Chat with J.A. Adande

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Welcome to The Show! On Friday, ESPN.com's newest NBA writer, J.A. Adande, will stop by to chat about the 2007-08 season.</p>

Adande comes to ESPN.com from the Los Angeles Times, where he started in 1997. He has been a frequent panelist on ESPN's "Around the Horn." He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and his journalism career has spanned 17 years. He has covered every major pro championship, every major college bowl game, the Final Four, the Masters, Wimbledon and the Olympics, and his work has appeared in the "Best American Sports Writing" series.</p>

Send in your questions now and stop by to talk with Adande at 3 p.m. ET on Friday!</p>

Adande Archive: <font color="#000000">Columns</font> | <font color="#000000">Chats</font>

J.A. Adande: What's up everybody. Let's do this

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Jerry (Albany): Whattya say JA? Do you think the best time to trade Kobe is the 2008 Draft and if you had to choose between Noah or Tyrus Thomas as part of the package, which one would you take?</p>


J.A. Adande: I said before the season that draft time would be the best time for a trade...then Buss said what he said and everything escalated. Plus, I think the Bulls' early struggles might move up the timetable. Also before the season I would have said Noah, because he has more skills. But Thomas showed me something during that Pistons game last night...and he still has the athleticism to make some unbelievable defensive plays (Right, Rip?)</p>
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Celo, San Francisco: J.A. - I think the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City is a terrible move that will result in the team moving again a few years down the line. There will be an initial honeymoon period, but Oklahoma City just isn't big enough to sustain a team long term. Why is Stern backing this move so strongly?</p>


J.A. Adande: I hate it too. You'd think Stern would learn from the issues the Grizzlies had in Memphis, where moving and opening a brand-new building was not the ultimate cure. I think the reason Stern is on the OKC trail is because the city really bailed him out when the Hornets got Katrina'd</p>
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milkncookie: what do you think about webber to the cavs? seems like a good fit, i guess? not that excited about it, but they're probably the slowest team in the league, why not add a cwebb...especially with varajao outa shape and in brazil..</p>


J.A. Adande: I'd be more excited about Webber to the Cavs if I didn't have memories of Webber VS. the Cavs in the playoffs. Not very impressive, if you remember.</p>
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Tab, Toronto: Hey Adande, Whats your biggest surprise so far this year that has you re-evaluating your pre-season prognosis, player or team?</p>


J.A. Adande: Biggest surprise would have to be the Clippers. Excuse me, your Undefeated, Pacific Division-Leading Clippers. Second biggest surprise is Corey Maggette coexisting peacefully with Mike Dunleavy. Seriously, without Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston I thought they'd be done. Now if this crew can continue to hold it down until EB gets back, they're looking at taking someone's playoff spot. (Golden State, perhaps?)</p>
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Matt (Watertown, NY): J.A., what in the world is going on with the Warriors? Did they forget how to play defense? Do me a favor, and go to Oakland.. teach Baron and the boys how to play some D... Please?</p>


J.A. Adande: When did they ever learn defense in the first place? Seriously, that zone was horrific last night vs. Dallas.</p>
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Smoot (NYC): The NBA is about championship windows. The Lakers need to plan for 3-5 years from now. This is not their time. The Bulls window is open for the next 5 years. Kobe window is right this minute. Send Kobe to the "right now" Bulls, and send some young guys to the "3-5 years" Lakers.</p>


J.A. Adande: Makes sense to me. Although you could argue that the Lakers could get to championship range within 5 years --- right about the limits of Kobe's elite-level phase</p>
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Phil(Chicago): What skills does Noah have? He'll never average more than 8 points a game.</p>


J.A. Adande: Did you see some of his passes last night? I life a post man that can move the ball, and also will do some dirty work inside</p>
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Ben (Atlanta, GA_: J.A., what about my Hawks down here in HOTLANTA!! Were looking real good and coming together as team now even though were still young. This team is going to the playoffs this year! Bet on it?</p>


J.A. Adande: I knew I'd be hearing from the ATL folks and you know what? You deserve it. Caught them vs. Phx and loved Horford's rebounding and was surprised by Williams' outside shooting. Marvin's averaging 18 a game. Looks good. But I never bet on sports</p>
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Justin (Ohio): J.A., Love ya on ATH and your articles. Is Woody P. really as annoying as he acts on tv?</p>


J.A. Adande: the main thing about Woody in person is that he's bigger than you think.</p>
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Rodrigo (Montevideo, Uruguay): Do you think that the Spurs are playing Ginobili a little bit too much with this load of minutes?</p>


J.A. Adande: No, not when he finally had a chance to rest this summer. (is Montevideo anywhere near Monteaudio?)</p>
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AP (Ohio): Wouldn't it be wise for the Cavs to sign Varejao for the $5 mil he wants for one year and then use him as trade bait?</p>


J.A. Adande: Who would want to trade for a guy who's about to be an unrestricted free agent? And if any team would be wary of signing a guy and giving him free agency rights it would be the Cavs. Remember Carlos Boozer?</p>
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Dan (LA): What's more likely: the writer's strike coming to an end by February or Kobe playing in a different uniform by February?</p>


J.A. Adande: Believe it or not, the writers. I see both as battles of attrition. There's absolutely zero incentive for Hollywood to cave in to the writers' demands right away -- they can always run old shows. The writers will start getting hungry in about 3 months. Meanwhile, I think other teams will still try to wait out the Lakers and see if they panic as Kobe's opt-out date gets closer. Personally, I'm more worried about the potential of going a full year before we get some more issues resolved on "Lost"</p>
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Willie (Portland, OR): J.A., why on earth would Stern threaten the city of Seattle, if they lose their team, they won't get another one. Isn't that exactly what happened in Charlotte?</p>


J.A. Adande: Yes it is. And Charlotte didn't have 1/50th the history with the league that Seattle did. If Stern is so concerned with conquering Asia, how could he allow two teams to leave the "Asian Gateway" cities in the Pacific northwest?</p>
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Jim (NY): J.A. - how long is this chat gonna last - is it the routine 1 hour or a 2 hour special like last time. I need to know whether to tell the co-workers whether I can join them in a 3pm meeting or not. Thanks.</p>


J.A. Adande: I'm thinking 90 minutes this time. Gotta get some food for my dog Barkley</p>
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Russell (Cary, NC): Will you get a chance to ride on the ESPN NBA RV?</p>


J.A. Adande: I've already driven in a vehicle with Stephen A. My ears are still ringing.</p>
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Mike PHX AZ: Since the season got off to a ugly start do you see the SUNS moving Marion anytime soon ???????</p>


J.A. Adande: I'm sensing some panic coming out of the Valley of the Sun. Let's wait and see if Amare can stay healthy and be as effective as he was last year. If they traded Marion, who could they get back that would fit the team as welll or make them better? I think they need to see if this group has a championship run in it, then make some moves if necessary in the offseason</p>
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Jimbo (Boston): What has been the best game of the season so far?</p>


J.A. Adande: Warriors-Mavericks last night sure was fun. Can we have these teams play every week, then manipulate the playoff seedings so they meet in the postseason?</p>
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Russell (Cary, NC): Which Memphis point guard do you see ending the season as a starter?</p>


J.A. Adande: If Damon Stoudamire is going to be this effective, I'd go with the veteran</p>
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Laird (NYC): J.A., to you believe that Kobe is the best pure scorer in the NBA? If so, who is #2? I think it might be T-Mac, only because if he's the only player in the NBA I could see dropping 70 whenever he wanted to.</p>


J.A. Adande: Yes, Kobe 1 and T-Mac 2. Tracy makes it look so easy...that's what's really impressive about him.</p>
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Kevin (Indianola, Wa): After seeing the Sonics go 0-5 do you think this team has a shot at winning 20 games?</p>


J.A. Adande: They''re gonna be OK. (sorry Seattle folks, I guess I shouldn't use those two letters.) They'll be fine. As Earl Watson said pre-season, check in February. Right now they just don't know how to win. They very easily could be at least 3-2 right now. But squeezing out W's in the NBA is an acquired skill, not an innate one</p>
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Andy (Toledo): Wasnt that trip of Tyrus Thomas by Rip one of the cheapest moves you have seen?</p>


J.A. Adande: getting a few comments this, so I'll address it. That ankle-grab wasn't cool. But it's nowhere near as bad as clotheslining or low-bridging a guy when he's in the air</p>
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Jack (Chicago): JA- I went last night to the Bulls game, wlaking in as someone who LOATHED Noah in college, for obvious reasons. That said, in one game he completely changed my mind. Not only does he bring those big man skills (although his jumper is ungodly ugly) but he literally brought instant energy into the stadium that was pretty dead untill he got into the game. Quintessential love hime on your team HATE him anywhere else guy. I love it.</p>


J.A. Adande: Bet you felt the same way when Rodman came to the Bulls</p>
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Tommy(TheStatPack): Hey J.A. whats going on in tennis? Gambling, Poison attempts, Cocaine, sounds like a crazy night at the lounge?</p>


J.A. Adande: No sport -- NONE -- has as many wild storylines as tennis. All they need is a positive steroid test. But seriously, Poison????</p>
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Dave, tustin: J.A. While Heat are winless, they have played half respectable in all of their games. If Wade comes back and is pretty close to pre injury form, arent the Heat back in the thick of things?</p>


J.A. Adande: they can get to the thick, but they won't get to the top. With Shaq and Wade they're still pretty much the team that got swept by the Bulls. And if Shaq can't dominate at the rim anymore, there's less incentive to double him and all of a sudden it gets 50% harder for all of the other players</p>
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Alan (ID): Who is the best point gaurd in the league behind Jason Kidd and Steve Nash?</p>


J.A. Adande: Right now I'm going Deron Williams with the slight edge over Chris Paul. Deron can hurt you scoring and passing. But if CP keeps putting up 21-assist games....</p>
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Russell (Cary, NC): Are the Hornets for real? I'm not enamored of their bench.</p>


J.A. Adande: We've seen that when the Hornets are healthy they can make a run for the playoffs in the West. The problem is they're a little too dependent on the jump shot. When Peja's on, watch out. But if he's off, well.</p>
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Alan (ID): Does the Denver's loss to Boston show us Denver is not as good as predicted, or does it show us how great Boston is this year.. or both?</p>


J.A. Adande: I wouldn't make too much of it either way. First, the Nuggets were playing the second night of back-to-backs on the road. I always say, if I did bet I would bet against teams in that situation. Second, the true test for Boston will be when it makes a road trip, I'm really looking forward to their Texas Triangle trip in March. Supporting players always do better at home, so the real test if the secondary guys can hang will come in the green jerseys</p>
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Kevin, Danielson, CT: Are the Celtics for real, or is it too early to tell? The one thing I really like seeing from them is the way they share the ball so well.</p>


J.A. Adande: I'll go with back-to-back Celts posts just because I wanted to be sure to mention the Celtics' team play. It's a joy to watch.</p>
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matt fla: What do you think about the Magic right now? Two 6'10 wingers who can drop the pill from 3 point range is pretty exciting.</p>


J.A. Adande: What I like most about the Magic now is Dwight Howard in the paint</p>
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Dexter (San Diego): Do you see the Kings being able to get any type of decent big man in a trade for Bibby when he gets healthy. Also, do think that Artest will be in a Kings uniform for the rest of the season?</p>


J.A. Adande: Teams don't like to trade big for small, so I think you'd be more likely to get a wing type player for Bibby. And I think they will move Artest</p>
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Mark (Mishawaka): Despite their record, the Cavs are looking surprisingly good. When everyone is healthy and they finally (probably) sign Varejao - are they going to make all the commentators that didn't give them a chance in the East look stupid?</p>


J.A. Adande: got a few Q's on the state of the Cavs, and all I can say is Cleveland fans should feel better after reading this LeBron quote in the Akron Beacon-Journal:
''You take positives out of these games,'' LeBron James said. ''This is all we got. Personnel-wise, we're not the best team in the NBA and we know that. As a family, we understand what it takes to win. We've won playoff series. We've won big games. We can't look at what anybody else has, we have what we have in this locker room. We can't worry about the outside.

''Our guys understand that and it is great to see that these guys are all working to get better. I don't know if we played this well last year on the road, especially on the West Coast and especially early.''

If he's encouraged, I'm encouraged. But I still don't think they'll be coming out of the Eastern Conference again</p>
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Sai (LA): Your bio indicates that you covered Wimbledon. What was your fav moment during the time you covered it?</p>


J.A. Adande: wow, 2 tennis questions in the chat today! But my favorite wimbledon moment -- one of the greatest things I've ever covered, actually -- was when Jeff Tarango quit in the middle of a match, then his wife slapped the chair umpire, and later she joined him in a press conference in which he accused the ump of favoring players in other matches. How do you top that?</p>
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John(Chicago): Who'll be better in 5 years, Tyrus Thomas or Lamarcus Aldridge?</p>


J.A. Adande: I like Lamarcus. Much beter shooter.</p>
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Jeremy (NYC): J.A, any prediction on the Hornets season this year. Is a 5 or 6 seed in the West too optimistic?</p>


J.A. Adande: 5, no. 6, yes.</p>
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Jeremy (Bellevue, Wa): JA, D Stern and C Bennet have a personal friendship. Last night Stern introduced Bennet at an award dinner. Seems like a conflict of intrest to me?</p>


J.A. Adande: That's not a conflict of interest because Stern's obligation is to the owners, not cities. And that's the last time I'll defend stern today</p>
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Martin LA, CA: Boston is the only top caliber team playing as if the regular season is important. Thats why they look so good right now. Only way to see how good they are is when Playoffs roll around and every one plays as hard. Dont forget chances of Doc Rivers being outcoached in a seven game series is very very very high...</p>


J.A. Adande: 1 concern is if they'll be able to take it up another notch in the playoffs. You don't want to play your absolute best ball in November, because you can't maintain it. Just can't. Yes, ideally, you want to see guys give it their all every night. But given the choice, it's better to have people who dominate during the playoffs (see Shaq, 2001-02)</p>
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joe (la): why is that dallas owns the entire league except for one team?</p>


J.A. Adande: Matchups. Matchups. Just like in baseball, how the Angels can beat the Yankees but not the Red Sox. In this case, Nelson knowing the Mavericks inside and out is a huge factor</p>
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Jason (Orlando): Do you think the number of teams that get into the playoffs should be lowered? It would solve the problem of teams "lackluster" performance in the regular season and actually keep the below .500 teams out of the playoffs!</p>


J.A. Adande: I don't think the problem is having too many teams in the playoffs. If we didn't have 16 then we wouldn't have had Dallas-Golden State last year, which was the best of all. The problem is too many regular season games. About 20 too many.</p>
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Harry Manback (Portland, OR): The Portland media goes on and on about how the Blazers should use their cap space in 2009 to sign Chris Paul. There's no way Chris Paul is allowed to leave the Hornets, right? He'll be locked up with an extension before 2009 ever rolls around.</p>


J.A. Adande: the biggest risk you can take is to stake your franchise's future on cap room. The way the collective bargaining agreement is set up, all the incentive is for players to stay with their teams. Remember when the Lakers were going to get Amare or Yao? How did that work out? Or when the Bulls had all that cap space and they were going to get Kevin Garnett? If I'm Portland, I don't count on signing Paul. I put my trust in Kevin Pritchard coming up with another good draft pick</p>
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ME from OVER HERE. Woohoo!: SENOR ADANDE: You still haven't talked Lakers basketball. Right now, the Lakers are winning the points in the paint, the bench and the rebounding game. Their defense is much improved and I'm wondering why everyone keeps saying they're still 5 years away? That makes no sense. Already, Bynum is a handful down low and is getting swarmed. I know you've said he'll never be anything special - do you want to change your position on that?</p>


J.A. Adande: I've stayed away from the Lakers since last chat was so Kobe-heavy. Yes, their defense is looking better. So is Bynum. But a championship team shouldn't lose 2 of its first 3 home games. Or get shredded the way CP and Peja did them on Tuesday. And I've got to see Bynum do this for a full seson before I proclaim him an all-star</p>
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Philip (Gothenburg, Sweden): How good do you think the Suns could be if they had an owner like Cuban who isn't afraid to pay the tax and spend some extra money?</p>


J.A. Adande: I like Cuban's approach, but he hasn't been able to buy his way to a championship yet, has he?</p>
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Kyler, Niagara Falls, Ca: Has D Stern outlived his usefullness? Granted the guy has done great things for the L in the past but recently he's more preoccupied marketing the nba overseas than focusing on the quality of the on court product?</p>


J.A. Adande: Great question. Stern's the guy who presided over the league's highest heights. He also came in at the same time Jordan was drafted and Magic and Bird started meeting regularly in the Finals. Lately the league's been known for a disconnect from the fans (that is, when players aren't punching them), an officiating scandal and declining TV ratings at home -- no matter how many people watch Yi-Yao in China. Maybe instead of looking at the decline of Shaq we should be analyzing the decline of Stern.</p>
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Jacob Cruz (Dallas, Tx): Why is it that in the past two years everyone is on the Mavericks case about their downfalls, and collapses, but no one is on Phoenix's collapses in the past three years? According to alot of analysts Phoneix has been the favorite to win the championship, but have yet to get to the Finals. Also they critizized Dirk for being and MVP and not leading his team to the Finals last year. Well Nash was the MVP twice and he hasn't even made it to the Finals at all.</p>


J.A. Adande: Jacob, checking in from the Big D-fensive. Show me how many people picked Phoenix to win a championship? I think there's always been doubts that their style could work in the playoffs. And they came up short of the Finals but they never lost in the first round. Dirk wouldn't have been killed if his team go to the conf. finals. But it's pretty embarrassing to pick up your MVP trophy after you've already been eliminated.</p>


J.A. Adande: Memo to Josh: posting your question 500 times won't increase the chance of it getting answered. In fact, it kills it.</p>
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Josh Kalamazoo, mi: JA, i'm taking my girlfriend to LA next week, what are your top 3 things to do when in the city of angels?</p>


J.A. Adande: 1. The Boardwalk at Venice Beach. 2. A good, lively restaurant like Asia de Cuba or Katana..and, 3, you can't leave without an In-N-OUt burger</p>
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Reed (Vancouver, WA): What's up JA? The Around the Horn King by the way! How much better do you think the Blazers would be right now if they would have drafted Durant instead of Oden? I think B-Roy, Aldridge and Durant sounds like one of the nastiest trios that could ever be assembled.</p>


J.A. Adande: Watching Aldridge play like this actually makes Oden look like a better pick. Durant would need a lot of touches, taking shots away from Aldridge and Roy. Oden wouldn't need the ball as much. If Oden can stay on the court, I think the Blazers won't regret it.</p>
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Jeff (Berkeley, CA): How is Baron Davis not the best point guard after Kidd or Nash? Baron defensively is under-rated: he actually led the league in steals (on a per game basis) last year. Your thoughts?</p>


J.A. Adande: I'd want Baron on my team, I'm just not sure I'd want him running my team - got me. He has to be GS' top scoring threat. Deron and Paul don't have that obligation.</p>
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Reed: Nastiest trio ever assembled? i can think of a better one in Boston.</p>


J.A. Adande: better than Magic, Kareem and Worthy?</p>
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Jason (Huntsvile, Alabama): Can you address why no one thinks Ray Allen is as important as Paul Pierce and KG?</p>


J.A. Adande: That would be foolish, because people already forget that the reason KG came to Boston is because Ray Allen was there. If Ray shoots 33% this year he still might be their MVP just for luring KG</p>


J.A. Adande: Gotta run. Thanks to everybody who dropped by. Do what you gotta do these next 15 minutes, then watch Around the Horn!</div></p>

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