Real Deal

Good way to further cripple your franchise. Just use the pick and worry about Monta later. It's not like Ellis is a terrible player, either.

Recently-traded players (Gadzuric) can't be dealt in a package for two months after the initial trade...but they can be traded by themselves at any time. So, if the trade was just for Gadzuric, it could happen today.

What a dumb franchise.

The Thunder are going to be a contender within three years, bank on it.

Okay, now THAT would be ridiculous...waiving Randolph (or whoever you get for Jefferson). But one thing is for sure: trading Jefferson (if true) means that they will be picking Favors or Cousins.

If Tina Charles wouldn't make it in the NBA, you're basically saying only WNBA guards would make it. Charles is going to be a top three WNBA player next season, if she isn't in that top three already. I'm sure I could argue that and stick her up there with Taurasi and Parker, but that's not the point. So here's what it comes down to: only the best WNBA guards, playing 10-15 minutes per game, coming off the bench, and putting up numbers similar to Daequan Cook's from this past season? I'm sorry, but I don't see that ever happening. Stern can talk about it all he wants, just like he can tell us he wants the NBA to become global and house international teams, but we all know how that would turn out as well...and that's actually more of a possibility than allowing women to play men's basketball.

That's fine and all, but I would coach in a wheelchair if it meant another dynasty, plus $8-10 million and a championship bonus.

That's if the Pistons can't trade up in the draft, something they have been pushing for over the last three days (and are adamant to get it done). Detroit would much rather have Cousins or Favors. Prince would be good for Minnesota.

THREE. Don't be dumb, Phil. You have a shot at your fourth three-peat.

Minnesota could do better? I don't know. The problem is that Bosh, Amare and Boozer will be available through free agency, so until those three (and hell, even David Lee, maybe even Dirk) are picked up, it's going to be tough to trade Jefferson. I wonder if Chicago would be interested if they weren't so dead set on having all of that cap space.

I know...because when all guards drive to the rim, all of the centers move out of the way and let them score. And it's insane to think a guard will try and get a rebound. They need to stay on the perimeter! ...how does a 5-3, 140-pound player that is the size of an 8th grade boy keep her balance when anyone over 200 pounds (that's +60) initiates contact? Sure they aren't, but they are still too physical for women's play. Ask Kobe this, when Raja Bell was defending him, or when Kobe took Artest into the post last year. I guess Fisher and Ray Allen weren't getting very physical the entire series of the NBA Finals, either. So in other words, Taurasi and only the BEST women's players will play in garbage time? No more all-star spots, no more MVP's, no nothing for these women? I'm sure they would love that. Tina Charles would rather play 10 minutes a game, averaging 4 PPG and 1 RPG, instead of leading Connecticut to a WNBA championship? Sounds like a plan.

That's fine on a team with Mayo, Gay, Gasol and Conley sharing the wealth...but stick him on the Wolves with minimal help, and the field goal percentage goes down, his defense gets even worse, his stats begin to decline sooner into the season, and he's at a bigger risk of injury (comes with the larger role). Not going to sit here and deny Zach's abilities, but just posting his numbers makes him look like Tim Duncan...even though we know that's too far from the truth.

The only real, legit comparison between Bradley and Wade, RIGHT NOW, would be that both are combo guards. Toronto needs to go with Aldrich. They could use the defense, and they can't afford to toy with the center position any longer, especially with Bosh's status up in the air.

Whoa, nasty deal for the Thunder. They are in a good position now.

Sounds good, except he plays as much defense as Adam Morrison does for us.

Well, I knew that. I figured you weren't interested in it. I was simply asking the Minny FO (hoping they would register and answer me). Doesn't make much sense to still save money, when THIS is the time you have to start trying to spend it. And as for Randolph and Jefferson's passing, it hurts. Rambis wants the triangle, but he won't get it. Not with either of those bigs.

Simple question: what happens when a woman takes a Dwight Howard elbow to the chest? Not a Tina Charles elbow, but one that covers more area and has a few hundred pounds of force behind it. I can't think of one player in the WNBA that has true man pectoral muscles, so here's the simple answer: fractured sternum. Another question: stick Temeka Johnson (5'3" and 140 pounds) into the game, and she's in a game-winning situation. She's getting chased down by, say, LeBron James, and he blocks her shot and proceeds to make contact with her body. How many backflips does Johnson do before she hits the floor? Female players would be getting injured left and right, every game. Sadly, they don't have the back and arm muscles the men have, and falling hard on the floor (with a 250-pound man falling on top of them) would be devastating. Bogues, Boykins, even Webb...those guys were strong players. They played among the giants because they were physically gifted, either having the weight to withstand the punishment down low (Bogues), the strength to endure it (Boykins and Webb) or the agility to avoid it (Webb). Different planet. How good of a running back would Marion Jones be? Well, she'd be damn good as long as she didn't get hit. She has the speed. She can blow by guys. But we all know it doesn't work that way.

Either way, when does the "money-saving" end and "trying to get better" begin? There has to be a point where the Wolves decide to do something about it. If this was all happening for THIS off-season, meaning they were dropping Jefferson's contract NOW, I understand...but Randolph has a year, Rubio is still on the dinner plate, and the Wolves are already staring at just $35 million on their payroll for next season, as it stands today (that doesn't include the draft picks they will sign, though). So they have money for free agents right now. Are they going to take another hit in the jaw this year, sign minimums and an MLE, and continue saving money until they fall below $20 million on the payroll in the summer of 2011?

LOL, not a chance. For one, Rondo is Boston's future. While CP3 is the better point guard, Rondo actually does more on the court and could very well surpass Paul in the next 3-4 years (laugh all you want, but if he gets a jumper, he could be one of the best players in the NBA). Boston won't ditch Pierce, either. That would be similar to the Lakers throwing Kobe to the curb after 13-14 seasons. Finally, New Orleans can get better, assuming they get the notion that Pierce will just take a hike after one season. Unrealistic.

Shocking, to be honest, after the way he played in Toronto.

Heard this was a possibility last month, actually, and I didn't hear it from Chad Ford. I wish I had that link again (it was actually a Twitter post). Money or not, it's a train wreck in the making. I understand that Randolph played very well for the Grizzlies last year, made me look like a fool because I thought it was a dumb move on their part, but this Wolves team would rely on him five times as much...and that won't turn out too well. We were all talking about the Nets and how they nearly set the record for most losses in a season. We may be saying this about the Wolves this upcoming season.

A Shannon Brown would actually jump over Taurasi, but assuming she took a charge and there was contact, it would be a Ricky Davis/Steve Nash moment, and I'm pretty sure Taurasi would get hurt. It's nice to see guys sticking up for women and showing interest in the WNBA, but it only goes so far. The discussion was over long before it started, or else women in the NBA would've been a possibility by now. Basketball has been a sport for over a century, and the NBA has been around for a half a century. It won't happen, and that's a fantastic thing.

Draw a charge? Haha, I really don't know what else to say.

And he can bench 315 pounds. Strength isn't even the sole issue. Kevin Durant is one of the weakest players in the NBA, yet he would drop 70 points (no joke) on Candace Parker. Honestly, what would Taurasi do against Shannon Brown on a fast break? She would stand there and watch. Brown isn't even garbage time. Let's go DJ Mbenga. What girl can box him out effectively, and pull down a board with him in the vicinity? The fact is, this isn't one-on-one chess. You stick a woman out there, and coaches start planning against her. If Taurasi (who is one of the best players in the WNBA) is out there having to defend someone like, say, Tierre Brown (who would score on her, by the way), a coach would stick a post guard out there instead, and have him dominate until the opposition pulls her. Ever think about some of Perkins' illegal screens? Him and Garnett lay out some of the thickest, strongest guards in the league with them. Would it be just some "known rule" to keep your women players on the bench when you play Boston? It would never, ever, ever work. It's not even something to think about, in my opinion. Yes, there are women that can ball much better than men...but physically, athletically, it's out of the question.

Hinrich, Blake and Felton would all start over Fisher. I'm almost 100% sure Fisher is willing to come off the bench next season. He mentioned it once already, but there was NO WAY Farmar was going to start over him. Other than those guys, there are FA's out there that we would look at. Half don't play defense, and the other don't shoot well...but I guess we're chasing benchies. CJ Watson is one that comes to mind. Knowing Phil, he would make an attempt to play Dorell Wright at the point...and while he seems to be the perfect player for us, I'm not sure how well he'll handle that position on the floor. Shaun Livingston will do, if he stays healthy. Plus, there are plenty we would explore in trade scenarios. Jarrett Jack is definitely ideal, and Kupchak would be the first to try and include him in a deal for Bynum (assuming we try and hand Bynum to Toronto).