NBA Chat With Yannis 10/26/12

Join senior NBA and NCAA analyst Yannis Koutroupis for his weekly chat this Friday October 26 at 11 am est!

 

  1. Rocket

    Looking at Open Court I am now realizing how IGNORANT Shaq really is, makes me loose respect for him. What do you think?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Welcome everyone to this week’s chat, let’s get right into it!

      I’m surprised he isn’t better at this job as well. Thought he would be a great fit, but it just hasn’t been something he seems comfortable or adept at.

  2. maestro

    I know its early but after watching the Lakers/Clippers preseason game i have the following observation:True or False

    World Peace is in great shape
    Clippers offense is 110x better than it was last year
    Eric Bledsoe is a back up point (struggles with decisions)
    Robert Sacre is a steal- reminds me of Brook lopez all offense and no rebounds
    Steve Nash looks lost in the princeton offense
    Both teams are real good

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Only one I disagree with is Sacre, gonna wait to say he’s a steal.

  3. Charlie

    Looking at the boxscores of the opponents of the Milwaukee Bucks, I see AJ Price went for 17 points and 11 assists, Mike Conley went for 20 points, 6 assists and 5 boards, and Nate Robinson went for 24 points and 13 assists!!! All statlines are preseason highs for all three PG’s (two of which are back-up point guards who started that game). Is this cause of concern for the Bucks defense? Does this demonstrate a Jennings/Ellis backcourt cannot work on that side of the ball. If these mediocre PG’s are lighting them up, what happens when Deron or Irving or Paul come to town = scary numbers. Your thoughts.

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Yeah, defense was a major concern with them. If they can’t guard point guards that’s a real problem, because two guards, especially the bigger ones, will give them fits.

  4. Sweet Dee

    I find it very interesting to predict the number of wins a NBA team will get in a year. Of the following 3 lines, pick the one you would be most confident in and why: Utah Jazz – over 42.5 wins, Phoenix Suns – under 33 wins, and Atlanta Hawks – under 42.5 wins.

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I’d go with the Jazz over 42, not because I believe it but I just really think that Phoenix and the Hawks get over the numbers you laid out.

  5. Randy

    What is your opinion of George Hill as the starting PG in Indiana. The Pacers were 2nd last in assists last year and having a PG who has never averaged over 4 dimes a game may be a concern. Do you think the lack of passing / ball movement will hurt Indy? Can it stop them from winning 52+ games this year? Your thoughts.

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I’m in wait-and-see mode. Since it’s his role I’d like to think he’ll make more plays. We’ll see. They obviously really believe in him, but I like that they went out and got Augustin. He should be able to step up if Hill doesn’t work out.

  6. LayHee

    Having watched Summer League and Preseason, which rookie would you rather have: #1 Andrew Nicholson or Jarred Sullinger #2 – Dion Waiters or Jeremy Lamb, #3 – Dontonas Motiejunas or Tyler Zeller, #4 Myers Leonard or Andre Drummond

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Sullinger, younger with more upside. #2 is a toss up, I can’t go one way or the other like them both the same, #3 give me Motiejunas, think he has more upside. #4, Drummond, but it’s close.

  7. Julian

    Rank the strength of these benches for the coming season: Memphis Grizzlies (Shelby, Bayless, Pondexter, Speights, and Haddidi), Cavaliers (Pargo, Gibson, Gee, Samuels, and Zeller), Houston (Douglas, Lamb, Delfino, T. Jones, Royce White, Motiejunas) and Portland (Price/Smith, Barton, Pavlovich, Jefferies, Claver, Freeland, and Meyers). And if you were a head coach next year, which bench would you prefer.

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Houston, Portland, Cavaliers, Grizzlies. I’d prefer Houston’s most upside.

  8. Bubbles

    Right now, the Houston Rockets are projected to be #14 in the West this year, only in front of New Orleans. If you could pick one other team in the West Houston may end up in front of. Who would it be and why? (Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento)

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Portland, lot of youth an inexperience there. Aldridge goes down they’re in serious trouble.

  9. Dennis

    Am I the only one who thinks the Memphis Grizzlies are going to be much worse than expected next year? Tony Allen is coming off knee surgery, their bench is terrible and thin, and the owner may end up trading Rudy Gay midseason. Personally are you a fan of Memphis for next year? Do you expect them to be in the #4-#5 range in the West as most predict or do you agree with me and Memphis may end up well short of expectations. Your thoughts.

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I think they’ll be more in the 6-8 range. I do worry about their depth and chemistry. They could disappoint.

  10. Mac

    How concerned are you about the Chicago Bulls bench? Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Nate the Great, Nazr Mohammed, Vlad Radmonovic, and Marco Belleneli don’t exactly strike fear in the opponent. Will this be the downfall of the Bulls or will Thibs be able to turn them into a productive unit? Rank this bench against the other 8 accepted Eastern Conference playoff teams (no Milwaukee or Toronto).

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I’m concerned, the healthier their starting 5 is the less they have to rely on them, though.

  11. Trevor

    Seems most people are down on the Rockets this year citing poor coaching, too many PF’s, mishmash of players, etc. But Houston does boast a 20 ppg scorer in Martin, a decent PG in Lin, statistically the best defensive center in the league in Asik, and a bunch of hungry rookies off the bench: T Jones, Motiejunas, Royce White, and Jeremy Lamb. Vegas has the line set at 28.5 wins for next year (putting them #14 in the West – above NO). Over or under on this prediction? And what is the #1 determining factor when making this decision?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      They’ll be one of the three worst. Chemistry and execution, especially late in games, will be real issues. My determining factor is mainly coaching and the lack of pieces that fit real well together.

  12. Deven

    Why does everyone love Adam Silver over David Stern? At the draft, Stern gets booed every time he comes out. When Silver comes out, he gets a loud ovation. What’s the deal?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      That’s more comedic than anything. It’s tradition too. It will switch in time after Silver becomes the main guy. Stern isn’t always the most popular guy, but overall I think he’s done a great job. I also think Silver is a fine replacement. The league is in a good place.

  13. Deven

    With Lebron, D-Wade, Bosh and Darko (strangely), with a title on their belt, does all the pressure turn to Carmelo Anthony or somebody else?

  14. Quillo

    Does Boston have the best bench in the NBA? They have Terry, Lee/Bradley, Barbosa, Green, Sullinger, Darko, Melo, Joseph, Wilcox, and Collins. That team is DEEP!

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      They have plenty of it, without a doubt. Denver is deep as well, though. They may have the slight edge.

  15. Mike in gem city

    Hey Yannis,

    I just had my fantasy draft on Sunday and I picked up Kawhi Leonard pretty early, like in the 80s. My expectation was he’d put up Paul George like numbers but with better fg%. But espn projected him to score only 9 ppg with mediocre stats across the board. What’s your outlook on the future face of the spurs this season?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      He’ll be better in real life than in fantasy. Numbers don’t always tell the story with him.

  16. Angelo

    Not sure if you are into fantasy drafts at all but at what number pick would you consider drafting injured players such as Love, Rose, Wall, Rubio, Dirk?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I’m actually not into fantasy at all, Tommy Beer and Susan Bible could answer this question for you much better than I could.

  17. Jeremy

    wonder if you have saw the open court on frontcourt? I totally hate what Shaq talked about, especially when he talked about Howard being an European Center(?). Howard is not an European Center. European Center, like Divac and the Gasols, are pick-and-pop, finesse, and skilled passers. Howard is totally the opposite. Shaq said he felt Byumn and B.Lopez are better because they are old-school centers, but what he is acutally talking about is playing styles, like saying Rose is a scoring PG and Nash is a pure PG. That does not mean they are better than Howard. I would said Howard is better because he has shown he can shoulder the load, he can scored (not as skilled in the low post but more athletic), and is a better defender. Howard is much better in terms of all-around. TNT NEEDED TO FIRE SHAQ!!!!!

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Shaq’s clearly jaded towards Dwight, that’s all there is to it. Hard to take him serious on that matter.

  18. adobo

    Can u see the lakers as a destination for delonte west? If d lakers was able to contain mwp except for the elbow he did last year then maybe he can influence dwest to put their energy in winning a ring?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      They were supposedly looking hard at Barbosa and had interest during the prseason, so perhaps. I think they have the atmosphere and culture to handle him.

  19. JJ

    When will the Lakers’ offence and bench come together? Should we get Delonte West and trade Blake or Duhon?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      The offense will come together before the bench. I think one of Blake or Duhon needs to be traded regardless. West is a good pickup.

      That’s it for me this week!