December 3, 2008

The 3-Man weave focuses on the Association. Coach Alvin Brooks III and Bob Dwyer (WFAN Radio, New York) and college basketball coaches take a look at the teams, the players and the hot topics of the NBA.

This week’s guest analyst is IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter. Twice named Conference coach of the Year, Hunter is in his 15th season with the Jaguars. He has helped IUPUI climb from the NCAA Division II ranks when he took over the program, to a household name in the Midwest among NCAA Division I schools. He led the program to its' first-ever NCAA tournament appearance and 2003 and has guided the Jaguars to seven consecutive seasons with a .500 record or better. Last year, the Jaguars set a new single-season record with 26 wins and a .788 winning percentage behind Summit League Player of the Year George Hill who was the 26th pick, by the San Antonio Spurs, in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft.


Is it a forgone conclusion that LeBron James will be a New York Knick in 2010 or will he end up somewhere else like Cleveland?

RON HUNTER: Leaving home is never an easy thing to do. I really think it will be hard for LeBron to leave Cleveland. There will be
a lot of pressure on him to stay and I do think the Cavs will continue to put the pieces in place to win a championship. He wants a ring and Cleveland may ultimately be the best place to pursue that goal.

BOB DWYER: I don't anything is certain with LeBron other than he is going make a lot of money. At this point I think that although New York is the sexy pick, I tend to agree with Coach Hunter that Cleveland would have to be the frontrunner. They can pay him a significant amount more than any other team. Of course the thought is that, if he where to sign with the Knickerbockers, he would make up the difference in marketing. Two years is a long time though and a lot is bound to happen between now and then. The final decision will come down to which team gives LeBron the best chance to win.

ALVIN BROOKS: I do not want to say never because at the end of the day, the NBA is a business and the players will do whatever they feel is best for them. James does a great job of promoting himself and has already told us to wait until July 1, 2010 because it will be a big day.

Think about this, James never went through the recruiting process out of high school, but now will have the chance to in 2010. I believe James will go wherever he has a legitimate chance to win a World Championship every year. As of now,
Cleveland is currently in the driver’s seat of the Lebron James sweepstakes. The Cavaliers success this postseason and next will ultimately decide whether he resigns with them or not. With that being said, New York will have to sign another
superstar in 2010 before convincing James to move to the Big Apple!


Do the current Knicks have a realistic shot at the playoffs this season?

RON HUNTER: They do. There is not a lot of separation from 6-10 in the Eastern Conference. Mike D’Antoni is one of the top five coaches in the NBA and he will have his team playing its best basketball down the stretch. It’s just a matter of time
until Al Harrington finds his comfort zone in New York.

ALVIN BROOKS: Yes they do. We must consider the Knicks are in the Eastern Conference. At the moment, they are one spot out of making the playoffs. That is pretty impressive after all the distractions and lack of depth they have been dealing with.

BOB DWYER: I think this Knick team absolutely has a shot of making the playoffs this year, even after trading away their top two scorers, Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford. It's a combination of a watered down back end of the conference and that Mike D'Antoni is a really good coach. Chris Duhon is a good fit to run D'Antoni's system, David Lee could play in any system, Al Harrington is a talent and second year man Wilson Chandler has shown sign he belongs.


Despite the addition of Elton Brand Philadelphia has struggled. Is it just a matter of time or is this the Sixers for the 2008-09 season?

RON HUNTER: Right now they just have bad chemistry. Elton Brand is an outstanding player, but he’s having a tough time finding a rhythm with his teammates. Last season Philly struggled throughout the season, but they really found their niche down the stretch.

BOB DWYER: It's still kind of early to write a team off, especially after what we saw from this Sixer team in the second half last year. Elton Brand is coming off major surgery and adjusting to a new team and a new conference all at once so I do see a lot of room for improvement for this squad. And there is plenty of time to do it.

ALVIN BROOKS: It is just a matter of time for the Sixers before the struggles end. The chemistry is just not there yet with the addition of Brand. Andre Iguodala is not a jump shooter and does not look like he is completely comfortable. The Sixers
have not adjusted to adding a talented big man like Brand. I do think the Sixers will come together in due time to make a strong push for the playoffs this year.


Rumor has it that Reggie Theus is going to be fired, as head coach of the Sacramento Kings? Given the lack of talent and that Kevin Martin has been injured, is this surprising?

RON HUNTER: Reggie has done a really nice job with a young team. The Western Conference is loaded with talented teams so I don’t know that anyone thought Sacramento could seriously challenge for a playoff spot. This is a team with a bright future, but it’s still a year or two away. The talk of him being replaced is an example of the life a professional coach -- Don’t lose four or five in a row.

This is a prime example of why coaches need to take the guaranteed contracts when given the opportunity. I hope Reggie gets a
real chance to see this thing through, but if not, he will not be out of work for long.

ALVIN BROOKS: Yes it is very surprising! I believe a coach needs time to change the culture of a franchise. Theus has been without his best player, Kevin Martin, so you would expect his team to struggle a little bit. The Kings are not loaded with
talent at the moment, but they do have some young guys that are good players. Playing them now will help develop them for the near future.

BOB DWYER: Nothing surprises me any more when it comes to coaches in the NBA. The players make so much more money and it's all guaranteed so when a problem comes up it’s just easier to fire the coach. I don’t follow the Kings day-in-and-day-out so I am not privy to the relationships Theus has with his players, but the Maloof brothers have been at it a while out there in Sac Town and are starting to get a bit impatient. If a change does occur I hope it’s someone that will continue to give the young guys some run. It’s pretty clear that Reggie Theus likes Jason Thompson’s game and wants to get him time on the floor now. You just don’t know what approach the next coach might have.


We only have a small sampling so is very premature to think Derrick Rose will soon be one of the elite point guards in the league?

RON HUNTER: It’s too early to really give a full assessment, but the early sampling is impressive. With all rookies I like to wait and see how they perform after 30 games. It’s a big jump to go from playing 30 to 82 games. At some point they hit that wall.

BOB DWYER: Prior to this past summer’s NBA Draft, one of the CollegeInsider.com guys told me that there were three players that would make an immediate impact in the league. It’s no surprise those were the top three picks, O.J. Mayo, Michael
Beasley and Derrick Rose. He’s shown flashes of his ability. For Rose it’s now just a matter of consistency. He has a lot to learn at this level, but it’s pretty apparent that he has the tools to be one of the elite in the future.

ALVIN BROOKS: If Derrick Rose stays healthy, he will definitely be one of the elite point guards in the league. His speed with the ball is unmatched for majority of the other point guards in the league. They are playing maybe 2-3 feet off of him and he is still getting by his defenders. Once he starts to understand the NBA game more, he will be scarier than he already is for his opponents. Rose is currently averaging around 19 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. That is very impressive!


The Nets Devin Harris is still a relative unknown to many fans. Who are some other hidden gems on the verge of being stars?

RON HUNTER: I get a chance to see Danny Granger play a lot and he is a pretty special player. Indiana is still gathering the pieces to challenge in the Eastern Conference so they aren’t going to get a lot of attention. That means little or no national attention for Granger, which is why I think a lot of fans are unaware of just how good he is.

ALVIN BROOKS: Coach Hunter stole my thunder. I think that Granger will be an All-Star in a couple of years. He is currently averaging around 24 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Like Coach Hunter pointed out, the Pacers don’t get a lot of attention so people are not aware of just how good Granger is.

BOB DWYER: What's funny is that so many of the so-called experts don't even realize how good Devin Harris is. As I mentioned earlier, I really like Wilson Chandler (Knicks) and I don’t think Alvin’s guy Rashard Lewis gets the credit he deserves. He put 30 on Boston the other night. Other guys I like include Matt Barnes (Phoenix), Marc Gasol (Memphis), Luis Scola (Houston), Al Thorton (Clippers) and Beno Udrih (Sacramento).


Last season the Pau Gasol trade to the Lakers changed the landscape of the Western Conference. Will that type of player be dealt before this year’s trade deadline?

RON HUNTER: The Lakers did it in-season, while the Celtics did it pre-season. Obviously the big trades worked for both. Professional sports leagues are all about the fads and the NBA is no different. It’s a copycat league so teams will look at
what Los Angeles and Boston did and see if they can make a splash. Detroit and Denver gave us an early sampling with the Billups for Iverson deal. Who knows, if Toronto should struggle maybe they see what they can get now for Chris Bosh.

BOB DWYER: I don't think we’ll see a player of Gasol’s stature going to a team like the Lakers this year or maybe ever. With that said there are some pretty big names that could be on the move pending on what their teams do. But in reality, Jason
Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, Mike Bibby and Lamar Odom are not likely to be dealt. The Heat could look to move Shawn Marion, who hasn't really fit in well there in Miami and the Cavs could shop Wally Szczerbiak and there is some chatter about Robert
Horry surfacing in Boston. Other than that I don’t see any earth shattering moves.

ALVIN BROOKS: Yes, some teams are looking for the chance to clear some cap room while other teams looking for the trade to help them reach the NBA Finals. I am not sure who it will be but everyone is always looking to make an improvement.


San Antonio has a good track record with player personnel moves so is it’s safe to say that rookie George Hill probably has a bright future ahead?

RON HUNTER: For sure. He’s really playing well. There is no question he was beneficiary of Tony Parker being sidelined. George was given an opportunity and he has made the most of it. When he was looking at his options, this past spring, I told him that if he felt he would go late first to second round then he had enter the draft. As it turned out he could not have gotten a better situation than going to San Antonio. I am really glad things have worked out so well for him.

ALVIN BROOKS: Coach Hunter can answer this question better than I can since he coached Hill, but I will give you my opinion [laughing]. I think Hill has a bright future in the NBA and is a good fit for the Spurs. As a matter of fact, Hill just had his first career double-double against the Chicago Bulls last Wednesday. Hill seems to have the talent with the intangibles needed to succeed in the NBA.

BOB DWYER: Had George Hill returned to school he would have played himself into a late-lottery/mid-first round pick. That would have most likely meant going to a team that was not a serious contender. By coming out early he gets drafted later by a team that can slowly develop him. We saw this with Jordan Farmar who is emerging into a star with the Lakers. Had he returned to UCLA for another season he would have been gone long before the Lakers had a shot to draft him. Hill is going to be a really good player in the league.

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