nitetrain8601

BTW, it's been reported Joakim was offered 5 years/57 million a few weeks ago, and was none too happy about it. Apparently, he's looking for max money, or at least what Bynum got. The reported figure when the story first drop was higher for the initial offer.

Harris is more of a scoring combo guard. The plan in NJ is to matchup Melo and Lopez, possibly bring in a guard next year, and build the rest with role players. It would make them a perennial playoff team which would be good at first, but I don't know how much farther they would get. I think they're better off keeping Favors. I think he has a ridiculously high ceiling.

Jets are a talented team, but they are overrated IMHO. Sanchez is not the QB everyone thinks he is. They're a playoff team, but I just can't see them beating the elite teams when it comes time.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 23, 2010 -> 06:47 PM) From the White Sox perspective, why would they give Ozzie an extension now when they control him for 2 seasons? I think KW did the smart thing as stayed above it all and quoted JR as being on his side. Obviously this is a childish fued that needs to stop one way or another. Telling Ozzie to go make a deal with another team and the Sox will discuss compensation with that team is the way I would go. Pinella netted the Mariners Randy Winn. The Marlins are always looking to dump some youngster about to get paid closer to what they are worth. Its a match made in heaven. I wonder if Oney does Ozzie's prep work for him. One day Ozzie is talking about a team that dropped 6 games in the standings in a week as a team that doesn't quit and how proud he is. The next, he's looking for an extension. If he didn't like his last extension, again, I wonder why he signed it. Good post. I wonder where it'll go. Honestly, I think both KW and Ozzie end up staying.

I'm in between them all. I like Ozzie, but no so sure to what degree if it comes down to obtaining a different manager. For example, if we hired Cito Gaston, I'm sure we would've loved some of the moves he did in game, but at the same time, would have hated his lack of feel for the game. Like when a pitcher is hot, and he takes him out just to put in his closer who the hitter is batting .097 against in his career. Then the closer gives up a blown save. I'm sure soxtalk would be asking for his head for taking out such a hot pitcher for someone else just to play a numbers game. Bottomline, if we win with any manager, we're going to need the horses. At first I wanted to see Ozzie go, but now after thinking about it, I'm not so sure. Who else would be significantly better? I sure wish his kid would shutup about team business though.

QUOTE (Brian @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 06:40 PM) 4 more wins for the Vegas over bet Vegas knows what they're talking about.

From Wojo: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AvxF...questions092210

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 06:28 PM) A higher pick means nothing. There are too many variables in the baseball draft to think a spot or two matter. I'd think you would say Teahen "screwed us over" by maybe impressing somebody to not get rid of him this winter. Hopefully Kotsay simply won't be invited back. Thanks for the victory today, though, Mark and Mark. I'll take it. This team won't lose 13 in a row and tie for the all time record White sox losing streak. Guess I should've used green.

QUOTE (knightni @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:50 PM) James Bond drinks martinis, plays Baccarat, drives Jaguars, and wears tuxedos. If you de-Bond him like they've been doing, you might as well make it a Bourne movie. Aston > Jaguar Martinis = teh suck Hold'Em > Baccarat He wore tuxedos with Dan Craig. And last, but not least, Vesper > Any Bond girl ever.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:13 PM) I believe I'll be taking my talents to NBA 2k11 this season. The Elite demo was pure TRASH. This is coming from one of the biggest NBA Live fans around too. So disappointed. The demo did some good things. The bad things are, the remote at times is unresponsive. And the controls take some getting used to. But the controls in the end are great at the same time. I liken it to FIFA. Total control with the ball. I think it can be great a few years down. I also liked the Legendary mode. No doubt about it though, 2k11 seems like the better game this year though.

QUOTE (Felix @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:50 PM) Media Day for the Timberwolves is on Friday, with Training Camp starting the next day. I'm really looking forward to this season, for some reason. You're a T-Wolves fan? The bright side is, their uni's are less horrific. And they got a decent player in the draft. I still see them in the lottery. And that's honestly what they need. They need to load up on young good talent so they don't get stuck in mediocrity again.

Even when the Sox win, Kotsay and Teahan screw us over. Worse chance at a higher pick thanks to them.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:21 PM) I could see it possible that the Sox decide they have no other closer option and offer Jenks like $2 million to come back...but frankly...this has more hallmarks of a breakup than Ozzie and Kenny do. I would as well, but Jenks would easily get more than that on the open market from some team. And that team won't be the Sox. QUOTE (sin city sox fan @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:23 PM) I think Sale could be effective as a closer, but I really don't want him there. He's too valuable as a starter to not develop him in this postition. Lets start him in AA or AAA....if he develops as hoped for, he'll be starting in the bigs by the all star break. Agreed. I want him as a starter to see what he can do. Then again, the first time his arm falls off, it's to the closer's spot for you kid.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:25 PM) I'm not sure that I believe this 100% yet. Melo didn't screw over a city...but he hasn't had the chance. True, but unless he goes on ESPN with Bob Costas, LeBron wins be default. Also, he's made it known to the Nuggets that he doesn't plan on being there. LeBron on the other hand kept implying he would stay after just going on a FA tour to feel some outside love. In reality, he planned on leaving for about 3 years.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:00 PM) Here's the way to look at it...he's not worth $12 million per year under the current cap...but he's at that level where a lot of teams would jump at paying him $12 million per year if he hit the open market (see; this year's FA period). Therefore, your choices are to pay him that much, trade him, or let him walk for nothing. I've cared about the Bulls keeping salary under control for too long to really care any more about whether or not JR winds up paying the luxury tax. If he doesn't think that this team right now is championship-caliber and at the level that he'd go into the tax for...then he's not going to ever go into tax territory for a team until the Heat are dismantled. He'd probably have gotten close to $75 million or so had he hit the FA market this season, because that's just the way things have been going. A new CBA will change those things. If the Bulls are willing to go to 5/$60, they'll get it done, because between injuries and the new CBA that's an enormous amount of security they'd be offering to Noah. And that is all true. He's going to get paid by someone, a crazy amount of money. So is he worth it? Is there going to be someone who can somewhat fill his shoes for cheaper? At what point do the Bulls walk away from the table? I think if you end up with the same team, it makes sense to keep him at the 75 mil mark. But if you plan on trading Deng for Melo, you might want to look at moving Joakim somewhere at some point in time(if not for Melo) because you're going to have a lot of money on the books for a long time. Keeping Deng and Boozer will allow for flexibility within 3-5 years as Boozer will retire or command a lot less dough, and Deng will just command less dough or leave.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:00 PM) I'm not sure there is a single in this post that is true. Carmelo is a far more inefficient scorer than LeBron and shoots a lower percentage from 3. The fact that his TS% is so much lower and his 3 pt percentage is lower indicates in fact that LeBron is the far better scorer and that he can't hit from anywhere with consistency. LeBron made a living off of alley oops? Get the f*** out. He might get one a game at most. Also, Melo got to the line 9 times a game LeBron 10 last year. Guess what, great players get to the FT line. LeBron>>>Melo at everything on the basketball court. I didn't take into account Mike Brown's offense, so my bad. LeBron did play in a horrific offense that was simple. So while he got to take whatever shot he wanted, he also had every defense gearing against him. You win. Melo is still a great player, and Lebron didn't want to come here. Also, Melo is less of a dbag than LeBron.

Jenks won't be back. I can almost guarantee it. I'd expect Sale to close before Bobby with the White Sox.

QUOTE (kev211 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 03:19 PM) Had that jersey in red(50th anniversary), but I've always wanted the shoes and could never find them in my size.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 09:33 PM) Obviously you have been sniffing glue. Or everyone else in the world has. At the very least, I have sparked debate in the film thread. My plan has worked. QUOTE (knightni @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 09:37 PM) The whole "International Texas Hold Em" thing made me not take that film seriously. James Bond does not play Texas Hold Em and neither do foreign evil doers with giant scars. The whole texas hold'em thing made me feel closer to Bond. I can't explain it, but it drew me in a bit because I was wondering where they were going with it. QUOTE (IamtheHBOMB @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 10:59 PM) Why even compare them? Totally different kinds of movies. Because a different genre can be compared too. Overall, I think that's the order of entertainment. Think about it. People compare Jordan to Wilt and Bill all the time. At the same time, I can still sit here and say Jordan was better than Bill and Wilt even though they were different players. QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 07:48 AM) I enjoyed Casino Royale a lot, QOS was garbage. The writing difference between the two was night and day. And knightni, how could you take ANY of them seriously? If that's your criteria, there is no point in watching any of them. I've had a couple people who read the novels tell me that the closest Bond to the books was actually Timothy Dalton. Dalton who, BTW, I think was decent in his first Bond film, but was given utter garbage to work with in the second. Its Fincher directing, and I have yet to see him make a bad film. Casino Royale was the best. I can't really say much about the other ones, but I will say Craig was the best Bond ever. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 08:17 AM) You didn't like a guy racing across a glacier in Iceland followed by a giant space laser? Why not? Anyway, my biggest problem with QOS is that it was "bourne" type filmmaking taken to an extreme. Rather than actually having legitmate action in a lot of scenes, they rely on rapid-camera angle switches to give the illusion of rapid action. (compare the chase scene at the start of QOS with the chase scene in Tangiers in the 3rd Bourne movie in terms of how they're shot). It wound up being just distracting to me. Eh, I thought it was good. Especially when showing the car chase in the beginning. It was no Casino Royale though. That chase was better and the picture was flawwwwwwwless. QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 09:49 AM) Probably his worst movie, but I thought it was decent. Never seen it, but people tell me it's not so great. Might catch it on BlockbusterOnline.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 04:42 PM) Nothing there says that he turned it down. In fact, Kennedy speculated that it's a sign the Bulls are really serious about keeping him. I'd guess that the deeper meaning is "The Bulls and Noah's camp have been talking for a while and that's somewhere in the neighborhood of the number they're talking about". It was reported elsewhere, he was looking for 70-75 million dollars. I'll try to find it. Bulls are serious about keeping him else they wouldn't have started talking to him first. Noah really wants to stay in Chicago. They both love each other. It's a matter of how much. I see a deal getting done and the Bulls overpaying. It's just a matter of is it going to be Tyson Chandler/Luol Deng type of overpay. Honestly, I would not give him more than the 12 million per year. Heck, I'm not sure I would've offered that.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 04:02 PM) How does this make any sense at all when LeBron has been a much better scorer than Melo not to mention being the much better passer, ball handler, rebounder, and defender. Makes perfect sense. Melo is the better pure scorer. And I said he's a better fit because of that. He's better at outside shooting, he has an excellent post up game, and he can pretty much hit it from anywhere with consistency. LeBron had all the freedom in Cleveland's offense because they never surrounded him with any sort of scoring talent outside of Mo Williams who is not really a scoring talent. 'Bron made a great living off of fast break points, alley oops and the FT line(as well as crab dribbles). Now in terms of the other thing, I really won't dispute because I can't. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 04:22 PM) One other thing worth noting...Thibodeau supposedly clinched the job with his discussion of how he would employ a Drive and Kick style of offense with the DR1 field and Brush Mower. VDN, on the other hand, as we all know, employed an offense heavily reliant on the pick and roll. In particular, it used the high pick and roll, with Noah usually heading out front to set a screen for Rose. Rose was fast enough that from the outside if you gave him separation he could still break down into the lane, but the fact that you're starting high and taking Noah out away from the basket meant that the only guy left down low who could be an option to dish the ball was Taj Gibson/Brad Miller/whoever else was in the game. ON top of that, the guys that were outside of the lane (Deng, etc.) weren't either outside shooters nor were they in position to take advantage of Rose's penetration with an open shot if he did break down the defense (This is why Deng's hanging out by the 3 point line without moving was so frustrating). Without an outside threat, the high pick and roll basically gave Rose 1 option; drive and try to score. He needed to be better about drawing contact, everyone ought to be able to agree on that, but it's worth stressing that ball movement wasn't going to be a practical result of VDN's offense. The Drive and Kick style combined with some level of (less formulaic) pick and roll, along with a better set of outside threats and a legitimate inside scoring threat ought to improve those assist options substantially. Sounds like the Dribble Drive Motion offense which is the same thing Boston was running(hybrid version) and what Derrick ran at Memphis. Doesn't lead to many assist opportunities unless you have great shooters like a Ray Allen. I'm guessing Korver will play that role. I've explained before how the offense works in full detail, but it shortest words, it's not all that complex either. It's more or less freestyle type of play which promotes athleticism(which we have for the most part).

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 04:04 PM) By the way...I'd like to add here...I haven't seen the explicit reports that "Noah turned down a $12 million a year contract" and if you have a link saying that I'd like to see it. Most of what I've read has been along these lines...they've been talking for a while, there seems to be agreement that something will get done, but it hasn't gotten 100% serious yet. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bu...60-million.html Alex Kennedy originally reported it on his twitter.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 08:22 AM) Bah...once you got to pick 10 this year...the real franchise quarterback in the draft was gone. At that point you're picking between over-drafting on Tebow, Over-drafting on Claussen, etc. I don't think any of those guys would have worked out better than Edwards in the long term. If you want to complain about them taking a RB instead of a position where there was still likely quality available...you complain about their O-Line. They've built a decently talented defense especially in the secondary, they've coached their defense well...I think Edwards is probably a better QB than what he's showed in his career there...but their O-line makes the Bears look built. So draft an O-Line. Trade down and grab McCoy or Claussen and also a lineman. I don't think Edwards has anything other than backup QB written on him. I think Clausen will be better than him. Only thing is Clausen is a dbag.

BTW, Rose is not a great playmaker. He's a great player, and he's a very good passer, great ballhandler, etc. But he cannot playmake, nor does he have excellent vision. At least not yet.

Melo would be a better fit than LeBron. The reason for that is, the Bulls need someone who can take the reigns and score at will when it comes down to it. The only team Melo can't really figure out is the Lakers. Rose will play that LeBron role, Boozer, that low post scorer role, and Melo that "take over, get me the damn ball and watch me score" role. I'd trade Noah for Melo, if for nothing else, the contracts. Noah turned down 12 mil a year already. Anything more than that and you're entering Tyson Chandler garbage contract territory. If you trade for Melo and keep Noah, you're going to have to give someone up anyway because the Bulls can't pay for Rose, Melo, Noah and Boozer all at the same time. To get great players, you need to give up at least very good players. Noah is just that. I like him a lot, but I wouldn't keep him over Melo.