NBA Chat With Bill Ingram 8/29/11

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. Sergio

    Why does Tyreke Evans not get much love as a point guard or player? Decent defender, good court vision, great handles and can get to to the hole anytime. Just don’t see his name much. Same for Mayo. They just don’t get enough credit for Their games and skill sets.

    • Bill Ingram

      Good Morning, everyone, and welcome to the chat!

      I can speak for everyone at HOOPSWORLD, I believe, in saying we have the utmost respect for both Tyreke Evans as a person and as a player. There may be a perception issue due to the fact that the Kings were so bad last season and the plantar issue that forced him out of so many games, but when Tyreke is healthy he is one of the best young players at his position and the Kings will be much better with him 100%. Mayo’s a different issue . . .his off-the-court issues bled over to his professional life last season and his stock took a hit because of it. That said, the Pacers would still love to have him.

  2. Matt from Australia

    Couple of trade scenarios, any chance you can give your thoughts?
    Bynum to Atlanta For J-Smoove and Teague?
    Kamn To The Hawks, J-Smoove To 76ers, and Iggy to the Clippers?
    J-Smoove and Iggy straight swap?

    who says yes/no for them?
    cheers.

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t see the Lakers trading Bynum unless it’s for Dwight. We saw Gasol struggle to play the five early last season, and a trade for Josh puts Pau right back at the five. Your Atlanta/LAC proposal makes a lot more sense, and I’ve written about that before. Kaman is a true center, so Horford can slide over to the four, which helps. Josh can play the 3/4 for the Clippers, who are looking to deal Kaman for a three. I don’t see the Sixers being interested in Josh for Iggy, primarily because Josh is really a four, for the most part. The Sixers are overloaded at the spot already, and if you’re going to use him at the three you might as well keep Iggy.

  3. Charlie

    Judging by Stephon Marbury’s season averages in China: 25.2 ppg, 5.7 assists, and 4.5 boards, it seems as if the Asian league is light years behind in terms of talent. Especially considering how terrible Steph looked in his last year with Boston. Why is the level of play in China so low, when teams are able to select players from its 1 billion person population?

    • Bill Ingram

      The easiest answer is because people in America have been playing basketball for generations, while it’s still a relatively new thing in China. Beyond that, the physicality of the NBA game is just starting to reach the other countries, and the Chinese are – generally speaking – not as physically gifted. So far only Yao Ming has been able to translate his game to a star level in the NBA, and he is hardly your average Chinese person.

  4. Charlie

    In your chat last week, you suggested Chuck Hayes may be the best pound for pound defender in the NBA. Can you name a few other players that would fit the same criteria? Great defenders but don’t necessarily have NBA size/length.

    • Bill Ingram

      There have been a few, starting with Ben Wallace. He’s 6’9″ and has been a dominant low post defender for years. Tony Allen measures in at just 6’4″, but is often shutting down guys who are several inches taller. Arron Afflalo is also an underrated defender, as is Thabo Sefolosha.

  5. Charlie

    Would Steph Marbury run the show the same way if he were playing in the new Canadian league? Canadian teams would poll talent from our 35 million person population vs. China’s 1 billion person population. Shouldn’t the Chinese league be much farther along in terms of basketball development?

    • Bill Ingram

      Honestly, I’m not at all familiar with the Canadian league. My suspicion is that he would do well there, as well, since Canada isn’t exactly a basketball powerhouse.

  6. Peter

    Hi Bill! Love the new site :) Do you think former Rox coach Rick Adelman will end up in Minnie? If he does, I’m very interested to see what he can do with the likes of Love and Rubio. He is renowned for getting the most outta his players.

    • Bill Ingram

      Thanks! We worked long and hard – especially Steve – and we’re thrilled with the result. Glad you are, as well! I’ve written this a few times – I believe Adelman could be the absolute savior in Minnesota. He’d prefer a contender, but his knack for getting the most out of his players – almost a playoff team in Houston the last two years with no All-Stars – will really benefit Minnesota. He will also save David Khan’s job. :)

  7. Aaron

    Hey Bill,

    so i guess the media’s new schtick is that lebron is a two way player (which is hilarious if you actually follow his man defense). before he was the best offensive player, according to the media. how many more humiliations will it take before people realize this guy was never that good and was never close to being the best in the NBA?

    • Bill Ingram

      As long as ESPN continues to do their best impression of Fox News, sending out false info on a steady basis, people will continue to believe the hype about LeBron. The guy is a freakish athlete. If he ever starts to believe that he has to work hard to earn something he could lead Miami to a string of championships that might make Bill Russell bow down. The problem is LeBron has never had to work hard for anything. The media labeled him “The King” in high school and he’s believed it ever since. Why don’t we allow these guys to actually do something special before we break out the Bill Walton book of hyperbole to describe them?

  8. Sven

    Hi Bill, love the new site but I can’t seem to get any updates on your Iphone app. Any reason for that ?

    • Bill Ingram

      Good question – yes, the apps are in process. We’re waiting for Apple to approve the new app, which should be early this week, and the Droid app is right behind it. Should be long!

  9. Larson

    Other than the percentage of the split which areas in the CBA negotiations will the players fight hardest for, which ones are throw aways just waiting to happen and which areas are really subject to negotiation?

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s a long, detailed answer you’re looking for, but I’ll give you some quick hits. The players don’t want a hard cap. That’s number one. The owners are also fairly aware that they’re not going to get one. The players have thrown out an equally distasteful demand of the owners, which is doing away with the age limit. That’s also not going to happen. The owners are also backing off of their initial stance that deals should not be guaranteed long-term, like they are now. Most everything else is negotiable, to one degree or another. My friend and colleague Eric Pincus recently wrote a great piece about this situation that you should check out – here!

  10. Mark

    Would you attempt to move Bargnani to acquire another draft pick? Do you think a late lotto pick is doable? I’m think Bargs is a bit old and drafting a SF and PG to go with Jonas, Demar and Davis would be huge!

    • Bill Ingram

      Bargs is only 26 . . .if that’s old, a lot of us are in trouble! :) I also don’t think there’s any way Colangelo could trade him for a lottery pick and keep his job. You’d be lucky to get a late lotto pick who could average better than 20ppg in the NBA. What Bargs needs is to have the right pieces around him. To date, that hasn’t been the case.

  11. Mark

    Do you think Jonas will be a center or PF? I hear people compare him to Bendris a lot but his style looks more like Pau Gasol to me. Thoughts?

    • Bill Ingram

      Yes, Biedrins is the most frequent comparison I’ve heard, as well . . .and the fact that there are only a handful of really good centers in the NBA right now could make it even more likely that he plays the five. That’s certainly what the Raps need him to do.

  12. Dennis

    Hi Bill,

    Really enjoy your work! I had high hopes for Jordan Hill when the Rockets obtained him in trade. Do you think he will improve? If not, what’s the problem?

    • Bill Ingram

      Thanks! Much appreciated! I also had high hopes for Jordan. He’s a great guy and a good teammate, but he doesn’t seem to have the drive and determination to be an impact player in the NBA. I vividly remember talking to him at the predraft combine a couple of years ago, and one of his primary concerns was making the NBA money to provide for his family. That’s admirable, but when everyone else is talking about winning a championship one day it kind of stands out. I think the fact that even Adelman wouldn’t play him really says a lot about where Jordan is. Maybe McHale can help him, but I don’t think McHale can hold a candle to Adelman when it comes to maximizing talent.

  13. Billy M

    I thought I read somewhere that the league and the players met at some time last week. Did anything halfway serious get discussed?

    • Bill Ingram

      No, they’re scheduled to meet THIS week . . .and don’t expect much. They’re at the kind of stalemate that won’t start to get resolved before money is being lost on both sides . . .especially the players, many of whom are paid until October 31st.

  14. Joshua

    There is a lot of hype about Andre Drummond. Do you think he will challenge Dwight Howard for the top center?

    • Bill Ingram

      There certainly is, and by all indications he will be the top pick in the 2012 draft . . .in a league as starved for great centers, he’s sure to be the most hyped player to come along in quite some time. That said, I hate to start labeling – see my earlier comments about LeBron. I’ll say he has enormous potential and leave it at that for now.

  15. Mutang

    Hey man, nice site. Watching the comparisons between JV and Kanter, since Utah made that choice. Can’t say I’m disappointed, what are your thoughts?
    And are the Euro games going to be televised??

    • Bill Ingram

      Thanks! And yes, I think the comparisons between Kanter and Valanciunas are justified. Both have potential, and both are mysteries in their own way. We never know how the big Euros will translate their games to the NBA. Normally I wouldn’t expect those games to be televised, but with the NBA locked out perhaps that will encourage ESPN to go ahead and help us out. It would be great to watch!

  16. Mark

    With the lockout making us hunt for our basketball fix have you spent any time on Youtube looking at next years draft class? Anyone jump out at you?

    • Bill Ingram

      No, I really haven’t, though I can tell you that HOOPSWORLD is going to start ramping up NCAA coverage very soon. I expect to be an expert on the big Texas teams by the the time next year’s combine rolls around. We’ve been focused pretty much solely on the new site, and now that it’s up and running we’ll start looking at our alternative basketball coverage. So stay tuned!

      That’s it for me, though this new chat system does allow you to continue to post questions throughout the day. I’ll check in from time to time throughout the day and drop in some answers for any that missed the scheduled chat time. Thanks for spending some of your Monday with us here at HOOPSWORLD. Next up is Coach Anthony Macri, who will host his chat at 3pm EST. Drop your questions in now!

    • Bill Ingram

      Actually, we’ve been so busy getting the new site up and running that I haven’t done much else. I do expect to be an expert on this year’s draft class by the combine, since we’ll be ramping up our college coverage while the NBA is locked out. So stay tuned!