http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4526 Recent articles about Larry Hughes en-us When the Chicago Bulls selected Derrick Rose as their number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, many wondered how long will it be until Rose becomes the starting guard? Fast forward to the first preseason game and Rose was announced in the starting line up along with Kirk Hinrich in last night's game versus the Dallas Mavericks. Rose finished the game with 10 points, 5 assists and 6 turnovers in nearly 27 minutes of action. Perhaps everyone thought Derrick Rose will come off the bench and play behind either Kirk Hinrich (as a point guard) or Larry Hughes (as a shooting guard). Since the start of training camp, Coach Vinnie Del Negro had different plans. Apparently, Rose has been scrimmaging with the team's first unit... Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:05:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/348263 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/348263 The Chicago Bulls have plenty off questions to be answered during the pre-season. From playing time to leadership, it should be interesting to see how Vinny del Negro handles the squad. Things to look for in the first game include the rookies (del Negro and Derrick Rose, big men Tyrus Thomas and Joakim's Noahs roles, and the lock jam at guard. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:07:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346126 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346126 Chicago Bulls veteran power forward Drew Gooden is heading into the final year of his contract in the upcoming season. Monday the "Chicago Tribune" reportedA the player saidA his uncertainA long term status will not effect his short term performance. Gooden was traded to the Bulls last FebruaryA A He was acquired along with Larry Hughes from Cleveland, in a [...] Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:27:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345829 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345829 Ben Gordon returns to the team after signing a one year tenure and would be interested in resigned next summer after turning down contract offers two consectutive summers? His return also creates a log jam at guard that head coach Vinny del Negro will have to deal with. Second year forward/center Joakim Noah will also miss about a week of camp with an eye injury. Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:28:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344721 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344721 G: Allen Iverson G: Hersey Hawkins F: Jerry Stackhouse F: Charles Barkley C: Theo Ratliff And off the bench ... Larry Hughes Derrick Coleman Clarence Weatherspoon Jeff Malone Again: No continuity, not really a team. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:37:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343203 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343203 Latest news and rumors on Bulls roster moves. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:31:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317721 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317721 A Daily Babble Production Three years ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers were intent on bringing in a core player from Milwaukee to find greatness next to LeBron James. They had a back-up plan ready to go if the import from Milwaukee couldn't be acquired, and it looked to be a good one. The same was the case this summer. The Cavs wanted one of the Bucks' top players but apparently had an alternate approach (http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2008/08/terrys_talkin_about_the_browns.html) ready if needed. The problem three years ago was that after Michael Redd decided to sign a long-term extension in Milwaukee, the Cavs' second choice of Larry Hughes turned out to be a colossal bust. Couldn't stay healthy, couldn't shoot the ball, didn't complement LeBron James well, turned out to be a sizable waste of money: Hughes' tenure was a disaster, and he isnt fondly remembered by fans of the wine and gold. What could have been with Redd and James will remain forever an exercise in imaginative thinking in Cleveland. Fast forward to 2008. The Cavs got their Milwaukee man in point guard Mo Williams, and while the difference might not be as wide as that between Redd and Hughes, Williams will... Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:54:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316894 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316894 Hey, they can't shoot any worse than last season. LAST SEASON The Bulls were one of the favorites in the East after winning 49 games in '06-07. But after going 9-16 to start the season, Scott Skiles was promptly fired, and Chicago ended up losing 49 games in '07-08. They attempted 83.7 field goals per game, which was 5th most, but the ball just wouldn't go in the hole, as they finished dead last in FG% at 43.5%. OFFSEASON MOVES Key Additions: Vinny Del Negro, Derrick Rose, Omer Asik? Key Losses: Jim Boylan, Chris Duhon, Ben Gordon? After retiring as a player in 2002, Del Negro worked for the Suns as a radio commentator, was promoted to Director of player personnel in 2006, and then became Assistant General Manager in 2007. With no prior coaching experience, he seems like a risky pick to replace former Head Coach Jim Boylan (who replaced Skiles last season). From '90-92, Del Negro played in Italy for Benetton Treviso, the same team that Mike D'Antoni would coach just a couple years later. Can Vinny turn around the Bulls like Mike did the Suns? Incidentally, point guard Chris Duhon left Chicago to become D'Antoni's new floor general in NY, but the Bulls didn't mind replacing him with Derrick Rose, the #1 overall pick in the '08 draft. Rose (who turns 20 on October 1st) played just 1 season at Memphis University, but he led his team to the NCAA Championship game and a 38 win season (an NCAA record). He's not very polished, but his physical skills are thru the roof. Omer Asik is a 22-year old center prospect from Turkey whom the Bulls wanted so badly that they traded away three future 2nd round picks to select him. Why is there a question mark next to his name? Because he recently signed a 5-year deal with NO ESCAPE CLAUSE to stay with his team in Turkey! While there's also a question mark next to Ben Gordon's name, just two weeks ago he stated that, "it's safe to say I've played my last game in a Bulls uniform." He's not going to sign the Bulls' one-year qualifying offer of $6.4 million, so his agent is currently pursuing a sign-and-trade deal. If that doesn't happen, it sounds like Gordon is more than willing to take more money to play in Europe. He could probably average 30 ppg overseas, so it wouldn't surprise me if he goes usain and bolts. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME Let's start in the backcourt, where BG's likely departure makes it a little easier to project playing time. Kirk Hinrich averaged just 31.7 minutes in '07-08, but played 35-37 minutes in each of the 4 seasons prior. I'll project 33-35 mpg for him in a bounceback '08-09 season. While Rose may not be ready for big minutes just yet, the Bulls will likely thrust him into the starting lineup. I'm projecting 28-30 minutes for him as a rookie. Larry Hughes put up a pathetic 11.9 PER in '07-08, the lowest mark of his career. As a result, I think his 29.7 minutes from last season will fall to around 24, his lowest average since his early years with Philly. 3rd year man Thabo Sefolosha should also get 18-20 minutes backing up both swingman spots. At small forward, Luol Deng averaged 33.7 minutes last season, but 37.5 the year before, so I'll project 35-36 mpg for him in '08-09. At power forward, Drew Gooden received 31.0 minutes of action and played fairly well after being traded to Chicago. He's in his prime (turns 27 later this month), so the Bulls will be counting on him for 30-32 solid minutes every night. Backing up both forward spots will be Andres Nocioni. I would love to see Noce average 30 mpg, but he'll likely be stuck in the mid-20's as usual. At the end of last season, Joakim Noah averaged 28.3 mpg in 31 starts, so I'll project the same minutes for him in '08-09. Tyrus Thomas (17.9 mpg) and Aaron Gray (10.0 mpg) will battle for the remaining big man minutes. Is Thomas ready to step up and take on a bigger role? DON'T SLEEP ON: Joakim Noah In 31 starts last season, Noah averaged 9.2 points, 7.2 boards, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game while shooting 51.2% from the field. Last season, the only players to average 1+ steal and 1+ block per game while shooting over 50% FG were Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko, and Kenyon Martin, so if Noah could do that over a full season, he would be joining select company. Additionally, Noah shot just 64.2% from the line before the All-Star break, but a decent 73.7% afterwards. And while there's no guarantee that Joakim can duplicate these stats, he should get the opportunity to do so. So if you need a big man in the later rounds, don't be afraid to roll the dice on Noah. BE CAREFUL OF: Derrick Rose In fantasy drafts, you should always be careful of the most recent #1 pick, but Derrick Rose especially worries me. For starters, his college stats aren't that impressive. With his speed & athleticism, you'd think he would average more than the 1.2 steals and .4 blocks that he did at Memphis. His 47.7% FG shooting was ok, but he shot just 33.7% 3P and 71.2% FT. Being a poor 3-point shooter is one thing, but making just 71% of your freebies when you get to the line a lot is a cause for concern. And while Rose is considered a point guard, his assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.74 wasn't all that special, suggesting that his transition to PG in the NBA might be more difficult than expected. Sure enough, Rose struggled in Summer League play, a setting where you'd expect the #1 overall pick to dominate. In his defense, he was rusty and dealing with knee problems, but those are just more reasons to shy away from him. As the top pick, someone is going to draft him too soon, but I would be shocked if he finishes the season as a Top 100 fantasy player. ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) Click on the link to find out! Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:30:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316876 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316876 A Daily Babble Production The long-term picture for the Chicago Bulls has become at least a bit clearer this summer. Derrick Rose will be the point guard. Luol Deng will be in town for a good long while. Kirk Hinrich is a favorite of ownership and could be seen at the off-guard spot, though a trade isn't out of the question. If the team can push the right buttons around the league, Larry Hughes could be the guard on his way out (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3713 Itemid=260). But all of the developments with Hinrich and Hughes at the two may be on hold until the team's biggest remaining question mark is answered: the fate of leading scorer Ben Gordon. Gordon is a restricted free agent this summer, and as a combination of both his high asking price and the low cap space availability for many teams around the league at this point, he hasn't found the market to be a kind one so far. Read More.. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3730 Itemid=260)All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA blog. Check him out! Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:48:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301660 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301660 First, they are horrible at getting players signed in a timely manner. They should have locked up Luol Deng and Ben Gordon at the beginning of last season or even before that. Instead, they ended up having to wait until the off-season, and even then, they couldn't get a deal done in a timely manner. www.rawsportsblog.com Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:45:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300251 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300251 A Daily Babble Production So appears to be the case. The rumors have been coming for a while about possible changes in scenery for Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, but the Bulls may in fact be receiving suitors for a third member of their back-court, and he is easily the least desirable one to have in town. The Daily Herald's Mike McGraw reports (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=224618) that the Bulls have discovered interest in Larry Hughes. Given that Hughes is scheduled to make more than $26 million over the next two seasons, any deal involving him would likely involve Chicago receiving another team's big contract in return. In that vein, McGraw names Portland (Joel Przybilla), New York (Jared Jeffries), Dallas (Erick Dampier) and Denver (Kenyon Martin) as some of the potential trading partners for the Bulls. While our-trash-for-your-trash deals aren't geared to be all that wonderful for either side, that the Bulls are even drawing inquiries for Hughes remains stunning to me. Managing to move this guy, particularly for an interior player (even if that interior player is overpaid and underproductive) could be a coup for Hicag. Read More.. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3713 Itemid=260)All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA... Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:06:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299692 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299692 In the final game of round one, the Blazers, very similar to their actual team, have a nice collection of young talent. However, it's tough to pass up a lineup of A.I., Larry Hughes and Andre Iguodala with good depth behind them. Someday the Blazers will be a legit contender. Don't expect it to be today, though. Expert Picks: Pickard: Philadelphia 76ers Estimated Game Time: Wednesday July 23 (4 PM EST) Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:02:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294396 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294396 Sorry Fans of the Chicago Bulls, you made the wrong choice. Derrick Rose the Number One Overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft is the most likely to dissapoint of all the others. Well he does have an advantage right away from being number one but i think you might find after the year is done that Beasley should have been the number one. Think about it a star beast is what they need. They have the most talent from the guard position of anywhere now but that poses a problem because you have great young players already. Sure Benny G might not resign but if he did it would just be too much. Rose, Gordon, Hinrich, and not to mention the highly underrated Hughes. Ok they have alot of people like beasley but no right away stud scorers. To tell you the truth i dont know what they could have done but everywhere seems crowded and just because Rose is a Chicago native doesnt mean he should be picked number one. Did you hear Hinrich could be on the run? Thats whats in right now. They are currently shopping him around and there have been talks between the Nuggets and the Bulls. Hinrich for a pick. They want to clear some salary up. What they plan to do with the salary most likely includes the resigning of Deng or Gordon. Most people are dissapointed in Ben but the guy is the best scorer they have and can shoot almost as good as anybody in the NBA. Deng understand the hype but i'm not entirely convinced. Back to Rose. Reasons why i think he'll dissapoint. Please go watch highlight tapes now he is not the greatest dribbler in the world. Im sorry but if he wants to be succesful he better handle the ball. Second he is a point guard who shoots free throws like Kwame Brown. Third if he can't hit free throws consitently what would make the Bulls Management think he could hit actual shots on the perimeter or mid range. He is pretty good defensively but there are those quicker on there feet who will give him a whole heap of trouble. If he improves all of this i think he has a chance to be good and ill also be the first one to admit i was wrong. I am sorry I am just not convinced. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:58:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293922 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293922 Describing the experience of watching Larry Hughes play basketball day in and day out to people who have never had the luxury to do so can be fairly tricky. I never found Larry to be an inherently unlikeable person or player. I always rooted for Larry. I always kept waiting for him to click and show us that he was still the same player who tore up the NBA for Washington in 2004-05. Remember, it was that season that Larry shot 43% from the field en route to a 22.0 ppg average. He also posted career highs in rebounds per game (6.3) and assists per game (4.7) while leading the league in steals with 2.9 steals per game. His PER that season was 21.6 and he was named to the NBA's All-Defense first team. In other words, the Cavaliers thought they had found LeBron's perfect sidekick. Obviously, as we all know, that never happened. So perhaps "enigmatic" is a good way to describe both Larry's personality and performance while he was in Cleveland. After getting off to a slow start with the Cavaliers, Larry actually looked to be turning the corner after 6 games with the Cavs. He would score 20+ points in 7 of his next 11 games and by Dec 31st of that year he was averaging a respectable 16.2 points per game. Unfortunately, after the new year Larry was found to have a broken and finger and would end up missing over 3 months of basketball. His tenure in Cleveland would never be the same. Between injuries, personal tragedies, and an inability to fit in on the court with his teammates Larry quickly fell out of favor with fans of the Cavs and by the trade deadline of 2008 he was shipped out to Chicago. On Wednesday, ESPN.com's Page 2 writer Jemele Hill released an article in which she sat down and interviewed Larry, and here is some of what Larry had to say about his time in Cleveland, "What happened in Cleveland? Nothing really happened. A lot of things went on in my life as far as personal stuff. Cleveland just wasn't a happy place for me. I needed something fresh to kind of change the scenery. How much of your experience (in Cleveland) was tainted by the death of your brother, Justin? A lot. I realize it every day that a part of me is gone. I have to move on, knowing it's not going to be easy. Playing basketball doesn't make everything better. Making money doesn't make everything better. That's really what I'm dealing with now. Do you feel the same way toward basketball as you always did? Or did some of that change because you suffered such a tragic loss? To be honest, some of the emotional side of playing basketball has suffered. Sometimes it is tough to be excited or be happy. Different things may take you back to a place where you were before, as far as the memories. My thing is, I know I can play. It's just having fun doing that and getting better in my personal situation and moving on from there. How much longer do you think you'll play? (Hughes is 29.) I told myself I'd play until I was 35. If I play until I'm 35, that will be 16 years in the league. That's a long time. But I'm feeling good. I've been injured a lot, and I think that's kind of helped me as to how my body feels now. When you heard you were traded to Chicago, what was your reaction? I welcomed the trade. I talked to management, talked to my teammates and my agent. Like I said, a part of me needed something different. A part of me didn't want to keep traveling those same roads once I found out I lost my brother. A lot of those things were tough for me. I really wanted that chance to kind of move past it and get into a situation where the style of play was how I wanted to play basketball. From a basketball perspective, did you feel your skill set fit in more in Chicago than it did in Cleveland? I think it does. Once we have an opportunity to go through a training camp and obviously now we'll have a new coach and a whole new situation going on where I won't be the new guy. I'll be the guy that's been there a couple months. To get more comfortable and understand what John Paxson wants and the type of guys that are on the team. I feel like it definitely benefits my game to be in Chicago at this point in my career." If you're interested, there's more to this interview as Larry goes on to discuss a variety of other topics, but that covers his answers about Cleveland. I found it interesting to see Larry admit that his heart wasn't fully into basketball after the death of his brother. I always thought Larry looked like he had a sad, dark cloud hanging over him, and perhaps a change of scenery will do the guy some good. I'm not going to lie, I'm glad Larry's not playing basketball for the Cavaliers anymore and I can't root for him to do well on the court as long as he's playing for a division rival, but I think a part of me will always root for Larry to find happiness. I can't imagine going through the kind of tragedy he had to, and on such a public stage none the less. I know many players have dealt with tragedy, and everyone handles adversity differently, but for me, Larry Hughes was a player I always wanted to root for and get behind, and his time in Cleveland will always represent a tragic story on multiple levels, and it's a story I will never forget. In both some good ways and some bad ways, Larry Hughes' time in Cleveland left an indelible mark on me. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:45:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282346 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282346 Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine is reporting that the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets have talked about a trade that would involve Carmelo Anthony heading north for Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince. The deal was apparently offered by the Pistons, but shot down by Denver. The Boston Globe's Marc J. Spears asserts that the Miami Heat could be shopping Dwayne Wade the Bulls' way. According to Spears, rumor has it that the Heat would consider trading Wade, a Chicago native, to the Bulls for the #1 pick in the draft, Tyrus Thomas and Larry Hughes. The Heat would then have the top two picks, and could land both Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley. If that were to happen, Spears says that the Timberwolves would select UCLA forward Kevin Love at pick three. ESPN reports that the Suns will be busy on draft day. Rumors include Boris Diaw to the Raptors for T.J. Ford and the 17th pick, and Leandro Barbosa to the Blazers for Martell Webster and the 13th pick. The New York Daily News believes this isn't entirely out of the question, reporting that Portland is shopping that 13th pick. Suitors include the Suns, and the Memphis Grizzlies. A rumored trade includes the pick, Jarrett Jack and Travis Outlaw being dealt for Mike Miller. The Bergen Record thinks Danilo Gallinari is the Nets' man. BJ Pickard Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:18:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280839 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280839