An NBA free-agent class with a little something for everyone hits the market on July 1. The group includes an array of superstars Justin Ellis Jersey , big men, glue guys and sharp-shooters.
Here’s a look at some of the players to follow when the action begins:
THE SUPERSTARS
– Kevin Durant (player option): Has expressed his desire to remain with the Warriors. He’s in the middle of his prime as one of the game’s premier players.
– Paul George (player option): He has one of the best all-around games in the league and is still fairly young at 28.
– LeBron James (player option): Still the free-agent grand prize at age 33, James has shown few signs of wear and tear despite 15 stellar seasons in the league.
– Chris Paul (unrestricted): Among the league’s best point guards even at 33, but he’s struggled some with injuries over the years, including a hamstring issue in last year’s playoffs.
BIG MEN
– Clint Capela (restricted): He’s emerged as one of the league’s top young big men after averaging 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game with the Rockets. Houston surely would like to keep him, but the price tag could be steep.
– DeMarcus Cousins (unrestricted): He was playing very well for the Pelicans before an Achilles injury ended his season. Questions about his long-term health are real, but he’s also a guy who can score 25 points a game if he regains form.
– Derrick Favors (unrestricted): He’s not flashy and doesn’t stretch the floor, but the 6-foot-10 forward has had several productive seasons with the Jazz and will likely garner some interest.
– DeAndre Jordan (player option): He’ll be 30 years old next season, but was still one of the league’s dominant rebounds last season, averaging more than 15 per game.
– Brook Lopez (unrestricted): He averaged just 13 points per game for the Lakers last season, which was his lowest since his rookie year, but he remains a 7-footer who could help several teams.
– Julius Randle (restricted): He’s quietly turned into a promising young player with the Lakers, averaging 16.1 points and eight rebounds last season while shooting nearly 56 percent from the field.
GLUE GUYS
– Trevor Ariza (unrestricted): A valuable forward who can stretch the floor James Harrison Jersey , he’s provided solid shooting and good defense for the Rockets over the past four seasons.
– Avery Bradley (unrestricted): Struggled with injuries last season, playing just 46 games, but is still considered a solid two-way player that can help a team in many ways.
– Aaron Gordon (restricted): Still just 22 years old, the 6-foot-9 Gordon turned into a productive all-around player for the Magic last season, averaging 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds. His ability to make 3-pointers last season is a big plus.
– Marcus Smart (restricted): The Celtics guard is not a great shooter, but can impact the game in many different ways. He averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds last season while playing great defense.
SHOOTERS
– Wayne Ellington (unrestricted): He’s emerged as a reliable shooter off the bench for the Heat the past few seasons. He averaged a career-high 11.2 points last years while shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range.
– Doug McDermott (restricted): Mr. McBuckets has turned into a very good role player, staying excellent from 3-point range while improving the other parts of his game.
– J.J. Redick (unrestricted): Had a solid season for the 76ers, averaging a career-high 17.1 points per game and shooting 42 percent from 3-point range. He just turned 34.
—
For most of their half-century in existence, the Phoenix Suns have coveted a big-time center.
In 1969, they lost the coin flip with Milwaukee for Lew Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and chose Neal Walk at No. 2. The closest they came was Alvan Adams, an All-Star on some very good teams. Shaquille O’Neal made a cameo appearance late in his career.
But a big Nick Vannett Jersey , young franchise center to build around eluded them – until now.
With the first overall pick in the draft for the first time in franchise history, the Suns believe they have their man in 7-foot-1, 250-pound Deandre Ayton, whose size, athleticism and multiple skills made him the obvious No. 1 overall pick Thursday night.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough called it ”a historic night for the franchise.”
There was a big cheer from the crowd gathered at Talking Stick Resort Arena for a party to celebrate the highest pick in franchise history. They’ve chosen second overall twice.
”Having my name called to be the first pick for the Phoenix Suns was mind-blowing,” Ayton said. ”Having all the confidence and leading up to that point when I saw (NBA Commissioner) Adam Silver came out, I was just waiting for my name, and when he called it, my mind went blank. … and I saw the reaction on my mom’s face. It was just priceless.”
The Suns also got the 10th overall pick, moving up six spots in a trade with Philadelphia to get guard/forward Mikal Bridges of Villanova. Phoenix sent the No. 16 pick, guard Zhaire Smith of Texas Tech, to the 76ers along with Miami’s unprotected first-round pick in 2021.
Ayton will join Devin Booker and Josh Jackson as the core of young talent that the Suns hope will pull them out of their long decline. Phoenix has missed the playoffs the last eight seasons and their 21-61 record last season was the worst in the NBA and second-worst in franchise history.
”The team in general is a very young and hungry team,” Ayton said. ”We just have to stick together, get a great chemistry and start a winning legacy in Phoenix.”
In Brooklyn for the announcement Lester Hayes Jersey , Ayton wore a sports jacket with an array of colors on the inside lining.
”There’s a few flags in there,” Ayton said. ”My dad is from Nigeria, my mom is Jamaican and Bahamian, so I’m helping all those countries in one. I’m not just a Bahamian. I’m Nigerian and Jamaican. So I just want to let the world know that.”
Ayton was born in the Bahamas but left at age 12, a basketball prodigy who stayed in several Southern California homes and played with various basketball programs, including a season as a teammate of Marvin Bagley III at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix.
Ayton, a month shy of his 20th birthday, was the Pac-12 player of the year at Arizona last season, averaging 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. But the Wildcats made an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Buffalo. Ayton also had to tune out the noise from a federal investigation that ensnared an Arizona assistant coach.
But he emerged above the rest in the pre-draft process.
Ayton worked out for only one team, the Suns, and turned on the charm with the media afterward.
”He was first on our board coming into the workout,” McDonough said, ”and then he blew us away in the workout, which I think you guys probably gathered from my tone. I’m usually pretty stoic but I was watching a workout that just was incredible.”
McDonough called Ayton ”just a phenomenal physical talent. Watching him play and then working him out and interacting with him just checked every box for us.”
The 6-foot-7 Bridges is a bonus, a third-team All-American and a member of the 2018 all-Final Four team. When the 76ers drafted him, it looked like a feel-good hometown story since he’s from Philadelphia and his mother Tyneeha Rivers was vice president for human resources for the 76ers.
Bridges even appeared at a news conference to talk about staying in Philadelphia.
But the Suns wanted him badly and kept pushing for the deal. Finally, the 76ers agreed and Bridges was bound for the desert.
He said there were no hard feelings about the trade.
”I’m excited. It’s a business and you’ve got a lot of talent going down there,” Bridges said. ”I can’t wait to start this up.”
With the 31st pick in the draft, the first in the second round, Phoenix chose point guard Elie Okobo of France, a 20-year-old sharpshooter who scored 44 in a French playoff game. And with the 59th pick – next-to-last overall – the Suns selected forward George King of Colorado.
DerEineMinecraftServer-Forum
Thema drucken
12.09.2018 07:58
Antworten