NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 2/2/12

1. mojart

   wer do u think chris kaman would land?BOS,GS,SPURS or Rockets or others?

   • Joel Brigham

     Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat! I’m on the heels of a particularly disappointing 2011 tax return, so forgive me if I answer every question with biting sarcasm. Okay, so I don’t have it in my heart to do such a thing, because let’s face it… basketball is supposed to be an escape from that real world stuff like “money” and “interacting with loved ones.” I mean, right?

     So let’s escape for an hour as we delve into a strong handful of questions about the current state of the NBA. Chris Kaman’s a hot topic right now, so what better place to start than with him?

     According to the most recent reports out of New Orleans, the leader for Kaman’s services is not any of those four teams you listed, but the Indiana Pacers. Indy is not only under the cap but also under the minimum amount they have to spend on payroll, so they can essentially absorb the entirety of the big guy’s huge expiring contract without having to really give up too major an asset. My understanding was that the Hornets were interested in bringing back a young talent or some draft picks, and if Indy is making the deal I imagine it would the cap space plus a pick. That said, the pick probably wouldn’t be all that great the way the team’s playing this year.

     It’s also kind of a weird acquisition for a team that already is getting some great basketball out of Roy Hibbert. Take a quick look at Eastern Conference centers and tell me who, after Howard, is the best center in the conference at the moment. If you say anybody but Hibbert, you’re crazy. Greg Monroe has been pretty good, too, but I’m betting Hibbert is an All-Star this year, which makes it odd that Indy would go for another big-minute center like that. I guess you stash him as a backup in case Roy gets hurt, and he fills that payroll they need to fill. There won’t be many more talented guys available for basically free I suppose, right?

2. Jaimeson

   Don’t understand teams concept w/ their 2 for 1 @ end of qtrs. Launchin a quick 3 w/ hopes of gettin ball back w/ 8 secs or so while other team has a full 24 sec offensive possession doesn’t sem like an advantage. What about just runnin your offense & playin good D?

   • Joel Brigham

     Can’t say I disagree, Jaimeson. It seems silly to put yourself in a situation where you’re rushing up a shot twice when you could just get one really good bucket and potentially leave the opponent with the short clock. Good point. If I ever coach an NBA team, I’ll make sure that never happens on my team.

3. zman, India

   LAL – D12 Dwill
   NJN – P Gasol
   ORL – Bynum, D Ebanks + picks & player(lakers use player exception to acquire)
   Jazz – Picks + player(filler)
   dose it make sense???

   • Joel Brigham

     I see no reason that couldn’t just be two separate trades, and Utah wouldn’t really even have to be involved, would they? If New Jersey feels like they’re not going to get Dwight, and they’re going to lose D-Will, they’ll have to trade him. Adding someone like Pau Gasol wouldn’t be the worst they could do by a long shot. Bynum has played himself into real consideration for Orlando, even if Orlando still says they won’t trade Howard right now. Still, eventually, the other conference’s starting All-Star center as one of many pieces coming back for Howard isn’t the worst, either. And my goodness, a team with D-Will, Kobe, and Dwight? I’d stop watching basketball. Or rather, I’d say I’d stop watching basketball, then keep watching basketball just like I did in ’04 when L.A. signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton, then again in ’10 after The Decision. But you know what I mean. I’d be upset.

4. Tj

   Brewer Watson an scals for Stephen Jackson Jax can be our jet off the bench maybe even sub Watson for taj an sign k mart deng wouldn’t have to rush back he they both give us toughness were going too need against Indy an Miami plus bulls are not going too sign taj and asik Jax can take pressure off rose wit ball handling duties

   • Joel Brigham

     I see no reason that Minnesota wouldn’t be interested in shopping S-Jax at this point, and from what I’ve heard they’ve already done some asking around in an effort to find a team willing to pony up for him. So far, no takers for the obvious reasons, but this deal for Chicago seems a little short-handed from Milwaukee’s standpoint, doesn’t it? And anyway, I’d be a bajillion dollars that Chicago would never make that deal. They’ve always over-valued their guys, and Ronnie Brewer is a perfect example of the kind of the person they’re so hesitant to trade for chemistry reasons. I don’t see this one happening, even if both teams could get something they need out of it.

5. JP

   Minnesota Timberwolves:
   Starters:
   PG: Rubio
   SG: Mayo (Trade)
   SF: Williams
   PF: Love
   C: Oden (Trade or FA)

   Sixth Man: Webster (SG-SF)

   Second unit with big minutes :
   PG — SG: Barea
   PF — C: Randolph

   Second unit with normal to few minutes:
   SG–SF: Morrow (Trade)
   PF–C: Tolliver

   Prospects to give some minutes:
   Combo guard: Lee
   Center to start if Oden is injured: …….? (1st round pick – Lottery)
   Thoughts? Which would the most ideal and possible team Minne can have?

   • Joel Brigham

     Rubio and Love is a great start. One of the more fun teams to watch in the entire league right now. I don’t think the idea of hauling in Mayo is all that unreasonable, but I don’t see Oden heading for Minnesota. Portland, Indiana maybe, but not Minnesota.

     Also keep in mind that Minny doesn’t have their 2012 pick. New Orleans got it from L.A. in the Chris Paul trade. So don’t bank on adding talent that route. Just hope and pray that Love/Rubio stay great and healthy. That’ll be enough to compete for a few years at least.

6. Kenny V

   Do you think that OKC needs more offense from their big guys inside the paint? They are very predictable on O and in the playoffs it wont be as much fun for them!

   • Joel Brigham

     Of course they do, but Perkins and Ibaka aren’t scoring big men. They’re defenders by nature (despite what you may have seen on YouTube… poor, poor Perk), and the team knew that when they brought them aboard. You can’t just all of a sudden expect those guys to score, which is unfortunate because they really do need it. The way Byron Mullens is playing this year, it’s looking like maybe they should’ve held onto him for a couple more years, eh? He could’ve helped this team with that versatile offense.

7. Fraser

   Joel, love your chats. With all the Howard talk why not a trade of Howard to the Heat? I checked a trade of Howard and Nelson for Lebron (or Wade), Miller and Anthony and it works. Nelson, Wade (Lebron), Battier, Bosh and Howard is nuts.

   • Joel Brigham

     The HEAT will never trade Wade or LeBron. That’s not happening ever, nor should it. You’ve seen LeBron’s numbers this year, right? And Miami is Wade’s team. After he decided to stick with the HEAT in 2010, he branded himself a Miami HEAT player for life. Neither one is leaving.

     That means you’d have to figure something out built around Chris Bosh, and I very much doubt Orlando would prefer that to a deal involving Andrew Bynum. And honestly, I really would stop watching basketball if LeBron and Howard and Wade all ended up on the same team.

8. Mutang

   Joel, your Raptors writer co-worker says that the Raps are looking for something like a 10mTPE for Calderon, so that they can then turn that into Wilson Chandler. Utah has a 10m TPE I believe, and a starting PG in Devin that really is like a square peg. They could use a traditional PG, so any chance Raps/Utah do business? If not what does Utah do? I think Calderon would make them from tough team, to the one that nobody wants to play.

   • Joel Brigham

     Devin’s had some rough stretches this year, and that inconsistency has marred his career since that one All-Star season he had a few years ago. (2009?). Calderon’s value actually seems quite a bit higher than that, which is why a TPE makes sense. It’s very true that Toronto is into Wilson Chandler, though. They want him really, really badly, so imagine they’ll do whatever it takes to get him. There might be some extenuating circumstances in the way they pursue Wilson anyway (ask Larry Coon about those circumstances). In any event, if a TPE gets them Chandler, I think they’ll take that over Devin Harris any day.

     Also, I still wish Toronto would’ve drafted Kemba Walker. I think he would’ve fit great there. Just saying.

9. Tj

   I heard on around the horn that jr smith is signing wit the bulls an has already found a place in Chicago what u think food or bad for bulls

   • Joel Brigham

     I’ll believe that when i see it. Smith may want to play for the Bulls, but so did Caron Butler. The money was better somewhere else, though, and I imagine that will be the case with J.R. when the time comes. Chicago isn’t going to offer a lot of dinero, so if Smith wants one last payday, he’s going to have to look elsewhere. The Bullies simply don’t have enough to splurge.

     Can you believe that the Bulls had J.R. Smith once upon a time, though he never played a game for them? True story. That was the deal where Chicago shipped out Tyson Chandler and brought back J.R. and P.J. Brown. I miss P.J. Brown. One of my all-time favorite guys.

10. Robert

    Why do some players like Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter lose their skills but players like Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen maintain it?

    • Joel Brigham

      I think it’s two reasons: 1.) Ray and Kobe are in waaaaay better shape. McGrady and Carter aren’t the same as they used to be physically, where Kobe and Allen have done more to keep up the physique. Allen, for example, is more ripped than you’d expect. Dude’s in great shape. And 2.) Kobe and Allen care a lot more about winning. I imagine their offseason training is pretty intense and all-encompassing. The other two guys probably don’t put in quite the same amount of work.

      And that more or less explains it, wouldn’t you say?

11. hans

    is luol deng’s injury same as kobe’s?

    • Joel Brigham

      That’s a good question, and I’m not 100% sure. Both guys have torn ligaments in their wrist, so I don’t imagine it can be all that different. If your follow-up questions is, “Does that mean Kobe is tougher than Luol?” the answer is probably yes, but for more reasons than just the wrist thing. The Bulls can win games without Luol, so they’re not going to rush him back. The Lakers can’t win without Kobe, so they’re sticking him with pain-killer injections before every game while the man suffers his way to 30 points night-in and night-out. If L.A. could afford to sit Kobe, they might try. Kobe, though, has scoring records in his sights, and every missed game is a missed opportunity to move up the ladder. He wants to win, and he wants to be the greatest player ever. Those are things that motivate him to play, even when maybe he shouldn’t. Deng’s not soft (he wanted to play in Miami over the weekend), but the team isn’t taking any chances. It’s just the regular season, and they need him in the postseason.

12. Cain

    Danny Granger has been scoring Over 20ppg last 6-7 games plus 36-7 last night. If he keeps playing this well will he join Hibbert in Orlando for All-Star weekend?

    • Joel Brigham

      I don’t think so. There are a looooot of good Eastern Conference forwards. LeBron and Bosh, for starters, then Bargnani, Carmelo, Paul Pierce, Amar’e, Josh Smith, and even Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng. Can’t count out Iguodala or Garnett, either. Going to be hard to sneak in there if you’re in Granger’s shoes. If I had to guess on four that were definitely getting in right now, I’d say LeBron, Bosh, Carmelo, and Pierce. Deng would’ve deserved it, too, had he not gotten hurt. Just don’t see Granger making it this year.

13. Andy

    How is CP3 not in the MVP discussion? He’s carrying the Clippers and playing out of his mind shooting 52% from the field and 44% from 3.

    • Joel Brigham

      I’ll ask again, for the second time today… have you seen LeBron James’s numbers? And in this kind of season, when everybody else’s stats are taking dips? Plus, there’s Kobe, who’s basically crippled but still dropping huge offensive games on people, and D-Rose and Durant are running the top teams in their conferences. But you’re right that Chris Paul should be in the discussion. Right now, with a gun to my head, I’d say these are my top five, in order right now:

      1. LeBron
      2. Kobe
      3. CP3
      4. Dwight
      5. D-Rose

14. Patrick

    What will it take to get Boozer benched? He plays no D, he no longer plays in the post and his overall offense has been average at best. We can clearly get more from Taj.

    • Joel Brigham

      There were long stretches of that Miami game where Taj was in during crunch time, so I guess what it takes is for there to be a need for defense. So far, most of the Bulls’ wins have come fairly easy, so leaving in Boozer hasn’t been an issue. When things are tight, and the Bulls need a defensive stop, I’ll be you a thousand dollars Taj is the guy in the game. It’ll all depend on situation, and right now the Bulls just haven’t had much need to pull him as of yet. They’re struggling the last week or so, but injuries aren’t helping. Can’t blame all of that on Boozer.

15. Chris G

    Rumor has it the Bulls are looking to add another big, perhaps Joel Pryzbilla. Shouldn’t the priority be another wing given how banged up Deng and Hamilton are?

    • Joel Brigham

      They’ve got two open roster slots. Why not go for both?

16. ryan

    how good of a deal will it take to pry anderson varajao away from the cavs for my celtics?

    • Joel Brigham

      With what trade chips? Believe it or not, the Cleveland Cavaliers think they can make the playoffs THIS YEAR, which is very high on the list of things I never thought I’d see myself type in 2012. But if that’s their stance, keeping Andy isn’t a bad idea. I especially don’t see them shipping him off to Boston for the C’s spare parts, so I’d say unless it’s part of something including Paul Pierce or Ray Allen, it’s probably not happening. Not with Boston, anyway.

17. Renee

    I think one of the reasons Nash won’t leave Phoenix is because their training staff is so good. Do you agree and do you think he’ll make the All Star Game this yr?

    • Joel Brigham

      That’s a fair point. They’ve done such a great job keeping Nash and Grant Hill ageless, that it probably would be hard to play for another team that couldn’t seriously cut into their dwindling shelf life. But staying in the league doesn’t mean much if you can’t compete for a title. I just think Nash is too classy to request a trade but he’s grateful for everything the organization has done for him. Meanwhile, the organization will leave it up to Nash to request a trade; they won’t just ship him off. That feels like a stalemate to me, so if you’re looking for Nash movement, wait until he’s a free agent. By that point, though, who knows what he’ll have left. Could be even less if he leaves that great training staff.

18. glen

    D12 may go to NJ but unless they keep Brooks, BLopez and 2012 pick I dont see the way to create championship team unless he (and Dwill)take a pay cut like LBJ did, right?

    • Joel Brigham

      Those boys aren’t taking pay cuts. I’ll tell you that much. They’ll have to sign-and-trade for Dwight to make it work, and that means shipping off Lopez. If you’ve got Howard, though, that part of things won’t particularly matter.

19. ryan

    how can portland get a real point guard

    • Joel Brigham

      Trade for one, sign one, or draft one. I’m pretty sure those are the only three options.

      In the meantime, they’ve got to hope Ray Felton can find his form. What he really needs is an offseason to get back in shape, because he’s a much better player than he’s shown so far in Rip City.

20. JC

    Are you happy for Bogans? Good fit?

    • Joel Brigham

      I’m happy to see him end up with an NBA team, because despite the crap he took for being the Bulls’ SG last year and scoring so little, he’s still a really good NBA role player. Just because he’s not a starter doesn’t mean he should be sitting around at home as a free agent. He deserved to get signed by somebody, but New Jersey doesn’t seem like the happiest place to be right now. Beggars, I suppose, can not be choosers.

21. zach "the greatest clipper fan ever"

    how far do the clippers go in the playoffs?

    • Joel Brigham

      They’ll win a first-round series, for sure. Everything else sort of depends on seeding. That conference is so wide open that it’s crazy, but I can’t put too much postseason stock in a team coached by Vinny Del Negro. Come playoff time, I just see him getting outcoached at every turn, and that sort of thing matters in the spring. We’ll see, but I’d say getting to the Finals isn’t impossible. WCF seems like a reasonable goal, but even just winning a series would be a huge breath of fresh air for Clippers fans, I would imagine. Gotta start somewhere. Then, after you’ve started, you’ve gotta find someone who can actually coach.

22. Alex

    Hi joel, what do you make of dwight howard wanting to come to chicago? I recognize that d 12 is without a doubt the best big man but I think he might ruin the team chemistry that chicago has right now. I’m starting to doubt if d12 going to chicago is really a good move. Ur thoughts?

    • Joel Brigham

      It’s possible, but whatever Chicago has to give up to pair Rose and Howard, I’m in favor of. The reality is that this team as currently constructed can’t beat Miami in a seven game series. They can’t. I know it’s a likeable team with likeable guys who play hard and care about the game, but they just aren’t good enough. Maybe Getting Dwight at midseason means they don’t have enough time to get it all together for the 2012 playoff run, but let’s face it… It’s going to be Chicago and Miami fighting in the Eastern Conference Finals for the next five years. Adding Dwight means, long-term, you’ve got a chance. The short-term looks pretty good, too. I’m all for the Bulls getting Dwight, and I say that despite a well-documented man-crush on Luol Deng. Lu, Taj, and Joakim for Dwight and Hedo. Not sure how salaries work there, but that’s the jist of the deal I’d like to see. We’ll just have to wait for Orlando to decide it’s time to trade him to see if the Bulls will get gutsy enough to make that happen. History tells me they won’t, but you never know. One must never stop hoping.

23. Charlie

    Mr. Brigham, in your fearless predictions preseason, you stated the Cleveland Cavaliers would have the worst record in the NBA by season’s end. This was surprising, as they start a number of veterans: Jamison, Varejao, Parker + have two top 4 picks. What were the reasons that led you to believe they would be so bad? Did you assume there would be a firesale midseason? Please justify the prediction.

    • Joel Brigham

      The were the worst team in the league last year and were adding two rookies, neither of whom I was sure about at the time. I’m still not sold on Tristan Thompson as a star, but my goodness was I ever wrong about Kyrie Irving. A point guard that good can change the whole tone of a locker room, and I think that’s what has happened there. There’s legit hope in Cleveland right now, and I definitely feel like an idiot for making that particular prediction. I remember debating about Charlotte, and I never should’ve strayed from guaranteed mediocrity instead of possible mediocrity. You’re right though, I was wrong. It happens, and when you put your opinions in a public, permanent place for all to see and break down, those opinions can come back to bite you. But I made them for fun, and that’s what they are. At least I hold myself accountable for them, right?

24. Lucas

    This off season, what types of players will the bulls go after and will they add scoring this year?

    • Joel Brigham

      This sounds like about 40% of the questions I received in the 2010-2011 season. Are we really asking it again so soon?

25. Genghis

    Who are the next breakout stars who are not now household names?

    • Joel Brigham

      That’s really hard to say because a lot of the guys I like are guys people already know. But I suppose three years ago Derrick Rose wasn’t a household name. But now he is. In that light–as in, the light of first overall pick PG’s–Kyrie Irving and John Wall are high on my list. There are a lot of guys close to becoming All-Stars (Paul George, Greg Monroe are two examples), but I don’t see them getting so huge that they end up big-time stars. You know who I could see blowing up eventually? Eric Gordon. In about three or four years, he could very well be the best shooting guard in the league. Scorers are popular, so there’s a guess.

      Jimmer’s a household name, but not a breakout star. Does that count?

      Alright folks, that’s my hour. Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll catch you all back here next week for more of the same! Go Bulls!