Larry Hughes says...
sv0f
This kid would be, what, a senior if he had stayed in college?
I think we're *really* gonna like what our frontcourt gives us this
year. I see Gray, Noah, and Thomas having their best seasons as pros,
with Thomas emerging as a legitimate starter and game changer, Gooden
and Deng matching their best seasons, and Nocioni providing his usual
spark off the bench.
The backcourt worries the shit out of me. By Christmas I would like to
see Rose and Hinrich starting, Gordon getting 25 minutes a game off
the bench, and Sefolosha the remainder. Hughes is pure insurance
against an injury, but if Rose or Hinrich does get hurt, he should
probably be inserted directly into the starting line-up. I don't think
Gordon or Sefolosha have well-rounded enough games to start
We desparately need a consolidation trade that lands us a quality
starter or a draft pick from a crappy lottery-bound team.
ImLittleJon
> I think we're *really* gonna like what our frontcourt gives us this
> year. I see Gray, Noah, and Thomas having their best seasons as pros,
> with Thomas emerging as a legitimate starter and game changer, Gooden
> and Deng matching their best seasons, and Nocioni providing his usual
> spark off the bench.
If Thomas is a legitimate starter, Gooden won't get the minutes to
match his best season.
Here is what I expect to see, numbers-wise:
Noah: 30-35 mpg, 12-15 ppg, 8-10 rpg, 50% FG%, 1.5 bpg, 1.5 spg
Gray: 20 mpg, 8-10 ppg, 6 rpg, 50% FG%, 1 bpg, 1 spg
Gooden: 30 mpg, 14-16 ppg, 9-10 rpg, 47% FG%, 0.7 bpg, 0.7 spg
Thomas: 20-25 mpg, 10-12 ppg, 6-7 rpg, 46% FG%, 1.5 bpg, 1 spg
Other than Gray's mpg doubling, none of that represents a huge
increase over what they did in the second half of last year. If
Thomas wrests the starting position from Gooden, his per-game numbers
will obviously go up and Gooden's will go down. But so far, it seems
like the starting spot is Gooden's to lose.
The guy I think needs to step up offensively is Deng. Even if his
minutes stay in the low 30's, I think we need close to 20 ppg out of
him, and if he moves into the high 30s, he should be good for more
like 25 ppg.
> The backcourt worries the shit out of me. By Christmas I would like to
> see Rose and Hinrich starting, Gordon getting 25 minutes a game off
> the bench, and Sefolosha the remainder. Hughes is pure insurance
> against an injury, but if Rose or Hinrich does get hurt, he should
> probably be inserted directly into the starting line-up. I don't think
> Gordon or Sefolosha have well-rounded enough games to start
I don't foresee any situation where I would prefer Hughes on the floor
to any other guard on the roster. I'd rather have E____ R________
back out there. I do think Rose takes the starting PG spot at some
point during the season. Whether that happens before Christmas or
not, I don't know. How Rose and Hinrich coexist is a point of concern
for me. I would not be surprised if we ended up with Rose and Gordon
starting together, as it seems to me that Gordon will make better use
of Rose's ability to create open shots for his teammates.
It will all be very interesting to watch, though, if only in a train
wreck sense...
David
(in article
<a600da7f-4a22-402a...@f40g2000pri.googlegroups.com>):
> If Thomas is a legitimate starter, Gooden won't get the minutes to
> match his best season.
>
> Here is what I expect to see, numbers-wise:
> Noah: 30-35 mpg, 12-15 ppg, 8-10 rpg, 50% FG%, 1.5 bpg, 1.5 spg
> Gray: 20 mpg, 8-10 ppg, 6 rpg, 50% FG%, 1 bpg, 1 spg
> Gooden: 30 mpg, 14-16 ppg, 9-10 rpg, 47% FG%, 0.7 bpg, 0.7 spg
> Thomas: 20-25 mpg, 10-12 ppg, 6-7 rpg, 46% FG%, 1.5 bpg, 1 spg
If they get this out of the two positions (C and PF), this team will be
terrific: that's 45 points there, plus 30 from Deng / Nocioni and 35 - 40
from the guards (including 20 from Gordon) and they're well over 100 per
game.
I don't think Gray will get those points - probably half on average - nor
will Noah.
The Gooden / Thomas duo - yes, in whichever combination you want.
>
> Other than Gray's mpg doubling, none of that represents a huge
> increase over what they did in the second half of last year. If
> Thomas wrests the starting position from Gooden, his per-game numbers
> will obviously go up and Gooden's will go down. But so far, it seems
> like the starting spot is Gooden's to lose.
>
> The guy I think needs to step up offensively is Deng. Even if his
> minutes stay in the low 30's, I think we need close to 20 ppg out of
> him, and if he moves into the high 30s, he should be good for more
> like 25 ppg.
Even in a bad year he was at about 17, as I recall - he should now get to
20+, with another 10 from Nocioni.
>
>> The backcourt worries the shit out of me. By Christmas I would like to
>> see Rose and Hinrich starting, Gordon getting 25 minutes a game off
>> the bench, and Sefolosha the remainder. Hughes is pure insurance
>> against an injury, but if Rose or Hinrich does get hurt, he should
>> probably be inserted directly into the starting line-up. I don't think
>> Gordon or Sefolosha have well-rounded enough games to start
>
> I don't foresee any situation where I would prefer Hughes on the floor
> to any other guard on the roster. I'd rather have E____ R________
> back out there. I do think Rose takes the starting PG spot at some
> point during the season. Whether that happens before Christmas or
> not, I don't know. How Rose and Hinrich coexist is a point of concern
> for me. I would not be surprised if we ended up with Rose and Gordon
> starting together, as it seems to me that Gordon will make better use
> of Rose's ability to create open shots for his teammates.
>
> It will all be very interesting to watch, though, if only in a train
> wreck sense...
>
I still think that we know the limits with Gordon and Hinrich - the only
player with real upside potential on both sides of the ball is Sefalosha - if
he can develop a jump shot.
EmpD...@gmail.com
> > If Thomas is a legitimate starter, Gooden won't get the minutes to
> > match his best season.
>
> > Here is what I expect to see, numbers-wise:
> > Noah: 30-35 mpg, 12-15 ppg, 8-10 rpg, 50% FG%, 1.5 bpg, 1.5 spg
> > Gray: 20 mpg, 8-10 ppg, 6 rpg, 50% FG%, 1 bpg, 1 spg
> > Gooden: 30 mpg, 14-16 ppg, 9-10 rpg, 47% FG%, 0.7 bpg, 0.7 spg
> > Thomas: 20-25 mpg, 10-12 ppg, 6-7 rpg, 46% FG%, 1.5 bpg, 1 spg
>
> If they get this out of the two positions (C and PF), this team will be
> terrific: that's 45 points there, plus 30 from Deng / Nocioni and 35 - 40
> from the guards (including 20 from Gordon) and they're well over 100 per
> game.
>
> I don't think Gray will get those points - probably half on average - nor
> will Noah.
>
I agree with the minutes on Noah and Gray, but not the points. Noah
is not a scorer and 10 ppg I see as his upside. However I do see him
being active enough to pull down 10 boards per game. Gray is a 6&6
guy who better make a role for himself as a defensive stud if he wants
a long NBA career. I think he can do it though.
If Gooden starts any games this year while Thomas is healthy, the new
coaching staff needs to be run out of the NBA. This team is not going
to run deep into the playoffs (even if it gets there). And in the
next few years, the theory is that players like Thomas, and not
Gooden, will lead the team. So Thomas needs to learn how to play 34
minutes a game and contribute. The only reason why Gooden gets any
playing time is because nobody plays 48 minutes.
Deng and Noce are sorta like Thomas and Gooden in that Noce should
never be starting. Unlike Gooden though, Noce has some short and long
term plusses and provides a big spark off the bench in terms of energy
and scoring. But his minutes need to be limited because he is made
out of tissue paper. And further down the bench I'm pulling for Roger
Powel to win a spot since I went to Illinois.
Gordon/Hughes, Hughes/Gordon. My trick knee says this is the worst
situation that Del Negro has to address during the season. Which of
these two limited, over priced, short term shooting guards to you run
with the starting lineup? Gordon won't be with the team next year.
Hughes will be gone in two. Hughes can play bigger SGs on defense but
he better not shoot the ball much. Did I just say I didn't want the
shooting guard to shoot? Anybody see a problem with that? Gordon is
gonna whine like 3rd grade girl on a playground when he doesn't get
his playing time to pump up his stats so he can sign a max free agent
deal next year. From a team concept standpoint, the Bulls might as
well be playing 4 on 5. What we really need is to trade Hinrich and
Gordon to the Clippers for their draft pick next year. Why the
Clippers? Because they always have high draft picks. I actually have
no idea on who would want those two for more than a second round pick.
Hinrich/Rose is actually a situation that I like. Hinrich has to
understand that the sun has set on his starting days but he can still
make a few million a year as a backup. If can accept that then he can
stay on the team. But midway through the season, Rose has to start
and get a lot of minutes. Not because that will help the Bulls win 73
games this year. But it will help him learn how to play 34 minutes a
game for 82 games a year.
So my starting lineup at the beginning of the season is:
Noah
Thomas
Deng
The Frankengodon Hughesenstien Monster (and it is an ugly monster)
Hinrich
By seasons end it is:
Noah
Thomas
Deng
Anybody elses backup SG after Gorden and Hughes have been traded for
lobster bait
Rose
sv0f
>
> If Gooden starts any games this year while Thomas is healthy, the new
> coaching staff needs to be run out of the NBA. This team is not going
> to run deep into the playoffs (even if it gets there). And in the
> next few years, the theory is that players like Thomas, and not
> Gooden, will lead the team. So Thomas needs to learn how to play 34
> minutes a game and contribute. The only reason why Gooden gets any
> playing time is because nobody plays 48 minutes.
I would like to see Thomas, Noah, and Gooden average 30 minutes a game
each at PF and C, with Gray getting the remaining minutes. Gooden is
thick and can play center against many of the offensively challenged
big men in the East. If Gooden and Noah begin the year as starters,
and Thomas and Noah end it, I'll be happy.
> Gordon/Hughes, Hughes/Gordon. My trick knee says this is the worst
> situation that Del Negro has to address during the season. Which of
> these two limited, over priced, short term shooting guards to you run
> with the starting lineup? Gordon won't be with the team next year.
> Hughes will be gone in two. Hughes can play bigger SGs on defense but
> he better not shoot the ball much. Did I just say I didn't want the
> shooting guard to shoot? Anybody see a problem with that? Gordon is
> gonna whine like 3rd grade girl on a playground when he doesn't get
> his playing time to pump up his stats so he can sign a max free agent
> deal next year. From a team concept standpoint, the Bulls might as
> well be playing 4 on 5. What we really need is to trade Hinrich and
> Gordon to the Clippers for their draft pick next year. Why the
> Clippers? Because they always have high draft picks. I actually have
> no idea on who would want those two for more than a second round pick.
I'd like to see Gordon come off the bench and Hughes dressed in street
clothes. I want this to be Hinrich/Gordon/Sefolosha.
> Hinrich/Rose is actually a situation that I like. Hinrich has to
> understand that the sun has set on his starting days but he can still
> make a few million a year as a backup. If can accept that then he can
> stay on the team. But midway through the season, Rose has to start
> and get a lot of minutes. Not because that will help the Bulls win 73
> games this year. But it will help him learn how to play 34 minutes a
> game for 82 games a year.
I think last year was an aberration -- that Hinrich's a quality
starter, just not at PG. It looks like Rose might win this job coming
out of camp. Pencil him in as the starter, with Hinrich shifting over
to spell him.