Here at NBAToday.net, CEO Shooter has finally handed the ‘The Boardroom” keys over to Janitor G  where the best sports and NBA bloggers on the net shall meet at least once a month, to answer some scintillating questions about the NBA (Yes…I just used scintillating. It’s that serious). We will have 3 guests today, along with one of our very own to answer these questions. Let’s introduce the inaugural Board members.

Joining NBAToday.net staffer The Basher (@NBAToday) who’s bio can be found here, we have:

• Jason Clinkscales, a sportswriter for the NY Beacon, an African-American weekly newspaper, where he mostly covers the NY Giants. He’s also covered the Knicks, Liberty, and St. John’s Red Storm (Artest anyone?). He maintains his own blog that is a must read, and he can be reached on Twitter (@asportsscribe) as well.
• Q, an avid basketball blogger who maintains 2 blogs: Dribbledrive5.webs.com & basketballjunkies123.wordpress.com. Both of his blogs provide insight on all levels of the game. You can find Q on Twitter (@Qhaynes17) or e-mail him at Qhaynes22@yahoo.com.
• Lucas Shapiro, who blogs about all levels of basketball, with a specialty dealing with the NBA draft. His blog is excellent and he has had articles featured on www.dimemag.com (Article 1 and Article 2). Also, be sure to check out his podcast! He can be found on Twitter as well (@In_N_Out_NBA).

Now that we’ve met our guests, let’s get down to the questions and their responses:

A month into the season, which team and/or  player has suprised you the most, in terms of success?

Jason Clinkscales: The Milwaukee Bucks come to mind. Brandon Jennings is obviously the leader of the charge, even if there was some prodding to make him a scorer. There’s a decent offensive balance between some other players in the rotation (Charlie Bell, Carlos Delfino, Luke Ridnour, Andrew Bogut, Ersan Ilyasova and Hakim Warrick). Scott Skiles has built a defensive presence with this team as well. The Bucks now know that anything Michael Redd can provide is a bonus whenever he is able to suit up.

Channing Frye has surprised… well, seemingly everyone who saw him play in New York and Portland. Frye was the only player that actually thrived in Larry Brown’s lone season as the Knicks head coach, but when Isiah Thomas and Nate McMillan needed a little more assertiveness from him, he responded with apprehension. He’s found a good flow so far in Phoenix, mostly by showing a range we didn’t even see in his college days.

Q: I’m surprised the Bucks are doing so well. Going into the season, the team looked hopeless but with Brandon Jennings dropping 20 a night, I see some success this year. It’s tough to name one player who surprises me, but I have two. Joakim Noah is looking like the big man we saw at Florida. Josh Smith is impressing me as well. He looks like for the first time in his career, he cares.

Lucas Shapiro: The player that has surprised me the most this season has been Atlanta Hawks’ Power Forward Josh Smith. Smith has completely redefined his image this year, going from disappointing headcase, to All-Star in one year. While watching a few Hawks games this year, it looked as though Smith has taken over the leadership role and could be their current franchise guy, rather than Joe Johnson. He’s on pace to break the all-time block record after being the youngest player ever to reach 900 career blocks and projects to be a perennial All-Star if he keeps up his great play.

The Basher: The Mavs are a team that has surprised me so far this year.  They are 14-5 and one of their stars in Josh Howard has only played 3 games all year.  Eric Dampier, their starting center, recently missed 8 games, but role players like Drew Gooden and Kris Humphries filled in nicely.  Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki are scoring the ball at a combined 44 ppg and the savvy veteran Jason Kidd is distributing to everyone on the team.  The Mavs are full of aging veterans like Shawn Marion in addition to Kidd, Terry, Dirk and Dampier, who just know how to play as a team.  Granted I did expect the Mavs to be good, maybe 12-7…but definitely not 14-5 with Howard missing all those games.

I had a whole list of guys who have been very impressive this year (most on losing teams ironically) such as: Monta Ellis, Lou Williams and Chris Douglas-Roberts but I chose Aaron Brooks.  One of the main reasons is because his team is winning and they are playing to the tune of a 10-8 record (I like to call them the “Houston Reserves”).  Brooks is averaging 16.6 ppg and 5.5 apg on 45% shooting from the field.  Brooks has really stepped it up a notch this year and has become Houston’s go-to-guy.

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Which team currently under .500 could you see rising from the ashes, into an eventual playoff team this season?

Jason C.: They are no longer the team that made six straight conference finals, but I think the Detroit Pistons have a good shot. The Pistons sit at the bottom of the Central Division at the moment, but at least they can say their two best veteran players (Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince) have been hurt. Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villenueva may be the future, but these two guys bring that late-season and playoff savvy. Even more than Milwaukee, the eventual return of Hamilton puts points on the board while Prince will add some defense.

Q: Charlotte Bobcats. With the addition of Stephen Jackson to Gerald Wallace,Tyson Chandler, Boris Diaw and Raymond Felton, this team will be a tough team to deal with. Look for Gerald Henderson, Ronald Murray, Derrick Brown, and D.J. Augustin to fit into LB’s system

Lucas S.: The Clippers are currently playing barely under .500 and this is without Blake Griffin. Once Griffin comes back, this is a playoff team. Chris Kaman has been playing at an All-Star level, Al Thornton has improved his shot selection, and Eric Gordon has the ability to make players better around him. Baron Davis has been inconsistent but should blend well with Griffin. The reason they are a playoff team is that they have the perfect blend of youth and veteran players. This is something that other Western Conference teams fighting for the 8th seed, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings, do not possess.

The Basher: In the preseason I predicted the Bobcats to make a playoff berth, as they almost did at the end of last year.  So far they are the 8^th seed in the East, but are an abysmal 1-7 on the road. But, I still think they can make the playoffs because the last 2-3 seeds in the East are usually below .500 anyway.  Out West I’m going to have to choose…the Clippers.  Once Blake Griffin comes back he will be a much needed boost off the bench at the PF position.  The Clippers are just 2.5 games out of the 8^th seed right now which is currently owned by the Rockets whom I think the Clippers are better than.  Kaman is healthy and playing like a beast and Eric Gordon is finally healthy and dropping 18 a game.  Baron Davis hasn’t shot the ball well all year so I anticipate him heating up soon.  I’m not saying the Clippers are going to make the playoffs but I do think they have a legitimate shot to contend for the 8^th seed.  Call me crazy but Blake Griffin COULD be that difference maker, he IS that good.

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Do Dennis Rodman and/or Mark Jackson belong in the Hall of Fame? Rodman is known mostly for his antics, but was a ferocious rebounder. Meanwhile, Mark Jackson is third all-time in assists in a career, but was only an All-Star once.

Jason C.: It’s not farfetched to see that Rodman’s off-court behavior will keep him from Springfield a bit longer than some of his contemporaries. However, this is one of the great rebounders and defenders of all time. Sure, he played some mind games to make his defense that much more annoying to his opponents – just ask Karl Malone – yet, he stuck out as an elite defender in what was THE defensive era of the NBA.

Jackson is a tougher case, because the number of teams he played on, though I argue he should also go in. Third-best all time in assists meant that his coaches and teammates had faith in his decision-making, from the leaping pre-injury days of Patrick Ewing to the best screen user of the past twenty years in Reggie Miller.  Keeping in mind that he was a star player at St. John’s as well, there aren’t that many collegiate players that had such a lengthy pro career, let alone twelve years as a starter in the NBA.

Q: Both should be in the HOF. Rodman was a key component on 5 title teams. His rebounding and defense paved the way for undersized Power Forwards. There will never be another Dennis Rodman. As for Mark Jackson, “Action Jackson” should be in the HOF as well. Top 3 in assists? Name someone who’s top 3 in any major stat and not in the HOF? He also brought in that bigger PG era ( Magic was a SF with PG skills).

Lucas S.: Dennis Rodman is a Hall-of-Famer in my mind. Regardless of his antics, he won 5 NBA championships and was a two-time Defensive-Player of the year. He also led the league in rebounding in 1992-98. For a guy who was only 6’8″, it is truly impressive what he did. Mark Jackson on the other hand, does not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. He never won a championship, played for 7 different NBA teams, and his assist totals were a product of playing around many great players like Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller. You must stand out among others to reach the Hall of Fame.

The Basher: Dennis Rodman ABSOLUTELY has to make the Hall of Fame.  He was the most dominant rebounder for basically a decade and the rebounding champion for 7 straight years . In a span from ’91/’92-’97-’98 his lowest rebounding total was 14.9 rpg and the most he averaged was 18.7 rpg.  Rodman may have been crazy but he was also a 5-time NBA champion, twice with the Pistons in ’89 and ’90 and then as part of the second three-peat Bulls from ’96-’98.  Rodman was a 2-time defensive player of the year and a 7-time first team all defensive player.  He didn’t do much on offense but that’s because he knew his role and played within himself.

Mark Jackson on the other hand I don’t think is a Hall of Famer.  As G mentioned in the question, he was an All-Star just once, but never dominated at any point in his career.  Yes, he is 3^rd all time in assists but he played for 17 years and only  played less than 72 games twice in his career; that’s a hell of a lot of games.  For his career, he averages 9.6 ppg and 8.0 apg which isn’t anything special at all.  A guy I compare him to today is Rajon Rondo.  If Rondo plays for 12 more years, will he be a Hall of Famer?  Granted he did win a championship but he isn’t a dominating type of player.  What if Rondo finishes his career with 1 championship and a ton of assists?  Is a guy like that a Hall of Famer?  I don’t think so; I look at a Hall of Famer as someone who dominated something at some point in his career.

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New York Knick Legend, Patrick Ewing, has told the NY Post that he’d love to coach the Nets, and has been an assistant coach for years with the Orlando Magic. Should any team (Hornets, Nets, etc) looking for a new coach for next season consider Ewing as a candidate? Why or why not?

Jason C.: I don’t think it will hurt for either team to take a look, but the Nets shouldn’t see it as an attractant to sell tickets in the NYC market (coaches don’t sell, players do). However, I’m not sure if either team should; not because he wouldn’t be able to, but little is known on how he works with smaller players for anyone to know if he can coach an entire team.

I see Ewing as a guy who can make a cottage business of being a coach for big men. His work with Yao Ming and Dwight Howard are the most notable, but it’s hard to imagine that other bigs in his stops in Washington, Houston and now, Orlando, have not picked up something from the Hall of Famer.

Q: I say it really depends on the other coaching jobs and candidates. Ewing can be a great coach but I suggest bringing a lot of good assistant coaches around him. To be honest, I would love to have the Knicks fire D’Antoni and add Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson as coaches on the staff ( Ewing would be the head coach).

Lucas S.: The idea of having Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach is great. For him to be a head coach may not be the same. Everyone talks about how he has helped Dwight Howard with his footwork and defense but this is just one player. He seems to be good at mentoring players but could he lead an entire team? Obviously, he’s going to emphasize on big men, so New Orleans may not be a good place for him. I like the idea of him working with Brook Lopez in New Jersey, but what is the point when he’s coaching the best center in the NBA right now?

The Basher: As a Nets fan I would absolutely take him on the Nets.  Who knows if he will be a good coach or not but he sure as hell beats Kiki being GM/coach right now.  Not only that, with a budding star in Brook Lopez it will definitely prove useful that Patrick Ewing is around to help develop his talent.  Look at Dwight Howard and the player he has become; I think it would be huge to have a former great big man as a coach to help a 2^nd year player.  HIRE EWING!

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Well there you have it ladies and gentleman. The board has spoken. We would like to thank our guests, Jason Clinkscales, Lucas Shapiro, and Q for their opinions. If you’d like to find out more about these gentleman, please check their information above.

Before we close the door, please leave your thoughts on these questions! Do you agree/disagree with our panelists? Let us know in the comments’ section.

-G