NBA Chat With Stephen Brotherston 10/15/12

1. Blake

   I know it’s only been two preseason games, but at least so far, Alan Anderson is better than Landry Fields. Is it just me thinking this or does the coaching staff see it too? I hate to agree with all of the analysts hating on that contract, but they may just be right after all.

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Welcome to this afternoon’s chat.
     It might be only preseason, but the games are still fun to watch and some young guys are getting run that we aren’t likely to see once the real season starts.

     Shout out – Happy Birthday Alan Anderson – he turns 30 on Tuesday

     If you remember Alan getting his shot last season when he took James Johnson’s minutes – Alan stepped into Coach Casey’s defense and looked like he’d been running it his whole life – That is not a small advantage over Landry Fields who has been learning Casey’s schemes for 2 weeks now.

     I liked what I saw from Alan last season – the guy is solid when he stays within his skill set and if the Raptors have to rely on him to soak up minutes at either wing spot, the team will not suffer at the defensive end or for a lack of 3-pt shooting – Alan can fill his role very well.

     That said, more is expected from Landry – who is just 24-yrs-old – and it is way too soon to be judging how well/fast he’ll adapt to Coach Casey’s game plan. Landry has not been overwhelming, but if he was at this stage, that should have been a surprise. Raptors still have a full 2 weeks of preseason left and we will start to see “normal” player rotations by the end of this week (Kyle get better soon) – I’d hold off on any analysis of Landry’s game for a little longer yet.

     I prefer to think of Alan performances so far as – WOW – this year if the Raptors lose a wing to injury, the team isn’t going to collapse.

2. Sweet Dee

   In response to Kobe Byrant’s criticism, Smush Parker said “out of his own mouth Kobe told me I couldn’t talk to him. That my accolades under my belt weren’t deserving enough for me to talk to him.” It’s statements like this that makes it hard for me to believe there are Kobe Bryant fans out there. He may be a great basketball player, but if true, this line to Smush should open the eyes of even the most unkind people on this planet. In your opinion, should any player (regardless of how great) be able to tell their teammates something like this. And how do you think it would impact player morale / the lockerroom?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     We would like to think every player was always “a good guy” who always put teammates and fans (and media) first – but we know that’s not true and its not true for lots of 20-somethings who are still learning their way in this world, not just pro athletes.

     Fans should love what players do for their team on the court – don’t make them out to be role models unless you see them doing things off the court that justify making them role models.

     Kobe is a great player who wants to win and by his actions, Kobe isn’t overly concerned about hurting someone’s feeling along the way – sometimes that will work, sometimes it won’t, but that’s who he is – a very driven person and it does seem to work for him.

     If Kobe wasn’t on Championship teams, he would take more heat for press like you describe – teams, players, fans will accept a lot if a player helps them win.

3. Deven

   Hi Stephen. I was watching an NBA team preview show this weekend on NBA TV and I was wondering: Why are there always secret scouts?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     They believe it adds entertainment value – have to remember, that’s a TV show first, information second.

4. Charlie

   From this list, who do you rank as the strongest team and why: Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Washington Wizards

   • Stephen Brotherston

     All 3 teams will be relying on a lot of young talent and are rebuilding – but Detroit has young guys with more experience and that will give them the edge.

     I thought the Wiz might be a dark horse until John Wall was hurt – I like what they did to help their young guys develop this season.

5. Dennis

   Who is the leader in Phoenix this year with Steve Nash and Grant Hill gone? Gorgan Dargic, Luis Scola, other?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Coach Gentry will be the leader until someone emerges. Scola has the experience to lead, but I don’t really see it – more of a stabilizing influence. Dragic could become the leader this season – something relatively new for him to take on, but possible. Those were big changes this off season, leadership tends to evolve over time.

6. Frank

   Maalik Wayns is an undrafted rookie out of Villanova. But in his first two games in preseason has killed it for Philly averaging 12 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 23.5 minutes. What do you think of Maalik as a player? And do you think he has solidified taking that back-up PG role with the 76ers this year?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Nothings gets solidified this early unless the Coach believed the job was yours before training camp started.
     Wayns is really young and the 76ers could really use a guy like him to take the backup PG role – it’s worth watching to see if Wayns can convince Coach Collins to trust him. Way too soon to make that call

7. Randy

   Nikola Pekovic only played in 98 games in 6 years in Europe averaging 20.5 minutes a game. He is now asked to play in 82 games per year for 30+ minutes a game. In his only two NBA seasons, he has not lasted the entire season, playing through injuries throughout most of last year = tough guy. My theory is his body will not be able to last the banging style he has throughout the NBA year. What do you think: conspiracy theory or legitimate concern?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Some players turn out to be unbelievably durable – most don’t. Pek is still just 26, so he should have some durability, but – yes – he hasn’t played an entire NBA season yet and until he does, you can’t be sure he ever will.

     Injury is always a legit concern – but beyond proper off season training and a good medical staff, its not in anyone’s control – teams find out how durable their guys are by playing them and finding out.

     I am not overly concerned about Pek’s durability yet.

8. LayHee

   Enes Kanter is shredding it in preseason so far averaging 12.7 points, 12.3 rebounds in 21 minutes over 3 games. He is showing off his new agility and quickness due to all the weight loss in the offseason (between 30-40 lbs). After averaging only 4.6 points and 4.2 boards last year, what is a reasonable statline for Utah fans to expect this year? And would he be a starter on other NBA teams?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     It’s great Kanter showed up in great shape – but it doesn’t change the depth on the Jazz. Kanter will still have to fight for minutes and as long as Al is around and available, those minutes will be backup minutes. Maybe Kanter can convince the Jazz that Al is trade-able?

     There are rebuilding teams Kanter might win a starting job on, but that’s not something we’ll know from a couple of preseason games – very good signs so far though. Kanter is a guy with lots of upside potential – last season wasn’t very representative because of the lockout (for lots of young players)

9. Ricky

   As of right now, I have the Brooklyn Nets ranked as 4th in the Eastern Conference this year (behind Miami, Boston, and Indy). Do you agree? And if you were to put a team higher, who would it be and why?

   • Stephen Brotherston

     Don’t count out the Bulls too early – It’s possible for the Nets to be 4th or 5th -

10. Bubbles

    Brandon Knight has looked like a real stud in preseason so far. After mediocre numbers last year, what are your expectations from him this year. Are you fan? And how would you rank him among NBA PG’s. Top 10? Top 15? Top 20?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Knight is a young developing guard – he still has to surpass Stuckey before I’d move him into the stud category. He had a good rookie campaign, let’s see how he develops as a sophomore.

11. Brandon

    Hi Stephen. Here are some of the vulnerabilities I’ve heard re: the Lakers. How legitimate are they? 1. Age – Nash and Kobe have serious mileage 2. The big hole at SF – Artest is a washed up head case 3. Dwight is coming off a serious surgery 4. A new system 5. Kobe’s knees

    • Stephen Brotherston

      There is always a worst case for everybody, but nobody expects the worst case will actually happen in October.

12. JJBB

    There appears to be significant scepticism out there about Valanciunas’s impact his rookis year and beyond like: he needs to bulk up,he is to weak, he’ll be in constant foul trouble and has limited offensive skills.You have been one of his greatest supporters. I’m wondering after having the opportunity to assess him after a couple preseason games if you want to amend your optimism. How many minutes do you anticipate he will receive this year and correspoonding ppg,rpg and bpg and what might those numbers grow to in year 2?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Casey is going to play JV as many minutes as he can justify – I expect that will be quite a few by the time the season ends – safe bet is 22-28 aver for the season – he will put up reasonable numbers for his minutes, but that’s tough to peg – I think you’ll see him fighting it out for ROY by the end.

13. Huni

    I think Nikola Pekovic is a top 5 center in the league, I mean he put up some eyeopening numbers last season, mostly points and rebounds, what do you think about that?
    I also liked so far what I’ve seen from Jonas Valanciunas, he plays hard and he always can be seen on the court, he demands great attention from the defenders, but on the defensive end he struggled guarding the pick and rolls, what do you think about that?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Top 5 seems pretty generous for Pek – but I do like him as an up&coming center who could make his mark in this league – let’s see what Pek does this season

      Like what we have seen from JV so far – remember he only had 3 practices before his 2nd preseason game, so learning defensive schemes on the fly is to be expected. All rookies have struggles, not really a big deal if the effort and progress is there to match the raw talent

14. Richard

    Hi Stephen,

    I have read a few articles, one last week on bleacher report, on how some feel raptors should retire Vince Carter’s jersey. I am one of the many that still despise carter for the way he left Toronto. However I am not blind to the fact that without him putting raptors on the map, it’s very likely raptors would now be located in Seattle, St Louis, Tampa or any other basketball starved city. Bosh was a good player but did not accomplish enough with the team. Mo Pete, JYD, Alvin Williams were fan favorites but were far from achieving enough to warrant a jersey retirement. I dont think any raptor including bosh and carter did enough in toronto to deserve their jersey retired. What are your thoughts on Carters legacy with the raps? And do you think he or any of the other raps deserve a jersey retirement? Thanks Stephen.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Wait 5-10 years after Vince retires before any serious talk about his Toronto legacy can begin. VC was Toronto’s first true superstar and after the pain he caused on his departure moves further into the past, it might get easier to give him some recognition for what his presence meant to the franchise.

      He is the only player so far who the team & fans could consider giving the permanent recognition of a jersey retirement – but that couldn’t happen today.

15. dub

    I know it’s preseason, but I found watching those first few raptors games it seemed the flow of the offence was struggling. Is this because of intigration of new players or just comes down to its still working out the preseason kinks?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      no real rotations being used yet – the early games really are just practices – maybe this week we’ll see something a little closer to what Casey wants to run

16. Raptors4eva

    We got to see one of the new highly anticipated arrivals finally. JV looked pretty solid in the 2nd Detroit game. Motor and drive are off the charts. He is begging for the ball on every play. He may need to adjust to being a 4th or 5th option on offense but I am blown away. I’m not expecting the world of the kid but I do think he’s going to contribute right away. What’s your take on JV first two games? The other person were all waiting to see is Kyle Lowry. Any inside info on when we might see him finally don the red and white jersey?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Casey will make sure the other guys pay more attention to JV as he rolls to the rim – JV has to a real option or his activity will not create the spacing Casey wants & other teams may make JV a 2nd or 3rd option by taking away the other options to test him out.

17. dub

    I really think that the Raps have a great player in Ed Davis. This is really his first full season and the guy looks much more cut physically this year. He just reminds me so much of a young Jermaine O’Neil his body type with a nose for the ball that needs to polish his offence. I love amir but I see Davis as future Double-Double Machine.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Ed has looked better playing with Lucas – this could be a good sign once Lowry gets back – we’ll see.

18. Jim

    Hi Stephan, love the chats. I’m a huge raptors fan, been watching them since the bigginning. I have to admit I was not as hyped as this years team as you were until I saw the game on Friday. The rooks look good, and our offseason pickups look good as well. I think even though we don’t have allstars we are deep at every position for the first time since the year we picked up olijawan. ( think we should have done way way better that year in the playoffs) I don’t think we need to trade anyone. I think we should ride this thing out. What do you think?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      I like the team and riding things out as is wouldn’t be a bad decision – I don’t believe Colangelo will make trades unless it brings a talent upgrade back

19. WIZARD

    objectively as you can be as raptors fan who have better season wizards or toronto.On paper wizards have better team-wall and east second best center in nene

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Wiz without Wall are in trouble – I wouldn’t give you that the Wiz are better than the Raps even with Wall.

20. Montogomery

    Assuming that Bargnani doesn’t play at an All-star level this year, do you think that it would be a good idea to move him by the trade deadline while he still has some value?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      If Bargnani can give the Raptors 20 & 6, there is no way they can replace him for $10m per season. Not All-Star production, but a pretty cheap contract.

21. piston

    who will have better season drummond or jonas?Does andre have much more upside?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Jonas has a lot more high level experience than Drummond and is more mature – he should have the better season. Both guys have huge upside – Drummond is harder to evaluate.

      I go with Greg Monroe’s comments about Drummond – Anything he does will be a surprise. Blessed with physical tools, has to the learn the mental aspects of the game.

22. Bhagdeep

    Hey Stephen,

    If you HAD to give Derozan an extension before the deadline, what type of deal would you giv him? (Personally I would give him a similar deal to what O.J. Mayo got from Dallas in free agency, about $7 million per year…do you think that would be fair for Demar?)

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Right now, max MLE for 3 years – which could be too high or too low, but I would much rather watch DD play this season and pay him what he earns.

23. will

    Ty lawson and jrue holiday wants max or near max deals.Do you think they deserve that and wil they get it?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Lawson is going to get a very good deal – young up & coming PG are hard to find. I’d work hard to get his name on an extension if at all possible to keep him off the market. I’ve read a deal may be in the works.

      Holiday has been able to let Iggy carry much of the playmaking load in Philly, but not anymore – this season will determine where he stands as a PG. I wouldn’t bet a max contract on Jrue just yet – I’d like to see how it goes first

24. BLJ

    Is it better to boost team/fan morale and sneak into the post season just to get swept in the first round, maybe steal a game, or is actually beneficial to come in 9th or 10th, and take a shot at the lottery?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      If its your 1st trip to the postseason in a while – like Toronto – 8th and out in 4 straight is a huge accomplishment. Much better than a 9th or 10th spot.

      If you were a solid playoff team, even 8th last season, ending up back in 8th can suggest something is seriously wrong and – Just like the 76ers – you need to shake things up. It can be better to miss the postseason and get a better draft pick. (The 76ers obviously didn’t need the slap in the face of falling just short to make their off season moves)

25. Cortez colon

    Andre Drummond sure made the Raptors pay for passing on him in the draft. What are your thoughts on him?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Drummond has not even earned a spot in the Pistons rotation yet according to Coach Frank – and Frank was so adamant about it, that I believe him – but I do expect Drummond will crack the regular season rotation without to much of a wait, if any.

      Drummond is 19, his issue was inconsistency and effort – Frank is doing a great job with the kid, but we won’t know if 7 teams make a mistake by passing on him for a while yet. Drummond does make a very good first impression in person though.

      No Guarantees for Drummond

26. JJ WATT

    Terrence Ross isn’t looking so hot. Is it just a process of adjusting to the league or is he perhaps the b-word(bust) ?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Ross has been playing fine for a rookie – doing some good things, making some terrible rookie mistakes – to be expected. It is going to be a lot tougher for Ross to get minutes as a rookie than it was for DeMar – Casey expects this team to win games and he won’t sacrifice wins for development time for rookies.

      Ross is pretty much on track so far – with a steep uphill battle for minutes still ahead of him.

27. Andy Dalton

    How about the new Demar Derozen. I love it, continuous trips to the free line. He definitely seems like he made a genuine change to his game. What are your thoughts on the new Demar? Will he succeed with this new style?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      We have seen an active aggressive DeMar in preseason before – it is important for him to do this in order to be successful – And Casey is telling DeMar that this is how he wants him to play. The real question is will DeMar play this way in the regular season against much better/tougher defenses – in his 4th NBA season, it is time for DeMar to start having a bigger impact on the game. DeMar can only succeed with this (not really) “new” style

28. Andrea Bargnani's hot girlfriend

    Why is Bargnani taking so many corner jump shots? That’s not his hot spot. Is Casey and the coaching crew on to something?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Call it preseason Practice – maybe seeing if Bargs could play some SF in big lineups? Preseason is the time to try stuff out – if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean anything.

29. Martell Tyrus Jones

    Can Ed Davis become a back up center? The amir Johnson and Ed Davis combo off the bench looks sweet. How else would Ed Davis get court time?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Amir & Ed are in a head-to-head for playing time.
      With a very, very small sample size – Ed looked better playing with Lucas and Amir looked better playing with Calderon.
      Casey suggested Ed could play some center last season – maybe, but not against bigger guys (Aaron Gray territory) Amir is the better defender and his experience still shows.

      Casey is right that which one of these guys gets more minutes will depend on how the team plays

30. Tony Romeau

    John Lucas 3 seems to shoot it a lot. Is this by design of he coaching staff because its preseason or is he a shooting point guard?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Casey said Lucas is a 2/1 more than a 1/2. Lucas is a very good shooter – but he can drive & dish – as we witnessed with him & Ed Davis. Lucas will do whatever gets him playing time

31. Jerome Talburt

    After seeing what Jonas V can do in the first two preseason games, do you have any changes to your expectations for him? Any changes to the Stats you think he mayl put up in his first year?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Jonas looks as advertised so far. It’s tough forecasting stats for rookies, but Jonas will get every chance to contribute and a 10/8/1blk line in 22-28 min is something he could do. He could surprise beyond that if he can stay on the court – here’s hoping for a double-double as a rookie.

32. Raju

    Is there any interest in Blake or Duhan?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Maybe after a team loses a PG to injury or someone a team was counting on just doesn’t have “it” anymore – everyone hopes to have the guys they need already.

33. Aaron Rodgers

    Since landry fields isn’t stepping up, I guess we could use James Johnson back. Your thoughts?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Fields has not looked that good, but lets not dump on players for how they play during the first week of preseason while they learn schemes and find their game – performances will mean more as Coaches start to use rotations they hope to be effective in the regular season.

      Actually – Alan Anderson was an upgrade over James Johnson last season – Alan doesn’t have the natural gifts James has, but he played Casey’s system better and was more disciplined. Landry should be a more effective player than Alan – of course we would all like to see him actually play better

34. Drew Bree's

    What’s the deal with Lowry and his injury? serious injury? Nagging and persistent Injury? Or just a precaution? And what numbers do you envision lowry averaging this season?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Raps keep saying the thigh strain is precautionary – he could play, if the games counted.
      Hoping for similar numbers to those in Houston – with a similar impact defensively – if Lowry can up those numbers, he will make an All-Star case, if the Raps are in a playoff spot.

35. ballhog

    Looking at JV so far, is he not very similar to Amir Johnson? your Top 5 for ROY?

    • Stephen Brotherston

      JV’s game is similar to Amir – but 4″ taller and way ahead of Amir at the same age. I have JV in the top 2 for ROY.

36. Kuda

    Why is it that the Raptors are being ranked 9th or just missing the playoffs considering their offseason moves? Do they have to go out and get another player come deadline ? Im not worried about Laundry Fields, he will come around and its good to know there is a lot of guys stepping up .. GO RAPZ GO

    • Stephen Brotherston

      I have the Raptors at 8th in my Eastern Conference rankings from August – I still haven’t seen anything to change my mind.

37. ballhog

    Looking at the Rap I don’t see how you can predict them so high. They have talent but playing so many rookies I can’t see them in the playoffs. What do the need to go right for them to reach your expectations/

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Not too many injuries – not to key players (Bargnani)
      Lowry, Bargnani need to have big seasons.
      One of the Bulls, 76ers, Knicks, Hawks needs to underperform preseason expectations – I see the Bulls season having a big injury risk component, but the 76ers lost 4 of their top players and all the excitement is based around adding Andrew Bynum – that to me indicates a huge risk of a slow start, chemistry issues and not getting things together in time to catch the Raps.

38. Jordan stettner

    Is it purely stats that determines ROY or does it include the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

    • Stephen Brotherston

      Stats are part of ROY, but helping your team move up in the standings and perhaps securing a playoff spot also has a big influence. Rookies have to get noticed to get votes and making your team better gets noticed.

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