NBA Chat With Derek Page 2/18/12

1. i am houston

   When do the Rockets become a force in the west again and how do we get there?

   • Derek Page

     Welcome to the chat everyone. Let’s get started.

     I like the way Houston has started the season, and you’d be hard-pressed to find even the most loyal fan who thought the Rockets would start this well, but your right. While the Rockets have a good amount of really nice players, they don’t necessarily have that one superstar talent. Kevin Martin is solid but to go from playoff contender to legitimate title contender Houston needs a legitimate superstar either on the perimeter or preferably in the post.

2. eddy

   Who would say no to this trade?
   Knicks Get: Milsap, Miles, Hayward and a 1st rounder
   Jazz Get: Melo and Jordan.
   Salaries Match.
   I really think Melo would fit into Corbin’s system and the fans would love him.
   Milsap would be a top notch 6th man, Hayward is a nice young player and Miles gives instant offense off the bench.

   • Derek Page

     That’s a unique idea Eddy, but I’m not sold that NY is ready to part with Melo just yet. Either way, Anthony doesn’t strike me as a Jerry Sloan-type player. Carmelo’s lack of defensive effort and shot hunting mentality on the offensive end wouldn’t sit well with Utah or coach Sloan.

3. eddy

   The East is so tough. Any of the 8 teams can beat each other in a 7 game series while the West is dominated by OKC. My question is, which conference will dominate this decade? West won 7 championships from 2000-2010. (Lakers won 4, Spurs won 3)

   • Derek Page

     It has to be the Western Conference. Even with superstars like Carmelo Anthony, Amare, Boozer, Deron Williams, etc moving over, the West is still the cream of the crop conference. If you took either the Denver Nuggets or Houston Rockets (7th and 8th in the West right now respectively) and placed them in the Eastern Conference, I’m convinced either team with finish 2nd in the East or better. — there’s just not the same amount of talent from top to bottom. Unless Miami wins 7 or 8 championships like they originally predicted, I believe the West continues to dominate.

4. Magic4Life

   In your opinion, Dwight Howard will stay in Orlando if the Magic:

   a.) Make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs
   b.) Make it to the Eatern Conference Finals
   c.) Make it to the NBA Finals
   d.) Win the NBA Championship
   e.) Figure out some way to make a major move(s) to acquire another star / improve the roster for the future
   f.) Make significant changes to the front office and/or coaching staff (New GM, new coach, new philosophy, etc.)
   g.) Any of the above. When push comes to shove, if the Magic hold on to him for the remainder of the season, he won’t be able to leave the extra year + cash on the table and be painted the bad guy by walking away from the city and fans he says he loves.
   h.) There’s nothing they can do. He simply desires a bigger market / brighter lights / more endorsement $$$ and star power / to play with his buddies / a new start / a team that allows him more input / etc, and he will leave regardless of what the Magic do

   Select any/all that apply. Not asking what you think is possible or most likely to occur, just wondering what you think it would take for him to stay.

   • Derek Page

     C. – Because Orlando would have to at least be in the Finals, where things stand at this point at least, for Howard to want to return. However money is always a factor and Dwight can make the most by staying in Orlando.
     E. – But this won’t happen because Orlando simply doesn’t have the pieces as things stand.

     In this writer’s humble opinion, Howard is going to leave the Magic. Orlando needs to figure out the ceiling in terms of what they can get for him and trade him at the deadline. A S&T in the offseason won’t yield nearly as much as trading him on March 15.

5. alan

   Bulls trade: Boozer, Ronnie Brewer
   Bucks Trade: Stephen Jackson, Drew Gooden, Ilyasova
   Bucks lose a headache in jax and pick up some consistent offense in boozer who should fit will with bogut. The bulls gain some scoring, defense and a 5th big man who fits the system. Both teams can shed contracts that neither wants. A pick can go either way to make up value.

   • Derek Page

     Well Alan, the Bulls are happy with what they have at this point (barring acquiring Dwight Howard) and Jackson’s stock continues to drop as his role steadily decreases and the rift between he and coach Skiles continues to grow.

6. rubs93

   Please settle the debate between my boy and me. its not happening but if MIA was to offer LBJ for D12 (whatever salaries to match), IYO who would win that trade given current rosters. The Heat correct?

   • Derek Page

     That’s a good question. In my opinion, LeBron is the best all around player in basketball but if he was hypothetically traded to the Magic they would have little chance of going further than a HEAT team that would feature Dwight, Wade and Bosh. It doesn’t necessarily mean Howard is the better player, but his low post skills (and the fact that Wade stays in MIA) would negate a lot of what Miami would lose in James.

7. cj

   POR gets b.jennings and k.kaman
   MIL gets r.felton and w.matthews
   NO gets s.jaxson, n.smith, and a 2nd round pick from MIL
   what do you think?

   • Derek Page

     This is an interesting idea CJ. Jennings seems to be stuck in a rut in Milwaukee and Jackson has already made it clear he wants out but I like Raymond Felton’s chances of gelling with the team in Portland. I see Portland giving him more time at point before deciding to give up on the guy after just a couple of months.

8. jim

   Are the spurs in line to make any moves? I know buford is a do nothing kind of guy.

   • Derek Page

     Jim, historically the Spurs haven’t been big players at the trade deadline. A 21-9 start with Manu looking on for the majority of that time tells me San Antonio stands pat at this season’s deadline as well.

9. Charlie

   Which player had the greatest court vision: 1rst year Steve Nash out of Santa Clara, 1rst year John Stockton out of Gonzaga, 1rst year Jason Kidd out of California, or 1rst year Ricky Rubio out of Barcelona

   • Derek Page

     I have to remove John Stockton because I can’t say I watched any of his first year in the NBA. Off the other three, I’d have to say Jason Kidd. From the get-go Kidd just exuded that “wow” factor both in transition and in the half court, threading the needle on back door cuts and throwing perfect spin lobs. Definitely a fan of all four players game though. Fun guys to watch.

10. KNICKS FAN

    if d’antoni wants to win i think he should have his lineups look something like this:

    starters 1st lineup change
    lin lin
    fields jr smith
    melo fields
    amare jeffries
    tyson amare

    2nd lineup change defense lineup
    davis shumpert
    shumpert fields
    novak jeffries
    melo amare
    tyson tyson

    fast break 3pt
    lin davis
    shumpert smith
    novak melo
    jeffries novak
    tyson amare
    tyson

    • Derek Page

      You’ve certainly done your homework! This makes sense but I think D’Antoni is going to have learn this new-look Knicks team on the fly in terms of which groups work best together and how to divide minutes among Lin, Fields, Smith, and Shumpert. The Knicks coach needs to have a set rotation by playoff time and that’s cutting it close with the way this season is condensed.

11. Saulo

    I know Minny needs a SG, my wishlist is (in this order: OJ Mayo, Ray Allen, Landry Fields, Martin, C. Lee.. Who do you think is most likely and who is the better fit? I think Allen is the better fit now, but thinking logically, Mayo is the best fit. I’m a huge Fields fan so even though he’s not the shooter the other guys are, he’d bring so much more to the table that it’d be worth it.

    Also, is any of them ZERO chance?

    • Derek Page

      Saulo, Ray Allen would be an excellent fit for the young T-Wolves but it would take a lot in return to acquire him — even at his age. I think there’s a better chance Minnesota could acquire Mayo or Martin, just a matter of what Memphis or Houston is asking for. There’s no harm in Minnesota standing pat and letting this young team continue to develop. The T-Wolves are stacked with young talent and they could take a page from OKC’s playbook and let those young guys develop, then see what you have in the next few years before proceeding with trying to find a vet until the time is right.

12. Derek

    What’s up Derek, nice name

    How about this trade:
    Wolves get Gasol to form their big 3
    Lakers get Rondo & Milsap to solve their PG woes & find a garbage man to play next to Bynum
    Celtics get youth in Williams & a legit big Pekovic
    Jazz gets Beasley, give him a chance, if it works out, they get a great wing, if it doesn’t they give more playing time to Kanter & Favors

    What do you think?
    If only we could add MWP to the mix somewhere
    http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=83y5p4e

    • Derek Page

      The salaries do match, and your reasons for each acquisitions certainly validate the idea but I’m not the biggest fan of Pau going to the T-Wolves. If your an LA fan, you love this trade though and it would seemingly make the Lakers the favorite in the Western Conference immediately. Jazz don’t want to give up Milsap though and the Celtics may still think there’s a chance for another deep playoff run.
      All in all, I don’t see this happening. The more moving parts, the higher the difficulty of actually getting one of these trades to the league office.

13. HoBo

    Hi Derek, why do Jazz fans want Al Jefferson gone? If it’s just to save money try this trade. Cavs get Big Al. Jazz get Jamison and a 2nd rd draft pick. Jazz save money and get a high 2nd rd pick. Cavs get a real center low post threat.

    • Derek Page

      Well HoBo, Jefferson generally fills the stat sheet but never seems to really put his imprint on the game. Utah is still in playoff contention in the rugged West — just a game back of Denver for 8th — so cost cutting doesn’t seem like a option at this point., although Antawn Jamison would be an enticing acquisition.

14. Loya D

    Hello
    I think the Lakers should go after Stephen Jackson. It’s apparent our play at small foward is horrible. Jackson could spread the floor and we could use his 3 point shooting. I’m not worried about his past. We could also chase Sessions and solidify our chances to win the west. All this without giving up Bynum or Gasol. Any chance this gets done?
    Thanks!
    Loya

    • Derek Page

      It’s risky, but I know LA was definitely interested towards last season’s deadline so it wouldn’t come as a shock if they came back around on Jackson — especially considering how much cheaper they may be able to get him. The thing about Jackson is, as anyone who’s ever covered a team he’s been on since San Antonio knows, he has a larger-than-life personality. As long as vets like Kobe and Fisher and Pau could make sure there’s one team mentality — although they’re having trouble keeping that up without Jack — that has the possibility of being an excellent all around move for the Lakers.

15. cody

    if orlando is forced to trade dwight as a rental could the clippers trade deandre for him since they just signed him this year? also if dwight opts out in FA could the clippers amesty mo , find a taker for deandre , and use the cap space of there expirings to sign dwight outright?if you were the clippers gm you would contemplate these moves to have a cp3 griffin dwight big 3 right?

    • Derek Page

      That’s a whole lot of ifs cody… LAC wouldn’t want to trade DeAndre for a rental in Howard although obviously the Clipps would be extremely talented for the short haul.

16. Dre

    Do you think Thunder will make a move for a low post scorer and who would they look at to fill that void?

    • Derek Page

      The Thunder have the second best record in basketball so I see them making only minor tweaks, if any, in terms of trades between now and the deadline. OKC is stacked and are one of just a handful of teams in the league who look like legitimate title contenders.

17. Bill Simpson

    What do you think of Robert Sarver? It seems like he has totally destroyed everything Colangelo started and is screwing over steve nash for ticket sales

    • Derek Page

      Sarver is all about being cost effective, which has resulted in the Suns going for the Western Conference Finals to one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. That’s why fans salivate for an owner like Mark Cuban. It helps when you have an owner who wants to win on the court, not just on the budget sheet.

18. parth

    why can’t the knicks offer young players (shumpert, fields, lin, harrelson) to try and get nash

    • Derek Page

      Because the Suns haven’t decided to pull the trigger and put Nash on the block. Lin has taken over the media as the starting PG of the Knicks, it’s unlikely they ininiate the talks with PHX, although I’m sure NY would listen intently if the Suns made the call.

19. Wil

    Does Baron davis start when he returns, and does jr smith start?

    • Derek Page

      Lin is the starter. I think Smith should come off the bench to make sure the Knicks second unit has some scoring firepower, but you never know with D’Antoni.

20. Seth

    Lots of talk revolving around the Wolves seeking Gasol. Does a trade for williams (cheap PF replacement with some possible upside) and Pekovic + others going to LA make sense? Is Pekovic’s value high enough for him to be turned into other players valuable to the Lakers?

    • Derek Page

      It all depends on how highly the Lakers actually value Gasol. The perception is that he’s replaceable but people tend to forget how the Lakers were floundering before acquiring the Grizzlies big man. Minnesota is better off keeping what they have, I don’t see Gasol turning Minnesota into a champ-contender.

      
      Thanks everyone for joining me. I apologize to everyone I couldn’t get to, shoot your questions to me on Twitter @DPageHoopsworld or tune in next week – same time same place!