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djsunyc
Posts: 44929
Alba Posts: 42
Joined: 1/16/2004
Member: #536
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John Hollinger: Greetings everyone, it's that time again. Lots of teams hitting bumps right now with injuries and road trips, so we're seeing some weird results lately. Let's talk about it ...
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Jake (LA): Odom only played 28 minutes last night and played horribly. Rudy T was at the Pacer game scouting saturday night. Do you think the Lakers are looking into moving Odom for Artest and do you think it would be a good move?
John Hollinger: I think the Lakers are looking at Artest, and a trade of Odom for something like Artest + Johnson is doable. But I think L.A. feels the deal is only worth doing if they can keep Odom and just give Indy some young guys. And I doubt Indy would buy at that price.
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Andrew (Winnipeg): What's going on with the Spurs right now? I know Manu is out, but they're looking flat, and Tim's numbers haven't been as consistent as he's been in the past.
John Hollinger: I tend to agree with you -- they looked flat against the Hawks and had three fairly unimpressive wins before getting dumped in OKC yesterday. I think the problem is the secondary guys aren't giving them a lot right now, so it's putting a lot of pressure on Duncan and Parker to produce all the points. Good example was the Atlanta game -- Spurs had a ton of open shots and just couldn't knock them down. Guys like Finley, Barry, and Mohammed need to step up while Manu's out.
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Justin (Toronto): John- Has CB4's play thus far warranted a spot on the East all-star team, or will his inclusion suffer from "horrible team syndrome"??
John Hollinger: That's a very interesting question. To me, Bosh clearly deserves to be on the team, but if you look at the track record of how the coaches vote these things, they tend to always take the second-best player on a "feel-good" story team, even if he doesn't deserve it (Antawn Jamison and Rashard Lewis a year ago, for instance). It helps that he's in the East though.
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Eugene (PV): What do you think of the Rockets? 5 of 6 on their road trip is pretty good. Do you think a healthy team can contend in the west and possibly even win the championship?
John Hollinger: No, because Tracy and Yao don't have nearly enough help. Houston has to find some backcourt help (don't expect Sura to be back) and they have to figure out how to make better use of Swift.
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Dave (Flagstaff, AZ): Hey, John. Do the Suns need to entertain any trades to improve, or do they simply wait for Amare, hoping that will improve interior defense and half-court scoring?
John Hollinger: EVERY team is entertaining trades, but I don't think the Suns feel any special pressure to get a deal done. Sure, they'd like another big, but who wouldn't?
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Jason L.A.: Can Ron Artest put the Clippers over the top? A Maggette/Artest trade works and Maggette hasn't played much with the Clippers. (He even missed Clipper training camp.)
John Hollinger: Artest with the Clips is very intriguing, because there's some strong vets to help keep him in line, and he'd fit in the lineup perfectly. And yes, that would make a healthy Clipper team very dangerous come May. Unfortunately, I don't think Maggette fits what Indy wants right now -- in an ideal world they'd like a guy who can stretch the D and defend the top shooting guards.
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Joel (Kingston, Jamaica): I wondered on draft night, and I'm still wondering: why on earth didn't Atlanta take Chris Paul? They'd probably have a comparable record to the Hornets right now.
John Hollinger: We're all wondering. Did I mention Marvin Williams had no points yesterday?
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Ryan (NY): I don't understand Doc's rotations. I can accept that the C's won't be a playoff team this year if the young guys can get some PT. Perkins and Jefferson especially should be more minutes but Doc insists on playing Blount and LaFrentz together for long stretches (two bigs who can't rebound).
John Hollinger: I don't get it either. Seems to me if you start Blount with Jefferson then Blount can cover for some of Jefferson's lapses on D, and Jefferson gives them the post threat on offense and the much-needed rebounder. But Doc's biggest problem isn't the rotation -- it's that the kids don't seem to be improving. That's on him.
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Paul (Detroit, MI): John, do you think the Heat will get rolling and the Pistons will drop off enough in the next few months to make the race to win the East interesting?
John Hollinger: Realistically, Detroit would have to have some injuries. Eight games in the loss column is a pretty huge mountain to climb.
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Ryan (Red Deer, Alberta, Canada): If you were the Raptors GM what would be your move to get these guys winning?
John Hollinger: I'd move to the CBA.
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Mike (New Brunswick NJ): What's the status of the Knicks' draft picks the next few years? They still have to give picks to the Suns and Bulls.
John Hollinger: OK, if you're a Knicks fan and didn't already know this you might want to sit down. The pick in the Curry trade had NO LOTTERY PROTECTION. So if the Knicks end up with one of the top picks, which they're headed toward, they'll just hand it over to Chicago. (But hey -- you still have San Antonio's pick from the Malik Rose trade!)
Wait, come back off the ledge, I have more. The Knicks also gave the Bulls the option to swap picks in 2007, so if the Knicks stink a year from now -- which is more plausible given their lack of a draft pick -- then they'll also forfeit that lottery pick.
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Paul (Springfield, IL): If Manu recovers and plays, do the Pistons have what it takes to beat San Antonio?
John Hollinger: The Pistons have what it takes to beat anyone. Last year it came down to a few bounces, and it may this year too.
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San Francisco, CA: John, Do you think the Warriors will make the playoffs and if they do how far do think they will advance?
John Hollinger: I think they'll probably make it if BD stays healthy, but they could use a makeover at the trade deadline. It would help if Montgomery got the rampant 3-point gunning under control and replaced Dunleavy with Pietrus.
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Jason, MD : Whats going on in DC? The wizards are giving up tons of offensive rebounds, not playing good defense, and can't find any structure on offense. What do you think they should do?
John Hollinger: A lot of upset Wizards fans in here today, especially after that loss to the Terrapins last night. Wash ranks 28th in defensive rebounding percentage, so you know where to start looking for fixes.
Not to go Darrell Armstrong on everybody here, but while we're on the topic of DC, how 'bout my 'Skins? Season sweep of Dallas couldn't make me happier, now we just have to spank the Giants Saturday ... but I digress.
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Mark, Ann Arbor: If someone offered you the services of Steve Nash in exchange for Chauncey Billups for just this season without considering the future, would you take it? I think I wouldn't, and neither would Joe D.
John Hollinger: Depends on the rest of my roster, but in most situations I'd pass.
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steve, LA: John, how far do you think the Hornets are going this year? I am personally impressed w/ their current season especially after last year's horrible one. Also do you think Chris Paul should be a candidate for rookie of the year?
John Hollinger: They've surprised a lot of people but I think ultimately their inability to score is going to keep them under .500 -- I'm guessing they'll end up around 30-35 wins or so. Paul will win Rookie of the Year barring injury.
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Mark Cuban (Dallas): That's $1,000 for you too John.
John Hollinger: Send the bill to Bristol.
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Mike (Atlanta): The Hawks' recent success...a sign of things to come or an aberration?
John Hollinger: I think one thing that's really helped them is they're probably the healthiest team in the league right now, so against other teams that are in various stages of decomposition (witness Denver yesterday) they have an advantage.
I don't think they'll be winning four of every five games from here on out, but if they played .400 the rest of the way and ended up with 30 wins it wouldn't completely shock me. Baby steps, people.
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Dustin (Plano, TX): John, can you share your thoughts about the Mavs and their roster? Do you think this is a team that needs to make a move?
John Hollinger: I like their roster quite a bit actually, especially now that their wing guys are getting healthy. Dallas is deep enough that Avery can match up any way he wants, and its quality depth too.
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Matt - Denver: John - There are lots of rumors going around in regards to the Nuggets. Do you see any of them coming to fruition? They have to get another scorer.
John Hollinger: i think Denver is all but certain to do something because they have so many pieces they can move (Watson, Nene, Lenard, Hodge, perhaps Kleiza) and an obvious need at the 2. I'm sure they'd rather wait for Boykins to come back before they deal Watson though.
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Eric (Hou): Do the rockets have any attractive commodities that would allow them to make a block buster trade that will improve their chances of a championship?
John Hollinger: That's the problem, they really don't. Luther Head and Stro Swift are there most sellable commoditiies, but it's not like either of them are going to bring a king's ransom in return.
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Reggie (Detroit, MI): In your opinion, how many Pistons make the 2006 All-Star Team without being a top vote getter?
John Hollinger: I think Billups is a shoo-in, and Rasheed Wallace is nearly automatic in my mind as well. The issue is whether they get a third guy in. There's so many good guards in the East that it will be tough for Rip, and while Ben may get the nod from coaches just out of respect, he hasn't been his usual defensively dominating self thus far. (A scary thought considering his team is 18-3).
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Sun (Philadelphia): Do the Celtics have any future? And could you see Danny Ainge going after Ron Artest? And do you think Paul Pierce is an MVP candidate this season?
John Hollinger: I like their future more than their present. It really makes no sense for Boston to go after Artest -- the team isn't good enough to win a title with him, so all he'll do is warp the minds of all those young guys. As for Pierce, he's playing great and will make the All-Star team, but MVP is a bit strong.
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bil(memphis): What's going on with the Wolves? They were finishing games off a week ago, now that the competition has gotten tougher they blow it, at or near the end of the game!
John Hollinger: It's frustrating, but I wouldn't sweat it. Minnesota played some tough teams and just didn't get some bounces that went their way the previous couple of weeks. They're still off to an excellent start.
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Joe (DC): HOW BOUT THEM REDSKINS?
John Hollinger: And with that, I'm out of here. See you all soon and have a Merry Christmas/Happy Hannukah/Enjoyable Holiday
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