NBA Chat With Susan Bible 10/29/11

Please join Susan Bible for her NBA Chat each Saturday at 11:00 am EST.   Susan is a Newlines Editor and a member of the fantasy team at HOOPSWORLD.  She covers the Oklahoma City Thunder and the NBA at large.  Drop in your questions now.

  1. Crow

    The Thunder as a team have one great strength- at the free throw line. Agree or disagree? Does Perkins do more to help fix a weakness- interior defense or will his help with that be largely offset by clogging the middle and hurting the Thunder’s driving game?

    • Susan Bible

      Disagree. To get to the Western Conference Finals, a team would need to have strength in more than just one area. As a team, they can score. The Thunder ranked fifth in scoring last season. Four players averaged double-digit scoring, and Ibaka was crazy close at 9.9 ppg. As a team, they can steal, ranking sixth in the league. Four players averaged over one steal per game last year. They were eighth in total rebounding (even ranking third the season before). As you mention, free-throw shooting is a definite strength – they were first in both FT made and FT%.

      A rim-protecting big was a huge weakness and they filled it with Perkins. You make a good point about Perk; he can hurt spacing and threaten driving, especially in crunch-time. Hopefully, he’s a bit quicker with healthy knees and without clunky braces.

      Now let me tell you another serious way Perk has already helped this team. They needed a elder stateman-type (I know he’s just shy of 27, but he fits the bill) with a winning background to share philosophies, to criticize when needed, to be blunt, to toughen up this team. One of my favorite memories is how Perk told Durant to have a players-only dinner after losing Game 1 of the Semifinals to Memphis. He did, it unified all…and it worked. Afterwards KD said “He wanted us to do it and everybody listens to Perk.” He’s just what they need.

  2. Matt from Australia

    Hey Susan, latest lockout breakdown is a killer, really hoped we’d have an agreement this weekend.

    Assuming there is eventually a season, what do u see happening with Troy Murphy? Is he a possible cheap fix for teams in need of a C who stretches the floor for their PF, i.e. heat, blazers, hawks? Or is he cursed to become an end of the bench minute man?

    How did he not start, let alone get no minutes at all in the playoffs, for the C’s after the Perkins trade?

    Hard to believe a nightly double double machine with a solid 3pt shot has fallen so far out of favor.

    Thanks.

    • Susan Bible

      You and me both.

      I’m so glad you brought up Troy Murphy because that whole situation has bothered me. In 2008-09 he averaged 14.3 ppg/11.8 rpg/2.3 threes and in 2009-10, he averaged 14.6/10.2 rpg/1.8 threes with Indiana. His shooting percentages are good. He missed about ten games each of those years and played 30+ minutes. Then came the trade to Nets where weirdness with Johnson, injury/suspicious conditioning, trade bait dominated (18 games at 16 mpg), but I thought in Boston, he’d get the chance (17 games at 10.5 mpg and one three-minute playoff appearance). By then, Murphy just wasn’t in game-shape…trouble shooting, rebounding and defending.

      So now he’s 31 years old and an unrestricted free agent. Hopefully he’s been working out during the lockout.

  3. Donald

    How can Billy Hunter be so stupid as to walk out of a meeting when they are that close. No one would expect Stern to offer more than 50% on his first offer nor that Hunter would come off 52%. That makes sense, but from there you use common sense and compromise.

  4. likeabull

    Be honest who`s better rose or westbrook. could westbrook carry the bulls offensively like rose did. If rose was with durant aganist mavs. okc would have demolished the heat. OKC would have been champs.

    • Susan Bible

      Funny, I get this question nearly every week. I used to go into statistical breakdowns, both individually and affect on team performances, but now I’ll just say that Rose and Westbrook each have strengths and weaknesses, therefore it’s hard to simply claim one better than the other. Impossible to say what would happen in a swap scenario. They are both exciting young players and among a new breed of point guards.

  5. Iverson

    What would u do as gm of magic to improve the team ad is I think Howard ant Like. Everybody. He will stay ?

    • Susan Bible

      I tend to think Howard stays though you can’t ignore the comments he made to Esquire. Problem is, they are severely limited by options to improve the team right now. One thought is trading Jameer Nelson (which will not make Howard happy) for pieces, such as depth at the forward position and a backup center. In that scenario, Arenas will have to lead the team. Pretty tall order.

  6. Ralph

    Please explain why the Warriors continue to add management talent to the point of overkill. Given that the head coach seems to be more of a squawker than a listener and the owner thinks highly of his basketball knowledge (pushed for David Lee trade), I don’t see this ending well. Think we can trade some of them for a draft pick?

    • Susan Bible

      LOL — I’m sure you’re not alone in that type of thinking. Mark Jackson is certainly exuding major enthusiasm and disclosing new coaching philosophies (no opposition to celebration of “winning plays”, all coaches will be expected to coach both sides and every position). Lots of new faces in Rick Welts and Jerry West, too. At least they’re trying?!

  7. Steve

    Susan,
    What happened to you last Saturday?
    You didn’t chat and I was so worried about you.

    • Susan Bible

      I had to cancel the Chat at the last minute due to a family emergency. One of my sons took a fall and required 18 staples on his knee, so we were at the ER for hours doing CT scans, seeing specialists and preparing for surgery. Fortunately, he didn’t have surgery, but that was one scary weekend. Glad you missed me though!

  8. Steve

    Susan,
    Why when OKC has Durant AND one of the best young PG’s are some people instigating for Westbrook to be traded away?
    At least one more year together, right?

    • Susan Bible

      Several more years together :) People who started the Westbrook hate aren’t looking at the big picture.

  9. Mark

    Do you have any insight into what the thunder might do this offseason via trade or FA? Or are they just going to stand pat?

    Also Rose is the MVP and a two-time all-star who led his team to the best record in the league. Westbrook is none of those things

    • Susan Bible

      You forgot to mention Rose was named Rookie of the Year as well. However, Westbrook posted more assists per game, more steals per game, more total rebounds per game, more total free throws and had a higher Player Efficiency Rating (very close though) last season. I think Presti stands pat.

  10. Mr. Gray from LA

    What up & coming star-type plyers will you be keeping an eye on this upcoming season? Positions 1-5.

    • Susan Bible

      1 – Ricky Rubio
      2 – James Harden
      3 – Dorell Wright (I know he’s been in the league awhile, but he counts)
      4 – LaMarcus Aldridge
      5 – Greg Monroe

      Thanks for the great questions this morning. See you next week!