10 Things FIBA World Cup Taught Us About the 2014-15 NBA Season
On the surface, the 2014 FIBA World Cup was short on revelations.
Once France dispatched host and tournament co-favorite Spain in the quarterfinals, any chance for Team USA to appear mortal—let alone vulnerable—was lost.
The U.S. entered the event riding a 54-game winning streak on the international circuit (including 18 exhibitions). It rattled off another nine consecutive victories by an astounding average margin of 33 points.
Greatness was expected out of Mike Krzyzewski's group, and nothing less was delivered. There is only so much one can glean from a heavy favorite proving why it carried such a status.
That is, of course, until the lens widens and these players are seen not for their international efforts, but rather what those performances taught us about the upcoming NBA season. Under that light, this tournament revealed a number of truths regarding some of the top players in this field.
J.J. Barea Will Join a Contender
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The Minnesota Timberwolves did as well as they could in the Kevin Love trade, but they aren't the contender referenced here.
Puerto Rican combo guard J.J. Barea hasn't moved off the trading block since he was nearly sent to the Memphis Grizzlies at last season's trade deadline. With his expiring $4.5 million contract still on the youthful Timberpups' books, the 30-year-old remains a likely candidate to be dealt sooner rather than later.
"They'll try to trade him—they tried to get Sixers to take him with no luck—but if that doesn't happen, they'll buy him out, I'd think," Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune said of Barea in a recent chat.
Whatever Barea's value was before the World Cup, it should be significantly higher now. He led the tournament in scoring (22 points per game) while hitting 44.9 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from distance.
Efficiency is key, as the spark-plug scorer had just a 38.7 field-goal percentage last season. As long as that category doesn't completely bottom out early in the 2014-15 campaign, his World Cup game film will prove too tempting to pass up for a contender in need of a backcourt scoring punch.
Kenneth Faried Is Going to Get Paid
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The Denver Nuggets should have seen this coming.
Kenneth Faried, a self-made star who understands that hard work is a skill, started his ascension late last season. He averaged 19.9 points and 10.9 rebounds over his final 24 games, setting the stage for what's sure to be a costly negotiating session for his employer.
"Before the last few months, one general manager said, Faried might have been, 'in the Paul Millsap or Taj Gibson range,'" wrote Sporting News' Sean Deveney. "... But given what's happened since March, Faried could be pushing into an, 'Al Jefferson kind of deal, maybe more.'"
Faried is eligible for a contract extension this summer and will hit restricted free agency next offseason if he doesn't sign one. Considering the productive (12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds in 21 minutes per game), efficient (63.7 percent shooting) and meaningful role the Manimal just played for Team USA, his price tag might be growing by the second.
Al Jefferson got a three-year, $40.5 million deal from the then-Charlotte Bobcats last summer. If that's the current rate for Faried, the Nuggets need to get something signed before he plays his way into a higher pay grade.
Brooklyn Nets Found Their Paul Pierce Replacement
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Is it too much to ask an NBA rookie to fill the shoes of a 10-time All-Star? Probably, but what other choice to do the Brooklyn Nets have?
This franchise is still saddled with an exorbitant payroll, and the bulk of that money was spent either at the guard spots ($42.9 million for Deron Williams and Joe Johnson) or on the interior ($27.7 million for Brook Lopez and Kevin Garnett—assuming the Big Ticket has another year left in him).
The Nets look light on the wing, but an investment made three years ago could help change that. Croatian forward Bojan Bogdanovic, the No. 31 pick in the 2011 draft, played exceptionally well at the World Cup, averaging 21.2 points on 50 percent shooting and 4.2 rebounds a night.
As Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote, Bogdanovic brings a lot of the same weapons to the offensive end as his predecessor:
"At 6'7", he's got good size and decent athleticism for a small forward, but it's his skill level and touch that ultimately separate him.
He's got the ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot with a number of different ones in the arsenal, from stop-and-pop jumpers in the mid-range to fadeaways in the post.
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It's impossible to ask Bogdanovic to have a career like Pierce's, but the former might be able to have the same impact the latter had during his lone season in Brooklyn.
Kyrie Irving Is Ready for His New Teammates
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Once LeBron James penned his way back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, talent clearly wasn't going to be their issue. When Kevin Love joined the party, it was even harder to imagine what (if any) hurdles the NBA's new superteam would face.
Still, the transition never promised to be smooth, despite the potential rewards it offered. Seismic shifts like these necessitate adjustments, as franchise faces are forced into supporting-actor roles they have never filled before.
"You do think about [changes] because you're going to be playing with the greatest player in the game," Irving said, via ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst. "I've talked to several teammates about how we're going to have to change our games."
Those comments, by the way, came before Love arrived with his 2013-14 per-game marks of 26.1 points and 4.4 assists. As Cleveland's offensive talent has increased, Irving's involvement in coach David Blatt's attack likely trended the other direction. The need for Uncle Drew-type magic just doesn't exist with so many pieces added to the overall picture.
Irving will now play in an offense overloaded with top-shelf contributors, not unlike the one he ran with in Spain. As a complementary scorer (12.1 points), part-time distributor (3.6 assists) and lights-out shooter (60.9 three-point percentage), the tournament's MVP proved he's more than ready for his new NBA reality.
Andray Blatche Will Be Back...At Some Point
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In terms of volume, free-agent forward Andray Blatche may have had the most statistically impressive showing at the World Cup. He paced the tournament in rebounds (13.8) and trailed only Barea in scoring (21.2).
The production wasn't particularly clean (five turnovers per game, 44.2 percent shooting), but the Philippines essentially asked him to fill a savior role that was never going to be kind to his stat sheet. No one else on the team averaged double-digit points—only Jimmy Alapag put up more than 6.6—and none tracked down more than 4.2 rebounds a night.
Blatche was left on an island, and he clearly held his own. That should help the nine-year veteran continue his career in the NBA, although it may take some time for a door to open up.
"It’s possible that Blatche opens the season as a free agent and signs somewhere after an injury," wrote Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler.
Blatche has an impressive combination of size (6'11", 260 lbs) and skill, but he has struggled to make that translate to the stat sheet consistently. Throw in some off-court issues, and it isn't entirely surprising he still hasn't signed.
Based on what he showed at the World cup, though, he'll put pen to paper on an NBA deal eventually.
DeMarcus Cousins Is Primed to Lead His Team
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DeMarcus Cousins has been the Sacramento Kings' best player for a while now.
The 24-year-old has increased his field-goal percentage each of the last three seasons. He set career highs in points (22.7), rebounds (11.7), assists (2.9), blocks (1.3) player efficiency rating (26.1) and win shares (7.9) in 2013-14.
But more goes into leading a franchise than overloading the box score. It takes, among many other things, a maturity level Boogie has seemingly struggled to find over the course of his career but one he displayed with regularity at the World Cup.
"He never embarrassed his country, never hurt his team by complaining, never loafed or whined or scowled," wrote Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes. "Even when presented with a chance to justify the skeptics—a chance very few levelheaded players could have resisted—Cousins didn't bite."
Cousins was in many ways a model citizen in Spain. He was also wildly productive in limited doses, posting 9.6 points on 70.2 percent shooting and 5.6 rebounds in 14 minutes a night.
The Kings might not have the roster pieces needed for a playoff run in the fully loaded Western Conference, but they could find an identity behind their team leader. That could be the key to eventually ending their eight-year postseason drought.
Goran Dragic Is Only Scratching the Surface
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The NBA's Most Improved Player award, which Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic captured with ease last season, isn't always an indication of better days ahead.
Some past winners have managed to use it as a springboard to stardom (Paul George, Kevin Love, Zach Randolph). Others have struggled to rediscover the formula that led to the hardware, which now stands as a bright spot on their otherwise forgettable resumes (Aaron Brooks, Bobby Simmons, Alan Henderson).
Judging by Dragic's seven-game showing in Spain, last season's brilliance (20.3 points on .505/.408/.760 shooting, 5.9 assists) was only the beginning.
He averaged 18.8 points on 69 percent shooting in only 23.5 minutes over his first four games at the tournament. While serving as Slovenia's top scorer and setup man eventually took its toll on his numbers, he still finished at 16 points on 55.4 percent shooting.
Assuming the Phoenix Suns can find an amicable solution to Eric Bledsoe's sticky restricted free-agency situation, coach Jeff Hornacek's offense should be even more potent with the offseason arrivals of Isaiah Thomas and rookie T.J. Warren. Dragic is the perfect point guard to bring it all together, and he should welcome the help he'll get after playing such a massive role on his national team.
Patience Is a Necessity for Derrick Rose's Return
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The Chicago Bulls saw everything they needed to see from former MVP Derrick Rose.
His World Cup run was a success. Yes, even with two scoreless efforts to his name and a field-goal percentage that nearly dipped below baseball's Mendoza Line (.254).
Team USA played nine games—one fewer than Rose has played over the last two in NBA seasons—in just over two weeks. The point guard appeared in all nine of them, never logging fewer than 13 minutes and averaging 17 minutes of burn a night.
As he told reporters after Sunday's 129-92 rout of Serbia in the gold-medal game, he has a long road in front of him, but this helped get him on the right track:
"I still have to get my rhythm back. But as far as I'm concerned, I think I performed good.
Coming here, really learning my routine, becoming a pro, I'm going to transfer this to (this) season. Because this (tournament) really helped me with recovery — being off the floor and taking care of my body, eating right. I was feeling good every time I stepped on the floor, stretching every time. I think it's going to help me with the Bulls season.
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After two serious knee injuries (first a torn ACL, then a torn meniscus) and essentially two seasons lost, there is plenty of rust for Rose to shake off.
This process will take some time, but the fact he is back in action is absolutely encouraging.
Pau Gasol Was the Biggest Steal of the Summer
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Pau Gasol admitted to ESPN Chicago that "money obviously wasn't the priority" after signing a three-year, $22 million contract with the Bulls this summer, but his clearance-sticker price tag feels more like larceny now.
That's an incredibly cheap rate for a four-time All-Star and two-time champion who put up 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists just last season. But it's an unbelievable price for someone who played in a field as deep as this and arguably looked like its most talented player.
Gasol averaged 20 points on 68.9 percent shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 assists in 27 minutes per game. He was an offensive threat from anywhere on the floor, a defensive presence under the basket and an active contributor on the glass.
"Pau is playing very, very well in all areas," Bulls coach and Team USA assistant Tom Thibodeau said, via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "His defense, his rebounding, his passing, his scoring—all those things have been very, very good. I love the way he is moving. He looks like he's completely healthy."
With the defensive complements Chicago can pair him with (Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson), Gasol should be able to focus his energy at the offensive end, where he obviously remains a tremendous talent. Productive in the post, efficient at the elbows and always unselfish, Gasol could play a major part in turning the Bulls back into a two-way force.
Anthony Davis' Time Is Now
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Before the tournament even got underway, reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant warned the basketball world that New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis was the league's "next in line," via Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com.
That line could be moving sooner than anyone thought.
Davis' numbers didn't jump off the page (12.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks), but that was a reflection of the talent around him more than anything else. When his number was called, he delivered consistently and efficiently (54.9 percent shooting).
Last season, Davis' second in the NBA, he put up 20.8 points, 10 rebounds and a league-high 2.8 blocks a night. Since 2000-01, only one other player has hit those three benchmarks in a single season: five-time champion and future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan.
Now, Davis brings his new experience as a leader of a gold-medal group to a bigger (see: Asik, Omer), healthier Pelicans team with realistic playoff hopes. The single-browed superstar looks ready to rise, and New Orleans has a chance to follow his lead.
Unless otherwise noted statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com. Salary information obtained via ShamSports.com.
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