THERE are two key events in the NBA on Friday, February 8 (Philippine time). First, there’s the NBA trading deadline at 3 a.m. and then the 2nd NBA All-Star Draft at 7 a.m.
The All-Star draft, which will be nationally televised – unlike a year ago when the selection process was held in confidentiality for fear it would hurt the feelings of some of the league’s superstars as result of their rankings – involves the 24 players chosen by the fans and NBA head coaches and the two special roster additions (Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki) made by league commissioner Adam Silver.
The three-round selection of All-Star players, without regard to their conference affiliation, will be done by Team LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Team Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks).
James, being the top vote-getter in the West and entire All-Star fan balloting, will have the honor of making the first pick in the first round (involving all eight other All-Star starters) in alternate sequence.
Antetokounmpo, the leading All-Star vote-collector from the East, will pick first in the second round (involving the 14 reserves selected by the head coaches in their respective conferences) in alternate sequence.
Finally in the special third round, LeBron will once again choose first between Wade and Nowitzki. Unquestionably, James will corral his close buddy Wade at No. 13.
Me thinks James will nab Golden State’s Kevin Durant with the first overall pick and Giannis will choose Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid with the second. Houston’s James Harden will go third and Golden State’s Stephen Curry will be picked fourth.
I could be wrong.
The other All-Star starters named through a process combining fan votes (50%), media votes (25%) and player votes (25%) are Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard, Boston’s Kyrie Irving and Charlotte’s Kemba Walker from the East and Oklahoma City’s Paul George from the West.
The reserves in the All-Star pool are Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Washington’s Bradley Beal, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, Detroit’s Blake Griffin and Indiana’s Victor Oladipo (out for the remainder of the season with an injury – Silver has named as replacement Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell) from the East and New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Golden State’s Klay Thompson, Portland’s Damian Lillard, San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota’s Karl Anthony-Towns from the West.
The NBA All-Star Game will be held on Monday, February 18 (PH time), in Charlotte.
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Are the LA Lakers burning the house just to acquire All-Star frontliner from the New Orleans Pelicans in a trade?
Lakers president of basketball operations Earvin (Magic) Johnson and Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps talked twice Monday night and Johnson upgraded the Lakers’ trade package for Davis by offering young players Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball and veterans Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley and two first-round draft choices in exchange for Davis and salary-cap throw-in Solomon Hill.
This proposal would give the Pelicans some salary-cap relief as Rondo, Stephenson and Beasley are on one-year deals and will become unrestricted free agents in July. Solomon, on the other hand, is in the final year of his contract at $12.7 million.
However, by Tuesday morning, the Lakers were making their final offer of sending Kuzma, Ingram, Ball, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope plus two first-round draft choices for Davis and Solomon.
Word is that Davis, who does not have a veto-no-veto trade clause in his contract, likes this Lakers offer.
The Lakers are waiting for a counteroffer from the Pelicans. If none is forthcoming in the next few hours, and the Pelicans continue to show unwillingness to engage in a back-and-forth negotiations for a deal, then the club will just end the talks, according to Magic.
Scuttlebutt has it that New Orleans wants four first-round draft choices and two second-round draft choices thrown in for a Davis trade to be consummated now.
The Lakers are desperately trying to make a deal before the NBA trade deadline as Davis, who requested a trade last January 28 in a public announcement by his (and LeBron James’) agent Rich Paul that drew a $50,000 fine from the NBA a day later, is not eligible for unrestricted free agency until July 2020.
Already, Ball has indicated that he won’t play for the Pelicans and his loud-mouthed dad LaVar prefers that his son be shipped to Phoenix if the Davis trade materializes.
The Lakers are Davis’ preferred trade destination but he has also informed the Pelicans that he may be interested in signing a long-term deal with the New York Knicks, Bucks and LA Clippers when he becomes a free agent in July 2020. The three aforementioned teams, though, don’t have the real assets that New Orleans wants.
Me thinks that the Davis trade rumors have started to affect the Lakers’ play, specifically the young guns, and coupled with LeBron’s lingering groin injury, the Lakers might as well kiss their playoff bid goodbye even before the All-Star break. The Lakers should not give up everything just for Davis even if he is a generational talent.
Tama na. Sobra na. ‘Wag na.
Demps, who was once described by former NBA commissioner David Stern as a “lousy general manager” (October 25, 2018) for his role in the Chris Paul brouhaha nearly a decade ago, is asking too much from the Lakers in a trade package for Davis.
Demps is better off flying a kite. Let him wait until he comes up empty in July 2020.
Stern may be right in his assessment of Demps, who once played in the PBA as an import.
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