NBA Rumors Chat With Steve Kyler 10/20/11

HOOPSWORLD Publisher Steve Kyler will hold his weekly chat at 3:30pm EST on Thursdays. Drop in your questions regarding NBA trades, the NBA Draft, roster moves or questions about your team.

  1. dyrese

    THE KNICKS have a good young core to put around stat melo and billups but if any one had to be traded toney douglas is expandable who can the knicks trade him for?

    • Steve Kyler

      Not sure who they can trade for, because don;t know what the landscape will be but I can say I was told pretty emphatically that the Knicks would look to move Toney mainly because they know he needs minutes and they don’t have them for him especially with Iman Shumpert expected to see time at the point guard spot.

      Now admittedly a lot has changes around the Knicks since the draft and a new GM still has not been hired so that could change, but the truth of it is no matter how you slice it Toney Douglas is not the Knicks point guard of the future, I don’t think Iman is either, which makes him a chip to be cashed in trade.

  2. turin55555

    Hello sir! This is my first time to ask you a question.
    I am Celtics fan and I would like to hear from you of a trade that deals Jermaine O’Neal + a 2nd round pick for Thabeet and Courtney Lee. Will this be good for both teams?

    • Steve Kyler

      I don’t think Houston would make that deal… Jermaine is retiring in a year.

      Thabeet has been working hard this summer. Not sold he’ll ever be a star or even a serious NBA player, but from what I have heard he is taking his opportunity in Houston seriously.

      I think Courtney would welcome a trade simply so he can get in a position to get paid. Just not sold Houston would do that kind of deal.

  3. tony

    I am now beginning to believe a deal could get done today or this week. Am I being overly optimistic?

    • Steve Kyler

      I joked about this on twitter that I feel like Charlie Brown kicking the football… Lucy (@NBPA) keeps pulling the football out from under me.

      They are close enough on almost everything to reach a deal. It will take a little more give and take, but the framework is there.

  4. John

    Realistically what can tor get for calderon/barbosa?

    • Steve Kyler

      Until we get a feel for what the cap and system looks like… not much. Teams will have to manage the business going forward for a year or two so someone’s bad deals will be unattractive.

      I wouldn’t expect much in return for either, unless its taking back worse contracts.

  5. John

    How would u improve the raptors?

    • Steve Kyler

      Patience.

      This is a young teams that learning and growing. You have a new head coach in Dwane Casey who will help them understand defense, and in two years you’ll have a monster in the middle, a two guard in DeMar DeRozan that will be ready to play with anyone.

      The trap here is trying to rush the process.

  6. John

    WHo are your fantasy sleepers/busts?

  7. Ben

    Do you think Javale McGee will face any on-court backlash from other players for his poor choice of words last week? Why do I see KG trying to send a message with a “know your role” hard foul?

    • Steve Kyler

      Unlikely. Most NBA guys know JaVale is a little off. He is a nice guy; I doubt anyone cares what he has to say in the grand scheme of things.

      If anything, I wonder if KG gets some hard fouls from guys that find out he’s a key reason they missed game checks.

      From all accounts both sides were on a path to a deal when KG got lippy and derailed everything.

  8. Dong of Dayton

    Good Afternoon Steve,

    The Bucks are a team I haven’t heard about in a while. Do you think they’ll be back in the playoff hunt next year with SJAX and a healthy Bogut?

    • Steve Kyler

      They could be… but you have to look at it this way:

      1 – Chicago Bulls
      2 – Miami Heat
      3 – Boston Celtics
      4 – Orlando Magic
      5 – Atlanta Hawks
      6 – New York Knicks
      7 – Philadelphia 76ers
      8 – Indiana Pacers

      Who’s chair are they taking?

      I would argue that Indiana gets better after free agency because their core stays intact and they could add another legit piece.

      I think Philly is stable as a playoff teams as is Atlanta… so are the Bucks better than Orlando? — no… better than the Knicks… No.

      Could the Bucks get back into the playoffs? Sure, they would need a lot to break their way.

  9. dyrese

    whats does your top eight in the east look like? i got heat knicks bulls hawks celtics orlando indiana nets

    • Steve Kyler

      1 – Chicago Bulls
      2 – Miami Heat
      3 – Boston Celtics
      4 – Orlando Magic
      5 – Atlanta Hawks
      6 – New York Knicks
      7 – Philadelphia 76ers
      8 – Indiana Pacers

      I do not have the Nets in there… they need a lot of help.

  10. Ben

    Do you believe a CBA agreement (in principle) will be in place by Nov 1? It seems as though the major issues are solvable issues through compromise.

    • Steve Kyler

      Yes… I still believe a deal is achievable and both sides will ultimately compromise enough to close the gaps. Not sure that happens today, but we’ll see.

  11. Tim

    Hey if the amnesty rule goes through; I am an Orlando Magic fan would we have to cut a player, for instance could we see how Areanas fairs before we cut him. I would hate to cut him pay him sixty million and him actually contribute. Do you think they would cut him or could it be Turk?

    • Steve Kyler

      Depends… this rule isn’t written yet.

      Best guess is it would function like the last one, where there was a cut off date before the regular season starts. I doubt they a team would be able to try him out in camp and kill his free agency value (if there is any)… Whether Gilbert is cut depends on function of the rule… whats been talked about is 75% of the contract value comes off the cap and the luxury tax, with the balance counting against both over the term of his contract. Under that scenario I’d cut Gilbert before Turk.

  12. David from Germany

    Hi Steve,

    enjoy your blogs.

    Just read that the players and owners were somehow close to a 50/50 split. Is this the beginning of the players to fold? Last week the statement was no way we’re accepting a deal below 53 %. Was this just a rumor or are we anywhere close to a deal?

    Assuming the KG thing might have some to do with it too?

    • Steve Kyler

      I wouldn’t say fold, because if the agreement is 50/50 from gross, than thats not much of a concession…. If its 50/50 using the old BRI formula then thats a big deal, but if the players win on the system, they knew they’d have to go down to the low 50′s to reach a deal. They can bitch all they want about is this team losing money or not, the truth is they knew they were giving back a ton of cash because of where the economy was. They were fighting more about system than split… if the system was right the owners can get their split… what the Players were fighting is a massive give back on split and massive changes in system.

      Think about it this way, you and I have a deal… you can get 57% of what we earn but I’ll restrict the system so you can never achieve true market value or we can split things 50/50 but the system will allow you to play teams against each other and drive up prices… which is the better deal for individual players?

      The NBA wanted the reduced split and a massive change in system… the Players have said you can not have both… giving in on the split a little tell me the system won’t be nearly as strict as some have talked about.

  13. Ben

    Why are the owners proposing more stringent rules against retaining players (i.e. larry bird exception)? Wouldn’t such disadvantages hurt smaller market teams if they cannot pay their own players more?

    • Steve Kyler

      Everything has been revisited in this process, so hard to say what exactly will be in the next labor deal. There are things I have heard were agreeable like a $5 million Mid-Level that can be no longer than three years… There was talk of a Bonus pool for underpaid players. The NFL has something like this were guys on their rookie deal can be bonused — call that the Derrick Rose provision.

      I think the eventual deal will have some advantages to the home market, especially pertaining to star players.

      One of the core goals here is to really level the playing field on market size.

      LeBron would not be in Miami if it meant level $40 million on the table.

  14. Wile E Coyote

    It seems like nearly all of the Wolves are SF, PF, or SF/PF. Do you think they have a few roster-balancing trades lined up if/when the lockout ends? Who stays & who goes?

    • Steve Kyler

      Really hard to speculate on trades until we understand the landscape.

      The Collective Bargaining Agreement is going to influence all of the transactions for likely the next two years as most teams reposition.

      The Wolves were as active around the draft as anyone, so a deal or two is possible… but can you honestly tell me who the right guys are to keep?

      You have a new coach that loves depth and options, so I doubt seriously you’ll see anything major until Rick Adelman finds his rotation players.

  15. Wile E Coyote

    If the union and owners reach an agreement that includes a 49-51 band on BRI and some minor changes to the system (e.g. shorter MLE contracts, smaller raises), do you see Hunter having the votes. Some agents and hard-line All Stars were digging in at 52 or 53% BRI and no system changes.

    • Steve Kyler

      I do… most Players want to get back to work.

      There is a small group that have control of this process that care, but the rank and file don’t because the truth of it is that the good players will still get paid silly money. They guys that will feel the pinch most are guys at the end of their careers and most of them took jobs in Europe already.

  16. chris

    Did you see that Dwight tweeted that he wanted to put together an old school vs. new school Magic exhibition? He said that his plan is to get everyone in Orlando involved. This is coming two days after the Esquire interview was posted. What do you think his intentions were with this?

    • Steve Kyler

      Not sure what his intentions are other than to try and do something with the down time… I said a few weeks ago I didn’t think Dwight would sit out the charity game circuit… I know I’ll go if it happens.

  17. John

    I know its far away….but who are your top 5 picks in next yrs draft

    • Steve Kyler

      Not that far… 252 days if you are counting at home.

      Here is our Top 100 Players powered by DraftExpress

      For my money

      :#1 – Anthony Davis
      #2 – Jared Sullinger
      #3 – Harrison Barnes
      #4 – Andre Drummond
      #5 – Perry Jones

      Also high on Quincy Miller, Patric Young and Jeremy Lamb

  18. James

    If new deal makes it where d-12 stays NAND aneisty clause are in it … What can Orlando do make elite again. What bout a iggy – brand trade or who would u try n team Howard. With in Orlando

    • Steve Kyler

      Don’t get ahead of yourself… Orlando will have a big hole to climb out of when this is all said and done.

      I can tell you Dwight would love to play with guys like Josh Smith, Iggy and Glen “Big Baby” Davis — if things break just right Orlando could go after at least two of the three and see whats there when the chips settle.

      Have to get a labor deal first.

  19. James

    Wouldn’t the taking on money for the players instead of rev sharing aid the big market teams cause it would give them more money to pay even a higher lux tax?

    • Steve Kyler

      Luxury tax doesn’t solve the problem any more than jamming more “stars” onto the Lakers or Knicks.

      The NBA is 30 teams, and as constructed you can name 15 teams that don’t have a shot in hell of winning a championship or landing a major free agent.

      Revenue sharing is about making sure that every team can at least turn a profit, which in turn will help increase franchise values for everyone who owns a team.

      Let me use this analogy… you own 30 houses… your doing excessively well with 6 or 7 of them… do you just keep pocketing money from the 6 or 7 that make money… or do you use some of the profits from your good houses, to increase the value and earning potential of the others?

      Thats what revenue sharing is about.

      Thanks for all the questions. I am out of time. I’ll be back with you next week at the same time. Make sure you are following me on twitter (@stevekylerNBA).