There was a time when basketball coaches frowned on the long-range shot. It was seen as low probability, compared to shots inside, so the emphasis was on working the ball toward the basket. When the ABA emerged as an alternative to the NBA, that league had a three-point line, which was one of the most fundamental shifts in basketball, rewarding accuracy from outside. When the leagues merged, the three-point line became part of basketball, working its way down into the college and even high school games as well. In recent years, we’ve seen shooters taking their range farther and farther back, most notably Stephen Curry. When Damian Lillard buried a 37-foot buzzer beater for Portland to knock off the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their playoff game, Thunder guard Paul George initially called it a “bad shot.” After the two played together in Team LeBron’s win in the All-Star Game Sunday, George took back his criticism, pointing out that he now saw Lillard’s “crazy” range — as Lillard went 8 of 16 from downtown.
What else is in the NBA rumor mill this week? Check out the latest and consider how it might affect your online NBA betting.
NBA News: The Rumor Mill
Golden State is pursuing Victor Oladipo
Houston guard Victor Oladipo is apparently on the target list of the Golden State Warriors. Oladipo is in his contract season and came to Houston via trade from Indiana in the middle of January. He has put up 19.9 points and 4.7 assists per game, but his shooting percentage (38.7%) with the Rockets is the lowest that he has put up with any team. The Rockets have struggled to compete over the last month due to injuries and players out due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The Warriors do not have the cap space, at least based on projections, to sign Oladipo to a new contract this summer, so this would just be a rental for the rest of the season. They also only have one draft pick for 2021 or 2022 to send Houston’s way.
Golden State is looking to make a move in the West; at the All-Star break, they were 19-18, a half-game back of Dallas for the #8 seed. Houston had lost 13 in a row going into the break, dropping from 11-10 to 11-23. The trade deadline is March 25, so it will be interesting to see if Oladipo ends up on a contender or playing out his contract with the Rockets.
Detroit buys out Blake Griffin, who joins the Nets
Blake Griffin agreed to terms for a buyout with the Detroit PIstons, giving back $13.3 million. He had not suited up for a game since February 14 as he awaited either a trade or a buyout. The Pistons are in the middle of a rebuild, and Griffin would prefer to play for a contender at this point in his career. Heading to Brooklyn will allow him a shot at an NBA Finals.
For the season, Griffin had put up 12.3 points and 5.2 boards per game (playing in 20 games). This move is obviously designed to help Griffin get a ring, and when Brooklyn shipped Jarrett Allen out of town, their frontcourt had a big hole in it. Forward Kevin Durant and center DeAndre Jordan were the team’s only two big men — except for Jeff Green, who lacks the size to play center. Bruce Brown, who stands just 6’4”, has been filling the gap nicely, but once teams figure out how to take advantage of that size mismatch, that strategy won’t work as well. Griffin played alongside Jordan with the Clippers from 2011-2017, and Brown was with him the last two years in Detroit. Griffin comes to Brooklyn on a $1.22 million veteran’s minimum contract, which means that Brooklyn still has their mid-level exception and their disabled player exception, which means the team could pursue the likes of Andre Drummond, J.J. Redick or Otto Porter Jr before the trade deadline or the buyout deadline (April 9).
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