Official 2006-2007 NBA Discussion Thread

[RockRaines]

I cannot express enough how much of a mistake it would be to trade Luol Deng. If you want to send away Gordon, P.J. Brown, and the pick to get Gasol then do it, but Deng is emerging as something special.

I agree and have been saying it all along. The kid is so young, and yet can do alot of things that other players cant. He is improving right before our eyes all the time and would be even farther along if it wasnt for his injury.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

I cannot express enough how much of a mistake it would be to trade Luol Deng. If you want to send away Gordon, P.J. Brown, and the pick to get Gasol then do it, but Deng is emerging as something special.

 

 

Absolutely....dont even touch Deng, he is a star on the rise.

 

Gordon is crap, a better version of Jamal Crawford.

[iWiN4PreP]

I wouldnt touch gordon or deng...

[Gregory Pratt]

http://www.slate.com/id/2159498/fr/flyout

 

Interesting article.

 

Kevin Durant is a once-in-a-lifetime prospect. The 6-foot-10 guard-forward-center is impossibly smooth and athletic. He can score from anywhere, control the boards, and is an ever-improving ball-handler. The 18-year-old University of Texas star is averaging 25 points and 11 rebounds a game in the highly competitive Big 12, making him the frontrunner to win college basketball's Naismith Player of the Year award as a freshman.

 

Durant's stock with pro teams is off the charts. Before this college season, it was a given that Ohio State's imposing 7-footer Greg Oden would be the top pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Now, everyone from ESPN.com's Bill Simmons to NBA super scout David Thorpe has decreed that Durant should be the one. Some have compared him to Houston's Tracy McGrady—except Durant is taller, a better rebounder, and just as athletic. He's not even analogous to modern marvels like Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki, very tall men with some guardlike skills. Durant is more like a guard in a big man's body. There's never been anyone like him, and there very well may never be another. But that doesn't mean he's going to be a savior for whichever team is lucky enough to draft him.

 

The very thing that makes him great, his versatility, will make Durant a mixed blessing for some eager lottery team. Basketball is a game of positions, roles, and responsibilities. Point guards pass, shooting guards score, small forwards slash, power forwards do the dirty work, and centers control the paint. A player who can do all of these things poses lots of problems for opposing defenses. By the same token, the more a player deviates from basketball's traditional typology, the more difficult it becomes to assemble a roster around him.

 

With the small, quick, athletic Phoenix Suns steamrolling their NBA competition, fans and pundits have started to think that old-fashioned principles of roster construction have become passé. Yet it's worth noting that the Suns have been hailed as revolutionaries for three seasons now, and no team has been able to assemble a roster that comes close to matching Phoenix's skill and athleticism. (The Memphis Grizzlies have tried to copy the Suns' up-tempo style this season to the tune of a 12-38 record.) Meanwhile, it's been the sturdy, formulaic Spurs and Heat—with their traditional point guards, big men, and role players—who have captured the last two championships.

 

In order to win a title with a unique player like Durant or Kevin Garnett, you need a coach and general manager who know how to handle a versatile superstar. The Minnesota Timberwolves present an object lesson in how to screw one up. Because Garnett is tall enough to defend opposing centers in a pinch, Minnesota has never troubled itself to acquire an above-average big man. At the same time, his surprising shooting range for a man of his height has masked the fact that he's not a true go-to guy. A smarter team would have recognized that Garnett, while a great player, is only a single piece of a winning team. He can play every position, but he shouldn't have to.

 

That Dirk Nowitzki has come closer to winning a title than Garnett is a testament to the foresight of the Mavericks organization. While Nowitzki has become a true inside-outside menace, he's also been complemented with Josh Howard, a true small forward, and two scoring point guards, Jason Terry and Devin Harris. The Mavs' centers, Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop, aren't All Stars, but they do allow Nowitzki to venture outside on offense, and they relieve him of the burden of defending opposing centers. The Dallas roster is designed to maximize Nowitzki's versatility, not burden him with it.

 

Whatever team drafts Durant should follow the Mavericks' template. If the Memphis Grizzlies can figure out how to implement a Phoenix Suns-style running game, they would be perfectly suited for Durant's peculiar abilities. Chicago, which owns the rights to the Knicks' potential lottery pick, already has a deep, flexible roster, a rugged post player in Ben Wallace, and a pair of outstanding guards. If the Bulls are lucky enough to add Durant, they'll instantly become a title contender. Durant's prospects in Philadelphia and Boston, his two other likely destinations, are less rosy. The 76ers are a terrible team precisely because they could never figure out how to maximize the abilities of a unique player—Allen Iverson. The Celtics, on the other hand, are swimming in young, multidimensional talent. Unfortunately, they've shown little ability to turn this mess of young players into a coherent roster.

 

Rather than place his fate in the hands of management, perhaps Durant should go the Magic Johnson route: making one position his priority without losing sight of his panoramic skills. While he ventured inside occasionally, the 6-foot-9 Johnson stuck to playing point guard, working off of MVP center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and orchestrating the Lakers' signature fast break. Oscar Robertson, best known for averaging a triple-double in 1961-62, was an all-purpose force. But it was only when he was paired with Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) in Milwaukee and focused exclusively on playing point guard that he finally got his ring.

 

LeBron James, the most talented player in today's NBA, is at a similar crossroads. James has stagnated in a Cleveland offense that has consistently failed to define his role. He wants to run more, but the team's dearth of athletic wing players means that an open-ended system isn't really an option. Again, Cleveland's best chance to win a championship is to install LeBron as the team's permanent point guard.

 

Of course, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and LeBron James have an advantage over a player like Kevin Durant. All three have the ability to play the point. It doesn't take a genius GM or a master strategist to imagine any of them as a souped-up version of the status quo. Durant, though, has no natural spot on the floor, meaning there's no easy solution to the dilemma of a Durant-based team. In this sense, it's a lot less trouble to take a true center like Oden—and, based on recent history, it will give a team a much better chance of winning it all. Durant's versatility is breathtaking, but there's a good chance it will be wasted on whoever selects him.

[RockRaines]

Why would you want to build a roster like the Suns? So you can lose in the playoffs? The Suns arent anything without Steve Nash anyway, so teams should look to pick up one of the greatest point guards ever if they want to compete.

[DBAHO]

Why would you want to build a roster like the Suns? So you can lose in the playoffs? The Suns arent anything without Steve Nash anyway, so teams should look to pick up one of the greatest point guards ever if they want to compete.

I actually think it might be different for them in the playoffs if Amare Stoudemire is healthy and playing well. Gives them that impact big in the middle they desperately need.

 

But Dallas will be extremely hard to beat though.

 

EDIT: Also look at Toronto. They were TERRIBLE last season. Now with Colangelo in as GM and the new fast break offense, they've actually been one of the best teams in the league over the past 20-25 games.

[iWiN4PreP]

depressing lose for the bulls last nite

[MHizzle85]

depressing lose for the bulls last nite

as they've all been lately.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Make a trade Pax, your window is going to close soon.

[WilliamTell]

depressing lose for the bulls last nite

 

I know this means little but it was an impressive comeback.

[Chisoxfn]

I thought we had won the game and than I saw Hinrich going nuts and realized he wasn't celebrating he was pissed at the foul being called.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

haha me too, i had the sound off and i said bulls win bulls win...woops

[Balta1701]

EDIT: Also look at Toronto. They were TERRIBLE last season. Now with Colangelo in as GM and the new fast break offense, they've actually been one of the best teams in the league over the past 20-25 games.

An awful lot of that though is the coming-of-age of Chris Bosh. 23.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg, both up significantly over last season in a couple fewer minutes per game, fouls per game down by 1/3, etc.

[RockRaines]

The fast break offense or whatever you just called it is great in the grind of the long season, but its VERY hard to win without a big man. Even the showtime teams for the Lakers that made that style of play popular had a dominant big man. We can look at all the last championship or great teams and they all (except for the bulls) had a good or great big man.

 

Make a trade Pax, your window is going to close soon.

I dont agree with this at all. They have a young core, their window will be open for several seasons, especially with the emergence of Deng as a future star. Trading for right now is not a great idea.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

The fast break offense or whatever you just called it is great in the grind of the long season, but its VERY hard to win without a big man. Even the showtime teams for the Lakers that made that style of play popular had a dominant big man. We can look at all the last championship or great teams and they all (except for the bulls) had a good or great big man.

I dont agree with this at all. They have a young core, their window will be open for several seasons, especially with the emergence of Deng as a future star. Trading for right now is not a great idea.

 

 

 

I figure the core is Kirk, Gordon and Deng. This leaves us with an aging Wallace after next year and no Center. Please explain??

[Balta1701]

I dont agree with this at all. They have a young core, their window will be open for several seasons, especially with the emergence of Deng as a future star. Trading for right now is not a great idea.

Scary thing is, you're both right. The Bulls' window for being able to compete for an NBA title probably starts this season, but depending on how the draft goes this year, injuries, and the continuing development of TT, Lu, BG7, Noc, Thabs, and other guys whose name I can't shorten as much, the Bulls have a window that could last well over 5 seasons here where they could be one of the top teams in the NBA.

 

On the other hand, Jimbo is also right in that the Bulls' window for making a trade probably closes at the trade deadline, because the trade deadline is the last day that we can turn one of our biggest tradeable assets into something useful; PJ Brown's expiring contract. Barring another major move, this may be the last time when the Bulls have a veteran player with an expiring contract that they can trade to a team wanting cap relief until Wallace's contract ends.

 

I figure the core is Kirk, Gordon and Deng. This leaves us with an aging Wallace after next year and no Center. Please explain??

Couple possible things worth noting. First, even with the cap situation, I believe the Bulls should have the veterans exemption available to them each of the next few years, which should give them roughly $5 million or so to play with in the Free Agent market, which is at least worth something and can be used to fill holes with non-superstar players. Secondly, double-T. I know he's not there yet, but we have a 20 year old kid who's 6'10" with some mad athletic skills, especially on the defensive end. With every other kid we've seen on the Skiles development plan since he took over as coach, we've seen significant improvement every year. Barring injury or trades, I think TT is going to be a dynamite player within a few years, and shoudl be much more impressive, especially on the offensive end, after another summer of work. And then that doesn't even mention that we'll probably have a pick in the top 10-11 slots in a draft very deep with big men this year, which can again help us fill that hole.

[RockRaines]

I figure the core is Kirk, Gordon and Deng. This leaves us with an aging Wallace after next year and no Center. Please explain??

Wallace isnt much of a center at this point. He adds some defensive abilty, but it killing us offensively, and hurts our pick and roll game which is the bread and butter of a team with the perimeter skills that we have. I am more in favor of building through the draft and Free Agency than mortgaging our future stars. Gasol would take Deng to be dealt, and Deng>than Gasol will ever be.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Another winnable Bulls loss...so frustrating...I'm not very interested in this team unless they do get gasol or another significant trade...some combination of gordon, tyrus, pj, and/or the pick is fine with me...

[Flash Tizzle]

Another winnable Bulls loss...so frustrating...I'm not very interested in this team unless they do get gasol or another significant trade...some combination of gordon, tyrus, pj, and/or the pick is fine with me...

I'm of the feeling now the first round pick is rather useless. What exactly can we get, considering New York isn't cooperating and the Bulls are in playoff contention? I'm not a draft expert, but are there any franchise players beyond Durant and Oden? Not any that I have heard of. Anything below five and we're drafting into an already crowded group of complimentary players.

 

Without drafting, signing, or acquiring a talent comparable to Gasol/Garnet, Bulls will be exactly how they are right now for the unforseeable future. That is, good enough to make the playoffs; but unable to do much else.

Edited February 14, 2007 by Flash Tizzle

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Which is why you pick up a star via trade. Get rid of Gordon now.

[GoodAsGould]

I think everyone needs to relax and wait to see what this core can actually do in the playoffs. Now I know we been in the playoffs the past 2 years but, the first time was a whole different team with EC/Chandler and we were missing 2 starters going into that playoffs, so its not really fair. Than last year we gave the Heat, who just happened to win the whole damn thing, the biggest fight in the entire playoffs too.

[RockRaines]

I'm of the feeling now the first round pick is rather useless. What exactly can we get, considering New York isn't cooperating and the Bulls are in playoff contention? I'm not a draft expert, but are there any franchise players beyond Durant and Oden? Not any that I have heard of. Anything below five and we're drafting into an already crowded group of complimentary players.

 

Without drafting, signing, or acquiring a talent comparable to Gasol/Garnet, Bulls will be exactly how they are right now for the unforseeable future. That is, good enough to make the playoffs; but unable to do much else.

I wouldnt say there isnt much beyond the top two picks. They should be legit stars, but there is a ton of talent coming out for sure. Trading your future stars for a player that may improve your team and may not is moronic IMO. FA and the draft is the way to build this team.

 

Which is why you pick up a star via trade. Get rid of Gordon now.

How many teams trade their leading scorer and actually get better?

[Jimbo's Drinker]

bulls, jamal crawford

[DBAHO]

The Knicks could even make the playoffs at this rate, so the Bulls may not even have a lottery pick in this year's draft.

 

I think Gasol is the man to help possibly put the Bulls over the top, and I'd include Gordon in a deal for him because of his weaknesses.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

The Knicks could even make the playoffs at this rate, so the Bulls may not even have a lottery pick in this year's draft.

 

I think Gasol is the man to help possibly put the Bulls over the top, and I'd include Gordon in a deal for him because of his weaknesses.

 

 

I agree 100 percent DBAHO