NBA Chat With Bill Ingram 11/12/12

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. 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. Steve

    I’m a bit confused, does okc get toronto’s first round pick if raptors don’t make playoffs (top 14)? Or will okc get it if they dont make the playoffs (which isnt likely)?

    • Bill Ingram

      Good Morning, everyone, and welcome to the chat. I want to take a moment to thank all of our veterans for your service, and also give a shout out to my Dad, Roger Ingram, who served in Vietnam. Thanks for protecting all of the freedoms that we enjoy and defending freedom around the world!Yes, it is a bit confusing. The Raptors pick is guaranteed lottery, so if they make the playoffs it bumps to next season. Rough start for Toronto, but I do think they will be in the mix once they get Lowry back on the court.

  2. Peter

    How was your weekend? Don’t want to pour cold water on Hou fans, but the good start is really due to the fact that they played a struggling Detroit team twice. A lot of optimism in Hou nowadays, but I think they’ll fail to make the playoffs again. Their predictable offense and average defending make them vulnerable. They have lots of good young talents, all they need is a great coach :) Thoughts?

    • Bill Ingram

      Same can be said for Dallas, where their early schedule looked like an extension of preseason. The Rockets need a great coach, yes, but they are also one significant piece away from being a playoff team, and potentially two away from being contenders. I think it’s going to be a rough year for Houston, especially since they won’t see Detroit again until next season. :o

  3. Cain

    How do you think Lance Stephenson will go the rest of this season? Starting to prove a 2nd round steal of 2010 draft?

    • Bill Ingram

      The Pacers are very high on Lance, which is partially why they felt they could deal Collison in an effort to shore up the front line. I’m not sure he’s a starting two, but we’ll see. Pacers looking for some combination to work until they can get help at the three or get Granger back.

  4. AJ in Hawaii But From Cali

    Billy Boy, wasup, I got 2 things.

    1st- if Phil wants control of personnel moves why wouldnt the Lakers give it to him? Wait it’s not like he knows what he needs to win a title… the only objections i would make as management is if 2 similar players are available/wanted and phil chooses the older maybe a little more established of the 2.

    management wants to get young and think about the future.

    2nd- Would you agree that Damian Lillard is better than Chris Paul was as a rookie, definitely a better shooter.

    • Bill Ingram

      Honestly, I think control over personnel moves was a smaller part of why the Lakers rejected Phil. He wanted to get paid full-time for part-time work, and you can bet his asking price was HEFTY. For a team that needs so much work on the court, the Lakers probably preferred a coach who will put in the hours, like D’Antoni. As for Lillard, it’s too early to start calling him Chris Paul, but I love what we’ve seen from him so far, especially since he’s taken on some of the best PGs in the NBA already and played extremely well. If I’m Portland, I’m very confident in that young core group . . .just need some bench pieces.

  5. calvinzero

    It is a very long time that I posting Q’s here..

    This is only my question..

    Is there any event happened in the NBA history books that a coach demands travel and roster control like on Phil Jackson now??

    • Bill Ingram

      Well, welcome back! It’s unprecedented, really, which is why the Lakers went a different direction. Phil really wants to be a GM, not a coach, so I think he was trying to create a hybrid position that covered both.

  6. LA in LA

    Hey Ingram, give me one guy at each position who’s not an all-star but you’d be happy if he was a starter on your team.
    Ex:
    Jrue Holiday, C.Lee, Nicholas Batum, Taj Gibson, Marcin Gortat.

    • Bill Ingram

      OJ Mayo, Kyrie Irving, Rudy Gay, Brook Lopez and Serge Ibaka.

  7. Deven

    Why does Miami always struggle to beat Memphis? Is it because of the matchups, or is one of those teams better than the other?

    • Bill Ingram

      Memphis is a big, physical team up front with arguably the best front line in the league outside of Dwight/Pau. The Heat don’t have a true center who can make an opposing center work defensively, so the Grizzlies expose Miami’s biggest weakness. Memphis also has good perimeter defenders, meaning Wade or LeBron is going to have Tony Allen riding their backs the whole game. Miami’s the better team, obviously, but they wouldn’t enjoy a postseason match-up with Memphis.

  8. Deven

    If I’m a winner for the HOOPWORLD Pick Em game, how will I get the T-Shirt?

  9. LA in LA

    What do you think of Cousin’s suspension for confronting Elliot? No one knows what he said to Elliot but unless Cousin’s threatened him I feel for Cousins. Some of those team broadcasters have annoying homers for broadcasters who spend the whole game trash-talking the other team while having overzealous praise for their team. In fact one Spurs vs Lakers game from a year or two ago, although IDK if it was Elliot, was just that. Makes listening to the NBA TV broadcasts very hard for some teams.

    • Bill Ingram

      Cousins needs to learn to turn a deaf ear and not take things so personally. I helped him avoid a similar situation with a media member in Dallas last season. You can’t afford to listen to broadcasters and fans . . .focus on the job at hand.

  10. SCM

    Is there anybody that Morey is looking at right now? I commend Patterson for his hard work but he simply just hasn’t produced and is really undersized.

    • Bill Ingram

      Yeah, Pat has worked very hard, but he’s going to lose his starting spot to Motiejunas, is my prediction. I’m sure Morey is looking at centers . . .if he’s not, he had better be. The schedule gets a lot tougher from here.

  11. Jim in Cyber Space

    D’Antoni is a better choice than Phil. He WAS a great coach. PJ’s EGO is far stronger than his back and knees.

    The HC can’t travel with the team because his body is too broke d— to allow it? He would have been a figure head like JoePa.

    I would have liked Jerry Sloan.

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t think Dwight Howard and Jerry Sloan could have co-existed, honestly. Sloan wouldn’t appreciate Dwight’s laid-back approach to the game . . .at all. Sloan would have been harder on him than Van Gundy was, and we know how that went.

  12. Aaron

    Hey Bill

    When is Dirkules coming back? And do you think he will regain his 2010-2011 form?

    • Bill Ingram

      Dirk is the hardest-working player in the NBA, so I have no doubt he’ll be back in MVP form by the end of December. He’s due back some time around the second week of December, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see him come back early.

  13. Raptor Fanatic

    Would Utah do Bargnani for Millsap?

    It doesn’t solve Utah’s logjam at PF but Jefferson is an UFA and Bargnani should compliment both Favors and Kanter.

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t think they do that straight up for the reason you mention. Maybe if it were a 3-way that sent Jefferson out, as well. Houston needs Jefferson, though they don’t appear to be in hot pursuit. Houston also has some nice pieces to send to Utah in the deal. Millsap is precisely what the Raptors need … and Houston could throw in a small forward for Toronto, setting the Raptors for the foreseeable future.

  14. Raptor Fanatic

    Do you think Bargnani would pair up nicely with Asik? More importantly do you think Houston/Morey would be interested?

    • Bill Ingram

      The Rockets are trying to be an up-tempo team, just like Toronto, so Bargs would be left in the dust in Houston just like he is in Toronto.

  15. rockets fan

    Since Mike is the new Coach for the Lakers. Do.you think its a good chance Paul gasol gets traded? As for the Rockets which position do you think they need a upgrade in what position? And who do you think they will go after? Is it a chance the rockets will go after Bynum in the offseason?

    • Bill Ingram

      I’m not sure why Mike D’Antoni being hired has anything to do with trading Pau Gasol . . .see comments on Houston below. Bynum is a Sixer for the long-term.

  16. Costas

    Hi Bill. With Mike as a coach the Lakers have no hope for championship. Without defense how do you expect to compete with the Heats? Howard cannot take care of everything. Someone should help me and I am not quite sure this can be MWP. Style has won effectiveness in LA.

    • Bill Ingram

      Well, you also have Kobe and Artest, who are more than happy to defend. In Phoenix and NY you had players who didn’t know how to defend and wouldn’t put in the work. In LA you have some elite defenders who will contribute to the cause and make up for Nash’s lack of D.

  17. Emanuel

    On a scale of 1-10, how stunned are you that Phil Jackson is not the coach of the LA Lakers right now?

    • Bill Ingram

      1. I would have been stunned if he actually took the job, given that he was physically struggling to do the job before and that his real desire is to be a GM.

  18. Emanuel

    IF the Clippers fire Vinny Del Negro, do you see Phil Jackson possibly replacing him?

    • Bill Ingram

      Only if they give him the GM seat, as well . . .which they won’t. I think Jerry Sloan is the right guy for LAC.

  19. Wil

    Hi Bill, at first I was stunned by the Lakers the passing on Phil, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. They are focused not just on this year, but the next couple of years (as they move from Kobe to Dwight) and giving Phil control may have limited their options going forward. I’m still not sold on D’Antoni as he let Melo run him out of Gotham, but if Kobe supports him it will work. Thoughts?

    • Bill Ingram

      Well, we kept hearing the word “simplify” from Lakers management, and it doesn’t get any simpler than D’Antoni’s offense, which was built around Steve Nash’s strengths. I’m sure the Lakers’ offense will now be among the league’s top five . . .their defense will be a different story, but with D12 there to erase mistakes, that could work itself out.

  20. butch

    hi
    what about poor rebounding from p. patterson, any chances trading for
    j.smith, millsap or al jefferson?

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t see Patterson drawing any of those players . . .but the Rockets have plenty of assets left to use in a deal for a player like the ones you mentioned.

  21. Alex in Burbank

    Bill, why would the Lakers do this to us fans? Phil was prepared to take the job, then they hire D’Antony. Why?

  22. Eric123

    2 Questions:
    1. Byron scott is calling for someone to step up on the cavs bench. Who do you think will answer his call?

    2. Don’t you think the suspension for DMC was too harsh a penalty? DMC has always respected TD, remember “(expletive), you’re good.” complementing TD. Also, if I heard it right, DMC didn’t even mention elliot by name. I think, at most, a fine would have sufficed.

    • Bill Ingram

      1) Daniel Gibson is the easy answer, and he played well last night. Omri Casspi needs to decide whether or not he wants to stay in the NBA, as the way he’s played would seem to indicate that his days are numbered. 2) No, I don’t. This is not the first time, and the team needs to send him a message.

  23. Frank Iversen - Denmark

    Hi Bill,
    What do you think of the increasing use of statistics, by the GM’s of the NBA, when assessing players? (Daryl Morey & Rich Cho come to mind)
    I think it’s somewhat evident that the longer-tenured coaches/executives tend to look more on the physical product on the floor when assessing, rather than statistics. What’s your take?

    Thanks!
    Frank

    • Bill Ingram

      I think the Money Ball approach works amazingly well in baseball, but basketball presents some challenges if all you do is look at stats. It’s an important aspect in OKC and Dallas, for example, but the Mavs and Thunder take a great deal more into account. There’s a human side of the game that Morey struggles to navigate, and that’s why the Rockets continue to struggle to make great deals happen.

  24. Jonathan

    Does a Stat for Glen Davis trade make sense? Is it even possible?

    • Bill Ingram

      Makes great sense for NY, but there’s no way the Magic are taking on a huge contract for an oft-injured player. Orlando is going in a very different direction.

  25. Jdc

    What do you think about the Bulls offense? I cant stand it, its not fluid not enough movement. Also seeing what Mayo and Watson are doing in their respective teams, wherent they a better option than Kirk!

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s where Nate Robinson is so valuable, because he brings an element of unpredictability to the mix. It hurts that Boozer is so up and down, too. Lots of new players learning new roles . . .the Bulls are a work in progress.

  26. Chris

    Can Minnesota survive the injuries that have hit them the first couple of weeks?

    • Bill Ingram

      They were holding their own until Budinger and Roy joined the injured list. Awfully tough to win with four starters out, even for a coach like Rick Adelman, who is experienced with piecing together wins.

  27. josh

    Hey would a trade of Milsap for Terrence Jones, Chandler Parsons and Rockets 1st round pick work out? I think it would be good for both sides..

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t think that works unless Utah has a second deal worked out to send Parsons and a package somewhere else . . .it would move their logjam at the four and create a logjam at the three.

  28. Joe Shafer

    Why do you say Motiejunas will be the starter? He hasn’t even had a chance to play yet? I hope he sees the court soon, I have big hopes for him.

    • Bill Ingram

      I say that because DoMo was so good in summer league and preseason . . and he did return on Saturday night, so he must be over the infection. I think he has more potential than the rest of Houston’s fours . . .

  29. Geoff

    Will the cavs trade andy before the end of the season?
    Who are the suitors for him and what do you think they can get?