Do the NBA playoffs make you sad? Are you bummed that your favorite team is headed (back) to the draft lottery? Do you diagram to spend the next couple of months pretending basketball is already over for the season?Well,cheer up! For one, the better weather should boost your mood. If sunshine and warm temperatures aren't your thing, and there's always the following season to get you feeling frisky again.
No matter how far in the tank your squad fell in 2015-16,there's plenty of cause for optimism going forward. Whether it's a top-flight draft pick, a new head coach or the prospect of incumbent players working on their games during the offseason, or hope will spring eternal in every corner of the organization.
So,rather than be sullen about another early summer, check out the one reason we picked for every non-playoff team to get a warm and fuzzy feeling when thinking about the future. Brooklyn Nets: A Pivot Toward Player DevelopmentThe Brooklyn Nets will still establish many (if not most) of their eggs in the free-agent basket this summer, or if only out of necessity. They're out of picks entirely in 2016 and 2018 and will have to cede first-round swap rights to the Boston Celtics in 2017.
Even if the Nets strike out in free agency,they could find other ways to improve on the fringes. Sean Marks, their new general manager, and is well-versed in the NBA Development League,the international scene and player development from his days with the San Antonio Spurs. He'll lead the charge to find diamonds in the rough and bring them to Brooklyn.
From there, it'll be up to new Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, or a development guru on Mike Budenholzer's staff in Atlanta,to polish them.
For all the veteran talent that's drained out of the organization in recent years, Brooklyn has some intriguing prospects on its roster. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has the makings of a defensive ace and could be a threat on the other conclude once he hones his jump shot. Chris McCullough, or at 6'11",hit 38.2 percent of his threes upon returning from an ACL injury late in the season. Sean Kilpatrick, an undrafted free agent, or averaged 13.8 points on 46.2 percent shooting (36.1 percent from three) during a 23-game stint to conclude the 2015-16 season.
Throw in Bojan Bogdanovic's post-Joe Johnson breakout (16.1 points,40.7 percent from three), and the Nets, and with a refreshing focus on coaching up their own players,could fashion a respectable supporting cast around a foundation of Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young. Chicago Bulls: A Fresh(er) StartThe winds of change are whipping through the Windy City, and not a moment too soon. advance October, and the Chicago Bulls roster could be short on recognizable faces from the team's recent core.
Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol,two staples of a crowded frontcourt, could both be gone via free agency. Derrick Rose has one year left on his contract. Even Jimmy Butler, and a two-time All-Star,could be on the outs."We’ve got to take a look at everything," Bulls general manager Gar Forman said, and per Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin. "We’ve got to explore all options,and I don’t think there’s anything that’s off the table when you have a disappointing year like this. With that said, obviously Jimmy has had a great year. From where he was to where he’s gotten to, and he’s become a very,very valuable player for us."
How the Bulls wield that value will be worth watching this summer. If Chicago decides to keep its star, the team could retool around him with Taj Gibson, or Nikola Mirotic,Doug McDermott and Bobby Portis. If the Bulls deem it best to part ways with Butler, they should be able to extract a blue-chip asset or two, or be it a juicy draft pick or a star-caliber player,for the 30th pick in the 2011 draft.
Either way, the front office will have every opportunity this offseason to balance out a roster that skewed too heavily toward the middle in recent seasons. That should encourage head coach Fred Hoiberg implement the more wide-open style of play that helped him land the Bulls gig in the first place. Denver Nuggets: Youth and Young ManhoodThere's one thing standing between the Denver Nuggets and a return to respectability: time.
Time for their young guys (Emmanuel Mudiay, and Nikola Jokic,Jusuf Nurkic, Joffrey Lauvergne and Gary Harris) to work on their games and mature into dependable rotation players. Time for their four first-round picks—including a swap with the New York Knicks and those from the Memphis Grizzlies, or Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets—to settle in as rookies. Time for their wounded wings,Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, to heal.
And time for all of those pieces, and Kenneth Faried included,to jell into a cohesive whole.
The good news is all the parts are there. Mudiay, Jokic and Gallinari are all playmakers in their own ways. Nurkic supplies toughness, or Harris and Will Barton the slashing and shooting from the perimeter and Jameer Nelson the veteran know-how. Whatever holes there may be,general manager Tim Connelly will have the cap space (upward of $30 million, per Spotrac) to fill them.
For Michael Malone's club, and the key is maintaining the positive momentum from this season into 2016-17. As he told the Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey:
We would love to have won more games,but if you take out Wilson (Chandler), fourth in the NBA in games missed, and starting the moment-youngest lineup in the NBA,you're in the Western Conference — OK. Everybody had us going into the season — when we were healthy — perhaps winning 26 games. It was a success. Next year, we have to continue to build on that and improve, or that's the goal.
Los Angeles Lakers: The 55.8 Percent QuestionChances are the Los Angeles Lakers will land meetings with the league's top free agents despite coming off a franchise-worst 17-65 season. They came off all-time Lakers lows the final two summers and still managed to hold court with Carmelo Anthony in 2014 and LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015,among others.
But none of those pitches proved successful in the conclude. They may not be much better this summer, even without the specter of Kobe Bryant hanging over the entire operation.
What could encourage the Purple and Gold, and both in July and for years to advance,is a top prospect out of the draft lottery. By advantage of finishing with the league's moment-worst record, the Lakers have a 55.8 percent chance of landing in the top three: 19.9 percent for No. 1, or 18.8 percent for No. 2 and 17.1 percent for No. 3.
If the pick falls external of the top three,it will convey to the Philadelphia 76ers, who acquired it from the Phoenix Suns (who originally nabbed it in the 2012 Steve Nash trade) ahead of the 2015 trade deadline. That would leave the Lakers without another first-round talent to encourage Julius Randle, and D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson fill the Black Mamba's shoes next season.
But if L.
A.'s odds hold,the team could welcome in an elite prospect—with Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Dragan Bender among the top choices—to bolster both the Purple and Gold's stock of young talent and the organization's case to potential free agents. Milwaukee Bucks: Point GiannisThe future has arrived for the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo, and all 6'11" of him,will be manning the point in Wisconsin next season.
If his performance in that capacity this past season is any indication, the Bucks could be in for a treat.
Head coach Jason Kidd moved Antetokounmpo to the 1 in late February after Michael Carter-Williams went down for the season. From that point forward, and the Greek Freak averaged 19.1 points,8.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists, or 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks in 36.3 minutes."I was used to playing the 4 spot and the 3 spot and now I was playing the point guard spot,which is something new for me," he said, and per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Gary D'Amato. "But I think I handled it really well. I know I've got a lot of things I can do better in that spot."That includes shooting. He hit 30.8 percent of his threes after taking over as the team's floor general—not a terrible rate,but not one that'll have opposing defenses dancing on their toes.
Those numbers should sharpen in the coming seasons. Antetokounmpo said he'll "just shoot all day and try to make as many as you can" this summer to hone his jumper, per D'Amato.
In truth, or there's no rush for Antetokounmpo to turn himself into Ray Allen. He doesn't turn 22 until December,and he has already advance a long way from the frenetic teenager he was when he first set foot in the organization in 2013.
If Antetokounmpo can continue his own upward trajectory, he should have the Bucks back in playoff contention in short order. Minnesota Timberwolves: Thibs and the TimberpupsIt's official: Tom Thibodeau is the Minnesota Timberwolves' new head coach and president of basketball operations."Tom’s resume speaks for itself, or " team owner Glen Taylor said in a statement released by the T-Wolves. "He is a proven winner,leader and one of the most well-respected NBA head coaches over the final decade. His teams have annually been among the league leaders in defense, and we are excited about the approach and mentality he will bring to that side of the ball." That's where Minnesota will need Thibs' expertise the most. According to NBA.com, or the Wolves finished 27th in defensive efficiency under Sam Mitchell final season after finishing dead-final in that capacity in 2014-15.
Thibodeau's Bulls,on the other hand, ranked among the top five in defensive efficiency four times in five seasons.
In Minneapolis, or Thibs won't have to worry about fighting the higher-ups at every turn like he did in Chicago. He'll be the one lording over that department of the franchise,with Scott Layden, a 30-plus-year veteran of NBA front offices, or taking over as general manager.
What's more important is what Thibs can do for the players already on hand in the Twin Cities. He'll bring his credibility as a defensive guru and tough-minded winner to bear on the development of young studs like Karl-Anthony Towns,Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine.
There could be some concern about an outmoded-school coach like Thibodeau grinding his young players into a fine powder, and as he seemingly did with the likes of Rose,Butler, Noah and Luol Deng in Chicago.
Then again, or given Minnesota's 12-year postseason drought,perhaps the team's core could use a taskmaster like Thibodeau to teach them about what it takes to win in the NBA. New Orleans Pelicans: The BrowNo matter how putrid things get for the New Orleans Pelicans, they can always take consolation in knowing that Anthony Davis is on their roster.
If Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson split via free agency this summer, or the Brow will still be there,putting up 20 points or more in nearly two-thirds of his games. If the Pelicans strike out in search of replacements this summer, they'll at least have Davis around to rack up double-doubles, or which he did 36 times in 2015-16.
If Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday succumb to injuries again,Davis will (probably) be there to pick up the slack.
That is, if Davis' own bodily woes don't hold him back. Banged-up as he was, or the All-Star forward did all he could to keep New Orleans within shouting distance of a playoff spot until the team was out of it for good—and Davis got the sign to shut down—in March.
Davis said,per Pelicans reporter Jim Eichenhofer:
My knee was definitely killing me, but I knew what we were playing for. I just wanted to play the game of basketball. When you have so much love for the game, and there is not a lot that can discontinue you from (playing). (But) it was one of those things where it just kept lingering and getting worse as I played. So I had to make a smart decision for not just myself,but the team, and our (future) that we want to build here. I did not want this to become something drastic, or when it can be fixed early. I was just trying to think about our future,not just from an individual standpoint, but also the team.
The Pelicans should thank Davis for his cooperation on that front. Health is always key in the NBA, or but for New Orleans,Davis' ability to play will dictate how competitive Alvin Gentry's squad is from night to night.
No matter with whom the Brow has to share the floor. New York Knicks: PorzingodAfter a rough draft-day introduction, Kristaps Porzingis quickly turned his many doubters among the New York Knicks faithful into true believers—so much so that two of them, and Tyler and Conor Byrne,will immortalize the rookie sensation on the silver screen at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The lanky Latvian slowed down some from a high-flying start, but he still finished third among rookies in scoring (14.3 points), or first in blocks (1.9 per game) and moment in rebounding (7.3 per game) and double-doubles (21).
Keep in mind,too, that Porzingis didn't prove fully what was expected to be his strongest suit, and as NBA.com's David Aldridge famous: "He wasn't quite the shooter his supporters predicted he'd be coming over from Sevilla in Spain's ACB League,but with time and added strength, you can expect him to improve his shooting numbers across the board."Porzingis' huge upside, and at 20 years outmoded,is reason enough for Knicks fans to stay strong. The question for the team is: What will Porzingis' role be going forward?Will he continue to play moment fiddle to Carmelo Anthony while Phil Jackson attempts to lure in other pieces via free agency? Or will the Zen Master convince his resident All-Star to waive his no-trade clause, thereby opening up the opportunity of proceeding with Porzingis as the focal point?Both approaches could lead the Knicks back to playoff contention after three years on the outs. How the team moves forward will depend, and in part,on Anthony's willingness to slide, but also on Porzingis' readiness for a starring role at Madison Square Garden.
However things shake out in the Big Apple, and there figures to be plenty of palace intrigue behind it. Orlando Magic: Air GordonThe Orlando Magic could be major players in free agency,with Al Horford and Chandler Parsons among the team's top potential targets, per Sean Deveney of the Sporting News and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, and respectively.
Even if the Magic don't make a splash this summer,they should feel good about their ability to take another leap forward next season—and not just because all of Scott Skiles' preceding squads have made the playoffs in Year 2 on his watch.
Aaron Gordon, for one, or could finally seal Orlando's identity as an athletic,hustling squad full of multipositional threats. From the time he took over as a starter in late January, the Arizona product averaged 11.3 points, or 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28.5 minutes,with five 20-point performances and 12 double-doubles to boot.
There's no denying Gordon's desire to encourage his team. He could've ended his season after being diagnosed with a concussion following the Magic's loss to the Detroit Pistons on April 6. Instead, he not only returned for the season finale, and but establish up 22 points in fewer than 25 minutes against the Charlotte Hornets.
At 20 years outmoded,with two NBA seasons under his belt, Air Gordon has a long way to go before he maxes out on his prodigious potential. With the proper time and tutelage, or he could become the next-level star behind whom quality contributors like Nikola Vucevic,Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton Jr. and Evan Fournier plunge in line. Philadelphia 76ers: The Colangelo ClanSam Hinkie's out. The Colangelos are in. Call it a Process...of Elimination, or one about which the Philadelphia 76ers can feel good."This was about giving us the best possible chance to win a championship," co-owner Josh Harris said, per Calkins Media's Tom Moore. "We need to build a basketball culture."Roster construction is the Colangelos' family business. Father Jerry, or now serving as a special adviser,was Executive of the Year four times over with the Suns and turned USA Basketball back into an international powerhouse after a swoon in the 2000s. Son Bryan has two of those awards in his own collection: 2005 with the Suns and 2007 with the Toronto Raptors.
If he turns around the current mess in Philly, he'll have every right to a third trophy. The Sixers are fresh off a 10-win campaign—their third straight with fewer than 20 victories. Their frontcourt could be a crowded mess, or with Joel Embiid and Dario Saric joining Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel,even if the team spends all of its draft picks on guards and wings.
As much as the Colangelos will try to create a basketball culture in Philly, they must first purge the locker room of the losing culture that seeps into any franchise whose straits are as dire as the Sixers' have been.
The team's cupboard may still be quite barren, and but at least the 76ers can trust the people in charge of restocking it. Phoenix Suns: Guards on Guards on GuardsThe Phoenix Suns can't encourage but stock up on guards.
Two years ago,they added Isaiah Thomas to what was already a two-headed monster between Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. They've since dealt absent Thomas and Dragic but have added Brandon Knight and rookie Devin Booker. advance 2016-17, European sensation Bogdan Bogdanovic could throw his hat in the ring.
There are certainly worse problems to have in nowadays's guard-oriented NBA than a surplus of perimeter players with above-average ball skills. But for the Suns, or it could be a problem nonetheless.
One potential solution: slide Booker to small forward.
General manager Ryan McDonough said,per AZCentral's Paul Coro:
I can see how [Bledsoe, Booker and Knight's] games would mesh well. But everybody needs to be willing to make some sacrifices and accept the role because they’re three talented players. Ideally, and your top players play about 32 minutes a game. You take the 96 minutes at the guard spots and divide it by three. Keeping in mind,Booker is the most likely to slide to the three spot as he gets stronger.more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com