NBA Rumors Chat With Steve Kyler 9/6/12

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. Jeff

    Who is your sleeper team this yaer? Not to win it all, but just who will be surprisingly good.

    • Steve Kyler

      Welcome in everyone… hard to believe we’re just 22 days until teams start opening training camp. Lots to get to, so lets jump in…

      There are a couple… I think New Orleans will be better than most people give them credit for… I also think Toronto could be very good. Both teams need their young guys to play big, but if things break their way they could be very good.

      I want to believe in the Kings, but not sold on them yet… I was very impressed with Mike Dunlap in Summer League curious to see if he can make something in Charlotte.

  2. Mark

    Hi Steve, predicting success at the NBA level for high schoolers appears to be fools gold. That being said, would you agree that Andrew Wiggins is the best combination of size, skill and athleticism we’ve seen since LBJ?

    • Steve Kyler

      I agree on trying to predict High Schooler to Pros…

      Here are a few examples…

      In 2007 Kyle Singler was ranked ahead of Derrick Rose and Micheal Beasley… Kevin Love and Eric Gordon were ranked #1 and #2 in that class.

      In 2008 Brandon Jennings was the #1 prospect… Samardo Samuels was #2. Scotty Hopson was #9 and Willie Warren was #10.

      In 2009 Avery Bradley was the top prospect. with John Wall being ranked #5 and Renardo Sidney at #7.

      I agree with the idea that Andrew Wiggins has pro level skills, but at 17 I am not going to put the LBJ label on him, but I will say he’s better than half the guys drafted into the NBA this year and we won’t see him in the draft for maybe 2 more years – so he projects to be very good.

  3. Doug

    Do you see the Raptors trying to push the tempo more with Lowry at the point? Can DeRozan be a top 10 SG without a consistant 3 point shot? It seems he works hard on it and hasn’t really improved his form or success rate.

    • Steve Kyler

      Do you see the Raptors trying to push the tempo more with Lowry at the point?

      — Yes

      Can DeRozan be a top 10 SG without a consistent 3 point shot?

      Keep in mind at the 2 guard spot, DeMar doesn’t shoot alot of threes. He averages 1.5 a game and shoots 26.1%

      Kobe Bryant – 30.3% on 4.9 threes per game
      Monat Ellis – 30.8% on 3.5 threes per game
      Jordan Crawford – 28.9% on 4.3 threes per game
      Jamal Crawford – 30.8% on 4.3 threes per game
      Evan Turner – 22.4% on .8 threes per game

      If he were chucking up a lot of bad shots it would be a problem, but he plays within his game and was the 5th best shooting guard by scoring average in the game last year. He’ll get better looks with Lory running things and his shooting should improve.

  4. Mark

    Is Steph Curry damaged goods at this point? Can GS actually think they can keep him and Bogut healthy enough to contend for the playoffs?

    • Steve Kyler

      They did a lot of surgery on him this past year and what they found was no structural damage… so its not like he is broken, he just hasn’t gotten better… I don’t think you can say he’s a 100% until he proves that on the floor.

      The Warriors believe both guys can stay healthy, but there is a reason they could get Bogut for what they gave up for him, and thats because there is real doubt. They have bet a lot on those guys, but the other thing is keep in mind they have a lot of depth so as long as injuries aren’t season ending, they have guys to fill if either needs to miss a few games.

      It would be foolish to bet on either playing 82 games… but if they both can play 70 to 75, then the Warriors could make the playoffs.

  5. mario

    Whats up steve one of my favorite writers here at hoopsworld do you think that the bulls should monitor the knicks situation in case things don’t work out with amare and carmelo and if it doesn’t work out would you offer boozer and maybe a pick or something for amare. Also one more I have read that the bulls intend to try and play mirotic at the small forward position does that mean they don’t want to keep deng

    • Steve Kyler

      I think with Joe Johnson being traded, anyone can be traded… that said the Knicks like Amar’e and he has worked really hard this summer to get right physically and to refine his game into things that work in how the Knicks want to play.

      They can deny it all they want, but Amar’e was not healthy last year. He had real problems with explosion and bounce and that made him passive… some of that is going to be on Amar’e to get healthy which I think he has done and some of that is on the coaches to find ways to make it work.

      Could the Bulls trade for Amare?… I seriously doubt its anything they’d consider almost as much as I doubt the Knicks would look at Boozer.

  6. Mark

    If you were Danny Ferry would you be trying despirately to get a legit starting center to pair with Horford or do you just continue with him playing the middle with Zaza playing back up or with him in certain situations?

    • Steve Kyler

      I think Danny has shown that they are going to tear down the Hawks next summer and re-tool… I don’t think you’ll see anything crazy from the Hawks this year… next year is when I think you’ll see more effort in fixing the roster. What they have has been good enough for the playoffs and unless injuries strike the HEAT and the East opens up, I think the Hawks will do their best this year and swing for the fences next year.

  7. Doug

    Can Denver contend without a legit star? There line up looks great on paper but do they have the guys that can play big in the playoffs when the pace slows and the bench shortens?

    • Steve Kyler

      Depends on how you define star… Andre Iguodala is a gold medal Olympian,an NBA All-Star, a great defender and he shoots 45% from the field and 39% from three.

      He’s not a top 10 player, but he is a top 20 player.

      I don’t think Denver can beat the Lakers, Clippers or Thunder in a series, so the short answer is no… but if any one of their young guys can become as good as Dre on a night to night basis, they could be 4th best.

  8. Kevin

    All the bulls fans seem to wanna dump or amnesty Boozer to free up cap space going forward… For some reason i cant see the Bulls front office paying that amount of cash for Boozer to pick up his bags and join a contender like the Heat.

    Do you think they could get a team to bite via trade by throwing in draft picks? Say there 2014 first rounder, that Bobcats pick that is owing (which will eventually become unprotected) and some 2nd rounders? Those picks could help solidify a rebuilding teams effort and Bulls could use the cap space

    Thoughts

    • Steve Kyler

      Having talked this issue through with the Bulls… I agree. I know fans want the Bulls to pay off Boozer, they don’t see any reason to do that. Buying out Boozer does not get the cap room, it gets them Luxury Tax room and it might get considered for that reason alone, but in honesty they like Carlos and just want him to play better.

      The Bulls don’t see themselves as needing to rebuild or retool… they need to get healthy. I think everyone forgets that 2 years ago the Bulls were the best team in the NBA with a ton of injuries… they were the top team in the East missing Derrick Rose for most of the season.

      Not sure they want to tear that apart yet.

  9. Lior

    Are the Rockets the worst team in the western conference?

    • Steve Kyler

      They have not played yet, so hard to say… I think they have some real issues, but at the same time they have a lot of guys… ALOT.

      So lets say you rate players on a scale of 0 to 10, 10 being All-Stars… The Lakers have a starting five of 9s and 10s, but a bench full of 3s and 4s…. The Rockets have a roster full of 6s and 7s… not sure thats going to win games, but it could make things interesting.

  10. Charlie

    Mike Woodson did a great job at the end of last year finally turning around this overhyped Knicks team. Do you think this success will continue next year or do they have too few players who are dedicated to defense to be a home court team. Only defenders are Brewer, Shumpart (out till new year), Chandler, and Camby. Everyone else is either older than my grandmother or could care less about that side of the ball (ex. Amare working on POST moves in the offseason = really??? – that’s where you think you need the most work?). Your thoughts.

    • Steve Kyler

      I think talk of individual defenders is overstated. The NBA game is not defended one on one any more. Offenses and the rules have made it impossible to defend one on one without drawing a foul. What you see, and the good teams more so than anyone, is scheme based defense… much like the NFL with gap and coverage assignments… teams like the HEAT and the Lakers, run a defensive system that everyone as a role in.

      The Knicks have something similar, and it takes an understanding of the scheme and a commitment to playing your part. The Knicks are fine defensively, in fact they are better than most give them credit for. Their problem is they stall offensively because of ball movement.

      Amar’e is an action player… he needs a pick and role, a pick and pop, ball movement to get his looks. Carmelo is an isolation player… he needs the ball and for others to clear out and let him work… thats counter productive in most situations. That is what Mike Woodson has to fix, not the defense.

  11. Mac

    How well do you think Keith Smart will do controlling everyone in Sacramento this year. This team usually has a “me first” attitude. With knucklehead Cousins and Tyreke Evans in a contract year, difficult to believe this will change. And out of 30 NBA coaches, where do you rank him? Top 10? Top 15? 20? 25?

    • Steve Kyler

      “Me First” is a product of young players… there is a process guys go through… 1st you want to prove you belong. You want to dominate the ball and dominate the game… then you are playing for that first big paycheck… then you want your recognition and your accolades and then maybe you’ll care about winning and realize that the rest of that doesn’t matter.

      Its a process… there are special guys that get it faster than others, but when you go through what the Kings go through… constant coaching change… cycle in young guys… not winning. Its hard to get guys to put aside selfish stuff, because at the end of the day when you win 25 games a year, thats all there is.

      I think Kieth has reached Cousins… I think the team has basically given up on Tyreke being “their guy” they continue to draft guys they already have and they continue to sign guys, they really don’t need and thats breeds what you get. I think the Kings have tons of talent and a great coach, if they can win some games, they might get guys to buy into sacrifice, but its hard to sacrifice to lose games.

  12. Dennis

    Who wins more games next year: John Wall leading the veterans or Kyrie Irving carrying the rookies?

    • Steve Kyler

      I think it will be close… I think both teams win roughly the same amount of games… but to answer the question… I think the Cavs are coached better so I’ll give Kyrie one win more than John Wall if both stay healthy.

  13. Matthew

    Seems many are high on the Memphis Grizzlies coming into the season, with arguments of a healthy Zach Randolph and a tough frontcourt. However, their bench looks awfully thin. They replaced OJ Mayo with Jarred Bayless = downgrade. And only have Mau Speights (doesn’t play defense) Haddidi, Pondexter, and Shelby (lets see if he can replicate Summer League) coming off the bench. And this is with an already thin/non-scoring backcourt in Tony Allen and Mike Conley. With that bench I can’t place them any higher than the #6 seed in the West this year. Over, under, or the same for you?

    • Steve Kyler

      They are the 6th or 7th best team in the West… you pointing to their bench without pointing to their starters… Rudy gay is a 20 point a game guy… Marc Gasol is a double double and Zach if healthy is a double double… so Rudy gets 20, Gasol get 17 and Zach gets 18… thats 55 points… they need 45 more from 9 guys… they get 10 a night from Mike Conley. This isn’t the problem you are thinking it is, because they have a TON of depth.

  14. shumpshumpshump

    everybody saw iman shumperts tweet about his doctors meeting giving him great news…. any prediction on what could have been said in that meeting? that could be a huge boost to the knicks defense getting him back earlier than expected….

    • Steve Kyler

      He was ahead of schedule when I saqw him in Vegas… he has not had any set backs or problems. I don’t think anyone wants to rush him back for artificial reasons, but when he’s ready he’ll play.

  15. Jason

    After a year of maturing and solid pick ups (Gerald Green, DJ Augustin, and that back up center acquired from Dallas who I don’t want to bother trying to spell) do you think the Pacers could better challenge the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics in the east this year? They seemed to be a couple of head scratching plays or possessions from taking a strangle hold in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Do you think they could make it at least interesting come playoff time if they face Miami again?

    • Steve Kyler

      They need their own guys to improve… they need Paul George to improve… they need Roy Hibert to know to stay low without writing it on his shoes. David West said this to me during the playoffs “We have to cut out the “My Bads”" — they have the talent to compete with anyone, they simply have to get more precise in how they run plays and their guys have to get better at creating offense.

      Training Camp will help… more depth will help, but the biggest leaps will come from inside the core and they have to stay healthy.

  16. Justin

    Hi Steve,

    With Denver having so many options at small forward and the raptors looking to upgrade their 3 spot, would a trade of Jose to denver for either Chandler or Galo work financially ? and do you think it would fit both teams needs ?

    • Steve Kyler

      I think you’ll see Denver explore moving Chandler – there was talk of buyer remorse on his deal this summer. He’ll have to play better… I don’t know if its Jose that the Nuggets would take back in a deal, unless its at the trade deadline. I know the Raptors had interest in Wilson, but he’s owed an awful lot and looked really average last year.

  17. Phil

    Hi Steve

    Message from Perth, Australia here so g’day mate haha.

    Quick one, did you see Joe Ingles play for the Aussies at the Olympics? Any word on him making an nba roster in the next season or so as he looked like one of the better players at the tournament not in the nba

    • Steve Kyler

      Joe is my guy… He continues to get offers, but most of them are non-guaranteed deals or training camp invites and he’s making decent money Internationally. I know Joe wants to play in the NBA, but he’s not going to give up the bird in the hand for a non-guaranteed one in the bush.

      I think Joe plays in the NBA at some point, but only when a team guarantees his money.

  18. cool e

    Will Orlando try to trade the 17 million trade exp.?

    • Steve Kyler

      I wouldn’t expect them to… I think its possible in the off-season… I also think they could use a portion of it if it helps them clean up the roster or add another draft pick, but I wouldn’t hold your breath on them using it this year on a big salary… that does not line up with what they have said their goals are.

      If playing middle man with the TPE nets them a player they like on a rookie deal or a draft pick I could see that going down, but I wouldn’t expect them to make a major player move.

  19. Dennis

    Josh Selby was an absolute beast during Summer League. However, there has been many summer warriors whose game never translated to the regular season (ex. Marcus Banks). I’m personally not a Mike Conley fan and would give Shelby his chance. Questions; How many minutes per game do you think he will get and how effective do you think he will be next year. Care to project a statline?

    • Steve Kyler

      Josh has been told he’ll get a chance, but a lot of his role will be about his commitment to the system and playing defense and showing that in camp and pre-season. Stat line, maybe 15 minuets per game… 8 points and a couple of assists.

      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.