NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 2/7/13

Join Joel Brigham this Thursday afternoon at 4:30pm ET to chat about all things NBA from the impending trade deadline to All-Star weekend and everything in between.  Get your questions in early and be back here Thursday afternoon to take part in all the fun!

  1. Clayton in Portland

    J.J. Hickson was recently included in an article recently for “most overrated rebounders.” At first, I wanted to dismiss it, as I am an unrelenting Homer. But two nights ago, I saw him fly in from off screen to try and get a rebound…that was already in teammate Luke Babbit’s hands, knocking the ball out of bounds for a turnover. Both players were seen jawing at each other during the ensuing time out. Is JJ worth the price tag he is going to command this summer? The blazers need a starting center and a sixth man. Is he the long term solution for either need? Would you want him on your team?

    • Joel Brigham

      Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat! Sorry for the later time this week, but I had an obligation that made my usual 1:00 ET start impossible. We’ll be back to that time next week.

      We’re creeping up on Valentine’s Day (just a week away already), so all you fellers out there that have yet to order your wife/girlfriend some flowers or jewelry, now’s the time to get that done. Consider yourselves all officially reminded. That said, All-Star weekend and the trade deadline are just around the corner, so we’ve got plenty to talk about today. Let’s go on right ahead and talk about it, shall we?

      Regarding Hickson: He’s in the top ten in the league for both offensive rebounding percentage and defensive percentage, and he’s averaging 10.7 boards a game, the eighth-best in the league. That’s easily a career-high for him (2 full boards a game higher than his previous season best), and he’s still only 24 years old. He’s getting better offensively, too, so I’d say it’s fair to say I believe in him as a pro, particularly since he’s gotten his shot in Portland.

      All that said, he’s going to command a good hunk of change, and he’s obviously a little undersized at the five, so I could just as easily see the team letting him walk away this summer. Taj Gibson got around $9.5 million a season over four years, and while Hickson is a different kind of personality, his actual production has been better than Taj’s, so I definitely see him in the eight-figure salary range. They’ll have plenty of room to work with this summer as far as payroll is concerned, but is he a guy you want to spend that much money on? Depends who else is out there, and what the final price is. Bottom line, I keep him if I can keep the money down to $7-8 million a season. He seems like he’s worth around that much.

  2. LA in LA

    Hey, I think a Gortat (and one of their SFs I guess) for Jsmoove trade makes sense. The Suns get a player (I hear) they believe is a superstar, and the Hawks can move Horford to PF like he’s always wanted and get a quality big on a nice contract that would only add $6 million.
    That gives them enough to sign whoever they want (like an Iggy) this summer and imo doesn’t hurt them much, if at all, and don’t have them hamstrung to an albatross contract for a player who really isn’t worth it.
    Thoughts?

    • Joel Brigham

      It’s not an awful idea. Adding Gortat still keeps the Atlanta payroll at only something like $25 million, so they’ve still got more than enough wiggle room to make a run at someone major. The only problem is that their major free agent target this summer is Dwight Howard, and how interested is he going to be coming to a team that already rosters two guys (Horford and Gortat) that play his position? Might be a bit of a road block there.

      But let’s say there’s no chance to get Dwight to come back home to Georgia; you’ve got a more traditional five (and a darn good one, at that) and plenty of money to get yourself some more talented swingman. Risky, but interesting.

  3. Prismelk

    Please name all the NBA superstars of today. Thanks!

    • Joel Brigham

      What is this, a quiz? What a crazy question, but I kinda love it, though. I’m just going to limit this to SUPERstars… guys that are on a whole other plain in terms of talent, are capable of carrying mediocre teams on their own, have amazing individual stats, and a global appeal in terms of marketability. That said, here they are:

      1. LeBron James
      2. Kevin Durant
      3. Kobe Bryant
      4. Derrick Rose
      5. Dwyane Wade
      6. Chris Paul

      Guys who used to be, but are on the way down: Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, and on some level, Dwight Howard.

      Guys who are RIGHT there: Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams

      And there are plenty of other really good players, but these are the guys who carry that superstar tag, or at least used to, or at least come close to it.

  4. LayHee

    On three separate occasions, the league has apologized to Toronto for missed calls at the end of games (two 1-point games, one 2-point game). If this were to Boston, New York or Los Angeles there would be public outcry and MUCH more public awareness of these events. I guess we are supposed to be the passive Canadians – but this is pure BS. Do you know how much 3 games can make in our race for 8th? Could be the difference between making the playoffs and the lottery. Questions: Do you think there would be greater public outcry if these mistakes were admitted to a big market team.

    • Joel Brigham

      Maybe, but even if there was a public outcry for the Lakers or Bulls or Celtics, it wouldn’t change the result. The league wouldn’t let them go back and fix it or anything. Just because non-Canadian fans aren’t made enough about those three bits of bad fortune (which, you’re right, sucks) doesn’t mean the league would do anything differently for a team. All we’d get is more time devoted to it on PTI. Not sure that makes much of a difference.

  5. Bubbles

    I find LA Laker “fans” very interesting. After how many winning seasons in a row and 5 championships since 2000. One poor season and we hear every fan cry foul on the highest mountain. As a Raptor fan who watches all year in the hopes of an 8th seed finds this simply angering. Do Laker fans truly not understand how lucky they are to have a team who continually wins (and a management team who spends the $$$ to do so)? Stop crying. Stop complaining. Stop sounding like a spoiled little girl in elementary school. The “fans” who are calling for the heads of D’Antoni, Dwight, and Gasol only 1/2 through the season are bandwagon jumpers NOT true fans who stick by their team through thick and thin. Agree or Disagree of my assessment of many Laker supporters.

    • Joel Brigham

      Disagree. Lakers fans are voracious. There’s a ton of them, and they really, really care about their team. It’s just that they’ve been trained to have very expectations, and now that things are going poorly with one of the best-looking on-paper teams in the history of the game, they’re understandably peeved. Imagine if the Raptors put together a lineup like that and then blew it. The whole country would be irate, and Lakers fans would be telling you guys to get over it. It’s all relative, I suppose, but my experience is that Lakers fans are insane in the best way possible. But then again, so are Raptors fans. Not sure either of those groups have much on Blazers fans, though. Those folks are a whole other level of awesome…

  6. Julian

    If you were Danny Ferry and were offered Marcin Gortat, Jarred Dudley, and a first round pick for Josh Smith. Do you accept? Or would you rather sign Josh Smith to the max contract this offseason and build around him and Horford. Justify your decision.

    • Joel Brigham

      In a heartbeat. Dudley is SO overrated, and a first-rounder from Phoenix is probably going to be a pretty good one. I’ve already explained today why I like Gortat, and in fact, in that early question I was okay with doing Gortat for Smith straight up (even though the money doesn’t work out, and I know that). So adding a couple of extra pieces is just dropping some M&Ms and maraschino cherries onto the sundae. Atlanta might lose Smith anyway this summer. If that’s the package offered, you’re getting three pretty solid assets for sure in exchange for one huge uncertainty. Done deal for me, as I said, in a heartbeat.

  7. Randy

    The Portland Trail Blazers signed Roy Hibbert to a max offer sheet this past summer, only to have Indiana match. With Hibbert’s mediocre/poor play this year, if you were the Indiana Pacers GM (and could play do-over). Do you still match? Why or why not.

    • Joel Brigham

      I’ve got Hibbert on my fantasy team (traded Andre Drummond for him about a month ago, straight up), and he’s been nothing short of completely and utterly frustrating. I’ve talked to Roy a few times this year about his issues, and all I can say is that he just doesn’t seem like himself. Last season he was really upbeat and goofy all the time, and something about this season, he just looks a little rundown. Not sure if the pressure of the money and the expectations and the team’s postseason momentum have made him feel like he has to do too much. He’s been great defensively, but his rebounds have been brutal and he’s got to be one of the least efficient scoring centers in the league.

      All that said, I do think Indiana matches. If you want a player as big and skilled as Hibbert (even though he’s in a huge funk this season), you’re going to have to pay for him, and you can’t let an asset like that just walk away for nothing. Remember, he was coming off a career year, was named an All-Star, and was only 25 years old at the time. Hindsight, as they say in “Dumb and Dumber,” is 50/50. At the time, though, the match made sense.

  8. Kyle

    Hey Joel, always look forward to your chats. I have another trade proposal for you i found on bleacher report and want your input…Bulls trade Teague, Hamilton, 2013 first rounder and the charlotte pick for Kanter, Tinsley, and 2013 second round pick. What do you think? I actually like this trade for the Bulls

    • Joel Brigham

      You’re essentially giving up a Charlotte first-rounder for Enes Kanter, so I don’t like it. Noah’s the center moving forward, and keeping that pick is either going to result in a lotto pick worth using or it will be traded as part of a much more significant deal. They REALLY value that pick and the draft rights to Nikola Mirotic. To trade either would require an earth-shattering offer. Kanter and Tinsley ain’t that.

  9. tramaze

    tough road schedule ahead for the gsw.. after the houston loss they slipped to #6…. what seed do you think the dubs will take going into the playoffs???

    also…. how realistic is it looking that curry will be able to replace either howard, cp3 or duncan for the all star game???

    • Joel Brigham

      Well, he’s got a 1-in-3 chance right now, doesn’t he? Chris Paul is supposed to be back on Friday, and Howard sort of sounds like he’s coming around, too. I’d say the best hope for Warriors fans is Duncan, who has been banged up in a few different joint this seasons and seems most likely to require a little bit of extra time off to heal. He’s not very fun at All-Star weekend, anyway. I’m sure it’s an honor to him and everything, but he’s never really seemed all that happy to be there, but that just might be him being cantakerous during media sessions. In any event, if Curry gets in, my bet is it’s because of Duncan.

      As for the Warriors themselves, I don’t have a crystal ball on this, so I can’t say. They’ll be in the playoffs, and as they’ve proven before, even being an eight-seed doesn’t bother them.

  10. Luke

    So do you think jimmy butler could develope into the bulls starting 2 gaurd next yr he has looked good as of late when starting jumper needs more consistacy

    • Joel Brigham

      What about Jimmy as long-term 3, perhaps as a cheaper replacement for Luol Deng after next season? I don’t know that he fits what you’d want out of a starting shooting guard, but he could pull it off in stretches. He’s been awesome this year, and he’s a great kid, so it’s been fun to watch. Still, him as the long-term solution at the two doesn’t seem all that realistic to me. Not yet, anyway.

  11. Chris

    Hi Joel. Here’s a softball for you. True or false, Tom Thibodeau and Joakim Noah are the front runners for Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year?

    • Joel Brigham

      Well, if I answer “true” to this, everyone’s going to call me a homer. But everybody already calls me a homer, so I’ll say “true” anyway. Thibs has a better shot right now, though, simply because of what he’s managed to do without Rose all year. And, assuming Rose comes back and makes a positive impact, the Bulls have a chance to be even better. He seems like the favorite there, but I’m obviously pulling for Jo as DPOY, too. He’s got to stay healthy for that to happen, though.

  12. Chris G

    I think Ben Gordon has an expiring contract. If he’s not traded before the deadline, do you think the Bobcats might release him? He’d sure look good in a Bulls uniform for the stretch run.

    • Joel Brigham

      Don’t tease me. BG is one of my all-time favorite Bulls, and there are times when I think to myself, “Ben could come in right now and start raining down threes.” But then I remember how awful he is when he’s stopping the ball offensively, and can you imagine him and Nate Robinson on the floor at the same time? I doubt they’d be interested in BG for that very reason; Nate is already kind of him, but Nate is plugged into the system already.

      And anyway, Ben isn’t an expiring deal. He’s got a $13.2 million player option next season, and there’s no way he’s declining that. Would you?

  13. like a bull

    We need to make a move.
    Who says no?
    Rip/deng/bobcats pick for chandlers/gallo/nd there 1st

    • Joel Brigham

      Bulls say no quick as a cricket. As I’ve said, they value that pick, and they REALLY value Luol. Not a prayer here.

  14. john

    Hi Joel, greetings from Berlin, Germany!
    I have here a 3 Team trade

    Jazz get: Dalembert, Dunleavy, Bobcats Pick
    Bulls get: Al Jefferson
    Bucks get: Boozer
    I know that Boozers contract is huge BUT he could fit very well in Milwaukee and there will have problems to aquire stars via free agency. and with jennings,ilyasova and sanders they could use a vet like Boozer. Jazz get some talent and a great pick. Maybe we need some filler in this trade but how do you like it in general?

    • Joel Brigham

      Milwaukee isn’t doing that. Obviously Boozer is a huge talent upgrade over the ougoing guys, but they’re not taking on his contract. Boozer, even playing as well as he has this season, is still pretty unmovable. Wouldn’t mind having Al Jefferson around, but Boozer’s more of a locker room leader and chemistry guy than most fans realize. Bulls are good as they are, and front office has already pretty much said that they’re standing pat. Their deadline deal will be getting Derrick back.

  15. Alex in Burbank

    Derrick Rose is one of my favorite NON-Laker players. Will he be the same when he comes back? I really hope this is not Anfernee Hardaway all over again. That would just suck for Rose, because he’s so young.

    • Joel Brigham

      You know, the way doctors handle torn ligaments in the knee is a lot different from when Penny went through his nightmare. By the way, Penny was my favorite player this side of Jordan back in the mid-to-late ’90s. I traded a whole bunch of Hakeem and Pippen cards for Penny cards, which didn’t turn out too well for me.

      But I’m digressing. From what I hear, Rose is stronger than ever. He did upper-body lifting for the first time in his life during this rehabilitation, so he’s got muscles in places he ain’t never had muscles before, and he’s had a long time to heal the 17,000 other minor ailments he suffered through last season. I also imagine him ruminating on his style of play, so I’ll be curious to see if he still attacks like the same old Pooh, or if he’ll starting participating in the Dwyane Wade style of aging athletic guards. I’m optimistic, mostly because he is so young and because medicine has come so far (see: Adrian Peterson), but it’s a cautious optimism. I don’t think there are any fans who look at Rose and think, “Man, I hate that guy.” We’re all rooting for him, and the wait is almost over. Can’t wait to get him back out on the floor!

  16. robb

    Any Pacer rumors? How can they possibly move George back to the 2, to let Granger play the 3. I feel we need Granger but it will be a touchy situation.

    • Joel Brigham

      You’re absolutely right. Hard to justify, and obviously I think we’d all rather see a Granger trade at this point. See if you can’t swap him out for a more proven two guard or a little more depth in the frontcourt. PG is the face of the franchise now. I think his breakout season needs to take precedence over whatever Granger has done for the Pacers in the past. Danny’s a great guy, but it’s time to move on. That said, there’s nothing big brewing right now. Teams are going to want to see him play before they offer anything of value for him. Timing might not work out for that to happen before the trade deadline. Might be more realistic to expect major moves to happen closer to the draft.

  17. Steve

    Hi Joel,
    I can’t see any reason for Celtics to KEEP Pierce and Garnett despite what Coach Rivers has said. It is clearly now over for this group, the Celts need younger assets, and the guys deserve a chance to go play another year on a contender.

    Which contender or bubble team could really use a SF like Pierce for 20-30 minutes a game down the stretch?

    Which LA team has anything to offer for Garnett? Clips, right?

    • Joel Brigham

      Boston wants Eric Bledsoe, which L.A. isn’t trading because they’ll need a point guard if they lose Chris Paul this offseason. So Garnett probably isn’t going to be traded. Pierce makes more sense, but without taking the time to play with the trade machine, I can’t think of any teams off the top of my head that might go after him. Right now, though, the C’s look cooked, and if I was Ainge I’d be doing everything I could to cash out the oldsters for assets, whatever I can get to start the rebuilding process. I think it’s time, unfortunately. The Rondo injury sort of killed it.

  18. Cain

    I am still waiting for Derrick Favors to burst onto the scene. When will Utah give him a shot and how productive do you think he will be?

    • Joel Brigham

      Got him on my fantasy team, too, so I know all about the waiting. He’s had some really big games in limited minutes, but with Millsap and Al Jefferson ahead of him in the depth chart, he just hasn’t seen enough floor time to excel consistently. When I watch him, I think to myself how well he’d do with 30 minutes a game. But he’s not getting that shot, and he won’t until the Jazz trades one of those guys or passes on re-signing on (or both) this summer. He looks good, Cain, but he won’t get a shot until that frontcourt is cleared out a bit.

  19. Luigi

    Joel~
    Love the chats.
    I feel a bunch of trades coming for several reasons: CBA and taxes coming, many unbalanced rosters, and typical repositioning as dreams fade like Celtics or teams realize they are close like Clips.
    What do you think?

    • Joel Brigham

      I hope so! Some GMs felt like the Gay trade was the first domino to fall, that teams were waiting to see how that played out before doing anything. Like all of you, I love a saucy trade deadline, and there’s enough subplots happening right now for me to believe that’s possible for 2013.

  20. Mr. Ballistik

    Who should the Pistons be targeting in the off-season? Redick? Mayo? Iggy?

    • Joel Brigham

      Because all of those players make them better? Redick stinks of contract-year explosion more than real steps forward, so I’ll pass on that. I could see Mayo running alongside Brandon Knight just fine, and Iguodala would certainly help the team out defensively but is probably going to cost more than he’s worth. There are some good shooting guards available in the draft this year, the lottery especially, so maybe start there, see what you can get, and then look at what sorts of free agents become available. I would think all three of those guys would rather win than play for the Pistons, but money talks. Ugh, I can already see Redick in that jersey. Let’s just hope my little premonition here is wrong…

  21. Roon

    Charlotte will have the cap room and should throw big money towards Nikola Pekovic. My question is this: is Charlotte an attractive location for free agents? I know we are in the midst of two horrible years, but besides that, is MJ a good attraction for free agents? Or should the Bobcats continue to focus on the draft and trades?

    Any way at all we could pry Pek from the Wolves via trade? I’d gladly give up Henderson, Sessions, Biyombo, and Portland’s 1st rounder for him.

    • Joel Brigham

      No, Charlotte is not a desirable location. They are bad, and the needle isn’t necessarily pointed upwards. Maybe if they do the Hornets thing they’ll draw some more interest. Meanwhile, they’re looking rough… can’t see Pekovic choosing that if there are better teams offering similar money.

      And that’s my hour, folks. Headed home for dinner. Have a great weekend, take care of your Valentine’s business, and I’ll see you all back here in a week!

      Oh, and go Bulls…