I posted this in two other threads, but someone proposed that I turn it into a FPost so here goes. Y'all saw the Dwyer list for the awards up until this point, and in case you didn't here's a link. FYI, I think Rose is the MIP and MVP up until this point, Thibs is coach of the year, Dwight is DPOY, Griffin is ROY, Crawford for Sixth Man.

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I'm not as married to these numbers as some of you are, but let it be known that Derrick leads the league in USG% and is 10th in PER. Of the guys ahead of him in PER, only four are in the top twenty in terms of USG%, those being Kobe(6th), Dirk(10th), Monta(9th) and Westbrook(20th). For what it's worth, Derrick is living up to his pre-season talk of being MVP; he's arrived in a big way.

This is just a little nugget for you guys that were worried about his FIBA play and his shitty pre-season. He's having a better season than any of his FIBA teammates, so what does that tell you about FIBA, Olympics, etc?

Side note: John Wall is in the top twenty in each as well. Those two should have the All-Star spots locked up for the next decade; fuck Rajon Rondo.

All of the numbers I used are from Basketball Reference.

[From the FanPosts. How dare the Kyle Korver press conference overshadow this.

Here's an update from David Thorpe (via commenter RM's destroyed fanshot): "@coachthorpe James Johnson looks far more conditioned and focused than he did last year." So that's good.  Lots more on the rest of the roster here from Sham, and here from CSN's Aggrey Sam.  -ed.]

I didn't see one so I'm making one. So far Byars looks good.  And WTF, JR Smith is in the summer league?

I'm no capologist, so I have a question for any of you that know how the NBA's salary cap and luxury tax system work:

There's a lot of talk about the Bulls not likely to exceed next year's cap in the free agency orgasm to avoid paying the tax. That's where I'm confused. Luxury tax is not enforced upon passing the cap, rather it's enforced after passing the luxury tax threshold. Even if the Bulls are to resign Tyrus for the QO of 6.25 million and (gulp) retain John Salmons and his 5.8 million dollar contract next year, the payroll sits at ~44 million. This year's tax threshold is 69.92 million. Assuming that goes down next year to say, 65 million, that leaves the Bulls roughly 21 million dollars to get a big name guy, leaving three empty roster spots, which could be filled with the remaining dollars.

All that said, I've seen several people on this site talk about the Bulls not being able to afford a max-contract guy. Am I missing something, as after doing the math the Bulls have more than enough room for a max contract(~16 million) before hitting the tax threshold?

Y'all probably don't keep a close eye on the Bulls, but as a Bulls fan with a lot of free time in the PM I've watched my fair share of Warriors basketball the last couple of years. One guy that's always stood out to me is Kelenna Azubuike, and being that the Bulls suck at putting the ball in the basket and also lack any semblance of a competent shooter, Azubuike came to mind as a good trade target.

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The way things look right now, Ben Gordon will not be a Chicago Bull next year. I'm not saying it won't happen; it just doesn't look very likely. With that said, it's time to start thinking about a replacement for BG. What does Ben bring to the table? Scoring, scoring and some more scoring. There's nobody on the market this offseason that can fill it up like Ben, but there is someone that can be Ben Gordon-lite.

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Quite a lot has taken place within the last twenty-four hours. If everything reported is actually true, the Cubs have traded Jason Marquis and Mark DeRosa and in return received Jose Viscaino and three minor league prospects, and calling them prospects is a bit generous. Here's my take on what has taken place so far:

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I've been weightlifting for a good year and a half now, it's only been a short while since I began to realize how important a diet is too putting on muscle. I've put on about twenty five pounds in over that year and a half period(5"7-150 to 5"7-175), and as I wasn't incredibly skinny to begin with I feel it's safe to assume something like 7-10 lb's of that was fat. Currently, I measure in at 13% body fat on one of those bioelectric impedence scales, but I have a feeling I'm a bit less than that. Anyhow, I want to start putting on some serious mass and would like some input into how many calories above maintanence I should be taking in to put on clean weight, muscle and only muscle.

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here is a name that has not been brought up on BCB yet, and he probably won't cost too much: Edwin Encarnaion.

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In an article posted on MLBTR it is being reported that after the Diamondbacks offered Randy Johnson 2-3 million for one year(thats downright insulting) he is looking to find a new team. That is not news. What is news is that he would be satisfied with 8 million, maybe even less. That is very little money and perhaps could end up being the most efficient/valuable contract doled out this off-season. The link for this article is:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/11/dodgers-interes.html

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Here's yet another trade idea, although the impact of this one might not be felt this year.

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       With all of the ideas thrown around over the last few days about who should be acquired and who should go, I am surprised to have not seen more discussion about Brian Giles. Two things were made fairly obvious in the loss to the Dodgers: We need a legitimate leadoff hitter and a productive right fielder. Giles takes care of both of those needs, and if signed or traded for would arguably be our best outfielder. Lets take a look at Giles and his situation.

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Call me crazy, but I am not really all that infuriated about the Cubs early exit. Although they got embarrassed in the postseason by the boys from LaLa Land, the fact remains that the Cubs were, and in my opinion still are, the best team in the National League. Some of you, maybe all of you, are wondering what the hell I'm talking about. How could a team that was bounced in three uncompetitive games be the NL's best team?

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    One would expect a team to learn a few things as the season wears on. One would also think that a team which improved as much as this Cubs team did would not just regress to last year's form come October. But this is the Cubs we are talking about. Forget about the curses. Flat out crazy things happen to this franchise.

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    We all have heard about the difference in this team since Fukudome arrived here, that difference being the willingness to take pitches and walks that this team sorely lacked over the last few years and quite frankly, historically. But a) has there really been that big of a difference between this year's team and last year's team in those departments and b) if so, is that the real reason for the team's success?

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