NBA Chat With Lang Greene 11/7/12

1. LA in LA

   I think Paul George has looked better now that he gets to play his natural position with Granger (unfortunately) injured. It’s too small a sample size now but if PG continues to impress with Granger out will that motivate Pacers to move him?
   IDK if they have the pieces but a certain team in Atlanta could use a SF…

   • Lang Greene

     What’s up Hoop Freaks? Welcome … this has been an absolutely crazy evening on this end, but I’m here for you anyway … hit me with what’s on your mind? Let’s work …
     

     I’ve been saying this for a while myself. Paul George is a natural small forward. Guys typically excel at their most natural spots. PG has enough game to be good at SG but he’ll really thrive at SF. A similar guy would be the Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford. He’s made two All-Star appearances at center, but if he could ever move to power forward his game would take off.

2. jaimeson

   I’m saying it! Cavs might have most raw athletic startin 5 in L. Irving is a beast & should be AS this yr. Waiters, I’ve stopped complainin about surprise 4th pick. Gee got into L on 10 days & worked up. Thompson, still raw & Varejao. May he never wear any other uni. No other C hustles anywhere near what he does. Their bench is non existent. Need some veteran leadership sprinkled throughout, besides Luke Walton. Do they hit 500 this yr & is that enough to sneak into 8th PO spot in the east?

   • Lang Greene

     Not sure I can agree with your assessment off the top of my head. But I see where you’re going. The Cavs are young and very talented. I don’t see them hitting .500 this season. Too inexperienced. Lack of depth will be a problem … so will the absence of a bona fide number two scorer (option) in the offense.

     Improvement will be made, but I don’t see the postseason on the horizon for Cleveland in 2012-13.

3. LA in LA

   In a vacuum, who do you think is better? Ersan Ilyasova or Paul Millsap? Why?

   • Lang Greene

     Without over analyzing your question I’m going with Paul Millsap without any hesitation based on the eyeball test along. I’ve seen Millsap explode for huge nights versus elite teams on plenty of occasions. I’m sure since you’re asking there’s some type of advanced that proclaiming Ersan as better, but I’m going to trust my eyes on this one.

4. Q-Man

   Lang how are you and the Family.

   Before Harden got traded I wanted the guy here Dang !!!!

   1. Lou Williams seem as though he has that poor man’s AI thang going for him(what your take)
   2. Jeff look’s like he’s ready to take over give him the keys, man he’s explosive. is he ready? (I wish Lou was 6’5 man that would been something)
   3. We need a starting 3 who do we get? (Stevenson has been looking really soild just a side note)

   • Lang Greene

     3Q. The ladies are good. How is school? Winter break coming soon for you.

     1. I’m not going to put Lou Williams in Allen Iverson’s territory. AI was an all-time great. But you can’t deny Lou Williams gets buckets. Certified.
     2. Jeff is confident and I think the young man has an excellent season.
     3. I don’t see the Hawks in the market for a three right now, so the duo of DeShawn Stevenson and Kyle Korver is going to have to work for the time being.

5. Aaron the Queenslander

   Hey Lang,

   What do you think of Kevin Fraudrant being exposed so far this season? it’s funny how the media goes off on Westbrook but never criticizes it’s little darling. This guy is really being exposed without Harden to get him wide open looks.

   • Lang Greene

     Easy there my man, let’s not exceed our speed. Kevin Durant is a goodie monster. Let’s get that out in the open.

     Frauds don’t win multiple scoring titles or lead teams to NBA Finals appearances. You’re right in the fact that the media tends to focus more on Westbrook’s weaknesses … but such is life.

     And last thing, trust me on this … James Harden didn’t make Kevin Durant …

6. Chris

   What’s up Lang:

   I was enjoying my NBA League Pass…and then the Kings appeared on my screen (Monday night’s game vs. Warriors). What a selfish, dispirited, uninspiring bunch of knuckleheads, man. I want to break out the cuss words, but I’ve got too much respect for HoopsWorld…I will settle for your thoughts on this mess.

   • Lang Greene

     I actually like the job head coach Keith Smart is doing out in Sacramento from a teaching the game perspective. But they haven’t looked good “on the court” during the early going.

     The problem is they have a lot of pieces that just doesn’t seem to mesh into a cohesive unit.

7. Cain

   Hey Lang, what do you think of the Collison-Mayo combination in Dallas? Potential All-Star(s)? What do you think about Jae Crowder is he this years Kawhi Leonard?

   • Lang Greene

     I really like the way O.J. Mayo is attacking from the offensive end early this season. Back-to-back thirty point nights shows you he has the firepower needed to thrive as a starting shooting guard.

     Collison is a good player, but there’s a reason teams continue to include him in trades. He’s not an elite guard but he’s a starting to find his groove in Dallas and I’m happy for the both of them.

8. Cain

   True or False? Paul George will be a rich-mans Trevor Ariza?

   • Lang Greene

     False. I think Paul George is more dynamic than Trevor Ariza. But we’ll see …

9. Jim in Cyber Space

   Who is the best player under Six feet tall to play in NBA? It’s easy to choose Calvin Murphy, right? Allen Iverson is NOT 6 feet tall as “officially listed”, more like 5-10.

   • Lang Greene

     For my money, I would likely go with my man Allen Iverson. He took the under 6 foot thing to a whole different level.

10. simon

    What’s up Lang.. first time chatter here. So do you see any changes coming to the lakers coaching staff? Or does eveyone in lala land need to just relax??

    • Lang Greene

      Welcome my man. Thanks for hitting me up.

      I think the Lakers will be fine eventually, say late December to early January is when they’ll start turning it up. I think everyone needs to relax a bit, but if they continue to struggle sure I could see changes being made to the coaching staff.

11. Baywarrior

    LG the OG haa, any who I am a big fan of Wilson Chandler but I have not seen him play this year. Do you know if he is injured or just lost with Denver’s depth.

    • Lang Greene

      Lol … Wilson played in three games this season and shot just 27 percent from the field (7-of-26). He was inactive for the team’s game against Houston tonight as he continues to work back from the offseason hip injury.

12. bounced it like kidd

    Wassup bro? I noticed that a.rivers is thiw years version of jimmer f., no speed,no athleticism on the jump but has a good j. Best case scenario for both austin and jimmer they mold into a jj reddick or a pg like stephen curry,worst they get outplayed by a dleague guy who is hungry for a spot. With me?

    • Lang Greene

      I think it’s still too early to give up completely on Jimmer or Austin, but man, Rivers hasn’t looked good at all. And he continues to get banged up physically.

      I see where you’re going. Both of those guys have to find their niche at the pro level because the stuff they did to get into the league isn’t going to help them secure longevity in it.

13. Sam S.

    It may be early in the season, but Detroit’s not passing the “eye test.” When would you guess the time may come to sink or swim with Drummond in the starting five? He may not help right away, but he certainly can’t hurt the cause, can he?

    • Lang Greene

      Detroit isn’t going anywhere this season just looking at that unit on the court. So I agree, I’d give Drummond much more playing time alongside Monroe. Let the two young men rumble together for a bit and gain chemistry.

14. Johnny

    Man give the cavs more credit. The back court looks to exceed expectations and hopefully we retain Varejao. Considering how weak the east routinely is, you really see “lack of experience” as a legit reason the Cavs won’t make the playoffs?

    • Lang Greene

      Yes, I do. In fact, “lack of experience” is what keeps plenty of teams out of the postseason each year. If the Cavs are holding a playoff spot late this season I’ll buy you lunch.