NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 1/19/12

1. Kelvin

   How do you think D.J. Augustin would fit in with the lakers. knowing that kupchak isnt doing any signings soon i’d imagine augustin with good or at least decent dribble penetration would fit the lakers lack of point guard issue especially with the injury to steve blake, and i’m not really liking morris’s passive gameplay on offense. what do you think about augustin to the lakers and would he fit in and help them

   • Joel Brigham

     Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat! We had a ton of really great games in the league last night, which sort of emphasizes what a crazy season this has been so far. There’s been a rash of injuries, some happy and some sad surprises, and still plenty of the same hopes for trades we have every year. That, of course, means we’re going to have plenty to talk about today, so let’s start getting into some questions.

     My thought on D.J. Augustin and the Bobcats is that they’re going to have to trade the guy at some point relatively soon here. I understand that he’s having a solid year, and truth be told he’s probably the best player on that roster right now, but to draft a point guard as good as Kemba Walker in the most recent draft, and then spend big money on a guy who plays that same position would be reckless. Augustin already is taking minutes away from the future of that franchise, and if the ‘Cats extend him, they’ll be paying a guy exponentially more money than the player they should be focusing on in Kemba.

     So. That said, it makes plenty of sense for Charlotte to trade him, and the Lakers obviously need some help at point guard, but I don’t see any package on that Lakers roster that makes any sort of sense for the Bobcats. They’re going to be looking for some kind of real value because, as I said, he’s sort of their best player right now. The Lakers don’t have that to give, at least not for Augustin, and it would be silly if they did anyway because there’s no guarantee Kupchack, as you say, would want to extend him beyond this year.

     He fits a need for L.A. and would probably play pretty well there, but financially I don’t see it being particularly realistic. I do believe D.J. will be a huge trade rumor guy in about 5 or 6 weeks, though, so keep your eyes and ears open for that inevitability.

2. scott

   Chances Celtics trade Pierce? Would A Jamison + cavs 2012 or 2013 draft pick entice Celtics enough and get Cavs to 5-6 spot in East?

   • Joel Brigham

     Cleveland is playing way better than anybody expected them to right now, and if they make the postseason through some stroke of luck then we absolutely have to consider that a positive year for them. But let’s be real about this. They’re still in rebuilding mode, and if I’m putting that team together I’d rather suck it up this year with the young guys playing huge minutes to develop and grow together, so that I can get another high pick in the ’12 draft because it’s such a good one. Pierce doesn’t help the rebuilding process. He makes them a better team immediately in the trade you just proposed, but they have no need to be immediately good. They need to set themselves up to be good for the next 6-8 years. Giving up a precious pick for a guy with only a few years left doesn’t really make any sense. So I’d say zero. That’s a zero percent chance that trade happens.

3. JazzFan

   Utah has surprised a lot of teams thus far. Many skeptics had them at the bottom of the barrel in NBA expectations. I can’t help but see them through my Jazz colored glasses, but are we going to be legit this year? Many of the wins were to teams with injuries or losing records so it’s hard to tell if I should get excited or look to jump ship…

   • Joel Brigham

     It kind of depends on what you mean by “legit.” If you’re asking me whether or not I think they could potentially win the Western Conference and play Miami or Chicago in the NBA Finals, then no. I do not think that they’re legit. But if you’re asking me whether I think they’re good enough to stay on top of everybody’s expectations and slide into a respectable playoff seed, then it’s an entirely different conversation. Ty Corbin has done a great job with that group there, and they’ve gotten huge production out of their starting frontcourt. Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap have been great, and it’s nice to see Derrick Favors sort of coming around, too. Kanter has shown his own flashes at points early in the season as well, and Josh Howard is proving to be a savvy little free agent signing there.

     At 9-4, they’re definitely overachieving, and I think that when it’s all said and done teams like Dallas and the L.A.’s will finish with better records, but this compacted season was going to fare well with relatively young teams that have a lot of depth. Look at Utah, Chicago, Philly, Indiana, OKC… they all prove that. Older, shallower teams like Boston and Dallas are struggling some. San Antonio is really the only club I can see defying that logic right now. So I see the Jazz as a stronger regular season team than postseason one, but we should give them props, anyway.

4. Sweet Dee

   If you were David Khan and were offered Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao for Ricky Rubio + spare parts (to make salaries match). Do you accept? Why or why not.

   • Joel Brigham

     Accept, though I’m not David Kahn and I have a strong feeling that he would adamantly deny. Despite that, here’s why I pull the trigger on that: From what I’ve seen of Kyrie, who’s sooooo young, I think he’s got All-Star potential in him. Long-term, he’s probably going to be better than John Wall, which is saying a lot for how talented I’m starting to think this kid is. The overall game is absolutely there, and he feels like the sort of guy who will do well with the ball in his hands at the ends of games. He’s a guy you build a franchise around.

     Rubio, as great as he’s been, isn’t a centerpiece, and he isn’t a superstar. He’s a good point guard with amazing vision and just enough flash to make him wildly popular, but his shot is not great and I see him more as a third-best player on a really good team. He’s always going to play his role, but he’s never going to be that guy. Kyrie, to me, has a better chance at that. Plus, if you’re throwing in Andy for garbage? For sure. I’m all over that.

5. Cain

   Are the Pacers still convinced that keeping Granger is the best idea for the club? With George looking better and as far as I can see an upgrade at PG would be nice.

   • Joel Brigham

     I love Granger personally, but he just doesn’t seem like the best fit with this current group of Pacers, does he? I hate when he gobbles up that basketball and shuts down an offense with so many weapons. It’d be one thing if he was hitting those shots, but his FG% is one of the worst among any “star” in the entire league. He’s just not taking on the leadership role I’d hoped he would this season.

     The problem is returning fair value for him. I don’t know how many teams are dying to give up a franchise point guard in exchange for Granger. PG’s are much harder to come by than swing guys, meaning even if you packaged Collison and Granger together, you’d still struggle to return comparable players, let alone an upgrade at either position.

     My impression is that the Pacers are pretty happy with what they’ve got going on in Indy right now and are probably going to leave things along until something goes horribly wrong and they’re forced into something. The market on Granger is small, so I doubt they sell low. He’s got the potential to really help this team, and I have to think they’ll hold out to see if he can do that.

6. Sweet Dee

   If you were starting a team from scratch, which backcourt do you choose: Marcus Thornton / Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio / OJ Mayo, or John Wall / Nick Young.

   • Joel Brigham

     It’s interesting to me that you’ve got two sets of teammates and then one pair that plays for completely different teams. Odd.

     Anyway, my head tells me Wall/Young is the most talented group of the batch, but I’ve seen the Wizards play a couple times and it was pretty rough. Still, Wall is the single best player of the six you mentioned, and that’s the way I tend to roll with a question like this. Take the guy you think you can build a franchise with, and deal with whatever you’ve got left. In this case, it’s a really talented scorer in Young, who I think is better than Mayo. Since I think Wall is better than anybody else on that list, that trumps your Minny/Memphis pairing. As for the Sacramento boys, they can both score the crap out of the ball, but I’m not building a franchise around either.

     It makes me throw up a little in my mouth to type this, but give me the Wizards.

7. Kevin

   Chad Ford just said it best. “Goes to show you that as much as players talk about winning, there are a lot of other factors that take precedence”. I agree 100%, do u?

   • Joel Brigham

     I’m not sure exactly what you’re referring to here, but the fact that Dwight Howard doesn’t have Chicago on his list of approved teams pretty much corroborates the statement.

8. Cricket

   In your opinion, who has the highest basketball IQ of this group: Shane Battier, Steve Nash or Ricky Rubio

   • Joel Brigham

     Rubio’s too green. Part of IQ is experience and wisdom, and that of course only comes with age. Choosing between Battier and Nash is tough, but I’m going to roll with Nash just because as a point guard he has to see and control a lot more of the game than Battier does. Now, if we’re just talking about regular IQ, I’d probably take Shane. That’s a really, incredibly smart man. One of my favorite interviews in the entire league. Still wish he would’ve ended up in Indiana instead of Miami.

9. Cricket

   I just went to the local sports store to buy a Ricky Rubio jersey, only for the owner to tell me his jersey is not available for sale in Canada (not just his store). Apparently only 10+ players make the cut, meaning I can’t even buy a Kevin Love jersey!!! What’s the deal with that? Canada has 30 million people, is this not a big enough market for the NBA to sell a “rookie of the year” jersey? Your thoughts on this business strategy by the NBA.

   • Joel Brigham

     My goodness, this is like an all-Rubio chat! Unless the question blows me out of the water, this is the last Rubio stuff I’m going to discuss today.

     First of all, I think you can make just as much of an argument for Kyrie Irving as rookie of the year as you can for Rubio. So there’s that.

     Secondly, that’s insane about the jerseys. I’ve never heard anything like that, but then again, I don’t live in Canada. Can’t you just order the jersey online?

10. Mehdi

    Do you think Portland regrets not trading for Devin Harris on draft night? The jazz with Harris at point are doing real well, while Felton has looked very sloppy and inefficient in Portland

    • Joel Brigham

      The thought process in that trade was to take Andre Miller and cash him out for a younger point guard that could stick around the organization for a longer period of time. Looking at their body of work the last two years, Felton had shown quite a bit more promise, so nobody can blame them for going the route they did. Of course it’s easy to see things like this in hindsight, but at the time the choice was going with the kid who almost made the 2011 All-Star Game or the 2009 All-Star who hadn’t played anywhere near that level in two years. It was a no-brainer then, even if the opposite would be true today.

      Portland’s generally playing great ball, by the wall, despite all their bad luck with injuries, and that’s with Felton starting off slowly. With a full offseason to trim some dough and full season to get Portland under his belt, I’d expect 2012-2013 a much more fruitful year for him. Long-term, I’d probably still say Ray is the better option.

11. martay

    Who do lakers have a better shot at getting dwight Howard or deron Williams.

    • Joel Brigham

      From what I’ve been told, Dwight hates the Shaq comparisons and would bump the Lakers down his list if only to avoid even more of them. My best bet is still that both guys end up together in New Jersey. I don’t know that the Lakers have much shot at either guy, honestly.

12. Rudens

    Hearing Ainge might blow up the big three, should our bulls make a play for Ray Allen? I think he’d be perfect, with Rip’s injury issues, it would add depth and Insurance in the playoffs.

    • Joel Brigham

      I would take zero issue with having Ray Allen on this team. None. I wanted Chicago sign him in 2010. I wanted them to trade for him back when Seattle was shopping him. It’s always been a small dream of mine to have the most beautiful jumpshot in the history of basketball happening on my favorite team for 82 games a year. And I’d certainly settle for 40 games this season, though I don’t know what the Bulls would trade Boston to make that happen. I don’t see the magical salary on this team that gets that deal done without giving away more pieces than Ray is worth at this point in his career.

      So yes, I’d love it, but the fit just doesn’t feel right. The Bulls just don’t have the assets they’re willing to part with, and they still think Rip makes a huge difference in the postseason. They’re not going to give away draft picks and talented young players to double up at a position they already believe they’ve improved upon significantly.

13. Alan Siegel

    considering what pau gasol’s trade value is, is there a team in the NBA that has an asset worth about the same so that a trade between los angeles and that team would both benefit? obviously LA needs a PG so its a big for a small but is there an exchange or close that would work if you were a GM?

    • Joel Brigham

      I wonder if there’s anyway Houston would consider Kyle Lowry as part of a deal for Pau? They certainly want Gasol, and have proven that they’ll trade any one (or two) of their guys to get it done. But that was before Lowry got so good all of a sudden. Still, Lowry and Scola for Pau? Not sure how the salary works out, but makes sense to me.

14. Brooks

    At first I didn’t like the Lamar trade at all (I’m a huge LAL fan), but now it seems we did the perfect move. LO is struggling, and we got a valuable trade exception, freed some cap space, and got another first rounder in this year’s super deep draft while the Mavs are struggling. What do you think? Will that draft pick turn into a good player in the draft?

    • Joel Brigham

      It’s a deep draft, but I’d rather have Odom. If Gasol or Bynum goes down, the Lakers are in huge trouble. LO was always insurance for that happening, and it always did seem to happen at some point. I get that Dallas is struggling, but they’re not built for this type of regular season. Come playoff time, they’ll be a dangerous team again. Odom only adds more championship/veteran experience to that fray. I’m not done thinking the Mavs are a legit threat in the West. They’re having a hard time because of the lack of offseason and the crazy regular season. Big picture this year, I think they’ll be okay.

15. keo

    Trade garnett for josh smith and zaza?

    • Joel Brigham

      Why does Atlanta do that? If they think that would give them a shot at a ring this season and this season only, then fine. They probably can’t afford to keep Smith too much longer anyway, and KG would certainly bring some cap relief. But we’ve all watched KG this year and those tires are looking droopy. I don’t trade a top defender for what’s left of Garnett right now. I’ll pass.

16. Alex

    Hi joel, knowing you’re a big chicago fan, where do you see them ending up this year in playoffs? I love what they’ve been able to pull off so far even though I’m a lakers lover.

    • Joel Brigham

      Anything less than a return to the Eastern Conference Finals would be a severe disappointment, at least assuming Derrick Rose is healthy when that time comes. Getting to the Finals is a realistic expectation, and if they get that far by beating the Heat, winning it all isn’t too much loftier a goal. A ring is possible, but ECF is the lowest acceptable goal. Eventually, though, they’re going to need to break through that point. This year seems like as good a year as any to do that.

17. CJ

    Should any Pacer make the All Star team this year?

    • Joel Brigham

      If anybody was going to do it, I’d say Roy Hibbert was probably the closest. Dwight Howard will be the starter, but as far as back-up centers are concerned I don’t really see a whole lot of other options. The next best two, in my opinion, are Hibbert and Greg Monroe, but I think Hibbert is better than Monroe by a small margin. I certainly think Hibbert is more deserving right now than Bogut, Varejao, McGee, or Tyson Chandler. Spencer Hawes has been great, but not as good as Hibbert. There’s a real chance he makes it in this year, actually, and if the Pacers find themselves with one of the top three or four records in the East come All-Star weekend, they’ll probably to deserve to get a guy in anyway.

18. Jazzfan

    Joel thanks for your time Hoopsworld is my fav site for Hoops because of these chats and all the great news and articles you guys do, what’s your opinion of the Jazz’s Kevin O’Connor? seems alot of Jazz fans got mixed opinions on how he runs things they either love or hate him.

    • Joel Brigham

      Love him or hate him, you’ve got to like the way the team he put together is playing so far this year, right? Honestly, I thought he did exceptionally well in the Deron Williams trade, all things considered, and the team left in the wake of that deal is eons further along than D-Will’s Nets. Hopefully Jazz fans are appreciative of that much. If the season ended today, Utah would be the 2nd seed in the West. Hard to be mad at a guy responsible for that, right?

19. alan

    with the expiring contracts chicago has for next year, (watson, brewer, korver, lucas, scalabrine) do you see any way they make a move in free agency

    • Joel Brigham

      That’s not going to free up all that much space, and anyway whatever space they do get from them expiring is going to go bye-bye when Derrick’s max extension kicks in. You’ve got four huge contracts starting next year in Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. The rest is going to have to be cheap veterans and guys on rookie deals. Unless they trade Lu, Jo, or Booze, there’s not going to be much happening via free agency for a few years. Just ain’t gonna happen.

20. michael

    Which team is most likely to break up their core team by the trade deadline?

    • Joel Brigham

      I think Boston is the obvious answer there, but I really don’t know how much they could get out of those old hound dogs at this point. Not a bad idea to just get bad and rebuild a little bit. It’s a good draft coming up, so there could be some opportunities to get a guy there. Orlando is another option I guess since trading their core would be just trading Dwight Howard. I doubt that one, though. Let’s roll with Boston.

      That’s my hour, folks. Thanks for all the great questions, and we’ll do it again next week! Enjoy your weekend, and go Bulls!