NBA Chat With Bill Ingram 10/10/11

1. Peter

   Hey Bill! Just outta curiosity, who decided that every team in the NBA must play 82 games per season? Why not 90 or 84?? Why 82??

   • Bill Ingram

     Good Morning, everyone, and welcome to the chat! It has a lot to do with playing division rivals more often, then conference rivals more often than opposing conference teams. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year (16 games). Each team plays six of the teams from the other two divisions in its conference four times (24 games), and the remaining four teams three times (12 games). Finally, each team plays all the teams in the other conference twice apiece (30 games).

2. Cain

   Pacers trade Granger for Minnesota Pick (FRom LAC) and Kaman (to trade with another team i.e Hawks for Smith)?

   • Bill Ingram

     Granger is exactly what the Clippers need, but the Pacers aren’t looking to move him at all. They also have no intention of starting anyone but Hibbert at the five, and Kaman wants to start. This doesn’t make much sense for the Pacers.

3. cj

   ORL gets armon johonson and josh smith. ATL gets marcus camby, luke babbit, and ryan anderson. POR gets brandon bass, quentin richardson,chris duhon, and zaza pachulia.

   • Bill Ingram

     This deal helps the Magic a lot, but saddles the Hawks and Blazers with some players who won’t play. Camby is hurt as much as he’s healthy, and with Smith and Zaza gone the Hawks would be screwed when that first injury came – you know, in Game 2 of the new season. There’s no playing time for Richardson in Portland and Duhon would never fit in there. Only Orlando really benefits here.

4. cj

   then if that trade goes through, POR signs someone like kwame brown or jeff foster, or if there is an amnesty sign someone who most likely will get amnestied. someone like j.o’neal,haywood,biedrins,turiaf,kaman, or okur. what do you think?

   • Bill Ingram

     I don’t think you can make a move and then hope something else will work out through an amnesty signing. I also don’t think Kwame Brown will play hard without Charles Oakley standing on his neck, though Foster is decent.

5. Lior (Rockets season ticket holder)

   I have to agree with the owners (on 50-50 split and cap/competiveness). If you made a $500M investment you shouldn’t just expect to break even. Would the players just play for living expenses and the love of the game? Players should ask around if it’s uncommon for companies to slash pay and benefits if the company is losing money. I also believe that 85%-90% of the NBA talent is replaceable. How many Scolas still play in Europe? How many Bundingers went undrafted? Did anybody check Rucker park? If Oracle employees left and started their own company would they be as successful? They don’t have the brand name and resources. All I have to say on competitiveness is that I lived in Atlanta during the late 90’s to early 2000’s and it wasn’t fun going to games that were decided in the first 8 minutes. The visiting team went to their 2nd team within the first quarter. It seems that the NBPA is taken over by militant superstars with super egos. I’d like to hear from the likes of Nowitzki, Duncan, and Nash.

   • Bill Ingram

     I hear you, for sure. And no, the players wouldn’t play for living expenses and the love of the game. Many play because they love basketball, but many also want to live the life of a superstar and this is the only way they can do that. I don’t know if 90% of the NBA is expendable, but maybe 50%. I’m sure there are plenty of international players who would love to come to the NBA and replace the bottom 9 or 10 players on every team for a third the money. The game might even be better for it. International players tend to take basketball much more seriously than many NBA players.

6. Shad

   Hey Bill, is there any correlation between the salary cap and the BRI?

   • Bill Ingram

     Not directly – BRI is simply Basketball Related Income, or all of the money made from the business of basketball. The salary cap is more about limiting the amount of money big market teams can spend to try and help small market teams compete.

7. Bugsy Mogues

   Hey Bill, bit of a trivial question, but not much else to talk about. Are NBA players allowed to participate in Fantasy Basketball? Do you know if any do?

   • Bill Ingram

     As long as there is no money involved NBA players could participate in Fantasy, but I’d be surprised if many do. Most of these guys are far too caught up in the business of being a basketball player to spend time doing the things fans do. Sure, some play basketball video games and what not, but for the most part they’re too busy being in the NBA to pretend they are.

8. devonte wilson

   i say the knicks sign aaron gray, earl clark, and undrafted rookies: juylan stone and malcolm thomas. we need youth, height and length if we are going to play defense and rebound but also they we provide better role players? also i think this plan is better then trying to sign dwight or chris paul because it would prove to be impossible?

   • Bill Ingram

     I agree that trying to sign Chris Paul or D12 is probably impossible, especially when the new CBA is hammered out. It’s going to heavily favor franchise players staying home. Aaron Gray isn’t bad – better at center than Turiaf, anyway. I’m not sure Clark is someone who would make it in NY. The fans ride their players relentlessly, and Clark is definitely soft. Your approach makes sense, though the names might need some tweaking.

9. devonte wilson

   who would be the front runners for a possible robin lopez trade?

   • Bill Ingram

     Well, we know certain teams are in need of front court help. The Magic could use him as a backup to Dwight. New York and Houston both need a starting center, though Lopez is hardly on the top of either of their lists. The Suns can get something for Robin, but I’d be surprised if it was much beyond picks and young players.

10. Theo from glendale

    If an Amnesty clause occurs, and the Clippers decide to rid themselves of overpaid journeyman Mo Williams(2 years $17 million) can you see the Clippers possibly trading Chris Kaman’s expiring contract to Denver for the expiring contract of Andre Miller?

    • Bill Ingram

      The Clippers aren’t looking to unload Mo Williams, and actually see him as someone who can help the young guys prepare to make the playoffs. After all, he’s been there and been deep. The Nuggets don’t need Kaman, either, unless they lose Nene. The Nuggets have more pressing issues at PF and shooting guard . . .

11. Thomas Pynchon

    Why is it that when Dirk would lose in the first round and put up huge numbers, he was a choker, soft, and not a leader, but when someone like dwight howard (or with the same skin color) does the same and loses to a mediocre hawks team (and his teams wins in a blowout when he is in foul trouble) it’s because he has no help, bad teammates, and is a top 3 player?

    • Bill Ingram

      Because Truth is in the eye of the beholder. LeBron James chokes in the fourth quarter, but he’s better than Michael Jordan, right? As someone who has been courtside in Dallas for the majority of Dirk’s NBA career I can tell you that Dirk being soft was never an issue. Not that he was an amazing, vocal leader like MJ, Olajuwon, Magic, or some of the other great players, but when it comes to making clutch plays and consistently being among the best players in the NBA, Dirk is right there. The job of a GM is to surround his star player with the right mix of players, and that’s something Donnie Nelson has struggled to do. The mentality in Dallas until probably two seasons ago was simply to spend as much money as possible signing every name player they could convince to come to Dallas. There was much less regard to how well a particular player would fit in with the existing talent. Rick Carlisle brought in a staff much more focused on stats and situational strengths, which led directly to the Mavs putting together a more coherent group that complemented Dirk and helped him bring home a ring.

12. Ruben

    Do you think the players and owners get somthing hammered today?

    • Bill Ingram

      I wish I could say I am optimistic, but I’m not holding my breath. The gap between the two is just too wide. People have focused on the BRI and hard cap issues because they are easy to explain in a 200-word column, but the bigger issue is the leveling of the playing field. If the Pacers and Timberwolves can’t compete with the Lakers and Celtics financially, it’s unlikely they’re going to compete on the basketball court. That has to change, and it’s going to take a vast systemic change that won’t come easily.

13. steveS

    Question about the following guys: are they stopgap placeholders/role players for their respective teams, or integral, “will-make-major-contributions-when-we-finally-win” kind of guys: Ersan Ilysaolva, Omri Casspi, Austin Daye, Thaddeus Young? In other words – their ceilings?

    • Bill Ingram

      Of that group, Casspi, Ilyasova and Young are the guys who I think have higher ceilings and could be major contributors down the road. We haven’t seen a whole lot of Daye. He’s a good kid and works hard, but it’s too early to say he’ll be a difference maker.

14. Peter

    Hi,

    in a recent article you named Brendan Haywood as a poster child for the amnesty clause. Would you please explain?
    In my opinion, I just don’t see the Mavs amnestying him. They won’t shed any costs, as they would have to pay him anyways, but give up on perhaps the best second unit center in the NBA for cap space, they are not at all interested in.
    I allthough think Haywood should have some trade value, since he’s certainly a starting quality center at a common price of 10M $ per season. I think people only labor him overpaid, because he’s not actually starting for the Mavs.

    • Bill Ingram

      As I said in that article, it all depends on what financial constraints the new CBA places on teams. If the only way the Mavs can bring back Chandler and Butler is by amnestying Haywood you can bet he’ll be gone. If there is still a luxury tax system in place the Mavs will continue to spend, spend, spend. Keep in mind, Cuban doesn’t want to make the team profitable, as it would mean he would have to write a check to his minority owner – Perot. He’d rather spend that money, take a loss, and write if off his taxes. Haywood is seen as overpaid because he doesn’t start, yes, but also because there are stretches of games where he doesn’t play hard enough to garner minutes. Fans expect more from a $10 million player.

15. matt

    can my raps find a decent package or deal to trade bargnani. he is a 7foot tall jr smith.

    • Bill Ingram

      LOL . . .I don’t think you know JR Smith as well as you think. The Raptors would be crazy to trade Bargs. They did the right thing by bringing in Dwane Casey as the new head coach – Casey has helped Dirk Nowitzki learn to defend and use his size to his advantage. He can do the same with Bargs. You don’t easily discard a player with that size and shooting touch.

16. matt

    It’s my bday today and thanksgiving day here in canada!

    • Bill Ingram

      Yes! Second Monday in October. Happy Thanksgiving, Canada! And since it’s your birthday I’ll answer a couple more of your questions. Normally we try to limit it to one or two per reader.

17. matt

    jose calderon 4 felton. raps save $. there might not even be a season + felton would ditch + leave them with nothing. jose would be dishing out assists in Portland but his defensive flaws would be covered.

    • Bill Ingram

      I’d say it’s highly unlikely the Blazers take on that extra year of Calderon’s contract, even if they weren’t thrilled to have Felton, which they are.

18. matt

    do u think KD is the pure scorer in the nba today?

    • Bill Ingram

      For my money, it’s Durant. He’s got that shooting motion that gets him to the line a lot, but he’s also money from everywhere. He’ll be the best player in the league in 2-3 years.

19. Nick

    Who are the players moat likley to get traded

    • Bill Ingram

      Funny you should ask – I got some of our insiders together to talk about the top five most likely trades of 2012. Here’s where you can find that article!

20. Sean

    What’s up Bill, if the CBA goes through with the “Melo rule” and the Amnesty clause, do you see Orlando keeping D-12, cutting Gilbert and going after a big name via trade or free agency?

    • Bill Ingram

      Be sure you read Steve Kyler’s take on the Amnesty situation this morning. It very much depends on how the amnesty provision is structured, if it comes about. I do think the Carmelo Rule would keep Dwight in Orlando and Chris Paul in New Orleans.

21. Antoine

    Considering that Tim Duncan will retire after the 2011-2012 no-season, why don’t the Spurs to make a shot at Dwight Howard ? That makes sense ? No ?

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t know if Dwight could handle the small market of San Antonio, even though he would be a fantastic fit with the defensive-minded Spurs. He would also have to develop a little but thicker skin to play for Popovich. He thinks Stan Van Gundy rides him – he doesn’t know the definition of being ridden. Stan’s a piece of cake next to Pop.

22. justin

    Memo Okur for Teague/Williams. If Memo plays like he can. Helps Atlanta with a center, while cutting some $ for next season. and with this trade Utah address its to big weak spots. Future/back up PG. Back up/ Starter SF

    • Bill Ingram

      Not a bad idea – especially since it will help the Hawks cut costs next season. Seems to help both teams . . .