DBAHO

It's so funny that so many Bulls fans were defending Big Ben midway through the 1st season, even though all of the signs were there that he was in a big decline. Just was a terrible signing by John Paxson in the 1st place, and it's really cost this franchise a lot of momentum. And I see Yao having a big night tonight.

This is actually very, very tough. And I went with re-acquiring Gio. Why I don't know, maybe Billy Beane will sour on him, but I can't see any of the other options happening (except maybe the Royals, but I don't think it will).

Hornets suddenly look vulnerable in the West, after losses to Houston and SA. The Rockets are my wildcard team to win the Championship ATM. Finally seem to have it going under Adelman.

Should hopefully be a good game for you to go see Jason. The Hawks have been in pretty good form lately, since Toews came back. Easy to tell, who this team needs the most if they're going to make the playoffs.

I haven't seen a replay of it, nor do I want to. Heard it was just absolutely gruesome.

Hmmmm;

Wade Phillips has got his Donnie Edwards in Zach Thomas now. I'd guess Akin Ayodele will still be on the field for the majority of 1st and 2nd downs, but Thomas will play about 30% of those snaps, and definitely play on 3rd down. If he stays healthy, I like the signing.

The Cowboys take a big cap hit by releasing Williams. Unfortunately Jerry Jones made the mistake in re-signing him. If you're a safety in the NFL today, you HAVE to be able to cover. It doesn't matter how good you are in the box, and in run support, you have to be able to cover.

I'm finding myself listening to Infest by Papa Roach again. One of my favourite albums from the beginning of this decade.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Feb 23, 2008 -> 12:36 PM) It's impossible to argue Wallace is a more effective player than Hughes though. Wallace is awful. Ok, I'll back it up with some "possible" arguments. Defensively - Wallace is better I'd say. Yes he is declining, and he can't defend bigs like he used to, but come playoff time, I think he'll raise his game when he has to. Larry Hughes' main asset defensively is to steal the ball. And he hasn't been doing that as well as his days back in Washington. Roland Rating - Wallace has a Roland Rating of -3.0. Hughes' is -4.3. Cleveland was a better team when Hughes' was off the court by 1.4. Player Roles - The Bulls already have Hinrich, Gordon, Sefolosha and Duhon. How are they going to fit Hughes into that mix? Wallace I'd say has a more defined role with the Cavs. So those are some arguments. I guess I don't really rate either player that well.

The difference is, Ben Wallace only attempts about 5 shots a game, shooting around 37%. Hughes shoots the same percentage, and attempts around 12-13 shots a game.

QUOTE(DrunkBomber @ Feb 23, 2008 -> 09:39 AM) We'll give you Archuletta for him straight up Archuleta is the worst cover safety in the NFL today IMHO. Even worse than Williams, and that's saying something.

This was also reported in the Toronto Sun yesterday;

Glad I didn't take Psychology then.

Spolier Alert;

I figure this would cause some "interesting" discussion; For me I would have Josh Byrnes in the top 5, I'd maybe put Pat Gillick in the top 10, and I think Andrew Friedman is doing a solid job in Tampa Bay so far.

The problem is, the Cowboys have Ware and Ellis at OLB, both Pro Bowlers, and they drafted Anthony Spencer in the 1st round last season. It's SS or nothing for Williams with the Cowboys.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 22, 2008 -> 03:07 PM) Hughes is Ben Gordon but better defensively. I think we improve the team in both the low post and also defensively in the backcourt. Add a couple of solid bench players and the team is better, while trimming the fat. Ben Gordon is a better offensive player than Larry Hughes IMHO. Hughes is shooting 37.7% from the field. That's just terrible for a starting shooting guard in the NBA today.

Ken Hamlin got franchised. Means Flozell "The Hotel" Adams will now hit FA. Would be a decent target for the Bears on a 3 year contract. Now if only we could get rid of Roy Williams somehow.

Who knows what impact the cutter's going to have on Danks for this season. But remember that Esteban Loaiza added a cutter when he 1st joined the White Sox, and became an elite pitcher that season (back in 03 or 04). Hopefully it'll make it harder for RHH's to hit off him.

You know, I would be very tempted to make a deal like that, and here's my reasoning. If the Pirates, say threw in a pick as well, depending on how high it was, then I would probably make the deal. Making this trade saves you $6M. That money can be used in the off-season to either sign a #1 D-Man such as Dan Boyle, Brian Campbell etc. or a #1 winger to replace Havlat (one who's less injury prone and a better fit in the clubhouse). Acquiring Staal, would give you a 3 headed monster of young guns in Staal - Kane - Toews. Imagine how the Hawks could market that, these guys could be building blocks. And it probably doesn't help the team that much now, but the Hawks could end up with a top 5 pick in the draft, and only add to that core. As for Tuomo Ruutu, I don't think we're going to re-sign him. He's playing on what the 3rd line, and only getting about 10mins a game. If you can get value for him now, make a deal I say. He's one of my favourite players, but it's obvious he's never going to be a 60+ point guy in the NHL IMHO. EDIT: And with the contract of Perrault, LaPointe making up about 4M in the off-season (with some others), the Hawks could maybe sign both a top line winger and D-Man in the off-season. They'd be loaded for 08-09.

Gooden's not that good. There's a reason he's on his 4th different team in about 5 seasons now. Decent offensive / low post player, but he's only a complimentary player, and defensively he's not that good. Says something that Cleveland would rather keep Varejao over him. Hughes unless he gets his jump shot back, is fairly useless. Just hasn't been the same since he left Washington. Simmonds I wouldn't expect much. The Hornets who are desperate for bench players dumped him before the season. But the Bulls traded Wallace, so there's something. I'd expect the Bulls to try and re-sign Deng, and Gordon will probably be in Memphis next season.

Chris Carter as well maybe?

And SVG said Bosh "dominated" Howard. I love SVG's honesty. Shows how much we need a defensive minded PF. Please oh please, get Haslem for picks / expiring contracts at the deadline.