Chat Transcript: Tony Barone, Sr. - June 8, 2007
Grizzlies Director of Player Personnel, Tony Barone, Sr. joined Grizzlies fans in a live chat on June 8, 2007 to discuss the pre-draft workout camp and the upcoming NBA Draft. Here's a transcript of the event:
Question from B.Wilson: The NBA didn't allow the team to start workouts until after Orlando, automatically meaning you decrease the number of players you can bring in. How does that affect you in getting ready for the draft?
Tony Barone, Sr.: It doesn't affect us at our particular pick. At the fourth pick, we're going to be very limited in the number of players we will bring in. If we had a second round pick or if we had multiple picks it would’ve been a problem.
The time frame in terms of a player visit is typically two days. So, if you start to add up those visits from June 5 to June 18, that's only 13 days (12, really). For underclassmen, you're talking about a young guy that can possibly make four visits (for underclassmen). Seniors also have limited availability. They typically do two-a-days and work out in the mornings and afternoons so it’s very difficult for them as well.
Question from K.Woodard: On the Grizzlies message boards, some people seem to think the workouts are a make or break thing. Are they? Or what's your take on whether or not workouts are the be all, end all in the decision making process?
Tony Barone, Sr.: The workout is only a piece of the puzzle. It's a small snapshot of the big picture. The major issue, as far as I'm concerned, is a player’s body of work. That is heavily weighted on his season and what he does during the year. The workout itself is only part of that evaluation.
Question from K.Gay: How many times does your staff see the top prospects in person per season?
Tony Barone, Sr.: If you were going to talk about the consensus top picks - Oden and Durant - our scouts have seen them a total of twenty times each. That counts practices and games.
All of the scouts have an opportunity to see the top prospect players. We think it's important that there is a cross-check mechanism for those teams/players. So one scout who regularly watches Ohio State play, would then go and watch Durant play. The important thing is to get several opinions about a player.
Question from E. Johns: What was your reaction when you watched the lottery and saw the Grizzlies fall to the fourth pick?
Tony Barone, Sr.: We were bitterly disappointed in the pick in terms of how the lottery balls fell. The lottery is a luck-based situation. We had bad luck. You can talk about changing the system especially if you want to make sure the teams that didn't have a good season benefit most from the draft.
As you saw, the three teams that needed the most help fell to the lowest positions they could go. Currently, there's no point in that formula that helps teams who need to benefit from the draft.
Question from R. Aurora: I know you probably can't get into specifics, but are there any positions you're specifically targeting, or do you think you'll go for the best player available?
Tony Barone, Sr.: I think that the franchise has to make a decision based on that question. The first decision might be — are you going to evaluate your roster and say 'this is our major need’, then try to fill that need (if you can) with the fourth pick?
Another decision might be to say that we're going to get into the free agent market. Then we’d go after someone who would fill that need. A third decision might be that we're just going to take the best pick period. But what Atlanta is going to do with the third pick also has to be factored in because that will directly impact the decision that is made at the fourth pick.
Question from M.Riley: What are your early impressions of Coach Iavaroni?
Tony Barone, Sr.: I think he's going to be extremely prepared for the season. He's going to evaluate the talent level and play a system that will take advantage of the types of players that we have. His background is one that he has coached in winning situations in Phoenix so he brings that valuable experience to the table.
Question from A.Shiffman: Coach, how do you feel your head coaching experience this past season will contribute to your job as Director of Player Personnel this off-season?
Tony Barone, Sr.: You get a completely different set of evaluation factors when you're actually coaching the team. The fact that you're with the team throughout practice and throughout games, you get a more up-close and personal view of the type of personality of each player in addition to how he plays. This gives you insight into the depth perception of your team.
Question from R.David: Will any part of you miss coaching next season?
Tony Barone, Sr.: Oh yes. I totally enjoyed it. I was happy dealing with the type of guys that we had. I did what they asked me to do which was to take over for the remainder of the year. Now, we’ll continue to move forward.
Question from Z: Who impressed you the most in Orlando?
Tony Barone, Sr.: The talent level in Orlando was better than it has been in the past. I guess there are a lot of reasons for that. Lasme from Massachusetts is a very active, offensive player. He's also a very good shot blocker. Jared Jordan, from Marist was very solid. The level of talent coming from that league was a little surprising. Sun Yue from China also played very well in the camp.
Question from T.Bradley: Was there one game or one moment that was a highlight of your time as head coach last season?
Tony Barone, Sr.: The game vs. the Lakers at Memphis when we scored all of the points was a fun game. The third quarter was amazing for our guys.
Question from Z: Who is this year's Kyle Lowry (i.e., steal of the draft)?
Tony Barone, Sr.: That is a tough question. There's a huge influx of underclassmen that are in the process of deciding if they are going to stay in the draft. The early entry withdrawal deadline is June 18. That will be an issue. There are a lot of good players 1-20. Above 20 there are also several good players so, you have to do your homework. There is just no way to know how many of those players will stay in the draft.
Question from C.Crane: What are the biggest differences between coaching at the collegiate level as you did, and the professional level?
Tony Barone, Sr.: The biggest difference is the shot clock. The shot clock demands that you have to push the ball up the court. You can't walk the ball up the court because you get into pressure situations. Two years ago, we led the league at making shots as the clock ran out. You also get into a lot more pick and roll situations. From a defensive standpoint you have to decipher that.
Question from N.Fan: Hey Tony, since you didn't get either of the top 2 picks and this is a deep draft, what do you think the chances are that you'll trade down the number 4 pick for 2 lower first round picks?
Tony Barone, Sr.: There's always an opportunity when you say you're going to trade down. What that means is that if you take your fourth pick and you look at ten, are you comfortable with that guy? Also, what else are you getting in addition to that pick is important because it isn't a straight up deal. You have to identify what else are you getting in that deal that balances giving up one of the top four players in the draft.
Moderator: Tony, thanks for joining fans today. We really appreciate you taking the time to answer questions today and best of luck in the upcoming Draft.
Tony Barone, Sr.: Thanks and we'll chat again soon.
Moderator: Fans, stay tuned for our next live chat event announcement coming during the week of June 11.