NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 2/14/12

1. rubs93

   Does Mike Brown need an O coordinator? Kobe in the LBJ role is going to wear out. Gasol role has been reduced greatly. The rest of the lakers shoot when the Kobe system allows. What can be done to fix this?

   • Anthony Macri

     Happy Tuesday morning everybody! Great day here the DC area. The team I’m coaching (Paul VI) is now 23-2 and 15-0 in the conference – had a great win over a big time local opponent on Sunday, and we are looking at finishing the regular season strong to get ready for the playoffs. In the NBA, the regular season is just about to start heating up… let’s get to your questions…

     Perhaps Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni need to get together. It is painful to watch the same offense that Cleveland ran now being employed in LA. Remember, they used to run that type of stuff because they “didn’t have enough talent.” The Lakers have plenty of offensive talent in at least three positions – and they still spend a ton of time standing around. I appreciate good ball and player movement. Most of what the Lakers do should be pick and roll based, maybe with high-low action sprinkled in to get Gasol and Bynum taking advantage of one another. However, it starts at the top and a coach willing to make those changes.

2. Mark

   When analysts rate a player’s future growth potential (e.g. “reached his ceiling”, “sky’s the limit”), what are the key metrics – other than age — used in such an evaluation? Based on these metrics, how much better, if at all, can Jeremy Lin get assuming he ends the season averaging around 15 points and 7 assists?

   • Anthony Macri

     One of the things I like to look at is how much a player is able to demonstrate their understanding of the game, and their willingness to learn. Lin does a fair number of things that are very attractive in a young player, but still shows some gaps in his development. Those are good things, because it means there is plenty of room for growth. I like him as a Tony Parker light, which is pretty darn good. Not sure he’ll ever put up more than 15 and 7 (and there is no guarantee he’ll do that this season), but that is good enough to be a great change-of-pace guard on a championship team and maybe a starter on a playoff contender if the rest of the pieces fit just right.

3. Kevin

   Help me understand the buyout. So when Orlando bought out Arenas’ contract, he got a lump sum of what was left of it? If so, that has to take away the sting of getting dumped.

   • Anthony Macri

     I’m not sure if that’s what happened – I don’t really focus on the details of CBA stuff. However, it would definitely take the sting out of me getting dumped if I got a big fat check to cushion the fall.

4. Aristotle

   Hey there Coach Anthony,

   Everyone’s talking about Jeremy Lin… undrafted, made it on rosters, got cut, wasn’t sure if he was going to survive this season on NY’s roster spot, etc.

   Well when does a coach decide to give such a player a chance? I’m sure there’s many players that probably could of made a great impact on the court that never got the chance, because they were being beat at training even when giving it their all.

   You see Cole pushing Chalmers in Miami too for example.

   And then you see those number 1 draft picks that go bust, and then you get an undrafted player taking it by storm.

   How does a coach deal with all this and make their decisions?

   • Anthony Macri

     Some coaches will try to explain the skill of it all, but I’m not that self-important. In fact, I think a fair amount of these situations are simply luck. There is an old saying that luck is when hard work meets opportunity. In many ways, we see that saying being lived right now in Jeremy Lin’s situation. He has been working hard, got the right opportunity, and kicked the door down. Giving a player a chance can come as a result of injury or some other negative, or it can be a guy has just impressed over the long haul and when he finally gets in the game, he shines. There is no tried and true formula for finding that guy – it just kind of happens, and often when it is least expected.

5. Sweet Dee

   Earlier, someone asked if racism had to do with Jeremy Lin not getting a chance to play as he is a slender Asian (and not a big muscular African American). Some argue if he was he would have been given his shot earlier/more often. Many disagreed saying teams are only interested in winning players, not skin colour. OK. To see if this holds true lets look at the facts: Jeremy won the state championship of California in high school, yet didn’t receive a single D1 scholarship to any school in this state (leaving him to go to Harvard). If racism isn’t a factor, name 1 African American player who was a starter on a state championship highschool team, made it to the NBA, but was never offered a D1 scholarship in that state?

   • Anthony Macri

     So many factors go into college recruiting that it is impossible to make this argument work. Perhaps no schools needed a point guard that year? Maybe Lin had a bad game the day an interested school came to see him? What was his AAU affiliation? I just don’t think it is easy to name any one single factor as being the determining one when it comes to Lin and the fact that he had no DI offers. The bottom line is most college coaches have a pack or herd mentality – they only feel validated when someone else is recruiting the same player. If word got out that no one was recruiting him, then other coaches, who might otherwise be interested, would shy away. Sad, but true. And nothing to do with race.

6. Josh

   There seems to be alot of young centers on the rise, Marc Gasol, Roy Hibbert have bot made all star teams. do you think that the likes of DeMarcus Cousins or Greg Monroe make those teams as well in the future? and how will Brook Lopez stack up when he returns?

   • Anthony Macri

     I love Greg Monroe’s game and I think he will have lots of all-star opportunities in the future. Cousins all comes down to his head. My mentor, Coach David Thorpe, believes Cousins can be as dominant as Dwight Howard if he wants to be. Not sure I am quite on the same level of thinking as Coach Thorpe, but I’m sure he can be good. Great question on Lopez – will he be the same old Lopez or will it be version 2.0?

7. Seth

   Do you think beasely would be a good target for the celtics this summer? Our veterans could keep him in line.

   • Anthony Macri

     Not a terrible idea. One of the few places he can fit, stay “in line,” and where they might be able to use his production. The real question is where do his shots come from and does he submit to the team concept there? That, of course, will be the question wherever Beasley ends up.

8. Gery

   Melo+Fields for Iggy+Evans. NYK gets better at D and more freedom for run and gun system. Philly gets a star player to attract some audience and very good team moving forward.

   • Anthony Macri

     Unfortunately Melo is starting to get the reputation that Allen Iverson cultivated over many years, and not in a good way.

9. Ricardo

   Hi, Coach Macri. How are you? Besides Irving and Rubio, who is the rookie that most impress you in this season and why?

   • Anthony Macri

     Kawhi Leonard has been impressive overall in limited minutes. He looks like a long-term option for a lot of teams. I have also liked Kemba Walker in the times I’ve seen him – I think he has a great feel for the game and an understanding of when to go and when to slow.

10. JP

    A-I saw in your last chat that you like Afflalo.
    1-Is it possible for Malcolm Lee to develop as much as Afflalo did with some playing time?
    2- Can he be our lockdown PG and SG defender that gives all from him from the bench?
    B-Speaking about the SG position.
    1-Should Minne enter in Dwight Howard trade with the Nets if there is one to get Anthony Morrow?
    2-Can Rubio with his assists make Morrow much more efficient?
    C-If Kahn tells you that they can either trade for Eric Gordon or the Bobcats first round pick that can be the 1st one pick of this year draft, which option would you choose?
    D-What are your thoughts on Tim Hardaway Jr.? Will he star if he improves his decision making?

    • Anthony Macri

      Some good questions here… not sure Malcolm Lee is able to make that kind of leap, but it is possible. None of us are quite sure what kind of impact he’ll make when he returns, but Afflalo is pretty darn good. I would not count on Malcolm Lee as the answer, but a possibility.

      I’d need to know what kind of trade overall we’re talking if you want them to be involved. I like Rubio with tons of shooters around and a great screener. Have to think about your other options. My first thought is to take the Bobcats pick. Have not really studied Hardaway, but I’ll try to do so.

11. Kevin

    Hey Coach,

    Wizards questions here… They got a lot of young talented pieces (Wall, Crawford, Young, Singleton, Booker, Vesley, McGee) and they are gonna have a great pick this year in a draft loaded with great PF’s coming through. Biggest knock on this team is that they need “veteran” experience to help them put it all together, but these young kids are taking up every position… What should they do? Play the young guys and let them learn the tough way (losing a lot of games) or should they go for a wiley FA vet who can teach them and bench some of the youngsters? (and who would they even go for in terms of vet leadership?)

    Your thoughts

    • Anthony Macri

      Dump most of the core, keep guys like Wall, Crawford, Booker, and Vesley, and get some veteran talent for the rest. Then, use the pick and get high character guys only from there.

12. matt

    Can DeRozan be a consistent 17-20 ppg player in the NBA?

    • Anthony Macri

      15-18 seems more likely, but him getting to 20 in a given season is possible.

13. matt

    My all time top 10 in no specific order: Jordan, Magic, Kobe, Bird, Duncan, Shaq, Russell, Chamberlain, Kareem, Hakeem. Just missed out: Pippen, Cousy, West, Baylor, Oscar Roberston.

    • Anthony Macri

      LeBron has to be in there on the potential list. Would love people to discuss this in the comment section below.

14. Marvelous Marv

    The one knock from everyone on J-Lin is his level of turnovers. However, his t/o’s occur in attacking the basket and splitting the double team.

    This seems like less of an issue, if the total t/o’s for the team don’t increase and NYK have a better flowing offense? It was the do-nothing turnovers that were killing the offense pre-lin.

    • Anthony Macri

      I do think there is a pretty big difference between do-nothing (passive) turnovers and aggressive turnovers. The thing is that aggressive turnovers keep defenders on their heels and open up additional opportunities later. Passive turnovers just allow defenses to dictate the flow and never make a mistake.

15. Pimplyteen

    If you are dealt AQ suited and you raise and pimplyteen re-raises you, what are you best options in order?

    A) Call?
    B) Fold?
    C) Shove?

    Thanks,

    Jeff

    • Anthony Macri

      It depends?

16. Jason

    Watching Mike Browns offense is just torture. Do you think a solid PG to replace the terrible play of Blake and Fisher could (its hard to watch either one play with so little confedence), at least potentially, get the Lakers offense moving or is it going to take more than that?

    • Anthony Macri

      More than that. They all stand around and watch no matter what point guard is bringing the ball into the frontcourt.

17. Patrick

    I see in the draft that players are anywhere from 18-22, does age play any serious part in the draft process at all? I know it goes by best available, but would a GM prefer to draft a young prospect (18) vs. an older one (22) in hopes of getting more time out of them? Or would you say the opposite?

    • Anthony Macri

      Guys get extra points for being younger, for sure. It is natural to think that a younger player has more potential to get better than they would if they were older. The situation also makes a difference – some teams need a player with a little more experience rather than one with just raw potential.

18. Brooks

    I’m a 6’3″ junior and am mainly a pure shooter, but I really want to be a vicious attacker of the basket and be able to dribble really well. Any tips on how to help my dribbling?

    • Anthony Macri

      Dribble 5-8 minutes every day, extremely hard. Focus on using the dribble for a purpose every single time, and work on dribbling where you are going rather than where you are. If you just follow those few things, you will see pretty impressive results in a relatively short period of time.

19. Ronnie

    Was the Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to Orlando for Tony Battie, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston to NJ the worst trade in NBA history?

    • Anthony Macri

      There are some VERY bad trades in history.

20. Jazzfan

    Do you think Ty Corbin is legitmate candidate for Coach Of The Year? considering he took over for Jerry Sloan unexpectdly in mid season last year then loses DWill almost immediatly after, then there’s the lockout and the shortened training camp with little time to implement his system, they get off to a horrible start with the blowout losses and then turns it around and has us in playoff contention and were doing better than most “experts” expected us to.

    • Anthony Macri

      I definitely agree he is a candidate. There are others as well – I love the talk about overachieving teams and their coaches being at the forefront, it definitely makes for good conversation.

21. JP

    Coach, I will ask you the next time about Tim.
    1-Regarding the 1st pick you have selected. You would not pass on Davis, right?
    2-A trade idea I saw is the following:
    Beasley, Williams, Ridnour, Randolph, Webster, Pekovic, 2012 and 2013 1st round pick for Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Wafer…Would you do it? Isn´t Minne losing too much there?

    • Anthony Macri

      I would find it very difficult to pass on Davis (borderline impossible). I just love him as a player. Yes, your trade probably takes too much from Minnesota long-term, though you can build a major contender out of the Rubio, Love, Howard threesome, no matter who the role guys are.

      Time for me to get on out of here, folks. Thanks for dropping off your Qs. I should have a Coach’s Notebook up later this week, but then I’ll be out all next week – see you later in the month!