NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 3/27/12

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. Charlie

    Bill Ingram lists Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Paul George and Blake Griffin as the future bigtime scorers in the NBA after Kobe, Lebron, Melo,etc. retire.. Questions: Do you agree with Ingram and would include George on your list of future elite scorers??? And if you were a betting man, do you think Paul will ever average 20+ points in a season during his career?

    • Anthony Macri

      Happy Tuesday everybody! Love the spring time – NBA getting towards the home stretch, and the NCAA Tournament in it’s Final Four… exciting! Had a great end to the season with Paul VI – finished 35-3 and ranked anywhere from 8th to 16th in the country – which we feel pretty good about. Let’s get to all your questions…

      I would not personally list Paul George in that group. I like him as a player but in my breakdown of him, I saw him as better suited to be an all-around type of talent rather than a pure scorer.

  2. Sweet Dee

    In your opinion, which head coach has done a better job this year given the talent they have to work with: Ty Corbin, Doug Collins, or Frank Vogel.

    • Anthony Macri

      Great question. I think they have all done a pretty good job. East coast bias means I hear more about how Philly is doing on a daily basis than the other teams, but I have been impressed with how all the teams play. I tend to want to say Corbin might be doing the most with the least overall, but I could be persuaded in another direction.

  3. Deven

    Hi Coach Macri. In the past, the Knicks have had nightmare games against the Bucks and as a Knicks fan, its given me nightmares too. And even though they beat them last night in a very important game without Amare and Lin, I just want to know one thing: Why do the Knicks have a hard time beating these Bucks in general? Is it because of bad matchups, the Bucks being the better defensive team or something. What are your thoughts?

    • Anthony Macri

      I tend to think you might be reading into it a bit. I actually think the Bucks tend to have closer games with a lot of teams then some because they control pace and defend well. Open schemes like what the Knicks have run in the past tend to get a little bogged down against really good defensive teams.

  4. Cain

    How much of a benefit will players like Paul George and Derrick Favors benefit from a full training camp before next season? They are very raw, but man do they have a lot of potential.

    • Anthony Macri

      I think Paul George will get a lot of benefits from a great offseason with some specific focuses on certain parts of his game. Same with Favors, though I don’t think his upside is quite as high as Paul George’s is. It’s not so much the training camp, though, as it is a commitment to an offseason training program that they embrace from the end of the season all the way through to next year.

  5. Eric Aldridge

    Why hasn’t Tyreke Evans taken the leap this year in becomming a superstar after a historical rookie season? Can he play in the same back court with another ball dominant guard in Marcus Thornton?

    Why is he playing Small Forward? If hes not a point guard he is no where near a small forward.

    • Anthony Macri

      There can be some difficulties in finding a niche for a guy like Tyreke Evans, because he can be a dominant scorer when he catches and attacks on the move. But if you ask him to be a point guard and facilitate offense, he can have issues. The real challenge for Evans is discovering ways he can be productive and effective in a lower usage.

  6. Aaron Allen

    What are your thoughts on Marshon Brooks? Whats his potential and upisde? He has alot of Kobe in his game.

    • Anthony Macri

      I need to watch how things are going for him. Seems like he has hit a bit of a wall at this point, but it is hard to know if that is a result of playing more games than ever before or teams being more prepared the second and third time around. I like a lot of the things he does when he utilizes superior shot selection. Will try to watch him over the next few weeks to get a feel for his progress.

  7. paprika

    Hi coach,do mike brown really have some written offensive plays of is it a read.and react style.of.offense? The only time.the lakers look good was when they acquired session and with fisher before it was all kobe ,pau or bynum isolation plays and the rest of the players just look. No cutters. How can u explain the lakers offensive style?

    • Anthony Macri

      It makes me hurt to watch them play with so many isos. Team could be so much better with a little more equal opportunity. Might be hard getting Kobe to stay within flow, though, so I can’t say too much about Brown. Has he just been unlucky having great individual players who don’t really fit schemes well?

  8. Aristotle

    Coach coach coach *sigh* I’m worried bout Miami…

    • Anthony Macri

      Someone on the radio yesterday talked about this, and I think it’s accurate… this team knows it will only be judged on its postseason success. They will look to turn it on in the last few weeks of the season as they prep for the playoffs. We will see if that is a sound strategy, but it looks to me like the old “Gregg Popovich” plan for success.

  9. Aristotle

    Hey Coach,

    With the Final Four set which 2 teams would you want to see play in the NCAA Championship Game, which 2 do you think will play in it, and who would the MVP be?

    I’d like to see Kentucky Vs. Kansas

    • Anthony Macri

      I think it will be Kentucky and Ohio State, and I think that will be one hell of a game, with Ohio State finding a way to come out on top. I think they are overall playing fantastic basketball right now, and I think their experience last year will produce fruit this year. All that and I’d love to say my alma mater (Loyola-MD) lost to the eventual National Champion). I guess Sullinger is the pick for MVP if my prognostication is correct. I am excited to watch both Final Four games though!

  10. Brian

    Good morning, Anthony!

    I believe the Wolves are a couple of players away. If you are GM, do you hope you find a C or SG in the draft or sign them through free agency? And who would you target?

    Thanks,

    Brian

    • Anthony Macri

      I am aiming for the draft… are they in the 10-12 range for a draft slot? If so, I’d aim for Tyler Zeller or hope that everyone souring on Harrison Barnes allows him to drop that far (I’m not as sour as others).

  11. JP

    If Minnesota gets the pick #17, which player would you draft that could be available at that spot?

    • Anthony Macri

      Austin Rivers or Terrence Ross seem like decent options there, though I haven’t really focused on draft stuff at this point.

  12. Dennis

    Hi Coach,

    How far do you think this post-deadline Pacers would go in the playoffs? Can they beat the Bulls or Heat in a 7-ga,e series? Thanks.

    • Anthony Macri

      They can take the Bulls or Heat to 6 games, though I’m not sure it would get quite that far. Both those teams are going to be hard to beat in the playoffs for anyone. I think they are on a collision course for the Eastern Conference Finals right now.

  13. Dennis

    Hey coach,

    What are the odds of Bird winning the exec of the year?

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t really pay any attention to that award – if and when I’m an exec, the only award that will matter to me is the Larry O’Brien trophy. In mass quantities.

      Clippers turnaround with roster, etc. has me thinking Neil Olshey might get a look.

  14. MikeM

    With all the new additions do you think the Spurs have done enough to compete with the Lakers, Grizzlies and Thunder in the West?

    • Anthony Macri

      Never underestimate the Spurs. They have been playing really well over the last few weeks, and I think they definitely can match up well with the Thunder. I actually think they match up less well with the Lakers overall.

  15. Lateak

    I think tha kings should trade t.evans 4 n.batum… It works 4 both teams… The kings dont need him no more.. It gives port a nice sg

    • Anthony Macri

      Trade unrealized ability and talent for unrealized ability and talent… might be ok. Batum seems a little lower name value but I think he gives you a better chance at wins than Evans does. Not sure Portland really wants to make that move, to be honest.

      That about does it for me for the day… I’ll put something out there about he upcoming Final Four and start watching the NBA more and more this week… check out my Coach’s Notebook coming out Thursday or Friday!