Did anyone see this wonder of wonders? It looks like Rose, Gordon and Gooden all played really well. And Hughes. Deng... not so much again. But ok, I'll take that. I have the impression that, slowly but surely, both Gordon and Hughes are starting to understand that Rose will make them better than they are trying to do everything themselves. Which is quite encouraging. That doesn't mean they're not going to have moments where they take things over (and indeed, to the disagreement of some, I think that's probably a good thing). Do the Sixers not look like a team that should have made a sign and trade play for Gordon? I said that all off-season and no one seemed to agree. Suddenly everyone notices they're dying for a guy who can shoot. Whodathunkit.
Hughes was 6-10 for 16 points, 4-6 3pt, too. 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 24 minutes. In his last 6 games for us, he's shooting 45%: <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="yspsctbg" align="center"><td colspan="6" class="ysptblhdr" align="left" height="18">Regular Season</td> <td rowspan="200" class="yspwhitebg" nowrap="nowrap" width="1"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td colspan="4" class="ysptblhdr">FG</td> <td rowspan="200" class="yspwhitebg" nowrap="nowrap" width="1"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td colspan="4" class="ysptblhdr">3PT</td> <td rowspan="200" class="yspwhitebg" nowrap="nowrap" width="1"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td colspan="4" class="ysptblhdr">FT</td> <td rowspan="200" class="yspwhitebg" nowrap="nowrap" width="1"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td colspan="4" class="ysptblhdr">Rebounds</td> <td rowspan="200" class="yspwhitebg" nowrap="nowrap" width="1"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> <td colspan="7" class="ysptblhdr">Misc</td> </tr> <tr class="ysptblthbody1" align="right"><td class="yspdetailttl" align="left" height="18"> Date</td><td class="yspdetailttl" align="left" height="18">Opponent</td><td class="yspdetailttl" align="left" height="18">Score</td><td class="yspdetailttl" height="18">GS</td><td class="yspdetailttl" height="18">Min</td><td> </td><td class="yspdetailttl">M</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">A</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Pct</td> <td> </td><td class="yspdetailttl">M</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">A</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Pct</td> <td> </td><td class="yspdetailttl">M</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">A</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Pct</td> <td> </td><td class="yspdetailttl">Off</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Def</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Tot</td> <td> </td><td class="yspdetailttl">Ast</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">TO</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Stl</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Blk</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">PF</td> <td class="yspdetailttl">Pts</td> <td> </td></tr><tr class="ysprow1" align="right" height="16"> <td class="yspscores" align="left"> Nov 30</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">@ PHI</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">W 103-92</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">24:04</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td> <td class="yspscores">6</td> <td class="yspscores">10</td> <td class="yspscores">60.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores">6</td> <td class="yspscores">66.7</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">2</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">2</td> <td class="yspscores">16</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td></tr> <tr class="ysprow2" align="right" height="16"> <td class="yspscores" align="left"> Nov 26</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">@ SAS</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">L 88-98</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">39:50</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td> <td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores">14</td> <td class="yspscores">28.6</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">6</td> <td class="yspscores">0.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores">8</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td></tr> <tr class="ysprow1" align="right" height="16"> <td class="yspscores" align="left"> Nov 24</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">@ UTH</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">W 101-100</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">29:28</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td> <td class="yspscores">5</td> <td class="yspscores">10</td> <td class="yspscores">50.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">2</td> <td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores">66.7</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores">100.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores">5</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">16</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td></tr> <tr class="ysprow2" align="right" height="16"> <td class="yspscores" align="left"> Nov 23</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">@ DEN</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">L 101-114</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">30:53</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td> <td class="yspscores">6</td> <td class="yspscores">15</td> <td class="yspscores">40.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">6</td> <td class="yspscores">16.7</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">0.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">5</td> <td class="yspscores">13</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td></tr> <tr class="ysprow1" align="right" height="16"> <td class="yspscores" align="left"> Nov 21</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">@ GSW</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">W 115-110</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">40:17</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td> <td class="yspscores">8</td> <td class="yspscores">16</td> <td class="yspscores">50.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">5</td> <td class="yspscores">7</td> <td class="yspscores">71.4</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">5</td> <td class="yspscores">5</td> <td class="yspscores">100.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">3</td> <td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">2</td> <td class="yspscores">26</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td></tr> <tr class="ysprow2" align="right" height="16"> <td class="yspscores" align="left"> Nov 19</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">@ POR</td> <td class="yspscores" align="left">L 74-116</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">21:03</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td> <td class="yspscores">4</td> <td class="yspscores">8</td> <td class="yspscores">50.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">0.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">0.0</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">2</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td><td class="yspscores">0</td> <td class="yspscores">2</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">1</td> <td class="yspscores">8</td> <td class="yspscores"> </td></tr> <tr class="ysprow1" align="right" height="16"> <td class="yspscores" align="left"> </td></tr></tbody></table>
Yeah, I agree. Hughes is getting his quick shot opportunities limited and BG is picking his spots better. The main thing is that the pecking order is changing and Hughes and BG are being forced to let the action come to them. Rose is taking over, and instead of BG or Hughes dribbling up and jacking a shot, it's Rose creating and the ball swinging around to those guys for open shots. Even Hughes seems to be able to recognize that. Philly has the same problem, they have no flow. Too many guys trying to do it on their own. They have plenty of shooters, but they aren't working it around to get open looks consistently.
I agree with your agreement but I disagree about Philly. Who's a shooter on that team? They've got lots of guys who can score, but I don't see a guy who's really a quality long-distance shooter the way Gordon is. It really seems to me that teams are letting Thaddeus Young, Iggy and Miller have three pointers because they're not great three point shooters.
I agree with you that BG is a better outside shooter than anybody they have. But what makes you think he'd be any more agreeable to floating around the perimeter waiting for kickouts in Philly than he is in Chicago. Iggy and Young are both better at getting to the rim than BG, and Miller isn't that bad either. Would BG being coming off of the bench for them? Iggy is probably still more of a forward, but he's a better defender than BG at SG. So it'd be the same thing all over again in Philly.
Well, if I were Philly and I had Gordon, I'd look at my team and think I had a bunch of guys who can get to the rim and one guy that can shoot, so I'd try to have him on the floor at the expense of one of guys who can get to the rim. Having a shooter out there will make the other ones better. I think I'd move Young to the bench and team him up with Louis Williams, who ought to be able to shoot better than he has as the second line. Basically I think doing that and sitting Willie Green gets you there. But really, Philly would have several options. I'd feel fine about Gordon or Iggy initiating the offense a few minutes a game if they're on the court together. And finally, they have played small at times with Young at the 4 a la Gerald Wallace. So the only guy I'd be worried about is Willie Green... and I wouldn't worry too much about him because... he's Willie Green. So it'd be something like 1- Miller 32, Williams 16 2- Gordon 34, Iggy 14 3- Iggy 20, Young 28
Ok, but who do the Sixers offer the bulls to get them to accept a sign and trade for BG? I think the only way the sixers were going to get BG would have been to overpay him so the bulls wouldn't match. And would you rather have BG or Elton Brand?
Well, this summer when I looked at it, Gordon for Speights, Jason Smith and Green seemed reasonable. Under the cap rules, the Sixers could have done this deal and signed Gordon to at most a 6/$59M contract. They are sending out $6.24M in the deal, so they could have taken back Gordon at a starting salary of $7.8M. With the maximum raises of 10.5% that'd come to $59M. Gordon reportedly wanted to sign a 6/$55M deal the Bulls pulled off the table. So the question would be are two seven footers on rookie deals a workable return for Gordon? Given that the Bulls didn't seem to want him, it seemed reasonable to me from the Bulls perspective. Given that the Sixers would still have three solid frontcourt options (Brand, Dalembert, Evans) and went on to sign Ratliff and Donyell Marshall, I think they're banking on vets anyway. It would have been worth exploring.
Not sure when the Bulls decided they didn't want him. They had that deal on the table for a good two months. BG only decided he wanted it 10 minutes after it was pulled off of the table, after BG's agent told Reinsdorf one last time that they weren't interested. Not sure why everybody thinks poor BG is getting jerked around on this one. BG is a nice player, but is it surprising to anyone that as Rose gradually plays a more dominant role in the offense, BG looks better? That's not BG morphing into a better player, it's Rose making the game easier for him. You don't pay top dollar for that kind of player. (Please don't bring up Deng. There's no defending that deal at this point. The only thing I can say is that you don't have to hide Deng on defense, but that's not saying much at this point.)
Unfortunately, there are only about 10 guys, and maybe fewer, in the NBA anyone should really want to pay top dollar for. And those guys (and the other guys who get top dollar without deserving it) make money in the $12-20M range while guys like Deng and Gordon, who are good but not dominating players make money in the $7-12M range. So sure, you don't pay those guys top dollar, but they really aren't getting top dollar in comparison with the best players in the league.
