NBA Chat With Lang Greene 11/14/12

1. Dave

   Lang, how often have you seen the Celtics this year? What do you think of Jeff Green? If I were Doc, I’d ask Pierce to come off the bench, thus letting Green play more with Rondo and stabelizing the second unit, which once again fails to score enough and loses leads. Pierce doesn’t need Rondo to set him up, and Green runs better with Rondo. In my opinion, PP would do this for the team: he could play the same minutes at both backup 3 and 2. Green needs a clearer role and confidence. What do you think of this switch?

   • Lang Greene

     What’s good Hoop Freaks? Another week, another chat. Let’s do something epic tonight.

     I’ve watched the Celtics quite a bit actually. I don’t think moving Paul Pierce is the answer. You take your leading scorer and second leading assist guy out of the starting lineup and you may actually put yourself more behind the 8-ball. I think Doc’s approach is right. Keep Pierce in the starting five, build leads and count on your talented bench to hold on to them. Let’s not overthink this. The Celtics paid a nice penny this past summer to strengthen their reserve unit and … quite frankly it’s time for them to produce.

     Last note, Jeff Green just has not looked good in Boston, going back to the 2011 season. The guy is talented, but sometimes things just don’t fit. Still too early to call the union a bust, but I have my eyes on it.

2. LA in LA

   Greene, do you think Mike Antoni (left the D out on purpose) will have to make a more unique offense for this roster? A lot of people talk about the “7 seconds or less” but I can’t see this mostly old team doing all that running, plus the Lakers lack shooters…

   • Lang Greene

     Ha! Well played. No, I don’t think you’ll see seven seconds or less coming back full-time but you will see certain aspects of the philosophy. I expect the Lakers offense to be crisper and attack oriented, much less patient and deliberate. I also expect Steve Nash to reassume the role of primary playmaker. Lots more pick and roll opportunities for Dwight Howard and pick and pop chances for Pau Gasol.

3. microscope

   If d antoni made boris diaw look like a max player after amarebgot hurt in phx,what can d antoni do with a more athletic guy like earl ” bench warmer” clark? How about artest and super center dwith?

   • Lang Greene

     Boris Diaw has become the butt of jokes in recent years, but the guy was extremely skilled and highly versatile in his prime. Mike D’Antoni has helped get a lot of guys paid. Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Chris Duhon, Landry Fields, Jeremy Lin (to an extent) etc … his system just routinely lets role players shine.

     I think Earl Clark is a strong candidate to be one of the next guys to emerge. New Jersey product. The thing about Earl is he has to find his identity, his niche at the pro level. So many talented guys struggle in this area.

4. maurice

   Why alec burks doesn’t play at all this season?

   • Lang Greene

     AB just has to be patient and await his opportunity, like most young guys. Right now the biggest hindering block to AB’s court time is his own teammates in the backcourt, Gordon Hayward and Randy Foye. Both of those guys are playing at a strong level and hogging the minutes.

     From everything I hear, he’s not ion the doghouse … it’s just a logjam at the position. It happens.

5. Nacho

   What’s good my dude? How do you think Royce White will do in the DL? What are his chances of playing for the Rockets this year? and how has his anxiety issues been coming along in the NBA?

   • Lang Greene

     My man … I haven’t wavered in my belief that Royce White is a borderline starter type talent in this league. He has game. He has the frame. Now he just has to get the health in order. The thing is … life in the NBA is fast paced. Hectic travel, fast money, women, family demands, media requests, etc … As much as organizations want to help guys, things in this environment move so fast that it is virtually impossible to monitor or assist a guy 24/7.

     As you may have heard by now Royce is not happy with Houston for the treatment he’s been receiving.

     In my humble opinion, what the Rockets should have done is found the person Royce is most comfortable with and put him/her on the team’s payroll for a season or two.

     Royce is not a bad person. He’s just struggling with anxiety. He’s going to need the right set of circumstances to succeed in the NBA. I hope he gets the opportunity.

6. Jim in Cyber Space

   “Hey Dude”….what is the most shocking development of this young NBA Season? I mistakenly thought is Harden trade, but that looks golden now K-Mart is ball-n

   THE LAL’s/Buss’s get the Academy Award. Summarily dismissed Mike Brown.. Punked PJ and hired MD in his stead.

   • Lang Greene

     Without a doubt the storyline of this season up until this point is the plight of the Los Angeles Lakers. They were the storyline of the summer bringing in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard … and they’re leading the storyline now with the ousting of Mike Brown.

     Here’s the thing. Lakers management knows their title window is small. You don’t make a move like that unless you know you’re on borrowed time. Nash, Bryant and to a lesser extent Pau Gasol are all on their last legs. The Lakers won’t go through a massive rebuilding project in a couple years because of the presence of Dwight Howard, but make no mistake it is a team with a tight window and roster retooling on the way.

7. Jim in Cyber Space

   What’s happening with D Fish? He’s not on an active NBA roster anywhere…is he? How does he remain the Prez of the NBPA when he’s not play’n?
   Just a question. For the record…I’m a huge D Fish fan…I think he’d be a great Coach. The way he demanded a union audit… I have tons of respect for him.

   • Lang Greene

     I’m sure there are some rebuilding teams who would like D-Fish around their locker room, but the man isn’t interested in one of those spots. Likely wants to join a contender but until rosters, injuries, trades, etc play themselves out then Fish will be a forgotten man. I expect that he will get some calls toward the latter portion of the season, but bringing him in right now isn’t a pressing priority. Fish is not an impact player. More of a stabilizing stop-gap one at this point.

8. Luke

   Any rumors on delonte or Q Richardson think both would fit needs of bulls at end of the month when their able to sign a player what one would fit better need for the bulls in your opinion? Thanks buddy for your time

   • Lang Greene

     All quiet on the Delonte West and Quentin Richardson street. I can see Q-Rich having his phone ring at some point this season. He has slowed down a lot but he still has a good stroke and remains a solid locker room guy. The Timberwolves are looking to add more wing depth, I wonder if they’ll give him a look.

9. jaimeson

   Assuming Zeller is #1 pick in next years draft. Where do ya thunk he ends up? CHAR never gets #1 no matter how many ping-pong balls there are & both SAC & DET have 2 young bigs. WASH & CLE shouldn’t be that bad to pick that high. Maybe ORL? & Nerlens too?

   • Lang Greene

     Way too early for me to predict potential top draft picks and lottery selection orders. Lots of basketball to be played. Guys will rise and fall. Strengths will be glorified, weaknesses magnified. For instance, Nerlens Noel will likely be a top 10 pick next season but I watched him get worked by a relative unknown big man from Maryland. I mean absolutely worked. Let these guys play a little collegiate b-ball before we anoint them to turn around a NBA franchise.

10. jaimeson

    Cavs followed OKC model to build but also followed in having no inside scoring threat. Thompson will never have offensive game as much as I would like him to. Or would it just clog up the middle for Kyrie & Waiters penetration? Would’ve liked to see Jamison still on squad stretching the floor & taking a backseat to Kyrie this year.

    • Lang Greene

      While Antawn Jamison was playing at a high level last season, there comes a point where it’s time to let the young pups sink or swim. With Kyrie Irving leading I see why the franchise decided to ride him harder this year. The kid is serious. Jamison is right where he needs to be In LA, serving as a veteran role player off the bench. He could still be a starter on most teams, but it’s about transition.

      Also, Tristan is too young and under development for you to close the book on him. I remember no one believed T-Mac was going to set the NBA on fire after his first season.

      Not saying Tristan is even close to T-Mac, but every year guys step up their games … so be a little more patient. Technically, Tristan hasn’t even played a full season in the league yet.

11. Cain

    Pacers need someone who can fill up the points column, is there anyone out there you can see them acquiring or someone stepping up?

    • Lang Greene

      The Pacers are going to have to grow from within. They absolutely must. They invested a lot of money in guys this offseason (Roy Hibbert / George Hill) and it’s time to see results. Paul George, Tyler Hansbrough … Lance Stephenson … someone has to step up while Danny Granger is out.

12. Hawk fan

    By how large of a margin is Larry Drew the worst coach in the NBA? The excuse for not playing Morrow in the Clipper game should have been enough for Ferry to show him thed door.

    • Lang Greene

      I don’t think Larry Drew is a bad coach. He has a strong understanding of the game. And the man trusts hard. I’m not saying he’s elite either. The Hawks have plenty of wing guys this year … Korver, Stevenson, Lou Williams, Devin Harris, Morrow, Jenkins … sometimes guys just aren’t going to play.

      Also, remember this is the first year where Drew has a NEW set of guys to work with that he needs to produce nightly. The Core with Joe Johnson is gone. Now he’s learning what his new guys are made of and I continue to expect some trial and error based on this.

13. Sweet Dee

    Fantasy Basketball question: I have been patiently waiting for Gerald Wallace to return from injury – to keep hearing he “is only days away.” What type of stat line do you project from Wallace once he returns from injury? And would you personally cut ties with him now (if he were on your team), knowing that “Crash” always plays a style of basketball that leads to injuries throughout the year.

    • Lang Greene

      Not a fantasy basketball expert but I don’t expect Gerald Wallace to set the world on fire when he returns. First of all Avery Johnson is going to be cautious … then its going to take a minute for him to work his way back into game shape. If you can afford to stash him do so, but if you’re struggling for wins then you need to try and get some W’s.

14. Mac

    I have no idea how the New Orleans Hornets are winning so many games looking at their “less than stellar” starting line-up. Have you been impressed with their play this year minus Eric Gordan. And how many wins approx. do you anticipate them winning this year?

    • Lang Greene

      Monty Williams is a great coach and he has the young guys’ attention. Imagine if Eric Gordon was ready to go. Still, if the Hornets record more than 32 victories I’d call it a win for the franchise.

15. likeabull

    Who rejects this trade deng/hamilton for chandler/gallo?
    Nuggets get a vet and a all star deng for more talent around rose

    • Lang Greene

      Seems like an even deal to me and the reason neither side would be in a rush to do it. The Bulls aren’t risk takers, so I can see them saying no here. We’ve seen the Nuggets take big gambles.

16. James

    All this Knicks hype is fools gold. They played 2 poor, 1 average and 1 good team in this winning streak. Thoughts?

    • Lang Greene

      Nah, brother. The team’s they have faced have fared well against the rest of the league. The Knicks are playing some inspired basketball. I was really down on them to start the season, but I never doubted their talent level … just the collective fit and if it could mesh together. They are proving a lot of people wrong early on … me included here.

17. Sam S.

    Lang, have you seen Nik Vucevic?? He’s trying to become a double double machine. Where did this come from?? Can it continue?

    • Lang Greene

      What we see in the NBA all the time is if you give guys solid minutes … guys typically produce solid stat lines. Remember Jordan Crawford blowing up when the Hawks traded him to the Wizards? He got shots and was able to cook. He was getting those attempts behind Joe Johnson in Atlanta. More floor time … equals production.

18. Chad

    Possible that Vogel gets shown the door if the Pacers don’t show a little promise even with Granger out? They have been awful. 2 losses to Toronto and getting blown out by the Bucks as I type.

    • Lang Greene

      Nope. I think Vogel is safe. I mean, Danny Granger has led the Pacers in scoring since at least 2008 and is a former All-Star performer. Losing a guy like that hurts and takes time to adjust. The Pacers have the players to step up … so right now I’m pointing at the players and not the coaching staff.

19. Jake

    Since Lillard is already 22, do you think he is close to plateauing or will continue to get better and better and eventual become an all-star?

    • Lang Greene

      He is still growing. Guys don’t typically reach their primes until 27-29 so Lillard, if he continues to put the work in, will continue to grow