*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (4 Viewers)

[hxperson]

Kevin Love is better than Carmelo Anthony and it isn't close. And it hasn't been close since Love's 3rd season (a good argument could probably be made for his 2nd). If he could only stay healthy...

If Love is healthy he is better than most anybody in the league. He is in the next tier right below LBJ/Durant/Paul and IMO about equal in value to Westy/Harden/Rose. His skill set is out of this world amazing on the offensive side of the ball. He is a step above Blake/Aldridge/Horford in the PF position.

I enjoy watching the wolves but lets not get carried away. Let's see him guide a team to a .500 record before we anoint him a top 5 NBA player.

That requires at least mediocre team-mates which Love has yet to have in his career.

True top 5 players can just about get there on their own.

Okay.

I think Love may very well be a Top 5 player (and I'd rather have him than Carmelo), but I also agree that if the T-Wolves don't finish .500 and probably if they miss the playoffs, we'll have to revisit whether or not that's really the case.

Love's got some excuses in the past for the team stinking and the T-Wolves ascension has been delayed by injuries, but he's 25 now and the supporting cast is adequate to go .500 (if Love's really that good).

If Rubio, Love, and Pek all avoid major injuries I can't see that not happening.

Minnesota will lead the league in triple negatives.

 

[Gr00vus]

How many top 5 players are there?

 

[Man of Zen]

How many top 5 players are there?

Lebron, KD, Paul, and a cast of thousands.

 

[matuski]

How many top 5 players are there?

Lebron, KD, Paul, and a cast of thousands.

TP > CP

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Kevin Love is better than Carmelo Anthony and it isn't close. And it hasn't been close since Love's 3rd season (a good argument could probably be made for his 2nd). If he could only stay healthy...

If Love is healthy he is better than most anybody in the league. He is in the next tier right below LBJ/Durant/Paul and IMO about equal in value to Westy/Harden/Rose. His skill set is out of this world amazing on the offensive side of the ball. He is a step above Blake/Aldridge/Horford in the PF position.

I enjoy watching the wolves but lets not get carried away. Let's see him guide a team to a .500 record before we anoint him a top 5 NBA player.

That requires at least mediocre team-mates which Love has yet to have in his career.

True top 5 players can just about get there on their own.

Okay.

I think Love may very well be a Top 5 player (and I'd rather have him than Carmelo), but I also agree that if the T-Wolves don't finish .500 and probably if they miss the playoffs, we'll have to revisit whether or not that's really the case.

Love's got some excuses in the past for the team stinking and the T-Wolves ascension has been delayed by injuries, but he's 25 now and the supporting cast is adequate to go .500 (if Love's really that good).

Agreed. He has the supporting cast now (barring injuries of course). From his 2nd year on, here is the list of Wolves who've had a PER above 15:

Jefferson

Beasley (15.5)

Ridnour (15)

Pekovic

Anthony Randolph was in the 17 range twice but he barely played. Last year there were a bunch but Love was injured most of the season. Maybe LeBron or Durant may have been able to carry those roster to .500 but thats probably it. Those teams were horrific. Not sure how anyone 0can knock him for those teams records.

 

[Eephus]

How many top 5 players are there?

Lebron, KD, Paul, and a cast of thousands.

Ricky Davis is right up there

 

[Kev4029]

Kevin Love is better than Carmelo Anthony and it isn't close. And it hasn't been close since Love's 3rd season (a good argument could probably be made for his 2nd). If he could only stay healthy...

If Love is healthy he is better than most anybody in the league. He is in the next tier right below LBJ/Durant/Paul and IMO about equal in value to Westy/Harden/Rose. His skill set is out of this world amazing on the offensive side of the ball. He is a step above Blake/Aldridge/Horford in the PF position.

I enjoy watching the wolves but lets not get carried away. Let's see him guide a team to a .500 record before we anoint him a top 5 NBA player.

That requires at least mediocre team-mates which Love has yet to have in his career.

True top 5 players can just about get there on their own.

Okay.

I think Love may very well be a Top 5 player (and I'd rather have him than Carmelo), but I also agree that if the T-Wolves don't finish .500 and probably if they miss the playoffs, we'll have to revisit whether or not that's really the case.

Love's got some excuses in the past for the team stinking and the T-Wolves ascension has been delayed by injuries, but he's 25 now and the supporting cast is adequate to go .500 (if Love's really that good).

Agreed. He has the supporting cast now (barring injuries of course). From his 2nd year on, here is the list of Wolves who've had a PER above 15:

Jefferson

Beasley (15.5)

Ridnour (15)

Pekovic

Anthony Randolph was in the 17 range twice but he barely played. Last year there were a bunch but Love was injured most of the season. Maybe LeBron or Durant may have been able to carry those roster to .500 but thats probably it. Those teams were horrific. Not sure how anyone 0can knock him for those teams records.

You picked a three year span that negated last year and his rookie year just to make a point.

I'm not huge on requiring a player to have significant team success to call them a great player, but the Wolves have a .292 winning % since they've drafted him, and during his career the team's biggest win total came the year he sat out all but 600 minutes.

Also, how do you explain Melo's extended success being that he is player that you see as a lower end all star type?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

You picked a three year span that negated last year and his rookie year just to make a point.

I'm not huge on requiring a player to have significant team success to call them a great player, but the Wolves have a .292 winning % since they've drafted him, and during his career the team's biggest win total came the year he sat out all but 600 minutes.

Also, how do you explain Melo's extended success being that he is player that you see as a lower end all star type?

We can add in his rookie year if you want; Jefferson again and Craig Smith. Not much of a change.

I ignored last year because he played 18 games. Probably not a smart move by me since they were a .500 team with him and 22-42 without him. Kind of helps my point I'd say.

Melo has had much better team-mates over his career which accounts for his extended success. Again, just using PER as a quick reference, the numbers of team-mates Melo has had with a PER over 15:

04 - 4

05 - 5

06 - 4

07 - 6 (as many as love has had in his career)

....

I don't think I need to continue on.

 

[Kev4029]

You picked a three year span that negated last year and his rookie year just to make a point.

I'm not huge on requiring a player to have significant team success to call them a great player, but the Wolves have a .292 winning % since they've drafted him, and during his career the team's biggest win total came the year he sat out all but 600 minutes.

Also, how do you explain Melo's extended success being that he is player that you see as a lower end all star type?

We can add in his rookie year if you want; Jefferson again and Craig Smith. Not much of a change.

I ignored last year because he played 18 games. Probably not a smart move by me since they were a .500 team with him and 22-42 without him. Kind of helps my point I'd say.

Melo has had much better team-mates over his career which accounts for his extended success. Again, just using PER as a quick reference, the numbers of team-mates Melo has had with a PER over 15:

04 - 4

05 - 5

06 - 4

07 - 6 (as many as love has had in his career)

....

I don't think I need to continue on.

If you put Melo on any of those TWolves teams that Love pushed to an average of 20 something wins that they wouldn't be better? Do you think Voshon Leonard, Earl Boykins and Rodney White are better role players than Martell Webster, Michael Beasley and Corey Brewer?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

You picked a three year span that negated last year and his rookie year just to make a point.

I'm not huge on requiring a player to have significant team success to call them a great player, but the Wolves have a .292 winning % since they've drafted him, and during his career the team's biggest win total came the year he sat out all but 600 minutes.

Also, how do you explain Melo's extended success being that he is player that you see as a lower end all star type?

We can add in his rookie year if you want; Jefferson again and Craig Smith. Not much of a change.

I ignored last year because he played 18 games. Probably not a smart move by me since they were a .500 team with him and 22-42 without him. Kind of helps my point I'd say.

Melo has had much better team-mates over his career which accounts for his extended success. Again, just using PER as a quick reference, the numbers of team-mates Melo has had with a PER over 15:

04 - 4

05 - 5

06 - 4

07 - 6 (as many as love has had in his career)

....

I don't think I need to continue on.

If you put Melo on any of those TWolves teams that Love pushed to an average of 20 something wins that they wouldn't be better? Do you think Voshon Leonard, Earl Boykins and Rodney White are better role players than Martell Webster, Michael Beasley and Corey Brewer?

Why do you assume they'd be better with Melo?

I'm not going to go through and compare years of role players to each other. But seriously, you think Love has had better team-mates???

 

[scoobus]

So is Omri Casspi a legit rotation player for Houston? That's hilarious. Although thinking about it I'm not sure there's a better fit for him in the league.

 

[Abraham]

So is Omri Casspi a legit rotation player for Houston? That's hilarious. Although thinking about it I'm not sure there's a better fit for him in the league.

Yes. He's been very good for them so far and has gotten most of the power forward minutes after Howard goes out.

 

[scoobus]

So is Omri Casspi a legit rotation player for Houston? That's hilarious. Although thinking about it I'm not sure there's a better fit for him in the league.

Yes. He's been very good for them so far and has gotten most of the power forward minutes after Howard goes out.

I mean he's an awful basketball player, but he can hit open 3s.

 

[Frostillicus]

You picked a three year span that negated last year and his rookie year just to make a point.

I'm not huge on requiring a player to have significant team success to call them a great player, but the Wolves have a .292 winning % since they've drafted him, and during his career the team's biggest win total came the year he sat out all but 600 minutes.

Also, how do you explain Melo's extended success being that he is player that you see as a lower end all star type?

We can add in his rookie year if you want; Jefferson again and Craig Smith. Not much of a change.

I ignored last year because he played 18 games. Probably not a smart move by me since they were a .500 team with him and 22-42 without him. Kind of helps my point I'd say.

Melo has had much better team-mates over his career which accounts for his extended success. Again, just using PER as a quick reference, the numbers of team-mates Melo has had with a PER over 15:

04 - 4

05 - 5

06 - 4

07 - 6 (as many as love has had in his career)

....

I don't think I need to continue on.

If you put Melo on any of those TWolves teams that Love pushed to an average of 20 something wins that they wouldn't be better? Do you think Voshon Leonard, Earl Boykins and Rodney White are better role players than Martell Webster, Michael Beasley and Corey Brewer?

Lenard

 

[Abraham]

Rockets and clippers combining for 140+ in the first half. Rocket d is awful. So is the clippers.

 

[mr fancypants]

The 3-0 Philadelphia 76ers.

Now 3-1. The Warriors machine is catching steam.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

The 3-0 Philadelphia 76ers.

Now 3-1. The Warriors machine is catching steam.

It's been a long, painful road for us. Nice to have a team that's not only good but fun as hell to watch.

 

[mr fancypants]

The 3-0 Philadelphia 76ers.

Now 3-1. The Warriors machine is catching steam.

It's been a long, painful road for us. Nice to have a team that's not only good but fun as hell to watch.

The dub's even held the new golden boy MCW to 4-17 shooting

 

[Man of Zen]

Chris Paul has always put up video game numbers, but under Doc so far, he's seeing about a 40% increase in points and assists, which is hard to imagine.

Small sample size, but will be an interesting thing to look out for when Rondo comes back. Already hamstrung by the talent exodus, of course, but still, that's statistically insane for Paul. Is Doc to PG's what Martz used to be to QB's?

We may be seeing the answer to the question: How good would Rondo be if he could shoot?

 

[Abraham]

Shockingly little defense in the clippers and rockets game. Harden looked off and the clippers were on fire from the start.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Shockingly little defense in the clippers and rockets game. Harden looked off and the clippers were on fire from the start.

Harden set the tone early

 

[rodg12]

Shockingly little defense in the clippers and rockets game. Harden looked off and the clippers were on fire from the start.

Harden set the tone early

Don't see the issue with the very first example, but everything after that was putrid.

 

[pollardsvision]

Bobcats storm into The Mecca for the victory. Kemba enjoys that place.

 

[the moops]

Shockingly little defense in the clippers and rockets game. Harden looked off and the clippers were on fire from the start.

Harden set the tone early

Don't see the issue with the very first example, but everything after that was putrid.

Not sure if every one was putrid. A few of those he took bad routes around a screen. But there were like 3 or 4 where he totally just gave up n the play or was totally lost.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Bobcats storm into The Mecca for the victory. Kemba enjoys that place.

GB him.

Putting this here. WTMF: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9928041

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Brandon Jennings making his wonderful presence known with a grand 6-of-20 showing. Enjoy your PG of the future Detroit.

A whole lot of talent is going to go to waste with this idiot running the show.

 

[TobiasFunke]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

 

[Man of Zen]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

Not sure they had a bad loss till last night, and I don't think it would have shocked anyone last year if you said they'd look terrible if you took away Chandler and JR and replaced them with Bargnani.

 

[Man of Zen]

Brandon Jennings making his wonderful presence known with a grand 6-of-20 showing. Enjoy your PG of the future Detroit.

A whole lot of talent is going to go to waste with this idiot running the show.

I love that their plan for opening up things inside for their two beasts in the paint was: lots of Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith chucking from outside.

 

[TobiasFunke]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

Not sure they had a bad loss till last night, and I don't think it would have shocked anyone last year if you said they'd look terrible if you took away Chandler and JR and replaced them with Bargnani.

They lost Chandler in the middle of the fourth game. Not sure that's a reasonable excuse. And they added MWP too, who is posting an 18.8 PER is obviously is no slouch on the defensive end. In fact their two highest PER guys on the season are MWP and Kenyon Martin, both plus defenders who played a combined 400 minutes for last year's squad. I think that more than makes up for the loss of JR Smith and his 48% eFG and adequate defense. So I don't think it's a personnel lost/gained thing.

I've watched two of their games pretty much start to finish (last night and the Halloween Bulls game) and they look a mess. Maybe they looked like last year's team in the other two?

ETA: missed Chandler's PER here, slightly higher than MWP and Martin. I suppose the fact that Anthony is 4th on the team in PER explains quite a bit.

 

[scoobus]

Brandon Jennings making his wonderful presence known with a grand 6-of-20 showing. Enjoy your PG of the future Detroit.

A whole lot of talent is going to go to waste with this idiot running the show.

I love that their plan for opening up things inside for their two beasts in the paint was: lots of Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith chucking from outside.

Averaging 7 three-point attempts per game so far.

 

[pollardsvision]

For the last time people, losing to the Bobcats at home is not a bad loss.

And certainly not for a mediocre and gutless Knicks team.

They should just be thankful Sessions and McBob didn't have their shooting touch last night. Otherwise, it would've been a proper trouncing.

You'll see what I mean Friday night at the TWC.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Brandon Jennings making his wonderful presence known with a grand 6-of-20 showing. Enjoy your PG of the future Detroit.

A whole lot of talent is going to go to waste with this idiot running the show.

I love that their plan for opening up things inside for their two beasts in the paint was: lots of Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith chucking from outside.

Averaging 7 three-point attempts per game so far.

A career 28% 3 point shooter

Jennings should take 20 shot attempts -- in 2 games. The guy should never have more shot attempts than Monroe & Drummond combined.

 

[Abraham]

1. I might go to the Magic / Bucks game next Wednesday as I'll be in Orlando for work. Kind of wish I could see someone other than OJ Mayo starring for the road team, but I'll take it.

2. Worst thing ever (Dirk is the best) : http://www.mavs.com/videos/what-the-mavs-say/

 

[TobiasFunke]

For the last time people, losing to the Bobcats at home is not a bad loss.

And certainly not for a mediocre and gutless Knicks team.

The Bobcats look much improved, but they're not the Heat. A 54 win team that kept its roster mostly intact losing at home to a Bobcats team playing without Al Jefferson a bad loss.

 

[Plorfu]

So who gets the 2 seed behind the Suns out west?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

Not sure they had a bad loss till last night, and I don't think it would have shocked anyone last year if you said they'd look terrible if you took away Chandler and JR and replaced them with Bargnani.

They lost Chandler in the middle of the fourth game. Not sure that's a reasonable excuse. And they added MWP too, who is posting an 18.8 PER is obviously is no slouch on the defensive end. In fact their two highest PER guys on the season are MWP and Kenyon Martin, both plus defenders who played a combined 400 minutes for last year's squad. I think that more than makes up for the loss of JR Smith and his 48% eFG and adequate defense. So I don't think it's a personnel lost/gained thing.

I've watched two of their games pretty much start to finish (last night and the Halloween Bulls game) and they look a mess. Maybe they looked like last year's team in the other two?

ETA: missed Chandler's PER here, slightly higher than MWP and Martin. I suppose the fact that Anthony is 4th on the team in PER explains quite a bit.

tomhaberstroh Tom Haberstroh"Go big and go home." RT @ZachLowe_NBA: Fun with small samples. NYK in 84 mins w/ Bargs: -38. In 108 mins w/o him: +30. Ujiri says hello.

 

[Man of Zen]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

Not sure they had a bad loss till last night, and I don't think it would have shocked anyone last year if you said they'd look terrible if you took away Chandler and JR and replaced them with Bargnani.

They lost Chandler in the middle of the fourth game. Not sure that's a reasonable excuse.

That's why I thought it was worth pointing out that the fourth game was their first bad loss. I think the 54 win team could easily have been 1-2 rolling into game four. And seven minutes with Chandler is essentially a game without him. So I think the comparison makes sense.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

For the last time people, losing to the Bobcats at home is not a bad loss.

And certainly not for a mediocre and gutless Knicks team.

They should just be thankful Sessions and McBob didn't have their shooting touch last night. Otherwise, it would've been a proper trouncing.

You'll see what I mean Friday night at the TWC.

Sure it is. Any home loss to a non-playoff team is a bad loss.

Phi, Cha, Tor, Mil, Was, Utah, Lakers, Sac, NO, Den, etc...

 

[Man of Zen]

Brandon Jennings making his wonderful presence known with a grand 6-of-20 showing. Enjoy your PG of the future Detroit.

A whole lot of talent is going to go to waste with this idiot running the show.

I love that their plan for opening up things inside for their two beasts in the paint was: lots of Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith chucking from outside.

Averaging 7 three-point attempts per game so far.

A career 28% 3 point shooter

Jennings should take 20 shot attempts -- in 2 games. The guy should never have more shot attempts than Monroe & Drummond combined.

Josh's career heat map shows he becomes useless more than an inch from the rim, and the guy is shooting 40% on the year trying to be Kobe.

Best. Signing. Ever. The perfect complement to two franchise paint hogs.

 

[TobiasFunke]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

Not sure they had a bad loss till last night, and I don't think it would have shocked anyone last year if you said they'd look terrible if you took away Chandler and JR and replaced them with Bargnani.

They lost Chandler in the middle of the fourth game. Not sure that's a reasonable excuse.

That's why I thought it was worth pointing out that the fourth game was their first bad loss. I think the 54 win team could easily have been 1-2 rolling into game four. And seven minutes with Chandler is essentially a game without him. So I think the comparison makes sense.

Fair enough. Obviously it's still early, just curious. The offense looks a mess. As Clavin's tweets point out, Bargnani presents a lot of problems for them on both ends.

 

[hxperson]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

Not sure they had a bad loss till last night, and I don't think it would have shocked anyone last year if you said they'd look terrible if you took away Chandler and JR and replaced them with Bargnani.

They lost Chandler in the middle of the fourth game. Not sure that's a reasonable excuse.

That's why I thought it was worth pointing out that the fourth game was their first bad loss. I think the 54 win team could easily have been 1-2 rolling into game four. And seven minutes with Chandler is essentially a game without him. So I think the comparison makes sense.

Fair enough. Obviously it's still early, just curious. The offense looks a mess. As Clavin's tweets point out, Bargnani presents a lot of problems for them on both ends.

Ujiri should win exec of the year for the Bargs trade alone, and if he can actually get something for Rudy Gay he should be in the discussion for exec of the decade.

One of the greatest instances of Turning a Loss (trading Calderon's expiring contract along with Ed Davis for Gay instead of using it to dump Bargs) into a Win (getting 3 picks including a protected first for this $10 MM/yr piece of trash) that I've ever seen.

 

[pollardsvision]

For the last time people, losing to the Bobcats at home is not a bad loss.

And certainly not for a mediocre and gutless Knicks team.

The Bobcats look much improved, but they're not the Heat. A 54 win team that kept its roster mostly intact losing at home to a Bobcats team playing without Al Jefferson a bad loss.

For the last time people, losing to the Bobcats at home is not a bad loss.

And certainly not for a mediocre and gutless Knicks team.

They should just be thankful Sessions and McBob didn't have their shooting touch last night. Otherwise, it would've been a proper trouncing.

You'll see what I mean Friday night at the TWC.

Sure it is. Any home loss to a non-playoff team is a bad loss.

Phi, Cha, Tor, Mil, Was, Utah, Lakers, Sac, NO, Den, etc...

I'm mostly kidding. Mostly.

Though I don't have much faith in the Knicks. You can be a 50-win sort of team in the East and still have some pretty major flaws.

Sure, it was a bad loss, but I won't find it shocking for the Knicks to find a way to lose to pretty much anyone anywhere. Especially if Chandler goes down early.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

For the last time people, losing to the Bobcats at home is not a bad loss.

And certainly not for a mediocre and gutless Knicks team.

They should just be thankful Sessions and McBob didn't have their shooting touch last night. Otherwise, it would've been a proper trouncing.

You'll see what I mean Friday night at the TWC.

Sure it is. Any home loss to a non-playoff team is a bad loss.

Phi, Cha, Tor, Mil, Was, Utah, Lakers, Sac, NO, Den, etc...

I'm mostly kidding. Mostly.

Though I don't have much faith in the Knicks. You can be a 50-win sort of team in the East and still have some pretty major flaws.

Sure, it was a bad loss, but I won't find it shocking for the Knicks to find a way to lose to pretty much anyone anywhere. Especially if Chandler goes down early.

Too early in the morning to catch that

Yea, I think the Knicks are going to be hovering around the 5-8 spot. They're so thin that an injury to anyone not named Bargnani will be crippling.

 

[Sammy3469]

How did the Knicks win 54 games with essentially the same roster last year? On a buddy's advice I've been fading them every game this year. They've already paid for my league pass subscription.

Not sure they had a bad loss till last night, and I don't think it would have shocked anyone last year if you said they'd look terrible if you took away Chandler and JR and replaced them with Bargnani.

They lost Chandler in the middle of the fourth game. Not sure that's a reasonable excuse.

That's why I thought it was worth pointing out that the fourth game was their first bad loss. I think the 54 win team could easily have been 1-2 rolling into game four. And seven minutes with Chandler is essentially a game without him. So I think the comparison makes sense.

Fair enough. Obviously it's still early, just curious. The offense looks a mess. As Clavin's tweets point out, Bargnani presents a lot of problems for them on both ends.

They're still miss JR Smith (and i can't believe I actually wrote that).

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Chandler out 4-6 weeks with a fractured fibula

 

[Man of Zen]

Chandler out 4-6 weeks with a fractured fibula

No problem with rugged, defensive minded bigs like Amare and Bargs to soak up those minutes.

 

[Sammy3469]

Chandler out 4-6 weeks with a fractured fibula

No problem with rugged, defensive minded bigs like Amare and Bargs to soak up those minutes.

To be fair Amare did cause A turnover last night when he aggressively jumped a pick and roll.

 

[Eephus]

So what kind of return could the Knicks hope for if they dealt Carmelo Anthony?

 

[Abraham]

So what kind of return could the Knicks hope for if they dealt Carmelo Anthony?

He's expiring so the only place that would give up much would be a team that had a really good chance to resign him. That's basically the two Los Angeles teams and maybe Houston. Cleveland could offer a lot (waiters, Thompson, two firsts) but he isn't signing there. Lakers have nothing of value to offer. Clippers could conceivably offer...? Houston isn't likely to deal parsons although parsons and Asik would be a good starting point. Bulls could offer Deng/boozer platter I guess.