10 Burning Questions That Will Be Answered During 2014 NBA Training Camp
Let's be honest: You can't learn everything you need to know about an NBA team during training camp. There's just no way to gauge things like chemistry or the effectiveness of new schemes until you see them in competition that's actually meaningful.
But you can pull some key insights in other areas.
Rotations solidify during training camp, and you get a clear picture of how depth charts are going to shake out rather quickly.
Perhaps most importantly, you get answers to the most pressing health questions that could shape a team's destiny. It doesn't take in-game competition to figure out if Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash is ready to rock. We'll know if he misses days of camp or is on a restricted regimen.
And before anyone even asks, Derrick Rose is excluded from the forthcoming questions because there's simply nothing training camp can tell us about him that we didn't already learn from his play during the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
We know he can walk upright, play 17.1 minutes per game against sub-NBA competition and that he resembles, occasionally, the Derrick Rose we once knew.
We'll need real games (probably a lot of them) before we can make any further judgments on him. Besides, we've long since passed our offseason quota for Rose talk. It's time to turn our attention elsewhere.
Can Brooklyn's Vets Last Long Enough to Lead?
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The Brooklyn Nets are old—tied for the league's seventh-highest average age (28), according to RealGM.com—and what's worse, they've got some key vets coming into camp with question marks about their health.
Old and injured isn't an ideal combination, but it's especially tough when you're expecting those old and injured players to lead the charge for a playoff berth.
The good news: Brook Lopez, who missed most of last season with a broken foot, is playing five-on-five...with vigor, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com.
"It's tough," Lopez said. "Timmy [trainer Tim Walsh] yanked me after three games yesterday. I wasn't happy about it. I played five or six today. I'm getting back into it. I'll comply. I was difficult yesterday. I wasn't happy to be pulled early, but I understand where it's coming from."
The fact that there's any restriction at all is cause for mild concern, as Lopez has been away from the court since January. But it would appear the Nets center is on track for a healthy campaign. Fingers crossed.
Of course, that still leaves the slimmed-down Deron Williams, who had both ankles operated on this offseason. If you've lost count of how many cortisone injections Williams has had in those ankles over the years, you're not alone. I'm guessing he only needs one or two more punches on his club card to get a free one, though.
Oh, and Kevin Garnett, 38, still hasn't officially decided if he's going to play at all. He posted the worst season of his career in 2013-14 by a wide margin and missed 28 games in the process. How he looks in camp (assuming he shows up) will go a long way toward determining the overall strength of the Nets' veteran leadership this season.
Who's Getting Paid?
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Across the league, teams will welcome fourth-year talents into camp—talents who, if their employers are feeling generous, might receive the biggest paydays of their lives.
October 31 is the deadline to extend fourth-year players early. Those who don't get new deals will head into restricted free agency, which, despite giving teams a huge amount of leverage and control, has the additional effect of driving a wedge between player and team. Consult Eric Bledsoe's current situation for reference.
Klay Thompson, Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Vucevic and Jimmy Butler are just a few of the candidates who'll hit training camp looking to score extensions.
With the added uncertainty of a salary cap that will rise (though nobody knows by how much) two years from now, expect all of these negotiations to be complicated. Normally, agents push long-term security on their clients. But avoiding an extension until teams can really dig into their wallets down the line is suddenly an alternative.
We've already heard indications of which way some teams are leaning.
Per Diamond Leung of the San Jose Mercury News, Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers said of Thompson, "We value him in the highest way, and we want to keep him on this team for a long time."
Other situations are less certain, as Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports: "The Wolves and Rubio also are a good distance apart on negotiations toward an extension of the rookie contract he signed in May 2011."
Look for teams that can reach deals to do so as quickly as possible. No organization should want a young player to struggle with his financial future and on-court development simultaneously, and with the cap rumored to rise, teams should be jumping at the chance to offer what feel like moderate overpays this summer.
How Will Stan Van Gundy Handle the Mess in Detroit?
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Stan Van Gundy has a lot of remarkable qualities as a head coach. He's a stern motivator, a detail-obsessed strategist and has always adapted game plans to personnel. What he does not have, however, is the kind of demeanor that imparts calm.
SVG is a little intense.
That could be a problem for a Detroit Pistons team saddled with playoff expectations and a clumsy roster filled with problematic issues.
Greg Monroe, for instance, signed the Pistons' qualifying offer after failing to draw max-contract-level offer sheets from, well...anybody. He returns to a situation on borrowed time, and Detroit's frontcourt logjam remains a hindrance to his minutes, effectiveness and, probably, morale.
Brandon Jennings is nearing obscurity and so might hit training camp with a mind to do a little too much. That won't fly in a Van Gundy system predicated on ball movement and unselfish play.
And then there's Josh Smith, whose shot selection and general prickliness might not mesh well with the no-nonsense approach of his new coach.
How all those pieces fit together, and how Van Gundy navigates the tricky big-man situation that still features three players—Smith, Monroe and Andre Drummond—who can't play together will be fascinating. Equally fascinating: how long it'll take for Van Gundy's frustrations to boil over.
If that happens early enough in camp, we could see some big changes. Because in addition to being a heck of a coach with a short fuse, Van Gundy is also the Pistons president—a man with the power to overhaul his team in a hurry.
Is Steve Nash Ready for One Last Ride?
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You'd be forgiven for writing off Steve Nash. He's 40, and he hasn't been fully healthy for two years. Either of those factors alone would point to the end of most players' basketball careers.
But then you read tweets like this, from Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, and you think maybe, just maybe, we'll get one more year out of the two-time MVP: "Consistent word from last several weeks has been how good Nash has looked in scrimmages. Really does change dynamic of LAL if he's healthy."
That it would.
A healthy Nash, capable of playing consistently and putting his stamp on the offense, would do wonders for the Los Angeles Lakers' young players. Though it seems like decades since he's done it, Nash has the singular ability to elevate an offense with his game management and purposeful passing.
Per B/R's Adam Fromal, Nash ran point on six of the top 12 offenses in NBA history. If anybody can get something out of L.A.'s hodgepodge of youth and veteran castoffs, it's him.
There'll be cause for concern if Nash can't go on back-to-back days in camp or if he suffers even the most minor setback (there are no minor setbacks when you're 40). But if he's physically right, the Lakers might have a shot to score some points.
Can Kobe Be a Star?
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I suppose we'll learn during training camp whether Bryant will become part owner of Italian soccer club Bologna FC 1909 (signs point to yes), but it's probably more important to Lakers fans that we figure out if one of the greatest players in league history still has his fastball.
Based on one initial report from Serena Winters of Lakers Nation, there's cause for hope: "Bryant played in a number of 5-on-5 pickup games today, against some of his teammates. Source says Kobe looked 'very good.'"
After a torn Achilles and a tibial fracture that wiped out his 2013-14 season, we'll need to see a lot more before attaching any certainty to Bryant's (second) comeback season. The Lakers cannot hope to threaten the playoff race in the West if Bryant isn't very close to superstar form. A few casual five-on-five games are a good sign, but they don't simulate the day-to-day grind of training camp.
If Kobe breezes through a few weeks of team-supervised workouts and scrimmages without missing time, we'll have a much better indicator of his physical well-being.
And if the reports are glowing, if we hear about Bryant looking like his old self, well...we'll know the Lakers have a glimmer of hope.
Training camp is critical for every team, but it might mean more to this year's Lakers than anyone.
How Crazy Will the Bucks Get?
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The Milwaukee Bucks are fun, which is something you don't often say about a team coming off a 15-win season.
But that designation has less to do with the team's potential for success this season than it does with its endlessly entertaining lineup options. Hopefully, training camp will show us just how creative new head coach Jason Kidd is willing to get.
For starters, Giannis Antetokounmpo handled the ball a ton during summer league, Kidd assigned Gary Payton as the Greek Freak's personal mentor and we've heard rumblings about using the rangy 19-year-old at the point for a while now.
Payton said, via Bucksketball:
"Jason put him at the point guard in the Summer League and he did very well at the point guard. I'm going to go down there for the preseason and training camp and work with him a little bit on his point guard skills. Being 6'10" or 6'11", he has great skills to play basketball (at) the point.
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The mere thought of Antetokounmpo running the point should make any fan of basketball novelty giddy. Whether it works or not is irrelevant.
Training camp should give us an answer as to whether Kidd is serious about trying such a bold experiment.
Perhaps the Bucks would rather team Antetokounmpo with Larry Sanders and John Henson up front, creating the lankiest frontcourt in recorded history. Or maybe Antetokounmpo will play the 2 while rookie Jabari Parker occupies the small forward spot.
Then again, what if Kidd utilizes Parker as a stretch 4, opening up the court for...Point Giannis?!
There are loads of options here, and all of them sound awfully fun in theory. We'll see them in practice come training camp.
Will Dual PG Lineups Catch On?
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Let's talk trends.
The stretch 4 is old news.
Downing the pick-and-roll has been a hot topic since about 2005, but it's now the norm.
The dual point guard lineup is the newest and most exciting fad gaining traction in the NBA, and training camp will show us whether it has the traction to really catch on.
The Phoenix Suns are nuts about it, so much so that they brought in Isaiah Thomas and drafted Tyler Ennis just in case Eric Bledsoe isn't around to play alongside Goran Dragic. Theirs is an offensive system that can be initiated from either side of the floor and one that is doubly dangerous in transition.
Two facilitators are immensely useful in defeating modern defenses whose goal is often to force a ball rotation to the weak side after stymieing initial actions on the strong one. In theory, defenses want the shooting guard or other wing player to have to facilitate on that weak side—and generally speaking, most wings are going to look for their own shots instead of running a secondary pick-and-roll or patiently setting up another play.
Two point guards thwart that idea.
In addition to the Suns, we might see the Orlando Magic get creative with Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton. The Utah Jazz could try Trey Burke and Dante Exum together if they want to keep Alec Burks on the bench as a reserve scorer. If he can recover from toe surgery in time, Shaun Livingston will likely join Stephen Curry in the Golden State Warriors backcourt.
Here's hoping it catches on elsewhere.
Will Scott Brooks Finally Make the Switch?
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In his exit interview, Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams recounted a practice skirmish in which Kendrick Perkins screamed, "I'm the only silverback!" after the two exchanged elbows, per The Oklahoman.
As awesome and quintessentially Perk as that exclamation is, Adams is the one who should be beating his chest as the Thunder's starter this season. He's younger, more mobile, has better hands and is a better passer than Perkins is. Plus, he's OKC's future in the middle, as Perkins finally comes off the books after this season.
Of course, if Perkins shouts about his silverback status to Scott Brooks whenever the head coach broaches the topic of Adams getting a few starts, it's easy to understand why the change hasn't yet officially been made. Say what you will about Perk's game, but don't ever discount his talents as an intimidator.
If Adams comes to camp and badly outplays Perkins (which, let's be honest, he will), Brooks may finally have to make the switch in the starting lineup.
The Thunder might have as good a title window as ever this year. The San Antonio Spurs have never repeated and can't possibly be as motivated as last year, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have plenty of kinks to work out before they earn their status as favorites.
If OKC wants to make a push this season, Adams must be a major part of it.
We'll see if he forces the Thunder's hand in camp.
Does Harrison Barnes Have a Chance?
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It sounds crazy to say this about a 22-year-old lottery pick entering his third season, but Harrison Barnes is running out of time to prove he's a rotation player in the NBA.
The days of wondering about his future as a star are already over. That's not happening.
Barnes' numbers slipped across the board in his sophomore campaign, an eerie repeat of his collegiate swoon. In addition, Draymond Green blew past him on the depth chart last year and solidified his role as a sixth man during a heated series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
To be fair to Barnes, he was miscast as a ball-handler and primary second-unit scorer last year. He's mechanical off the dribble and simply lacks the ability to create high-percentage looks, two facts former head coach Mark Jackson never came to grips with in his utilization of the small forward.
If new head coach Steve Kerr puts Barnes in a position to succeed—one in which he operates as a cutter, spot-up three-point shooter and finisher in transition—Barnes may yet carve out a niche in the Warriors rotation.
Remember, in addition to the firmly entrenched Green, Brandon Rush is back with the Warriors this year. If he's even close to the player he was two seasons ago, Rush's superior defense and three-point shooting could shove Barnes even further down the depth chart.
Training camp will provide a telling glimpse into the Dubs' rotation and, more importantly, Barnes' future with the team.
Has Anything Changed for the Knicks?
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The New York Knicks have a new president/Zen Master/figurehead, a new coach and a newly svelte Carmelo Anthony, all of which sound like significant changes because they are.
But we'll get a far better sense of whether things have changed from a culture perspective during training camp.
You'd have to assume that the presence of the respected, historically successful Phil Jackson will impart a sense of order and calm to a Knicks franchise that has been more than a little chaotic over the past few seasons. A ringleader tends to keep the circus in order.
At the same time, New York still has a kazoo-wielding owner, an insatiable fanbase and J.R. Smith—three elements that don't exactly foster stability.
The Knicks must hammer out positional alignments and roles this October, along with learning the complicated nuances of the triangle offense. Suffice it to say there'll be a learning curve in Derek Fisher's first year at the helm.
Still, there's a chance that if everything falls into place, the Knicks can easily return to the playoff picture they were absent from a year ago. The talent is certainly there (not that it takes much in the East); it's just a question of getting it all under control and in order.
If Smith is jacking up shots like crazy, Amar'e Stoudemire still isn't passing and Anthony is inexplicably playing small forward, we'll know the new leadership hasn't changed much. If those issues disappear under Jackson and Fisher, we'll know things are finally moving in the right direction in New York.
