NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 12/8/2011

1. Rocko

   Word is the draft age will stay the same. Why? The current players should be in favor of an increase and a more mature draft prospect would help the small market teams (read teams usually in the lotto) which in turn would create a more competitive league. Of course the big winner in this would be the fans….so what gives?

   • Joel Brigham

     Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat! It’s so very, very nice to have real basketball stuff to chat about again, so let’s dig into the questions. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of Dwight and CP3 stuff to chat up later, but let’s start with a draft related question. Here we go:

     It’s going to stay the same because the two sides didn’t really have enough time to figure out if a change is the best thing. When you think back to the first time the age was changed, it was because there was a clear reason for it; high-school skippers, while some excelled, others were seriously failing, and without even a sniff of college weren’t giving themselves many other opportunities in life. One-and-done has by no means been a failure, and actually a lot of the league’s best young players the last several seasons have been those one-and-doners.

     I get the idea behind moving it back, but it’s a hard pill to swallow for too many people. Six years down the road, when one side or the other opts out of this current deal, we’ll see if a change comes into place then. I’m just happy this epic 2012 draft class will still in tact. Anthony Davis is a game-changer for some lucky team.

2. B-Man

   is it realistic that for the warriors to land chris paul by giving up 3 good contracts and an expiring when one of those 3 is steph curry?

   • Joel Brigham

     From what I’ve been made to understand is that New Orleans wants Curry, Klay Thompson, and Ekpe Udoh, which actually is a reasonable haul for the Hornets. Curry could be an All-Star someday, and the other two guys are essentially unproven as pros, so the sky’s still the limit there. Both are lottery picks, anyway, so there’s that.

     Unfortunately, it’s starting to sound like the Warriors are pretty reticent to make that deal unless they got the impression that Paul would sign an extension. That’s why talks have slowed, but if this 4-year, $60+ million offer to Tyson Chandler is legit, and Chandler signs in, I think you see Paul leaning towards extending there. That leaves a pretty sick group with Paul, Chandler, Monta Ellis, and David Lee. That’s a big deal, especially in the Western Conference.

     To me, Golden State is still the most realistic landing place for Chris Paul. It just all lands on whether or not he can get on board with the Bay Area. The Bay Area is beautiful, by the way, and the fans are great. He could certainly do a lot worse for himself.

3. Anthony

   So with the reports of the Lakers trying to get Paul AND Howard, what was the point of the lockout. I thought owners were trying to stop players from building super teams in super markets and now a week later its happening again. The NBA is on path to be like WWE with 3 or 4 “gangs” of players battling and every other team is just filler.

   Will yet another superteam stop a lot of fans from watching the NBA where there are better team oriented sports like NHL and NFL to watch right now? To me, the NBA will be a complete joke if the Lakers get another superstar after the lockout was supposed to prevent that from happening again.

   • Joel Brigham

     The lockout was more about the owners losing money than competitive balance. You can see that the owners agreed to make concessions all the stuff that directly affects roster decisions as long as they were able to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in BRI. They wanted that money back, and they got it. As long as they aren’t losing cash hand over fist, a lot of owners can stomach losing well enough. Sad. True.

     Also, let’s be clear right now that the Lakers shan’t be getting Chris Paul AND Dwight Howard. It’s not going to happen. LA simply doesn’t have enough trade pieces. I keep hearing that they’re dangling Pau Gasol for Chris Paul, but New Orleans doesn’t want Pau Gasol. They want to rebuild along the OKC/Memphis lines, with youth and draft picks and cap space. Gasol isn’t maximizing the return on that, which is why they’d rather have Drew Bynum in any trade. But if they trade Bynum to New Orleans, they can’t use him in the Dwight trade. Orlando would want Bynum, too, so you see the problem.

     And anyway, I think that by the time Orlando comes around to trading Howard, they’ll have some really, really good offers on the table for them, certainly a lot of offers better than what LA can throw out there. The Lakers best bet, honestly, is to do whatever it takes to get Chris Paul, and forget about Dwight. Better to get one than none, and they might have the pieces to get something done with the Hornets.

4. Joe

   Wouldn’t it make more sense to cancel the All Star break and extend the regular season one more week? This would allow for a more reasonable schedule to allow for sufficient recouperation between games and hopefully less injuries and sub standard play.

   • Joel Brigham

     All-Star weekend is a huge money-maker, and for most of the league’s players, that’s going to represent a nice break to rest up. With the breakneck pace of this season, I think that’ll be a good thing. Honestly, who wants to see All-Star weekend go away, anyhow? One of my favorite weeks of the season.

5. jayjay

   Cavs trade Baron davis and Gibson to Orlando for Arenas and 1st round pick. Moves lets Orlando work a trade with Jameer. Who says no

   • Joel Brigham

     Cavs. I’m pretty sure you can’t amnesty a player you’ve traded for (though I’m not 100% sure about that), which means they’d be sticking themselves with Arenas’s contract. With Baron, they can cut him loose with zero cap penalties whenever they want. For Cleveland’s sake, I’m still kind of hoping they do that before this season. Baron deserves a chance to play with a more competitive team, anyway.

6. tj

   if your going to s&t brewer and asik go get mayo maybe we get crawford an j rich jamal off the bench would be great last year as soon as brewer got in game the game always changed for better he should start jc off the bench

   • Joel Brigham

     I get what you’re saying, and honestly if I was given the choice between Mayo and Crawford, I’d probably take Mayo for two reasons: 1) he’s a better all-around player, even though Crawford’s a better scorer, and 2) OJ’s got more good years left ahead of him.

     The problem is that I’m not sure how Memphis is going to tackle the offseason. I get the impression they really want to keep their team together after their success in the postseason so that they can see what they’re capable of with Rudy Gay healthy. Can’t say I blame them, but that means Mayo might stay put. If I’m Memphis, I don’t trade him. But saner GMs have done crazier things, so we’ll have to see about that.

     As for Crawford, a good buddy and I had a huge debate about this the other night. Like, a good hour of texting back and forth about whether he’d be a good thing for the Bulls. I’m very, very much in favor it, even if it means trading Ronnie Brewer to get him. Chicago needs a starting two-guard that can take some of the scoring burden off of D-Rose, and they need that more than Brewer’s defense off the bench. To me, Crawford’s the answer along those lines.

     My buddy, though, has bad memories of Crawford the ball hog back in one of the most frustrating eras ever of Bulls basketball. We had to believe those Crawford-Curry-Chandler (all free agents right now, oddly enough) had a championship future somewhere down the road. When they failed us, a lot of us wrote Crawford off. But you’ve got to believe me that Crawford is one of the cooler, nicer dudes in the entire league, and he’s still very, very much loved by people in this organization. Media, too. He’d be a great fit for the organization and with this particular team. Thibs will make sure defense happens. Scoring, however, he can’t control. You need talent for that, and that’s why I’m all in on J-Crossover.

7. Mojo

   Who says no

   Rockets get:Pau Gasol

   Hornets get:Andrew Bynum Kevin Martin Johnny Flynn

   Lakers get: Chris Paul Emeka Okafor

   • Joel Brigham

     Interesting idea. Probably Houston. They like Kevin Martin more than most people realize, and while they want someone that can play center, I don’t know that Gasol is the long-term answer they’d be looking for, especially having to surrender Martin to get him.

8. KNICKS FAN

   the knicks should sign tayshaun prince he can play both wing positions and can dfend most 4′s they should also sign earl barron hes cheap and he could start he playes good in d’antoni’s system what you think?

   • Joel Brigham

     I’ve been hearing all day that Grant Hill is pretty close to taking the MLE from New York, which would pretty much kaput the idea of Prince playing in the Garden for home games next season. Hill makes more sense because Prince, a small forward, would be playing behind Melo while Hill would almost certainly start. Landry Fields off the bench is a nice weapon, too. And for the record, I think a couple years of Grant Hill is the right way to go. He’d be an excellent influence on that locker room, and obviously he and Amar’e are familiar with each other from their time together in Phoenix.

     And I like Earl Barron. Would be a great backup five in that system, for sure.

9. Jay

   If the rockets end up being a lottery team this season do you think they could find the star player they are looking for in the 2012 draft

   • Joel Brigham

     100% yes. I’ve said this before, like a thousand times, but there 7-10 guys in this draft that have All-Star written all over them. Anthony Davis is a sure thing. Jared Sullinger and Harrison Barnes are going to be studs. Mike Gilchrist, Austin Rivers, Terrance Jones are all legit. You’ve got John Henson, those two cats from Baylor, Brad Beal, Tyler Zeller, Andre Drummond, Thomas Robinson… it’s a hell of a class. As long as they take a guy at a position they actually need, they’ll come away with a serious winner. Will hard to strike out in the 2012 lottery, truthfully.

10. douglas bove

    I’m trying to decide who to keep in my fantasy league this year. I know I’m keeping Durant but I’m wondering who you would keep as the other keep out of the following: Monta Ellis, Josh Smith, Eric Gordon, Mark Gasol, or Russell Westbrook? 12 team league.

    • Joel Brigham

      That’s a hell of a team you put together last year. I see Eric Gordon has a huge breakout this year, but for fantasy purposes you’ve got to decide between Josh Smith’s all-around numbers and Westbrook’s overall dominance. Gasol’s a hard keeper not knowing where he’ll end up, because I suppose it depends. If it’s me, I’m probably holding onto Westbrook. With him and Durant you’d be off to a very, very good start.

11. Andrew

    Does free agency start at midnight eastern time or is it into the day tomorrow?

    • Joel Brigham

      I think 2:00pm ET on Friday. I think.

12. Andrew

    Wouldn’t a Chris Paul to LA or Boston trade make Adam Silver’s claims of wanting a competitive league look like bunk, since the NBA owns the Hornets?

    • Joel Brigham

      LA maybe, but not to Boston, no. They’d have a strong year together, a stacked last hoorah with the ol’ Big Three. But next season, when it’s just Pierce and Paul and God only knows who else? That’s not anywhere near as dominant. Long-term, that’s not a powerhouse. Paul and Pau and Kobe, however, would own the West for three or so more seasons. Yes, even with OKC coming into their own.

13. Chris

    Hi Joel. A little off topic, but how awful/dumb is Albert Pujol’s contract with the Angels? $25 mil a year for 10 yrs for a 32 yr old exiting the prime of his career. Kenny Williams and Theo Epstein have to be laughing their asses off.

    • Joel Brigham

      Brutal contract. And St. Louis are the ones laughing, because they aren’t the ones stuck paying that tab. What an awful deal for them. He’ll make $25 million for three seasons when he’s in his 40s. Awful. Wrong in so many ways. But you’ve got the best player in baseball now, so there’s that. At least they’ve got 6-7 years of that.

      The Marlins, equally hungry to spend, have done so a little smarter. With Ozzie and Buehrle, they’re my new favorite National League team. Go White Sox East!

14. Duane

    Whatcha hearing? Would JRich consider MLE? Can Caron Butler be full time 2G? if all else fails what does Brewer for JJRidick trade get us? Beat Miami? Thanks

    • Joel Brigham

      Richardson might. He sort of has to be considered the best free agent shooting guard on the market, right? He’s made plenty of money over the course of his career, so taking $5 million a season in the waning days of his playing years to compete seriously for a championship might be something he considers. I’ve been told Thibodeau has really impressed free agents with the things he’s said about his plan for the future of the team, and there’s literally nothing not to love about D-Rose. So if they can sell him, I see that working out quite nicely for them.

      I’ve been told that Chicago is letting everything kind of come to them. They feel pretty confident that they’ve got a great situation for a two-guard to come into. They’re a winner, they have loads of playing time available, and they’ve got the MVP and Coach of the Year waiting for them when they get here. They’ve made their calls (Richardson, Crawford, and Caron Butler all have been contacted), and are just sort of waiting to see how some other things fall into place. I’d be shocked if one of those three guys didn’t end up with the Bulls, somehow, some way.

15. Chris G

    If the Bulls sign and trade for Crawford, any chance they expand the deal to get Hinrich back, too?

16. GarPax

    Know you are HUGE JCrawford fan, List your preference: JRich/MLE, JCrawford/Trade:Brewer + one (who is one? not ASIK), Caron Butler/MLE. Could Bulls get JCrawford for MLE?

17. Greg

    I believe that the best way to get to the finals for the HEAT is if they trade Bosh and Miller for other Pieces like Nash,Rlopez filler of JJack Okafor or something along those lines?

18. Charlie

    Am I the only one who doesn’t understand the line of thinking of the Miami HEAT’s front office? After landing Lebron and Bosh, they have spent their last two exceptions on Mike Miller (a back-up for Wade) and Shane Battier (a back-up for Lebron) instead of addressing their glaring weaknesses at the 1 and 5 positions. I felt the Mike Miller signing cost them the championship last season. Doesn’t seem like they learned from their mistake. Justify the thinking of the HEAT GM acquiring a back-up instead of a big with their only free agent money this offseason?

19. B-Man

    if the warriors arent able to land paul, will they still agresively push for tyson chandler or will they try to get a younger big who can grow with their young guys?

20. Dan

    The Bulls have a great frontcourt with Boozer, Gibson, Noah, Asik (and Kurt Thomas, I hope). If they do pursue a trade for Howard, is there any way they would only have to part with just two of those guys and Deng with some picks?

21. B-Man

    who do you think will land richard jefferson in the amnesty waiver wire? will chicago see him as someone who can play shooting guard? will the clippers feel that he’s the kind of vet they want at three while aminu develops? or his original team of the nets, thinking he would be very comfortable being the third option guy like before to kidd and martin, now with willams and lopez?

22. Andrew

    Looks like Knicks have offered Chandler a more lucrative contract offer of $14 mil, annually, as opposed to GSW’s $60 mil over 4 years? What do you think would ultimately happen?

23. Igor maric

    Anything out there on the Pistons making trades or even signing anyone???

24. Derek C

    So no one finds J.R. Smith to Chicago for the MLE appealing. Keep ronnie brewer

25. B-Man

    if new york amnesties billups to sign tyson chandler, is it realistic to think that mike bibby would sign their one a year deal or will he more likely resign with the heat? if so, who is a good trade candidate for turriaf that would land them a decent starter that fits d’antoni’s system?