Participants: NBA TV analysts Chris Webber, Greg Anthony and Steve Smith and Albert “Scooter” Vertino, Vice President and Executive Producer of Content, Turner Sports.
Quotes from the conference call:
Vertino’s opening remarks: “We are all extremely excited about the upcoming season. We are coming off a record-setting year across the entire NBA Digital portfolio and we’ve rolled out several new elements going into the new season. We have a brand new state-of-the-art NBA TV studio…a redesigned NBA.com homepage and completely refreshed mobile sites for NBA.com and all 30 NBA teams. We believe these features and many others will set the stage for continued growth and innovation for us at NBA TV and NBA Digital.”
Vertino on the upcoming season: “There are so many great storylines heading into the season and, on our opening night, there is the debut of the No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Hornets against the seemingly ageless San Antonio Spurs…and all eyes will be on the new-look Lakers as they head to Portland…to face off against the Trail Blazers.”
Smith on the Pacers and what they need to do this season: “It comes down to identity. I love the Pacers roster, very talented. They have done an excellent job of putting the team together and acquiring talent. A lot of guys can play a lot of roles, but when you don’t have the go-to guy that can draw a double and where you know you can get a bucket without having to run a play, it’s a little difficult. When you don’t have that type of guy who can score, you have to hang your hat defensively.”
Anthony on the Pacers and what they need to do to be contenders: “While they may not have a superstar caliber player, in Paul George they have a guy that has superstar potential. Ultimately as he grows in terms of his development the Pacers will go. He needs to start taking the next step and not just be the guy labeled with tremendous potential. The pressure is on him to develop that potential and, if that happens, Indiana could be a team that could contend for a number of years. As the roster is presently constructed, he’s going to be the key in terms of where they go next.”
Smith on other big storylines this season: “You need to look at the sleeper teams. People don’t give a lot of credit to, and we all know they are good, the Denver Nuggets. They don’t have a go-to guy, but George Karl can get this team to play at their max potential. The huge story this year is going to be when teams can come together and materialize quickly and put some pressure on teams like the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and the Miami Heat.”
Anthony on storylines this year and the Eastern Conference: “I would put Philadelphia in that category. A lot will weigh on [Andrew] Bynum and his history of health issues. The Eastern Conference has gotten a lot better. Boston [Celtics] could be a really good basketball team. They’ve gotten more athletic; they’ve gotten better offensively and now I will be curious to see [Rajon] Rondo take a little more responsibility from an offensive standpoint in his ability to score. A lot of teams in the Eastern Conference have to feel great. It’s going to be a war night-in and night-out in that Eastern Conference. Miami is the best team, there’s no question about that. And, don’t discount the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose may not be there the entire season, but they have a culture of winning. They have an expectation every time they take the floor. No matter who they play, if they do x,y and z they are going to win.”
Webber on the potential storylines this season: “All the stories are based on expectations. The biggest stories are always going to be about the Knicks and Brooklyn. Brooklyn has a chance to be a really great team with the talent they have and the Knicks with the pressure. Also, Jeremy Lin. It’s different being the great story that he was and deserved to be last year. But now it’s a different bull’s eye on your back because someone else wants to be the next Jeremy Lin. How does he handle that? It’s different being on a new team that may not get as much publicity as the Knicks did. Now you are the ‘Carmelo’ of this team. How do you handle that pressure every night?”
Anthony on storylines entering this season: “There is so much talk about the Lakers and the Knicks, but the reality exists that they may not be the best in their own city. The Clippers could have a heck of a season with Chris Paul as an MVP candidate this year and growth from [Blake] Griffin. If Brooklyn’s starting five can get Brook Lopez to develop a mean streak and an impact on the paint (other than scoring), with his ability to rebound and block shots, they can be an extremely dangerous team.”
Anthony on the Philadelphia 76ers this season: “It goes back to what Doug Collins has done creating a culture of winning. That can never be discounted. When you have the expectation that you put on yourself every night that you are good enough to win games, it bodes well for them. They have improved their perimeter shooting, which was a huge issue for them last year. If [Andrew] Bynum is healthy, they have an interior presence and it will be the first time they have had a guy that can command a double team. If you look at their roster, they are going to be competitive and a difficult team to contend with.”
Smith on the 76ers this year: “The story is Andrew Bynum. He was put in the role to carry this team. The team was assembled with shooters for Bynum to draw double teams. Doug [Collins] is an excellent coach. The 76ers will be a great team but, to ultimately win a championship and to surpass the Miami Heat, it all comes down to Andrew Bynum.”
Webber on the Hornets and the rookie season of Anthony Davis: “I was happy that he [Anthony Davis] went to New Orleans. If you are going to lose, then that’s the right environment to do it in. With some teams, you lose and it becomes a vacation. You pick up bad habits. You go to other teams and you learn that you don’t ever want to lose again. I don’t know what type of season they are going to have, but what they are doing is building for the future the right way. He’s in a great place to grow and, if he can average a double-double in the NBA, that’s pretty incredible for a rookie. You can expect him to play hard but to make it to the playoffs or to have a successful season I think that would be far reaching.”
Anthony on Davis: “You look at Anthony Davis, and Austin Rivers for that matter, these are two really young rookies. The advantage with Anthony is he does have defined skills; he can rebound and block shots. His offense will develop over time. New Orleans will have to develop an identity. It’s going to be a challenge for them and a struggle to keep their confidence up. They do have a great young coach in Monty Williams who has the right disposition to allow this team to fulfill their potential as they build for the future. It’s going to take time.”
Anthony on Minnesota’s Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio: “That’s a huge blow to not have Kevin and Ricky there. Kevin solidifies the team and gives you a true superstar caliber player. Other guys feed off of that and gain confidence. When you play with a great player it makes you feel better about your game. And with Ricky, you want to see the development and growth in his game. It’s going to be a challenge for him but it will be interesting to see who will step up and take the leadership role.”
Anthony on the success of the Wizards this year: “The biggest issue for them last year is a team that lacked leadership. They don’t have a lot of veteran backcourt guys that are going to be able to provide that. What I would look at this year is how much growth the team gets from John Wall as a leader. Does Bradley Beal grow as a basketball player? The backcourt needs to show maturity and growth.”
On whether Deron Williams can lead Brooklyn to the playoffs this season:
Anthony: “He is, without a doubt, one of the premier point guards in this league. Their best player [Williams] is good enough. The question is – ‘Is the supporting cast good enough?’ The biggest question mark has to be Brook Lopez. To me, he holds the biggest key to their entire season. He’s got to be a presence on the interior in both ends [of the court]. He’s got to be a double-double guy. Ultimately, Brook Lopez is going to be the guy that determines their fate.”
Smith: “When you look at the Brooklyn Nets, it’s Lopez. We need to see the ’09-‘10 Brook Lopez when he gave you 18 points and he was rebounding at a nine rebound clip [per game]. It’s going to come down to the Brooklyn Nets defensively. What this team lacks is speed. Brooklyn is a team that has a chance to do something special this year.”
Webber: “If they play like a well-oiled machine, knowing their limitations, they could be good. But, it’s on Brook Lopez. He needs to go attack the boards. They are a story of the year. At the end of the year, a lot of people are going to look up and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this team was that good.’”
Who will be better this year – Knicks or Nets:
Webber: “The Nets are a better team. They are constructed better.”
On the part of his game Carmelo Anthony has to sacrifice in order to make the New York Knicks a better team this year:
Webber: “I would say sacrifice some pay to bring in other players. My question is – ‘What can he do differently?’ I don’t know the answer to that question.”
Smith: “When you start looking at Carmelo Anthony…Carmelo is in shape right now. When you want to break down Carmelo’s game…he is a scorer. He is a scorer that rebounds the basketball. He’s a scorer that has decent numbers as far as assists. Carmelo has done everything the right way.”
Anthony: “There isn’t a great player in this league – who is a big-time scorer – that doesn’t take bad shots. This will be the first time this team was built around Carmelo. When I look at the Knicks, I don’t necessarily look at Carmelo as being the problem…when you don’t trust what’s going on [on] the floor, that tends to make you try and do a little too much. It’s not just about Carmelo. The question is not whether Carmelo Anthony is good enough for you to win a championship. The question is – ‘Is the supporting cast good enough to win a championship?’”
Anthony on NBA commissioner David Stern’s retirement: “David Stern has been the best commissioner in all of professional sports…the NBA game right now is as popular as it’s been since the Jordan Era. David has been instrumental in that.”
On the Houston Rockets:
Smith: “By stripping this entire franchise down…everybody has to be patient. Right now, all the pressure is on him [Jeremy Lin] so we shall see how he responds. It’s going to take two or three years.
Webber: “As long as everybody doesn’t expect Jeremy Lin to be the savior…he’s going to need a team around him. In talking with Coach [Kevin] McHale in Summer League this year…they’re in the rebuilding process and, as long as everyone keeps that in mind, they’ll be okay.”
Anthony: “Houston is a young basketball team. I don’t even look at it from a Jeremy Lin standpoint. He could have a great year and they are still going to struggle. I know Kevin is going to do a heckuva job in getting those young guys to learn and improve.”
On what the league can expect from LeBron James this season:
Webber: “With all that he has been through…he can play with the freedom he hasn’t had in awhile. Last year, they [Miami Heat] enjoyed the game, but they didn’t play with the mentality of ‘it’s okay, we’ve been through it.’ That’s why the rest of the league should fear them. You should expect him to have another great year.”
Smith: “He’s been through everything. [Having spent time] with him this summer in China, he’s at peace. Now, he is accepting of that role [being the best player in the league]. Right now, it has to be scary because you’re talking about a guy who is at his peak. It’s scary what the Miami Heat can do in the next two or three years.”
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