I'm cautiously optimistic Hughes could have a resurgence here. Probably not to his Wizards days level, but at least he could be positive. I remember reading a Charlie Rosen article from way back when the Cavs signed him and, despite being batshit crazy, he accurately predicted that Hughes' game meshed with Lebron like oil and water. The Bulls, on the other hand, need exactly the sort of scoring he can bring. In looking that up, I couldn't find the original but found this article with his opinions on the deadline deals: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>For the Cavs, is swallowing Ben Wallace's huge contract worth the addition of Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith? Wondrous Wally can shoot with anybody, has a limited handle, and an unlimited ego. He can establish and maintain proper defensive positioning, but he's too slow off the mark to be considered an adequate defender. Delonte West has guts and a nifty shot, but is too slow to play point guard at a playoff-caliber level. Together, Szczerbiak and West lack the speed and quickness of the departed Larry Hughes and Shannon Brown, but are much superior shooters. In any event, the Cavs have done nothing to resolve their point-guard dilemma. Smith is a pro — curtail his minutes and he can score in the low post, grab unexpected rebounds, and always be in the right place at the right time. If he can stay healthy, he's a modest upgrade over Drew Gooden. Ben Wallace is ready for the glue factory. Will he be content to back up Zydrunas Ilgauskas? And when Anderson Varejao returns, who sits: The younger, quicker, much more active Varejao? Or the rapidly shrinking Ben? Overall, the Cavs got appreciably slower and their perimeter defense got worse. Except for an occasional foray by LBJ, forget about fast breaks and early offense. From now on, it's half-court basketball — and with Wallace on the floor, look for LBJ to be two-timed on his every touch. Cleveland's grade: C+ Chicago added several interesting players without yielding any of their core guys. Gooden is an average power forward, getting by on effort more than on skill. Look for him to split time with Tyrus Thomas and provide a modicum of post-up scoring. Hughes is best in a wide-open game where he can either pull or get to the hole, but do the Bulls have enough defense and board-power to get out and go? Probably not. Still, how soon before Hughes takes over Kirk Hinrich's PT? Brown is another runner, an improving shooter, and a vastly underrated player. If he buckles down and works harder on his game than he has thus far, Brown could be the sleeper in the deal. Simmons' main task will be to keep the last seat on the bench warm. Now comes the real test for the Bulls. How well can they compete with Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray manning the middle? But hey, this tandem can't be any worse than Wallace was all by himself. At least they'll hustle on every play. All at once, the Bulls are younger, quicker and more motivated. Now if only Hinrich, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng could get their heads straight, then perhaps the Bulls might have a viable future. Chicago's grade: B</div> Who, besides a Cavs fan, would dispute the glue factory comment?
i actaully like this trade for the Bulls, and i think they can be ver good if they are able to mesh, and may cause an upset if in the playoffs depending on the seeding. i also believe they are the deepest team in the league Hinrich, Thabo, Andres, Tyrus, Noah start and off the bench they have Gordon, Deng, and Hughes ( three starters in this league mind you) at the wings then they have Gooden (another starter proabably will start eventually) down low, and Duhon and Gray can play as well.
Yup, everything you just said dude I suspect Deng is starting again after the next game. There seems to be a 2-3 game penalty for being hurt on the Bulls.
Nice find. I enjoy reading Rosen's analysis. He is a genuine scout. Interesting that he thinks Hughes should take Hinrich's job.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MikeDC @ Feb 24 2008, 08:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'm cautiously optimistic Hughes could have a resurgence here. Probably not to his Wizards days level, but at least he could be positive. I remember reading a Charlie Rosen article from way back when the Cavs signed him and, despite being batshit crazy, he accurately predicted that Hughes' game meshed with Lebron like oil and water. The Bulls, on the other hand, need exactly the sort of scoring he can bring. In looking that up, I couldn't find the original but found this article</div> Despite my response to you badmouthing him in a previous thread, I suppose I have no choice but to hold out some hope for Larry Hughes re-discovering himself. I agree that his game is more well suited for us than with the Cavs, but I don't think he's the same player physically as he was with the Wizards, and that combined with his so-so attitude and work ethic leave me skeptical.
Did I bad mouth him? Not saying I didn't, just saying I don't bear any animus toward him as a guy. In fact, during interviews I've actually heard him speak in more than 10 second quips about basketball he's always sounded like a pretty good guy; sharp and grounded and he really cared about his family. I wonder in the long-run what effect the loss of his brother's having on him. I remember in previous interviews hearing they were really close. I think his attitude is probably pretty typical of guys in the league. They all think they'd be MJ if they just got to start and play 35 minutes.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MikeDC @ Feb 25 2008, 09:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Did I bad mouth him? Not saying I didn't, just saying I don't bear any animus toward him as a guy. In fact, during interviews I've actually heard him speak in more than 10 second quips about basketball he's always sounded like a pretty good guy; sharp and grounded and he really cared about his family. I wonder in the long-run what effect the loss of his brother's having on him. I remember in previous interviews hearing they were really close. I think his attitude is probably pretty typical of guys in the league. They all think they'd be MJ if they just got to start and play 35 minutes.</div> Sorry, what I meant was that I badmouthed him. I live somewhat close to the Cleveland area, and have family around there, so I've gotten to read Clevelanders opinions about the guy for the last two and a half years, and it hasn't been pretty. Otherwise, I agree with your assessment about his attitude. The worst thing about him is that he's overpaid, which is mostly Danny Ferry's fault.
