NBA Q&A: Analyzing Brandon Ingram's potential impact, NBA draft forecasts, and Dallas Mavericks speculations
Hey there, it's Doug Smith, Sports Reporter. Gonna be a quiet week here at Ye Olde Mailbag, but let's roll with it. Enjoy!
Hey, Doug. We're down to the final four. Here's hoping for no more injuries and some exciting, compelling playoffs.
Remember when the NBA rumors were swirling about eliminating the draft or implementing a rotating draft system where teams would pick independently of their records? I've been thinking about this - have you heard any chatter about such changes recently? The league needs to keep all teams relevant for every game.
Are the allure of the tank and lottery-winning pick too appealing to give up for the entertainment and news buzz of the league?
My wish for increased competitiveness and entertainment would be a shortened NBA regular season. Any thoughts?
You mentioned the Pacers and Pascal Siakam's potential recently. The league is at its greatest skill level ever, and perhaps we're witnessing the next revolutionary phase of the NBA: a 10-player rotation full-court game that demands focus and fitness.
I'd love to see a Pacers-Thunder championship series. Both teams are fun and seem to play an entertaining team style.
-Paul from Port
As I discussed in the Insider last week, there's been some talk about lottery changes, but nothing substantial. I think the league is content with the current system and history shows that tanking doesn't work. A slight adjustment in odds between the worst three and the rest of the non-playoff teams might be considered, but that's about it. Cooper Flagg's potential created an outlier this season. Let's hope for a Pacers-Thunder final!
I heard you mention that the Raptors are heading to Spain this summer. I imagine it's a fully-fledged training camp with two-a-days and everything. But that seems too much, right? I don't think the players association would approve.
-Steve in Hamilton
No, it's nothing like that. Attendance is voluntary, arranged by the players themselves, and not official team sessions.
They delayed the MVP announcement because of Game 7, right? Still waiting for that.
-Kyle
Yep, the awards announcements are TNT's domain, so it won't be made public before Game 1 of the East final at the earliest. I doubt it will happen before then, but who knows?
Now that the Raptors fell to ninth in the draft, it's hard to imagine the team improving fundamentally next season. Man, basketball can be cruel sometimes.
Brandon Ingram will likely join the team, but we're still unsure of how he'll fit in or the team's future moves. What's next for the Raptors?
-Michael McKnight
Ingram is a nine-year veteran who has averaged more than 20 points a game for the past six seasons and boasts an effective field-goal percentage of 50% in the last seven. Let's give him a chance to show his worth. Every expert can speculate about whether he'll fit, but I'd rather see it for myself first. With Ingram, the Raptors will be better, and incremental growth is what you want.
The "cap reality" is not an issue; it can be worked around through trades, individual development, and working on the edges.
The Mavericks traded Luka Doncic, and people are suspicious. The idea that the NBA colluded to help the Lakers get Doncic seems far-fetched, but the timing of the lottery win is suspicious.
What if the Raptors traded up for a higher pick or acquired a young, decent centre in return for their current pick?
-Jeff V.
The days of too many good players congregating on a few teams and dominating the championships are over. The recent NBA has seen six different champions in the last seven seasons. As for the Mavericks trading Doncic, it's highly unlikely that the Raptors would trade up or back in the draft. The majority of teams have informal sessions like the one in Spain during the summer, and the timing of the lottery win is just that - luck.
- The NBA has been discussing potential changes to the lottery system, but nothing substantial has been decided yet.
- Doug Smith expressed his opinion that the current lottery system works well and that tanking isn't an effective strategy for success in the NBA.
- There has been talk about adjusting the odds between the worst three teams and the rest of the non-playoff teams in the NBA draft, but nothing major.
- Paul from Port expressed his wish for a shorter NBA regular season to increase competitiveness and entertainment, but Doug Smith thinks the current system is working well.
- The Toronto Raptors are voluntarily participating in training camps in Spain this summer, but it is not an official team session or two-a-days as some might imagine.
