Wizards/NBA

Post staff writer Michael Lee was online Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the Washington Wizards this season and what stories to follow from around the NBA.

From The Post:

Wizards Coverage

The transcript follows.

Discussion Archive

____________________

Michael Lee: Okay, so the NBA has gone batty. There is a big trade every week. ESPN is reporting that a Jason Kidd is imminent, a week after the Suns got Shaquille O'Neal, two weeks after the Lakers got Pau Gasol. I know everybody here is hoping the Wizards don't enter the all-star break on a nine-game losing streak. So much to talk about. So, let's go. . .

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I think these last few games have proven the role of "Tough Juice" on this team this year. That is not a knock on Gilbert in an way. Just noting the team has lost a sense of toughness/defense down the stretch. For how great the subs and backups have played, they gave away a few of these games (Golden State being the worst).

Do you think Caron will pass up the honor of playing in the All-Star game to get healthy/rest for his ailments?

Michael Lee: I think a lot depends on tonight. If Caron goes tonight, he will probably suit up on Sunday. If he doesn't play, he likely will sit. He definitely is honored to be invited to New Orleans, but the Wizards pay his mortgage, ya know.

Butler is confident that this won't be his last all-star appearance and believes that his No. 1 obligation is to the team; not playing a few minutes in an exhibition game.

_______________________

Gregg Popovich: Is the coach's rant about the seemingly unbalanced trade a signal that he thinks the Spurs are finally succumbing to age?

Or did Memphis not get fair value from Gasol? I didn't view the trade as a Ted Stepien special.

Michael Lee: Pop, this can't be you? You are the coach who had the rant. You are the one who is upset. I don't think Popovich is saying that his team is succumbing to age, he's upset that the Lakers got an all-star talent without giving up any of their top eight or nine players. He wishes he could've got in on the Memphis blowout sale.

Memphis certainly didn't get fair value for Gasol. Gasol is an all-star. Kwame Brown is, um, NOT. But NBA deals aren't always based on fairness. Too often, these are business moves. This was a salary dump. Memphis owner Michael Heisley is rumored to be looking to sell the team and saving money. It would've been a Ted Stepien special if the Grizzlies had thrown in a first round pick with Gasol.

_______________________

Shaq in Phoenix: Besides Doug Collins on WFAN yesterday, why is no one comparing Shaq's role in Phoenix to what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was on the Showtime Lakers of the late '80s?

Is Shaq really not mature enough to realize the best things for the Suns is for him to play a support role? Or will his ego not allow it?

Michael Lee: A lot of people are comparing Shaq's role in Phoenix to the one Kareem had with the Lakers in the Showtime Era. I've heard it a lot from basketball writers and front office types. I don't see it, though. Kareem was always in tremendous shape, and his game wasn't as physical as Shaq's. Kareem had the hook shot, he could do more away from the basket and he still averaged about at least 18 points a game into he turned 40. Shaq hasn't been able to average more than 18 the past two seasons.

I think Shaq understands that he isn't the go-to-guy in Phoenix; he had begun to pass over the Heat to Wade during the 2006 NBA Finals. He can play a support role with the Suns because he really has no choice. The offense goes through Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. They don't have a lot of time to watch him plod around. He just needs to defend, rebound and score when Nash gives him a good look.

_______________________

Miami : Do you think Pat Riley will try to make another move before the deadline or do you think he will stand pat as the genius who dealt away Shaq with 2 years, $40 million left.

Michael Lee: Anything is possible with Riley. He still has expiring contracts with Ricky Davis and Jason Williams. The Heat clearly has some work to do. It doesn't have much talent beyond Shawn Marion and Dwyane Wade - and Wade is really laboring right now.

But you've got to give it up to Riley. He dealt Shaq, Antoine Walker, Eddie Jones and Brian Grant. Nobody thought he could move those contracts, but he did. His team might reek of hot garbage, but he can unload a bad contract.

_______________________

San Jose: Any chance Gil will be back for his self-professed date of March 2? The team is sinking fast without him.

Michael Lee: Gilbert is working his way back into shape. It's really hard to tell exactly when he'll be back. He says early March, Eddie Jordan may want him to rest for a little longer.

The team is sinking fast without Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels. Those guys really need to get back soon. The team has been playing without Gilbert for most of the season, and they've gone 21-19 overall. They've lost seven of their last eight without Caron.

_______________________

Congressional, Md.: The trade that ESPN describes for Kidd looks extremely risky for Dallas. Harris, Stackhouse and Diop? Wow, this is high risk even on the SteveKerrometer. What about the Wiz? It's almost 100 percent sure they stay put, right?

Michael Lee: The SteveKerrometer? Funny. Yes, the move by the Mavs is high risk, but they really need to do something to shake up that team. They need a different personality. They need somebody who can get them over the hump. Dirk can carry them but so far.

Phoenix and the Lakers are going all out for the ring. It's time for Dallas to do something, too. Sitting still after the 2006 Finals got them knocked out in the first round.

I think the Wiz stand pat. Fortunately for them, they are in the Eastern Conference, where you can lose eight in a row and be on solid ground.

_______________________

Clarkston, Mich.: Ivan,

What are your top places to visit on the road in the NBA, arena wise (games, atmosphere, noise, etc.)? And which are the absolute worst?

Michael Lee: I guess I should've let you guys know beforehand, but Ivan is not going to participate in the chat today. He's flying to LA from San Francisco today, if that tells you something about which city he likes more (considering the Wizards played Golden State on Monday). But the top places for me to visit are Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Chicago and Toronto. The absolute worst is Memphis. Detroit is terrible, but the Palace of Auburn Hills is probably the most thrilling place to watch a game. Those fans are fantastic. I like the vibe at Laker games, seeing the celebs - Denzel, Jack, etc.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: What do you think of the Kidd trade rumor?

This just seems nuts to me. That rumored package from the Mavs should have been enough for them to land Gasol AND Shaq (throwing in a Van Horn sign-and-trade to provide extra salary matching). Sorry, but I'd rather have those two than the current vintage Kidd.

Michael Lee: I think that Dallas needs to get Kidd by any means. If it costs some talent, so be it. They were not going to win a championship with the group they had. It doesn't matter what the numbers said, the psyche of the team was the problem. Kidd has a little pit bull in him. Yes, he's aging and can't shoot. But he is really good. They need to make a serious run or watch their window slammed shut.

_______________________

D.C.: To my sleepy eyes, Brendan was playing reasonably well against the Warriors. Eddie sat him for almost all of the 4th quarter, and the Warriors attacked the rim time and again. Any insight on this move by Eddie?

Michael Lee: I wish Ivan was here to answer this one, since I wasn't around to ask Eddie. But from what I saw from home, I don't understand why the Wizards didn't ride Brendan a little harder in the second half. He was having one the best games of his career and when he sat with 4:51 left, the Wizards were leading by eight points. It was a bad time to go small.

_______________________

Falls Church, VA: Do you think Jarrett Jack can help this team? Apparently, he's available via trade.

Michael Lee: I like Jarrett Jack. He's tough, and he plays reckless and hard. Sometimes that gets him in trouble, but he can play. I think Jack can help a lot of teams especially the Wizards, but what can they offer Portland? The Wizards don't have a lot of tradeable assets.

_______________________

Re: Tyrus Thomas: It appears to a few of us Wizards fans that Tyrus Thomas is exactly the type of player the Wizards need and could actually get.

Is there any way the Zards would do this? What would it take to get this type of deal done?

I don't want to hear "could never happen." We just saw the Lakers land Gasol, the Heat land Marion, the Suns land Shaq, the Celtics land Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and someone about to land Kidd.

Last I checked, they all played in the NBA just like us by the same rules. I don't want to see another year of "Well, Caron and Gilbert were hurt again so we don't know what we could have done." We can use that excuse all the way up until Gilbert is gone, Jamison retires and Caron plays alongside Nick Young, Mitch Richmond and Shareef Abdur-Raheem.

Thanks

Michael Lee: Re: Tyrus Thomas. I don't think I can help you.

Do you realize what it took for those other deals to take place? It took deep rosters with young talent, expiring contracts or draft picks. I mean, the Lakers really lucked into Gasol. The Suns had to give up a four-time all-star to get an aging Shaq. The Heat had to give up Shaq to get Marion. The Celtics gave up draft picks, expiring contracts and young talent to get Allen and Garnett.

What do you want the Wizards to give up to get Tyrus Thomas? Antawn Jamison? Caron Butler? You have to be realistic. The Bulls would have to willing to give him up first. I guess I don't understand what you expect. But you have to realistic.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: I think this dogging of the Eastern conference is unfair. Yes many of the teams in the East in a playoff spot don't have win/loss records resembling any of the Western conference teams. But look at your competition. If you had to play the Spurs, Suns, Mavs all the time, I certainly think you'd play much harder and fight for wins with more vigor than if you were in the East. Let's not forget the last four championships were split between the East and the West. And the NBA season is a marathon not a race. Winning matters only in the playoffs.

Michael Lee: That doesn't excuse the East for being awful. There are 10 teams in the West with winning records. The 10th place team in the West (Portland) would be a game out of the fourth spot in the East. The reason why the East has won two of the past four titles is partly because they've had easier roads to the NBA Finals.

_______________________

DC: Lakers adding Gasol has made them a fun basketball team to watch.

Michael Lee: Yes it has. It has also made the knee-jerk reaction trades fun to watch, too.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hey, how far do you think the Wizards can get into the playoffs once Gilbert, Caron, and Antonio get back healthy? Do you believe there's a second round ceiling because of Boston/Detroit?

Michael Lee: Unfortunately, yes. They might make it interesting against those teams, but it will be hard to beat them in a seven-game series.

_______________________

Orlando: Why would the Magic take up the third-year option on J.J. Redick's contract when Coach Van Gundy has no plans to play him? And why waste an 11th draft pick on a player that didn't fit your team?

Michael Lee: Great questions. I really don't understand why Redick hasn't been given an opportunity at all. Not only does it hurt him, but it hurts the Magic if they have any hopes of trading him. There is nothing to base a deal on.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Would Kwame Browne be a better player today if he hadn't spent his first year or two being whipped into submission by Michael Jordan and Doug Collins?

Michael Lee: That is really overblown to me. Kwame has had his chances to become a player. I think the better question is, Would Kwame Brown be a better player if he wasn't selected No. 1? That may have freed him a much larger burden that he has not been able to handle. Michael and Doug didn't help, but Kwame is a grown man now. Either you want to be great and you work hard at it, or you don't. Michael and Doug didn't make him injury-prone and ineffective on the offensive end.

_______________________

Bad Arenas, NJ: I heard that the Meadowlands is also pretty dreadful.

Thankfully, the Nets will soon move out of there.

Michael Lee: Yes. New Jersey is not nice. It is stuck in the middle of nothing. You just want to get in and get out. It is pretty awful.

_______________________

Toronto: While being appreciative of Gilbert Arena's blog and his honest (arguable?) communication channel about the state of the game and other players, I wonder how this sits with Wizards management. I know Chris Bosh does his routines on YouTube but he doesn't criticize fellow players. In his last blog, Gilbert dumps on Jose Calderon and got ravaged on his blog site by irate Raptor fans. Some pooh pooh it as a "Gil being Gil" argument, but it could also hamper the team from a trade perspective as other teams may not look at it as conducive to a healthy lockerroom environment. Thoughts?

Michael Lee: I don't think Washington management cares, really. The only time it would be a problem is if Gilbert does something that affects his performance on the floor. If he can drop 30 and win games, he talk about anybody he wants. If he consistently talks trash and goes out and gets 10 points on 4 of 21 shooting and his team loses because of something he says, then it's a problem. The Wizards have a pretty healthy locker room. I don't think what players say about opponents really matters. Steve Nash accepted Shaq when Shaq said the MVP award had been "tainted." Why was Nash okay? He wants to win. It's all about wins and losses.

_______________________

Michael Lee: Aw, man. Time really flew. I'm sorry I couldn't get to every question, but it's been a while since I had to roll solo on one of these. Ivan should be back next week and we won't have this problem again. I've got to go. Peace.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.