NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 7/26/12

1. 123Eric

   In basketball speak, when a player/coach says that he/player should “be aggressive” what does he really mean? Is “being aggressive” synonymous to “letting the game come to me/him”? Whats the difference, if any? Thanks!

   • Joel Brigham

     Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat. Sorry I couldn’t hang out with you guys last week; I was on a flight to Las Vegas so I could run between Impact basketball and UNLV for 14 hours a day to talk to any and everybody I could at Summer League. Busy few days, but fun and definitely educational. I’m ready to answer any and everything you guys have got this week, so keep those questions coming. I’ll get to as many as I can!

     I feel like “being aggressive” and “letting the game come to you” are actually sort of the opposite, but “aggressive” can mean different things for different players. For Omer Asik it means hitting the boards hard or ratcheting things up defensively. It does not mean attacking the basket on the offensive end, like, at all. Of course, for Monta Ellis, being aggressive means “Go. Score. Do what you must.”

     When guys get TOO aggressive, at the behest of the team or any flow on offense, coaches will say to let the game come to them. It means stop trying to force the issue and let the offense work its magic. Hope that clarifies.

2. Laura Vandervoort

   Joel, What do you think is going on with K-love lately? First complaining about winning more after signing that contract and now many people are saying that he is acting like he is entitled at the olympics. Any thoughts? Do we have the next NBA diva on our hands?

   • Joel Brigham

     Think about your first job, Laura. When you first stepped onto the scene you were just happy to be there, to be employed. You probably didn’t make too many waves right away because you didn’t want to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths about you right out of the gate. But if after a few years you started to notice that your workplace wasn’t particularly ideal, and you knew that you’d have better opportunities to succeed professionally elsewhere, you’d have to start balancing whether or not you wanted to stay at that place of business. It would become time to start speaking up, telling your boss, “I’d like to stay, but things have to get better around here.” That’s not diva, that’s just the way professional life works.

     As for him walking around like he owns the Olympics… well, I can’t speak to that, other than to say that people who are really good at something tend to get cocky about it. As long as they continue to be good at that thing, a little cockiness is warranted. My impression of Kevin Love has always been a good one. He’s a good dude from a family that knows a thing or two about dealing with celebrity, and I think he’ll be fine. He got a lot of attention for the first time in his pro career last season because he put up some monster games. Until he stops doing that, or until he leaves Minny on bad terms, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

3. Mutang

   Well Joel, I think it may be time for people to start worry about the Utah Jazz. There made it to the 8th seed last year with dominant bigs, and weren’t even supposed to make it out of the lottery. They were the worst team in the league in 3pt shooting, but then this offseason added Mo, Marv and now Foye who all shot 39% from 3 last year. Combine that with Gordo who shot above 40% the second half of the season, Burks who is showing he indeed as some James Harden in him, and Favors who clearly is ready to start and punish, and you have the makings of a SERIOUSLY scary team!!!
   Where do you see them (I see 4-5th seed) finishing, do you like this team and anything else they should do, thanks!

   • Joel Brigham

     Adding the veterans they added will help, particularly in the backcourt, but I still think the real promise in this team is in its future. Favors, Kanter, Hayward, and Burks are the guys I’m most excited about on this roster. Nothing against Mo and Marvin, Foye, and the other vets (because those are the guys that are going to get them back into the playoffs next spring), but I like what I see down the road.

     To be frank, trading out Devin Harris for Mo Williams and adding Marvin and Foye aren’t ground-breaking moves. I’ve got Utah behind OKC, both L.A. teams, San Antonio, Dallas, and Memphis. So, at best, I see them as a 7 seed. I see them back in the playoffs, but not in a markedly better situation than last season.

     Down the road though? They could be very, very good.

4. Kevin

   Should minny fans be kicking David Kahn right about now? One of their biggest gaps going into free agency was SG, i know they got B-Roy and that could either be a brilliant move or a horrible one depending on how his knees hold up but don’t you think they should have made run at other SG’s out there as well?

   Courtney Lee’s agent said he didn’t even hear from Minny, OJ Mayo went fairly cheap… I know they went all in after Batum and failed but they still had time to turn around and grab Lee. Instead the C’s got him for peanuts

   • Joel Brigham

     Haven’t Minny fans been wanting to kick David Kahn for a while now? The botched K-Love extension? Not the drafting of Rubio, but the drafting of Jonny Flynn right after him (seriously, what WAS that?) Now we’re hearing $20 million over two years for Kirilenko? Even $10 million over 2 for Roy is kind of a lot considering how often he’s bound to sit out. I don’t think he’s well-regarded, Kevin, and had they gotten Batum for $11.5 million a season, even that would’ve been a bad move. It’s all a mystery, unfortunately, but he’s not winning Exec of the Year in 2013.

5. LA in LA

   I don’t think that D12 is a much better player than CP3 and in fact you could argue worse but both are top 5 players. And all the Hornets got for him was Al-Farouq, Kaman, Eric Gordon, 2 2nd rounders and likely (not high) lottery pick from Minn. I don’t think that deal is better than some RUMORED deal that have been reported so does Orlando really think they can get more? I know Hornets were looking to sell but still…

   • Joel Brigham

     The Hornet deal was fine. It helped them be bad enough to get Anthony Davis. That draft pick turned into Austin Rivers. Eric Gordon, when healthy, is one of the best young scoring guards in the league. They’ve got enough to rebuild with because of the deal they made, so I’ve got no complaints.

     What Orlando is looking for is something similar–a deal they can make that will allow them to rebuild. They’d rather take back lotto picks and young talent than a guy like Andrew Bynum. Bynum keeps them relatively competitive, and if they’re going to dump Howard, they’re going to want to bottom out and start shooting for high lottery picks to put around young pieces with promise they’d get back. That’s why I still think Houston is so reasonable, especially if they’re willing to take on Jason Richardson or Hedo Turkoglu. Take that Kyle Lowry lottery pick from Toronto, Kevin Martin’s expiring deal, and then Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and a few more picks. It’s not earth-shattering, but it allows them to get some young talent, suck hard enough to get a high pick, and begin the healing process.

     Honestly, though, I don’t even care what deal they make at this point. Just get Dwight where he’s going to be so we can stop talking about it. I literally can’t believe fans are still interested in this.

6. Mark

   Is it just me or are there way too many players getting the max? Brook Lopez? How did Alridge and Marc Gasol get signed for far less? And my personal favourite is Eric Gordon getting 4 year max while OJ Mayo gets 2 years 8 million? What planet am I on?

   • Joel Brigham

     Like always, teams panic when they think they’re going to lose an asset. I can forgive Roy Hibbert. You don’t let a 7’2″ All-Star walk away with no compensation. That can’t happen, and he’s most of the way towards making his money. Fine. Same with Eric Gordon. When he’s healthy he’s a top-five shooting guard in the league, and New Orleans couldn’t let the gem of that CP3 trade just walk.

     But Brook Lopez? Ugh. The really crazy thing is that if Brooklyn didn’t give it to him, Portland or Charlotte would’ve. Anybody up for a bet that says Dwight Howard averages more rebounds than both Lopez twins combined? I’ll even give you a three-RPG cushion. Awful deal, but Prokorov doesn’t care about money. He needs the team be respectable in Brooklyn, and without Brook there wouldn’t have been any other centers on the market. They kind of got cornered into it, but it’s still awful.

7. Chris

   Hi Joel. Safe to say Bulls have conceded the title to Miami/OKC for the next 2 seasons in the hopes of (finally) landing a superstar in summer 2014? And, if that’s the case, which superstars are realistic targets? Lebron, Kobe (if he’s not retired), Kevin Love (trade), etc…?

   • Joel Brigham

     Even if Derrick was healthy and they kept that whole core together, they would’ve been paying luxury tax to lose to Miami. They are not good enough to win a title as constructed last year, and definitely as constructed this year. Even if D-Rose is out until April, I still think this team hovers somewhere between 41-47 wins. Great coach, motivated players, good locker room. They sneak into the playoffs on that, but you’re right in that this season at least isn’t going to be an exciting one for Bulls fans. Going for another big name in 2014 is fine, but I’d rather they take a shot at it a little sooner than that. By the start of 2013-2014, Rose should be 100%, and I’d like to see a great second fiddle in place by then. I’m not optimistic, but I’m hopeful.

8. Marcos

   What realistic starting SF could the Kings receive in a trade for Evans?
   By the way, doesn’t Omer Asik look like Judge Reinhold from Beverly Hills Cop?

   • Joel Brigham

     I don’t know that there’s a huge market for Tyreke right now, but Sacramento getting a real point guard in Aaron Brooks definitely means fewer minutes for both ‘Reke and Jimmer, which is probably a good thing. I love the Thomas Robinson pick in the draft, but if he doesn’t fall to #5 they probably yank Harrison Barnes and there’s your small forward.

     As cap space dries up, they could luck out and snatch somebody respectable on the cheap. Anthony Tolliver, for example, is much better than he’s given credit for, but I don’t think that solves any major problems at the three spot.

     And yes, Judge Asik is a great comparison. My wife comments on how goofy Omer looks literally every time she looks at his face. Despite all that, have you seen the girls Asik has dated? Yowzah!

   • Joel Brigham

     I don’t know that there’s a huge market for Tyreke right now, but Sacramento getting a real point guard in Aaron Brooks definitely means fewer minutes for both ‘Reke and Jimmer, which is probably a good thing. I love the Thomas Robinson pick in the draft, but if he doesn’t fall to #5 they probably yank Harrison Barnes and there’s your small forward.

     As cap space dries up, they could luck out and snatch somebody respectable on the cheap. Anthony Tolliver, for example, is much better than he’s given credit for, but I don’t think that solves any major problems at the three spot.

     And yes, Judge Asik is a great comparison. My wife comments on how goofy Omer looks literally every time she looks at his face. Despite all that, have you seen the girls Asik has dated? Yowzah!

9. Steve

   who are the top 5 free agents left in your opinion?

   • Joel Brigham

     Carl Landry obviously deserves to have a job at this point, so he’s top on my list. Would need to spend some more time looking at who’s still hanging around, but Leandro Barbosa comes to mind, too.

10. mojart

    ur thoughts on the hornets offseason?if all of them stay healthy….playoff contender or still lottery team?thanks

    • Joel Brigham

      Still a lottery team, but definitely headed in the right direction. I didn’t love the Austin Rivers pick because I think he’s far from a sure thing in the NBA and there were other guys available there that could’ve filled more of a positional need (especially if you were going to match on Eric Gordon), but it’s the tenth pick. Hard to find great value there every year, and they loved Austin. Everybody loved Austin, but the Hornets really loved Austin.

      As far as what’s left over, The Unibrow is obviously the future, but I liked matching Gordon and I thought the Ryan Anderson S&T was one of the most underrated and under-the-radar moves of the summer. Great pickup for them. There are some pieces there, but a lot of them are still really young, and they still need quite a bit of depth and some time to grow, both individually and as a team.

11. Raps Fan

    Hey Joel. You always tell it like it is so I am going to air out my frustrations with the Raptors this off-season. Everyone is pegging them as 8th in the East but when you a) draft a guy at #8 who should be draft 14-18 b) pass up on media hyped talent (Rivers) c) go after an over-the-hill PG who should be on a contendor c) sign Landry Fields to a ridiculous deal after telling Wilson Chandler to F-Off last year when he asked for virtually the same money and is the far better player d) Bryan Colangelo should be fired. Thoughts?

    • Joel Brigham

      Let’s not forget drafting Quincy Acy over Quincy Miller in the second round. That was equally bad.

      On the bright side, the Kyle Lowry trade was brilliant, and Jonas Valanciunas is going be Canada’s darling really fast here because he’s just so good. The Terrence Ross pick was bad, but there weren’t really any guys that I saw at #8 to be markedly better. And that includes Austin Rivers. Give T-Ross a shot and see what happens, but yeah, he’s not an All-Star or anything.

      Your best bet is J-Val blowing up quickly and Kyle Lowry continuing on his arc towards All-Stardom. With D-Rose out this year, he could actually get in there behind Rondo and D-Will. All is not lost. There are some good things going on here, but I feel your frustration because things definitely could’ve been better.

12. TJ

    Hey Joel simple question. How do the suns look to you for next year maybe a 6th sees if Beasley can get it together?

    • Joel Brigham

      The playoffs are a longshot for them, in my opinion. They’ve totally overhauled that roster, but none of the guys they hauled in really screams “All-Star!” to me. Dragic and Beasley both came in on very affordable deals, so I’m not hating on that. I just think they’re paid appropriately, and guys who are paid like that don’t shatter the foundations of a franchise. Wes Johnson is meh, but re-signing Shannon Brown was solid and there’s still Marcin Gortat. I like roster as a whole a little better than last year, but losing Nash and Grant Hill changes the outlook there. This is a very young team with no star. That doesn’t spell playoffs to me.

13. Benny Da Bull

    Hey Joel,

    From my readings, the Bulls are positioning themselves for another Free Agent Push in the Summer of 2014. Who do you think that they will be targeting? I would love to see James Harden but will OKC be willing to let him go, even on a max contract? Also, are the Bulls still shopping Deng? A push for Barnes and Thompson from GSW would be nice around a healthy Rose.

    Thanks for your insight.

    • Joel Brigham

      Golden State doesn’t make that trade in a million years. They used to need a three, until they drafted Harrison Barnes. Now, they’re happy with that. That’s an insane offer for them. Klay Thompson might be their best player if Steph Curry can’t get and stay healthy. No prayer there.

      As for who they’d go after in 2014, it’s impossible to say at this point. It all depends on who extends early, who wins championships between now and then, and what the Bulls look like in the scheme of things in the East. Chicago’s front office is stingy, so free agents are typically dying to come play for the Bulls for that reason. Unless they’re prepared to come at a discount, the Bulls tend not to sign big names (Boozer, Ben Wallace, excluded… and we see how those worked out). They’ll do the best they can with the money they’ve got. Depending on the deal Taj ends up getting, they might not have as much cash to play with as people think. But they’ve still got amnesty to use on Boozer should that time ever come. We’ll just have to wait and see, bud.

14. Charlie

    Many experts have a differing opinion on the job Danny Ferry is doing in Atlanta. Some are impressed he was able to shed the contracts of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, giving the team lots of cap space in 2013-14. Others have criticized these moves as Ferry gave up two starters (one a 6 time all-star) for little return, meaning its difficult to argue the Hawks won’t be worse next year as a result. What side are you on and why?

    • Joel Brigham

      Of course they’re going to be worse. But Danny’s getting lauded for shedding Joe Johnson’s contract because that was probably the worst contract in the history of basketball. Okay, maybe not that since there are guys who have gotten paid a ton for doing jack squat, and JJ at least has contributed. But that was an unmoveable deal, and Ferry found a home for it. To this day, it’s unbelievable.

      The trade-off for that is getting worse, but Atlanta wasn’t winnign a championship with those guys anyway. They were going to have to start over at some point, but this speeds the process up by a couple years. That’s why so many people love the moves. Hawks won’t be stuck in basketball purgatory until 2014-2015 anymore.

15. Frank

    Rank these back-up centers. And how much of a difference can a quality back-up 5 have on team success? Aaron Gray, Nazr Mohommed, Greg Steimsma, Omar Asik, and Robin Lopez.

    • Joel Brigham

      Omer Asik is a starting center now, it looks like, and he’d be at the top of my list anyhow because he’s the only guy on that list with an elite skill. Omer is an elite defender, one of the best at his position in the league, so he’d be my top guy. Beyond that they’re all pretty bad. Robin Lopez is probably the next best. The other three are all equally un-good.

16. Sweet Dee

    After a poor showing in Summer League, Derrick Williams looks like a far cry from the second overall pick only two years ago. If you were a GM looking for a young three, would you have Williams ranked higher than Harrison Barnes / Terrance Ross? – this years 7th and 8th picks.

    • Joel Brigham

      Barnes and Ross aren’t jaw-droppers, either. In the righ situation, I think Derrick Williams is a solid ball player. He’s lost a lot of weight this summer and is still chiseling up. We’ll see where he’s at to start the season, but with Beasley and Wes Johnson gone, he’s going to get some more minutes. If he’s going to star in Minny, this is his chance.

17. Mac

    If you were starting a team from scratch, rank your preference for shooting guard: Dion Waiters, Jeremy Lamb, DeMar DeRozan, Evan Turner, and OJ Mayo.

    • Joel Brigham

      Yikes… Okay…

      I’d start with Evan Turner. Can’t stand him on a personal level, but as a player he’s shown some flashes of nasty and he has the potential to be a pretty savvy leader somewhere down the road. Need more consistency, but you could say the same with the other guys you listed, too.

      2. Mayo, 3. DeRozan, 4. Lamb, 5. Waiters.

      I’m not wold on Waiters. I just can’t buy into a guy who was a sixth man in college as the fourth pick in the draft. I still think Harrison Barnes was a safer pick for Cleveland there, but what do I know.

18. Jason

    I’m happy about the Belinelli signing compared to some of the guys I had heard were possibilities. How good of a fit do you think he is?

    • Joel Brigham

      He’ll fill that Korver role, and maybe do a better job of it. But he’s that same kind of guy–deep sharpshooter. Between him and Vlad Radmonovic, I think Chicago has the sit-behind-the-arc-and-wait-for-a-pass role left behind by Korver filled.

19. Jason M.

    If the draft was done today, would teams go the same route or are there teams out there with regrets(in your mind) already? Either because they passed on someone or drafted the wrong guy.

    • Joel Brigham

      It’s too early to know. I don’t think anybody’s thinking, “No way we should’ve drafted this kid,” but I do know Damien Lillard is going to make some teams wish they took him in the top five. Toronto is the king of draft buyer’s remorse, so keep an eye on Terrence Ross. Cleveland’s Dion Waiters and maybe New Orleans’ Austin Rivers could be “darnit” picks, too. But we have to wait. That’s the thing about rookies. You kind of just have to wait and see what they turn into.

20. Steven

    Hey Jb what’s your top 5 in east next year ? Do you believe what everyone is saying that nets are better then Knicks ? Thanks

    • Joel Brigham

      1. Miami
      2. Indiana
      3. Boston
      4. New York
      5. Brooklyn

      And for fun:

      6. Chicago
      7. Washington
      8. Toronto

      Guys, that’s my hour. Thanks for all the great questions, and we’ll do it again next week. See you all then!