NBA Chat With Anthony Macri 9/25/12

1. Jim in Cyber Space

   As an OKC fan…when I wake up every morning, hoping that Harden has come to terms with OKC. I always check my Favorite Sports Website… Fist thing…still only half awake.
   It’s the first thing I look for…world event’s are an after thought.
   Do I have to deal with this madness until Halloween?

   • Anthony Macri

     Happy Tuesday everybody! It’s a beautiful evening here in Jakarta, and hopefully a nice day wherever you are in the world. With our previews finishing up on HOOPSWORLD, it’s almost time to really get down to the business of the season… 5 weeks to go! By the way, I will be on until 11:30a EST today, so let’s get to your questions…

     It is a difficult situation for sure – your favorite team and its key player, so much uncertainty. You will likely have to deal with it well past Halloween, because there is no guarantee everything will be complete by then. You are better off pretending it’s not a big deal, and then you can be pleasantly surprised when it all is resolved (easier said than done, I must say).

2. Wil

   Hi Coach, you are now in charge of the Nicks, you have Anthony and Stoudemire…how do you make it work? What does each player need to do? What does the coach need to do? How to maximize their effectiveness and minimize their weaknesses? Is there any hope?

   • Anthony Macri

     Plenty of hope. Much of it revolves around Amare coming off the bench and spelling either Carmelo or Chandler and using those guys in a rotation with Melo spending a fair amount of time at the four. I’d also use him a lot out top in high, flat ball screen action with Melo lurking on the baseline and taking him operationally off of the wing as much. I like doing everything I can to get the ball to Melo in what I would call an immediate operation area: a place where he has to make a quick decision nearly every time he touches it. I like getting the ball to Amare the move, usually cuts and slashes to the front of the rim area. This would mean using Melo in a fair amount of misdirection along the baseline and on the weakside, and having Amare set screens high. As the handler comes off the screen, Amare dives while Melo comes up from behind. The handler can reverse back to Melo in the mid-post area on the weakside or hit the streaking Amare. I like both options. Just thoughts.

3. Renee

   Thoughts on the Nets and Suns?

   • Anthony Macri

     I like the Nets roster on paper and in theory. But I’m not sure they will mesh well on the court, they just seem a bit mis-matched to me. I could be wrong, just feel a little less athletic in certain spots than they need to be, and I don’t know they are really ball-hungry. Talented, but something off on that roster. Will need to examine them in the first few weeks of the season.

     I’m intrigued by their frontcourt and I maintain that if Beasley can get it together at some point in his career he could be very good for a lot of teams. I don’t know how well Gortat and Scola will co-exist but I like how talented they can be. They have some major leadership questions – I have no idea who will be the anchor for that group.

4. Locatelli

   What is your take on Moe Harkless?
   Is he really going to be a great player ?
   Can he help the Magic in Year 1 ?
   Thanks.

   • Anthony Macri

     Like, but don’t love him. Was interesting when he got drafted by Philly originally (right?) and my first thought was how similar he was to every other player on their roster at the time. But now in Orlando I think he has a chance to impact the roster. He can develop into a pretty good perimeter defender at the NBA level, and his length will go a long way. He is a weak shooter right now, and I’m not convinced he can function as creator of shots, but I believe he will do enough little things to impact a roster. In short, he can help the Magic right away, but that may say more about the state of the Magic than it says about Harkless.

5. Anthony Mack

   How’s it going my fellow Anthony lol.

   CP3 is a top 5 player do you agree.? Also what do you think are his chances to win MVP this season.?

   • Anthony Macri

     Since I still think he is the best point guard in the world, yes, top 5 seems right. Hard to give him an MVP when his team might be the 4th or 5th best team in the West…

6. Dutch NBA fan

   Heey Coach. I was just wondering. When Jeremy Lin came down to earth last season, a lot of people said it was because other teams now had video footage on him and were starting to zone in on him. Now, a lot of people are also saying that Lin will prove to be just an average point guard in Houston while he looked an absolute star in New York.
   Can an prepared opponent really make the difference between a player being just average and a All Star?

   • Anthony Macri

     It can have an impact but exactly how quantifiable that is I’m not certain. Some players have some very bad habits and once you discover them on video, they are easily exploitable. I’m not sure if Lin is one of those kind of guys or not. I think he’ll be above average in Houston, but I don’t think he can be an All Star or anything.

7. detroit fan

   How’s it going the pistons just signed Terrence Williams, do you think it was for training camp or does he have a real shot of making the team? Does that also mean prince is on the trading block with the logjam we have at the 3

   • Anthony Macri

     I think the Pistons would be smart to have everyone on the block with the possible exception of Monroe, who could be a stud to build around. I think Williams would be for longer than just training camp though I have no inside information upon which to base that claim. Prince might have the most value in the trade market, especially to a team that is a legit SF away from being really good… what teams do you see as needing his services?

8. Tim

   So I thought NBA officials were the worst in all of sports…until last night’s Monday night football game. How would David Stern address horrible officiating in his game?

   • Anthony Macri

     So my former colleague at IMG Acadmies, Mike Moreau, did an amazing David Stern impression. I can totally hear him in my head right now with that very dry, almost laugh-it-off attitude that Stern takes with everything. “You know, we have to, you know, find a way to improve on the court. The integrity of our game, you know, is very important. I think… I know… I mean… perhaps it’s something we’ll look into.”

     No matter where you go in the world, any sport, any level, the refs simply aren’t good enough. A solution will come out soon, or we’ll live with the first 6 weeks of the season being awful until the referees start to adapt to the speed of the game and the complexity of NFL rules.

9. Tim

   2 Part question here…Lakers vs Celtics…who’s better and why?

   • Anthony Macri

     Lakers are more talented, but Celtics I think will be more together right from jump. I don’t like either team to get past the conference finals, though. Still a fan of OKC out west and Miami in the east.

10. Quan

    hey man, sorry to say that your ABL interview with me last month will never be published. Our site has recently been taken down temporarily, and all data were lost in the process that I couldn’t trace them at all. Anyway, I hope the next time will be better.

    Back to the questions:

    1) Do you think Isiah Thomas still have his influence in the Knicks’ business? I suspect it for a lot of reasons, one of them is the current head coach is Mike Woodson, Isiah’s teammate back to their Indiana days.

    2) When will the Heat acquire a solid, if not an All-Star center? I know they’re fine with their small-ball offense, but with Dwight Howard now in LA and Andrew Bynum is believed to improve in Philly without Kobe’s domination, they will have a hard time with strong (Bynum) and mobile (Howard) big men.

    3) Who is the best on the court today when talking about using his wingspan?

    • Anthony Macri

      No problem on ABL stuff – if you ever need anything, please reach out to us anytime!

      1.) Nah, I think Isiah’s influence is minimal at best. He may get the occasional phone call to talk shop between coaches, but I doubt it’s much more than that.

      2.) Heat will run that 76ers team off the court. Bynum doesn’t move up and down the floor, refuses to guard in space and won’t be able to stay in front of Bosh. At worst (from Miami’s perspective) those two are a wash. Howard is a different story. A Lakers / HEAT finals would be interesting because a lot of LA’s strengths are Miami weaknesses.

      3.) A few guys are excellent at it. Corey Brewer and Tayshaun Prince come to mind immediately. Andre Iguodala too. I think Anthony Davis will be very impressive at using his wing span. Bigs that use it well include Pau Gasol, KG (though not as much as he could), and DeAndre Jordan.

11. Quickdraw Mcgraw

    Scal vs Jackie Moon. Game up to 21. Who do you got?

    • Anthony Macri

      Game by 2s and 3s or 1s and 2s? Scal nastier from 3.

12. xavier

    How do you see Kawhi Leonard’s future ? I see him turning into some kind of a new Shawn Marion, with the potential to be a borderline All Star.

    • Anthony Macri

      I think poor man’s Shawn Marion is certainly possible. Marion’s athleticism and creativity / finishing ability on the break and to a lesser extent in the halfcourt are well beyond Leonard’s current abilities, and I don’t see him developing in quite the same way. I think Marion got much too little credit for how much of an impact player he was during his prime in Phoenix and i don’t think Leonard will be that good – but maybe as the Spurs age he can take up the mantle.

      Trickle of questions right now – if you got ‘em, send ‘em in now!

13. JR

    Where do you project D. Favors?

    • Anthony Macri

      I think his efficiency goes up considerably this year, and with the subsequent increase in opportunities I think he could have a double digit scoring / nearly 8 RPG year. I see him being a very strong player by the time he gets to 24/25 – in 3 or 4 years. Not sure he can be more than a very good third option for a strong team, but stranger things have happened, for sure.

14. Patrick

    Hey man,

    Thanks for the chats! When STAT first arrived in New York he seemed more determined than ever, and raced out to a nearly MVP type first half of the season (until the Melo trade, understandably). Do you see him coming back with that same drive, and does Melo even posses that drive, or just rely heavily on natural talent (Tmac)?

    • Anthony Macri

      My pleasure Patrick. I do believe we’ll see a more focused Amare this year, but focus doesn’t matter if you can’t operate in your favorite areas. I think in order to get the most out of Amare Stoudemire, you need to free up the area directly around the lane as much as possible. That’s hard to do with Chandler in the game, no matter what he brings on the defensive end. Melo can be a cold-blooded assassin, and I think he works hard. I don’t know that he’d give it all in to win a championship, though. I think the better approach is doing as much as one can to take advantage of Melo’s strengths, and not change him into something he will struggle to be.

      Well that does it for me folks. Back next week for another chat! Talk then and it’s almost October!