron James are good reasons to stay where he is. On the other hand, his hometown would also fully embrace him while also providing him with an attractive roster to play with. Both options seem possible to me at this point, and only time will tell what decision Durant ends up making. It will certainly be interesting to see.

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

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With the Eastern Conference wide open, don't sleep on the Atlanta Hawks

In a matter of a few weeks, the landscape of the Eastern Conference has dramatically shifted from being a two horse race between the Heat and Pacers to a wide open derby with as much as seven contenders. Of course, this is primarily due to LeBron James' decision to head back to Cleveland to join the Cavaliers, but other factors such as Lance Stephenson going to the Hornets and Pau Gasol going to the Bulls have also contributed to this shift. While everybody is all abuzz about the Cavaliers, Bulls, Wizards, and Hornets, nobody is paying one iota of attention to the Atlanta Hawks and the potential they have to make a run for the Eastern Conference crown.

The reason why they aren't getting any attention is equally obvious as it is incoherent: They haven't added any major free agents to their team this summer. What makes this incoherent is that their star center Al Horford missed almost the entire season with a torn pectoral muscle, and yet they found themselves taking the #1 seeded Indiana Pacers to a Game 7 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.  

                                          (credit: soaringsouth.com)

With Al Horford now healthy, the Hawks will finally be able to see how much damage they can do with a frontcourt that features Al Horford and Paul Millsap, two guys who are both all-stars. In my opinion, the damage that they can do is severe enough to come out of the Eastern Conference and stun everybody who follows the NBA. 

Before he went down with his pectoral injury last season, Al Horford was having the best season of his career, averaging 18.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per contest. As for Paul Millsap, what earned him all-star honors was his season average of 17.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Those aren't numbers to ignore in today's NBA, especially for big men. With Pacers center Roy Hibbert going all coo coo in the head, the door is now open for the Hawks to have the best front court in the Eastern Conference even with the Bulls having Joakim Noah and the Cavaliers potentially landing Kevin Love.

In addition to their fantastic frontcourt which also features the very dangerous stretch-big man Pero Antic, the Hawks have a very dangerous backcourt which features Jeff Teague and also Thabo Sefolosha who they signed this summer in free agency. Like Horford and Millsap, Teague has gotten better every season with this past season being his best, averaging 16.5 points, 6.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. 

Teague is not only a playmaker offensively, but he is also a playmaker defensively. By adding Thabo Sefolosha to their backcourt, the Hawks now have a very dangerous defensive team on the perimeter that can give the best backcourts in the NBA serious trouble. In addition, the Hawks also have Kyle Korver knocking down threes at the small forward position, which makes up for Sefolosha's lack of offense. 

As for the role players on the Hawks, I like the pieces that their head coach Mike Budenholzer has to work with. Kent Bazemore, who had a breakout season of sorts with the Lakers last season should be able to provide scoring off the bench, DeMarre Carrol is effective at providing energy and hustle, and Dennis Schroeder is looking like he may become a quality backup point guard. Plus, both rookie Adreian Payne and veteran Gustavo Ayon should be able to provide quality relief in the paint for Al Horford and Paul Millsap. 

The only knock on the Hawks is that they don't have a big name player who will put them on ESPN and TNT every week. They will once again fly under the radar as a result, but don't allow that to make you forget that Hawks still exist as a viable contender in the East. They can beat you in the paint and on the perimeter and they also have quality role players. In addition, they learned that without Al Hoford they can still make some noise in the playoffs. Now that they are getting Horford back, I don't see any reason to think that they can't run the table and come out of the East. 

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

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LeBron James is going back to Cleveland: What this means for the rest of the NBA

                                           

Over the past couple of weeks, talk of LeBron James going back to the Cleveland Cavaliers slowly morphed from being pie in the sky to a strong possibility. Now it's more than just a strong possibility. It is a reality. LeBron James told Sports Illustrated in an interview today that he has decided to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers after abandoning them 4 years ago to chase championships in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. It's pretty obvious what this means for the city of Cleveland. It means that they have a championship caliber team with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Andrew Wiggins. Rather than talking about what this means for Cleveland, since that's pretty obvious, what I will do in this article is try to articulate what it means for the rest of the NBA.

The number one thing this means for the rest of the NBA is that the Eastern Conference just got really interesting. Now we aren't looking at another Heat-Pacers Eastern Conference Finals. We are instead looking at the Cavaliers, Pacers, Bulls (with or without Carmelo Anthony), and possibly the Raptors as contenders in the East. In addition, this means the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets will all be battling it out for the Southeast division title instead of the Heat taking it in a cakewalk.

As for the Western Conference, this means that the San Antonio Spurs without a doubt are the team with the biggest target on their backs. So long as the Heat had LeBron James, the Heat in some sense still had the biggest target on their backs, but now that LeBron is going back to Cleveland, the San Antonio Spurs are undoubtedly the team that EVERYBODY will be honing in on to beat. It doesn't mean the Cavaliers won't have a target on their backs since LeBron James by default has a target on his back, but it does mean that the Spurs are clearly the favorite to win the NBA title and clearly are the team that everybody should be most afraid of.

As for the Oklahoma City Thunder, this means that provided they can get past the Spurs, they have to really like their chances of winning a title next season. Kevin Durant no longer needs to feel like he needs to go Hollywood to chase a title like Carmelo Anthony did when he bolted the Mile High City for Broadway. LeBron James going back to Cleveland is great for the the Thunder because I think it will motivate Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to stay in their small market town of Oklahoma City and continue to pursue a championship.

More broadly speaking, this is great for small market teams everywhere. To see the world's greatest player leave Miami (technically a mid-major market) for Cleveland (a small market) has to give small market teams hope that they too can hang on to stars and build a contender if they get the right kind of players. Teams like Utah, Minnesota, Portland, Memphis, and Indiana have to feel like if Cleveland can become a contender, so can they.

Overall, I think LeBron James going back to Cleveland is great for the NBA. It energizes Cleveland, it makes the race for the Eastern Conference title way more interesting, and it gives hope to small market teams everywhere that they too can compete and contend for championships. This truly is a great day in the NBA.

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

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Miami Heat 2013-14 Team Review

Result and why:

After dominating the Eastern Conference in the first three seasons of the Big Three’s existence, the Heat’s 54-28 record had them playing second fiddle to the Indiana Pacers, who from the start of the season were intent on topping the Eastern Conference.

Stephenson tried, and failed,
to rattle the Heat

However, when it came to the Playoffs, the Pacers’ relative inexperience compared to Miami, coupled with their episodes of immaturity, in particular from Lance Stephenson, saw them lose to Miami in six games, though it could have easily taken fewer games.

The Heat’s bid to become just the fourth franchise in NBA history to three-point would eventually come up short, with a disappointing loss in five games to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. Miami was outclassed for much of the series, with their win being a slender two point margin of victory, compared to the Spurs, who won by 15 points or more in the other four games.

Standout star:

LeBron James was once again the standout player for the Heat last season. Once again he put up MVP worthy numbers, and if Kevin Durant had not have had such an impressive season he would have surely won the award for the third straight season. In 77 regular season games, LeBron averaged numbers of 27.1 points, while shooting a career best 56.7% from the field, to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

James scored a Heat record
61 points against Charlotte

With Dwyane Wade sitting out of 28 regular season games to rest his ailing knee, this put the onus even more on LeBron to lead his team to victory, and he duly delivered. This was most evident in Miami’s game against Charlotte; with Wade missing, LeBron erupted for a career high and Miami Heat record of 61 points, leading his team to a resounding victory. This was made even more impressive due to the fact that he was playing with a protective mask on his face due to him having a broken nose.

James’ stats did not deviate much in the Playoffs, and had his team gone on to win the Finals he would have surely been named Finals MVP for a third successive season. Unfortunately, his teammates were somewhat hit-and-miss, and a complete lack of bench production meant that even LeBron’s heroics could not see Miami through to the finish line.

Offseason needs:

For Miami to make any major progress during this offseason and, in particular, the upcoming free agency period, they needed their Big Three to all opt out of their contracts, which they have done. Now, before throwing your computer out of the window in disgust, consider this:

Can Miami keep the Big 3 together?

If James, Wade and Bosh had all opted in to their contracts, Miami would be paying them a combined total of around $62 million. With Norris Cole ($2.1 million) the only player with a guaranteed contracted for next season after Udonis Haslem opted out of his contract, this would have brought Miami’s total salary being paid next season to approximately $64 million. The salary cap for next season is expected to be $62.1 million, with the luxury tax set at $75.7million, which would not have left Miami much room to sign another eight players or so.

Reports have surfaced in the last few days stating that James is seeking a max deal to stay in Miami. If the Heat were to offer this, they would need Bosh and Wade to take a significant pay cut, something that they could be willing to do. James recently met for dinner with Bosh, Wade and Haslem to discuss their options, and his teammates reportedly understand LeBron’s wish to secure a max contract.

If Bosh takes the $15 million-a-year contract he is reportedly looking for, and if Wade signs for somewhere in the region of $12 million, then signing LeBron to a max deal and still leaving cap space to sign players to put around them would still be possible.

Lowry could be the playmaker
the Heat have been looking for

If the Heat were to achieve this, the next step for them should be to aggressively chase a ball handler during free agency. Kyle Lowry has been linked heavily with the South Beach team in recent weeks, and he would fit the bill perfectly. Miami are in desperate need of a player who can run the offense so that it does not always have to run through James and Wade.

Lowry earned over $6 million last season, and could easily command the same amount, if not more, in free agency. However, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility to entice him into taking less money to join the Big Three and earn his first NBA Championship ring.

If the Heat is able to make these signings, the next issue they must address is improving their options on the bench. Miami’s substitutes were collectively among the oldest in the league, and it showed last season. They looked weary and failed to produce all too often, leaving Miami’s starting group under a lot of pressure to perform.

Team outlook:

At the time of writing the future is still very uncertain for Miami. We are just hours away from the free agency period starting, and it will most likely be at least a few days before any signings are made.

Until such a time that signings can be finalized, it is hard to predict how a team will fare in the upcoming season, even more so when in Norris Cole, Miami only has one player signed to a guaranteed contract for next season, although the signing of rookie Shabazz Napier will soon take that total to two.

However, when you take into consideration what Pat Riley has been able to accomplish in the past, such as bringing Bosh and James to Miami to team up with Wade, it would be foolish not to consider the Heat as once again a leading contender for the Eastern Conference title, and perhaps even the NBA title.

For now, all Miami fans can do is sit back and let the madness unfold.

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