Guru Gazette #6 (January 2022)

[Phoenix Suns]

Welcome to the sixth edition of the Guru Gazette, published daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly in the 72 hour gap between recovering from my last covid shot and my next covid shot.

I am your host, Phoenix Suns!

Today, I am joined by the Mavs, Wolves, Philly, Nuggets, Pelicans, and Sonics.  Welcome!

Wolves: Great to be here.

Mavs: Thanks for having me.

Philly: Love talking fantasy.

Pelicans: Howdy, Guru. It's the NEW Orleans Pelicans here. Thanks to Suns for inviting me to take part.

Sonics: Excited for this roundtable!

Nuggets: [hisses in Parseltongue]

It's been 5 months since the trade that shocked the league, how are we feeling about the Donovan Mitchell for #4 (Jalen Suggs) trade between Minnesota and Portland?

Wolves: No regrets. If you toss Mitchell back on my team this year, it still isn't competing, and next year he's gonna be pricey. I've tried to run with three near-max contracts in this league, and it's tough. I don't want to go there again.

I do recognize that Suggs hasn’t looked great this year, and that if that’s still true next year this is not great. But Cole Anthony, the guy who’s ruining my life outperforming him this year, looked pretty bad last year himself. There’s hope.

Note to Suns: That’s my answer to this question. I’ll answer any follow up questions to that with this:



Mavs: Hope may spring eternal in Wolves' mind, but I said it at the time and I'll say it again now: I think Donovan Mitchell is a better player than Jalen Suggs. Suggs has been injured, but even in the games that he has played in, he just doesn’t give off superstar vibes. Trade is a win for Blazers and a loss for the Wolves.

Philly:  It’s the Louisiana purchase of guru. Kidding, we don’t know what Suggs is yet but right now I have to concur with Mavs... Blazers looks like he finally found a corner to turn.

People trying to get Blazers to turn the corner last five years:



Pelicans: I'm going to disagree with Mavs/Philly here. I don’t think we’re anywhere close to the point where we can evaluate this one in a manner fair to Minnesota.

Surely, at this point, we’d all rather have Spida. He’s a total stud who is entering his prime and I wouldn’t have hesitated to use my last re-sign on him (~16m) if I was in Minny’s shoes.

That said, Suggs has barely played any basketball at the NBA level. I understand he was apparently underwhelming in his small pre-injury sample size (I can’t pretend I watched a lot of early Orlando Magic games) but I think that’s usually to be expected with a rookie guard, especially one surrounded by lackluster talent. I don’t consider myself qualified to evaluate young prospects, but I know there was a pretty considerable contingent of NBA punditry that thought very highly of Suggs pre-draft. If Minny is super optimistic about dude’s development, I’m in no real position to argue with him.

All told, I’d place my wager on Portland winning this trade when we look back. It’s just hard to bet on any young player’s ceiling exceeding Mitchell’s reliable average production (top 25-30 this season and last). But it would be unfair to claim we know yet what long-term value Minny got. Likely, we’re years away from meaningful insight into that return.

A measured and reasonable take.

What say you, Tom Riddle?

Nuggets: Well Hagrid, it’s hard to be too excited for Suggs at the moment despite his youth, right? Candidly, I don’t know if I can say that I’ve seen a single Orlando game this year. That puts me in a tough spot to be too critical of Suggs, but the statistics are sad when you consider the amount of value that was had in this draft (and the fact that Minnesota executed the trade prior to the draft when conceivably everyone was available). Cole Anthony’s breakout coupled with the fact that Fultz hasn’t taken a single touch or minute away from him all season scares me. And of course, Mitchell is fucking awesome and has had a great season.

Perhaps the saddest part to me is that this all seems so unnecessary for Minnesota (I was similarly critical of Phoenix for what it’s worth when he traded some “win-now” pieces to go in on this draft class (and signing fucking Paul Reed haha)).

RIP B-Ball Paul.  I still believe in him, for what it's worth, but don't have time to develop him.

Nuggets: Nobody cares about who you believe in, you wasted 500k for nothing, and now he's sitting free in FA for anyone to pick him up. Anyway, why did Wolves need to do this now...? To resign Robert Williams in 3 (!!) Years? I think that’s far too far in the future to be setting aside resigns for prospects as uncertain as the Time Lord. I get why Minnesota wanted to zig here, but I was uncertain then and just feel bad for him now.

It’s also unfortunate that the trade turned out to be with Portland, who has been very good this year, and thus a direct competitor to Minnesota (and me).

Yeah, Portland is looking very scary right now.  Sonics?

Sonics: Last, and probably least :)

A reasonable assumption.

Sonics: The 2021 Draft was touted as a big four all the way leading up to draft week, until Scottie Barnes began killing his workouts and being mentioned as a potential riser. Saving a re-sign, securing capital in one of the most hyped draft classes in the past few years, and pivoting into a quick re-build isn’t a bad move overall. If the Wolves secured a rookie who was performing better and receiving positive attention, the move would most likely be less contentious. At the time, however, the Wolves picked Jalen Suggs, an NBA-ready floor general touted as one of the safest picks in the draft. Jalen Suggs has struggled to find his footing thus far in the NBA, especially meshing with another high-usage guard in Cole Anthony. The potential is there, though, and he has flashed enough this year to indicate that losing Donovan Mitchell won’t hurt as much. How the Wolves utilizes their saved re-sign and builds in the coming year will also be important to consider. Because of this, I think this trade needs another year or two before it can be accurately graded. At the moment, the Blazers, who have the legitimate chance to win the Guru Championship, is winning the trade.

Speaking of the Guru Championship, who do you guys think will be in the final four? Philly?

Nuggets: I'll start.

I asked Philly.

Nuggets: I don't care, first impressions matter and I want to make sure everyone knows you're screwing up the playoff ladder.

Gulp. Okay, I can take it...

Nuggets: That question is all fucked up by the Suns inability to close. He plays down to his competition I guess? I don't know, but talk about a total chokefest.



Nuggets: That said, Suns is a tough matchup and has some dead weight on his roster to make some real noise, and he could knock out a top team in round 1 messing up the semifinals. If I have to choose four right now, based upon existing standings and projected matchups, I’ll say that Mavs is the superior team to the Pels and gets into the semifinals against Denver. This is easily the easier side of the bracket. Suns upsets the Blazers (and pretends like it’s suuuuchhh a big fucking deal when it isn’t) and is matched up against the Clippers. Then, of course, Myself and Phoenix advance to the finals for the fucking matchup of my dreams where I right some prior wrongs/simulation errors, overcome prior years’ poor injury luck, beat the fucker, and shut him up



Sonics:  Nuggets finished his Shakespearean monologue?

I believe so. Every Nuggets rant should be tagged thusly:

Iago [aside]: 

Sonics: LOL. This year has been super unpredictable, with Covid cases rampaging through teams left and right. Currently, I am pretty confident in my four picks for the semi-finals: the Denver Nuggets, the L.A. Clippers, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets are my favorites to win, especially if Kawhi Leonard returns early and manages to play two to three games a week (which is unlikely).

Wolves: Clips, Nuggets, Blazers and Suns--just follow the points. And the winner… I think Blazers can take it if they finish pushing the chips in, otherwise I think Denver will pull it off.

Philly: I’ll say clippers, pelicans, blazers, Mavs. Nuggets is a great team but I don’t trust Fournier at all.

Agreed. Never go full Evan Fournier. Mavs?

Mavs: Clippers, Nuggets, Mavs (of course), and Blazers. Clippers win it all.

Pelicans: Hmmm… if Kawhi comes back close to full form then DEN is gonna be a real problem. LAC looks scary. Lebron’s availability will be a huge late-season factor for POR. Bam’s injury has been rough for my defending champs.

I guess I’ll predict the final 4 to be DEN, LAC, NOP, and POR. That’s the current top 4, so it seems like the safe (if boring) projection. Of that pack, (because I like upside) I’ll bet that a resurgent Kawhi carries DEN to a ring, finally dispelling the PHX curse. I’ll “parlay” by betting that if I’m right, we’ll never hear the end of it.

Nuggets winning definitely the darkest timeline.

Moving on.

If I gave you one of these six contracts for free, which would you take?

Tyrese Maxey (30 FPPG) 2m 2m 3m 4m
Bradley Beal (39 FPPG) 10m
Ben Simmons (37 FPPG) 13m 13m 13m 13m 13m
Jonas Valanciunas (39 FPPG) 10m 10m 10m 10m
Jalen Brunson (30 FPPG) 1m 1m 1m 1m
Pascal Siakam (39 FPPG) 15m 15m 15m 15m 15m

Sonics: With no bias at all, I would welcome my son Tyrese Maxey with open arms. He has taken a major leap in his sophomore year and demonstrates the willingness to continuously work on his game and improve. Adding a productive, 21-year old rising player to my young core not only suits my timeline, but it also adds another cornerstone to build the Sonics up from. After all, more cornerstones are essential to a team build on the heavily stressed knees of Zion Williamson.

Pelicans: I’m taking Beal. He’s mine, but I don’t think this is just homer bias.

LOL, already two-for-two hearing the "iM nOt BiAsEd" refrain.

Pelicans: Yes, but Beal looks like easily the player on that list most likely to be all-NBA over any of the next 3–5 years. He also seems likely to stay in Washington for the foreseeable future, which makes it pretty improbable that he’s competing to be first option. I know he’s already 28, but I have no real consternation about using a re-sign to lock him up at ~15m for the next 5 years.

By comparison, I trust Masai Ujiri to surround Pascal (only a year younger than Beal) with a star or two. Brunson has a nice contract, but give me a star over an underpaid roleplayer. And I don’t really know why Valanciunas is on this list.

Mavs: Tyrese Maxey.

Wolves: I still actually like Simmons from this group. I’m doubling down! He’s a great fantasy asset!

(That Maxey contract is nice if we can trust Philly to stick with him. I don’t though.)

Nuggets: Maxey or Brunson and it isn’t close. I’ll take Brunson over Maxey solely on account of opportunity for touches, but you can make a similar argument for Maxey. The other guys are on larger contracts with multiple years on them that could turn south to truly bad levels. But even under existing production levels, the richer contracts (Pascal, JVal, etc), are simply providing marginal upside. Obviously you require several guys like that on your team if you want to win, but from a value proposition, Maxey and Brunson provide much more flexibility in roster construction. Plus half of this league is addicted to upside over production. You didn’t ask, but I’d probably least value Pascal.

A lot of love for Maxey! Anyone willing to push back? Perhaps too much focus on his rookie scale contract and not enough on Philly's long-term outlook?

Pelicans: Right here, Suns. Morey is clearly looking to trade Simmons for a backcourt all-star that will limit Maxey’s ceiling—and, obviously, Maxey stands no chance of being the first option on his team in its current construction. Who knows where Simmons plays next, what he is going to look like on the other end of this, or how long “this” will last.

Philly:  Speak of the devil, Pels, I would say Simmons. He would help my tank right now and I love a good project. T’wolves already has a young pg giving him zero production (Suggs), he doesn’t need two anyways.

Savage.

Wolves: Hey! :( 

There was enough Suggs-bashing last question, no need to double down, you're not Suns' daily Baconator.

Hey! :(

Nuggets: Ha, suns got burned like his onion rings.

Tyrese Maxey is the overwhelming favorite, which will no doubt please Guru Wizards.



Wizards: Nyehehehehehehe...

Sonics: I don't get it.

Sigh, friggin' newbies. Here:



Sonics: ty :)

Let's shift gears and talk about this unbelievably strong rookie class.

Besides Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, and Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey, Jalen Green, and Jalen Suggs, which three rookies would you most want to own? 

Philly: If you would have asked me in draft night I would have picked Bouknight, I was really high on him. Now, I’ll go with Crab Sengun. He looks good so far and I like passing bigs.

Nuggets: Duarte, Sengun, and Mitchell are the clear top three for production this year among those remaining and have each demonstrated a maturity in the game that should give them long careers even if they never really blossom into stars. Since I can’t pretend to know well enough which of the other guys may have that “star” potential, I’d prefer to take the safest pick here. At minimum, you can then flip them for value since they’re producing early and could be attractive to every single team, not just those who stockpile rooks.

Pelicans: I’m honestly not a great candidate for this question because I really don’t watch a lot of college ball, so I’ve seen very little of most of these guys. That said, I’ll choose:

Alperen Sengun: I’ve seen a bit more of him than most of the others. He has great hands and terrific instincts around the rim. I’ve been genuinely impressed by him on the couple of occasions that I’ve watched him enjoy a meaningful run of minutes in Houston.

James Bouknight: I watched a bit of his tape pre-draft because there was some buzz about the Thunder targeting him. I love the New York guard style—dude has crazy handles and elite scoring potential.

Bones Hyland: Again, I’ve seen more of him than most the other guys. Plus his name is tight. Sounds like a character in a 90s TV show.



Pelicans: Haha, exactly.

Sonics: I’d take the player that I would have picked if I had stayed at 9th during the 2021 Guru Draft: Alperun Sengun. He has a diverse game and has flashed the ability to facilitate from the post and stretch the floor with his shooting. He is still inconsistent and has been working on adjusting to the NBA’s pace, but his potential is undeniable. His leash has been getting looser and looser as the year has gone on, and he should have a chance to show his worth as he works his way up the Rookie ladder

Mavs: Sengun, Trey Murphy, and Chris Duarte.

Wolves: Give me stock in Bones Hyland. I haven’t been paying a ton of attention, and I have trouble giving a lot of credence besides to performances in this weird year where I’m pretty sure I saw 77 year old Joe Johnson get minutes in an NBA game (this is my excuse for waiting a week too late to start buying into Herb Jones) . But I like Bones and think he’ll stick as an NBA rotation guy. Plus he’s easily got my favorite name in the game. This is a fantasy league, so I guess I’d take Sengun and Jones as the other two.

Sen-goon squad out in full force!



Give me 2 rookies who have surprised you in how good they are, and 2 rookies who have disappointed.

Wolves: 



Nuggets: Surprising: Barnes and Wagner. I didn’t have a top pick this year, and OKC got fucked in the lottery so I did not research this class to the extent I would have if the circumstances were different (how depressing is that? Fantasy controls too much of my fandom), but rightfully or wrongfully, I envisioned Barnes as a similar prospect to Deandre Hunter, a better irl player than fantasy player, whose skills would be most readily apparent on the defensive end of the court. I simply never imagined he would be a top 60 fantasy player this year (77th ranked 8-cat player- both are crazy). Fucking Franz Wagner. Dude is white and was drafted by Orlando who has (or perhaps actually does not) a logjam at forward. His production is also way out of left field. The Suns had no idea they would be half this good. He just didn’t. I don’t think anyone could have predicted this level of production.

Worst: Ayo Dosunmu. Can you believe the hype this loser gets? He’s the 340th ranked player in the league and the 21st best rookie this year (literally unrosterable) on a per game basis. You’re probably thinking though: “that’s just because he doesn’t play many minutes. What are his per/36s?” They’re fucking worse. He’s the 482nd best player in the league on a per/36 basis. That’s Willie Cauley Stein levels of efficiency. There’s no other rookie worse. No other rookie deserves mention here. The answer is simply Ayo.

Scottie Barnes is as good as I thought he was gonna be. I didn't expect Franz Wagner to be this good this soon though, I'll give you that. My draft record picking in the 1st round is pretty strong though, so you trying to neg me falls flat:

Jonathan Isaac #9, Malik Monk #8, Tyrese Maxey #15, Scottie Barnes #6, Franz Wagner #9, Alperen Sengun #10... 5 out of 6 of those are studs without a single Top 5 pick.

Nuggets: Yes, nice job trading Tyrese Maxey (and a 1st!) for Tobias Harris last year lol

Let's not talk about that...

Philly?

Philly: Surprised me (good):. I thought mobley would be good but I didn’t think he’d be this good this fast. He’s a stud.

Another surprise is wagner, suns looks as smart as he tells us he is for once.

Honorable mention irl pick: Aaron Wiggins.

Bad: Bouknight. I thought he’d be really good immediately. Hopefully he can turn it around soon.

This next choice isn’t a huge disappointment but Kuminga. I knew it would be up and down because he’s going to get limited minutes but I have faith he’ll be really good someday. It’s just been rough so far.

Ya I agree with you, I was expecting Bouknight to put up fantasy stats immediately. What say ye, Founder?

Mavs: Scottie Barnes and Josh Giddey. My only disappointment would be Jared Butler, only because I expected more from him when I drafted him.

Pelicans: Good:

Mobley. Cavs got a stud. He’s playing next to a more experienced big but my guy is never getting lost in anyone’s shadow. Rookie season and there are people seriously talking about him as deserving of all-star consideration (though the East is so packed he obviously stands no chance).

Giddey. I was a bit underwhelmed by this Thunder selection but he’s really shined as a gritty player, creative passer, excellent rebounder, and smart defender. He’s slow with the ball—an anti-Westbrook—but plainly a very heady player for his age. His size and skill set make me optimistic about his development alongside SGA.

Disappointing:

Suggs. Really just including this because he has played so little after Wolves paid a hefty price to draft him. And, the prevailing consensus seems to be that, when he played, he appeared to be a bit lost.

Kuminga. Thought he was supposed to be NBA ready, hes barely cracking the rotation on a Warriors team that seems thin at front court.

Agree with you guys on Kuminga, I was out on him pre-draft. There were a lot of red flags, and those seem to have been warranted (thus far). Sonics?

Sonics:  The Great: Evan Mobley was projected as a project that would need a couple years to build his frame and adjust to the NBA’s physicality before making an impact in the league. I was wrong, and his impact was felt a lot sooner than most expected. This could be attributed to the Cavs supporting him and ensuring he is in a position where he can be successful right now while still making adjustments, but he is also a defensive outlier who can be impactful on the offensive end as well. Mobley is the real deal.

The Good: Franz Wagner’s preseason performance and regular season performance have been night in day, which further cements how little preseason actually means. Franz is an elite glue guy, with the potential to be the third best player on a winning team. He contributes on both ends of the floor and should be a key piece for the magic going forward.

The Bad: Jalen Suggs was voted by NBA GMs as the biggest steal of the draft, but of the big four, he’s probably the biggest disappointment thus far. His shooting splits of 33.9/25.5/76.3 leaves much to be desired. Additionally, his AST-TO ratio is only 1.125 at the moment. His hustle and work ethic have showed up, but every other part of his package seems to be lost in transit thus far.

The Disappointment: The other side of the coin to Franz Wagner. Trey Murphy lit up the pre-season by shooting 53.1% from three and was seen as a steal both by NBA and Guru standards. Trey is an eater, though, not a chef. Despite his hot preseason, he was not expected to cook and isolate during his rookie year. He should be able to start producing (hopefully) when Zion and his gravity, both literal and figurative, return to the court.

The Great, The Good, The Bad, The Disappointment sounds like a cheap, illegal Hong Kong street DVD of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly



Sonics: LOL

In the real NBA, give me the 4 conference finals teams, and who you think will be NBA champion.

Pelicans: I’m not basing my prediction on current or projected seeding. I’m just giving the two teams I think most likely to be atop each conference without respect to how the bracket may shake out. In the East, I’m obviously betting on Brooklyn and Milwaukee in the ECF. Everyone is, right? I’ll take Brooklyn moving on to the Finals and (notwithstanding the disclaimer about seeding) think MIL would be wise to give up home court advantage (and thereby sideline Kyrie for an additional game) if they have late-season opportunities to influence that outcome. I don’t think anyone in the East—or really, with the exception cited below, the West—can f with a Brooklyn team that includes all 3 dudes available and in good health.

In the WCF, I’m taking Golden State (this team looks so awesome) over … the Lakers! I know the latter is a controversial choice in light of how they’ve performed to date. But I can’t bet against that veteran roster in a seven-game setting. Lebron is still Lebron (is this dude seriously playing the center position at this stage of his career?!) and we haven’t seen anything close to the best version of AD this season. I may look foolish for this one, but I don’t really believe in PHX (whose path to the finals was paved by injuries to opponents) or Utah (who always melt down in the post season). So, yeah, I’m taking GSW vs. LAL.

Golden State comes out on top, setting up the best possible finals matchup we could ask for. I will be so excited to watch GSW vs. BKN with all the intrigue surrounding Steph vs. KD, to say nothing of the Warriors’ dramatic history with Harden. LAL vs. BKN would be a great consolation (Lebron and Russ versus Kyrie and KD is a thrilling prospect too), and GSW vs. MIL would be at least a really cool clash of styles. But, for me, Warriors-Nets would be peak awesome.

I’m probably wrong, but I’m taking Golden State in 7. This is Steph’s year. They’re the only team that can keep up with BKN’s scoring, and they have a much more stout defense than the Nets (although apparently BKN is a top ten defense?! How is this possible?!).

DeAndre Bembry, Bruce Brown, and Nic Claxton have entered the chat

Wolves: In the Western conference, I’m going all-narrative. The Lakers bludgeon their way to the WCF and get absolutely trucked by the Warriors there.

In the East, the Bulls are for reals, guys, but they fall to the Bucks in the ECF. What happened to the Nets, you ask? Two of the big three are sidelined by the Upsilon variant in game four and they can’t claw back the series after losing the home games Kyrie had to sit :(

Going back to the narrative here, the Warriors win it all behind a career-defining performance from Steph, who has sort of entered the “LeBron/Brady” stage of his career where everyone is rooting for the greatness after getting tired of being tired of it.

Mavs: East: Nets and Bucks West: Warriors and Suns.  Brooklyn Nets are your 2022 NBA champions.

Sonics: The East has been pretty tightly contested this year, with no teams significantly pulling away. The Nets have shown a lot more weaknesses this year and a lot of their success rests on how often Kyrie can actually see the court, but they are still too talented to not make it to the conference finals. The Bulls have a strong starting five and Caruso/Ball boost their perimeter defense as well. I think they’ll make the conference finals and beat the Nets. The West’s top four teams are pulling away from the rest of the conference, but I think the Suns and the Warriors will come out on top, with the Warriors making it to the finals. Klay Thompson has returned to the Warriors, who already have the #1 defense in the NBA and that should help them knock off the Bulls for the 2022 NBA championship.

Philly: Warriors/jazz in the west. Nets/bucks in the East. Nets/warriors in finals, nets win.

Nuggets: Utah over GSW in the West (I hope GSW doesn’t make it to the WCF, but they probably will because fuck me). BKN over Sixers in the East (they’ll pull a Simmons trade and get soo much better with literally any help). BKN wins it all. They’re too good not to. Fuck KD though.

Nets winning it all according to our panel. Truly the flattest timeline.

Philly: A flatline, if you will.

Mavs: No, a flatline is when Wolves watches Blazers win the Guru Championship with Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Suggs remains the third stringer behind Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz (yips n' all)

Wolves: >:(

Returning our focus back to Guru, who is your fantasy breakout candidate NOT on your team?

Philly: Marvin Bagley. Kid is a stud and someone should def trade for him.

I said fantasy breakout NOT on your team.

Philly: Oh.

In ALL CAPS.

Philly: Yeah, well... I suffer from a very sexy learning disability.



Philly: Someone not on my team... okay I'll go with... Klay Thompson. I think (hope) he can come back and be good, we’re pulling for you here in Philly, klay.

What do you think, Sonics?

Sonics: Onyeka Okongwu has already taken a step forward this year, despite just recently returning from injury and playing behind Clint Capela. Going forward, especially once he assumes a starting role, Okongwu could leap from scoring in the low 20s to the low 30s because of his ability to contribute in multiple categories.

Wolves: I don’t know that he’ll be anything but a scorer, but the thing where Cam Thomas has the brainworms that make it so he can step on the court with KD and Harden and say “naw guys, I’m gonna shoot it now” is pretty delightful, and could totally work out for him.

Nuggets: “Breakout candidate”, like . . . for next year? The second half of the season? Suns with the rare vague question.

It's open-ended, like Bill Clinton's marriage.

Is it wrong to say Kyrie? He’s going to win a bunch of people their league’s this year if he stays healthy and comes on and off of an IL+ throughout the week as a killer streaming mercenary. This question is honestly tough. So many of the guys that are “breaking out”, e.g., Cole Anthony, surprised me. I wish I knew who the next one to hit is going to be. With so many covid absences and random people coming in and out of the league to fill in, there has been even more surprising volatility/value from unsuspected places. I’ll say that Desmond Bane is for real and here to stay as a consistent top player. I wish I had held onto him for dear life when he was on my roster. I’ve had my eye on Hartenstein for years (thanks Josh Lloyd), and he looks primed as soon as he gets back on the court, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his minutes are suppressed and he doesn’t truly “breakout.”

Pelicans: For this year? I’ve been really impressed by Miles Bridges. I knew the dude could shoot a lil and dunk a lot, but his ability to consistently create his own offense is a huge difference maker. I also clearly underestimated what Dejounte Murray is capable of now that he’s been handed the keys to the offense. His leap is incredible.

Medium-to-long term, give me Ja. This dude flies. He plays on constant overdrive and attacks hard like peak Wade or Westbrook. His energy is infectious. He teammates clearly love to play with him. I love watching him. And, he’s just getting started.

If you’re looking for more a long-term prediction—and something much riskier—I’ve not given up on Poku. He has had (many) stretches of playing time where he looks like he legitimately does not belong in a game of organized basketball. But, I’ve honestly never seen a combination of his height and length with this style of play and skill set. If he can refine and adjust to NBA play and and also figure out how to make a fucking shot, his game could be so fantasy friendly. Even if he never becomes a reliable scorer, he has the skill set to be one of those dudes that occasionally flirt with 5x5 lines a la peak Batum. I’m sure I’ll someday regret saying all of this in writing.

Who is YOUR team's fantasy breakout candidate?

Nuggets: Once again, do you mean, dude who has already broken out, is going to this year, next year? My team has several dudes on it that deserve some consideration for having already had “breakout” years, Jarrett Allen, Gary Trent, and Jarred Vanderbilt are all vastly overproducing expectations. Both of those centers are smashing the boards this year and all are producing tremendous return on investment (does everyone still generally shit on the idea of Trent Jr being worth a 1st round pick on his contract?). I’ve also never been happier to have been turned away at every single possible prospective Jarrett Allen trade by half of this league (TheY JUst dRafTed MObleY. heS tRash). If I HAVE to choose one future breakout star for later this year on my team, give me Cam Payne, because I cannot fathom how CP3 can stay healthy for this many consecutive games, and Cam will feast once CP3s hammy issue flares up in about 8 games.

Pelicans: I feel like this iteration of my team has already enjoyed its most exciting breakout in Facundo Campazzo’s playoff performance last year. I don’t see anyone on my current roster surpassing that Rudy-esque comeup.

Wolves: The obvious answer is Suggs, who I all the way am expecting to finish out the year better than he started it. I don’t think I can count Rob Williams, since I think at this point it’s just about consistency for him. But my sleeper pick here is gonna be Nassir Little, who I think stands to find himself in a pretty nice role when the Blazers start selling off and rebuilding.

I like the Nassir Little play betting on the Blazers blow-up. My Robert Covington stock is also ready to skyrocket.

Sonics: Ya smart play by Wolves. He was supposed to be experiencing his breakout year already, but Patrick Williams, who just recently had his cast removed and is progressing in his rehab, should be ready to take a step forward when he returns to the court. The PAW just turned 20 last August, making him younger than Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, and other prominent rookies. He should slot in nicely for the contending Bulls, giving them a defensive presence to guard opposing wings while offering scoring and energy.

Wolves: Could be tough with the Bulls going all-in instead of prioritizing development.

Sonics: Yeah, that's the only concern with him, but I think he carves out serious minutes anyway.

Mavs?

Mavs: Onyeka Okongwu (conveniently nicknamed “OO” because he’s spend the majority of two seasons injured). He can guard Embiid and Giannis while also scoring double digits. Slowly but surely his minutes will increase and people will see why I’m so high on him.

You're not the only one -- Sonics and I are high on him, too!

Sonics: Agreed, Okongwu's a beast.

Mavs: Excellent. The subliminal messaging is working.

The what?

Mavs: I've said too much...

Philly? Let me guess... Marvi--

Philly: --Marvin “walking double double” Bagley!!!

Shocking.

Which two Guru GMs do you feel have had the best season in terms of FA/Draft/Trade moves?

Mavs: Suns. The THT trade can’t and won’t be topped this season.

Pelicans: It’s hard to look past DAL, just on the strength of the Cunningham and Mobley picks. I suppose I’ll discount those since they are really more illustrative of good GM-ing in prior seasons. I also really loved DEN’s free agency. Lebron, KD, and Derrick White were all great signings in my opinion. But I hated his trades. I think he got terrible value for Lebron, WCJ, and FVV.

I think I’ll give my nod to Portland, mostly on the basis of trade wins. I think he stole Lebron, got a great deal on FVV, and (see above) is probably loving the Spida trade too. Brunson for 4 years at 500k is terrific value. Cody Zeller for 1 year at 500k was a sneaky good deal for that roster. Duarte in the second round looks like a great pick. Well done.

Yeah Portland and Denver both did great jobs. Philly?

Philly: We haven’t had many trades, I think suns nailed the draft with sengun and Wagner though.

I like what wiz and kings are doing overall, they both have a lot of interesting prospects and deserve some credit for what they started out with originally. They’ve been great, active owners as well.

Wolves: You gotta love what Blazers did, and the way they took advantage of a couple of deals they more or less got to walk right into. Suns really seems to have nailed the draft, even if it is a little by virtue of someone else saving them from Bouknight.

And I am not sure how the 2021 OSFA crown wouldn’t go to Nuggets, although it’s possible there’s someone I’m forgetting there.

I know that’s three names, but I do think it’s notable we have three clear winners from those three different areas.

Going to disagree with you there, Wolves. Nobody saved me from Bouknight. I had Barnes, Wagner, and Sengun ahead of both him and Kuminga:



Seattle?

Sonics: The Blazers set themselves up nicely to make a run at the Championship by trading for the all-NBA center LeBron James, the surging Fred Van Vleet, who is playing at an all star level, and Donovan Mitchell. Jalen Brunson and Norman Powell were also good free agency acquisitions, with Norman Powell looking to get an even bigger role if Damian Lillard is shut down for the year. Drafting Duarte was also a smart move, as their window is now. The Suns nailed the draft, selecting two of the top 3 best performing rookies thus far in the 2021.

Their #9 pick, Alperun Sengun, should get a bigger role as well as time goes on. They way he acquired some of those picks were equally impressive and they were capped off by numerous smart off- and in-season signings, such as Jrue Holiday, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Herb Jones.

Nuggets: Seriously, this is my own team and it isn’t close. I came into the offseason with a practically entirely different team and cleaned up my cap sheet and future roster flexibility in a series of smooth and HUGE trades that moved me from an “also ran dark horse playoff contender” to the top fucking seed. I did that despite “giving away” a resign in FVV (a necessary (and low risk) means of removing a ton of cap space and getting necessary picks to acquire future assets), and “giving away” Lebron (a cap neutral trade that still netted me Gary Trent Jr on a 3 year minimum. I also landed the best offseason free agent (and perhaps 2nd best signing) and dare I say, the 3rd best signing too (White).

Denver is the top ranked team in the league, with the most points scored in the league [by 20 points. 15,164 to Suns 15,147 -Ed.], playing with a team that has only 65 million of healthy players on the court. With kawhi Leonard and Markelle Fultz taking up 25 million of cap space on the fucking shelf for what is likely to be the entire year). That’s maximizing your resources.

Humble as always.



Should Clippers re-sign Curry and Westbrook this off-season? What about Raptors, should she re-sign DeMar Derozan and Christian Wood?

Sonics: I think what Westbrook has shown this year solidifies that he is not worth burning a re-sign on, barring him moving to another team where he can be the primary ballhandler, as he has struggled to complement LeBron and AD. Steph Curry, on the other hand, is the GOAT shooter, and, as they say, shooting is the last thing a player loses. Letting Steph Curry for nothing would hurt, but his current re-sign value (19m?) is a hefty price for someone turning 34 in a few months.

Christian Wood is in the middle of his prime, and being traded this year or next should motivate him to continue producing for a contending team. As a result, he should be worth a re-sign, especially for a team with so many to spare. Similarly to Steph Curry, DeRozan has been playing so well that it would hurt to let him walk for nothing, but he is also aging and would come at a hefty price.

Nuggets: No, No, No, and Maybe (for Wood). Derozan’s contract will look like Paul george’s soon. It’s unfortunate that his resign came due on a year that he plays out of his mind. The other dudes can be had in free agency for the same price as their resigns or less (See KD and Bron last offseason). I’d re-sign Wood primarily because I don’t see a much better option for Toronto in the immediate future and he’s worth several 1sts right now if she wanted to flip him similarly to how FVV was.

Philly: Curry, yes. I think he was a late bloomer and absolutely deserves a re-sign. He’s an mvp candidate right now irl. Westbrook: no. I love Russ but no. I’d rather bid on him in free agency.

Before this season I’d say no to demar but he’s been a stud. Can he do it in the playoffs though?

Wolves: Toronto should keep both those guys, I think that’s pretty easy. The Clips situation is much more interesting even if I do think it’s obvious: battle it out for the championship this year, let both those players walk and re-tool with $44m in space next year (probably even get one of those guys back at a better price).

Pelicans: LAC: I’m tempted to say yes as to Curry and no as to Westbrook—for basically the same reason. Curry’s game can age well and (this kills me because Russ is one of my favorite athletes of all time) Westbrook’s game is already aging poorly. I doubt I have to waste much ink explaining either of these conclusions. On reflection, though, I think I’d probably decline both.

Steph is going to be in the conversation for top-10 players of all time in my opinion, but a 5-year re-sign takes him to age 38 (the question incorrectly identifies his age as 34—hes actually 33 and a few months older than Westbrook). It’s questionable whether he’ll still be playing—and particularly difficult to imagine him playing at elite level—at that age. A max or near max contract extension seems like a pretty risky bet. Westbrook, for his part, will be lucky if he can painlessly jog at age 38.

TOR: I’d think hard about both. Wood is entering his prime, but he’s surely not long for Houston and it possible his opportunities decrease on most teams likely to covet him. I recall there were concerns about his character and work ethic earlier in his career, but those seem to be behind him. His skill set seems amenable to the direction toward which the league is trending with bigman roles, and he could be had at a fairly affordable number.

Derozan’s game seems like it could age well, but he’s 32 and his performance this year will increase the cost of re-signing. I guess I’m inclined to say I’d exercise both, particularly because TOR doesn’t currently have a lot of other players on the roster that are no-brainer re-signs. If I did it, though, I’d be very attentive to sell-high opportunities in the first year or so following the extension.

Mavs: I’m not aware of any other re-sign candidates the Clippers have in their geriatric ward so yes…

The lack of consensus here (beyond re-signing Wood) is interesting. Some difficult decisions ahead for both GMs!

Let's bring in a guest panelist and hear straight from the Raptors mouth!

Raptors: Thanks, great to be here! I'm curious to see how this year ends for Christian Wood. It would feel weird committing to him long-term if he keeps having issues on the Rockets. Raptors are a drama-free zone over here lol.

I love DeMar but going into the season he wasn't going to get a re-sign. He's definitely making a case for himself, though!

Looks like Derozan will be available in Summer FA. Appreciate the insight, Toronto!

Raptors: No problem!

If you could go back in time and re-bid on a player in Guru FA, who would you pick?

Wolves: The correct answer is that I wish I’d gone a little harder on Harrison Barnes, based on returns so far, and maybe left a couple of guys I did come back with for others. But the one I first thought of when I read this question: I wish I’d put just a little more on Jarred Vanderbilt. That guy just plays hard, and regardless of upside it’d be fun to have stock there.

Mavs: Valanciunas or Jalen Brunson.

Nuggets: Dejounte, perhaps obviously (This was actually the plan all along when I acquired Markelle, Gary Trent and Mitch Rob for Bron. I had a another deal lined up to move Fultz, but called it off when hell was raised on whether the trade was proper in the first place). Thankfully, I was able to grab White as a fall-back. Then perhaps Herb jones, although I don’t know if he is a product of opportunity as much as talent. Ricky Rubio is so fucking valuable on a minimum. It’s tragic that he was lost for the year.

Dejounte Murray would be my answer as well. His lack of efficiency scoring scared me off.

Philly:  If I could go back all time? Jokic.

This season? Aaron Wiggins. Oh never mind.

Sigh...

Sonics?

Sonics:  Mo Bamba is finally playing like someone who deserves to have a song named after him. He’s only 23 and should outperform his current contract by a hefty margin, especially as he continues to improve. Shoutout to the Bucks for believing in his boy, because it has paid off in a big way.

Pelicans: When? Christian Wood for 500k was a great pick up by TOR two seasons ago (or whenever that was). This last offseason, I’d have loved to be able to grab D Murray or KD. I’m sure everyone would. I didn’t have the cap space to do so in any case.

Another round of eclectic answers. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda!

In the real NBA, are the Bulls for real?

Wolves: Oh, this is it’s own question? Yeah, they’re for real. Lonzo is in the right role, LaVine and DeRozan seem to compliment each other well, Caruso isn’t underrated ‘cause he was a Laker, but he’s proven it wasn’t just ‘cause he was a Laker. Most of all, everyone just seems like they’re having a kick-ass time over there.

Sonics: In my opinion, the Bulls are legit. They have been significantly hampered by Covid-19 and various injuries, but they have still held off the Nets. They’re also the hottest team in the East, going 9-1 in their last 10 games, despite not having Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso for most of that run. The eventual return of Patrick Williams should give them more depth and another strong wing defender to help match up with the Nets, while they have plenty of go-to scorers in the form of DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine.

Pelicans: Yeah, I think so. But they don’t stand a chance against BKN or MIL in the playoffs. Even still, I’m pretty impressed at how successful this roster has been. Derozan’s all-star (and borderline all-NBA) performance speaks volumes about Lavine, who was frequently derided as a decent-player/bad-team guy for most of his career, and seems to have made a conscious decision to let Demar assert himself as primary option on offense. I was very skeptical, and I was wrong. But, again, they don’t stand a chance against BKN or MIL in the playoffs.

Mavs: They are “for real” fun but they are not a real championship contender.

Nuggets: They’re for real talented. They’re not as talented as their record suggests. So, no.

Philly: They’re a sprained ankle (or two) away from having a punchers chance. So in reality, no. Demar isn’t known for playoff performances. If he can keep this up, I’d have them in the Philly tier.

Speaking of playoff chokers in the Philly Tier -- Ben Simmons. What's going to happen to him?

Philly: I think he gets traded. I think morey will wait as long as he can to make a move to get the best return possible.

If it were me: trade him to some bad team wanting to be good, the Orlandos/Sacramentos/Blazers/Spurs type of teams that think they can be good with another addition. You’re not going to get as much back as you’d like but you have to do something.

You’re probably going to get a bunch of role players for him, and that may be enough to build around embiid.

I’d also sit down with doc and embiid and tell them you can’t bash other players to the press and they should know better. This is on them as well. Doc has been in the league long enough to know better. It was handled horribly from both sides.

Sonics:  I ask myself this everyday, and unfortunately the news surrounding the Ben Simmons situation if often re-used and recycled. Daryl Morey is doing the smart thing by holding onto Ben Simmons and not settling for lesser value. While Simmons’ reputation has been shot, he is still a yearly DPOY candidate who has not even entered his prime yet. On any given team, he could compliment shooters, lock down the opposing team’s best player, and initiate the offense.

While his relationship with Philadelphia, unfortunately, seems irreparable, he still has a ton of value. If I were the sixers, my ideal trade scenario would net us another initiator and/or isolation scorer to help take the pressure of Embiid, more shooting, and some bench depth. A package I like from the Kings, who are reportedly open to trading Fox or Haliburton, would be Fox, Hield, and Harrison Barnes for Simmons and Harris.

While this is more than likely a pipe dream, it would provide the Sixers with an explosive point guard, more shooting, and help them get rid of the slumping Tobias Harris and his hefty contract. I would also love to see the Sixers get Beal, as he does not clash with Maxey the way Fox does and his isolation scoring would help the Sixers in the playoff whenever their offense became stagnant, which was very problematic last year.

Wolves: It’s been a while since we got a good “Philly hung up the phone on CJ+four picks” story, so I’m sort of curious what Morey thinks he’s gonna get at this point. They have just got to trade him, I don’t see a different way out.

Like this?



Wolves: Haha, yes.

Nuggets: I wish I knew, but whatever comes of it will be super depressing for Philly fans. What could that core have been absent Coangelo? Embiid, and Simmons, and . . . Tatum ha. Fucking sad. I’ll guess that the trade is one of the teams we’ve heard comparatively less about as a possibility. The recent report that Atlanta is interested in making a move would be intriguing, although I have no idea how the parts fit together on either team if a deal is made centered around . . . Collins and some wings and picks? I truly have no clue what I am even talking about anymore.

Pelicans: I recently heard a rumor (on Windhorst maybe?) that there is lowkey front-office buzz about PHI looking to trade him for Harden this summer. Honestly, if I were Morey, I’d be too scared to waste a year of Embiid’s prime (and health) to risk inaction prior to this trade deadline. I’d be looking to settle for something like (a) McCollum, Simons, and picks, (b) Brogdon and/or Turner, plus picks, or (c) D Russell, Malik, and picks….

I also have to assume that OKC has tried and failed in proposing some permutation of Dort, Williams, Muscala, salary, and a strong package of picks. That talent, at that age, on that long of a contract, seems like the right kind of bet for OKC to make right now. At the very least, they should have some confidence in their ability to rehabilitate his reputation and flip him for future assets if the fit with SGA and Giddey (neither strong shooters) proves untenable. Also, a strong defensive, non-shooting wing is so Presti.

Mavs: Simmons gets traded. I would trade him to the Pacers for Brogdon and LeVert, although apparently Brogdon cannot be traded during the regular season. I wasn’t expecting Simmons to be traded before the off season anyway. It seems very unlikely they get Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal for him, which is who I suspect were the primary targets for Daryl Morey.

Yeah there was an interesting article from The Athletic going through various Pacers trades for Simmons which seemed very interesting -- definitely a possiblity!

In your esteemed minds, what was the biggest steal and worst pick of the 2021 Guru Rookie Draft?

Wolves:



Mavs: Franz Wagner at #9.

Nuggets: Franz or Duarte the biggest steal. I hate to say it, but while Tre Mann likely isn’t the obvious pick, relative to his draft position, I cannot envision him becoming something that warrants the 12th pick. Watching him this year makes me more convinced that he is barely a rosterable player in fantasy. If I'm the guys holding higher drafted picks that have underperformed, Suggs or Bouknight, at least there remains the likelihood that things can improve substantially. Thankfully for Philly, his other OKC rookie pick killed.

Philly: Wagner imo. I love his game. Huge surprise (to me at how good he is). Bust: Suggs right now but he needs time, it’s still early so he can turn it around. Kuminga hasn’t been great but we knew it would also take time for him.

Sonics:  The 2021 Guru Draft was stacked and full of guys performing at a high-level. The pick that stands out the most is Franz Wagner, who was labeled initially as a safe-pick with a moderate season. As I mentioned earlier, Franz is trending towards becoming an all-star level NBA glue guy with the ability to guard different positions and score at a high level. At #9, you could not ask for much better outcome. It’s much harder to gauge who the worst pick is or who the biggest reach was, as it’s too early to label anyone a bust, but the biggest reach, in my opinion, is Tre Mann. He’s an excellent iso-scorer and can evolve into a Jordan Clarkson-esque contributor off the bench, but I’m not sure if he was worth trading three picks for when he could have possibly been available for later in the draft.

Pelicans: I liked PHX’s draft a lot. Barnes looks like a stud. Sengun has a lot of potential. And Wagner has impressed me too. I’m not yet qualified or sufficiently familiar with the candidates to choose the worst bust.

Everybody Loves Wagner!  Except for that one guy on Curb Your Enthusiasm...



Which 2 second year players would you most want on your team besides LaMelo, Haliburton, and Edwards?

Mavs: My bias may be showing but Onyeka Okongwu just needs to get consistent minutes and stay healthy to produce over 30 FPPG. He did a great job defensively on Giannis in the playoffs and he’s just so versatile on both ends of the court. Tyrese Maxey is the second player I would want.

Philly: Bane is a stud. I love what I’ve seen from Saddiq Bey this year. Also I was crazy high on Tyrell Terry and I don’t think he’s in the league anymore so what do I know.

Pelicans: I’d probably choose Cole Anthony or Immanuel Quickley. As I’ve said, I don’t consider myself qualified to evaluate young talent, but I feel like these are probably the most likely players to end up in an all-star game. Bane and Bey have both impressed, but both seem like roleplayers rather than stars to me.

Wolves: Man, I still think Wiseman is gonna be good long-term. I could be wrong, but that’s the upside pick. I don’t think I’m ready to buy Cole Anthony stock, so that last spot is down to Patrick Williams (who I think is good) and Bane (who I think is less good but has a cooler name). I guess probably Bane.

Insulting Cole Anthony, gulp.



Wolves: Shit, I forgot Kings owned him. Can you edit the part out where I negged him?

Absolutely.

Wolves: Thanks, you're a good one.



Sonics:  I got to give into bias and stick with my guy, Patrick Williams. As I mentioned early, he is still only 20 and has earned comparisons to a young Kawhi. While that may be his highest possible ceiling, his youth, skills, and build should help him etch out an important role in the NBA for years to come and bodes well for his potential going forward. My second pick would be Cole Anthony not only because of the huge steps forward he has taken in his second year, but also because he is a fun personality and easy to root for. I think he will eventually be able to mesh with Jalen Suggs, as the rest of the team should make up for their lack of size as a backcourt tandem. It’ll be interesting to see how both he and Suggs mesh with Fultz upon his return, but I don’t think Fultz will uproot or negatively either one of the two.

Nuggets: Cole Anthony and Desmond Bane. They’ve already proven it to me. The other guys’ value is less assured. You can flip Bane and Anthony for immediate production AND upside. Love em. Everyone else on the list has a problem of some form.

Nuggets nails the consensus picks in Bane and Anthony!

Nuggets: I'm the best.

Staying on the same theme, which 2 third year players would you most want on your team besides Zion, Morant, and Herro?

Let's start with Philly.

Philly: I’m happy with chuma/kpj/rui but I wouldn’t mind adding Bazley since I’m a thunder fan. Or as wiz calls him “someone that I used to know”

Barrett would be pretty sweet too, I think he’ll be a really solid player.

Sonics:  Sticking to the theme of loyalty, I would stick with RJ Barrett. It’s not just bias that led to this pick, though, as RJ has flashed potential time and time again. It’s a matter of consistency with him, and he has struggled heavily with that this year as he has had to adjust to the Knicks’ new additions. I felt that RJ would build off of the improved shooting he displayed after the all-star break last year, where he shot 40%+ from 3. RJ struggled to carry that momentum into this year, shooting 29% in October and 33% in December.

He seems to have slowly, but surely, turned the corner this month. So far in January RJ has shot 48% from three, which, most likely, isn’t sustainable but at least it’s a step in the right direction. He’s still only 21 and has plenty of time to live up to his spot as the #2 pick, even though he’s clearly behind Zion and Morant. My next pick is easy as well. Since the loss of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland has shown why Sexton is expandable.

Expandable?



Sonics: LOL

Expendible. I meant to say EXPENDIBLE.

He’s a leader for the surging Cavs and his able to initiate, score off the dribble, and shoot has been invaluable to a franchise that has been a bottom dweller for years.

Nuggets? Garland or Garland?

Nuggets: Garland, by faaaarrrr ahead of everyone else, and then give me Keldon Johnson for the same reasons as above. They’ve already proven they belong in the league and have secured roles. It’s all upside from here. Some of these other dudes shouldn’t be rostered even in our league.

Wolves: Garland is the one of these guys I’d most want, because I think he’s great. The Cavs have been so fun this year, and while Mobley is obviously a lot of it, Garland has shown he can take some extra steps in his career. Among the rest of them, I suppose I’d take Kevin Porter. I still am not sure he’s a long term guy, but I’m not sure how long it’ll be before the Rockets are replacing him either.

Pelicans: Probably NAW and Darius Garland. Garland is already outperforming the field. And, while I’ve not watched a lot of Pelicans games, the podcast crowd has always emphasized the height of NAW’s ceiling.

Mavs: You asked for two but I’m only going to give one because everyone else just doesn’t appeal to me - Darius Garland. Like everyone else just said, he’s been great for the Cavs and a huge part of their success this season. He’s turning 22 in a couple of weeks and I think he’s got a lot of potential and I can see him making an all-star game or two. Great rookie contract too. What’s not to love?

HEADLINE: GURU GUSHING FOR GARLAND. Bulls will be pleased to hear, in the unlikely event he ever reads this. Moving on...

Which 2 players' FPPG jumps shocked you the most this season in fantasy?

Wolves: Miles Bridges [26 to 38 FPPG] is easily the most surprising jump we’ve had this year. I for reals thought they might start Oubre over him. Almost all of the rest of this makes sense-- the only other one that seems real left-fieldy is Bamba, who I was sure they’d given up on. Definitely no other surprises in Orlando.



Sonics: It’s kind of crazy, but LeBron [47 to 53 FPPG] has made it look easy transitioning into a fill-in C at 37. With 19 years of NBA level wear on tear on his body, LeBron showed us that he still has more in the tank. No one expects someone that far into their to not only maintain such level play, but to also find ways where they can continue improving. Maybe the improvement can be attributed to him having to carry the Lakers on his back, but it’s still astonishing, nonetheless.

The next player whose improvements jump out at me would be Miles Bridges. Young players are expected to take steps forward and grow their game, but the way in which Miles improved is what makes him special. He bet on himself and will be justly rewarded by the Hornets this year. He and LaMelo will be can’t miss TV for years to come.

Can't Miss TV, like an all-new season of SHOVING BUDDIES, followed by SLOWLY ROTATING BLACK MAN :)



Sonics: ...

Mavs?

Mavs: Echoing Sonics point above, I just want to point out how crazy it is for LeBron to be averaging 53 FPPG at 37 years old but I’m honestly not surprised. Mo Bamba is the first surprise to me. I expected him to flame out before he produced 30 FPPG but he really has improved - I chalk it up to a combination of a new coaching staff and player improvement over the summer. Second player I am most surprised by is Dejounte Murray [36 to 46 FPPG] simply because I wasn’t sure whether his 36 FPPG was sustainable with Derrick White coming back healthy this season and the impact it would have on his usage. Pleasantly surprised to see Murray exceeding expectations, I just wish I would have bid on him!

Nuggets: Cole Anthony [25 to 36 FPPG] and Miles Bridges. Charlotte, man. How great of a story were they early? Miles Bridges was killing it out of the gate.

Pelicans: Initially, I’m inclined to say I’m most surprised by Onyeke because I (a) didn’t expect him to score 26 FPPG this season, (b) didn’t know he was scoring 26 FPPG, and (c) can’t find any data that says he’s scoring 26 FPPG—everything I’m seeing says he’s scoring 23 FPPG…

More in the spirit of the question, I’ve already mentioned that I underestimated Dejounte Murray [36 to 46 FPPG]. You would have had a difficult time convincing me any prior year that he would become an everyday triple-double threat and first round (currently top 10!) player in Guru….

Nah, who am I kidding: Lebron goddamn James [47 to 53 FPPG]. I expected his production to take a real hit, not make a jump. Russ was supposed to decrease his load, but his production has improved?! AD should be a top 5 player. He hasn’t been and, in fact, has been totally underwhelming (for the second season TBH). So the King is having to do way more than I thought would be asked of him. On any given night, Bron is still the best player in the league, in my opinion. He’s playing fucking center right now. He’s the GOAT, and we’ll all agree by the time he retires.

Yeah, what LeBron is doing at Age 37 (!!) is fucking incredible. Real-life Uncle Drew.

Philly: Bane [17 to 29 FPPG]. I thought he already was whatever he’s going to be in the league. I figured there were too many mouths to feed in Memphis but he’s a really good player.

Bamba was always a per minute guy who plays for one of the worst irl franchises in the league. He finally got minutes and is producing.

A lot of love for Miles Bridges!  You know what they call him in Canada?

Philly: Kilometer Bridges.

Mavs: You used that joke before...

My New Year's resolution was to go green.



Nuggets: If you want to go green, eat less meat, take public transport, hell, suck off the Jolly Green Giant for all I care, but spare us the puns.

In the real NBA, did the Lakers going for Westbrook instead of Buddy Hield kill their chances of winning a title? What's your prognosis of the franchise long-term with LeBron/AD?

Nuggets: Uhh, I don't know if Hield would have allowed them to compete for a title. AD doesn’t get nearly enough criticism for where they are right now. When the fuck is AD going to take over a game and prove his status as a top 10 player? He’s having his worst year, perhaps ever, by nearly any advanced metric. He’s plainly more valuable than Westbrook, but I’m over the Westbrook slander. LAL simply shouldn’t have made the Westbrook trade, that appears obvious now. I don't give a fuck, though. Time for the new blood in the West to get a ring. I’m rooting for Denver and Utah.

Philly:  I think the thought process with Russ was that Lebron is going to need to rest and Russ can carry an offense. I think they could use Hield more if Lebron and AD are healthy, otherwise they’d need Russ.

The real problem is that their roster outside of AD/Lebron/Russ is craptastic. I don’t mean to sugar coat it, every other player on that roster is unknown or on the wrong side of 35. They’re either on rookie contracts or they’re applying for their AARP membership. Melo and Dwight cannot be your 4th and 5th best players in the year 2022.

I do like me some AR15 though, go Sooners.

Mavs:  I think their title chances were already on the downward trajectory given the overall age of the roster. I’m not sure Buddy Hield would have been much help. I think if you’re the Lakers you take the chance and trade for Westbrook and hope it works out.

Wolves: The short answer to that Russ question is “yes.” The long answer is “yes, but nah the Lakers were gonna suck with Hield too lol fuck the Lakers.”

LeBron and AD as a core is still terrifying. It’s hard to call that as a long-term prognosis though, because even though LeBron keeps on defying time, he’s only doing that until he isn’t. HOW LONG CAN HE KEEP DOING THIS?



Sonics:  Aren’t turnovers and missed shots part of the game? But honestly, the formula for a LeBron-led title team is easy. Surround him with shooters, allow the defense to collapse whenever he drives, and let him kick it out and find the open shooter. Sprinkle in a dominant big-man who can shoot and a few defenders and you’re basically guaranteed a title-shot. Russell Westbrook’s archetype is too similar to LeBron’s, as he’s a streaky, untrustworthy shooter than plays best with shooters surrounding him, but without the legendary basketball IQ.

Failing to place trustworthy shooters around LeBron, especially after adding Russell Westbrook, doomed them this year. But LeBron is too smart to not already see that, and while Russell Westbrook’s contract seems impossible to move, I doubt there aren’t other moves coming. LeBron and AD are a great duo, however. As long as LeBron can maintain his level of play next year alongside a (healthy) AD, it’s difficult to rule out future success.

Pelicans: The popular (and easy) answer is yes. The better answer: We don’t know yet. It’s easy to look at LA’s offense to date and say, “Westbrook is inefficient and doesn’t play well off ball alongside Lebron.” Its even easier to say “Lakers need more shooting” and easiest yet to say “Westbrook needs to stop shooting.” So Hield seems like an obvious example of a could-have-been that solves a lot as-it-is problems.

That said, this team has been depleted of a lot its talent—especially its perimeter shooting talent—for much of the season. Westbrook and Lebron were always going to take some time to find their fit. Especially because AD has been such a disappointment—both in terms of performance and availability—this team has needed Westbrooks energy. Hard to imagine Hield plugging that hole.

Finally, Lebron wanted Westbrook. It’s not like he didn’t know there was a workable deal for Hield. He wanted Russ. I’m not saying Lebron has unquestionable judgment about how to manage personnel—there are plenty of examples of him (reportedly) exercising his influence to push regrettable front-office decisions. But, if you’re the Lakers—who lacked star power for way too long prior to Lebron’s arrival and has experienced the kind of C-Suite volatility and drama than can undermine a star’s confidence in his team—you gotta trust Lebron when he says here is who can help me win. Like I said above, I haven’t yet lost all faith in this team and this season and I don’t think the window slams shut when this season concludes.

There is no “long” term with Lebron and AD unless AD resumes his ascent toward best player in the league. Lebron surely has only a few years of elite season-long performance remaining in his seemingly superhuman body. If AD is not going to compete for the throne Lebron will soon vacate, then this roster has no long-term future. They should be prepared to pivot in 2-4 years at the latest.

In Guru, what do you think of our Los Angeles Clippers zagging when the other 15 franchises zigged and refusing to blow it up, tank, and just keeps pushing forward and competing to win at all costs with a geriatric core? He's 11-0 [now 11-1] and in 1st place [now 2nd place]

Wolves: I LOVE IT. The wheels are gonna fall right off next year regardless of how this season goes, but let Curry and Russ walk and you suddenly have a fun project of a rebuild next year.

I was originally a naysayer but now I'm loving it too! What do you think, Dallas?

Mavs: Great for the short term but he’s sacrificing his long term for it. We have seen just how close some of the matchups can get this season if one of his stars goes down. That leaves potential for an upset during the later parts of the season when teams are more inclined to rest players like Curry.

Sonics: Everything is forgiven when you win, as it’s hard to question results. As long as the Clippers bring in the championship, they can ride that high throughout the next rebuild. The Clippers have to capitalize on their window, however, or else they will open themselves up for questioning as they look to re-tool their squad despite a lack of future draft assets and young, re-sign worthy prospects. Regardless of how this season pans out, they have loads of cap space going into this off-season and going forward, which should give them flexibility at least.

Pelicans: Yeah I mean how can you argue with domination? I recall fairly aggressive efforts to dump Westbrook, so I suspect some part of the “zag” was not the actual plan. Even still, big ups to LAC. Although, I don’t know why it’s controversial to bet on a core of Steph, Russ, Butler, Draymond, McCollum, and Barnes.

Philly:  Props to the clips. He’s in 1st place and I never would have guessed he’d be there. He’s done a good job and looks to be on a roll.

Nuggets?

Nuggets: “zagging” in this instance is awesome. Great work by Clips, and I’m happy he went for it. The league is way more fun when more teams are competing for it all, and he had the ability to not only go for it but be a legit contender. I’m certainly surprised at HOW good his guys are playing, but it makes sense with how deep his roster is. The joy from even a single season of competing so significantly outweighs that experienced when your team is a lost cause that it’s hard for me to really justify ever being “down” again. The relative high from being marginally better than the other contending teams (presumably why the tanking teams are doing it—to try and come back stronger than ever) would never do it for me. Look at Mavs. That dude could kill it, but it’s all just boring for him, ha. Even if my team wasn’t good enough to really “compete” I think there’s a lot to be said for trying to play the role of spoiler and making the most out of your opportunities anyways.

Good answer.

As Frontenac famously said, "I shall reply from the mouth of my cannon", so let's get a response from a lightly-armed Clipper off the California coast.

Clippers: Avast, ye landlubbers!

I think Wolves said it best: No matter what I did, the wheels were truly going to fall off next season but at least I never have to pay Russ that much money again. Even before some of the moves I made, I didn't have tons of draft capital... so you know what, playing it like the real Clippers: trade away all your picks for a couple of aging stars with injury problems (please make sure your lung stays un-collapsed my beloved CJ & please don't shatter my brittle glass Jimmy Butler).

Now if only I could get a Steve-Ballmer-owns-my-team cap exception. I am nervous that this week could be a second consecutive loss & the playoffs could be a real wildcard, but I am here to compete until I can't. I like Bane, I like Isaiah, and I like Mann. I am not totally devoid of young talent to build around moving forward. I appreciate the praise even though I know Mavs despises this plan, sometimes you gotta shake thinks up a bit.

At the end of the day, it's all good. I have my secret weapon now: DARIUS BAZLEY. BLOCK PARTY. Checkmate. See y'all in the playoffs.

Let's conclude this with the same final question I ask every roundtable!

Excluding playoff teams, if you could start over with one current Guru roster in dynasty, which franchise would you want to own?

Pelicans: There are only two real answers: MIL or OKC. Bucks have a couple stars in PG13 and Lavine More importantly, the future is bright with a longer term core of LaMelo, both Miles and Mikal Bridges, Jalen Green, Bamba, NAW, Jalen Johnson, Okoro, and Bones. Damn. Now that I’m actually listing these guys, I really like the future of this roster.

Thunder has fewer promising young bucks but a really solid core of star players: Sabonis, Siakim, and Murray wrapped up for long contracts; Grant, Middleton, and Wiggins on team friendly deals; and the right to re-sign Fox. Davion Mitchell looks promising too.

I’ll take OKC if I’m trying to win in the next couple years, MIL if I want to maximize my long-term prospects.

Wolves: I love that Bulls roster. It’s got some cooking to do, but give me Jokic, Brown and Garland all day. Shout-out Bucks for shaping up a roster that looks real take-overable too.

Sonics: Going into the off-season, the Wizards have $50+ mil in cap space, a bunch of young, fun prospects, and loads of future draft capital, including four picks in the hyped 2023 NBA draft. If used wisely, they can quickly turn the corner and change their identify within the next two years. And, if they bide their team, use their assets wisely, and strike gold in the Draft, they could shape their team into a perennial contender. Having that level of flexibility would be extremely fun.

Mavs: All of them are interesting teams with potential, but if I had to pick one it would be the Oklahoma City Thunder just because the “OKC cabal” might give me something valuable to have the team name and because I think the franchise is one active owner away from being in the playoffs.

Holy Bagumba, "one active owner away from the playoffs", LOL. Mavs exiting the panel swinging!

Philly: loooooooool... fucking mavs. All good, Giddey/Ayton coming for him.

Mavs: Yeah in 2027, when they're already off their rookie scale, and Punxsutawney Philly looks out and sees his own shadow and decides on 6 more years of tanking.



Settle down, boys.

Mavs: Bulls and Bucks are both solid choices too. The Bulls specifically have a lot of interesting paths they could take and they are a team that could make the jump to competitor any season now. Philly seems to be doing…something…

Philly, who would you take?

Philly: Besides Mavs in a fight? Sonic’s. I like Zion and Jamal Murray, that could be a great core to build around, injuries pending. Plus if guru okc ever changed cities I could move Seattle again.

Nuggets: Bulls has the right mix of foundational core pieces and roster flexibility to intrigue me. Of the teams I will call the “deep tankers”, i.e., SEA, WAS, PHI, and SAC, Washington has the cleanest cap sheet and the most high value picks. His roster would be fun too.

Fuck the Suns.

Looks like everyone wants a piece of the Bulls! (except Philly, who wants a piece of Mavs)

Big thanks to Wolves, Philly, Nuggets, Mavs, Pelicans, and Sonics on their in-depth answers, much appreciated!

Good luck to everyone in the playoffs!