UPSYDE SPORT PRESENTS:

BOLD TAKES MONDAY:

1. PEOPLE ARE OVERREACTING TO THE KNICKS - There are a lot of things to get excited about. For one, people are gushing over the transcendence of Julius Randle and I think it's definitely warranted. On the season he's averaging 23.2 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 7.1 APG and a solid 51/37/76 split. There is no denying that he is playing at an All-Star level. His 4.4 turnovers per game leave a lot to be desired, but it's only a small stain on a pretty pristine stat-line. You look at the rest of the roster and there are definitely concerns about small sample size and lack of preseason games as possible reasons for their early bloated record. For one, RJ Barrett is still a terrible shooter. He's making 20% of his 3's, is averaging less than 70% on his free throws and under 38% from the field. That's abysmal when the guy is shooting over 16 shots a game and chucking up almost 5 3-point attempts. Kevin Knox is still a broken prospect and has shown little upside to this point. Immanuel Quickley is quickly (no pun) moving up the guard depth charts, yet nobody really stands out at that position. A typically defensive prominent Elfrid Payton is only averaging steal a game and outside of Alec Burks, nobody on this roster is regularly hitting 3's. At some point the bubble will pop on this team and they will be exposed as a 2019-20 Philly type build. They rank near the bottom in offensive and defensive ratings, their bench might be better than their starting line-up, and they've already experienced a swath of injuries to start the season. Prior to their 3-game winning streak, they were 2-3, and have now lost two straight. While I don't think they are a team to write off anymore, I think the hype train far exceeds their talent.

2. TYRESE HALIBURTON MIGHT BE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - My biggest reason for not being bullish on Haliburton to start the season was not because of talent - he very well could be the most talented guard in this draft - it was opportunity. The Fox injury and opened the door for Haliburton to show what he can do. He did not disappoint in his expanded role on Wednesday, where he scored 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, and no turnovers. Yes, this was against the Bulls, and yes I understand it was one game, but if Fox ever misses any real time, he could emerge. Right now the Kings are 4-6, yet they appear to be a team that could make some moves at the deadline. They're not even playing Hassan Whiteside on most nights, despite his blocking prowess, Buddy Hield looks off, and Marvin Bagley is frankly at this point a bust. They've already moved on from other high upside prospects like Harry Giles, so it wouldn't surprise me to see them trade some of these guys to get some solid vets and move Haliburton into the starting back-court to play alongside Fox. The situation in Sacramento is arguably more exciting than watching the team themselves, yet they could be a very active seller at the deadline. He'll face some stiff competition from LaMelo who had his first triple double and arguably has a larger role at this point. At the very least, LaMelo could win sixth man of the year if he doesn't inevitably move to the starting line-up.

3. ATLANTA HAWKS WILL MISS PLAYOFFS - This probably isn't super bold, but the writing is on the wall. Between their 4-game losing streak, the Collins contract issues toxifying the waters, injuries, and the fact that nobody on this team can really play defense, I'm not seeing it. Obviously Atlanta will take a major leap over their atrocious season last year, but I don't think anybody would be surprised if they missed playoffs. We've seen solid progressions with both Hunter and Reddish this year, Capela is one of the top rebounders in the league, and Trae is putting up another All-Star caliber year. There's a lot of glaring issues with this team and it's not just Collins. Trae is only shooting 28% from beyond the arc and is turning the ball over almost 5 times per game, Bogdan has failed to impress during the early part of the season and is now injured, Rondo and Gallinari have only been healthy enough to play in 2 games each this season, and Bruno Fernando took a major step backwards this off-season. We also still have yet to see Okongwu play and Capela couldn't hit a free throw if his life depended on it. Yes, this team could turn things around. Yes, the Eastern Conference is wide open. Still, at the end of the day, I think teams like the Heat, Hornets, and Raptors are more likely to make it.

4. THE MAVERICKS WILL FINISH THE SEASON AS A TOP 4 TEAM - Look, there's gonna be some bias in this section, but I think Luka still has another level. Barea, who is still close to the organization, thinks that Luka has not even begun to tap his potential. He still is not in elite physical condition, his outside shot is still hitting at a 23% rate, and yet, he's led this team to a 5-4 record with Kristaps Porzingis potentially coming back within a week. Luka is still averaging comparable field goal percentages as last year, while improving his free throw percentage slightly. Turnovers are still a problem, but honestly, we cannot have a true comparison until we have a decent sample size with this team at full strength. The big problem with this team early on was at the center position, with Powell only 10 months removed from an Achilles rupture, Porzingis on the IR, and lack of confidence in Boban or Willie to start. It looks like they have a solid "for now" rotation.

5. THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER WILL TRADE FOR BRADLEY BEAL - Probably the boldest prediction, but they are the team with the most ammunition and probably one of the better fits for him. They hold the rights to Houston's pick should they elect, Golden State's pick, and Miami's pick. They have a treasure trove of future picks and solid prospects that could be fuel for a rebuilding team like Washington. I was optimistic about Washington, but at 2-8 and losing their star young center for the year, at some point they need to cut their losses. What specifically the Wizards would want, I'm not sure, but this would also likely allow the Thunder to move off of Horford's contract. This upcoming draft is much better than this past draft, so the draft picks have solid value. At this point, if the Wizards are going to have bad contracts one way or the other, they will need to add some picks to start trying to move past what could be some rough years for them. The Thunder are 5-4 and could benefit from a young vet in his prime. A backcourt of SGA and Beal would immediately propel them and I think Pokusevski is Kristaps-lite.

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst [Copyright 2021]