With two of the biggest names out there, Ray Allen & Michael Redd, staying with their respective teams, not much had been going on with player movement.

Today the Cavs nabbed perhaps the best guard defender in the free agent pool when they nabbed former Washington Wizard Larry Hughes. Not the 3 point shooter Redd or Allen are, but he is a good scorer, strong defender, and will complement LeBron nicely as the other guard. I would have preferred Joe Johnson from Phoenix and I think he could have been had, but Hughes is still a nice player. I think the Cavs could have called Phoenix's bluff on Hughes as they were not in a position to give Johnson a max contract since Stoudimire is up for free-agency next year.

It's interesting how the free agent period is shaping up. Not very many big names out there and the ones that are big are staying home. The Cavs got an excellent pick-up in Hughes if he proves that he isn't a one season wonder that played well in a contract year. If Hughes can spell Lebron from having to guard the other team's best player, I think the Cavs will improve greatly.

As a Bulls fan, I don't know how I feel about Tyson Chandler or Eddy Curry. Tyson Chandler almost always gives it his all, but the last few years have shown that he had a lower ceiling talent-wise than people first thought. On the other hand, you have Curry who just started trying last year (in a contract year no less) and I question the guy's motivation and drive. I'd keep Chandler between the two, because you don't necessarily need the superstar to be one of the best teams, you just need hard working players (e.g. Detroit).

hughes will be a nice addition to the cavs. he plays a lot like lebron in the sense that he can score, defend, and is great ballhandler and rebounder for a 2-guard. the only thing that would have me concerned is his three point shooting. that's one thing the cavs really need out of the 2 spot. hughes is still a damn good player, but he is basically just a poor man's version of lebron. the cavs need someone to complement lebron's talents and do some of the things lebron isn't capable of doing yet, not play exactly like him. i think for the cavaliers specifically, hughes doesn't really fit perfectly with what they needed. even though hughes is a better player than bobby simmons, i think for the money they could have saved by signing simmons over hughes, simmons was the better value. hughes isn't that far behind allen and redd in terms of total value, but as far as his value to the cavs, he is not what they were looking for in my opinion.

as a fellow bulls fan, i agree about chandler vs. curry. curry might be the better player, but chandler will be the more consistent player. another thing about curry is his heart problem. even if his motivation and drive aren't a concern and he does play at a high level for the next 3-4 years, he might be done after than anyways because of his possible irregular heartbeat.

Yes, the heart problem. It couldn't have happened at a worse possible time - contract year, about to sign for the max. He'll get something though - some team will offer him a lot of money, heart problem or no heart problem.

A friend of mine recently saw Eddy Curry at a Bentley dealership here in the city (downtown Chicago). It looks like he's pre-spending the money on his next contract!

That's about typical of a bulls player in the post-jordan/scottie era. :rolleyes: you've got to like the direction that this team is headed in with it's young, blue-collar players like hinrich, gordon, duhon, deng, etc. five years ago players like that wouldn't have been worth much, but it looks like the style of play is slowly changing in the nba to more of a team game. it will always be primarily a game for stars and individuals, but the pistons and spurs have shown it takes a team effort, not just one or 2 players. god, who would have ever thought the pistons capable of having a positive influence on the league?

- Don't let TM (a player in our baseball fantasy league) hear that!

Yeah, it's fun watching these young Bulls play. I like the effort put in by Hinrich, Gordon, Nocioni, Deng and the rest. As early as the year before, players cared more for the number of touches per game and their stats (cough)Jamal Crawford(cough) than winning the game.

please don't even get me started on crawford. i'm a wolverines fan, so i had to endure his 14 game college career as well. thank god isiah is in an nba front office to bail out every other team in the league when they need to dump their trash.

If he turns out to be a "poor man's LeBron" as you say, then it's a good signing. I do question Hughes the same way you do: 1) was he playing above his head in a contract year, 2) is he too injury-prone? 3) does he fit the Cavs new "team" mode?

I also agree what you said about the comparisons to Redd & Allen. The Cavs may have overpaid for Hughes and he may not be the best free agent out there. But no way was new GM Danny Ferry going to let players slip away with $25 mil in cap space. He got off on the wrong foot as a player 15 years ago here and I guarantee he didn't want to get off on the wrong foot as a GM. If anything, he needed to show LeBron that they are serious about putting together a contending team so that LeBron doesn't bolt when his contract is up.

you hit the nail on the head there. even if shawn bradley was considered the best player available :rolleyes: , ferry would still be forced to sign him to a max contract, just to show lebron that he was at least trying to put together a team or else there's no way he would stay in cleveland.

The talk in New Jersey is that the Nets will be signing Sharif Abdul Rahim, and also going after Miami's Kenon Dooling.

I don't really care about Dooling, but Rahim would be just what they need -- a PF who can rebound and score from either inside or outside.

If they don't sign Rahim, they're gonna be targeting either Donyell Marshall or Stromile Swift.

As good as Shareef is, he's never played on a team with a winning record. That's kinda scary.

Not his fault, though. Look at the terrible teams he's been on: Vancouver, Atlanta.....

I'll take my chances. The Nets are desperate for a PF, and he's the best one available by far.

I hear the Mavericks might get rid of Michael Finley to releave them of his contract and that he could end up signing with Phoenix. Can you imagine that!? Finley, Nash, Stoudimire, and Johnson

I certainly do. I won't lie, I was a bandwagon Bulls fan then and I'm a bandwagon Bulls fan now. I loved the Bulls back in the day the same reason everyone else did JORDAN. Plus having Scottie, Phil, Rodman or others didn't hurt but Michael was the main reason. I didn't expect the Bulls to do much last year but they surprised many in their playoff appearance. I know this year the expectations will be higher for them and I hope they keep these guys together because they have been fun to hear about and watch. And Gordon really impressed me last year. I thought Okafor would win the Rookie of the Year no problem last year and good old Ben really gave him a run for his money.

I read an article about Jay Williams possibly returning from this motorcycle accident this year or sometime soon? He going to resign with Chicago or what? I feel so bad for that guy. He seemed like a nice player and was the main reason I ever started to like Duke basketball (I'm a Tar Heel fan). I would love to see Williams, Duhon and Deng play together.

When is LeBron's contract up? After this season, right? Also, was Danny Ferry the man behind signing Tony Parker and Mano in San Antonio?

I just read today that Sharif's asking price may be a bit too high for the Nets. But I'd love to see him there too with Kidd, Jefferson, and Carter! BTW, do you know when the Nets are supposed to be moving to Brooklyn?

No earlier than 2007-08, and possbily the season after.

When is LeBron's contract up? After this season, right? Also, was Danny Ferry the man behind signing Tony Parker and Mano in San Antonio?

They can re-sign him after next year, but the club has an option for one year beyond next season. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the Cavs will exercise that option.

That's probably a good bet goombah Hopefully he'll stay in Cleveland for his entire career and bring many championships to Cleveland much like Michael Jordan did when he was with Chicago (not counting those 2 vacation years in Washington)

It sure would be nice for Cleveland fans and for the NBA to have LeBron stay a Cav his entire career. Sure he could go to LA or NY in a big market and make more in endorsements. Why I say it is also in the NBA's interest is that it would put a medium market team (ala San Antonio) on the sports map if LeBron won a title in Cleveland. I think it hurts all sports when the same towns are usually the ones winning it all. It helps to have the champions come from all over and it keeps the fans more interested.

I was never a Jordan fan at all, so seeing them win 6 titles did nothing for me. But it brought them into the mix in the NBA b/c I don't think they had ever won anything in basketball prior to the Bulls.

yeah I love the fact that we don't have to worry about a Yankees-like dinasty getting LeBron just because of the money.

- Don't let TM (a player in our baseball fantasy league) hear that![/b][/quote]are you talking about the "bad boys" team? I loved their influence on the league

This might interest plaw at least

"The New Jersey Nets may have found their replacement for Kenyon Martin. And he's coming at a real bargain.

A team source said the Nets are very close to an agreement with Shareef Abdur-Rahim on a six-year contract worth roughly $38 million.

To make the deal work under cap rules, the Portland Trail Blazers, who own Abdur-Rahim's rights, would have to agree to sign him to the contract and then trade him to the Nets using a $5 million trade exception that the Nets own. In return, the Nets would send a future first-round pick to the Blazers.

If the Nets are unable to get the Blazers to agree to a sign-and-trade, Abdur-Rahim has agreed to sign with the Nets for their mid-level exception at five years for about $28 million, according to the team source. So, either way, it looks like the Nets will get their hands on Abdur-Rahim.

Either way it's a great deal for the Nets.

The Nets refused to pay Martin, their last power forward, a max contract last summer and eventually traded him to the Nuggets for three future first round picks. The Nets used some of those picks to acquire Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors midseason. Now they're trying to use the trade exception they received from the Martin deal to acquire Abdur-Rahim.

Abdur-Rahim might be coming at less than half the price of Martin, but he isn't half the player. Abdur-Rahim, who is 28, has averaged 19 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game for his career. Last season he struggled through injuries, but still managed 16.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg. Martin has averaged 12.4 ppg and 5.1 rpg for his career and had 15.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg for the Nuggets last season.

If the Nets land Abdur-Rahim for the mid-level exception, look for new owner Bruce Ratner to keep spending money. The Nets still own their full mid-level exception. Their next signing could be free-agent guard Keyon Dooling with part of their mid-level exception. The Nets are looking for a combo guard who can help Jason Kidd keep his minutes down to about 30 a night. They seem to have narrowed in on Dooling as their guy. If the Nets are forced to use their mid-level on Abdur-Rahim, they'll still have until July 29th to use their $5 million trade exception to acquire another free agent."

of course you did. if their jerseys had bulls written across the front instead of pistons i would have too.

216-493

that is abdur-rahim's win-loss record in his career. that's not what you expect out of a player who went third overall in the draft. he's had 9 years to prove what kind of player he is, and all he's proven so far is that he can put up respectable numbers on crappy teams. he's never made anyone he's ever played with a shred better. playing with kidd will help him, but i still don't think he will be half the player martin is. there is a reason they call the 4 the "power forward." martin brings toughness along with his production. rahim is a human folding chair when he's counted on. i'm not saying rahim can't continue to be a good player in the league, but he's the anti-horry. i don't think he's a bad player, i just don't think he should be expected to get the nets back on track. any team trying to win the title that signs him thinking he'll be anything more than their 6th man is delusional. if he signs with the nets(which has been confirmed by espn) and they depend on him to be a key player on next years team, he's capable of putting up 16 & 8, but i'm guessing the nets will be closer to his .300 career winning percentage than they will to the larry o'brien.

I think you're being a little harsh on SAR, there.

He's no J. Kidd, and I don't expect him to necessarily make the players around him better. How many players really do other than a handful of real superstars?

The poor guy never played on a good team (Atlanta, Vancouver, etc.) or with anyone that could make him better, but that should change when he's on the court with Kidd and not regarded as a first (or maybe even second) scoring option.

SAR is a role player who can fill a role at which the Nets were horribly weak last year. How many guys that play his position are really better than he is? The "16 & 8" that you're willing to give him is about twice the production that they got from Jason Collins last year.

If Rod Thorn thinks he's a good acquisition, that's good enough for me.

of course you did. if their jerseys had bulls written across the front instead of pistons i would have too. [/b][/quote]hurray for the fans as for Shareef, I agree with you. plaw does have a point (the guy really never played on a reliable team), but "SAR" (straaange nickname uh plaw?) did have 9 full seasons to try and hit the .500 mark, and he didn't do that once. if he play as the 3rd option although I have no reason to not believe he will be a great PF around Vince.

Cut the crap will ya. Rod Thorn himself has blessed SAR this very day. You think you know better than Rod Thorn? :p

Ya, I can't really argue with you. He isn't that bad. I just don't think he's anything to get real excited about either. I certainly wouldn't go so far to call signing him a great deal. I guess time will tell.

I'm with Plaw and am excited to see SAR go to the Nets. I'd really enjoy seeing Kidd, Jefferson, Carter and Rahim. Now if they could only find a center. BTW, you think Kidd's upset now that he didn't go to San Antonio? As much as I would love to see Kidd win a ring (which he should have at least won the MVP a few years ago & NOT Tim Duncan!) I'm glad Kidd stayed in New Jersey instead of going down to San Antonio!