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Chat with John Hollinger
Welcome to The Show! On Monday, NBA columnist John Hollinger will stop by to chat about the season.
Send your questions now and join John in The Show on Monday at 3 ET.
Hollinger archives: Columns | Chats
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:03 PM ET ) Greetings everyone. Before we get started, a shout out to all the assistant coaches who selected the Rookie and Sophomore teams... uh, you guy do watch the games, right? C'mon guys, you've seen Delonte West and Josh Childress play, and if you're doing your jobs right you should know they're playing much, much better than T.J. Ford or Ben Gordon. And the Rookie team .... sheesh. Nate Robinson was bad enough, but Luther Head???? Have you guys actually seen him, or did you just figure he was doing OK since he'd played a lot of minutes?
OK, I'm done with my rant now. On to the chat ...
Mehmet Okur (SLC, UT): Why no love for me as the most improved player? I am up in all of my categories from last year. I at least deserve an honorable mention. I have become the Jazz's most important assest, and I am the best shooting big man next to Dirk Nowitski. Please give me some Turkish love.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:05 PM ET ) I got a few emails about leaving Okur off my Most Improved team. My basic rationale is that his per-minute numbers haven't changed that much -- the big difference is Sloan is no longer bringing him off the bench (which I thought was pretty much indefensible). All ten guys I had listed had seen much bigger increases in performance, if not in their per-game stats.
Jamar: (Snellville,GA): Who do you think is the guiding hand in the trades the Knicks are making? LB or Zeke?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:07 PM ET ) It's still Isiah's show -- Dolan, for whatever reason, apparently still trusts him to make deals, even if they cost him $31 million and produce no appreciable assets. I hope for his sake the Dolans run Cablevision better than they run the Knicks.
Clay (Houston, TX): Hey John. I have a few questions. Do you see my Rockets making a serious run at the playoffs now that our superstars are back? Do you see them making any trades? Also, is this Hayes kid for real? He looks pretty good to me. Averaging 8 boards in 21 minutes is nice.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:09 PM ET ) The Rockets would have to win two out of three the rest of hte way to get back to .500, which would put them in the running for the 8 seed. If T-Mac and Yao stay healthy the rest of the way, it's possible, but I still don't like their odds. Hayes has done a nice job in limited minutes. Everybody knew he could play D from his time at Kentucky, but concerns about his size and scoring kept him from being drafted. So far, he's scored enough garbage baskets to earn his keep.
mort (nyc): Okay, smart guy. Imagine this: Larry Brown gets fired and John Hollinger is named head coach of the Knicks. Oh, and Stephon Marbury just broke his leg. Who are your starting 5?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:12 PM ET ) Wouldn't be MY dream job, that's for sure. The obvious move in the frontcourt would be start Frye and Curry, bring Lee off the pine and forget the others. I'd have to play Crawford at point and if Q's back felt OK would probably play he and Ariza at the wings, with heavy sprinklings of Jalen off the pine. Nate Robinson and Qyntel Woods could sop up whatever minutes are left over and take over for Q when the back acts up.
Adam (MIT): John, in a recent article you write about the Pythagorean rule for calculating winning percentage. Why did you choose the 16.5 power? That seems like an arbitrary number to me. Feel free to throw out numbers, I can handle it.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:12 PM ET ) Simply trial and error. 16.5 correlates the best with team's true win-lost records.
Chris Bosh (Toronto): John my team has tons of cap space and can sign me for more than any other team this off-season. Should I re-up with the Raptors, or am I better off holding out one more year?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:14 PM ET ) Bosh has nothing to gain and everthing to lose by not signing an extension, so unless the Raptors lowball him or he just absolutely HATES it there, he should sign.
Ben (Oakland): What do you think of the Warriors benching Dunleavy for Pietrus?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:14 PM ET ) Two words: 'Bout time. They should have done this three years ago.
Andy (Montreal): With over $10 million to spend (and maybe more with another trade) and the need to build around superstar Bosh, if you were the Raptors GM (which I think would be cool)who would be your targets in free agency?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:16 PM ET ) Stojakovic is one possiblity, but he doesn't really fit the age profile they're going for, so a better option might be to target the trade market and look for a big-contract, disgruntled player who is still in his prime. Um, preferably not one named Steve Francis.
Dave (Boston): If you had to choose today, would you keep Kendrick Perkins or Al Jefferson? Perk seems like more of a worker and Al is a little injury prone with slow recovery. Maybe a package of Big Al, Gerald Green and LaFrentz could yield a great player or tons of cap room.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:17 PM ET ) I would still keep Jefferson, because he's potentially a go-to scorer and Perkins will never be of that caliber offensively, but the case for Perkins has gotten a lot stronger this year. Jefferson still makes too many mistakes and the repeated ankle sprains are a worrying sign.
Ryan (Long Beach, CA): What happened with Elton Brand for MVP?The first quarter of the season there was all this talk about Elton Brand being a candidate for MVP. Now, after the first half of the season his name isn't even being mentioned. Why is that? How many games do the Clippers have to win or what place in the conference must they get for him to be considered for the MVP?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:18 PM ET ) The talk has died down, but I'm not sure why. Maybe chalk it up to a lack of TV time. If I had a ballot Brand would still be in the top five.
Billy (Milwaukee): Hey John, just grabbed the stats for Delonte West and Josh Childress and they don't standout as being that better Gordon or Ford. Gordon scores more than both and Ford scores and dishes out more assists than either. Perhaps they are playing better right now, but I didn't think they selected these teams based on who was playing better over the past couple of weeks!
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:19 PM ET ) Scroll over to the "field-goal percentage" part. You'll see what I mean.
Maarten (Netherlands): Should Dallas move Keith van Horn for a more burly power forward before the deadline?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:21 PM ET ) Like, say, Antonio Davis? I think the Mavs would be more intersted in doing that if Van Horn hadn't been shooting the lights out the past several weeks. If KVH keeps shooting 51% on 3s, like he did in January, he won't be going anywhere.
King -NJ: Hey John, Can the Nets have what it takes to land KG if he becomes availabe without parting with their big three?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:22 PM ET ) Are you kidding me? They can't even get Chris Wilcox with those pieces, let alone Kevin Garnett.
shu (san antonio): hawks fan in san antonio here. Your comments about childress give me a slight glimmer of hope for the future. Any idea who we might be trading by the deadline and for what? Thanks
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:23 PM ET ) Don't be surprised if the Hawks stand pat. They think they can get more for Harrington in the summer, and the rest of the guys all have reasonable contracts. The only other potential trade would be for the mysteriously unused Tony Delk, but that'd be for spare change.
Todd (Tucson): John, my Sonics need a backup PG. They miss Antonio Daniels. Whom should they target?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:24 PM ET ) I think this is a spot where the Sonics need to look in the mirror honestly and realize they aren't a playoff team, so trading a draft pick for a band-aid behind Ridnour is a poor use of resources. If they could get a longer-term solution (say, Earl Watson), then that would make more sense.
Knox (Tucson): What trade scenarios do you see looming in the Blazers future?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:26 PM ET ) It all depends on Isiah. The Knicks are seemingly the only team foolish enough to trade for Ratliff's contract, so that's the most likely trade scenario. Ruben Patterson is also in play, of course, but that's been the case for three years.
Brian (Boston, MA): Danny Ainge says the Celtics are one move away from contending in the East. Any idea what that move is? Firing Doc?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:27 PM ET ) Trading Brian Scalabrine for Dwayne Wade, maybe. In defense of Danny, his words weren't quite that emphatic, but realistically the C's are still undermanned.
Jim (Pittsburgh): Do you see any possibility for the steel city to ever get a team? A NBA team is the only pro sport we are missing.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:28 PM ET ) I think a market like Pittsburgh would have a tought time supporting four majors, especially two winter teams. Look at how the Penguins have struggled and then imagine that market split in two.
Craig, SLC: What's with my Jazz?!?! Are they ever going to get any consistency? What is their missing ingredient? Do they need a superstar-go-to-guy?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:30 PM ET ) The problem with the Jazz is that they don't score enough, and in particular their guards don't score enough. That's partly because they didn't draft Chris Paul, partly because Devin Brown has disappointed, and partly because they run every play to get the bal linside. Getting Boozer back will help, but they really need to consider swapping him for a scorer in the offseason.
Brad (Albuquerque): Glad you brought up Antonio Davis..this guy got a bum deal if I ever saw one..and what were the Raptors thinking??? Will they let Davis go so he can sign w/a contender?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:30 PM ET ) Not sure if it's such a bum deal -- the Raptors are ahead of the Knicks in the standings, and he could end up "double-dipping" if the Raptors by him out and he can sign some place else. Only downer for Antonio is his kids having to re-learn Canadian history.
Brooks (Portland): Why don't the Blazers just give the Knicks Theo Ratliff and Miles for Hardaway? I mean, don't we need the cap room and isn't Isaih is willing to throw in Ariza?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:33 PM ET ) The sticking point here is Miles -- the Knicks want him, the Blazers don't want to give him up unless New York sweetens the pot. But yes, that's the basic framework of the discussiions.
Jesse, Los Angeles: If Kevin Garnett decides to leave Minnesota this season, what team realistically has the best chance of landing him?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:34 PM ET ) Seems like Chicago would have a big advantage, not only because KG has roots there, but also because they have the most assets to include in a deal and could take a few bad contracts as throw-ins because of all their cap space.
Bryan (Springdale): Don't have Insider, so help me out: I would have to bet that Josh Howard is high on the efficiency ratings. Does he merit talk of the All-Star game this year, and who would you compare his game to of current or past All-Stars?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:37 PM ET ) He's high, but he can't compare with all the stud power forward out West. Look at at this way -- Melo, Okur, Kirilenko and Rashard Lewis *aren't* going to the All-Star game, and all rank ahead of Howard right now.
Nic (Mt. Pleasant): Does any team think they can make darko into an nba player and if so what do you think the pistons can get for him?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:39 PM ET ) You'd be surprised how many teams still think highly of him. The Pistons could get a decent player or a fairly high draft pick for him even now.
jay, orlando: what's up with the magic? are they trading francis or not? they should trade garrity for a new vending machine.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:40 PM ET ) Well, the vending machine would be more mobile. As far as Francis goes, I think Orlando would like to trade him but doesn't want to make the mistake they did with McGrady and take back less value.
Tyler (CA): What are the chances for Chris Paul playing with the big boys in Houston? It would be an injustice to have players from one of the worst teams in the league (Yao, McGrady) but no one from the Hornets.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:42 PM ET ) When reserves are announced tomorrow (um, check that, Thursday) I expect Paul to be on the list. Ray Allen is his only real competition in the backcourt and is on a losing team.
Chuman (Miami: Do you see the Heat making in deals before the trade deadline? Their chemistry sucks!
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:45 PM ET ) Is it the chemistry or just their talent level? I realize that's been the popular story line, but look at these guys. Are Posey's struggles and Shaq's conditioning the result of bad chemistry? Udonis Haslem was here a year ago -- is his slump bad chemistry? Is Jason Williams's knee problem a result of bad chemistry? I think Miami's biggest problem, besides Shaq's girth, is just that Posey has been a terrible disappointment and they really had no Plan B for that slot.
LeBron (Cleveland): If my LeBron's, I mean Cavs, finish 4th in the East, am I the MVP this year?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:47 PM ET ) LeBron seems headed in that direction, especiallky with the recent slump by Chauncey Billups and Detroit dropping off the 72-win pace. Brand, Dirk and Wade seem to the biggest threats at this point.
Kyron (Toronto): I thought they were announcing the reserves on Thursday?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:49 PM ET ) You're correct, it's Thursday. Now you'll all have a reason to watch that riveting Kings-Bulls game.
Andrew (NY, NY): So, Brand, Dirk, Wade and Lebron are the MVP favorites? Nash and Kobe aren't on your short list?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:50 PM ET ) They're on my long list. Not on my short one though, at least at this point.
Matthew (Los Angeles): How many teams in the West are unquestionably better than the Clippers at this point? San Antonio, Dallas...maybe a full-strength Suns team?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:51 PM ET ) I'd say the three teams you mentioned and perhaps Memphis. Unforutnately for LA they have to win the division or let the Grizzlies pass them to avoid doomsday first-round date with Dallas/San Antonio.
Tad (Ithaca, NY): I really don't understand why the Nets aren't getting more respect. Don't they have the talent necessary to contend if they can become more consistant?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:52 PM ET ) Sorry, but 24-21 doesn't beget respect, especially when you've had relatively few injuries.
Fred (OKC,OK): Go Hornets! Are our Hornets a viable contender to make the playoffs? Are they looking to make more players moves?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:54 PM ET ) Since they're holding the No. 7 seed with less than half a season to play, yes, they're viable. That said, management has to be careful not to do anything rash that jeopardizes their future, because they have a chance to move into the upper echelon if they play their cards right.
Josh (mpls, MN): Im affraid I have to disagree with you here John, i dont know how you can have an MVP list w/o Nash. This guy has to be the MVP hands down. No Q, no Joe, no Amare. Is it a coincidence that everyone on the team is having a career season?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:57 PM ET ) A question for all you Nash supporters that have flooded the chat -- Why Nash for MVP and not, say, the guy who leads the team in points, rebounds, minutes, blocks, steals and field-goal percentage, and is probably their best defender too? Doesn't Shawn Marion have at least as strong a case?
Paul (Trenton, NJ): Is Philly stuck with this mediocre squad or does B. King have a move or two up his sleeve prior to the deadline?
SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:59 PM ET ) The Hunter trade was obviously made with the idea of acquiring another player with the trade exception, but don't expect any grand strokes. Unles the suits OK paying luxury tax, King has to be content with working around the edges.
SportsNation John Hollinger: (4:01 PM ET ) And on that note, folks, I have to call it an afternoon. I'll be back here again next Monday at 3, where we can discuss the All-Star reserves and anything else that's on your mind.
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2/6/2006 7:02 PM