NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 10/25/12

Join Joel Brigham this Thursday at 3pm ET to chat about all things NBA, from the waning preseason to fantasy hoops and everything in between.  Get your questions in early and be back here Thursday afternoon to take part in all the fun.

  1. AJ in Hawaii but from Cali

    can the lakers get rid of blake and or duhon for future draft considerations maybe? or cash? i’d do it for a crisp 100 dollar bill.

    secondly, which of these 3 are the most likely replacements and are they good enough to even be worth the trouble? Johnny Flynn, patty mills, or Rodrigue Beaubois? thanks for the love

    • Joel Brigham

      Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat. Had my lone fantasy basketball draft last night, so I’m still kind of reeling from how quickly things fell apart. Had the draft connection go fuzzy just in time for my fourth round pick, so I ended up with someone I did NOT want, but I think I pieced together a respectable team despite all that. Picked 12th and got Al Jefferson and Kobe Bryant at the turn. Wanted Kyrie Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge, but both were gone.

      Anyway, if there’s one thing people care absolutely nothing about, it’s other people’s fantasy teams, so I’ll shut my mouth about it. Let’s get on to some real NBA questions, shall we? We shall…

      I think it’s inevitable that one of those guys gets dealt at some point, though I’m not sure which one. Duhon’s contract is more agreeable, but I can’t imagine there are many teams lining up to take him on. Blake isn’t much better. But they don’t need all those points guards, even if Nash should (God forbid) get hurt. Plenty of depth here at the one, but those two guys aren’t exactly big tickets right now.

  2. Orangekorn

    hey love this site and your chats.i was wondering what ever happened to former allstar, steve francis? I havent heard anything about him in years and I find it strange that a baller as talented as he was retired from the game seemingly young and noone speaks of him.did he retire from injury?thanks

    • Joel Brigham

      No idea. Last I heard he was playing in China. I’ll look into that, though, because now I’m curious, too…

  3. Rocket

    Looking at Open Court I am now realizing how IGNORANT Shaq really is, makes me loose respect for him. What do you think?

    • Joel Brigham

      He ruined Inside the NBA last year, but it’s not because he’s ignorant. He knows a lot about basketball, but I think he he says crazy things just to be crazy sometimes. He has to know, for example, that Brook Lopez is in no way better than Dwight Howard, but that’s what came out of his mouth, anyway. I think he just tries to be controversial a la Chuck, but it doesn’t work quite the same way with him for some reason. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met covering the NBA, but life as an analyst for him doesn’t look too promising, does it?

  4. AJ

    IF the Suns start out slow and a playoff berth looks unlikely, can you see Gortat traded? What do you think it would take to pry him away?

    • Joel Brigham

      I really don’t think so, because Gortat is a big part of the rebuilding process for them out there. It’s going to be Gortat and Dragic for the foreseeable future, so while I could see them dealing someone like Luis Scola or Mike Beasley if things go bad, I believe they will (and definitely should) at least hold on to those other two guys and roll with the rebuilding process from there. Be bad with that core for a few years, nab a few high picks, and hope for the best. They’re going to be bad this year, but they’ve got more pieces in place than some of the league’s other bad teams. That, at least, is a good thing.

  5. Cain

    My favorite 3 players in NBA right now are Paul George, Josh Smith and Damian Lillard how do you think they will go this year?

    • Joel Brigham

      I think you already know that Paul George is one of my guys, and I’m really looking forward to seeing if he can he take the next step and take over this Pacers team this year. I’ve said all along that he has the vibe of an All-Star, but I’ve also always felt like he could spend his career falling just a little bit short of that. He’s so young, though… to be that good this early is a great sign.

      Josh Smith is a cool guy, too, and I think the Hawks become his team this year. Nothing new or surprising about his game because he’s a pretty known commodity at this point, but he should be able to take a step forward as a leader/franchise player this year.

      Lillard is for real. He’s going to go from being someone no one had ever heard of to being a rising star very quickly. I watched him at Summer League in person and loved what he brought. Seriously, the kid is good. Very good. Portland’s lucky things fell the way they did at this summer’s draft. Great scorer.

  6. Jason M.

    Mark Jackson recently said how excited he was about Festus Ezeli and how he will be one of the steals of the draft. Do you think he is making legit claims or just giving the rookie public lip service to build his confidence because he knows he will have to rely on him to some extent with Bogut’s injury problems?

    • Joel Brigham

      There aren’t a lot of third-string rookie centers that I love right now. I’m not buying it.

      If Bogut ends up hurt, though, Ezeli will have a great opportunity to prove he belongs. I’ll reserve a final judgment until I really get to see him play a little bit more. Honestly, I just don’t know about the kid yet.

  7. Jason M.

    So I drafted Derrick Rose pretty late in my fantasy draft(keeper league at that). Two questions. Will I benefit at all this season? Do you think he will be the same Derrick Rose going forward in his career?

    • Joel Brigham

      Derrick Rose as a keeper pick, especially late in a draft, is brilliant. He was taken with the very first pick in the very first keeper round of my own draft, so I had no chance at him, but I would’ve loved it. As for this year, the crazy thing is that he could sit unused on your bench all season, but if he comes along the last month of the season, that could make the difference for a championship team. I can not reiterate enough how badly I wanted D-Rose on my team this year, even if I only got 3 weeks out of him.

  8. Charlie

    Looking at the boxscores of the opponents of the Milwaukee Bucks, I see AJ Price went for 17 points and 11 assists, Mike Conley went for 20 points, 6 assists and 5 boards, and Nate Robinson went for 24 points and 13 assists!!! All statlines are preseason highs for all three PG’s (two of which are back-up point guards who started that game). Is this cause of concern for the Bucks defense? Does this demonstrate a Jennings/Ellis backcourt cannot work on that side of the ball. If these mediocre PG’s are lighting them up, what happens when Deron or Irving or Paul come to town = scary numbers. Your thoughts.

    • Joel Brigham

      Interesting collection of stats, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings can’t play defense. Maybe that will be like the Carolina Panthers for running backs… Milwaukee backcourt defense is going to give big games, apparently. Prolific offensively, solid defensive frontcourt, but Ellis and Jennings will not be killing themselves on D in contract years. Can’t see it happening.

  9. Dennis

    I bet an unintelligent amount on over/under wins for NBA teams in a season on a legal, online gambling site. As of right now, my three most confident bets are: Boston Celtics – over 50.5 wins, Cleveland Cavaliers – under 30.5 wins, and Portland Trail Blazers – over 33.5 wins. If you could choose one of my bets that you were most skeptical about, which one would it be and why are you concerned.

    • Joel Brigham

      I’d be worried about the Blazers. That’s a strong starting lineup there with lots of talented young players, but have a look at that bench. Barf, right? I could see them finishing up right around 30 wins this year, which is quite a bit under the 33.5. I think the surest bet is the Celtics over 50.5. They’re just too deep with too many pieces and too good a coach to not rip a hole into the Atlantic Division this year. A lot to like about that team.

  10. dennis

    First q: which team has a better bench. Indy or miami?
    Second q: who is going to have a better season. Kemba or lillard?
    Thanks!

    • Joel Brigham

      Miami has some guys this year in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but I like the overall chemistry of the Indiana Pacers’ second unit. Gerald Green, D.J. Augustin, and Tyler Hansbrough don’t have the same big names Miami’s guys, but they’re younger and hungrier. Ian Mahinmi and Lance Stephenson are interesting to me, too. Indy by a sliver.

      Lillard has less competition in the backcourt, while Kemba is fighting Ben Gordon and SG and Ramon Sessions at PG. I think Walker will look a lot better this season, but Lillard’s going to have the better opportunity.

  11. Randy

    What is your opinion of George Hill as the starting PG in Indiana. The Pacers were 2nd last in assists last year and having a PG who has never averaged over 4 dimes a game may be a concern. Do you think the lack of passing / ball movement will hurt Indy? Can it stop them from winning 52+ games this year? Your thoughts.

    • Joel Brigham

      Atrocious assist numbers for a point guard, but they like him as a floor leader, and I really can’t argue with that. Indy played their best ball last year with him at the helm, and you know, they’ve got the more prototypical point guard in Augustin should they decide they need such a thing. As long as the rest of the team believes in him, and as long as all five guys run the offense unselfishly (and outside of Danny Granger, they usually do), they’ll be fine. I have them picked as the second-best team in the East, so Hill better be fantastic, or else I’ll look bad. We can’t be having that, right? Right.

  12. LayHee

    Having watched Summer League and Preseason, which rookie would you rather have: #1 Andrew Nicholson or Jarred Sullinger #2 – Dion Waiters or Jeremy Lamb, #3 – Dontonas Motiejunas or Tyler Zeller, #4 Myers Leonard or Andre Drummond

    • Joel Brigham

      1. Sullinger. Nicholson is better than everyone thinks, but Sullinger has the better pedigree.
      2. Waiters. Lamb isn’t going to get the opportunity, and Waiters have just a drop of something “next-level” in him. Don’t know if he’ll get there, but I don’t see the same ceiling on Lamb.
      3. Motiejunas. Tough, big, versatile. Zeller is not the kind of player who ends up killing things in this league.
      4. Drummond. Having a great preseason, and I’ve never been a big fan of Leonard, dating back to his U of I days. Saw too much of him being bad in Champaign to believe in him on the pro levle, and Dre Drummond has the potential to be one of the league’s better defensive players.

  13. Julian

    How concerned are you about the Chicago Bulls bench? Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Nate the Great, Nazr Mohammed, Vlad Radmonovic, and Marco Belleneli don’t exactly strike fear in the opponent. Will this be the downfall of the Bulls or will Thibs be able to turn them into a productive unit? Rank this bench against the other 8 accepted Eastern Conference playoff teams (no Milwaukee or Toronto).

    • Joel Brigham

      Very. Very, very concerned. Taj Gibson is great, and Nate Robinson has played way better than I think anybody expected. Nazr Mohammed has been a lot better than I thought he’d be, too, but outside of that things start to get a little rough. Butler has been more underwhelming than I’d hoped. Marquis Teague isn’t going to see the floor this year. Vlad Radmanovic is already in Thibs’ doghouse, and Belinelli isn’t too far behind. The later guy is really disconcerting, because he was supposed to take on that Kyle Korver role for this team. He has to score the ball and knock down some threes this year. He has to. But so far, he hasn’t.

      The Bulls will be okay because Thibs won’t accept them not being okay, but that bench is a huge downgrade from a year ago. Belinelli and Butler need to step up. If they do, Chicago looks a lot better to me than they do now.

  14. Bubbles

    Am I the only one who thinks the Memphis Grizzlies are going to be much worse than expected next year? Tony Allen is coming off knee surgery, their bench is terrible and thin, and the owner may end up trading Rudy Gay midseason. Personally are you a fan of Memphis for next year? Do you expect them to be in the #4-#5 range in the West as most predict or do you agree with me and Memphis may end up well short of expectations. Your thoughts.

    • Joel Brigham

      I see them making the playoffs, but not really as a team vying for homecourt advantage. I think expectations as a 7 or 8 seed is more realistic. I mean, they’ve still got Gay and Conley and Randolph and Gasol, which is a fantastic core. Tony Allen and Jerryd Bayless and Josh Selby and Marreese Speights aren’t a bad bench, either. Still a good team, but I think you’re right that they’re probably a little overrated right now. I still like them, but they’ve been considered to be a little better than they actually were since that playoff upset a couple years ago. Not a championship contender. That much I can say.

  15. Cricket

    Right now, the Houston Rockets are projected to be #14 in the West this year, only in front of New Orleans. If you could pick one other team in the West Houston may end up in front of. Who would it be and why? (Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento)

    • Joel Brigham

      Houston’s going to be bad. Assuming everybody is healthy on every team, I could even see New Orleans finishing better than them. I think they’ll be playing for Shabazz Muhammad or Nerlens Noel next year.

  16. Angelo

    So what type of stats increase do you expect from faces in new places now starters: Lin, Asik, Dragic, Mayo, Felton. Did I miss anyone that you expect big things from a change in location?

    • Joel Brigham

      Asik’s going to be good. Defensive numbers–rebounds, blocks–are going to be fantastic. Look for him to see an uptick. I think we can expect something similar out of Dragic that we saw from him as a starter in Houston (which are great numbers), but I see Mayo and Felton sort of doing similar things to what they’ve always done.

      Lin’s the wildcard, but I don’t think he’ll ever do what he did those first couple weeks in New York. Hard to guess what he’ll do, but he’s an easy guy to root for. Hoping he kills it out there.

  17. Rick Levitt

    Hey Joel! Always enjoy your chats. Do you think the Kings would entertain a deal with Nuggets? Do you think a Evans for Chandler deal is at least worth a conversation?

    • Joel Brigham

      Well, Sacramento needs to clear out their backcourt, and they do have a need for a small forward, so I guess that makes a measure of success, especially since they could potentially lose him for nothing eventually, anyway. But I know the Kings understand that Tyreke is a potentially very valuable asset, and they’re not ready to give up on him yet. This year’s his chance to prove himself, and I get the impression Sacramento wants to give him that chance. Wilson Chandler is good, but not good enough to the Kings to flinch. Not yet, at least.

  18. Mr. Ballistik

    Who are your late-round sleeper picks for fantasy? I’m thinking that Asik, Ben Gordon, Marshoon Brooks, and Vucevic offer great value.

    • Joel Brigham

      Omer Asik, Jonas Valanciunas, Jeff Green, Andre Drummond, and…. Hedo Turkoglu! Hey, somebody’s got to pile up some stats in Orlando, right?

  19. LAL

    Any chance lakers make a run at josh Smith?? Offer gasol so horford can move to PF and lakers can get younger plua build around smoove and d12.

    Thanks!

    • Joel Brigham

      I doubt Howard leaves L.A. now that he’s there. And I don’t see Atlanta going that route. Nor do I see L.A. going that route, actually. They don’t even know how good their current core is, so let’s give this some time to marinate before we start cutting it all up.

  20. Tim

    20 man league, I had the 11th pick and walked away with Curry, Gordon, ALdridge, Beasley and Unibrow as my top 5 with Kirilenko, Mayo, Gibson, Asik and a couple other guys. How do you think this team will fare as far as fantasy goes?

    ALso Im concerned about Curry and Gordon being injury prone, should I flip them for Westbrook?

    • Joel Brigham

      I think that’s great for a 20-man league, but you’re right about Steph Curry and Eric Gordon being injured too often. They were on my do-not-draft list because I just didn’t want to think about losing huge chunks of the season for picks that high. Of course, I drafted Kobe (who’s currently hurt), but he plays through everything. Curry and Gordon aren’t made of quite the same stuff. Best of luck to you!

  21. jenequen

    i really dont understand why ridnour is going to start in front of jj barea how can that be posible ? barea is better asisting teammates he scores more plays better defence (well theres no more flopping but he gets more steals) and now with klove out they need more scorers on the floor can you tell me the logic of adelman doing that ?

    • Joel Brigham

      Ridnour is actually one of the best backups in the league, and I imagine he’d rather have a calmer veteran player out there than a sparkplug like Barea. Don’t get me wrong, he’s excellent in spurts, but Ridnour is a more prototypical point guard and I think the guy Adelman trusts to run the offense for longer bursts of time. Really, though, I think we’ll see plenty of both. At least until Rubio gets back.

      That’s my hour, folks! Thanks for all the great questions, enjoy what’s left of the preseason, and go Bulls!