NBA Chat With Joel Brigham, 8/9/12

1. WIZARD

   Blatche told that he wants play this season for some team where he will have freedom to show what he can’t so he could get 8 figure salary?I don’t think that is possible because if he couldn’t that in dc how will he do it somewhere else?Q:Is it more realistic that usa handball team wins the world cup or blatche gets 8 figure salary?

   • Joel Brigham

     Good afternoon, HOOPSWORLD Citizens, and welcome to another edition of my weekly chat! It’s a cloudy, cool day here in Illinois, but even though the dreary weather lines up with a lull in NBA action, that doesn’t mean we don’t still have plenty to talk about, so let’s dip into some NBA questions as they pertain to free agency (what’s left of it, anyway), Team USA, and any kinds of chatter or predictions you guys want to make about next season, too. I’m ready to roll, so here we go…

     I haven’t read the piece where Blatche says he believes he can be an eight-figure salary guy, but that means he’d be making at least $10,000,000 a season and I absolutely can’t imagine a scenario in which that happens. You’re 100% right that Blatche was given reasonable opportunities in Washington to show what he could do, and every year he came up short of those expectations. I remember there being flashes of brilliance, as I’m sure you do–times when he looked like he could be a double-double guy every night–but if he ends up in Miami or San Antonio as rumored, he’ll barely see the floor, let alone get an opportunity to show he’s worth $10 million. He had that shot with the Wizards and he blew it. It’s telling that he’s still a free agent weeks after getting amnestied…

2. Shawn

   Do you think the Spurs ought to take a chance on Andray Blatche?
   If anybody can get him to fulfill his potential, it’s got to be Pop as a coach and TD as a mentor.
   I know he’s not the prototypical Spurs kind of guy, but we need another big man.

   • Joel Brigham

     It wouldn’t be the worst fit for him as long as he was willing to accept a reserve role and be a good soldier about it. The reasons you list here are the reasons there have been so many rumors about him ending up there. If he’s talking about “opportunity” though, he might want to play for a younger team with more minutes available to him. If the long-term goal is an eventual paycheck, that’s probably what he’ll do. If he’d just rather be a good soldier on a great team and hope a championship makes him more marketable, San Antonio wouldn’t be a bad option for him.

3. LA in LA

   Hey Joel, do you think Melo can be the best player on a championship team? I used to but I think Melo’s only focus is scoring so now I think he needs to be the 2nd banana to an all-around player and/or defensive player who is willing to pass like a CP3 or a Pau Gasol (back in his prime).
   What do you think?

   • Joel Brigham

     I don’t see the Knicks winning any championships in the next few years, and Anthony is a big reason for that. We know what he can do when he’s feeling it offensively, but he’s just not the kind of guy who makes everybody else around him better. LeBron does that. Chris Paul does, too. So does Steve Nash. Kobe Bryant doesn’t make teammates better, but he does sort of demand it (that’s a whole other thing, though). Still, that’s not Carmelo’s thing. Carmelo gets the ball, and then shoots it, and then scores 33 points taking 30 shots. He’s so exciting when he’s hot, but when he’s not it really kills the team’s chances of winning a game despite him.

     So to wrap it up, yes, I think he’d do well with another legitimate star (Amar’e isn’t it, either), but even with someone like CP3, the ball still stops when it touches Melo, and I think his ego would do well accepting a second fiddle role, anyway. He’s an interesting guy for a lot of reasons, but I don’t think he’s got what it takes to lead a team to championship. Could be wrong, but I’m not seeing it.

4. 2dogs

   Joel, Boston seems two-deep at every position, being esp strong at the 1, 2, and 3. From what you’ve seen of Jeff Green, would you start him over Pierce? From the little I saw of Green with Rondo (before last season), they seemed to work well together, and Pierce would really solidify the second unit. With Boston’s storied history of 6th men, could you see PP coming off the bench?

   • Joel Brigham

     For starters, Jeff Green hasn’t played in the NBA since the spring of 2011. It’ll be about 16 months away from that level of play by the time the Celtics play their first game, so I’m not necessarily advocating we just stick him right in there and hope it all comes together. Anyway, Paul Pierce hasn’t made me believe he deserves a relegation to the bench. Lots of game left in those legs, and he’s too much of a team leader to see a cut in minutes at this point. Don’t undersell The Truth. He’s still got some “it” left.

     As for the rest of the roster, I’m actually more optimistic about this group than I was a year ago, mostly because they’ve brought in some good depth and some younger players to help weather injuries better. Can’t wait for Avery Bradley to get healthy, because he’s one of my favorite guys to watch. Great, young defensive guy right there.

     Not saying they’ve got a shot against Miami in the postseason, but I think they’ll feel less… old…. this year.

5. raju

   What do you think lakers are going to do in near future?

   • Joel Brigham

     Start playing basketball? As far as roster moves are concerned I wouldn’t expect a whole lot more than they’ve already done. They’ve got 12 guys under contract (13 if they end up keeping Ebanks), and the Nash and Jamison additions were pretty notable. There are still some guys they could snatch up on the cheap (Leandro Barbosa, maybe?), but I think the remaining free agents are sort of waiting to see what Cleveland does with the rest of their cap space. That’s really the only team that has any money left to spend, so guys hoping to get more than a minimum deal are hoping the Cavs sign them. Once that money dries up or it becomes clear they aren’t going to be spending it, other teams can start snatching up the rest of the guys left on the market. L.A. will need one or two more to round out their roster, so something’s coming, just not anything huge and not anything soon.

     I mean, Derek Fisher is still out there, right?

6. cj

   what do you think about portland’s bench? what 3 bench players will get the most PT? I would say hickson, smith, and jefferies

   • Joel Brigham

     Hickson is at the top of that list, for sure, but I could also see Joel Freeland getting some solid minutes depending on how quickly Meyers Leonard gets rolling. Will Barton is really good, too, so I’m hoping he gets an opportunity to play, but beyond those guys I’m not seeing a whole lot on that Portland bench that I’m love with. I actually didn’t realize they were so thin until I pulled up the roster and looked at it. Dame Lillard could be Rookie of the Year, LaMarcus Aldridge should be an All-Star, and we’ve all got our fingers crossed about Leonard. Batum and Wes Mathews are as good as advertised, but once you get past all of that, things look a little dank. Yikes.

7. Vander

   2 trades for your critique…

   #1
   Eric Gordon(IND hometowner) & Grievis Vasquez for Paul George/DJ Augustin(NO hometowner)

   Gordon becomes the go to scorer on the deep in the playoffs bound Pacers who would start: Hill/Gordon/Granger/West/Hibbert…& George is the young natural SF to add to the core of Rivers & Davis, the Hornets would start Augustin/Rivers/George/Davis/Lopez.

   #2
   Marcus Thornton for Derrick Williams

   Wolves get their catch & shoot from anywhere on the floor SG & Kings get a SF-capable beast of a young player to add to the already young & beastly frontcourt of T-Rob & DMC

   • Joel Brigham

     #1: I don’t even think Eric Gordon CAN be traded for several months, so that one’s not happening for a while anyway. If it ever came up, I would only see New Orleans considering it if Gordon made it very clear he was very unhappy in Louisiana. Without a massive breakdown and disconnect with the fan base, though, I think they’re committed to holding onto him. Let’s see what a healthy EG and Unibrow look like together before we go splitting up the future of that franchise.

     #2: Of all the undersized two guards Sacramento could trade, Thornton would be my last choice. Would rather them find a home for Jimmer or Tyreke, but I’m not getting the impression that many teams are all that interested in making big offers for either. Not that Derrick Williams would be a “big offer” the way he’s played, but still. I think Minny would appreciate some depth at two, but I don’t see this trade as the way they get that done.

8. BlazerFAN

   Can Damian Lillard avg 16pts 5ast 3reb his rookie season??

   • Joel Brigham

     I think those are absolutely reasonable numbers for him. I don’t see him going much higher than that on assists, but could see him scoring a little more, too. Even before Summer League I was very high on Lillard because I saw his skillset transferring to the League very nicely. Current rules are built for scoring point guards just like him, and that’s the reason D-Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Kyrie Irving have had so much success. It’s also why Tony Parker got some buzz for MVP last year. Guys like Lillard just do well, and I’m looking forward to him killing it his first year out there in Portland. Not kidding when I say it’s possible he wins Rookie of the Year, and in fact, I’m kind of rooting for it. Anthony Davis is going to be great, I wonder if Dame doesn’t come out of the gate a little more quickly, at least offensively.

9. BlazerFan

   Is this draft as bad as some are saying. If the Blazers keep there draft pick and it is around 11-14 can we get someone good?? Or would it be better to trade the pick?

   • Joel Brigham

     The 2013 draft is nowhere near as deep as 2012, but there are some bigtime studs in the mix. I don’t see anyone earth-shattering dropping to Portland where they’ll probably pick (your range is a good guess), but you never know with these things. That’s the beauty of the draft.

     There are guys I like, but I have no idea where those guys will end up. Nerlens Noel, Cody Zeller, and Shabazz Muhammad will be the big guns next summer, but they’ll be gone top 3 barring some sort of odd change or freak injury. That doesn’t really help Portland though, does it?

10. Winston

    What’s your opinion on the Mavs’ ceiling/basement performance-wise this upcoming season?

    Also, amongst the Hawks, Lakers, Nets, Mavs, rate them according to likelihood Dwight joins on a long-term deal.

    Thanks!

    • Joel Brigham

      I don’t see the Mavs as a powerhouse, but before all their surprising free agency moves I saw them as a very low Western Conference playoff seed and now I see them as more in the middle of that pack. Loved the OJ Mayo signing and the Elton Brand amnesty grab. Getting Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones for Ian Mahinmi was highway robbery. Not earth-shattering moves, but good ones to keep them in the thick of things, which is where Cuban likes them to be.

      Nobody knows anything about likelihoods at this point, but I’d love for him to sign in Atlanta next summer. Nets pretty much can’t happen anymore unless someone in Orlando goes criminally insane at the trade deadline and takes a Brook Lopez offer (barf). The Mavs don’t feel like a good fit to me for some reason, so I guess it’d be Lakers or Hawks. For the sake of fair competition, I’m rooting for the Hawks.

11. Gustavo A Thomas

    Better future for CH Bulls team,stay with the players they have right now or rebuilding for 1or2 year and looking for súper star caliber players NeXT year?

    • Joel Brigham

      I don’t think Chicago has to really do any rebuilding, but they’re definitely looking at their financial outlook carefully just in case they’re able to do something splashy in 2014. They can always amnesty Carlos Boozer should they feel so inclined, and Luol Deng’s big money will be up by then. Trading Joakim Noah wouldn’t be impossible, but I don’t think the team is anywhere near doing that, either.

      Despite all that, this year’s going to feel like rebuilding for sure, especially with Derrick Rose missing the majority of the year and the Bench Mob pretty much getting disassembled. Always liked Hinrich as a guy, but with him starting this is a very slow, kind of injury-prone and old starting lineup. Thibs better figure out a way to keep them playing their rears off (at least defensively, if nothing else) so they can stay in the playoff hunt. Lots of hungry teams in the East, so they’ll have to work even harder just to see the postseason.

      In short, I’m not looking forward to being a Bulls fan this year. We’ll give it another go in 2013-2014 I suppose.

12. Jason M.

    Anthony Davis is going to be the best #1 pick since…

    Does that sentence end at Kyrie Irving or is Anthony Davis going to have the kind of career that makes it stop at someone like Lebron James in ’04?

    • Joel Brigham

      LeBron James was ’03, and being called the best Rookie since Kyrie Irving wouldn’t really be all that bad. I mean, Irving is going to be really, really good. But I need to wait and see about Davis before I start saying how good he’s going to be. I’ve heard a lot of Marcus Camby comparisons, or maybe somewhere in between him and Kevin Garnett, but I just don’t know. Need to see him play a few NBA games first, put on a few pounds of muscle. We’ll see.

13. Jason M.

    More likely? MKG is closer to the next Scottie Pippen or the next Andre Iguodala?

    • Joel Brigham

      Iguodala, but I think he’ll be better than that. Honestly, though, very good comparison. Athletic, great in transition, excellent defender. That’s where I see him ending up as a pro.

14. The Man Region

    I had a rough week, but who got me better? Nic Batum or the Argentinan? Just for the record, I didn’t appreciate either one!

    • Joel Brigham

      Funny.

      The Argentinian, by the way.

15. Jaimeson

    Didn’t expect much, but thought ADavis would be gettin a lil more PT w/ US squad just because of his length. Chandler thinks he’s tougher then he really is(Kendrick Perkins Syndrome) & is foul prone. I think ADavis will have better career then Chandler & won’t take as many years to get to be an elite defensive C. Let us see what he can do Coach K!

    • Joel Brigham

      I can say that I agree with you about Davis being better than Chandler, and more quickly. That will happen. But I’m not going to complain about the way Team USA is handling their business in the Olympics because they’re playing so well. Davis was the selection just in case something happened to Chandler and they needed a big. That doesn’t mean they need to use him, just have him in the wings.

      It just kind of stinks that he couldn’t have participated in Summer League, because he could’ve gotten more out of that. Still, I’m sure he’ll take the gold medal and be happy about it.

16. Jason Omlin

    I want to know why Jerry Reinsdorf is so scared of going into the Luxury Tax , why is he being so cheap?

    • Joel Brigham

      He’s just a very money-conscious man. His life is about making money first, winning championships second, and there’s no reason for him to do things any differently because he’d had championship success with both the Bulls and the White Sox while also being conscious about what he’s spending. He’ll spend big money–the luxury tax is happening for the Bulls this year, for example–but will always try to be smart about how he does that big spending. In any event, budgeting his money is part of the fun for him, and his pockets aren’t as deep as some other owners. That’s why he is the way he is, and why the Bulls are so weird about luxury tax.

17. alex

    Hi Joel, there’s a rumor flying around about a four way trade between LA, ORL, DEN and PHI, with Howard and Al Harrington going to LAL, Gasol and Afflalo to ORL w/ picks, Bynum to Philly and Iguodala to Denver. Who are the winners and losers if this were to go through?

    • Joel Brigham

      Just read the Y! article now… I’ve been buried in this chat for the last hour so you guys broke the story to me. Kind of confusing from the standpoint of Orlando, who I thought was going after draft picks, but I like Afflalo a lot and he’d be a nice piece to pair with Gasol. Sounds like Orlando would want to turn around and flip Gasol for more assets, maybe to Houston? They could get that Kyle Lowry pick, for starters.

      Lakers would be giving up a lot for Howard, but Nash-Kobe-Jamison-Howard is a core I could live with for a couple of years and be pretty happy about it. Denver would be consolidating two good players into one very good player, so I like it for them, and I love it for Philly if they get Bynum. Changes my perspective on how I’d feel about that team, for sure. Good stuff for all teams involved except the Magic, really. But if there was another deal for Gasol right afterwards, I could see it happening and being good for everyone. We’ll see if it goes down. I’m sure hopeful we can get the Dwightmare over with. Let’s keep our fingers crossed a deal gets done!

      And that’s my time guys. Thanks for all the great questions, and I’ll see you here again next week!