Ludwig Hasbauer in Germany:
is there a chance a big al for martin and hawes goes down?
would it help both?
Alex Raskin:
Sorry for my lateness. We're having internet problems before the snowstorm even gets here.
We'll start in Germany.
Kevin Martin for Al Jefferson is something that seems logical on a few levels. I'm not sure if that's even been discussed as a rumor, but I do hear a lot of media kicking around the idea.
Throwing in Hawes just seems like an awful lot though, and I'm also still confident that Jefferson (who is best on the block) and Love (who is best in the high post) can play together. I don't think this happens, but Minnesota really does need a good shooting guard.
T-Wolves fans should be thinking Evan Turner this June.
Allen in Syracuse:
Do you see the knicks making a trade b4 the deadline? Who do you see as the pg for next season?
Alex Raskin:
The Knicks are spinning their wheels right now. There are a lot of moves they're trying to make, but ultimately nobody wants a piece of Curry's deal or even Jeffries'.
Who knows who could be the point next season? The position is not loaded in the draft like it was last year. If you're not getting Wall (and the Knicks don't have a first round pick, so count them out there) you might as well draft another position.
As for the rest of this year, wait and see what the Pacers do with T.J. Ford. If Ford and the team could reach a buyout, the Knicks would probably be interested. At 35 minutes per night, Ford is sloppy and frustrating. However, if you can have him split time with Duhon (another guy who is better at 20 minutes per game) you might get some consistent production out of the position. Plus Nate Robinson could stop pretending to be a point guard on offense and remain more of a scorer.
Tony in Indy, IN:
Do you see the Pacers doing anything by the deadline, or just standing pat until the offseason, into the next year?
Alex Raskin:
I think the Pacers see themselves as a contender next season and will be very busy getting rid of anyone who isn't a part of their two-year plan. Murphy is going to get some interest, Ford could be bought out, and maybe a few other moves are out there.
Foster was on his way out until injuries caught up to him.
david dinh in houston, texas:
anything new on t-mac or just same old thing?
Alex Raskin:
Same old it sounds like. I think the talks with the 76ers (for Iguodala and change) sounded like the best offer, but Morey might like the expiring contract even more. This whole trade situation is kind of annoying because it has so little to do with basketball.
T-Mac obviously isn't the guy he was three years ago. And while he could probably still produce for someone, he's also a victim of his own contract.
Hopefully the next CBA can rid the game of these annoying stalemates.
peter in portland,or:
Do you think Samuel Dalembert would be a great fit in portland? he provides great defense, a decent inside game and plays well with andre miller
Alex Raskin:
He wouldn't be a bad fit, but what would Portland have to give up? Webster and Blake and one or two other contracts?
I doubt Portland would give up Webster with the way he's playing right now. They also need him as insurance for Roy who is battling injuries.
I just don't see how that could work without getting another team involved and even then the motivation just wouldn't be there.
Not a bad thought though.
Rick in Miami,Florida:
We need a point guard of the future..any chance we can snatch bayless out of portland? Rudy and Andre Miller are obviously there point guards, and they just dont get how good and possibly elite this bayless kid can be
Alex Raskin:
Bayless would make a TON of sense in Miami. Let's face it, Wade needs to handle the ball the majority of the time. You want the ball in his hands. So why not have another guard who has a bit of a scorer's instinct -- someone who can drive, dish and shoot?
Unfortunately for the HEAT, Portland has the same situation with Brandon Roy. Pritchard wants the ball in Roy's hands (for obvious reasons) and he sees a similar dynamic evolving in Portland to the one I just described.
I'm not sure where Bayless' head is right now on his playing time, but I know he was very frustrated earlier in the year. He's caught in a tough situation with Miller and Blake.
norman in manila,philippines:
mabuhay!how about the cavs trade for tyrus thomas for
hickson?is it possible?who's better?tnx!
Alex Raskin:
Those contracts wouldn't work out and I would say that Thomas is the better player, although he struggles to fit in at times.
jose in los angeles:
yo alex, what happened to that general dude put in charge of the
refs? less flopping but havent seen players get fined. also the
general is media shy.
Alex Raskin:
Great call! I have no idea. This has been off my radar for awhile now. I'll try to see what's going on. There have been less flops, but I'm not seeing the "Sam Cassell" rule enforced much. Are you guys noticing it?
ken in :
If you are miami who would you try to trade beasly for...a pick on '10 draft?a piece for next year?expiring?
Alex Raskin:
I don't think they should try to trade him at all.
There is still a lot to like about Beasley -- specifically on defense.
Obviously he was a terrible defender when he came into the NBA, and he's still not very good. But he's also never been properly taught on defensive technique.
Slowly, you're starting to see small improvements defensively. In Boston last week I noticed him doing a good job of keep an eye on the weakside. He made a few mistakes on the pick-and-roll, but nobody else was able to catch up with Rondo off of a screen either.
He's not Michael Cooper, but one day he might not hurt you as a defender either.
And of course, he has tons of offensive potential.
dirk kuyt in philly:
why does philly want to trade for Stat if they have Brand and even young on PF.I dont understand?
Alex Raskin:
It doesn't make any sense.
Speights' development has already been stifled enough by the presence of Brand (not Brand's fault, but had the team known the kid from Florida was so good, they wouldn't have signed Brand) and another post player doesn't seem to be the answer when you lack perimeter players.
Also, Stoudemire is going to be tough to trade because his new team would want some assurance he would stick around.
sundiata GAINS in :
NElson,Gortat,Bass for Dwill sometime during the summer?
Alex Raskin:
Deron Williams is one of the more un-tradeable players in basketball. Just ask the Hawks.
Tom in Section Five, NY:
AR, we missed you last week, welcome back. Jamison is still good, and he is a solid citizen, shouldn't the Wizards keep him to steady the ship over the next two years even with that big salary?
Alex Raskin:
Thank you Tom.
No way. That salary grows to over $15 million in 2011-2012. He's also probably going to decline over the next two years. I like Jamison because he can score without dominating the ball and he never turns it over or takes stupid
shots. However, his production won't match his salary over the next two years and he won't be on the All-Defensive team anytime soon if you catch my drift.
Tommnynetz in Rochester, NY:
Are the Nets ready to give up on Yi? Perhaps Houston wants him to play along side Yao next year? The Rockets have a handful of players that would help the Nets: Landry, Ariza, even Battier. Yes?
Alex Raskin:
Not yet. Yi has shown so many flashes this season. The issue is that he and Lopez never play well on the same night. The team still seems committed.
Don't take Del Harris' exit as evidence that Yi is moving either. Harris reportedly left because he didn't have a chance to become head coach next season -- not because they've grown dissatisfied with Yi, who played for Harris on the Chinese National team.
Sorry for the internet delay at the beginning of the hour. Lots of good questions today. We'll do this again next week.
