NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 12/18/12

Coach Anthony Macri writes the weekly Coach’s Notebook column for HOOPSWORLD and is the CEO of the ASEAN Basketball League, the first regional professional basketball league in Southeast Asia. Coach Macri gets started at his new time of 10am EST every Tuesday.

  1. JDC

    Hey coach I was playing around with the trade machine and did a “rebuild” of the Bulls. I know they don’t need it and that they will wait for Rose to get back. The team is playing good basketball but I still think they need another ball handler scorer to go side by side with Rose. In the finals when Lebron guarded Rose everyone stood watching and this year the only player that can create constantly of the dribble is Nate.

    So..
    1.Deng for Beasley, Dudley, Morris

    Rip, Marco or Kirk and picks for T. Evans.

    2.Also had Deng for Evans, Thorton and Garcia (with some fillers to make it work) That would give them a scorer of the bench, a big 2 hat can handle the ball and create plus a vet at the 3

    They need to look for offense and maybe start searching for some big if they’re going to amnesty Boozer. (A front Court of Taj and Noah wont score enough points) Your thoughts?

    • Anthony Macri

      Happy Tuesday everybody! I have not been around much lately – been busy working on the ABL as we get ready to start our new season. In the US for a few weeks now – let’s get to your questions!

      I am not a fan of acquiring pieces that would be as difficult to integrate into their system as Beasley or Evans. I do agree they could use additional frontcourt scoring, but I’m not sure you need as much roster turnover as you are suggesting. There must be alternatives off the bench that can be as effective.

  2. Julian

    Should the Celts go after Barea or Ridnour now that Rubio is back and they need a back up pg?
    The celts will have Barbosa, Lee, Terry, Bradley at the 2 and no true pg to back Rondo.

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t know they need a true point guard as a back up for Rondo. You’re talking about 8-10 minutes a game, and that can be filled by committee if necessary. If a good fit is available cheap, by all means, but no need to go crazy in my opinion.

  3. Charlie

    The D-League seems like a good place to develop talent as a “farm team” to a NBA team. However, there may be an inherent problem with the system. Ex. Chris Douglas Roberts is leading the league in scoring at 27+ points / game. But if he were ever recalled, he would play a completely different role at the pro level – defensive stopper, spot shooter, not-focal part of the offense. So you are calling him up based on offensive statistics yet want him to play a defensive role. Do you agree with this argument? If so, have any ideas to correct the system? Ex. encouraging D-League coaches to play players like CDR in a defensive stopper role despite being the most gifted offensively on the team. Sacrifice wins for proper player development so when recalled, he will be playing the same role. Your thoughts.

    • Anthony Macri

      I think it is incumbent upon a team to push their D-League affiliate to find a balance between success on the court and developing their players. I’m not sure these things need to be mutually exclusive. While the role a guy like CDR would play in the NBA is very different than what he is doing now in the D-League, he should be informed of what is expected of him if he expects to ever return to the NBA, and then he must adjust the way he approaches the game accordingly.

      I do not believe it would be in the best interests of any organization to force players to “not score” for a D-League team. But making sure the players understand their priorities is how to create that balance.

  4. Sweet Dee

    There was a recent Hoopsworld article which praised the blueprint of Danny Ferry and Atlanta – going as far as suggesting “at 14-7 to start the season the Hawks are at least as good as they were with Joe Johnson in the mix, and possibly even better. – Ingram.” Am I the only one who believes this team is destined to implode? DeShawn Stevenson and Kyle Korver are good veteran role players – but I think we will see them slowly come back down to reality as the schedule balances out by the end of the year (500 or 1-2 games over). Agree or Disagree and why?

    • Anthony Macri

      I have not watched enough of the Hawks to make a final conclusion. However, my sense is that they are about as good, and there are also less good teams than in years past, which gives Atlanta the ability to have a better record than in the past. I’ll try to watch them over the next few games and get a better understanding. However, I think their likeliness to implode is slightly exaggerated.

  5. Jazzfan

    Coach how are things?
    Me and my buddy were discussing who D.Favors could be compared to in the future if he keeps improving, I’m thinking Ben Wallace (who’s my fav player of all time even tho he never played for the Jazz) a beast on defense who can do some work on offense when he needs to what you think man?

    • Anthony Macri

      I tend to think he’s a completely different player than Ben Wallace, and I think his offensive abilities have higher potential than Wallace’s. Will he be as productive with more minutes? That is the question. No reason to doubt that he will, but there are no guarantees.

  6. Jazzfan

    What do you think of this deal?
    Jazz trade Milsap and a 1st round pick to Detroit for Brandon Knight? Jazz giving up too much or not enough?

  7. pacquiao the return

    If u are a gm drafting. U see cp3 ,durant and dwade all in their teens…. Who would u draft? And if u were to pick a coach , avery johnson, vinny d, thibideu or adelman? Thanks coach!

    • Anthony Macri

      Kevin Durant is such a unique combination of athleticism, size, and ability that he would be hard to pass up. And Rick Adelman is one of the top 3 or 4 coaches in the league in my book.

  8. JM

    Hi,

    What teams are looking to trade for a point guard? And what do you think they would be willing to give up for a guy like Lowry? Caldaron?
    Can you see Sacramento giving up Evens and a draft pick/Robinson for Lowry?

    Thanks!

    • Anthony Macri

      Does Lowry really put them in a position to contend or improve them so significantly that they couldn’t say no? At the same time, is Evans so attractive to Toronto (or anywhere) that they would be willing to give up a piece like Lowry?

      Sorry for the slow responses thusfar, was having technical issues, but I believe I have remedied those issues now.

  9. JP

    Hi Coach! How are you? It´s being a while since our last chat even in Twitter!
    A-With Minnesota current roster in mind, which player would you target to make this team rock?
    B-Is Derrick Williams a future All star with the proper guidance and time?
    Thanks!

    • Anthony Macri

      Most important thing is getting Kevin Love back to playing the kind of basketball he is capable of. The rest will fall into place. I think Williams has a shot at being pretty good, but I’m not sure I’d call him a future All-Star yet. So much for him to work on and become consistent with to even think about that possible result.

  10. Jim in CyberSpace

    Do you think the NBA would re-arrange divisions? It would make sense for OKC to move to the SWD and Memphis to the NWD.
    Dallas, Houston, OKC, San Antionio, and New Orleans.
    MLB moved the Brewers from the American League to the National League, as an example.

    • Anthony Macri

      I think if there was a major push to do so from the team owners, it would happen with relative ease. I would not be surprised to see it happen, but as long as there is any kind of indications of teams moving significantly (Kings, for example), I don’t see them making too many huge changes they would need to adjust again shortly thereafter.

  11. tweezy

    The celtics are too thin down low, can we sign KMART and make a trade for gortat?
    We need AB to start and KG back at the PF position, at first i was saying the bass for bigbaby trade was a good but not anymore agree?

    • Anthony Macri

      I’m interested in what pieces you think you’d be able to part with to acquire a guy like Gortat. Those guys are not available on the cheap. I am actually fine with KG playing at the center position, I think that positional designation is largely for show anyway. I would have preferred never getting rid of Big Baby.

  12. Justin

    Millsap for Bargnani?

    • Anthony Macri

      I like Bargnani in the right system more than Millsap (though I like him as a player, I think Bargnani’s ability to help the right team win games is higher than Millsap’s). What say you reader? Respond in the comments.

  13. Justin

    Who do you think would be a better fit in Utah to be the future pg? Jennings, Evans, Ellis, or can they sneak CP3 from Clippers with a max offer?

    • Anthony Macri

      Not sure how or why CP3 would leave LA for Utah. Jennings’ has caught my eye more recently, though I’d still like to see him with better shot selection and more of a table-setting focus. I would like him over Evans or Ellis, however.

  14. Nickso

    Hey coach, how important is for a point guard to be good at rebounding? You think guards have to be good on the glass or it’s not a requisite as it is to the other positions?

    • Anthony Macri

      While it is not as critical to have a strong rebounding point guard, a point who is able to rebound and takes advantage of rebounding becomes a lot more of a threat in the open court. This is one of the reasons guys like Westbrook, Rondo, and Rose are so dangerous. They rebound and can push themselves, cutting out the middle-man and leading to faster transitions into attack mode. In addition, some point guards are ferocious offensive rebounders, and because their counterparts are not accustomed to properly boxing out, they can do a lot of damage on the offensive glass as long as a team balances this approach with other players getting back defensively.

  15. justin

    How soon until Nash and Howard both request trades? Can you see Howard resigning next year or leaving as a free agent.

    • Anthony Macri

      Wow, that whole team hasn’t played a game yet. Let me ask you a question… let’s imagine Nash returns and either Gasol returns and figures it out or gets traded for a piece that serves as a better fit. And they make the playoffs only a game or two over .500. Is that a team you really want to play in the postseason?

  16. Wil

    Hi Coach, I have to say I am impressed with the Magic this season, as they are playing with a lot of heart and are actually in the playoff hunt! New coach, many new faces but no excuses (ahem, Lakers). As a coach what do see them doing that is different than so many clubs that have more talent on paper but are in free-fall right now?

    • Anthony Macri

      They seem to have bought into what Jacques Vaughn is selling. That makes all the difference in the world. Will try to watch for more a more detailed response. So it looks like my homework includes watching the Hawks and the Magic.

  17. Joel

    What are the Celtics’ chances of landing an impact big-man ala Gortat through trade? Do you see Green or Lee having any trade value? Are Bradley & Sullinger their only real trade chips (assuming of course Rondo is off the table)

    • Anthony Macri

      It’s possible but I think the Suns would seek a great deal of value for a Gortat type. Not sure the Celtics have enough movable assets to make it work. Would need to study in detail.

      Sorry again for the technical issues, but hopefully I got to enough questions. Feel free to drop a few in the comments below and I’ll try to respond over the course of the next few days. See you next week!