NBA Chat With Bill Ingram 9/5/2011

1. Ali

   Hey if it was 2012 and I were the gm for the celtics, I would sign dwight to the max, resign garnett and allen to reasonable contracts that would last til they retire, that would be a year or two. With the talks of garnett leaving on HW concerns me a bit. What would you do if you were danny

   • Bill Ingram

     I can certainly see why you would view that as a viable plan, and if there is no 2011-12 season it might be. Assuming there is a 2011-12 season, however, there is little chance the Celtics have the cap space to do all of that. Allen and Garnett will never agree to play for essentially league minimum. The Celtics have a lot of roster spots to fill this season, and the chances they can do it with nothing but one-year deals are not good. So if they sign multiple players to multiple deals they have no shot at signing Dwight, and that’s assuming Orlando doesn’t want to work a sign-and-trade or some such deal.

2. Erik

   How much interest would the rockets have in andray blatche to play the 5 in Houston? He seems available and rockets need a big like that next to scola. Also do you think a Gary Neal and matt bonner trade for taj Gibson would make sense for both teams? Thanks bill

   • Bill Ingram

     I think Blatche would be seen as more of a project player by Houston, and I know he’s not on their radar. They’re all about efficiency and players who are in the best possible shape, which means they would be unlikely to take him on unless is was a last ditch effort of some kind. He’s better than Thabeet, and has potential, but he’s not someone they’re looking at.

3. Eldad

   Hello Bill. Do you think the Clippers would give up Minny pick for Rudy Gay? Do they have enough cap space (under current CBA) to absorb his contract?

   • Bill Ingram

     The Grizzlies are saying they won’t trade Rudy, and they may opt to let Marc Gasol walk instead. That said, even if the Clippers were willing to part with that pick – and my friend and colleague Eric Pincus in LA says they’re not – they couldn’t simply absorb Rudy’s contract. They would be radically over the cap, assuming the cap is going to be drastically reduced under the new CBA.

4. bob cura

   Do people call Kobe a shot jacker because he dropped 62 on Dirk in 3 quarters?

   • Bill Ingram

     I haven’t heard Kobe called a shot jacker, nor would I label a player based on one game. Otherwise they would call Kobe the greatest scorer of the modern era because he scored 81 points in a game. Also – Dirk doesn’t ever guard the two position. Until the last couple of seasons he never guarded the four, either, but even now he would never guard the two except on a rare switch. Kobe scored 61 on what was for years a pathetic Mavs two-guard spot.

5. bob cura

   would u trade chris paul for russell westbrook

   • Bill Ingram

     The only reason anyone would consider trading CP3 for Westbrook would be because Chris has had some injury issues of late. Beyond that, he’s a much better communicator than Russ, he’s a true playmaker, which Russ is not, and he’s hands-down the best point guard in the NBA. I wouldn’t make that deal, and neither will the Hornets (or the Thunder, for that matter).

6. Alex

   How is it that the guy who just had the greatest playoffs run since Hakeem didn’t manage to make the Hoopsworld franchise player poll?

   • Bill Ingram

     I’ve seen quite a few complaints about who did and didn’t make that poll. I didn’t make it, so I can’t take responsibility, but it’s awfully hard to see Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki not on that list, as well as Dwyane Wade. That’s always going to be an issue when you have a list of top players . . .someone always gets left off.

7. Ben Ireland

   Why isn’t the pick and roll run more in college? And shouldn’t Harrison Barnes be No. 1 next year? He was a beast by the end of the year !

   • Bill Ingram

     The pick and roll is used so much in the NBA because it’s all the amazingly talented players need to get free of their man and score. College doesn’t have as high a concentration of those players, and coaches have to actually design plays to get points. And yes, I think Barnes has a great shot at being the top pick.

8. Charlie

   Which team do you think has the greatest chance to make the playoffs next year?
   Houston Rockets or Phoenix Suns

   • Bill Ingram

     As their rosters stand right now, neither team has a shot at all. The Rockets are going to add a center – at least that’s their number on plan – but the Clippers are far more ready to make the playoffs than either of these teams. If a Western team is going to make the playoffs next season that didn’t make it last season, my money is on the Clips.

9. Charlie

   Last week, you made it clear you believed Lebron James lack of success can be directly attributed to his lack of hard work desire. Question: If you were Lebron James would you spend 10 hours a day in the gym (a la Kobe) or understand there is more to life than NBA titles and enjoy your limited time on this planet by living a lavish lifestyle on the beaches of Miami with your hundreds of milllions? Am I the only one who believes James has it right??

   • Bill Ingram

     Yes, I think you’re the only one who believes he has it right – if that’s his mentality. The world of sports is all about competition and championships. You play a game for one reason – to win. If you don’t want to win, why play the game? He could go be a hip hop artist or pseudo clothes designer and live that other lifestyle.

10. Charlie

    Lebron James is making hundreds of millions playing the sport that he loves. Why should he care about NBA titles? Just seems like a longer work year under tremendous scrutiny and pressure for little monetary gain. Where is the motivation to be a Kobe or Jordan? These guys were notoriously antisocial and not well like by those close around them. Would you really want to be Kobe type person with a bunch of titles??? Seems shallow in the game called life.

    • Bill Ingram

      This ties into your previous question – you play to win or you don’t play. At least, if you expect to be respected you play to win. Plenty of guys have played pro sports for the money and didn’t really care about winning, but none of those have carried themselves with the ego and attitude of LeBron. Want to be the King? You better have some rings – especially if you’re going to shoulder to Michael Jordan.

11. Charlie

    Who was the purer shooter (assume both in prime): Chris Mullin or Dell Curry

    • Bill Ingram

      Dell Curry was a .457 career shooter – .402 from behind the arch – and averaged 11.7 points per game over his career. Mullin was a .502 career shooter and .384 from three, but averaged 18.1 per game over his career. So while Curry was a great shooter, Mullin was the better of the two.

12. AirJazzy

    Whats the WNBA got to do to get some
    RESPECT? People that diss it, usually haven’t even ever seen a game or seen professional women’s bball.

    • Bill Ingram

      Apparently there just aren’t a lot of people who want to watch professional women’s basketball. I’m not one of them – I was a huge fan of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and the 4-time champion Houston Comets. We even tried some WNBA coverage during that time, but there was just no interest in it. Too bad – it would definitely be fun to cover the WNBA during the NBA offseason.

13. AirJazzy

    Why do some guys HATE the wnba so much? It’s not actually hurting them is it? lol

    • Bill Ingram

      I think it’s human nature to hate things you either don’t like or don’t understand. It’s not just sports . . .you’d think we would evolve at some point . . .

14. Ben Ireland

    On a typical jumpshot, why do players move their feet forward in the air? Is it just the way they jump, or a specific thing designed to get the shot further/ more lift etc?

    • Bill Ingram

      You might be surprised to learn that there aren’t very many people teaching how to shoot a jumper. Look at guys like Kevin Martin and Shawn Marion, who have the funkiest shooting styles in the NBA. Coaches have tried to get them to do something else, but at the end of the day the way they learned to shoot as kids is still the way they shoot as pros. There are academies like IMG where they teach form, but for the most part kids shoot how they shoot and coaches work on other things. It’s however they learned to shoot in their driveways as kids.

15. Alvin

    You just said in an answer that Dirk Nowitzki never played the PF defensively up until the last couple of years. This is surprising to me, where did they hide Dirk defensively. Playing the 5 or the 3?

    • Bill Ingram

      I mean Dirk never played defense until Avery Johnson took over as head coach . . .and Dwane Casey actually helped him become a decent defender. Before that he played under Don Nelson, who couldn’t have cared less about anyone playing defense.

16. Zack

    How affective to think Kyrie Irving will be his first season.

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? He played a part of one college season and now he’s going to be a rookie who got no summer league, little or no training camp, and will have little or no preseason to prepare for the challenge he’s about to face. My guess is he’s going to struggle a great deal. That said, if there is no 2011-12 season he could have a strong rookie season, having had an entire year to rehab, do additional strength and conditioning, and presumably study the NBA and work with players in an unofficial way.

17. Shawn

    If you are the Spurs GM and make only one move to improve the team this year, what would it be?

    • Bill Ingram

      We’re actually starting a series along these lines this week, where we look at what each team has to do before the start of the 2011-12 season. The Spurs need to shore up their front line, and I’ve heard speculation that they might do something with the Clippers regarding Chris Kaman. Of course, that’s dependent upon the Clippers taking Jefferson, which they may not want to do. San Antonio has to address the front court, though…with McDyess gone and Duncan soon following behind…the Spurs need some big man help. It would be nice to think Splitter will be part of that solution, but he had a rough first year.

18. Saulo

    Hey Bill! I was arguing Rubio’s stats and how his game will translate to the NBA on one of HW’s posts (http://www.hoopsworld.com/should-wolves-fans-worry-about-rubio/)..If he posts something along the lines of 12/8/3 and a steal, what would you think?

    • Bill Ingram

      I think the Wolves would take that in a heartbeat, not that he wouldn’t need to get better going forward, but that would be a solid line for his rookie campaign. If they do wind up signing Adelman as their head coach it will help Rubio exponentially. Not only is Adelman great at helping players realize their potential, he has also had great success in helping European players translate their games to the NBA, dating back to his time in Sacramento with Peja and Hedo.

19. Jose Calderon

    Wich team would trade for me?

    • Bill Ingram

      The Raptors have been trying to find a taker for more than a year without any success – a near miss with Charlotte was as close as they got. Next year he’s an expiring deal, and I don’t think they’ll have any trouble trading him, especially as the season gets into February and the bulk of his contract is already paid. But the Raptors may not be able to move him this season.

20. Saulo

    Is the D-League locked out? Who represents those players, the same union?

    • Bill Ingram

      Nope . . .the D-League is preparing to play as usual. No players who are under NBA contract can participate in D-League games, but the rest of the players will be ready to go. HOOPSWORLD will be bringing you a lot more D-League coverage if the NBA is still locked out into November.

      That’s it for me, everyone! As always, thanks for spending some of your Monday with us here at HW. Have a safe and happy Labor Day! I’ll come back around later to answer any questions that were submitted late.

21. Raynaud

    What you think of the Impact Basketball League

    • Bill Ingram

      I think it will be a lot of fun. Steve Kyler is heading to Vegas for a couple of days to bring us some coverage. Everything at Impact is first class, and coach Joe Abunassar always has a cast of All-Stars in his gym during the summer. Chauncey Billups, KG, Tayshaun Prince, Al Harrington, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, Chuck Hayes – that’s one of the most competitive gyms you’ll find. Should be a great run!

22. geneticray from detroit

    if the rockets get marc gasol without losing any of their core how good u think the will be in the west maybe a top 5 team and pistons need to start daye to see what kind of player he may turn in to.

    • Bill Ingram

      That’s the perfect scenario for Houston . . .and yes, if they could pull that off they could be a top five team in the West. Not sure McHale can pull that off, but we’ll see.

23. Waleed

    If we do have a 2011-2012 NBA season, do you think the Wizards have the right young players to rebuild with?

    • Bill Ingram

      I really do. John Wall was up and down, but he’s a lot like Derrick Rose in his approach to the game and his mentality. A very humble hard worker . . .can’t ask for more. Besides Wall you have Nick Young, who is underrated, JaVale McGee, who is one of the up and coming young centers, some solid draft picks this season and a good veteran in Rashard Lewis. If they take a chance on Josh Howard and he can get back to All-Star form, they could really be on the rise soon.

24. Alex

    What will happen if it is no season this year, will it also not be a draft the following off-season if a deal isn’t agreed upon.

    • Bill Ingram

      No, there will be a draft no matter what, but there is no precedent for how the NBA would go about distributing the picks. I imagine they would borrow from the NHL after they lost a season, but we don’t know for sure. First and foremost, we’re confident that there will be a season . . .it will just be a month or two shorter than usual.

25. Scott

    Mavs fan for life but LeBron is actually my favorite athlete…what do you think the Heat need to do both in the playbook and roster in order to advance farther?

    • Bill Ingram

      Interesting contradiction! First, they need a decent point guard, one who can gain the respect of both LeBron and Wade and tell them when and where to get their shots. They need a floor leader who will get in LeBron’s face during the fourth quarter when he decides to take a nap. If they could deal Bosh for Steve Nash, for example, Nash is the kind of player who both Wade and LeBron respect and would listen to during crunch time. Chris Paul would love to play with LeBron, but it’s hard to see that happening, as the HEAT have no All-Star cap space for the foreseeable future. If the HEAT could add a point guard like Nash, they would be ready to get that title they were celebrating this time last year.

26. john

    hey Bill the answer to the last question is crazy man. So u think that the Heat would be better with Nash then Bosh? another guy who needs the ball in his hands and no bigs other then Haslem/Anthony? not to mention that Nash dosent play D and would get killed by Rose/Rondo/Westbrook.Not to mention that wade and lebron are not spot up shooters. Ya need to think before u speak brotha.

    • Bill Ingram

      Frankly, with Nash they don’t need Bosh. He would make Haslem every bit as good as Bosh, who you know is little more than a spot-up shooter. Nash needs the ball, true, but he’s the one you WANT with the ball in his hands in crunch time. You don’t want Wade and LeBron looking over their shoulders at each other . . .you want a decisive floor leader who will tell LeBron to make the big play instead of of watching to see if he’s going to do it on his own. I don’t see Mario Chalmers doing that any time soon . . .or ever. The HEAT can still have LeBron guard Rose or Rondo, so they’re no worse off defensively than they are now and they’re exponentially better on the offensive end.