# Tribune: Thabo earns Raves from Skiles



## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

> *Swiss guard also winds up 2 inches taller since draft - he's 6'7"*
> 
> 
> 
> ...




http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...bulls,1,2574595.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines



so skiles wasn't at the thabo workout at the berto pre-draft? i find that hard to believe, actually.


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## Bulls_Bulls_Bulls! (Jun 10, 2003)

Did you cacth this little tidbit from the article:


"No way on Wilcox

A source close to the Bulls disputed published reports that the Bulls are interested in acquiring Seattle restricted free agent Chris Wilcox. The source said the Bulls have no interest in the 6-10 power forward."


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## Aesop (Jun 1, 2003)

never mind


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## SALO (Jun 6, 2002)

I'm liking the Thabo pick more and more each day. What's crazy is the 7'2" wingspan. That's insane for a two-guard. 

He also pulled down close to 7 RPG. Outstanding for a backcourt player.


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## madox (Jan 6, 2004)

SALO said:


> I'm liking the Thabo pick more and more each day. What's crazy is the 7'2" wingspan. That's insane for a two-guard.
> 
> He also pulled down close to 7 RPG. Outstanding for a backcourt player.


Yeah I haven't heard a single knock on this guy, except that he needs to work on his range. Can't wait to see him in summer league.


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## laso (Jul 24, 2002)

madox said:


> Yeah I haven't heard a single knock on this guy, except that he needs to work on his range. Can't wait to see him in summer league.


Will there be any summer league game on TV?


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## madox (Jan 6, 2004)

orlandomagic.com will be doing live streaming of the games.

Nothing on TV though.


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## Bulls4Life (Nov 13, 2002)

Bulls_Bulls_Bulls! said:


> Did you cacth this little tidbit from the article:
> 
> 
> "No way on Wilcox
> ...



Pax has BIGGER fish to fry!!!!




:groucho: 

















I hope.


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## ogbullzfan (Mar 9, 2004)

SALO said:


> I'm liking the Thabo pick more and more each day. What's crazy is the 7'2" wingspan. That's insane for a two-guard.
> 
> He also pulled down close to 7 RPG. Outstanding for a backcourt player.


Isn't that Tyrus' wingspan?


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## Fizer Fanatic (Jun 20, 2002)

ogbullzfan said:


> Isn't that Tyrus' wingspan?


Sounds like Tyrus has him by about an inch in both height and wingspan. Both are freakish. Should be fun for most of us to get our first real look at Thabo. Everything sounds really good about him so far.


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## McBulls (Apr 28, 2005)

Paxson doesn't make a habit of gushing over rookies or new acquisitions. This and other things (rumored desire of Phoenix) suggest Thalbo will be a pleasant surprise addition to the backcourt. 

Smith shouldn't get too settled in Chicago just yet, there may not be a job for him here.


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## SALO (Jun 6, 2002)

Daily Herald: Sefolosha measures up 



> “(Sefolosha) stood out in (Thursday) night’s practice,” Skiles said. “His physical attributes are impressive. But he’s a good all-around player. He sees the game. He can pass the ball. He can penetrate. He’s got some nice change-of-pace, change-of-direction moves.”


Skiles on Tyrus...



> “_He needs to really work on his conditioning_, which he knows,” Skiles said of the 6-8 forward. “But he’s been very good. He’s active. He plays hard. He’s tough. He competes.”


Skiles getting on his case already? :laugh:


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## transplant (Jul 31, 2002)

It's hard for me to get real excited about a guy I've never seen play (except in highlight reels), but Sefolosha is quickly becoming an exception. Good to hear he's a legit 6-7. They say his ballhandling skills are exceptional, to the point that he could play some PG. Defensive demon. Shooting is only question.

Great fit for the Bulls. Should be able to pair up with Hinrich, Gordon or Duhon and take some of the defensive pressure off Kirk. When Skiles goes to the 3-guard offense, we won't be as mismatched as we've been the past couple years. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get 20mpg.

Nice job, Pax.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

> “He needs to really work on his conditioning, which he knows,” Skiles said of the 6-8 forward. “But he’s been very good. He’s active. He plays hard. He’s tough. He competes.”



I know...I know...its only July. But a long-armed "freakish" athlete with conditioning issues?

I Hope this isn't going to turn into a Tyson Thomas thing. At least Tyson was tall.


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## MikeDC (Jul 16, 2002)

transplant said:


> It's hard for me to get real excited about a guy I've never seen play (except in highlight reels), but Sefolosha is quickly becoming an exception. Good to hear he's a legit 6-7. They say his ballhandling skills are exceptional, to the point that he could play some PG. Defensive demon. Shooting is only question.
> 
> Great fit for the Bulls. Should be able to pair up with Hinrich, Gordon or Duhon and take some of the defensive pressure off Kirk. When Skiles goes to the 3-guard offense, we won't be as mismatched as we've been the past couple years. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get 20mpg.
> 
> Nice job, Pax.


Last year at this time folks were congratulating him on signing Eddie Basden (who Skiles was also speaking of quite favorably).

Not saying Thabo won't turn out... everything I've seen suggests he will. But it seems to me we should see him play some games first (which I'm excited about too) before we start saying he did a good job.

The only way I can say he's done a good job so far is in the same way I'd be saying it if he got Ronnie Brewer... I'd think it was a good job of getting a guy who's a good prospect. And yeah, that's a good job. But it'll pale in comparison to the good/bad that's going to show up when we see the guy play.


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## babybulls23 (May 16, 2005)

MikeDC said:


> Last year at this time folks were congratulating him on signing Eddie Basden (who Skiles was also speaking of quite favorably).
> 
> Not saying Thabo won't turn out... everything I've seen suggests he will. But it seems to me we should see him play some games first (which I'm excited about too) before we start saying he did a good job.
> 
> The only way I can say he's done a good job so far is in the same way I'd be saying it if he got Ronnie Brewer... I'd think it was a good job of getting a guy who's a good prospect. And yeah, that's a good job. But it'll pale in comparison to the good/bad that's going to show up when we see the guy play.


At least he's not trying to explain to everyone how Renaldo Balkman is a great pick!! It could be worse, we could be the Knicks


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

Until I see Thabo play...

I'd still rather have Ronnie Brewer


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

Didn't Skiles bash Basden? Wasn't Paxson the only one gushing over him?

How long into the season before the inevitable Gordon benching happens? I say 19 games in, but of course, when Kirk has a bad streak, he's never benched.


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## MVPKirk (Dec 17, 2004)

TomBoerwinkle#1 said:


> I know...I know...its only July. But a long-armed "freakish" athlete with conditioning issues?
> 
> I Hope this isn't going to turn into a Tyson Thomas thing. At least Tyson was tall.


Tyson has short arms actually.... And Tyson is quick, but definitely not a freakish athlete...


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## Showtyme (Jun 24, 2002)

sloth said:


> Didn't Skiles bash Basden? Wasn't Paxson the only one gushing over him?
> 
> How long into the season before the inevitable Gordon benching happens? I say 19 games in, but of course, when Kirk has a bad streak, he's never benched.


And actually, Skiles LOVED Basden. Apparently he saw Eddie working out and tagged him with a "THAT'S my guy" or something like that.


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## badfish (Feb 4, 2003)

TomBoerwinkle#1 said:


> I know...I know...its only July. But a long-armed "freakish" athlete with conditioning issues?
> 
> I Hope this isn't going to turn into a Tyson Thomas thing. At least Tyson was tall.



Me too. Although, it's not unusual for rookies to come into the league with conditioning issues. That's why there is the so-called Rookie Wall we always talk about.

Still, I hope Ty does everything he can to prepare himself physically for the season. I expect him to have a consistent impact on games by the end of the season.

Followup Edit: I am really excited about Sef and am trying to reign it back to more realistic expectations. From what little I've seen of him, I just love his on and off court demeanor.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

MVPKirk said:


> Tyson has short arms actually.... And Tyson is quick, but definitely not a freakish athlete...


Freakish is a word that gets thrown around freely before players hit the floor. Tyson USED to be referred to as freakish. Example:

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/chandler_010628.html



> You are known as a player with a player with "freakish" ability--despite being 7-feet tall you can shoot the ball well and run the floor. How would you describe Tyson Chandler the person?
> 
> Chandler: I'm a very outgoing person. You'll always see me smiling and having fun. I love kids.


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## Fizer Fanatic (Jun 20, 2002)

TomBoerwinkle#1 said:


> I know...I know...its only July. But a long-armed "freakish" athlete with conditioning issues?
> 
> I Hope this isn't going to turn into a Tyson Thomas thing. At least Tyson was tall.


Tyrus and Tyson seem to be two completely different people when it comes to maintaining intensity and focus. I think Tyrus will be ready.

Somewhat in Tyson's defense (not that I really care now), it seems to be fairly normal for guys to have some conditioning issues in contract years. They don't want some random workout injury to prevent them from signing their mega-million dollar deal. We'll have to see what Tyson can do a Hornet now this year.

And somewhat to Tyrus' defense, sounds he had some minor injuries and has also been focusing on other aspects of his game to try to wow the scouts pre-draft. Now that his job is to wow Skiles in order to earn playing time, I'd imagine that conditioning will move much higher on his priority list.


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## ScottMay (Jun 15, 2002)

Showtyme said:


> And actually, Skiles LOVED Basden. Apparently he saw Eddie working out and tagged him with a "THAT'S my guy" or something like that.


Basden quickly and severely fell out of Skiles's favor because of practice habits, and the relationship hit its nadir when Basden missed a team bus in Charlotte and was put on the inactive list before the game, but you are correct that it was love at first sight. I can't find a link anymore, but after a game or scrimmage at the predraft camp last year, Skiles came running off the sidelines pointing at Basden, saying, "That's my guy. That's my guy right there."

And Basden was also a great rebounder and conference DPOY, so there's that similarity to Sefolosha as well. But I'm applying the same standard to Sefolosha that I did to Bargnani -- if he was putting up solid numbers in Europe and generally playing to a lot of acclaim, he's probably going to do well here. But unless he's a deadeye 3-point jump shooter, I think I would have rather drafted Brewer. I think he's got a slightly better offensive upside, and if Pax's mandate was to get bigger and more athletic, no one fits that bill better than Brewer.


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## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

ScottMay said:


> Basden quickly and severely fell out of Skiles's favor because of practice habits, and the relationship hit its nadir when Basden missed a team bus in Charlotte and was put on the inactive list before the game, but you are correct that it was love at first sight. I can't find a link anymore, but after a game or scrimmage at the predraft camp last year, Skiles came running off the sidelines pointing at Basden, saying, "That's my guy. That's my guy right there."
> 
> And Basden was also a great rebounder and conference DPOY, so there's that similarity to Sefolosha as well. But I'm applying the same standard to Sefolosha that I did to Bargnani -- if he was putting up solid numbers in Europe and generally playing to a lot of acclaim, he's probably going to do well here. But unless he's a deadeye 3-point jump shooter, I think I would have rather drafted Brewer. I think he's got a slightly better offensive upside, and if Pax's mandate was to get bigger and more athletic, no one fits that bill better than Brewer.


Sefolosha is longer than Brewer. I don't really know how we can compare a player we haven't seen at all with a player we have seen.


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## LIBlue (Aug 17, 2002)

TripleDouble said:


> Sefolosha is longer than Brewer. I don't really know how we can compare a player we haven't seen at all with a player we have seen.


It is my understanding that Sefolosha outplayed Brewer and Carney and Roy in pre-draft workouts.

Also, Sefolosha played point guard before a recent growth spurt, so he is rumored to have good ball handling skills. He is taller than Brewer, with a longer wing span. His shot has been improving, and with Brewer's arm injury (he cannot straighten his right arm), I think he has more updside as a shooter.

Throw in the alledge interest from Utah, Phoenix and the Bulls for Sefolosha over Brewer and Carney, and he has the making a great player.

Time will tell.


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## transplant (Jul 31, 2002)

MikeDC said:


> Last year at this time folks were congratulating him on signing Eddie Basden (who Skiles was also speaking of quite favorably).
> 
> Not saying Thabo won't turn out... everything I've seen suggests he will. But it seems to me we should see him play some games first (which I'm excited about too) before we start saying he did a good job.
> 
> The only way I can say he's done a good job so far is in the same way I'd be saying it if he got Ronnie Brewer... I'd think it was a good job of getting a guy who's a good prospect. And yeah, that's a good job. But it'll pale in comparison to the good/bad that's going to show up when we see the guy play.


I apologize. I'll try not to comment on any player until I've seen that player play in the NBA. At this point, Brewer and Sefolosha are even. Let's see how it works out.


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## draft tyrus (Jun 29, 2006)

LIBlue said:


> It is my understanding that Sefolosha outplayed Brewer and Carney and Roy in pre-draft workouts.
> 
> *Also, Sefolosha played point guard before a recent growth spurt, so he is rumored to have good ball handling skills.* He is taller than Brewer, with a longer wing span. His shot has been improving, and with Brewer's arm injury (he cannot straighten his right arm), I think he has more updside as a shooter.
> 
> ...


as did Tyrus. Something a lot of people don't know.


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## the-asdf-man (Jun 29, 2006)

i knew that. he played PG in high school


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## Darius Miles Davis (Aug 2, 2002)

LIBlue said:


> It is my understanding that Sefolosha outplayed Brewer and Carney and Roy in pre-draft workouts.


Here is one thing I found interesting. When Paxson was interviewed before the draft on Boers & Bernsie, I remember Boers saying that he was turned off by Brandon Roy's overconfident comments after his workout. Paxson responded that Roy had a very good workout, so he was just being honest. That being said, Thabo was at that workout working out against him, so unless Pax was talking up Roy to hide his interest in Thabo (which is a distinct possibility), then Thabo must have had quite a workout. 

BTW, draftexpress keeps reporting that Roy is playing very, very well in summer leagues. I still think this kid is going to be a serious stud, and we're going to wish we drafted him. They're playing him at point guard because they don't have a real pg prospect on their summer league team, and he had eight assists in his first game. That's nuts for a 6' 6" shooting guard with point guard skills. There is such thing as a tweener, and then there is such thing as a guy who can really play two positions. That's Roy. 

To me, Thabo is going to have to be really, really good to help me forget about Roy. I am encouraged by all the early reports, though, and I can't wait to watch him on Monday.


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

LIBlue said:


> Also, Sefolosha played point guard before a recent growth spurt, so he is rumored to have good ball handling skills. He is taller than Brewer, with a longer wing span. His shot has been improving, and with Brewer's arm injury (he cannot straighten his right arm), I think he has more updside as a shooter.


Yeah. Chad Ford referred to him as having point forward capabilities. I think that's what tipped the scales in his favor over someone like Brewer. If Thabo can play a little point then he can sub for Hinrich with Gordon in and run the offense while guarding the opposing team's point guard. That will leave Gordon available to play off guard and take the point guard on d. 

As far as Chandler's athleticism, I am pretty confident he can outjump any 7 footer in the league which I would say warrants the "freakish athleticism" tag.


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## paxman (Apr 24, 2006)

sloth said:


> Didn't Skiles bash Basden? Wasn't Paxson the only one gushing over him?
> 
> How long into the season before the inevitable Gordon benching happens? I say 19 games in, but of course, when Kirk has a bad streak, he's never benched.


of course. b/c kirk doesn't have a bad streak of defense and playmaking.
when gordon becomes as well rounded as kirk, he won't get benched.
and if we had an all around guard who shot better than kirk, kirk would get benched.


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## such sweet thunder (May 30, 2002)

Darius Miles Davis said:


> Here is one thing I found interesting. When Paxson was interviewed before the draft on Boers & Bernsie, I remember Boers saying that he was turned off by Brandon Roy's overconfident comments after his workout. Paxson responded that Roy had a very good workout, so he was just being honest. That being said, Thabo was at that workout working out against him, so unless Pax was talking up Roy to hide his interest in Thabo (which is a distinct possibility), then Thabo must have had quite a workout.
> 
> BTW, draftexpress keeps reporting that Roy is playing very, very well in summer leagues. I still think this kid is going to be a serious stud, and we're going to wish we drafted him. They're playing him at point guard because they don't have a real pg prospect on their summer league team, and he had eight assists in his first game. That's nuts for a 6' 6" shooting guard with point guard skills. There is such thing as a tweener, and then there is such thing as a guy who can really play two positions. That's Roy.
> 
> To me, Thabo is going to have to be really, really good to help me forget about Roy. I am encouraged by all the early reports, though, and I can't wait to watch him on Monday.


 I wouldn't be all that surprised if Roy ended up being a point guard in the pros. Washington had to play Roy off the ball to resist the temptation of relying on him too much. Kind of like how the Bulls moved Jordan off the ball after the season where he averaged 37 pts. Jordan had all the skills to play point guard, but it was better to have the ball starting in someone else's hands.

But now that Roy is surrounded by teammates who can score (well, for the most part) he can play point guard without the worry that the same worries that were present in college. Roy, as I'm sure you know, played a lot pg at the end of games for Washington.


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## such sweet thunder (May 30, 2002)

badfish said:


> Followup Edit: I am really excited about Sef and am trying to reign it back to more realistic expectations. From what little I've seen of him, I just love his on and off court demeanor.



A follow up edit, on your follow up edit. 

I'm way too excited about Sefolosha's game. I've never seen him play and have taken a very cautious approach to the Bargnani hype, who I've also only seen highlights of. Right now, I'm trying to talk myself out of buying a Sefolosha jersey before the season begins . I think, if he has a good summer league, I'm going to go ahead and do it!

Lol, it would be just my luck. I finally buy a player's jersey and Thabo would end up averaging 3 minutes and 1.7 points on the season.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

It seemed Roy played PG out of necessity (even though he can handle). With Conroy and Robinson gone, he was forced to play the PG position (with Dentman and Appleby there).

Roy will be a very good SG in the NBA.


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## draft tyrus (Jun 29, 2006)

such sweet thunder said:


> I wouldn't be all that surprised if Roy ended up being a point guard in the pros. Washington had to play Roy off the ball to resist the temptation of relying on him too much. Kind of like how the Bulls moved Jordan off the ball after the season where he averaged 37 pts. Jordan had all the skills to play point guard, but it was better to have the ball starting in someone else's hands.


It's a lot different in the triangle as far as who starts out with the ball goes, however.


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## draft tyrus (Jun 29, 2006)

paxman said:


> of course. b/c kirk doesn't have a bad streak of defense and playmaking.
> when gordon becomes as well rounded as kirk, he won't get benched.
> and if we had an all around guard who shot better than kirk, kirk would get benched.


exactly. for one, kirk's the on-court leader of the team. When his shot isn't falling, as you/paxman said, he can contribute in many other ways. Ben is strictly a one-dimensional shooter. He can't get to the rim when his shot is falling. His solution to his shot not falling is to take more shots, which kills the offense. If he can't contribute anything, he _should_ be benched in exchange for someone who can, like Duhon. Sloth, I'm amazed at your heavy dislike for Kirk.


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## such sweet thunder (May 30, 2002)

draft tyrus said:


> It's a lot different in the triangle as far as who starts out with the ball goes, however.


I don't really follow. The move of Jordan from point guard to shooting guard took place long before Phil Jackson and the triangle offense arrrived. The team relied on him too much when he started with the ball in his hands. My point was that Roy with Washington was comparable to Jordan with the Bulls. Now that he has better teammates I could see Roy getting more run with the ball in his hands, as well as at shooting guard.


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## draft tyrus (Jun 29, 2006)

such sweet thunder said:


> I don't really follow. The move of Jordan from point guard to shooting guard took place long before Phil Jackson and the triangle offense arrrived. The team relied on him too much when he started with the ball in his hands. My point was that Roy with Washington was comparable to Jordan with the Bulls. Now that he has better teammates I could see Roy getting more run with the ball in his hands, as well as at shooting guard.


no, I know. you're right. I misinterpreted your previous post.


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## MikeDC (Jul 16, 2002)

babybulls23 said:


> At least he's not trying to explain to everyone how Renaldo Balkman is a great pick!! It could be worse, we could be the Knicks


He _*IS*_ a great pick...




... at the end of the second round.


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## MikeDC (Jul 16, 2002)

transplant said:


> I apologize. I'll try not to compment on any player until I've seen that player play in the NBA. At this point, Brewer and Sefolosha are even. Let's see how it works out.


Sorry, I didn't mean to come off like that. I think it's totally fair to comment on the players. Like I said, I'm excited to see him too. I just read your post and had a flashback to the hype and whatnot about Basden last year. :|


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## Like A Breath (Jun 16, 2003)

I doubt that his only weakness is long range shooting. That would make him LeBron w/ defense. I think some of you are getting excited a bit too early, especially with the people who are saying that he makes Gordon expendable.

Sounds like a diamond in the rough, though. Bulls will look like the top organization in the league if their moves pan out.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

MikeDC said:


> Sorry, I didn't mean to come off like that. I think it's totally fair to comment on the players. Like I said, I'm excited to see him too. I just read your post and had a flashback to the hype and whatnot about Basden last year. :|


Regardless of the hype with Basden, and fearing the same with Safolosha is that Basden was undrafted, and Safolosha was picked 13th, so i wouldn't worry too much. Though not saying his a sure thing by any means but i think you'd be more confident with a player whos been selected with the 13th pick over a player who went undrafted wouldn't you think?


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

Like A Breath said:


> I doubt that his only weakness is long range shooting. That would make him LeBron w/ defense. I think some of you are getting excited a bit too early, especially with the people who are saying that he makes Gordon expendable.
> 
> Sounds like a diamond in the rough, though. Bulls will look like the top organization in the league if their moves pan out.


 :clap: :clap: :clap: 

We have a winnah!


I've never seen any team's fan so EAGER to dump their leading scorer, a player that has improved every season and is willing to work hard in the offseason, in all my life.


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

such sweet thunder said:


> I wouldn't be all that surprised if Roy ended up being a point guard in the pros. Washington had to play Roy off the ball to resist the temptation of relying on him too much. Kind of like how the Bulls moved Jordan off the ball after the season where he averaged 37 pts. Jordan had all the skills to play point guard, but it was better to have the ball starting in someone else's hands.
> 
> But now that Roy is surrounded by teammates who can score (well, for the most part) he can play point guard without the worry that the same worries that were present in college. Roy, as I'm sure you know, played a lot pg at the end of games for Washington.


Roy looks a lot like Joe Johnson to me. I don't think he's really a point guard, but I do think he can make it work at the 1. Still, he's 6'6'' and can't keep up with the lightning quick smalls guards of the world. The only way he plays point is if you pair him with shoot first small guard like Jason Terry, Mike James or (gulp) Ben Gordon.


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

Wouldn't it make Hinrich expendable if Thabo works out? If Thabo can be a big point guard while Gordon is the shooting guard, since Gordon plays as good of defense as anyone on point guards, but its when he has to guard those big shooting guards he has trouble. Thabo and Gordon in a backcourt could workout good, with Kirk off the bench for the longrun is good. Or you can have Gordon off the bench longterm, but have him start until he inks his contract .


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

sloth said:


> Wouldn't it make Hinrich expendable if Thabo works out? If Thabo can be a big point guard while Gordon is the shooting guard, since Gordon plays as good of defense as anyone on point guards, but its when he has to guard those big shooting guards he has trouble. Thabo and Gordon in a backcourt could workout good, with Kirk off the bench for the longrun is good. Or you can have Gordon off the bench longterm, but have him start until he inks his contract .


Kirk Hinrich would not be expendable to Pax and Skiles even if he were on his deathbed (heaven forbid).

They'd still find a way to make him the "face of the franchise".


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## SausageKingofChicago (Feb 14, 2005)

Showtyme said:


> And actually, Skiles LOVED Basden. Apparently he saw Eddie working out and tagged him with a "THAT'S my guy" or something like that.


Yeah Baz was a workout warrior and had 'the NBA body"

he just sucked as a basketball player and couldn't develop other skills


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

Showtyme said:


> And actually, Skiles LOVED Basden. Apparently he saw Eddie working out and tagged him with a "THAT'S my guy" or something like that.


That's not quite accurate. The "that's my guy" incident occured at the end of a summer league game when Basden drained a couple of free throws. We have no idea what Skiles thought of Basden pre-draft. We traded up to get Sefolosha at 13 this year. Last year we let the entire draft go by without budging an inch to get Basden. There's a world of difference between Sefolosha, who seems to be a legit 6'7'' and hyper-athletic, and Basden - a guy who scrapes 6'4'' and went undrafted last year. I wouldn't lump the two together. 

I also wouldn't totally write Basden off just yet. His ball skills need to get better (since he's not legitimately a big guard, per se) but he's not unproductive when he's in there. Give him a couple years. It wouldn't shock me if he wound up doing okay for himself.


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## ScottMay (Jun 15, 2002)

The Krakken said:


> Kirk Hinrich would not be expendable to Pax and Skiles even if he were on his deathbed (heaven forbid).
> 
> They'd still find a way to make him the "face of the franchise".


To continue the adulterous theme started by Sham -- a moderator -- in the Nocioni free agency thread: unless PaxSkiles caught Hinrich in the act of backdooring one or both of their wives, he's a Bull for life.

(Upon further reflection, that might not be enough to buy him a ticket out of town. The upshot is that if Hinrich gets away, it'll be because of the Chairman, not PaxSkiles.)


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## Bulls_Bulls_Bulls! (Jun 10, 2003)

ScottMay said:


> To continue the adulterous theme started by Sham -- a moderator -- in the Nocioni free agency thread: unless PaxSkiles caught Hinrich in the act of backdooring one or both of their wives, he's a Bull for life.
> )



Well, to link Sham's analogy with your obscure Marv Albert comment from a previous thread: who knows, perhaps it'll all be good and PaxSkiles would want to partake in such a scenario as active partipants. What would that be called? Oh yes, a 2 on 1 fast break...


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## ScottMay (Jun 15, 2002)

jbulls said:


> That's not quite accurate. The "that's my guy" incident occured at the end of a summer league game when Basden drained a couple of free throws. We have no idea what Skiles thought of Basden pre-draft. We traded up to get Sefolosha at 13 this year. Last year we let the entire draft go by without budging an inch to get Basden. There's a world of difference between Sefolosha, who seems to be a legit 6'7'' and hyper-athletic, and Basden - a guy who scrapes 6'4'' and went undrafted last year. I wouldn't lump the two together.
> 
> I also wouldn't totally write Basden off just yet. His ball skills need to get better (since he's not legitimately a big guard, per se) but he's not unproductive when he's in there. Give him a couple years. It wouldn't shock me if he wound up doing okay for himself.


You have a good memory, jbulls. This is exactly right.

However, I think the "that's my guy" was set up by Skiles's liking him a lot from predraft workouts, and his being pumped when Basden went undrafted and we were able to snag him.


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## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

I don't think you can compare a 13th pick with a guy who didn't even get drafted, but I'm sure there have been players who ended up being great, who didn't get drafted. Someone who's becoming who of those guys is Noce, although he already was pretty experienced by the time he got here.

Thing is, I haven't seen Sef. play a lick against top-notch teams, so my criticism against him stands until I see some proof that he can play on a consistent level. Until then, I will always have my doubts. I just hope he pans out, and that we didn't blow the deal to have Carney and then Sef. ends up a bust, while Carney becomes a great player. The chances are slim, but let's just wait and see.



Oh, and about the whole Hinrich thing: I can just imagine PaxSkiles being devastated about losing Hinrich, if he were to get traded, or walk away to get a bigger contract. Although I'm sure Skiles would turn all his attention to Duhon, in what would be one of those :cowboy: moments with Skiles and Duhon. lol I'm sure I'm not the only one who's seen Skiles act a little nicer to Duhon than other guys on the team. :biggrin:


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## draft tyrus (Jun 29, 2006)

sloth said:


> Wouldn't it make Hinrich expendable if Thabo works out? If Thabo can be a big point guard while Gordon is the shooting guard, since Gordon plays as good of defense as anyone on point guards, but its when he has to guard those big shooting guards he has trouble. Thabo and Gordon in a backcourt could workout good, with Kirk off the bench for the longrun is good. Or you can have Gordon off the bench longterm, but have him start until he inks his contract .


Wow. You REALLY want Kirk out of town. It's shocking how much you underappreciate him.


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

draft tyrus said:


> Wow. You REALLY want Kirk out of town. It's shocking how much you underappreciate him.


No I just think he values Ben more than Kirk (as do I), and if given the choice between the two would rather see Kirk gone than Ben (as would I).


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

McGraw wrote a Thabo lovefest article yesterday, with a few other tidbits.

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/bulls.asp



> The NBA’s draft media guide listed Switzerland guard Thabo Sefolosha as 6 feet, 5 inches.
> 
> At the Bulls’ minicamp this week, however, it didn’t take long to recognize the misprint. Sefolosha is clearly a legitimate 6-7 in shoes and said he stopped growing two years ago. At 213 pounds, though, he could use a little more strength.
> 
> ...


Note re Thomas: to paraphrase Dennis Miller's famous quip -- "there is no such thing as a _minor_ groin injury..."


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