NBA Chat With Joel Brigham 9/1/11

1. Ben Ireland

   What are the NBA iso rules, compared to college level?
   Kanter is looking like a beast atm, no?
   Do Houston get cap relief from Yao?
   Any games in London this year?
   Thanks !

   • Joel Brigham

     1. NBA defensive rules are designed to open up the lane a little bit more than the college game, which is why point guards have been taken with the top overall pick 3 of the last 4 years. Teams want to exploit that. In college, different types of zones are allowed, which makes getting to the cup harder without lots of movement.

     2. He’s been scoring well in EuroBasket so far, but it’s hard to translate numbers in that arena to what he’ll do in the NBA. Still, what we’ve seen thus far does in fact look pretty promising. He was the third overall pick, so Utah needs him to be something special, especially if Jonas Valanciunas ends up being as good as I think he’ll be.

     3. His contract expired at the end of the season, so yes. He’s off the books now.

     4. Not that I know of, but there’s always the ’12 Olympics. Plenty of NBA’ers will be in town for those!

2. Joey

   If you had a choice of keeping a draft pick that had a really good chance of being top 5 in the 2012 draft or trading it for a current top 20 player in their prime, which do you choose?

   • Joel Brigham

     Not a question in my mind that you make the trade for the Top 20 player. I’ll put it this way, when you look at the top 20 players in the league, a list that includes LeBron, Kobe, Dwight, Melo, Stoudemire, D-Will, D-Rose, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Pau, Blake Griffin, Dirk, Manu, and guys of that level, there’s not a doubt that you trade a “maybe” for a “sure thing.” The fact that not a single one of those guys’ teams would ever trade them for any sort of draft pick tells you who would win that trade, no question.

     Now if we’re talking about Steve Nash or Tim Duncan or somebody who’s obviously seen better days, then you consider it. I know you’d like to see Duncan retire a Spur, but if you had the opportunity to move him for a shot at Quincy Miller or Anthony Davis or Jared Sullinger… well, you might have to give it some serious consideration, as painful as that may be.

3. devonte wilson

   center,small forward, power forward are places the knicks need to upgrade in as far as back-ups go which players do you seeing them targeting for each postion? i heard that aaron gray could sign with the knicks is that a possiblity and would that work?

   • Joel Brigham

     Of course that’s a possibility. He’s inexpensive and huge. Not sure he makes much of a difference for the Knicks next year, but he’s a possibility, of course.

4. devonte wilson

   would you consider trading chauncey? and if so for who? maybe a rookie or a second year player?

   • Joel Brigham

     There’s a market for Chauncey, for sure, especially as his contract dwindles down. But let’s be honest, he’s an older guy and there aren’t a lot of teams that are going to be particularly excited about giving up a high pick or a promising young player on the way out. He’s pretty close to being seen as an ending deal more than as an NBA talent, which means he’s probably not going to garner much in return where ever he would get traded. Knicks are probably best off just keeping him.

5. Tyler

   What do you think the Clippers are going to do with the SF spot? I think a S&T involving Chris Kaman and Jeff Green really helps both teams. Green isn’t a star, but they do not need him to be. + Celtics need another Center.

   • Joel Brigham

     I’m not sure Chris Kaman is the kind of center that team particularly needs, though it’s hard to argue that the trade you’ve thrown out here doesn’t do good for both organizations. You’re right in that LAC doesn’t necessarily need a guy like Andre Iguodala to fill in that three role because they’ve got quite a bit of star power on the roster already, but Iggy is still the prime target because I think he’s the best you can realistically expect to get out of Kaman. Green would be a decent consolation prize, though.

6. Tyler

   Do you see the Hornets willing to deal Chris Paul to the Clippers at the trade deadline for Mo, Aminu, a future 1st and Minnes 2012 #1? Minnes pick is almost guaranteed a star. If they can’t get a superstar they need to get the pick in my opinion

   • Joel Brigham

     I’d have to see what the protections are on that Minnesota pick, but in general, I’d say probably not. Hornets are going to look for a little bit more than that in trade, but if the pick isn’t protected Top 5, it’s worth considering at least.

     And THERE’S your trading-a-top-5-pick-for-a-top-20-player scenario, brought to life!

7. Tyler

   The Bulls have some really nice young big men. Do you think they will add someone in FA or will they have to give up Gibson or Asik? Do you like Richardson, Mayo, or Lee? I think Richardson puts them over the top

   • Joel Brigham

     Sorry for the delays… Have some SERIOUS technical difficulties on my end with a new firewall. It wasn’t letting me respond, but I think I’ve got it figured out now… Back to questions!

     Free agency isn’t going to do a lot for the Bulls because they’re going to be right up against the cap and probably over it once the new CBA is all figured out. They’ll be forced to fill things out with veteran minimum contracts, but the few non-guaranteed deals they’re losing were right around there, anyway. That said, yes, I imagine they’ll have to give up a young big to make a trade happen, and I don’t know if they’re going to do that for a guy like Richardson who doesn’t have quite the explosive game he used to. Would hate to give up Asik, and would REALLY hate to give up Gibson considering Boozer’s inability to stay healthy and play consistently, but it’s probably the only way the Bulls have a shot at seriously upgrading shooting guard next year.

8. SuperDwight

   Who actually has the best team in the league, including bench. I would go with Portland and Dallas, your thoughts?

   • Joel Brigham

     When healthy, Portland is certainly up there. But only when healthy. Dallas is very deep, too, but so are OKC, Chicago, and Denver. Let’s go with the Mavs, since they just won the championship. They’re an easy answer for “best overall team,” right?

     All that said, I actually think the Kings are pretty deep, too. They’re two guys deep at every position… just wish they had a little more star power.

9. Federico

   Hi Joel. What do you think about a trade that brings back ben gordon to the bulls. Looks like he’s just what they need: great shooter, can create his own shot. and because oh his bad salary the pistons would gladly trade him.

   • Joel Brigham

     In theory, I love it. More than a few times I’ve remarked on how ironic it was that the thing keeping the Bulls from transcending was exactly the thing they let go in the summer of 2009. But financially, it doesn’t make any sense. BG makes $11.5 million a year, and the Bulls simply can’t afford that for so one-dimensional a player. They could just as easily invest similar or less money on a more well-rounded player with younger legs and higher upside. Gordon was one of my all-time favorite Bulls, if only for that Boston first round series in ’09. I haven’t been that excited watching basketball since MJ retired. But it’s just not a feasible thing for the Bulls right now, even if the Pistons took back Boozer. One bad contract for another doesn’t help much.

10. Yoichi

    CHI trades Boozer, Kover
    receive Joe Johnson

    IND trades Danny Granger
    receive Carlos Boozer, Aminu

    LAC trades Chris Kaman
    receive Danny Granger

    ATL trades
    Joe Johnson, Marvin Willaims, Josh Smith, Kirk Hinrich

    receive Chris Kaman, Kyle Kover, Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess

    SAS trades Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson
    recive Josh Smith, Kirk Hinrich, Jeff Teague, Marvin Willaims

    SAS trades Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson
    recive Josh Smith, Kirk Hinrich, Jeff Teague, Marvin Willaims

    • Joel Brigham

      Sweet, merciful Lord… a FIVE-WAY TRADE??? Are you submitting this just to show that you’re brain is capable of things most mere mortals’ aren’t, or do you seriously think this could really happen? Because it never, ever, ever would.

      That said, I’d sure love it if we could make this happen. It would certainly give the Hawks a new look, wouldn’t it?

      I just realized you had the Bulls taking on the worst contract in basketball in this deal. I no longer would love to see this happen.

11. Rafi

    Wadup J? Which FIBA games are you watching? Will we be able to see Mirotic play?

    • Joel Brigham

      I haven’t been able to watch ANY EuroBasket yet, actually. I’ve just been reading recaps and checking out box scores. Not even sure what team he’d be playing for… thought he’d gotten Spain citizenship or something like that. I don’t know, the European basketball system is confusing to me, but I do know I’m loving to read about real NBA players involved in real basketball. Way better than worrying about the lockout, that’s for sure.

12. Paul

    If you were the GM of the raps. What trade senarios would you be looking at to improving the team without breaking up their young core

    • Joel Brigham

      Valanciunas is your best bet at having a perennial All-Star someday, so any player on the roster right now that you could see being around long enough to be part of a long-term core with him, you keep. That means DeMar DeRozan, who I still like and think has a chance to be a really good supporting scorer for a good team, and Jerryd Bayless and Ed Davis. James Johnson is still interesting enough to keep around, but beyond that, there aren’t a whole lot of guys I’m in love with. I’d definitely start looking at moving Bargnani and Calderon to see what I could get for them. I’m not high on Amir Johnson, either, but I bet you could find a few teams who still are. Clean out, try and nab a couple more draft picks for the next year or three, and get J-Val in there to start playing some NBA ball. I think that’s the best rebuilding approach Toronto fans could hope for.

13. Ali

    I forgot where I read this..maybe on HW but it said something about Lamarcus Aldridge being the next Tim Duncan…Tim is the best to ever play at his position. Also, hes a legit 20 10 guy and is a monster defensively. LA is a maybe 20 and 8 guy and his defense is questionable. Maybe I’m crazy but the person I would compare LA to would be dirk without a three point shot. Your opinion?

    • Joel Brigham

      I think Dirk and LaMarcus have pretty different games, but so do Tim Duncan and LaMarcus. Comparisons to either is unfair, but I will say that I think 20 and 8 for the rest of his career is very reasonable for L.A., and I think that’s good enough to get him onto a couple of All-Star teams. He’s on the brink, for sure. It will be interesting (whenever basketball comes back to us) to see if he can go up a notch, or if he’s already at his ceiling. One of the more intriguing on-the-cusp players in the league.

14. Tbadfw

    Should the Jazz keep Millsap or Jefferson?

    • Joel Brigham

      I’d keep Millsap. He’s shown more motivation over the course of his career and I think he’s a little more likely to stay healthy than Jefferson is. Jefferson does play the five, but with Kanter coming in it looks like those two players are a little redundant. Time to find a place for one of them via trade, and I’d rather trade Big Al.

15. Wrexley

    What do you think of the Rockets trading Courtney Lee to the Wolves for Wes Johnson & Anthony Randolph(both TX natives)? Randolph, with more development & bulk, could possibly play the 5 right?

    • Joel Brigham

      First of all, there’s no chance Randolph is a 5. Not a prayer.

      Secondly, the Wolves value Wes Johnson a lot more highly than people realize, so I don’t see them making this particular trade, even though clearing out those two players and bringing in a much-needed shooting guard would do a ton to help balance out a pretty goofy-looking roster. I just think that if Minny is going to move Wesley, they’re going to expect more in return than C-Lee. And that’s if Randolph wasn’t included. Including him makes this proposal even less likely in my opinion.

16. Andre

    With stars like Kevin Durant, Lebron, Carmelo, Chris Paul, John Wall ect. playing in competitive summer games against each other, why hasn’t Derrick played? Do you feel like we have seen with Kevin Durant this summer, that if he played he would improve?

    • Joel Brigham

      First of all, I don’t know that Durant has really improved much by playing pickup ball. He’s been destroying everybody (including LeBron) that he’s come across. You improve by consistently going up against guys who are better than you. He might be the easiest, breaziest baller on the planet right now.

      So yeah, he’s killing it, but he’s involved with those leagues because he loves competitive basketball and just wants to get out there and play. Derrick has said this summer that he’s not big on the pickup basketball league thing. He wants to keep his skill set in the dark, improve quietly, then unleash himself on the league whenever things get back to business as usual. That’s not a bad strategy, either.

      And anyway, I think we all know that Rose would kill in these pickup games. As a Bulls fan, though, I’d rather he stay out of it and remove himself from the potential for injury. I’m happy with the way he’s approached the offseason so far.

17. 1mike1matt

    SupJB? Would Mayo blossom or shrivel under Thibs?

    • Joel Brigham

      Blossom. At least I like to think so since he’s still one of my favorite pieces of trade fodder to improve the Bullies’ situation at the 2. He’s not afraid of hard work or defense, and Thibs isn’t so grating that a young guy wouldn’t want to play hard for him. Seeing the success Chicago had last year under him, I don’t know what player in the entire league wouldn’t be curious about playing the Bulls. Especially a young cat like that… the right opportunity could put his legacy in a whole different light., not that things weren’t going quite a bit better in Memphis by the end of last season, anyway. I love him in Chicago, and if Marc Gasol gets too pricy and bolts in free agency, a trade surrounding Omer Asik could work out quite nicely for both teams, especially since Tony Allen played so well as a starter last season.

18. MJ

    Could you at least let me know what do you think are the possible teams that Allen Iverson can be with this upcoming season and why?

    • Steve Kyler

      A team in China?Iverson is done in the NBA unless he agrees to the NBA minimum on a non-guaranteed deal and I am not sure his ego would let him do that.

19. 1mike1matt

    u dont trade a good big for a good small right? so Bulls shouldnt either no?

    • Steve Kyler

      Really depends on the player, but the mantra in basketball is there are hundreds of good guards and about a dozen good front court players. Its like running backs in football, the only reason you trade one is if you have five already.The Bulls shouldn’t trade a big unless they feel like one of their bigs won’t ever see the floor.