NBA Chat With Bill Ingram 4/16/12

1. Raps4ever

   Hi Mr. Ingram, After watching DeRozan and Ed Davis, develop, I see not much upside w/ both of them. I feel they don’t fit Dwayne Casey’s System w/c is to play defense aggressively and consistently. If DeRozan,is traded for A. Randolf or Gerald Green and ED Davis, for John Thompson or Farried, would this be a better fit?

   • Bill Ingram

     Good Morning, everyone, and welcome to the chat! Honestly, there have been times where I’ve wondered whether or not Ed Davis will make it in the NBA, but there have been some good signs lately . . .and patience has become the key with so many young players entering the NBA. DeRozan is not consistently good, but he has been great at times. I think it’s too early to give up on either of them – especially DeRozan.

2. Nicholas

   What makes Meyers Leonard projected at mid-late 1st round? At 7’1″, 245lb, he has the prototype size for a NBA C. He is also a good athlete and has great passing skill and hands for a big man of his size. He may be raw but lets dont forget he’s relatively young for the draft class. will team in the mid-late lottery “reach” for Meyers Leonard if he manages to impress in the Draft Combine and Teams’ workout?

   • Bill Ingram

     He ranks quite high offensively despite his lack of offensive versatility. He was in the 88th percentile in half court sets this season, so he has some skills. Defensively he has some work to do. He ranked in just the 46th percentile, allowing 200 points on 237 possessions. I would say that’s why he is currently projected in the high teens to 20 range. But yes, every player has a chance to impress at the Combine. A surprising number of team officials never seem them before that . . .so if he can blow someone away he could jump in the draft.

3. robert

   Assuming the Suns end up in the lottery, Do you think they should they make a hard push for Kendall Marshall, still re-sign Nash and have Marshall learn under him for a couple seasons?

   • Bill Ingram

     I can tell you that right now the Suns have every intention of making Nash and Aaron Brooks their PG rotation next season, so I don’t think they draft another PG. That said, if they don’t feel like they can afford Brooks – who could get a significant offer from, say, Portland – or keep Nash in town, that might make some sense.

4. Simon

   John Henson has been projected out of lottery in several mock drafts. You think that will happen on the draft day? If he manages to hit 230lb, i think he can be fine handling NBA PFs. his length (6’11″ with 7’5″ wingspan) and athleticism make him a valuable pick to some of the teams. The Draft is better on paper than it really is, so whichever team picks John Henson in mid-late lottery should be thrilled if he becomes a good defensive,starting big in the league one day.

   • Bill Ingram

     Has he really? He ranks in the 97th percentile in transition offense, and 71st in half court, so he’s a solid offensive threat. He’s good, but not great at defending man-to-man – 60th percentile. So he’s a young player with decent upside. He’s 6’10″ 220 with a 7’2″ wingspan . . .I think he’s a late lottery pick.

5. AJ

   Hi Bill,

   Are there teams in the late first round who would still be willing to sell their pick?

   What would it take for a team to move up from 10-11 to 5-6 this draft?

   • Bill Ingram

     Someone earlier suggested that this draft is better on paper than it is on the court. That may be very true, and if that’s the sense teams get as they go through the workout process, don’t be surprised if some of those lottery picks are for sale.

6. Joel

   When the lakers retire Kobe’s number, which one do they retire?

   • Bill Ingram

     Are you kidding?? He’s KOBE BRYANT. You retire BOTH!

7. Kevin

   Do people have any idea the HUGE amount of money the Olympics generate?? Why does it offend people if the players think they should get paid??

   • Bill Ingram

     Last week Steve Kyler broke down the financial situation for the Olympics . . .be sure you check it out. It’s not quite what you think it is. CLICK HERE!

8. Deven

   Hi Bill. Fact or Fiction: The Sacramento Kings will relocate next season.

   • Bill Ingram

     Fiction…we’re still in the bluffing phase.

9. Deven

   With you be a hardcore Rockets fan, do you think they can make the playoffs this year?

   • Bill Ingram

     They CAN, yes, but WILL they? I think they get in due to the Suns’ falling short, as much as their own play. They looked good for a minute there, but are falling apart of late…

10. Deven

    How big of a factor will Dwight Howard’s back injury be come playoff time and maybe during the offseason if the Magic trade him?

    • Bill Ingram

      Orlando was first round fodder anyway, and they can be that without Howard. Don’t expect them to trade him…back or no back.

11. Sean

    Morning Bill! We have looked terrible these past few games and I think going small really hurts us. Lowry,Dragic,Bud,Parsons, and Scola is the 5 Mchale favors in the 4th but he uses it even when we can’t rebound and defend against the bigger guys, why keep doing it?

    • Bill Ingram

      McHale is an instinctive coach, not an X’s and 0′s coach. You can win a lot of games on instinct, but you’re not going to win enough to be an elite team . . .and maybe not quite enough to be a playoff team. That changes with a legit enforcer at the five, but we don’t have one of those.

12. hew

    i still believe tyreke evans is a key in sacramentos future. great talent. what you think of him and his future in sacramento?

    • Bill Ingram

      I just talked to Keith Smart at length about that, and he hasn’t given up on Tyreke at all. He thinks playing at the three will help develop Tyreke’s jumper, which is the main thing missing from his game.

13. Deven

    Here’s my take on what the Bobcats need to do: get Anthony Davis, trade some players for some real “talent”, a new coach, new owner, new everything. What are your thoughts?

    • Bill Ingram

      I think Anthony Davis is a cure-all. Maybe not right away, but by the end of next season Charlotte is decent. I LOVE Paul Silas. He has the players on his page, and that’s important.

14. Tigermask

    With no Hall of Famers and no all stars, Rondo was supposed to be exposed as being average as his success has always been solely attributed to playing with the big 3, but somehow he put up above average numbers of 20 and 16 assists last night. Must either be an abberation or simple luck? What will the expert naysayers say now? Obviously it must be attributed to the great talents of the other big 3 of Stiemsma, Pavlovic, and Dooling.

    • Bill Ingram

      Rondo is the real deal . . .H.O.F guys around him or not.

15. calvinzero

    2 Questions:

    1. Who do you think is the best opponent for the Lakers for the first round of playoffs? Mavs, Nuggets or Rockets? Why?

    2. In you own sense, is Phil Jackson will come back to his coaching job in the NBA? It was rumored in the past he will go to the Knicks, his former team during his days.

    • Bill Ingram

      1) Mavericks . . .they have little fight left in them and are ready to fold. Houston is the injured lion – VERY dangerous and you don’t know where the attack with come from. Denver is very deep and getting healthy.

16. Will

    Do you think Orlando should blow it up this summer,trade D12,fire SVG and Otis?

    • Bill Ingram

      I think you fire Stan and Otis and give Kevin Pritchard a chance to save the Howard era in Orlando.

17. Bernard

    I think Dallas is a overrated suitor for Dwill,Dirk is old and they have no young peices to build around Dwill,you agree?

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t think I’m ready to call Dirk “old,” but I do agree with you otherwise. I wrote about this extensively on Friday – CLICK HERE!

18. carl

    What do you make of the Rockets latest 3 game skid after winning 4 on the road? Still think they make the playoffs and what moves should the Rockets make this offseason?

    • Bill Ingram

      Well, I was at one of those losses and watched the other two. It seems like the season is just catching up with them. They had to fight hard and overachieve to get into the playoff picture, and that was exciting to watch. Now the reality is setting in, especially with Glass Camby possibly missing games with the back injury. The Rockets are one piece away from contending, but that has to be a franchise piece. Not Pau Gasol, either. They need Dwight Howard, but might settle for Chris Kaman. A legit starting center is Houston’s only real missing piece.

19. the wonderer

    Hate to be easy, but watching D’Antoni coach NY for 4 years was painful. I WANTED to believe, but in the end it WASN’T a fun style of basketball. 3 point shots galore, and mostly misses. Josh Harrelson for 3! Was SO tired of hearing about his system, his system. Woodson is coaching the SAME team and getting results. MDA seemed OK, but really happy to see him go as a lifetime Knicks fan. Had to say it. What do you see?

    • Bill Ingram

      I love Woodson…lobbied for him in Houston. Completely agree about MDA. You have to coach both ends of the floor.

20. Billy M

    In the 3rd and 4th McHale sticks with Patterson rather than putting in Dalambert and for the most part Scola. does this say more about his trust for Pat or distrust towards Dalambert? People want to hate on Pattersons (VERY) poor production but he was the one on the court

    • Bill Ingram

      He must be using the same gut feeling that had him playing Parsons ahead of Budinger at the beginning of the season. Parsons stunk it up for a few weeks and then exploded. Problem is, now we’re in the last week of the season and Patterson has never shown us that he can be consistent. It’s a big gamble to think he’ll just snap to it now, when every game is critical. I’m not a big fan of Dalembert as a starting center, but he’s a better choice than Patterson, IMHO. At least you know for sure what you’re going to get from Sam.

21. JP

    Yesterday during the Lakers-Mavs game, the folks at ESPN showed clips of Kobe helping out and advising his teammates. Although he hasn’t always gotten along with his teammates, could you see Kobe in a coaching role in the future?

    • Bill Ingram

      Here are those clips, for anyone who missed them: CLICK HERE! As much respect as I have for Kobe, that’s a tough call. His standard of excellence is so high I’m not sure he wouldn’t alienate his players in a coaching role. Elite players rarely make good head coaches for that reason.

22. Jim

    Why is it that every team that loses to the HEAT feels the need to denigrate them afterwards? Is it just the NY media allowing the Knicks players to say things along the lines of “oh yea we are 0-3 against them right now, but we think we can beat them they are nothing special, we match up quite well etc..” Or Joakim’s “hollywood as hell” comment, the HEAT beat the Bulls fair and square over five games, by playing hard locking it down and making the plays at the end the Bulls couldn’t. All that matters is the W, it is as if, if the HEAT aren’t beating teams by 20 without having to work for it the victories don’t count, and then people say it doesn’t matter until June, unless of course they lose, then the sky is falling and they will never make it to June.

    • Bill Ingram

      I think teams believe they can beat Miami because the HEAT are not a mentally tough team. That said, they have so much talent that they are rarely in close games, where mental toughness comes into play. This is why I pick Chicago over Miami – there will be close games where Chicago’s depth and mental toughness give them an edge. But New York? They’re toast if they see Miami in the playoffs.

23. Clinton

    Your gut feeling, are Rockets making the playoffs?

    • Bill Ingram

      HOUSTON: Denver, @ Dallas, @ New Orleans, Golden State, @ Miami, New Orleans. That’s probably 3 losses (DEN, DAL, MIA) and 3 wins (GS, NO, NO).
      PHOENIX: Portland, OKC, Clippers, Denver, @ Utah, San Antonio. That’s probably 4 losses (OKC, LAC, DEN, San Antonio) and 2 wins (PTL, Utah).
      I say Houston squeaks in.

24. Ammanuel

    No team has a more interesting offseason to look forward to than Portland. Any thoughts on who they might draft? And can they attract quality free agents given the poor state of their front-office? Thank you.

    • Bill Ingram

      They MUST resolve the front office situation first. The new GM has to decide which direction to take the team, but whoever it is the center position has to be addressed immediately. LaMarcus Aldridge doesn’t want to play center full-time. I have been told they will look for a serious upgrade at PG, as well, which tells me they look long and hard to Goran Dragic and Aaron Brooks – in that order. Do they maybe look at UNC’s Tyler Zeller if they can get a pick that high? Wouldn’t be a bad fit.

25. Zach

    If you could trade coaches, what kind of player would a greg popovich or Phil Jackson be worth? Just for fun

    • Bill Ingram

      Phil Jackson is broken down and retired, so I think we’d have to go Yao Ming. Once the best in the league, but can’t get it done any more. Popovich is a craft veteran who might still have a title or two left in him. That makes him Kobe Bryant.

26. Brooks

    Do you thoroughly enjoy watching the NBA Draft? It’s one of my favorite watches all year, and I can’t wait to sit down an watch it this year with the stacked class we have!

    • Bill Ingram

      I do . . .especially since there are always a ton of trades around the draft. Lots of teams get radically better . . .always interesting to watch.

27. Jazzfan

    Hey Bill thanks for the chat,What do you think of Enes Kanter? Obviously he’s very raw still but I can see him becoming a very dominant center in this league, he plays tough defense and his offense is gettin better.

    • Bill Ingram

      Thanks for taking part! I do think Kanter has a bright future . . .he’s looked really good at times this season and will only get better. He could be scary good 2 years from now!

28. big kev

    what do you think of the raptors progression the next few seasons? can they be a playoff team anytime soon?

    • Bill Ingram

      If Valanciunas is half as good as I’m hearing, Toronto will be in the mix NEXT season. Doesn’t take much in the East. The Raptors have the right coach now, and he’s putting the pieces together.

29. Cliff

    Pacers are looking good. What teams can you see them beating in a 7 game series?

    • Bill Ingram

      As long as they don’t catch Miami or Chicago in the first round, they’re good. Right now it would be Orlando, and they would sweep Orlando – especially if Dwight is out.

30. John

    Perry Jones is projected 11th on almost every major mock draft. Why do analysts think he would be a good fit in Portland? What does he bring to complement Batum and Aldridge, who are effectively playing his position?

    • Bill Ingram

      Hard to see Portland going Jones. They could keep Hickson and have the same thing in a more developed player.

31. Will

    Will the heat dominate the playoffs and finally get trust elusive championship…..will be the man , (kobe, jordan ) or will he just dominate the game like like oscar and magic I would say ?

    • Bill Ingram

      There is no Kobe or Jordan in Miami . . .they hope their big three are good enough to overwhelm the other teams. They have better depth this season, but they still seem to be struggling of late. I don’t see them losing in the first two rounds, but Chicago will push them to the limit.

32. jon

    Hey Bill, how is Tiago Splitter developing this year? Per-minute numbers seem good, but not much playing time … .

    • Bill Ingram

      When he’s played, he’s been great. Better than I thought he was going to be. He ranks in the 97th percentile offensively, 451 points on 423 possessions in the half court. It’s likely his defense that keeps him out of games, as he ranks in just the 37th percentile after allowing 370 points on 421 possessions. That’s definitely where he’s going to have to improve to get more minutes from Popovich.

33. daniel

    Most ppl think tanking is the way best rebuild, but the rockets are not going the tanking route. If you compare Sactown to Htown – do you feel that Dmorey is doing a good job on trying to rebuild even though he alienates the FA & RFA and their representatives?

    • Bill Ingram

      Houston’s owner won’t allow the tanking route, so Morey has to do the best he can while also winning games. That means the Rockets never have a high lottery pick, and they’ve done reasonably well with the picks they’ve had. Patterson and Morris are still question marks, but Parsons, Budinger, and Brooks were all winners. They usually come out ahead on draft night, even if they trade for the players they want. Still, mediocrity is not tolerated for long, so I think Morey is on the clock. Hard to imagine him keeping his job if the Rockets are a 40-45 win team next season.

34. Anthony

    I am expecting Drummond to be the next DeAndre Jordan, i.e. 3-4 years before producing consistently. Defense, rebounding, but never a force on offense. Any thoughts on the lad?

    • Bill Ingram

      Yeah, I’m hearing the same thing. He’s a future prospect, not an immediate impact player, as many believed a year ago.

35. Colin

    Any chance that Boston can knock off the Chicago in the next round assuming Rose is healthy? Boston’s back court is strong defensively, but Rose is pretty much unguardable and the Bulls will kill them on the boards.

    • Bill Ingram

      No chance. The only team in the East that can beat Chicago is Miami, and that’s certainly no guarantee. I think Chicago is in the Finals, if healthy.

36. Daniel

    AB0 stats in china were
    FP:.527 3FGP:.425 FTP:.850 TRB: 3.1 AST:4.6 STL: 1.9 PTS: 21.
    in 29 mins of play per game.

    His scoring is up but his assist are flat comparatively to the NBA stats. Do you think AB will have the same success again the NBA or do you think he has peaked already with his one breakout season with the Rockets?

    • Bill Ingram

      Alright, last question, everyone! I think Brooks still has a lot of quality NBA basketball left in him. He was never really healthy last season, something a Suns insider pointed out to me when I recently asked about Brooks returning to the team. They are confident in his abilities, and think he can help keep Nash in town for a couple of more seasons. As always, thanks for spending some of your Monday with us here at HOOPSWORLD – Our next chat is with Stephen Brotherston in Toronto. Drop your questions in now by clicking here!