One and done should be one and done
There has been all kinds of talk about the NBA’s one and done rule. The rule states a player must go to college for at least one year to be eligible for the draft.
College coaches and several analysts have problems with the one and done. Oklahoma’s Head Coach Jeff Capel said it was a bad rule because it makes a mockery out of the education system. A “student-athlete” attends college to be the athlete not the student. Dick Vitale said the players not participating in their education, whether skipping classes or not getting good grades, hurts the education system at the universities. Vitale said players should not be made to go to school if they are not going to go anyway.
Others say special talents like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James or Kevin Garnett shouldn’t have to waste their time going to college when they are already a NBA star before they sign a contract.
The one and done rule should be left alone. This should be the one age requirement stipulation the NBA ever has.
Bulls could use a big man/ Big Z needs a job
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, “Big Z”, is officially a free agent. The Washington Wizards, who picked him up in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly before the deadline, bought out his $11.5 million contract and then released him.
Big Z can not go back to the Cavaliers for 30 days but could be picked up by any team immediately with a prorated share of the veteran’s minimum. He is still valuable and could help teams make the playoffs or into later rounds.
He is a solid veteran big man. The Cavaliers were his team before Lebron James dropped in the team’s lap. Besides having knee problems in his first couple of seasons, his numbers are very consistent. He was only a few rebounds away from averaging a double-double for a season multiple times in his 10 years on the team. A couple years ago, he was the only respectable center in the eastern conference.
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.
2010 could be a giant roster shift for Bulls
John Paxson has some huge decisions in front of him. A few of them go like: What kind of player do the Bulls need? Who on the Bulls current roster can they do without? Should they make moves for key players for next year’s team now or wait for free agency?
Lets answer a few of these.
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.
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