Balta1701

QUOTE (kapkomet @ May 3, 2009 -> 06:34 AM) He didn't. So answer me this: if all this stuff is Bush crapping on the Constitution, then why doesn't Congress pass the laws necessary to ensure there is no ambiguity in the future regarding these very laws? I know the answer, let's see if you do. They did, in 1978, it was called FISA. Collecting information on U.S. citizens without a warrant for reasons other than national security was prohibited, plain and simple. If the President decides to murder someone, Congress doesn't have to go and re-declare murder illegal to try him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 3, 2009 -> 10:42 AM) Ben is going to go to where ever offers him the most money. In a year when the cap is expected to contract, and everyone is saving for next years class, there might not be any other offers, other than a one year deal from the Bulls. There are a handful of teams that actually do have the cap space to make some moves this offseason. Detroit and OKC currently have over $10 million that they likely will spend, Memphis could offer a Max deal but they're highly unlikely to do so with anyone, Atlanta could have some cap space but they're going to lose a lot if they hold either Bibby or Marvin Williams, Minnesota has about $7 million, Portland can go $3-$4 million or so, and Toronto has about $7 million but again I think they're not likely to use it. OKC I could see legitimately offering Gordon a good chunk, although that'd be interesting after trading for another SG that they'd like to develop in that Sefalosha kid. Detroit isn't going after Gordon. Atlanta has a fairly good scoring guard in Joe Johnson. Toronto and Minnesota could legitimately make a run at Gordon, but they can't offer him much more than the MLE without moving players. After that, a lot of teams can maybe offer the MLE. And let's not forget, there are still some decent names on the FA market other than Gordon. Iverson, Marion, Boozer, Turkoglu, possibly Marvin Williams, Artest, Odom, Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, Andre Miller, Chris Wilcox, Mike Bibby...it's a crowded veteran market already, and not many teams have more to offer than the MLE. Gordon is almost sure to have to go a sign and trade route if he thinks he's going to get more than the MLE...unless something crazy happens like how the Clippers found their space last year by letting Brand walk.

QUOTE (SleepyWhiteSox @ May 2, 2009 -> 10:41 PM) Isn't wade gonna come? Here's the problem with Wade. The Bulls best bet right now to get any of the 2010 guys is a sign and trade. They're a couple million dollars away from being able to offer these guys a full max contract unless the economy dramatically improves next year or they manage to move someone. And...if they have any interest in holding on to Gordon, they can't hold on to Gordon and keep their 2010 cap space without moving Deng...it's impossible. So, if the Bulls want a shot at Wade, they need all of these things to happen: they need to let Gordon go, they need to move Salmons, Deng, Hinrich, Noah, or Tyrus and in exchange manage to cut probably about $3 million in salary for 2010, and they need Wade to actually leave Miami and come to Chicago, probably taking less money in the process. Reality is...it's going to be far easier for the Bulls to do a sign and trade to pick up Bosh than it is to grab one of the 2010 guys after they actually hit the FA market. It even can give the Bulls a shot to resign Gordon...because the Bulls could move their current salary to pick up the guy in a trade, and then still have money under the luxury tax for a Gordon extension...they never have to go below the cap if they do it as a trade.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2009 -> 07:51 PM) I thought the Supreme Court was about interpreting laws, not perspective on issues? I thought the issues were supposed to be decided by the legislative branch? Then it's time to tear up that old Constitution and replace the vagueness of so much of it with a 300000 page specific document spelling out in exacting detail what should be done in every single case. Otherwise, there's going to be interpretation and perspective in everything...because what one person considers to be a vital right may be something that 8 other men simply can't understand.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2009 -> 07:50 PM) Because no one wants to be a part of the banks while the government is able to tell them what to do at the drop of a hat. My point exactly. Because no one's dumb enough to be an investor in the banks when they have an idea of what's still coming through in terms of the loans they made. The government could be doing absolutely nothing and you'd have to be a fool to invest in most of these banks. Hell, just go up a few posts and look at the Alt-A reset peak that's still coming. If I had the money I'd so be shorting these guys right now. Even where they still are. Because the only reason why they exist at all right now is the government, and there are at least 3 huge hits still coming in the Alt-A resets, the collapsing commercial real estate market that is just starting to hit right now, and the credit card debacle that is coming.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2009 -> 07:48 PM) Bottom line, the Bulls still need a legitimate post player. They will never be more than a mediocre playoff team without one. If the outside is closed, they have no other options to go to, and the game breaks down. Go back and look at the second quarter as the perfect example. Shocker here...I disagree with you. The dominant post player just isn't the way the league is going. The more athletic guy is how it's going. Even the dominant post guys now are guys like Pau Gasol, guys who are much more athletic than anything. I think you can easily survive with a PG led team that gets reasonable play from its front court...if you game plan to be that kind of team and don't play the kind of ball that requires a post player. The Bulls keep insisting on playing like Orlando, and then they keep acting surprised when they find out they're missing Dwight Howard.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ May 2, 2009 -> 07:45 PM) Any one else feel good to see Rondo hit the floor hard on back to back plays? I smiled... then laughed wen he just laid there to milk it. He didn't go down nearly as hard as the time he spent on the floor would have justified. I wish Noah had slammed him down harder.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ May 2, 2009 -> 05:24 PM) a total waste of resources. You have described in 5 words America's entire war on drugs.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ May 2, 2009 -> 06:52 PM) It should be the best person for the job. I HATE it that it "has to be a woman, black, woman, hispanic, woman, minority, did I say some kind of minority"? That's bulls***. Pick the best person for the job from the legal perspective. But, as always, it won't be. Just last week, the Supreme Court took up a case of a 14 year old girl who was strip searched looking for the evil that is ibuprofen. So you had 8 men and 1 woman sitting there hearing about this little girl having to take her clothes off while other people watched. The one woman was actually basically the only one with any perspective on it, and it just went over the heads of the rest. There are what, probably 500 or so people, maybe 250, in the country who you could easily argue are qualified. But when you have a court that only represents 25% of America...that court isn't going to have the perspective on other issues that by all accounts it should.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2009 -> 07:17 PM) Secret Cabal? Hell companies are BEGGING to give up TARP funds, and for many companies those have been pure profit. It's happening right in front of our eyes, just like I said it would when GS said they wanted out. And you'll notice...none of them have been able to do so despite wanting to do so for months now. Why? Because they can't raise the funds anywhere else! Goldman keeps saying it's going to pay back the money as soon as it can raise more private capital. And they flat out can't do so.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ May 2, 2009 -> 07:16 PM) So, whenever we got it close, Gordon takes a crazy ill-advised shot, Boston would then build up their lead again. Ben, you are good, but you havent learned... and you never will. You always want t be the hero and never learned to be patient. You never learned. Good luck with some other team next year. It's not Ben's fault though! Ben Gordon is good at what he does...he's a spot shooter who can drive sometimes. He's not a guy you isolate over and over again, it's not his job to break down the defense. They never had an answer for Rose going in to the lane and breaking things down, but they wouldn't set that up. They needed to alternate between Rose and Gordon pushing it in and trying to break it down/draw fouls on the guys, and it would have helped if they'd had extra height in there rather than random outside shots from Hinrich, but instead they'd give the ball to Gordon and stay out of the way, rather than running a normal offense. For about the first 10 minutes the Bulls had excellent ball movement, in and out, side to side, generating open shots, especially for Gordon. Then they just stopped moving the ball. Not sure if the Celts had something to do about it, I'd bet the fact that we went small constantly was a big part of it because we couldn't play inside and out, but the Bulls are going to be most effective on offense when the ball is moving, not when they're isolating and standing around.

And Tyrus played what, 18 minutes? The whole 2nd half, we never switched up from the small lineup. 4 guards and either Noah or Miller. We played right in to their hands. I've realized that no Bulls Coach is ever going to play Tyrus. They always get seduced by the small lineup, whether he's being effective or not, or whether size is killing us or not. They'd rather lose with the small lineup than risk having him do something wrong. It's time to trade him. If you're in a series like this and you're going to bench him for the 2nd half in every game regardless of how it goes, then there's no reason to keep him. Please somehow move him in a deal for Bosh. I'm so sick of seeing him on the bench for us while we lose games because of the small lineup.

QUOTE (danman31 @ May 2, 2009 -> 06:57 PM) Fixed. Rose's defense was better this series, especially the last 2 games, than it was most of the year. The problem is our defense can't defend the pick and roll, every time there was a switch it put them completely out of position and you wound up with Rose having to guard Davis or Perkins, over and over and over. You can't have 6 foot guys guard 7 foot guys and expect to win! The Bulls switches were just remarkably stupid. How many times can they score off of that before you make a change coach? Please!

God damn this has been such a ridiculously frustrating game to watch in the 2nd half. How many times can this exact same thing happen: Bulls have the small lineup in. Miller is the only big guy in, along with basically 4 undersized players. They give the ball to someone, drive towards the lane. Miller moves out to double, leaving either Perkins or Davis guarded down low by Rose or Gordon or Hinrich, and we're shocked, shocked, shocked that a point guard can't stop a 250-300 pound, 7 foot center. Over and over and over. For the entire 2nd half other than about 6 minutes we went with the small lineup. We benched Thomas for the entire 2nd half practically until both other C's fouled out, and he was putting up some solid efforts on defense on those big guys until we benched him. And then how many freaking times can we give the ball to Gordon and then have 4 guys standing around watching, unmoving, on the other side of the court, where Gordon just has to shoot over someone? Salmons too, but they did it all the damn time with Gordon. This team is so damn poorly coached. Miller don't leave the big guy if you're the only one, Derrick Rose can not guard Glenn Davis!!!!

4 people injured when part of the Cowboys practice facility collapses during a practice. Update: 7, one seriously. Cowboys special Teams coach supposedly left on a stretcher with his neck in a brace (probably precautionary). Seems highly likely that some of them were players/coaches.

QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 05:42 PM) So there are others, huh? My 4 year old son is a huge fan and can sit through a whole game and ask questions that are Jermaine, er germane to the action. I am so confident that he would not mess up a game experience for me that I took him to the first home playoff game last year. It was a make-up since I left him home for the blackout game. He was pissed at me for days about that. He loves AJ, Jermaine, CQ, and especially "Alisay". Even asks when Dayan Viciedo is going to play. One of the first things I can remember is going to a game for the wrong team in Chicago when I was 4. Had front row seats, missed a foul ball with my glove as it was going by, had it handed to me by one of the guys from the team I won't mention. Think it was Sandberg in hindsight.

Illinois has 3 confirmed and 85 probable cases.

QUOTE (knightni @ May 2, 2009 -> 01:32 PM) Jack Buck on Kirk Gibson's HR too. That was what I thought of on that call too. Except Buck still had his voice when it was over.

Anyone who wants to hear the radio call of Noah's slam by Swirsky, it's at about 1:00 in this ESPN clip.

Graph of the day:

The Indians have called up LaPorta. (Along with Josh Barfield and infielder Luis Valbuena). LaPorta was 25/75 with 5 home runs in AAA to start the year.

Jesus H. Christ. There's not enough lobbying money in the world to convince me this is a good idea. How in the world do they own the government this completely? They haven't collected the FDIC insurance fees in a decade. There are right now 3 or so banks being seized by the FDIC every single week. The insurance limit was raised last year, dramatically increasing potential costs to the FDIC. And the banks can still find a way to lobby to avoid the insurance payments.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ May 2, 2009 -> 08:50 AM) Not enough backcourt/wing defense and not enough frontcourt scoring among this current group to be a serious contender in my opinion. The hope for me is get Bosh or Amar'e, perhaps find a good wing defender in the draft, and hope Rose improves on defense. My impression is that we've actually got guys who can develop in to that...especially if we can revive Luol Deng to anything close to what he was 2 years ago. If you can move Salmons back to SG instead of having no choice but to put him at SF, and you can use Deng as an 18/8 kind of guy in the front court who occasionally can create his own shot...oh, and you transplant someone else's brain in to VDN, then I think those problems will develop themselves away. But like I said, I've been wrong before. Which is why the move for Chris Bosh is the one I'd be willing to make.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ May 2, 2009 -> 08:45 AM) I'd be willing to do just about anything at this point to get Stoudemire or Bosh as long as Derrick Rose remains on the team. The Bulls played a lot better down the stretch, but this group as assembled isn't going sniff the NBA Finals, so i'm willing to try anything. I wonder if they could deal for Bosh and somehow keep Gordon this summer (seems doubtful.) I disagree, I think this group as assembled could easily develop in to a Finals team within 2 years, but I've been totally wrong on saying that about the Bulls before, so I can't even count on that assessment. I didn't want Amare at the trade deadline, because I'm still not an Amare fan. But if there's anything the Bulls can do to pull off Bosh this offseason, this would be the time to do it. 2 first round picks, $10 million+ of expiring contracts for next year, Tyrus actually improving and rebuilding his trade value, and the Bulls not yet good enough that all of our picks will be after 25.

Scoop Jackson on tonight's game: