NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 10/3/2011

Coach Anthony Macri is Director of Business Development and a Player Development Consultant for the Pro Training Center. Anthony works closely with NBA trainer David Thorpe, and writes the weekly Coach’s Notebook column for HOOPSWORLD. Coach Macri gets started at 3pm EST every Monday.

  1. Tony

    Hi Coach, what are your thoughts on Anthony Randolph playing the 5 for the Timberwolves? Apprecaite your feedback.

    • Anthony Macri

      Happy Monday everybody! Plenty of room in the queue, so get your NBA and bball related questions in ASAP and I will do my best to answer them. Apparently that American girl in Italy (Amanda Knox) finds out her fate at 3:30p, so please keep up the Knox-watch. Let’s get to your Qs…

      My thoughts are that he would get broken in half by quite a few 5s around the league and really struggle with foul trouble. I think in spot duty this can work (and I actually think teams will be doing things like this more and more, where they give up some size to increase team speed), but I’m not sure it is a very reliable long-term answer.

  2. Jedi Mind Tricks

    Durant only scores so many points because he’s a 6’10″ sf who shoots over anyone and everyone. Durant isn’t all that clutch either did you not see the playoffs? he took the wrong shots at the wrong time. Durant is not an all around player ya he gets rebounds but he’s almost a 7 footer againt people 6’8″ and below.

    • Anthony Macri

      This isn’t the argument you are looking for. Move along.

      Seriously though, Durant is one of the top 3 scorers in the game without a doubt, and I think his all-around game is better than some give him credit for. He makes things look effortless, and his reads and counters have become so second-nature that defending him is a nightmare most of the time. On top of all that, he isn’t even close to his prime yet in terms of basketball knowledge and maturity. He will be one of the best two or three players in the league for the next 7 years or so.

  3. j Cole

    Do you agree that Michael jordan was overrated?Jordan dominated in the 90′s when alot of the strong teams in the 80′s decline such as Celtics when McHale and Parish got older, they were unable to do well. Bulls were able to beat Lakers in 1991 because Kareem and Jordan’s nightmare on defense Michael Cooper were retired. Also Scott and Worthy went down with injury in game 4 when the Lakers were up, leaving Magic all alone. I even think today’s era of players are better. The players are much more athletic you had guys like an early McGrady, early Carter, D-Wade, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James. These guys have combination of height, strength, hops. Whereas in Jordan’s days the shooting guards in general except Cooper were not as athletic or as tall which made it easy for Jordan to dominate.

    • Anthony Macri

      Interesting series of questions today – you know the lockout is going too long when folks start questioning Michael Jordan’s standing as the best player ever.

      I don’t think it’s fair to say Jordan didn’t compete against top flight athletes at his size. Guys like Clyde Drexler and Mitch Richmond were very good, Reggie Miller was at least taller than MJ, and even if MJ was bigger than others (Hornacek, Starks, Dumars, etc.), he molded his game to take advantage of their weaknesses, which a sign of real greatness. I do tend to think people shortchange this era in basketball, but I don’t think it’s right to hold back appreciation of his Airness. He is not overrated.

  4. ryan gerson

    do you consider Kyle lowry to be an all star and a top ten point guard. Where would you rank him in terms of point guard

    • Anthony Macri

      I wrote about Lowry this past week in my Coach’s Notebook – CLICK HERE for that article. I think All-Star is a little tough – there are a lot of great PGs in the league right now. In fact, if we named the top 5 in the West alone, it would include (in no particular order): Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul. That makes it a little tough for Lowry to break through. I tend to think he is likely in the group right outside the Top 10 in the league – probably around 12-14 or so right now – which does not mean he won’t have a chance to move up the rankings if everything breaks just right.

  5. Peter

    Hey Coach! I was just watching some old iverson vids on youtube and man he was one helluva player! My question is how does small players like AI, Chris Paul and Aaron brooks get their shots away without getting blocked by bigger guys?! Cus of my size, i always get blocked =(

    • Anthony Macri

      Players of that size rely on quickness and the ability to find open areas in order to get their shots off. In most cases (Iverson being a special exception), most of the shots that guys like CP3 and Brooks (and Nash, who is not the 6’3 he is listed) take are largely uncontested, so the chances of being blocked are pretty slim. Their ability to use speed and change of direction to put a defender off-balance is legendary, and make them nearly impossible to guard. They also don’t hesitate when it’s time to shoot – they get the shot up more often than not – so a defender is continually put to the test by them. For most players, the challenge shouldn’t be how to shoot over a defender – but rather, how to avoid the defender so you don’t have to shoot over him.

  6. Dong of Dayton

    Hey Anthony,

    What do you think of Francisco Garcia? He seems to get injurred a lot but when he plays he seems like a good swingman. How do you think he’ll do playing SF this year?

    • Anthony Macri

      I like Garcia as a disruptive energy guy on the defensive end, and I think he does things well enough to be a solid support player with the right team. I would like to see him more active on the boards, particularly the offensive glass, but that is just something we feel pretty strongly about for all of our wings.

  7. lildwarf

    Would the Clippers trade Chris Kaman to the Charlotte Bobcats for Boris Diaw? Diaw would give the Clippers an effective third big behind DJ and Griffin, plus provide an additional $3 million in cap space for the Clippers to pursue a free agent like Tayshaun Prince or AK-47.

    • Anthony Macri

      How many guys that do basically the same thing do you want the Clippers to have? Not sure giving up a starting center for a backup PF is the best way to manage a roster, especially when you are then going to try to go out and get another swing SF/PF with the $ you save.

  8. matt

    Bargnani is listed at 81st in the espn nba player rankings. it is too high for him

    • Anthony Macri

      I tend to like Bargnani and I think he is a polarizing type of player, meaning folks that like him usually overvalue him, and folks that don’t tend to really undervalue him. I like stretch bigs because they do something an opponent has to prepare for specifically, which is an advantage, as long as they aren’t hurting you in too many other ways. Those ratings (like any ratings, incidentally) are meant to generate discussion – which it looks like they are doing!

  9. Ghandi

    If you were in charge of getting a team to run great offense, what would you emphasize, drill, run, etc?

    • Anthony Macri

      This is directly out of my basketball coaching philosophy notebook – it’s a little dated since I haven’t done team coaching in a while, but it gives you a pretty good idea: Offense is most successful when it is the simplest actions performed at a high rate of speed. Gaining numerical advantage through the fast break or through effective passing is the best means to score. Our offense will attack through the fast break, obtaining an advantage by pushing the ball up in transition. Our team-oriented, unselfish attack will attempt to get a great shot as quickly as possible while attacking the offensive backboard relentlessly. Our offensive goals will include limiting turnovers, points per game (not field goal percentage, as this can be offset by offensive rebound opportunities), and to assist on at least 60% of all field goals. Points per possession can be a worthwhile tool as well.

  10. Max

    I watched Carlos Navarro play at the Eurobasket tournament and was wondering if the bulls could somehow sign him? he would be the perfect 2guard next to rose, he can shoot and handle the ball. what do you think?

    • Anthony Macri

      I think they can do better – not sure what the contract situation is like but I think of Navarro as a change of pace guy in the NBA, not a starting two guard who does his best work with the ball in his hands (which would not work next to Rose, by the way).

  11. Bill simpson

    The suns are rebuilding with nash Carter and hill. Forget Carter and his unguaranteed contract, what happens with the othe two? They are loyal and happy but need a ring

    • Anthony Macri

      It does seem sad when you really come near the end of a career for a great player and they don’t have the hardware to show for their hard work. I do think it speaks to how hard it is to win an NBA title, and to some degree how much luck can be involved in the process. I hope that Nash and Hill both have a chance at playoff glory, but I’m not convinced it will happen.

  12. matt

    Do u think Indy could make a run at Howard. They r in a gr8 situation cap wise + have a lot of good young players. could they do a sign+trade(if present after lockout). Orlando could unload 1 or 2 of their bad contracts.

    • Anthony Macri

      This is an interesting option. I don’t know what the cap situations will look like after the new CBA is agreed to but that would definitely shake things up in the East. Wherever Dwight ends up will be an instant top 4 team in either conference (if he doesn’t just add to the roster of a current top 4 team).

  13. matt

    Bargnani needs 2 leave the raps. he is a 7 foot tall jrsmith. He is useless defensively + on the glass. BUT if he were on a team with established players they could cover his flaws.

    • Anthony Macri

      I think the second part of your question is the key. Do you know how many players in the league actually could be great if they were on a team of established players who covered up their flaws? The reality is that Bargnani, as a seven footer who can stretch the defense but isn’t particularly fast or rawly athletic, is going to have significant weaknesses, especially on the defensive end. But the advantages he brings to the court can outweigh those problems if he is utilized properly.

  14. Ghandi

    Well I like your take on overall offensive philosophy, was wondering more about specifics. What would you drill/emphasize to match that philosophy? Any particular actions/schemes you feel would be a staple of your attack regardless of personnel

    • Anthony Macri

      I have to make a couple assumptions to really give you a full answer – and obviously, a chat answer won’t be able to go into great detail. However, a few thoughts… first, I will assume this is an NBA team with NBA quality players. I will also assume I have one low post scorer and one wing scorer, and the rest of my guys fit roles. It is hard to talk about specific actions or sets without having details on personnel, but there are themes that I would generally look for. We would be a fast-break, transition team as long as we had the depth to play that way. We would spend a lot of time developing reads in full-court transition situations (i.e., outlet to a guard, look up the strong side to pitch ahead, if that’s not available, cross court with the dribble to enter the frontcourt). We would spend a fair amount of time in trail ballscreen situations, because I think it’s when the defense is at its most vulnerable and is really unable to guard penetration off the ball screen. We’d add in a lot of international elements for drive and pitch (i.e., a penetrating ball-handler would cue a strong side guard to lift and maybe circle behind – think dribble drive motion offenses at the college level). We’d utilize the post and cut hard off of it, with split cuts very prevalent instead of post entry and relocate. There are a lot of areas we could discuss further – but much of the rest would be personnel dependent. Hope that is a little more what you are looking for!

      Alright folks, that about does it for me. The Knox girl’s conviction was overturned, so she will be set free. No news on any impact to the NBA labor talks. But we can hope and dream, can’t we? A new Coach’s Notebook will come out later this week and I’ll be back next Monday with more bball chat. See you next time!