Gordon has proven consistently that he's not that guy. I'd go to Deng personally, with a mid-ranger.

 

Deng disappears in clutch time. Hell, I can't remember him ever having more than a few good games in the 4th quarter. I rather have Tyrus Thomas as that guy in the 4th.

That's really not the case if you believe the reports that came out right when it happened (I'm too lazy to check the old TalkBulls thread, pretty sure Sam Smith wrote about it). The Bulls supposedly had the opportunity to get Gasol for Noah, Thabo and PJ Brown's contract, but JR nixed it because he'd have had to re-sign Brown to a sizeable deal before the trade for cap purposes and pay a sizeable amount on the luxury tax. We'd have also had to take Brian Cardinal, but then again his deal is smaller than that of Larry Hughes.

Noah, Thabo, and PJ Brown's contract is still quite a bit more than what the Lakers gave up for him IMO.

Noah, Thabo, and PJ Brown's contract is still quite a bit more than what the Lakers gave up for him IMO.

The Grizzlies' owner said the reason the Bulls didn't get Gasol was because they didn't want to get above the luxury tax threshold. Apparently with the Bulls, JR doesn't have the "break even" mentality he alledgedly operates the White Sox with. They print money at the UC. If the Bulls did get Gasol last year, they probably would have made the playoffs, and been immediately eliminated. Derek Rose would be on another team, so it worked out.

Edited February 12, 200917 yr by Dick Allen

Deng disappears in clutch time. Hell, I can't remember him ever having more than a few good games in the 4th quarter. I rather have Tyrus Thomas as that guy in the 4th.

Down the stretch...IMO you run your normal offense. Forget this isolation crap we always get in to, put the ball in your PG's hands, run your offense, move the ball around, have someone push in to the lane and try to create an open shot.

According to Rotoworld, the Wizards and Bulls were close to swapping Etan Thomas and Mike James for Larry Hughes

 

ICK...thats crazy considering Larry Hughes was actaully pretty good on the Wizards a few years back - my how the mighty have fallen

According to Rotoworld, the Wizards and Bulls were close to swapping Etan Thomas and Mike James for Larry Hughes

 

ICK...thats crazy considering Larry Hughes was actaully pretty good on the Wizards a few years back - my how the mighty have fallen

 

As in they are backing out now, or this is still in the works?

Mike James is a clubhouse cancer as well though, so it basically evens itself out.

 

Paxson may as well just hang onto Hughes until the summer and he'd get more value for him then as a expiring contract.

According to Rotoworld, the Wizards and Bulls were close to swapping Etan Thomas and Mike James for Larry Hughes

 

ICK...thats crazy considering Larry Hughes was actaully pretty good on the Wizards a few years back - my how the mighty have fallen

 

Are we getting back expiring contracts?

Are we getting back expiring contracts?

Thomas and James have at least 1 if not 2 years left on their deals IIRC.

Thomas and James have at least 1 if not 2 years left on their deals IIRC.

 

ewwww... just keep hughes for next year.

Thomas and James have at least 1 if not 2 years left on their deals IIRC.

James has 1 year left on his deal while Thomas has 2. That would take $6 million from Hughes's contract off the books for next year and would cost us zero cap space in summer 2010. We'd add an additional $200k this year, and be holding a $7 million expiring deal next year along with more depth in our front court for next year.

 

Somehow I'm sure this would wind up costing Tyrus and Noah minutes, but I'd do it.

James has 1 year left on his deal while Thomas has 2. That would take $6 million from Hughes's contract off the books for next year and would cost us zero cap space in summer 2010. We'd add an additional $200k this year, and be holding a $7 million expiring deal next year along with more depth in our front court for next year.

 

Somehow I'm sure this would wind up costing Tyrus and Noah minutes, but I'd do it.

So wait, does Thomas's deal end in 2010 or 2011 then?

 

He'd a pretty decent backup center who gives you hustle and defense, but he also has heart issues.

 

Would be an upgrade on Aaron Gray though.

So wait, does Thomas's deal end in 2010 or 2011 then?

 

He'd a pretty decent backup center who gives you hustle and defense, but he also has heart issues.

 

Would be an upgrade on Aaron Gray though.

Thomas signed a 6 year deal in 2004. His deal ends in 2010, he has 1.5 years left on it (2 years via the NBA trade machine rules).

 

I have no problem with him as a backup C/PF. Assuming Gooden walks this offseason, which he darn well better, that gives us more depth in the front court and clears out Larry Hughes. And if the Suns happen to be really going after expiring deals, then we go from having $8 million in Gooden to $14 million in Gooden + James, which gives us the ability to offer up more cap space to the Suns and perhaps fewer players (keep Thabo so that we have a shooting guard next year?)

Thomas signed a 6 year deal in 2004. His deal ends in 2010, he has 1.5 years left on it (2 years via the NBA trade machine rules).

 

I have no problem with him as a backup C/PF. Assuming Gooden walks this offseason, which he darn well better, that gives us more depth in the front court and clears out Larry Hughes. And if the Suns happen to be really going after expiring deals, then we go from having $8 million in Gooden to $14 million in Gooden + James, which gives us the ability to offer up more cap space to the Suns and perhaps fewer players (keep Thabo so that we have a shooting guard next year?)

Yeah I can see the logic behind that now.

 

And really for the Wizards, maybe they can get Hughes back to the form that made Cleveland give him that huge contract in the 1st place.

Though rumors continue to swirl about a possible trade that would send Mike James and Etan Thomas as part of a package for former Wizard Larry Hughes prior to the Feb. 19 trade deadline, a league source familiar with the situation said it likely will not happen. In October, the Wizards and Bulls were close to agreeing to a deal that would have swapped Hughes for Thomas and Antonio Daniels, who was later traded to New Orleans, but that deal fell apart when Hughes was injured.

 

Washington Post

 

FROM SI.COM T/R

There's actually been some reasonable discussion on this topic at a number of basketblogs over the last week. If you had to pick one guy in the league to take the shot in the last 24 seconds, who'd you pick. No brainer, Kobe right? Guess what Kobe's FG %age on those shots is over the last couple years? 25%.

 

League wide, the average on last second shots is only 30%. Gordon hits about 35%, which is actually a fair amount above average. So to respond to your claim that Gordon isn't the guy for those shots, if he isn't, then very few people around the league are.

 

The interesting reality of this is that the whole league sucks in those situations. 30% is terrible, and that can't just be from people taking 3's or because of defense, that suggests that the offenses people are trying to run are vastly less effective than the offenses teams run during the normal part of the game. In other words, the question shouldn't be "Who do you want taking the last shot", the question ought to be how are you going to create the last shot and make it a good one. Defense doesn't just get that much better at the last second.

 

More reading 1

More reading 2

Yeah, players in the league had a poll on this in the newest SI, and Kobe ran away with it, despite being nowhere near the best.

He may miss a high percentage, but he also ends up going to the line quite often as well. No one is going to tell me that right now if the game was on the line that they would want anyone other than Kobe with the ball in there hands.

He may miss a high percentage, but he also ends up going to the line quite often as well. No one is going to tell me that right now if the game was on the line that they would want anyone other than Kobe with the ball in there hands.

If he's fouled on a missed shot, it does not count as an attempt.

 

I'll take Lebron at the end of the game over Kobe any day.

If he's fouled on a missed shot, it does not count as an attempt.

 

I'll take Lebron at the end of the game over Kobe any day.

Nor does it count as a make, which is my point. I want to know how many game winning opportunities has he converted (going to the line and sinking a couple free throws should count too).

Nor does it count as a make, which is my point. I want to know how many game winning opportunities has he converted (going to the line and sinking a couple free throws should count too).

If you get SI, open up the one with A-Rod on the cover and go to the Player poll. It outlines this entire subject perfectly. I'm at work, so I don't have it handy. The end result was, people think Kobe's great at it, but Lebron statistically is on another planet.

So, for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, the Heat got...

 

Jermaine O'Neal

Jamario Moon

1st round pick

4.2M trade exception.

 

 

 

Heat also got rid of a bad contract in Marcus Banks. Amazing.

Derrick Rose is really good. Domination.

Rose wins the Skills Competition.

 

That's pretty neat.

Rose wins the Skills Competition.

 

That's pretty neat.

 

That competition was soooooo boring.