Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Let your voice be heard! Who deserves the 2020 fantasy football MVP award?
We want to know your opinion about which player deserves to be crowned the MVP of the 2020 fantasy football season. We’ve narrowed it down to a group of finalists, so let’s see if there’s a consensus among Huddlers.
[polldaddy poll=10722354]
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The 76ers sought Doc Rivers to motivate Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, handle the media in a big market and bring a championship pedigree.
The Philadelphia 76ers sought a new voice who could motivate Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, handle the media in a big market and bring a championship pedigree.
According to several executives who spoke to HoopsHype, the Sixers landed the right man for the job by hiring Doc Rivers and signing him to a five-year contract.
“I think he will do a better job with Philly’s culture and with Embid and Simmons,” one Eastern Conference executive told HoopsHype. “From what I’ve heard, Brett (Brown) allowed Joel and Ben to do whatever they wanted, and it really hurt the culture.”
Brown and the Sixers lost in Game 7 in the semifinals on a Kawhi Leonard gravity-defying shot at the buzzer in 2019 and were just swept in the bubble with Simmons sidelined. Before his injury, Brown moved Simmons to power forward in an attempt to make the tandem of Embiid and Simmons more cohesive. It’s unclear how Rivers plans to use Simmons going forward.
One thing is clear, Sixers general manager Elton Brand plans to keep Embiid and Simmons together for the foreseeable future before considering moving either player. It’ll be up to Rivers to maximize the duo’s potential, which is a task he can handle, according to one of his former colleagues.
“I think Doc in Philly is a great fit,” a former executive who worked with Rivers told HoopsHype. “I feel like he’ll be able to mesh extremely well with Ben and Joel. Now whether or not they are a great fit with one another in terms of skill set is another question, but I think Doc will do a great job with managing the personalities. He’s an excellent coach and a wonderful human being as well, so I think it will be a very good partnership there.”
Another rival executive who will face Rivers and the Sixers often next season agrees that Rivers is the best person to toe the line between a coach, mentor, and disciplinarian to help Embiid and Simmons coexist better on the court. However, even if Rivers can improve the chemistry of his All-Star tandem, he’ll have a difficult time balancing out the rest of the team’s unbalanced roster.
“I think what Doc does well is exactly what the Sixers need,” the executive told HoopsHype. “He will hold guys accountable and push the best players to be better. Ben and Joel need someone that isn’t afraid to tell them what they need to do. That being said, they still need to change parts of the roster.”
Changing the roster, however, is easier said than done. Philadelphia is projected for a $147 million payroll next season, according to our Sixers salary page. Al Horford is owed $81 million over the next three seasons and struggled mightily in the playoffs, which makes him an albatross to trade. Josh Richardson is on the books for $10.8 million, a bargain for a starting-caliber player in today’s NBA market. Theoretically, he could be traded to shake things up, but given the team’s payroll situation, it would be tough to find equal value at that price.
With seemingly little flexibility to alter the roster significantly, Rivers will have to help one of his former players regain his top form for the overall success of the team.
Tobias Harris is entering the second year of his five-year, $180 million contract. Harris played the best basketball of his career under the tutelage of Rivers averaging a career-high 20.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Harris also shot the ball better than any other time in his career from the field (.487), beyond the arc (.426) and the free throw line (.856).
“They need Tobias to start playing like a max player every night,” one Eastern Conference executive told HoopsHype bluntly.
Expect more turnover on the bench than the player side of Philadelphia’s roster.
Former New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is a “serious” possibility to join Rivers’ coaching staff, according to ESPN. Other names to keep an eye on are Los Angeles Clippers assistant coaches Rex Kalamian, Sam Cassell and Brendan O’Connor.
Of course, those dominoes falling are also dependent on whether the Clippers hire Ty Lue as their head coach or not. If Lue takes over for the Clippers, a potential assistant to keep an eye on is James Posey, who shared the bench with Lue for four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Posey is currently a writer and host of “The Posecast” on BasketballNews.com.
MORE: NBA execs react to Clippers and Doc Rivers split
MORE: Should the 76ers trade Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons? NBA executives and coaches weigh in
You can follow Michael Scotto on Twitter: @MikeAScotto
Will Murray become an All-Star? HoopsHype posed those questions to two general managers, one executive and three scouts to get the answers.
Can Jamal Murray’s historical play in the bubble be sustained next season and beyond? Will he become an All-Star?
HoopsHype posed those questions to two general managers, one executive and three scouts to get the answers.
“I think All-Star is likely, but I would argue he’s been playing at All-NBA borderline superstar level in the bubble,” one Eastern Conference general manager told HoopsHype. “That level I’m not sure about.”
Murray shot 50.5 percent from the field, 45.3 percent from three-point range and 89.7 percent from the foul line this postseason. How good are those numbers? Since the NBA added three-pointers in the 1979-80 season, only Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Malcolm Brogdon have shot 50-40-90 over a full season.
“I don’t know if he can shoot this consistently over time, but he’s still a very good player,” one Western Conference scout told HoopsHype. “He’s probably a guy who can be an All-Star, but not a game-changer like this like a superstar level. I’m not sure he can do that consistently. Maybe he can, he’s still young, but I’d bet a little lower than what he’s doing right now.”
In Game 4, Murray displayed a new bag of tricks in his scoring repertoire with an off-balance left-handed floater, a high-arching one-handed fall away shot over Anthony Davis, and an up-and-under layup that drew comparisons to Michael Jordan.
The Original vs. The Remix pic.twitter.com/O2vA4YQYUc
— LeWob James (@WorldWideWob) September 25, 2020
After leading the league in playoff minutes, and battling through a right knee contusion in Game 5, another Eastern Conference general manager believes Murray’s bubble play is sustainable and could be a preview of him scratching the surface of his potential.
“I expect him to continue to get better,” the general manager told HoopsHype. “His confidence should be through the roof going into next season. He can score so many ways. He doesn’t have the pressure to create for others since they play through (Nikola) Jokic.”
Murray proved to be a willing passer averaging 6.6 assists in the playoffs, but his mentality has always been scorer-first. Murray dropped 20 or more points in seven straight playoff games. The last Nugget to do this in a single postseason was Carmelo Anthony in 2009.
“He’s an All-Star for years to come in my book,” one Eastern Conference scout told HoopsHype. “I forget which game it was, but in last year’s playoffs, he scored like 21 straight points to beat the Spurs in a game. He has a high-level skill and confidence with a green light.”
“It’s been pretty impressive,” another Western Conference scout told HoopsHype. “I feel it will springboard him into the All-Star conversation each year. He’ll make it, maybe just not every year.”
Next season, Murray begins his five-year, $170 million maximum-salary contract extension, so All-Star expectations are certainly warranted given his play in the bubble and upcoming paycheck.
While Murray is now on the verge of realizing his potential, the groundwork was laid several years ago while he was in high school. According to one Eastern Conference executive, Murray’s All-Star foundation was built while learning from a Canadian legend and playing against older competition.
“I don’t think it’s a fluke at all,” the executive told HoopsHype. “I saw him work out with Nash the year before he went to Kentucky and saw the talent then. It’s just a matter of time for him, not if, in my opinion. I’m happy that it’s coming together for him. During that time, he was a high school graduate going at Cory Joseph and CJ McCollum after Canadian National team practices.”
Those workouts with Nash, Joseph and McCollum raised Murray’s game rapidly. The former Kentucky Wildcat became the second Canadian to win MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic International Game in 2013. Two years later, Murray scored a game-high 30 points and was named MVP of the Nike Hoop Summit.
Soon, the Canadian guard could add some hardware for his country in the Olympics as well.
“He’s really becoming a superstar in the league,” Toronto Raptors and Canadian National team coach Nick Nurse said. The coach added all signs point to Murray playing for Canada.
MORE: Find out where NBA executives ranked Murray in our top players under 25 to build around poll
You can follow Michael Scotto on Twitter: @MikeAScotto
Poll: If the Browns had to change their name, what would you choose?
The era of the Washington Redskins is over. Owner Daniel Snyder has agreed to drop the nickname, which is a common racial slur towards Native Americans.
In Cleveland, the Indians might be doing the same. While the baseball team ditched the caricature mascot, Chief Wahoo, several years ago, the franchise is considering a full rebranding too.
(I hope the Indians don’t change, but if they do I prefer Rocks. I’d settle for Spiders as a nice second option with a nod to history and uniqueness.)
But what if the Browns had to change their name? It’s an awkward name without the historical context of being named in honor of legendary team owner/founder Paul Brown. In a time where history and context don’t seem to have much value, the Browns could fall under the crosshairs of change.
Regardless of your opinion on the validity or likelihood of any change, what would you choose to be the new name for the Cleveland football team? In a hypothetical world, what would you go with?
[polldaddy poll=10579422]
If you choose other, leave a suggestion in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.
The ADP data shows a clear TE1. Do you agree?
We always enjoy seeing reader feedback at The Huddle, and our “Sound Off” series is a fine way to get a finger on the pulse of our viewers.
In today’s poll, the answers should help illustrate whether there’s a clear consensus or a more polarized view on the top tight end to be drafted.
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In the event you choose to wait on the position and wouldn’t draft any of these guys, please opine as to which one you feel should go first. Per Fantasy Football Calculator’s ADP data in a 12-team, PPR draft, the top five are listed in order for this poll. Do you agree with the data?
[polldaddy poll=10569876]
After Michael Thomas, which WR do you prefer to go next in PPR?
We always enjoy seeing reader feedback at The Huddle, and our “Sound Off” series is a fine way to get a finger on the pulse of our viewers.
Rather than asking a silly question of which wide receiver should go first in a PPR draft, the more important mystery to solve is finding out the guy fantasy football general managers prefer after the New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas invariably goes first.
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In the event you choose to wait on the position and wouldn’t draft any of these guys, please opine as to which one you feel should go first. Per Fantasy Football Calculator’s ADP data in a 12-team, PPR draft, the WRs chosen second through sixth are listed in order for this poll. Do you agree with the data?
[polldaddy poll=10569177]
Note: Three WRs listed with an ADP of 2:01 is not a mistake. Each player has an average placement of pick 12.9 overall in the data.
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While it may seem like there’s an obvious choice, it never hurts to consider all options.
We always enjoy seeing reader feedback at The Huddle, and our “Sound Off” series is a fine way to get a finger on the pulse of our viewers.
In today’s poll, the answers should help illustrate whether there’s a clear consensus or a more polarized view on the elite players at the running back position. It may seem like there’s an obvious answer, but the NFL changes greatly year over year, and not everyone views the consensus the same way.
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In the event you choose to wait on the position and wouldn’t draft any of these guys, please opine as to which one you feel should go first. Per Fantasy Football Calculator’s ADP data in a 12-team, PPR draft, the top five are listed in order for this poll. Do you agree with the data?
[polldaddy poll=10568559]
Will our readers agree with the ADP data for the first QB to be chosen?
We always enjoy seeing reader feedback at The Huddle, and our “Sound Off” series is a fine way to get a finger on the pulse of our viewers. In today’s poll, the answers should help illustrate whether there’s a clear consensus or a more polarized view on the elite players at the quarterback position.
In the event you choose to wait on the position and wouldn’t draft any of these guys, please opine as to which one you feel should go first. Per Fantasy Football Calculator’s ADP data in a 12-team, PPR draft, the top four are listed in order for this poll. Do you agree with the data?
[polldaddy poll=10568027]
Poll: Do you feel the 2020 NFL season will begin as scheduled?
There is much uncertainty about where it all goes from here, the COVID-19 pandemic appears far from over. While it feels like the collective sports world is inching closer to reopening at varying stages this summer, one has to question whether the NFL will indeed be able to begin the season as planned on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Early indications suggest there could be games without fans, but it would at least allow the contests to be played. We’re hearing reports of a reduced preseason slate, as well, and there remains a hint of doubt surrounding training camps.
Where we currently sit, armed with the ever-changing knowledge we possess, do you feel the 2020 NFL season will begin as scheduled?
[polldaddy poll=10566788]
POLL: Grade the full Browns 2020 NFL Draft weekend
Now that you’ve had a little time to let the last three days settle in and process, we’re looking for your thoughts on how well Browns GM Andrew Berry and his staff did in their first NFL Draft.
The picks:
Rd. 1 Pick 10: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
Rd. 2 Pick 44: Grant Delpit, S, LSU
Rd. 3 Pick 88: Jordan Elliott, DT, Missouri
Rd. 3 Pick 97: Jacob Phillips, LB, LSU
Rd. 4 Pick 115: Harrison Bryant, TE, FAU
Rd. 5 Pick 160: Nick Harris, OC, Washington
Rd. 6 Pick 187: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Michigan
How’s that look, Dawg Pound nation?
[polldaddy poll=10543372]
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