NBA Rumors Chat With Steve Kyler 9/27/12

HOOPSWORLD Publisher Steve Kyler will hold his weekly chat at 10:30am EST on Thursdays. Drop in your questions regarding NBA trades, the NBA Draft, roster moves or questions about your team.

  1. Renee

    Can the Nets make the playoffs?

    • Steve Kyler

      Welcome in everyone, hard to believe camp open for some teams tomorrow, but that means summer is over and it’s time for basketball again. Lots to get to, so let’s get after it.

      I think the Nets can and will make the playoffs… if healthy. Brook Lopez doesn’t need to be a monster, but he has to be on the floor. Deron Williams had in and out of the lineup injuries too.

      If they can’t stay healthy for 70 plus games, the middle of the East is tough.

      I think the Nets can win 45 to 50 games, that is enough for the playoffs – if they can get and stay healthy.

  2. Deven

    Hi Steve. What do you think will be the main story-line heading into Training Camp?

    • Steve Kyler

      In general… You’re going to hear a lot about how nice it is to have a full camp to install offense and defense and evaluate players.

      Last season most teams stopped practicing. Ramon Sessions joked that he had one practice as a Laker before the playoffs. Most teams gave up trying to get rookies and bench guys into the program because there just wasn’t time.

      I think you’ll see teams trying more things and I think we’ll see an improved product because there will be more recovery time, more training time and more preparation time.

  3. Deven

    I’m a Knicks fan and I hear that Rasheed Wallace may consider signing with us? Please tell me this won’t happen. He’ll pick up alot of Technicals if he signs with them.

    • Steve Kyler

      Not sure it matters, he won’t play much. Sheed was not good his final year in Boston and he’s been out of the game for going on two years. If he is signed it’s as a veteran in the locker room. He won’t play much if at all. Think Juwan Howard in Miami.

  4. willie

    if orlando wins the 2013 lottery who does rob take shabazz or nerlens

    • Steve Kyler

      Not sure either are franchise guys… Shabazz is the Day 1 best of the bunch, but Nerlens has potential to be very good, he’s just super raw and has lots of work ethic questions that could change at Kentucky.

      Honestly I don’t think Orlando is going to be bad enough to get the top overall pick. They would have to go into serious tank mode. I think they are out of the playoffs, but I put them in the 5 to 10 range in terms of draft pick this year… so think Cody Zeller, McAdoo, Rudy Gobert and guys like that.

  5. Peter

    Hey Steve how are u doing! So it seems like Seattle are pushing hard to get a team back, which team do you think will relocate to Seattle? Or do you see the league expanding more teams? Is there any chance that an NBA franchise will land on Canadian soil again?

    • Steve Kyler

      The only team that can reasonable relocate is the Kings… every other team is either solidly committed to their market or they have lease agreements that would cost north of a $100 million to break.

      Rob Pera just committed to keeping the Grizz in Memphis for at least 15 years… if that deal falls through they have some exit language not that far down the road, but that unlikely.

      Atlanta would cost almost $100 million to get out of their arena lease. The Hornets just inked a new deal with Louisiana so it’s basically the Kings and that’s it.

      There was talk of the Kings and Vancouver, but the folks in Vancouver shot it down as not on the table… so the short answer is you have one team – the Kings – and too many US based markets that want it, hard to see the NBA pushing for another Canadian team unless it’s an overwhelmingly good deal and that’s not on the table.

      I am surprised no one has tried to do a D-League team in Vancouver.

  6. Chris

    Steve:

    I respect your (and most of your colleagues) opinion on Tyreke Evans, even if it’s a little negative. My question is, how did he develop such a bad reputation, and what’s the surest way to change perception if you’re ‘Reke? Is he salvageable?

    • Steve Kyler

      I like Reke. I think he’s a decent player. The problem is he’s not a point guard and from there he becomes a problem at the two or the three because he can’t shoot efficiently.

      I can’t speak for others, but I can say you may be taking my commentary on how the Kings feel about Tyreke as how I feel about Tyreke. He’s a good player that needs a change of situation. He may get that sooner than later. The hope in Sacramento is that he spent his summer working on his three ball. If he can hit that shot, he’ll have a role. If he has to be a ball dominator to be effective they will move on.

  7. Jim in Cyber Space

    So what is OKC’s new alternate UNI going to look like? Why did it take so long…Marketing wise?

    I’m betting on Navy Blue with a simple OKC. If they go with the orange…it will piss off all the OU fans… (insert Texas/Oklahoma State} which is Taboo for most Money Men in Oklahoma… Unless your name is T. Boone Pickens? And he lives in Texas?

    • Steve Kyler

      I have not seen the new look… some say it’s got a primarily black look… but given the Brooklyn jersey will be black and the Spurs is black. It’s hard to say how many black jerseys the NBA will allow… the HEAT have a black jersey too.

      The Thunder imaging process was fast tracked and as a result things were very basic because they had to be. The NBA has rules on logos and jersey changes to protect retailers who bought their gear. I think having an Alternate this year is smart and I think in a couple of more years you’ll see a rework of the primary and road jerseys too.

  8. Jay

    Do you believe Derrick Williams is a 3 or 4? Does he have Antawn Jamison type upside?

    • Steve Kyler

      I don’t think he is good at either which is why he struggles… not big enough for the four, not fast enough or solid enough of a shooter at the three. Jamison had a better game and was more of a four spot guy.

      I like DWill but not sold he’s going to be much more than a guy, especially not in Minnesota.

  9. Jay

    Skeptic t-wolves question.. Do you think expectations are a little overblown for this squad? I mean Rubio’s going to miss the first two months of the season (they went 8-27 after his injury.) Plus B Roy and AK47 haven’t played against NBA competition in almost 12 months. Why do people like them as and 8 seed over Utah and GSW?

    • Steve Kyler

      They have some really good guys… but we do this in pre-season. Everyone is a title/playoff contender in September and October…. once teams start dropping games we get more realistic about whats what.

      I think you can look at them pessimistically… but you can also say what happens if BRoy is serviceable for 70 games… or that AK47 plays like he did in Russia last year or that Pek is every bit as dominate as they say he’s been in pickup games… Things change pretty quickly.

      The Wolves have the talent to be the 7th or 8th seed in the West, but so do four other teams. So how many wins can they get until Ricky comes back? That is the question.

  10. John Tom

    Looking back I’m starting to think the 2011 draft was underrated. At a glance you got K-Irving, Jonas V, Biyombo, B Knight, Klay, Burks, Kawhi, Farried, Marshon… all players I could see staying in the league for 9-10 years. Were you surprised at how well this class performed with no training camp?

    • Steve Kyler

      Not really… Jonas hasn’t played yet, but the rest had good resumes and strong work ethic. I think we’ll have to see how they look as sophomores, but of the 60 guys drafted, there is a good dozen or so that have real potential:

      Kyrie Irving
      Jonas Valančiūnas
      Bismack Biyombo
      Brandon Knight
      Kemba Walker
      Klay Thompson
      Alec Burks
      Markieff Morris
      Kawhi Leonard
      Iman Shumpert
      Chris Singleton
      Kenneth Faried
      MarShon Brooks
      Norris Cole
      Jimmy Butler
      Chandler Parsons
      Josh Selby
      Lavoy Allen
      Isaiah Thomas

  11. Phillip

    Good Morning Steve. Which current position do you think is the deepest in the league right now? Personally I feel PG. Do you think this will force executives to reach higher for other positional prospects in future drafts?

    • Steve Kyler

      I would say there are 12 or so solid point guards… the position gets flat after that.

      Rajon Rondo
      Derrick Rose
      Russell Westbrook
      Deron Williams
      Chris Paul
      Brandon Jennings
      Tony Parker
      John Wall
      Jrue Holiday
      Brandon Knight
      Mike Conley
      Steve Nash

      I would say there are 10 to 12 solid two guards… the position drops off a cliff after say the 20th best player.

      Kobe Bryant
      Monta Ellis
      Joe Johnson
      James Harden
      DeMar DeRozan
      Arron Afflalo
      Jason Terry
      Jordan Crawford
      O.J. Mayo
      Klay Thompson
      Paul George

      I would say there are maybe 10 decent small forwards… the position get mediocre fast after that.

      Kevin Durant
      LeBron James
      Carmelo Anthony
      Paul Pierce
      Rudy Gay
      Danny Granger
      Nicolas Batum
      Gerald Wallace
      Andre Iguodala
      Shawn Marion

      I would say there are maybe 15 decent power forwards… the position gets average from there.

      Kevin Love
      LaMarcus Aldridge
      Dirk Nowitzki
      Blake Griffin
      David Lee
      Josh Smith
      DeMarcus Cousins
      Chris Bosh
      Pau Gasol
      Paul Millsap
      Kevin Garnett
      Luis Scola
      Ersan Ilyasova
      Thaddeus Young
      David West

      I would say there are maybe eight to ten decent centers… the position craters from there.

      Dwight Howard
      Al Jefferson
      Andrew Bynum
      Tim Duncan
      Marcin Gortat
      Greg Monroe
      Marc Gasol
      Roy Hibbert
      JaVale McGee
      Tyson Chandler

      As for the draft question… no, most teams draft best talent or fill an obvious roster need. Talent almost always wins out and if a team has doubt on a guy, there is always a means to trade down rather than reach… unless you are the Cavs.

  12. Keith

    What is your career projection for Tobias Harris? If he becomes a legitimate 3, will the Bucks become a formidable squad?

    • Steve Kyler

      I like Tobias… not sure he’s more than a role player, but he is progressing nicely.

      As for the Bucks, they are in the hunt for the 8th seed for sure, but they need some of their guys namely Brandon Jennings to be consistently good. Also I wonder how Ersan will do now that he’s paid… there is too much history of guys playing great in a contract year and taking it lightly the following year.

  13. Jason

    We all know my Orlando Magic will be lucky to win more than 25 games this season, if that. Can you say cheap tickets? Is there reason to be hopeful we can land a Nerlens Noel or Shabazz Muhammad, because we all know David Stern is going to rig the lottery for us like he did with Cleveland and New Orleans after they lost their superstar players. *laughs* But seriously if we land one of them and maybe Andrew Wiggins and follow the OKC blueprint I think we can be around for a while. Which 2 of those 3 would a franchise WANT to build around?

    • Steve Kyler

      First… if Stern “rigged” the lottery… tell me how he did it? How did he rig something that takes place in front of a room full of competing NBA executives with three members of the media in attendance. The NBA does not keep secrets well. You don;t think that one of the reporters would file that story? Or that one of the jipped GMs wouldn’t fire off a text message to a reporter calling foul play.

      If the ping pong balls were “frozen” why didn’t the next series of numbers out of the machine produce the same sequence of numbers… they use the same balls for every draw. If there was monkey business, it would show up in the 2nd or third draw. Equally, the Cavs were one number away from the top pick… so you have to move past this concept.

      As I said earlier… I don’t think Shabazz or Nerlens are franchise players. They are the best of this draft, but like some softer drafts those guys are number 2 or number 3 options.

      I don’t think Orlando is going to tank the season to get a shot at a 2nd option guy. As for Andrew Wiggins… I caution how infrequently the top high school guy ends up being the top NBA guy.

      Brandon Jennings and Samardo Samuels were the #1 and #2 High School guys in 2008

      Avery Bradley, Derrick Favors and Xavier Henry were the #1, #2 and #3 High School guys in 2009

      Kyle Singler was ranked ahead of Derrick Rose as High School guys in 2007

  14. J-Dub

    Would it make sense for OKC to sign Pietrus or T-Mac for a 1 year deal? Personally I think they need more firepower besides James Harden and it wouldn’t hurt having another capable defender to guard LBJ, Wade if they meet again because it seemed like KD got called for fouls for simply breathing the same air as LBJ

    • Steve Kyler

      Everything the Thunder do is about matching players to their cultural beliefs…. That rules Me-First McGrady out and I am not sure Pietrus fits how the Thunder want to play. Scoring is not an issue for the Thunder, they made too many mistakes down the stretch and they were not a 100% healthy.

  15. dr jack ramseys plaid 70s sports coat

    What solid (not spectacular) 5 could you envision the HEAT tinkering a trade for(possibly involving Joel Anthony)that would actually join the regular rotation?

    • Steve Kyler

      That is nothing they are looking at… Chris Bosh will play the majority of the center minutes when it matters. So its about who backs him up. The HEAT are not overly concerns about the 5 spot. They want to be a motion/action team this year so they need multi-tool guys.

  16. jr

    I like the new look phoenix suns. Not sure they will make the playoffs but how good do you think they will be? Will Michael Beasley Be a starter? How good do you think he will be in this new system?

    • Steve Kyler

      They have a lot to learn… so I think their end success is tied to how quickly can they come together. Bease looks like a starter and I think this will be a good situation for him.

      Not sure I am putting them in the playoffs, but I think they can win 40 to 45 games this year if it all clicks.

  17. Leo

    Is it truth that Gilbert Arenas will sign w either the Lakers or Clippers? I hope he goes to the JV team in LA. Also what’s the latest on K Mart, Barbosa and Pietrus. Where will those guys end up in your opinion. Thanks for your time!

    • Steve Kyler

      Have not heard that… considering the Clips open camp tomorrow not sure thats happening. The Lakers are maxed out and passed on Gilbert last year.

      I have not heard anything meaningful on Kenyon, LB or Pietrus… all were looking for guaranteed deals.

  18. Joel Sigmund

    I’m a Knicks fan and they look way better than last year. Anthony looked great in the olympics and Amare seems to be very focused on regaining his form. Chandler was a revelation and won DPOY. Knicks can defend once again.

    the talent level improved by adding Felton,Kidd. Camby ( big addition) KT, Ron Brewer and Pablo Prigoni as a third point.

    How high can they go.

    • Steve Kyler

      I don’t think the Knicks are better than Philly which means they are the 2nd best team in the Atlantic. I think they make the playoffs and I think they could be good enough for 4th best in the East. Thats said. They have real structure problems and until the Knicks make it work on the floor they may have too many square pegs and too many round holes.

      I agree with everything you said… I need to see it work, because they have conflicting style players and I am not sold that Mike Woodson is a good enough offensive coach to work it all out.

      The Knicks could still be a coach away from being as good as they should be.

  19. Benji

    Ouch, no mention of Enes Kanter. People in Utah are crazy optimistic about the kid(because he is just a kid still). What are your thoughts?

    • Steve Kyler

      4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds?… yeah. Enes needs to show more than that to matter. Darko Milicic averaged 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds last season and just signed for the veterans minimum.

  20. Terry

    Will Ant Rand have a role this upcoming season with the Nuggets?

    • Steve Kyler

      They like him, but that roster is PACKED… he’ll have to play better defense than he has in the past and he’ll have to buy in to what George Karl is selling.

      I wouldn’t expect a lot… but they like him.

  21. Terry

    What are your initial thoughts on Brad Beal? People talk about Waiters being a stretch at #4, but I feel that Beal was an equal stretch at #3. Do you think his 6’3 size will be an issue at the next level?

    • Steve Kyler

      I have no issues with “Batman”… I think he has one of the best shooting forms we’ve seen coming into the NBA in a while and he is a relentless worker with tremendous pride. I don;t think he;s a rookie of the year guy, but he is exactly what John Wall needed.

  22. Joel sigmund

    15 decent power forwards and STAT is not even mentioned.

    Your credibility is lacking.

    i’m sure you won’t post this.

    • Steve Kyler

      Because I spent hours considering the question right?

      This is why I get short with chat questions… I give the question about 14 seconds of thought and answer it.

      STAT was terrible last year… don’t believe me… ask him. We’ll see where he is this year.

      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.