NBA MLK Day: Top 5 Burning NBA Questions

5 Burning NBA Questions

Is Jimmy Butler the best shooting guard in the league?

 While it's hard to answer this question without some sort of team build or context around it, I have to say yes. Right now, I would gladly take Jimmy Butler over guys like Demar Deroazan, Bradley Beal and CJ McCollum. While he doesn't have the longevity of a D Wade or the profile of James Harden or Klay Thompson, Butler has quickly risen to an elite level of play that makes him stand out amongst the group. The most important thing to look at when ranking Butler is his defense. His tenacity and physicality make him a nuisance on that side of the ball and with his now overflowing confidence on offense, he's become an All NBA First Team player. The funny thing is, this question would not be a point of contention if Derrick Rose had moved on from Chicago. With Butler now vocally and financially commanding the attention of a first option on a playoff team, there is little doubt that he has arrived. 

Should the Houston Rockets stay the course or blow it up?

The Rockets have come around recently, kudos to them! With all the hoopla about their five game winning streak, it seems that people have forgotten they were on a 4 game slide just before that! To me, there is really only one answer: blow it up! They have the franchise guard in Harden, they tried to bring in a mother franchise player around him and it's not working. Dwight Howard, despite still being able to put 24 and 13 every once in a while, is NOT, NOOOOOOOT AT ALL an elite player! He's being paid like 25 year old D12, he's still acting like 25 year old D12, but he is an older player who can no longer rely on his physical gifts to dominate. The Rockets NEED to move Howard to find a wing player to compliment James Harden and Patrick Beverly. They had one in Chandler Parsons but were unable to retain him. Now they're stuck with a rotating pile of feces like Trevor Ariza or Corey Brewer. Those guys are ok, but they aren't going to kill it from the wing or demand attention in the playoffs like Parsons. The Rockets would have benefited greatly from Nic Batum and still have a chance to make a move for Danillo Gallinari. With Beverly and Harden in place, the Rockets need to clear the paint and some cap space by getting rid of Dwight Howard and their assortment of tweener wings. 

Is trading Dwight Howard the right choice?

What has become of Kevin Love?

BJones: Well this is just sad. Love went from being a top 10 elite NBA player to being James Jones. The funny thing is, you can look at his stats and make a case that he's just as good as he's always been! Sure he's only averaging 16 ppg, but that's what happens when you are surround by other talent. His RPG has slipped to 11 RPG, but that's still pretty damn good. The problem is, he's the third option on offense, has been relegated to the Chris Bosh role of standing on the perimeter and seemingly doesn't have the ability or will to drop a 40 and 20 night anymore. Yeah it's still cool to watch him play on a championship team, but damn do I wish he was the main star, or at least option 1-B on a contender. Otherwise, he's just a good player on a good team and that's boring as hell. 

Should the New York Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony?

Sure, if they can. Melo is not likely to waive his no trade clause just to help the Knicks out. Then you have to look at teams that can absorb his contract / are willing to absorb his contract. Melo will not be willing to go to a shit ass team like the Nets (trust me, I've talked to him) nor will he go to a non-marketable city like Utah. You're basically looking at two options: the Heat and the Bulls. Miami is the most intriguing situation, as they are ready to win a title now, especially with Pat Riley getting close to retirement. The Heat desperately need to figure something out with Goran Dragic and they have some desirable young talent that could spur on the Knicks future building plans. This could work and it makes sense for both teams. 

Where does Kyrie Irving rank amongst NBA point guards?

Kyrie Irving may be the strangest case in the NBA when it comes to ranking him. He went from rookie of the year, to ball hog, to three point contest winner, to sidekick all in the span of 5 years! In the next two years, the case will be made for Kyrie Irving to be the MVP of the league. Irving has averaged 18 ppg or more every year he has been in the league, his handle has improved to something God like and his efforts on defense are starting to become scary! Right now I happily rank Kyrie has the second best point guard in the NBA behind Steph Curry and I feel like he may be the only point guard in the league that Curry doesn't want to play in a seven game series. I love Russell Westbrook, but his reckless energy and overflowing confidence lead to him doing a lot of crazy shit you don't want your point guard doing. Where does he rank amongst the elite in the NBA? Well the case could be made that he is top 5. LeBron, Durant, Steph and Anthony Davis are locked in before him, but the next few spots are shaky. Kawhi Leonard is definitely in the discussion, as is Paul George and Jimmy Butler. For now let's stick Kyrie in the top 7 and watch as he rises, hopefully with out injury. 

Kyrie is making this a nightly thing