NBA Chat With Bill Ingram 11/21/11

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. Logan

    I understand why people are questioning Hunter for not filing disclaimer earlier, but doesn’t that prove the union was barganing in “good faith”?

    • Bill Ingram

      Good Morning, everyone and welcome to the chat! Let’s jump right in here . . .Honestly, it would be hard to prove that one side or the other hasn’t negotiated in good faith. Stern has given the players ammunition with his “ultimatums,” but both sides have made considerable concessions along the way and tried to find common ground. I think the players have sacrificed more in terms of the BRI, but the owners have not been nearly as “take it or leave it” as their language has suggested.

  2. Matt

    When you look at the offer the owners offered, it actually doesn’t look that bad. I think it made alot of sense, shorter contracts, lower MLE and created more parity for small market teams. Isn’t it a bit strange the offer wasn’t given a vote?

    • Bill Ingram

      The thing is, the Players don’t want to have all those performance clause and incentives. They want long-term guaranteed deals . . .but you and I both know that those contracts have hurt teams more than they’ve helped. The big joke is how well a player performs in a contract year versus any other year. Look at Brendan Haywood two years ago . . .and he lost his starting spot in training camp. He got paid and stopped working as hard. We see it time and time again, and the owners are tired of it. So are the fans.

  3. Matt

    Do you think there would still be a lockout if Lebron had resigned with Cleveland?

    • Bill Ingram

      I see what you’re getting at, but yes. This is not just about trying to keep star players on their original teams. This is about completely restructuring the economic structure of the NBA. It’s not just about one player, though that is certainly a small part of the bigger picture.

  4. Shad

    After this debacle, shouldn’t Billy Hunter be forced to resign? Decertifying the union in November instead of July. And now he’s wasting everyone’s time with the notion of a players league!

    • Bill Ingram

      I thought Hunter should have resigned long ago, but his ego is playing a powerful role in this process. When you have egos like his and Stern’s on either side of a discussion it leads to a lot of wasted time and . . .it turns out. . . a prolonged lockout.

  5. Felix

    Hi Bill, what’s your take on Jimmer Fredette, how can he cope with the Kings?

    • Bill Ingram

      I like Fredette a lot. His strength is the half-court set, where he got 77% of his offense last season, which put him in the 87th percentile. He is also excellent against a man-to-man defense, which is what he’ll see mostly in the NBA. The Kings got 86% of their offense from half court sets last season, so I expect Fredette will have an edge coming in. He could be the PG Tyreke Evans has needed.

  6. Alec

    Hey Bill, I’m still not getting this ” Perkins still affected by trade ” thing. This is a guy who wouldn’t sign an extension with the C’s, and wanted to test the market. I understand Rondo is his best friend but seriously, once the big 3 era was to be finished, they would of started building around Rondo and Perk. The second he was traded he immediately signed a extension with the Thunder. Is it me or is this guy throwing mixed signals?

    • Bill Ingram

      This is a clear case where you have a thoughtful, emotion-driven player on the one side, and his shrewd business-oriented agent on the other. Perk wanted to stay in Boston, but he also wanted to maximize his earning potential. The Celtics didn’t make an offer that seemed to do the latter, so he opted not to sign . . .then they traded him to avoid losing him outright. Don’t confuse the emotional player with his business-like agent. That’s the discrepancy here. For more, see today’s NBA PM. We had someone at Rondo’s game and I’m running a story on Perkins.

  7. Kevin

    Why won’t ANYBODY in the NBA Media criticize David Stern other than a few players?? To my surprise Barkley think he’s the best commish in sports! Really??? There has to be ONE person with an honest assessment of the job he’s done!

    • Bill Ingram

      I actually hear a lot of criticism of Stern from the media, and for good reason. Sure, he has taken the NBA to new heights during his time as commissioner, but of late his ego has been his defining characteristic, and his attempts to strong-arm the players in “negotiations” has really been indicative of just how powerful he believes himself to be. Many believe him to be pulling a lot of strings behind the scenes, and I wonder if we’ll ever know just how much he’s had to do with the rise of the large-market teams and the struggles of the smaller markets. I don’t believe he determines outcomes of games, but I do think he has a lot more control than is commonly known.

  8. Kevin in Tokyo

    Let’s make some assumptions: Portland has 2 weeks of a healthy Oden and an up and down Roy, but otherwise LA plays like an All-Star, Crash plays like himself and stays relatively healthy, Batum and Matthews are productive, Felton has a great transition to Portland, and Camby has a great retirement year. I don’t think this is too much of a stretch, although it’s assuming quite a bit, but the question is do you think Portland can improve on their record from last season?

    • Bill Ingram

      I think the addition of Matthews was huge . . .and he will step in if/when Roy gets hurt again. They won’t miss much of a beat. Felton is a solid addition given his history and success with Wallace in Charlotte. He’s more of a verbal leader than Andre Miller, though Aldridge and Camby have both told me this week that they feel Miller is the most underrated PG in the league. So let’s say Camby has a great final year, Aldridge dominates and Crash is Crash . . .the Blazers could be very, very good. Especially since Felton feels like he has something to prove after his time in Denver.

  9. Saulo

    There are players with some huge games in the CBA, like wilson’s 43pt 22reb debut, Stephon Marbury’s 29pt, 7reb, 8ass.. and plenty others. Will games over there help some of these players such as Gerald Green, Rodney Carney or Marbury get a new shot in the NBA? Will it help the players like Wilson Chandler and JR get better contracts in the NBA?

    • Bill Ingram

      It sounds like JR Smith is finished after one real game, which is shocking news, of course. (not!) The problem with CBA is that it’s far inferior to the level of basketball played in the NBA. Yi Jianlian is like Michael Jordan over there, but can hardly stay on the court in the NBA. It certainly doesn’t hurt those guys to play well in China, but I also don’t think it’s a big deal to prospective NBA teams that will look to sign them.

  10. Saulo

    Which of these players, that have been having a huge impact in china, have a better shot of making it back in the NBA? Stephon Marbury, Gerald Green, Lester Hudson, Randolph Morris, Quincy Douby, James Singleton, Shavlik Randolph, Marcus Williams

    • Bill Ingram

      Frankly, I’d be surprised if any of those players were able to turn success in China into a substantial NBA career. We’re talking about a group that has had great success at other levels, with many playing in the D-League or internationally, but they have struggled to translate that success into anything meaningful in the big league. I have always like Gerald Green, and he has had some success in the NBA. From your list he might be the most likely to make it back to the league with a reasonable role.

  11. Chris

    Hi Bill. Here’s something to fight off the Lockout malaise. Does Orlando approve this deal? D-Howard and Hedo T. for Noah, Gibson, Asik, Deng, and Charlotte’s 1st rounder.

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s exactly the kind of deal the Magic need . . .one that unloads Hedo along with Dwight and returns enough players to help fill out their roster. Noah being from Florida might help ease the sting of losing Dwight for their fan base. It also makes the Bulls the favorite to win the East. I think both sides would have to strongly consider such a deal, assuming it works under the new CBA guidelines. And yes . . .we all need help fighting off lockout sickness. :)

  12. Ludwig Hasbauer

    hi bill! is the lockout hurting chances of the kings staying in sacramento strongly? what’s the news there? hope the lockout ends soon, but now I don’t see big chances! greetings from Germany :)

    • Bill Ingram

      Hello Germany! I don’t think it’s hurting the new arena process “strongly” at this point, but it’s probably a matter of time. If we wind up losing an entire season it will probably seriously endanger the Kings’ chances of staying put. Most insiders believe the owners and players will work something out before the courts step in . . .but probably just before.

  13. tony

    So ken berger reported over the weekend the nba wants to make a deal in time for christmas games do u see any chance of that or think the season is all but gone?

    • Bill Ingram

      The thing is, the NBA really starts to take a financial hit if they have to cancel those Christmas games. They lose tons of money from the TV deal, and Christmas really marks the beginning of the time when casual fans start to pay attention to the NBA. The NBA absolutely wants to get things rolling before Christmas, which is also consistent with staying ahead of the court proceedings (see above).

  14. Stephen Litel

    Hey Bill,

    Just checking in your chat! How are you, my man?

    OK, actual question…should Wolves fans be encouraged to hear the reports or Rubio’s play recently? Will I have a fun story to cover there when the lockout finally ends?

    • Bill Ingram

      Hey Stephen! Had a great time catching up with Jonny Flynn last night . . .thanks for the trade! :) You have to be encouraged after Pau was so negative about him last summer. I think Rubio’s chances of success increased exponentially when the Wolves hired Adelman as their head coach. Good times ahead . . .and I very much look forward to your return to HW, as it will mean the lockout is finally over!! That’s it for me, everyone! Don’t miss our next chat with Coach Anthony Macri – drop your questions in here! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!