Hat tip to BaB and Hornets247.com: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Roland says: OK i've got some big news for you hornets fans. The last time I posted i said that i had talked to a relative who had some ties to hornets front office and he informed me that hornets were talking to GS for one of their boys.So during the party I excahnged phone numbers and emails with him and just a a couple of hours ago I called him and we got into talking about the Grizz and the Hornets. Once I read hr.boards and read comments by a guy named harvey hornet I decided to share the info with you guys since my info preety much mirrored his. This is what my relative said, the Hornets are taregting 2 guys right now and those 2 guys are Ben Gordon and Mike Miller. Gordon is option #1 and Miller is option #2. Hornets actually were near a deal for Gordon but Chicago decided they wanted more in the last minute. The deal was Julian Wright, Rasual Butler, and 1st round pick for Gordon, filler might have been involved depending on cap situations. Chicago called in last minute and asked for Armstrong to be included in the deal. Hornets said they were not willing to give up armstrong and Wright in the same deal, the told chicago they could have one. Chicago if they could only have 1 they wanted the deal to expanded. Right now the two are still in serious discussions and names like Melvin Ely, Marcus Vincius, more 1st round picks, Adrian Griffin are being throw around. At the same time Hornets are also in heavy discusiions with Memphis fr Mike Miller. Once again the deal is Julian, Rasual and a 1st round pick and possibly other filler. Hornets are weary of this one though and feel as if they might be giving away too much here as well. They are also talking to GS but those seem to be dying down a bit. however, he said that if hornets dont get Gordon or Miller look for them to just try nd pick up Barnes. I asked him if he had to guess who the Hornets would get and he said Gordon, he said hornets want him bad, however the guys who really want him are CP and Bscott. Bower isnt as high on the deal because Gordon is free agent with a big asking price. if chiaco doesnt lower the price there might be too much risk in making the deal. He said hornets would like Miller but there are alot of teams going after him and Memphis probably has better deals for him on the table.</div> A couple of prospects on rookie deals were what I suggested the Bulls might ought to go for if they went in this direction. That being said, I'm not very in love with those particular prospects. At all. So I guess I'm on the fence till I study it more. You know the Hornets must feel good about the prospects of dealing with us...
And by the way, if Hilton Armstrong is some sort of dealbreaker, well, we best start breaking out the cyanide tablets.
I won't watch any more Bulls games for the rest of the year if we do this crap. Anything less than Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, and David West in a trade with the Hornets is not worth doing. Wright, Armstrong, Butler all suck, and the draft pick will suck too. God there are dumb GM's in the league. Paxson sees the rest of the GM's loading up the Western powers, so Paxson wants to join in the fray. Paxson disgusts me if he trades Gordon for this, after refusing to trade Gordon for Paul pierce, Jermaine O'neal, and Pau Gasol.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MikeDC @ Feb 14 2008, 04:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>And by the way, if Hilton Armstrong is some sort of dealbreaker, we'll, we best start breaking out the cyanide tablets.</div> If we're getting rid of Gordon we should find a way to dump Wallace, too. I'd rather dump Wallace then acquire Julian Wright. It's still not clear whether that rumor is legitimate or not. I remember there was a Hornets insider "no1hornet" who leaked the Chandler deal on a message board, but his last post was in 2006. I had to register to use the search function to find it. http://hornetsreport.com/HRForums/showthread.php?t=34937 <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>We are trying very hard to resign Rasual Butler and I expect this to happen. Rasual and Desmond are going to compete for the starting spot at SF. As of now, Desmond is not going anywhere, however he is in the last year of his contract and thus he could be moved into the season, closer to the trade deadline to a team that wants to unload a long term contract and have some money for next summer. Rasual and Desmond offer the Hornets completely different games and talents. Having the two should compliment each other nicely. Desmond needs to fix that shot of his and I expect the coaches to work with him all summer on his motion. I'm very happy that Malik Allen wasn't included in the Bulls trade as he could have prevented the development of our two rookies, who are now penciled in as the two primary backups at PF and C. Kirk Snyder will backup at SG. Linton Johnson, Brandon Bass, and Marc Jackson will all compete for reserve roles on the Hornets. In case you didn't see, the Hornets waived Moochie Norris today. The Brazilian, 2nd round draft pick will probably not step on the court next year. He needs time to develop. Although I might be back during the season to provide my analysis of certain players and schemes we may run, my involvement with this forum will be significantly reduced in the near future. For the record, for all of you curious of finding out a little bit more about me, as of now, I have top inside sources with four NBA teams. I’m as close as you can get with each of those four teams. I will not name the other three teams. I will say that two of those teams have done basically nothing thus far in the offseason and not a lot is brewing for them as of this moment. I've gotten a lot of PM's from fans (and even media) from around the league asking me specific questions about their team and/or players. I do not respond to any of the specific questions, even if it is one the teams I'm connected to. I will frequent the respective boards as I find out more info. You can usually figure out if it's me posting a confirmed deal or rumor by noticing my verbose writing style. I ENJOY giving you as much as I can. With that being said, I always have to get it cleared by my sources first until I say anything. I would NEVER jeopardize the deals by giving fans on a public forum advance notice of something currently being negotiated and not completed. I take tremendous pride in 100% accuracy and solely rely on facts. One of the things I said in an earlier post a few days back, was that I knew NOTHING of a Mavs-Hornets, Daniels-Speedy deal. I know many thought that would happen and as far as I could tell, the only source for that rumor was a Dallas newspaper--most of which is strictly speculation. I'm working very hard to get inside with at least 6 more teams and if I'm successful I may create my own website which would hopefully have inside information on various NFL and NBA teams. For now, I just find the main forums for the teams I have sources with and post what I know. Sometimes I’m more ambiguous and choose to provide hints and clues as opposed to explicit information. Other times, I’ll just spill the beans; it’s all very calculated. Lastly, I do this as a hobby, not a job. I do not work for the NBA or any team in the NBA in any capacity whatsoever. I just love sports, especially football and basketball. I follow high school, college, and professional football and basketball equally. I also want you to know that during the season, it’s a lot harder for me to comment or spread an official rumor because there are a lot fewer people privy to the information. Do I usually find out, two months into the season, that John Doe is in the doghouse of the Coach and is being shopped or could even be cut? Yes, I do. Will I post that info? No. JR Smith, for instance, was very close to being traded earlier last season and then cut in February. Did it happen? No. I know that this is a ridiculously long post but this is probably my last in-depth post for the HR for a while. The Hornets, as far as I know and understand, are pretty much done with trades and FA (except for resigning Rasual). If something changes, I’ll be back to let you know. What an offseason it’s been for both the Hornets and Saints! This has to be the most exciting summer ever for New Orleans sports fans. Take care and thanks for the compliments. Best</div> That said, it certainly seems plausible. The bolded part seems to indicate it's dead though.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne @ Feb 14 2008, 05:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I won't watch any more Bulls games for the rest of the year if we do this crap. Anything less than Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, and David West in a trade with the Hornets is not worth doing. Wright, Armstrong, Butler all suck, and the draft pick will suck too. God there are dumb GM's in the league. Paxson sees the rest of the GM's loading up the Western powers, so Paxson wants to join in the fray. Paxson disgusts me if he trades Gordon for this, after refusing to trade Gordon for Paul pierce, Jermaine O'neal, and Pau Gasol.</div> Keep dreaming about Paul, Chandler and/or West it's not gonna happen. Wright has alot of upside, and he'll be a great complement to Paul, which is why I would question this trade.
Indeed. I think given the harsh realities of the Bulls financial model, moving Gordon for a good prospect is probably the way to go. Waiting until two weeks before the deadline after an offseasing of taking on $14M in bench playing free agents though. Intellectual recognition or not, its a tough pill to swallow.
If we're dumping Gordon, I take that as we're botching out the rest of the season too. If we do this trade, no one we get in return is really going to help us. The main part, Julian Wright, is a terrific athlete but has such a raw offensive game that he won't help us yet. However, the thought of having a potential lottery pick as well as a late first rounder in what could be a very deep draft is pretty appealing.
I like this trade for New Orlenas because they're looking for a shooting guard and if they put Ben Gordon as the 6th man like they should. they'll be extremely tough to beat.
I wouldn't be shocked to see Paxson make this deal. His entire history of trading has been for us to get the smelly end of the stick, giving up the better players in the deal in exchange for a downgrade at whatever positions. This deal isn't going to help the Bulls, it's going to help the Hornets. Gordon and Paul are a tiny back court, but either one of them can put up a 40 point night on any night. If teams double Gordon, Paul's going to be even more open than he already is. If they don't, Gordon's going to be getting the best looks of his career, and the guy can fill it up. We're talking about a Hornets team that plays Jannero Pargo 18.5 minutes per game. Sheesh.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Moo2K4 @ Feb 14 2008, 06:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>If we do this trade, no one we get in return is really going to help us. The main part, Julian Wright, is a terrific athlete but has such a raw offensive game that he won't help us yet.</div> Yep. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>However, the thought of having a potential lottery pick as well as a late first rounder in what could be a very deep draft is pretty appealing.</div> Not to me. How often do late round picks pan out? <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>If we're dumping Gordon, I take that as we're botching out the rest of the season too.</div> I doubt it. The organization has never shown the inclination to tank. If Gordon is traded, it will be because of 2 things: uncertainty about whether they can extend him, and the belief that Thabo can for the most part replace him. I'm sure tonight's win helped to confirm the 2nd. Never mind that it came against a team that is 9-42. Or that Gordon is a million times better than Duhon. Or that the albatross was away at a funeral. The only way this move is acceptable is if Paxson has an long-term plan aimed towards having cap space during 2010.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rwj @ Feb 14 2008, 11:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Not to me. How often do late round picks pan out?</div> I think finding a key role player late in the first round is actually fairly common. 2006 20: Renaldo Balkman 21: Rajon Rondo 22: Marcus Williams 23: Josh Boone 24: Kyle Lowry 26: Jordan Farmar Even Sergio Rodriguez has shown some promise in spurts. The jury is still out on Shannon Brown, Mo Ager, and Mardy Collins - but I think it's likely that at least one of those 3 will find themselves in a regular rotation at some point in their career. 2005 21: Nate Robinson 22: Jarrett Jack 23: Francisco Garcia 24: Luther Head 26: Jason Maxiell 27: Linas Kleiza 30: David Lee 2004 20: Jameer Nelson 24: Delonte West 25: Tony Allen 26: Kevin Martin 27: Sasha Vujacic 2003 21: Boris Diaw 23: Travis Outlaw 25: Carlos Delfino 27: Kendrick Perkins 28: Leandro Barbosa 29: Josh Howard 2002 20: Kareem Rush (ehh kind of) 23: Tayshaun Prince 24: Nenad Krstic 26: John Salmons 2001 20: Brendan Haywood 25: Gerald Wallace 26: Samuel Dalembert 27: Jamaal Tinsley 28: Tony Parker I could keep going, but I think you get the point. You'll find a lot of solid players late in the 1st round pretty much every year.
Agreed you can find good players, but it the hit to miss ratio starts to go down pretty quick in post drafts. Another guy I've wondered about it is Marco Bellinelli. Can he play or does he just plain suck?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Feb 15 2008, 12:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rwj @ Feb 14 2008, 11:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Not to me. How often do late round picks pan out?</div> I think finding a key role player late in the first round is actually fairly common. 2006 20: Renaldo Balkman 21: Rajon Rondo 22: Marcus Williams 23: Josh Boone 24: Kyle Lowry 26: Jordan Farmar Even Sergio Rodriguez has shown some promise in spurts. The jury is still out on Shannon Brown, Mo Ager, and Mardy Collins - but I think it's likely that at least one of those 3 will find themselves in a regular rotation at some point in their career. 2005 21: Nate Robinson 22: Jarrett Jack 23: Francisco Garcia 24: Luther Head 26: Jason Maxiell 27: Linas Kleiza 30: David Lee 2004 20: Jameer Nelson 24: Delonte West 25: Tony Allen 26: Kevin Martin 27: Sasha Vujacic 2003 21: Boris Diaw 23: Travis Outlaw 25: Carlos Delfino 27: Kendrick Perkins 28: Leandro Barbosa 29: Josh Howard 2002 20: Kareem Rush (ehh kind of) 23: Tayshaun Prince 24: Nenad Krstic 26: John Salmons 2001 20: Brendan Haywood 25: Gerald Wallace 26: Samuel Dalembert 27: Jamaal Tinsley 28: Tony Parker I could keep going, but I think you get the point. You'll find a lot of solid players late in the 1st round pretty much every year. </div> You're right. I should have been more clear, sorry. The Bulls have plenty of role players. The entire roster besides Deng fits that description. They need someone who makes his teammates better. Gordon is the best we have because of the offensive attention he attracts. I'm resigned to it at this point though. --- Mike, I like Bellinelli too, but Gordon is basically dead weight to GS. Unless you're thinking of a 3 way trade...
http://hornetsreport.com/HRForums/showthre...age=1&pp=25 Another thread. The rumor has supposedly been confirmed. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Fairly confident. He's a basketball nut. He's also my coworker and I got a call at 11:30 at night, when he had never called me before, at any time. We'll see...</div> edit:Unless those posters work for the Hornets, this is probably someone out of the loop informing someone in the loop and repeating a rumor.
If the Bulls are going after Julian Wright, that tells me Deng will also be on his way out since Julian was a college PF that has to learn the NBA SF game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Feb 15 2008, 02:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>If the Bulls are going after Julian Wright, that tells me Deng will also be on his way out since Julian was a college PF that has to learn the NBA SF game.</div> Could be, but the Bulls rarely think in such linear terms. If the Bulls end up just keeping Kirk and Nocioni and dumping Ben and Lou, I might be done. The guy I initially thought of the other day when I heard we were "interested" in Rasul Butler was Nocioni. While I have a bit of a hard time picturing Gordon and Paul together, Nocioni is sort of a crazy man's Peja. But where Peja is more of a 2/3, Noc is more of a 3/4 type in how he plays. Could be a pretty decent fit and the Hornets are thinner there than they are for short guards. Wright and Butler would make some sense taking Noc's place for the Bulls. Wright might have a future (I'm dubious personally), but in the short-run it'd hopefully end the logjam the Bulls seem to have getting Tyrus and Noah on the court (due to Noc). I hope. With this team it's pretty hard to tell... I'm not sure they know what they're thinking.
