NBA Chat With Bill Ingram 10/24/11

Catch up on the latest news, rumors and predictions with HOOPSWORLD’s Bill Ingram every Monday at 11:00 AM Eastern.

Bill covers the entire NBA and is based in Dallas, Texas, home of the reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. He has been an NBA analyst since 1998, when he and Steve Kyler founded HOOPSWORLD. He can be heard on radio stations across the country and his work has also appeared in USA Today.

You can follow Bill on Twitter by linking here: @TheRocketGuy.

  1. G

    If Chris Paul and Dwight Howard will be traded, which teams do you think they best fit with? Not considering salaries, etc.

    • Bill Ingram

      Good Morning, everyone, and welcome to the chat! If salaries were not an issue? Dwight Howard in Houston, playing alongside Luis Scola and with all those shooters on the perimeter, would be fantastic. He would also be amazing in Dallas, where Kidd would probably help him average 40ppg. Or how about NY, playing with Amar’e, Melo and Billups? Chris Paul would make the Lakers the team to beat for the foreseeable future. He would also be fantastic in Miami.

  2. G

    If Steve Nash is to go to a strong playoff team, where does he fit? EAST: Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Orlando, etc. WEST: Dallas, LA, Portland, Oklahoma, etc. And Why? Thanks!

    • Bill Ingram

      It depends on how he gets there. The HEAT have talked about unloading Chris Bosh, and Nash would make the HEAT even better by making the big decisions that LeBron doesn’t want to make. I don’t think Orlando can get him – no pieces to offer in trade that Phoenix would want. Chicago doesn’t need a point guard. I don’t think NY is any better off with an old Nash than they are with an old Billups. I can see Portland, as they could send Felton back in the deal, and Nash would be great with that group. LA and Dallas already have old point guards, and OKC is set with Westbrook.

  3. Chris

    Any idea what ESPN and TNT will air instead of NBA games? College ball? Classic games?

    • Bill Ingram

      I think it’s a safe bet they won’t be showing NBDL or ABA games. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do what we’re going to do, which is ramp up the NCAA basketball coverage.

  4. Barry

    76ers get- Chris Bosh, Norris Cole, Eddie House

    Pacers get- Elton Brand, Jodie Meeks, Joel Anthony

    HEAT get- Danny Granger, Jrue Holliday

    Who says no?

    • Bill Ingram

      The HEAT make out like bandits in that deal . . .Indiana isn’t AT ALL interested in trading Danny. They won’t even entertain offers. I certainly don’t think they would listen to an offer that involves Brand’s contract. The Pacers are a young team, not looking to get older. If they were going to deal Granger is would be because they want to promote Paul George, but that’s not in the cards in Indy.

  5. Jhayee

    Chris Kaman FOR Gerald Wallace..

    TNX..

    • Bill Ingram

      Interesting idea . . .the Blazers need a starting center – assuming Oden can’t go – and the Clippers need a small forward. I know the Blazers are extremely high on Wallace, but if Oden is hurt again (still) they might consider such a move.

  6. john

    how would u fix the raptors?

    • Bill Ingram

      As it happens, I’ll be doing a “Raptors Trade Fix” article this week. I think Barbosa has to be the trade chip, even though they really like him. He’s an expiring deal, which makes him a valuable commodity, especially in a climate where teams are going to be looking to cut costs. Obviously the team would rather trade Calderon, who may have helped his stock value with his strong FIBA play, but so far no one’s been too interested in him. More on this subject later this week.

  7. john

    if the raptors have a high pick next year and the best player on board is a pf like Anthony Davis should they take him or reach for a sf?

    • Bill Ingram

      It’s unlikely they’ll be bad enough to get the top pick, which is where Davis is projected to go. But if they’re in the top five they could land Harrison Barnes, which is exactly the player they need at the three. There are some interesting freshmen lower down in the top ten, as well. All of that said, I am a big fan of the “take the best player” theory. If they get the top pick, they take the best player. The Portland Trail Blazers would certainly agree . . .belatedly.

  8. Matt

    Stern says he wants the NFL system with all teams beign able to win the championship. That must mean hard cap. But while NFL is “local” sport, NBA is “global” sport. Nnicks and Lakers (HEAT problaby too) get alots of money abroad. Why not just accept that things are never gonna be equal? How is Indianapolis suppose to compete with New York?

    • Bill Ingram

      You’ve pegged the issue exactly. Lost in all the talk of exceptions and the BRI is the fact that what the small market owners are fighting for is an even playing field. What Stern wants is one thing, but the small market owners seem to be driving the discussion. They’re staging their very own version of Occupy Wall Street, preventing talks from moving forward about a system where the rich teams get richer and the small market teams get screwed. It’s not what Stern wants, but what the small market owners want that is driving the discussion.

  9. Anthony

    Beasley or Mayo, who has the better career when it is said and done? Also, do either, or both, need a change of scenery? If so, any suggestions as to where?

    • Bill Ingram

      Interesting comparison, as both have their issues off the court. I think Beasley has the better career, and I also believe he already got the change of scenery he needed. He was great for the Wolves last season, and will only get better with Adelman guiding the team. Mayo has some good moments during the playoffs last season, so maybe he can turn things around in Memphis. If not, there are a few teams who would love to help him relocate and start fresh, beginning with Indiana.

  10. tony

    Any way a deal gets done before january?

    • Bill Ingram

      I think it’s a different discussion after November 15th, when the players get their last checks for last season. It will be interesting to see how long they can hold out, and my guess is it won’t be very long. I think we have a season, and we’re playing games by January.

  11. Jon in WA

    Do you realistically think that a player like Brando Roy will be cut with the possible of the new deal? And if so who do think would be lined up for his services?

    • Bill Ingram

      Here’s the problem with cutting Brandon. What if he gets healthy? I know what the doctors are saying, but we all also know how things work in sports. The power for the mind over the body is a strong factor, and Roy is the kind of player who can overcome a lot. What if the Blazers cut him and he signs a minimum deal with, say, the Lakers? The HEAT? How much would it hurt to watch him return to All-Star form for another team? There’s also the community factor. The Blazers drafted Roy for his character as much as for his game, and he’s been huge in helping the team move past the “Jail Blazers” era. It would be tough to pay him to leave for that reason, as well.

  12. Cesar

    Lets expand our world outside of the nba a lil bit.
    Who is the best player of this generation in:
    NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis ans Soccer?
    I’d go Kobe, Brady, Pujols, Federer and Messi. What about u?
    btw, nba lockout really killing all of us :(

    • Bill Ingram

      You know, I used to watch other sports. I loved baseball when the Astros were good, and I loved going to Cards games when I was going to college in St. Louis. I’ve actually watched a couple of the World Series games, which I don’t usually do. I’m usually too busy with training camp and preseason. I’ll happily go with Albert Pujols as the best MLB player, and Kobe Bryant is easily the best player in the modern NBA, though his time is coming to a close. As for the NFL, tennis and soccer . . .I’m not sure I could even name people who play those sports. I’m just not too interested in sports beyond the NBA.

  13. Byron

    Hi Bill, If Kyrie Irving opted to stay in college & he put up the same stats as his freshman year do you think he’d be a top 5 pick in next year’s loaded draft?

    • Bill Ingram

      I think you’ve just touched on the reason why he came out after missing so many games with the injury. If you’re projected #1 you declare for the draft. Period. He would do well to be top five next summer,when there are so many quality big men on the horizon.

  14. Jon in WA

    Who do you think will have a better NBA career Elliot Williams or Nolan Smith?

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t see a lot or minutes at point guard on the horizon in Portland, with Felton and Mills in the mix. If Roy can’t go, it might open up an opportunity for Williams . . .

  15. edgar

    Hey good morning bill, I think Houston should just trade Luis n Kevin n start the youth movement, I don’t think any avaliable center in the Nba can make the serious contenders unless Yao gets robot legs n is able to play again. Wat do u think try n go to the playoffs or rebuild with the young players

    • Bill Ingram

      I know they won’t even listen to offers for Kevin . . .they don’t really need a great center, they just need a good one. They were nearly a playoff team last season with Chuck Hayes playing the five. If they could land even a decent center like Dalembert I think they could be in the postseason discussion. If they could somehow land Gasol, they might be a home court team.

  16. B-Man

    2 years in their careers, who has been better between these two former second over-all picks, Darko Millic or Hasheem Thabet. oh and is chase budinger’s defense good enough to be a full-time starter?

    • Bill Ingram

      I love Chase. I think he showed after the Battier trade that he’s ready, even if he needs a lot of work on the defensive end. He’s not a stopper like Shane, though he is a better scorer. I think Darko has more ability than Thabeet, and will have the better career. Darko never got a chance to play because Larry Brown doesn’t like young players, with Thabeet he didn’t get a chance because he just wasn’t good enough.

  17. Ap

    what do you think of suns aquiring Josh Smith for Lopez, Pietrus and Warrick and 2 Fututre First Round picks?

    • Bill Ingram

      That would be tough for Atlanta, as Lopez doesn’t look like he’s going to be a quality starting center. Warrick isn’t much, either. Pietrus would make up for losing Crawford in some ways, but that’s the only real positive for Atlanta. Atlanta is better off keeping Josh than dealing him for that kind of package, unless they have reason to believe they can make something out of Lopez that the Suns haven’t made. Given the Hawks have a relatively inexperienced head coach, I’m not sure that’s likely.

  18. Byron

    Followup question to Anthony, if New Jersey got aggressive and offered long term deals to Mayo & Beasely would that convince D-Will to stay in town? That would be a fun starting lineup to watch

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s exactly the kind of aggression we need to see from the Nets. Their lineup is a MESS right now, and they don’t have pieces to trade or pieces to keep Deron interested. They need to start spending money, and you’re right – that would be a fun group to watch. That’s unless Mayo and Beasley turned out to be a bad combination . . .

  19. prodlp

    you think there is any chance there could be a trade between the clips and orlando invloving dwight for blake?

    • Bill Ingram

      If it were straight up, perhaps. But the Clippers would have to send half their team to Orlando to match Dwight’s salary . . .they’re better off building around the young group they have, which is impressive in its own right.

  20. Billy M

    I get the feeling last week just about did it for the upcoming season. any chance the length of the meetings caused fatigue and restlessness? Things seemed to be going ok until that second or third day

    • Bill Ingram

      The Board of Governors seemed to shut everything down. There was good progress before that happened. The small market owners just aren’t ready to get back into a cash race, which is what the two sides were headed towards as it seemed a deal was near. See my comments on the small market teams above! Again, though, I see a season happening. It just won’t be close to 82 games.

  21. Mark

    Hey Bill Im a huge Magic fan and of course I want Dwight to stay. Who should I be rooting for in these negotiations the players or the Owners?

    And if the side wins how will that help us keep Dwight in the “O”

    • Bill Ingram

      Interesting question. If the Carmelo Rule goes into effect you definitely want the owners to win. It would mean the Magic are the only team with Dwight’s Bird Rights, and therefore the only team that can go over the cap to pay him whatever a max deal is. If the players win there is no such rule and you’re back to the Magic begin forced to trade Dwight to avoid losing him via free agency.

  22. Bjørn Simen Samdal

    I am a big Heat fan or maybe just a Wade fan. I don´t think we need to make any big moves although it never hurts to upgrade, but I think people are wrong about Bosh and I am seeing him having a far better season than last year and one of the biggest reasons why they win their next championship. My question is this; how do you project Chris Bosh and Norris Cole´s stats the upcoming season?

    • Bill Ingram

      Depends on what you mean about being wrong about Bosh. What people I know say about Bosh is that he’s a very good player, but not a franchise player. That’s absolutely true. He plays well off of other great players, as we saw last season – especially in the playoffs. It’s too bad they can’t afford a really good point guard, as someone like Steve Nash or Chris Paul would make that entire team more effective in crunch time. For his career, Bosh is a 20/9 player, and while it’s hard to see him averaging 20 with Wade and James getting so many shots, he should still be in the 16-18ppg range, even with a healthy Haslem spelling him off the bench. As for Cole, hard to see him getting many minutes on a team that expects to win a title and has so many small guards already in the mix.

  23. marcello robertson

    we know m. gasol next contract is between 10-13 million.
    Orl gets r. gay,m. gasl, oj mayo
    mem gets d. Howard, arenas
    salries work,Orl starts rebuild with three young cornerstones. mem gets best big in game.Last years mem squad with howard. WOW

    • Bill Ingram

      Memphis can’t afford to make that deal . . .Dwight would walk IMMEDIATELY after free agency began. There’s no way he plays in a small market like Memphis, especially when they wouldn’t be any better than the Magic after dealing all those players for an overpriced Arenas and Dwight. That’s a phenomenal move for Orlando, but Memphis would never do it.

  24. Carlos A

    Good morning!!!
    Who says no bulls trade asik and deng + the charlotte pick too memphis for mayo and gay?
    Noah
    Boozer
    Gay
    Mayo
    Rose
    Would that be ay championships team!? Thanks

    • Bill Ingram

      Great move for the Bulls, no question. The issue is Memphis. They aren’t looking to move Rudy at all, and Deng isn’t close to being as good as he is. So a quality backup center and a good-not-great small forward for an All-Star starter and a starting two? I don’t see Memphis making that deal, either. They need to re-sign Gasol and come back even better than last season.

  25. James

    What kind of can Orlando make to keep Howard happy And stay

    • Bill Ingram

      Honestly? Unless someone is willing to take Arenas’ deal? There is absolutely nothing Orlando can do to keep Dwight. I hate to say it. I love the Magic and love Dwight. I started my career covering Orlando. But Otis Smith has traded himself into a corner and there’s no way out that doesn’t involve trading Dwight and – ultimately – with Smith getting fired.

  26. Mac

    Last week you said Antoine Walker “had plenty of talent, but he allowed distractions to take away from his commitment to being the best player he could be.” What specific distractions did Antoine fall victim of.

    • Bill Ingram

      We’ve seen a number of players derailed by addictions and bad habits. We don’t run those guys into the ground by telling their specific problems. Suffice to say Antoine had his issues. Hopefully that’s all behind him now.

  27. marcello robertson

    Follow up question:
    Ok, I will give you the fact dwight would walk (unless they went to the finals!. But not better than the current Orlando team, c’mon:
    PG Conley,Arenas
    SG t. Allen,Arenas,selby
    SF Battier,young,selby
    PF z-bo,d. arthur
    C howard,koustas, arthur
    Best Defensive team in league

    • Bill Ingram

      Assuming the Grizzlies would take a risk on Arenas being any better than he was last season (which is a stretch), you’re paying $20 million a season for a backup guard? And you’re forgetting the Grizzlies won’t have Battier back. He’s a free agent, and he’ll get more money from any number of teams than Memphis will pay to keep him now that Gay is healthy. So that Memphis team has a gaping hole at small forward. Maybe they’re slightly better than the Magic, but they’re not better than LA, Dallas, OKC . . .and nothing short of a title would keep Dwight in Memphis. That’s it for me, everyone! As always, thanks for spending some of your Monday with us here at HOOPSWORLD. Our next chat is with Coach Anthony Macri, so drop those questions in now!

  28. Billy M

    I might have ran this by you before and it doesn’t solve the Rockets center problem at all but would Scola for Iggy work? I assume the 76ers would need a little extra to match

    • Bill Ingram

      The Rockets have inquired about Iggy before, but it seems unlikely they move Scola . . .and the Sixers don’t need him with Brand.

  29. James

    If there’s a franchise tag does Howard stay

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s the idea . . .teams keep their best players long-term . . .