NBA Chat With Bill Ingram – 12/26/2011

1. Pete

   I just finished reading Shaq’s book. It was an entertaining read. Are there any other basketball books in the same vain that you can recommend?

   • Bill Ingram

     Merry Christmas, Everyone, and welcome to the chat! Great NBA action on Day 1 . . .now let’s roll! Peter, I’m not an avid reader of sports books, as I spend all of my work time on the NBA. I prefer to read other things in my free time. I did review a couple of books recently that were really good, however. Rise Of A Dynasty, by Bill Reynolds, was great, as was Dwight Howard’s new children’s book: All You Can Be.

2. Shawn

   Kaman to the Spurs for McDyess’ $2.6 million expiring contract and Spurs 2012 1st and 2nd round draft picks.
   Spurs pick up Keith Benson off waivers.
   Spurs get a veteran big with an expiring contract to help us now and a young big to develop. A good move for this year that doesn’t mortgage our future.
   Your thoughts?

   • Bill Ingram

     McDyess retired, so he isn’t the Spurs’ player to trade. Kaman would be a great pick-up for the Spurs, whom I believe need to add a big to contend this season.

3. rockets fan in cali

   I remember last year the Rockets was really interested in Kyrylo Fesenko. Are they still interested?

   • Bill Ingram

     They were . . .not sure why . . .but they got their man in Samuel Dalembert. They don’t have any open roster spots for anyone else.

4. Peter

   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Nice new pic by the way~ All of the Hoopsworld experts have the Spurs finishing 3rd in the Southwest. With all the respect to you and your colleagues, I disagree with that prediction. The Mavs have lost several key pieces, most noticeably Tyson Chandler, and have replaced them with players who are in the twilight of their careers. As for the Grizz, they lost Battier and the return of Gay raises questions on whether he can gel with Z-Bo and Gasol. Coversely, the Spurs have all their key players intact. Acquiring Ford and drafting Leonard were, in my opinion, astute basketball decisions. Your thoughts?

   • Bill Ingram

     Same to you! I definitely see Memphis winning the division, as Gay was already a huge part of their chemistry. Even when he was hurt he was with them every step of the way and that is a very tight team. The Mavs are a huge question mark to me, as well, even before yesterday’s drubbing. I can’t imagine Haywood, Carter and Marion as starters a month from now, but maybe. I still think Dirk, Kidd, Jet and Odom will be very dangerous together. If one piece . . .Beaubois, Wright, West . . .turns out to be significant, they could still be very good. The issue with the Spurs is their age, especially Duncan. If he gets hurt they don’t have anyone else to replace him. They need to add a big before I can put them any higher than third.

5. Jorge MRtinez

   Orlando gets: haywood, roddy b, dojo, terry, odom and some picks
   Dallas gets: D12 and hedo turkoglu
   What do you think about it? Mavs get their new superstar and magic get young talent plus financial flexibility

   • Bill Ingram

     I have to take that deal if I’m Dallas. It’s not so good for the Magic unless Roddy and DoJo really turn into something special this season.

6. Anthony Pascua

   Is there any talk about the Lakers possibly looking at Bonzi Wells or considering Gilbert Arenas?

   • Bill Ingram

     I haven’t heard about the Lakers looking at either player, and Bonzi didn’t look like a guy who was really ready to return to the NBA during his time in Minny. I would think Arenas will find a home, but it’s going to take a team with a strong leader, like Kobe. Hard to see Kobe putting up with his eccentricities, especially with Metta already on the team.

7. Omar

   How do you see this fantasy starting lineup? Kyle Lowry, Wesley Matthews, Jamal Crawford, Blake Griffin, and Amare Stoudamire, and Nene?

   • Bill Ingram

     You’ve got six players in your starting lineup, but otherwise that looks fantastic!

8. sturt

   So, if Kenyon Martin has a good friend on a team that was a conference semi-finalist last season and that still has their entire MLE available… and if an owner of said team has publicly acknowledged that the team is willing to cross the LT threshold later this season, just not yet… why shouldn’t fans be left to take that option more seriously than the NYK option?

   • Bill Ingram

     I have a hard time seeing Kenyon Martin agreeing to take the vet’s minimum in New York when some other team is going to need a big man . . .like San Antonio or Boston, for instance . . . and throw more money at him. The only way he lands in NY is if no teams with more money make him an offer. Kenyon still has some game.

9. Bjørn Simen Samdal

   Is there a limit on how many 1st round picks a team can acquire in a single draft? Say a rebuilding team trades all their best assets for several 1st rounders, would this be possible?

   • Bill Ingram

     I don’t believe there is a league-enforced limit, if that’s what you mean. If a team wants to acquire four or five first round picks in a given draft, they just have to make the trades that land those picks.

10. Sweet Dee

    First Lamar Odom, now Memo Okur. Why do GM’s suddenly believe these trade exceptions are so valuable? Can you give a least a few examples of a GM turning a trade exception into a decent rotation player.

    • Bill Ingram

      It reduces costs immediately. You stop paying memo until you find the better player… at $10.890 mil, Memo costs the Jazz $64,000 per day. He was not going to play, so this move gets the Jazz under the cap now. Second, the Exception is not the prize. For both the Lakers and the Jazz, the first move was clear out the rotation and reduce some costs. The second move was the exception. Keep in mind, you can not be “signed” using a TPE, you can only acquire a player under contract in trade using a TPE. That player technically can be signed a traded, but you can not use a TPE on a free agent. That said, This year the Magic acquired Von Wafer in the Big baby trade with Boston using the Rashard Lewis trade exception. The Raptors tried to use some of theirs from Chris Bosh to get Mickeal Pietrus from the Suns but failed his physical and backed out. The Mavs used their TPE from the Tyson Chandler trade to land Lamar Odom.

11. ehmy

    do you think miami need to add fesenko so they can get a 7’2 guy and a nate robinson a nice shooter?

    • Bill Ingram

      I want to see a lot more of Norris Cole before I think about adding Nate Robinson, if I’m Miami. If Fess will play for peanuts, sure, he would be a nice addition to their front line. Never hurts to have another seven-footer.

12. maestro

    As I watch the Celtic/Knicks game I can’t believe that Rondo gets so little respect. Bass is killing because Rondo puts him in position to succeed everytime down. My question is why isn’t Rondo consider in the discussions as the best point in the league? To me him, Paul and Nash are the best TRUE points.

    • Bill Ingram

      You really want to know how that works? This is partially it. Seriously. Rondo is terrible with the media. He avoids the press and when forced to talk he says a whole lot of nothing. Derrick Rose was shy and awkward when drafted, but has worked hard on his communication skills and is now the MVP. Not that communicating gets you an MVP – you have to be as good as Rose, too. But it can be a difference-maker when people are splitting hairs to define why one player is better than another. Rondo is the real deal, though. Anyone who watches basketball should know he’s one of the very best players in the league.

13. Steve

    Why didn’t owners push harder for a franchise tag? Or did they? I get that any publicity is good publicity, but all of the drama that swirls around Carmelo, cp, Howard, deron , … for up to a whole season seems way excessive – certainly harmful to, for example, the Magic’s efforts to excite their fan base for he upcoming season – and ultimately not good for the league? Do the owners see it that way?

    • Bill Ingram

      As someone who HATES the stupidity of talking about trading a player whose contract doesn’t expire for a year or two, I’m right there with you. The owners DID push pretty hard for a franchise tag, but it was something they had to give up in a quest to save the 2011-12 season. It would have been great for the game, frankly, and saved us all the agony of hearing Deron Williams and Dwight Howard give non-answers to the same inevitable question night after night until next July.

14. Steve

    The’s some buzz in Atlanta that the Tracy McGrady signing adds “veteran leadership” to the Hawks. Am I missing something? The guy who by so many press reports was a leader in the clubhouse turmoil against Kuester in Detroit last year?

    • Bill Ingram

      Listen, I think Tracy’s a great guy. Love to chat with him in the locker room. That said, I wouldn’t want him anywhere near my team. You’re exactly right about what happened in Detroit, but beyond that he simply refuses to play hard. I’ve said this for years – McGrady has every bit as much talent as Kobe Bryant, but he has grinch syndrome. His heart is two sizes too small. Signing him assures Atlanta won’t get out of the first round come playoff time.

15. Ron j

    With the exception of you and a few others on this site it seems like everyone has miami crowned champs already thats 1 thing but noww im hearing alot of so called experts even
    Picking NY n boston to finish ahead of chicago is it already forgotten they won 62 games last year do you think theirs a reason for the lack of respect they get

    • Bill Ingram

      While I do believe the Bulls will have the best record in the East this season and make it to the Finals, it’s very possible it could be Miami again, as well. I think Chicago’s depth makes them the better team, but we’ll see. What I can’t see is the Bulls being any lower than the second seed in the East unless they suffer major injuries. New York will be good, but not better than Chicago, and the Celtics are not even in Chicago’s class. Hard to believe anyone would pick Chicago to finish lower than second.

16. Jiggy

    Deng played amazing D last night. He is soo good for Chicago and a lot better than guys like Granger and Gay. I hope he stays healthy…how would you rank him in the NBA at the SF position?

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t know . . .I like Rudy Gay an AWFUL lot! He and LeBron are better than Lu, but there aren’t many better players at his position, you’re right. And that last defensive stop last night was fabulous!

17. reily

    after seeing the xmas games this is top 4 in the east heat,celtics,knicks,bulls. I got the C’s second because of how good they played without pierce,pietrus & green agree?

    • Bill Ingram

      After watching Christmas games I feel like I’ve been watching preseason rather than the real thing . . .I won’t take too much away from yesterday’s games other than a few obvious things. 1) Too bad the Mavs aren’t back to defend their title. 2) Derrick Rose is MVP. 3) LeBron is great in games decided by 20. 4) Kobe feels no pain once the ball goes up.

18. Aaron

    I know it’s just one game but I am worried about my Mavs…Odom and carter are reminding me of walker and jamison in 03-04. what will the mavs do to regroup and get on track?

    • Bill Ingram

      I thought the best lineup was the one with Dirk at the 5 and Odom at the 4. What was that ejection about, anyway??? It was like a comedy routine . . .Haslem puts him in a bear hug, LeBron flops in front of him, whistle sounds . . .queue the canned laughter. But be ready – this is not the championship team by a longshot. The starting lineup is awful. Neither Haywood nor Marion can create his own shot and Carter looked like he should be playing in the Legends game. My feeling is Odom has to start.

19. ian

    Yesterday,Lakers’ bench outscored the Bulls’ bench, which is considered to be the class of the league, 29-18.Is it sth worrying or it’s just a game? Korver seems so bad in these 3 games and bulls have not enough bench scoring.
    Playing CJ Watson as a backup SG could be the solution?

    • Bill Ingram

      I wouldn’t worry at all after one game. Korver will find his shot and Chicago will be fine. They were so much better in the second half . . .like most of the teams who played yesterday. It’s going to be a rough first couple of weeks in the NBA.

20. Mark J

    How bad did Turkoglu suck last night? Passive..bad passing…and looks 30lbs bigger. With that said, isn’t it time to trade Dwight? Send Howard to Golden State for Stephen Curry, Andris Biedrins, Epke Udoh, 2 1sts.

    • Bill Ingram

      It’s not time just yet, but you absolutely have to use Dwight as a means of unloading Turk when the time comes . . .

21. B-Man

    its the first game of the season, and already we get a questionable outcome with a game decided by two free throws that looked like it was a clean poke from behind and two very odd technicals against the knicks, one of them for raising your hands up in an inbound play. the nba is really back…

    will jameer nelson ever get his A-game back? whose orlando’s best perimeter defender now? larry hughes? earl clark? how much trade value does j-rich carry nowadays?

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t know that we’ll see Jameer’s A game again…as for perimeter defense, we’ll have to see. There are a lot of older players on the team, especially in the back court, and their best perimeter defense may be to allow penetration and let Dwight take care of it. Just prevent threes. Keep in mind, they can’t trade J-Rich for 90 days after they sign him, and by then he’ll be in mid-season form and great for the team.

22. wink

    What will be Daly’s jersey number? What’s the hold up in his signing after the Rox released Lin?

    • Bill Ingram

      Haven’t heard yet what his number will be . . .his signing is a done deal, likely waiting for league office to process. He may or not play tonight, as he is not in great shape and hasn’t worked out with the team. Time for Thabeet to shine, right??? (cough, cough)

23. Charlie

    Watched the HEAT game yesterday and Norris Cole looked better than expected. He was aggressive and had quite a few nice takes to the rim (including crossing up a few defenders along the way). How do you project Norris will contribute to Miami this season? Will he be on the floor come playoff time?

    • Bill Ingram

      If he continues to approach the game with that fearless attitude, he could be. If you’re going to be a rookie on a veteran team with title expectations you better be aggressive every time you step on the floor, and Cole was just that yesterday. Great start for the young man!

24. Mac

    I read all summer about Utah’s glut at the center and power forward positions. All writers were saying there was no rush to trade anyone as Utah was waiting for the “right deal.” Then Brook Lopez goes down with an injury (leaving them in a desperate situation) yet were able to get Memehet Okur for only a 2nd round pick??? How was Jersey able to pull off such a good trade when they were in no position to play hardball.

    • Bill Ingram

      That was crazy, wasn’t it??? Seems like Utah could have gotten several good pieces if they had made it known that Okur was available. Of course, Okur is no Lopez, but if he’s healthy he can keep the Nets somewhat afloat . . .maybe . . .until Brook returns. Maybe.

25. Sweet Dee

    Is it me, or is the Tyson Chandler signing EXACTLY like the Ben Wallace signing a few years ago. Big Ben was a great role playing center on the championship Detroit Pistons team, then signed a 4 year / 60 million dollar deal with the Chicago Bulls. Think this will turn out any differently? Why or why not.

    • Bill Ingram

      As long as he stays healthy, which he doesn’t always do during non-contract years, you’re exactly right. He’s a bit better on the offensive end than Ben, so a great addition for the Knicks. If he allows injuries to define his career in New York the Knicks are basically screwed . . .

26. Mac

    I put a HUGE bet on over for wins for the New Jersey Nets this year (over 26.5 wins). Two days later I hear of the Brook Lopez injury. Do you think that Jersey can still make the playoffs without Brook for the first 6-8 weeks? How good is Mememhet Okur going to be as his replacement? Your prediction on wins for the season. Thanks.

    • Bill Ingram

      I didn’t think they were a playoff team BEFORE Lopez got hurt, so they’re definitely going to struggle now. What will be interesting is if Okur can play as well as he did for the Jazz a couple of seasons ago. If he and Lopez can be as effective as he and Boozer were this could turn out to be a great move for the Nets. If not, Deron Williams is gone, baby, gone. Too many “ifs” to give you a number. Might as well pull one out of a hat.

27. Dr. Ball

    I was really impressed with Baron Davis communicating
    With Knick frontline guys. They seem to really
    respect what he has to say and he seemed like a
    coach on the sidelines. Does he have a high
    basketball IQ? Will he manage the flow of the game well?

    • Bill Ingram

      Exactly! He’s a factor even when he’s not on the floor. It’s why the Cavs had such a hard time making the decision to amnesty him. He has a high basketball IQ, but he’s also very eccentric, so you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get. He’s always a great teammate, though.

28. Charlie

    Can’t decide which center to drop from my fantasy team: Anderson Varejao or Kendrick Perkins

    • Bill Ingram

      I’d go Perk because he’s more about defense. Andy will give you the stats if he’s healthy.

29. Dennis

    Has Andre Kirelinko signed with a team yet? Has he been linked to anyone other than the Nets. He may not be a max player, but I am surprised at the lack of interest in such a good defender. Your thoughts.

    • Bill Ingram

      Not yet . . .he’s not sure he’s coming back from Russia. Kings also interested.

30. Jerry

    What are the chances the Lakers sign Gilbert Arenas?

    • Bill Ingram

      Alright, last one! Nuggets in town and we have a shootaround in 45 mins. I don’t see Arenas in LA, especially if Blake is going to play as well as he did yesterday. Can you imagine Arenas and World Peace together? Distractions take away from championships, and that sounds like one big distraction to me. Merry Christmas, everyone! Let the games begin!