NBA Chat With Mark Nugent 1/5/12

1. bobby

   How come pistons resigned stucky , prince. they are both cancers to their teams. i recall they both were part of a protest and refused to play in a game last year. stucky is not a pg but the pistons play him as one. he hogs the ball to be a pg.
   prince is a cancer because he is complaining of a knee problem early on in the season. u shouldny pay someone 8 million so they can use their knee injury as the reason they are struggling. funy how prince did not have these problems until he got paid.

   • Mark Nugent

     Welcome everyone to another chat. Please follow me on Twitter @MarkNugentNBA!

     I don’t think Stuckey or Prince are cancers, I think that is a bit harsh. However, I would not have re-signed Prince. He is a veteran and doesn’t fit into the rebuilding process. The only hope is that they can trade him for pieces, but the Pistons are years away from competing for a playoff spot, so having a guy like Prince taking minutes away from young guys isn’t helping their future.

     As for Stuckey, I’ve never been a huge fan and I wouldn’t have signed him for more than a year. I would not have made him a multi-year offer. The Pistons just drafted Brandon Knight and I believe he has a brighter future with the team than Stuckey, so why commit to Stuckey for three years?

     I think the biggest issue is management. Dumars hasn’t made good personnel decisions in a long time and if he is tasked with rebuilding the team I think it could be a long long time before they are competitive. Dumars track record over the last 4 years is not in his favor. In my opinion.

2. Sweet Dee

   Rank these trade packages. Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkalou for:
   1) Andrew Bynum + 1rst round pick + spare parts (to make salaries match)
   2) Brook Lopez + two 1rst round picks + spare parts
   3) Al Horford, Marvin Williams, and Jeff Teague + 1rst round pick

   • Mark Nugent

     I would not trade Howard for Lopez and picks. I’d sooner let him walk.

     I’d take Horford and Teague right now. Those are two starters and one all-star. It’s not a perfect deal, but I think it’s better than anything else they will get.

     I love Bynum…When healthy. I have no faith he will stay healthy so I wouldn’t deal for him. I’d rather make Howard play out the season and make one more run!

     Of those three, the only trade I’d consider is the one with the Hawks.

3. bullsfanpr

   Will the Bulls sign another big? Even thou Omer’s minutes have increased and he’s doing a lot of good things defensively they really need another big as an insurance. Could they be waiting for Joel Przybilla? There aren’t a lot of options out there and with every day that goes by without them making a move it’ll be a lot more difficult to get a quality player. Also, why didn’t they try to sign Nate Robinson? He could be instant offense off the bench (which they really need) and now with CJ’s injury we need a better backup than John Lucas III.

   • Mark Nugent

     The Bulls are looking at FA bigs, but nothing is imminent. I expect they’ll do something after the trade deadline or if someone gets injured, but it won’t be a game changer, most likely just a place holder.

     Nate Robinson has had issues in the past and the Bulls don’t want that in their locker room. Plus they have faith in John Lucas as the third PG. He knows the system and doesn’t have any delusions of grandeur. Something that can’t be said about Robinson.

4. Nick

   Why haven’t the CAVS traded jamison, sessions and varajeo already before they win to many games?

   • Mark Nugent

     Jamison is going to be very hard to trade. He is getting paid some 15 million this season and the teams that would want him don’t have a lot of assets that they could send back to the Cavs. My guess is Jamison either gets a buyout later in the year or plays the year out with the Cavs. The Cavs won’t take back any long-term salary unless it nets them some very good assets in return.

     Sessions or Gibson could be moved, that wouldn’t surprise me.

     Varejao is the Cavs biggest trade chip, but seem to like his veteran presence and work ethic. I think they should trade him because he could bring back real good value, but there is something to be said for having a class guy like Andy in the locker room with all the young guys.

5. Mario

   Hey mark what’s up buddy. Tell me has my man boozer lost his lift or the bulls are just getting back in bball shape. I like booz and hope things get back in order for him but he can’t be playing soft in the paint he needs to be way more aggresive in the post not saying he needs to dunk all the time but he seems to get pushed around more now than the utah or cleveland days to me

   • Mark Nugent

     No, Boozer has lost his lift. He lost his lift a few years ago. I am surprised though with how soft he sometimes goes up. He can dominate against teams that don’t have big inside presence, like the Pistons last night. But when he faces a team like the HEAT or Lakers, he can look lost pretty quickly because he mostly plays away from the basket and below the rim. Those teams definitely play above the rim. I’m not sure why he gets pushed around more, he doesn’t seem to play with the same edge he used to. Could just be the result of several big injuries over the year.

     All that said, when he is hitting his Jumper in the pick and rolls, the Bulls are real tough to beat.

6. Mac

   Andrea Bargnani is the most underrated player in the NBA. He scores at will and is mismatch to 90% of teams due to his length and ability to hit 3′s. But he gets no respect because he averages 5 boards a game out of the center spot. If Bargs didn’t play for the little exposed Canadian team and wasn’t forced to play out of position, he would be a LEGIT candidate for the all-star team (even at the PF spot). Agree or Disagree?

   • Mark Nugent

     Disagree. I agree that he is an under-appreciated scorer. He is a matchup nightmare for most teams in the league. He can post, he drive, he can shoot the 3. That’s pretty good. However, he is a terrible defender, I mean really bad. And his rebounding rate for his size shows that he just doesn’t try that hard. If he would start being more physical and get his butt on the defensive glass he could turn into a poor man’s Dirk. But at this point he is who he is.

7. Dennis

   Don’t look now, but the Toronto Raptors are 3 – 3 (and that includes blowing a 14 point second half lead at Orland). Is this wishful thinking or do the Raps have a legit chance to surprise all and finish in the #8 spot?

   • Mark Nugent

     I think the Raps have a legit shot at the 8th seed. The bottom of the East is really bad. Here are my playoff teams that I think are a lock to make it, in no particular order. Bulls, HEAT, Magic (Even if they trade Howard I think they sneak in), Pacers, Celtics, Knicks, and Hawks. I think the 76ers are next and will likely make it by a few games, but I could see the Raptors making a run. I could also see the Knicks not making it if they continue to deal with injuries or if Baron Davis turns out to be terrible. I have the Raptors are the 9th best team in the East right now.

8. Charlie

   If coaches were voting for the Western Conference all-star reserves tomorrow, do you think Kyle Lowry would be named?

   • Mark Nugent

     Well I assume Paul starts at PG. so that means he’s competing with Westbrook, Lawson, Nash, and Ellis for a PG spot. I think the way he is playing right now he DESERVES to make it, but I would have to say that he would be the odd man out. I find it hard to believe Westbrook and Nash wouldn’t make it, and if Ellis keeps scoring he has a shot. With coaches voting you really never know what is going to happen.

9. Emilio (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

   D12+ Hedo to LAL, Pau +Manu+ Tiago Sppiter to Orlando and Bynum to SAS.
   I know Manu is injured but he will back in 6 weeks. Thoughts?

   • Mark Nugent

     Magic would never do that, especially now that Manu is hurt. I’ve heard conflicting reports about what the Magic actually want for Howard, but it’s going to be a lot. A healthy Manu and Pau might fit the bill, but they are both over thirty and I doubt they would take two guys on the backside of their prime.

     This Howard thing is going to be interesting. Sources say the Warriors are interested in Howard and they could really put together a nice package of players and future picks. It’s a package I would like more than Bynum or Pau that’s for sure.

10. matt

    Bargnani’s D has really improved. Hopefully this year he can finally get to at least 7 boards/game (he’s at 6 per right now). He’s currently averaging 24 ppg. Raps are 3-3.

    • Mark Nugent

      I think Bargs has a long way to go before he is even considered an average defender. And with his size and the minutes he plays he should be a lot closer to 10 boards than 5 boards a game.

11. matt

    Candidates for most improved player: DeRozan, P.George, Lowry, G.Monroe, Bargnani, who else?

    • Mark Nugent

      It won’t be DeRozan or Bargs. They both had good years last season. It’s usually someone coming off an injury, but I can’t think of anyone.

      I like Lowry right now. I don’t think George will score enough to be considered, but I love his all-around game.

12. matt

    Hopefully my raps deal Barbosa at the deadline, I’m sure a playoff or contending team could use him 4 a playoff push +/or in the postseason. I

    • Mark Nugent

      I haven’t heard anything about Barbosa. He makes a a lot of money this year, so I think it’s doubtful he’s moved, but who knows.

13. Tony

    Shumpert seems like the real deal after seeing him play against the Bobcats, hes active on both sides of the court and can score a lot better then Fields. Is it time for Fields to take the bench?

    • Mark Nugent

      No, I think you start Fields, but be ready to pull him if need be. The knicks need some defense first players, and Fields is that guy.

      I like Shumpert as a sixth man type off the bench anyway. He has the potential to change games with his athleticism.

14. matt

    I think (in no specific order), Bulls, Heat and OKC are favourites to win the title. Heat have the best SG/SF/PF combo in the league, Bulls have the best 1 through 10 in the league, OKC has probably the best pure scorer.

    • Mark Nugent

      I agree. I said it last year and I’ll say it this year. The Bulls and HEAT will play in the Eastern Conference finals and sadly the officiating will have a lot to do with the outcome.

      As for the West, I think OKC and Dallas are the two teams to beat. I like OKC, but I think the Mavs will pull it together and will be very difficult to beat come playoff time and if Dirk and the gang are hitting like they did last year then all bets are off.

15. matt

    If Andrea Bargnani keeps his play how it is, Valanciunas coming over + Amir Johnson not having trade value, is Ed Davis the odd man out in Toronto. He’s a sophomore, has potential, and last year, after missing first 1-2 mths of the season + averaged 7.7 ppg,7.1rpg,1bpg in 24.6 mins/game.

    • Mark Nugent

      I’m shocked Davis isn’t playing more this year. I thought he’d get 30 minutes a night. I like Davis a lot and if I was the Raptors I would play him over Johnson and I would go with a three man rotation up front instead of a four man like they are doing now. If I’m another team, like the Cavs or Wizards, I’m trying to trade for Ed Davis. I’d try and get him on the cheap while he is only playing 17 minutes a night.

16. Derrick

    Hey Mark,
    My question is how could and do u see the rockets getting
    Better this year? Also what’s wrong with Kevin M. with these
    stupid line up’s or he just a bad coach….

    • Mark Nugent

      I don’t think the Rockets get all that much better this season. I’ve said all along I think they need to start rebuilding, they have all these assets and are trying to land a star, but that just doesn’t happen via trade or free agency unless you are the Knicks, HEAT or Lakers. My advice is start over and trade Scola and Martin while they have value. I think the Rockets could add some decent young talent and picks for either of those players.

      As for McHale, I’m a fan of him as a coach, not an executive. I think he is just feeling out the roster and hopefully in a few weeks he’ll have a set rotation that makes sense.

17. john package

    is there a possibility that the orlando magic trade for steve nash ( nelson picks and someone )

    • Mark Nugent

      The Suns would have to make him available and as of right now they haven’t done that. The only reason to go to a Suns game right now is Steve Nash and I think management understands that. I believe they would be willing to trade him if he asked for a deal, but I think that’s the only way he gets moved, and as of right now he seems content to play out his time with the Suns.

18. barney

    orlando magic
    - what do you think about their chances
    - what player do you think they should pursue
    thanks

    • Mark Nugent

      They should and from what I understand are pursuing anyone that could help them. Unfortunately I don’t think they have enough assets to land any player that will make a significant difference to their season.

      I think the Magic as currently constructed are a solid 4-6 seed in the east. I don’t think they can beat the Bulls or HEAT in a 7 game series, but otherwise they are right there with the rest of the East.

19. like a bull

    Bulls made a mistake by not drafting MarShon Brooks?

    • Mark Nugent

      I disagree. Brooks is a very nice player, but he likely wouldn’t crack the rotation for the Bulls this year or next year. Thibs loves playing vets and isn’t a fan of playing rookies, according to reports and of course his history and teams he was the assistant coach on had the same thing. I think Brooks will be a very good player, but from what I’ve seen of Mirotic overseas, I think he could be a game changer. Not saying it’s a done deal, but he could be a serious player as a stretch power forward in a couple years. The Bulls are in win now mode and I don’t believe Brooks would have helped them. Mirotic is a risk that could pay off huge down the road and I think that was worth passing on a guy like Brooks.

      Keep in mind, the Bulls are trying to win now, while setting themselves up for the future. They have years of Derrick Rose in his prime and they want to try and rebuild on the fly, not an easy thing to do, but one way to do it is by drafting players who will stay overseas for a few years, much like the Spurs have done in the past with Splitter.

20. like a bull

    Noah and Booz needs to be on the trading block. Asik and gibson are always in the game during clutch moments. what can we get for Noah&Boozer

    • Mark Nugent

      Boozer, Nothing. He is about as untradeable a player as there is in the NBA. He has a huge contract and is playing like a 5 million a year guy.

      Noah could bring back a could payload though, but who would you trade him for. The depth in the front court for the Bulls is their biggest strength, they go a legit four deep up front and I don’t think there is another team in the league that can do that. I’d be willing to trade Noah, but it would have to be for an upgrade, like Howard or Gasol or someone in that category. I’m not trading Noah for picks, what he brings to the table is still very valuable and hard to come by in the NBA. He’s still a top 10 center.