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rangercal Grand Master

rangercal

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wow. This was really hard to read.

 

The 3-year-old son of ex-Chicago Bull Eddy Curry was covered with blood when he was found near his dead mother -- apparently from trying to get her to wake up.

 

The boy is believed to be the only survivor of a weekend shooting that killed his mother, Nova Henry, 24, and his 9-month-old sister, Ava.

 

Police had a man in custody Sunday whom they were planning to question about the murders. He was picked up Sunday at a Comfort Inn in Michigan City, Ind., said a Chicago Police source. The man had a romantic relationship with Nova Henry, the source said.

 

Investigators also are talking with the toddler to see if he can provide clues about the slayings.

 

"With such a young child, we are being cautious and sensitive," Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said in an e-mail Sunday night.

 

A child psychologist was being used to gently probe the child's memory, said Nova Henry's grandfather, Wardell Luvert.

 

"Little by little, he's saying things," said Nova Henry's great-aunt Dorothy Luvert.

 

Police said Curry is in no way implicated, and several relatives of Nova Henry said they suspect a former boyfriend, whom they described as a stalker. Detectives were looking for a "known acquaintance" of Nova Henry, Bond said.

 

Curry, 26, a center with the New York Knicks, was in Philadelphia with his team Saturday night.

 

About 6 p.m. Saturday, Nova's mother found her daughter and her granddaughter, Ava, dead of several gunshots in a condo in the first block of West 15th Street, police said.

 

But the son Nova had with Curry was found unhurt nearby. Curry's attorney, Kelly Saindon, confirmed the 3-year-old boy is Curry's child. The boy's name is Nehemiah, according to Nova's step-uncle Tom Henry.

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DBAHO Grand Master

DBAHO

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Saw this article on Hoopsworld;

 

The Chicago Bulls are in trouble. There's just no way around it. A team that came together and really overachieved two and three seasons ago now looks like a league doormat despite having considerably more talent than some of the league's other bottom-feeders.

 

So what's the deal? And what can be done to fix up the franchise? That's what we're going to look at today. How would Joel Brigham, senior writer for HOOPSWORLD and primary guy on the Bulls beat, fix the team he grew up watching and loving, even through the Jalen Rose/Eddy Curry years?

 

Buckle up, folks. It's about to get messy.

 

What's Good

 

The first step in fixing what's broken is deciding which pieces can be left alone. Derrick Rose is the face of the franchise and clearly is the best chance Chicago has of sending their first player to an All-Star game since Jordan was still in uniform. Clearly, he stays, and everything else you do needs to work around him.

 

Beyond that you have to look at guys that can really succeed playing alongside Rose. Ideally you'd like to see a bigger guard in the back court that's not going to hog the ball on the offensive end of the court (basically the antithesis of Ben Gordon), so Hinrich and Gordon, though decent, aren't the long term answers in the backcourt.

 

In fact, there's only two guys I'd definitely keep. One is Tyrus Thomas. He'll make great leaps as soon as he's given regular minutes and confidence from coaches, and in the right system he'll be fantastic. His speed and athleticism could make him the perfect running mate for Rose long-term. I'm not willing to trade him and see him pan out for somebody else.

 

What Can't Be Changed

 

The other guy is Luol Deng, who's always going to be a second fiddle but now gets to be with Rose slowly taking over the star role. Not that the Bulls could do anything with Deng, anyway, since he's going to make an increasing amount of money between now and 2014, making it unlikely the Bulls could trade him even if they wanted to.

 

But they shouldn't want to. Since coming back from his ankle injury this year he's been a legitimate double-double threat night-in and night-out. Plus, when it comes to hitting open shots on the wing he's one of the best in the league, making him a perfect sidekick to go alongside Rose, who can drive and slash and help Deng get his shots.

 

On the other hand, Larry Hughes absolutely has to go, but he's not going to go this season. Nobody's going to trade $13 million in assets for Hughes this year because they'd be making that trade for the player. Next season, however, his will be one of the biggest expiring contracts in the league leading up to the biggest free agency class of the decade. He'll be valuable, but he isn't yet. So hold onto that asset until it's actually got some value, and re-visit the Hughes talks this summer. Chicago would probably get more value out of him then, anyhow.

 

What Doesn't Matter

 

Drew Gooden, though clearly successful at times this year, has absolutely nothing to do with where the Bulls are headed. His contract expires this summer, and I'd just let that happen and move forward with Tyrus Thomas as my starting power forward. Gooden's injuries have made it easy to give Thomas and Joakim Noah more minutes, but I would keep that up even when Drew is back and healthy. It's time to breed the young guys, and since Gooden doesn't matter for the long term, he doesn't get any minutes. Sucks for a veteran, but it's what's best for the franchise.

 

What Must Be Changed

 

Cash out bad contracts and get as much value as you can from them. Chicago shouldn't be looking for more lottery picks, but instead for talented young guys and cap space. Given the right opportunity, I would move the following players without hesitation: Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon (sign-and-trade this summer), and Andres Nocioni. If at all possible, I give a gander to available power forwards, namely David Lee and Elton Brand. If either of those two are available and can be had for any of the three pieces above (plus Noah or Thabo Sefolosha as sweetener), I do it. Throw in picks or cash if you have to, but get a guy that can score the ball down low. And no, Aaron Gray doesn't count.

 

This is a team that's also going to need a new coach. Rose's comments that not all the Bulls are responding to Vinny Del Negro is not a good sign, and as soon as I was given the green light by ownership to let him walk, I would. Nothing against Vinny—he seems like a nice enough guy—but he's just not made of the stuff of NBA coaches. Let's get somebody in here that can help the team win.

 

As for GM, I'm not convinced that John Paxson is the right guy to get things done, either. He's been a little conservative as general manager and has let some pretty interesting rumored deals slip by him. He loves the guys he's drafted maybe a little too much, and that could be hindering his ability to pull the trigger. It could be time for a change of pace there, too, though I'm not sure a lot of Chicago's problems couldn't be solved just by a simple coaching change.

 

Putting It All Together

 

The Bulls need to build around Rose, Deng, and Thomas. Anybody else on that roster is expendable. Sign on some veterans, trade away some of the iffy contracts, and do everything you can to turn draft picks into tangible NBA talent that can make an immediate impact. No more lottery picks, no more silly extensions, and no more bad coaching. If Chicago can accomplish all of this, they'll be right back in the thick of things. Just look what Chris Paul did for the Hornets; with Derrick Rose you could do something similar. All we need is time and a little shrewdness.

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Balta1701 Grand Master

Balta1701

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I'm not sure how I see Thomas right now...but that's pretty much all correct. The problem is finding an actual trading partner willing to take any of Gordon, Nocioni, Hinrich, or Hughes. And getting some actual development minutes for the guys who might benefit from them. And having the guys actually benefit if they do get those minutes.

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Steve9347 Grand Master

Steve9347

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I give a gander to available power forwards, namely David Lee and Elton Brand. If either of those two are available and can be had for any of the three pieces above (plus Noah or Thabo Sefolosha as sweetener), I do it. Throw in picks or cash if you have to, but get a guy that can score the ball down low. And no, Aaron Gray doesn't count.
I swear I didn't write that article, but I could have.

 

Might as well make a bit of fun of it though. Wow, REALLY!? We should trade our big contracts for young talent and cap space?

 

What a wild and crazy idea!

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SoxFan1 Grand Master

SoxFan1

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QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 03:10 PM)
I swear I didn't write that article, but I could have.

 

Might as well make a bit of fun of it though. Wow, REALLY!? We should trade our big contracts for young talent and cap space?

 

What a wild and crazy idea!

Kaman, O'Neal, Brand, and Lee can all probably be had, but our GM is much of a f***ing idiot to realize that.

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Steve9347 Grand Master

Steve9347

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QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 02:18 PM)
Kaman, O'Neal, Brand, and Lee can all probably be had, but our GM is much of a f***ing idiot to realize that.

Oh, I'm sure he realizes it, but that would involve him giving up parts of his messed up core.

 

Hinrich

Gordon

Deng

Nocioni

Tyrus

Noah

Thabo

 

None of them have still yet to be traded. Isn't that unbelievable?

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DBAHO Grand Master

DBAHO

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QUOTE (JorgeFabregas @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 03:18 PM)
He has Tyrus as the PF of the present/future and the Bulls trading for a starting PF...

To be fair, David Lee could probably play as a C, even though he's not all that great defensively.

 

I think he's a keeper for the Knicks though.

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Balta1701 Grand Master

Balta1701

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QUOTE (DBAHO @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 12:32 PM)
To be fair, David Lee could probably play as a C, even though he's not all that great defensively.

 

I think he's a keeper for the Knicks though.

I feel like his name has come up in trade rumors quite a few times but the Knicks are hesitant to do anything that would involve them taking on any dollars past the end of 2010.

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Steve9347 Grand Master

Steve9347

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 02:50 PM)
I feel like his name has come up in trade rumors quite a few times but the Knicks are hesitant to do anything that would involve them taking on any dollars past the end of 2010.

Why is that?

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DBAHO Grand Master

DBAHO

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 03:50 PM)
I feel like his name has come up in trade rumors quite a few times but the Knicks are hesitant to do anything that would involve them taking on any dollars past the end of 2010.

The Knicks have been trying to find a good big man for years, and they shouldn't let go of one who averages a double-double and shoots 57% from the floor.

 

I could definitely see him and Stoudemire playing together as well.

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Balta1701 Grand Master

Balta1701

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QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 02:53 PM)
Isnt Boozer going to be a f/a this upcoming season, anyway we can find a way to sign him and maybe trade for another big man using Hughes expiring contract for next season?

The Bulls have no cap space to sign a FA, they'd have to do a sign and trade this offseason. That is possible using someone like Gordon or Hughes or Hinrich or Nocioni, but that means that the other team would have to want the guy coming back at the price coming back. The reality is that teams like Miami, who have cap space this season, can outbid us by a bunch as things currently stand. If the Bulls make no moves (Including letting Gordon Walk) then they can have a reasonable amount of cap space after 2010, but probably not enough to offer a max contract to Bosh/Lebron/Wade without another concurrent move to clear a little more space.

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RockRaines Grand Master

RockRaines

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Ok, so I watched the Bulls game last night to determine for myself where the real issue is. I came away with a few different thoughts.

 

The best lineup on the floor when I was watching was: Heinrich, Thabo, Rose, Deng and Tyrus with an occasional sub by Gordon. The reason I was impressed by this lineup was the passing first and foremost, the defense and also the speed that they played. I was reminded of a time when a 6'8" Magic Johnson was the tallest man on the floor for the 1979 Lakers. I am not trying to compare the two teams, but this was the first time I think I actually grasped VDN's system.

 

DRose is VERY good on the break, and in the secondary break. He runs a half court well, but obviously is good in space when matched up 1v1. Deng was much more aggressive in the game because I think he does better when running down the wing given an option to drive or pass instead of being a pull up player. Gordone and Heinrich are better spotting up for kickouts and Thabo looked fantasic making plays, passing and playing great defense. it was the first time I actually thought the team was running an actual offense with a purpose. COULD we run a smaller team and run and gun? I am not sure, but I think Rose is a pretty good player to build around if you want to play that way. The backcourt trio of Thabo, Kirk and Rose was fairly long, defended well and was unselfish.

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