Joel Embiid: 2017 Rookie of the Year

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2014. This was the year that Joel Embiid was taken third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. When Embiid was drafted he had a foot injury that the Sixers were well aware of. The Sixers still took him seeing that his potential out weighed his injury. Embiid was set to make his debut last year, but he started to have set backs in the preseason. Not long after those set backs Embiid needed surgery on the same foot again. This would cost him another season. This year though Embiid is finally fully healthy and set to make his NBA debut.

Since Embiid has yet to play in an NBA game he is technically a rookie. This puts him in contention for this years rookie of the year award. This years draft class was solid, but the top two draft picks were seen as favorites for rookie of the year. Those two players are Brandon Ingram and Embiid's teammate Ben Simmons. Unfortunately for Philadelphia Simmons suffered a broken foot in practice and will be out 3 months. There are rumors that Simmons could sit out the whole 2016-17 season. For now that leaves it a two man race between Ingram and Embiid.

Looking at both players preseason performances Embiid is the favorite for rookie of the year. Embiid is averaging 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1 block per game. The craziest part about these numbers is that he is only averaging 14.2 minutes per game. Once he starts to see a bump in minutes his numbers are going to be through the roof. Not only should his numbers improve, but he may be mentally prepared for the season. Embiid has been around the NBA for two seasons now. He might not have played a game, but he knows how things work in the organization. It may or may not help him throughout the season, but it can't hurt to have been around professional basketball players for two seasons.

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For Brandon Ingram he is coming into the league with high expectations. In college he was a great scorer and the Lakers are hoping that will translate to the NBA. So far in the preseason Ingram is averaging 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. For Ingram his numbers will also increase when he starts seeing the floor more each night. Right now he is averaging 24.1 minutes per game. On Wednesday Ingram had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 28 minutes of action. This was easily his best game of the preseason. Expect Ingram to play more and more as the season continues. In fact by December he could be inserted into the starting lineup for the Lakers.

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The difference between Embiid and Ingram will be their immediate impact to their respected teams. Embiid is going to be inserted into the starting lineup right away due to Jahlil Okafor rehabbing a right knee injury he suffered at the end of last season. With Okafor and Simmons both out it will allow Embiid to shine. The Sixers goal is to build chemistry between their young core, but they need to figure out what two of the three big men will be staying long term. Okafor's injury is actually perfect timing for Philadelphia. This will allow them to give as many minutes as they would like to Embiid. This will give them a sense of what Embiid has to offer. Until the whole team is healthy it will be Embiid's show.

For Ingram he will be coming off the bench to start the season. The Lakers want their young core to come together and succeed. For Ingram this means he will not be the focus of what Los Angles is doing. The Lakers will be trying to build a chemistry between D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and Ingram.

The way Embiid is playing right now it is hard not to pick him for rookie of the year. Fans have been waiting to see what Embiid can do in the NBA. That time has finally arrived and Philadelphia fans will not be disappointed.

Will Dwight Howard improve this Season?

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After an offseason that saw the Atlanta Hawks lose Al Horford to Boston it was time to shake things up. The Hawks continued with their roster changes by trading Jeff Teague to Indiana and signing Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard had a down season last year. He averaged his lowest points per game and shots per game since his rookie year. He averaged 13.7 points per game on 8.5 field goal attempts per game. Clearly Howard was not a focal point on offense last year. This was a big reason why he opted out with Huston and another reason why he signed with Atlanta. By signing with Atlanta he has the chance to become the number one scoring option for the Hawks. He also would fit very well in a pick and roll with Dennis Schroder. What people should know is that Dwight Howard will see an improvement in numbers this season.

Dwight Howard is averaging 15.7 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game during the preseason. He is also averaging these numbers playing only 23 minutes per game. When he starts to play more than 30 minutes a night it is safe to say his numbers will go up more. In fact I'll go out on a limb and say Howard will average 18 points and 12 rebounds this season. From what has been seen in preseason so far Howard will get more touches this season. As a result he will score more points per game.

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Going off of those predictions Howard should be able to get the Hawks into the playoffs and may even have a shot at making the all-star game. A big man duo of Howard and Paul Millsap should work great for Atlanta. Having an athletic big man like Howard would fit well with a stretch four like Millsap. The Hawks will not be title contenders, but they should end up as the 5th or 6th seed at the end of the season. It is hard to see the Hawk getting past the Raptors, Pacers, or Cavaliers. If they face the Celtics there is a slim chance the Hawks could make it to the second round.

In the end Howard was a good pick up for the Hawks. He should have a bounce back season, but he will not be able to lead this Hawks team to a deep playoff run. The Hawks are the wild card for the east. Depending on how well this new roster meshes the Hawks can either end up in the lottery or finish as high as 5th. It should be interesting to see how Howard fits on his new team.

Can LeBron take home the MVP?

Last season Stephen Curry was the first ever unanimous MVP in NBA history. Behind Curry in the voting order was Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James. James has been in the top 10 for MVP votes since he arrived to the league. Being in the MVP discussion is nothing new to James. The real question that fans have is will he win another MVP award? It is uncertain, but next season he has a real chance.

With Kevin Durant joining Stephen Curry one of the two players numbers will suffer, if not both. With that said a drop in Curry's production will keep him from winning another MVP trophy next season. Curry's teammate Durant has a better chance at winning it, but he will have to become the alpha dog on the Warriors.

Unlike the Durant and Curry, LeBron is clearly the alpha dog on his team. And seeing that James has been healthy just about every year, he puts himself in a position to take home the MVP. It won't be easy for James. There are a lot of young rising star in the league that will find themselves in MVP discussion. Players like Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George will be in the discussion. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry will have votes. And if the Timberwolves or Pelicans have a good season, Karl-Anthony Towns or Anthony Davis could find themselves in MVP voting. The list goes on and on. But it all comes down to how well each players team performs.

That is where James has the advantage. Playing in the East means lower level of competition for the Cavaliers. This ultimately helps the with achieving the number one seed. This year though the competition will be higher. The Raptors will be back towards the top again this season and so will the Celtics. And after a big off season, the Pacers will likely be competing for the number one seed in the East. James team should not worry though as they have now built up chemistry that would be missing from those three teams.

Not just the teams play, but James individual play is most important in him winning MVP. James averaged 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists last season. As usual these numbers are impressive and if he can keep those numbers around 25, 7, and 7 he has a real shot at winning MVP. Truthfully this year the MVP is really up for grabs. Every year there seems to be a favorite or top three, but this year it can go to anyone depending on how their performance impacts their teams performance. For now I have LeBron James as the front runner for MVP with Paul George in a close second. Paul George has a chance to beat out James due to his team. His team has added a lot of great pieces this offseason and it will help him on offense. His numbers should improve as well as his teams wins. But if James is going to win another MVP before his career is over it would be this season.

Indiana Pacers Much Improved

In an off season full of moves for the Indian Pacers, they have improved their roster tremendously. A potential starting line up of Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young, and Al Jefferson sounds like a top team in the NBA. The problem lies on the defensive end for this team. Al Jefferson, Monta Ellis and Jeff Teague will hurt the Pacers on defense. But the team finally has the scoring that it did not have for over four years now.

So just how good will the Pacers be? On papers this team does have the potential to be the number two seed in the East. As for how bad they could perform, they are too talented to be any worse than a six seed. The truth is the Cavaliers will have the number one seed locked down if they are healthy all season. After them it is a toss up. Most likely the Raptors will reclaim the number two seed. Then the Pacers could sneak in at three. And the Celtics at four. After the top four it is anyone's guess who will the 5-8 seeds will be. The truth is with the East getting better and better each season the final seeding is hard to predict.

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What fans can be sure of is that this Pacers team is going the most offensively talented team since Paul George was drafted in 2010. With new head coach Nate McMillan at the helm the Pacers will have a fresh start. This team is going to be much different than it was been over the last five years. In the past the Pacers have been know for slowing down the tempo and focusing on defense. From 2012 to 2015 the Pacers never allowed more than 97 points per game in a season. There defense allowed them to compete with great teams like the Miami Heat. Where the team lacked in the past was offense. From 2012 to 2015 the team never averaged higher than 97.7 points per game. Last season the Pacers allowed 100.5 points per game. They ranked eighth in the league. But on offense they scored the most points per game since George's rookie year with 102.2 points per game. This years Pacer team will be heading in a much different direction than they did in the past. The have a lot of players that are capable of creating their own shot now. The down fall is that these players are not the best defenders. In the end the Pacers are giving up some defense to receive more offense.

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This will be a good change for George, who in the past was the only consistent source of offense. Now George will have more breathing room on offense and could result in him being an MVP candidate. George was an early favorite last year, behind Steph Curry, to win MVP. With a completely rebuilt team allowing him get better looks on offense he will no doubt be in the discussion. And with George's size, strength, and athleticism he can guard the opposing teams best player from the 1-3 position. Finally he could even focus on the defensive end of the floor and put in more effort on that end and have reliable scoring options to take over on the offensive end.

I am predicting that the Pacers will finish with a 50-32 record. Having a new coach and new players will be a fresh start for everyone on the roster. If everyone is learning a new system together it will help grow the players bond with the coaches and the other players. The Pacers are back on the rise.

What Could have been teams Part 2

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After doing the top five what-could-have-been teams I found people telling me more teams that could have been added to the list. In this article I will add five more teams to the list I already made. These teams could be arguably in different orders, but this list is meant to show the potential that many teams had.

Before I jump into the new list let's recap the last list. The last top five list included the early 2000's Lakers, 1996 Orlando Magic, 2010 Portland Trailblazers, 2000 Toronto Raptors, and 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder. To read the reasoning behind these choices take a look at Top 5 What Could Have Been Teams.

Now for the continuation of this list. As mentioned earlier all the teams mentioned in the last article and this one could be in any order. For this article I will pull another five teams from the NBA's past that had potential to be great. The teams included had the chance to achieve so much more. For whatever the case may be they fell short of expectations. Without further ado, here are the next five teams.

2003 Dallas Mavericks

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This was the most obvious choice left off of the last list. The 2003 Dallas Mavericks had a loaded roster and finished tied for the best record of 60-22. The most notable players from the team were Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, and Nick Van Exel. Although the team was stacked and had a very good record they lost to the San Antonio Spurs, who were also 60-22, in the Western Conference Finals. The following season the Mavericks lost Van Exel, but managed to add Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker. The team finished with a 52-30 record. It earned the Mavericks a 5th seed in the Western Conference. Ultimately they would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Sacramento Kings 4 games to 1. 

During the 2004 off season Steve Nash demanded a bigger contract than he was offered and the Mavericks felt Nash was not worth his asking price. The Suns decided to come in and pay Nash. The next two season Nash would win back to back MVP awards. By the Mavericks not keeping Nash they created another obstacle for themselves. Nash lead the Suns to the top record in the NBA and would beat the Mavericks in the second round of the 2005 NBA playoffs. 

No one knows if he would have had the same success with the Mavericks as he did with the Suns. But the speculation will always be there. Nash fit very well in Mike D'Antoni's system which is what helped him win two MVP's. The flip side is if Nash had stayed with Nowitzki he may have a championship ring. There is also the possibility that both of them would have won multiple championships.

1999 Minnesota Timberwolves

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This Timberwolves team was so young and had plenty of potential for the future. Having Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury on the same team sounds amazing on paper. Unfortunately it did not last very long. In the 1999 season Garnett was 22 years old and Marbury was 21. Both showed their potential and were a few years away from being deadly. Many even predicted them to be the team to beat down the road. It was easy to see as Garnett had 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. And Marbury had 17.7 points, 9.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. 

In the 1999 off season Marbury's agent demanded Marbury be traded. It is all speculation as to why Marbury wanted to be traded. According to Marbury he wanted to be closer to family and friends. Either way Marbury ended something that could have been really special in Minnesota. While Garnett continued to lead the Timberwolves to relevance, Marbury struggled with each team he went to. After leaving Minnesota Marbury would only make the playoffs three more times in his career winning only one playoff series. 

Marbury really hurt himself because he was never in the same position he was in at the beginning of his career. Had he stayed put there is a possibility the Timberwolves could have won a championship. Having a player like Marbury and Garnett on the same team in their prime would have been deadly. Now it is just something to fantasize about. 

1993 New Jersey Nets

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In the early 90's the Nets started to form a respectable team. The Nets drafted Derrick Coleman in 1990, traded for Drazen Petrovic in January of 1991, and drafted Kenny Anderson in the summer of 1991.

It was clear that the 1993 season was a sign of good things to come. Chuck Daly was the coach. The Nets star player, Petrovic, averaged 22.3 points and shot 45% from three. Not to mention many players considered Petrovic a very good defender. Kenny Anderson averaged 16.9 points, 8.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. And the Nets big man Derrick Coleman averaged 20.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Although the Nets finished 43-39 they were poised for future success. 

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Tragically in the summer of 1993 Drazen Petrovic died in an automobile accident. This put a real damper on an improving team. And even though the Nets improved their record to 45-37 in 1993-94 it was clear the team would not reach the elite status that was possible with Petrovic. Anderson and Coleman continued to improve and played well in the 1993-94 season. But the seasons following 1994 were injury riddled for both players. In the end both players would be traded and by 1996-97 the Nets no longer had anyone from the trio.

Had Petrovic been able to continue his career, and had Anderson and Coleman remained healthy; there is a good chance the Nets would have made it past the first round of the playoffs. It seems to be a trend of misfortune for Nets fans. Luckily Jason Kidd saved fans in the 2000's.

2004 Detroit Pistons

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I know what you may be thinking. How could a team that won the NBA finals and advanced to the finals the following season make this list? Well it all has to do with the 2003 NBA draft. The Pistons had the number two pick in the 2003 draft. They had the choice to take Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and many more. But at number two they selected Darko Milicic. By selecting Milicic the Pistons altered their future drastically.

Had the Pistons selected Anthony, Wade, or Bosh they would have had a young player to take over the reigns as all the starters began to decline. It would have made the transition from the early 2000's to the late 2000's much better. They would have stayed much more competitive. The Pistons would have even been able to trade one of their starting guys for more role players and make room for Anthony, Wade, or Bosh. In the end the Pistons stayed with the team they had and Milicic never turned into the star they had hoped for. The Pistons would win the 2004 NBA finals and lose the 2005 NBA finals. The team still saw success, but the question of "what if?" will carry on forever.

2013 Los Angeles Lakers

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In the 2012 off season the Lakers tried to assemble their own super team to compete with the Miami Heat. The Lakers retained Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant. They also made a huge trade for Dwight Howard. And to top it all off the Lakers traded for Steve Nash. A team of Nash, Bryant, Metta World Peace, Gasol, and Howard was considered one of the best before the start of the season. The team ended the season with a 45-37 record. It was good enough for the seventh seed in the west.

The reason the 2013 Lakers made the list is because this team was injury plagued. Pau Gasol played 49 games. Nash played 50 games. Howard dealt with back issues all season long. And Kobe had his season end in April when he tore his achilles tendon. The truth is had this team stayed healthy and had time to play together they could have been a threat. There were also rumors that Howard did not get along with Kobe Bryant. Whatever the reason, Howard bolted for Huston after one season in Los Angeles. It was a good choice for Howard as he was surrounded by aging superstars.

This team came together at the wrong time. If all these moves were made one season earlier they would have been deadly. In the end father time won the battle with this team and no one got to see what the starting five could do together.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James

LeBron James and Michael Jordan will continue to be compared well after James retires. The question that will always be asked is who is better?

In an interview with Lee Jenkins earlier in the month LeBron James talks about the NBA finals and his experience. But at one point LeBron says, "My motivation, is this ghost I'm chasing. The ghost played in Chicago." That's right James is talking about the greatest to ever play the game, Michael Jordan. James goes on to say, "My career is totally different than Michael Jordan's. What I've gone through is totally different that what he went through. What he did was unbelievable, and I watched it unfold. I looked up to him so much. I think it's cool to put myself in position to be one of those great players, but if I can ever put myself in position to be the greatest player, that would be something extraordinary."

"If I can ever put myself in position to be the greatest player, that would be something extraordinary."- LeBron James

LeBron James is finally acknowledging the elite company he is in. The problem is LeBron only has so much time left in the NBA to achieve more. To get a better understanding of where LeBron is in comparison to Michael Jordan here is a table below showing their career achievements. Of course LeBron will be adding to these categories, but the purpose of this chart is see how far behind James is. I will include the age at which Jordan retired.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James' Achievements

Achievement	Michael Jordan	LeBron James
Age	40	31
Seasons	15	13
Championships	6	3
MVP's	5	4
Finals MVP	6	3
Finals Record	6-0	3-4
All Star	14	12
Points	32292	26833
Rookie of the Year	Yes	Yes

Looking at these categories LeBron James is not very far behind Micheal Jordan. Both have had very successful careers. The thing that really hangs over James head is his finals record. James has had more opportunities to win yet has less rings than Jordan. Even if LeBron were to tie Jordan in championships, it would take him more seasons than it took Jordan to win six championships. To be honest this is just a minor detail due to the fact that people do not really remember players losing. What they will remember is how much they accomplish and right now James still has the opportunity to tie or pass Jordan. It comes down to how serious he is about chasing Jordan's ghost.

Jordan's Finals vs James' Finals

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Just how good was Jordan? First here is Jordan's 1993 NBA finals averages. 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. This is is arguably Jordan's best statistical NBA finals. Now if that wasn't convincing enough here are his averages from the 1991 NBA finals. 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Jordan was a scoring machine and was just about unstoppable in every finals appearance he made. His performances earned him Finals MVP during both of these seasons and every other finals he played. Also Jordan never played a game 7 in the NBA finals. That shows just how dominant he and his team was in the 90's.

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There is no doubt that LeBron is the best player in the NBA today. To compare him to Jordan is not as far fetched as critics make it out to be. Critics are constantly questioning LeBron James and his ability to take over games. James had his best finals performances in his last two finals apperances. In the 2015 NBA finals James averaged 35.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. LeBron really had to carry the team in the 2015 NBA finals being that he was without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. In 2016 he had a fully healthy team yet the Cavaliers found themselves in 3-1 hole. James made sure he did everything possible to turn his teams fortune around. He did so and went on to win the NBA championship and Finals MVP. During last years NBA finals LeBron averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. Those are incredible numbers. Those numbers are very similar to Jordan's, if not better.

Different Era's

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Really comparing both players is very hard. Stats do not tell the whole story. LeBron James is a much different player than Michael Jordan. He even stated this in his quote. LeBron James also plays in a different era of basketball that is less physical. No one knows for sure whether or not James would succeed playing in a different era. And the same goes for Michael Jordan. All these hall of fame players continue to say that players today wouldn't succeed during their era. Would Stephen Curry be as effective playing during the 90's or 80's? Maybe or maybe not. Now put Gary Payton in today's NBA and tell him to stop Stephen Curry. Would he be able to stop him? Maybe or maybe not. The reality of the situation is no one will ever know. What everyone should do is just enjoy what is happening in the NBA right now. Golden State and Cleveland is slowly becoming rivalry. Both teams are on a collision course for another NBA finals show down. And if this season holds as much excitement as last season, basketball fans are in for a treat.

The Verdict

No one knows for sure if LeBron James will ever be as good as Michael Jordan. James has a body of work that if he retired tomorrow he could be considered a top 10 player of all time. By the time LeBron James is done in the NBA he will most likely be considered a top three player all time. For now James has made it clear that his mission is to be the best player he can be. By doing this James will be put in the same category as Jordan one day.

Westbrook Agrees to Contract Extension

Picture Westbrook posted on Twitter after agreeing to extension

Russell Westbrook decided to sign an extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder worth $85 million over three years. This changes everything for the Thunder. Essentially Westbrook just saved the Thunder from going into the lottery for years to come. The Thunder can now target big name free agents next summer and ultimately know their top player is locked in. Recruiting free agents will be easier if the recruits know Westbrook is not going anywhere. But as excited as Thunder fans may be of this news, why would Westbrook stay after they just lost Kevin Durant and traded Serge Ibaka this summer?

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For starters Westbrook will be making much more than he was set to make this coming season. Westbrook's salary going into next season was set at $17.8 million dollars, but after reconstructing next season in his extension he will make $26.5 million. Along with an instant salary increase this season he is also set to make $27.8 million in 2017-18. In his third year he will have a player option worth $30.6 million. Westbrook now has a salary that resembles his worth.

The second reason Westbrook would sign an extension through 2019 with a player option is because by 2018 he will a 10 year veteran. As a 10 year veteran players are allowed to take up 35% of the salary cap as opposed to 30% of the cap. Over the span of a five year max contract that can equal more than $40 million extra dollars to be made. With the cap increasing as well Westbrook will be in for a huge pay day once the summer of 2018 rolls around.

This extension also makes Westbrook look like a hero. Westbrook would never have been hated as much for leaving as Durant, but Oklahoma City fans would not have been happy with him. Now that he is staying he gives fans hope and paints a positive picture of himself. What better way to get fans to root for you than saying you hope you beat the guy who left you and say you are not going anywhere? Westbrook is setting out to make a statement and he means every word of it. The real question becomes will management help him? The Thunder still have a huge hole to fill with Durant gone. Westbrook signing this extension allows them to focus on putting talent around him. That's great, but Sam Presti cannot just be on idle for a year because he has Westbrook locked in. In order to keep Westbrook he has form a plan now to make the team better. If Presti fails to provide Westbrook with another high level running mate he will leave. And when he leaves he will get no flack. Everyone will be saying Sam Presti was given one last opportunity and failed to deliver. So all the pressure is on the Thunder to keep Westbrook happy these next two seasons.

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This extension puts Westbrook in a win-win situation. When players hit that decade mark with one team they are usually praised for their time with the team. If Westbrook goes through all the ups and downs in OKC he will be remembered for sticking it out for as long as he could, but if the situation never improves he has the right to leave. And fans, as heart broken as they may be, will cheer him when he returns because they will know he gave it his all. A great example would be when Kevin Garnett landed in Boston after playing 11 seasons with the Timberwolves. Minnesota fans still showed him love when he returned. Hopefully in Westbrook's situation the Thunder can quickly build another win now team. As the roster stands today the Thunder could be a 4-6 seed in the west. They also have a good chance at advancing to the second round of the playoffs. It is a good starting point, but they need to add another piece that will help them challenge the Spurs and Warriors. And that's where Presti will have to work his magic.