NBA Rumors Chat With Steve Kyler 9/1/11

1. Raptorman

   Which of these vet wingmen makes the most sense for the Raptors to sign: J-Rich, C Butler, or T Prince? Should the Raptors even sign a vet swingmen, or just focus on getting a C like Tyson C or Marc Gasol?

   • Steve Kyler

     Welcome to the Chat… I hope the week has been good to you. Lots of questions in the que, so lets get after them…

     Not sure the Raptors can obtain Gasol or Tyson, setting to the side my belief they don’t need either.

     Keep in mind Toronto is a lottery team and a guy like Tyson coming off a championship isn’t going to consider a lottery team unless he’s way overpaid.

     Gasol I think either stays in Memphis or he goes to a major market to be a star like his brother.

     Michael Heisley has already said it won’t be about money, so it’s going to be does Marc Gasol want to remain in Memphis first.

     As for the other players you mention… again I doubt any of them have Toronto as a top 3 destination because all of them want to win and win now.

     I think having Dwane Casey will help the Raptors get an audience with Butler and Chandler out of respect, but I just don’t see guys leaving a champion team in Dallas for a lottery team in Toronto.

2. Kevin Owens

   With the CBA, fans only look at it from the player’s perspective, but if you look at it also from the owner’s perspective, there’s a LOT of things
   that can be done better. Right?

   • Steve Kyler

     Absolutely… keep in mind that the average NBA player makes $5 million, that’s almost twice any other sport.

     I have said this a few times, Labor deals are like laws and sausages… you just don’t want to see them get made. It’s a mind numbing and stomach turning process.

     If the NBA had its way, this would be an entirely private thing no one ever hears about, but that’s just not how it works.

     The thing I continue to point to is that while there is a fight over dollars taking place, it’s a victimless problem… Dwight Howard will still get ever dollar possible and it will still be more money than he can spend in a lifetime unless he gets stupid with it.

     As long as the Owners insure the Minimum salary stays above $450K and the average salary remains in the $4.5 to $5 million range… no one gets hurt in this except for Players who are overpaid.

     Again, the core issue here is not what teams spend money on, because what teams spend is directly related to what they have to spend to meet the 57% promised the players… It’s the 57% that has to change… the rest is simply mechanical parts of that goal.

     I remain optimistic that we’ll get a deal with minimal lost games, because the deal for the players will get radically worse if they don’t find a middle ground now and I think the NBA will be better off in the long run especially if contracts are shorter and is exceptions are trimmed back.

3. simon

   orlando trades: anderson and nelson to Lakers bass and quentin to pacers

   pacers trade: posey and price to orlando and hibbert and paul to Lakers

   Lakers trade: odom to orlando and barnes, walton, and blake to indiana

   • Steve Kyler

     OK… let me see if I get your net results right…

     The Magic get Lamar Odom, James Posey and AJ Price.

     The Pacers get Brandon Bass, Q Rich, Matt Barnes, Luke Walton and Steve Blake.

     The Lakers get Ryan Anderson, Jameer Nelson, Roy Hibbert and Paul George.

     I try and give these “scenarios” their just time, but this is so amazingly one-sided it’s not even plausible.

     Why not throw in Orlando and Indiana’s first round picks and $6 million in cash while we’re dreaming.

     This deal would NEVER happen.

4. Steve

   What kind of NBA career do you see Timofey Mozgov having?

   • Steve Kyler

     The results are far from in on Timofey, but my read on his is a poor man’s Rasho Nesterovic… He may play in the NBA for a few years, but I just haven’t; seen anything from him that says he’ll be an elite NBA player.

5. justin

   Baron Davis for Memo Okur/Raja Bell who says no?

   • Steve Kyler

     Actually, not sure that deal wouldn’t get consideration… the one thing I’d point out is that Mehmet and Bell have $17.61 million reaming on their combined deals… Memo has one year at $10.89 million and Raja has two years’ worth $3.24 and $3.48 million.

     Baron Davis has $28.65 remaining – $13.9 this year and an Early Termination which he will not exercise worth $14.75 million.

     So you are suggesting the Jazz take on $11 million in future debt to get Baron Davis?… just don’t see it happening., not enough upside left in B-Diddy to justify it.

6. justin

   Who will Paul Millsap be traded for? Either a PG or SF. Maybe Millsap/Okur for AI?

   • Steve Kyler

     Not sold he will until Derrick Favors proves he can start in the NBA. If think Paul is there when camps open and you’ll hear his name kicked around at the trade deadline, but I think if he gets traded its next year around the draft after Favs and Kanter prove they can play.

7. Steve

   Monta Ellis puts up elite offensive numbers and by all accounts is maturing on andnoff the court, yet he doesn’t seem to be regarded as a franchise cornerstone. Other than height – what is he lacking?

   • Steve Kyler

     Honestly… that IT factor…

     Monta is a great scorer and he is getting better as a professional, but he is not a leader like say Chris Paul or Derrick Rose or Kobe Bryant.

     That may change with Mark Jackson around forcing leadership on him, but Monta is a gunner… he hasn’t become a leader which is why he is the guy most people think gets traded or is available, because you just can’t build a franchise around him… Kind of like Stephen Jackson and Vince Carter – both were/are amazing scorers, just not the guys that bring out the best in others.

     Monta may grow into that – it took Kobe time to find his way for a lot of the same reasons, so it could happen, but up to this point he just isn’t that guy.

8. Steve

   Yet another locket question: if at the end of the day the owners are losing money and have just plain had enough of the current system, do the players have any real leverage? I don’t see how the players can possibly outlast the owners or “win” this one … .

   • Steve Kyler

     Sure the players have leverage… at some point the owners need them. The truth is the owners can hold out longer, but if regular season games are lost both sides stand to lose billions that will never come back.

     So sure, the players have some leverage, they can hurl the nuclear bomb at the league and destroy the game and take out several owners along the way.

     But the truth is the damage they do will hurt themselves too.

     I liken it to the stubborn teenager… they can burn down the house if they want to… that would teach Mom and Dad a lesson, but at the end of the day they’d be on the street too, which is why the players have not decertified and tried to sue their way to a deal.

     The Players hold the nuclear weapon and that’s about it.

     They have the power to blow the league to pieces, but the results of that are hard to justify because the league would be a shell of itself if they used it.

     Listen closely to the script the Players have been reading from… count the number of times a player is quoted saying we can last two seasons if necessary, because that’s when things get hyper destructive to the league.

9. Steve

   The are some NBA players who put up seemingly decent surface statistics — Drew Gooden comes to mind – yet they bounce from team to team to team to team. Why? Is it a question of just finding a fit, or do they bring something to their teams that management doesn’t care for? Or is it that in some sense, once you get past the top-tier guys, most rotation guys and borderline starters are kind of interchangeable?

   • Steve Kyler

     As fans we get attached to players far more than teams do… there are franchise cornerstones and there are role players.

     Teams tend to hold little value in role players, even ones that put up decent numbers.

     Drew Gooden bounces around because he is a little flaky… not nearly as consistent as teams would like him to be and he is easy to say “we can live without him”. The team doesn’t fail if Drew isn’t on the roster.

     So the real answer is as you said… most teams view guys as interchangeable because they view them as pieces not players.

10. Mutang

    Any rumors for what Utah will do? They have a stop-gap PG in Harris, good, but not the answer. They have a glut of PF/C’s, and GS’s lotto pick next year. Seems most, and I agree, say Utah should look to trade Millsap, since teams love him and they have a great line left with Al, Favors and Kanter. What do you think they will, and should do?

    • Steve Kyler

      We need a labor deal first.No one knows what the new world in the NBA will look like so trying to plan around the unknown is not smart.I can say the jazz tried to re-trade Devin around the draft, so moving him seems like a strong possibility. As for what I think the Jazz should do… don’t be impatient. They have a lot of young guys that have not proven themselves and the last thing the Jazz need to do is liquidate guys that can play simply because they have guys they believe can play. Give the young guys some time to prove themselves then make your moves.

11. Jhayee

    what team could be tmac hedding??
    or none??

    • Steve Kyler

      I think Tracy proved he can still play. I doubt seriously that a contender looks at Tracy, but there will be a team that offers him a spot.

      I spoke to Tracy about how much longer he wants to play and he believes he can go for two or three more years, so I expect he’ll be out there, but I would be shocked if anyone that’s a real contender signs him.

12. Mike

    Have you been paying much attention to Eurobasket? I’ve heard that Ibaka is looking much improved. How beneficial to his development is it to be playing on a top tier team like Spain? Also, any thoughts on the international man of mystery, Enes Kanter?

    • Steve Kyler

      I have not been… I have a new Sirius radio show and its been consuming a lot of my life lately, so between that and the new site I have not been watching enough to say I am watching. I find myself putting the games on and getting sucked into something else.
      On Serge specifically… he has really found his groove developmentally, he understands how to work and what to work on to get better, so what you are hearing lines up with what coaches who have trained him are saying.
      I am reserving judgment on Enes until I see him play against NBA players. I like him. I think he’ll be a serviceable NBA player, but I don’t see him being a stud.

13. phili

    i agree with wade when he said lebron, bosh and himself made a new trend in the nba with 3 superstars playing together so with that being said who would yu love to see create a next big three?

    • Steve Kyler

      They didn’t start the Super team… The Celtics were the first Super team… The Lakers did it in the 80’s… The Bulls did it in the 90s… The HEAT are the first to do it in the modern era, but honestly as good as it was for the league from a fan and media attention point of view the Owners are trying to insure it’s not possible again with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
      I think the Knicks are awfully close and the Lakers are a super team now… so to me not sure there are enough stars to create another one, unless Dwight Howard and Chris Paul want to leave dollars on the table.

14. phili

    im loving how the raptors future is looking like right now with a new defensive head coach in dwayne casey and draftpick jonas coming in next season. its been awhile since the raptors been competitive and exciting to watch but i think its time for raps fans to jus be patient for a couple more years(4-5 years max). do you agree?

    • Steve Kyler

      I do… Until you start winning games, great players won’t want to be part of the team… Dwane Casey is gonna help because guys do respect him.
      But the truth of it for Raptor fans is that the young guys have to come into their own.
      And for the record… I told ya about Jonas, but most didn’t want to hear it…

15. bambam

    demar derozan has a great upside so with that being said who would yu compare his game ending up to most/least?

    • Steve Kyler

      I could give you the PR guys answer: “All players are unique” but to my eye I see a little Vince Carter and a little Joe Johnson… I think DeMar has to become a better fundamental shooter and make better decisions, but to me I think he is a very proto-typical two guard.

16. bambam

    do the raptors have a chance to sign nene/gasol/chandler/dalembert? if so, who do you really see from that list sign a contract with the raptors?

    • Steve Kyler

      Maybe Sammy… but honestly none of those guys help you become a playoff team next season, all they’d do is shore up the front court and block Jonas next year. The Raptors would be better served improving their point-guard play and getting smarter defensively. and as I said above… I seriously doubt any of those guys come to Toronto unless they are radically overpaid to do it.

17. bambam

    when does ncaa basketball start? Who do you suggest what teams and players should we be interested in watching?

    • Steve Kyler

      Pre-Season Tourneys start November 7th.

      I am big on Ohio State, North Carolina is stacked and so is Baylor…

18. Zac

    how do you think elliot williams will fare after his knee surgery and who will get more playing time this year elliot williams or luke babbitt?

    • Steve Kyler

      Hard to say… the Blazers are not big on development time in games, so its which guy shows up to camp ready to take a veterans lunch money.

      I am big Luke Babbitt fan, but he has a lot of good guys to beat out and I am not sure he is taking minutes from Wes Mathews, Brandon Roy or Nic Batum

19. Tbadfw

    Would Tony Parker, a pick, and McDyess’s contract for Harris and Millsap help both teams?

    • Steve Kyler

      Don’t think you’ll get a pick out of San Antonio… that said, the deal seems like bad deal for San Antonio simply because they have a similar player to Milsap in DeJuan Blair and Tony Parker knows the system. Unless the Spurs have decided its time for a change, they have the better player in Parker and don;t need Milsap.

20. Zac

    will nolan smith play more point or shooting guard this season and how do you think he will do during his time in portland?

    • Steve Kyler

      Not sure he plays :0)… Nolan is a point guard in the NBA but he’s got some tough competition for minutes. Raymond Felton is the starter, Brandon Roy will see time at point and you have Armon Johnson and Patty Mills to consider too once the lockout lifts.

21. Suzanne

    Did not care for your article in regard to the upcoming big name free agents. Why do you seem so convicned that DWill will not stay in NJ/Bklyn?

    • Steve Kyler

      I think your reading too much into the piece.

      I personally think all three stay where they are because they will be compelled to do so financially.

      However, the entire point of the piece was that everyone is assuming that Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are gone, and that Deron Williams is staying… Having talked to all three I felt it prudent to point out the situation on all three.

      Deron isn’t unhappy in New Jersey, but he’s not in love either. He is cautiously optimistic about the future, but he is not committing to anything.

      I have talked with Billy King and he says it the same way I do… They have Deron now, its its up to them to convince him his future is best served with the Nets.

      The Nets have some things going for them, like the move to Brooklyn and a deep pocketed owner, but if those two things don’t yield a championship contender they mean nothing to Deron.

      I think at times as fans we let our emotional connection to our team or city cloud what players see.

      Deron had a very comfortable home in Utah and was traded while having a nine month pregnant wife which he became separated from not by his own choosing.

      The trade was abrupt and unexpected and it really soured Deron on a lot of things.

      That has nothing to do with the Nets, it has to do with being radically uprooted from your home.

      Deron was commoditized and that hurts.

      The Nets need a full season for Deron to grow emotionally connected to his situation and to believe in all the things he’s being told.

      Its easy to say we’re gonna build a championship team, doing it is a lot harder..

22. 1mike1matt

    would Hawks trade Al H/Crawford (who they cant keep anyway)for Boozer/Asik/Korver?Al n Noah reunited?

    • Steve Kyler

      No chance… The Hawks feel like Al Horford is their cornerstone guy… you are also forgetting that Jammal Crawford is a free agent and there is a lot of talk that sign and trade deals will be eliminated in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

23. Kevin in Tokyo

    Do you think Boston should/could/will resign Baby?

    • Steve Kyler

      Not sure they should… I think they will and I know that if they don’t one Mr. Dwight Howard would like him in Orlando and I am sure he is not alone in that department.

24. 1mike1matt

    who should go 1,2,3,4,5 in upcoming draft based on TALENT alone?

    • Steve Kyler

      We are not there yet… I don’t get caught up in pre-season “talent” talk because players are not drafted based on talent, they are drafted based on their projected ability to play at the next level.
      If you look back at last year’s top guys, some didn;t deliver, some didn’t come out and some guys over achieved or underachieved.

      Our 2012 Mock Draft is up on the Draft page, so swing by and take a look.

      Thanks for all the questions… I am out of time. Make sure you are following me on Twitter (@stevekylerNBA). Until next week be safe and here is hoping for a labor deal.