CBAreject

I know we should be wary that Dampier is playing well in his contract year, but there's a good chance that it's not a fluke. I'm not enamored with him because of his previous underachievement, but we should still give Damp a look. So, the question is, how much is he worth to us. I'm not suggesting that we overpay for him at all. I also think we might have to overpay to get him to come here. Some of you guys suggested paying 10 mil over 3 for Pryz (which I am AGAINST), so what would you pay for Damp? I would give him a deal starting at 6 mil per year. I think he's the only high level true center we can get through draft or FA. I think we can do that and still have alot of flexibility. We should NOT sign a bunch of guys to 3 to 4 million per year deals, as some are suggesting. For example, if we sign Pryz (3), Sura (4), Jax (6), AND Collier (2), we will destroy our cap space if you factor in two draft picks (4 = 19 total!). Outside of Jax, those guys are all easily replaced.

I hope you don't mean #14. If we secure the 3rd worst record, we can pick no lower than 7th, and that's a very, very, very unlikely scenario. For the 3rd team to pick 7th this year, three of the 4-13 teams have to land picks 1-3. Then, 1 picks 5th, 2 picks 6th, and 3 picks 7th. One of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of the NBA draft lottery is that it only entails the top 3 picks. Not every position is up for grabs. Most years, the #1 team cannot pick any lower than 4th. However, this year, the Cats will pick 4th, so the #1 team can pick as low as 5th.

I agree on Freije. He's a tick better than Mottola in my opinion, which means he's good enough to be a backup small in the NBA. I don't think he brings anything that Jason Collier doesn't, though. I like Kirk Snyder and Sato. Both are strong guards. Snyder is my fave of the 2. Paul a lotto pick? Interesting. I don't think he'll actually go that high this year, but it's not impossible. He should wait another year. If he comes out, I believe that he would be an excellent choice with the Milwaukee pick. Then we'd just have to find somebody to take JT.

I think Curry was pulled because the Baby Bulls were getting their asses handed to them. Chandler hasn't played much lately because he is injured all the time. Bulls seem to be playing OK. At one time, I thought the Magic would pass us, but now I think it's the Bulls. Since Chicago will play Orlando twice and us once, they have a great chance to pass us and leave us at #2. I think Orlando has cooled off and will end up #1 easily.

Phoenix is not the same team without Amare. Notice, they were a lottery team the year before he arrived (that's how they drafted him). He has been a non-factor until only recently, and, recently, Phx has won some big games. Of course, now Stephon is gone. I don't think they're tanking at all. They just happen to play in the West which has only gotten stronger since it acquired Allen for 25 games of Gary Payton and Antoine Walker for nobody. Do we have to keep dumping our good players over there? Phx will be back next year, and they will be scary. They're going to have Marion, Stoudamire, Johnson, a pick and some cap to play with.

Milwaukee has lost 5 consecutive games. We want Milwaukee to be as bad as possible, but not too bad. They are currently sitting at the #18 spot in the draft. 1-14 are allocated to the lottery teams plus Charlotte. Milwaukee isn't likely to miss the playoffs altogether, but they have to be the 7th seed or better for us to get their pick (top 15 protected!). They are currently #5, but only 3 games up on #8 Cleveland, and Cleveland is playing better ball. Miami will almost certainly pass Milwaukee, as they've won 5 in a row. The good thing is that the Knicks have to also pass Mil, but they're only 2.5 games back. We really need this pick this year. Ideally, we get it and it's #16. I wouldn't put it past the Bucks to tank all the way. There are 13 whole games left for them, and they've done it before. seed team record GB L10 streak #5 Mil 34-35 - 2-8 L 5 #6 Mia 33-37 1.5 8-2 W 5 #7 NY 32-38 2.5 6-4 L 1 #8 Cle 31-38 3 7-3 L 2 #9 Bos 31-40 4 6-4 L 2

No, seriously, we need everything. A bruiser off the bench, mule? You're right. We do need that. However, I'd put that a little lower on the priority list than: starting PF, PG or ball handling SG, C, SF if we can't resign Jax I know we've been entertained in some recent scorefests, but let's not be deceived. This is not a competitive NBA team right now. This is not a team with even a couple of building blocks. I'm even skeptical that SJax is a building block, and I'd rather trade JT than build around him. I think Jax is a complementary player and JT is no more than trade bait. What do we need to contend, mule? Talent. Lot's of talent. Okafor...McGrady...maybe KMart (though he won't get away). After that, a pg to run the show. JT, if he can't be traded, is a high-energy player off the bench.

I think finishing 4th would still be OK. We would have the same number of lotto balls as a 4 team usually has. However, we just can't pick 4th in the draft, since the Bobcats will pick there. We'd still have as good a shot at top 3 as a 4 team does. CBA

I have never seen Dwight play, so I don't know here. However, unless Dwight is KG or 'Bron, I would take Okafor. I just think Okafor is blue chip. He will be very, very good. His defensive ability will make a team a contender by itself.

So, you predicted 180/180, but you observed 178. What are you trying to prove here, that you cannot conclude that the true value is not 180/180? What deviation are you calculating? Many times the standard deviation of the actual set is not the statistic you need (directly) to draw conclusions. BTW, if that really is all you want, you can type the numbers into excel, and it will calculate the stdev or var within a set for you. You have to be careful with what you conclude with statistics. There are right ways and horribly wrong ways to use them. BUT, most people don't know the difference anyway, so they don't complain.

You cannot sign a FREE AGENT before the draft! Therefore, you cannot trade him for a pick in that year's draft! We cannot sign and trade Jackson for a chance at Smith. Cannot be done. I've said this before, but people do not listen. No more talk of doing something that cannot be done, please. AM I WRONG? Perhaps! It would make me much happier if I were wrong than being right and having no one listen.

How could you say that? Any true fan would want his team to win. We should fight to win every last game we can. The draft is no guarantee, and I can't understand the laws of probability, so I can't see how a higher percentage chance at a good player is better than a lower percentage chance. I just see that neither is 100%, so I make the blanket statement that the draft is no guarantee. I'm a moron. I can't think. BTW, I was being sarcastic...except the part about being a moron. I humbly admit that I am one.

Can you stop defending your ridiculous team with its propensity for conspicuous consumption??? Scouting department? Oh, boy, I bet those guys really had to work hard to figure out that ARod had some hidden talent, but you meant the draft... Jeter only fell to the Yankees in the first round b/c no other team could afford to sign him, ala Rick Ankiel and J.D. Drew. So, the Yanks trade those hot prospects for 'overpriced veterans that other teams are too cheap to retain'? Where do I begin????? First, name a couple of those players who've amounted to anything. Actually teams overvalue Yankee prospects. Second, TOO CHEAP? WHAT THE (*!^* are you talking about? Teams can't afford to resign those players because the don't have the freakin' money. They're not just pinch-pennies, moron. THIRD, if the Yanks do have a good scouting department (and I actually think it is solid, but not great), then they very well should because they spend more on that sector than any other team. Many teams have had to downsize scouting. You will have a very hard time convincing anyone of the Yankees' great accomplishments if they win. BASEBALL is the only sport in which one team can have three times the average payroll and get away with it. The Yankees lost last year, so they went out and spent more and more and more. They went and traded for the most ridiculous contract in baseball. Why? Because they could...they are, after all, the Yankees. What I wonder is WHY anyone actually is a fan (outside of New York). What is the point? So, you root for the best team so that you have the highest chance of being a winner? That's the best I can come up with. Am I bitter? Of course! Every fan in baseball is bitter about the absurd imbalance in baseball right now. I hope the Yankees lose and look stupid doing it, but then again, they'll probably just buy more players if they do.

OK, nobody lay into me about wanting our Hawks to lose. Those who don't want the team to lose just can't think very well. OK, there I asked for it. Anyhoo, tonight was great for draft position. 1) We lost 2) Washington won 3) Phoenix won Tonight was ALMOST even better as Chicago nearly stole won from NO, but was beaten in overtime. So, the same day that Blunt says that he can't see anyone except for Washington passing us, Phx and Wash both pass us. How bout it, Blunt? Actually, what Blunt failed to realize is that Phoenix is better than their record because they have played all year without one of the top players in the league (Stoudamire...oh yes...don't argue) and the best player on the team. Now he's back and logging 33/15 on a good night. Scary for the league is if Phx lands a good pick. Marion, Johnson, Stoudamire, Okafor, maybe? sick. Furthermore, Blunt failed to notice that Washington is playing its best ball after Kwame Brown called out Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert has risen to the challenge and Washington is hot. Also, Orlando is playing its best ball of the season. Chicago? Not great, but Chandler is healthy. They've played OK. Point is, I think we will finish with the third worst record at least. There's a chance Orlando will pass us, and Chicago may, too. They may, and I hope they do, even though they really suck. We're just a lot worse. I think the Lakers upset sent a message that we play hard, but that will only get us so far. -I want the Hawks to lose, and that makes me a fan. Otherwise, I would be indifferent.

Why would we go after Person? What can he do for us? I wouldn't give him more than 1 yr, 2 mil. Barry? Yeah, I'll take him. 3 yrs, 13 mil. Sura? 3 yrs, 9 mil. Denver's model? They went after one of the biggest FA's available and landed him. Miller is the 3rd best point in the league right now (Kidd, Payton....ok, maybe Nash).

OK, actually Lebron, but I wanted to offer a different veiwpoint. 1) Lebron 2) PEJA 3) Yao 4) Duncan 5) Garnett 6) Kidd Those players all take mediocre or poor teams and make them good. Of course, Lebron's team isn't quite good yet, but just wait. PEJA has made Sac the best team in the league without it's perceived superstar. Does Webb make Sac good? Did he make Washington good? What many do not realize about basketball is that it's about 2 things: maximizing scoring efficiency on offense and minimizing scoring efficiency on defense. Sure, that's a simple concept, but many do not understand this. Simply put, PEJA has the highest scoring efficiency in the league. He single handedly beat the Lakers last night despite terrific nights by Shaq and Kobe. Of course, Kobe's night would be perceived as terrific, but closer inspection reveals that he shot only 12-28. Peja is better than Kobe.

b) Football players get HUGE signing bonuses that aren't really factored into their "salary" numbers. Baseball and basketball players don't get these. Actually, they are...as far as the salary cap goes. The signing bonus is divided evenly over the length of the contract for cap considerations. Since the NFL cap is what we're using to determine average player salary, we are including signing bonuses. e) One thing that actually hurts the NFL, but not the NBA, is vet minimums. A lot of times, NFL teams will cut a more vet player because they HAVE to pay him more, instead opting for a perhaps slightly less ready younger/healthier? player who they can pay less... I agree. I would do away with minimums altogether. Doesn't that ruin a free market for players? That's what unions will do to you. If there were no union, there would be free bidding on undrafted FAs. Some guys would get a chance to play for $60,000 or so, who wouldn't have otherwise. c) I don't know this, but I would wager, that the avg. career length of a baseball player is much lengthier than a basketball player. Football is by far the shortest. This is interesting. Obviously, we would guess football is the shortest just because of injuries (I know data supports it, too). I was wondering if it has something to do with the percentage of the roster occupied by non-starters, too. Think about it. It's much easier to make a team as a reserve. Frequently, reserves come in for just a short time and then don't pan out. In baseball (longest), there are what I would consider 15 starters (positions, starting pitchers, closer, dh), which is 67% of the roster. In basketball, there are 5 starters, which is about 43% of the roster. In football, there are 22 starters, which is 42% of the roster. Of course, injuries shorten the career length in football, as well.

You cannot trade a FA for a lottery pick! A player who is a FA cannot be traded until he is signed. A player who becomes a FA after the season cannot be signed until after the draft. How then could anyone trade for a lottery pick???????? These "INSIDERS" are idiots. They want to down the Hawks. I don't know what it is, but everybody outside of Atlanta was PISSED when the Hawks traded Rasheed. Why? Anybody who can explain it, please do. HERE'S MY BEST EXPLANATION: Most people are always on New York teams' SACKS! The only way that the Knicks get SHEED is if the Hawks SNT him to the Knicks. BUT! The only way for the Hawks to SNT him to the Knicks is if the Knicks give back bad contracts to the Hawks. Do the Hawks want bad contracts? NO! BUT, Knicks fans everywhere think that the Hawks are still the whipping boy of NBA trades because of Babcock's ineptitude. SO! They think that the Hawks are stupid enough to trade Rasheed to the Knicks. BUT, now that will never happen, so Knicks fans (and there are A LOT of them) are PISSED! HA! Take that! This is the same team that offered LJ and Childs for DEKE! LOSERS!

Overrating JT? But what about a #1 or #2 pick (assuming we pick so high)??? JT is just to sweeten the pot a little. How could Boston sneer at such a high pick? They're not getting any better, dude, and they don't have any cap money. BOSTON: Number one pick and JT for Pierce? Nah, we're pretty happy being a horrible team with no way to improve.

Diesel forgot about this one, but it was the best move by far, in my opinion. How did we get rid of Dog without taking back bad contracts??? Some people even complained about that deal! Guh? I think drafting Diaw was second best. He got something of high value with a low pick. Trading Reef/Ratliff wasn't that great an accomplishment because they are both valuable, and I'm sure other teams wanted them. I still like all of his deals, though.

Quote: i don't think he was implying that at all Fine. I think he was. Maybe he didn't say, 'I don't want to finish last! It's bad luck!' However, his language did not indicate that, 'It's not the end of the world if we don't finish last.' If I am exaggerating his position in one direction, you are exaggerating it in the other. This is obviously a difference of opinion, and I will never convince you of mine. Quote: i think u read too much into his statement because you're either mad at people who don't understand logic/probability or you just wanted to come across as an intelligent person I read too much into his statement because I was angry? No, if I am angry in the first place, it is because I read too much into his statement, and not the other way around. Now, that is poor logic. Am I a jerk? Perhaps. Do I come on here to vent because I can't do it to people's faces at work without getting fired? Probably. Is that right? No, sir. I know two things for certain, though. First, I'm not mad at people because they don't understand. I'm mad at them because they don't care to understand. Thinking is a lost art. No one wants to do it because it doesn't result in gaining wealth or getting laid in the short term. Secondly, I have nothing to gain by trying to appear intelligent to a group of people who don't know anything about me and whom I'll never meet.

I think if Billy Knight "built" a team in any sort of vein, it was purely accidental. I don't think he used any strategy in acquiring our current team except that they all have expiring contracts.

I've seen JT + Milwaukee pick for top 5 pick several times now. Guys, I would never, ever, ever trade a top 5 pick for Jason Terry and some mid-round pick. I can't see it happening. I hope I'm wrong here, but I just cannot imagine Phoenix or Chicago trading their pick to us for a guy without a position.

Wait, why are we trying to win games, again? I so hope we end up picking 7th instead of 1st. What wonders that would work for our franchise. Cletus: "The #1 pick ain't no guarantee! It could be a flop!" Me: "Yes, but the #1 pick is better than the #6 pick, isn't it." Cletus: "That ain't the way to build!" Me: "Oh, right. We should've kept our overpaid 'core' together and used CC in a sign and trade for Kobe. Right, I nearly forgot."

No, he didn't explicitly say that, but he MORE than implied it. Here's what he said: "Remember, the worst record rarely gets the #1. So I'm more than content to be in the bottom 3." What do you think that means? What??? If he'd said, 'I want to be in the bottom three,' alone, then I couldn't have argued. However, he IMPLIES that it's better not to be #1, but to just be in the bottom 3 (2 or 3). Why does he advise us to REMEMBER that being the worst team isn't necessarily best?? Why? Think! If it's not spelled out for you in black and white, you miss it altogether.