NBA Fact or Fiction: Raptors roster needs, the Caboclo question & more

With an assist on a Paul George 3-pointer Russell Westbrook did something Wilt Chamberlain never did, 10 consecutive triple-doubles. The Thunder guard beats Chamberlain's nine straight to set a new NBA record.

Now that the dust is beginning to settle on a frenzied trade deadline season in the NBA, contenders are beginning to ramp up while other teams are surprisingly being left behind. The league’s biggest stars are making headlines for all the wrong reasons, while at least one former Raptor is turning heads out West. Meanwhile, one of the top prizes in NBA history awaits at the draft as we near what should be a wild stretch-run around the Association.

Let’s take a look at some league-wide trends and takes to determine what is fact and what is fiction in the NBA.

The Anthony Davis situation is an unequivocal disaster for all sides

FACT. It started ugly, and it looks like it will end that way. LeBron James and his camp tried to orchestrate the move to bring Davis to the Lakers at the trade deadline, but couldn’t get it done. Now Los Angeles will be long shots to trade for him this summer when other teams can offer more (like Boston, or whoever lands a top-three pick).

The immediate aftermath has been every bit as bad as you’d expect. And now the Lakers, with a mediocre roster featuring unreliable young talent, past-their-prime veterans, and one LeBron James, is also a long-shot to even make the playoffs — currently in 10th place, with a competitive Sacramento Kings squad ahead of them and Luka Doncic and the Mavs nipping at their tails.

The situation is even worse in New Orleans. In violation of the NBA’s anti-rest/tanking rules, the Pelicans have been told they’ll be fined $100K for each game Davis sits out, even though it’s clearly in the team’s best interests given Davis could get injured and affect his trade value this summer — not to mention it improves the team’s draft lottery odds.

It’s a bizarre situation, even more so given the league didn’t crack down on teams like Memphis (Chandler Parsons), Cleveland (J.R. Smith), or Houston (Carmelo Anthony) for letting their players stay home when things weren’t working out earlier this season. But the spotlight is so bright on this situation, with the league’s tampering ‘issues’ becoming a running punchline.

And so the Pels must play Davis, despite their wishes to bench their unhappy star. And, as you can imagine, it hasn’t been pretty in New Orleans. Here’s his first game back in action since the drama unfolded:

That night he was pulled from the game after 25 minutes, despite a monster night of 32 points, nine boards, and three blocks in that span. Has followed it up with a pair of disappointing losses, playing 34 and 24 minutes respectively. It doesn’t get any lower than Tuesday’s 118-88 blowout loss to Orlando. Davis scored just 3 points on 1-9 shooting, and called out the team for playing with a lack of interest.

If this goes on at this rate, there could be an impact on Davis’ legacy, as his historically-notable stats will take a hit, while each possession down the floor the Pels run the risk of not being able to capitalize on their best (only?) asset.

Nobody wins here. Except, potentially, New Orleans this summer. And even then, are we really going to put faith in the Pelicans front office to register a slam dunk after years of missed attempts?

The Raptors Need Markieff Morris

FICTION. The Toronto Raptors were at the top of the list of teams that needed to shop on the buyout market following a trade deadline that saw five players leave via trades and one, Marc Gasol, return.

There were clear areas to address — namely shoring up the point guard position after losing Delon Wright and in the wake of the news that Fred VanVleet would be sidelined for weeks. And Masai Ujiri and Co. did just that. They signed Jeremy Lin, arguably the top point guard available on the buyout market, making him the second mid-season impact acquisition for the team. The team also brought back Malcolm Miller, a former Raptors 905 star who looked good in short glimpses with the big club last season.

But some have argued that the team should do more, including bringing on former Washington Wizard Markieef Morris, a player the team is familiar with after last year’s first-round playoff battle. Morris is a talented, experienced player — but not one that the Raptors need to reach their goals this season. Another shooter off the bench? Sure, although you can more likely expect the team to turn to it’s current roster to hope that they begin to break their collective slump.

Fact is, Morris, who can play the three or the four, would take minutes from players who deserve to be on the floor and can affect the team just as much. Pascal Siakam, fresh off a career-high 44 points, figures to continue to be a focal point down the stretch, and Leonard can slot over to the four in an effort to get Norm Powell more minutes at small forward. And then of course, there’s OG Anunoby, who continues to be an X-Factor and can be that game-changing forward off the bench if he can continue to find ways to impact the game as he did on Wednesday night in the Raptors’ win over Washington:

After a wildly successful trade deadline season — capped by the underrated pickup of Gasol — once the team is healthy it looks like the pieces are there to make a run for it as is.

Russell Westbrook demands your attention

FACT. Earlier this week, the Oklahoma City Thunder star and 2017 NBA MVP recorded his 10th straight triple-double. Read that again.

We are officially taking Westbrook for granted. Despite having arguably the worst shooting season of his career — 41 per cent from the field and an ugly 24 per cent from deep — the all-star guard continues to find ways to contribute and help lead his team. He’s found a new role, no longer playing the same brand of hero ball and often deferring to Paul George in big situations. And both he and the Thunder are better off for it.

Westbrook is currently averaging over 21 points, 11 rebounds, and a league-best 11 assists per game. THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

While it’s true his magical — and under-the-radar — season is being overshadowed some by the emergence of George as a bona fide MVP candidate, he remains a big part of why OKC is looking like a sleeper contender in the West.

The Raptors should have kept Bruno Caboclo

FICTION Ok, so I don’t know if anybody has actually come out and written this piece yet or formally made the argument, but there have at least been some rumblings in our newsroom — albeit somewhat tongue-in-cheek — that the Raptors should have held onto the former first-round pick a little bit longer, now that he’s showing signs of life with the Memphis Grizzlies.

As pointed out in this Sportsnet piece, Caboclo played more in just over a week with Memphis than he did in over three years with the Raptors:

Bruno Caboclo Games Minutes Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks
Toronto 25 113 27 15 6 5 3
Sacramento 10 99 26 21 3 2 4
Memphis 4 92 23 13 4 2 7

The results have been somewhat promising, with the lanky Brazilian forward looking more and more comfortable with each game, putting his skills and rare physical tools to work:

The Raps traded Bruno before his rookie deal expired — yes, pulling the plug before he was officially “two years away from being two years away.” Had they not it would have meant re-signing him to a guaranteed deal, something he hadn’t proven was worthwhile.

The talent is obviously there with the 23 year-old Caboclo. But you have to keep in mind that he’s soaking up minutes on a Memphis team fighting for dead last in the West that can afford to roll the dice with a prospect.

In Toronto? He would have absolutely no role on a team looking to win now. There would also be little opportunity for development at the NBA level, and very limited minutes lying around to find out if he can play (see: Boucher, Chris).

On Wednesday it was reported that Caboclo has reached a multi-year deal with the Grizzlies, and good for him given his career appeared on life support this time last year. But it doesn’t mean it would have worked out had he remained a Raptor.

#NotTryingForZion is the most worthwhile tanking effort in years

FACT. It’s not too early to get embarrassingly excited about Zion Williamson joining the NBA ranks next season. Just ask the New York Knicks, who are executing a picture-perfect tank job in an effort to land the Duke freshman superstar. Apart from being the best prospect since Anthony Davis seven years ago, Zion is a once-in-a-generation athlete and an absolute physical freak the likes of which we’ve honestly never seen.

He combines overwhelming strength, hops, basketball acumen, two-way intensity, and a surprisingly versatile skill-set with one of the most unique body types to have ever entered the league, and has already become appointment viewing thanks to plays like these:

Duke teammate RJ Barrett and Murray State guard Ja Morant, a freak athlete in his own right, can be cornerstone players in an interesting, top-heavy draft. But Zion is a different story altogether.

With Zion as the draft’s top prize, there’s an extremely short list of players that you would trade for that first-overall pick right now.

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