Earlier today, ESPN NBA analyst and Hall of Famer Hubie Brown answered media questions to preview ESPN and ABC NBA games playing on Christmas Day (more coverage details can be found here).
This is the 15th consecutive season that ESPN and ABC will combine to televise five NBA games on Christmas Day. Over 13 hours of NBA action plus potentially 29 players that have made an All-Star team will be on ESPN and ABC networks on Christmas.
Brown will call the Chicago Bulls versus San Antonio Spurs game on Christmas Day at 5 p.m. ET alongside Mark Jones and reporter Israel Gutierrez.
Audio Replay, click here.
Q. Hubie, we knew there would be a drop off obviously with Miami this year with Wade and Bosh out. Are you surprised it’s been as bad as it’s been, and do you like any of their personnel in terms of Riley trying to rebuild this thing?
HUBIE BROWN: Well, I think when you subtract what you’ve subtracted with Bosh and Wade, you’re not just getting points, rebounds, but you’re getting closing points in the last 3 to 6 minutes of the fourth quarter, so you lost a ton there. Now you replace that with a lot of young talent that has potential but has not done it in the league over an extended period of time.
Then you complicate things down there because of key injuries, which has made the coaching staff, how shall I say, you have to be flexible in order to keep the games even close. So the record right now, absolutely, major disappointment to the people in Miami. But you have to look at the circumstances and be honest about it all.
When you have young teams and they’re put into major minutes and in closing depending upon who you played, it comes down to chemistry, working together, and I always say November and December are the tryouts, really. Now let’s see what happens from January on as you move further, because you have such a young team.
Q. Of their young pieces, who do you especially like beyond Whiteside? Do you like Winslow and Richardson as young building blocks and Tyler Johnson?
BROWN: I think it comes down to whether you think they’re good enough for you to be a playoff team with the three of them as starters, or are they complementary to the other four starters? Or are you looking at them and saying they can produce at that level? Only the coaching staff who has them on a daily basis can see the consistency or lack of that, and then also the athletic talent for coming off the bench, because they might be better playing coming off the bench and then changing defenses, et cetera and so forth depending upon the style of play.
Q. If you could speak on Minnesota and how they’re doing so far?
BROWN: Well, first of all, you have a new coaching staff that’s going to set in a different type of discipline to get the necessary results. Right now you have with Wiggins and Townes, there is no doubt about it, but then you have some other positions which night in and night out might not be getting you what you are looking for if you are going to make a run in the West to be in the Playoffs.
Now we know that it takes a new coaching staff because I, myself, have been in that situation three times with young teams. Young teams do not grasp on to, A, the importance of every possession, the importance of the defensive, not the first rotation, but the second rotation and sometimes the third when you’re playing a great team. They don’t grasp all of that, and they have never had to be accountable. So consequently, what you’re looking for here is which guys are going to be with you as you play in the second half of the season.
We’re one-third of the way through right now. So looking at January and February. When you have a young team, these are the dog days. These are where the young teams can steal wins against the plus-.500 teams, but they must take advantage of the home court. Then the confidence comes for the last two months.
And you say, why March and April? Because that’s when the playoff teams zero in, because every day they see the standings in the newspaper or on their phone. They understand that the definite playoff teams are going to be jockeying for positions so now every game to them in March and April is magnified.
But I love your coaching staff. Thibodeau has done it. He was outstanding as an assistant coach in every stop, then when he got his opportunity he did it big time in Chicago.
But discipline, chemistry, comes with accountability, and that takes time with a young team.
Q. Is it too soon to assess any surprises or disappointments in the league so far?
BROWN: I think when you coach in the league you look at it this way. Number one, have we had any serious injuries? Now there are some very excellent teams here that have had serious injuries. Then if you’re a borderline team from making the Playoffs, first of all, what about the injury factor? Have we been healthy? Number two, where have you played your games? Have you played them at home or on the road? This is important especially when you have a young team.
Now I’ll give you a good example there. Boston, as you know, is right up there. They’re in a log jam from like 3 down to 12 in the East. But here’s the thing, when Christmas Day is over, they’ll have played 12 home games and 19 road games. So consequently you might not be happy with their record right now, but they’re going to have seven home games to make up. That is big.
That’s why I say to you, what is the record, where are you, and then what are you against the plus-.500 teams? Then, only then would you have to say that a team is not playing to its potential. Because if it’s injuries, well, come on. I mean, what kind of a bench? Do you have veterans or do you have a young team? And this will be dictated as you look at home and away, where are you against the plus-.500s? Where did you play the games against the plus-.500s? Because now you’re being real in your locker room when you’re talking to your team.
Q. You mentioned injuries. Looking at the release from Cavs, J.R. Smith out four to six weeks with a broken right thumb, how does this impact the Cavs’ short run and medium run?
BROWN: Yeah, well, this is a major issue as we know. Because not only can he get you ten to 12 points in five minutes, he not only is an improved defensive player, and he showed that in The Finals last year.
But as I look at Cleveland, I look at it this way. You lost Mozgov, it was, well, that’s okay. Well, now Anderson’s gone, and now you’ve lost two guys. Then at the point guard position, which to me is shaky, because Mo Williams retires and then you lose Dellavedova.
Now you can’t lose defensive guys like Dellavedova and Mozgov who help you without suffering. And to me, when Mo Williams left and retired, that put a major question mark on that back-up point guard now. Because you don’t have a defender in Dellavedova and you don’t have a scorer like Mo Williams. People forget when he played 19 games last year for Irving, that he was able to score what he scored. People forget that.
But to me, J.R. Smith is going to be a major loss here now, not only because of the points and the perimeter ability to make the big shot with the clock down, but also his improved defense out on the perimeter.
Yeah, you can replace him with some other guys back there, but do they give you the combination of points and the defensive factor?
Q. Is it your hunch that that’s going to come from within or that they’ll have to go outside and get creative with their, I think they have an $11 million dollars salary cap?
BROWN: That’s a tough question. Only management can really answer that. I can’t answer that for management. The other factor is that for me can Dunleavy give you minutes there and give you points? But you’re not going to have the defense. Do you use Shumpert there for the defense, but then again, that’s a questionable offense for the type of points that you’re accustomed to getting from J.R. Smith.
Now, J.R. to me, I don’t know what the reading is of when he comes back. I don’t know how far we’re going to forecast that. Now if he comes back in the end of January or into February, that’s not a problem because then you’re still going to be able to make a strong run because you are going to be the heavy favorite, as we know, to come out of the East no matter where you place in the Playoffs.
If you have everyone healthy, you’re going to come out of there and be the heavy favorite. So I don’t know if management would jump to that conclusion quickly to, let’s go out and get another guy, and bring in another guy that has to adjust to all of what you’re doing there. And all of a sudden, J.R. comes back, and you’ve got a guy there, sure, that’s protection, no doubt about it, except for one thing. Where are you over the cap? Do you want to keep adding? That’s management.
Q. Are the Cavs and Warriors still the same two teams you profile for a potential third straight Finals showdown, or are other teams seriously in the mix now?
BROWN: Well, here’s what I said at the beginning of the year. Golden State, all right, Barnes is gone, they’ve got Durant. Okay, the points are there, but what about the three centers, Barbosa, okay, and Barnes? They are five of your top 10 scorers. So not only did they lose Barnes, but they got Durant.
But also they lost this rebounding. Now if you look at their second unit a year ago, it was one of the top in the league offensively and defensively, and that’s why they were so good. Now can they develop a second unit to match what they had last year? With the rebounding, shot blocking, points in the paint, without calling a play? So I would still say they’re off and running. They have an incredible road record. Their home record is outstanding. The three guys are playing terrific basketball, and they’ve all taken less shots.
And if you look at it, Curry and Durant always average over 20 shots. Now the three guys are all in the 20s in points, and how about the fact that all three guys are averaging only 17 shots? See, they’ve accepted their role. They’ve accepted their role to take less shots to get the chemistry needed.
So, hey, they’re number one in differential. They’re number one in points. And then, how about the other end? They’re number one in steals and shot blocking. So it’s coming, and they should be favored.
Now, as far as I said that earlier, once you guys get it all together and everybody’s going to be healthy, I can’t see anyone in the East beating you in a seven-game series, and I think that you’ll be heavily favored. So it should be a great game on Christmas. But also a feeling-out game of all of the new pieces, second unit versus second unit, the different match-ups on the first units now, especially with Smith out, okay.
And also, what will Love’s condition be on Sunday? Which way will they go? Will they go with LeBron at power forward? What will they do? Well, we won’t know that until we turn on the television.
Q. You mentioned Durant already, but Wade and Rose also changed teams during the off-season. How are they fitting in as far as chemistry-wise, or is it too early to tell yet with their respective teams?
BROWN: Yeah, well, first of all, let’s use Rose. Rose and Noah missed almost the entire camp, okay. Then both guys have been injured since they started the season. But give the Knicks a lot of credit now, the Knicks are 15-13. Now, the Knicks are 10-4 at home. Well, anytime that Rose plays, they have naturally much better offensive flow, and they’ve got a guy that can get you 16, 18 points. Like last night, he was in the 20s.
Now, will he remain healthy? Will Noah remain healthy? That’s the question. The Wade factor, as they move through the season, one of the Jekyll and Hyde teams right now is Chicago. Because you look at that and say, you know, Chicago right now is only 14-13. Why do they play in spurts? They have six guys up front, meaning the starter and the back-up. Then Portis as a seventh guy.
They have excellent front court talent, but then in the back court, the Wade-Rondo combination is good some nights. Their last game they were terrific, the entire unit was terrific, but previous to that, they were struggling. So I always go back to when you change, like they had to change, a point guard and a two-guard, and a center on your starting unit, then that complicates your bench flow.
But if you look at them, Wade has been doing a solid job, but what they lack is a good back-up at that position in Chicago. So what was it? Wade and what was the other one?
Q. Derrick Rose?
BROWN: Yeah, well, Derrick Rose. Give Durant his due. No one thought that he would take the necessary last shot. When Boston went out and got Ray Allen and made the big trade for Garnett. When they joined Paul Pierce, every one of those guys averaged between 22 and 24 shots. When they came to Boston, they win the championship, all three guys went into 14 shots a game.
Coaches know how tough that is, all right. Because the player, at the status that they are, all right, at the all-NBA level, when you ask a guy to step all the way back and accept five or six less shots than he’s accustomed to getting, he has to buy into that. And Durant has done a magnificent job doing that, because he’s taking, believe it or not, as of today, 16.7 shots where Curry and Thompson are averaging 17. Now, who would have thought that?
Yet, because of his incredible ability to get to the line and shoot a high percentage, he’s right up there at 25-7. So you’ve got to give him a ton of credit for how he has blended.
Q. Today is actually the 125th Anniversary of the first basketball game played in Springfield. What do you think Dr. Naismith would say of his game?
BROWN: Well, listen, we wouldn’t have the fastbreaks, because at that time when they shot the ball, the ball didn’t go through the rim, I’m pretty sure. I think they had to go up and take it out of the net, okay. But that’s a great question by you. But I think he might have a mild heart attack because of the amount of threes that are being shot. He never thought of the three-point line. So, great question.
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Media contact: Gianina Thompson at gianina.thompson@espn.com (@Gianina_ESPN)