Image via Complex Original
The 2013-14 NBA season is over. The casket is closed, the Spurs are champions and all we are left with is a box full of unanswered questions. The 2014 NBA Draft is next week, Thursday June 26th and free agency begins in a couple weeks on July 1. With all of these events coming up, the next few weeks will be more exciting than the NBA Finals. Will Melo stay in New York? So what's going to be the deal with Steve Kerr and Golden State? How are the Heat going to move forward? Will the Spurs return intact next year? Are the Cavs going to ruin the first pick again? We try to find the answers. Check out the Biggest Questions of the 2014 NBA Offseason.
How long will the Kevin Love drama drag on?
Kevin Love knows it. The Minnesota Timberwolves know it. You know it. Bo knows it. K-Love embodies the phrase "checked out." He's a free agent next summer, and is getting the hell out of Minnesota. That much is certain. Reports have indicated that the Lakers are interested in moving their 2014 lottery pick to trade for Love this summer. When asked about the rumors, Love offered something far from a denial of interest: "My parents lived there and had me there. It's not my fault."Boston, New York, and Golden State have shown interest as well.
We'll be dealing with reports here and rumors there, and it won't stop until the Wolves make the best move possible. Brace yourself for a Summer of Love.
Will Cleveland offer Kyrie Irving a max contract?
At first, there was a report floating around that the Cavaliers had no interest in giving Kyrie Irving a max contract. Then another report surfaced saying that the Cavaliers did indeed plan on offering him a max. Truth be told, Cleveland probably has no idea what to do with Irving. What other explanation can you give for a team that took Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick? Kyrie Irving represents one draft pick that the Cavaliers actually got right and it would be a grievous mistake if they denied him that deal.
It's not so much that Uncle Drew deserves a max deal, it's more based on the fact that the Cavaliers would tip-toe back to obscurity if Irving took his talents somewhere else.
Who will the Lakers hire as head coach?
The Lakers' head coaching rumor mill has churned out just about every name you'd suspect, at one point or another. Kevin Ollie and John Calipari were once "top" candidates, but both have signed extensions at their current gigs. Derek Fisher was a candidate that made sense, but the Lakers instead opted away from inexperience. They've shown interest in Mike Dunleavy (who coached them from '91-'92), Alvin Gentry (who's now with the Warriors staff), George Karl, and Lionel Hollins.
One thing that has remained true over the last 15 years: Every time the Lakers have tried to hire a coach that isn't Phil Jackson, they've failed epically. Maybe the delay in decision making is for the best here. The L.A. job won't be an easy one, with few draft picks on the horizon and a barren roster entering next season. There still aren't any concrete reports of a lead candidate as we head into the critical portion of the summer.
Watch them end up with Kurt Rambis which means Kobe will murder somebody.
Will Phoenix match offers for Eric Bledsoe?
Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic teamed up on the Suns to make one of the most exciting stories and back courts of the 2014 season. Although the Suns fell short of the playoffs due to a rugged Western Conference, the team is certainly scaling towards becoming a real threat. One of the main reasons was Eric Bledsoe, who scorched opponents for 17.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. Finally released from the shackles of being CP3's backup, Bledsoe proved that he's one of the top players in the league when healthy.
He's a restricted free agent this offseason and the Suns plan to match any offer. Ryan McDonough, Suns GM, has also stated that he wants to sign Bledsoe to a deal before any team even has a chance to offer a contract. If they lose the 24-year-old, they can still improve their roster with the three first round picks they have this offseason.
But If the Suns want to capitalize on a successful 2013-14 campaign, they better ink Bledsoe to a new deal before another team does.
Can an East team besides Miami emerge as a contender?
In a year that was supposed to feature improved competition for Miami in the East, we all witnessed one of the weakest conferences in league history play catch-up to the Heat and Pacers for 82 games.
Derrick Rose (hopefully) will be returning this fall, but depending on this summer, the floundering East teams that littered the conference may be stuck meddling in mediocrity. The teams with cap space: Charlotte, Washington, Cleveland, etc. don't have the star-studded markets to attract the league's flashiest names.
The middle of this upcoming draft will still have plenty of difference-making names available, but the middle of the pack teams like Brooklyn, Washington, Toronto, New York, and Atlanta all have to make significant improvements to reach the heights set by Indiana and Miami last season. A team is going to have a trick up their sleeves to become a real player. The Celtics have done it in an offseason before and are going to try to do it again.
Will Steve Kerr get the Warriors over the hump?
Golden State fired Mark Jackson after three years of improvement. They were knocked out of the first round this year but the Clippers are a better team. Owner Joe Lacob and Steve Kerr have mutual friends and the latter's family lives in California. The former coupled with $5 million a year helped them steal Kerr away from his former mentor Phil Jackson.
The Warriors front office have put the pressure on themselves for this move to work. And if it doesn't, they run the risk of Steph Curry bolting for a more competent franchise and/or bigger market.
Will Lance Stephenson stay in Indiana?
A few seasons ago, Lance Stephenson was nothing but a knuckle head who made choke signals at LeBron James while riding the bench. Fast forward to this season and the biggest free agent question is what team is going to offer Born Ready (who's still a knuckle head) an inordinate amount of money to lure him away from Indiana.
Stephenson averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season. He also messed around and led the NBA with five triple-doubles this season. Even if his on the court antics were comparable to a five-year-old at times, Lance proved how special of a talent he is. With Stephenson being an unrestricted free agent this summer, the bidding war is sure to be intense for his services.
If Indiana loses him, at least they have Evan Turner to replace him (sarcasm in full effect). Lance played with a lot of talent in Indiana, and Larry Bird wants to keep him because of his potential. Larry Legend should just let Born Ready run point and watch the rings roll in.
Will the 2014 NBA Draft live up to the hype?
The 2014 NBA Draft has been hyped up as the best draft class since 2003 which featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and others. No one has any idea what Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, or any of the other prospects will amount to under the spotlight of the NBA, but that hasn't stopped people from projecting them as Hall of Famers.
Unfortunately for these guys, every single thing they do will be put under a microscope and torn to pieces. Andrew Wiggins could come out and score two points in his NBA debut and there would be a million tweets out proclaiming him as a bust. Social media is satan's work.
What will Cleveland do at No. 1?
Is anyone else still in shock that the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery for the second year in-a-row with a 1.7 percent chance? With the NBA Draft coming up Thursday, Jun. 26, it's almost time for the Cavaliers to screw up the No. 1 pick again—Anthony Bennett anybody?
With Joel Embiid having a stress fracture in his navicular bone; the same foot injury that plagued Yao Ming's career. That leaves Cleveland with the tough decision of choosing between Wiggins and Parker. We don't think they can go wrong either way but then again will they be able to build a team around Kyrie and this year's No. 1 pick?
Can the Nets manage to improve?
The Brooklyn Nets attempted to put together the puzzle pieces of a team that was supposed to defeat the Miami Heat. They stumbled in the beginning of the season but they got it together and swept the season series against LeBron and them. The Nets salary cap situation is as tight as a turtleneck, with the total coming in around $91 million next season and have a draft future worse than the Knicks. They put everything into last season and have a 4-1 second round against Miami to show for it.
However, Jason Kidd will have another year of coaching experience under his belt and have guys coming back. Hopefully Brook Lopez can stay healthy and if K.G. chooses to retire the Nets can save $12 million. It's going to be hard for the Nets to improve but we've seen crazy things happen over the years. Let's see how creative they can get in their efforts to steal NYC from the Knicks.
Will Miami's Big Three disassemble?
In July 2010, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh all signed contracts to team up with the Miami Heat and compete for titles. This summer, after raising two banners together, they have the chance to all enter free agency once again. All three can exercise early termination options by June 30, leaving Miami with a roster filled with Norris Cole, Udonis Haslem, Justin Hamilton, and Chris Andersen.
It's hard to fathom all three walking out after their run together unless they're willing to opt out and sign for less money. That would be amazing and it would show the NBA that they're willing to win at all costs. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili make under $12 million a season. Miami's Big Three took pay cuts in the first place. This is their best course of action if they want to retool. As a matter of fact, this is the only way. To truly build a dynasty they have to stay and grow together.
Can Phil sell Melo on the Knicks' future?
Carmelo Anthony is headed for free agency, and the Knicks don't seem to have much to sell him on. They're capped out with him or without him next season and would have to get very creative to make real improvements this summer. Their draft picks are few and far in between because of past debts.
Phil Jackson's pitch to Melo is to opt in this season and collect his $23 million so he can get familiar with Derek Fisher and the directions they're trying to go. But Melo is 30 and doesn't really have another season to waste. His best bet is to go to Chicago, however, it won't necessarily be a bad decision to trust someone like Phil Jackson. The Knicks are hoping Melo buys in.
They risk losing the player they traded four starters and three draft picks for, back in 2011, for nothing. The Knicks always manage to Knick.
Will Derrick Rose actually be healthy this season?
How many more seasons will pass until we stop asking this question? The 2011 NBA MVP's career is starting to look more like Penny Hardaway than the second coming of Isiah Thomas.
According to reports, Rose could play right now if there was a game tomorrow. With the possibility of Chicago adding a guy like Carmelo Anthony, he along with Rose can instantly make the Bulls into real players not only in the East but in the entire NBA. The silver lining is that Derrick didn't re-injure his left knee. Westbrook came back from a meniscus injury and so could Rose. Basketball gods, please leave Derrick Rose's knees alone this season.
Will Donald Sterling go away?
Depending on which day of the week it is, Donald Sterling either is or isn't fighting to keep control of the Los Angeles Clippers. After threatening to sue the league and Adam Silver for $1 billion each, he then called the suits off altogether, then he reversed course and decided to go through with the lawsuits. This was all after it was confirmed that the team had been sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for a record $2 billion.
Shelly Sterling claims that her husband isn't mentally competent, which would eliminate his say in all matters pertaining to the team so she can cash out. But, of course, Donald Sterling is fighting that, too. Hopefully 75 percent of the owners will get this guy outta here. He's bad for business.
Can the Spurs successfully defend their title?
Tim Duncan has a $10 million player option to decide on this summer before free agency begins. Tony Parker said they'll be back and we would bet the house on it. The Spurs have a chance at defending a title once again, and that's been the knock on them. With it being the last year on Manu, Parker, and Duncan's contracts they might as well go balls to the wall in 2015. Manu, Pop, and Tim can ride off into the sunset with another ring after back-to-back titles. That would be the perfect scenario. Unless something drastic happens this offseason, the Spurs will be the team to beat next year. Winning consecutive titles will quiet the whispers of San Antonio not being a true dynasty.