Chad Ford: Hey everyone, thanks for coming out today. I know you're all waiting anxiously to talk to the commish at 12:30 ... but I'm fine with being the warm-up act. Let's roll

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Joe and Greg, Detroit and San Antonio: Who's better, the Pistons or Spurs?

Chad Ford: That's tough. San Antonio looks great, has three legit All-Stars, the most under rated coach in basketball, a deep bench, awesome fans ... Detroit looks great, has two, possibly three, legit All-Stars, the best starting five in the league, an under rated coach, great fans and a chip on their shoulder. I have to give the Spurs the slight edge because they're the champs and they're a little deeper but if these two meet in the Finals -- and it looks like they will barring major injuries -- I think it will come down to the last shot in Game 7. That's how good BOTH of them are.


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Mark, Big D: Why aren't the Mavs getting any love? They've beaten Detroit and San Antonio?

Chad Ford: They've been great and have established themselves as legit contenders. On paper, I have issues with some vulnerabilities they have in the paint and at the point (though second year guard Devin Harris is improving). But in practice, Avery Johnson has the team playing great, Dirk Nowitzki is a legit MVP candiate again, and a number of their young players have been great. I think Dallas is a little young to beat either the Pistons or Spurs in a seven game series, but they've been significantly better than I thought they'd be.


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Chip, Atlanta: Why is everyone saying that the Suns got the better end of the Joe Johnson-Boris Diaw trade? Joe Johnson is a franchise player -- the type of guy you can build a team around. Diaw is a complimentary player that could only be producing those numbers in Phoenix. I don't get it.

Chad Ford: Joe Johnson a franchise player? That's ridiculous. He is NOT a guy you build a team around. He's a very good complimentary player. Franchise players can take over games and lead their teams to victory on a consistent basis. Consider this ... this group of players -- Jalen Rose, Keith Van Horn, Eddie Jones, Juwan Howard, Tom Gugliotta -- have all had better individual seasons than Johnson is having this year and all got max dollars at one point in their careers. The teams that gave them the money have all regretted it. They're all good players who can put up numbers, but none of them are worth the max. Johnson wasn't either. You're right about Diaw. He is a complimentary player and if you compare them head-to-head, Johnson is better. But he also cost the Suns $69 million less than Johnson. I think that's why people are criticizing the trade. I think Hawks GM Billy Knight has made some disasterous moves over the past couple of seasons. The bigger mistake was not taking Chris Paul or Deron Williams over Marvin Williams. The Hawks owners have to get someone in there who knows what they're doing.


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Phil, LA: Read where Phil Jackson said he'd love to see Chris Bosh in a Lakers uniform when he becomes a free agent. Jackson said the Lakers will have cap room in 2007 to make such a move. Do they really have a shot? Sounds great to me ....

Chad Ford: About 29 GMs in the league would love to have Bosh in their uniform. Two problems with Phil's dream.

1. Bosh will be a restricted free agent in 2007. I think the Raptors would match any offer. Right now he's the franchise. If Bosh really wants to be free, he'll have to spurn a contract extension next summer, turn down all free agent offers in the summer of 2007, sign a one year tender and then become an unrestricted free agent in 2008.

2. The Lakers are going to really struggle to have max cap room in 2007. To do it, they would have to release EVERY player on their roster with the exception of Kobe, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. Then they'd have the room to sign ONE max free agent. They'd have to fill the other EIGHT roster spots with minimum guys. I don't see that happening. The Lakers would be better off using those expiring contracts they have coming up in trades. The free agent route is a long shot.


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John, Chicago: Should the Bulls trade Ben Gordon?

Chad Ford: Maybe. He's unhappy coming off the bench as the sixth man and the Bulls can't afford to have Gordon and Kirk Hinrich on the floor for the entire game. Defensively they just give up too much size. What the Bulls really need is a big physical guard who can lock down defenders at the two. In other words, as good as Gordon's been, I still think they should've drafted Andre Iguodala over Gordon. How good would they be right now had they done that? Lots of teams -- Denver, Houston, Indiana, Portland, Toronto, Utah -- would be interested. But I'm not sure any of those teams really has a player that they're willing to part with that gives Chicago what it needs in return. Gordon's going to be a good player in the league ... just still not sure about the fit in Chicago.


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John, Portland: Why is Ruben Patterson still on the Blazers? The guy has been disrupting the team for years. When is management going to get some spine, admit they made a mistake and dump him? They should've done it under the amnesty rule this year?

Chad Ford: I can't figure it out. There is nothing that Patterson does on the court that makes up for all the headaches he creates both on and off the court. To me he is the poster child of how dysfunctional the management in Portland has been over the past five years.


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Paulius, Lithuania: You've been writing about Sarunas Jasikevicius for the past three years every time you go to Europe. Now that you've seen what he can do in the NBA with the Pacers, what is impression of him.

Chad Ford: Exactly the same as it was in Europe. He's a tough gritty player who knows how to hit big shots and he's winner. However, he's a defensive liability and not really a pure point guard, which is why he hasn't gotten huge minutes in Indiana. But if you've noticed, he's usually on the floor at the end of the game -- partly because of his leadership, partly because of clutch shooting and partly because he's the best free throw shooter on the club. With that said, the chemistry in Indiana isn't right. They have too many emotional guys and Jasikevicius is included in that group. I think Indiana is going to have to consider making a trade. Stephen Jackson or Jamaal Tinsley seem like the two most likely candidates.


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Warren (NY, NY): Wait a second, didn't you call Marvin Williams potentially the most talented player in the draft? And I agree, Knight has done an awful job. He has a glut at the wing positions.

Chad Ford: I'm not bashing Marvin. He was my top rated prospect in the draft and I think he's going to be awesome. I had Paul rated No. 2 and the gap wasn't that big. My only point is that the Hawks needed a franchise point guard and Paul is going to be just that -- he has an outside shot at the All Star game this year. You only pick talent over position when there is a CLEAR gap between the two. There wasn't this year and now the Hawks have to figure a way, via trade, free agency or the next draft, to find that point guard. Free agency is weak at the position next year. None of the players they're willing to trade would get them a point guard the caliber of Paul in return. Their only hope is via the draft. And as good as the point guard prospects are in the draft (and Kentucky's Rajon Rondo would be a good fit for the way Atlanta wants to play) none of them are quite the prospect that Paul is. Once you take all of those factors into consideration, I think they should've drafted Paul.


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David, Phoenix: Is Mike D'Antoni running away with the Coach of the Year race? Playing Diaw at center ... brilliant.

Chad Ford: Yes, only D'Antoni would play a two guard in the middle and find a way to make it work. The thing I like about D'Antoni is that he let's players play to their strengths and doesn't ask them to do things they can't do. He's flexible and players like that. Too many coaches are so tied to their system that they can't handle players who don't fit -- forcing GMs to make bad trades. If I'm a GM, I love a coach like D'Antoni. He allows you to get the best talent available and he'll find a way to make it work. I think he's the front runner for coach of the year, though Avery Johnson, Flip Saunders and Gregg Popovich are all great candidates too.


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Maverick, Cleveland: Still have LeBron as your MVP?

Chad Ford: Yes. Though I think in a few ways, he was actually having a better season last season. We made a lot of fuss about his improved three point shot this season, but over time it's flattened back out and he's actually shooting threes less accurately than he did last season. Elton Brand is getting a lot of love and he deserves it. He's leading the Clippers this year on an improbable run. I love that the crowd was chanting MVP the other night. It couldn't be happening to a nicer guy. My darkhorse is Marcus Camby. If the Nuggets were playing better, I think he'd be getting some serious play.


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Greg (Los Angeles): Hey chad are you forgetting about Mike Dunleavy? DAntoni was supposed to have a good team. Dunleavy should be by far the front runner for coach of the year. NO QUESTION.

Chad Ford: Dunleavy's been good and he's done while coaching a guy, Sam Cassell, who isn't easy to coach. But no one believed Phoenix would be this good without Amare Stoudemire. The adjustments that D'Antoni had to make were huge ... and risky. But they are paying off.


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Jeff, Indianapolis: I know you made preseason predictions about playoffs teams ... but if you could redo them six weeks into the season, who are your top eight in each conference and who wins it all?

Chad Ford: East

1. Pistons
2. Heat
3. Nets
4. Pacers
5. Cavs
6. Bucks
7. Wizards
8. Sixers

Chad Ford: West

1. Spurs
2. Clippers
3. Nuggets
4. Mavericks
5. Suns
6. Warriors
7. Timberwolves
8. Rockets


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Mike, Kingston: Hey Chad, quick draft question. As a Raptor fan who's team has a solid shot at the #1 pick to say the least should I be concerned that not even one of the top big man prospects appears to be a centre? Do any of Splitter, Aldridge or Bargnani have any hope as a prospect there or should I direct my rage at Stern for removing Greg Oden from this year's draft class and pay very close attention to Rudy Gay's progress?

Chad Ford: Greg Oden would've been perfect for the Raptors (and a lot of other teams). He's a legit center with Tim Duncan like potential. So ... rage away at the commish. He's on in 11 minutes. None of the other top guys are centers. Sorry ...


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Chris (DC): Do you think the Jazz set themselves tremendously back not taking Paul with the #3 pick? Not to knock Deron, who I think is a good player, but its very hard as a fan to watch the top five draft picks play, see Paul is clearly the best player, and then see teams not pick him because they have other criteria beyond being a great player (it seems).

Chad Ford: No ... I think Paul was the best prospect, but Williams was a better fit for their system. Williams is a better, more physical defender. Look at how opposing point guards do against Utah, compared to New Orleans. And Williams is a better shooter who is more comfortable executing in the half court. Paul likes to run more than Jerry Sloan is comfortable. I think both guys will be All-Stars down the road.


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Bill, Oakland: Cal's Leon Powe has been awesome since coming back ... what does his draft prospects look like?

Chad Ford: He's looked great. Make sure you check out my blog today about a conversation I had with a friend of Powe's at the Maui Invitational. Powe knew something we didn't. If he keeps playing like this and if his knee holds up to the scrutiny of the NBA physical he's got the chance to be a lottery pick.

Chad Ford: Sorry ... we ran out of time before we could really get to the draft. The good news is that my new Top 100 and a draft blog breaking down who's hot and who's not went up this morning ... check it out for all the latest on the NBA draft. ... Oh wait ... one more question ... from the commish ... before I go ...


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David, New York: How long are your shorts out there in Hawaii?

Chad Ford: 0.1 inches below the knee ... Seems like even sportswriters are under the gun these days. Make sure to give Stern some hell from me today about the shorts issue. It's silly ... let's focus on the great players playing a great game and quit obessing about how long the shorts are.