ZoomSlowik

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 02:40 PM) CP3 says he won't sign an extension with NO, and he wants to play for the Knicks. Wasn't the lockout supposed to help prevent stuff like this from happening? They might have said that, but the Miami Heat made them too much money to do anything serious about it.

QUOTE (bulokis @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 11:35 AM) The score is saying Caron Butler wants to be a Bull. He is a SF, i dont know if he can do as a SG. I would agree with that. I'm not really thrilled with a number of the guys that have been mentioned. I don't like using it on TJ Ford at all, and Battier and Butler probably shouldn't be playing SG. Honestly, I'm not sure who the best fit is of the guys that you might be able to get for the MLE. Afflalo would be nice, but I doubt the MLE is enough. Jason Richardson works on offense, but he's not terribly quick on defense and might get more than the MLE anyways. If you could somehow get vintage Brandon Roy for the MLE that'd be the answer, but that guy may not exist. Damn it, I wish the 9th would get here already so we could see some transactions.

QUOTE (TheCut87 @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 11:44 AM) Butler would be the one free agent i would like to see in a bulls uniform, i got a chance to watch him in DC alot when i lived in the virginia area. I think if we could sign him and use the clause to get out of korvers contract and possibly sign another FA SG i think we could be alright While Korver is rather limited, I doubt the Bulls would release the one player on their roster that can consistently hit the three. I would hope that the never-ending parade of bricks on wide-open 3's against the Heat still haunts their dreams, they need someone else who can stretch the floor. Butler would be a nice added scorer, but he doesn't really solve that problem and is more of a forward than a guard.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 10:26 AM) Come on zoom, the sign and trade wasn't exactly "53% or we don't play" line in the sand. System issues are a major reason they weren't playing a month ago. They've been at 50/50 for a while, the problem is the owners wanted to force a whole bunch of things that made player movement much more restricted along with it (no sign-and-trades or extend and trades, teams in the luxury tax couldn't use the MLE, ect). If the owners hadn't relented on a bunch of those things, it would be left to the courts and we know how slow that can be. Also, not every owner wants to make it harder to get superstars. The Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, Mavs, Heat and a handful of others want to keep the means to add guys that their cheaper and more inept brethren can't.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 10:18 AM) They should have eliminated sign and trade alltogether if they wanted to keep incentives high for that fifth year. Well sure, if you don't really want to see basketball until 2014.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 10:08 AM) I have to say again, what the hell was the reason for this lockout? Wasn't it to prevent these superstars forcing trades to where they wanted to go? Money. The superstar thing was among the many side issues. It also appears that they did make it a bit more financially disadvantageous to switch teams between new sign-and-trade and extend-and-trade rules and at least for now the lower max salary when switching teams (all of these guys have salaries higher than $14.5 mil right now, so they can still get raises if they stay).

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 10:33 PM) Hairston is that shooter. He had 15 points last game, and Roy's retarded subbing kept him out of most of this game. LOL, I read "Harrison" instead of Hairston and had to edit my post. Yeah, he seems like the guy and Bullock looks like he can shoot too. Those two seem like a better fit with the rest of their lineup than Strickland.

Semi-related comment: UNC looks like they're a shooter short to me. Marshall isn't really a threat to score and while Strickland is pretty solid, he's not a threat from deep. Maybe play Bullock and Hairston more often to spread the floor a bit?

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 09:54 PM) I know Harrison Barnes is injured, but he's so damn overrated. I don't know, he looks like kind of a college version of Kobe Bryant to me. Obviously not as explosive, but he has the same tendency to take some odd shots but make a lot of them. I'm not seeing an NBA star from what I've seen of him so far, but most teams would still kill to get him.

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 09:20 PM) Can we switch up this awful challenge to get other conferences involved please? These games have been beyond brutal. The Big East/SEC one would have been entertaining if they set up the right matchups. Yes, Cuse/Florida and Louisville/Vandy are nice games, but instead of adding an epic Kentucky/UConn game and another solid one with Pitt/Alabama we get those last four teams playing games they should win by double digits.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 08:42 PM) 1) Because Evan Turner and Iguodala are very similar, they want to free up space for Turner at the 2, and Doug Collins LOVES Deng. 2) That was thrown out there because Boston is looking into that exact deal. Didn't pull that out my ass. 3) Asik, Brewer, Bobcats Pick, and our first and saves money and lets them prepare for when the Heat/Bulls/Celtics/Knicks get older. If you're not one of those four or the Hawks in the East, things are bleak. 4) See above ^ And Noah for Dwight has never been mentioned. There have been Asik+ Pieces for Granger, Rondo to Pacers for Collison/Hibbert, those pieces + picks for Paul, and the Celtics wanting to pair Dwight/Paul rumors mentioned. So before you add that last bit, the only part I "made up" was Iguodala which is very plausible. 1) And Deng is very similar to Young, a player they're not going to get rid of unless he gets an insane offer sheet. They also play Iggy at SF, they start Holiday and Meeks in the backcourt. They don't need another expensive wing player, they need to get bigs and/or save money. 2) I never said you pulled it out of your ass, I said it's highly unlikely. We've already heard that NO wouldn't do it for Rondo and that Paul wouldn't sign in Boston. That rumor lasted really long. 3/4) How does it prepare them for anything? Those pieces are all pretty terrible at the moment. The only way that turns out well is if they tank and hit in the lottery. Rondo/Brewer/George/Hansbrough/Asik would score about 50 points a game and outside of Rondo doesn't feature anyone that looks like a reasonable bet to be an All-Star in the future. Just because it's "been mentioned" doesn't mean it'll happen. I'm sure the Bulls are offering that and will likely get laughed at. Your scenario proposed not one but TWO deals that favor the Bulls by a fair amount, which is why it's highly unlikely.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 07:22 PM) sigh...what was this lockout for again? Hey, at least wait for Nene or Marc Gasol to get a $70 million contract before you say that!

Just saw this blurb on ESPN: If the Hornets really have better offers than a solid (albiet flawed) 25 year old PG, I would think Paul doesn't finish the season in New Orleans.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 05:47 PM) Not necessarily. In Thibs' defensive system, SG and SF are interchangeable, so Granger could theoretically play the 2. But, if we were to obtain Granger, I'd see it as this package: Asik, Brewer, Bobcats pick/First and multiple 2nds, and Bogans (to make it in the cap). Now, the rumor is the Pacers want Rondo for Collison and Hibbert, so they might clear it out to make space for Rondo to be the star in a defensive lineup of Rondo-Brewer-George-Hansborough-Asik. The Celtics would flip Collison/Hibbert/Picks for Paul and try to sign Dwight with their remaining cap space. Then the Bulls have this starting five, Rose-Granger-Deng-Boozer-Noah. That's a good starting five, but Granger/Deng is a bit redundant. Now, one team has been interested in Deng in the past...the 76ers. A Deng for Iguodala swap could interest and benefit both teams, leaving us with... PG - Rose/Watson SG - Iguodala/Korver SF - Granger/Butler PF - Boozer/Gibson C - Noah/FA (Thomas?) There are so many conditional things in there the odds of it happening are quite slim. -Why would Philly trade a better wing player that isn't significantly more expensive for Deng, especially when they also have Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner at the SF position? -The logistics of a Rondo/Paul/Pacers 3-team trade are crazy, and if Paul really won't re-sign in Boston that talk is done. -Granger is Indiana's best player and the Pacers haven't shown much interest rebuilding. If they were going to move him, they supposedly could have had Al Jefferson (who's only a year older than Asik and far better) last year. -That would be an absolutely awful team that you have the Pacers fielding in that scenario, and it's not like they'd be getting an amazing pick haul out of it. The Bobcat's pick is so heavily protected that it's going to either be a late lottery pick or they won't get it until 2016. I have to imagine they'd be able to get more than a heavily protected/late first, two mediocre veterans, a raw backup big man and a few seconds for a player of Granger's caliber. Why not throw in the Bulls trading Noah straight up for Dwight while you're at it?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 04:41 PM) Steve done made a mess of another thread. someone get a mop rumors i have read today Bulls interested in Battier, Butler, TJ Ford Also rumor that Bulls are trying to get Granger for Asik and pieces That would be amazingly awesome, but sounds ridiculously unlikely.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 02:46 PM) Where'd you get that list from? Some site called bracketscience.com. I googled NCAA Tournament performance against seed expectation and that was the first result.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 12:08 PM) I'd like to see if someone has run some sort of weighted ranking of NCAA success to seeding. I feel like every year Duke is given a 1-2 seed (usually undeserving). Are two wins that tough with such a high seeding? The average number of wins for a #1 seed is 3.36 and for a #2 seed it's 2.43, so yes, Sweet 16 is a bit of an underachievement. However, performance against seed expectation by coach: Tom Izzo- 1.013 (4.9 average seed) John Beilein- .775 (10) Steve Fisher- .72 (6.7) Jim Larranaga- .661 (12.8) Rick Pitino- .584 (3.7) Mike Davis- .577 (5.5) Mike Anderson- .569 (8.4) Billy Donovan- .559 (4.4) Sean Miller- .486 (7.5) Mike Krzyzewski- .477 (2.2) Even with a much higher wins expected total than everyone else, he's among the better coaches in PASE. Several of the guys in front of him had one good run as a lower seed that boosts their number considerably. When Duke is a #1 or #2 seed, it's not possible for them to get a +4 that would boost his ratings considerably. Edit- For some reason, Brad Stevens doesn't appear to be on the list. Not enough games to qualify? I'd imagine he's #1 by a decent margin.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 29, 2011 -> 10:46 PM) Didn't Roy have one great game during the playoffs? Yes, he had a stretch or two where he hit like every jumper. He also had an entire season where he needed 11 shots to score 12 points per game. I'm not even saying I'm anti-Roy, I'm just saying make sure you're not signing him based on what he used to be only to regret it later.

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 29, 2011 -> 07:58 PM) Georgia Tech is really disappointing. That's pretty much been the case for the last decade. Tons of good recruits and future pros but only one good tournament run.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 29, 2011 -> 07:55 PM) Looks like Michigan is overrated again I'm not really sure what to think of them. They seem to have a lot of decent players, but no one they can count on to carry them every night. Hardaway can do that but didn't tonight. They need some more consistent production.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Nov 29, 2011 -> 06:02 PM) If he was at 70% and signed for the MLE it would be a huge steal. 70% is probably what you saw last year: a guy that struggles getting to the rim and isn't a good enough shooter to still be an impact player. Now if he shows a fair amount of his old quickness and explosiveness that's a different story, but in that scenario any team with cap space would sign him on the spot.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 29, 2011 -> 04:19 PM) Even in a shortened season I'd be worried about Roy's knees suddenly going out. That's the problem, they already did. He was a shadow of his former self last year. Granted if he is remotely close to 100% it's a steal, but if he shows any of that in workouts he'll go for above the MLE.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 29, 2011 -> 02:54 PM) We haven't even gotten a vote on the new CBA yet, and already the Paul to NYK stuff is starting... http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id...new-yorks-hopes Crap, that lower max contract helps the Knicks a lot. Paul would only be giving up like $1 million. On the plus side, the Knicks would still have pretty terrible defense. Edit- After reading a John Hollinger article on the subject, I am quite wrong. The Hornets would still be able to give him raises based on his past contract figure, which would mean his deal could start at over $17 mil if he stayed. The max the Knicks can do even if they got rid of everyone but Stoudemire and Anthony would be a deal starting at $13.5 mil. That means he'd have to give up something like $40 million on the next contract to play with Amare, Melo and a bunch of league minimum guys. It's even less if they keep guys like Fields, Shumpert and Douglas. They paid their two studs a lot more than the Miami Heat guys AND gave up all their assets to get Miami so a trade would be tough.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Nov 28, 2011 -> 03:37 PM) What's the scoop on NC State? I know they have a great recruiting class for next year, but how are they playing this year, anyone seen them? Basically, what are the Hoosiers chances, given that they're playing in Raleigh? Probably a toss-up. They trailed most of the game against Vanderbilt (they led by 1 late but faltered) and beat Texas. Their D looks suspect on paper and they only have one shooter, but they're athletic and have some size. CJ Leslie is a stud.

Miami @ Purdue Northwestern @ Georgia Tech Illinois @ Maryland Michigan @ Virginia Clemson @ Iowa (neither one is good, so I'll go with the home team) Duke @ Ohio State (Blue Devils look like they have more weapons) Indiana @ NC State Penn St. @ Boston College (both of these teams blow) Florida St. @ Michigan St. Virginia Tech @ Minnesota Wake Forest @ Nebraska Wisconsin @ North Carolina Big Ten eeks it out mostly because of the middle tier teams.