Deal # 1: Salmons traded to the Bucks
John Salmons is no longer a Bull. He is now a Milwaukee Buck. The central division rivals, Bulls and the Bucks were able to negiotiate a trade with Chicago sending Salmons and recieving Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander.
This was not the first trade reported. The first announced trade was Salmons for Kurt Thomas and Francisco Elson. According to the Bucks, a Warrick deal with another team fell threw so they swapped players with similar contracts.
Thomas on his way out
After being suspended for arguing with Chicago Bulls Head Coach Vinny Del Negro, Tyrus Thomas finds his name in the trade block. The trade deadline is only a week away for the Bulls to make a move with Thomas if this is what they want to do.
2010 free agency has been the talk of the NBA for the last year because of the big names: Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh. There are also many mid-superstar players and solid role players who will be available. Could getting rid of Thomas for an expiring contract be helpful to get a top tier player?
Thomas is valuable. He is a leaper who has perfect timing for massive swats and is a solid rebounder. His rebounding skills would show more if he wasn’t on the same team as Joakim Noah. Thomas can also take it in the paint. He is not a great offensive player, but with a little developement could be a go to guy. At the current time, he is more of a rebound put back guy or a cutter coming through the paint.
Thomas was the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft. Thomas was originally drafted by the Portland Trailblazers but traded to the Bulls for Lamar Aldridge. In his three years as a Bull, Thomas has been a part of three different coaching tenures. Scott Skiles, Jim Boylan and Del Negro. In each different term, Thomas’s rotation in the lineup went through highs and lows. He has been a starter and then a 10 minute off the bench small role player.
There has been rumors of Thomas and Kirk Hinrich being packaged. Hinrich would be a good trade for an expiring contract. For this season, he will make 9.5 million out of the 26 million owed to him in the last 3 years of his contract. Hinrich’s plus Thomas’s 6.6 million dollar contract gives the Bulls something to work with to get either a superstar, a first round draft pick or two or three role players.
Honestly, the Bulls need a star player. Thomas is not a starter on the Bulls and there are other players who can do what he does. Rookie Taj Gibson has been starting over him. Gibson has more of a complete game. He can post up and has a better mid-range jumper. Hinrich has been solid for the Bulls but he has proven he cannot help the team to the next level and getting rid of his contract would help the Bulls in efforts to pick up one of the big free agents.
The teams who have shown interest in Thomas are the Bobcats, Kings, Knicks, Blazers, Spurs, Nuggets and Hornets. Trying to package Thomas and Hinrich to these teams may be hard, but Thomas could help all of them with his youth and athletic ability.
ALL STAR Starters
We are only a couple weeks away from the best All Star game and weekend in professional sports. The best on the court half-way through the season are recognized by being named to the team. Well, supposed to be the best.
This year, a few people got on the starting lineup because fans are focused on past careers. This means other players who have performed like a starter on the All Star roster are either at home or picked up by coaches to be off the bench. We will find out who they pick on Thursday. Lets look at who was picked and who should have been in some of their places.
I personally voted 10 times on NBA.com for the starters of the game. I will tell who got picked and then I’ll say if I agreed (voted for) or someone else should have been picked.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Steve Nash
Nash is playing awesome for a 35 year old point guard whose game is based around running up and down the court. He is shooting the ball remarkable well. His field goal percentage is 53%, three pointers are at 43% and is leading the league in free throw percentage at 94%. Nash has the 5th most double doubles in the NBA with 27, averaging 18 points per game (ppg) and is 2nd in the league with 11 assists a game. AGREE, but Chris Paul is right there.
Kobe Bryant
“Black Mam
ba” is the best player in the league. We can sit here and argue Kobe V.S. Lebron all day, but my opinion will stay the same. Kobe is 4th in the league with 28 ppg. Bryant legs look to be getting tired and his body beat up but he refuses to rest. This might hurt him in the long run, but right now he is the best to watch. AGREE
Carmelo Anthony
“Melo” was amazing in the first quarter of the season. He slowed down do to small injuries, but still put up decent numbers. Now, he is back to what he was doing before. Anthony filled out a little more during the off-season and is playing with a bigger chip on his shoulder. His play was falling short of his superstar popularity. This can’t be said anymore. “Melo” is second in the league in scoring with 29.7 ppg which is only .2 behind Lebron James. AGREE
TIM DUNCAN
Duncan has never been an eye opening player to fans. However, on the court, he is one of the best big men to play the game. His knees are starting to show his 12 years in the league but he still dominates. Duncan, once again, has put the Spurs on his back, leading them to wins while his teammates sit on the bench with injuries. He is 10th in the league with 10 rebounds a game and in the top 20 in scoring. DISAGREE- I voted for Dirk Nowitzki. I’m one of those fans, who don’t really like Duncan. Even without the bias, Dirk is a killer. He has put his team on his back also. I like his game better and he can give you more offensively.
AMARE STOUDEMIRE
Stoudemire is playing well for the Suns, even though they are consistently putting him on the trade block. He is quick for his size but knee injuries seem to make it hard for him to run up and down the court. He is a forward, but they listed him as a center for the All Star game. I don’t think this is right. With that comment………DISAGREE He is not a center and doesn’t play explosive ball like he used to. I voted for Chris Kaman. He is a 20 and 9 guy playing solid on both sides of the ball. The Clippers are not a great team, but they would be 9 to 10 wins less without him.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ALLEN IVERSON
AI was one of my favorite players for a real long time. He will be in the Hall of Fame and go down as one of the best pure scorers to every play. That was then, this is now. I wish him the best. DISAGREE He is not an All Star. There are plenty of people who should be on this team before him but I’ll only name one. Rajon Rondo is developing into the best point guard in the Eastern Conference and should be on the team. He is in the top 5 in assists and leads the league in steals.
DWAYNE WADE
“D-Wade” is a beast. He is in the top 5 in the NBA hands down. He does so much with so little. Wade takes a beating every night and keeps coming back for more. He is 5th in the league in scoring, 7th in steals and tied for 10th in assists. Dwayne does whatever he needs to do for his team to win. An NBA highlight real isn’t complete without “D-WADE”. AGREE
LEBRON JAMES
Lebron is the 2nd best player in the league. He is putting up video games on a nightly basis. LBJ can take over a game whenever he wants to whether it be with the ball or defending it. He leads the league in scoring per game with 30 and is 7th in the league in assists. Lebron, like Kobe will be on every All Star team until he retires. AGREE
KEVEIN GARNETT
“KG” can still play, but this year he hasn’t. He has been injured or taken out of the game early to rest his aging legs. Garnett is one of my favorite players, but like AI, doesn’t deserve the honor. DISAGREE- I picked two different players for power forward. I voted for Josh Smith and Antawn Jamison. Both have played the game on a high level and remained healthy.
DWIGHT HOWARD
Howard is the only legitimate center in the Eastern Conference. This doesn’t really mean much, because he is a dominating inside presence. His low post moves are not spectacular but they are better and do not take anything away from his great defense. Every player in the league is scared to bring it in on the Magic when they see Dwight. Howard is 1st in the league in blocks and rebounds and 3rd in the league in field goal percentage scoring 17 points a game. AGREE
Do you agree with these selections, theirs or mine? If not, comment and tell us who you believe should be in the ALL Star game.
The 2000-2009 Running of the Chicago Bulls
The decade began with the Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf trying to replace the championship roster he had in the 90’s. We know the story. Michael Jordan retired, then un-retired for a year or two for a season with the Washington Wizzards . Phil Jackson left for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he three-peats to start the decade. Scottie Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets and Dennis Rodman went completely over the edge.
Four possible moves with the number 1 pick
The Chicago Bulls have a lot of power with the number one overall pick. Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley are the favorites to be drafted first and second overall and many teams will be interested in moving up to draft one of these players. If the Bulls elect to keep the pick though, there is the chance that others will be traded to make room for one of these guys. The Bulls have several other young big guys, but none are believed to be as good as Beasley. The same goes for point guards if Rose is drafted. So here are four possibilities that could unfold. (more…)
Loading ...