NBA Chat With Alex Kennedy 2/8/13

Join HOOPSWORLD’s Alex Kennedy for his weekly NBA chat this Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Submit your questions early because this chat fills up fast.

  1. Deven

    Why did Jennings dump his agent? Is there a trade in the works or something to get him out of Milwaukee?

    • Alex Kennedy

      What’s up everyone? Thanks for submitting your questions. Let’s get started.

      I heard that there were some internal issues between Brandon Jennings and the agency. I’m not sure what happened specifically, but BDA knew that Jennings was going to leave a few weeks in advance. If he had hired Dan Fegan, I would say that maybe he was trying to get out of Milwaukee. Instead, he hired Jeff Schwartz, who will likely try to increase his endorsement income. I’ve heard that he’s going to ask for a huge number in free agency. We’ll see what happens.

  2. Deven

    Why is Danny Ainge reluctant to rebuild? Rondo and Sully are out for the year, they’re the 8th seed in the East and probably won’t get past Miami in the playoffs. What’s his deal?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Danny Ainge has strong relationships with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Trading those two guys is a very difficult decision for Ainge. With how close Ainge is to the Pierce and Garnett and how much he respects them for everything they’ve done for that franchise, it’s not as simple as you make it out to be. While it’s easy for us to look at the facts and say it’s time to trade them, it’s much harder for Ainge. Remember how emotional the postgame press conference was last year after Miami defeated Boston in the playoffs? There is definitely an emotional side to this.

  3. Deven

    Any chance KG ends up with the Clippers?

    • Alex Kennedy

      The only way Kevin Garnett will waive his no-trade clause is if Paul Pierce gets traded first. Garnett came back to Boston to make another run at a title with Pierce and Doc Rivers, so the only way he allows a trade is if the Celtics start rebuilding. Last night, Garnett made it clear that he wants to retire in Boston and called out the media for spreading rumors. We’ll see what happens. Garnett definitely has more control over the situation than most players though. He’s one of only four players who have a no-trade clause in their contract – the other three are Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki.

  4. Deven

    What’s the latest on the trade front?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Keep an eye on the Raptors. They aren’t done dealing, and they’d love to move Andrea Bargnani. The rumor about them discussing a Carlos Boozer trade has legs. They are weighing other options as well. They really want to bring in another veteran who can make an immediate impact because they want to make a playoff push this season.

  5. Chris

    Hi Alex. True or false. Tom Thibodeau and Joakim Noah are the front runners for Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year?

    • Alex Kennedy

      If they aren’t the frontrunners, they’re certainly up there. Tom Thibodeau has some competiton for COY with Gregg Popovich and Mike Woodson, but I think Joakim Noah probably wins DPOY at this point.

  6. LA in LA

    Hey, I think a Gortat (and one of their SFs I guess) for Jsmoove trade makes sense. The Suns get a player (I hear) they believe is a superstar, and the Hawks can move Horford to PF like he’s always wanted and get a quality big on a nice contract that would only add $6 million.
    That gives them enough to sign whoever they want (like an Iggy) this summer and imo doesn’t hurt them much, if at all, and don’t have them hamstrung by an albatross contract for a player who really isn’t worth a max deal.
    Thoughts?

    • Alex Kennedy

      It does make sense. Atlanta and Phoenix had exploratory talks a few weeks ago and the Hawks starting doing some background on Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley. That’s the last I heard about it. We’ll see if talks pick up as the deadline gets closer.

  7. Kevin

    Are the Celtics not allowed to trade Rondo because of his injury? The reason why i ask is as a Jazz fan i still would love to see a Millsap+Mo Willams package for Rondo despite the season long injury.

    • Alex Kennedy

      Teams can acquire an injured player. They just waive the physical. However, I’d be surprised to see Rajon Rondo traded.

  8. Deven

    Any chance there might be a Deron Williams like trade for this upcoming trade deadline? In other words, a trade that nobody ever heard about or didn’t expect to happen at all?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Would a Danny Granger trade fit that criteria? Rival executives believe he’s obtainable. If he gets dealt, it would be somewhat surprising.

  9. LA in LA

    I hear some people say Celtics should trade Rondo because of their success without him but I can’t see this happening for 2 reasons:
    1) The two primary players, KG and Pierce, can retire at the end of this year or next year. It would be one thing if they were younger, but don’t deal an ALL-NBA talent when your next best players are that close to retirement.

    2) People seem to forget how awesome Rondo has been in the playoffs…He steps his game up in the playoffs. A lot.

    • Alex Kennedy

      I agree. If you have a young star (especially one who makes players better), you hold onto him. It’s not easy to acquire a franchise cornerstone that you can build around, but Rondo is that. He’s also someone who will attract free agents in the future because guys like playing with him. Not to mention, trading him now would be selling extremely low.

  10. Deven

    With all these KG rumors and his no-trade clause, there’s something I’ve always wanted to know: Has there ever been a player who’s waived their no-trade clause to be traded to another team?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Very few players have an actual no-trade clause, but many players have the right to veto deals. When a restricted free agent signs an offer sheet that is matched by their original team, that player has the ability to veto any trade for a full year. If a player who would’ve had either Bird or Early Bird Rights re-signs with a team on a one-year contract (or two-year contract with an option for the second year), that player has the ability to veto any trade for a full year. Situations like that happen more frequently, where a player has to approve of a trade before it is completed. The most recent example is Marreese Speights. He could’ve vetoed the deal between the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers, but chose not to because he wanted to play in Cleveland.

  11. Deven

    Hi Alex. Nice haircut by the way! Are the Raptors really going to trade Andrea for Boozer? They must really want to make the playoffs next year, especially after acquiring Rudy Gay.

    • Alex Kennedy

      Thanks, it was long overdue.

      I wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade Andrea Bargnani for Carlos Boozer. The feeling within the Raptors organization is that the team is better without Bargnani. They had most of their success when he was sidelined. If they can bring in a veteran who can help them win some more games this year and put them in the playoffs next year, they’ll do it. Keep in mind, Bryan Colangelo is in the last year of his contract so there’s a sense of urgency in Toronto.

  12. Prismelk

    12–11 road record and 15–12 record against teams with at least a .500 record.

    The Heat should be doing better than this, right?! What’s the problem? Thanks!

    • Alex Kennedy

      Teams tend to coast through the regular season after winning a championship, just ask the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. With that said, I think the Miami HEAT will take their game to another level in the postseason.

  13. Prismelk

    What is Kawhi Leonard’s ceiling? Thanks!

    • Alex Kennedy

      I love Kawhi Leonard. He’s going to be a very good player. He’s someone who can cause problems for opposing teams on both sides of the ball. He has all of the tools to be great – athleticism, instincts, enormous hands, etc. I’m excited to see how he develops. He’s an excellent team guy and, with his defensive mindset and shy demeanor, he’s a perfect fit in San Antonio.

  14. art

    Alex, do you think the Magic would pursue Howard this summer? If they drafted Shabazz tbey could potentially sign Howard with J Smith and move Affalo or Redick for draft picks. Personally, I think that would interest all parties. Correct?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Hell no. The Magic have no interest. Dwight Howard really rubbed people the wrong way during his final year in Orlando. I doubt Howard would want to come back and have to face everyone again. Even if he did, the Magic aren’t interested. Most people in Orlando are celebrating that they’re no longer part of the soap opera. There’s no way they’d let that back into the organization.

  15. Mars

    Hey Alex…you think Al Jefferson to the Spurs could realistically happen?

    • Alex Kennedy

      It’s possible. I think it makes sense for the Spurs. I’m not sure what the Jazz would get back though.

  16. Doug

    Should we get used to this Brooklyn roster?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Yes. I don’t think the Nets have much flexibility.

  17. Magicjoe

    I hear that jj could remain in orlando now, is their any other magic rumors out there? Whats the diffedence if a team trdes for turk now than the draft thanx?

    • Alex Kennedy

      It’s possible that J.J. Redick remains in Orlando. He enjoys playing in Orlando and he has settled down with his wife. With that said, I think the Magic have to move him. I can’t see Redick re-signing with the Magic if another team makes a huge offer or gives him the chance to start on a winning team. Would Redick really turn down a great situation to back up Arron Afflalo on a lottery team? I can’t see it happening. I think they should trade him now rather than risk losing him for nothing this summer.

      The difference between a team trading for Hedo Turkoglu now or at the draft is pretty substantial. This year, Turkoglu is owed $11,815,850. Next year, while he’s owed $12,000,000, only $6,000,000 of his contract is guaranteed. A team that’s looking to acquire Turkoglu to clear cap space would be much more interested in acquiring him over the offseason than now.

  18. Kevin

    Amongst the teams with a legitimate chance at a title this year, which team do you think makes a deal before the deadline to try to put themselves over the top?

    • Alex Kennedy

      It sounds like the Clippers are trying to add a big man. They discussed an Anderson Varejao trade earlier in the year and now they’ve been linked to Kevin Garnett. Also, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Spurs rumor came true and they acquired Al Jefferson.

  19. magicjoe

    With hennigan and martins at the helm do former magic players numbers start to get retired?

    • Alex Kennedy

      Good question. I think that would smart. I’ll ask around this Sunday when I’m at the Magic-Blazers game.

      Thanks for all of the questions. I’ll be back next Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. Have a great weekend!