Dick Allen

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 21, 2011 -> 06:40 AM) It's the contract that makes everyone jump down Luol's throat. He's still a bit too inconsistent of an offensive player for my liking but he's a very good defensive player and when he decides to show up offensively, the Bulls are tough to beat. I don't think the contract is really that bad. Other teams won't trade for him, but I think that has more to do with the uncertainty of the collective bargaining agreement and what the cap rules could be moving forward as opposed to a guy who is just vastly overpaid. If the same rules were guaranteed to be in effect the next 4 or 5 years, I don't think the Bulls would have a hard time finding a taker.

As bad as Luol Deng is according to just about everyone, and as great as Carmelo Anthony is according to just about everyone, its shocking to note Deng actually has a higher FG and 3 pt FG pct this season and averages about 6 points and 2 rebounds less than Anthony. Don't think I don't know Anthony is the better player, but for as much as Deng gets blasted, it would be nice if once in a while, some people realize he really isn't the stiff he's portrayed to be.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 20, 2011 -> 05:37 PM) Teahen only started 49 games at 3B last year. But he was AWFUL. He's been below replacement level for the last 4 years. I don't know how one could expect him to suddenly get better over one offseason. What's the harm is saying he still has a shot to play? Why do you just hand 3B on a team trying to win to a rookie with very little experience? If Teahen hasn't made himself better prior to the beginning of the season, he's going to have a hard time getting playing time. Competition is good for everyone involved. If it puts too much pressure on Morel and he can't perform well in spring training, than he wasn't going to do much as the starter anyway. There's really nothing to get bent out of shape here. If Teahen is a better player than Morel in spring training, he'll most likely play. If he's not he won't play. Odds are he's not.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 20, 2011 -> 04:55 PM) Here is an interesting comp http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/joe-crede.shtml http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Brent-Morel.shtml I'm sure the White Sox will be thrilled if Morel turns out to be like Crede.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 20, 2011 -> 05:27 PM) So how do you supplement a non-strikeout staff? Start a TERRIBLE defensive 3B when you already have arguably the worst defensive player in baseball in RF. You don't want to do that. I will unleash more fury. I still can't get over that s***. There is always the slight possibility he's improved both offensively and defensively. If he's the same player, he isn't going to play much.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Jan 3, 2011 -> 12:44 PM) If Oney doesn't STFU I guarantee you this will be Ozzie's last season, if he even makes it all the way through. Just like Thornton correctly pointed out that you don't air clubhouse or personal stuff on the Internet for retaliation, I find it amazing that within the Guillen family this bonehead is not sat down and told to S.T.F.U. and NOW about all things White Sox. Obviously Bobby was bitter and he shoudn't have made the comment about managing the bullpen (Really, Bobby? Because Ozzie showed nothing but faith in you), but that was no excuse for Oney to go nuclear. Online, to boot. He's not a player, he's not anything but the son of the manager. His opinion is worthless. Except to destabilize the organization, which he has done before. The only thing he's going to accomplish is getting his dad fired. And nobody's going to blame KW when that happens. Ozzie knows the unwritten rules of major league baseball better than any of us. Clubhouse stuff is off limits. I'd pretty much guarantee Oney isn't going to have access to any more clubhouse material. He's going to have to live with what he's got, and he is starts blurting that out again, Ozzie will take care of it. I'm not going soft on Ozzie at all. He knows Oney is way out of line here. The other stuff, while we might believe he was out of line, Ozzie probably didn't think he crossed it as far as we think he did. With clubhouse stuff, Ozzie is on the same page with everyone else with Oney's tweets. There is a lot of stuff in Ozzie's past that if some punk spoiled adult not willing to grow up had access to twitter and an axe to grind that could have really embarrassed him.

If Teahen is better than Morel, the job is his. I believe Teahen sucks, but I don't think what Ozzie said is wrong. Competition is a good thing.

You would have to be thrilled with those numbers. I find them very optimistic.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 19, 2011 -> 07:15 PM) Nets drawing out makes this interesting. I think the Bulls can beat an NY offer, not a NJ one. This will be interesting. In the end, if Melo will sign, the Nets will be back in.

No one really knows what the recovery time or effect on Peavy this injury will have because it is unique. There is nothing to base it on. I've never heard of a pitcher with the same problem. We have to be happy nothing was torn, just detached, not that that seems minor. Throwing off a mound with almost 3 months until the season starts is highly encouraging. He was really starting to pitch well when he went down last season. He's a gigantic question mark. He may be ready to pitch opening day, he may not. He may be able to give you 50 innings or maybe 210. He may be horrible or he may contend for a Cy Young. Anyone who claims they really know how this is going to play out is full of it. Who knows what happens. Maybe his stuff isn't what it was, maybe its the same or better, because maybe this has actually been an issue for longer than we can imagine. Maybe he'll never have a problem with it again, or maybe it detaches again after a month or two. We just have to hope he's somewhere near the pitcher we belived KW traded for.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 17, 2011 -> 06:25 PM) Comments like this irk me. The Bulls ARE amongst the top 3 in the East. I think you generally overrate the Magic, but you're a fan so it makes sense. I'm not really scared of them at all, especially if/when the Bulls get healthy. The only thing you have on the Bulls is that the Magic whoop their ass once a season by 40+. It will be nice to see what the Bulls have when they have all of their players playing. If they ever have all of their players playing. They are going to be getting a lot of national exposure the next several years. As a Bulls fan, the only team that I really feel a full Bulls squad doesn't have a realistic chance to beat is a full Heat squad.

The Bulls are on a 56 win pace halfway through the regular season. Considering how they haven't had all their main guys for almost 50 games and certainly not all at 100% for probably more than 50 games, you'd have to think they have a decent shot in the playoffs of winning a couple of rounds. I think if Miami is healthy, they are the team to beat. Boston's age is going to start to show pretty soon IMO. Orlando has been playing really well with their new players, but if the Bulls are 100% healthy, I like their chances vs. any except Miami. (given that LeBron and Wade are both reasonably healthy as well)

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jan 16, 2011 -> 07:37 AM) "You've got to watch people's legs. I know guys want to hustle and everything but we all want to play and provide for our families and have a job." Oh please. I NEVER want to hear a "provide for my family" excuse from ANYONE making over $100,000. So, Bosh is really saying no one should hustle on the basketball court. If Bosh is too worried about getting hurt, maybe he should just run away from loose balls. I also suspect Bosh's max contract is guaranteed. This is one of the most lame quotes of all time. Chris Bosh should be embarrassed by what came out of his mouth. I suspect it has more to do with his status as a player vs. Asik's status. His ego needs some ice. The "provide for our families" is comical as well as Bosh has signed contracts worth over $150 million and according to wiki, I know its not Walter Cronkite, he doesn't exactly "provide" anyway: On March 24, 2009, it was reported that Bosh's former girlfriend, Allison Mathis, was seeking child support and sole custody of their child. Mathis alleged that when she was seven months pregnant, Bosh stopped supporting her financially and tried to remove her from their home.[94] Three days later, it was reported that the dispute was only over the amount Bosh paid.[95] Mathis' lawyer also told the press, "My client very much wanted this dispute to remain private. Certainly this thing did not get started by anything on our side... She is very distressed that somehow this thing got into the newspapers. She wants Trinity to have a good relationship with her dad, Chris Bosh, and adverse publicity makes that more difficult."[95]

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 04:12 PM) Karma's a b****. All reports point to LeBron likely sitting. And stubhub prices are crashing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 04:04 PM) How many of those though were in those players first year or two, where they really weren't top 10 players? Not Kobe. Also Wade was on a team that won 15 games. He only played 51. Love is a pretty good player. Is he as good as the players mentiioned? I would say no, but again, I was just trying to refute the at least .500 point. Michael Jordan averaged over 37 points a game, was first team all NBA, was the best player alive, and the Bulls weren't .500. You can be elite and play for a pretty awful team. In fact, chances are if you are a top 10 talent, you will at least for a little bit, because chances are you are being drafted by an awful team.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 11:43 AM) Completely different eras, dude. How about Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dewayne Wade, Dwight Howard? They are the same era I would think. They have all played on teams that have finished below .500.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 08:15 AM) You're better than that, DA. I know I've been kinda crazy of late. But not that damn crazy. And you can't even count one of those years because MJ missed 65 games or so. All I did was point out the flawed thinking that top 10 players carry their teams to at least .500 records. For the record, I don't think of Love as a top 10 NBA player, and would never be foolish enough to compare him to MJ, but saying he's not a top 10 player based on Timberwolves losses isn't exactly fair.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 08:13 AM) Kevin Love to MJ? Please do not compare Love to Airness. Kobe, Durant, Lebron, Wade, Rose, Amare, Dirk, Carmelo, Westbrook, and maybe even Ellis so far this year are ahead of Love. But he maybe 11 or 12. I'm not comparing anyone to the best player of all time.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 14, 2011 -> 08:28 PM) Kevin Love is NOT a f***ing top 10 player in the NBA. I care not what PER says on this subject... and points and rebounds are glamorous, but GTFO. Top 10 players don't play on 10-30 teams. They carry their teams to AT LEAST .500. He's a decent passer, and a fantastic rebounder with little competition for that statistic on his roster. Kevin Love. Top 10. NBA. GTFO. I won't even bother to comment on the audacity of calling Blake Griffin a top 10 player in the League right now. The first 3 years of Michael Jordan's NBA career, the Bulls weren't .500. I'm guessingg he was in the top 10.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Jan 14, 2011 -> 05:49 PM) Didn't somebody, maybe Steinbrenner, call Forster a "Fat Tub of Goo" at some point? Dave Letterman

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 07:11 PM) In reality, there are a couple of guys who have done it. There are many, many more guys who have tried and either had injury problems or fell apart completely. If there weren't there wouldn't be a name for it, and there would be guys swinging back and forth all of the time. There might be a couple who get away with it, but like I said earlier, guys are conditioned completely differently for the bullpen and starting. There is a really good reason why it doesn't happen all of the time. Couldn't that reason be there is a reason someone is a reliever to begin with? Almost every pitcher was a starter at some point. Whether it be lack of pitches, injury concerns, whatever, they become relievers. Then they go back to starting and fail or get hurt. Sale is a future starter relieving. I think its a totally different situation.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 06:43 PM) Santana did have innings in the minors, as did Buehrle IIRC. In 1999 Santana threw 160 innings the only time in the minors he threw at least 100. Buehrle threw 98 and 118 +51 pn the major league level. So they both jumped almost 70 innings. Buerhle jumped another 50 the next season. Sale had 135 last year. I'm sure its not going to hurt him, and if it does, he wasn't going to be much anyway. Other than helping the White Sox most, putting Sale in the bullpen also can aid another thing that is very important. His confidence. Ozzie picks his match ups. As a starter, he's going to face a line up stacked with right handed hitters. If he has confidence he'll be fine. If he doesn't, he get knocked around.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 06:00 PM) Link Buehrle was 21, Lowe was 29, Smoltz was 38 and had surgery. Ryan Dempster threw 206 innings after 4 years in the bullpen. He was 31. Chances are Sale, like any other pitcher, is going to get hurt anyway. Francisco Liriano started in the bullpen then became a starter the same season, and got injured. Johan Santana went from 43 to 108 to 158 to 228 in his early 20s and didn't have a problem. The good pitchers, it means nothing. Its the average guys who have career years and are suddenly pitching in the 7th and 8th innings when they used to get knocked out in the 5th or 6th and the next season they come back down to earth ala Esteban Loaisa. And if that study is accurate, Sale is already screwed. In college he went 36 IP to 86 IP to 102 IP + 33 professional IP.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 02:32 PM) It will retard his growth towards being a 200 inning pitcher. There are pretty clear studies that show how the growth of a pitchers arm needs to be done. Forget 2014, we don't have starters for 2012. If Sale hasn't pushed into the 160 to 170 inning range this year, he won't be ready to be a 6 inning pitcher for 2012 when we need him as a starter. Do you have a link to these studies? A few of the more famous relievers turned starters are Derek Lowe, who went from spot starter to closer to starter. His first year as a full time starter 21 wins 220 IP. Smoltz was a starter turned reliever for 5 years. Went back to starting at age 38 and threw 230 IP. Mark Buerhle work mostly out of the bullpen his first year with the White Sox in 2000. In 2001 he threw 221 innings, which is more than he's thrown in any season since 2005.

Put him in the rotation if a starter is needed long term. If its just short term, keep him in the bullpen.