HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson

Where do you see the NBA in the next 10 years or so? I have noticed that there is no lack of stars, but there is a serious lack of players that I consider valid HOFers or even team players.

The NBA will continue to thrive in the next 10 years for simple reasons – demand and popularity as a sport in general. Basketball is the most accessible sport in the world next to soccer. Basketball and soccer are the only sports that use two pieces of equipment – a ball and a net. You can set up a make shift rim or goal anywhere when it comes to those two sports. I have played with a rim on a garage, on a utility pole in an alley or on a nerf set in the house. You can say the same thing about soccer – a makeshift goal can be two soda cans or two pair of shoes.

They are the two easiest sports to set up a game and still have a scenario extremely similar to the actual game. Football, hockey and baseball are extremely difficult to simulate because of the excess equipment and playing fields and that is why they are not worldwide sports. Those three sports are also extremely expensive to play and the percentage of parents who could afford the expense fall below basketball and soccer

So for that very reason the NBA will be fine. Did you see the support in China last week for Cleveland and Orlando? It is scary how popular basketball might become in the next ten years and remember the NBA is the best basketball league in the world so it has no choice but to get better.

Don’t be fooled by the lack of potential Hall of Famers. The league has slowly shied away from over-hyping our players like they did over the last 10 to 15 years. The NFL has a perfect model when it comes to putting teams first and the NBA seems to be headed towards that model, which is a good thing. It should be about the teams anyway because the player you cheer for today could be the one you boo tomorrow because of trades and free agency.

Many people are surprised by how close the games are between NBA and European clubs during the preseason. Given its preseason (stars not playing normal minutes, free agents), do you think the outcomes are in any way reflective of how some of the European clubs would fair in the regular season NBA?

I think the talent level in Europe is very good and will certainly keep improving. And yes, I do think they could put together a few teams and compete on a nightly basis. That question is easily answered by the plethora of European players on NBA rosters and the fact that a German player won the MVP last year. The one detriment to any European club playing a NBA schedule is travel and that is why we will see a separate European NBA-style league before we ever see a team included in the NBA from Europe.

The preseason is what it is. Pre means before. It means nothing to the players who will be playing significant roles for their teams other than getting in shape and gaining their rhythm for the coming season. Don’t read anything into preseason. The Suns could go 0-8 in the preseason and I would still guarantee they will win 60 games.

Is James Dolan retarded and does Isiah Thomas have any redeeming qualities outside of having been a great player?

Now what are you basing that assumption on? What has James Dolan done wrong other than be loyal to the people he hired? I remember a few years ago when he hired Larry Brown and the New York faithful were ecstatic. I remember when Isiah brought Stephon Marbury back to New York and he was hailed for doing so. Now you want to call someone retarded who is not shooting jump shots? I have said this before and I will say it again… Owners don’t shoot jump shots. They pay others to do it and last I saw Dolan pays his players more than any team in the league.

Yes, I will say Isiah has a ton of redeeming qualities, but you really don’t want to hear that right now I am sure. I am positive you want me to talk about his ability to run an organization, right? OK, I will comment on that question. I give Isiah a B for acquiring players and slashing payroll and I give him a C for getting them to play at the level they should. Now remember Isiah should not even be coaching the Knicks. They hired arguably the best coach ever in Larry Brown and it did not work out, so whose fault is that? The prevailing argument is Isiah is the reason Larry Brown left. Give me a break. Larry Brown leaves a job for no one but himself and he has to the tune of many over his career. Can I say world champion Detroit Pistons? Isiah has to definitely step up this year and get this team playing at a level equal to its ability. The Knicks are a playoff team if they play unselfish and that responsibility falls square in the lap of Isiah Thomas. This could be his last year and maybe final opportunity in the NBA to prove it.

What is your outlook on the future performance of this year’s rookies? Who will compete for ROY and who will bomb?

I get this question every year and I hate it because I don’t like rookies and never have when it comes to predicting how good they will be. I thought Adam Morrison would be lights out last year, but he never turned them on. Brandon Roy won Rookie of the Year last season, but he does not wow me. Let’s face facts… Every five or so years we will get a rookie that knocks our socks off. LeBron did it a few years ago and now we must wait for the next one. Is it OJ Mayo from USC or is it Jerryd Bayless from Arizona? I will tell you now that it will not be Kevin Durant this year because he is not physically ready to deal with 82 games of pounding. He will score close to 18 a game, but his field goal percentage will be in the low 40s. It’s hard to be Rookie of the Year and you are on a young team and counted on to score and be highly productive every night. That’s why I will go with Al Thornton of the Clippers. Teams shied away from him because he was too old at 23 years of age. Big mistake, this kid has a mature aggressive game and if I had to pick someone he is it.

What piece(s) – except chemistry – are the Kings lacking to create a real basketball team?

They need a post game. Brad Miller is a power forward and he suffers having to play center on offense. The Kings want to run. Head coach Reggie Theus knows all too well that to offset bad shooting nights from a jump shooting team. He needs to find a player to throw the ball to in the post that can force double teams and get to the foul line. The Kings have not had one since Vlade Divac and Chris Webber.

I was wondering what is happening with Earl Boykins. I heard him very briefly mentioned regarding Cleveland and Boston around the start of the free agency period but have heard nothing since.

Earl Boykins is a dynamic player, but with one important problem: he is the smallest player in the league. Nice weapon to have, but at a good price. He will find a home before the season, but not at his price!

Why doesn’t Mike D’Antoni use his bench more? Last year, Jalen Rose could have helped a lot posting up and kicking out to the shooters.

You are correct about Jalen, but didn’t you think Mike had that in mind when they signed him? The problem was Jalen found out quickly that jumping into a running game and not getting your normal offensive looks was not as easy as it looked from afar. The Suns could not wait for Jalen to catch up and award him with 20-plus minutes and Jalen indeed suffered from the decision. Had Jalen come on board before the season, he might have gotten into the rotation – similar to what Grant Hill has done by signing and showing up early to get his body prepared for the track meet Suns. D’Antoni has stated numerous times this preseason that he will indeed stay with a 8 or 9 man rotation early on this season thus hopefully saving Steve Nash and Grant Hill from carrying a ton of minutes.

Where should Kobe go?

Kobe will go to whomever pays the price the Lakers are searching for. The only problem is that the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks are the only teams that can match talent and at the same instance satisfy Kobe Bryant’s desires. Well, let’s play elimination. The Mavericks will not work because the Lakers would want Dirk Nowitzki. Will not happen! The Suns would not work because the Lakers would want either Amare Stoudamire or a combination of Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa or Boris Diaw plus the Atlanta Hawks draft pick the Suns own for next year. Wishful thinking! So that leaves the Bulls and their enormous combination of young talent. This fit is the best because Kobe is the closest player to Air Jordan this game has seen and he would flourish.

Based on preseason play alone, can you make a prediction on which teams is really going to suck?

Minnesota, Charlotte, Memphis and Portland will play hard and compete, but they will struggle big time.

NBA training camps are about to open and this is the time when positive attitudes and thoughts of making the playoffs and winning championships for every team are on equal footing. I know we can say certain teams have no hope, but after watching the New York Mets choke away a seven- game lead with 17 games left in the season and the Colorado Rockies win almost every game to force a one-game playoff with San Diego, I say everyone has a chance before any season.

The process of getting to the Finals and winning the championship with all the parameters a team deals with is the key. To win consistently a team must have very good players, good health, very good reserves, great coaching, great fan environment… But, most importantly, great chemistry.

Bad chemistry can not only destroy the team, but eventually hurt the individual player. The biggest chemistry story going on now is the unhappiness of Shawn Marion with the Suns.

Marion is the most versatile player in the NBA. He can guard four positions, he scores over 18 points a game, grabs double figure rebounds and usually is among the leaders in steals and dunks. And Marion does all this virtually without any plays being called for him. Marion probably is the most unique basketball player I have ever seen. He has endless energy and plays every game like it’s his last. I have never seen him take a night off. I can only say that about a few players. Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Isiah Thomas come to mind.

Marion has made the All-Star team four straight years, he is a member of USA Basketball. He is featured in Nike Basketball advertisements with all the other excellent players in the league. He is widely regarded as one of the most exciting players in the league. But yet he has grown tired of the constant trade rumors involving him over the last few years.

Marion is no different than a lot of players past and present that believe they did not get their “just due” in terms of respect from their current team.

This is a no-win situation for the Suns and Marion.

The Suns need Marion because he provides them with stats they don’t need to manufacture to go along with great defense and rebounding. Shawn needs the Suns because they give him an environment to be extremely productive, being surrounded by two great players in Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash and playing in a tailored-made offensive system for him.

Once a player retires, he can look back on a decision he made or forced and undoubtedly admit, “I wish I had not done that or asked for that.”

I recall the time I asked George Karl to trade me when I was a member of the Seattle SuperSonics because he was diminishing my role. Ricky Pierce and I had been the go-to scorers on a team that was winning 50 to 55 games a year and yet I had a difficult time understanding why he wanted to change and reduce my minutes and role.

I knew Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Derrick McKey were becoming the main options. Why? Because I helped groom them to be. But ego and pride got in the way and two years later, after being traded to a young team in Charlotte, the Sonics went to the Finals and I was spending a year in Greece saying, “What if I didn’t ask for the trade?”

I came back to the league, but never made the Finals.

Marion is facing that same scenario, He does not have to look far to see how difficult it can be when you leave a successful team and take residence somewhere else. He just needs to call Joe Johnson, who made the decision to leave Phoenix and sign with Atlanta and now is trying his hardest to just make the playoffs with a very young and inexperienced team.

Marion’s agent should be showing him all the positives of wanting to stay and finish something he has been a major part of instead of wanting to leave and quite possibly getting great stats, but failing to win at the rate he has with the Suns.

Shawn’s argument will undoubtedly fall back on the fact the Suns were interested in trading him for Garnett this past summer, but being traded for Garnett is not disrespect. Now being traded for Luke Walton, James Posey or Ricky Davis would be a whole different thing. Being traded for Garnett? That in itself is ultimate respect!

The NBA is a business and if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaq can be traded then anyone can. Heck, we can in essence say the greatest player of all time was traded indirectly and that’s Michael Jordan to the Wizards.

Marion’s Agent and friends should be laying it out like this.

Shawn,

What’s the most important stat to a player? Minutes. OK, you played over 3,000 and led the team in that category.

What’s the second most important stat? Field goal attempts? OK, you took the second most shots on the team.

What’s the one individual award players like in the regular season? All-Star status. Well, you have made it four straight years.

What’s the newest individual award players feel proud of? USA Basketball. Well, you are a member.

What’s the two most important aspects of playing the game of basketball? Winning a championship and money. Well, you are the highest-paid player on the Suns and one the highest-paid in the league.

The question Marion has to continue to ask himself is how does he keep “myself” in position to win a championship and how can he overcome and learn to understand that basketball is a business and no matter how good you are someone might think the other player could be a little bit better. That’s the business of athletics in general and historically this has been the hardest part for prideful athletes to deal with. But after listing all the positives, there is no doubt he should want to stay a Phoenix Sun and his agent and friends should be screaming this to him daily, because when it is all said and done the Suns could be his best chance to win a title and add one more positive to an already fantastic and a potential Hall of Fame career.