b.ballcheck

  It is the first time since James has been selected to the second team since 2007. It may seem lucky that Lebron even was selected into an all NBA team considering he only played 45 games this season.           Lebron averaged 25 pts 7.7 rebound, 7.8 assists, 1.1 steals during the regular season. Could it be argued that he would have made First Team or he would have won the MVP award? Probably, considering that he was top 3 in the MVP leaderboard before the injury. At 36, his prime may come to an end soon; so enjoy it while it lasts.     

      Kemba Walker may be traded to the LA Lakers in a package that consists of Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, and Dennis Schroder.          It is possible that the Boston Celtics might deal Kemba Walker to the Lakers. Walker, 31, is an excellent talent although since arriving in Boston; he has not lived up to his name. In this year's post-season, he shot 12.7ppg with a 31.7% FG. Being known as an offensive threat, his stat-line does not back it up.      The Lakers, on the other hand, would want someone of the caliber of Kemba. This will relieve the ball pressure off Lebron (Something Schroder could not) and considering that Kemba is an above average 3pt shooter, could fill many roles. Acquiring Kemba would practically not cost as much for someone with his talent. If the trade were to happen, Dennis Schroder would be traded using a sign & trade contract.

    The LA Lakers have reportedly placed Kyle Kuzma(F) in the trading block.       Kyle  Kuzma, who was struggling in this year's first round matchup, averaged 6.3ppg and a notable 17% from the 3-point line. Being a ball dominant player, Kuzma does not mix well with the Lakers roster. Considering that he is not a top option on offense results him to fill a role he is not comfortable with. It is in both parties best interest to part ways.      On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors as well are not finding too much success on their newly acquired forward Kelly Oubre Jr. Though he had quite a productive year averaging 15.4 ppg, the Warriors are just are not able to pay him $20 mil a year. Thus looking for a sign & trade deal might be the best option for the Warriors to gain back something.                                    ...

      Phoenix Suns advance to the Western Conference Finals after sweeping the Denver Nuggets (4-0).                After losing Jamal Murray (ACL),  the Denver Nuggets just did not have enough man-power to eliminate the first seed Phoenix squad. Unfortunately Aaron Gordon, who was supposed to be the second star of this team, did not show up in this series leaving Nikola Jokic vying to keep this team afloated.            The Suns trio (CP3, Booker, Ayton) just blasted the Nuggets winning by a combined 63 points in 4 games. The Suns could either face the LA Clippers or the Utah Jazz in the WCF.

     Reports have indicated that the LA Lakers are very interested in signing New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose.       Rose, who is 32 years old, has revived his career this season (14, 4, 2). He played a serious role in this year's contending Knicks being the starting point guard. It may seem if the Lakers were to pursue him, they would have to offer more than the veteran minimum. Though this may vary as playing with arguably the best NBA player all-time would serve a major factor in his decision this off-season. 

    Jokic would be eligible to sign a supermax contract in the 2022 or 2023 season. It is projected to be worth $241,000,000 over a course of 5 years. After winning the MVP award last Tuesday, it is no question that Denver would look to extend Jokic's contract.           The breakdown of the contract:                                        2022-2023: $42.6M                    2023-2024: $44.9M                    2024-2025: $48.2M                    2025-2026: $51.5M                    2026-2027: $54.8M                         ...