Apparently JaVale McGee wants to bring the rat-tail back in style.
Was it ever in style? Who knows, but this new haircut for the Warriors center would seem to qualify as one.
McGee even used the hashtag "#rattail" in his Instagram post showing it off:
We'll have to see it in action on the floor to truly judge, but it certainly looks like it will at the very least be a conversation starter.
The annual NBA Rookie Survey is always a way for us to take an early peek into how rookies feel about their peers (competition?).
For Wizards rookie Troy Brown Jr., he certainly has gotten the attention of the rest of his rookie class.
Brown ranked 6th for "Best Playmaker" in the class, and also received votes for Rookie of the Year and having best career potential.
Last year's class certainly lived up to the hype, with Ben Simmons winning Rookie of the Year. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum definitely made strong cases for themselves as well though.
This time around, the class was dominated early by big men in the draft, but there's plenty of hype around the group as a whole again. Could it be the year we look back on as the class that brought the big man back to the NBA?
Possibly.
NBA.com again talked down the rookie class at the annual Rookie Photo Shoot at the New York Knicks' practice facility. This year's group (36) answered seven questions about their class, as well as a few about the current player they most admire and what they're expecting as they make the jump to the NBA.
Here's how they ended up voting:
1. DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix -- 18%
Collin Sexton, Cleveland -- 18%
3. Luka Doncic, Dallas -- 9%
Kevin Knox, New York -- 9%
5. Mohamed Bamba, Orlando -- 6%
Devonte' Graham, Charlotte -- 6%
Michael Porter Jr., Denver -- 6%
Trae Young, Atlanta -- 6%
Others receiving votes: Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento; Troy Brown Jr., Washington; Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago; Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City; Harry Giles, Sacramento; Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis; Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio
LAST YEAR: Dennis Smith 26%
1. Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago -- 13%
2. Kevin Knox, New York -- 10%
Jerome Robinson, LA Clippers -- 10%
3. DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix -- 7%
Mohamed Bamba, Orlando -- 7%
Mikal Bridges, Phoenix -- 7%
Collin Sexton, Cleveland -- 7%
Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio -- 7%
Others receiving votes: Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento; Miles Bridges, Charlotte; Troy Brown Jr., Washington; Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City; Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LA Clippers; Devonte' Graham, Charlotte; Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis; Michael Porter Jr., Denver; Trae Young, Atlanta
LAST YEAR: Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum -- 18%
1. Keita Bates-Diop (48), Minnesota -- 13%
2. Michael Porter Jr. (14), Denver -- 10%
Lonnie Walker IV (18), San Antonio -- 10%
4. Jalen Brunson (33), Dallas -- 6%
Gary Trent Jr. (37), Portland -- 6%
Others receiving votes: Grayson Allen (21), Utah; Mohamed Bamba (6), Orlando; Miles Bridges (12), Charlotte; Bruce Brown (42), Detroit; Jevon Carter (32), Memphis; Hamidou Diallo (45), Oklahoma City; Donte DiVincenzo (17), Milwaukee; Luka Doncic (3), Dallas; Jacob Evans (28), Golden State; Devonte' Graham (34), Charlotte; De'Anthony Melton (46), Houston; Svi Mykhailiuk (47), L.A. Lakers; Jerome Robinson (13), LA Clippers; Mitchell Robinson (36), New York; Mo Wagner (25), L.A. Lakers; Robert Williams III (27), Boston; Trae Young (5), Atlanta
LAST YEAR: Donovan Mitchell -- 19%
1. Zhaire Smith, Philadelphia -- 24%
2. Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City -- 15%
Josh Okogie, Minnesota -- 15%
Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio -- 15%
5. Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento -- 6%
Miles Bridges, Charlotte -- 6%
Others receiving votes: DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix; Mikal Bridges, Phoenix; Bruce Brown, Detroit; Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee; Michael Porter Jr., Denver; Collin Sexton, Cleveland; Robert Williams III, Boston
LAST YEAR: Dennis Smith Jr. -- 44%
1. Trae Young, Atlanta -- 47%
2. Kevin Huerter, Atlanta -- 13%
Svi Mykhailiuk, L.A. Lakers -- 13%
4. Gary Trent Jr., Portland -- 9%
5. Grayson Allen, Utah -- 6%
Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee -- 6%
Others receiving votes: Aaron Holiday, Indiana; Kevin Knox, New York
LAST YEAR: Luke Kennard -- 49%
1. Jevon Carter, Memphis -- 29%
2. Mohamed Bamba, Orlando -- 14%
3. Josh Okogie, Minnesota -- 11%
4. Mikal Bridges, Phoenix -- 9%
5. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis -- 6%
Collin Sexton, Cleveland -- 6%
Others receiving votes: DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix; Bruce Brown, Detroit; Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago; Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City; Melvin Frazier Jr., Orlando; Mitchell Robinson, New York; Omari Spellman, Atlanta; Gary Trent Jr., Portland; Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio
LAST YEAR: Josh Jackson -- 26%
1. Trae Young, Atlanta -- 35%
2. Jalen Brunson, Dallas -- 15%
3. Luka Doncic, Dallas -- 9%
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -- 9%
Collin Sexton, Cleveland -- 9%
6. Troy Brown Jr., Washington -- 6%
Aaron Holiday, Indiana -- 6%
Others receiving votes: Devonte' Graham, Charlotte; De'Anthony Melton, Houston; Michael Porter Jr., Denver; Jerome Robinson, LA Clippers
LAST YEAR: Lonzo Ball -- 72%
1. Speed or pace of the game -- 31%
2. Schedule/Length of season -- 24%
3. Physicality (size and strength of opponents) -- 19%
4. Travel -- 10%
5. Lifestyle/Time management -- 8%
Also receiving votes: Conditioning, Playing NBA defense, Not having the ball as much
LAST YEAR: Physicality (size and strength of opponents) -- 37%
1. Ball-handling -- 19%
Shooting -- 19%
3. Defense -- 14%
4. Playmaking/Reading the defense -- 11%
5. Everything -- 8%
6. Motor/Work ethic -- 6%
Strength -- 6%
Time management -- 6%
Also receiving votes: Basketball IQ, Communication, Confidence, Leadership
1. LeBron James, L.A. Lakers -- 29%
2. Stephen Curry, Golden State -- 9%
Kevin Durant, Golden State -- 9%
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee -- 6%
Chris Paul, Houston -- 6%
Dwyane Wade -- 6%
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City -- 6%
Others receiving votes: Kobe Bryant; DeMarcus Cousins, Golden State; Anthony Davis, New Orleans; Paul George, Oklahoma City; James Harden, Houston; Jrue & Justin Holiday, New Orleans/Chicago; Kyrie Irving, Boston; Jusuf Nurkic, Portland; John Wall, Washington; Nick Young,
LAST YEAR: LeBron James -- 31%
Here is a look at how the 2018 NBA offseason went for teams in the Northwest Division...
2017-18 finish: 49-33, 1st round of playoffs
In: G Seth Curry, G Nik Stauskas, G Anfernee Simons, G Gary Trent, Jr.
Out: F Ed Davis, G Pat Connaughton, G Shabazz Napier
The Blazers are about as cash-strapped as anyone out there, so they had very little room to work with in free agency. They made some minor moves but nothing of real note. They had a solid draft, but picked Simons who is a long-term project. And they had to let some decent players go in free agency. The best thing that happened to the Blazers this summer was re-signing Jusuf Nurkic. Other than that, it was a pretty mediocre offseason for Portland.
2017-18 finish: 48-34, 1st round of playoffs
In: G Dennis Schroeder, C Nerlens Noel, G Hamidou Diallo
Out: F Carmelo Anthony
GM Sam Presti deserves high praise for another strong offseason. Most of the acclaim comes from the Thunder re-signing Paul George despite the assumption of many he would leave in free agency. But OKC also snagged Noel on a cheap deal, adding more athleticism and depth behind center Steven Adams. And they got Schroeder back in the deal for Anthony when they could have shed his salary for nothing in return. They also added three second round picks, including Diallo who looked good in the Summer League. It's hard to imagine the Thunder doing better than they did, given the financial resources they were working with.
2017-18 finish: 48-34, 2nd round of playoffs
In: G Grayson Allen, F Tyler Cavanaugh
Out: F Jonas Jerebko
The Jazz get most of their points from re-signing players like Dante Exum, Raul Neto and Derrick Favors. Though the price tag for Favors is a little high, they did a nice job of bringing the band back together, knowing they have an opportunity to get better this season simply by having Rudy Gobert stay healthy. The Allen pick has potential to work out very well for them. He looked good in the Summer League and should complement Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio well at the guard position. All in all, there was nothing flashy for the Jazz but they made some solid, smart decisions.
2017-18 finish: 47-35, 1st round of playoffs
In: F Anthony Tolliver, G Josh Okogie, F Keita Bates-Diop
Out: F Nemanja Bjelica
The Wolves have enough salary committed to where they could only do so much this summer. Tolliver is a nice pickup and should add shooting to their frontcourt. Bates-Diop gives them nice value as a second round pick. It would have been nice to see the Wolves change something via trade, but they have reason to believe they can get better if Karl-Anthony Towns continues to ascend and Andrew Wiggins reclaims his form as a scorer.
2017-18 finish: 46-36, missed playoffs
In: G Isaiah Thomas, F Michael Porter, Jr.
Out: F Wilson Chandler, G Devin Harris
The Nuggets had a solid offseason just as they get ready to make a big leap forward as a franchise. They re-signed Nikola Jokic to a long-term deal, added Thomas on a low-risk contract and took a chance on Porter in the draft. They lost Chandler in a salary dump, but have the tools to win 50-plus games next season. Thomas could be a big difference maker if healthy and Porter gives them another building block for the future. If he can get past his back injury, he will fit in nicely with their young core.
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