NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 4/17/12

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. devonte

    nobody talks about tyshawn taylor as one of the best point guards coming out of this years draft. he averaged 17 points and 4 assist and shot 42 percent from the field. is he a first round pick?

    • Anthony Macri

      Good Tuesday morning to everyone! Beautiful day here in Northern VA. It definitely looks like we could use some April showers, though. NBA season has about 10 games per team remaining… time to jockey for either Draft or Playoff position… shoot your questions here now!

      Taylor is a borderline first rounder who could seriously improve his stock with a great combine and workout performance. I get the impression he is the kind of player that should do well in those environments. I’m not sure he’s more than a change-of-pace guard in the NBA. I really think his talent level is high, but I’m not always impressed with his decision-making or game management. Seems like a bit of a front-runner (when things go well, he is unbeatable, but when they don’t…).

  2. Hugh

    Who would fit better on the kings…. Kidd-gilchrist or barnes?

    • Anthony Macri

      They need more talent, and that might lead me to Kidd Gilchrist. However, Barnes should be more stable. I’m not sure that in reality Tyreke Evans shouldn’t be playing the position those guys would potentially occupy (small forward). What would your lineup look like with either guy?

  3. ralph lawrence

    do you think trading Tyreke Evans for a solid piece good for the kings? especially adding a good SF at the draft like maybe Kidd-gilchrist or harrison barnes.. kings could be a playoff contender in a couple of years.. your thoughts?

    • Anthony Macri

      If you can get good value for Evans, I would seriously consider it. I would think there are a few GMs out there who don’t dive into the metrics enough to realize that he is a super low efficiency guy who will have a difficult time making his team better. I think a few GMs like that may get replaced this offseason, however.

  4. Chris

    If the Magic or Hawks finish with a better record than the Celtics, but the Celtics hold the higher seed due to winning thier division, who gets home court in the first round?

    • Anthony Macri

      I am pretty sure that is the value of being the higher seed – I’m sure someone can chime in on my accuracy (or not) in the comments.

  5. Mac

    The Orlando Magic held off trading Dwight Howard to get maximum value in return (assuming their star does not want to resign long-term). However, this plan may have backfired as Howard’s back issues have now become public. Do you think the questions regarding Dwight’s health will scare teams away and impact the offers the Magic receive from now on vs a healthy Howard they were shopping at the trade deadline.

    • Anthony Macri

      We won’t know the answer to that question until we see how he recovers from his injury. The reality is that he will still be considered an elite player by most, and it will be hard for many teams not to look at Dwight Howard and think they can’t use one of the two or three best centers on the planet (if not the best). Bottom line: an injured or ailing Dwight Howard is MUCH better than at least 20 current starting centers. Max value might be the only question.

  6. Charlie

    In yesterday’s chat, Bill Ingram stated “Hard to see Portland going Perry Jones (in the upcoming draft). They could keep Hickson and have the same thing in a more developed player.” This was a surprising statement, as Hickson was a waiver wire pick-up this year vs. Jones (sure-fire lottery pick in a loaded draft). Would you agree with Ingram and Hickson-Jones is basically a wash. Or do you believe Perry Jones holds much more value?

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t think this draft is quite as loaded as some were making it out to be about 6-8 months ago. There is considerable question marks surrounding a guy like Perry Jones and whether he will really have a solid impact. I think you know what you are going to get with Hickson, but Jones is a question mark. Is the ceiling higher? Sure. But the floor is a lot lower too.

      I think it’s hard for the Rockets to be championship caliber either way, so I look at which player gets us closer in terms of asset acquisition. Not sure which one that would be…

  7. Dennis

    If you were the GM of Portland and Nicolas Batum signs a 4 year / 40 million dollar deal. Do you match? Why or why not.

    • Anthony Macri

      I haven’t done a value comparison in a while… I think DeAndre Jordan signed around for 4 years $40 million. That is probably the most I could imagine paying for Batum – I’d seriously consider re-signing him at that price. Not sure I can make a final yes or no, however, without considering what my alternatives are.

  8. Cricket

    If you were the GM of Portland, you may be worried about the point guard spot for next year with Raymond Felton struggling for most of the season. Do you give Ray another chance to redeem himself or throw money at a free agent point guard (ex. Goran Dragic, Aaron Brooks). Justify your decision.

    • Anthony Macri

      My general impression is that Felton was hurt by the lockout situation as much if not more than others (in terms of being in shape). I wouldn’t throw money at Aaron Brooks. Dragic I would take over Felton, but if he will get himself into shape I might be ok keeping him over the other options.

  9. Frank

    If you were a GM, which shooting guard would you prefer: Courtney Lee at 7 million a year, Marcus Thorton at 9 million a year or Eric Gordan at 12 million a year.

    • Anthony Macri

      My gut says take Courtney without thinking about it too much (and not just because I worked with him for a few seasons). However, answering it in a vacuum is almost impossible because it really depends on what your team needs are. Courtney is great if your team needs are 4th scorer, lockdown defender, perimeter catch & shoot guy. If you want more than that, you have to look elsewhere, because I don’t think he would be as successful doing more.

  10. Coop

    Who do you think the Bulls will target late in the first round?

    • Anthony Macri

      Best player available, likely someone young and foreign, and let him ride out his contract elsewhere.

  11. CJ

    Are the Pacers a legit threat to knock off the Bulls or the Heat?

    • Anthony Macri

      I think they can win 2 games in a series against either team, but I think over seven games both the Heat and the Bulls are demonstrably better.

  12. George

    What are the Knicks doing on draft-night? I think they have no first round pick..do you see them trading up or geht another Fields or Harrelson out of a second rounder?

    • Anthony Macri

      Depends on if they choose to keep throwing their lot in with a core of Carmelo, Amare, Chandler, and Lin. I could see them looking for a new home for Amare – the Knicks tend to be pretty fickle and move with the winds of change.

  13. Lateak

    T.evans 4 n.batum that trade works 4 both teams…. I think nash is bad fit 4 tha heat they would have him standing around while lbj n dwade handle tha ball

    • Anthony Macri

      I like that trade more for Sacramento than I do for Portland. Nash is a fine fit there, actually – they’d use him in ball screen action occasionally, and his ability to shoot would come in very handy. Not sure he fits in defensively, however.

  14. PDX Fan

    Followup to Dennis’ question. Blazers sign Batum or draft either Kidd-Gilchrist or Barnes?

    • Anthony Macri

      Doubt Kidd-Gilchrist will be available in their likely draft spot. Barnes seems like a decent target. I actually think he’ll be a solid NBA player – not as down on him as some. People keep telling me that he can’t get his own shot, and I keep reminding people that 95% of the league can’t get their own shot – that isn’t all there is to basketball.

  15. Eric123

    Whats your take on the area/ownership situation in sacramento?

    • Anthony Macri

      Sad. Didn’t really get into the meat and potatoes of it all, but I tend to think that there are no great answers. I do kinda want an NBA team in Vegas. Just another excuse to go there so I can play poker :-) .

  16. Jarom

    What are the Sixers going to be looking to get for Iguodala this off-season?

    • Anthony Macri

      Hard to know market value, especially because the Sixers have a lot of needs and other teams can see that. It is possible to be sell him a little short, and it might be hard to get anyone to overpay.

  17. Josh

    Anthony,

    Milsap has stated that he would like to sign with Jazz long term that means the writing on the wall is Jefferson is the odd man out. With how Jefferson has been playing this year and Harris showing his value over the last 15 games do you think the Jazz can get a good return with those two?

    • Anthony Macri

      I do – I think it’s easier to sell another team on how a guy ended the season if he ended it well (as Harris has). I also think moving Harris needs to happen. Would love to see that happen coupled with drafting Kendall Marshall, who I like a great deal.

  18. Kim

    Do you think the heat will start playing like how they played before the all star break during the playoffs
    Do you think if they play like that can the bulls beat the heat

    • Anthony Macri

      I would love to see the HEAT return to playing with reckless abandon. Sometimes both players and coaches get caught up in the bog. Part of it might be the condensed season and the feeling that, to be honest, the regular season doesn’t mean a ton. I think they will return, the question is whether they will be confident enough playing that way to stick through it throughout the postseason. If they play with total intensity, it would be hard for any team to beat them, but the Bulls do have the pieces to do it. I really like the way the Bulls are attacking this year, even more than last year. They are currently my favorite to win it all, and by a safe margin.

      That’ll do it for me today! Hope all are well and be on the lookout for my Coach’s Notebook column later this week… oh, and follow me on Twitter at my updated Twitter name: @AnthonyLMacri … see you next week!