NBA Chat With Alex Kennedy 10/21/2011

1. Ralph

   Will this ever end? I hope the NBA knows how many people are hurt by this.The workers in the arena’s that make low pay.While the owners and players are fighting over millions and billions.And the city’s that are gonna be effected by this, the economy is bad enough. Sad, and that is not even close to all the other people effected. Like this Website.. I pray for the season to start soon…

   • Alex Kennedy

     It’s not looking good. This is an unfortunate situation for the fans and workers who have to suffer because of these negotiations. There’s no doubt in my mind that the NBA will lose some fans because of this process. These talks leave a bad taste in people’s mouths and it’s going to be difficult for the NBA to bounce back once a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified. I hope it comes to an end in the near future, but I’m not getting my hopes up anymore.

2. john

   who should toronto draft next yr…do they take an anthony davis if he the best player on board even they they are loaded at pf?

   • Alex Kennedy

     Unfortunately for Toronto, there aren’t many stud point guards in next year’s draft. Unless Marquis Teague has a phenomenal freshman season and climbs draft boards between now and then, the Raptors should probably target a small forward. Harrison Barnes, Michael Gilchrist and Quincy Miller are all extremely talented and could make Toronto a better team. Plug one of those guys in with Jerryd Bayless, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis and Jonas Valanciunas and you have an excellent young core.

3. john

   you seem like an great nba insider….what do you think toronto can get for calderon or barbosa?

   • Alex Kennedy

     Thanks John, I appreciate the kind words. The Raptors have been trying to move Calderon for awhile now, but no team wants to touch his contract. If the next collective bargaining agreement includes an amnesty clause, Toronto’s best option might be to let Calderon go and free up some cap room. Barbosa, on the other hand, could be moved because he’s an expiring contract. Next year’s free agent class includes Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Deron Williams so Barbosa’s $7,600,000 ending deal could be attractive to a team looking to shed salary.

4. dyrese

   ihave the knicks in the top 4 in the east when/if the season starts ihave em as the 2 or 3 seed your thoughts?

   • Alex Kennedy

     I think New York will finish in the top four alongside Chicago, Miami and Boston. It’s difficult to predict the order right now since those teams still have personnel moves to make, but I think those will be the top tier teams in the East next year. They’re all contenders and the next tier of teams, mainly Orlando and Atlanta, aren’t heading in the right direction.

5. Tony

   Alright yesterday was disgusting. the owners had the guts to lead everyone the fans players media etc to actually believe they might make a deal! They did this for pr! nothing else. They knew they wouldn’t make a deal but had to “show” the fans they were “trying”. that pissed me off more then if they had just not met all week. I would have preferred that! This is disgraceful. do you even see a chance of an nba season anymore?

   • Alex Kennedy

     Last night, I spoke to a number of people on the NBPA’s side of the table that feel the exact same way as you, Tony. They feel like the NBA wasted their time and teased them by going through the motions and acting like they wanted to make a deal. As you said, it was a pathetic stunt. They gave the fans hope and then ripped it away at the last second.

     If there’s going to be an NBA season, it’s going to be shortened significantly. Neither side is happy right now and it doesn’t sound like they’ll be meeting for awhile. More cancellations will likely be announced in the coming days and continue week by week unless progress is made. There are a number of people close to the situation who believe the season will be canceled altogether, but I’m not there yet. We’ll see what happens over the next few weeks.

6. paul

   If the season is lost and the draft is a 30 team lottery what do you think Dan Gilbert would do if Miami got the first pick and Cleavland got the last (I wouldn’t know weather to laugh or cry)

   • Alex Kennedy

     Dan Gilbert would probably explode. If the season is canceled, next year’s draft is going to be very interesting. No matter what they decide to do, it’ll shake things up. A 30-team lottery would be exciting for obvious reasons. The thought of Andre Drummond on the Miami Heat is scary. If they decide to reuse this year’s draft order, it’ll also be interesting because teams like Cleveland and Minnesota would suddenly be loaded with young talent. That’s one of the more interesting things to keep an eye on as this lockout continues.

7. Renee

   Do you think we could have avoided the lockout if players and owners started meetings around June?

   • Alex Kennedy

     It would have been nice to see earlier meetings and a greater sense of urgency, but I don’t think it would have changed anything. The NBPA is emphatic that the owners have planned this lockout for years. The union believes that the owners don’t want to make a deal until the players miss paychecks. They are hoping the broke players become divided and come crawling back to the owners to accept their original offer. Meeting in June may have changed the timeline and changed a few things, but I think we’d still be in the exact same situation today.

8. Dong of Dayton

   Hey Alex,
   What’s your take on Tristan Thompson? Since the Cavs traded away Hickson, will he be starting right off the bat? Who does he remind you of?

   • Alex Kennedy

     I like Tristan Thompson. At 20 years old, he has a ton of potential and he’s in an excellent situation. He’ll either start from day one or receive plenty of minutes; either way, it’ll be great for his development. His stock soared prior to the draft because teams that rely heavily on advanced analytics fell in love with him. Teams use a formula that takes into account a player’s college statistics and progression to project how successful they will be throughout the course of their career. Thompson was rated higher than other big men that were drafted with top picks in recent years such as Greg Monroe, Derrick Favors and Chris Bosh. The numbers say he’ll be a great player and it doesn’t hurt that he’ll have Kyrie Irving setting him up for easy scores and running the pick-and-roll with him. He’s a well-rounded player who will have every opportunity to succeed.

9. John

   Tyreke evans… suprise mvp candidate of 11-12 season particulary if the kings improve??

   • Alex Kennedy

     I think Tyreke Evans will have a huge year, but I don’t know about MVP candidate. Even if the Kings drastically improve, I don’t think they’ll have enough wins to propel Evans into the MVP conversation.

10. Tyler

    Pacers future looks very bright if they sign some big free agencys… West and Crawford would make them a real threat. But they could also lose out on both and then be stuck where they are now. Can the Clippers get Granger if they miss out on free agency?

    • Alex Kennedy

      The Pacers love Danny Granger and like the direction they’re heading in. Even if they miss out on free agency, they have a nice young core of Granger, Darren Collison, Paul George, Roy Hibbert, etc. so they’ll continue to build rather than breaking the group up.

11. Brian

    Hey Alex,

    I have been thinking about this for a few days now and wanted your opinion. My gut is telling me that if and when the season begins this year there will quite a few trades to spark interest and bring fans back to the NBA.

    With that being said would you do this trade:
    NY- Chauncey Billups, Landry Fields, Renaldo Balkman and Ronny Turiaf
    to Phoenix for Steve Nash, Mickael Pietrus and Robin Lopez.

    I believe this trade works under the current salary cap structure.

    • Alex Kennedy

      Not only will there be trades, but we’ll also have an exciting condensed free agency period, similar to what we saw in the NFL after their lockout ended. I can’t wait for this thing to end so that we can get back to talking about roster moves and games.

      Looking at your trade idea, I don’t think there’s any way the Suns do it. If they move Steve Nash, they’ll want to get younger. That means they would want Iman Shumpert, draft picks, etc. included in the deal. With that said, I think Phoenix can find a better package from another team. I’d love to see Nash in New York alongside Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, but it’s easier said than done.

12. Tyler

    Current teams the way they are right now… who do you see in the finals right now and who wins?

    • Alex Kennedy

      A lot can change between now and next season, especially from a personnel standpoint with free agency and trades. But if I had to make a prediction right now, I’d say the Miami Heat defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder.