BASELINE MAILBAG #2

Back for week 2 of the Baseline Hoops mailbag. For those who are still unsure of what the mailbag is, I will give you a short run down. The mailbag is just a weekly article I plan on coming out with that answers any questions you guys have thrown my way on twitter. It is a way for me to let you all know my thoughts on all things NBA. I hope with this mailbag, that it can connect the fans and Baseline Hoops, to bring them the best content possible. With that being said, here are the questions featured in this weeks mailbag!

Question 1: What was the problem in OKC? Why can't they win? And where would you rank Steven Adams amongst centers? - @TreyBrown3

This was a great first question to answer, for it is a controversy in the NBA that several fans want to know the answers to. I want to first answer it by saying we should not be judging this seasons Thunder team off of what happened last year. It is a completely different dynamic now with Melo gone. The team they had structured last year was just not built for success. Three ball heavy guys who all want their fair of shots and stats, trying to command the floor at the same time was never going to work. Melo is at a point in his career where he has shown he is not a real facilitator on the court. He is going to get his shots up and thats about it. The one thing in all this that people really overlook is Russell Westbrook. Russ is a once and a lifetime athlete, who is one of the most talented players to ever play the game. I just don't think he is the type of player who is going to command you far in the playoffs. As we saw with Durant, players don't always want to be apart of his stat stuffing style of play. They need someone who is going to do what's best for the teams success, and not necessarily what's best for the record books. As far as Steven Adams goes, I think he is a perfect fit in that offense. He hustles, is a great rebounder, and sees the court beautifully. I would put him in that second tear of centers in the league. I think he is just missing a little bit of that offensive game that would maybe jump him into that first group. I expect the Thunder to have a much better season than last, for I see PG13 and Russ working a lot smoother together, now that Melo is out of there. Unfortunately the West has only gotten stronger, and I don't think the Thunder have enough depth to be a true threat in the Western Conference.

Question 2: Who is the one rookie to look for in this years draft? - @hazardasensiofc

I think this years draft class is going to go one of two ways. I think we either see a lot of great great players come out of it, or we see a bunch of future busts. Hopefully not the latter in that case. One player I am especially intrigued to see play this year is Kevin Knox for the New York Knicks. Coming out of Kentucky, Kevin did not have the most hype surrounding him. He was going to be a guaranteed lottery pick, but I don't think a lot of people truly knew of his game. The New York Knicks was an absolute perfect fit for him. With Porzingis most likely being out till Christmas with the ACL injury, the Knicks are going to be able utilize and experiment a lot with Knox, and with his great overall style of play I think the Knicks fans are really going to fall in love with him. The kid had an amazing summer league, and hopefully can carry that over to the regular season in New York.

Question 3: Will the Cavs make the playoffs this year? - @explosioncake

Cleveland has had one of the more depressing summers in all of sports, losing their King and basically Mayor of the city. Without LeBron, I think Cavs fans are in for a rude awakening on what life without LeBron is truly like. Last time LeBron left, the Cavs were gifted with Kyrie to help ease the pain a little. This time they aren't as lucky. They have basically returned the same lineup as what we saw all last year. If the playoffs were any indication of what these players are capable of, things aren't going to go well in Ohio. The one bright light the Cavs have to hold on to though, is that hopefully Kevin Love can return to his Minnesota Love form. If Love is to turn into a slow, three point shot only shooter though, I wouldn't expect to see the Cavs anywhere near the playoffs. I think we will see a better and more aggressive Kevin Love than we have seen these past couple years, but nothing worth carrying a team of 2nd unit players to a top 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. If I had to make a prediction on where they will land next year, I would guess the 10th or 11th seed.

Question 4: How does Gordon Hayward's return reduce the role of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum - @FlackoFCHWPO

The fact that this has to even be a debate, shows how DEEP the Boston Celtics are going to be next year. When Gordon Hayward went down last year, everyone basically rode off the Celtics as done for. Jayson Tatum kind of changed that picture with his play. Now everyone wants to know how the Celtics are going to manage Tatum, Brown, and Hayward all at the same time. Do people forget the Celtics have the best coach in the NBA in Brad Stevens? Yeah I said it, Brad Stevens is the best coach in basketball. Brad will have that offense working to perfection, I can guarantee it. As far as reduced roles go, each player is obviously going to have to give up a little if they want everyone to work at the same time. I think it works perfectly for Hayward, allowing him not to have to force anything coming back from the injury. Tatum and Brown will allow Hayward to find a good fit back into the game and hopefully return to the player we all know he can be. If they can figure that out, then they will most likely just feed off of whoever is hot that night. The Celtics have a scary lineup, that people should not sleep on come playoff time.

That is all for this weeks mailbag. We have officially hit the halfway point of the NBA offseason. With only 65 more days to go, the NBA is right around the corner. I will make sure to be bringing you the best facts possible, to have you prepared come October. Until next week everyone!

- Baseline Hoops