National Spotlight: Jonah Ballow with Ric Bucher

Jonah Ballow with Ric Bucher

Jonah: First, let's take a look at the recent trade that went down with Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown from the Bobcats sent to the Lakers for Vladimir Radmanovic. What are your initial thoughts on this deal?

Ric: That we will see more of the same, and it's a reflection of just what the economy is doing to everyone, including people in the NBA, including the Los Angeles Lakers, who we've always considered as a team that has unlimited financial ability. Really, it's nothing more than a financial move for them. Now, the question is going to be, as some GMs have suggested, is this the first of two moves? Does this open up some financial flexibility that is now going to be followed by them picking up another big man in case Andrew Bynum is not able to come back? Some of the names that have been thrown out there: Brad Miller, Darko Milicic, even Chris Kaman. Now, I've been told that Miller and Kaman are not on the radar, and I don't know that Darko is, but I haven't had him ruled out. He would be intriguing, because he could give them some of the shot-blocking, doesn't have a particularly long contract, and they might just be able to do something with Memphis to be able to get him and make sure that they're going to have a shot-blocking presence on their team should Andrew Bynum not be able to get back in time to be a significant factor this season.

Jonah: Do you think that Morrison would be part of that package to get a big man to LA?

Ric: Yeah, they'd have to do it right away to make that happen. It would have already have to been done, so the fact that it hasn't been done means that he's precluded from being involved in another deal before the trade deadline, so I don't see him as being part of that package. Look, Lamar Odom's name has been out there a lot. I've recently been told they are less keen about moving him now, but could you move a Luke Walton or a Sacha Vujacic? Those guys' names have been out there, particularly Walton. So, I get the sense that if they were able to move Walton for Darko, that makes a lot of sense, largely because Trevor Ariza has done such a good job this year, that they are very comfortable with him playing the small forward position.

Jonah: Let's assume Morrison will stay in LA. This is a guy who was the third overall pick in the draft. Do you consider him a bust or do you think this deal will revitalize his career in Los Angeles?

Ric: It'll be interesting to see. I think it's going to be difficult for him to get minutes with the players that they have. If there were a system that he could work in, certainly I would say that the triangle could take advantage of his all-around skills. I'm always loathe to label a guy a bust, because my feeling was that he didn't deserve to be selected that high, and just because the Charlotte Bobcats decided to pick him higher than maybe his talent warranted, now that comes back on Adam as that he's a bust. The other part here is, he obviously had a very serious injury that knocked him out for almost an entire season. I'm going to leave the jury out. I always thought that he was the type of guy that had to be in the right system, and perhaps he's found it now. This is going to be his opportunity to demonstrate that, because if he can't play in the triangle, quite honestly I don't know what system would be better suited for him.

Jonah: Other deals on the horizon before the trade deadline. I'm hearing a lot of trade rumors swirling around Phoenix and Amare Stoudamire.

Ric: Yeah, I was told just recently that they have as many as seven teams that they've opened dialog with. The easiest one to make a deal would be Portland, because they can give back a LaMarcus Aldridge, who would be a lot of the things that the Suns are looking for in that power forward position, and they have the expiring contract in Raef LaFrentz. The big question is going to be, does Portland want to give up on LaMarcus, and do they see Amare as being the answer to what they need to legitimize themselves as a playoff team? Dallas is also extremely interested, and Chicago I've heard is very interested, Chicago probably the most interested, but they have the most difficult time because they don't have the talent that Phoenix would want back to make a straight deal, so they're going to have to find a third team to get involved.

Jonah: What's the deal here, Stoudemire is considered one of the best power forwards in the league. He recovered from the knee injury and he is an explosive player who sells tickets. So, why is Phoenix willing to deal him at this point?

Ric: Chemistry more than anything. He's become a man on an island in that locker room, largely because Amare constantly complains that he's not a big enough part of the offense and that they need to run more plays for him. When you look at that team and the way it's constituted, for them to win, calling more plays for him is not the answer. Getting Amare to rebound and play defense is. Whether it's fair or not, Amare is the most equipped physically to be a defensive presence, to be a shot-blocker, to be a help defender, and I can't tell you how many times I've watched replays where somebody gets past the perimeter, and they go waltzing to the rim and Amare never takes a step towards that guy to help out. After a while, when a guy is constantly complaining that he's not getting enough shots and yet he's averaging 20-plus, and meanwhile he's not giving you what you need defensively, that just wears on a team. Much like they made the move last year where they moved Shawn Marion just because it sort of hurt enough, now they're at the same stage with Amare. They interesting thing is, if they had moved Amare in the first place, two or three years ago, they might not have had to trade Shawn Marion or Boris Diaw or Raja Bell, because at the end of the day, those guys in some way, shape, or form were disgruntled in part because of what Amare was not giving the team.

Jonah: Let's move to All-Star weekend. Obviously, the fans here are a little miffed that Al Jefferson did not make the Western Conference All-Star squad. What are your thoughts? Was he snubbed?

Ric: I can't say that he was snubbed. Certainly I can say that he was worthy, but the slow start by the Timberwolves is what really hurt him. He came on strong of late, but he struggled some early on too. I think Al has All-Star potential, but when you look at the Western Conference and you look at some of the great power forwards, established power forwards in the Western Conference, it's awfully hard to say that anybody has been snubbed. Does he deserve consideration? Absolutely. Would I have had an issue if he had been selected? No. But the fact that he wasn't, I don't know is cause for alarm or a recount or a demand that the coaches no longer get to select the reserves.

Jonah: Then what about Kevin Love, this guy is averaging almost a double-double every game. He is also one of the league leaders in rebounds per minute and he has come on of late. I realize he had a slow start this season, but do you feel he deserved a spot on the rookie roster?

Ric: Quite honestly, I'm surprised by that. I'm surprised that he didn't get a look, just because part of the All-Star game is to get as many teams involved and as many fans interested, and I would have to think that the league would want to have Minnesota represented in some way, shape, or form. Here's my thing with the All-Star game: it's for the fans, it is a glorified exhibition on a variety of levels, so equating with who is best in the league, I believe we've fallen too much into that. Quite honestly, for me the All-Rookie team at the end of the year and the All-NBA selection, those are the hallmarks and the watermarks of who are truly the best players in the league or who are the best rookies in the league. So, if Kevin is named an All-Rookie at the end of the year, I guarantee you he'll take that over having played in the Rookie-Sophomore game any day of the week.

Jonah: You said it's about the fans, are you a fan of the added event at the All-Star Weekend, the game of H-O-R-S-E?

Ric: I'll be interested to see just how scintillating it is, and how exciting and how creative. To me, the H-O-R-S-E contest is going to be a lot like the dunk contest: it really depends on how creative and innovative guys are in the contest. If we see a lot of trick shots and a lot of shots where you go, oh my, I can't believe that, something you wouldn't see normally in a game or the kind that we would play in our backyard, like off the point of the roof, it's got to hit the clothesline, and then no rim, then I believe it has a shot. It also has the great potential to be an absolute SNOOZE if there isn't any sort of creativity or eye-popping unique shots attempted.

Jonah: Let's move back to the regular season, I want to talk to you about the Lakers. They swept the Celtics twice and Andrew Bynum went down with the knee injury. In your eyes, are they tough enough to get back to the Finals and win it all?

Ric: The Lakers are certainly tough enough to make it back to the Finals. Even without Bynum, I'd have to say that they're the best team in the Western Conference. Right now San Antonio looks like the closest thing and I just don't believe they have the athleticism to give the Lakers a serious run for their money in a seven-game series. All that said; let's keep in mind that the playoffs are such a different animal from the regular season. It was much more important for the Lakers to win those regular season games against the Celtics than it was for the Celtics to win them. Having had that motivation, it paid off, and the Lakers did what they had to do. I still believe that the margin is definitely narrowed, because the Celtics are going to sorely miss James Posey with whoever they match up with, but especially against the Lakers, because he not only did a good job defending Kobe Bryant at times, but he defended Lamar Odom in the post at times extremely well. That margin has been narrowed. Do I believe that the Lakers can beat the Celtics this time around? Absolutely, because I believed that they could the last time. Without Posey, I think it only strengthens the Lakers' chances.

Jonah: Home court advantage could be huge in this year's Finals. How about out East, I know the Magic is making a surprising run this year. Jameer Nelson goes down with an injury, so that affects their chances. Let's talk about Cleveland and Orlando; can they possibly grab that top spot in the East?

Ric: Absolutely Cleveland can, I put them right there with the Boston Celtics. I don't put the Orlando Magic in that same category. Yeah, they have the record, but they rely on threes an awful lot, and to me they are an example of a team that can be very effective in the regular season when you don't really have a chance to focus in on them, but you get into a playoff situation where you can take certain things away from them, like their three-point shooting, and make Dwight Howard a much bigger decision-maker than he normally is during the regular season; those things will undercut a team in a hurry. With or without Jameer Nelson, I was never a believer that the Orlando Magic was a legitimate contender to come out of the East. That category belongs solely to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. The whole question with the Cleveland Cavaliers is; what does LeBron James do? There really is no answer for him when he is aggressive offensively and he takes the challenge defensively. He's that good. The question is, can he do that for four wins in a seven game series when it means a trip to the finals? That's what we have to see, and that's going to answer who comes out of the East.

Jonah: Both LeBron and Kobe have huge games at Madison Square Garden this past week. One goes for 61 and the other goes for 52. Which performance was more impressive?

Ric: I got to give it to LeBron just because he was following up the other guy. The other guy had put the bar at a really high level and he had to come up with a performance that rivaled it, and he certainly did that. Some people would say it exceeded it. It's always easier when you're working on a blank canvas, and that's what Kobe had, and LeBron quite honestly had to answer the bell, and he did. I'm always going to give a few extra points for that.

Jonah: How did the league steal that triple-double from LeBron?

Ric: I can't say that they stole it from him, it's pretty standard that the league goes back and double-checks statistical accomplishments for every game. I would rather, quite honestly, and LeBron probably doesn't feel this way right now, but he's got a long time in his career to put that mark up legitimately, and it's such a unique mark, if I'm not mistaken there's only a handful of guys, maybe three guys, who have done that in the Madison Square Garden, got a triple-double and scored 50-plus, and quite honestly I would rather have them go back and figure out that they'd gotten it wrong, than to have an unfair, unique accomplishment like that be sullied by the fact that it was not legitimate.

Jonah: Reading your stuff this season, is it safe to assume that LeBron is your MVP?

Ric: It's not over yet, so I don't know that I can answer that. Certainly he's right there, but we still got two, two-and-a-half months. If LeBron for some reason, god forbid, got hurt or got injured, or Kobe got hurt or injured, that could all change the dynamic. Is he at the top of my list right now? You know, quite honestly, I haven't sat back and made a list, so I could probably say yeah, but I haven't given it a whole lot of thought.

Jonah: Who is your rookie of the year so far?

Ric: Now that one's easy: Derrick Rose, far and away. As good as Russ Westbrook has been, and as surprising as he's been, as good as O.J. Mayo has been, nobody has been better or means more to his team than Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose is demonstrating almost right off the bat that not only is he the best rookie, but that by next year, we're going to have him in the same conversation, if he's not already, in the same conversation with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, all the point guards that we talk about as being the tops in the league. Derrick Rose looks as if he's going to get there very quickly.

Jonah: Finally Ric, give us some story lines to watch in the second half of the season?

Ric: First of all, let's see where we go with these trades. Let's see who adds a piece among the teams at the top. The Cavaliers have Wally Szczerbiak's contract to dangle out there, the Portland Trail Blazers have Raef LaFrentz, San Antonio is desperately trying to add a piece, it'll be interesting to see who makes a deal. The other one is simply who's going to have home-court advantage, like you said. That's going to be huge. That could determine, quite honestly, if the Lakers, Cleveland, or Boston, whoever has home court, that could go a long way toward determining who actually wins this year's title. Watching that race for the best record in the league is certainly something that we're all going to have an eye on.

Jonah: Thanks for joining me; hopefully I can catch up with you again later this season.

Ric: Sounds good.