Mike Payne's love for Ramon Sessions is so prodigious that it's a DBB meme. A lot of DBBers share this love (myself included), so my heart breaks to see the guy playing the best basketball of his career on a historically shitty team. As I'm writing this, the Cavs have just lost a heartbreaker to the Mavs. Despite Sessions' 19 points (on 12 shots), 6 rebounds, 13(!!!) assists, and 2 steals, the Cavs fell 99-96. Sessions is averaging 11 points, 3 boards, and 5 assists (to 2 TO's) in 25 minutes. He's shooting 45% and getting to the line almost 5 times a game (where he shoots 83%). Over his last 5, Sessions is averaging 18 points, 9.4 assists (to 2.6 TO's), 4 rebounds, and a steal in 37 mpg.

He's having a very good year, basically. Can't Ramon be one that gets out? Can't the Cavs mercy trade him to the Bulls or Atlanta, or something? He managed to make it out of David Kahn's wide awake nightmare in Minnesota -- playing off-guard next to fucking Jonny Flynn -- and he lands on quite possibly the worst team in NBA history? That's like taking a Serbian chess prodigy out of war-torn Yugoslavia and dropping him in Darfur for a fresh start. This is Bullshit.

FREE SESSIONS

(Ed. Note: no profanity in headlines, please -- MW)

I just remembered: Kris Humphries' contract expires after this season. Before this season, I wouldn't have cared much, unless his contract was being used to help us dump salary, but "The Hump" (they seriously call him that in NJ) has taken it to another level this year, averaging 8.7 ppg (53% from the field, and a .562 TS%), 9.3 rpg (2.7 offensive), a block, and an assist in only 25 minutes per game. He has an 18.0 PER, even with a low usage rate, and is by far NJ's best player in both WS/48 and Wins Produced (Shout-out, Gulk!). The Nets' d-rating is almost 5 points lower with Humphries on the court, and he rarely turns the ball over.

With all this going for him, you'd think the Nets would jump to sign him, but I don't really see Humphries in their long term plans. They just drafted Derrick Favors, who is showing enough in his rookie year that he should be their long-term solution at PF, and they just wasted a bunch of money on Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, and Johan Petro, in addition to trading for Sasha Vujacic's horrible contract. I wouldn't be surprised if Humphries ended up hitting the open market, and I'd hope we make a run at him -- especially if Nene accepts his player option and the Grizzlies resign Marc Gasol. Greg Monroe is looking more and more like a legit starting Center, and the combined rebounding powers of Moose and Humphries would be freaking awesome. Plus, he's only 25!

Pros: Rebounding, Scoring efficiency, Defense, Athleticism, DUNX, Can replace Ben Wallace as the most impressively ripped guy on the floor, when needed

Cons: He's dating Kim Kardashian, Rebounds might be a tad bit inflated due to playing next to Brook Lopez (5.7 rpg)

I'm SO giddy right now. The Memphis Grizzlies just signed MIKE FUCKING CONLEY to a 5 year, $45 million deal. HAHA! You know what that means? NO WAY do they resign Gasol! They just commited $125 million to RUDY GAY AND MIKE CONLEY, the team's 4th and 5th best starters! I almost want us to keep Tay now, just to ensure we have the cap space to make a run at the other Gasol. MARC GASOL, GUYS!

This is mind-shatteringly stupid. I cannot even begin to comprehend what Chris Wallace was thinking. JOD extending Bynum for the same amount would make more sense. Conley is TERRIBLE! He's not even a top 30 point guard. If a retard like David Kahn can get Luke Ridnour for $4 million/year (who is MUCH, MUCH better than Conley) -- in an offseason where Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay got max deals and Brendan Haywood got $55 million -- how on earth can you SUCK THAT HARD? People hold the Pau deal over Wallace, but at least he got Marc Gasol out of the deal -- Marc Gasol, the best player on his team who he can't be bothered to extend because HE HAS TO GIVE MIKE CONLEY A 5 YEAR EXTENSION.

For entertainment purposes, here's Matt Moore (aka Hardwood Paroxysm, the world's only Grizzlies fan) having a total (completely earned) meltdown on twitter.

Seriously, though, MARC GASOL! We could maybe get him!

So, I had a long-ish (for twitter) argument with notable SBNation blogger @BullsBlogger over the value of Carmelo Anthony. I was kind of shocked he actually responded to me (in the first place AND more than once), but here it is:

@thom_not_tom: Your roster makes SO much less sense with Melo instead of Deng & Noah. Brewer is the only good defender left after that trade.

@thom_not_tom: More importantly, Noah is more valuable than Melo. Nene & Billups have more to do w/ Denver's success. Melo is VERY overrated.

@BullsBlogger: no. (RT'd previous tweet, which would be pointless for me to do here)

@thom_not_tom: Melo is more important if you overlook Defense and offensive efficiency. Nene's 15 ppg on 60% shooting plus D > 28 ppg at 45%.

@thom_not_tom: Billups has been arguably the most efficient player in the league for years now. 120+ O-ratings every year since '04-05 at PG.

@thom_not_tom: Re: Noah's value. Noah at $10-11 million/yr is more valuable than Melo on a max deal. Plus, Noah anchors the defense.

@BullsBlogger: well I'm not as concerned with value as I am production. And why wouldn't Melo's efficiency go up playing w/ Rose and Boozer?

@thom_not_tom: You're assuming those two are better than a Billups/Nene combo. Plus, Rose/Brewer/Melo/Booz/Asik is an AWFUL defensive lineup.

@thom_not_tom: Rose should be the focal point on offense. Melo either dominates the ball or operates off it -- which he doesn't do well.

@BullsBlogger: and Melo is only 26. I can't subscribe to the 'two good players who need the ball = bad' thing so swiftly.

@BullsBlogger: I am assuming that Rose/Boozer will be better than Billups/Nene, yes. Plus that Denver team was pretty good.

@BullsBlogger: Maybe so. Kurt Thomas make you feel better? Roster isn't in stone. (RT'd my concerns about Defense)

@thom_not_tom: And the max deal thing is HUGE. He's not worth it. Too one-dimensional. Someone like Iguodala or G. Wallace makes more sense. (to pursue in a trade, and at their price, I meant)

@BullsBlogger: it matters not if they're paying the tax. Everyone's overpaid, get the best players.

@thom_not_tom: Agree to disagree, I guess. I doubt the Bulls do it, anyway, so it's not like we'll be able to prove/disprove our arguments.

@BullsBlogger: that I agree with, and even if Noah and Deng both break lower extremities I won't be full of blustery hindsight on this one.

Am I full of shit? Is your friendly BullsBlogger full of shit? Are we both full of shit? Basically, how'd I do?

via i56.tinypic.com

It's over. There's a talent monopoly in Miami, and while it's undeniably bad for the NBA as a whole, it doesn't mean we can't take advantage of the ensuing panic!

We need to...

1. Get rid of one or more of these guys:

• Rip Hamilton
• Tayshaun Prince
• Jason Maxiell
• Charlie Villanueva

2. Solidify our frontcourt

3. Find a real point guard

My best case scenarios:

Rip to Chicago for a 1st round pick

Rip and Tay to Orlando for Vince Carter's Expiring Contract and Marcin Gortat

Rip and Daye to New York for Eddy Curry's expiring contract and Danilo Gallinari (No way this actually happens)

Rip, Stuckey, and Maxiell to Minnesota for Ramon Sessions and Al Jefferson (Again, no way)

Please post much better thought out, logical options.

The Bucks' inexplicable signing of Drew Gooden (5 years, $32 million?!?) got me thinking about Milwaukee's roster. And, um... I'm pretty scared now. Like, Dr. Steve Brule around puppets-level scared.

For starters, last year's Bucks went 23-8 after the trade deadline (22-6 before Bogut's injury) and took a relatively disinterested Hawks team to 7 games without Andrew Bogut -- their anchor on both ends of the court. If they'd had Bogut, the Bucks would've curb-stomped Atlanta, and I'm pretty confident they'd have given Dwight Howard all he could handle. So, yeah. The Bucks were pretty good last year. And they've improved. A lot.

How They've Improved:

• Corey Maggette: This was an awesome deal for the Bucks, not just because Maggette was an offensive force in Golden State last year (20 ppg on 12 shots), but because they gave up two of their most useless players -- Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric -- to get him. Bad Porn should be an excellent main option on Milwaukee's 2nd team.
  
• Overall Depth: The Bucks added Maggette, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Drew Gooden, which gives them pretty insane depth. Also, they drafted this guy, whose game is awfully similar to Ben Wallace.
• Young Talent: Brandon Jennings is going to improve this season, and I imagine his offensive efficiency won't be so atrocious. That's great, because he's very solid in pretty much every other category (defense, passing, rebounding, 3 pt shooting). Luc Richard Mbah Moute and Ersan Ilysova should improve a bit, as well, and if Andrew Bogut can get the ball in his hands more often, his offensive numbers should improve.
• Versatility: The Bucks should still be a great defensive team with Bogut, Mbah Moute, Jennings, and Delfino still around -- as well as the addition of Larry Sanders. However, their offseason has also made them incredibly dangerous on offense. Look at what their projected lineups look like right now:

PG: Jennings/Ridnour (if resigned)

SG: Salmons/Redd/CDR

SF: Mbah Moute/Maggette/Delfino

PF: Gooden/Ilyasova/ Mbah Moute/Sanders

C: Bogut/Sanders/Gooden

If the Bucks need to shut you down, they can. If they need to outscore you, they can absolutely do it. This team is going to be really fun to watch, and I'll definitely be adopting them as a surrogate team if/when the Pistons don't make the playoffs. John Hammond, FTW!

Finals are over for me, giving me loads of free time to waste. Hooray! With this new free time, I've been devoting a lot of time to the moves we can make this offseason. Now, MFMP did a more than admirable job tackling the available spread of free agent point guards. So, to avoid redundancy, I'll skip over that aspect of our plans. We're overstocked with 2's and 3's, so I don't see any point in analyzing our options at those positions. That leaves big men -- which is undoubtedly our biggest "need" position.

Continue reading this post »

This trade would be a sort of modified version of the initial three-team deal involving Detroit, Phoenix, and Philly.

Detroit Gives Up: Richard Hamilton, Kwame Brown, 2nd Round Pick

Detroit Receives: Jason Richardson, Marreese Speights

Phoenix Gives Up: Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, Unprotected 1st Round Pick (do they have one? I think they do...)

Phoenix Receives: Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert

Philadelphia Gives Up: Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert, Marreese Speights

Philadelphia Receives: Richard Hamilton, Amare Stoudemire, Kwame Brown, 1st rounder (via PHX), 2nd rounder (via DET)

Why Detroit Does It: Gets rid of Rip's contract, sets up between $24-27 in expiring deals for the '11 season (depending on whether Wilcox opts in), gets underutilized and talented player in Speights -- who is averaging 19.2pts/9.3rbs/1.3 stl/1.3 blk  per 36 this season (PER over 20, as well). Richardson returns to his MSU roots to play the hometown favorite role.

Why Phoenix Does It: Instant improvement to their roster. Iguodala gives them a legit number two guy next to Nash, and (a very motivated) Dalembert is a vast improvement over STAT on defense. They become a fringe title contender with this move.

Why Philly Does It: The 76ers are in full rebuilding mode, and this move immediately gets them $20 million in cap space, shedding the cumbersome  Iguodala and Dalembert deals. They acquire a hometown favorite and veteran presence in Rip, which combined with the cap space is incentive enough to take on his contract. Eddie Jordan hasn't had much use for Speights this year, despite his production, and with Elton Brand on the hook long-term, it doesn't seem like he'll be getting a ton of minutes at his natural position. Philly shores up the loss of a prospect with two draft picks.

Speights is the key here, because it's definitely questionable that Philly gives him up, and unlikely that Detroit makes the deal without him. This is just the manifestation of my boredom, but I don't think this is a TOTALLY ridiculous scenario. Am I full of shit and/or a massive homer?

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Any reason not to go after him? He's definitely on his way out of Chicago, and I'm not sure what kind of value they can get for him. From what I've seen, Thomas has constantly been mistreated by the Bulls' coaching staff (particularly Skiles) and management. He would give us something we really, really need: a second post defender alongside Big Ben. That being said, we don't really have anything we could give up for him. The only way I see it happening is if Chicago becomes so desperate to move him that they just take Kwame's Expiring, Summers, and a 2nd round pick. Not too likely.

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"CHI gets R.Allen/House expirings (2010 cap space!); SAC gets Deng + T.Allen/Scal exp's; BOS gets K.Martin, Nocioni + Hinrich. Who says no?"

This is ridiculous. No logic whatsoever. What would Sacramento have to be thinking? "Uh... let's give the Bulls another gift by taking on another bad contract. Who needs Kevin Martin when you can have LUOL DENG! I mean, it's not like we're high on Omri Casspi, or anything."

I mean, it'd be wonderful for the Bulls, but I have no idea where Simmons comes from when he talks about Chicago. He recently said that if he had to wager his life on who gets LeBron, it'd be Chicago. Really? Why would he want to play in Jordan's shadow and have to deal with Reinsdorf? I'm just stunned by how dumb this is.

Pure wishful thinking for the Celtics, too. They lose a fast aging Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Scalabrine, and Eddie House and pick up Kirk Hinrich and Kevin Martin. I mean, there's no way that happens. It'd be an even worse version of the Pau Gasol trade (which, considering Marc Gasol's play, isn't that bad in retrospect).

Look, I like Simmons, but he can be incredibly stupid. I love the "who says no?" at the end -- like that somehow makes it a rock-solid proposal. WHO AMONG YOU WILL CHALLENGE THE SPORTS GUY?!?

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Watching Marc Gasol play got me thinking: who would be on my 12 man(-crush) roster? I decided to construct that team with a couple of rules in mind:

1. The bench must consist of actual bench players. No starters coming off the bench, unless they have been a bench player somewhat recently

2. Each unit must consist of the five major positions (two PF's or C's on one unit is OK, I guess)

Anyway, here's my team

1st Unit:

PG: Chris Paul

SG: Andre Iguodala

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Kevin Love

C: Andrew Bogut

2nd Unit:

PG: Eric Maynor

SG: James Harden

SF: Jonas Jerebko

PF: Carl Landry

C: Mareese Speights

Would anyone else like to share theirs?

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