Brandon Garland and James McNeill go one-on-one answering this week’s questions.
1) How far can the Lakers go if Kobe returns healthy?
Brandon: As proven by his recent 20 point outing, the Mamba can still play. Coming into the season, I left the Lakers outside of the lottery, having faith in Kobe’s return. I did not foresee that the Lakers would actually have an all-around solid performing team aside from Kobe. With him back and more than likely fully healthy within a few weeks, expect this Lakers team to make the playoffs even in the tough Western Conference, ahead of a team like Phoenix or Denver. As for making noise once there, I wouldn’t expect it. But I’ve learned never to doubt the will power of Kobe Bryant.
James: Kobe Bryant has returned to the Lakers and will drag this team to… a late lottery pick! The Lakers will be only marginally better with Kobe and of 4 teams ahead of them but still out of the playoffs (Dallas, Minnesota, Memphis, and New Orleans), I like all of their rosters/chances of making the playoffs better. Kobe will make this team much more watchable and will help them beat some good teams, but can this 35-year-old version carry this team to the playoffs and beyond in a Lebron 07-08 fashion? I don’t think so, and this Lakers team looks just as meager behind Kobe as that Cleveland team did behind Lebron.
2) Now that Trey Burke is back, will Utah move off the floor of the Western Conference?
Brandon: The Utah Jazz are, top to bottom, the worst team in the NBA, aside from maybe Milwaukee. This is a statement made with or without first-round pick Trey Burke. Not to say that Trey Burke won’t be or currently isn’t a good player, but there isn’t exactly a lot of talent surrounding him. With a tough Western Conference schedule, look for Utah to have the most balls in the good ole NBA Draft Lottery.
James: Well thus far, the stats alone point to an improvement with Burke; the Jazz have gone 4-8 since Burke’s return, an improvement on their 1-11 mark without the diminutive Michigan guard. But is that good enough to get off the floor? Maybe. The winning percentage with Burke is only good enough for 3rd man out of the playoffs in the West right now. So even if they continue at that mark, they would only succeed in ruining their draft pick just in time for the 2014 sweepstakes.
3) If you were Toronto’s GM, what moves would you look to make?
Brandon: Toronto is currently being rumored to be shopping Kyle Lowry to the supremely disappointing New York Knicks. They could perhaps be looking into Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway Jr, but the Knicks would be unwise to deal both young, promising guards. As Masai Ujiri, I’d be in the market for a first-round pick from a late lottery or low-seeded playoff team, but at the very least some sort of young talent packaged with a pick. Unloading Terrance Ross, a solid young player, in a package with Lowry to acquire as high of a draft pick as possible is also an option. In one of the best draft classes ever, the Raptors should be all in for having a rough 2013-2014 and getting as many first rounders as they can.
James: Well getting rid of Rudy Gay’s contract was 90% of the battle, but now you have to look to move guys like Patterson, Lowry, DeRozan, and Vasquez for good offers. I’m not saying that they have to unload all or any of these guys, but the newly acquired Vasquez and Patterson can be traded before the deadline to a team looking to cement a playoff run. Lowry and DeRozan could be had for the right price, especially if picks are offered. They should, in addition, look to be the 3rd party in trades with pieces like Lowry’s expiring and Salmons non-guaranteed contract.
4) Create a potential Iman Shumpert trade scenario.
Brandon: Iman Shumpert is a good young player with good potential to become a good NBA player. The key word is good, and the Knicks apparently want to allow Tim Hardaway Jr., who has shown signs of the potential to be great at least offensively, to play more. If the Knicks are set on trading Shumpert away, they’d be wise to get a first rounder in return. While many teams wouldn’t be willing to give a first rounder for “Shump”, being traded to a contender might be good for both him and the Knicks. In a draft class so good, the Knicks need to undo the mistake of trading away their own first-round pick, and trading Shumpert and a guy like Ray Felton might make sense for the Knicks; a team like San Antonio could work as the other trade partner.
James: Any deal for Shumpert would have to be a salary-cap clearing trade for the Knicks, and the only one I’ve seen/been able to come up with is this:
Knicks trade Iman Shumpert, Amare Stoudemire, Future 1st-Round Pick
Celtics trade Rajon Rondo, Gerald Wallace
Why for New York: It’s clear that this team is not capable of playing at a high level. They get a true star to entice Melo and build around, as well as only having to take on one more year of salary in Wallace.
Why for Boston: Boston has made it clear that they want to rebuild, and they haven’t exactly said that Rondo is untouchable as part of a rebuilding process. They would get a young piece, a future pick, and one less year of salary to deal with.
[polldaddy poll=7564649]By Brandon Garland and James McNeill
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