NBA Chat With Mark Nugent 8/16/12

Join HOOPSWORLD’s Newsline Editor Mark Nugent for his weekly chat this Thursday at 6pm EST.  Mark is based out of Chicago and covers all things NBA so get your comments and questions in early.

  1. Sweet Dee

    Am I the only one who believes Philly got the short end of the Dwight Howard trade? They gave up Iguodala (defensive leader of team), Vucevic (young 7 foot center), Harkless (16th overall), and a future 1rst round pick for an oft injured center. People keep focusing on Bynum’s past year instead of his career as a whole which has been riddled with injuries (now news of another knee procedure). I think the Sixers will take a step back this year. Agree or Disagree and why?

    • Mark Nugent

      I think they gave up a lot for Bynum, but I also think that is fair market value for the second best center in the league who is only in his mid twenties and hasn’t hit his prime yet. The big loser in the trade was Orlando. They got virtually nothing in return for Howard. There is risk with Bynum, but I think it is worth the risk. he could help that team be an actual contender. If Evan Turner can live up to his potential and number 2 overall draft status, then the Sixers could really be something. Keep in mind, if this backfires on them they didn’t give up any lottery picks and they will have cap space next year if Bynum doesn’t return. If he’s healthy and the Sixers offer him the max, I’m willing to bet he does return.

  2. Zeeshan

    If im the Bulls this is what i do the rest of this offseason, next offseason, and in 2014

    This offseason;

    - We done. We dont got money LOL

    Next offseason

    -resign Marco Belineli to 1-2 year contract
    -let all other FA’s walk
    -draft a back up C
    -sign Kevin Martin to a 3-4 year contract at fair price by using Rip’s $5M trade exception and other money
    Hopefully Taj has his extension by now, if not match sny offer for him

    2014:
    -amnesty Boozer
    -hopefully Mirotic joins us
    -let all FA’s walk including Deng except resign Marco for a young and cheap backup SG again if needed…
    -sign Rudy!(Bulls need a actual 2nd option who can create and is athletic)

    Do u like it? Is it possible to u?? Thoughts??? Thanks!!!(:

    • Mark Nugent

      Rudy? Who is this Rudy you speak of? If it’s Fernandez he is unlikely to ever return to the NBA. I wouldn’t really do any of these things except amnesty Boozer. I’m not a fan of Martin, he’s aging and by 2014 he won’t be a starting caliber 2-guard. What the Bulls should be doing is looking at young options at the 2-guard to pair with Rose. I’d take a chance on Tyreke Evans or Wes Johnson before I’d sign Martin. I want young, not old.

      I would break down exactly what I would do if I was the Bulls, but it doesn’t matter. They seem to have this 2014 plan in mind, which I think is a joke. Either make the team better or admit that the most important thing is avoiding the luxury tax and being competitive is secondary. Which they won’t do. The Bulls had options to improve the team this offseason and didn’t, I don’t expect them to do anything to make the team better until at least 2014.

  3. Chris

    Hi Mark. A.Is ) there anything the NBA could do to insure more equitable distribution of superstar players and prevent the formation of super teams? B.) Wouldn’t such a league generate more revenue than the current incarnation? C.) As a fan, (contrary to the proclamations of talking heads at ESPN based in NY and LA) doesn’t the current incarnation suck the fun out of the game?

    • Mark Nugent

      A. There is certainly something the NBA could do, but they don’t want to. We just had a lockout a year ago that could have helped that, but the NBA seemed to cave once the NBPA gave in on the financial demands.
      B. Super teams are good for business especially when they are in the major markets. Fans either watch the Lakers to cheer for them or root for them to lose. Like the HEAT the last 2 years.
      c. It doesn’t suck the fun out of the game for me. What it does do though is makes it hard for fans in small markets to really love and support a team. Unless a small market gets lucky by landing a Durant or Duncan, it’s becoming harder for those teams to compete. The Sacramento Kings have made decent lottery picks for several years now, and the team really isn’t close to pushing for the playoffs. But if you look at who they drafted in the last 4 lotteries, they probably took the right guy. It just takes luck to land Durant and not Oden.

  4. Peter

    Hey Mark, Seems like it’s going to be a 2 horse race between the Thunder and Lakers at the top of the Western conference. How are the Spurs going to keep up with them? They have been the leader of the pack during the season in the West and were favs to win it all last season. Starting to get a lil worried about my spurs.

    • Mark Nugent

      The Spurs are the most disciplined team in the NBA with the best coach in the NBA. That’s how. I think it will ultimately come down to the Thunder and Lakers, but don’t count out the Spurs, that is a tough team. If just one of their young guys, like Leonard or Splitter, can step up that team will be very tough. Lets not forget just how old Kobe and Nash are, and Howard has a surgically repaired back. A lot could go wrong with the Lakers next year.

  5. Roger

    If you were the Magic a month ago, would you pull this trade: Magic get D. Wade and Bosh for D. Howard, Duhon, Richardson, Hedo (Maybe)? This is of course just hypothetical and we know Pat Riley wouldn’t break up a championship roster a-la Cuban.

    • Mark Nugent

      The HEAT would not have traded Wade or Bosh straight up for Howard right after they won the title. so no reason to talk about that.

  6. Wilson Chandler

    Sucks to be me right now. Should I ask for a trade to a SF starved team like Cleveland?

    • Mark Nugent

      Nope. You just got a huge contract. You are probably smiling all the way to your new sweet condo over looking the Toronto Skyline. I’m just assuming of course.

  7. Tasia

    Can a team use the Derrick Rose rule twice?

    • Mark Nugent

      I’m not a 100% sure. I believe a team can only sign one true max five year player. So the Bulls cannot sign another player to a five year max deal. i think they can re-sign their own player for five years, but not at the max money. However, I suggest to ask Larry Coon this question, because he is the king.

  8. Ron

    Hey Mark, Do you think the Heat actually got much better this off season? Ray is a great pick up,but he doesnt fill a need, they are weak at the 1 and 5 and have done nothing to address that. Their biggest problem has always been Rondo, they cant guard him and he single handedly nearly eliminated them this year with only the help of a few pensioners who could harldy move. The Lakers just massivly upgraded at the 1 and 5 and will be tough for the heat to handle. Do you think Pat Riley should have tried to plug the holes rather then go for Ray and Rashard?

    • Mark Nugent

      I think they got better for sure. Allen and Lewis are both upgrades over what they were playing with last season. They still don’t have a good PG and they have no center in the middle. But if Wade and James are allowed to hack and slash on defense, then they don’t need a center. And on offense, right now James is so good that all he needs are three point shooters so the lane doesn’t get too clogged. The HEAT definitely got better and I’d be shocked if they didn’t return for a third time to the Finals this upcoming season.

  9. shaullenny

    http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=8pfapmx
    To lal j.smith
    to atl p.gasol, o.casspi, a.goudelock, 2 second rd picks from cle
    to cle z.pachulia, s.blake
    lakers free up some cap space
    then re-sign howard and smith

    • Mark Nugent

      I doubt Atlanta wants Gasol. he’s getting up their in age and they are clearly thinking young. It’s great for the Hawks, Smith and Howard protecting the rim would be scary, plus Smith can get out and run with Nash.

  10. Shaullenny

    http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=963vkaq
    to hou l.deng, j.j.reddick, j.butler
    to orl j.noah, g.forbes,t.jones, d.montejunas
    to chi k.martin,a.harrington, j.mcroberts, q.richardson, p.patterson, 2 second rd picks from hou

    • Mark Nugent

      No way the Bulls trade noah and Deng for virtually nothing. Unless the Bulls decide to get rid of contracts to avoid the luxury tax, don’t expect the Bulls to make any major moves.

      For the record, I think the Bulls will do everything they can to trade Hamilton, which would put them under the tax. If they cannot do this, it would not surprise me at all if they trade Deng or Noah. What will surprise me is if the Bulls actually do pay the tax at the end of the season.

  11. A True Cavalier

    I have been hearing a rumor that the Cavs and T’Wolves have been in trade talks. Can you expand any on this?

    I heard it first, last week, from Mary Schmitt Boyer and she wrote, “I’ve seen the rumors about D.Williams, L.Ridnour, & draft picks for A.Varejao. I know the Cavs will consider anything they feel will improve the team long-term, and they do love to add draft picks. It would be interesting to wind up with the Nos. 1 and 2 picks from the 2011 draft, but I’m not sure about this one.”

    I also saw this on espn’s rumor page @ http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors/_/date/20120814#26614

    I know this is just a rumor so I’m not sure how much more insight you can add lol but thx

    • Mark Nugent

      I haven’t heard much on the Cavs since the Howard/Bynum trade, but they definitely will listen to anything that gets them younger, cheaper and puts them in a better position moving forward. The ‘Wolves are in win now mode, but I don’t expect them to make any moves until the season starts. If things go sour, expect them to trade youth for veterans, that’s when I could see them trading Williams.

  12. LA in LA

    I think Pau Gasol has become underrated outside of his terrible playoff performances which I’m not including in this question since other top 5 PFs don’t have similar (or any) playoff sample size. When people talk about Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, Dirk, they fail to bring up Gasol! Gasol is better than all those guys except probably Love. Of those 4 mentioned he is arguably the 2nd best rebounder, after love, maybe 3rd after Griffin. His offensive game is more well rounded and efficient than anyone mentioned there besides Dirk. And he is the best defender of those 5, not to mention the best passer. Is Gasol not the 1st or 2nd PF, and a top 20 player?

    • Mark Nugent

      Gasol isn’t better than Dirk and never has been. In fact, I’d take all the guys you just mentioned over Gasol, especially with Gasol’s age. That said, Gasol is still great and probably 6th on the list of top PFs.

  13. Jazzfan

    Thanks for your time. Do you think we’ll ever see a hard cap in the NBA? I think one day the small market team owners should just stand up and say we want a hard cap or we fold up shop, that would leave only like 5 teams standing which would surely force a hard cap to happen right? I know that’s unrealistic but as a fan I hate seeing the league slowly becoming a 4 or 5 team league in terms of championships. The luxury tax isnt that great of a compromise because most of the large market teams make more than enough to cover the tax.

    • Mark Nugent

      No I don’t think we will see a hard cap. I don’t think the owners really want a hard cap and the players will sit out a full year before agreeing to it, maybe even two years. The small market owners, for the most part, are still making money. And for most of them that’s what this is about. Owning a NBA franchise to show off to other rich friends and then making sure they aren’t losing money by owning it. All the luxury tax does is put more money in the pockets of the smaller franchises. It doesn’t really stop any of the major markets from spending, except Chicago of course.

  14. Shaullenny

    What do you think houstons roster will be like on opening night, what about their starting line-up, do you think they will waive their non-guaranteed contracts (Fortson,Simpson,Smith, Williams, and s.livingston, do you see them trading k.martin, and players like montejunas, t,jones, r,white, j.lamb, p.patterson, g.forbes, t.douglas, m.morris, j.johnson, j.brockman and c.parsons for a guy like josh smith, or bargnani

    • Mark Nugent

      I have no idea who will start. And I mean literally none. I confident Lin and Asik start, but after that I’m clueless. I think the roster will look a lot like it does right now on opening night.

  15. Tanbir

    How do you see the Cleveland Cavaliers doing this upcoming season?

    • Mark Nugent

      I’m not sure they will be better than last year. I’m not sold on Dion Waiters, I think that was a bad pick, I hope I’m wrong, but picking a guy who cannot start for a college team usually doesn’t work out well. I think it’s time for them to try and trade Andy V. and try and pick up some young guys or picks.

  16. Tigermask

    Mark,I love to bust your chops on your stance that Rondo is in your opinion only at top 8 point guard, and you have been a good sport about it. I know that it is a subjective to try and rank one player from another, but would you agree that if we look to quantify the essence of a great pg, you would see that Rondo should rank as an elite point guard? Would you agree that he has elite pg attributes of passing, defending, rebounding, athletic ability, BB IQ, speed, penetration, big game and playoff experience? Maybe his jumper and scoring is not at an elite level, but you can not honestly say that in all of the rest of the attributes that are mentioned he is not right up there with the Chris Paul, D Williams, D Rose and the four or five other PGs you have ranked above him? I am not implying he is the best PG in the league, but it is ridiculous to proclaim he is the 8th or 9th best PG in the NBA.

    • Mark Nugent

      Is top 8 not considered elite? Because to me it is. Let me ask you a question, who would you rather have: DRose, DWill, Paul, Nash (Just for this year), Westbrook or Rondo. There is no way I take Rondo over any of those five guys. None!

  17. Gustavo A Thomas

    Orlando magic front office always said,on D12 trade they looking for a) good young players b) CAP relief c)good draft picks.in this trade the best player they get was the overpay A Affalo,they bring to this team Al harrington,A Affalo and josh macrobert bad contracts and they even cant get one lottery pick.the true is they miss the target, they trade the best NBA center right now, almost for nothing. What you think?

    • Mark Nugent

      I think they traded a top five player in the NBA for virtually nothing. This is a terrible trade. Afflalo is way overpaid and has four years left on his deal. Harrington is way overpaid. They got zero lottery picks or even potential lottery picks. that makes no sense. They missed the target by a mile and I truly believe they would have been better served holding onto Howard then taking the garbage they got in return. it’s just an awful deal and for the life of me I cannot understand why they made it. i’d rather he walk then take back what they got.

  18. Gustavo A Thomas

    The best Mitch Kupchak trade like Lakers gm is? A) trade for P Gasol b) trade frame for CP3 c)S&T for S Nash d) trade for D12 e) trade L Walton. I believe every Mitch Kupchak trade worth a Oscar but find somebody to take L Walton deserve a Nobel prize. What you think? Thank you.

    • Mark Nugent

      It’s Pau Gasol. they gave up nothing for Gasol. For Howard at least they had to give up an all-star in Bynum.

  19. Charlie

    I recent report came out which stated the Detroit Pistons wanted Greg Monroe to play some power forward this year. This may make sense from a positional standpoint, as Greg may be more suited at the 4. But looking at the Pistons roster, I can’t see who would plug the 5 spot. Are they expecting a 19 year old Greg Monroe or 37 year old Ben Wallace to start or take 30+ minutes a night at center. Did they sign a big I am not aware of. How do you think this will play out in Detroit this year?

    • Mark Nugent

      The ultimate plan is for the Pistons to start Monroe at the four and Andre Drummond at the five. This probably won’t happen this year, but maybe next year. So the Pistons want to transition him to the four so he will be ready when/if Drummond is ready to start.

  20. Kevin

    The Lakers lineup is pretty much complete, with the addition of Meeks! But if they’re going to make a serious run at the title, they need a solid veteran SG/SF to backup the three spot! Jamieson is too big to play the three on defense against a lot of teams and Ebanks needs more time to develop. I like Pietrus, Webster and Daniels at the min. Even like Barbosa ($1.5 mil) playing with Meeks at the 3! Wanted your opinion on the backup 2 & 3 spot?
    Would Indy be interested in doing a sign & trade, Barbosa for young talent, so Lakers can offer him more than min?

    • Mark Nugent

      I don’t think the Lakers need much right now, they are pretty loaded. But they still might re-sign Matt Barnes and even if not, Kobe Jamison, and Meeks can play some minutes throughout the game at the three if Ebanks struggles. They are pretty much loaded.

  21. paprika

    Are the 76ers done dealing? I feel like they need a back up pg now that they lost lou, is it evan turner who will play a lil pg minutes? And lastly sir, amare in the olajuwon camp doin a 2 week training. Will we see a beast in the post when nba starts and FINiSH?!!!

    • Mark Nugent

      I think they are done dealing, but may add someone for the vets minimum.

      I hope Amar’e can get back to being a beast, but he looked really slow last year and that explosion was a huge part of his game. Also, I don’t imagine it’s easy being the number two scorer next to Anthony. That has to be tough.

  22. Chris

    Hi Mark. Do you think the combination of a condensed NBA schedule and the Olympics will impact the play/numbers of the older Olympians who already have serious mileage (i.e. Kobe -34, Pau – 32, Manu – 35, Tony Parker – 30)?

    • Mark Nugent

      I certainly think it’s possible, but I doubt it. Those guys know how to rest and I expect them to workout the rest of the offseason and basically just chill out until training camp. I think they will be fine.

  23. Shaulenny

    http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=8t4q7q5
    lakers get josh smith and michael kidd gilchrist
    bobcats get derrick williams g-lock and 1 st round pick from minny lottery protected
    hawks get nikola pekovic,dante cunningham,and luke ridnour and a second rpound pick bobcats
    minny get pau gasol, jonh jenkins djo, robert sacre, cash 3 mil and rigths to elonu and second round pick from the hawks and lakers
    i took this from laker rumors

    • Mark Nugent

      NO! Not every team is out to make the Lakers a dynasty. I know it seems that way, but seriously, a lot of teams are trying to make themselves better, not the Lakers.

      This is a terrible trade for virtually everyone involved except the Lakers. At least with the Howard deal three teams did well, and the Magic did terrible.

  24. Shaullenny

    http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=8sz9g8z
    to chi m.w.peace, s.blake, c.duhon, e.clark, a.goudelock, rights d.j.odom, 2016 2nd rd pick, 2017 2nd rd pick, 2018 2nd rd pick
    to lal l.deng
    2013 then chi amnesty m.w.peace

    • Mark Nugent

      Chicago cannot amnesty a player they received in trade. They can only amnesty players on the team before the lockout. Plus the Bulls will only trade Deng if they decide to give up on the season and make sure they get under the Lux Tax. Also, this trade is terrible for the Bulls.

  25. Randy

    Dwight Howard
    Chris Paul
    Andrew Bynum
    Josh Smith
    James Harden
    Serge Ibaka
    Andre Iguodala
    Monta Ellis

    Of these 2013 free agent names, who is likely to change teams?

    • Mark Nugent

      Josh Smith. I think he goes where the money is and I’d be surprised if the Hawks max him out.

  26. Cain

    What is a realistic expectation for George Hill and Paul George?
    Hill 14-2-6?
    George 16-7-3?

    • Mark Nugent

      I think Hill is pretty much dead on, but I’d like to see him average closer to 8 assists. As for George, I’m not sure he gets enough shots to average 16. West will be back to 100% and Hill will score more than Collison did last year. Plus Hibbert will continue to grow. I’d put George around 13 per game. and 6 boards.

  27. Cain

    Can OJ Mayo get back to his 17-18ppg a game and it be on a winning Mavericks side?

    • Mark Nugent

      absolutely. I will be shocked if he doesn’t have a big year with the Mavs. I expect him to average at least 17ppg and 4 assists and I expect his shooting % to go back up to around 45% from the field and 35% from three.

  28. Frank

    Doesn’t the fact the Orlando Magic didn’t want Andrew Bynum be a concern to Philly fans. They traded the heart and soul of their team for this guy, yet a rebuilding Magic team did their research and opted not the take the chance on Bynum (attitude, work ethic, injury history). If you were a Sixers fan, would this concern you? And if you were running the show in Orlando, would you have preferred Bynum or the young players, picks, and cap relief they received.

    • Mark Nugent

      I think the Sixers did their research as well and are also in a different position. The Magic want to bottom out and start completely over. The Sixers are trying to make the jump from 8 seed to top four seed and they think Bynum can help them get there.

      I would have preferred anything to what the Magic actually got in trade for Howard. I cannot explain to you how poorly I think the Magic did in this trade, it makes me sad to think about it.

  29. Frak

    Hi Mark,
    Hope all is well. 2 KINGS questions 1)What SF in the league has comparable value to Tyreke? 2)Who did you expect to be the starting PG for the KINGS, I.T. or A. Brooks?
    thanks.

    • Mark Nugent

      First, I think and have said for four years now that I believe Evans is a 2 guard and that is where he should be playing. I think he compares to Trevor Ariza (Ariza better on D, Evans better on O), Caron Butler those are the two that are closest. I also think he compares to Mayo and Afflalo as well.

      Brooks will be the starter, I’ll be shocked if he’s not.

  30. Jackie-O

    What do you think about the bulls trading rip hamilton and second round pick to sacramento for tyreke evans?

    • Mark Nugent

      I’d love it. I think that makes sense for the Bulls and I think the Kings need to trade Evans because he isn’t happy in Sacramento and the Kings seem ready to move on, as evidenced by no extension talks.

      I will say the Bulls would probably have to give up a first rounder along with Rip though.

  31. Jim Nugget

    With all his health issues, would it be better for the Nuggets to bring Gallo off the bench and start Chandler ?

    • Mark Nugent

      No. I don’t think that matters. I think the Nuggets should start whoever they feel is better. And they need his scoring with McGee and Faried also starting.

  32. Lakers #1 Fan

    Hi Mark. Thanks for taking the time to our answer questions. I have 2 of them.

    1.) When will we start seeing sponsors/advertising on NBA Jerseys?

    2.) If you look at the NBA team salaries on Hoopsworld.com the bottom portion has salary $$$’s for players who have retired years ago. Example Lakers show Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, Horace Grant. What does that mean?

    Thank you for your time.

    • Mark Nugent

      1. I think it’s going to be 2013-14, I could be wrong, but that day is definitely coming.

      2. I think it’s just for comparison. Just for fun. But Steve Kyler is our publisher, direct this question to him and he will know for certain.

  33. Tony

    What are the next steps the Pacers need to take?

    • Mark Nugent

      George and Hill need to make the leap to all-stars and Hibbert needs to get even better and dominate games from the block.

  34. Sweet Dee

    If you were starting a team from scratch, rank your preference for center: Brook Lopez, Nene Hilario, Greg Monroe, Andre Bogut, and Javale McGee

  35. Tracy

    Hi Mark, love your chats man!
    I know there were some rumors of Pau for Josh Smith, and I know they were all false, but hypothetically, if you were the Lakers would you do a straight up deal of Pau for Smith? Do you think there’s any chance at all of this happening, or are the Lakers really high on keeping Pau now that they have Nash?

    • Mark Nugent

      I don’t think there is any chance of this happening. Gasol is owed 19 million i Believe next year and that’s way too much. Smith is cheaper and younger and comes off the books next offseason so they can decide whether they want to bring him back or not.

      If I’m the Lakers I’d probably lean towards Gasol because they are in win now mode. However, if they are looking at the next five years I’d go with Smith.

  36. Tracy

    I keep hearing mixed reports concerning Dwight starting the season or not. I know he has started doing some light training and drills at the UCLA facilities. Do you have any news on how his back’s doing and whether or not he’ll be ready for camp or the start of the season?

    • Mark Nugent

      Last report I read is that it’s unlikely he starts on time, but that he should only miss a few games. Mostly the Lakers want to be sure he’s 100% before he suits up for his first game with the lakers. If he does miss the start of the season, don’t expect him to be out long though.

  37. ted the talking bear

    Why didnt the celtics focus first on signing kaman, i rather have him than c.lee. they already got terry anyway?

    • Mark Nugent

      Kaman would have cost too much and they knew that. Kaman got some 8 million for this season. The Celtics had the MLE and then a trade exception around 5 million also. that’s why they went after Terry and Lee.

  38. Magic Mo

    I don’t think the Magic did that bad of a job as everyone thinks they did. They weren’t getting a star caliber player to stay long term so they did what was best for them by getting tons and tons of cap relief. They can sign two max players within two years and got a big trade exception from Dwight for Vucevic. With that being said, who do you think the Magic should target in the free agency market in the upcoming years and what position should they try to rebuild with when they become a lottery team?

    • Mark Nugent

      They didn’t get tons of cap relief, they got some cap relief. A trade exception doesn’t do much these days, but it’s something I guess. The only major free agents whoever chose the Magic were back in 2000. It’s been 12 years, the free agent route is unlikely to pay off, they are looking to build through the draft.

      They should draft the best player available and they should under no circumstance over pay players, much like they just did with Jameer Nelson. I have no idea what the Magic are thinking these days. In my opinion everything they’ve done has been wrong this offseason.