NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 8/29/11

1. Alan

   If Deron Williams refuses to resign with the nets. What about Deron Williams for Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and 2 future 1st round picks. Nets have Conley, Gay, Lopez to build around and grizzlies starting five would be Williams, Mayo, Battier, Randolph, and Gasol. Only if Williams won’t resign with nets though. Williams would make Memphis a title contender!

   • Anthony Macri

     Interesting scenario here. I think the parameters are workable and it is a big, splashy deal that involves a lot of names. I actually don’t mind it from the Nets perspective as they move into a new arena / area – Rudy Gay will sell tickets for an organization. I do think their first priority has to be keeping Williams, though – you can use him to build around. Right now I like Rudy Gay as a complementary piece, not as a cornerstone.

2. Robert

   Westbrook + Aldrich for John Wall ! Why not? OKC gets the floor general , Wiz get esablished player and another great center and young stud!

   • Anthony Macri

     Welcome to the new HOOPSWORLD everyone! I’m getting used to this chat thing just like you are, so give me a little time with it to really get used to how it functions. Hopefully all will work out well! Crazy last week in the northern VA area, with earthquakes, hurricanes, and the rapture. Maybe not that last part – but the first two really did happen! Let’s get to your questions.

     I think this is such a high risk move that you would need some serious data backing it up on both sides – I’d have to look at metrics that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s a good idea for OKC to give up on Westbrook. Also not sure Cole Aldrich is the answer to any questions aside from filler. If I’m Washington, do I really want to send Wall out before I’ve had a chance to put pieces around him?

3. Pat Riley

   Who says no? MIA gets: Dwight, Hedo. ORL gets: Bosh, Haslem, Mcgee, Blatche. WAS: Pittman, Orton, Joel Anthony, Norris Cole

   • Anthony Macri

     This easily violates a major rule in trades – don’t make other teams in your own division any better. Miami gets a serious upgrade. Others, not so much.

4. Adrian

   Can you explain the primary differences between small forward and power forward? And how does a coach determine them?

   • Anthony Macri

     The two positions have a lot in common, and often players can slide between them with relative ease. However, there are a few particulars to each position that differentiate them to some degree.

     For the most part, small forwards are perimeter players. In some systems, this is a third guard (and not a forward at all). They are usually stationed beyond the three point line offensive, and they usually defend a perimeter player on the other side of the floor. Many are slashers offensively, meaning they attempt to break down defenses via penetration, and they also attack the offensive glass, and their weakside rebounding should be pretty effective. They should have length and quickness combined.

     NBA power forwards spend more time in and around the painted area, or often when on the perimeter, at the top of the key (in a trailing position). They can be jump shooters, but are usually not as adept at slicing through defenses, instead using strength to get to the rim. They spend a lot more time in physical confrontations near the basket, often playing post defense, and usually are screen setters rather than screen users.

     As for how players are determined by position, a lot of that depends on the type of system employed. You try to find players who can best fit the system you want to run, and then you adjust the system to bring out the best in that particular player. Check out my previous series on player development by position for more details.

5. Michael

   How likely is it that LeBron could develop an effective fadeaway over one off-season? We hear a lot about LeBron and other players needing to improve their postgame. Can a guy realistically add such a shot to his game in just a couple of months?

   • Anthony Macri

     Offseason development is about picking two or three things and working on them until they are second nature. Because of how strong, gifted, and athletic LeBron is, I think he would just need to train a go-to post move (hopefully an attack middle), and then add in a single counter. The rest is just recognize when the defense is giving you one and not the other. I would not want to add too much to his game, because there is a real danger of paralysis by analysis when it comes to a player who is as smart as he is.

     It is absolutely possible to add parts to your game in that much time. Some players can pick up things significantly faster as well.

6. Jhaen Mascoll

   How good with Steph Curry be? and also OJ Mayo? wot they compliment each other? Make a good back court?

   • Anthony Macri

     I think Steph Curry is a top 10 point guard in the league with a chance at Top 5 if everything breaks right – and if some guys don’t quite develop as they might project (like Wall or Kyrie Irving). He can definitely be a starter on a championship team. In some ways, he and OJ Mayo do compliment each other – Mayo is more the athletic straight-line slasher, Curry plays a curvier, more nuanced game. I’m not sure either is as effective a defender as they should be, and I also think both tend to need the ball a little too much to be most effective to be the best pairing int he backcourt. I’d need to watch tape of them in specific situations to know what I really think.

7. Ghandi

   What do you think NBA coaches will do during the lockout to advance and improve their knowledge base? Or maybe more simply, to keep busy?

   • Anthony Macri

     If I was on an NBA coaching staff, I’d spend as much time as possible getting back to basic fundamental teaching principles. I’d visit with a lot of successful high school coaches and just pick their brains as much as possible. I’d also spend a lot of time thinking philosophically about overall staff management and the best ways to utilize my staff. I’d also probably look into taking some communications courses or do some work with a communications coach – you’d be surprised at how much they can really help your overall coaching ability and confidence level.

8. Mason

   Hey Anthony,
   I’m coaching 11 year olds, what’s the most important thing to teach them now?

   • Anthony Macri

     To love and honor the game – just to find it fun and exciting to learn new things and not like work. 11 year olds shouldn’t be doing work.

     As for specific on-court instruction, I’d spend a lot of time with ball-handling, which includes passing, receiving, and dribbling. We’d spend about twice as much time on weak hand actions as we do on strong hand actions. I’d also spend a lot of time coaching their mentality for dealing with and moving past failure. 11 year olds are more naturally apt to keep at something when they don’t get it right – and I’d want to encourage that as much as possible. Making mistakes in my gym would be applauded! This gets them thinking correctly as they get older and more and more coaches tell them every mistake is wrong.

9. Jake

   Why don’t more teams play through the post the way they used to?

   • Anthony Macri

     I think it locks up the floor for a lot of teams – they are just unable to get great spacing. The floor should be widened by a few feet on each side for this reason (among others). In addition, so few teams have a true legit low post scoring threat that it doesn’t make sense to throw to a guy who can’t convert at a high percentage – it’s easier to move the ball on the perimeter when you don’t get a fast break opportunity and hunt three points than it is to pound it in.

10. Jake

    Ty Lawson or JJ Barea? Why?

    • Anthony Macri

      Personally I am a bigger Lawson fan. I like Barea as a change of pace guy but I don’t think the way he plays is as effective (or successful) over a larger sample size like a full season. I don’t think he’s as durable, and there are things you can’t do with him (some screening actions, etc.) that you can do with a guy with more size, like Lawson. I also think Lawson is as fast and a better distributor of the basketball.

11. Jake

    Lots of pros going down to Impact’s gym in Vegas. What sorts of things can they improve on in a pickup league?

    • Anthony Macri

      I’m a little nervous for guys going down there. I think the biggest problem with an offseason league like that is that once you introduce the idea of winning and losing into the equation, it is counterproductive to real development, which is a big issue. Guys focus on how they can help a team win, which means they rely on what they know works, and they refuse to focus on new ways to stretch themselves and their skill sets. I also think it will be hard if not impossible to get true NBA-level intensity, even with refs / etc., and I think that is the most common time for injuries – when guys are not going 100% all out.

      With that said, I think it is a great opportunity to get some run in a quasi-organized environment. I just wouldn’t hesitate to depart or to refuse to play if the games are not being run seriously.

12. Jake

    Do you think Kevin Durant will become the best player in the NBA?

    • Anthony Macri

      This is a pretty tough question to answer. I think Durant has a definite shot at being one of the best in the game. However, unlike HOOPSWORLD mega-star Bill Ingram, that title is reserved for LeBron until someone forcibly takes it from him. Durant has a real shot at it though because of the way he plays – he has an assassin mentality and is a tireless worker – I’m sure he’s using the summer to improve and get better. If LeBron is doing the same thing, I would watch out. They should have some epic battles over the next few years.

13. Aaron from Canada

    Hey Coach!

    As a player I’m generally the garbage man. I have a pretty high motor at least with my friends so I get quite a few boards and it helps me score some points opportunistically. I really want to improve my game instead of being the third or fourth option. Would you recommend working on my dribbles first or my shot? Any videos I can watch, maybe read something to get the right shooting mechanics or is it just constant practice with whatever shooting form I’m comfortable with?

    Thanks!

    • Anthony Macri

      I tend to think ball-handling is more appropriate, because you can see an improvement much quicker over a shorter amount of time, and you don’t need a lot of correction with technique as long as you are practicing by hammering the ball each dribble extremely hard. As for shooting, we think of it as a pretty personal thing, and we don’t really agree with the idea of overhauling mechanics completely, just about how to streamline the motion and make it the most efficient it can be. Take a look online for the Better Basketball DVD series – there are some good videos in there that can help in both regards. Also, anything by Ganon Baker has great energy and pace, and he’s a strong teacher.

14. Mark

    What kind of player do you see Ed Davis topping out at? Do you think the Raptors might be wise to move him at the deadline if they think Bargs is a PF and Amir is a solid back up? Could they get a starting SF or PG? THX

    • Anthony Macri

      I actually like most of the way Toronto’s roster is shaping up. Jonas Valanciunas has big potential and I would want to make sure there was room for him. I also think Id’ like to have an athlete who can defend next to him – so I’d be more inclined to keep Ed Davis and look into what kind of value there is on the market for Bargnani. Davis is a great complimentary player – and he could be an anchor if he figures things out a little more than he has.

15. 1mike1matt

    what numbers do u c it taking to get new deal done? Salary cap#? Max salary #? Share of rev#?

    • Anthony Macri

      The number the rest depends on is the % share of revenue. Other items like the cap, etc., don’t really matter because the players will get the share of revenue that is determined whether the cap is hard or not. And once both sides agree on a percentage of BRI to go to the players, the rest will fall into place pretty quickly. I’m not sure what it’ll take to get done because I don’t think either side has really negotiated in earnest yet. Wait til mid-September.

16. XS

    In all honesty, with the 3 star system in place, are small market teams really out of the title hunt for the foreseeable future? What chance do teams like Toronto/Milwaukee/Cleveland really have to attract top tier players to compete with MIA/NY/CHI?

    • Anthony Macri

      I think only part of it is following a plan similar to that of the San Antonio Spurs – but even in their case, at least 50% if not more of the reason they have been so successful is sheer luck. They were lucky to get Duncan, and then they were lucky to draft and develop guys like Manu and Tony Parker. OKC is following a similar kind of path now with Durant, et. al. Cleveland had their chance with LeBron, but chose not to surround him with the talent they needed to be a contender.

17. Mark

    Have you watched much tape of Austin Rivers? I was really impressed with his ball handling skills at first but then as I watched realised he uses the same 2 moves everytime. Do you see him as a top 10 pick and do you think he has All Star potential in the NBA?

    • Anthony Macri

      I like Rivers in the little I’ve seen him – but I will admit to not having watched him very much. I actually don’t really care about his quantity of moves – the quality is more important, along with how well he changes speeds. That’s the most critical thing for a point guard. I can’t make the prediction on his potential future status til I see more of him.

18. Mark

    What’s your take on the Lakers? would you stand pat, minor trade (Odom) or major trade (Pau or Bynum)?

    • Anthony Macri

      I think they can get better by upgrading at the small forward and point guard without breaking up Pau and Bynum. If that’s possible, it’s the direction I’d be leaning – and that may involve shipping Lamar Odom off to elsewhere. I also would want to see what kind of impact the new coaching staff has – sometimes players just need a new voice – as great as Phil Jackson was, every messenger gets stale after a while.

19. 1mike1matt

    should players feel pinch of economy like evryone else and give some on their share of rev and salary? why should they be immune?

    • Anthony Macri

      I don’t think the players have ever argued that they shouldn’t do what is fair – the question is whether what the owners are proposing is fair. I do believe the players are ready to give some back – but how much is the question. I also think the owners might be looking to sheer the sheep a little too close to the skin – there is a balance in there somewhere.

20. Drew

    Assuming we get Adleman how much better will we be? How long until playoffs are a possiblity? We do have Love, Beaz, D Williams, Wes and Rubio not a bad foundation… Thoughts?!!!

    • Anthony Macri

      I think Adelman is an excellent pickup that can really make a big difference in Minnesota. They will be much more organized offensively, and defensively they will improve from jump. I think they could (could) end up looking like the Adelman teams in Sacramento from the early 2000s that were so much fun to watch – and very successful to boot. Time will tell – but it’s a step in the right direction for the Timberwolves.

      Alright, that does it for my first try at this new chat software. I think I did ok though it took a while to get used to the form of everything. Please feel free to blast my opinions – comment away below! Also, I need more topics for offseason Coach’s Notebook articles, so send me what you want to hear about at amacri@hoopsworld.com. Until next week – see you next time!