Post by Blake Bowman on Jun 24, 2013 3:58:40 GMT
Insider Interview with Billy King
How do you think your team will fare in the playoffs this post season, and do you think you can take the defending champions in round one?
Being pitted against a defending NBA champion isn't easy. The Boston Celtics are a notorious organization that push to win the NBA championship each and every year. They've maintained the same roster for a very long time so I know what I can expect.
I don't think I'm going to make it past the first round simply because the Boston Celtics are a superior team. I definitely think the series will go to either game 6 or 7 but defeating the Boston Celtics in the first round is improbable.
It's the NBA though, it's where amazing happens.
What are your off-season goals?
I have absolutely zero cap space so I'm left working with the MLE (Mid-Level Exception) which gives me $5,000,000 to work with. I plan to sign 4 players that will be coming off the bench for me and providing that spark that Brooklyn desperately needs. This will be my first free agency ride so I'm both excited and frightened.
Here is a list of the players I'm targeting:
82 Richard Hamilton
72 Kyle Korver
78 Dorell Wright
76 Martell Webster
76 Marreese Speights
77 Delonte West
75 Jason Thompson
77 George Hill
77 DeJuan Blair
72 Brandan Wright
What is your favorite deal you made in your first season as GM?
Successfully trading Russell Westbrook, Chris Andersen, and Al Thornton for Serge Ibaka, Harrison Barnes, Dion Waiters, Andrea Bargnani, and Omer Asik was by far the best trade I've made all season.
I lost my franchise center piece in this deal and some will look at this trade and think I really got screwed, but what people don't realize is how far this trade has got me. This trade has opened more doors than I can count. Every single player I received in return for Westbrook ended up being shipped away to receive much greater and better talent.
What is one you would take back if you could?
Damn, I keep looking back at this trade and thinking if I really made the right choice. I don't know whether trading Zach Randolph and Omer Asik for Andrew Bogut, Kenneth Faried, and Channing Frye was a smart move. Zach Randolph is a better player than Kenneth Faried and Omer Asik had a really good season this year. In all honesty, I'd probably go back and not accept this trade if I could. Yes, Randolph is older but he's still got a few good years left in him.
What is a deal that another GM made that you really liked?
When the Milwaukee Bucks traded away Evan Turner for Chandler Parsons. It took me a while to stop asking Glenn if he would trade Parsons.
What is a deal that another GM made that you didn't like for the team?
That's a tricky question, when a GM makes a trade that negatively impacts their team, I tend to love those trades. Maybe I'm being an asshole, but if I know this team is in my conference and getting the bad end of the stick, I get a real confidence boost going into the playoffs.
One trade that sticks out in particular is when the Denver Nuggets traded Faried, Dragic, Vucevic, and Teague, for Kyrie Irving and Carl Landry.
I feel like the Lakers should have retained Kyrie and built around him, kind of like what the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently doing. I also think the Lakers would have the best backcourt, it'd be a toss up between Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant vs Lillard and Westbrook. Lakers opted to trade away their franchise center piece though and receive 3 players that are quality starters but neither one sticks out as a clear all-star.
I guess you can say I'm being hypocritical since this is essentially the same trade I did with Sacramento, but I've managed to add superior players to every starting position on my team while the Lakers haven't managed to do that.
What is your plan for the future of the Nets?
A lot of people have been asking this. Some think I'll keep my roster and just add bench players. The reality is, nobody is safe. I'm a general manager that's notorious for getting under people's skins and making trades. People hate me for that, but I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win.
How do you think your team will fare in the playoffs this post season, and do you think you can take the defending champions in round one?
Being pitted against a defending NBA champion isn't easy. The Boston Celtics are a notorious organization that push to win the NBA championship each and every year. They've maintained the same roster for a very long time so I know what I can expect.
I don't think I'm going to make it past the first round simply because the Boston Celtics are a superior team. I definitely think the series will go to either game 6 or 7 but defeating the Boston Celtics in the first round is improbable.
It's the NBA though, it's where amazing happens.
What are your off-season goals?
I have absolutely zero cap space so I'm left working with the MLE (Mid-Level Exception) which gives me $5,000,000 to work with. I plan to sign 4 players that will be coming off the bench for me and providing that spark that Brooklyn desperately needs. This will be my first free agency ride so I'm both excited and frightened.
Here is a list of the players I'm targeting:
82 Richard Hamilton
72 Kyle Korver
78 Dorell Wright
76 Martell Webster
76 Marreese Speights
77 Delonte West
75 Jason Thompson
77 George Hill
77 DeJuan Blair
72 Brandan Wright
What is your favorite deal you made in your first season as GM?
Successfully trading Russell Westbrook, Chris Andersen, and Al Thornton for Serge Ibaka, Harrison Barnes, Dion Waiters, Andrea Bargnani, and Omer Asik was by far the best trade I've made all season.
I lost my franchise center piece in this deal and some will look at this trade and think I really got screwed, but what people don't realize is how far this trade has got me. This trade has opened more doors than I can count. Every single player I received in return for Westbrook ended up being shipped away to receive much greater and better talent.
What is one you would take back if you could?
Damn, I keep looking back at this trade and thinking if I really made the right choice. I don't know whether trading Zach Randolph and Omer Asik for Andrew Bogut, Kenneth Faried, and Channing Frye was a smart move. Zach Randolph is a better player than Kenneth Faried and Omer Asik had a really good season this year. In all honesty, I'd probably go back and not accept this trade if I could. Yes, Randolph is older but he's still got a few good years left in him.
What is a deal that another GM made that you really liked?
When the Milwaukee Bucks traded away Evan Turner for Chandler Parsons. It took me a while to stop asking Glenn if he would trade Parsons.
What is a deal that another GM made that you didn't like for the team?
That's a tricky question, when a GM makes a trade that negatively impacts their team, I tend to love those trades. Maybe I'm being an asshole, but if I know this team is in my conference and getting the bad end of the stick, I get a real confidence boost going into the playoffs.
One trade that sticks out in particular is when the Denver Nuggets traded Faried, Dragic, Vucevic, and Teague, for Kyrie Irving and Carl Landry.
I feel like the Lakers should have retained Kyrie and built around him, kind of like what the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently doing. I also think the Lakers would have the best backcourt, it'd be a toss up between Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant vs Lillard and Westbrook. Lakers opted to trade away their franchise center piece though and receive 3 players that are quality starters but neither one sticks out as a clear all-star.
I guess you can say I'm being hypocritical since this is essentially the same trade I did with Sacramento, but I've managed to add superior players to every starting position on my team while the Lakers haven't managed to do that.
What is your plan for the future of the Nets?
A lot of people have been asking this. Some think I'll keep my roster and just add bench players. The reality is, nobody is safe. I'm a general manager that's notorious for getting under people's skins and making trades. People hate me for that, but I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win.