NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 4/5/12

1. K.Wright

   Please settle this arument.

   If you had to choose a player from the list below to start a franchise who would you choose?

   1.Rose
   2. Westbrook
   3. Rondo
   4. Lin (lol)

   • Joel Brigham

     Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat. Usually right around this time of year we’re wrapping up the loose ends of the regular season and staring the postseason in the face. Thanks to the lockout, though, we’ve still got two or three weeks of really good regular season basketball to play. Seedings are nowhere near set, players are both dropping out due to injuries and returning from them, and that’s not even taking into consideration all the excellent subplots there are in regards to free agency and the draft. In short, we’ve got plenty to talk about today, so let’s go right on ahead and get to the questions, shall we?

     This one’s easy for me, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a Chicago homer. It’s got to be Derrick Rose, particularly if you’re looking long-term. Westbrook is every bit as prolific as Rose, but Rose is just built a different way. He’s a leader, he lives, breathes, and dies basketball, and of course he’s got that MVP under his belt. Westbrook is right there, but he’s a little more fragile as a leader. Rondo is the best pure PG of the batch, but he’s nowhere near as prolific as the others. Rose is the megastar and the leader, so that’s who I go with. There’s be marketing implications here, too, and Rose has proven to be the better draw. That enough reasons?

     Also, Lin is definitely an LOL. No prayer there.

2. Wil

   Hi Joel, I wanted to ask a question about PF vs. C. With so few true C, quite a few ex-PF masquerading as C, and quite a few 7’ PF, does the dissection still matter? For players like LA or Horford (who can best help their teams by sliding to the 5) and a large crop of PF in the draft, do they have a legitimate gripe? Other than Howard (and maybe Bynum) who are they worried about? Thanks!

   • Joel Brigham

     You make an interesting point, especially when one considers the fact that Kevin Garnett is having one of his better defensive seasons playing a ton of center for the Celtics, and that’s strictly out of necessity. I mean, he’s not complaining, right?

     There are enough big-boy centers, though, that a more typical power forward is going to struggle defensively some nights. Outside of Dwight and Bynum, there are guys like Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler, Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe… I mean, there really are a fair number of legit 7-foot centers in the league that would push a PF out of his comfort zone. I get what you’re saying, but it’s harder than you’re making it sound.

     But then there’s KG and Horford, guys who deal with it, so the best defensive PFs probably won’t mind either way, though if you asked Garnett if he’d rather have a real center on his team, he’d probably say yes.

3. Cricket

   Mr. Brigham, during last week’s chat you referred to Alonzo Mourning as “a great guy.” However, Alonzo did refuse to report to Toronto, forcing them to buy him out and receive nothing in return for their star Vince Carter. Not saying he is terrible, but I think it is difficult to argue a “great guy’ would do that (regardless of the point they are at in their career). Please justify this statement, as the evidence does not seem to support.

   • Joel Brigham

     Mourning wasn’t, at that point in his career, going to salvage anything from that Vince Carter nonsense. That was one of the most lopsided trades ever due strictly to the fact that Vince tanked his career to get the hell out of there. If Mourning were in his prime and didn’t report, fine, but I think we can absolutely justify a guy with like one year left in the NBA saying “No thanks” to playing for a lottery team his last season in the league. Having met Zo a couple times I can tell you that he was absolutely a decent guy, and having cheated death despite appearing to be in peak physical condition at the top of his career, you’d expect a guy to have a pretty good outlook on life. He just didn’t want to waste his time for a team that meant nothing to him. Miami meant a LOT to him, and they got him a ring. I still see nothing wrong with that.

4. Cain

   Will Pacers have a look at signing Nash or Dragic in offseason? I feel comfortable with George’s development as SG and think an upgrade at PG is all we need.

   • Joel Brigham

     Nash in Indiana would be really, really interesting. He wants a three-year deal, though, so I don’t know if that’s something any team other than Phoenix is going to give him. Like Steve Kyler said in this morning’s AM, Nash is still Phoenix’s to lose. It’s the way it’s been for years, and I still really believe that.

     As for Goran Dragic, is he really that big an upgrade over Collison? I know that it’s time to admit that DC is never going to be an All-Star, but I don’t know if either of your suggestions are real solutions to Indy’s need for depth at the point guard spot. They may have to get a little more creative than that. Won’t surprise me if that’s what they chase this offseason, though. That, and locking up Roy Hibbert long-term.

5. Raps4ever

   Hi Joel, I think the Raptors need a major revamp w/ their Scouting Dept. Between Gordon Hayward, or Gerald Henderson I think they are both a lot better than Derozan, in the long run. Faried is a lot better than Ed Davis. Right?

   • Joel Brigham

     Right and right, but there are a lot of teams that screw things up. I read an article today about how Arn Tellum scared John Callipari–then with the NJ Nets–from going after Kobe Bryant. Instead they ended up with Kerry Kittles. Oden over Durant. Bowie over Jordan. Fifty-eight players over Manu Ginobili. It happens.

     I’m actually just really excited to see what kind of NBA player Jonas Valanciunas is going to be. If they end up with him and Kidd-Gilchrist, they’ve got the rumblings of something really interesting a couple of years down the road. And Ed Davis isn’t awful, nor is DeRozan. They’re just both going to be career role guys. Fareid, Hendo, and Hayward all have opportunities to be something more.

     Honestly, though, I think Valanciunas can be better than any of them. So there’s some optimism for you.

6. calvinzero

   Tom Thibodeau faces uncertainty in his coaching job with the Bulls. If the management decides that they want to replace him, who do you think is the best mentor for the Chicago? In your personal opinion, what are the characteristics of a coach to bring the Bulls in a fierce competition scene in the NBA?

   • Joel Brigham

     There isn’t a better option for the Bulls than Thibodeau. If they don’t lock him down long-term I’ll seriously consider turning off my emotional attachment to the team for a few years. How would the Chicago fan base reconcile rooting for an organization that let go of one of the league’s top five coaches, in only his second year as an NBA head coach? I have a hard time thinking that they won’t hold onto him long-term. They’ve got to lock him down at some point; it just hasn’t happened yet. I’m really, really hoping that it will. I know Thibs, Derrick, and the rest of the Bulls are, too.

7. Charlie

   If you were GM of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Michael Beasley signs a 4 year / 36 million dollar offer sheet with another team this offseason. Do you match? Why or why not.

   • Joel Brigham

     What’s that, about $9 million a year? Nah, I pass. Rubio and Love are the future of that team, and finding a guy with Beasley’s talent shouldn’t be too particularly difficult. They basically already have his replacement on the roster in Derrick Williams, who’s just dying to get more playing time. No reason to dole out unneeded cash like that, but David Kahn certainly has done sillier things. Me, though? I’d let him walk, pocket the cap space, and let Williams play.

8. Antun Badurina

   What do you think, how much upside do Kawhi Leonard and Evan Turner have?
   Could they be franchise players in the future?

   • Joel Brigham

     I’ve got a lot fuzzier feelings for Kawhi Leonard than I do Evan Turner. I know Turner is having a breakout year, but the ceiling on that kid is pretty low. He’s not great without the ball in his hands, he’s oddly slow for his size and weight, and there’s an arrogance about him that gives me the indication he’s not going to be the kind of guy who busts his tail all summer fine-tuning his shortcomings. I just don’t have a lot of great things to say about where I think Turner will end up long term. I think what he’s doing this season is pretty close to the best he can be as a pro. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s just the vibe I get.

     I need to see a full season plus training camp and maybe summer league out of Leonard before I really decide how I feel about him. He’s having a decent campaign, and has shown flashes of what he could be, but I just don’t know yet. San Antonio doesn’t strike out completely on prospects very often, though, do they?

9. AJ

   When was the last time a team that was somewhere between 10-14 in the lottery got to the top three?

   • Joel Brigham

     Only one team has ever fallen into that range, and that was the 1993 Magic, who ended up drafting Chris Webber and sending him to Golden State for Penny Hardaway and three first rounders.

     The most recent example of something close to that was Derrick Rose going to the Bulls in 2008. They had the 9th worst record and less than a 2% chance of winning the top pick.

10. Enrique

    Now that the playoffs are almost here, I have a coaching question for you. Should Thibs stray away from conventional wisdom and NOT shorten his rotation for the playoffs? This Bulls team goes ten deep and the reserves play with confidence when they are pitted against other team’s starters. OR do you think other teams will “bring it up a notch” in the playoffs and render our bench ineffective? Thanks for your time and keep up the great work!

    • Joel Brigham

      That’s a good question, and I think no matter what happens with Chicago we’re going to see a TON of Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. They’re going to play 40+ minutes every playoff game assuming it’s not a blowout and they’re healthy. We’ll see Richard Hamilton and Ronnie Brewer split minutes, with flashes of Korver, but where we’ll really see Chicago use their depth I think is in the frontcourt, with Boozer, Noah, Asik, and Gibson. Still expect more Noah and less Asik than we’ve seen in the regular season, but wouldn’t surprise me to see the Boozer/Gibson rotation stay as it is. Very little John Lucas, C.J. Watson, and Jimmy Butler. Hoping for zero Scalabrine. Love that guy, but man…

11. Kevin

    Hi Joel,

    2 Questions:

    1. Do you think A. Bynum is bored playing against inferior centers?? Watching the Lakers/Clips game yesterday, it almost looked like it was too easy for him on offense. Could complacency be one of the reasons he’s goofing around??

    2. 7 Game series (assuming everyone is healthy) Lakers vs Mavs?? Who do you take??

    • Joel Brigham

      Honestly, other than the Griffin dunks and the last couple minutes of the game, I was generally unimpressed with that LA/LA game last night. Too much one-on-one and bad defense. Bynum still had a monster games (36 points, 8 boards), so if that’s him bored, I’d hate to see him interested.

      In a series, I’d take the Lakers over the Mavericks right now. Dallas is the better overall team, but I’ve got a feeling that Kobe’s hunger for redemption is going to do some damage in the postseason. Ramon Sessions has been a really nice addition for them, too.

12. Deven

    Hi Joel. I just want it to ask about the tie breaking situation. Since the Lakers won the season series last night over the Clippers, let’s say the Clippers finish with the better record than the Lakers. Would the Clips be the third seed instead of the Lakers, regardless of who won the season series or would it be the Lakers?

    • Joel Brigham

      Better record = higher seed, with the only exception being if a division winner has a worse record than a third-place team from another division.

13. Steve

    Joel,
    It has been interesting to see teams realize they may have a shot at a deep playoff run and title and make those final roster additions for the stretch run. Which team do you feel has improved themselves the most in the last month? Spurs, Lakers?

    • Joel Brigham

      Honestly, I really like what Derek Fisher does for the Thunder. I know from a playing standpoint he can do as much for his team as Sessions can do for L.A. or S-Jax can do for San Antonio, but as great as OKC is, they don’t really have guys on that roster other than Perkins that know what it’s like to be there. Fisher’s veteran leadership could do a lot for that team. I mean, we’re already seeing it. Underrated move, but one that I think makes a big difference in the postseason.

      No denying, though, that what the Spurs and Lakers did at the deadline did a lot for them, too. East’s top teams–Chicago, Miami, Orlando–were surprisingly docile. Like Barbosa in Indy, though.

14. Dennis

    Steven Litel said the Charlotte Bobcats would be best taking offers for their pick in this years draft. He cites the fact one player can’t turn around the franchise so bringing in multiple picks, players and assets is the best option. This was a very surprising statement as you have to rebuild around young players and would not consider the current core of Walker, Byimobo, and Henderson all that strong. Question: Do you agree with Litel’s approach or would you draft the best player available with your top 5 pick if you were the Bobcats GM?

    • Joel Brigham

      No, I absolutely do not agree with Stephen on this one. If they end up with the top pick and grab Anthony Davis, then they’ve got a really interesting frontcourt moving forward with him and Biyombo. We all know I love Kemba more than he probably deserves, and Henderson is one of the most underrated players in the league. They’re just young with a shallow bench. Adding Davis, who’s going to be an amazing pro when he adds some muscle weight, is a franchise-changing thing. You don’t trade that pick away.

      If it’s NOT the first pick, though? I see no problem with shopping it around and seeing what you can get for it. Gilchrist or Tom Robinson or Sullinger would help, but they don’t make Charlotte a noticeably better team. Depends on the situation I suppose, but unless the offer is great I’m not moving a lottery pick in this year’s draft. Too many excellent players.

15. Frank

    I read on HoopsHype a few days ago that Danny Ainge once offered Ray Allen for Kevin Martin (Sacramento) in 2010. This was surprising as I never heard this trade rumor. Questions: Is this report based on fact? And if so, are you surprised Ainge tried to break up the Big 3 so early (2010)?

    • Joel Brigham

      All I can think of is that Allen’s contract was an expiring one, so if they could move Allen, who may not stay with the team beyond the summer of 2010, but a talented younger scorer like Martin, it would make some level of sense. I have no idea about its validity as a rumor, but if it’s true I can see how it would make some sense.

16. Shawn

    In your opinion, who should the cavaliers select n the draft IF they were drafting 4th, with Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Robinson taken?

    • Joel Brigham

      Andre Drummond or Brad Beal. If Drummond slips to four, I think he’s a worthwhile gamble. You can pair him up with Tristan Thompson in the frontcourt and move forward with that pretty confidently.

      Of course, you’ve still got Varejao and you’re going to need a shooting guard to pair with Kyrie, and Beal seems like the best of the batch this year. I’m not particularly interested in Harrison Barnes, and Sullinger is kind of redundant with Thompson. After that, you’re dropping to the next tier of talent, and you can’t really justify a top-four pick on any of those dudes.

      I guess the smartest pick for the fit would be Beal, but Drummond would be understandable.

17. Tyrober

    Lets pretend the Nets win the lottery and win the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. Would the Magic and Nets agree to a trade involving Howard and Davis? I don’t think Williams wants to wait on Davis. Nets win now and Magic win in the future

    • Joel Brigham

      Right now, Brooklyn has the fifth best shot at the top pick, so it’s not completely insane to think that they could win the lottery. I mean, if you’re Orlando and you’re going to lose Dwight one way or another, it’s time to admit to an inevitable rebuilding. Who better to start out with than another top overall pick who seems like a sure-thing pro? Orlando would have to think about it, but I still don’t think they’re going to let him go until they’re 100% sure he doesn’t want to be back there. I think we’re a long way from that, and I think we’ll still be a long way from that in June when the draft rolls around. The Nets would have to draft Davis (which they would’ve done anyway with that pick) and hope his promise is enough to keep D-Will around. Maybe he won’t wait, but if he feels up to it, they could turn that franchise around pretty quickly with Davis and D-Will.

18. Tyrober

    When I look at the Thunder, HEAT, and Bulls it is hard to see a team beating them 4 times out of 7, but 2 of those teams are going to lose a playoff series. Who wins andwhy?

    • Joel Brigham

      It really does feel like it will be one of those three, doesn’t it? As much as it pains me to say this, I think the Bulls actually feel more vulnerable now than they did a year ago, even though they should technically be considered a better overall team this time around. Something tells me a tough series with Indiana or Boston could be trouble, let alone a tough series with Miami, who I think would beat the Bulls in a seven-game series. Chicago just still feels like the underdog there, even with Rose back (and hopefully he’s back tonight, as has been rumored).

      So if it’s a Thunder/Heat Finals (which would make for excellent television, by the way), I’d probably take the Heat in a full seven games. These things tend to work in stages. You build off the heartbreak of the previous year to advance a little bit further, until you eventually advance far enough to win the thing. Miami got one step closer traveling a tougher road, and that’s what I see happening again this season.

      And I say all of this with a knot in my stomach, because everything I just said I think will happen is the exact opposite of what I hope will actually happen. But we’ll see. Anything’s possible. That’s the beauty of the playoffs.

19. Steve

    Joel,
    I just hate the All-Star voting system. It starts way too early with names placed on based more on the previous season’s perfomance and popularity than by present season performance.

    Does anyone else feel this way, as I?

    • Joel Brigham

      Sure, plenty of folks aren’t happy with the way that works out, but in order to get ballots printed up and allow enough time for voting to go down appropriately, they sort of have to do it that way. Plus, let’s say Jeremy Lin happened just a little earlier in the season. If he truly deserved it but wasn’t on the ballot, don’t you think people would’ve written him in like crazy? That’s how Magic Johnson got in for 1992 despite not being on the ballot. And that was before the internet to really push a campaign like that. Today, of America really wanted a guy in there who wasn’t on the ballot, they’d find a way.

      It doesn’t matter if a guy is on the ballot, only that the guys who need to be in the game are on the ballot, and I can’t think of the last time when someone who deserved to be an All-Star wasn’t even on the voters’ sheets.

      One change I could see making some sense, though, would be to add guys for the online voting. Lin, for example, could’ve been added at any time on there, so at least online votes would count for something, and write-ins could go the rest of the way. Just an idea, but I see no reason why not.

20. Chris

    Hi Joel. I’ve heard it argued that Russell Westbrook is more of a SG than a PG. Which side do you come down on and why?

    • Joel Brigham

      I see it, but there are a lot of “point guards” like that in the league today. I think with Kevin Durant doing so much of the facilitating in Oklahoma City, Westbrook can afford to be a little more unconventional version of a point guard. But you’re right; he certainly doesn’t spend his games looking to get everyone else involved the way Steve Nash or Ricky Rubio might. That’s not what makes him great. What makes him great are the same things that make a lot of the NBA’s best shooting guards great. But he can bring the ball up the floor and does well with it in his hands, so we’ll call him a point guard. Nobody’s feelings are hurt calling him that, and OKC is winning a crapload of games, so I don’t see any harm in it.

      That’s my hour folks! Thanks for all the great questions, and I look forward to getting more of the same in a week. Have a great Easter, HOOPSWORLD family, and I’ll see you here next week. Oh, and go Bulls!