NBA Chat With Alex Kennedy 12/16/2011

Join HOOPSWORLD’s Alex Kennedy for his weekly NBA chat this Friday at 3 p.m. ET. Submit your questions early because this chat fills up fast!

  1. Chris

    Hi Alex. Let’s assume the Lakers don’t land Dwight or CP and the Lakers get off to a slow start. A.) Does Kobe demand a trade? B.) Who would have the pieces to get him? C.) Who would he approve a trade to?

    • Alex Kennedy

      What’s up everyone? Thanks for submitting your questions. After plenty of drama surrounding the lockout and free agency, the NBA’s preseason begins tonight. With the condensed offseason over and the season here, there are a lot of things to talk about. Let’s jump right in.

      Kobe Bryant is at the point in his career where he wants to compete for a championship every year. The decision to trade Lamar Odom was very strange and, unless the Lakers can use that large traded-player exception to acquire a star, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bryant demand a trade. Everyone is talking about that possibility because Stephen A. Smith today said, “I predicted that Kobe Bryant will demand a trade, and I am not budging from that. He’s livid. I’ve known Kobe too long. He is ticked off.” Smith and Bryant have a relationship so it’s definitely possible. If he does become available, nearly every team in the league would try to acquire him, just like we saw in 2008 when he demanded a trade. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and now Kobe Bryant. The drama never stops!

  2. rodney

    i discussed this with lang and he said he would bring it up to you and steve so ill ask you also

    After analyzing the context of the demands of what Dwight has been asking for I have noticed a trend that i think not many people have looked at.

    first he wanted Chris Paul and i was like ok all star point guard i can take that

    then he didnt want Arenas to be amnestied and i was like waoh ok? (scratch my head) then i was like ok well maybe they became close friends and didnt want him to leave

    then when Dwight requested that the magic go after Billips it struck me

    has Dwight had enough of his little big brother Nelson? is what he feels is a major factor to the magic losing that Nelson is not the fit point guard he feels should be on the team?

    altho it is speculation it does bare some major coincidences and makes you wonder? Does Dwight Demand a new point guard to get rid of Nelson?

    • Alex Kennedy

      The fact that the Orlando Magic were shopping Jameer Nelson prior to the draft and nearly acquired Andre Miller also lends credence to your theory. I always tell people the Dwight and Jameer aren’t nearly as close they used to be. They’re on good terms, but it’s not like they’re best friends. Maybe Dwight does want a new point guard. Unfortunately for the Magic, they don’t have the assets to acquire one.

  3. KNICKs FAN

    chris douglas roberts would be a good fit for knicks would he sign?

    • Alex Kennedy

      He signed with the Italian club Virtus Bologna during the lockout and he doesn’t have an NBA opt-out. He could be an option for the Knicks, but only if they’re willing to wait until mid-March to sign him.

  4. KNICK NATION

    why dont the knicks resign kelenna azubuike he should have heeled up from tht knee injury by now and they could get em for cheap the vet min 1yr deal

    • Alex Kennedy

      I don’t think Kelenna is healthy yet. He kept experiencing setback after setback and, last I heard, he was still injured. He recently hired a new agent so maybe he’s getting close, but the fact that he wasn’t on a training camp roster or, at the very least, playing overseas tells me that he’s not ready to return to the court just yet.

  5. BALL-A

    would the rockets be willing to give up courtney lee or terrence williams for cash and future 2nd rd picks from the knicks?

    • Alex Kennedy

      The Rockets like Lee and Williams so I doubt they’d move either play for a second-round pick and cash. They feel like both of those guys have potential and they acquired them to see if they can pan out. Not to mention, New York’s picks aren’t worth much since they’ll win a lot of games this year. Lee and Williams were both first-round picks, why trade them for a pick in the 50-60 range?

  6. ken

    u see any nba players coming out retirement to play in the short nba season

    • Alex Kennedy

      Jerry Stackhouse, Jamaal Tinsley and Bonzi Wells are all on NBA rosters, which is somewhat of a surprise. All three of those players seemed like they were out of the league for good, but now they’re back and ready to contribute for their new teams. I’m not sure if the 66-game season has anything to do with it, I think they just missed the game. If you think about it, the shortened season may actually be less appealing to most veterans. While the season ends earlier, there are a still a ton of games. Some teams will have to play five games in six nights on this new schedule, which is very tough if you already have a lot of NBA miles on your body.

  7. Mac

    The Detroit Pistons GM, owner, and fans must have all heard this backlash in the news lately about offering Rodney Stuckey a 5 year 40-45 million dollar deal. Does hearing negative press like this influence a GM’s second offer? Can it influence Rodney to come back to the negotiating table a little quicker?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Excellent question. I think the reaction and backlash gets back to everyone involved. It definitely influences the process and where the talks will go from here. I don’t think we’ll see another offer from Detroit. They didn’t extend him last year because they didn’t want to bid against themselves. Allowing him to become a restricted free agent ensures that they’ll pay what others around the league think he’s worth. Five years, $45 million is a ton of money for Stuckey and I doubt he has any offer sheets in that ballpark. This has all played out so publicly so it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Joe Dumars rethink the offer and Rodney Stuckey come back down to the earth.

  8. Mac

    On twitter today, Steve Kyler said The Orlando Magic have a $6.3 million traded player exception (TPE) from the Marcin Gortat trade. How come we have heard so little about Otis Smith using this exception to help acquire a player to keep Dwight Howard in town. 6.3 million is over the mid level and should be able to get someone decent. Your thoughts.

    • Alex Kennedy

      The Magic used their $1.8 million traded-player exception in the sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics. It allowed them to take back Von Wafer in addition to swapping Brandon Bass for Glen Davis. You’re right though, there hasn’t been talk of Otis Smith trying to use that $6.3 million TPE. I don’t agree with many of the moves that Orlando has made in recent weeks. They’re clearly willing to spend money, judging by the contracts they gave Jason Richardson and Davis. I don’t understand why they haven’t tried to turn that TPE into a mid-level exception player. Smith has really dropped the ball in recent years and now the Magic have backed themselves into a corner.

  9. Marah

    Any chance Allen Iverson ends up on an NBA roster?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Allen Iverson wants to make a comeback, but I don’t think he has received significant interest from any team. He approached a number of trainers during the lockout because he wanted to get in shape and prepare himself for free agency workouts. If this had been a normal offseason, he may have ended up on a roster because he would have had time to work out for teams individually. However, since the process was so rushed, he was looked over. He may get a shot during the season if a team really needs a guard, but he hasn’t received any calls yet.

  10. Ryan

    With the Jazz LOADED with big men do you see any trades happening before the deadline?

    • Alex Kennedy

      I think they’ll continue to shop Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. They’re in no rush to move either player, but they’re both expendable now that they have Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. There’s no question that the Jazz are rebuilding and undergoing a youth movement, so moving Jefferson and Millsap to make way for Kanter and Favors makes sense.

  11. cole

    Is it just me or are salaries totally crazy this free agency? Kwame gets 7 mill Landry gets 9 mil and yet Crawford only gets 5 mil….how are u supposed to know how much a player is worth?

    • Alex Kennedy

      I have no idea how Kwame Brown got $7 million. I think his agent deserves a reward.

      Carl Landry and Jamal Crawford are easier to understand. This condensed free agency period made things difficult, especially since a lot of the teams with cap room were preoccupied with the drama surrounding Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. The New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets, etc. were all weighing their options and trying to juggle free agency offers with trade offers. Guys like Landry and Crawford were frustrated and decided to sign one-year deals so that they could be free agents again next summer – during a normal offseason. Both players turned down more money to land in situations where they could display their game and improve their stock for next summer.

  12. Matthew

    do you think ppl are making a big deal of the lakers decline? sure they lost convincely last year, but before that we made 3 straight trips to the Finals. and with everyone healthy at this point, we can make another run at it.

    • Alex Kennedy

      It’s going to be difficult. Mike Brown is no Phil Jackson, they’re an aging team and they lost Lamar Odom. They’re definitely a legitimate contender and still one of the top teams in the Western Conference if they stay healthy. With that said, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers should be better this season. People are making a big deal about the Lakers decline because so many other franchises have improved. They’re definitely going to have some other teams nipping at their heels.

  13. Frank Lee

    Can Chris Paul lead the league in assists this season?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Definitely. He comes close every year and he’s never had this much talent around him. Call me crazy, but I think he’s a legitimate MVP candidate as well. The voters tend to fall in love with storylines, and he’ll definitely be considered if he turns the Clippers into a top-tier team in the West. He was the runner-up several years ago and this could be the year he wins it, especially with guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, etc. canceling each other out.

  14. Jim

    Why does everyone assume that the Rip Hamilton that is going to play for the Bulls is the same Rip Hamilton from 2004 title team? He shot 41 and 43% respectively from the floor last year and the year before and he primarily relies on being able to run around as much as possible and hit “catch and shoot” type plays yet he only hit 39% of those.. (credit to Point forward blog for pointing that out)

    • Alex Kennedy

      He has struggled in recent years, but people have given Hamilton a pass because they blame Detroit’s internal drama or weak supporting cast. I agree with you though, Hamilton will have to prove that he can still be a significant contributor. He’s a great leader and locker room presence, but at the end of the day the Bulls need him to knock down shots and defend. Whether or not he can do those things like he used to remains to be seen.

      That’s all for today! Thanks for the questions. If I missed you, hit me up on Twitter. Have a great weekend!