NBA Chat With Yannis 10/21/2011

1. dyrese

   the knicks depth chart should look like this according to me do you agree starters: billups fields melo stat turiaf
   iman toney williams jordan (josh harrelson pf/c scrap minutes) bill walker can play sum min at the wing or the 2 if williams get more time at the 4 instead the 3
   they will most likely cut balkman and rautins derek brown to sign a big and trade toney douglas

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Welcome everyone to this week’s chat! Disappointing news on the CBA front this week, but at least we have college basketball to look forward to.

     I definitely think that Douglas is on his way out. The drafting of Shumpert backed up what we were hearing around draft time in terms of them shopping him. His value isn’t going to get much higher than it is right now, and they really like Billups being the guy to mentor Shumpert. They really believe in his potential and it’s hard to argue with them. He was in a tough situation at Georgia Tech and still played very well, but he has a lot of upside he should tap into as a pro. As far as the depth chart goes outside of that, I don’t see Harrelson making the team but outside of that it seems pretty close.

2. basketballaddict

   What do you see the Blazers in a couple of years? and their starting five? will it stay the same or change drastically?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     As long as Roy stays healthy, I can see them having Felton and Roy in the backcourt together for the foreseeable future. Gerald Wallace, as long as they can keep him, seems like a great long-term fit at the three. Aldridge is obviously a franchise cornerstone at this point, the four spot belongs to him. The five is where things get iffy. I’m not going to say Oden because we know how that’s gone for the last three years. Camby will be retiring at some point, so I can’t see him being there in a few years, but that’s the only wild card spot. The other four seem to be secure.

3. -

   I got two kids my insurance just went up 40% and my Salary went down 20% F the nba (please dont post this but that is about how 90 percent of fans feel about now) Fuc_ em they chose a wrong time to fight about money

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     I know that you asked this to not be posted, but I feel like it deserves to be talked about and on here so I removed your name and e-mail – hope you don’t mind. This is how the majority of people feel and that’s what makes me worry about the long-term health of the league. Regardless of how dire things are, nobody in the U.S., or world for that matter, wants to see something they love disappear because people who make far more money than they could ever dream of can’t come to terms on an agreement. David Stern, his owners, and the players could lay everything out on the table to justify their side, fact of the matter is that nobody cares. They should have never let it get to this point. They’ve had over two years, and the damage happening could be irreparable.

4. Jhayee

   Michael Beasley $6,262,347. to atl
   Darko Milicic $4,776,500. to atl
   Brad Miller $4,752,000. to cle

   Josh Smith $12,400,000. to cle
   Marvin Williams $7,500,000. to cle

   Anderson Varejao $7,700,000. to mini
   Antawn Jamison (expiring contract) $15,076,715. to mini
   Daniel Gibson $4,403,834. to atl

   tnx

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Interesting idea. I think that Celveland is the one that balks, perhaps Minnesota. I know that the showed some interest in Varejao back during the trade deadline, but I think they may have higher aspirations for what they receive in return for Beasley. I imagine that Atlanta would be able to live with this deal, although they’d take a step back defensively with Beasley taking Smith’s place.

5. Jhayee

   Michael Beasley $6,262,347 to ATL
   Darko Milicic $4,776,500 to ATL

   Marvin Williams $7,500,000 TO LA
   Kirk Hinrich $8,100,000 (expiring contract) to LA

   Chris Kaman $12,200,000 to TWOLVES

   tnx…

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     I like how you’ve done your homework and know that the Clippers don’t have any interest in Beasley in exchange for Kaman. Would Williams and Hinrich get it done, though? I have my doubts. Kaman is exactly what the Timberwolves want in a center, someone who can play alongside Love and score with his back to the basket. They would be pretty formidable inside together. However, I just don’t think that this is the deal the Clippers agree to. I’m sure they’ve had plenty of offers for Kaman that were around this level in terms of quality that they passed on because All-Star centers aren’t easy to get, so you have to get good value if you trade them away.

6. john

   how would you fix the raptors and who should they draft next year?…..I mean should if Anthony Davis is the best player on the board do they take him seeing that they are loaded at pf

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Depending on the year that Ed Davis has, Anthony would have to be strongly considered. Andre Drummond and Harrison Barnes will also be in that discussion. As long as they all have strong years, the Raptors could probably justify taking any one of them. They could always trade away one of the power forwards they have, but if they’re standing pat and making the pick right now, Barnes appears to be the best fit. I think that Coach Mitchell would really love the leadership that he brings to the table. That’s something the team could really use.

7. john

   who are your top 5 picks in the draft next year….rank them if possible

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     My top five looks like this right now: Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones. Drummond and Davis are 1 and 1A, basically interchangeable until games start being played.

8. john

   what do you think the raptors can get for barbosa/calderon?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     A solid role player or two, but nothing that would drastically change the fortunes of their franchise. You can only get so much for one-way players.

9. john

   if there is no season how in your opinion will the draft next year be settled?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     I think it’s only fair thing is for everyone to have equal odds and have the lottery based on that. If there’s no season it’d be purely hypothetical and unfair to say who should have better odds based on their talent. You never know what could happen if the games were played. The Lakers could be riddled with injuries and end up with the first pick if there was a season, so to give them less chances of another team just based on the fact that they have such a good roster is not fair.

10. bg indy

    what are the owners giving up every thing they want already belong to the players they are’t giving anything

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Well, they’re losing money, some of them at least, and that’s why they feel like they’re the ones who should be given everything and not have to give up anything themselves. Their reasoning is that they’ve been giving so much over the last deal that they can’t give anymore.

11. Jim Turner

    I am a big basketball fan but I am confused about the split of BRI. How do the players divide up their split? In other words, if a player has an individual contract for a specific amount of money, does he get more through the CBA? How does that work?

    Thanks.

    Jim Turner
    Orlando, FL

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Players get payed their individual contracts, that won’t change, but the BRI formula is in the air completely right now. How it would be split up is unknown and the previous method doesn’t matter because there’s no way it’ll be close to the same.

12. Anthony

    Do you think Beasley will ever put it together? With that in mind, are there any teams out there that should consider taking a chance on him?… and do you think he can effectively play the 3?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I’m really feel like what Beasley has done in his career up to this point has been underrated. If a guy who has a career average of 15 points and five rebounds, 19 points and five rebounds last year, hasn’t put it together then I’m not sure I know what the definition of doing so is. If you’re talking about living up to the excessive hype that came after a huge freshman year at Kansas State and being a star like Derrick Rose, who some thought he should be drafted ahead of, then I’m not too sure. I think he’s a fine player right now who can be better, but don’t think he’ll be an MVP candidate or All-Star. There is a chance, though. As far as playing effectively at the three, that’s his spot. He doesn’t like playing with his back to the basket and the TWolves have plenty of power forwards right now, they don’t need him to play that spot with Love, Williams and Tolliver there.

13. Steve

    Good Morning Yannis,
    The CBA drama has actually turned out rather interesting so far. I mean, while we all want basketball, this is the reality of the game now we are living and it is interesting to see the ugly guts of it. Can there be amicable reconciliation or do you think any relationships have been seriously damaged to this point?
    Does Fisher get a fee for his service to the players?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Glad you find it interesting, but I don’t think the vast majority of NBA fans share your standpoint. I don’t see anything good happening soon. Eventually someone is going to fold and accept some terms that they are firmly against right now. Who it is and when that is, I have no idea at this point. Cohen’s statements that there’s no point to meet anytime soon is pretty damning in my opinion. I’m honestly worried about whether or not we’re have a season now, whereas a week ago I thought there was a good chance we’d have a full one, just on a delayed schedule. And Fisher is doing this all free of charge from what I understand. He was voted into this position by the players, takes great pride in representing them and is fighting for them simply based on the trust they put into him to get the best deal possible.

14. cragganmor

    hi yannis, who are the villains on both sides of the owner/labor dispute, the guys that are preventing a new deal?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Well, from what I’ve gathered guys like Peter Holt, Dan Gilbert, Robert Sarver and Glen Taylor are really anchoring the owners hard stance on issues the players cannot accept. From a players standpoint, they’re more united. It’s more Fisher and Hunter than anyone other players. I guess you’d have to throw Matt Bonner in there too since he’s the Vice President of the Players’ Union.

15. Drew

    Will Adleman get the best out of B-Easy! And should he start and Williams off the bench or other way around? Also Can Wes Play the 2 or does he need to be traded for a 2?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I have to think so. Look what he did with Ron Artest and Bonzi Wells. He got great things out of them, and they too are viewed as players who are tough to handle. I think that he’s going to bring Williams off of the bench and use him in a few different ways. He’s so versatile, Adelman is really going to maximize that. As far as Wes goes, this is something that me and Steve Kyler go back and forth on. I think he can play the two and that he just had a difficult time adjusting last year. You have to remember, he sat out an entire year before being eligible at Syracuse. So prior to joining the Wolves, he played 30 games in two years total. This is still a young guy who has a lot to learn about the game. Making the leap to the NBA is quite difficult, but I think we’ll see a much better Wes in year two who can potentially play at the two spot full-time.

16. Nicholas Batum

    Do you think that Gerald Wallace is really going to keep my spot at the 3 in Portland long-term? He is a great player, but I’ve been getting better every year and I’m still a baby!

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Great point, but there’s so much interest in Batum around the league that I think Portland could eventually end up trading him. Especially if it nets them the center they’re going to eventually need.

      That’s going to do it for me folks. I’ll be back next week at the same time!