Thursday, January 24, 2008

Bulls Problem Defense, Not Offense

This season, the Bulls are winless when they allow 100 or more points in a game. After Houston's win earlier this week over Seattle, 109-107, the Bulls became the only team in the NBA to not win a game when they give up 100 or more points. In all other games, the Bulls record is 17-7.

So, although many point out the struggles for the Bulls to score in the paint and their other offensive deficiency, perhaps it is the defense that is the root of the problem. The Bulls most impressive victories this season have come against Detroit. In games against the Pistons, the Bulls have held them to 93 points, 91 points, and 81 points.

Some key defensive categories and the Bulls current rankings:
Three Point Percentage, .382 (28th)
Free Throws Attempted, 1073 (13th)
Total Rebounds Per Game, 43.1 (21st)
Fast Break Points per game, 13.1 (23rd-tied)

Starting Thabo Sefolosha over Ben Gordon, giving Joakim Noah time over Ben Wallace, and playing Tyrus Thomas less, should help the defensive issues the Bulls have. Sefolosha especially, allows Kirk Hinrich to defend point guards rather than bigger, shooting guards.

Scouting Report: Rudy Gay

As the Memphis Grizzlies continue to struggle this season, one bright spot has been the emergence of Rudy Gay. Gay started to come on last season after the all-star break and has continued to stay aggressive this season. Along with point guard Mike Conley, Gay is clearly the focus of the Grizzlies for years to come.

Player Name: Rudy Gay
Current Team: Memphis Grizzlies
NBA Position: SF
Drafted: 8th (Houston Rockets)
Height/Weight: 6'9"/220
Birthdate: 8/17/86
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
College: Connecticut
Agent: Octagon Sports

Notes:
Traded on draft night to Memphis with Stromile Swift for Shane Battier; As a sophomore, he was named an All-Big East First Team selection, and an NABC All-America First Team and Associated Press All-America Second Team member; 2006-07 NBA First All-Rookie Team

Strenghts:
Explosive; Long and athletic; Uses length on defense to force turnovers; Big-time scorer; High arching jump shot; Perimeter range; Finishes well in traffic; Prototypical NBA body; Vertical jump; Quick feet; Ball handling still needs to improve

Weaknesses:
Consistency is still somewhat of an issue; Struggles when he does not stay aggressive; Competitiveness on offense sometimes does not match on defense.

Outlook:
Gay has proven this year that he is a big-time scorer in the NBA. He will be one of the top thirty scorers in the league for a majority of his career. To get to the next tier of players, Gay needs to continue to stay aggressive and improve on the defensive end. As the Memphis Grizzlies grow and improve around Gay, Conley, and Milicic, Gay will by the key for this franchise to move up in the Western Conference.

Video:

Monday, January 21, 2008

NBA Agents

BDA Sports Management
Bill Duffy, President
Other Agents: Calvin Andrews, Kevin Bradbury, Michael Conley, Sr.
Website: http://www.bdasports.com/
Top Players include: Carmelo Anthony, Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Leandro Barbosa

Octagon Sports
Jeff Austin, Senior Vice President
Other Agents: Chris Emens, Lance Young
Website: http://www.octagonbasketball.com/Default.aspx/Home
Top Players include: Rudy Gay, Chris Paul, Kirk Hinrich, David West

Priority Sports & Entertainment
Mark Bartelstein, President
Website: http://www.prioritybasketball.biz/basketball/
Top Players include: Adam Morrison, Bobby Simmons, Mo Williams, Charlie Bell, Luther Head, Antoine Walker

Goodwin Sports
Aaron Goodwin, President
Other Agents: Eric Goodwin, Noah Croom
Website: http://www.goodwinsports.com/
Top Players include: Al Horford, Chris Webber, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Jamal Crawford

Fegan & Associates
Dan Fegan
Top Players include: Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson, Nene Hilario, Jason Terry, Stephen Jackson, Anderson Varejo

ASM Sports
Andy Miller, President
Other Agents: Justin Zanek
Website: http://www.asmsports.com/
Top Players include: Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups, Cuttino Mobley, Antonio McDyess, Stromile Swift, Sebastian Telfair

Pinnacle Sports
Marc Cornstein,
Website: http://www.pinnaclehoops.com/index.php
Top Players include: Samuel Dalembert, Darko Milicic, Nenad Krstic, Beno Udrih, Sasha Pavlovic

CSMG Sports
Henry Thomas, EVP of Basketball
Other Agents: Alex Saratsis, Marty McGlothan, Kim Hills
Website: http://www.csmgsports.com
Top Players include: Chris Bosh, Michael Finley, Devin Harris, Dwyane Wade, Shaun Livingston, Anthony Parker

Interperformances, Inc.
Herb Rudoy, President
Other Agents: Luciano Capichhioni
Website: http://www.interperformances.com/enter.phtml?sp=b
Top Players include: Mickael Pietrus, Raja Bell, Manu Ginobili, Carlos Arroyo, Sergio Rodriguez, Zydrunas Ilgauskus, Lina Kleiza

http://www.hoopshype.com/agents/andy_miller.htm

Memphis, Chicago & Orlando Up For a 3-Way Trade?

With the Bulls floundering at seven games under .500 and Memphis looking to the future as they sit in last place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division, both teams look like they are ready to make a move. In Orlando, Stan Van Gundy has struggled to find an effective big man. So, here's a three-way trade that would get each team closer to their short-term and long-term goals.

Memphis gets:
PF Pat Garrity ($3,818,750, 1 Year Remaining)
C Adonal Foyle ($1,219,590, 1 Year Remaining)
PF Tyrus Thomas ($3,505,320, 2 Years Remaining)
C Ben Wallace ($15,500,000, 3 Years Remaining)
SG Ben Gordon ($4,881,669, 1 Year Remaining)
Future Orlando First Round Pick

Chicago gets:
SG/SF Mike Miller ($8,376,194, 2 Years Remaining)
C Pau Gasol ($13,735,000, 4 Years Remaining)
PF Andre Brown ($770,610, 1 Year Remaining)

Orlando gets:
PF/C Stromile Swift ($5,800,000, 1 Year Remaining)

In this trade, Memphis gets more young talent (Gordon, Thomas, first round pick), cap flexibility (Foyle, Garrity, and potentially Gordon), and veteran talent (Wallace). Adding Thomas and Gordon to the core in Memphis of Rudy Gay, Mike Conley Juan Carlos Navarro, Kyle Lowry, Darko Milicic, Hakim Warrkick gives general manager Chris Wallace a great start to turning this team around. With this trade, the Grizzlies would have just about forty million dollars for seven player - Milicic, Brian Cardinal, Damon Stoudamire, Gay, Lowry, Ben Wallace, and Tyrus Thomas. Even with the option of bringing back Ben Gordon long-term and eating into their payroll, the Grizzlies would still have a significant amount of cap room to bring in a veteran post player.

The Bulls would be able to re-make this team in a short period of time. Gasol clearly would fill the void the Bulls have had in the post since Eddy Curry was traded to the Knicks. Averaging 19 points per game and almost nine rebounds, Gasol would be the focal point of the Bulls offense. Mike Miller would also be a great addition to the team. Playing Miller (6-8) next to Luol Deng (6-9) on the wing would allow the Bulls to turn a negative (size at the wing) into a positive. Miller is also a veteran scorer that would take some pressure of Deng and Kirk Hinrich. With averages of 16.5 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, and 3.9 assists per game, Miller would be a perfect fit in the Bulls offense. Andre Brown is a young, power forward from Chicago, who the Bulls would get a half of a season to take a look at.

For Orlando, this trade would The Magic have had a great deal of success this season playing a smaller front line with Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis playing the forward spots. Off the bench, the Magic have gotten very little production from their big men - Brian Cook, Pat Garrity, Adonal Foyle, and James Augustine. Adding Stromile Swift to this Magic squad would give the team athleticism, shot blocking, and post defense off the bench. Swift has a player option after the 2007-08, but could become an unrestricted free agent. In this trade, Garrity and Foyle are little used big men who are free agents after this season.