NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 10/27/11

1. Matt

   Wasn’t 90′s NBA the best or what? Of course the Bulls were the best, but there were awesome teams such as Jazz, Sonics, Knicks, Rockets and even Pacers. How do you think those team would fare in NBA today?

   • Joel Brigham

     The 1990s were the best because of Jordan, but all the teams you mentioned were fun to watch. The Hornets, Heat, and Magic had some fun teams in that era, too. Sigh. Those really were the days. Long before I knew all the insides and outsides of the league, I just watched the games for the games. And the Bulls were the perfect team to grow up watching. To go from that to where we are now is extremely depressing, but whenever basketball does get going again, the Bulls have done enough to make the city proud again. Basketball’s getting back to those glory days, but only if the guys are playing. If not, well… It’s not good.

2. Matt

   Did anybody expect Asik to be…well…kinda good?

   • Joel Brigham

     Did you? I didn’t. I think most of us saw a big white Euro center, and in the past those guys haven’t amounted to much. He’s been so much better than advertised. Good kid, too. Will be curious to see how he does in year 2.

3. Antonette

   With Rick Adelman as their new Head Coach, how do you see the Timberwolves for this year (if the lockout ends)? Do you think Beasley and Love would have significant improvements in their games? And do you see Rubio and Williams make immediate solid contributions to the team?

   • Joel Brigham

     1. Adelman can’t help but make the team better. He’s done so many great things with so many great teams; he’ll teach these kids a lot, even if they fall short of the postseason again, which I think is a real possibility based on the talent they’ve got in place.

     2. Love, yes. Beasley, probably not. But both guys will be plenty good, and if they aren’t Minny’s two best players next season, something went horribly wrong.

     3. I think Williams is for real if he ever gets the opportunity to get consistent minutes. Worst possible situation for him to end up in, but the Wolves did the right thing taking the best player available at #2. I hope he gets an opportunity this season. Rubio makes me nervous. Not sold on him at all, though I do look forward to the highlight reels. He’ll make a few SportsCenter top 10′s with his ridiculous passing.

4. Cain

   Whose better now and in 4 years George Hill or Rodrigue Beaubois? What sorta numbers and roles do you see them playing?

   • Joel Brigham

     I guess I sort of look at both players similarly, but Beaubois seems on deck for a better opportunity to shine in Dallas. Kidd won’t be around forever, and I don’t see financially how they’ll be able to re-sign Barea, so that puts Roddy in a great situation to be a starting guard on a championship-caliber team. Four years from now, depending on Dirk, things might look a lot different, but I see Roddy having the opportunity, which is why I give him a slight edge.

     In Indiana, Hill is part of a really good young guard rotation that includes Darren Collison and Paul George. Depending on what they do with their free agency cash (Jamal Crawford?) he could become even more of a bit player than a major one. Love George Hill and think he’s a huge piece for this team, but Beaubois seems on deck for a role more akin to someone garnering lavish praise.

5. Steve

   Would the amnesty clause be good or bad for teams with cap space? It seems like they could also amnesty someone and then be in a great position to outbid others on a good quality casualty of the amnesty at a reasonable price.
   For instance, getting even a somewhat-diminished Arenas at $2 or $3 Million could be a great value for a cap space team, no?

   • Joel Brigham

     Yup, that’s the way amnesty works. That’s my plan for getting Rip Hamilton to the Bulls at a price they can afford. Especially if it doesn’t count against the cap, I think you could see some big names on the list of guys cut loose. Free agency is already going to be crazy, but that just makes it crazier. Can’t wait for this CBA to get figured out so we can finally get on with some player movement. I think we’re all ready for it, yeah?

6. Mario

   Hey joel how you doin buddy. I was reading mark nugent’s chat yesterday and someone asked about dwight howard and chicago and mark’s answer was dwight wouldn’t sign here because he wants a bigger market like LA or the nets when they go to brooklyn my question is how could chicago not be on his or any other free agents list is chicago really not big enough for him.

   • Joel Brigham

     Chicago is the third largest market in the country, and as far as basketball is concerned, they’ve been at the top of league attendance (like, top two in the league) for years and years. Even through the cruddy years. Hoops fans are voracious here, and there are certainly reasonable opportunities for endorsements. If Derrick Rose can pull the huge accounts he’s pulled with only about 15% of the personality that Dwight has, I can’t imagine Howard wouldn’t get more than his fair share of opportunities to expand his brand in Chicago.

     That said, show business is bigger in New York and L.A. (the two markets bigger than Chicago, by the way), so if those are his priorities, I totally understand. The Knicks, Nets, Lakers, and Clippers all have pieces in place that could pretty desirable to Dwight, but Chicago has to look pretty good as a basketball team, too.

     If L.A. can get him without having to give up Pau Gasol, I think Hollywood has to be his first option. New York won’t have the cap space to do it. New Jersey doesn’t have the trade pieces if they’re going to keep Deron Williams, and nobody’s ever going to sign on to play with Donald Sterling on purpose. That leaves Chicago as the most logical plan B. Good market, great fans, excellent young team. Not sure why he’d say “no way” to that.

7. Steve

   Joel,
   If a player makes $10 million and his reasonable cost-of-living and doing business expenses are $1 million (nice house, car, food, clothes, etc), what is his profit margin?

   Is it $9 million, aka 900% profit?

   • Joel Brigham

     Let’s just say it’s enough where he shouldn’t be living paycheck-to-paycheck. Can you even fathom $10 million? That’s got to be enough to buy a couple islands or something, right?

8. Ran

   Hello Joel
   Why don’t The HEAT move Lebron to point and put Miller in at 3? Also, would it be smart to go after Grant Hill as a backup to Miller?

   • Joel Brigham

     I have no problem with what you’re suggesting with LeBron at the 1. Offensively, what point guard in the league is going to have the chops to guard him? And the way LeBron shut down Derrick Rose in the ECF shows that he can handle even the quickest ones. I think in stretches, playing LeBron at point guard is fine, but they were already doing that last year, anyway. Nothing new there in concept.

     You can’t play him at point guard all the time though because that limits what he can do, and since he’s the best player alive, that’s a problem. This won’t be a surprise, but Miami just needs a real point guard. Norris Cole, if he comes along, could be a huge help there.

     And I’ve actually thought about Grant Hill going to Miami more than once. Seems like a logical place for him to end up next season and another one or two afterwards. You can conserve his legs a little there, but he’d be great in reserve at the 2/3 spot there. Sign him, move Mike Miller, and see what you can come up with.

9. Shay

   Is there any way the bulls can pry away kevin martin from the rockets? I just dont think J Rich will get take the bulls to the next level. How much did he help D Howard in Orlando?!! O J Mayo? D Howard/D Rose pairing in chicago?

   • Joel Brigham

     I don’t see much difference between Kevin Martin and Jason Richardson in terms of what they’d do to put Chicago “over the hump” in the Eastern Conference. Both would be a huge upgrade, obviously, but J-Rich is a free agent and you’d have to pry away Kevin Martin in a trade. My understanding is that Houston really overvalues him. They want superstar value in return, and I don’t think the Bulls have that to give. Wouldn’t mind Martin at all, just don’t think he’s the most realistic option for Chicago.

10. jaimeson Trocheck

    What can Cavs expect from T. Thompson? Drafted higher then expected. Gonna see any min as 6th big man? Jamison & Samardo at PF w/ Andy, Erden, Hollins at C. Why not Vesely & bring em over next year? Not gonna be good year anyway.

    • Joel Brigham

      Forget Vesley, I think Valanciunas is the guy they’re going to regret most. Kyrie is a pick-and-roll PG and Jonas loves the pick-and-roll, too. Those two would’ve been nasty together for a long, long time. I’m with you… Cleveland wasn’t going to be good anyway, so store the other lotto pick overseas for the year while he plays out his contract, then bring him in with Irving and a high rook from the epic ’12 class and really get the rebuilding going.

      All that said, Tristan Thompson is a really cool kid. Probably the most likeable of the group I spoke with at the combine back in the spring, so if nothing else he’s the kind of personality that any organization would love to have. I think he’s going to work really hard and be really coachable, and definitely become the kind of guy who does some great things for the Cleveland community. If his game comes along, he’ll be a cherished Cav for life. But I don’t know how I feel about his game, especially to be taken so high in the draft. Doesn’t have that wow factor, ya know?

      That said, I get the way the ’11 draft played out for Cleveland. Take two kids who are both 19 and really good friends and put them in the same boat from Day 1. They’ll grow together for this entire process, and if that works out, we’ll all be talking about what kind of geniuses Cleveland was for doing it that way. I hope I’m wrong, but I just don’t see that happening. I’m not even 100% sure how I feel about Kyrie yet.

11. Shay

    Any knowledge of how healthy Joakim Noah and Boozer are? Are they 100% healthy? Tell me Keith Bogans will not be the bulls starting sg whenever we finally have basketball? When will we have basketball? I am so tired of both sides and these marathon meetings only to end up still in a lockout!!!

    • Joel Brigham

      Lots of questions, so I’ll do these one at a time:

      1. Joakim is doing pretty well. Like he’s done every year the last few seasons, he’s going to come back stronger this season. The rest has hopefully done Boozer good. The fact that he’s on board for this Puerto Rico game has to be a good sign, right? I wouldn’t worry about either guy coming into next season. Both should be plenty healthy, especially with the extra time.

      2. I’d be shocked if Bogans were back in that role again in 2011-2012. Chicago isn’t going to tinker with their roster too much, but I do believe they’ll fart around with that two guard spot. I still think Rip Hamilton is a realistic possibility, and he’d be the perfect guy. Perfect.

      3. No idea when hoops comes back, but the current meetings are reportedly going well. It looks like they’re working on putting together a system that’ll make 50/50 workable for the players. If they can keep on along those lines, we could potentially have a deal in the next few days, which would be glorious. We writers are just us frustrated and anxious as you fans. We want basketball back, too!

12. Steve

    Joel,
    Do you agree that it is best to have star players that bring different skills to the team such as a great rebounder, a great score and a great distributor rather than two great wing scorers?
    For instance LeBron and Wade’s games are too similar in some ways to really maximize their effectiveness, IMO.
    Bosh’s soft(ish) mid-range game isn’t ideal iether with those two.

    • Joel Brigham

      I think it kind of depends on what your options are in the first place. When you look at the free agents who were available in 2010, a lot of the guys were sort of similar. Joe Johnson would’ve been another scorer. Boozer or Stoudemire wouldn’t have been all that different from Bosh, right? Other than that, you just have to look at it as, who are the best players we can get on this team right now? And then sign them. In theory, it’s easy to say that you’d rather have Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard, but there was never a real opportunity for that to happen.

      Honestly, it probably won’t even be possible for CP and D12 to play together, let alone alongside another max superstar. So what Miami did was what any of us would’ve did, and honestly, they made it to the NBA Finals in their first year together. To me, that says they did enough right and have enough room for growth to still win a few championships together, as nauseous as that idea makes me. I wouldn’t trade LeBron/Wade for anything in the league, honestly.

      Bosh, though? I’d definitely try to cash him out to find some pieces that fit better. About that much, I definitely agree with you.

13. leon rose

    whats the best case scenario that out bull get the missing piece they need? ithink oj mayo is the key he was scouted to be a star ..how do we get it done?? alot ofppl are on that oj bandwagon..

    • Joel Brigham

      They’re on that bandwagon with good reason. He’d certainly be a good fit, but as I’ve said all along the Bulls probably won’t have much shot at him until we find out what the Grizzlies do with Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay. If they trade Rudy (which they insist isn’t going to happen), O.J. probably becomes a little more important in that swing rotation again. If they don’t trade Rudy, I have no idea how they afford Gasol, which means they could be in the market for a center. If that’s the case, Omer Asik for Mayo could make tons of sense for both teams.

14. Matt (UK)

    I’m a massive Nuggets fan from over here in the UK. When / if the lock out ends what do you think is the best case scenario for the Nuggs? What do you think they need to be a contender in the West?

    • Joel Brigham

      Well, losing all those players to China certainly makes this impending free agency pretty interesting for the Nuggets. Wasn’t a huge fan of the Dre Miller trade for the long-term, but short-term I think he helps. Gotta re-sign Nene. Beyond that, I’m not sure what to tell you. There’s no star on that team, which was clearly their problem in the playoffs last season. They’re a good team and George Karl is a great coach, but they’re missing that star quality that great teams have. I’m not sure how to suggest they go about fixing that. Someone on the roster has to burgeon, or they have to try and finagle another major trade. Both seem equally (un)likely.

15. Josh

    I cant feel optimistice about the labor talks right now. I mean why now? Why wouldnt the owners just wait until players start missing paychecks to get what they really want? They have said over and over they are fine missing the season. I think we are getting fools gold with these talks today.

    • Joel Brigham

      Well, Debbie Downer, I think if there’s a way for the owners NOT to loose all that money, they’d rather go in that direction. Getting the players to come down 7 friggin’ percent on BRI when every percent represents millions and millions of dollars is pretty good. A longer lockout could yield slightly better results for the owners, but at what cost? At some point, the cost of missing a full season has to outweigh the money you’d be saving in a new deal. We’re getting to that point, so if the players can accept 50% and get a respectable system for themselves, there’s no reason the owners shouldn’t at least be talking to them. Doing nothing is bad. Talking and negotiating is good.

      Next you’ll be complaining about how feline AIDS is the #1 killer of cats and lamenting on the fact that you can’t bear children.

16. like a bull

    deng/bobcats Pick for ellis/wright

    • Joel Brigham

      Two thoughts on this:

      1. I have to think that Golden State believes they could find more value for Ellis than Luol Deng and a mid-low lotto pick you’ll have to wait on. They can’t possibly believe that moving Ellis and Dorrel Wright for Lu means they’ll be a better team.

      2. Ellis and Wright don’t feel like Bulls guys. Just knowing the organization and what they look for in players and personalities, those two just don’t seem to fit it, while Luol Deng is the epitome of it. They love Lu. Would take something major for him to deal him, and I don’t think this is it.

17. Dave

    Is D12 to the Bklyn Nets to team up with DWill a realistic possibility?

    • Joel Brigham

      I just don’t know who the Nets can offer that looks good to Orlando. Is Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries sexier than Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson? I’m not so sure about that.

      Brooklyn with D-Will and D12 would be really fun, and the best possible thing for that franchise in a new city, but it just doesn’t feel quite as realistic as some of the other options out there.

18. Ron in philly

    Miami goes to the NBA finals in there first season together and you what to trade Bosh for pieces that fit better?

    • Joel Brigham

      Yes. They got there because LeBron and Wade are great. Bosh had his moments, but they would’ve done the same thing with a healthy Boozer or Amar’e. I think if you can trade Bosh for a young center or a real point guard (or, if the salaries work, both), then you’re looking at an entirely different team. The Bulls made the Eastern Conference Finals, but I’d trade damn near anyone on that roster outside of D-Rose. Constantly improve how you can, and if that means trading your third best player, then you absolutely do that.

19. James

    Iggy + brand to magic for Turk , bass

    • Joel Brigham

      Worst trade EVER for Philly. Barf.

20. jaimeson Trocheck

    Cavs were handcuffed w/ Irving @ #1. Please, not another Duke bust! Couldn’t grab 2 bigs on an already deep(but not solid!) frontcourt. Agreed w/ 2 good kids as face of the franchise. I like what we have going & I hope Gilbert keeps spending & stays determined to make a winner.

    • Joel Brigham

      You’re right about being handcuffed with that pick, especially with the way point guards have dominated the last handful of rookie classes. It’s really easy to look at Derrick Rose and John Wall and say that Kyrie is the obvious pick, especially in a poor draft like the one we just wrapped up.

      I actually like what Cleveland has going, too. I mean, I feel good about the guys they drafted even if I don’t necessarily feel like either will be a superstar at any point in their careers. But if they’re awful again this year and then get themselves someone like Harrison Barnes or Quincy Miller or or Anthony Davis or Mike Gilchrist, they’ll be alright. There are like eight players in the ’12 class I can see being All-Stars eventually. Those four, plus Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones, Andre Drummond… lots of future stars there.

      Anyway, pair one of the really, really good ones with two guys in Thompson and Kyrie who could be excellent second and third fiddles, and you’ve got a core I’m on board with. Cleveland is in better shape than a lot of the other bad teams out there. That much I can say for sure.