NBA Chat With Travis Heath 11/6/12

1. Deven

   Hey Travis. Welcome back to Hoopsworld. What are your thoughts about the first week of the NBA season?

   • Travis Heath

     James Harden and the Lakers struggling seem to be the two stories most people are talking about. The Lakers struggling doesn’t surprise me at all. I predicted they would be around .500 in the first two months of the season. I also believe they’ll finish the campaign strong. What seed that turns out to be I’m not sure, but it won’t shock me if LA fails to finish with one of the top couple of seeds out West.

     As for the James Harden trade, that most certainly surprised me. One could construct a case that Sam Presti should have waited to trade him until the trade deadline. One could also make a case that if a player had to be traded, perhaps it should have been Westbrook. That said, Presti has earned the benefit of the doubt. Not to mention the fact that Kevin Martin has been very efficient for the Thunder thus far. Lamb and the picks could turn into something, too. People are always so quick to judge these trades right away. Remember the reaction after the Pau Gasol to the Lakers trade? People called it the worst trade in NBA history. Doesn’t look quite so bad now does it?

     As for Harden in Houston, he has been great early. I’ve always liked his game. There’s nothing he cannot do on the floor. He’s got an extremely high skill level for his position, although he is a bit undersized. All that said, I don’t think he’s a legitimate number one guy. If Harden’s your second best player, then I think you’ve got something. Good trade for Houston, but it’s amazing to me how quickly people react, or perhaps over react to a trade early on. Guess that’s the world we live in today.

2. Deven

   What are your thoughts about the Knicks so far? Buying or Selling?

   • Travis Heath

     Too early to say. As I noted in a previous question, I am surprised they are 3-0. My biggest concern for the Knicks is how they will integrate Stoudemire back into the mix. He and Melo have never gotten into a rhythm together. I actually think the Knicks function better when one of the two are out of the lineup. Problem is, there is no way the Knicks will be able to trade Stoudemire’s contract until 2014 at the earliest.

3. SatBchMagicer

   Travis, Welcome aboard as 12/13 chat host. For some of us newer HW followers, could you provide some brief background? Also where are you ‘based’ and are you a fan of an NBA team like: Susan/OKC, Lang/ATL, Joel/CHI and Bill-Dallas/HOU?

   • Travis Heath

     Well, my name is Travis Heath. I like puppies, candy canes, and long walks on the beach. Will that suffice?

     In all seriousness, I have been a huge hoops guy my entire life. Played the game in high school and college and also spent some time coaching. Once upon a time I wrote for HOOPSWORLD covering the Denver Nuggets. More recently, I have served as a team consultant in the NBA, and in my day job I am a psychologist and a professor.

4. matt

   Hi, What do you think about the Bucks, They are not getting any respect. I think they have a solid team, but we have too many PF. Should that try a trade Drew Gooden and get something of value instead of letting him sit on the beach. They are paying him too much money. Your thoughts please.

   • Travis Heath

     When is a team not looking to trade Drew Gordon? Dude has been traded more than any player in recent memory. Not sure the Bucks would be able to get great value for him, though.

     Overall, I like the Bucks. Interested to see how Jennings and Monta Ellis coexist long-term. My gut says one of the two will get traded. I think the Bucks are a playoff team out East. Not sure they are ready to make any serious noise, though. Also, I think this is the year the Bucks need to do something if Scott Skiles wants to keep his job.

5. Jackie-O

   What do you think about a CHI-ATL trade: Josh Smith and Anthony Morrow for Luol Deng and Rip Hamilton?

   • Travis Heath

     I don’t like the trade for the Hawks, and I don’t think they would do that deal unless they absolutely had to (i.e. Smith demands a trade). It will be interesting to see what the Hawks do with Smith given the fact he’s in the last year of his deal. He definitely has value.

     Now, if the Bulls could pull off that deal, it would be a coup. Smith’s defense would be interesting against elite teams in the East like Miami and Boston. All that said, Deng is a consistently underrated part of what the Bulls do every season.

6. Matt (UK)

   With the seasons underway the following players are all free agents.
   1. Derek Fisher
   2. Mikael Pietrus
   3. Josh Howard
   4. Kenyon Martin
   5. Mehmet Okur

   In a one off game (ignoring age over a long season) which teams, if any could those free agents beat?

   • Travis Heath

     Not one. What you are underestimating here is the importance of bench play to a team’s success. Also, most of those guys are over the hill and/or have struggled with injury issues.

     What I will say is that each one of those guys could contribute to a team in the right situation. It blows my mind that Kenyon Martin is unemployed. One of the best on-the-ball low-post defenders in basketball. Those guys are really hard to find.

7. Chris

   Hi Travis!
   First time to ask you a question.
   So what can you say about Waiters? The rook can play ball and I think his starting to prove that his for real?

   And about Houston, Lin and Harden was so fun to watch, but who or what kind of player can they add to be a playoff contender this season? can Harden really be a franchise player?

   Thank you for your time!

   • Travis Heath

     Waiters certainly played well last night against the Clippers. I saw a little bit of a young Stephen Jackson in his performance, but the difference is that he’s only 6-foot-4. I like the backcourt of Irving and Waiters. They have a chance to be good for a really long time. The one thing that I still need to see out of Waiters is his ability to defend bigger players on the wing.

     Not sure I love the Rockets come playoff time. I agree that Lin and Harden are a heck of a lot of fun to watch, but they need some more pieces around them to win in the postseason (although, Asik was an underrated acquisition). And as I noted earlier, I’m not sold on Harden being a true number one guy. I see him more as a number two. I am, however, more than willing to be proven wrong.

8. Chris

   One more,actually two
   7 game series, who will win?
   Thunder vs Lakers?
   Lakers vs Heat?

   Thanks!

   • Travis Heath

     It’s really too early to answer these kinds of questions. I like to see 12-18 games before I start making judgements on teams. Based on what I’ve seen so far I would have to take the Thunder over the Lakers and the Heat over the Lakers. However, I suspect my answer will be different once the sample size increases. I expect the Lakers to be really good by March or April.

9. Nick DC

   With the way JJ Redick has performed so far, (22.5 ppg 6.0 apg) and given how heavily he will be featured in the offense this year do you see sixth man hardware in store for him?

   While I’m on the topic of JJ, what teams do you think will be closely watching his performance this year and giving Hennigan a call closer toward the trade deadline about his availability? I’ve kind of assumed he’d be traded given his contract and production, but what do you think realistically the Magic could get back for JJ’s 6.5 million expiring if he’s able to average say 16ppg and 4apg coming off the bench? Fringe lottery pick maybe?

   • Travis Heath

     If you can shoot the ball, you will always have a place in the NBA. Given the fact that JJ is in the final year of his deal, I expect quite a few phone calls coming Orlando’s way prior to the deadline. If the Magic get a draft pick, though, it will likely be in the 20′s because contenders are the teams that will likely have the most interest in trading for a guy like Redick. I expect his numbers to be career highs nearly across the board simply because he will be asked to do more than he ever has at any other point in his career. For him to win Sixth Man of The Year the Magic will have to keep winning games. I’m not convinced they will be able to do that.

10. Davonte

    how impressed are you with my mavs. They look a lot like the nuggets only with better scoring bigs. Balanced scoring, uptempo pace. However, this is all without Dirk. Once he returns why can’t the Mavs be a top 4 seed in the West.

    • Travis Heath

      The Mavericks are an intriguing team. I’ve always been a big Chris Kaman fan even though he was awful last season. If he can regain his form, the Mavs will be scary. Also, I was very impressed with the Mavs’ draft. They quietly got a lot of solid talent. I love what Crowder brings in terms of physicality and defense. I also think Jared Cunningham will be a good NBA player in time. I love Dallas’ depth, but I think the Denver comparison you made is correct in that Dirk has to be the Dirk of two seasons ago for the Mavs to be serious contenders. Otherwise, they are just a deep team that likely won’t get out of the first round.

11. wow sabaw

    New guy who will beat okc this year? Im a betting man and i know for sure okc will win it all…. Right or wrong?

    • Travis Heath

      It’s funny being called the new guy when I started at HOOPSWORLD in 2004. I guess that would actually make you the new guy, but I digress.

      OKC has a chance to win it all (and that’s saying something because most teams don’t), but I still think the Heat and Lakers will be better by the end of the season.

12. TrapSTAR

    Do you think that Miami Heat can continue to leave Chris Bosh at Center for the long term solution? Kenyon Martin would be a great fit there at least to help on the boards.

    • Travis Heath

      In today’s NBA, Bosh can play most nights at the five with no problems. However, this will eventually be an issue for the Heat defensively. It likely won’t manifest until deep in the playoffs, but imagine Bosh trying to guard Dwight Howard, for example? Throughout the regular season, though, I don’t think Bosh playing the five will trouble Miami much at all. And there is, of course, a flip side to any mismatch. So if Bosh can score the way he did against Denver last Saturday, for example, perhaps it will force the opposing team to make adjustments instead of the Heat.

13. nova416

    welcome back,

    who do you think has the best crossover in the NBA? my list in order
    Jamal Crawford
    D Rose
    Deron Williams.

    Also, what do you think of this years raptors squad? playoff bound?

    besides harden, what has suprised you thus far

    • Travis Heath

      1. I won’t argue with your list. I might add John Wall to that list somewhere. I’ve seen that dude shake some cats pretty good.

      2. As for the Raptors, I’m not a believer. I think they miss the playoffs again.

      3. I hate talking surprises this early, but I didn’t see the Knicks starting off 3-0. It seems many are surprised by the start of Damian Lillard in Portland, but I’m most certainly not. I scouted the dude extensively over the last couple of seasons and have said frequently that I always saw a smaller version of Derrick Rose.

14. Aron

    Do you remember how you used to be the biggest Dirk hater on the site? How did that crow taste, man?

    • Travis Heath

      No, actually I don’t. I’ve always said Dirk is a very unique player with his size and ability to shoot the ball. That said, the way you phrased the question makes it seem as though Dirk has won four or five titles and multiple MVP’s. I will say that I was disappointed with how Dirk responded last season showing up out of shape. Would have loved to see him come back loaded for bear. Defending a title is always more difficult than winning the first one.

15. slob marley

    What other star player (that’s in the realm of possibility for the rockets to land: ie not lebron, not durant etc) do you think would be a great match with harden in houston?

    • Travis Heath

      I would love to see Harden play with Dwight Howard. Not sure that happens, but people forget that Howard is a free agent at season’s end. A backcourt of Chris Paul (also a free agent) would be interesting, too.

16. Steve

    Welcome back, how will you remember nash, kg, kobe, dirk, and duncan on and off the court when they retire?

    • Travis Heath

      I will remember Nash as one of the best pick-and-roll point guards in history. I will remember Kevin Garnett’s scowl and the way he impacted the game defensively. I will remember Kobe Bryant as one of the most electric one-on-one basketball players and also as one of the most competitive people I’ve ever encountered. I will remember Dirk Nowitzki as a prototype. There was never a 7-footer that shot the ball the way he could, and you know he’s a prototype because every tall Euro who can even shoot a little bit gets compared to him. I will remember Tim Duncan as the best power forward to ever play the game.

      As for the off the court stuff, I won’t touch that. I have met and interacted with all of the players you named at various levels, some much more than others. What I will say in general is that what fans see for public consumption when cameras are on doesn’t always match the reality.

      Okay, that’s it for me today. Thanks for all the questions. If you want to get my thoughts on hoops, life, or whatever else is on my mind, you can follow me on Twitter @DrTravisHeath