This article is part of our Rebound & Rant series.
We always think we'll remember things from this season come next year's draft or auction. Things like "gotta remember DeAndre Jordan can't hit free throws" or "gotta remember Dwyane Wade gets hurt". But then five months later we can't resist drafting them again. OK, maybe those are painfully obvious examples, but you get my drift.
It's never too early to prepare, so let's try to record some things now that we can use come September.
Jerryd Bayless 
Bayless was on many a sleeper list last summer, before having wrist surgery that forced him out for the season. Well, the head-banded-one signed a three-year deal last July, so we should expect to see him starting next year. In fact, he's already traveling with the team and doing some light shooting. And I don't think the 76ers want to hang their future on T.J. McConnell and Sergio Rodriguez. But what about Ben Simmons, you say? I think Bayless' game is a nice match for Simmons, because he can catch and shoot in addition to dealing dimes. Remember, Bayless hit 1.9 threes per game back in 2015-16. And he's only 28 years old. Take all the hype from last year and move it 12 months forward.
Sacramento Will Have No Point Guard 
The Kings are already pretty mediocre at the point. Starter Darren Collison's contract expires this summer. Same goes for troubled back-up Ty Lawson and his one year deal. I can see why RW draft guru James Anderson has Sacramento taking Kentucky PG De'Aaron Fox. Fox is the typical one-and-done Kentucky freshman, so the youngster won't be ready to lead on day 1, should he fall to Sac-town at #7. Maybe they convince Collison to return for cheap. Who knows, but keep an eye on this situation – big minutes could be at stake.
SIDE NOTE: Speaking of poorly run California teams, I'm sure you know that the Raiders are moving to Las Vegas. But did you know Sin City is welcoming their first
football team with a sports-themed brothel? It's true. And yes that story uses the phrase "sex den." Anyone see the potential for a PR disaster of epic proportions? Frankly, NFL owners deserve exactly that after this shameless money grab and ditching the loyal fans of Oakland, who, by the way, still owe roughly $83 million for the last round of stadium improvements.
Khris Middleton is Back 
No one seems to have noticed Middleton's return from hamstring surgery, probably because The Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps doing stuff like this:
Seems decent for 12 mins worth of activity 😬#greekfreakpic.twitter.com/AS6jGqulJ1
— DubMan (@AussieDubMan) March 25, 2017
I've always liked Middleton's game and he's the lone outsider shooter in Milwaukee. He will be huge again in 2017-18 for the Bucks. After an understandably slow start, he's averaging 15.8 points, 4.0 boards, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.5 made threes over his last 20 games, while shooting 46% from the field and 89% from the charity stripe. Don't ignore those steals and percentages. I will take that any day of the week and will jump all over it come September.
Aaron Gordon Has Not Blossomed
Aaron Gordon gets too much credit for his cool dunks. He is not a good basketball player. On Monday, he played 36 minutes at power forward versus Toronto and gathered one rebound. ONE REBOUND. I could get one rebound in 36 minutes of play. Gordon apologists have pointed to Orlando's poor roster make-up (it's been bad for 3 years) as an excuse. But when the Magic dealt Serge Ibaka, it was allegedly done to return Gordon to his true position of power forward. The 18 games since the trade have been mediocre: 14.4 points, 4.9 boards, 1.7 assists, 0.7 blocks from 49% FG and 82% FT shooting and 30 minutes per game. That's not bad, but the low rebound numbers bug me. And it's not "fourth pick in the draft" good. Gordon is only 21 years old, so maybe I'm over-reacting to that one rebound game. I should probably relax.
Dario Saric is Awesome
Surprise, surprise, Philly is headed to another draft lottery. The Process sucks (I'm contractually obligated to type that into every R&R). I know I sang Saric's praises in my last column, but he keeps getting better. Over his last 10 games, he's averaging 19.7 points, 6.8 boards, 2.8 assists and 1.6 made threes per game. And he's only 22. The shooting percentages should improve. Defenders obsessing over Ben Simmons should open a few shots, too. Plus, does anyone believe Embiid and Simmons will play more than 60 games next year? There will be room for Saric to shine.
Detriot is Ending the Season Playing Very Poorly, but remember KCP 
I've been needling fellow RW hoops podcaster Shannon McKeown all week about his beloved Pistons losing to both the Nets and the Knicks. Unforgivable, especially considering they are fighting the Pacers, Heat and Bulls for the last two playoff spots. His main response was "Stan Van Gundy will blow up the Pistons this summer". I suspect he's right. And I'm also disappointed we have not had any epic SVP explosions as the Pistons blow their playoff chances. Come on SVP, go nuts! 24-year-old Kentavious Caldwell-Pope isn't going anywhere. KCP has quietly had a stellar season, which includes 2.1 made treys per game. Nice. And his free throw shooting continues to improve.
As for the Detriot point guard situation, that could get messy. Ish Smith is signed through 2018-19. Reggie Jackson still has three years and over $51 million left on his deal. That's a large pile of cash for a guy who seems to struggle leading the squad and has played worse that Smith at times. It will be VERY interesting to see what Honest Stan decides to do here. Either way, I'm looking forward to his post-deal presser.
Well, that's it for today's R&R. This fantasy train wreck has hit the END OF THE LINE! CHOO-CHOO!
