March 4, 2019

The Lakers playoff hopes got grimmer as they dropped games to the lowly Suns and Grizzlies, going 1-3 on the week and falling 4.5 games back of the final playoff spot in the West. Teams around the league continue to acclimate their new roster additions with the postseason on the horizon.

Q1. Clippers overachieving potentially to their own detriment

 

With a little over a month remaining until the end of the regular season, the Los Angeles Clippers remain in a position few NBA pundits expected them to be in at the beginning of the year: a playoff spot in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. While it’s certainly never frowned upon to overachieve to the extent that contending in the postseason can actually become a reality, selecting a course of action for the remained of the season is much more complex for the Clippers compared to fellow championship hopefuls.

 

Due to a 2016 trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles does not own their first round pick for the upcoming draft in June. However, this pick is lottery protected (Top 1-14) for the next two drafts in 2019 and 2020, before ultimately becoming a second round pick in 2022 if not conveyed in either event. This means that qualifying for the playoffs, and thus drafting outside of the lottery, will force the Clippers to relinquish their top draft selection due to a trade made three years ago – a cruel outcome for a club many had written off.

 

Sitting in 7th place out West at 36-29, Los Angeles faces the decision to either mail it in for the season and purposely lose games or continue competing in an attempt to reach the playoffs. Though it may be painful to bid farewell to a top selection in this year’s draft, management must act in the best interests of all stakeholder groups by pursuing the latter. With a fan base that pales in comparison to their in-city rivals, the front office keenly recognized that it would be in the franchise’s best interests to retool the roster and remain semi-competitive, as opposed to rebuilding altogether. Capping this off with a playoff appearance, no matter how short lived, would give the teams budding stars invaluable experience while also retaining fan intrigue. If Los Angeles can translate this season’s resurgence into a top flight free agent signing this summer, management will have provided the league with a use case of how to effectively and efficiently retool, not rebuild.

Q2. Milwaukee Bucks sign guard Eric Bledsoe to 4 year extension

 

Bucks General Manager Jon Horst announced on Friday that the club had successfully come to terms on a four-year, $70 million extension with soon-to-be free agent guard Eric Bledsoe. In his ninth season out of Kentucky, Bledsoe is enjoying arguably his best professional season to date, averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 61 games as a starter, while shooting a career best 55.5% effective field goal percentage and remaining a plus defender.

 

Details of the extension are as followed:

Locking up Bledsoe – who’s been integral to their league leading campaign thus far – through the tail end of his prime at a favourable cap hit should be considered a tremendous coup for the front office, especially with the salary cap expected to rise further. It was just last season that Bledsoe was seemingly exiled from the Phoenix Suns, and ultimately shipped off to the Bucks for Greg Monroe and draft picks. With this signing symbolically marking the end of his rehabilitation process, the front office regime in Milwaukee has added yet another feather to their cap. The Eastern Conference leading Bucks can now turn their attention to signing their other pending free agents, and further cement their contender status for the foreseeable future.

Q3. Corey Brewer signs with Sacramento for the remainder of the season

 

After being out of a job just six weeks ago, Corey Brewer has made the most of the limited opportunities given to him, coming to terms on a rest of season contract with the Kings worth $2M. The signing comes after a successful audition while playing with the club on a 10-day contract, averaging 8.3 points in 16.3 minutes per game. Prior to that, Brewer completed two 10-day contracts with Philadelphia in which he recorded 7.6 points per game and showcased his peskiness on the defensive end, thus displaying his value to potential suitors around the league.

 

For Sacramento to quickly sweep Brewer off the open market after the 76ers decided to part ways with him speaks to the club’s commitment to ending its 13 season playoff drought, the longest active streak in the entire league. Presently sitting three games out of the final playoff spot out West at 31-31, bringing in the 32 year old Brewer at little cost could prove to be a savvy move if he can provide a young Kings squad with another veteran presence while giving them further lineup versatility down the stretch.

 

Q4. CBA Term of the Week

 

Salary Cap:

 

An agreement that limits the amount that teams may spend on players' salaries. In the NBA, this limit applies to the team's total roster and exists in order to help maintain a competitive balance throughout the league. Without a salary cap, a team with wealthier ownership could routinely outbid opposing teams on top free agents and therefore possess an unfair advantage over them.

 

For the NBA specifically, the league operates under a soft cap. This allows teams to use exceptions to sign players or make trades and thus exceed the cap under certain conditions. On July 1, 2018 it was announced that the salary cap for the 2018-19 season would be $101,869,000.

Other news of note:

  • February 25: Isaiah Canaan signs 10-day contract with Milwaukee.
  • February 25: NBA announces G League Elite Camp for draft prospects.
  • February 28: Kings rookie Marvin Bagley III out 1-2 weeks with knee injury.
  • March 1: Pelicans ink Euroleague three-point specialist Dairis Bertans to contract.
  • March 1: Pau Gasol, Spurs come to terms on contract buyout.
  • March 1: Waiver Deadline (final day for a player to be waived & remain playoff eligible).
  • March 2: Knicks agree to terms with Henry Ellenson on rest of season contract.

Weekly Forecast:

  • Monday: Clippers vs. Lakers (Lakers 5 games back of Clippers in playoff race)
  • Tuesday: Rockets vs. Raptors, Celtics vs. Warriors
  • Wednesday: Nuggets vs. Lakers
  • Thursday: Thunder vs. Trail Blazers (Tied for 3rd in the West entering the week)
  • Friday: 76ers vs. Rockets, Nuggets vs. Warriors
  • Saturday: Celtics vs. Lakers
  • Sunday: Pacers vs. 76ers

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