Just tweeted and posted in Memphis forum. http://sportstwo.com/threads/217610-OJ-Mayo-getting-interest?p=2832478#post2832478
There are still a couple of teams that need to hand out a lot of short term dollars to make the minimum -- Phoenix and Houston in particular. I'll bet Mayo ends up with one of those franchises.
If the Bulls want to make a bold move that at least makes it look like they're planning for a near future rebuild around Rose, getting a guy like Mayo would be it. Mayo would be our leading scorer next season.
Is this a flip for you? I remember we both watched a bunch of Memphis (Mayo) and Houston (C Lee) a couple of years ago when the Bulls were hungry for a two guard. I thought we were both lukewarm on both of them? Or maybe I was just lukewarm on both of them and memory is fuzzy (well, my memory is definitely fuzzy, but fuzzy in this regard)?
OJ Mayo as a starter put up 18.5 and 17.5 PPG seasons, with .383 3pt shooting, 3 APG, 1.1 SPG. He was a can't miss prospect coming out of high school. He sleep walked his way through a year at USC to qualify for the pros. He was drafted #3 in the 2008 draft behind Rose and Beasley. He's a year older than Rose. Pairing the two means you have a back court set for Rose's career. That said, there's some risk. For whatever reason, Memphis turned him into a bench player and he hasn't entirely been successful in that role. In spite of this, I think Memphis fans have a mixed view of him. He's not been awesome off the bench, but there have been quite a number of games where he's been quite valuable in that role. We've seen what happens when you take a flyer on a guy (Watson) who had never been a quality player as starter or reserve. I'd rather take a flyer on a guy who has proven he's decent in the starting role. It is a flyer because we don't know if he can become a quality starter again (probably, though) and that his being a bench player for two seasons derailed his progress as a player. He may be a bit of a head case, but that really shouldn't matter. The thing about head cases is not to avoid them, but to figure out how to encourage them to get the most out of the. I mean, Rodman was a head case and was a very integral part of 3 championships. He's likely to be a bargain at between $5M and $10M per season. We need a star player for next season, and he'd be it. Otherwise, we're looking at Kirk dribbling for :20 of the :24 clock as our offensive strategy (keep the ball out of opponents' hands at least). Lee? I was always meh about the guy. He had a decent playoff series one season and his stock went way up. Since then, he's been an OK player. I think he's about the same level a player as Ronnie Brewer (who I actually do like). I don't see the point in making this kind of sideways move.
Hope it all pans out. It's a risk, but a calculated one. Don't know if we can reach high enough to take hold of it, either.
To this point, Mayo has to rate as a disappointment. He hasn't exactly become the next Dwyane Wade. Based on his status as the 3rd overall pick, he was handed the starting job and then was replaced in his 3rd season by a defense-first SG (Tony Allen). Mayo's no better than an average defender...some say not quite that. Mayo can score, but considering his relatively low scoring efficiency, the fact that he's never averaged more than 17.5 points per 36 minutes surprised me. As a guard, he's pretty much been an average 3-pt shooter (Hinrich-esque). He's a fairly high-usage player, but as such, not particularly turnover-prone. Mayo has said that he doesn't see himself as a MLE-type player and hopes to get more than that as a free agent. He may be disappointed. My opinion is that he needs to choose his next team wisely...a team that wants him as their starting SG rather than "instant offense" off the bench. He may want to consider a short contract (maybe 2 years with a 3rd year player's option). Despite having 4 seasons in the league, he needs to prove himself. Can't say that I'm wild about handing over the starting SG spot to Mayo. As a NBA player, Mayo's been more reputation and style than substance. This said, if the Bulls can get him for about $5mil, I'm in.
I think Mayo can thrive with the right mix around hlm and I think D Rose would make him better for years to come. He will never be The Man like a 3pick should be but I would be stoked to get him. And 3%can be taught/learned.
Memphis made a huge commitment to Rudy Gay, who was the team's #1 option. Having Gay and Mayo on the wings was probably (for them) much like having Ronnie Brewer and Luol Deng on the wings for us. All are good players, but neither pair a good fit on the court at the same time given the rest of the lineup. It looks to me like Mayo was improving as a starter, season over season. His 3APG is excellent for an SG. For example, only Kobe Bryant is listed at SG by Yahoo! as an SG who averaged 3APG or more: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/stats/b...ence=NBA&year=season_2011&sort=27&qualified=1 (though a few PGs types played SG and put up PG like numbers, like Andre Miller) I'd look at the APG figures as an indication of his ability to be a playmaker off the ball, or willingness to pass to a Luol Deng rather than forcing his shot all the time.
There's Mayo fever goin' on right now. I'm mildly excited. It is a move for the future, but not too distant future. Connections to Taj, Derrick and Tim Floyd (Gar Forman's old buddy). But is Mayo ready to make the commitment to play Thibo style? And will he swallow a lower offer, compared to Phoenix? Odds are still not good, I don't think. I'm not hopeful that Lee would be a back up option, either. Will we get Shannon Brown as a backup to Rip, instead?
As some may know, for each player basketball-reference.com shows other players who delivered similar performance to the current point in that player's career. I happened to just look at Mayo's page. The most similar player to Mayo is well known to Bulls' fans. Big hint: his initials are VDN.
Transplant, I think Denny may have a more accurate read on Mayo. He actually plays long stretches of pretty decent defense followed by some egregious mental lapses. I think that type of player projects strongly on the defensive end with the Bulls-Thibodeau. And there's plenty of fodder if you want to make the argument that Mayo was not a great fit with Memphis on offense. Heavier handler, heavier usage when Memphis has a bunch of players who need the ball in the their hands -- Mayo probably would be better on the Bulls. I'm still not a big believer. Mayo just isn't as good as he should be, and he's been in the league for a while now. Whatever. This is all moot:
I'm thinking about broadening my horizons. If our owner isn't interested in our team, why should we be? I'm thinking I might follow Milwaukee along with the Bulls. Their roster looks like it's finally ready to become a contender this season.
You know, I don't think they were all that interested to begin with. The only way he made sense was if they could unload Rip, and that wasn't happening.
The Bulls are currently interested in minimizing luxury tax payments and maintaining "flexibility." The timetable for winning a title has shifted years out into the future. Sad, when last year at this time we had the reigning league MVP. Next years opening night lineup may very well be. Kirk Hinrich Rip Hamilton Jimmy Butler Carlos Boozer Joakim Noah Ugh.
