It's been three weeks since the start of the new NBA season, what about the swing game? The Jazz led the West with 10-3, the Spurs and Thunder once held around 50% winning percentage, and the Rockets, Magic, Pistons and other teams at the bottom of the record are also trying to win. Why is this so?
The Athletic's Sam Amick spoke with 10 league executives from 10 teams in the East and West, five at the top of management and five at the top of the league, to give their views on the current competition between teams.
Swing rotten or not swing rotten? This is a problem
Management 1: "The season is still long, and many team owners and management understand the risk of losing and it will have a profound impact on your team. You still need to focus on developing the right habits to make sure you put your best foot forward and try to win. I think that's why a lot of teams are better than people think. But I also do believe that at some point in the season, when some teams realise where they are, they will start to adjust and fight to get where they want to be. ”
Management 2: "I think after Adam Shaughard's statement on the messy problem, people will pretend to be trying to compete, right?" Some wins at the beginning of the season won't stop you from swinging, and in the end what should have come. Look at last year's Thunder, they were fine in the first half, and then ended up going where they wanted to go. That's reality, I think the teams that are ready to mess will still act, and more teams will join in January. ”
Management 4: "They're going to correct themselves, and I think the Jazz will end up being a mess and the Spurs will too." The Pistons are simply not good enough, they want to win, but it's difficult. I think the Pacers will definitely swing and so will the Rockets, and that's already 5 teams. For now, I believe the Jazz will trade and then get worse. Next is the Thunder, how fierce are they willing to play out the swing war? At the end we may see 1 or 2 surprising teams, such as the Kings or the Lakers. ”
Management 5: "I don't think it has any impact on the emphasis that Chou Hua has given to the teams, even those teams whose strength is not in the current mode can play a hot start or play well at a certain stage. I think it depends more on how your team is playing and which players you want to try to develop. ”
What would Danny Angie do?
As of now, no team has been as surprising as the Jazz. But the next question is, will Utah CEO Danny Ainge let the team continue to play like this, or trade Conley, Clarkson, or even Markkanen, who played at All-Star level, to completely tear the team down?
Most people believe that this jazz team can't compete for the championship, so what will Angie do?
Let's take a brief look back. On the 2007 lottery night, the Celtics, who had experienced a slump season, had a 19.9% chance of winning the top draw, and considering that the list that year was also Kevin Durant, the Green Army had unlimited expectations. But in the end, Shaw drew the Celtics' Pokemon logo with the 5th pick, and the Green Army's draw representative Tommy Heinthorne looked desperate.
The lotto draw seemed like bad luck, but it leveraged the championship for the Celtics. A month later in the draft, they packed the No. 5 pick to trade back Ray Allen from the Sonics, and then traded Kevin Garnett in late July to form the Big Three.
Moving back to the Jazz, people are more looking forward to seeing Angie repeat what he has done at the Celtics over the past few years. He sent Garnett and Pierce away in 2013, traded back from the Nets for draft picks that later selected Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and quickly helped the team return to the championship race. But it's worth noting that the Celtics have 17 titles in their history and have never drafted a single pick, while Vembanyama has only one.
Combining all of the above, Angie doesn't seem to be a desperate manager, so what do executives on other teams think of their peers?
Management 1: "I don't think Angie will completely break up the team. I can foresee him keeping players like Markkanen and he may not be obsessed with a complete rebuild. Jazz probably won't lie flat because Angie doesn't believe in that line of thought. ”
Management 6: "Jazz have to send a lot of people away to mess up, of course, they can do that." Bojan Bogdanovic's trade has actually made the Jazz better because Olynyk is a better and better fit for the Jazz. So I think many people don't analyze the possibility behind the transaction after seeing it. They traded back Vanderbilt through Gobert, a winner. Then there's Markkanen, the same guy who can win. Their trade wasn't just for draft picks, or even just for picks and young people. Players like Vanderbilt, they can change hands the moment they get it. But the Jazz didn't do that, and they hadn't tried to mess up yet. But I bet if someone asks for a price with a first-round pick, they'll say yes and it sucks. ”
Management 4: "The Jazz have always been open to trading. I do think they can knock it down faster, but there have to be buyers in the market. And in addition to the Lakers at the moment, are there any other buyers? ”
A preliminary look at the trading deadline
spur
When the Spurs sent Dejontay Murray to Atlanta, it was believed they were going to rebuild completely. But there's also the problem, which is that the team's center Poeltl still has a strong positive impact, and executive 6 believes he can improve the team's lower limit.
"And then look at the progressive Keldon Johnson." The executive went on to say, "They are indeed weaker than before Murray left, but not particularly weak." ”
Poeltl's contract expires next summer, so most believe he will be sent away. "I wouldn't be too surprised if they kept him, but by February a lot of teams will ask for a price for Poeltl." Executive 7 said.
Lakers
It's hard to imagine the Lakers rotting like this, especially since they can only represent the Pelicans in the Vinban Yama battle, and the team has no reason to mess around. The Lakers need a seven-game winning streak to get back to 50 percent winning percentage, and they've been reluctant to shell out two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 unless that deal does put them in the championship race.
So it's hard to imagine the Lakers going back to make the deal they've been dragging on for the Pacers, especially if Wei Shao is getting better and better. By the end of the season, Wei Shao's contract expires and they can free up a lot of salary space. Until then, though, Pelinka is sure to see some tantalizing options.
"If I were the Lakers, I would be cautious because Wei Shao is a big contract of 40 million+, and it also involves two first-round signings. Everyone wants to go to Los Angeles to play. "So you want to wait until a better player comes along, a player who can help now and in the future." ”
thunder
The trade rumors surrounding Alexandria will continue. The fifth-year guard played at the All-Star level, and he was of widespread interest. And with the new science list Holmgren season reimbursement, another year of sloppy seems like a more realistic goal for the Thunder.
"You hear Alexander frustrated with losing all the time, and we've heard the Raptors have an interest in it in the summer." Executive 4 said, "The next thing is to see how much the Thunder wants to do a mess." ”