Charlotte Bobcats at Chicago Bulls 12/01

[dnbman]

Dnbman: OK. They give us Raja Bell and the pick. Bell is listed as starting SG, but splits time with Barbosa. Barbosa actually is far more productive in pts by 18 - 10. He is also much younger than Bell. Bell's salary is less than $1 mil below Okafor. Throw in a couple bench players from each side to equal out, making one of them an expiring contract for Phoenix.

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It works on the Trade Machine.

Bell? Bell is their defensive specialist. He's one of the best shut down sgs in the league AND he's money from 3 point range. He's an integral piece of their team, and I don't see them trading him. Barbosa plays half of his time as Nash's backup, meaning Bell still plays big minutes at the SG spot. Plus, Bell's got two more years left on his contract. I'd love to have Bell, but why would we trade a proven defensive big for another sg?

I'm sure there is a deal that will pass the trade machine, but that doesn't mean it makes sense for either team.

[ohara831]

Dnbman: OK. They give us Raja Bell and the pick. Bell is listed as starting SG, but splits time with Barbosa. Barbosa actually is far more productive in pts by 18 - 10. He is also much younger than Bell. Bell's salary is less than $1 mil below Okafor. Throw in a couple bench players from each side to equal out, making one of them an expiring contract for Phoenix.

__________________________________________________ _______

It works on the Trade Machine.

Bell? Bell is their defensive specialist. He's one of the best shut down sgs in the league AND he's money from 3 point range. He's an integral piece of their team, and I don't see them trading him. Barbosa plays half of his time as Nash's backup, meaning Bell still plays big minutes at the SG spot. Plus, Bell's got two more years left on his contract. I'd love to have Bell, but why would we trade a proven defensive big for another sg?

I'm sure there is a deal that will pass the trade machine, but that doesn't mean it makes sense for either team.

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Because they need a PF to help on Defense if they are going to win a Title. And we want that Atlanta pick. When we bat other ideas around like trying to acquire someone else's throw aways or 2nd tier player, we are only putting a Bandaid on a gushing gash that needs surgery and 20 stitches. I really dont care who they give us as a player, just make the money work so we can get the pick. I just chose Bell b/c his money is close, he is already 32 and Barbosa could take his place full time. I would think they would trade him b/4 Barbosa. Just thinking outside the box so we can find a way to make some magic for this team. They say "if it aint broke, dont fix it." The corralary would be "if its broke, fix it." We need to fix it, b/c we are broke right now.

[dnbman]

Because they need a PF to help on Defense if they are going to win a Title. And we want that Atlanta pick. When we bat other ideas around like trying to acquire someone else's throw aways or 2nd tier player, we are only putting a Bandaid on a gushing gash that needs surgery and 20 stitches. I really dont care who they give us as a player, just make the money work so we can get the pick. I just chose Bell b/c his money is close, he is already 32 and Barbosa could take his place full time. I would think they would trade him b/4 Barbosa. Just thinking outside the box so we can find a way to make some magic for this team. They say "if it aint broke, dont fix it." The corralary would be "if its broke, fix it." We need to fix it, b/c we are broke right now.

I don't think Phoenix needs another player as much as they need to stay on the bench during questionable blocking calls. Remember, they almost beat San Antonio last year. Enough about Phoenix though. If something happens, it happens. I'm just not anticipating it.

As for the broke thing, I think the course of the season will fix many things. But, we can't keep relying on draft picks to stop our whoas. For one, that's a lot of pressure to put on a rookie or any one player for that matter. (SEE: J Rich, Felton, Okafor, etc.) Second, rookies often don't pan out. There are not sure things in the draft. Oden will probably be great for Portland, but he hasn't played a real game yet. There's a chance that he never will, though he seems likely to return. The point is, you can't count on one guy. We have to play as a team, plain and simple. Too many teams rely on one guy to come in and make it all better. That hasn't worked for 90% of the league. The teams that have been successful outside of Miami have all been amazing TEAMS that happened to have some star players. We need to start developing that team mentality whether we go with who we have, draft a stud, or go in the FA market. At some point, the collection of talent, new or old, has to come together. I think I've written enough about this over the last two days. Again, my main point is that we can't keep waiting for the one player who is going to put us on his shoulders and lead us to a championship. That story about a guy named Godot was already written.

[dvdbumpus]

I think Bell is more of a system player. Because honestly, before Phoenix he was just above average. I think he's a pretty good player but Bell and a 1st? For Okafor?

Maybe I'm just crazy but a 31 yr old SG and a pick seems a bit lowballing Okafor's value.

[TheBeagle]

That story about a guy named Godot was already written.

Kudos from a literary student on the Godot reference! It's always good to class up the joint with some existential literature