NBA Chat with Bill Ingram 9/10/12

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. Prem I.

    When the celtics drafted marshon Brooks I thought he would have been the pefrect fit with rondo. Is there any chance of Boston trading back for him? Him rondo and green could be a decent future big three thoughts?

    • Bill Ingram

      Good Morning, everyone, and welcome to the chat!I like Brooks quite a bit, but probably not as much as the Nets do. I’d be surprised if they let him go, as he’s the perfect backup to Joe Johnson, and can also be groomed to eventually replace him.

  2. Chris G

    Two years ago, the Bulls were missing Boozer and Noah for big stretches, and they ended up with the best record. Last year they were missing Rose and Hamilton for big stretches, and they ended with the best record. Can we automatically say that because Rose is iffy this year the Bulls are done? Thibs is a hell of a coach.

    • Bill Ingram

      I’ve never said the Bulls are in trouble because Rose will miss games. I think the Bulls will be just fine. They are very, very deep and as you said, Thibs is one hell of a coach. Chicago will be one of the top seeds in the East this season, and overlooking them come playoff time would be a huge mistake.

  3. Zeeshan

    Say the Bulls amnesty Boozer offseason, i would like to see either Tyreke Evans OR Josh Smith in a Bulls uniform.

    Tyreke had the size and verstility to play under Thib’s system. Also, he is unhappy in Sacremento. Ge will get the money too!

    Josh Smith will replace Boozer and can get the money also and a shot at a ring

    So, who would help the Bulls more and who is more likely???(:

    • Bill Ingram

      I’ll take Josh Smith every time . . .his shot blocking, his versatility, and his ability to stretch the defense make him a better fit than Boozer, who has never come close to living up to expectations.

  4. MyrO

    What’s up? What do you think of an Miami-Knicks Eastern Conference Championship?

    • Bill Ingram

      I don’t expect one at all. I think Chicago-HEAT, Indy-HEAT are much more likely. I can see BRK-HEAT before Knicks.

  5. Kalmen

    Your down by 1 with 1 second left. Who do you go to? Omer Asik, D.J. Mbenga, or Brian Scalabrine.

    • Bill Ingram

      Sounds like we’re losing . . .but I’ll go down with DJ Mbenga because I like the guy so much.

  6. T.J. Wilson

    Do you expect Iman Shumpert to be a huge factor in the Knicks rotation this season and in the playoffs (that’s if they make it) despite coming off a major knee injury? Also, what type of role will Wilson Chandler play on the Nuggets roster this year?

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s always the question after a major knee procedure. The good news for NY is that Shumpert is not a primary factor for them. If he can come back and contribute it adds another dimension, but if he struggles it’s not like they are banking the season on him. As for Chandler, I expect them to move him at some point, simply because he didn’t make the best impression on Karl when he came back from China. He was on the block this summer and he will be again unless he cranks his game up a notch. The Nuggets are very serious about winning this year, and have the roster to do it.

  7. Wil

    Hi Bill, I wanted your insights on Tyreke Evans. As a casual fan, this is a guy who has talent, but who plays for a very dysfunctional franchise, who has moved between the 1, 2, 3 spots, was hurt the year prior, and has been marginalized by the team. Is it really Tyreke or the Kings? What is the knock on him?

    • Bill Ingram

      I actually had a long talk with Keith Smart about Evans when we were in LV at summer league. The knock on Tyreke is that he can’t knock down the open jumper during games. He rains them down during practice, but is reluctant to shoot during games. Coach wants to see him gain the confidence he needs to shoot when he’s open, and if he can, Smart wants to keep him. If Evans won’t engage, he’ll continue to be the subject of trade talks.

  8. steven Chao

    Hey, always appreciate the time taken to answer these.

    I’ve always heard that Jordan didn’t “get” the team concept until the year he won his first title. Have you heard of this before? And if so, what exactly clicked? I know numbers don’t say everything, but his assist numbers didn’t change dramatically (except for 88-89) but what changed?

    • Bill Ingram

      It’s funny you ask that, because I asked Hakeem that same question last week. I’ll be writing about his answer this week, but what it boils down to is that great players are born great. They have an innate desire to win, and if that means scoring 50, you score 50. Hakeem said if you’re a selfish player you’ll always be a selfish player, and he talked about himself, Jordan and LeBron in that context, saying they were all unselfish from the start. Watch for that later this week in the NBA PM!

  9. Birdman

    hey bill who do you think are some players that could breakout and be a first time allstar this year?

    • Bill Ingram

      The first name that comes to mind is Kyle Lowry, since the Raptors are going to be a much better team this season and Lowry is going to be a huge part of that.

  10. LA in LA

    In a previous chat you implied that you thought Pau Gasol would be traded.
    Why do you believe that?
    and for whom do you think he would be traded? You don’t have to be specific, just give a general idea.

    • Bill Ingram

      I didn’t mean to imply – I thought, based on the fact that the Lakers were openly shopping Pau and even DID trade him once last season, that they were going to trade him. They traded him to Houston, but the NBA killed that one on behalf of the Hornets. They also had extensive talks with Minnesota. Right now I think they want to wait and see how well he plays with Dwight. No Pau trade is imminent.

  11. caboodles

    Will kevin be the coach for houston com feb? Will kev marrtin be traded first or will we see a new gm? Lastly will josh smith be the trump card so the rocket gm wont be fired? Hey give him some credit he gave houston the Lin machine!

    • Bill Ingram

      Considering that the Rockets are set for a losing season and a look at the top of the lottery, I don’t know why they would fire McHale. Is he a good coach? No. He doesn’t even like coaching. But they hired him knowing those things . . .so what would be the basis for firing him? They already traded nearly all of the Adelman guys, who had a very hard time playing for McHale last season. Kevin Martin will be traded – likely at the deadline. That’s the plan, anyway. No chance the Hawks trade Josh to Houston. And if you think Jeremy Lin will save Morey’s job you didn’t watch him play in March. Lin is an OK point guard. He’s not a franchise saver, which is what Houston needs.

  12. bird got game

    You are the one picking. Rookie lebron ,rookie kobe and rookie duncan who will be your pick?

    • Bill Ingram

      For me it’s Duncan . . .because of who he was on and off the court as a rookie. LeBron may have finally grown into someone who respects the game, but for Tim it was immediate. Kobe wasn’t very good as a rookie.

  13. Sean

    Morning Bill! If you had to guess who the best player on the Rockets would be after this upcoming season, who would it be? Also who do you think K-Mart could be moved for at the deadline? Thanks a lot Bill!

    • Bill Ingram

      Martin for a first round pick, if the current pattern holds. LOL. I think Motiejunas has a shot at being the best player, as does Royce White . . .there are a few, really. It won’t be Omer Asik. There’s a bold prediction.

  14. PeP

    Hi Bill!!

    Which teams are the underdogs in every conference?

    I bet for Sixers and Cavaliers in the East. Hornets and Suns in the West!

    I think they’re a good tems on the paper!

    • Bill Ingram

      Sixers are underdogs no more now that they have Bynum and J-Rich. The Suns are my dark horse to make the playoffs out West, for sure. The Hornets aren’t quite ready to be in that category, I don’t think. The Cavs? A lot of players have to evolve quickly for them to be a playoff team.

  15. Brandon

    Good morning Bill.. I have several questions for you. Oh yea you do a very good job covering the rockets. I have heard Daryl morey say they been talking to some fa. But don’t know if anything will pan out. Have you heard of what fa they been talking to? Kevin mchale said he want more veterans because he loves to win. Do you think they will make changes before the season? Who do you think will make the final roster?

    • Bill Ingram

      Well, they would have to cut some players to make room for others. Not that they don’t have plenty of redundant talent to potentially cut. Who do you add, though? Right now the Rockets are 2-3 significant players away from being a playoff team. You’re not going to find them in free agency . . .not right now. You could add, say Leandro Barbosa, but does that help? I don’t expect many changes before camp.

  16. big sean

    whats up bill, if you were the magic with the first pick, who would you draft coming out of college in 2013

    • Bill Ingram

      Pretty early to make that call. All of these players have a full season of basketball ahead of them, and Magic will be scouting them all. I’d take a long look at Noel and Zeller, to start with.

  17. Radu

    Bill, do you feel that sometimes fans demand too many trades and too little improvement from within from a team’s players? If a team is doing poorly, I sometimes feel management gets too much blame while some of the players get a bit of a free pass for losing night-in and night-out.
    If one of my team’s players misses a defensive assignment or a wide open layup, should I blame it on the GM?
    This also translates in player improvement not being praised enough by the fans.
    Do you believe in the “improve from within” model in the NBA?

    • Bill Ingram

      My friend, you are preaching to the choir here. Trades and trade rumors are distractions from the best, most reliable, most affordable path to improvement. You need to scout thoroughly, draft well, and develop your players. See: Spurs, Thunder, Pacers, for example. Magic will be that way now, too. If I were an NBA GM, I would be looking to outwork other GMs, like Sam Presti does.

  18. Santiago

    Jared Sullinger: starter,rotation player, or bench warmer?

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I’m guessing rotation player . . .but he could also be a bench warmer.

  19. Jack

    Bill, I don’t think you can just assume that the Bulls’ past success through injuries equates to that same success this year. They let go of some of that depth and lost a very strong defensive big, who played a key role in limiting opponents’ ability to score. It’s a mistake to assume this is the same team and will have the same success.

    • Bill Ingram

      Losing Asik will hurt some, but they are so much deeper – especially at PG – that they can maintain a high level of play while Rose recovers. It comes down to coaching in this case, and Thids will be right there on the sideline.

  20. Johnson

    I question the smarts of some Bulls fans. How often do you guys have to tell them that amnestying Boozer does nothing to give CHI cap space. Consequently, dumping Booz doesn’t mean that they can turn around and sign Josh Smith – or any marquee player. They don’t have the money regardless of Boozer being on the roster.

    • Bill Ingram

      Not sure what you mean. The Sixers, for example, got $18 million in cap relief for amnestying Brand. It’s a stretch to say Smith will leave money on the table in Atlanta to come to Chicago as a free agent, but waiving Boozer gives the Bulls cap space to pursue other players.

  21. Robert

    Give me a freaking break with “Jordan was unselfish from the start”. What a load of crap. All you have to do is listen to the man and you can see he’s all about himself, all-day, all the time, always. He is one of the biggest jerks I have ever met and he definitely thinks of himself first, even when talking about his kids. Giving up the rock was more about the impact on himself than ever caring about the impact on his teammates.

    • Bill Ingram

      I think there’s a line to be drawn . . .if he selfish, or just incredibly driven to win and willing to run over anyone who gets in his way? He is a jerk . . .no question about that. His teammates were a means to an end. But passing to Paxson for the game-winner was the right basketball play. Selfish? Only in that he wanted every championship for himself – and he needed his teammates to get it.

  22. Aussie Kim

    Seems the kings are done in Sacramento, just a matter of when. Do u see them becoming the Seattle Kings, Seattle Supersonics, Virginia Beach Royals, or Kentucky Colonels?