NBA Chat With Stephen Brotherston 10/1/12

1. Tom Eurich

   Who will be the Raptors starting 2 guard? I heard both Fields and DeRozan. I think Fields fits that position best because then the Raptors two best defenders are the guard position. Also, DD’s skills fit better at SF

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Welcome to this afternoon’s chat.
     It’s Media Day in The NBA and I have just returned from the ACC so I haven’t had the chance to catch up on all the gossip from around the league yet – but everything should still be coming up roses, in most places anyway

     The official line from Casey & Colangelo is the only guaranteed starting job is Bargnani at PF – BUT count on DeRozan starting at 2 and Fields starting at 3 – Book it.

2. Tom Eurich

   What pieces can we trade in order to get a good SF like a Luol Deng, Danny Granger, Wilson Chandler, or a Rudy Gay?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     First step is a team making one of those players available (not currently the case), 2nd is ensuring you are not buying damaged goods, then 3rd the big contract the Raptors have available for a player who upgrades their roster is Jose Calderon at $10.5m + then one or two of the young guys to make a deal happen – but this only works if the other team needs/wants a starting PG or an expiring contract.

     If a deal including Jose was going to happen – it would have happened already – but as Colangelo explained – the only move that came close was a move to amnesty Calderon to sign Steve Nash in Free Agency and that never came thru.

     Colangelo said everyone is available for the right deal this morning

3. jay

   NBA.com says NBA League Pass is $180 right now for a limited time. When does that Limited time offer end and how much is the regular price?

   Is it worth all that money?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     I’ve never bought NBA league pass – I usually can choose between 2 or even 3 games on any given night with my cable package – League pass is probably worth it if you have basic cable, but you need to do some math first and you need to be a die hard fan

4. Ron

   Donatas Motiejunas is going to surprise everybody and have a better year than Jonas Valanciunas. Donatas seems to be more NBA Ready and much more skilled Offensively and his game will translate better than Jonas.

   • Stephen Brotherston

     As is always true, the proof is in the playing…..
     Don’t look to summer league as much of a guide – summer league doesn’t tell you who will be good, it might tell you who is likely to be bad, but don’t even read into that to much there either.
     Donatas will get to play – so he will get his chance – But Coach Casey has said JV will play in Toronto as well and is good enough to contribute on a winning team now.

5. Steven

   Good Day,
   Would you trade Demar for Tyreke Evans straight up?

   Thanks

   • Stephen Brotherston

     I’ve seen DeMar a lot and mostly know Tyreke by reputation, so while I am tempted to say yes – there’s a real risk of underestimating how much DeMar can develop under Casey and evaluating Tyreke based on his rookie season.

     Teams don’t like to trade their young developing guys that they control under rookie contracts for good reason – they are relatively cheap and relatively easy to bail on if they are not living up to your needs.

     When push comes to shove, it would be really tough for Toronto to decline that trade and really tough for Scaramento to accept trading the 4th pick of 2009 for the 9th pick (for the same reason) – So it depends which team you are routing for if you like this trade.

6. Steve

   Is this raptors team similar to the one in 2009-2010 where the raps just missed the playoffs? Or do you think they have enough talent to do better.

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Colangelo compares this team to the 2006-07 team that made the playoffs against a significantly weaker Atlantic Division than we see today – I agree. Raptors could play as well as that 47-win team did in 2006-07 and end up at 41-wins and fighting for an 8th seed.

     There is talent to be better than a .500 team, but that’s asking a lot – we still need to see how well this group meshes together – how well some of the new acquisitions play

7. Gabe

   I wanted to see the Knicks practice, so i decided to go to a retirement home. I didn’t see any of the Knick players or coaches. With this lack of commitment, do you think it will cost them?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Bill suggested MSG has become like a NBA retirement this off season earlier today – so hopefully, if you got onto the practice court, you would have seen some of the newcomers. All kidding aside – the Knicks have gone all-in with this collection of aging veterans – this is a (very) short term plan to get the most out of what they got now and if it doesn’t work – it will cost them.

8. cal

   What is your take on Quincy Acy? Who would you compare his game to?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Quincy is an energy guy – he might actually end up more like James Johnson than anyone else – hopefully a little more accepting of his role as we know what Casey does with players who don’t accept the role he gives them.

9. LA in LA

   I stumbled across this article criticizing ESPN’s nba rankings and Kobe’s rank (as being too high)for having a low correlation to Win Profits (Numbers never lie, Right?).
   Going off win profits, who wins a 7 game series between his all underranked team All underranked team:
   PG:Steve Nash, SG: James Harden / Manu Ginobli, SF:Andre Iguodala, PF: Kenneth Faried, C:Tyson Chandler.
   And his All overranked team:
   PG: Derrick Rose / Deron Williams, SG: Kobe Bryant / Russell Westbrook (not a typo), SF: Carmelo Anthony, PF: Dirk Nowitzki
   C: Chris Bosh

   • Stephen Brotherston

     The phrase is Lies, Dam* Lies, and Statistics.

     As a career numbers guy – who used stats to prove just about whatever point my clients were trying to make – don’t believe in the Stats unless they are confirmed by what you see on the court and how the experts (coaches & scouts) say about the player.

     Any GM who picked players for real off of these generalized methods of evaluating talent deserves to be fired – but they are a great tool for your fantasy team.

     I think I’d take Dirk & Bosh over Faried & Chandler every day of the week.

10. LA in LA

    How would you feel about a rule that prevented players without a certain amount of accolades in a 3-4 time span (i.e. 2 All-Star teams OR an All-NBA) from getting paid over $10 mil per year? (Ik players union would never agree btw. Also this idea come’s from a Bill Simmons column ) It might hurt some talented guys like say AI from getting properly paid but I feel like it would be worth it for stopping more Rashard Lewis contracts from happening.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      I like the current system – players get paid what owners & GMs agree to pay them. Sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re wrong and they have to live with their decisions – just like the rest of us do when we “buy” something.

11. dub

    Hey Steve, I like Lowry’s game alot and. Hes got the strength, dog hustle and the heart which im sure the Toronto crowd will love. Are we seeing toronot’s next alvin williams?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      From an effort standpoint- Lowry to AW is a good comparison and the Toronto fans will appreciate the effort. Lowry is more talented though – should be even more appreciated.

12. dub

    I’m one of the few people that doesnt think the raps should get rid of Ed Davis. I think he’s a project and I seem him having the potential to be Jermaine o’neil-like player. People have to have more patience he’s really only gotten one healthy season under his belt. Jermaine rode the bench for a while too and look how he turned out…

    • Stephen Brotherston

      There is no rush to get rid of Ed, but he is one of the team’s young talents who could end up being traded if Colangelo gets a chance to upgrade the roster. What makes Ed a possible trade asset is precisely what you are saying.

13. dub

    Players like Lowry and Fields came from big markets. Word of mouth is a wonderful thing. Do you think they could play a role in attracting some of their bigger named friends from below the border to come north?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      If Lowry & Fields have success in Toronto, then they will have more pull in attracting free agents. Of course if the Raptors prove they are a team on the rise, that will be an attraction all on its own.

14. Zach

    Stephen, Danilo Gallinari has been due for a breakout year for a while. Do you think now that Iggy has come over Danilo’s potential will stay burid under this monster deep team?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Denver has a deep roster and the rotation will be interesting – the team expects to win games, so if DG has that breakout year – minutes are not going to be an issue – an issue for someone else maybe. Gotta love a competition for minutes on a team that expects to win if you are a fan.

15. francis

    at the trade deadline do you think the raptors will trade calderon and other players for a player like rudy gay or danny granger

    • Stephen Brotherston

      If they can – there is interest – but only if the deal upgrades the roster – remember, Calderon will be an asset in Toronto if he stays – really good backup PG who can start and keep this team on track if Lowry turned an ankle or something

16. Sweet Dee

    Bill Ingram believes this is the last year of the Kings in Sacramento, citing Seattle’s new area deal and other cities with empty arenas just waiting for a pro team (ex. KC, Tampa, St. Louis). Can this actually affect the on court product from the Kings this year? Do players really care as they have guaranteed money regardless of where they play. I’m trying to predict wins for the season, should this factor be taken into account and how much affect do you think it has on the players, coaches, etc.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      It is looking like Sacramento could be moving – but nothing is done until its done – and yes these types of issues effect players, coaches, trainers, staff – same as they would in any company. It’s very hard to pretend these types of issues do not effect you even when you know your own job is secure.

      It will be up to the coaches to keep this “noise” from affecting the play on the court – but that’s really tough

17. Raptorman

    Okay, what is the truth behind the signing of Landry Fields? Was he actually high up on the Raptor’s list of FA last season, or was he the result of a gambled risk bringing in Steve Nash (and nothing more).

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Truth – Raptors could have offered Fields $4m per yr for 3 years and it would have made Fields just as untrade-able for NY – just the same as their back-loaded 3yr $18.75m offer did – but the risk was, the Knicks might have just matched a “market-value” offer. The only way to get a RFA is to offer more than the old team is willing to pay.

      Therefore, one can only conclude – Raptors wanted Fields to end up in Toronto whether they got Nash or not – Argue about the fact he was overpaid – but by definition, if the Raptors got the RFA, he was overpaid – otherwise he’d be a Knick.

18. Matt Maurice

    Jose being traded at the deadline? Thoughts? Seems to make the most sense if he won’t buy into being a backup…

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Colangelo – JC is a valuable trade asset.

      But JC is only a valuable trade asset if he brings something valuable back to the Raptors, otherwise, JC is a valuable PG

19. Jason Witten

    Do you get to go to Halifax for training camp too? Will you Get to view most, if not all of the training camp action? Sounds like a fun partial vacation/work for you! Looking forward to your updates on raptors camp!

    • Stephen Brotherston

      No camp for me this year, But I will be at the Raptors/Knicks preseason game in Montreal!

20. andy

    Mr. Brotherston

    Have you been a Raptor fan from the beginning??

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Been following the team since they played in the Skydome – and that was one strange place to watch a basketball game in.

21. Matt Maurice

    Grade Colangelo on this past off-seasons roster additions/subtractions?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Colangelo did a good job. Lowry is an A+ move, Ross is grade A draft pick (wish Raptors could have picked 1 spot earlier, but that’s the way things go), Fields could be an A or a C – well see if he is the glue-guy this team needs to take the next step when the games start. JV was really last year – but that was an A+ draft (in hindsight)

22. Matt Maurice

    Considering the Raptors have a nice young core with some fresh draft picks, which Raptor has the most potential to be an all-star or impact player in the future, in your opinion?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Potential All-Stars – Bargnani, Lowry – lots to do first, but there are signs
      DeMar DeRozan would like to elevate his game to that level, but we have not seen any signs that it could happen yet.
      I wouldn’t put a rookie’s name beside that question – its not fair (but one could quietly hope)

23. Clipp

    do you think eric Bledsoe Can be a starting pg for another team? Do you think he has improved during the offseason?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Can’t think of one this season. Give the guy a little more time.
      For Bledsoe, the improvements he needs to make are not visible until he plays in games. Decision-making, control, maturity only show up under the pressure of playing. We know he’s an athlete.

24. Miles Austin

    It seems Lowry is considered a “borderline all star” By many. Considering the depth of great PGs in the nba, how will he get into the ASG? What do you believe it will take to get Lowry into the reserves?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      It’s called playing well and winning games – for Lowry to get noticed in time for an All-Star appearance, the Raptors have to be in the playoff picture and he has to be having a career year.

25. "Reliable Source"

    In your opinion, what do you think the Toronto Raptors are missing in order make the playoffs this 2012-13 season?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Missing? Nothing but playing well. It would help if Deng or Noah haven’t really recovered or if NY implodes on itself or if the Hawks decide to continue the retooling process midseason or the 76ers can’t get their act together fast enough after all the roster moves – but the Raptors can’t control what happens on other teams so they’ll just have to stick with playing well – they have the talent & the coaching to make the playoffs.

26. Kyle

    Glad to hear Chicago just signed Thibs to a 4 year new deal. I’ve also heard the Chicago Bulls are getting close to signing Taj Gibson to a contract extension. What are the chances that Taj is the starting power forward this season? and what are the chances of Boozer getting traded this year?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      I have no idea how the Bulls can talk anyone into taking Boozer – but since guys with bigger contracts have been traded, its possible (but???) and Boozer would be more effective on a team with a different style.

      Gibson was a great find and he is good enough to start – not sure how he can get to start in Chicago. Can’t see Boozer coming off the bench.

27. Demarcus Ware the sack machine!

    Looking at photos of raptors, it seems Landry Fields has done wonders for the team chemistry. There was a pic of Acy, Ross, amir, and fields all at the blue jays game having a great time and then again in the photo shoots today. Landry has brought a level of enjoyment to the team. Do you agree with this assessment?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Landry is a locker room kind of guy – and so is John Lucas – that will be one up beat locker room to start the season – lots of positive vibes.

28. Demarco Murray

    What do you think of the “LETS GO RAPTORS” that erupted at a blue jays game recently? Is the city starting to buy into this new look raptors? Never seen this enthusiasm in quite some time and I for one like it!

    • Stephen Brotherston

      fans are crying for any of their pro teams to actually start winning – Raptors are selling hope today and that’s more than the fans have seen for a while. Good news is the hope is based on the team getting better so it has some merit – hard not to like it…

29. Devon Blunt

    What do you think of Lowry and Jose on the court at the same time? Who’s the 1 and who’s the 2? Do you think those two will work well on the court?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      That will depend on the play call – their styles are very different – either guard could play off the ball and be effective depending on the defense – they should make a great zone busting combo.

30. DRE

    Hey,

    Seems like there will be some real battles for minutes this year. Any of the Raptors look like they took advantage of the off season to improve their body or their game? Anyone you believe we be will surprise with?

    Thanks,
    DRE

    • Stephen Brotherston

      As Lowry keeps saying – Fields is a lot better player than most people believe

31. E

    What advantages and disadvantages do the Raps have against other teams that will be competing for the last 4 Eastern Conference playoff spots? Teams like 76ers, Wizards, Hawks, Pacers and Bulls.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Wiz – John Wall is injured (ouch big time) – really a developmental season in Washington
      Bulls – can’t count on Rose this season, don’t like the changes at PG, worry about Deng & Noah – if things go right in Chicago, the Bulls have more talent at this point, but things could easily go wrong.
      Hawks – really shook up their roster trading Joe – are they retooling on the fly?
      76ers are counting on a healthy Bynum who meshes with Coach Collins fast – I’m not sold on the 76ers getting thing together quickly or easily.
      Pacers are the same team as last year with another year’s experience – 2nd best team in the East (not worse than 3rd best)
      Raptors – added players who fit with Coach Casey’s system/style. Upped their talent, but should easily build on last year’s culture change and that’s their advantage.

32. Matt Maurice

    Joe Johnson says Nets can beat the Heat or Lakers for the championship… I’m not even convinced they are as good as everyone says. Thoughts?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Nets are like a brand new team – Chemistry will determine if these guys are pretenders or contenders and its too soon to tell. Lots & lots of questions needing answers in Brooklyn

33. JM

    What are the chances of JC and Lowery getting playing time together?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      You will see 2 PG lineups in Toronto this season – they are pretty common throughout the NBA & Casey views JC as one of his best players. (Lowry is going to start)

34. jm

    Any word on how Casey is planing to resolve the overload at the 4-5 positions. (6 players for 2 spots – LK,ED,AJ,AB,JV and AG)

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Bargnani is the starting PF – after that Casey says players will be fighting for position in training camp and preseason. Casey couldn’t stop talking about how much JV deserves to play as a rookie.

35. Matt Maurice

    James Harden: Does he become a free agent and do the Raptors make a run at him?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      At the end of a long line of teams, the Raptors will toss their hat in the ring. The winner will probably have to talk OKC into a S&T if they want him – so Harden will have a big say in this process.

36. JB

    The schedule looks tough in the first two months for the Raptors. With Val-17 losing time due to injury and the players needing some time to mesh…is .500 for this team by new years realistic?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      If the team wants to compete for the playoffs – they need to stay in touch with the playoff pak, so .500 is an important mark. Schedule is what it is – no one gets a pass because things might be tough early.

      .500 record realistic on Jan 1 – yes

37. JB

    Does Val-17′s injury concern you? another rookie w/o a proper training camp!…ex: E.Davis

    • Stephen Brotherston

      JV injury is not a big concern if he doesn’t miss a preseason game – if it takes longer than that to heal, it could start to impact on his progress this season. Don’t like to see any injuries, they always raise some doubts.

38. DeMar DeRozan

    Am I the next guy to be traded by trade deadline after Calderon?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Too soon to call if anyone is going to be traded by the deadline – if this team meshes well and is in a playoff spot at the deadline – good chance of that – there may be no trades during the season. Colangelo wants to upgrade the roster, he doesn’t really care if its from internal development and team chemistry or via trade – whatever works.

39. Charlie

    With John Wall out approx the first 12 games of the season. One can easily see them with a 4-8 type start or worse. Do you think they can recover from this to still fight for the eight spot. Or will this injury put them behind the 8-ball too much to start the season?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Wizards playoff hopes were slim before, they just dropped to none – but this can still be a big year in Washington if the other young guys can show progress.

40. TDotDizzle

    Why didn’t the Raps at least take a look at Malcolm Thomas? Young guy that fits in with the youth movement, great motor, great rebounder… I’m surprised he had to look overseas for employment, after his summer league outing.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Raptors are not going to be in the player development mode this season – not really fair to add another young player you don’t think you have any minutes for

41. Steven

    Is DeRozan bigger/stronger? Have you seen enough of him over the summer to predict whether he’ll have a good year?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      DD looked the same to me today.
      Can’t predict anything for DD, but DD knows this is a big year for him and he sounds more mature this time. The proof is in the playing…

42. lstyles

    with the dept celtics have and size what is your percantage of celtics coming out of east. i pic them to beat heat. better coaching and size and depth

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Cs have a chance to beat Miami – they are not going to be favored unless one of the big 3 in Miami is hurt – but that doesn’t mean they can’t beat a healthy HEAT squad, just they won’t be expected to.

      Cs have great coaching & great vets – no team is going to look past them

43. JM

    hi,
    Is Lowery that different from Jarrett Jack?They seem to be very similar players, and had very comparable numbers last year.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Lowry has thrived as a starter, Jack thrived as a backup and fell apart as a starter in Toronto (why he was traded). Both do have similar skill sets and styles of play. Lowry being the better defender

44. Johann

    What do you expect from Bargnani this year? Is 22 & 7 fair, in regards to numbers. Also, if things go well, I see the Raps finishing 7th? What do you think

    • Stephen Brotherston

      AB at 22 & 7 and playing well within Coach Casey’s system represents a good year – well within what he’s capable of.

      A lot has to go right for the Raptors to win the battle for 8th, let alone 7th, but its possible. No one can guarantee themselves the 7th or 8th spot at this time.

      That’s all for today. Thanks for all the great comments and questions.