NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 8/28/12

1. Quan

   hey man, thanks for answering my questions, my article has been published and you can contact Irma to check it out.

   To the point. What is the problem of Michael Beasley? It seems the guy is talented, but he’s not matured enough. However, I can say the same about Javale McGee, and he is actually pretty good in Denver. Does it have anything with coaching?

   And hey, Happy Birthday!

   • Anthony Macri

     Happy Tuesday everybody! Been a very long, intense day in Jakarta – remember, as my day is ending, your day in the US is just getting started! Let’s get into your questions…

     I will certainly ask around for the article! Thanks for submitting questions about the league. I think Beasley and McGee are easily comparable, but I’m not sure their situations are exactly similar. Beasley has been one of the most skilled scorers all the way up through to the NBA. For whatever reason, he has not been the kind of smooth operator he was previously, and I think he tries to be that without really recognizing all the other things he could do well. McGee has always had high potential, but never lived up to what people expected of him. Their failures manifest in immature behavior on and off the court. McGee’s problems are easier to overcome than Beasley’s – which may be what we see as the point where their careers go on different paths. Thanks for the birthday wishes – it was a week ago but I need all the good vibes!

2. Charlie

   There are many differing opinions on the possible success of the Chicago Bulls this year. Some have stated they will still be a playoff team, citing the team’s record minus Derrick Rose last year. Others are raising the possibility if Chicago isn’t in the playoff/contender race out of the gates, Derrick Rose may not come back next year entirely. How do you think they will far this year? What seed do you predict they will finish?

   • Anthony Macri

     I think that unless they elect to pack it in, they will be a playoff team because defensively they are hard to deal with even without Rose. However, I would not call them a contender. They are a 7th or 8th seed without him, most likely. I wouldn’t want to face them in the first round, I can tell you that!

3. Sweet Dee

   Who will finish with more wins next year: #1 Milwaukee Bucks vs Toronto Raptors, #2 Houston Rockets vs Phoenix Suns #3 Timberwolves or Golden State, #4 Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers

   • Anthony Macri

     1) I have a good feeling about the Raptors but that one is close. I’d have to think about it.

     2) Ew. Rockets but the rosters are not close to finished.

     3) I like the Timberwolves here. I believe they are on a good path.

     4) I like Denver’s path to more wins more than I like LA’s.

4. LA in LA

   Hey coach, who do you consider a better player between Derrick Rose and Westbrook (not including injuries) and can you briefly summarize why?

   • Anthony Macri

     I like Rose’s ability to manage a game. I think he thinks through spots a little more thoughtfully, and I think he applies himself to being in the moment constantly. Westbrook has eye-popping ability, but he drifts through sections of the game mentally, and that leads to hiccups on the defensive end and missed opportunities on the offensive end.

5. B. Carroll

   What do you think of Norfolk State’s Kyle O’Quinn chances of making an impact this season with the Orlando Magic’s depleted roster? In my opinion there were not too many bigs in college basketball whose game translates to the NBA as well as O’Quinn.

   • Anthony Macri

     I have not seen O’Quinn a ton, but what I have seen leads me to believe that a little bit of tunnel vision would do him wonders. He exhibits great traits as a rebounder, and his length and size help in that regard. He tends to try to do a bit much out on the court, and floor spacing / shot selection are issues he should address ASAP. If he can eliminate some of the waste on the margins of his game, and focus on doing what he does at a super high level, he is the kind of guy who could lead the league in rebound rate. That kind of guy is mega-valuable. Orlando might be a great spot for him to learn that. But he can’t let his offensive deficiencies cloud teams’ judgment of his impact.

6. Laurent

   I was wondering when do you think the Lakers will announce the signing of the three assistant contaning Eddie Jordan, Bernie, & Steve Clifford?

   • Anthony Macri

     Usually two rules in public relations: wait until the market is ready to accept the message positively, and make sure signatures are on the dotted line.

7. Colin

   Morning Coach. What do you think of Denver’s roster this upcoming season? There is no doubt their additions over the last 12 months have upgraded their overall talent level. Ujiri has done a great job. My concern is around their ability to shoot from the outside. They have lost Fernandez, Afflalo and Harrington, and Chandler, Iguodala and Miller aren’t exactly ‘lights out’ types. The only really elite shooter as far as I can tell is Gallinari. Do you foresee this to be an issue for them?

   • Anthony Macri

     I am a fan of their thrust overall and I think they will improve on years past. I’m not as concerned about the three point shooting situation because they will shoot well enough to garner respect, which is all close-out attackers actually need. I also think if they are deployed appropriately in terms of operational areas, you will see a lot of opportunities. Masai Ujiri is doing a great job – we come from a similar tree, as he and Coach Thorpe are also very close.

8. DMoney

   Morning my man,

   I know being a Laker fan, watching some of the best basketball Played my entire life, has taught me nothing. I’m hoping you can help me see something I’m completely blind too. Is it crazy of me to think that OKC has taken a step back by doing nothing? I keep hearing how they have Perkins and he’s the D12 stopper although Howard avg against Perk is about 18 pts 14 rbs. They say Nash can’t stop Westbrooke but I’m wondering when will Westbrooke stop Nash. Gasol is so soft he hides in the paint, where most of his point are scored, to keep his weakness hidden. Then there is Kobe who has dropped off so much. I mean, c’mon, sliding all the way down to second in scoring. SMH. I’m still confused how OKC’s bench is far better. Harden may come off the bench, but truth be told he is the starter cause he closes the game the way Odom did. My point is this… All you hear is how the Lakers need to stay healthy to have shot, as if OKC doesn’t allow injuries to happen to their team, yet, if LA is healthy when they meet how does OKC guard this team or Miami who has gotten better with Ray & Rashard.

   • Anthony Macri

     The fact that OKC’s core is still coming into their primes has something to do with the equation. These guys are not as good as they will be yet! So we have to assume some natural progression in their games, let alone physical and mental maturity. I think they did the right thing by basically holding pat. I’m not sure what moves an OKC fan would want them to make – they have to be very aware of not upsetting the apple cart, and they have to keep their assets manageable so they can move pieces around as necessary to keep the core together. No team can suffer major injuries to their top 3 or 4 players – the Thunder are no exception to that – but the Lakers will be completely dependent on Nash and Bryant in the backcourt, and that’s a lot to put on a terrible back and a few bad knees.

     Miami improved marginally but they were the best team going into the offseason – so I expect that to remain the case.

9. L.A. Tenorio

   hey man..have you seen my game winning shot in jones cup against USA? Philippines won the gold! lol

   1. chance of trading pau before the trade deadline?

   2.
   Pau,duhon,goudel for al jeferson,burks
   pau,duhon,2nd rounpick for j-smoove
   pau,mwp,duhon for boozer,deng,nrobinson
   pau for montijunas,kv. martin
   pau,blake for horford,teague

   which trade is most likely to happen?

   thanks man

   • Anthony Macri

     I did not get a chance to see your shot, but I have read all about it. Very impressed with the level of basketball passion and history in the Philippines. I am hopeful that some of that rubs off throughout the rest of the region!

     There is a chance of trading Pau, sure. If the Lakers find they can markedly improve their team, they will do so. But I am not sure there will be a lot of deals that really make them better that another team would agree with. There are plenty of deals that move around pieces. But the goal is to win a championship – so which deal does that? Out of your possibilities, the one that most intrigues me is the Pau & Blake deal for Horford & Teague. I’d want to think about it a bit and do some number-crunching, but I’m not sure that’s totally unrealistic. Not sure Horford is the best fit with Dwight Howard (Pau might be the best non-3 point shooting fit in the league), but I’m willing to entertain the idea.

10. ????

    ihave 3 question
    why taiwan have two team in jones cup?

    ABL is southeast asia only?

    do you think japan and korea willing to join ABL

    • Anthony Macri

      Not certain on Taiwan – I am still learning all the varieties of FIBA competition in Asia, so excuse my lack of knowledge.

      The ABL is based in Southeast Asia and currently our teams are based only in nations that are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be open to expansion outside the region in the future. The real barrier is the length of flight times. It is hard to fly more than 4 hours or so regularly for sports purposes. We would explore any situation if the right one was presented to us.

11. Steve H

    IF Presti can’t come to terms on an extension with Harden, do you think a trade to WAS for Brad Beal is a viable option? Can you think of a better option for OKC in terms of salary and potential production? If they can’t extend JH, there is no way they let the market set his value or just let him walk with nothing in return IMO.

    • Anthony Macri

      Do you think Beal is the best deal they can get? An unproven rookie for a borderline all-star seems a bit hasty, don’t you think?

12. peter

    I think if all breaks right for the Knicks and with there improves bench they could finish in the top three in the Atlantic division and go pretty deep in the playoffs. Your thoughts.

    • Anthony Macri

      I think the Atlantic Division is going to be pretty competitive this year. The Knicks will be in a clump of teams all within a handful of games of eachother all season long within their division. Could they make a deep run in the playoffs? I suppose. But I don’t like the pairing of Carmelo and Amare Stoudemire. I don’t think it can ever really work – they simply don’t complement eachother.

13. utz

    Where does lebron rank among all time greats

    • Anthony Macri

      Still too early to tell. He is probably hovering around the top 10 now – somewhere between 9 and 13 – for me in terms of talent. He also has the best chance (only chance) of anyone actively playing to jump into the top 4 or so as his career continues to progress.

14. mario

    hey coach do you think that the bulls will be as good this year as they were last year even though they lost the bench mob and why

    • Anthony Macri

      They won’t be as good, but they will compete hard and that does count for something. Their defense will be tough to score against and that indicates their ability to keep games close, which is all they really need to do. Then, steal the game in the closing minutes.

      I have a relatively open queue for anyone to throw questions in! Do it now!

15. james

    I dont know why people think kobe in his prime is better then lebron in his prime when lebron was with the CLE his team was always the number 1 seed but when kobe didnt have gasol his team was like 7 or 8 seed so doesnt that mean lebron is better than kobe

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t think it means definitively that one is better than the other. It’s very easy to pick and choose criteria and then name one player better than the other based on the criteria you set out at the beginning. I think Kobe is ahead of LeBron from a career perspective right now, but I believe LeBron has a great chance to surpass Kobe, maybe this season, and put himself into top 5 all-time discussion.

16. Keith

    With the super teams being built (Lakers, Miami) do you see competitive other teams selling off their borderline all-stars in order to get draft picks, to build for the future, so they won’t have to go up against the super teams in the next couple years, and can build for the future, when these current teams are older? Thanks.

    • Anthony Macri

      I actually think the key is not to start from scratch, but to keep the talent engine idling so that when it’s time to kick it into gear, a team is ready to do so. In other words, I think moving pieces around in order to plan for the future is a lot like the calm before the storm. A team shouldn’t completely vacate all their talent and start over, but rather, take a step back, gather energy, and strike. Move a few valuable assets to create space first, but stay competitive without losing the roster too much.

17. Ronn

    Good Morning!!! Quick question, who do you believe would be in the starting frontcourt in Washington? Nene? Okafor? both? i figured both because i am not sure but didn’t Okafor play 4 his rookie year?

    • Anthony Macri

      I think it may be hard for them to effectively co-exist because they do some very similar things. However, that doesn’t mean it is impossible, and having a backcourt of Wall and Beal makes it easier to do stuff like this with your frontcourt. Their roster doesn’t leave a lot of room to try different approaches, so I would expect the above until something changes from a personnel standpoint.

      Ok everyone, reached my time for the day. Be back next week at this same time! Until then, enjoy your Fantasy Football drafts and start prepping for hoops season!