Milwaukee’s path to a championship in 2021 featured a lot of injury luck going their way, causing many to doubt the level of competition they had. While there may be truth to those arguments, Milwaukee was also perhaps a Khris Middleton injury away …
Milwaukee’s path to a championship in 2021 featured a lot of injury luck going their way, causing many to doubt the level of competition they had. While there may be truth to those arguments, Milwaukee was also perhaps a Khris Middleton injury away from going to the Conference Finals and perhaps even the Finals this most recent season. Injury luck goes both ways, but the Bucks are without a doubt legitimate contenders to win it all again as long as they’re healthy.
Below, check out our preview for the 2022-23 Bucks campaign.
Despite having one of the toughest projected schedules at the restart, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to perform well in seeding.
We are now officially a month away from the NBA’s scheduled restart of the regular season, featuring the 4th and final regular season meeting between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. We also now have additional betting lines, now that the seeding game schedule for all 22 teams headed to Orlando was made official last Friday, thanks to the folks from BetOnline.
The Milwaukee Bucks have the highest over-under line for their eight games at 6, followed by the two Los Angeles squads both at 5.5. They are also offering lines on the exact win totals for both the Lakers and Bucks, should you choose to get really wild with the predictions. After those three, Boston and Toronto both have their win-total numbers set at 5, as they battle for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, tied with the current Western Conference 10th seed New Orleans Pelicans for the highest win-total lines.
As far as the playoff race in the West for the 8th seed, the Pelicans have the highest over-under number, followed by Portland at a measly 3.5, then Memphis and Sacramento at 3.
On this episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, Alex Kennedy is joined by Michael Lee of The Athletic. They discuss the NBA’s return, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Florida, the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Western Conference playoff picture and more. Time-stamps are below!
:30: The NBA announced the schedule for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Alex and Michael discuss their excitement and concerns about the NBA season resuming.
1:40: There have been many new COVID-19 cases in Florida recently, which could impact the NBA’s plan to resume the season. Alex and Michael talk about the “bubble” and whether it’s safe.
9:05: Several players (such as Avery Bradley, Davis Bertans, Trevor Ariza and Willie Cauley-Stein) have decided to sit out when play resumes. Will more players back out as it gets closer?
12:45: Should there be an asterisk next to the 2020 championship? Michael doesn’t think so.
15:35: Alex and Michael discuss whether the Milwaukee Bucks have what it takes to win a title this year.
17:45: Fun fact: Brook Lopez actually has a home that’s on the Walt Disney World property. It’s in a “resort community” called Golden Oak, which he discussed in this HoopsHype interview last offseason.
18:30: As of now, the other seven playoff teams in the Eastern Conference are Toronto, Boston, Miami, Indiana, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Orlando. Which team has the best shot of challenging Milwaukee and winning the East?
23:55: Alex and Michael discuss an East team that could be a sleeper and make some noise in the playoffs.
25:38: Michael discusses the Raptors’ success and how impressed he is with their play despite losing Kawhi Leonard last summer.
29:50: Moving to the West, which team is the current favorite to win the conference: the Los Angeles Lakers or the Los Angeles Clippers?
33:40: With how much money LeBron James spends on his body and the amenities that he has at home (a court, a gym, cryotherapy, etc.), he should be in great shape and ready to go when the season starts. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Lou Williams each have a court at their house too.
35:08: The next tier of Western Conference teams features Denver, Utah, Oklahoma City, Houston and Dallas. Which of those teams has the best shot of challenging the L.A. teams and winning the West?
39:00: Alex and Michael discuss whether we’ll see more upsets in the playoffs since the games are being played at a neutral site and there’s no home-court advantage.
41:50: The race for the eighth seed in the Western Conference is down to Memphis, Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento, San Antonio and Phoenix. Alex and Michael discuss how that could play out.
On this episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, Alex Kennedy is joined by Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. They discuss the NBA’s return, the league’s bubble, unanswered questions, how this set-up may impact play, what this offseason could look like, his NBA Finals prediction, his MVP pick and much more. Time-stamps are below!
0:35: The NBA will resume the season on July 31. Howard and Alex discuss the league’s plan and the logistics of having 22 teams in a bubble at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.
4:30: An Eastern Conference general manager told Alex that he’s concerned some players may choose not to play because of the health risks. What will the NBA do if some players want to sit out?
7:30: There are still some unanswered questions as it pertains to the bubble such as what will happen if players get sick? Will we see free agents signed as replacement players?
10:20: It remains to be seen how the NBA will handle home-court advantage and what they’ll do to reward teams for their regular-season success. Howard doesn’t like any of the ideas that have been thrown out so far.
15:35: With no fans and a neutral court, this will almost feel like pick-up basketball. Howard and Alex discuss how this could impact the on-court product.
18:40: Finishing the 2019-20 season is the priority, but is there a chance that the NBA has a similar arrangement or single-site bubble for a portion of next season?
22:05: The NBA Finals are scheduled to end in October, then the NBA will have the draft, free agency and offseason programs. But the NBA wants to start next season in December. Howard and Alex discuss how the league can make this work from a scheduling standpoint.
26:25: How will this year’s NBA draft and free-agency period be impacted by the pandemic?
29:40: Howard shares his NBA Finals prediction and his pick to win it all.
33:30: Who is Howard’s favorite sleeper team that could make things interesting and go on a deep playoff run?
35:40: Howard breaks down the Most Valuable Player race between Giannis Antetokounpo and LeBron James, and shares his pick for MVP.
39:40: Recently, Howard wrote a terrific piece for Bleacher Report about Kobe Bryant’s lob to Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000 Western Conference Finals, which launched the Los Angeles Lakers’ dynasty. Howard talks about the story and shares his favorite memories from covering those Shaq-Kobe teams.
43:55: Howard discusses “What up, Beck!” and how often people say that to him when he’s out in public.
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HoopsHype’s new series gives an inside look at shoe deals, with part two focusing on the negotiations and incentives in sneaker contracts.
This is part two of a four-part series that gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at shoe deals and the sneaker free agency process, with insight from various NBA agents, sneaker executives and industry experts. You can read Part 1 here.
When an NBA executive and an agent are negotiating an NBA contract, they are restricted by the salary cap and they must follow all of the rules outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. When a sneaker-company executive and an agent are negotiating a shoe deal, there are no such restrictions, which allows both sides to be very creative during the talks.
Nowhere is this creativity more evident than in the incentives that are included in shoe deals. When sneaker deals leak, we often hear that the player will earn “up to” a certain amount. That’s because there are a ton of performance-based bonuses included in most deals, so it’s difficult to project exactly how much money the player will actually take home.
There are individual incentives for averaging certain stats, leading the NBA in scoring, playing a certain number of games, winning an end-of-season award (such as MVP), making an All-Star team, All-NBA team or All-Rookie team and so on. There are also team-based bonuses for winning a certain number of games, making the playoffs, advancing in the postseason, making it to the NBA Finals, winning a championship (and playing a certain number of minutes), etc.
According to ESPN’s Nick DePaula, players sometimes earn $300,000 for being selected as an All-Star, $250,000 for winning the dunk contest and $25,000-to-$50,000 for participating in an All-Star Saturday contest. When players are snubbed from the All-Star Game and other honors, part of the reason why they’re often upset is because they are missing out on a lucrative bonus.
There are also reductions that are negotiated into these deals. For example, it’s common for contracts to have a games-played threshold where the player will actually lose money if they don’t play in a certain number of contests (and 60 games is commonly used). Also, one brand does a threshold bonus where a player can earn a $250,000 bonus if their points per game and rebounds per game add up to 26 or higher, according to DePaula. But if their point average and rebound average add up to fewer than 16, there’s a $250,000 reduction.
Shaquille O’Neal (Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Reebok)
Interestingly, some companies include a small-market reduction as well. Just as brands give players a bonus for being in a large market (such as Los Angeles or New York), they’ll significantly dock their pay if they land in certain small markets. Players are essentially being fined for ending up in a small-market city, even if it’s not the player’s choice.
“I’ve seen some brands include a 20-percent reduction for landing in certain small markets,” DePaula said. “I know for a fact that one brand had Sacramento and Orlando among others on that list of markets.”
“Yes, that’s definitely a clause that exists in contracts,” one shoe-company executive confirmed on the condition of anonymity. “There are bonuses or reductions based on the player’s market. If the player goes to a major market like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago or Miami, the brand is going to get more exposure. They’ll be playing in more nationally televised games and get more media coverage.”
Keep in mind, this is all up for negotiation, so an agent can push back against a small-market reduction if they don’t want it in the contract.
“It’s a give-and-take,” one NBA agent said. “If you’re going to allow a reduction like that to be put in place, what are you getting in return that makes it worth it to include that? The main reduction incentives that you see in sneaker contracts (and all endorsement contracts) are related to injuries. If a guy isn’t playing, there are opportunities for brands to roll back their pay. There are also moral clauses, where the player’s contract could be affected if the player does something of moral turpitude.”
Sneaker companies often prefer giving a player an incentive-laden deal rather than a large guaranteed salary.
“Now, a lot of brands don’t want to pay big base salaries,” said AND1’s head of sports marketing Dexter Gordon. “If you sign a guy to a deal with a big base salary and he has a bad season, you’re locked into paying that base salary and you’re like, ‘Ugh.’ If it’s an incentive-laden deal, it’s safer. If the player does well, they’ll make more money and everyone from the brand is happy too.”
Even if a player signs an incentive-laden deal, they’ll still have a base salary of some sort and that must be negotiated as well. While NBA salaries are available to the public, it’s tougher to find out contract details when it comes to endorsement deals. So, how do agents come up with an asking price and ensure that their client is getting a fair deal?
“You try to find what the market is and while it’s not definitive like it is when you’re negotiating an NBA contract, you hear rumors and dig for information to find out what other players were paid,” said a top NBA agent. “You also have to talk to every company. By having conversations with every company as opposed to just one or two, you get a valuation and understand what the market will bear for that particular client.”
“Larger agencies have a clear-cut advantage when determining market values for players,” former NBA agent Matt Babcock said. “They will naturally have a better grip on the marketplace, as they engage in more negotiations with each shoe company due to representing more clients.”
Sometimes, an agent has to think outside the box when trying to sell a brand on their client.
“If your guy isn’t a star, it’s your job to drum up interest by finding your player’s niche and focusing on that,” one NBA agent said. “Maybe your player is in a market that Nike wants to be in because they don’t have any players on that team. There are also certain guys who fall into a streetwear or cultural-ambassador category, where it’s more about off-court appeal than anything. With those kinds of guys – like PJ Tucker and Nick Young – you approach the negotiations differently. You need to figure out an angle or niche to be able to sell your guy to brands.”
PJ Tucker of the Houston Rockets (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
In addition to incentives and base salary, agents also negotiate what the player’s product allowance will be, whether they’ll have a signature shoe (and, if so, the royalties associated with that), the company’s charitable support (as some players seek support for their AAU team or camps) and so on. There are other details that need to be ironed out too. Will the player be making any appearances? Will he be in any commercials or activations? Will the player go on an offseason tour to promote the brand (and, if so, will he be going overseas)?
Every agent mentioned that their client’s position and style of play have a significant impact on negotiations and how the player is perceived by the shoe companies. Many big men around the NBA are on merch deals. By now, you’ve probably heard the adage: “Big men can’t sell shoes.”
“I think that’s how a lot of companies think,” AND1’s Gordon said. “When you’re trying to sell to consumers, especially kids, they identify more with guards. Not many kids are going to grow up to be Shaquille O’Neal. But if you have a guy like Stephen Curry or, our guy, Fred VanVleet, a kid can say, ‘Hey, if I work hard, I can become that.’ I mean, Steph Curry looks like a high school kid! (laughs) The consumers we’re targeting can identify more with guards. Also, guards are exciting! A lot of kids don’t see back-to-the-basket bigs as exciting.”
For many years, sneaker companies primarily went after guards. In recent years, unicorns like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant have emerged, so now brands target “perimeter players.” However, with Joel Embiid getting his first signature shoe later this year and Zion Williamson just signing the richest rookie deal since LeBron James, could this be the year that big men prove that they can sell shoes and force companies to update their approach?
“Joel Embiid’s signature sneaker is going to be a really interesting case study because there’s no current center that has a signature shoe, so we’ll see how that does,” DePaula added. “What Joel brings is his ability to go viral on social media whenever he wants. I think there’s some validity to the phrase, ‘Big men can’t sell shoes.’ It is fairly true. We’ll see if Joel can break the mold because, historically, it’s been challenging for them.”
Be sure to check back later this week for part three of this series, which looks at what happens during the sneaker-free-agency-process, how brands recruit players and more.
Antoine Walker talks about being voted to Chicago’s all-time starting five, how he’d fare in today’s NBA, his off-court endeavors and more.
Leading up to NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, fans had an opportunity to vote on an all-time starting five of Chicago-born players. Derrick Rose, Isiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Anthony Davis and Antoine Walker were crowned the winners, and the results were announced at Posterized: The Chicago Experience (powered by Jim Beam) at the Chicago Sports Museum.
HoopsHype had a chance to chat with Walker shortly after he received this honor. The three-time All-Star averaged 17.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals over the course of his 12-year NBA career. We talked to Walker about Chicago’s all-time starting five, his impressive NBA career, life after basketball, his off-court endeavors, today’s NBA and more.
You were named to Chicago’s all-time starting five and this was announced at Posterized: The Chicago Experience (powered by Jim Beam). What does that honor mean to you?
Antoine Walker: I was excited and it means a lot because we have so much talent coming out of Chicago, including some guys that people don’t even know about. We’ve had so many guys who have made it to the pros and so many guys who have had great careers. To be recognized by people in Chicago and all around the world, it means the world to me. There was some stiff competition too. Mark Aguirre didn’t make the Top 5, but he should be in the Hall of Fame and he should be in the city’s all-time Top 5 because he was one of the greatest players to ever play, but he never gets his just due. To be able to get some just due makes me feel really, really good.
Chicago has produced so many talented players over the years. Why do you think we’ve seen so many great players come from Chicago and is there something that this city’s players have in common?
AW: I think we’ve seen so many great players come from Chicago because of the foundation that was laid down a long time ago when you think about guys like Mark Aguirre, Isiah Thomas, Maurice Cheeks and Tim Hardaway. Honestly, I also believe it’s because of the media. There’s a lot of coverage of Chicago sports and it starts at such an early age. I remember being in eighth grade and being ranked the No. 1 eighth-grader in the state. I think because we put such an emphasis on the sport of basketball, that makes a lot of kids want to play. We’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of pros come out of this city. Our list of pros is just as strong as any other city in the world. This is a sports town and people really get excited about basketball, and they get behind these players and teams. I think that’s why you see [some] people consider it to be the Mecca.
You were ahead of your time with your three-point shooting. People used to criticize your shot selection because you attempted a lot of threes, but with how the game has evolved, clearly you were onto something. Do you feel vindicated?
AW: Oh, without question! I probably would’ve made $300 million in today’s NBA, if I could’ve played in this day and age! But I think it shows the skill level of big men. We’re seeing that big guys can do some of the things that small guys can do. It was a tough time for me when I was doing it; I used to get ripped for shooting so many threes. But I really give Jim O’Brien a lot of credit. When he took over for Rick Pitino, he’s the one who instilled that confidence in me as a shooter. He’d say, “Anytime you get an opportunity to shoot, shoot it!” Once he put that confidence in me, I didn’t have a problem shooting. I wasn’t bashful. (laughs) I went out there and played my game. Now, playing that way is looked at as exciting. And it is fun to watch! Watching some of these big men take the ball full-court, coast to coast, and then seeing some of these centers be able to step out and shoot threes – guys like Marc Gasol and Anthony Davis – it makes for a fun style of basketball.
Are there any current players who remind you of yourself?
AW: Hmm, I don’t know. I like Draymond Green and his all-around game. He’s a better defender, but as far as his skill set – pushing the basketball, getting other guys shots and things like that… I probably shot the three better than him, but I really like the way he plays. I like Giannis Antetokoumpo’s versatility and long arms and ability to make plays for other people. I like all forwards who get five or six assists per game, the guys who are really good passers. Those are the guys who I really enjoy watching – not necessarily that our games are similar, but more so that our mindset and the way we approach the game are similar. I really enjoy watching those guys play.
What was it like making the transition to broadcasting and how are you enjoying that?
AW: The transition has been great because it gave me a chance to be connected to the game again. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m a student of the game and I love the NBA game as well as the college game. I watch basketball every single day. It’s part of my life, so to be able to now talk about it every day is really special to me. A lot of guys don’t get an opportunity to continue to do what we love and still be a part of this game at the level that I’m at, so I don’t take it for granted. I really love the opportunity to talk about the game that I love.
Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
If you could go back and give 20-year-old Antoine advice, what would it be?
AW: It would probably be teaching him about generational wealth. I never thought about generational wealth when I was playing and making a lot of money. I would make sure that I have enough money not only for myself but for my kids and their kids. I wish somebody would’ve taught me about generational wealth and how I wouldn’t be able to play this game forever and that, after I retire, I’d still have the rest of my life to live. I wish somebody would’ve told me that at age 20.
That’s what I would tell my 20-year-old self, and that’s what I make sure to tell all of these young guys who are playing in the league now. I just try to turn a negative into a positive and teach these young guys. When you’re 19 or 20 years old, you just see that you’re making a lot of money right now, but one day that comes to an end. Make sure you’ve put aside enough money for yourself and your kids and their kids. Make sure you have generational wealth.
In the past, we’ve discussed your bankruptcy and work as a financial adviser to athletes. I know you work with Edyoucore and Greg Oden recently became an athlete advisor with them as well. Greg told me that while he enjoys it, he hopes that these athletes listen and actually apply these lessons. When you’ve talked to players, how do they typically respond and does it seem like your advice sinks in?
AW: I think it really is impacting them. I think it starts a conversation and I think it puts a lot of things on their mind since they’re dealing with their own personal situations. They may not publicly come out and say that they’re taking that advice, but I know that a lot of them are taking it wholeheartedly and applying it to their life. I think you’re going to see that the percentage of athletes and entertainers who have financial problems after their career ends is going to change. And I think it’s because of these types of programs, which are very impactful. You’d be surprised how many guys come up to me afterward to thank me for coming and thank me for sharing my story and ask for more information. They talk about how they’re going to take that information and use it in their own life and make the right decisions. I think this is going to be a tremendous help, and I think it’s off to a great start.
In addition to the financial advising and broadcasting, do you have any other off-court endeavors you’re working on?
AW: I’m coming out with a book, hopefully here in the next two months. It’s going to be a financial-literacy learning tool for everybody – not just athletes. I want to share my story and the things that I’ve learned. And I just want to continue to grow. I’m very comfortable in the space that I’m in right now. I want to continue to grow my TV career to where I can continue to be a TV analyst for 10-15 more years. I want to continue to grow in that space.
But I also have aspirations of one day working for an NBA team, maybe in a front office. I’d like to try to build a championship team. I believe that I have a very good basketball IQ and I think I know the game very well, so I think I could be a positive addition to any front office. That’s on my bucket list – hopefully one day I can work for a team and help them win a championship.
Who was the toughest defender you ever faced? Were there certain players you dreaded facing because they’d lock you down?
AW: I would say it was the guys with length, like Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Rasheed Wallace. Those kind of guys were very tough for me to go up against. Because of their length, I wasn’t really able to post them up the way I would like to, so I would always have to take them off the dribble or step back and shoot the three.
But the guy who was probably the toughest to score against was probably Dennis Rodman. That goes back to my first couple of years in the league. I played against Dennis in ‘96, ‘97 and ‘98 during their championship runs and he was tough as nails and so hard to score against. Those guys were really the ones who gave me trouble. Length was something that always bothered me.
Chicago’s all-time starting five was announced at Posterized: The Chicago Experience, which was a fun event that showcased Chicago’s food, music and art. What did you think of the party?
AW: I loved it, man. I thought it was a great event. When you think about how the All-Star Game hadn’t been in Chicago in 32 years, I thought they did a great job highlighting our city – and not just the basketball. The concept behind the Posterized event was showing people Chicago and what it’s like; it wasn’t just about our basketball. Obviously, it was built around basketball and All-Star Weekend, but it highlighted Garrett’s Popcorn, Chicago dogs, step dancing and teaching people how we dance, our art, the celebrities who came out were from Chicago and have been influential in Chicago and things like that. I thought it was great and it showed Chicago in a different light. I really enjoyed the event, and I loved being a part of it. And it was extra exciting that I got some love while I was there, finishing in the all-time Top 5! It was great all around.
