NBA Rumors Chat With Steve Kyler 11/15/12

1. paprika

   wassup? Have u had some pinoy food lately? Anyways i woke up and had a great idea. Why not trade amare for boozer. Boozer dont need tobscore in nyc, in chicago just rest amare ,make him heal100% and with rose and amare pushing each other in theraphy sessions i bet both of them come out strong. The best thing aboutbthe trade they can amnesty amare if he turns bad and they can play taj gibs while waiting for amare be 100%…. With me?i

   • Steve Kyler

     Welcome in everyone… lots to get to, so I won’t waste a lot of time on an intro…. lets get after it.

     Fist… not a big Filipino food guy… so no on pinoy. I am on a serious diet so unless its fresh fruit, salads or lean protein I am not indulging in much and have 37 less pounds of me to show for it.

     On the Boozer idea… Players are not baseball cards… they have more influence on a teams chemistry and success than maybe they show on the floor. Would the Bulls love a do-over on the contract for Boozer, maybe, but they are not engaged in trying to trade him.

     On the Amar’e side, as I wrote about this morning in the NBA AM (http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-am-more-nba-coaches-on-the-hot-seat/) – I am not sure its going to work for the Knicks with Carmelo absolutely crushing at the power forward spot… where does Amar’e fit? I was told by a couple of Knick players that if Mike Woodson asked STAT to come of the bench they thought he;d do it… I am not sold on that.

     I am not sure either guy is really tradeable, but I also never thought I’d see Gilbert Arenas or Rashard Lewis traded… so anything is possible.

2. Deven

   How are the Wolves managing to win games, despite all the injury woes?

   • Steve Kyler

     They are well coached… they have more talent than we give them credit for and Nikola Pekovic has become a monster. Tyson Chandler had nothing but praise for Big Pek the other night saying he was such a skilled big.

     I think a lot of people that snickered at David Kahn and mocked his moves, owe him a BIG apology. He and Adeleman have done a stellar job.

3. Deven

   How patient should Sixers fans be about Bynum out that he’s out another month or two?

   • Steve Kyler

     What choice do they have… I think they have to be super smart about how they value him in a new contract, but if a guy is hurt, a guy is hurt they knew what they were trading for.

     I have said this a few times… I am not worried about Bynum for the first 20 games… whats he look like in the last 20 games… if he gets a 100% healthy by the trade deadline, the 76ers are going to be scary down the stretch.

4. Matt

   Hey Steve. What do you think of this trade? Iman Shumpert of the Knicks for Derrick Williams of the Timberwolves. I know the Knicks will miss the defensive intensity of Shumpert, but it looks like they need an athletic big man to run the floor. No contract is untradeable, and I am sure they could dump off Amare somewhere for some draft picks and some throw away players. Would it be worth it to see how Williams could develop?

   Also, Shumpert would help the Timberwolves immensely on the wing, where they have yet to a consistent go to option.

   What do you think?

   • Steve Kyler

     I don’t see the Knicks consider a trade at all, not while they are crushing teams. They like Shump. He’s cheap and he knows what they are doing on both ends of the floor.

5. LA in LA

   1)Al Horford has said many times he’d like to play PF but I don’t think he can ever do that because I don’t see Josh Smith as full time SF. Also don’t think it works best offensively playing Smith-Horford-center because theres not enough Space for Smith.

   2) What could they get back for Jsmoove if he won’t stay long term? I’d think Hawks would want a quality SF or C back and the only trades I could think of would be Lakers and Nuggets although I don’t think either has enough assets.

   • Steve Kyler

     1)Al Horford has said many times he’d like to play PF but I don’t think he can ever do that because I don’t see Josh Smith as full time SF. Also don’t think it works best offensively playing Smith-Horford-center because theres not enough Space for Smith.
     —- I agree with most of it, but I;d also point out that we really don;t play position based basketball anymore… coaches put their best guys on the floor.

     Al gets his post touches and his pick and pop touches… not sure its nearly the problem your making it.

     The Hawks are not trading Josh… They talked at length, he can’t do an extension now without leaving money on the table and both sides know that. He is an Atlanta guy and they are doing the kinds of things he likes. That could change, but I doubt seriously the Hawks trade Josh Smith.

6. LA in LA

   I heard MKG is looking better than expected for ‘Cats. Have you seen this and if you have can you explain how he’s looked?

   • Steve Kyler

     I wouldn’t say better than expected, because most pegged him as the most NBA ready guy in the draft…

     Thats said, he’s a very Scotty Pippen type player. He can do a lot of things. He;s not a take over a game player, but he’s a solid player in a lot of areas and he fits in nicely with Kemba Walker.

7. Cain

   Is there a worse offensive looking team than the Pacers? I feel Vogel has to go as we need someone that can coach an offense not just hustle and hope.

   • Steve Kyler

     You are without your best player… not sure you can fire the coach over that, but there is no doubt Indy isn’t nearly as good now as they were six months ago.

     I think trading Darren Collision and Dahanty Jones is not yielding the dividends the team hoped DJ Augustin and Gerald Green were going to bring.

     They need more out of Paul George and George Hill, and maybe its time for some Orlando Johnson… just sayin.

8. Jim in Cyber Space

   Just my opinion…I really think the whole Perk/Zbo scuffle was more about sending a message to his team mates than anything else. “We can’t be losing on our home court”. From Perk’s view of things? That’s why Presti got him.

   Let’s face it…the Thunder has looked disinterested at many times…going through motions.

   • Steve Kyler

     Agreed on both… Perk is the emotional leader of that team.

     As for disinterested… this is the problem with success… when you’ve been to the NBA Finals how does Game 6 of the regular compare? Its not easy to get guys to play with the same level of energy and engagement thats why so few teams win their Conference and return the following year.

9. Angie

   Do you know when or if Al Harrington will play for the Magic? I’m ready for everyone to be healthy because I know we can win more games. I’m loving the coaching of Vaughn, keep it up MAGIC.

   • Steve Kyler

     Not sure he’s going to play many games for the Magic… Al is rehabbing his knee. I suspect the Magic get him in some games before the trade deadline, prove he’s healthy and try and trade him. He is not part of the plan going forward.

10. Carl

    Do you think that Morey has what it takes to build a contender around Harden and in your opinion who should the Rockets be targeting via trade or free agency?

    • Steve Kyler

      No… I don’t. He has been on the job for going on 6 seasons and the Rockets are average. They have been average for a long time. Will one more run through free agency make them a winner… maybe, but I am not sure I have seen from Daryl what you’ve seen from Neil Olshey, Sam Presti or even David Kahn.

      Daryl is a super smart guy. He has a lot of super smart people that work for him, but at the end of the day players go where they can be overpaid or where they can win.

      Not sure a major guy is coming to Houston unless they really overpay for him.

11. Chris

    Hi Steve,

    Ray Allen for Sixth Man?

    And do you see Rockets making a trade befor the deadline? Are they Playoff team?

    Thanks.

    • Steve Kyler

      No on ray-Ray… Jamal Crawford gets my vote.

      Yes… I think the Rockets have the pieces to be traders around the deadline, but it takes two to tango and Houston’s chips are not overly attractive, at least not enough yield another star.

12. Alex

    Out of the Knicks, Clippers and Grizzlies, which team do you see as playing better than their talent suggests?

    • Steve Kyler

      Knicks are undefeated, so the Knicks… Love what the grizz are doing and the Clips might be the best team in the West when its all said.

13. Jeff

    Thoughts on this statement from Colangelo?

    “Picking eighth, I passed on somebody I consider a top-five talent in the draft (my guess is Lamb) because we felt like he didn’t have the right mental makeup. I passed on someone we thought was a top-three physical specimen (my take: surely Drummond) because we felt he wasn’t the right fit for our team and didn’t have the right mental makeup.”
    via @kevin_mcGran

    • Steve Kyler

      All true.

      Not everyone is what you think they are, especially in the draft.

      I say this a lot, NBA players have to live with each other for something like 190 days of the year… how you fit off the court matters. Look at the Royce White thing in Houston. That is a constant issue in Houston today. The same with Delonte West… love the player. Its the person that is hard to live with.

14. Michael

    Do you think the Kings will eventually trade Tyreke Evans this year or hold on to him with hope of significant development throughout the season?

    • Steve Kyler

      I think they trade him or they lose him to free agency… they won’t pay him.

15. Silassie

    Hi there.

    With the TWolves having such a torrid time with injuries do think they may get into the free agent market again???

    • Steve Kyler

      They have talked with Mickael Pietrus and Kenyon Martin, so yeah… they are in the mix for free agents and for trades.

      They have been trying to get something going.

16. Cesar

    Rudy Gay has struggled offensively to start the season but has seen his numbers pick up the last 2 games against elite teams in the Heat and Thunder. If Rudy continues to build off of those good performances can he be an All Star this year?

    • Steve Kyler

      Who does he beat out?

      Lat year’s All-Stars were Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Andrew Bynum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Kevin Love, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook.

      Dwight Howard replaces Bynum… You might make a case for Rudy over Gasol, but I doubt that…Love may or may not, so there is a window – but consider this. The All-Star game is in Houston. So do the fans vote in Jeremy Lin? How about James Harden?

      Is Rudy deserving? sure. He has become a solid player, but I am not sure he is bumping anyone off the list from last year especially if Lin gets in by popular vote.

17. PP

    Hi Steve,
    Do you think BB David nd JJ Redick s part of rebuilding plan in Orlando?

    • Steve Kyler

      JJ is possible… they like him a lot. Not sure he’ll sign on for a rebuild if he has a choice, but Orlando can pay him more if they choose to.

      Glen is not part of the future, but his contract and personality are tough pills to swallow in trade, might take some grease by way of a draft pick or taking back a bad contract and not sure the Magic do that.

18. George

    Who do you feel has the higher ceiling for the Magic. Mo Harkless or Andre Nicholson?

    • Steve Kyler

      Mo Harkless.

      I like Drew, but if you watch how he runs, he has some structural stuff with his feet that are going to catch up with him. Bio-mechanically he is tough to endorse. But man is he skilled.

19. Jay Magic

    Hi Steve.

    If they have a healthy roster can the Magic make the playoffs? Also whats your take on Harkless & Nicholson, do you see them becoming anything special?

    • Steve Kyler

      There is a big race to the middle and I think Orlando “could be” in the .500 club, but lately they have looked awful.

      As for Harkless and Nicholson, as I said above. Those are solid guys. They need time. Mo is that young pony that wants to run… the Magic just need to let him do his thing.

20. Blake

    Any knowledge on the Kyle Lowry injury/return to games? Also same question on John Wall. Thanks

    • Steve Kyler

      Lowry is sprained ankle and they are not setting a firm return date, but it was a nasty one.

      John Wall was a stress fracture in his right knee. He said last night that there was still no timeline for a return, he is doing almost nothing in terms of serious court work.

      I’d expect Kyle back before John Wall

21. Tim

    JR Smith vs Jamal Crawford? Who would you rather have as your 6th man?

    • Steve Kyler

      Jamal Crawford… he’s not nearly the knucklehead JR Smith can be.

      Guys… I am out of time. Thanks for all the questions. Make sure you are following me on Twitter (@stevekylerNBA). See you all next week.