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      The Harden Trade Should Work Out — but Maybe Not for the Nets

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonJames Harden Traded to the NetsThe N.B.A.’s Virus CrisisThis Is for Stephen Curry’s CriticsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storymarc stein on basketballThe Harden Trade Should Work Out — but Maybe Not for the NetsGoing big brought championships home right away for the Lakers (Anthony Davis trade) and the Raptors (Kawhi Leonard). The Nets’ bet on James Harden might not pay off so soon.The four-team trade sending James Harden to the Nets from the Rockets is bound to be a big win for someone. The question is for which team.Credit…Adam Hunger/Associated PressJan. 20, 2021, 12:55 p.m. ETIn the midst of an opening month marked by game postponements, depleted rosters and ragged basketball, four teams intervened last week to deliver a blockbuster James Harden trade.It was a rousing (and welcome) diversion as the N.B.A. strained to play through a pandemic, but a few days of reflection hasn’t changed my initial reaction. Even with so many options, clear winners in this deal do not jump off the scorecard.The daunting truth for the Nets and the Houston Rockets, who drove this whopper transaction, is that the Cleveland Cavaliers — for now — look best positioned of any team in the quartet to come away satisfied after the Cavaliers paid a modest price to acquire the Nets’ highly rated center Jarrett Allen.The Indiana Pacers should join them in celebrating the deal, provided that Caris LeVert can return safely from the scary disclosure that he is out indefinitely after a small mass was discovered on his left kidney. The Pacers entered the trade as the fourth team by shipping a potentially expensive free-agent-to-be, Victor Oladipo, to Houston so they could acquire the promising former Nets forward LeVert and his team-friendly contract. Kevin Pritchard, Indiana’s president of basketball operations, said the Pacers are “super confident” about LeVert’s recovery.Indiana and Cleveland, despite their lesser roles as trade facilitators, got most of the early kudos for the deal. The Nets and Rockets might not care about that, but reservations for the headliners persist because:The Nets had to surrender control of their first-round pick in their next seven drafts (yes, seven) to acquire Harden and partner him with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.The Rockets collected all that draft capital in return but did not come away with the young franchise player that they had indicated for weeks they were holding out for in any Harden swap.The Nets only have their new star trio under contract for the rest of this season and next season, while facing many questions about their sudden defensive shortcomings and how they plan to keep three volume scorers content now that Irving has rejoined the team after an extended absence. Irving participated in a full practice Tuesday after missing seven games for what began as “just a pause” that he said he needed because of “family and personal stuff.” Yet as good as Durant and Harden looked together Monday night in crunchtime of a home win over Milwaukee, mixing in a third star who wants and needs the ball changes the dynamic dramatically.The Rockets have unexpectedly embraced a rebuilding strategy more associated with a front-office alumnus not named Daryl Morey. Stockpiling future first-round draft picks, remember, is Sam Hinkie’s trademark. Of course, for the strategy to be successful, Houston will have to turn those picks into at least one cornerstone player more talented than Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons. Houston chose the Nets’ trade offer and a trial run with Oladipo, who is still recovering from his own injury woes, over the 76ers’ Simmons-centric pitches. It’s a call that has some around the league wondering if the Tilman Fertitta-owned Rockets, at closing time, dealt with the Nets because they could not bring themselves to send Harden to Morey’s new team.It should be noted that there is some scattered praise out there for the Nets and the Rockets that has been drowned out by the conspiracy theories and news media skepticism. One Western Conference executive, for example, chided me for focusing too much on Harden’s various acts of sabotage that fast-tracked his Houston exit and too readily dismissing what his distinct offensive talent can do for the Nets.Harden got what he wanted in the end after some of the worst trade-forcing behavior ever seen. He showed up late to training camp, flouted the league’s health and safety protocols on camera, let his level of play and conditioning decline and, finally, cemented his newfound villainy by publicly criticizing the collective quality of his now-former Rockets teammates. The executive nonetheless described Harden, if only for the moment while he’s taking such heat, as the league’s most underrated player.Another executive in the West asked me why I was so quick to scoff at Houston’s return for Harden when the Nets are being openly questioned for possibly trading away too much to get him. Along with the 2022 first-round pick it acquired from Cleveland (via Milwaukee), which the Cavaliers shrewdly tossed into the trade to nab Allen, Houston will receive the Nets’ unprotected first-round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026, as well as the right to swap first-round picks with the Nets in the 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027 drafts.Perhaps one or both of those executives will be proven right. If the Nets win a championship this season or next, or if Houston can construct an enviable new core with its replenished trove of assets, no shortage of scribes like me will face told-you-so recriminations.You just wouldn’t dare at the outset to, especially in the Nets’ case, throw a lot of support behind the risk-taking.The Los Angeles Clippers surrendered a fistful of draft assets to Oklahoma City in July 2019 because they knew trading for Paul George would also clinch the free-agent signature of Kawhi Leonard. The Los Angeles Lakers made a similar move earlier that same month to acquire Anthony Davis from New Orleans and flank LeBron James with the most talented teammate of his career. Those were N.B.A. no-brainers.Milwaukee’s gambit in November to part with three future first-round picks and the rights to swap first-rounders in two other drafts to pry Jrue Holiday away from the Pelicans is in a tier of its own. The Bucks endured a nervy wait that lasted almost a month after the Holiday trade until Giannis Antetokounmpo agreed to a five-year, $228 million contract extension. Persuading Antetokounmpo to stay, on some levels, equated to a championship in itself for the small-market Bucks, but they’ll surely need a major contribution from Holiday to shed their label of playoff underachievers and keep Antetokounmpo content.Then the Nets’ trade realistically falls into a tier below that, since Milwaukee’s move was fueled by the understandable desperation to please and then re-sign Antetokounmpo.As swiftly as Durant’s 30.6 points-per-game brilliance has made so many forget that he is only in the nascent stages of a comeback from the most dreaded injury in the sport — no one in the N.B.A., frankly, has ever looked better than Durant after an Achilles’ tendon tear — so many unknowns nag at the Nets.Who in this trio will embrace third-wheel status like Chris Bosh so crucially did in Miami beside James and Dwyane Wade, or like Ray Allen did in Boston alongside Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce? Who among Durant, Harden and Irving has the personality to lead the way to a pecking order? How can the Nets play passable playoff defense against offensive monsters like Antetokounmpo and Davis when Durant, Harden and Irving share the floor? How much can the Nets even count on Irving after his messy exits in Cleveland and Boston and this season’s bumpy start?Don’t forget that the Nets are asking a rookie coach, Steve Nash, to steer this group to the answers to those questions — without a training camp on top of Nash’s lack of experience. Don’t forget, furthermore, that it took the James/Wade/Bosh Heat more than a season to figure a lot of this out.Winning a championship is not the Nets’ only motivation here. If the Harden trade persuades Durant to sign a second contract with them, and if Harden sticks around, those would be significant triumphs.The Nets, though, will not be graded on the ancillary benefits, or merely their success in ensuring that Harden didn’t land with the division-rival Sixers. They went all in believing that a change of scenery for the unhappy Harden will lead to a title in Year 1 — like it did for Leonard in Toronto and for Davis with the Lakers.As much as we relished an actual basketball debate, temporarily hauling us away from the N.B.A.’s mounting coronavirus concerns, there are simply too many holes in that script to buy into it playing out three seasons in a row.Corner ThreeKyrie Irving is expected to be back with the Nets on Wednesday. He hasn’t played since Jan. 5.Credit…Adam Hunger/Associated PressYou ask; I answer. Every week in this space, I’ll field three questions posed via email at marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com. (Please include your first and last name, as well as the city you’re writing in from, and make sure “Corner Three” is in the subject line.)Q: Just wanted to mention that, while two-game series aren’t primary on the baseball schedule, they do happen all the time, even in nonpandemic years. The Yankees, for example, played five scheduled two-game series in the first half of the 2019 season. So “baseball series” does work as a name for the two-game sets in the N.B.A. this season. Stick with it. — Joe Sheehan (joesheehan.com)Stein: Appreciate the perspective, Joe. I answered a question in Corner Three last week that suggested two-game sets never happen in baseball without properly challenging it.That probably stems, at least in my fading memory, from them seeming much rarer in the 1970s and 1980s when I followed baseball more closely. I should have vetted the question with my ace New York Times baseball colleagues Tyler Kepner and James Wagner.As for sticking with the term “baseball series” for the N.B.A.’s two-game sets featuring the same two teams playing consecutive games at the same arena, you might get your wish. Better alternatives have yet to materialize.In last week’s newsletter, I asked for reader suggestions, which has proved to be a useful tactic in the past when I’ve gotten stuck on something. I regret to report that I have yet to receive what I would classify as an inspiring nomination.Q: Instead of “baseball-style series,” how about “doubles” as the new term? I know it belongs to tennis, but it works: “The Lakers are playing a double against the Rockets in Houston. The second game is tonight.” — George FullerStein: You made a passable case, George, compared to the other submissions received. But I can’t co-sign this.Not only am I a huge tennis fan, as I’ve mentioned often before, but I am one of the world’s biggest doubles fans. I have campaigned for doubles to get more coverage from the tennis press since I was a teenager.So I can’t bring myself to try to transform one of the pillar concepts of one of my three favorite sports into niche basketball lingo.Q: Why did Kyrie Irving lose 1/81.6 of his salary for two games if there are 72 games this season? — @Alvaro32LA from TwitterStein: The league office, after recent negotiations with the players’ union, adjusted the per-game penalty for players who miss a game because of a violation of the N.B.A.’s health and safety protocols. I’m told that the penalty went from 1/72 of the player’s salary to 1/81.6 of the salary for each game missed; Irving missed two games during the five-day quarantine he received from the N.B.A. after he was caught on video maskless at a family birthday party.The league and union calculated the 81.6 figure by adding four postseason games and a league average of 5.6 playoff games to the 72-game total. For the first three games that Irving missed, which the Nets attributed to “personal reasons,” Nets officials had the option to fine Irving at the higher rate of 1/72 of his $33,329,100 million salary for each game missed, which would have totaled more than $460,000 per game.Numbers GameLeBron James is on pace to average the fewest minutes per game of his career this season, at age 36. The Lakers have the N.B.A.’s best record.Credit…Wade Payne/Associated Press42James Harden’s first game in Houston as a member of the Nets is only 42 days away on March 3. The game is expected to have 4,500 fans in attendance, too, with the Rockets on the short list of five N.B.A. teams allowing reduced crowds for home games.7Seven players have posted a triple-double in their first game with a new team, according to Stathead. Two of the seven — Harden and Washington’s Russell Westbrook — did so this season. Harden had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists (and 9 turnovers) in his Nets debut on Saturday in a victory over Orlando; Westbrook had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists in his Wizards debut on Dec. 23 in a loss to Philadelphia.13Harden is going ahead with plans to operate a steakhouse in midtown Houston. Thirteen, named for Harden’s jersey number, is scheduled to open by month’s end, according to Sherrie Handrinos, a spokeswoman for the restaurant. Kevin Durant owned a 25 percent stake in a restaurant in Oklahoma City, Kd’s Southern Cuisine, which filed an application to change its name to the Legacy Grill just days after Durant’s decision in July 2016 to leave the Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in free agency.56The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James awoke Tuesday ranked 56th in the league at 32.2 minutes per game. It’s on pace to be the lowest average of his 18-season career by design, with James now 36 years old and coming off the shortest off-season in N.B.A. history. Only 72 days elapsed between the Lakers’ Game 6 finals victory over Miami to clinch the 2019-20 championship and their opening night loss to the Clippers on Dec. 22.37Only four players are averaging at least 37 minutes per game, and the Tom Thibodeau-coached Knicks have two of them. Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis leads the league at 37.5 minutes per game, followed by the Knicks’ duo RJ Barrett and Julius Randle and the Nets’ Harden, all of whom are tied at 37.1 minutes per game.Hit me up anytime on Twitter (@TheSteinLine) or Facebook (@MarcSteinNBA) or Instagram (@thesteinline). Send any other feedback to marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Harden Reunites With Durant, Far from the Hearts of Sonics Fans

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonJames Harden Traded to the NetsThe N.B.A.’s Virus CrisisThis Is for Stephen Curry’s CriticsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storySports of The TimesHouston, Seattle Feels Your LossWith whipsawing trades and other player movement routine in the N.B.A. these days, it’s hard to be loyal to teams and players.Kevin Durant, then of the Seattle SuperSonics, scoring off the Knicks in 2007 during his rookie season.Credit…Barton Silverman/The New York TimesJan. 15, 2021Updated 7:39 p.m. ETSEATTLE — If you’re a fan of the Seattle SuperSonics, jilted long ago despite decades of loyal love, you’re seriously happy for the last great talent from your team.That would be Kevin Durant.After a year spent rehabilitating a torn Achilles’ tendon, Durant now seems to be living his best life in Brooklyn as the leader of the Nets. His odds of winning a third N.B.A. title received a significant boost when a blockbuster trade reunited him this week with James Harden, his close friend and former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate.Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving on the same team? Scintillating, so long as they end up on the same page.But if you’re a die-hard Sonics fan — and yes, count me in that group — the happiness felt for one of basketball’s transcendent superstars comes with a flip side.We see Durant and are forced to reckon with all the unfulfilled possibilities.Recall that the slim, do-everything forward spent his rookie season in Seattle. He was only 19, but he led the team through a dreary and uncertain 2007-08 season. He wasn’t just good, he was prodigiously good; so full of talent and joy that watching him made the doomsday talk of the Sonics’ possible relocation drift away.Then reality hit. April 13, 2008. The last game played at the old KeyArena: a win sealed by a Durant jump shot.Soon the team moved to Oklahoma City, where it began anew as the Thunder. (Pardon the crankiness, but they’ll always be the Tumbleweeds to me.)It’s been 12 years, but the stinging questions remain.What would have happened to Durant and our team if the Sonics had never left?And how much should fans expect their devotion to be mirrored by professional sports leagues, team ownership and the players we most admire?I’m typical of many in Seattle. The Sonics will always be in my blood. I’m comfortably middle-aged, but I can close my eyes and remember my first N.B.A. game: the bright colors and sharp sounds and even the smells of buttered popcorn and roasted peanuts in the old coliseum nestled near the Space Needle.I was 6, and the Sonics were playing Jerry Sloan and the Chicago Bulls. I can still feel my father’s humongous hands as he led me to our seats.A few years later, when my parents divorced, my father kept our connection close through the Sonics. We went to dozens of games, seated almost always near the rafters. We saw Julius Erving’s first appearance in Seattle — all that grace and power and coolness.We were there in 1978 when the Sonics lost to the Washington Bullets in the N.B.A. finals.In 1979, we watched Gus Williams, Jack Sikma, Dennis Johnson and my dad’s friend Downtown Freddie Brown as the team won its only league championship.Years later, Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton formed a powerful, legendary duo, but our hearts were always with those 1970s teams.One more memory, this one bittersweet. When my father was dying, far too early at age 75, we rode together in an ambulance to a nearby hospice. I held his hand again as he spoke of our most cherished times. “The Sonics,” he said. Then he recalled, one last time, the glorious, arcing accuracy of Fred Brown’s jump shot.That’s love.I know I’m hardly alone. We bond over teams, over remarkable wins and searing losses and athletes who remain ever young in our mind’s eye.Fans all over the country, who root for all kinds of teams and players, know that love. It is steadfast, faithful and rooted deep into our souls.We also know the risk. There are no guarantees that devotion will be rewarded with loyalty in return. (Just ask the Houston fans who have stood behind Harden since 2012.)Two years after my father’s death, the Midwestern ownership group that had bought the Sonics moved Seattle’s first big-time professional sports team of the modern era to Oklahoma.The fact that the team had been a vital part of one of America’s greatest cities for 41 years did not matter. Nor did the fact that Seattle was known to have one of the most passionate fan bases in sports.Nothing mattered but the bottom line. The N.B.A. wanted a fancy new stadium, and taxpayer money to fund a big chunk of it. Seattle’s political leaders balked. There was no compromise.The city lost the Sonics and the one player everyone imagined as a franchise cornerstone. The one player who could have brought another title and forged more remarkable seasons, maybe for a decade or longer.We have never relinquished our passion for Durant. He matured during an era of constant player movement that seemed to be foretold by the uprooting of the Sonics. He came to personify the modern superstar. He bounced from team to team to team, winning an M.V.P. and world titles and never quite content in one place. But to us he’s still the wide-eyed teen who conjured our last flash of basketball brilliance. We can’t let go.It helped that he never forgot the city that birthed his N.B.A. career. When his Golden State Warriors came to Seattle for an exhibition in 2018, he wore a vintage Shawn Kemp jersey and gave the sold-out crowd all they could ever want to hear. “I know it’s been a rough 10 years,” he said. “The N.B.A. is back in Seattle for tonight, but hopefully it is back forever soon!”Will that ever happen? To pine for it is to be whipsawed between hope and despair.Whenever N.B.A. commissioner Adam Silver utters a single sentence that could be divined as giving a nod toward the Sonics’ return — as he did recently when he spoke of league expansion as “Manifest Destiny” and gave a tip of the hat toward Seattle — the local news goes into overdrive with stories about a possible return.Contractors are rebuilding the old KeyArena, soon the home of the N.H.L.’s Seattle Kraken, an expansion team. They have gutted the old structure. Close to $1 billion will go toward increasing its size and prepping it for multiple sports — pro basketball included. The whole endeavor is led by Tim and Tod Leiweke, brothers connected to the N.B.A. and Silver for decades who make no secret of their desire to have an expansion team playing in their gleaming new edifice.Does all this mean the Sonics are coming soon? Maybe. But then again, maybe not.So Sonics fans keep holding tight to the one last superstar to have played for our team.He’s doing his thing in Brooklyn now.And we’re still dreaming of the future.I can see it now, in two years or maybe five, the SuperSonics back at long last. The first big free-agent signed to herald their return? Kevin Durant.Sorry Brooklyn, there’s no such thing as loyalty in the N.B.A., but at least you would still have your team.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      After Frosty Houston Split, Harden Says He’s an ‘Elite Teammate’

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonJames Harden Traded to the NetsThe N.B.A.’s Virus CrisisThis Is for Stephen Curry’s CriticsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyAfter Frosty Houston Split, Harden Says He’s an ‘Elite Teammate’James Harden, who was traded to the Nets this week, had been called “disrespectful” by his former teammates in Houston, who he said were “not good enough” to win a championship.In his introductory press conference with the Nets on Friday, James Harden said he was an “elite” player, teammate and leader.Credit…Toshifumi Kitamura/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJan. 15, 2021, 5:04 p.m. ETDays after telling reporters he did not think the Houston Rockets were talented enough to be competitive, James Harden said on Friday that he is an “elite player, an elite teammate” and an “elite leader,” in his first comments as a member of the Nets.He also responded to critical barbs by his former Rockets teammates, including the former All-Stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins, in particular, referred to Harden’s behavior leading up to this week’s trade to the Nets as “disrespectful.”“I wasn’t disrespectful to anyone,” said Harden, who had been the cornerstone of the Rockets since 2012-13. “Those guys had just got there, Houston. I’ve been there for a very long time. I’ve been through all the ups and downs with that organization and I wasn’t disrespectful toward anyone. I just made a comment that the team, as a whole, wasn’t good enough to compete for a title, and at the stage of my career where I am now, that’s what I would love.”In postgame comments Tuesday night, following a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Harden said that he did not think the Rockets had the talent or chemistry to be competitive and added, “It’s something that I don’t think can be fixed.” This came months after Harden, who showed up late to training camp, privately requested a trade from the Rockets. The Nets topped the list of his preferred teams.When asked Friday if he regretted how things ended in Houston, where he played more than eight seasons and won a Most Valuable Player Award, Harden said: “Yeah, I regret because I’m not the type of guy who — I don’t need the attention, especially the negative energy, the negative attention. Like, I’ve never been that guy. There were some things, I feel like, out of my character, but the ultimate goal was to get somewhere where I can compete.”Harden developed into one of the N.B.A.’s marquee players in Houston and in recent years has had some of the league’s best offensive seasons ever. However, he has also developed a reputation for clashing with teammates and for having less-than-desirable conditioning. (On Friday, when asked to describe his conditioning, Harden smiled and said “Great!”)In Wednesday’s blockbuster trade, the Nets gave up a bevy of draft picks and talented young players such as Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert. Coach Steve Nash said on Friday that Harden should be available to play Saturday against the Orlando Magic.Harden publicly detailed for the first time why he wanted to leave Houston. He cited the off-season departures of Daryl Morey, who resigned as Houston’s general manager and became president of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Mike D’Antoni, who left the Rockets and is now an assistant coach for the Nets. Harden said he began rethinking his future in Houston immediately after losing to the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs last season.“You look from top to bottom: the general manager leaving to Mike D’Antoni leaving to re-evaluating our personnel and seeing if we had enough to compete with the best teams in the league,” he said. “And as time went on and free agency and things like that started to go on, it was like, well, I felt like we didn’t have a chance.”He added, “As much as I love the city of Houston and I loved being there, I think I’m at the point in my career where it’s not about money. It’s not about anything else but having a chance at reaching the ultimate goal, which is winning at the highest level.”Harden said he had not spoken with his new teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant about how they would coexist on the floor.“For us, it might take a little time,” Harden said. “It might not. I think all of us are very smart, are very unselfish, and we know what’s at stake.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Durant, Irving and Now Harden. How the Nets Will Make This Trio Work

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonJames Harden Traded to the NetsThe N.B.A.’s Virus CrisisThis Is for Stephen Curry’s CriticsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyOne Basketball Might Not Be Enough for the New-Look NetsWith James Harden, the Nets now have an elite trio of ball-dominant playmakers. Yet there are key differences in how Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving thrive that could allow this grand experiment to work.From left, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.Credit…Getty Images, Associated PressJan. 14, 2021, 7:44 p.m. ETThe Nets’ jaw-dropping trade for James Harden has initiated a grand experiment never before tried at this scale: Can three ball-dominant playmakers coexist after spending most of their careers in offenses tailored to their needs?“Whenever you’re meshing personalities, we’ve got to wait and see how this all fits on the floor and so forth,” Sean Marks, the Nets general manager, told reporters Thursday. “I think these guys have given us the right answers. They’ve said, hey, they want to play together. They can see this fitting.”Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving aren’t the Nets’ first starry trio, much less the N.B.A.’s: Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James won two championships in Miami; Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce won one in Boston.But to give a sense of how unusual this new trio is, it’s useful to note just how much they have touched the basketball in their careers. A good measure of this is usage rate, which shows the percentage of a team’s plays taken up by a player’s shooting or turning the ball over. A-level stars are usually in the mid-to-high 20 percent range. Durant is at 30.2 percent, and Irving at 29.3 percent. But Harden is on another level: He is one of two players in N.B.A. history to reach 40 percent for a season, which he did in 2018-19 — 40.47 percent. The other was Russell Westbrook, Harden’s teammate last season, who did so in 2016-17.In the 1980s era of superteams, the Los Angeles Lakers teammates Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never came close to reaching 30 percent. Larry Bird did so once with the Boston Celtics, barely. His teammate Kevin McHale, one of the best post players ever, didn’t get to 25 percent. Michael Jordan, at 33.26 percent, is the leader in career usage rate. His sidekick, Scottie Pippen, was more of a facilitator than a scorer (22.52 percent).The games of Harden, Irving and Durant overlap in many ways, but with key variations. All three are phenomenal ballhandlers, for example, but they get their points in different ways.To break down how they may work together on the Nets, we are going to mostly use stats from Durant’s last full season in the league (2018-19), when he was playing with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, another ball-dominant star. We will use last season’s numbers for Irving (20 games) and Harden.No Man Is an Island (Unless He’s James Harden)The Nets’ stars have thrived on isolation basketball, meaning they take the ball and go against defenders one-on-one.In Houston, under Coach Mike D’Antoni, the Rockets emphasized isolation as the rest of the league was moving away from it, often giving Harden the ball and having his teammates stand around waiting for him to create shots. Last season, 45 percent of Harden’s possessions were isolations, nearly twice that of Westbrook’s, the second most in the league.It worked: Not only did Harden put up some of the best offensive numbers of any player ever, but the Rockets, during D’Antoni’s tenure from 2016-17 to 2019-20, were also a top offensive team. Now Harden will reunite with D’Antoni, who is an assistant under Nets Coach Steve Nash.But instead of being the offensive engine, as he was for the Rockets offense, Harden will be one of three elite options. Even this season, without D’Antoni as the head coach, the Rockets have led the league in isolations, in part because of Harden. The Nets were ninth in that category going into Thursday’s play, though it’s reasonable to assume they would rank higher if Irving hadn’t been out for personal reasons (he hasn’t played since Jan. 5) and if Durant hadn’t missed three games because of coronavirus protocols.Durant was in the N.B.A.’s top 20 in isolations, at 15.6 percent, in his last full season, still well behind Harden. This season, Durant is isolating less frequently than he was with Golden State (13.7 percent).This is where the adjustment will be the biggest for all the players. Harden is used to not only receiving the ball — but also to holding it and being in full control.Star Trek: First ContactWhere Harden differentiates himself the most from Irving and Durant is in how much more likely he is to hunt for fouls and get to the line. Harden has averaged at least 10 free throws a game in seven out of the last eight seasons. He often frustrates opponents, sometimes by purposely locking their arms while making halfhearted shot attempts.Irving is the opposite. He shies away from contact, opting to fade away rather than get hit. His career high in free throws per game came last season (5.1) when he played only 20 games. Durant has reached 10 per game just once in his career, but he has been better than Irving at getting to the line, averaging 7.7 foul shots a game in his career.Harden is also the most likely of the three to attack the basket, increasing his chances of drawing fouls — 41 percent of Harden’s shots last year came from within 10 feet of the basket, compared with 27.9 percent for Durant and 34.9 percent for Irving, according to the N.B.A.’s tracking data.Timing Is EverythingThe majority of all their shots tend to come from pull-up jumpers.But Harden holds the ball the longest before shooting — 55.6 percent of his shots came after he held the ball for at least six seconds. For Durant, that figure was 28 percent, and it was 44.7 percent for Irving.This was, in part, by design. In Golden State, Coach Steve Kerr insisted on constant ball movement, whereas in Houston, the system was set up for Harden to take his time and probe defenses. But even this season, Durant’s shots after six seconds have come at about the same rate as they did in Golden State.After Durant left the Warriors to sign with the Nets, he publicly complained about the motion offense the Warriors ran, saying that it was limited.Drawing a Line in the PaintDurant is the only one of the three who has much success posting up, or inclination to do so. Harden and Irving have spent their careers receiving the ball outside the 3-point line, whereas Durant, because of his height, has been able to make an impact in the paint. In the 2018-19 season, 10.6 percent of Durant’s shots came from post-ups, and he made half of them. This year, Durant is posting up slightly less (9.3 percent), but he has been more efficient, hitting 64.7 percent of these shots.Running on EmptyHarden likes to run in transition, more so than his new co-stars. In addition to isolations, fast-break scoring accounts for a good portion of Harden’s points. Last season, Harden was third in the league in fast-break possessions per game. Durant was ninth during his last season with the Warriors.But Irving certainly has the ball-handling skills to move the ball in transition the way Harden and Durant do, but he has preferred to navigate in the half-court, using his crossover and spin moves to get around defenders rather than pushing the ball up the floor quickly.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Houston Rockets to Trade James Harden to the Nets

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonJames Harden Traded to the NetsThe N.B.A.’s Virus CrisisThis Is for Stephen Curry’s CriticsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyHouston Rockets to Trade James Harden to the NetsThe four-team deal will reunite Harden with Kevin Durant, whom he played with on the Oklahoma City Thunder.James Harden, an eight-time All-Star, had made it clear that he wanted out of Houston.Credit…Carmen Mandato/Getty ImagesMarc Stein and Jan. 13, 2021Updated 7:55 p.m. ETThe Nets will embark on an ambitious attempt to blend three high-scoring stars together after they agreed Wednesday to acquire the All-Star guard James Harden from the Houston Rockets in a four-team trade — just one day after a disgruntled Harden publicly described the Rockets as “not good enough.”The trade, which will reunite Harden with the Nets’ Kevin Durant and send Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo plus four future first-round picks to Houston, was confirmed by a person close to Harden with knowledge of the deal who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.“I can’t comment on the rumors, but we know this is a star’s league,” Nets Coach Steve Nash said Wednesday before his team played the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.Just a handful of games into his coaching career, Nash will soon have the luxury — but also the immense challenge — of overseeing a roster headlined by Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving. The Nets, widely billed as an Eastern Conference title contender, were off to a bumpy 6-6 start before the deal.Harden had been seeking a trade since November, reported a week late to the Rockets’ training camp and — in a nod to his friendship with Durant after three years playing together in Oklahoma City — had the Nets at the top of his list of preferred destinations. But the Nets had to fend off strong competition from the Philadelphia 76ers, who were also pursuing a trade with Houston. Philadelphia’s new president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, has a relationship with Harden after bringing him to Houston through a trade in 2012, when Morey was the Rockets’ general manager.The Sixers had been trying to acquire Harden in trade packages built around the All-Star guard Ben Simmons, according to two people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to discuss them publicly. The Rockets instead went ahead with a four-team trade involving the Nets, the Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers so they could bring Oladipo to Houston in the final year of his contract — and get a bountiful package of future first-round picks to replenish the draft assets they lost in trades to acquire Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers and Russell Westbrook from the Thunder.The uncertainty surrounding Irving, who hasn’t played since Jan. 5 for personal reasons, made the Nets even more eager to find a workable trade for Harden and bolster their top-end talent, according to one of the people. There will be questions about the offensive fit when Harden arrives in Brooklyn and Irving returns to the lineup. But the Nets will be better insulated against a star player’s injury or absence and, perhaps more crucially, they will have swung a deal for a player Durant wanted to play with again.The trade calls for the Nets’ promising forward Caris LeVert to go to Indiana and for two other Nets — Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince — to go to Cleveland. The Rockets will receive Cleveland’s Dante Exum and the Nets’ Rodions Kurucs in addition to three first-round picks from the Nets (2022, 2024 and 2026) and Cleveland’s first-round pick (via Milwaukee) in 2022. Houston will have the right to swap first-round picks with the Nets in the 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027 drafts.The Nets pulled LeVert, Allen, Prince and Kurucs out of their game against the Knicks in anticipation of the trade. ESPN first reported the agreement between the Rockets and the Nets; The Athletic first reported Indiana’s involvement in the trade.Harden won three scoring titles and the 2017-18 Most Valuable Player Award in Houston and led the team to the Western Conference finals twice in his first eight seasons there. Yet he was ordered away from the team Wednesday and told not to come to practice in the hours before the trade after blasting the quality of Houston’s roster.“We’re just not good enough,” Harden said Tuesday after the Rockets’ 117-100 loss to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. “I love this city. I literally have done everything that I can. The situation is crazy. It’s something that I don’t think can be fixed.”Harden’s unhappiness in Houston had festered since the team lost to the Lakers in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs last season. Morey and Mike D’Antoni, who was Houston’s head coach last season and is now a Nets assistant coach, left the Rockets after the season. Houston also traded Westbrook to Washington for John Wall after Harden and Westbrook had played together for just one season.Harden, 31, had only grown more distant under the first-year head coach Stephen Silas in the wake of all those changes. Amid increasingly loud criticism of his commitment to the team and his conditioning, he averaged a lackluster 17.4 points on 37.8 percent shooting from the field in Houston’s last five games, four of them losses.Yet neither the potential pitfalls of bringing in Harden, nor the steep cost in draft picks, dissuaded the Nets. Sean Marks, hired as the Nets’ general manager in 2016, has assembled the most talented trio of N.B.A. players since the Durant-era Golden State Warriors or the LeBron James-era Miami Heat.This is not the first time that the Nets have gone this route. In 2004, they traded for a 27-year-old Vince Carter, who was almost as open about his displeasure with the Toronto Raptors as Harden was about his with the Rockets. Though that deal didn’t cost the Nets foundational pieces or many draft picks, and Carter played well, New Jersey only won two playoff series with Carter.Then came the ill-fated deal with Boston in 2013 for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, who were past their primes. It was supposed to transform the Nets into finals contenders after their move, combining Pierce and Garnett with Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams. They won one playoff series and were stuck in the N.B.A.’s wilderness for years while the Celtics rebuilt their young core with the draft picks they got from the Nets in the trade. Boston added future stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown; Pierce left the Nets after one season, and Garnett was traded in his second.If the Harden deal goes as poorly, it will be worse. This time around, the Nets gave up more picks, and two players with significant potential in Allen and LeVert. Allen, a 22-year-old center, was on pace for a career season, and LeVert, 26, is a dynamic guard who can score. The duo was a big reason the Nets were able to emerge from the N.B.A.’s shadows so soon after the failed Pierce and Garnett trade.Even so, the Harden trade gives the Nets three elite scorers and playmakers no team can match. That could mean easier looks for everyone as defenses scramble, but what made Harden successful in recent years was having the ball in his hands full time and breaking defenses down through isolations. Continuing to play like that doesn’t seem feasible with two ball-dominant stars on the floor as well, which Nash, with D’Antoni’s help, will have to figure out.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      N.B.A. Postpones Houston Rockets Game Because of Coronavirus

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Coronavirus OutbreakliveLatest UpdatesMaps and CasesThe Stimulus DealThe Latest Vaccine InformationF.A.Q.AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyN.B.A. Postpones Rockets Game, an Early Test of the League’s Virus RulesMultiple positive or inconclusive coronavirus tests, and a health protocol breach, left the Houston Rockets with too few players to compete in their season opener Wednesday.The N.B.A. said James Harden of the Houston Rockets was “unavailable” for Wednesday’s game after violating health and safety protocols.Credit…Pool photo by Carmen MandatoDec. 23, 2020Updated 8:04 p.m. ETIn an immediate blow to the N.B.A.’s attempt to stage a season without the protection of a restricted-access bubble, league officials were forced to postpone the Houston Rockets’ season opener on Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Rockets were unable to field the required minimum of eight players in uniform.On just the second night of the 2020-21 season, an announcement that the game would be postponed “in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols” came less than three hours before the game’s scheduled tipoff in Houston. Three Rockets players, according to the league, had coronavirus tests that were either positive or inconclusive, leading to the placement of four other Rockets players in quarantine after contact tracing.In addition, one other Rocket (Chris Clemons) is injured and the All-Star James Harden was prevented from playing because of what the league termed “a violation” of its health and safety guidelines. The league later fined Harden $50,000 for attending “a private indoor party” on Monday; video began to circulate this week showing him at an indoor venue without a mask.The Rockets were one of six teams in the 30-team N.B.A. scheduled to allow reduced-capacity crowds into their buildings at the start of the season, which comes as the coronavirus wreaks its worst havoc yet across the United States. Commissioner Adam Silver said in a series of interviews on Monday that the N.B.A. was anticipating “bumps in the road along the way,” but being forced to order a postponement so soon illuminated the various complications it faces.Unlike the N.F.L. and college football, which have been besieged by their own coronavirus setbacks, the N.B.A. is trying to operate a contact sport played entirely indoors — outside of a bubble — with mere 17-player rosters and frequent travel amid an unyielding pandemic.The Coronavirus Outbreak More

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      8 Fearless N.B.A. Season Predictions

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The NBA SeasonNets and Clippers Win BigMVP: LeBron or Luka?The Reloaded LakersWill the Nets Reign?AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storymarc stein on basketball8 Fearless N.B.A. Season PredictionsHouston’s James Harden is widely expected to be traded soon. But Kevin Love? Zach LaVine? LaMarcus Aldridge? They could be on the move, too.The outlook for James Harden is now about when, not if, he will be traded from the Houston Rockets.Credit…Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle, via Associated PressDec. 23, 2020, 3:00 a.m. ETThe N.B.A.’s 75th season began Tuesday night with wins by the Nets and the Clippers. A new calendar year arrives in just nine days.The time, then, has never been more right to consult our crystal roundball for the usual batch of eight (almost) fearless predictions for what awaits in #thisleague in coming months:James Harden will be traded no later than Jan. 25 — two full months before this season’s trade deadline.The initial rumblings, at the start of Harden’s standoff with the Houston Rockets, suggested that a trade was unlikely to materialize until closer to the March 25 deadline. The Rockets were determined to first see if they could repair their relationship with Harden, then to leverage the two guaranteed seasons left on his contract on the trade market.More current rumblings indicate that tension within the Rockets is mounting each day Harden goes untraded. The Athletic illuminated some of that tension with a report Tuesday that Harden recently threw a ball in practice at Jae’Sean Tate, his new rookie teammate. Both sides now want to move on as quickly as possible. It’s time.I still regard Philadelphia as the most likely landing spot for Harden, largely because Ben Simmons most closely fits the description of the sort of building-block player Houston is holding out for in return. I’m also told that the familiarity between Daryl Morey and his Rockets successor, Rafael Stone, will outweigh any lingering ill feelings from Morey’s move to Philadelphia as president of basketball operations less than two weeks after he walked away from his Houston contract. I know Morey has said that Simmons is going nowhere. I also know Morey made similar statements about Chris Paul before he traded Paul to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook.The Heat let it be known this week that they are not actively pursuing Harden, which is a blow for the Rockets because Miami is one of those fearless teams with the oft-proven gumption to embrace an enigma like Harden in spite of the various red flags. The Sixers and the Nets, though, may not be the only other options: In recent days, it has become known that Toronto, Boston and Denver have also had exploratory talks with Houston.The Rockets will keep probing the market, as eager to move on now as the superstar they catered to for the past eight seasons.At least three of the following five players will be traded this season in addition to Harden: LaMarcus Aldridge, Aaron Gordon, Buddy Hield, Zach LaVine and Kevin Love. Maybe even all five.Love’s case is the most intriguing. He has $91.5 million left on his Cleveland contract with two more seasons after this one. Yet the flurry of contract extensions we’ve seen during the N.B.A.’s truncated off-season may encourage a team or two out there to sacrifice some future salary-cap flexibility to absorb Love’s deal, knowing that free-agent options will be more limited than anticipated.Both Aldridge and Gordon are interesting candidates with their shorter remaining contracts to slot in Boston’s $28.5 million trade exception, which the Celtics (depending on their willingness to run up their luxury-tax bill) can use to add absorb a huge salary in a trade.Kevin Durant will be first player in N.B.A. history to go from an Achilles’ tendon tear to Most Valuable Player Award candidacy.Kevin Durant’s game looked as fluid as ever during the preseason.Credit…Kathy Willens/Associated PressIn Tuesday’s New York Times, as part of a staff compendium of award predictions for the coming season, I went with Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks as my M.V.P. selection. As strong as Doncic’s case will surely be, I’ve been asking myself if I should have gone with Durant.It is super early in his comeback, true, and the Nets will be wary of overtaxing their star forward during the regular season. But Durant is shooting, moving and, yes, dunking as fluidly as we’ve ever seen a player post-Achilles’ tendon surgery.Even at 32, Durant looks highly capable of changing the devastating history of the most dreaded injury in the sport. Then again, Durant is one of the sport’s true offensive unicorns, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.The Eastern Conference will earn your respect.I can’t claim to have invented the phrase, but I think I’ve been using “Leastern Conference” jabs in stories for almost 20 years. Even in recent seasons that produced a champion from the East, depth on that side of the N.B.A. has often been lacking.This season will be different. Although the West still has more teams that can credibly compete for a playoff spot, it appears that more challengers to the Lakers’ throne (starting with Milwaukee, Miami and the Nets) can be found in the East.Sorting out the East’s top seven, if the Indiana Pacers are indeed more dynamic offensively under new coach Nate Bjorkgren, should be complicated and fun.Finishing sixth in each conference will mean more than it ever has before.One of the best things about the N.B.A.’s play-in playoff round, beyond giving four more teams than usual a pathway to the postseason, is how much more value finishing sixth in the East or West holds.The No. 6 seed clinches a first-round playoff berth. The No. 7 seed slips into a four-team scramble that, in the worst-case scenario, could result in an early off-season. In the N.B.A.’s ongoing quest to make the regular season more meaningful (and watchable), this should help.The No. 9 or No. 10 seed in either conference would have to win two consecutive games to bump off No. 7 or No. 8 for a playoff spot.Game 1: The format calls for the seventh-place team in each conference seed to play No. 8, with the winner claiming the No. 7 seed.Game 2: The No. 9 seed goes up against No. 10. The loser is eliminated.Game 3: The loser of Game 1 faces the winner of Game 2. The Game 3 winner claims the final playoff berth, with the loser heading to the lottery.Got it?There will be All-Star balloting, like usual, even if there is no All-Star Game.All-Star festivities will be different this season, but we’ll still fight about selections and snubs as usual.Credit…Nathaniel S. Butler/NBA PhotosThe N.B.A. has already announced that its 2021 All-Star Weekend, which was scheduled to be held in Indianapolis, has been postponed to 2024 to give the Hoosier State another shot at hosting. Indianapolis last played host to an N.B.A. All-Star Game in 1985.I think the league, deep down, would like to arrange a simpler All-Star Game, just this season, if it made sense to do so. That, however, is a lot to ask in these coronavirus times — especially when a true midseason break of some sort is sure to be welcomed by players after the shortest off-season in history for most teams.Can you live with traditional All-Star balloting, coaches selecting the reserves and the usual Twitter fisticuffs over who got snubbed? I’m pretty sure we’re going to get all that.The Miami Heat will reach the N.B.A. finals again.This is going to be harder than it sounds if you remember the above warnings about the East’s top seven.It will be doubly difficult if you endorse the belief in some league circles that the Heat would not have advanced to the finals at Walt Disney World if not for some bubble anomalies, like the lack of travel and the absence of hostile environments on the road. Miami’s ever-demanding culture for players that puts so much emphasis on fitness and focus, as the theory goes, had its roster primed to cope better than anyone with the long bouts of isolation in the bubble and other mental-health challenges.I don’t buy it. I think the Heat have a worthy, versatile, defensive-minded team that orbits around Jimmy Butler and will be stronger this season as Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson develop. They beat the Lakers twice in the finals, remember, despite the injuries sustained by Adebayo and Goran Dragic.Miami was not a mirage.There will be a loud campaign for the N.B.A. to start cooking up a new all-time team, featuring 75 players as the league’s 75th birthday nears in June, to replace or update the league’s list of 50 greatest players named in October 1996, the league’s 50th season.And if I’m wrong and no loud campaign materializes, I will start it myself.The Scoop @TheSteinLineGrizzlies fans will have to watch Ja Morant from home for now.Credit…Brandon Dill/Associated PressCorner ThreeTrevor Ariza has probably been on your favorite team.Credit…John Raoux/Associated PressYou ask; I answer. Every week in this space, I’ll field three questions posed via email at marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as the city you’re writing in from, and make sure “Corner Three” is in the subject line.(Questions may be lightly edited or condensed for clarity.)Q: The West is obviously going to have more than eight teams vying for playoff spots. Which teams do you think we can rule out now? — Natalie Anfuso (Wayne, Pa.)Stein: I totally understand why you’re asking, because it’s a difficult question to answer. If you’re looking to rule out teams completely, I would feel comfortable naming only Oklahoma City — and that’s just because the Thunder have aggressively embraced a rebuilding posture. It wouldn’t surprise me, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander running the offense and Al Horford and Luguentz Dort anchoring the defense, if even the Thunder proved to be a tougher out than expected.Every team in the West that finished eighth or lower last season has grander visions of this season’s ceiling. No. 8 Portland believes it will contend for a top-four seed after the acquisition of Robert Covington and some additional roster tweaking. Memphis placed ninth and is counting on a similar finish, at worst, purely through Ja Morant’s presumed improvement in Year 2. And No. 10 Phoenix is widely regarded as playoff material now after going 8-0 at the Walt Disney World bubble and then trading for Chris Paul.While outsiders await a potential trade that ships out a veteran like LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan or Patty Mills, No. 11 San Antonio is optimistic that the experience its younger players gained in the bubble will make the Spurs a playoff sleeper. No. 13 New Orleans is one of the more difficult teams to assess and figures to have a puncher’s chance to reach the postseason purely based on the track record of its new coach, Stan Van Gundy, and Zion Williamson’s promising preseason. Golden State, of course, is expected to bounce back from the league’s worst record (15-50) to contend for a playoff berth — even with Klay Thompson out for the season after he tore his right Achilles’ tendon in November.I have more confidence in Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell clicking and No. 14 Minnesota joining that mix ahead of No. 12 Sacramento, but the Timberwolves and the Kings have to be considered playoff long shots in a conference this deep. The Kings, remember, have missed the postseason for a league-high 14 consecutive seasons and, even with a revamped front office, left numerous rival teams stunned by their decision not to match Atlanta’s four-year, $72 million offer sheet to Bogdan Bogdanovic.Q: Maybe it wasn’t part of the wildest off-season ever, but Luke Ridnour had a wild week in 2015 — he was traded five times, if I remember correctly. Did he ever play for any of them? — Barron Hall (Chicago)Stein: Good follow-up question to our recent debate in this space about the proper amount of awe in response to the leaguewide frenzy of transactions in the days before and after the Nov. 18 draft. Ridnour was actually traded four times in a week in June 2015 — one trade more than Trevor Ariza was subjected to last month — but he never played for any of the teams involved.In fact, Ridnour never played in the league again after his stint with Orlando in 2014-15. He had a nonguaranteed contract worth $2.75 million for the 2015-16 season, which is why Ridnour kept being moved, but he decided to stop playing after Toronto acquired him from Oklahoma City in trade No. 4. The first three trades sent him from Orlando to Memphis, Memphis to Charlotte and Charlotte to Oklahoma City.Ariza is on the Thunder’s opening-night roster and, according to my old friends at HoopsHype, has been traded 10 times in his career — more than any other player in league history. Ariza is likely to be mentioned frequently as the potential recipient of an in-season contract buyout that makes him a free-agent target for contending teams like the Lakers, but who would be surprised if Oklahoma City finds a way to trade him again?Q: I honestly don’t know what normal is anymore, but the last five minutes of the Golden State-Sacramento game last Tuesday night were pure joy. All the rookies and reserves were playing their hearts out, Kyle Guy’s buzzer-beater gave the Kings a win, and Steve Kerr, Alvin Gentry and Luke Walton were all laughing through their masks. As a basketball-starved, 70-year-old woman, I enjoyed all of it. Bring it on! — Gigi CoeStein: You get the last word, Gigi. Let’s hope, as the regular season opens Tuesday night, that we have lots of scenes like the one you describe to dissect and savor.Numbers GameCharlotte’s LaMelo Ball has wowed with his passing. Not so much his shooting, yet.Credit…Matt Stamey/Associated Press6Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo last week became the sixth player to sign a so-called supermax contract extension, joining Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Houston’s James Harden, Washington’s Russell Westbrook and Houston’s John Wall. Two marquee stars who were eligible to sign supermax deals with their former teams but declined: Anthony Davis (New Orleans) and Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio). Utah’s Rudy Gobert was also eligible for the supermax but signed a five-year deal on Sunday with the Jazz at roughly $23 million below the highest amount he could have received.3The supermax contract was introduced to help incumbent teams retain superstar players, after Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State in July 2016, but Harden recently became the third of those six supermax recipients to request a trade. Westbrook has been traded twice since signing his supermax with Oklahoma City in September 2017. Wall signed his with Washington in July 2017 and was traded for Westbrook on Dec. 2 after both players asked for a trade.26.2Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball threw some of the best passes I’ve ever seen during the preseason — including a one-handed bounce pass against Orlando on Saturday with skip and bend that should be enjoyed over and over — but Ball, a rookie guard, is struggling as badly as feared with his shooting. Drafted No. 3 over all by the Hornets in November, Ball shot 26.2 percent from the field and 27.3 percent on 3-pointers in Charlotte’s four exhibition games.44.3With a career conversion rate of 44.3 percent, Philadelphia’s Seth Curry ranks second in league history in 3-point percentage behind Golden State Coach Steve Kerr, who was a career 45.4 percent shooter from long range. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry is sixth at 43.5 percent, behind Hubert Davis (44.1 percent), Drazen Petrovic (43.7 percent) and Duncan Robinson (43.7 percent).5,739We can’t forget that Stephen Curry, coming into this season, had attempted 5,739 3-pointers in his 11 N.B.A. seasons. That’s more than Kerr (1,599), his brother, Seth (1,007), and Miami’s Robinson (641) combined (3,247).Hit me up anytime on Twitter (@TheSteinLine) or Facebook (@MarcSteinNBA) or Instagram (@thesteinline). Send any other feedback to marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.comAdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      N.B.A. 2020-21 Predictions: LeBron vs. Luka for M.V.P.

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyN.B.A. 2020-21 Predictions: LeBron vs. Luka for M.V.P.Our panel predicts a big year for the Nets and the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, a surprise from Damian Lillard, a Lakers repeat and a fierce battle among the rookies.Our predictors see a two-man race for the Most Valuable Player Award: LeBron James vs. Luka Doncic.Credit…Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports, via ReutersDec. 22, 2020, 3:00 a.m. ETThe last time the sports staff of The New York Times and assorted friends gathered to make the annual set of N.B.A. preseason predictions, we got some things right.Ahead of the 2019-20 season, several of us thought that Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks would repeat as the N.B.A.’s most valuable player. (Yawn.) Others predicted that the Oklahoma City Thunder would have a surprisingly successful season after a summer in which they traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers, and that the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant would win the league’s Rookie of the Year Award over Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans.But no one predicted that the Los Angeles Lakers would win the championship — let alone advance to the N.B.A. finals. (The Clippers were the unanimous choice to come out of the West.) Or that the Lakers’ title run would come after the arrival of something called the “coronavirus,” which would suspend the season for four months and before resuming in a spectator-free bubble at Walt Disney World outside Orlando, Fla.The point being: Predictions are difficult, and sometimes impossible. But that is not about to stop us from trying again.Here is a look at some of our highly unscientific picks and prognostications for the season ahead:(The New York Times does not permit its staff to vote for the official N.B.A. awards.)The predictors:Jonathan Abrams, sports reporterHarvey Araton, Hall of Fame sportswriterElena Bergeron, assistant sports editorJonah Bromwich, staff writerScott Cacciola, sports reporterSopan Deb, sports reporterEvan Easterling, senior staff editorShauntel Lowe, N.B.A. editorMarc Stein, Hall of Fame sports reporterMost Valuable PlayerPortland’s Damian Lillard could have a shot at the M.V.P. Award with a top-five finish for his Trail Blazers.Credit…Pool photo by Kevin C. CoxAbrams: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Araton: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)Bergeron: LeBron James (Lakers)Bromwich: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)Cacciola: Stephen Curry (Warriors)Deb: LeBron James (Lakers)Easterling: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)Lowe: LeBron James (Lakers)Stein: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)Why Curry? “He’s back. The Warriors won’t be title contenders without Klay Thompson. But they’ll be in the thick of the playoff race with Curry putting on nightly shows.” — CacciolaWhy Lillard? “The smart pick here is Kevin Durant or Luka Doncic, but I love Lillard, everyone else loves Lillard and if the Blazers crack the top five in the West, he’s got a great chance at it.” — BromwichRookie of the YearThere’s no consensus winner for rookie of the year, but Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball has been fun to watch during the preseason.Credit…John Raoux/Associated PressAbrams: Obi Toppin (Knicks)Araton: Immanuel Quickley (Knicks)Bergeron: LaMelo Ball (Hornets)Bromwich: Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers)Cacciola: Tyrese Haliburton (Kings)Deb: James Wiseman (Warriors)Easterling: LaMelo Ball (Hornets)Lowe: LaMelo Ball (Hornets)Stein: Deni Avdija (Wizards)Why Ball? “More offense will run through Ball than rookies on teams that are closer to contention, like James Wiseman in Golden State, or joining ready-made tandems, like Anthony Edwards, who’ll play alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in Minnesota. In limited preseason action, he showed signs his passing ability will translate to the N.B.A., a skill that will be augmented by playing with Gordon Hayward and Devonte’ Graham.” — EasterlingDefensive Player of the YearMany people and players thought the Lakers’ Anthony Davis should have been named the best defensive player last season.Credit…Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressAbrams: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Araton: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Bergeron: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Bromwich: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Cacciola: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Deb: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Easterling: Joel Embiid (Sixers)Lowe: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Stein: Anthony Davis (Lakers)Sixth Man of the YearThe best bet for sixth man will be one of these two Nets guards: Caris LeVert, left, and Spencer Dinwiddie, right.Credit…Harry How/Getty ImagesAbrams: Dennis Schröder (Lakers)Araton: Caris LeVert (Nets)Bergeron: Danilo Gallinari (Hawks)Bromwich: Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets)Cacciola: Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets) or Caris LeVert (Nets)Deb: Caris LeVert (Nets)Easterling: Tyler Herro (Heat)Lowe: Caris LeVert (Nets)Stein: Caris LeVert (Nets)Why the best sixth man will come from the Nets: “Whichever guard — LeVert or Dinwiddie — Coach Steve Nash chooses to bring off the bench is going to produce big numbers for a team that has all the components for a title run.” — CacciolaMost ImprovedAbrams: Lonzo Ball (Pelicans)Araton: Tyler Herro (Heat)Bergeron: Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets)Bromwich: Deandre Ayton (Suns)Cacciola: Deandre Ayton (Suns)Deb: Rui Hachimura (Wizards)Easterling: OG Anunoby (Raptors)Lowe: Tyler Herro (Heat)Stein: Christian Wood (Rockets)Wild Predictions for Houston:“John Wall will have a bounce-back season, leading a James Harden-less Houston Rockets team to fringe playoff contention.” — Abrams“It’s not that wild: John Wall is going to ball out in Houston. He seems fully rehabbed and highly motivated to show out, and the fresh start will help him bounce back from a rough two years off the court.” — BergeronCoach of the YearThe first-year coach Steve Nash has a lot to deal with, but if he can manage, the Nets can be champions.Credit…Kathy Willens/Associated PressAbrams: Monty Williams (Suns)Araton: Erik Spoelstra (Heat)Bergeron: Erik Spoelstra (Heat)Bromwich: Steve Nash (Nets)Cacciola: Steve Kerr (Warriors)Deb: Steve Nash (Nets)Easterling: Michael Malone (Nuggets)Lowe: Monty Williams (Suns)Stein: Steve Nash (Nets)Why Steve Nash? “The Nets and the Clippers remind me of each other a bit: superteams assembled in the last normal off-season, with sky-high potential and possibly combustible chemistry. The Nets will overcome the inevitable Kyrie Irving-related distractions and Nash will get credit for making it all run smooth-ish.” — BromwichExecutive of the YearRob Pelinka made significant upgrades to the defending champion Lakers’ roster this year.Credit…Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesAbrams: Rob Pelinka (Lakers)Araton: Sean Marks (Nets)Bergeron: Rob Pelinka (Lakers)Bromwich: Rob Pelinka (Lakers)Cacciola: Rob Pelinka (Lakers)Deb: Daryl Morey (Sixers)Easterling: James Jones (Suns)Lowe: Rob Pelinka (Lakers)Stein: Rob Pelinka (Lakers)Wild Prediction: “Tired of paying mega-salaries for meager results, Michael Jordan cashes out as majority owner of the Hornets to go all-in on NASCAR.” — AratonBest Record in the LeagueThe Bucks have had the best record two years in a row, but could not make it out of the East.Credit…Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressAbrams: Milwaukee BucksAraton: Miami HeatBergeron: Milwaukee BucksBromwich: Milwaukee BucksCacciola: Milwaukee BucksDeb: Milwaukee BucksEasterling: Milwaukee BucksLowe: Milwaukee BucksStein: Brooklyn NetsWild Predictions: What happens to James Harden?Cacciola: The Rockets will wait until the trade deadline to deal James Harden. What’s the rush?Deb: James Harden remains in Houston all season.Easterling: The Indiana Pacers trade for James Harden.Worst Record in the LeagueThe Cavaliers seem to be in a rebuild with all of their young players.Credit…Jason Miller/Getty ImagesAbrams: Detroit PistonsAraton: Detroit PistonsBergeron: Detroit PistonsBromwich: KnicksCacciola: Cleveland CavaliersDeb: Chicago BullsEasterling: Cleveland CavaliersLowe: Cleveland CavaliersStein: Cleveland CavaliersWild Prediction: “In the preseason, I watched the Cavaliers surprise Indiana twice, and then totally missed them losing to the Knicks in their next two. That means I’m unjustifiably excited about the Cavs, particularly Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro. My wild, semi-informed prediction is that Cleveland will be fun to watch for the first time since LeBron left, and — why not? — will sneak into a play-in game.” — BromwichBreakout StarZion Williamson was injured for much of his rookie season, but he is expected to have an exciting Year 2.Credit…Gerald Herbert/Associated PressAbrams: Collin Sexton (Cavaliers)Araton: Zion Williamson (Pelicans)Bergeron: Christian Wood (Rockets)Bromwich: Talen Horton-Tucker (Lakers)Cacciola: Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets)Deb: Devonte’ Graham (Hornets)Easterling: Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets)Lowe: Obi Toppin (Knicks)Stein: Zion Williamson (Pelicans)Why Williamson? “Fully unleashed on the league.” — AratonEastern Conference FinalsMiami looks to be returning to the top of the Eastern Conference with its young stars Duncan Robinson, far left, and Tyler Herro, center right.Credit…Chris O’Meara/Associated PressAbrams: Sixers over BucksAraton: Heat over NetsBergeron: Bucks over HeatBromwich: Nets over BucksCacciola: Celtics over NetsDeb: Bucks over NetsEasterling: Heat over NetsLowe: Nets over BucksStein: Heat over NetsWestern Conference FinalsThe Lakers are the favorite to come out of the Western Conference over their in-house rivals, the Clippers.Credit…Harry How/Getty ImagesAbrams: Lakers over Trail BlazersAraton: Lakers over JazzBergeron: Lakers over MavericksBromwich: Lakers over ClippersCacciola: Lakers over ClippersDeb: Lakers over WarriorsEasterling: Lakers over MavericksLowe: Lakers over ClippersStein: Lakers over ClippersN.B.A. FinalsNo matter the Eastern Conference foe, the Lakers are our pick to win the championship.Credit…Kim Klement/USA Today Sports, via ReutersAbrams: Lakers over SixersAraton: Lakers over HeatBergeron: Lakers over BucksBromwich: Lakers over NetsCacciola: Lakers over CelticsDeb: Lakers over BucksEasterling: Lakers over HeatLowe: Lakers over NetsStein: Lakers over HeatWhy the Lakers will win again: “I will never again bet against LeBron, even if he runs for president.” — AratonAdvertisementContinue reading the main story More