He's averaging 22 PPG 9.0 RPG 5.5 APG</p> His three point percentage is dismal still.</p> Doesn't look like there will be a jumpshot this year, just like we saw in summer league.</p> Profile Link</p>
He's certainly filling up the box score in every other respect, which is certainly nice to see. 3 blocks per game? Cool. His 3 TO/g for 5 assists and general lack of outside shooting still suggest to me he's a slash to the basket 3 and not a guard.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MikeDC)</div><div class='quotemain'>He's certainly filling up the box score in every other respect, which is certainly nice to see. 3 blocks per game? Cool. His 3 TO/g for 5 assists and general lack of outside shooting still suggest to me he's a slash to the basket 3 and not a guard.</div></p> Yeah, I see him as a small forward as well. </p> This is why Paxson's unwillingness to trade Deng frustrates me. If we can get Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett (back then) for Luol Deng and filler, why aren't we doing it?</p> We'd still have Nocioni as the starting small forward, who is just a deadly scorer (I believe he had the highest TS% on the Bulls last year). And then you'd have Sefolosha off the bench. Sefo replicates Deng's slashing ability, doesn't have the jumpshot, but I think is an upgrade in defense and rebounding over Deng. We'd still have a deadly perimeter core (remember 05-06, when Hinrich, Gordon, and Nocioni led us to the playoffs all by themselves, while Deng folded like...well a folding chair). The rise up in our powerforward talent would be huge, while the small forward drop off not so much. You'd have Wallace, Thomas, Noah, Smith, Gasol (theoretically), and Gray all blocking up that frontcourt. So you could potentially make a trade like Noah and filler for Ron Artest if you feel you need more on the perimeterand play Artest in a big guard role off the bench with Gordon/Hinrich in the backcourt. (Remember when Artest played point guard in summer league and dominated?).</p> Thabo can be a good player in the league, but not as a guard, especially in our system. If we don't plan on making room for him to play, I think we should have traded Thabo for say....a guy like Luis Scola. San Antonio probably would have loved a player like Sefolosha out there to learn from Bowen about being a lockdown defender, and if not, I'm sure a three way with Houston could have been worked out, where they got Thabo, and we got Scola. Houston raved about Sefo at the draft, and said they would have drafted Sefo at #9 if they kept their pick. </p> Thabo is just leftovers with the way the team is currently constructed. </p>
