2010 CB Draft: Southeast Division Press Conferences

[Roy H.]

Bynum is still tremendously young and only had arthroscopic surgery. He is expected to be at full strength when the season starts according to doctors. I can't predict the future regarding Bynum, Roy, but for someone that touted the Crotornats players last year through all the injuries they were coming back from and the way you have touted the Jazz during this year with Yao(who I believe to be about 100 times more questionable about being able to contribute than Bynum given his age and severity of the injury), I think you would have a bit less of a concern regarding the injury of Bynum and his ability to bounce back.

Fair enough, nick.  I will also say that, as somebody who helped manage the CrotoNats, that the injury concerns were pretty legitimate.  It's fair to say that after watching Michael Redd injure himself yet again, I've adopted a little more of a "show me" attitude toward guys who have been repeatedly injured for the last several seasons.

As for Utah, at the time I evaluated their roster, they were the best team in a very weak West.  Since then, the West has improved dramatically.  I think Yao's health concerns are going to be a pretty big issue with them, as well.  However, that's a press conference question for another day.

[indeedproceed]

Regarding the Charlattle SuperCats:

I like your team. I hate Chris Duhon. I don't think he's talented enough or good enough to be the player you need him to be. You're basically asking him to be exactly the same player he was for D'Antoni last season, but but the reality was he wasn't good enough to do that either.

D'Antoni needed a guy who could run his team and be a dynamic playmaker that was able to funnel the ball to his sharp shooting 3 and athletic 2, as well has get looks for his highly efficient scoring but defensively suspect power forward.

You need Chris Duhon to be a dynamic playmaker for your sharpshooting small forward, athletic 2 guard, and highly efficient scoring but defensively suspect power forward.

The good news is that Amare is one of the top 5 power forwards in the game, Shane Battier, while maybe not the defensive powerhorse he once was, still holds opponents to an impressive 89% of their normal production, and Rudy Gay, while not the elite talent he looked like he was becoming 2 years ago, is still very talented player that is capable of dropping 20 + on anyone on any given night.

The bad news is Shane Battier is getting worse, Rudy Gay peaked in 07/08, Amare Stoudemire has never had to carry a team like he will need to carry this one, and Emeka Okafor can't figure out how to use the new DVR his girlfriend got him. Plus, somehow Chris Duhon made it on the guest list and he keeps telling awkward stories to all the pretty girls.

I like the talent you've built here but something about the whole puzzle just seems awry. I'd start by starting Stuckey, and look at giving significant burn to a Stuckey-Sam Young-Gay-Stoudemite-Okafor lineup.

[Fafnir]

Questions for Atlanta:

What type of team would you matchup with the worst? 

Who is Durant's sidekick?  Has an NBA team won a championship with as weak of a second option as whoever that is on your squad?

The 94 Rockets had Olajuwan (27ppg) and Otis Thorpe (14ppg) and the 2003 Spurs had Duncan (23ppg) and Parker (15ppg).

I feel that having a yearly MVP candidate in Durant with sound players who are committed to the team game that we can be very competitive.

My rebuttal question to that is can Durant impact the game in other ways than simply scoring to the level that Dream and Ducan could?

Both are big men who naturally have more value by positional scarcity and value. They also were top flight individual and team defensive anchors. Can Durant have that sort of overall impact beyond scoring.

This year Durant has made huge strides in his man and team defense.  Prior years arguments were his on/off court numbers.  This year the team allowed more points with him off the court. 

It can only be expected that his is going to improve again this year.

How much improvement though? He's an elite scorer/rebounder at SF, do you think he'll be an elite man to man and team defender like your two comparisons? Do you think he can be an elite creator for others at the wing like they were out of the post?

Because if not I don't see how your original comparison to Dream '94/Duncan '03 holds up.

[Roy H.]

Question for Seattle:

How do you respond to criticisms that Amare and Gay are talented players with good stats, who don't have the fire or the mentality to win?

Can your young team win a title this year, or are they still a few years away?

[Fafnir]

Bynum is still tremendously young and only had arthroscopic surgery. He is expected to be at full strength when the season starts according to doctors. I can't predict the future regarding Bynum, Roy, but for someone that touted the Crotornats players last year through all the injuries they were coming back from and the way you have touted the Jazz during this year with Yao(who I believe to be about 100 times more questionable about being able to contribute than Bynum given his age and severity of the injury), I think you would have a bit less of a concern regarding the injury of Bynum and his ability to bounce back.

Fair enough, nick.  I will also say that, as somebody who helped manage the CrotoNats, that the injury concerns were pretty legitimate.  It's fair to say that after watching Michael Redd injure himself yet again, I've adopted a little more of a "show me" attitude toward guys who have been repeatedly injured for the last several seasons.

As for Utah, at the time I evaluated their roster, they were the best team in a very weak West.  Since then, the West has improved dramatically.  I think Yao's health concerns are going to be a pretty big issue with them, as well.  However, that's a press conference question for another day.

My concern with Bynum is that when he's been a heavy rotation player he's broken down each of the last three years. He also has shown to have a slow recovery compared to their "initial estimates of the Lakers" (those are always fuzzy with teams lying)

Nick:
In the case of injury to Bynum what's your plan B? Also have you considered limiting his minutes?

[action781]

Question for Atlanta:

Can you quantify or even give anecdote to these "huge strides" from Durant defensively?  What does that mean? 


Question for Atlanta and Nashville:

How much do you worry about "The Duke Curse" affecting your team's championship hopes?  Nashville, is your 8th player off the bench really worth that kind of risk?

[nickagneta]

Bynum is still tremendously young and only had arthroscopic surgery. He is expected to be at full strength when the season starts according to doctors. I can't predict the future regarding Bynum, Roy, but for someone that touted the Crotornats players last year through all the injuries they were coming back from and the way you have touted the Jazz during this year with Yao(who I believe to be about 100 times more questionable about being able to contribute than Bynum given his age and severity of the injury), I think you would have a bit less of a concern regarding the injury of Bynum and his ability to bounce back.

Fair enough, nick.  I will also say that, as somebody who helped manage the CrotoNats, that the injury concerns were pretty legitimate.  It's fair to say that after watching Michael Redd injure himself yet again, I've adopted a little more of a "show me" attitude toward guys who have been repeatedly injured for the last several seasons.

As for Utah, at the time I evaluated their roster, they were the best team in a very weak West.  Since then, the West has improved dramatically.  I think Yao's health concerns are going to be a pretty big issue with them, as well.  However, that's a press conference question for another day.

My concern with Bynum is that when he's been a heavy rotation player he's broken down each of the last three years. He also has shown to have a slow recovery compared to their "initial estimates of the Lakers" (those are always fuzzy with teams lying)

Nick:
In the case of injury to Bynum what's your plan B? Also have you considered limiting his minutes?

Bynum will be starting off the season slow so as best to heal. As I have said in my minutes breakdown, he will probably be getting about 30 MPG but I believe that I might cap him at 33-34 MPG. Soi if that means not playing him in overtime games or limiting his minutes early in games so as to have him available at the end so be it.

What I will not be doing with him is what occurred lkast year where straight out of the gates at the start of the season, Phil Jackson was playing him big minutes (35 MPG) for the first 6 weeks and 8 times played him 36 or more minutes in the first 9 games he played.

Rudy T and I agree that given his history it will be better to sacrifice some early victories and play Andrew less than and have him healthy and well conditioned for late in the year rather than play him big minutes and have him possibly hobbling at the end of the year like he was handled last year by Phil Jackson and company.

[Roy H.]

Bynum is still tremendously young and only had arthroscopic surgery. He is expected to be at full strength when the season starts according to doctors. I can't predict the future regarding Bynum, Roy, but for someone that touted the Crotornats players last year through all the injuries they were coming back from and the way you have touted the Jazz during this year with Yao(who I believe to be about 100 times more questionable about being able to contribute than Bynum given his age and severity of the injury), I think you would have a bit less of a concern regarding the injury of Bynum and his ability to bounce back.

Fair enough, nick.  I will also say that, as somebody who helped manage the CrotoNats, that the injury concerns were pretty legitimate.  It's fair to say that after watching Michael Redd injure himself yet again, I've adopted a little more of a "show me" attitude toward guys who have been repeatedly injured for the last several seasons.

As for Utah, at the time I evaluated their roster, they were the best team in a very weak West.  Since then, the West has improved dramatically.  I think Yao's health concerns are going to be a pretty big issue with them, as well.  However, that's a press conference question for another day.

My concern with Bynum is that when he's been a heavy rotation player he's broken down each of the last three years. He also has shown to have a slow recovery compared to their "initial estimates of the Lakers" (those are always fuzzy with teams lying)

Nick:
In the case of injury to Bynum what's your plan B? Also have you considered limiting his minutes?

Bynum will be starting off the season slow so as best to heal. As I have said in my minutes breakdown, he will probably be getting about 30 MPG but I believe that I might cap him at 33-34 MPG. Soi if that means not playing him in overtime games or limiting his minutes early in games so as to have him available at the end so be it.

What I will not be doing with him is what occurred lkast year where straight out of the gates at the start of the season, Phil Jackson was playing him big minutes (35 MPG) for the first 6 weeks and 8 times played him 36 or more minutes in the first 9 games he played.

Rudy T and I agree that given his history it will be better to sacrifice some early victories and play Andrew less than and have him healthy and well conditioned for late in the year rather than play him big minutes and have him possibly hobbling at the end of the year like he was handled last year by Phil Jackson and company.

Speaking of health issues and Rudy T...  Last time Rudy coached, he last 40 games before resigning due to health issues.  He hasn't coached a game since.  After watching what George Karl's health issues did to the Nuggets, should fans be concerned about something similar happening to the Boxers?

A similar question to Nashville:  Why didn't you take your coaching choice more seriously?  Are you worried about it affecting your team's performance?

[KCattheStripe]

Question for Seattle:

How do you respond to criticisms that Amare and Gay are talented players with good stats, who don't have the fire or the mentality to win?

Can your young team win a title this year, or are they still a few years away?

For the criticisms about Amar'e , you can't be the 2nd best player on a perennially 55-60 win team and not have a competitive fire. That's just silly.

As for Rudy, I don't think he has the fire to be the #1 option, a role he struggled with post Pau Gasol. But he is a fantastic #2, a dynamite scorer who hypes his team up with his on court play but is a much more silent lockerroom guy. IP said that Rudy's best year was 07/08. I disagree, I thought this past year was far better. With the addition of another 20 point scorer (ZBO) and the further development ofGasol the younger, Rudy's numbers did not regress, instead they rebounded and the team won 40 games. A lot of this is due to ZBO's production but almost as significant was Gay's willingness to accept the #2 role and thrive there.

As long as I'm here, IP I think Duhon's struggles were more injury related and lack of talent related. I think surrounded by the players on this team, Duhon would have a rebound season and become a very successful point guard. Also, he won't finish most games as Stuckey will see a lot of burn. Think of it like the Spurs starting Roger Mason.

I think we're a young team that is certainly playoff bound and could catch fire and make the finals.

Also, our coach is the excellent defensive minded Eric Spolestra.

[action781]

I'd like to make an important comment also.  It would be outrageously time consuming for all of us to check up on all of these stats to make sure they are correct.  That said, I have not checked all, but I was suspect of a few players and found that an incorrect statistic has been placed to a player!  One in my mind that is subtle, but will influence opinions.  I'm going to assume that nobody is trying to be underhanded here and lie/deceive people, so everyone please check over your statistics, make necessary changes, and post a message notifying that you've corrected your careless mistake.  Otherwise, I'll point it out later.  I already look down on these teams because I feel like I should be able to take these statistics at your word and not have to check them myself.  Also, please be consistent and/or note whether or not your statistics are for 09-10 or career.

[Roy H.]

Question for Seattle:

How do you respond to criticisms that Amare and Gay are talented players with good stats, who don't have the fire or the mentality to win?

Can your young team win a title this year, or are they still a few years away?

For the criticisms about Amar'e , you can't be the 2nd best player on a perennially 55-60 win team and not have a competitive fire. That's just silly.

As for Rudy, I don't think he has the fire to be the #1 option, a role he struggled with post Pau Gasol. But he is a fantastic #2, a dynamite scorer who hypes his team up with his on court play but is a much more silent lockerroom guy. IP said that Rudy's best year was 07/08. I disagree, I thought this past year was far better. With the addition of another 20 point scorer (ZBO) and the further development ofGasol the younger, Rudy's numbers did not regress, instead they rebounded and the team won 40 games. A lot of this is due to ZBO's production but almost as significant was Gay's willingness to accept the #2 role and thrive there.

As long as I'm here, IP I think Duhon's struggles were more injury related and lack of talent related. I think surrounded by the players on this team, Duhon would have a rebound season and become a very successful point guard. Also, he won't finish most games as Stuckey will see a lot of burn. Think of it like the Spurs starting Roger Mason.

I think we're a young team that is certainly playoff bound and could catch fire and make the finals.

Also, our coach is the excellent defensive minded Eric Spolestra.

I personally love the Amare / Gay combination, since I went with it in the '08 Draft.  I wonder, though, whether you need a more dynamic and vocal point guard to succeed.

Also, your attempt to win brownie points by repeatedly referencing Randolph's production is appreciated; you'll be rewarded in the voting.

[Roy H.]

I'd like to make an important comment also.  It would be outrageously time consuming for all of us to check up on all of these stats to make sure they are correct.  That said, I have not checked all, but I was suspect of a few players and found that an incorrect statistic has been placed to a player!  One in my mind that is subtle, but will influence opinions.  I'm going to assume that nobody is trying to be underhanded here and lie/deceive people, so everyone please check over your statistics, make necessary changes, and post a message notifying that you've corrected your careless mistake.  Otherwise, I'll point it out later.  I already look down on these teams because I feel like I should be able to take these statistics at your word and not have to check them myself.  Also, please be consistent and/or note whether or not your statistics are for 09-10 or career.

Ooohhh....  sneaky!

In all honesty, though, I'm sure this was an innocent transcription error.  If you're using a site like basketball-reference.com, it's easy to accidentally fill in Per-36 minutes for a player, etc.

[nickagneta]

Bynum is still tremendously young and only had arthroscopic surgery. He is expected to be at full strength when the season starts according to doctors. I can't predict the future regarding Bynum, Roy, but for someone that touted the Crotornats players last year through all the injuries they were coming back from and the way you have touted the Jazz during this year with Yao(who I believe to be about 100 times more questionable about being able to contribute than Bynum given his age and severity of the injury), I think you would have a bit less of a concern regarding the injury of Bynum and his ability to bounce back.

Fair enough, nick.  I will also say that, as somebody who helped manage the CrotoNats, that the injury concerns were pretty legitimate.  It's fair to say that after watching Michael Redd injure himself yet again, I've adopted a little more of a "show me" attitude toward guys who have been repeatedly injured for the last several seasons.

As for Utah, at the time I evaluated their roster, they were the best team in a very weak West.  Since then, the West has improved dramatically.  I think Yao's health concerns are going to be a pretty big issue with them, as well.  However, that's a press conference question for another day.

My concern with Bynum is that when he's been a heavy rotation player he's broken down each of the last three years. He also has shown to have a slow recovery compared to their "initial estimates of the Lakers" (those are always fuzzy with teams lying)

Nick:
In the case of injury to Bynum what's your plan B? Also have you considered limiting his minutes?

Bynum will be starting off the season slow so as best to heal. As I have said in my minutes breakdown, he will probably be getting about 30 MPG but I believe that I might cap him at 33-34 MPG. Soi if that means not playing him in overtime games or limiting his minutes early in games so as to have him available at the end so be it.

What I will not be doing with him is what occurred lkast year where straight out of the gates at the start of the season, Phil Jackson was playing him big minutes (35 MPG) for the first 6 weeks and 8 times played him 36 or more minutes in the first 9 games he played.

Rudy T and I agree that given his history it will be better to sacrifice some early victories and play Andrew less than and have him healthy and well conditioned for late in the year rather than play him big minutes and have him possibly hobbling at the end of the year like he was handled last year by Phil Jackson and company.

Speaking of health issues and Rudy T...  Last time Rudy coached, he last 40 games before resigning due to health issues.  He hasn't coached a game since.  After watching what George Karl's health issues did to the Nuggets, should fans be concerned about something similar happening to the Boxers?

A similar question to Nashville:  Why didn't you take your coaching choice more seriously?  Are you worried about it affecting your team's performance?

Rudy T will be fine.

[indeedproceed]

Speaking of health issues and Rudy T...  Last time Rudy coached, he last 40 games before resigning due to health issues.  He hasn't coached a game since.  After watching what George Karl's health issues did to the Nuggets, should fans be concerned about something similar happening to the Boxers?

A similar question to Nashville:  Why didn't you take your coaching choice more seriously?  Are you worried about it affecting your team's performance?

Rudy T will be fine.

This speaks to a bigger issue. Should we factor in coaching ability and fit when looking at teams?

I wasn't going to..I saw them as a bit of a nod to having your favorite coach in charge of your team.

But if others are going to I wonder how they're going to look at Rudy T? Personally I kind of see him like a player who is playing in Europe this year...its cool to have his rights but until there is something suggesting that he will coach again, he's out of the picture.

[Evantime34]

Atlanta Hawks
Questions:
1.   What tempo is your team going to play at?
2.   On offense what will you run? Four guys on the wings and Sideshow bob in the paint?

Thoughts:
1.   Good defensive team that will look towards Durant to carry them, similar to the Cavs this past year.
2.   This team might be have too many 3 point shooters and not enough guys who can get to the bucket. 3’s become much more difficult to get off without penetration beforehand.
3.   Borderline playoff team that will win on the back of Durant on O and with good touch defense. Could use a shot blocker at the back end.