NBA Rumors Chat With Steve Kyler 1/13/12

HOOPSWORLD Publisher Steve Kyler will hold his weekly chat at 4:30pm EST (time revised) on Friday from New Orleans. Drop in your questions regarding NBA trades, the NBA Draft, roster moves or questions about your team.

  1. Raph

    With Bynum playing at a high level, do you expect the Magic to deal him to the Lakers in some sort of 3-team trade at the deadline? Or do you still expect that they hold him for the season and trade him on draft night (I would think they’d have less leverage at that point)?

    • Steve Kyler

      Welcome in everyone… sorry for the delay with the chat time. I am in New Orleans and had to get some lunch in before the game tonight. Now that I am all Gumbo’d up. Lets get after the chat. Lots in the que, so lets get started.

      Not sure I understand the question… I think you are asking me are the Magic going to deal Dwight to the Lakers…

      The honest answer is no… from what I was told the Magic had a deal done that would have landed Dwight in New Jersey, everyone involved signed off on the deal only to have Magic ownership kill the deal and order Howard removed from the trade market.

      Not sure anything has changed on that front. I do think at the trade deadline the Magic have to listen to what is out there, but with Howard killing it the way he is right now and the fact that the East is still pretty wide open, Orlando seems like they want to see how far they can go before conceding to losing Howard.

      I think there is an inevitability to Howard being traded, it just does not seem like anything the Magic are trying to entertain now… the trade deadline is 62 days away… I think in 59 days they start fielding calls again… not sure they are going to do it before then unless someone bowls them over with a can’t refuse offer.

  2. TheREALGM

    What are the chances of these guys being traded? Anderson Varejao, Ramon Sessions and D.J. Augustin. Also, who says no to these packages. 1) Lakers trade Derrick Caracter, Devin Ebanks, Steve Blake, TPE, DAL 1st and LAL 1st for Anderson Varejao and Ramon Sessions. 2) LAL trades Darius Morris, Caracter, TPE, LAL 1st DAL 1st for DJ Augustin.

    • Steve Kyler

      You are putting a lot of trade value on guys that were second round picks.

      From what I have been told Cleveland does not want to go “all in” on their young guys… They like Varejao and see him as a calming voice and proven pro for guys like Tristan Thompson to follow. The same with Sessions. There isn’t much there at point guard other than Kyrie, and he is a year removed from a major-major foot injury.

      Don’t think that because you don;t see value from the,m, that the team doesn’t… I think at the trade deadline they have to look, but for now they are saying they need leaders around the young guys especially with a coach like Byron Scott who is not overly patient with the growth process and a compressed season with almost no practice time.

      You are seeing this already, teams with no depth are getting decimated by the schedule and early injuries… the Cavs see no reason to put themselves in the same place… that may change in 62 days, but for now don’t expect the Cavs to be involved in much.

  3. JazzFan

    Considering the Jazz took the Lakers down to the wire in OT and was on a 5 game winning streak do you think the Jazz can realistically make the playoffs this season?

    • Steve Kyler

      The west is still open… outside of the Thunder, everyone has stumbled a little… 56.1% got you into the playoffs in the West last year… so in this season thats roughly 38 games… the Jazz have won 6 games, they need 32 more wins to get in.

      Not sure that unrealistic for them at this point… not sure they can go far, but they have just as good a shot getting in as anyone in the West not named Portland, Oklahoma City or Lakers/Cliuppers.

  4. Alex in Burbank

    Steve,
    Hack-a-Shaq is back. Not good for the NBA. 39 ft’s for Howard last night? Are you kidding me? If teams are going to hack Dwight, something better be done because I watched that with my LAKERS with Shaq and it got pretty damn boring.

    • Steve Kyler

      As long as Howard shoots 50% from the field, its a fair move. Thats why Dwight hired a shooting coach this summer and the Magic hired Mark Price as an assistant coach.

      Howard has to shoot better than 21-for-39 or else teams will hack him because he has shown that he is awfully tough to guard.

  5. 76ERS4LIFE

    if the 76ers use the amnesty on brand, do they have a shot at dwight ( provided he doesn’t get moved by the deadline)? if not, what other option do they have by dumping elton? what superstar would be available?

    • Steve Kyler

      No on Dwight – if he leaves Orlando its going to be Brooklyn, Dallas or LA not sure he can be talked into anything else.

      On Elton… I am fairly close to that situation and I have heard absolutely no commentary on parting with Elton Brand.

      Not saying that won’t happen, just saying the 76ers are very happy with where they are right now and Elton is a part of that.

  6. Will

    Will Steve Nash be moved this season or is Sarver to afraid of empty seats to take advantage of his last shot as getting real assets back for the 2 time MVP?

    • Steve Kyler

      All owners are afraid of empty seats… the reality is that the Suns will never get back for Steve Nash what the get from Steve Nash and as long as he wants to stay I think they will hang on to him.

      Thats the same with Dwight, he is worth far more today than what the team can get back for him and both franchise care more about right now than tomorrow as neither guy is gonna return anything that re-invents a franchise after those guys are gone.

      Steve says he is fine in Phoenix, until that changes I don;t think he’ll be traded.

  7. Will

    Nic Batum or Thad Young, which would benefit the most from securing a full time starting gig somewhere?

    • Steve Kyler

      About the same… both are very good players.

      I am a Thad fan because he plays within his game and is really efficient.

  8. Eric

    How specific can you be about the changes Dwight wants to see in Orlando? To say they have no chance at the championship with him is totally false; they were there with him just a few years ago.

    • Steve Kyler

      I have covered this a few times, so I am not going to hit on this much more…

      The issues with Dwight are about how Dwight sees the world… Dwight sees other stars being promoted more than he is – by their teams and by the league… Dwight sees other teams catering to their stars more than he has been in Orlando… Dwight sees other stars having more of a voice in how their teams are managed both on and off the court.

      But bigger than those things, Dwight has been convinced that he will never win a championship in Orlando.

      The voices in Dwight’s life have convinced him that they will never win. Because of how the team has been managed for years, how the team spends money, how the team drafts players and conducts trades — that’s not something that can be fixed because that’s a perception.

      In this business you are a loser until you win… and the only way Dwight can be convinced he can win in Orlando is to win there.

      I am not trying to put in spin on this — all I can do is tell you whats been said to me when I ask these same questions.

      Its bigger than a trade… its bigger than fire Otis Smith… The Mets will never be the Yankees anymore than the Clippers will never be the Lakers and until Orlando does something, Dwight’s camp has a lot of points and the only way those points are proven wrong is to win.

  9. dyrese

    the knicks need to trade douglas and and picks to get a starting sg fields is a defensive bench guy iman will play alot at the 1 behind baron so why not trade for a sg/wing?

    • Steve Kyler

      The Knicks have no picks to trade… they traded this years pick… they have to use next year;s pick and they already traded 2014′s pick… so no one is taking a pick in 3 years for an asset today.

      The Knicks have no assets to trade, especially with Toney;s value being so low, you’d be getting back pennies on the dollar for Toney. You surely wouldn’t get anyone better than Toney back.

      The smart play might be grabbing some guys out of the D-League to bolster their bench… you’ll get more talent this route than in trade.

  10. Charlie

    Why is Flip Saunders the only one catching grief for the Wizards poor start? I personally blame the GM (Ernie Grunfeld), he signed zero veteran’s this offseason then is in disbelief when this young, immature team can’t find a way to put it together. Phil Jackson would struggle with this group. If you were the owner of the Washington Wizards, who are you blaming first: the coach or the GM?

    • Steve Kyler

      That is not true on the veterans… they signed Mo Evans, Roger mason.. they have Rashard Lewis in-house and did not amnesty him and they traded for Ronny Turiaf.

      The problem is they have too many guys playing for themselves and that’s allowed – Flip is the wrong coach for such a young team and they have all soured on each other as selfish and that’s the problem.

      Ernie is getting the blame to, you just don’t hear it in the press as much, but he’ll be gone this summer too, if not sooner.

  11. Chris G

    Since Atlanta is looking for a big, could the Bulls swap Boozer for Hinrich/Williams? It’ll allow the Bulls to commit to Gibson, and save them from amnestying Boozer, which is probably coming in a year or two.

    • Steve Kyler

      They could, but they won’t… Carlos is a big part of whats working for Chicago… he may not be giving you a 20 point 20 rebound game, but he is a huge part of what the Bulls are.

  12. Jason

    Do you see the magic going rasheed wallace? Im sure he would love to play with D-12 and former teammate big baby. That would increase the magics depth not only on the team but the gaping hole behind dwight or frontcourt in general..

    • Steve Kyler

      No… His name has come up before, but not as someone the Magic have interest in.

      They do need a backup Center, but I just don’t see it.

  13. vnzla81

    Do you see the Pacers making any moves?

    • Steve Kyler

      Not while sitting at 7-3… they are in pretty good shape all things considering. This is a young team that needs time together to become great… change especially with no practice days is tough to manage.

      I have been in new Orleans for most of the week and the one thing they are running into is just how limited the practice/training time is.

      Hard to learn each other on back-to-backs… Most teams are seeing this, so unless you have a real and material need, you may see more teams stick with what they have than make change for change sake.

  14. Tyler

    What all do players have to pay for on the road? I’m just curious if they have a chef that stays with them and cooks for the players or if a player orders room service they have to pay for it.

    • Steve Kyler

      Players are given per diem for every day they are away from their home market. Thats $113 per day if I recall correctly.

      Most teams provide meals for their guys, but teams do not bring a chef or anything like that.

      Everything in terms of rooms and travel is provided, players are responsible for their own incidentals – phone calls, in-room movies, room service.

      A lot of guys order room service for lunch and go out for dinner after games if they can….

      The Hornets for instance provide a catered breakfast for each of their guys at home games.

      Alot of teams cater a meal for their guys post game… until not uncommon to see a buffet set up in the lockeroom or boxed meals waiting for guys post game.

  15. Wayne

    What ever happened to Kevin Love’s signature Full Court Outlet Pass? Seems like he hasn’t done it in like 2 years.

    • Steve Kyler

      Not sure… but I will ask him that tonight if I remember.

  16. William

    Would the Hawks have interest in Okafor? Or is that too bad a contract.

    • Steve Kyler

      Doubtful, unless it included shedding Marvin Williams too.

  17. Sweet Dee

    I believe Chicago Bulls fans are going to live to regret the Rip Hamilton signing. I realize everyone is saying “give him time to get acclimated” and “he’s been injured so far so give him time.” But just making sure everyone is aware they signed an aging, undersized shooting guard who doesn’t play defense to team-up with Derrick Rose. Chicago’s weakness / lack of production at the 2 is again going to be the demise of the Bulls during the East Finals this playoffs. Agree or Disagree.

    • Steve Kyler

      You can’t regret signing someone to a two year $10 million deal… if he doesn’t work out that’s not a huge burden.

      The Bulls could also “stretch” provision that last year and spread the final year out over 3 years and reduce the cap/tax cost down to $1.6 million if they need to room.

      He may not help them as much as some had hoped, but I think he’ll do OK… I ‘d be more worried about Derrick Rose’s toe than Rip Hamilton.

  18. John

    With the injury to J-Rich not being that serious and listed as day-to-day, do you see the Magic trying to add another defensive wing player it needs?

    • Steve Kyler

      Not immediately… they likely push JJ Redick into the starting lineup and use Quentin Richardson or Larry Hughes a little more… they also have DeAndre Liggins who is a wing that can help too.

  19. charlie

    Do you see or hear of the Blazers doing anything during the season? Seems like a tough position for them in not having enough small assets to help make a push, but is there a bigger deal with Camby or Wallace to help now and/or the future there? Or do they just ride with what they have, and see what happens in the offseason. Thanks.

    • Steve Kyler

      I have had six western conference executives tell me they think the Blazers are the best team in the West… not sure they need to do anything but stay healthy.

  20. Mac

    Please Laker fans, let’s not start with the ridiculous trade offers: What if we package Derrick Character, Devin Ebanks, Steve Blake, and Luke Walton for another teams starting center and point guard. I’m not trying to be mean, but if a player gets ZERO minutes in LA, why do you believe you can parlay these guys into a quality rotation player?? Nobody wants your scrubs. Please give the other 29 GM’s in a league a little credit!!!

    • Steve Kyler

      The Lakers bench has some value… but not the kind of value fans think.

      Just because a guy wore a Laker jersey does not make him valuable in trade.

      Totally agree with the lunacy of the trade scenario.

  21. Zo

    Is Otis Smith on his way out the door, yet?

    • Steve Kyler

      No… and there are no plans to fire him and from what I have been told he and Dwight are fine — the issues in Orlando are bigger than Otis Smith.

  22. dre

    who’s the best fit out of the 2012 draft to pair up wit KI & TT in Cleveland to help move the rebuild in the right direction?

    • Steve Kyler

      Its awfully early for me on the draft guys… I have just started watching tape and tend not to get overly excited about guys until the tournament and workouts with teams start.

      I don’t think Cleveland ends up in the bottom four… so if they end up with picks 5 to 10 which is where I see them finishing, for my money I like Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Quincy Miller, and Khris Middleton

      I’d love to see Jared Sullinger or Andre Drummond there, but they will be long gone by pick 5.

  23. john package

    i think the orlando magic are one good/consistent scorer away from being able to compete for a championship ( i don’t say they’re going to get it but competing would help them keep howard )who is out there and who do you think they should go after ?

    • Steve Kyler

      I think they agree with you… the problem is they have no spare assets to make a real move.

      I think like a lot of teams they have to wait and see who throws in the towel or what situations become so bad a team has to make a trade.

      The Magic are buyers in a sellers market… they have to wait for someone to sell, but at the same time they don’t have a lot to offer.

      Keep your eye on Kirk Hinrich… keep your eye on Stephen Jackson, keep your eye on OJ Mayo… those are obtainable guys right now.

      Guys, I am out of time. Thanks for hanging out with me. I have the Hornets and Timberwolves tonight and already got with Ricky Rubio, so look for some goosd stuff from the Wolves this weekend. Until then follow me on Twitter (@stevekylerNBA) I am still giving away an iPad2 when I cross 5,000 followers, and I am almost there, Until next week be well.