Around The Association 11-14-18

Well it took two months, but Jimmy Butler eventually got what he wanted. Timberwolves coach and GM Tom Thibodeau finally, mercifully, put an end to this charade by trading him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a package centered around starters Dario Saric and Robert Covington. The Sixers get a proven All-NBA player to add to their dynamic young duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, while the Wolves get immediate rotation help with players locked in on long-term contracts. An ignominious saga meets its end.

Questions still abound for Philly, both on the court and in the locker room. By shipping out two of their best shooters in favor of another ball-dominant isolation scorer, it's unclear if this will actually improve the Sixer offense a material amount. And with his track record of torching locker rooms in Chicago and Minnesota, you have to be concerned about Butler's presence around youngsters like Simmons and the struggling Markelle Fultz. That's in addition to the max contract the soon-to-be 30 year old will expect this summer. But those are the risks that have to be taken when the goal is an NBA championship. Accept no substitutes.

For Minnesota, it's just another chapter in a long story of dysfunction and disappointment in the NBA's very own Siberia. At least this time they did actually get to experience playoff basketball. All things considered, it's a decent haul in an untenable situation. Saric and Covington are rock-solid role players who will help them win now and in the future. The team must now be built around Karl-Anthony Towns, full stop. But anyone who expects significant change while Thibodeau remains in charge isn't paying enough attention. 

The other big story in the league right now is in the Bay Area. Although really, when is it not. All-NBA teammates Draymond Green and Kevin Durant are beefing after a critical late-game turnover by Green cost them a game against the Clippers, with the argument spilling over off of the court and into the locker room. Things reportedly got so heated the players had to be separated, and the Warriors responded by suspending Green without pay for their game against Atlanta. With Durant's impending free agency looming over all of this, the Dubs need to get it sorted out quickly. 

The team the Warriors very nearly lost to in the Conference Finals last year, the Houston Rockets, have some issues of their own. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but it appears Carmelo Anthony has played his last game for the franchise. The 34-year-old, 10-time All-Star has had a fall from grace as rapid as any the NBA has seen for a former great. After a frustrating year in Oklahoma City, there was hope he could reinvent himself as a bench scorer on a team with championship aspirations. Yet things have only gotten worse.

An otherwise-stalwart Houston defense has hemmorhaged points with him on the court, and his ability to hit open jump shots has deserted him. After a rough start to the season, the Rockets have returned to their winning ways since excising him from the rotation. Teaming up with his good buddies Chris Paul and James Harden was supposed to reinvigorate his career. Suddenly, it's on the brink.
 
One time that might still have interest in Melo if he's released are the ever-fascinating Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers seem to be gathering their bearings after a rocky beginning to the LeBron era. They're 5-1 in their last six, and the addition of Tyson Chandler has done wonders for a team that was lacking in defense and rebounding. Coach Luke Walton better hope that the winning continues, as rumors abound that head man Magic Johnson will have him sitting in the unemployment line should the team disappoint. Never a dull moment with LeBron around!
 
Stay tuned to WhoReps as we check back in on the NBA action throughout the season.