dunno, but his stats over the last 3 years make it look like he's benjamin button, going backwards in the NBA.
It is amazing (as I believe somebody said in the "multiplicity" thread [which I thought was some kind of cloning reference because of that obscure Michael Keaton film]) how a few years ago the Bulls were seen as the Blazers are now, as a team bursting at the seams with young talent. Now it's basically just Rose and a bunch of scrubs. I would sort of be interested in Deng because: (a) he's got a British passport (b) he's a great guy (c) he's a good shooter (d) a few years ago he looked like an all-star against Miami in the playoffs. (e) [Ed. O. rationale:] despite the fact that he seems to have been around forever, he's actually almost a year YOUNGER than Roy My qualms are as follows: (a) he's had injury problems that may be chronic (b) he seems to have regressed (c) he looked his best under Scott Skiles, who is currently proving that he can make almost any collection of scrubs look good, at least at first (d) he's got a ridiculously huge contract (e) he would probably cost us Outlaw, who I think is a really important part of team chemistry (and a great scorer off the bench) I would certainly do it if Chicago just wanted to rid themselves of his contract and only wanted something like Raef and possibly Webster in return. Do we want Hinrich as well? Well, I know he was fresh off the injured list, but Blake pretty comprehensively outplayed him last night. If I knew Hinrich was really good at the pick and roll that would certainly sway me, but Blake was actually more of PG in college than Hinrich was... If the trade was THIS (Hinrich, Deng, Noah for Raef, Blake, Diogu) I wouldn't say no. Provided we then did another trade to consolidate.
That's what scares me though. I think we need to make that consolidation trade sooner rather than later. Ben Gordon or Hinrich would have had twice the value a few years ago. Now there's talk of them going at rock bottom prices. I'd rather turn some of our pieces into players who will help us in the long haul.
For your sake I hope you never truly understand, but back + knee injuries will slow down most anyone. I used to really want Deng, but now it seems he's damaged goods with a huge price tag. His athleticism definitely took a serious hit... no thanks STOMP
I guess I just hadn't really followed his injury history. If he's that banged up, it would all make sense.
Corey Maggette is a freaking bargain compared the contract that Deng got. I'd rather make a move for Maggette, Josh Howard or Gerald Wallace if we are looking to target a SF with Raef's contract.
i'd rather stick with webster/outlaw/batum and not pay luxury tax for someone that might not improve on what we have.
deng was never great and is worse now that he's not the focal point of the offense. he can't shoot the three well enough to be an ideal role player at that sf spot. in fact, he'd be a downgrade over outlaw's minutes there. gooden is a better acquisition. wallace, who seems attainable, would be a fine addition even though he doesn't have range.
I don't really understand why everyone wants Wallace. Why do you think Charlotte, which is pretty damn talent-starved, wants to get rid of him, if he's all that? He's a rich man's Renaldo Balkman. He's Cedric Ceballos. He's Shawn Marion without the three pointer. And on top of that he's always injured. He'd work well on a running team, perhaps. But (you might have noticed) that's not us. Slow him down and he can't do half the things our current SFs do. Deng RIGHT NOW is a much better fit for this team and this coach. He would work better than Outlaw in the starting unit because he doesn't need to hold the ball for three seconds before his brain engages and he can pass and dribble better. I'm not sure, however, that he's much better RIGHT NOW than Batum. Perhaps it would be better to target a cheaper, shorter-term stop-gap (like Battier or even McGrady, although he's only cheaper in the sense that his contract runs less) than Deng.
You might have a point here, Deng flourished under Skiles (at least until Skiles wore out his act with the Bulls) who is similar to Nate in his half-court oriented system and emphasis on defense (whether or not that emphasis has translated into play on the court) and aside from injuries one has to wonder if the Bulls' coaching carousel and constant turmoil haven't hurt his game a little? I dunno ... I was pretty high on Deng awhile back, but aside from last night I haven't seen him play in ages. If both Captain Kirk and Deng could be had and achieve play levels of a year or two past, then I'd be game. But I won't critique either until I get a chance to watch them play a bit more this year.
I remember watching Deng go against Outlaw in RMR Summer league. It was amazing how athletic they both were and so young. Deng of course was much more polished. Last night was a bit different. You never know though Deng could bounce back. What were his injuries?
It's nice to know we can rule that out, as Chad Ford has never, ever been right about the Blazers. Not once.
