Anthony Macri:
Happy Monday everybody.  Nice day outside, and I still have my AAA credit rating… phew!  Just finished my workout for the day – I am now done with my two round P90X / INSANITY commitment – and very pleased with the results.  Best shape of my life – 34 lbs lighter, 13.5% less body fat, and a ton more energy, endurance, and strength.  I’m ready for the NBA to get goin… oh wait… well, let’s get to your Qs anyway…

It is very unrealistic to think Orlando would trade Dwight away given the pieces you have Minnesota giving up.  I tend to think this is a moot point, as I think any labor deal the owners make will give a much bigger advantage to a team signing its own free agents (especially stars).  Whether that is through a franchise tag, or a cap exception, I’m not sure… However, given your fantasy scenario, I do like the deal for Minnesota.

Anthony Macri:
It wasn’t necessarily a skill leap, but the way Dejuan Blair reshaped his body was very impressive.  He lost a ton of weight, and just became a ton more springy and active.  We’re pretty pleased about a lot of the progress Corey Brewer has made, and I think Dallas fans will be happy next year when he comes in as well, just beacuse he’ll have had some time to really focus in on how to play next to a guy like Dirk.
 

Anthony Macri:
Yes, I think Wall cracks the elite list, especially with Nash winding down his career.  Within the next two years, I see the top seven as being CP3, Rose, Williams, Wall, Rondo, Parker, and Westbrook, with Nash squeaking in depending on his back, and some fight out of Stephen Curry and Jrue Holiday.
 

Anthony Macri:
Very few guys that spent any time with us have a bad work ethic – they know coming in that working with us is not a picnic and they are committing to a better career during their time with us.  Some guys tend to have recurring tweaks that seem to keep them out of workouts, but that’s a different story – and it wouldn’t be fair for me to say they were not working hard.  As for guys that were the hardest working Joakim Noah would definitely be at the top of the list, along with Luol Deng and Kevin Martin.  Strange how those guys are also among the better players we’ve had in the gym… funny how that works out, huh?
 

Anthony Macri:
Would probably take Jose Calderon at the point, actually.  As for others, hmmm… how about Gerald Henderson at the two, Gerald Wallace at the three, David West at the four, and Roy Hibbert at the five… I’m very open to people telling me I’m an idiot though, that was totally off the top of my head.  It’s also hard to know which guys are underrated…
 

Anthony Macri:
It is definitely frustrating for the fans.  But whie your desire for a product to be entertained by is definitely important, owners have to protect their investments and try to create the most profitable solution (that’s what owning a business means) and players have to protect the limited amount of time they have to make money off their bodies.  It’s really all a decision about the fairest way to chop up a big pie.  The tough part is that they run the risk of the pie being smaller for the next few years by a lot more money than they are arguing over.  I don’t think the season is lost – if things are still bad come October 1, I’ll start to think sad thoughts.  Until then, it’s all pretty meaningless.
 

Anthony Macri:
There are many teams that should consider Deron Williams a great target.  I do think the Nets will be able to throw a ton at him, and if he believes that the ownership group and management are committed to putting together a team that can contend, I think he sticks around in NJ / Brooklyn.
 

Anthony Macri:
Dump Blatche and Nick Young, find young and willing athletes who can defend and a shooter who doesn’t need to chuck the ball every time he touches it to play next to John Wall.  Stir with an emphasis on transition offense and team-oriented defense a la the Celtics.  Championship contention ensues.
 

Anthony Macri:
Kyrie possesses a lot of the skills that evaluators saw in Chris Paul before he came into the league – very well-rounded, able to do a lot of things, not lightning quick but has great balance and burst, and strong vision.  He also seems to have a great mind for tempo and understanding when to slow and when to go, which is such a huge trait (and often un-noticed).

I like Tristan because he can really force action and gets to the line a lot, isn’t afraid of contact and shows good body control on the way.  A lot of the things he has to get better at (finishing around the rim, polished post moves, etc.) are all things that can be taught fairly easily, and things he can implement without difficulty.

 

Anthony Macri:
Under the former CBA, the rules are best explained by Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ… check out his answer on retirement rules by clicking here.  To answer your question, "it depends."
 

Anthony Macri:
I think a lot of these guys play for the love of the game – but I also think there are economic realities to what they do as well.  Listen, a lot of people do what they love for a career -  and they want to get paid as much as they can for doing it.  It is a pretty rare breed of people that do what they love and are working for next to nothing (or even refuse to get paid).  Just because the economics of the situation say there are a lot more dollars involved it doesn’t mean the players care any less.
 

Anthony Macri:
A little from Column A, and a little from Column B.  If you like watching a young team with some exciting pieces, seeing them grow and become a team before your eyes, if you like investing in a process and don’t just want to see a final product, then you will enjoy being a Cavs fan for the next few years.  However, if you dread watching turnovers, missed defensive assignments, and guys forgetting rotations and/or making boneheaded plays, you’ll probably think it’s brutal.
 

Anthony Macri:
I have only one response.
 

Anthony Macri:
I have heard good things about Mrotic.  I believe he’ll stay overseas for a year or two and then be a valuable asset, like Asik was for the Bulls this year (and in the future).
 

Anthony Macri:
Never a bother, that’s why I do the chats.  Changing speeds is easy in the sense that you can do the technical work without a game situation – just working on having five distinct speeds in a straight up and down "sprint" posture and a few different speeds in a side-to-side sliding posture would be critical, with both hands.  Understandign and working on tempo typically requires defenders (real or imaginary), and a fair amount of game experience.  The idea is just lookign for spots where speed is helpful, and taking advantage of those spots, and slowing down when it’s not.  Take a look at books by the late Dick DeVenzio – "Stuff! Every Good Player Should Know" and "Running the Show" are really valuable reading to then import into your gameplay.
 

Anthony Macri:
I would take Eric Gordon.  I like DeRozan more than some, but I like Gordon a lot more.  I think he has a chance to be very good, and his floor is not as low as DeRozan’s is if things don’t work out.  DeRozan’s absolute potential might be higher, but his chances of reaching it are far less.
 

Anthony Macri:
May not be strengthening needed.  Use ice even on days it feels good.  That helps the muscle recover faster.  Either ice bath the ankles are really get them going.  Ice extended the careers of many an NBA player, especially Jordan and Ewing (remember they would have ice all over knees all the time?).  Ice em up every single time, even when they feel great.  Do that for a few weeks and let me know if you are still having the same issues.
 

Anthony Macri:
Not sure I am with you on Riley turning nothing into something, but I think both have been great for their respective franchises.  No one represented long term NBA success like Jerry West did for the Lakers… he’d get my nod for now.
 

Anthony Macri:
If you worked on your weak hand for 8 minutes every day – just on weak hand – and did that 6 days a week for the four months between now and the start of most seasons, you’ll have done nearly 13 hours of weak hand work by the time you get to December or so.  That will pay dividends in your game.  Really work on hammering the ball hard into the ground, and keep it low and tight.  Also, do a lot of work with gathering the ball with one hand and throwing it against the wall, or finishing around the rim with just the weak hand.  Finally, start doing some common, every day stuff with your weak hand – like brushing your teeth, eating your cereal in the morning, and turning on and off light switches.  Most guys don’t commit to doing that stuff – but the ones who do show marked improvement.

Alright – time for me to roll on out.  Hope your day is a great one… this Thursday, I’m doing a special Coach’s Notebook on catch & face basketball – everything on the jab step and attack stuff that I can think of in under 2000 words.  Hope you like it!  Until next week – see you soon.