NBA midseason roundtable: Which team still has the most to prove?

NBA All-Star Weekend has passed, which means we’re in the home-stretch of the regular season.

Most teams have less than 25 games left on their schedule and seeding is far from settled, particularly in the Western Conference, where just 2.5 games separate the No. 4 seed from the No. 1 seed.

This week, we asked our panel of NBA reporters — Ric Bucher, Melissa Rohlin and Yaron Weitzman — to reflect on All-Star Weekend and look ahead to the remaining regular season games.

1. Despite a concerted effort from Adam Silver, the NBA All-Star game wasn’t competitive and the dunk contest hit a new low. Is there any salvaging the once-iconic event or is it time for the league to break tradition?

Weitzman: I wouldn’t get rid of it, yet, but I do think some tweaks need to be made. For one, no more G League players; it’s an NBA dunk contest, otherwise we can just open up the competition to the entire world and make it, like, a yearlong open competition. So let’s get some NBA players in there, and let’s offer some nice cash prizes, like the league did with the In-Season Tournament. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be a home run every year, but I think there’s still the bones of something entertaining. 

Rohlin: I’d definitely be opposed to scrapping it. But I’m torn on how to proceed. On the one hand, major cash incentives could transform NBA All-Star weekend. (Though, Vince Carter recently revealed on “The VC Show” that he, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady were once offered $1 million to participate in the dunk contest, but that fell through because the entire field didn’t agree to partake.) But I’m sure a similar offer could turn some heads. That being said, in terms of the actual All-Star Game, I agree with some of the players’ takes that it’s a showcase, not an actual game, and guys don’t want to go all out because they don’t want to get hurt. This isn’t a problem that’s unique to the NBA. It plagues most professional sports leagues. I think two things have to be done. One, add cash prizes. Two, stop expecting this game to be Game 7 of the NBA Finals, or even 1/100th of that. Just accept it for what it is — an excuse for the top players in the world to joke around and have some fun together on the court.

Bucher: The league has made it into a four-day packed weekend for advertisers and corporate partners and the players have followed suit. The contests are an afterthought. I would make the entire weekend various competitions, a la the Pro Bowl — most 3s made in a minute with 1 teammate as rebounder, some sort of best handle contest, etc. As for the dunk contest, we seem to go through this exercise every few years; the contest is lackluster or short on stars and the question is asked, “Is it time to kill it?” And then a Blake Griffin or Zach LaVine or Mac McClung comes along and rejuvenates it. The idea that it can be restored to what it once was is neither realistic nor the fault of the participants. If a crazy dunk or some other amazing athletic feat happens anywhere in the world today, we see it. It’s like the impact of CGI in action movies — pretty hard to be wowed by special effects these days. The dunk contest is the basketball version of a tidal wave taking out a skyscraper; I’ve seen it enough times the ooh-ahh effect is no longer there. I have no problem tinkering with the format but I’m not ready for it to be shuttered. Can we just accept that some years the contest is not going to blow us away and appreciate the years when it does?

2. The unanimous winners of All-Star Weekend were Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu, both of whom put on a show in a first-of-its kind shooting competition. If you could make one change to an All-Star event or add one, what would it be and why?

Weitzman: Get rid of the skills challenge thingy — nobody cares. We want to see 3s and dunk, that’s it. Maybe bring in even more WNBA players into the 3-point contest (I’d be shocked if we don’t see Caitlin Clark brought into the fold next year). And instead of the skills challenge let’s do a timed game of P-I-G. But again, with stars, not G League players. 

Rohlin: The obvious answer here is to introduce some sort of one-on-one competition. But if the league is having trouble getting stars to participate in the dunk contest, there’s no way guys are going to put their reputations on the line in a game of mano a mano. Can you imagine how fun it would’ve been watching Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan go at it? That’s the stuff that would make NBA fans salivate and ratings go through the roof. But it ain’t going to happen, folks. You have to give Steph major credit because he really put himself out there by participating in a 3-point contest … against A GIRL. But that was the whole point. By him respecting the women’s game, everyone else had to, too. And if he had lost, that would’ve been a hit he’d be proud to take in the name of gender equality. Now, if only we could find similar ways to inspire the stars to partake in the league’s marquee event. Welp, there’s always cash money!

Bucher: I have two — a 1v1 contest and a hybrid game of HORSE. Teams and players alike are going to balk at the injury potential of the former, even though players go 1v1 all the time, in-season and out-of-season. I suspect the fear is that with millions watching, players will go to extra lengths not to be embarrassed and that will prompt rolled ankles and the like. The traditional game of HORSE is way too slow for today’s audiences, so I would have a very tight shot clock – five seconds or less. But can you imagine Luka Doncic and Steph Curry in a game of HORSE? Epic potential.

3. Speaking of Steph, there were rumblings that the Warriors tried to team him up with LeBron James but that James and Co. weren’t interested. Is that a good sign for the Lakers or was James just protecting an important part of his legacy?

Weitzman: I don’t think it means anything for the Lakers. Or, rather, to me, the most interesting part of all this is that they were reportedly OK with the Warriors asking LeBron if he wants to leave. That, to me, is nuts! What if he said yes — would they have really been cool sending him up to a Western Conference rival and watching that team become a contender? As for LeBron, I truly don’t think he wants to leave LA, for all the reasons outlined by Bucher below — but I think the goal now is to have the Lakers think he’d be OK with leaving, just to keep the pressure on them. 

Rohlin: LeBron raised eyebrows when he tweeted an hourglass emoji ahead of the trade deadline, seemingly threatening the organization to improve — or else. But the fact of the matter is, he doesn’t want to leave LA. The Warriors tested him by dangling a partnership between him and Steph Curry, the player whom he said he most wants to play alongside, and, yet, he’s still in LA. LeBron doesn’t want to leave LA – he loves the city, not to mention his son, Bronny, plays down the street for USC and the Lakers will draft him next season if he chooses to remain with the squad. So, the Warriors saga reaffirmed his loyalty to the Lakers despite his tweet raising some doubts. 

Bucher: It makes no sense for James to leave L.A. at this point, and he knows it. He’s building a new mansion, his younger kids are still in school there, his production business is LA-centric, and he has massive sway within the organization. If he wants to play with Bronny, he can be assured the Lakers will accommodate him; he can’t be sure any team renting him for a year or two will. Also: any new fan base that gets LeBron is thinking he’s going to bring them a championship; if he doesn’t, which is more than likely at this stage of his career, there’s going to be disappointment, if not outright dissatisfaction.

[Related: Did the Lakers stick with LeBron James or are they stuck with him?]

4. Doc Rivers is already in hot water again after some comments he made during the All-Star break. Can Rivers get the Bucks back on track or is this a relationship that was destined to fail? What does that mean for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Weitzman: I’d separate the comments and his Jordan-esque level to make up excuses for his ability to coach, unless you want to read into them that Doc’s already sensing trouble and preparing the public for a failure. But I’m not yet ready to write him or the Bucks off. To be fair, Doc has turned around the team’s defense since taking the gig—it’s the offense that is now struggling, but, given all the talent, that should be an easier fix. All that said, this Bucks team has holes. There’s no depth, no strong perimeter defenders and Lillard has taken a step back. Giannis is still a beast, but given how good and deep the East is, I wouldn’t be stunned if the Bucks fell in the first round of the playoffs. I also wouldn’t be stunned if they made the finals. If things do go poorly, though, I think we could see Giannis angling for a deal. We saw how he reacted to failure—and yes, it was a failure!—last season. There’s no reason to believe things would be any different this time around. 

Rohlin: Let’s just give this a chance. It’s too early to sound the alarm. Sure, the Bucks have been woeful under Doc Rivers and his excuse-making clearly made some people shudder. But I could see the Bucks going on a run in the second half of the season. With their defense doing better, it’s only a matter of time before Giannis and Dame iron out their recent offensive struggles and this team starts winning. Are they going to vie for a championship this season? No. But could they build the necessary chemistry and put themselves in a position to be real threats in the very near future? Yes. 

Bucher: Let’s be clear—– the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t built this season to win a championship; they were built to get Giannis Antetokounmpo to agree to an extension. Remember how Giannis shocked everyone early last summer that he might go elsewhere if the Bucks weren’t as committed to winning as he was and that it made no sense for him, financially, to sign an extension until next summer, anyway? And how Giannis abruptly re-upped when they acquired Damian Lillard? That wasn’t a coincidence. So, mission accomplished. I never saw Doc as the answer, because I’ve never seen Doc resolve a team’s inherent flaws – and the Bucks’ inherent flaws are that they are the oldest team in the league, their best player is still a liability at the free-throw line and they’re considerably worse defensively with the loss of Jrue Holiday. (Are we sure their D has improved? Or is it because they played a string of offensively mediocre teams?)  Their early-season record was a bit of a mirage, built off of one of the league’s easiest schedules. I would hope Giannis would own his part in all this, which is sizable, and not start pointing fingers. We’ll see.

[Related: Rivers, Antetokounmpo keeping eyes on ‘end game’ despite Bucks’ struggles]

5. We’ve reached the home-stretch of the NBA regular season. Which team will you be watching closely as the playoff race heats up and why?

Weitzman: There are so many! I think this is going to be one of the more fun stretch runs we’ve had in recent memory. In the East, it’s all about the standings and which teams can get healthy. New York, Cleveland, Philly, Miami and Milwaukee could all make the finals. They could also all lose in the first round. Getting up to the two seed—meaning you can face a play-in winner and avoid Boston until the conference finals—is huge. I expect them all to be gunning for that spot. Out in the West we have the battle for the top seed between the Wolves, Thunder, Clippers and Nuggets, all of whom are currently separated by just three games. And then there’s the battle at the bottom half of the bracket to avoid the play-in—and more specifically the single-elimination play-in — between the Suns, Pelicans, Mavericks, Kings, Lakers and Warriors. It’s going to be a blast to watch. 

Rohlin: The Lakers. They’ve won six of their last seven games since James tweeted the hourglass emoji on Jan. 30. Are they finally figuring things out? Or was this a fluke, similar to their In-Season Tournament championship? That’ll be interesting to see. We all know that after their moves at the trade deadline last season, the Lakers transformed from a team with a 2-10 start to reaching the Western Conference Finals. Sure, the Lakers stood pat at the trade deadline this season, but it’ll be interesting to see if they can tap into the focus they had with mostly the same squad this time last year. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been mostly healthy and playing at an exceptionally high level. As long as that continues, there’s no reason why this team can’t transform their season – again. 

Bucher: Denver. They’ve looked downright mediocre the last few weeks, going into the break on a three-game losing streak and with only two signature wins in the New Year — at Boston and at home against Milwaukee. Did they succumb to the usual pre-All-Star doldrums defending champions sometimes suffer and were just waiting to dial it up as the postseason approaches, or is their unproven bench proving to be a bigger handicap than they hoped? Are they content with the fourth seed in the West or do they look to secure the top seed again as they did last year? Maybe I’m more interested than most because I have the Nuggets repeating as champs, but if they can’t recapture their form, or Phoenix moves past them and they don’t have that vaunted mile-high homecourt advantage, the race for this year’s title is wiiiiiiiide open.

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, “Rebound,” on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and “Yao: A Life In Two Worlds.” He also has a daily podcast, “On The Ball with Ric Bucher.” Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

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