NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 3/20/12

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. George

    Who are my Kings? The team that gets blown out by GSW and Det or the team that blows out Boston and Minnesota in the same week?

    • Anthony Macri

      Happy Tuesday morning everybody! Nice day outside – and our PVI team plays its final game of the season. We will be playing in the City Title Game against Coolidge at the Verizon Center, and you can watch live tonight at http://www.allmetsports.com with a 7:30p tip off. Let’s get to your questions…

      Your Kings are both those teams. If things go well, they are transitioning to more of the latter, but they will still occasionally experience the former. Welcome to basketball’s version of developmental adolescence.

  2. AJ

    Why is having an undersized point guard such a concern for GMs in the draft? There are only maybe 2-3 point guards who I would be worried about, as far as post games. Seems to me that speed is more important.

    • Anthony Macri

      Agree COMPLETELY. For me, the real concern with guard size is the ability to rebound and push the ball as a result. I like guards that can rip the ball off a miss and lead their own break. But from a defensive standpoint, I’m not too worried about my guards getting posted up. I believe for the vast majority of opponents, posting up their guards is bad offense, and so I’m ok if they want to post my guys up.

  3. marcus

    What do you think coach Anthony is the best strategy for the Miami Heat to win their second championship? In my observation of the recent NBA Finals, the bench of Mavericks killed Miami to make a run on the series and grabbed their first ever title. Can you mention it with me the particular strategy? My honor to be with you, my first time to talk with a basketball coach

    • Anthony Macri

      Defend with absolute energy at all times, run it down other teams throats, rinse, repeat. It’s not a hard formula, but doing that consistently takes a ton of concentration and effort.

  4. Aristotle

    Hey Coach,

    With teams like Duke and Missouri who were upset in the first round, how will the draft studs be analysed now by scouts with a one and done game in the tourney?

    • Anthony Macri

      Great question. Winning and having a sustained run in the tournament has helped countless prospects. The advent of streaming and archiving all games makes it easier to evaluate a prospect, and to be honest, the metrics will be available whether the player is playing or not, but many old school GMs will miss out on the guys they need to see with their own eyes.

  5. JP

    Hi coach, I have a few questions for you:
    1-Is there a second round pick that rocks it & can be the steal of this draft?
    2-Were you able to see something from Tim Hardaway Jr.?
    3-Do you have an answer now of who is more complete and who has more potential: Bradley Beal or Jeremy Lamb?
    4-If you are the coach of an NBA team and your GM wants you to choose one of these two players, which player would you have and why: Courtney Lee or OJ Mayo?

    • Anthony Macri

      1.) I like two guys – they are both Baltimore guys, so I might have a bias as I coached against them when I was doing the HS thing there – but check out Will Barton (Memphis) and Henry Sims (Georgetown). Very different prospects. Will has great length and shows the athletic ability to be a finisher and defender. Sims has gotten so much better in his time at Georgetwon, and I think they do a good job of teaching their bigs fundamentals to carry into the next level, so I wouldn’t bet against him.

      2.) Unfortunately not yet. Sorry. You’ll learn why it hasn’t been easy soon – I have had some things going on.

      3.) I like Beal a little more right now, but I am not steadfast in that commitment.

      4.) Rosters being even, I take Courtney. I think he is a better fit for the majority of situations. However, if the situation is right, Mayo is a better player because if you have one that fits what he does well, he can be more productive and dangerous.

  6. Jazzfan

    Thanks for the chat you guys are awesome for doing these, givin the way the Jazz young guys have played these last few games do you think coach Corbin should start increasing their minutes more even when Bell and Jefferson return?

    • Anthony Macri

      It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The key is finding ways to integrate them into the lineup such that they continue their production and success without spoiling the dynamic. I think it is possible, especially for Jefferson, who can relieve a lot of stress even if his minutes are limited.

  7. Anthony

    Last night was a bit of a coming out party for Irving and Thompson. If you had to speculate, is this a sign of things to come, or will Thompson’s development hold them back for a while? To me, Thompson seems to have the moxie to be quite successful in the league.

    • Anthony Macri

      I LOVED Tristan Thompson back in the draft. I think I wrote about how the Cavs draft was perfect because they got a 1-2 punch that could be devastating to the rest of the league. Still feel that way. He will have his growing pains and sometimes it may seem his development is moving in the wrong direction, but there is no way he won’t have a strong, good productive career.

  8. Stantonia

    Thought it was suppose to be illegal to do what D. Fisher did with Houston by refusing to report. It’s obvious what he was doing (pouting). NBA needs to suspend pay and make player ineligible to play with any team for duration of contract. How unprofessional!

    • Anthony Macri

      He has to give up his guaranteed money, and they released him. It is the way contracts work. Would you rather him come play when he doesn’t want to? That is a recipe for disaster. I’m not saying he should have done what he did, but why would you want a guy around who doesn’t want to be there anyway?

  9. Deven

    Hi Coach Macri. What have you noticed lately about my Knicks since Coach Woodson took over.

    • Anthony Macri

      They are scoring more and giving up less? I like that they did it to Indiana. I have not watched them because I’ve been distracted by the NCAA, but I’ll try to get it on the schedule.

  10. mark

    Anthony, in your heart of hearts, do the Bulls have a good chance to beat Miami if Hamilton (and Rose)returns healthy?

  11. skidz

    I’m A Laker fan… can you see L.A. getting additional player from the FA pool? I think they have an open roster spot… Thanks for the time…

    • Anthony Macri

      It would not surprise me if we saw a call up, but exactly who that would be I don’t know.

  12. JR

    Did you see Alec Burks play agains the Lakers. Wow!

    • Anthony Macri

      I did not get the chance to watch, but I heard some great things. Occasionally guys just hit a zone where they are unstoppable, and it sounds like Burks was in that position against the Lakers. It is fun to watch when someone just reaches a stride like that – and basketball might be the most fun sport to watch it in. I do like what he is doing out there overall! Will have to watch the game to give you more thoughts.

      Plenty of room in the chat for more questions! Get them in now!!!

  13. JP

    If that team is Minnesota,which player would you pick Courtney or Mayo. Is Courtney Lee a potential lockdown defender that can still knock down 3′s?

    • Anthony Macri

      Yes that is the kind of player Courtney is. He also fits better because when Rubio returns, he is much better as a catch and shoot guy than OJ. OJ fits in best at a place that needs him to slash with the ball in his hands a fair amount. That isn’t what is needed in Minnesota, where they need to spread the floor for Rubio and Love to do their work.

  14. Eric

    how do you think the jennings-ellis tandem will play out. will they mesh well?

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t think it can work long term. They both like to make the big play, and that isn’t the same as the right play. My guess is there will be times when it looks like the most beautiful pairing in all of basketball, but the rest of the time it will be pretty mediocre.

  15. MikeM

    Do you think the Spurs will be like last year and have a great regular season, but get exposed in the playoffs?

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t like betting against the Spurs. I feel like every time I do that, they turn me into an idiot. I won’t predict anything yet, but I’m not sure they are built for a playoff run.

  16. Ajay

    Where do you see the rockets going from now ? and will they make the playoffs?

    • Anthony Macri

      Making the playoffs in the West is going to be a dogfight. I think they can definitely keep a hold on their current position but just one or two slip ups and things can change quickly.

  17. Eric

    do u think nene and blatche will mesh well?

    • Anthony Macri

      I love Nene. I don’t like Andray. I’m not sure he meshes with anyone well. I do think Nene will help John Wall be a better point guard – he’s just smarter about where to be on the floor than McGee was. Blatche will just take up space for the rest of the season. Maybe that means he won’t get in the way too much?

      That’ll just about do it for me. I should be back to my normal schedule soon – season is almost over, and some big news on the way. Hope all are well – check us out tonight at http://www.allmetsports.com – see you next week!