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djsunyc
Posts: 44927
Alba Posts: 42
Joined: 1/16/2004
Member: #536
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John Hollinger: Greetings everyone. I heard there was some kind of coaching change today. Anyone know what happened?
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Anthony (Detroit, MI): John, how does the announcement that Van Gundy is stepping down and Riley taking over affect the Heat? Shaq is back now, so the Heat will improve anyway, but does Riley make them a better team?
John Hollinger: The key to that question lies in whether he can get better production from Miami's supporting players. Of the new guys they picked up in the offseason, only Jason Williams has delivered. The other guys, especially Walker, have been letdowns. Nobody's talking about it, but they're also getting nothing from Udonis Haslem right now either.
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3FF: So John, what kind of value can the Pacers get for Artest? And will his departure make the Pacers a more cohesive unit? Can any good for the Pacers come from this situation?
John Hollinger: Ah yes, the other big story. There are a few teams out there who seem desperate enough to take a chance -- Sacramento, Atlanta, perhaps Miami or the Knicks. What makes it hard is that Artest actually is underpaid for his production, which means they can't do the typical trade-a-star-for-an-ending-contract deal that teams normally try when they want to get rid of somebody.
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Nick (Orlando, FL): Do you really think Van Gundy resigned because of family reasons, or was this a polite way for Riley to take over?
John Hollinger: That's the question on everyone's mind, whether he jumped from the ledge or somebody pushed him. I think we all had our suspicions, but if it was really a firing I don't think Stan would have shown up for the press conference. Besides, who was the last coach to get fired right after a win?
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Howard (Kansas City, MO): Didn't you think that Miami should have just left their roster alone and added one more power forward perhaps like going after Abdul-Rahim or Swift instead of messing up the whole chemistry
John Hollinger: The only place I think Miami messed up was in not addressing the small forward spot aggressively. They essentially contented themselves with Posey and tried to pretend that 'Toine could play there part time, but Riley forgot this isn't 1995 and you can't play a 6-10 Charles Smith at small forward anymore. As for the other stuff, I think the point guard situation is clearly an improvement, and having Walker as a backup 4 is a nice luxury. But they need a real, starter-quality small forward.
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Jason (Newark, Delaware): John, Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni for Ron Artest? The salaries should match up but would either of these teams trade the players inside their own division? If not, what about Ben Gordon for Al Harrington which would fill a need for both teams?
John Hollinger: The Bulls wouldn't touch Artest, especially with that deal -- they already have Deng at the 3 and a pile of cap room for next summer that they don't want to mess with. As for Gordon-Harrington, I''m not sure it helps Chicago to trade one of their best young players for a four-month rental (Harrington is a FA after the season). Generally the rookie contracts are the best value, so you want to keep those guys if you can.
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Gary (Detroit, MI): John, I know it's December, but with all of the drama in Indy and Miami can we just put the Pistons in the NBA Finals now and call it a day?
John Hollinger: Detrot certainly looks like the team to beat. But remember it's a long season and one injury or trade can dramatically change a team's outlook.
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Terence (Cortland,NY): Who could the Knicks possibly trade to get Ron Artest and do you think Indiana will throw in Tinsley with the deal?
John Hollinger: i think the Pacers would rather include Anthony Johnson than Tinsley if it came down to it. As for the Knicks, getting Artest would almost certainly involve giving up Channing Frye -- it might be something like Artest + Croshere for Frye + Penny + Lee (And please note: This is strictly hypothetical, NOT a rumor). But do you really think Larry Brown would want to coach a guy who says he's focusing on getting more shots?
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Phil (Eugene, OR): John, any chance at a Artest - Ruben Patterson type deal happening?
John Hollinger: Artest would make a great Trail Blazer. If they pick him up they should reacquire Rasheed and Bonzi just to watch all of them interact. It would be like "The Surreal Life: NBA"
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sam(boca raton, fl): James Posey isn't a starting-caliber small forward?
John Hollinger: The Posey of 2003-04 was. The Posey of this year has not been -- not enough offense and not consistent enough on defense to make up for it.
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Lee (Bensalem): Should Zo replace Haslem as the starting power forward once Shaq reclaims his starting center position? Also, Riley's path to the Finals is easier than that of Detroit and Indiana. With the Heat the likely 2 seed they will play the Atlantic Division champ in the second round while the 1 seed Pistons will play the 4 seed Pacers or 5 seed Cavs/Bulls/Bucks.
John Hollinger: I think you might see that in the playoffs, but for now the bigger priority is limiting 'Zo's minutes so he's fresh for the playoffs. They already pushed him to the limit by starting him while Shaq was out. You raise a good point about Miami's playoff seeding -- with the two non-Central Divisions such an abomination, they'll get an easy ride to the conference finals.
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jm, ny: If T-Mac leads the Rockets to the playoffs (6th seed), shouldn't he get some serious MVP consideration?
John Hollinger: Perhaps, but it depends how much of the lifting he does versus that of his teammates. But talk of a 6 seed is mighty optimistic for Houston right now.
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Spencer (Los Angeles): Hey JOHN! Any chance, any chance at all, the Lakers can pull something off for Ron? Where would he fit in if we even wanted him? THANKS
John Hollinger: Well, if Phil Jackson could keep Dennis Rodman under control, I suppose he could try to tame Artest. I would think they'd have to offer Lamar Odom and try to get one of the guards included in the deal to boost the backcourt. Not sure if L.A. would do that, but it's an intriguing possibility.
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Aleem (Atlanta): What do you think the Hawks can get for Harrington? Would the Nuggets think about dealing Andre Miller? Would the Knicks even entertain trading Frye? Basically, is there ANY chance we don't just get scrubs/expiring contracts and another mid-first round pick?
John Hollinger: With the injuries to K-Mart and Nene, I think a deal with Denver for Watson and Vo would be a big help for both teams. Some other possibilities are on the table too -- I think they may get something of lasting value this time.
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Rob (Los Angeles, CA): How about the Lakers' play recently? They're 3-1 on an Eastern Road trip and playing pretty well. Are Playoffs and Lakers two words we can together use in a sentence again?
John Hollinger: I'm still a little skittish about their playoff chances, but Kobe has looked much more under control lately and Odom seems to be out of his funk. Also, not wasting 25 minutes a night on Kwame Brown has been a big help.
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Joe Dumars (Auburn Hills, MN): Hey there, John. You think I could get Artest for my whole bench? Ron's a little like Sheed, he just needs some love and nurture here in the big D.
John Hollinger: Just forget it. There is a 0% chance the Pacers send Artest to Detroit. They want to send him to the West, and preferably to a basketball Siberia (NO/OKC, Portland, Utah, etc.) as a form of punishment.
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Charles (Utah): Spurs have any rear end left after the loss to Atlanta the other night? I'm sure Pop didn't hold anything back this time.
John Hollinger: Pop didn't seem as upset as I expected him to be when he talked to the press afterward. It was the best Atlanta has played in a long time, but the thing that really killed S.A. was they forgot Tim Duncan was on their team for much of the second half.
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Steve, (Manhattan): Will any decent power forwards be on the market in Deecember that the Nets could go after? Right now they are soft.
John Hollinger: The problem isn't players on the market -- the problem is what the Nets can offer in a trade. Unless they're willing to give up RJ, they really don't have many assets to pull off a deal.
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Eric, L.A.: John, The Wizards--what gives? Arenas taking too many shots? Not enough rebounding? Please tell me you see some hope.
John Hollinger: Arenas, Jamison and Haywood have all been very good, but they're just not getting much help right now and the defense has been soft (with the exception of Haywood). Not sure why Eddie isn't giving Butler more burn.
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Mike (D): Has the East passed the West???
John Hollinger: Not on your life. If it weren't for that bogus foul call on Shaq last night, two of the three divisions in the East would have a sub-.500 team in first place. It's funny because a lot of us talked before the season about the torch being passed, but right now the East is just as bad as its always been.
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Scott: (North Dakota): If a team like NJ or Miami wins their division with 42-44 wins, I know they get the #2 or #3 seed but do they get home court against a team with more wins?
John Hollinger: No, they don't get home court, which is another reason this playoff set up is idiotic -- the #5 team can be on the road while the #6 team is at home. In fact, if the season ended today the #6 team in the East would be at home for TWO rounds!
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Ethan (Austin): Speaking of basketball Siberia, any chance of Utah letting go of Kirilenko for Ron Ron and change?
John Hollinger: While it would be worth the price of admission just to see Jerry Sloan interact with Artest, that deal has zero chance of happening.
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Chuck (Motown): Gee, how many teams have the Pistons broke up now? They dismantled the Lakers, then got Riley to blow up the Heat and now self-destructed Artest and the Pacers into re-structuring. When is everyone going to realize that Detroit has been the team to beat in the East the past 3 years?
John Hollinger: Now there's some good smack talk from Motown ... and don't forget about the Nets either.
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Drew (PA): Hey John, I'm worried about Okafor. Why has his production dropped in his 2nd year?
John Hollinger: Okafor bulked up in the offseason and I'm not sure it helped -- he looks slower out there.
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Julius (Miami,FL): Hey John, you said Miami for the Ron sweepstakes, who could Miami offer and would it help Indiana more or Miami?
John Hollinger: Miami will probably offer some combo of Posey, Walker and Haslem, although the last two can't be dealt until at least the 15th (Walker's trade date may be later since he signed so late) and perhaps Dorell Wright as a sweetener. I expect the Pacers to turn them down unless they get really lame offers from the Western clubs.
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Jai (L'ville, GA): Do you see the Knicks record improving with the schedule evening out with more home games coming up?
John Hollinger: I think they're record will improve with the homestand, and the team will keep improving as Brown realizes his young bigs are vastly better than the Rose-Taylor-Davis crew. But I doubt the improvement will be enough to stay out of the lottery.
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Jared (Bloomington: So, play the role of Larry Legend or Donnie Walsh. Who would you target in a trade for Artest?
John Hollinger: No question that my first call is to Sacto for Peja. After that I'd probably talk to the Lakers about Odom, to the Cips about Maggette, to the T'wolves about Wally, and to anyone other Western team that seems interested. I'm interested to see how many teams shoot down the idea outright, how many make an offer, and how many make a *serious* offer.
John Hollinger: And with that, we've exhausted my time for today. Sorry I couldn't get to all the questions about the other clubs due to the Ron-and-Stan-fest today, but I'll be back for more next Monday at 3..
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