NBA Chat With Susan Bible 4/21/12

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. calvinzero

    Stephen Litel mentioned to me that OKC will represent the Western Conference going to the Finals. “Experience” is a weakness for the Thunder, he said. Do you agree with his statement? Can you cite to me if there is any weakness for the Thunder now the playoffs is trickling down.

    • Susan Bible

      Good morning! Welcome to the chat — let’s dive right in.

      I definitely agree with Litel’s statement. That’s a biggie, but I see other concerns as well. They settle for jump shots too often (especially late), they turn over the ball too much (lead the league, in fact), offensive rebounding, Brooks’ in-game adjustments (he’s improved over last year, but sometimes he doesn’t see things that seem obvious), and loss of focus – sometimes they rediscover it in time, sometimes they don’t.

  2. ralph lawrence

    Hi Susan! I know the draft is still far away but I have a gut feeling the kings will win the lottery this year.. Imagine the front court of both Davis and Cousins both Kentucky products.. I could see the kings in the playoffs 2 years from now.. Agree?

    • Susan Bible

      Davis would be a dream come true for them. Wherever they land in the draft, I think they must pick a defensive big man. No more wings, please. Two years is reasonable if they make smart roster decisions and end the Are-they-staying-in-Sacramento-or-not drama.

  3. Kahari Young

    hey susan!!i have been very impressed with the way isaiah thomas has been been playing this year. this kid has a terrific motor,controlled athleticism,aggression,great communication with his teammates like nate robinson, and awill to excite the play of his teammates. i feel like he will join the echelon with the great little men who have played the game,such as Muggsy Bogues.

    • Susan Bible

      Not bad for the last pick in last years’ draft, huh? He was inserted into the starting lineup on 2/17/12; check his numbers:
      -Overall, he’s averaged 11.6 points, 4.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds in 25.1 minutes
      -In 28 games as a reserve: 7.2 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.9 rpg in 17.4 minutes
      -In 34 games as a starter: 15.1 ppg, 5.3 apg, 3.1 rpg in 31.5 minutes, plus all shooting percentages increased.

      Thomas, 5’9”, has ignited this team, and was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for February and March, 2012.

      I paid careful attention to him last night in the Thunder/Kings game last night. He’s incredibly poised and confident, and a real pest (that’s a good thing!).

  4. john

    Hi Susan

    the trailblazers are facing a real need at SG and C for the playoffs, and nbadraft.net has them picking J.Lamb and J.Sullinger. I thought that would be perfect for Portland. But Lamb seems to resemble Batum very very closely, I see them both operating the same way in the pros. Do you think it would be smart to draft a wing who is so similar to your other wing? Thank you

    • Susan Bible

      HOOPSWORLD has Portland drafting 6’2” point guard Damian Lillard and 7’0” center Tyler Zeller, which are two positions they need to fill.

      I subscribe to the thought of drafting the best player available on the board.

      Keep in mind, Batum has a qualifying offer of $3.3 million next season; the Blazers are prepared for someone to offer crazy money that they may not match.

      If you haven’t already, you must read Jason Fleming’s excellent “Where Does Portland Go From Here?” article wherein he breaks it all down: http://www.hoopsworld.com/where-does-portland-go-from-here

  5. Deven

    Hi Susan. Have you talked to Derek Fisher about the union trying to remove him as president? And how would grade him as president of the NBAPA association?

    • Susan Bible

      The report just came out; the Thunder has been on the road for one week, so I haven’t seen Fisher to ask him. He did release this statement at yesterday’s shootaround:

      “The quickest, most efficient way to say it is to say that I do and I’ve always taken my job as president of the players association very, very seriously. And anyone or any group that questions my intentions or any decisions I’ve ever made that I’ve felt were best for our players, I think need to step back for a moment and ask themselves this: why would I try and ask certain questions and call into review the association that I’m the president of unless I thought that there were some serious questions that needed to be answered? Things that I, as president, aren’t satisfied with. It calls my leadership into question in certain ways in terms of not being able to put certain controls in place. I’ll take the hits and the negative comments that may come or whatever may happen. But it won’t take me away or distract me from doing what I feel is best for all of our players. This is in no way about me. It’s about our membership. And so I won’t lose focus on that idea. I’m going to continue to push for what is right for our players.”

      So, Fisher – who has two years left on his term as president – is not about to step down. In fact, he’s actively seeking support for an internal review of the NBPA’s business practices.

      I’ll tell you, being around him since he came to Oklahoma City…the guy is really sharp. Of course, we all saw that during the lockout stuff, but I’ve sure seen how impressive he is up-close.

      I thought Fisher did an admirable and thankless job leading and fighting for the players during the lockout.

  6. Eric123

    if a player has 3 years remaining on his contract (the final year being a team option) and is then amnestied, does the team pay the amount of $ for his last year?

    • Susan Bible

      I’m going to copy HOOPSWORLD’s NBA Salary Cap guru Larry Coon’s own words from a February Chat that addresses this:

      “When a player is waived, his guaranteed base salary continues to be paid by the team. Bonuses & non-guaranteed salary are lost, as are team option years. Contracts contain paragraphs that say what happens to player option years when the player is waived before the option is picked up.
      The exception is the amnesty provision, but only when the player is claimed by another team — like Chauncey Billups was. The new team takes over all bonuses and non-guaranteed salary when making an anmesty claim. This ensures that the waiving team doesn’t have to pay any more through amnesty than they would have paid had the player cleared waivers.”

      Thanks, Larry!

  7. Cliff

    Hi Susan! Back to talk Spurs/Thunder. With last nights complete dismantling of the Lakers, winning the last 6 in a row by wide margins, resting the starters and giving a deep, deep bench plenty of playing time, what do you make of the Spurs? I don’t believe there is a team that is playing better right now than them. Timmy looks better then he has in 3 years, and Manu is unbelievable! (how about that pass to Matt Bonner? Looked like a laser!)

    At this point, I say the Spurs take it all? They have proven they can match up with Timmy and Tiago against bigger front lines…any thoughts?

    Also, are the Thunder resting guys, or is it just a slight late season dip that has them 6-4 in the last ten? (not a bad record, they just seem a little “off” for lack of a better word). I would LOVE to see a Thunder/Spurs WCC!

    Also, I voted for Ibaka as DPOTY in the HW poll….wow!

    • Susan Bible

      I prefer to look at it as 6-2, Cliff! And both losses were to the Clippers. No, Brooks isn’t resting players and he says he won’t. I don’t think they’re “off”; they’ve had some clunkers though. I have to think they’ll regain total focus once the postseason starts. Believe me, I’ve been watching the Spurs all season and they are total contenders. They are 19-3 right now with the last four being Cavs, Blazers, Suns and Warriors. Yeah, they’ve got 1st place in the West.

      Nice vote for Ibaka! Wouldn’t it be wild if Harden won Sixth Man (foregone conclusion, I think), Ibaka won Defensive Player and Durant won MVP? I don’t really see it, but it’s fun to think about.

  8. LSO

    Susan, in your opinion, what has Derek Fisher brought to the table – apart from experience and counsel? This is just a question, not a diss. Does he have a future with the Thunder?

    • Susan Bible

      LSO, I don’t see Fisher staying past this season. I know his numbers haven’t been all that impressive and Brooks plays him too many minutes (though I’m pleased to see his minutes decreasing to 16-17 minutes lately – that needs to level off at around 11-12 mins), but this is why OKC needed him: Eric Maynor is out. Maynor has postseason experience; he’s a steady guy who comes in and calms things down while not losing leads. Rookie Reggie Jackson, though promising, isn’t ready to lead the second unit in a deep postseason run.

  9. JT

    Which nba player(s) do you see possibly becoming a referee later on in their life? Or which player(s) would be best suited for the job?

    • Susan Bible

      I did quick research on this, and it looks like three ex-NBA players have become referees: Haywoode Workman (eight seasons), Bernie Fryer (two seasons) and Leon Wood (six seasons), so it’s definitely not a common occurrence. Given that, I can’t name any current player who would turn to refereeing.

      I don’t know how many times I’ve turned to my husband during a game and said “Can you imagine being a referee?” Ugh, no thanks. I swear, just last night I said it again watching Durant plead his case with a ref.

  10. Hoopsfreak!

    Hey Susan,
    First time Question’er here :)

    I was just wondering, with James Harden clearly wrapping up the 6th man Award this year, how do you see the Thunder keeping him long-term?
    Is there contracts they can shed to free up cap, or trades they can make, etc?

    I’m a big time Thunder Fan, so im hoping we keep him long-term, just struggling to see how we keep Harden, Ibaka, Perk all together for our core?

    Thank you for your time.. GO THUNDER!!

    • Susan Bible

      Welcome to the chat, Langdon! That’s a legitimate concern. Just rest assured that we’ll have another run with this group next year – that’s locked in. Keeping both Harden and Ibaka past next season is going to take some creativity, but I think it can be done. You know Westbroook left some money on the table to re-sign; is it too much to think others could follow suit seeing as this is a young contending team? Just a couple million here and there may do it. If that’s too naïve, then I’m banking on Presti figuring out a way. And in the very worst case scenario – if it comes down to Harden vs. Ibaka – I’m keeping Harden.

  11. Mac

    My favorite players of all time at each position: PG: Allen Iverson SG: Vince Carter SF: Lebron James PF: Dennis Rodman C: Keon Clark. Who’s on team Susan Bible?

    • Susan Bible

      That’s a fun question! Being the anal-type, it’s hard to just answer without giving major thought…I’ll try anyway:
      G – Magic Johnson
      SG – Michael Jordan
      SF – LeBron James
      PF – Tim Duncan
      C – Wilt Chamberlain

      I’d be interested to see what the readers think – tell us in the comments section below!

  12. Frank

    If you were starting a team from scratch, which center do you choose: Javale McGee, DeAndre Jordan, or Marcin Gortat

  13. Cricket

    The Denver Nuggets traded for Javale McGee at the deadline but has started their new center in only 5 of 16 games. Some will argue he needs to get adjusted to the system but I think this may have to do with his upcoming contract. If he starts and tears it up in Denver, then management will be pressured by fans to offer a big contract. Conspiracy theory or legitimate claim?

    • Susan Bible

      I hear what you’re saying, but Denver is still trying to figure out what they have in McGee. I think the pressure is going to come from offers they receive – and they will come, regardless how many minutes Denver has given him – and whether or not they decide to match it. They probably would not go over $7M/annually.

  14. Cricket

    Who was the better rebounder despite not having NBA center size: Kevin Love, Dennis Rodman, or Charles Barkley

    • Susan Bible

      Love at 6’10″: 12.0 rpg career average (13.3 this year) and 15.2 in his best year
      Rodman at 6’7″: 13.1 career average and 18.3 in his best year
      Barkley at 6’6″: 11.7 career average and 14.6 his best year.

      Rodman has it…at this point.

      Once again, that hour flew by! Thanks for all the great questions — see you next week…