thxfrthmmrs

Quinn seems like an attractive name based on the Seattle connection, but I am not sold he's ready to be a HC.

The Bulls have too many one way players outside of Butler. Every lineup Thibs puts out there there's a weakness that could be exploited by the other teams. The Wizards starting 5 are just more complete than ours at the moment, I think their starters have outscored ours by 40 points the past 2 games. It's not hard to see why, all of them are respectable scorers and are capable defenders. We need Rose to show up on defense, Dunleavy has a lot of value in stretching the defense and he needs to play, we need Noah playing on 2 legs not 1. Even then I am starting to warm up to the Gasol-Gibson front line.

Someone with Synergy subscription can back me up here, the Bulls are just awful this year against the pick and roll plays.

We plateaued after the Rockets win. Everything was downhill from there.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 14, 2015 -> 04:58 PM) Of course no team in NBA history under .500 this far into the season has won an NBA title so....history is against them. Think of all the teams in the east with legit big guys that will destroy them. Wizards, Hawks and Bulls... The thing is you could name weaknesses from all the top teams in the East. Washington doesn't have reliable perimeter scoring, Atlanta lacks rebounding and legit sixth man, Toronto doesn't have front court depth and is 1-4 against Bulls and Cavs, and we all know Bulls have their own issues. OTOH, the Cavs have as much strengths as any teams in the East. I feel like the issue here is there were such high expectations for that team to be good right out of the gate, even taking into account the adjustments they need to make in learning to play in the new system with new players, but no one expected them to fall below .500. If you look at it objectively though, they went through an adjustment period for the first 10 games or so, then went out a 13-4 stretch before Lebron went down. Then they lost Varejao for the season and locker room starts to divide during their losing streak. I feel like a lot of the panic right now is just overreaction. Objectively, they aren't that far from our original predicitions. When healthy, this team is still one of the best teams in the East, and there's no reason to write them off now. P.S. I think Shumpert could be the glue guy for their team. He will bring skills to the 2 guard position that Miller and Marion just doesn't have.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 14, 2015 -> 04:30 PM) Meh, but their offense is better than those teams. Who knows, we're just playing theoretical matchups right now. Until they've proven they can't win when they are healthy, writing them off would be premature.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 14, 2015 -> 04:10 PM) Atlanta's D is pretty damn good. They are good, but they aren't shutting down the firepower of Cleveland for 7 games kind of good. We aren't talking about the Pacers of the past 2 years, the 2011 Bulls, or the great Celtics or Pistons D of the past decade here.

The addition of Mozgov and especially Shunpert will help their defense a lot. With guys like Mike Miller, Marion, Thompson, and JR. coming off the bench, that isn't the definition of "no depth". Locker room is a concern, but winning solves that. Look, if LeBron wasn't injurred the last 10 games or so and they went on to go 1-8, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. If they continue to fall into mediocrity with a healthy Lebron for an extended period of time, then yea we could write them off.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Jan 14, 2015 -> 02:04 PM) No they won't. A healthy LeBron can't change the fact that the Cavs have weak bigs, a healthy LeBron won't help Kyrie and KLove not suck on defense, a healthy LeBron can't change the fact that the East top teams are actually good this year... They won't be winning playoff series with their defense, but their offense had a chance to be best in the league, and still does. It isn't like any of the top teams in the East are defensive juggernauts and could shut down their offense. Let's not forget they went on a 13-4 run before Lebron went down 2 weeks ago. Counting out a team with that much talent while they are just going through injuries is a little premature.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Jan 14, 2015 -> 11:59 AM) But they are going to the ECFs! I don't look like quite the idiot now when I kept saying during the summer that they wouldn't be that good this year Chill out dude. The Bulls aren't the lock you think they would be as well. The Cavs will be in the thick and thin of the road to ECF with a healthy Lebron.

The Hawks rested 3 starters tonight (their coach Mike Budenholzer is a Popovich guy) and still had 34 assists on 42 made baskets. That's frankly astounding. Budenholzer might be one of NBA's best kept secrets.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 13, 2015 -> 09:43 AM) Three big things holding this team down: Rose, Noah and Thibs. Which is crazy to say but it's true. Rose's defense is atrocious, as is his jumpshot. Teams are going under the pick and roll so he'll shoot, and Rose is taking them for some stupid reason. He's hurting the offensive flow when he's in the game, and his defense, well, is just terrible. Noah. I love the guy, but he's either hurting our out of place or something. He looks terrible. He still makes the occasional great play, but on defense he and Pau are not communicating enough. And his offense game is non-existent. Thibs. Tough to criticize the man, but his substitutions are terrible. He keeps defensive guys in there (sans-Taj) when they're down 15. What they really need is their explosive offensive group out there - Pau, Mirotic, Butler, Snell/Moore/Rose and Brooks. Let them run and gun. And it so happens that Mirotic, Snell and Moore, along with Butler, have been playing some fantastic defensive minutes the last 2 weeks. I don't understand why Moore isn't playing over Hinrich at this point. He's looked really good all season. There's been nothing I've seen that indicates that Hinrich is a better option at this point. Moore is younger, more athletic, more explosive and has a better get-to-the-rim game. I don't agree with this. Defense is this team's identity and they have always relied on defense to win games. And guess what, their defense was awful last night (has been for a while now), you can't blame the guy for trying to enforce better defense with that lineup. Run and gun is not Bull's strong suit, you can't beat Orlando in their own game, especially when Gasol was the slowest guy out there and was beat on numerous occasions getting back on defense. I think the blame on Thibs is he didn't put a different look on defense when Vucevic was just abusing Gasol out there. We played too much man to man and there was no way Gasol could have stopped him. In games like this, you'd like to see more traps, double teams, or even some zones. We just let their offense get too comfortable out there, as evident by only forcing 10 turnovers. If fact, we're 29th in the league in opponent turnovers, that has been one of our biggest weaknesses this season.

I like this forum because there is something for everyone. Heck, there are even guys who post exclusively on Slam or the NBA thread and you aren't sure if they are actually Sox fans

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 03:45 PM) and i am not disputing you or your hard work to present this. all i am saying is i think it would behoove him to get that extra work in the minors. if the coaches who really know more than i would ever gather, if they say he is ready to move to the majors. then so be it. i just don't want anyone to rush him. second, the sox had him work on other pitches and to forgo the slider. so it is obvious that they, the sox, wanted him to work on his other pitches. next yr for the sox is going to be great, i would like the sox to have the starters ready to carry the load. not to have the wheel fall off. I agree with everything you said about his current development status and his need for work in the minors, I am not pushing him to the bullpen if that's what you're thinking. When I talked about floor in the original post, I was talking about his worst likely outcome, not current prospect profile. Unless you are debating whether or not Rodon has a floor of a league average starter and the ceiling of an ace, then I think we are talking about different things lol.

He penciled Detroit in at #6. He must be betting on Verlander returning to form this season, because as of now, Tigers' playoff rotation is two deep, and Sanchez's health is always question mark.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 01:24 PM) i don't know about his slider, i will give way to others opinion on that. they prob know more than i. however i still think he needs more seasoning and more work. he can't depend on that slider alone. It seems you're disagreeing with my assessment of his floor. Most people would agree that he's not ready for the majors right now, so you are correct in saying that. But that's not the same as saying what his floor is. A floor for a prospect is his worst likely outcome, while ceiling is his best likely outcome. When you say that he needs "more seasoning and work" and hinting that he won't be a league average starter at the moment, that's saying what his currently profile is, not his floor, because that's the worst outcome, not the worst likely outcome. He's likely to at least improve his command some what and be at least an average starter. I don't know where you got the impression that he's a one pitch pitcher. Here's a detailed scouting report on Rodon from Fangraphs by Kiley McDaniel in case you missed it. Keep in mind McDaniel usually projects on the conservative side, so you should interpret it your own way. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-...cago-white-sox/ In summary, with some work, he'll likely have 2 plus pitches along with a wipeout slider. If he can slightly improve his command, he'll be an average starter. If he can significantly improve his command, he will be the ace of the rotation. Note that McDaniel labeled his prospect risk as low, suggesting he'll likely at least reach his floor.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 01:11 PM) with his future looking good, i would most assuredly let him develop in the minors on his overall pitches. he is far from the finish product many have thought, esp having a slider as your #1 pitch. he is no Sale. That's more of a testament to how good his slider truly is. I think his slider is already better than most front line starter's best pitch in the majors. It's not a knock against his fastball, which is currently a 60 pitch. He still has a lot of work left on his command and also need to work on the change up. With that said, his floor is relatively high based on his two major league level pitches and the likelihood that he will develop an above average change up.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 11:58 AM) And if the perimeter D crashes down, they can pass out to great 3point shooting. Yeesh. OTOH, if everything is tighter, if the guards crash on the pick and rolls harder, the bigs crash on the 15 footers harder, etc. The hawks don't have many players who can create space off the dribble. Teague will need to break down everyone, which maybe he can. Basically, we hope the bulls have that extra gear we believe they have. I am still a bit bitter by how well Korver has been playing after he left the Bulls. 50-50-90 anyone? I think the East is lucky that they don't have a Curry, Durant or even a Derrick Rose who can take over in the 4th quarter. IMO that's what holds them back from being a true favorite.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 12:40 PM) that football picture is kool as hell. now that is a bold statement. when i said this several months ago, i think i got skinned. but i agree. everything will need to click, pretty much like it did with Sale. with Anderson, i am all for him. i am really excited about him. i can't wait for spring training. I have friends who went to FSU and they been called the Criminoles since this crab leg incident As for Rodon, I think that assessment is general consensus unless people are playing extremist and think that he won't develop the change up and wind up in the bullpen.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 11:33 AM) Honestly, Atlanta is not getting credit because they are a boring market with no stars. I'm worried they are about to be the Memphis of the East, who basically stormed the western conference in 2010 when nobody thought they were that good. They have not stopped winning. They play great D and offense. They made the Bulls look awful when they played. And yes, what the bulls give up on D (15 footers to big men) are a strength for the Hawks. When watching the Hawks Wizards game yesterday, this was exactly what worried me, and we know Horford and Millsap are capable of doing that night in and night out.

BP has always strived to distinguish themselves (having a Top 101 instead of Top 100 is trying a little too hard). They have always been high on Beck. IIRC, they had Beck at 3 or 4 last year, despite averaging around 4 k's per 9 innings in A ball. I would also take Rodon being #2 with a grain of salt. Most of us have been following Rodon closely last season, and I think from what we've read, he's a pretty safe bet to be at least an average starter and ace potential if he reaches his ceiling. Placing a bigger question mark but not a higher reward guy like Anderson over him might just be a statement on their part.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 12:04 AM) I'm not worried about them. Only team I really don't think we matchup with well are the Wizards. Washington front court size could potentially give us some issues, but I think we would beat them handedly in last year's playoff with Gasol, Niko, and this version of Jimmy Butler, with or without Rose. The Wizards are largely the same team from last year, but replaced Ariza (who was huge in that series) with old man dbag Pierce. On the other hand, I don't think Teague has been getting enough credit this season. He may be playing better than John Wall depends on how you look at it, and the duo of Horford and Milsap is heads and shoulders better than Gortat and Nene. Let's not forget they are actually under salary cap. I think it's highly likely they bring in a bench scorer like Kevin Martin at the trade deadline.

QUOTE (SleepyWhiteSox @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 08:02 PM) Can the Bulls beat Atlanta in a series? QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 08:41 PM) Not with the current versions of Noah/Rose. All of their big men, Horford, Milsap, Antic, and Mike Scott play at the mid range. Gasol and Noah would have to move out of the paint to defend them. Jeff Teague runs a lot of drive and kicks, Rose would have to defend the pick and roll well without the help of a rim protector. So yea, I don't like the match up at all.

QUOTE (Señor Ding-Dong @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 11:32 AM) Let's say Brantly does win the backup catcher job; where does that leave everyone else? Kottaras would be a sure bet for Charlotte, but who would be the other AAA catcher? Nieto or Smith? Who would start, Kottaras or one of the younger guys who should be playing everyday? Smith seems ready for AAA and probably doesn't need to repeat AA at 26-years old. Would it be good for Nieto's development to go from a full season in the majors to AA instead of AAA? ML: Flowers/Brantly AAA: Smith/Kottaras AA: Nieto/Whoever It'll be even more interesting if Kottaras win the backup catcher job. Barring any transactions, that'll leave three guys who should all be playing everyday in the minors (Brantly, Nieto, Smith). The difference in talent level between AA and AAA isn't significant enough to have a strong opinion in one over the other, but I would say it will most likely be Nieto at AA since he's spent the least time above A ball out of everyone. Smith and the loser of Kottaras and Brantly battle will split time at C, 1B, and DH at Charlotte. I am leaning towards Kottaras making the opening day roster.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 06:02 PM) Peyton looks done. He's been lackluster for almost the entire second half of the season. It's not just Peyton, the whole offense just lacks any sort of explosion running its routes, and Peyton isn't able to lead his receivers with his mid range throws. You'd expect more from a dynamic offense like the Broncos.