NBA Chat With Jason Fleming 3/19/12

Chat with HOOPSWORLD’s Jason Fleming about any and all things NBA on Monday at 8pm Eastern Time. Trades? Rumors? Rotations? Signings? Anything hoops is fair game. Feel free to leave questions in the queue anytime.

  1. calvinzero

    Which of the following great Lakers from the past characterizes Ramon Sessions?? He is very different from the previous Lakers that I’ve seen. Thank you. HOOPSWORLD

    • Jason Fleming

      Welcome to this week’s chat! I’ll touch on as many topics as I can in an hour…

      Please, Sessions is not comparable to any “great Lakers.” He may be a solid PG, but he’s not a great. Let’s just wait and see, K?

  2. Art

    Jason, are the Nets the only team that can sign Gerald Green after his 10 day contract? If not, why aren’t more team trying to secure his services?

    • Jason Fleming

      No, they aren’t the only team. I’d have to look it up but they might have a first option though. And teams may want him, but why would Green go anywhere else? He can sign with the Nets for the rest of the season, continue playing well, and in free agency look for a payday. If he signs with another team it would be for the same money, but he has no guarantee of the same kind of PT.

  3. paprika

    Will we see rasheed? Arenas? Turiaf this season ? And whats the problem with terrence williams? He is dwade type athletically with out the j but he is good. Why cant he get his minutes? And maybe the lake show need him???

    • Jason Fleming

      I will be shocked if we see Rasheed, and even if he comes back I really don’t seem him having much of an impact. You don’t just come off the street and step in and play. Looks like Arenas will join the Grizz if he passes a physical. Turiaf will probably sign, but his market isn’t clear yet.

      As for Williams…he’s not the easiest guy to coach or get along with. At some point the physical skills don’t matter if you aren’t coachable. The Nets and the Rockets have decided he’s not worth their time or money. He may get another shot, but he really is going to have to prove himself.

  4. swagger equals angas

    They say when u go hunting do not annoy the beast,stay quiet and just hunt. I guess d.granger got cocky on tweeting it will be a winnable games against the knicks. Carmelo and the group showed him winnable. Are the knicks ready to win now? Or do they need a good motivator all the time. Well with all the pjackson myths and stories on motivating players i guess they need him?

    • Jason Fleming

      I would be very, very surprised to see Jackson return to coaching. The travel and the life of being a coach wasn’t good for him physically, so unless that’s magically changed…

  5. boyoyong

    If c.barkley ,r.miller and p.ewing decided to do the lebron aka melo way to win and decided to team up. Do u think they could have won against the best chicago jordan team. Lets say they decided to use the pacers as their base team? Fun question :) hope u dont mind

    • Jason Fleming

      I think that really depends on your point guard in that situation. None of those three were facilitators like Wade or LeBron. Without a good facilitator no way they beat Jordan’s Bulls.

  6. lakersbullsfinals

    With the trade d’line passing and boston doin nothing. All of a suddent they are not clicking,if u were ainge would u go the same route? Do trades to win now? Do trades to go young? Or just do nothing??

    • Jason Fleming

      This is Boston adhering to the same plan they had at the beginning of the season. They knew this was the last run with this team and if it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. They looked around at the trade deadline and didn’t see anything they liked, so they will let the contracts expire and rebuild in the offseason. Boston not making a move to win now isn’t a surprise.

  7. Adam

    Why does everyone think Deron Williams is leaving? New Jersey can offer him something around $28 million more than Dallas, and New Jersey will have cap room in the summer of 2013 when they can get Dwight Howard or Josh Smith.

    • Jason Fleming

      You are right – it’s not a given he’s gone. But given the option is he going to sign a long-term deal with no assurances of who he’s playing with? Yes, he could, it’s just not as likely.

  8. David

    What coach do you think the Blazers should look at this off season? D’antoni and his fast pace offense with our young team? Or Sloan?

    And do you think the Blazers are tanking it by putting in Kaleb? As a Blazer fan, I want them to win and improve instead of going for another draft pick. Why not put Bernie to coach?

    • Jason Fleming

      Portland will look for a coach who will open it up more than McMillan did, but they won’t go all the way to the other end and bring in D’Antoni. Sloan is done. When he walked away from the Jazz…that’s pretty much it. I will never say never, but I’m pretty sure he won’t be an option.

      As for interim coach Kaleb Canales…yes, I do. The only reason to fire McMillan now is to remove an experience voice. That’s nothing against Canales, it’s just the team figuring a coach with no experience gives them less likelihood of winning than McMillan.

      Here’s the conundrum for Blazer fans: sure, you want your team to win. But the reality is this team right now with this roster is not a winner. They aren’t good enough to make the playoffs. If management thought they were, they wouldn’t have fired Nate in the first place. This roster is going to turn over dramatically in the offseason, Crawford, Felton, Okur, Thabeet, Shawne Williams, Flynn – none of those players will be back. Given that amount of turnover trying to win and improve is a difficult proposition at best. Improve for what? Management has thrown in the towel on the season.

      But hey, they still want you to spend your money on tickets.

  9. Blazin

    Jason, is the protected pick the blazers got from the nets top 3 protected pre or post lottery? I’ve read conflicting reports where some say that as long as the nets regular season record isn’t in the bottom 3 the pick goes to the blazers and some said that it’s only after the lottery decides the placement of their pick. Please explain.

    • Jason Fleming

      Post – all that matters is the results of the draft lottery. The Nets could have the worst record in the NBA, but if the lottery says they only get the 4th pick, it goes to Portland. Really, their regular season record has no effect – it’s how the lottery balls bounce. The only influence their record has is on the number of lottery balls they get.

  10. Dadz L.

    Hi, Jason, I love reading all the chats here in hoopsworld. ^-^

    Anyway, Did the Lakers used their Trade Exemption on ALL their Trade deadline acquisitions? Or did they just swapped the players around?

    • Jason Fleming

      I believe they still have their full $8.9 million Traded Player Exception from the Odom deal. They can still use it around the draft or in July.

  11. Anthony Pascua

    Just read that JJ Hickson got bought out. Is there any type of scenario the Lakers can pick him up by trading/ releasing Murphy and McRob?

    • Jason Fleming

      No more trades. The Lakers cannot make a trade until their season is over. They can sign any player who clears waivers as long as they have a roster spot. Hickson seems to be headed to Golden State though. Plus, what impact would he make in L.A.?

  12. Deven

    Fact or Fiction: If the Phoenix Suns don’t make the playoffs, Nash and Hill will leave the organization.

    • Jason Fleming

      Um…forced to choose, I say Fact. The reality is if the Suns continue to miss the playoffs – and yes, I believe they will – they shouldn’t want to bring those guys back. This is a team that needs to rebuild and you can’t do that paying aging veterans, even if they are still as good as Nash and Hill. Leverage them in sign-and-trade deals.

  13. brandon

    How strong are the odds of Boston signing Hickson or Turiaf to beef up their frontline and solidify a playoff position?

    • Jason Fleming

      Close to zero on Hickson, who seems to be headed to Golden State. As for Turiaf, that move would make sense. Miami may be in the mix too, as well as plenty of other teams who want a big body for a playoff run.

  14. Frank

    Wilson Chandler just resigned in Denver for 5 years / 37 million dollars. This was surprising as it was no secret the Raptors coveted the small forward and have cap space this summer. I can all but guarantee our splashy GM would have signed Chandler to a offer sheet with a higher salary of 7.4 mill per. Questions: Do you agree the Raps would have made Wilson a bigger contract offer this offseason, and if so, why do you think he left millions on the table? Is Toronto, Canada that bad? I’ll put up with the weather for for a few extra mill a year.

    • Jason Fleming

      The Raptors would get ripped apart in the media if they paid Chandler a few extra million a year on top of that $7.4 million average. In all honesty I think Chandler got a good deal for him. The average is just under Arron Afflalo’s, which seems about right. Besides, signing now gives Chandler long-term security and he gets to play now. I really don’t think whether or not Toronto was interested really entered into the thought process. If it had he would have waited out this season and gone on the market restricted, giving everyone a shot to make an offer.

  15. Mac

    I rank the Portland Trailblazers as the big winners at the trade deadline. They were able to turn redundant talent in Gerald Wallace into a top 7-8 pick in a deep draft next year. LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batam, + top pick = hope for the future. Agree or Disagree?

    • Jason Fleming

      Agree. It’s a painful tearing down and the Blazers the rest of the way may be tough to watch, but it had to be done.

  16. David

    Am I crazy thinking that the Blazers should resign Felton in the offseason? There won’t be a lot of FA wanting to come to Portland, unless you can pry Eric Gordon away, and also Felton has look good recently.

    And who should the Blazers go for with that top 3 protected pick?

    • Jason Fleming

      Yes, you are. :) There is almost no chance Felton stays beyond this season. Lots of players will come to Portland for the right price. I really don’t see the team having to convince players any more than any other place.

      I’m leaning towards Portland just taking the best player available at each spot. Maybe Harrison Barnes if he’s there. Maybe Jeremy Lamb with their own pick. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be another great choice if he’s there. The issue Portland faces is this draft is top heavy at the one position they don’t need – power forward. If they decide a PF available can play center next to Aldridge, great. They do think Batum can play SG, which means drafting a SF like Barnes should work.

  17. Wil

    Hi Jason, in your opinion, should the Blazers arrange buy-outs with Felton and Crawford? It lets them each find a better situation for next year, frees up time for Smith and Flynn, and gives P-town more certainty for next year (if Crawford declines his option). Also, do they plan to at least give Thabeet some meaningful minutes?

    • Jason Fleming

      They have no choice but to play Thabeet and Flynn, given how much they ripped the team apart. I don’t see them doing buyouts with Felton and Crawford though. It’s one thing to do what they did, but if they get rid of all the veterans and replace them with end of the bench players, who is going to come watch games? The team still needs to sell tickets the rest of the way.

  18. red skies at night

    Is there much of a chance that the GM’s who selected Thabeet and Flynn at 2 & 6 were right but they are both late bloomers? How does a player get selected as the best defensive collegian two years running and be a total bust after he is picked 2nd? Has He been lazy? Peril of high expectations? something else? Thanks Jason!

    • Jason Fleming

      Sure, there is a chance, but both players have gone through two GMs now and still aren’t playing, so it seems unlikely. I guess I’m saying don’t hold your breath. With regards to Thabeet, the expectations were high and the desire just hasn’t seemed to be there. He got by on athletic ability in college, but in the NBA that doesn’t cut it.

  19. KWS

    I think all of Portland would love to see a former 2nd pick and 6th pick become a Jeremy Lin story. What are the chances of either one of these new players becoming starters for the Blazers in the next few years?

  20. kam

    why dont the thunder get j.j hickson and dereck fisher those players add depth and scoring to the offense which they dont get from nobody on the team other than harden,westbrook,durant.

    they need some playes that can chip in at least 7 to 10 pionts a game consistently cuz what they have right now Cannot beat the heat in the finals they need depth like the mavs had.

    • Jason Fleming

      The Thunder are second in the NBA in scoring offense and fourth in scoring differential – I really don’t think it’s an issue. Word is they are interested in Fisher and Hickson is going to Golden State.

  21. JP

    Let´s say Beasley, Randolph & Tolliver walk away; Webster and Miller are cut. Now you have just $ 48.751.457 in your books. DWilliams becomes the small forward, and WJohnson it´s expendable. Barea improves and becomes the player he was in Dallas in the last playoffs. Ridnour can also be moved. Milicic stays as the backup center. Kahn just wants 12 players in the roster. You have this:
    Rubio-Barea…—-/ Eliignton /Malcolm Lee…Williams/—–….Love/—-/—-….Pekovic/Milicic
    Movable: Ridnour- Johnson
    A)1-How much would it be needed to sign Mayo and how much for Courtney Lee?
    2- Courtney for 7-8 M or 10-12 M you would go with?
    B)Do you believe in Eliignton chances of becoming a very good backup or would you move him? Who would you target?
    C)Do you see Milkaukee accepting a Wes Johnson for Luc Mbah a Moute? A pick needed?
    D) Ideal backup for Love: Ilyasova? Full MLE possible? Other targets?

    • Jason Fleming

      Dang, that’s four different questions. I’ll give you quick answers, though for more in depth ones submit them to Stephen Litel, our Wolves expert.

      A – Mayo and Lee will both probably be in the $7-8 million range. For the Wolves I think Lee is the better fit. However, I think Lee will also have more suitors on the open market.

      B – As a backup Ellington is a great fit. No need to move him because he’s cheap.

      C – Bucks won’t do that.

      D – Bucks are going to make keeping Ilyasova a priority.

  22. jw

    just looking at HW’s 2012 F.A. list,

    NYK seems to be in bigger trouble,if possible, than worrying bout Melos shots..
    Lin, BDavis, Novak, J.R, Jefferies all FAS and Id say all will sign for more than what they are paid now, (millionish/year).

    Is there some kind of strategy to deal with this or do they just ship in another batch of second tier guys?

    • Jason Fleming

      Well, Lin at least can be a restricted free agent and with the Arenas provision they can match any offer up to the MLE (and other teams are limited in their offer sheets up to the MLE). After that…yep, you are right. That’s about it. This is the major drawback of the going all in with three players approach.

  23. alex

    What kind of impact do you think Ramon Sessions will have on the Lakers for the remainder of the year and into the playoffs?

    • Jason Fleming

      I think he brings the ability to push the offense a little more, but not sure that helps because uptempo isn’t really a Coach Mike Brown type of thing. Sessions is an upgrade talentwise, but I really don’t see him being a huge differencemaker for the Lakers. Maybe he will prove me wrong.

  24. Jon in PDX

    Do the Blazers think about keeping Flynn? Is an NBA worthy talent or has his hip injury stalled his career?

    • Jason Fleming

      Flynn will probably just be playing out the string in Portland. Whether it’s the hip surgery or something else, he hasn’t proven he can be a NBA point guard. Even his rookie year when he started 81 games he posted an assist to turnover ratio of only 1.5:1.

  25. alex

    In such a deep draft was it really worth it for the Lakers to send their #1 pick to offload Fishers contract? Can Jordan Hill be a real contributor or is he just an ending contract? Lastly does Eyenga have a chance to develop into a rotation player for the Lakers? Thanks to you and all the Hoopsworld writers for doing these chats!

    • Jason Fleming

      Here’s the thing on that trade. If the cost of giving up Fisher’s $3.4 million next season was the pick, think about the money they saved. The pick would have cost them a little more than a million, so adding in the luxury tax hit it actually saved them close to $9 million next year. Instead of signing the pick, which may or may not be able to crack the rotation, they can sign a veteran at the minimum who can contribute and will cost them much less.

      Not saying I necessarily agree with it, just that it’s the logic behind the deal.

      I like Hill. I think he can be a player, but he needs more confidence. He’s a solid backup. I also think Eyenga has a chance to be a solid backup to Kobe. There is no reason he shouldn’t be willing to learn from a great like Bryant, and Kobe will gladly teach him if he shows the commitment.

  26. JT

    Which centers do you think the blazers should target in the draft? Zeller or Fab Melo?

    • Jason Fleming

      I don’t think they should spend one of their lottery picks on a center. What they should do is spend a second-round on a solid defender who can rebound and had a productive but not spectacular college career, the kind of player who works hard and can do the things a player like Joel Przybilla built a career on. If their pick comes up and Zeller is the best player available, then okay, but he probably won’t be that.

  27. Brian

    Jason,

    In the other chats, they feel C. Lee is a better fit for the Wolves than OJ Mayo in the offseason. Lee does nothing for me, while I believe Mayo is a much better fit. Your take, and why Lee?

    Thanks!

    • Jason Fleming

      Last question!

      Hate to tell you this, but for the Wolves I agree with that. Lee is a better fit, though Mayo may be more athletically gifted. On a team with Rubio running the show and Love and Williams down low, you want a player who can hit threes, play perimeter defense, pass well, and fit in. To me that’s more Lee than Mayo. Plus, he may come cheaper, if the Wolves clear the cap space for it.

      Thanks for all the great questions this week! We’ll do it again next week, same time and place.

  28. Dan in portland

    If the blazers are able to draft a barnes/mkg and lamb what fa moves do u think they will make do u think it is at all possible they can get deron will. Also who do u think will be coaching next year. Thanks great chats

    • Jason Fleming

      I don’t see Deron Williams in Portland. The Blazers should absolutely make the call, but I don’t see it happening. I see them using cap space to keep Nic Batum and then trying to use the rest of the space to acquire a point guard in an unbalanced trade, perhaps tossing in a draft pick or a young player in return.

      As for coaching…too early to say. Hopefully they don’t just go with a retread.