NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 1/10/12

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 his new time of 11am EST every Tuesday.

  1. Mac

    Rank these trade packages. Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu for:
    1) Andrew Bynum + 1rst round pick + spare parts (to make salaries match)
    2) Brook Lopez + two 1rst round picks + spare parts
    3) Al Horford, Marvin Williams, and Jeff Teague + first round pick

    • Anthony Macri

      Happy Tuesday Morning everybody. Had a little dusting yesterday in northern VA, but it’s sunny now. Still a little cold. Happy the league is still functioning and i’m enjoying watching the NBA. Plenty of questions in the queue, but feel free to throw more up there. Let’s get to it!

      Personally I like #2 the most, just because I believe in my ability as a talent evaluator and I think I can get a ton of value from two first round draft picks (plus the Nets are not going to be too good, and so the picks should be decent). #1 is next, but it isn’t too far ahead of #3 for me. I really like Al Horford and what he does for a team.

  2. Charlie

    There was an interesting article on Hoopshype discussing names changes of players. Ron Artest to Metta World Peace and Chad Johnson to Chad Ochochinco, name changes which were honored by the team and put on the back of the jersey. The author plays devils advocate and asks “What if a player legally changed his name to a company?” Ex. Lebron James sells his name right to the highest bidder, so ever time you watch a HEAT game its “Pepsi throws down a thunderous dunk.” Crazy idea or not so off reality?

    • Anthony Macri

      Aren’t there rules with regard to changing your name to the name of a company for profit reasons? I would think there would be in terms of trademark infringement. An interesting idea, however. Perhaps I will change my name to something like Kleenex. How much do you think they’ll give me?

  3. jhay_e

    Cavs drafted wrong..i think if they drafted derrick williams & kemba walker that would be much better than kyle irving & tristan thompson…

    :) tnx

    • Anthony Macri

      Derrick Williams I like. However I think Kyrie Irving looks like a stud. I also like Tristan Thompson long term as a fit next to Kyrie. I think Kemba is a winner but he looks like a long-term change-of-pace guard.

  4. jhay_e

    Chris Kaman for Michael Beasley & Darko Milicic..

    or

    Pau Gasol & Derrick Caracter for Michael Beasley & Anthony Randolph & Jose Juan Barea

    • Anthony Macri

      First one I don’t like at all, second one I would lean toward saying yes if I’m the Timberwolves, but is that really a positive for Los Angeles?

  5. Focuslja

    So far…what is DJ Augustin’s trade value? And what teams would be in the market for a PG like DJ?

    • Anthony Macri

      Hard to say in a vacuum what his value is. Hard to think of a team that he fits in with perfectly as a starter. He has taken a bigger role overall with his team this year, taking more shots, getting more assists and rebounds. Suggestions for a good fit for Augustin can go in the comments below.

  6. Focuslja

    With Wes Johnson beginning to struggle and decrease in minutes, does this mean that he will be on the block soon? If so, what is his value?

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t like putting guys on the block when their value is going down, that tends to be a recipe for losing a ton of value. Would like to see him on an upswing rather than a downswing. Of course, he might be a piece to a package that includes a guy like Beasley or Beasley and Milicic.

  7. AJ

    If you were the GM of the Suns, Rockets, Bucks, or Jazz would you commit to rebuilding and look to trade their veterans?

  8. Jiggy

    If you were a GM on ORL what is the realistic package that you would offer to get a good PG in ORL and which one? I am out of ideas…

    • Anthony Macri

      Are you trying to keep Dwight Howard? Not sure which one you could get that gets Dwight interested in staying. If you just want to get a point guard whether Dwight is there or not, that seems a little silly.

  9. Jiggy

    Is Ryan Anderson playing better than Rlewis has ever played for orlando

    • Anthony Macri

      I really like Ryan Anderson. Back in the summer I tagged Anderson as an undervalued asset (CLICK HERE to see the article). It’s a small sample size still, but I’d tend to lean toward Anderson doing a lot more for them than Lewis ever did, yes.

  10. Brooks

    What can you tell me about Darius Morris? How good can he be? Is he our PG of the future?

    • Anthony Macri

      Need more evidence of something positive or negative. Don’t know enough to make a judgment.

  11. dre

    Cavs Kyrie Irving looking impressive who out the 2012 draft should be on the Cavs radar to pair up wit him and TT?

    • Anthony Macri

      I like them looking for a wing shooter a la Bradley Beal, Jeremy Lamb, or Terrence Ross. That is at first glance. So far, Cleveland is overperforming what I thought they’d get this year, though I like what they look like for the future.

  12. Beckley

    Why are the 76ers able to score so efficiently? Also, how is Spencer Hawes getting 32 minutes on the league’s best defensive team?

    • Anthony Macri

      An appearance in my chat from the esteemed Beckley Mason of HoopSpeak.com! Wow, I am honored. I better get this answer right…

      Last season I talked about their unselfish attack based on great spacing. They space the floor as well if not better than anyone else, and this gives them a great chance to excecute with great balance. Ultimately, “it’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.” This year, I spent an article on the 76ers talking about their defensive unselfishness. They just do everything technically correct – and system commitment makes up for a lot of individual flaws for particular players, even someone who has underperformed in the past, like Hawes. Finally, let’s give him a little credit – maybe the lightbulb went off.

  13. Anthony

    Do you expect Asik to be in Chicago long term? I would love for Cleveland to sign him, move Varejao to the bench, and then draft a scoring wing in the 2012 draft.

    • Anthony Macri

      I think they see good value in Asik long term but the question Chicago has to answer is whether they can win a champonship with their current roster or if the value of trading a guy like Asik is worth enough to them right now.

  14. casey j wood

    do you see the orlando magic making any trade when the get back from this road trip ?

    • Anthony Macri

      Dwight is the first domino for them. I doubt much happens until a decision is made on him.

  15. Ceeboogie

    Hearing rumors about Stoudemire for Howard? How realistic is this when Stoudemire has an uninsured contract?

  16. Dallas

    Thoughts on Dwayne Casey’s Raptors? Same players, much better play so far. Outside shot at Coach of the Year?

    • Anthony Macri

      I like Coach of the Year for coaches who make change-arounds like that. As my mentor Coach David Thorpe says, it is truly a coach’s league. I have no doubt that is the case. Anyone who tells you differently doesn’t understand what we are trying to argue.

  17. Jamaal

    Do u think the heat could cash Cole in for a center like javale Mcgee or d cousins?

    • Anthony Macri

      Not sure either of those guys are what I’d watn in Miami, though I’d tend to want McGee from a style standpoint. Why either the Wiz or the Kings would want Cole is beyond me, however.

  18. Tasos

    hi Anthony,
    who says no?
    Gasol+Fisher for Bargnani+Calderon
    Calderon/Bryant/Barnes/Bargnani/Bynum
    Lakers for the champion
    thanks!

    • Anthony Macri

      I like the direction of the Raptors right now – why would I trade those guys for Gasol and a basically worthless Fisher?

  19. Celia R.

    Anthony,
    All quiet on the Lakers trade front. Do you think the Lakers went into ninja mode and are conducting trades in secrecy or have all trade sources for them have dried up? Have you heard anything regarding laker trades or trade targets? Thank you.

    • Anthony Macri

      Haven’t heard – that isn’t my specialty to do the rumor thing. My guess is they are lying low to avoid people talking about players constantly.

  20. Lior

    Do you see any way to salvage/fix the Rockets season? What (realistic) trade would you make?

    • Anthony Macri

      I have to watch the Rockets this season – maybe I’ll try to do so this week. Their defensive effort has been lackluster according to statistics.

  21. Celia R.

    Do you think Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will still be Lakers by the trade deadline?

    • Anthony Macri

      I think it looks likely they will remain, but a chance for them to be moved is still strong enough. My guess is it’s around 65% they stay, 35% one of them (or both) get moved.

  22. likeabull

    What changes should my bulls make to get past heat? I still think we dont have enough.

    • Anthony Macri

      The Bulls look like the kind of team that can pull out tough wins, and that have a guy they can rely on to make winning plays in big games. That might be enough against the Heat. I don’t think it is too much a question of talent, though Rip Hamilton wouldn’t have been my first choice at the two guard spot. I want to watch them in more detail to decide if they have the horses to beat Miami. Right now I think it is a 6 or 7 game series – and a real joy to watch at that. I really think these are probably the best two teams in the league right now, and I think there is a considerable gulf between them and everyone else.

  23. Jonathan

    Hi Coach, any tips on improving an aging rec league team? We’re all over 30 and the competition seems to get younger. Missed the playoffs for the first time in 7 years of playing in the league and the team seems to be on a decline. Any tip is appreciated, if this question is meant for off chat please email me instead, thanks Coach!

    • Anthony Macri

      Start working on lots of ball screen actions. Remember, we screen in order to make teams make a decision. Really work to explode off the ball screens and create penetration, then read where the help is, etc. Many teams will start to switch against you, which is fine, you just have to read the switches and start working together (rolls tot he basket, pinning the switching defender on the screeners back, will work well). It is very hard to guard – that’s why NBA teams do it!

      That’s about it for me today. The team I’m coaching, Paul VI (Fairfax, VA), has a league game tonight in the WCAC. We are currently 12-2 and still in the USA Today Top 25. Keep track of our progress on Twitter with me (@CoachMacri) or with the official Paul VI basketball twitter account (@PVIHoops). Otherwise, enjoy the NBA over the next week and see you next time!