Bobson Dugnutt

I can't see it being anyone but the White Sox. As others have already said in the other thread, they must have money left over after failing to land Hunter and Cabrera. Williams is on the hot seat, and Sox players and fans are not happy with the outcome of their offseason, thus far. Outside of Rowand, Fukudome is probably their last chance to make an impact this offseason, and they seemingly are reluctant to give Rowand the 5-year deal he wants. Plus, Sox fans would probably wet their pants over the idea of swooping in and stealing the Cubs top target, which would be a perfect way for Kenny Williams to get back in their good graces. It makes too much sense to not be the Sox. The only question I still have, obviously, is how much are they offering? Would they be able to outbid the Cubs? They already have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures for Williams.

Aaron bleeping Boone?! (Sorry, I realize he wasn't signed, but it's the first thing that came to my mind when I read the title.)

Oh no! :x

HAHA. Ramirez turned down more money from the Angels just last off-season, took a hometown discount with the Cubs, and received a full no-trade clause. Of course he would agree to a trade to Anaheim!

He sure did. I made the picture from Chicagosports.com my desktop background as soon as I saw it. It must be exciting for the players to have him in attendance on occasion. I was impressed by the Illini last night, and if that game was any indication, they should be able to hang with the top of the Big Ten this season. It was ASU, though, so I want to see how we fare against Duke and, hopefully, Marquette.

Where does this perception (that is constantly repeated by several users) that we can get Erik Bedard for peanuts come from? Yeah, there was a rumor of Tejada and Bedard for Prior four years ago. It's going to take a lot more than that to get him now. Even then, wasn't it Baltimore's refusal to include Bedard the reason the Prior deal fell apart? Bedard has an extraordinary amount of trade value. As dumb as MacPhail is, that package is not even close to what it would take too net Bedard and Tejada.

Tyrus Thomas' athleticism still amazes me. He got way up there on that blocked shot in the fourth quarter. Has anyone else noticed some improvement in his ball handling ability? It also seems like he has developed his shot a little bit more. I felt like last year all you could rely on him for offensively was catching the ball near the basket and slamming it in. It seems like he is starting to become a more multi-dimensional offensive player. Until further notice, he and Smith should be getting the majority of the playing time at 4 and 5. That said, I would still include him in a deal for Kobe, albeit reluctantly.

If by superstar you mean 30 points etc no he wont be. Deng can and will average 20-25 points 5-7 boards which is pretty damn good. You put Kobe on this team with Deng, and I think the 2 of them would work beautifully together. Dengs ability to slash to the basket would finally be used how it should. right. Kobe would be his "jordan" which would allow Deng to be fantastic in the "pippen" role. but we saw what pippen did with the team when jordan wasn't around (hint: nothing) I was with you up untill the bolded. Pippen led the Bulls to the Eastern Confernce Finals in the 1st year without MJ, and then got bent over on a call that kept him from leading that team to the NBA Finals. He actually led them to the semi-finals, where they lost to the Knicks. The Knicks went on to play the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. He did, however, lead them to a 55-win season and within one game of the Eastern Conference finals, a game which, as you noted, was decided by a bad call. I don't think that this team, as constructed and with Deng as its leader, will ever be capable of a 55-win season like that Pippen-led team was. Maybe they'll find their way into the Eastern Conference Finals because of the lack of a really dominant team in the East, but until they get someone who can score consistently rather than the frustratingly inconsistent scoring patterns of Hinrich and Gordon, they won't reach that elite level.

Not too soon!!! It would be great not having to face Griffey or Dunn that last series. Facing the Reds without Dunn and Griffey definitely makes things easier. On the other hand, it'll make it that much harder to swallow if the Cubs pull a choke job. :?

what's the story with that? i always hear he was "run out of chicago," but i've never known why. (besides the fact that he's a terrible reporter.)

FWIW, Kenny Williams is denying reports that a deal is close, and says that they will not be making any more moves before they leave the Winter Meetings.

I wonder how much truth there is to this rumor. Google news search of Jon Garland brought nothing but the Rosenthal article, and Rosenthal isn't the most reliable source. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Garland has a no-trade clause.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I am not using the we don't have room excuse to try and get a guy like Rusch in the rotation. I would rather see Hill than Rusch. I would also rather see him pitch than Maddux, so the sooner Greg is gone, the better. I actually would like to see Guzman and Hill somehow both worked into the rotation, because obviously Hill knows how to get guys out in the minors and needs some more innings in the majors. I just think that Gooz is just as deserving of a chance as Hill, and his stuff looked like it could be dominant. However, I actually do not have stats in front of me and cannot tell you what Guzman has done since being demoted, or if he is stretched out enough to sart for the Cubs. Hypothetical situation: Prior is on the DL for an extended period of time (or Maddux gets dealt). Hill starts 6-7 games and has no more success than he has in his past major league stints. Guzman is down in the minors pitching well. Do you go to Guzman, who through the years has been considered to have the higher ceiling, or do you stick with Hill? In this case, I don't think you would be going by the there's no room theory.

No Keep sending him back out there. Better not, there's no point. He should have started pretty much the entire second half of 2005. He should have been in the rotation for most of this season. He should be the rotation for the rest of this season. I would like to see him get 20-25 consecutive starts, but because of poor planning by the Cubs, that can't happen this year. In place of who, though? Marshall and Marmol have been more successful, Zambrano isn't losing any starts to Hill, Maddux is still here until further notice, and Prior's injury doesn't sound like it is going to be much more than two starts on the DL or so.

What more does Rich Hill have to prove at AAA? Let's see if he can make adjustments at the big league level. Also, Guzman is still getting his arm strengthened after getting an 18-day vacation to the end of the big league bullpen. I'm fine with giving him another shot, but the guy just baffles me. He dominates in AAA but then gets shelled outing after outing in the majors. How many more chances do we give this guy to prove himself? ugh, i know. what's it been, 150 starts? enough already, you know? Uh huh, because he deserves every bit of five seasons to prove himself. The fact is, Prior is probably only going to miss two or three starts, so its really not a big deal. I'm fine with going to Hill this time, but are these 2 starts going to be enough to get a read on him? If he comes up and gets knocked around again, what's the next step for him? Does he get sent back down to the minors to dominate again and then run out there for a fourth stint in the majors? Not being rude or sarcastic, just curious...how many chances to Rich Hill supporters think he should get? If he gets hit in back to back starts, is he nearing the end of his rope?

Comparing Rich Hill (26-year old rookie) to Felix Hernandez (a 19-year old rookie) is hardly fair. Besides, after Hernandez's first 44 innings he had a 1.84 ERA and a .176 BAA so the comparison really doesn't work. My concern is that Guzman, who has been more productive than Hill at the major league level (yes I know it is a small sample size) is losing starts to this guy who batters have just teed off of nearly every time he has started.

What more does Rich Hill have to prove at AAA? Let's see if he can make adjustments at the big league level. Also, Guzman is still getting his arm strengthened after getting an 18-day vacation to the end of the big league bullpen. I'm fine with giving him another shot, but the guy just baffles me. He dominates in AAA but then gets shelled outing after outing in the majors. How many more chances do we give this guy to prove himself?

Why does Hill get the start? Is Guzman part of the discussion? I know Hill is pitching well in the minors again, but we have seen this before. In his last few outings with the Cubs Guzman showed that he can get guys out.

Nothing major, but Sam Smith says the Bulls aren't quite done. Although, Smith's career centers around making up rumors, so who knows how much truth there is to this. http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-060713smith,1,7414976.column?coll=cs-home-headlines

Sucks that the Bulls aren't in the Atlantic Division. But they'll still do well regardless. BOOOOO to steve smith! I can see every team in the Central making the playoffs for several years in a row. I could see 4 making it, but there is no way all 5 make the post season next year. All you need is a key injury to Indiana or Milwaukee and they'll miss the playoffs. Same goes for Cleveland if LeBron gets hurt and misses an extended period of time. Too many things have to go right for this to happen. Didn't all 5 make it this year? Besides, I don't see any reason why Philly, Boston, NY, Toronto, Orlando, Charlotte, or Atlanta would be better than Indiana or Milwaukee. Of course, if there are injuries to key players, one of the 5 might not make it, but I'd say there's a better chance for it to happen than not happen. Yes it did happen last year but the odds of it happening "several years in a row" are slim and none. It could happen next year but as I said, one key injury leads to a big time slide for Indiana/Milwaukee/Cleveland and they miss the playoffs. Wouldn't Larry Hughes qualify as a key injury for the Cavs last year? I know you said losing Lebron would disqualify them from the playoffs, but that's the same for most teams--you lose your star player it's hard to overcome. But seeing as the Cavs lost their #2 guy for a significant portion of the season and still took the 4th seed, I think its safe to say they are a lock for the playoffs. Looking at the conference right now, Miami, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and New Jersey are safe bets for the playoffs. 5 or 6 teams, including the Pacers and the Bucks will battle it out for the last three seeds. So to say the odds are slim for that to happen isn't exactly true, considering the Central contains 5 of the likely 10 teams with a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Now, I will say that the Pacers probably have the worst shot out of the division after losing Peja, but reports are they are trying to sign Harrington, which would put them right back into the mix. So you know which free agents are going where in the next couple years? I didn't think so. My point was that the chances of all five Central teams making it to the playoffs for several years in a row are slim and none. I agree that all five could make it next year, which I stated in my previous post. But you have no idea what the landscape of the NBA is going to look like for the 2007-2008 season so saying that it's a lock for all five Central teams to make it to the playoffs in that season is absolutely absurd. Take the Magic with Dwight Howard. Darko improved significantly in the 30 games with the Magic. Who's to say he won't improve in the offseason and next year when he gets regular playing time. They also drafted J.J. Redick who I'm not that high on but is on the right team with a good post presence (which was the key for him). Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson are both decent players. With Steve Francis the Magic were 19-33. Without Steve Francis the Magic were 17-13. That bodes well for them and they were the team I was thinking of beating out one of the Central teams. You don't know what trades are going to be made and where next years free agents are going to end up so the odds that all five Central teams are going to make the playoffs for the next several years are infinitely small. Actually, in your first post, you stated "there is no way all 5 make the post season next year." My post simply pointed out that there is a very strong chance that it will happen. (Not that it will, as I only said the Central contains 5 of the top 10 teams.) I also never said I knew who was going where, just that the Pacers are going after Harrington, which is true, and that it will improve them, which is also true.

Sucks that the Bulls aren't in the Atlantic Division. But they'll still do well regardless. BOOOOO to steve smith! I can see every team in the Central making the playoffs for several years in a row. I could see 4 making it, but there is no way all 5 make the post season next year. All you need is a key injury to Indiana or Milwaukee and they'll miss the playoffs. Same goes for Cleveland if LeBron gets hurt and misses an extended period of time. Too many things have to go right for this to happen. Didn't all 5 make it this year? Besides, I don't see any reason why Philly, Boston, NY, Toronto, Orlando, Charlotte, or Atlanta would be better than Indiana or Milwaukee. Of course, if there are injuries to key players, one of the 5 might not make it, but I'd say there's a better chance for it to happen than not happen. Yes it did happen last year but the odds of it happening "several years in a row" are slim and none. It could happen next year but as I said, one key injury leads to a big time slide for Indiana/Milwaukee/Cleveland and they miss the playoffs. Wouldn't Larry Hughes qualify as a key injury for the Cavs last year? I know you said losing Lebron would disqualify them from the playoffs, but that's the same for most teams--you lose your star player it's hard to overcome. But seeing as the Cavs lost their #2 guy for a significant portion of the season and still took the 4th seed, I think its safe to say they are a lock for the playoffs. Looking at the conference right now, Miami, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and New Jersey are safe bets for the playoffs. 5 or 6 teams, including the Pacers and the Bucks will battle it out for the last three seeds. So to say the odds are slim for that to happen isn't exactly true, considering the Central contains 5 of the likely 10 teams with a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Now, I will say that the Pacers probably have the worst shot out of the division after losing Peja, but reports are they are trying to sign Harrington, which would put them right back into the mix.

Another source says the Bulls are going after Wilcox. Also says Othella has been waived. http://www.insidehoops.com/harrington-waived-070706.shtml [/url]

I don't know too much about Wilcox. Is he the kind of guy the Bulls should be spending money on? He did well during his stay with Seattle, but that was only a 29-game stretch. Any deal Wilcox gets will be inflated because of that. He is only 23, so are his stats with Seattle a glimpse of what he is capable of?

Don't they need somebody to score points? Plenty of room on the sunny side of Chicago sports. I'm ready for football season already. I can get behind that...but I'm good with what the Bulls have done. I don't know much about it, but it seems rather obvious they are still a long way from being a stud team without somebody who can score. Wallace sounds like a better version of Chandler's defense only game. An upgrade certainly, but not a guy who will take an already great defensive team that was mediocre overall due to inability to score, into a great team. Are they just expecting to win every game 79-78 or do they think one of their young guys is going to take a huge leap this year? The natural development of these young players should call for all of them to make some offensive improvements this year. I feel like they do need to do something, but if they do nothing for the rest of the offseason they are a better offensive team just by the mere fact that all four of their core players should be better with maturity. Also, PJ is an offensive upgrade over Malik Allen and Ben Wallace is a slight upgrade over Tyson's offensive production last year. I would not have been opposed to making a run after Garnett, but he and Wallace together would have been a major dent in the salary cap. Now, without Tyson's big contract to give to Minn., that idea is not really possible.

I'm assuming the Bulls will call it an offseason from here and the KG rumors will be put to rest. Without Chandler to trade, a deal for KG would be almost impossible. So will PJ start at power forward or will he come off the bench with Nocioni starting at power forward and Deng at SF?