Golden State Warriors 1st Round Draft History and Just My Imagination
Golden State Of Mind — ... Warriors selected... Joe Smith. via i16.ebayimg.com IMAGINE if the Warriors selected Kevin Garnett (#5). via mlb.imageg.net I don't think much needs to be said about K to the G aside from... BRING KG TO THE BAY! Rasheed Wallace (#4), Antonio McDyess (#2), Jerry Stackhouse (#3), Michael Finley (#21) ain't no joke either. You could even argue Kurt Thomas (#10) and Brent Barry (#15) has better NBA careers than ...

Bucks Trade RJ (according to Chad Ford)
Brew Hoop — ... , and Kurt Thomas.  Our long nightmare of Richard Jefferson on our team is finally over... I guess...  This move saves the team 3 mil this year and 15 mil next year according to Ford.  I hope this works for my first fan-post on here.  I thank twitter for assisting me in the breaking news.  Five words to go.  Go Bucks!!! ...

San Antonio Spurs trade for Richard Jefferson
Pounding The Rock — ESPN is reporting the following trade.  Richard Jefferson for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto. Holy cow.  Well, that sure changes things. Salary Implications The Spurs, interestingly, took on a fair amount of salary in this trade.  For 09-10, they went from $11.6 million to $14.2 million.  Possibly, one of the reasons this happened today is because we are still in fiscal year '09 where the numbers were 13.2 to 11.8.  Not sure if that was a factor or not in ...

Richard Jefferson to the Spurs. What does it all mean?
Fanster.com — ... Today's breaking news (or at least the first breaking news - several hints that there could be more coming) sends Richard Jefferson from the Bucks to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabrico Oberto. Let me start by saying, I told you so. This is a deal predicted a few weeks ago when I was talking about the NJ Nets: Like the Bucks, the Nets as they currently stand aren't going anywhere. Their best bet would be to unload Carter in return for whatever they can get that ...

Spurs acquire Richard Jefferson from Bucks for Bruce Bowen, others
Fear The Sword — ... The first big shot was fired in what looks to be an active NBA Draft and start to free agency when the Milwaukee Bucks shipped SF Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for SF Bruce Bowen, PF Kurt Thomas and C Fabricio Oberto. For the Bucks, the deal was purely financial.  All three players coming back to Milwaukee are in the final year of their contracts, taking some $15 million dollars off the books for Milwaukee next summer.  Even better, Bowen and Oberto are guaranteed only $3.9 million of the $6.35 million ...

Jefferson to Spurs gets Bucks back on long-term track
Brew Hoop — ... .  Which is why sending RJ to San Antonio for the useful (and expiring) Kurt Thomas and the partially guaranteed deals of ...

Report: Bucks Trade Fabricio Oberto to Detroit for Amir Johnson
Motown String Music — The Milwaukee Bucks just completed a trade today sending Richard Jefferson to the Spurs in exchange for Fabricio Oberto, Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas.  Well, the Sporting News is reporting that a Bucks source has confirmed that the Bucks have agreed to flip Fabrico Oberto to the Pistons for young forward Amir Johnson: A busy predraft day just got busier for the Milwaukee Bucks. A source tells Sporting News that the Bucks, after trading Richard Jefferson for a trio of ...

Slow News Day: Oberto traded immediately to Detroit for Amir Johnson
Brew Hoop — ... ) and the full $15.2 million next year since all of the acquired players' contracts are expiring.  And that's all assuming that Kurt Thomas isn't bought out, which could cut another million or two.  Though Johnson provides some additional depth up front, I'd be happy to keep Thomas and his $3.8 million salary--he's a smart defender of both big positions and has been an excellent rebounder (17.2 rebound rate last year) despite the fact that he's turning 37 in October.  ...

What the RJ/Amir trades mean for the draft, free agency, and beyond
Brew Hoop — ... to play with in free agency.  Well, not really play with, because that's space under the luxury tax, not space under the salary cap.  They'd have Early Bird Rights to sign Sessions and Ilyasova and their MLE in case those guys aren't signed.  Similarly,  they could re-sign Villanueva using their Bird Rights without having to tap the MLE.  That's the assumption in the table above, which also reflects Bowen being cut and owed half his $4 million salary while Kurt Thomas stays with the team (not clear if that will happen).  ...

The Richard Jefferson trade proves RC Buford and Gregg Popovich passed Business 101
Pounding The Rock — ... salary eats up everything they had on reserve for a big name free agent run. Did you catch the commom meme there?  2010, 2010, 2010, 2010.   Just checking to make sure you are reading.   Now, I do have some concerns about this trade that I will address later, but losing our 2010 cap room is not one of them.  The Spurs just acquired a 29-year old wing who averages 20 points a game for 38-year old Bruce Bowen, 37-year old Kurt Thomas, and 34-year old Fabricio Oberto.  We didn't kick ...

Are the Phoenix Suns trading away another draft pick?
Fanster.com — ... get too excited and think the Suns are looking for one of their young studs or their top draft pick think again. This move actually would give the Thunder the Suns 14th pick in this years draft in exchange for their 25th overall pick and return the Suns their unprotected draft pick for next season. There are many people who did not even realize that the Suns gave up next years unprotected first round pick to the then Seattle Supersonics as virtually a throw in to shed themselves of Kurt Thomas’s contract. Another bad decision solely based on ...

Draft Day in Clips Nation
Clips Nation — ... given that only half of Bowen's contract is guaranteed and that Kurt Thomas will no doubt take a buy out to go somewhere - anywhere - other than Wisconsin.  And by the way, the Spurs suddenly look a lot better for next season.  ...

2009 NBA Draft Recap
Clips Nation — ... foreign players were drafted in that range - Victor Claver (22, Portland), Omri Casspi (23, Sacramento), Rodrique Beaubois (25, OKC traded to Dallas) and Christian Eyenga (30, Cleveland).  Of those four, only Casspi is likely to be in the NBA any time soon.  DaJuan Blair had the biggest drop, but it may work out for him.  He ended up with San Antonio in the second round, and the Spurs just traded away most of their front court depth (Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto) in the Richard Jefferson ...

Welcome to NBA free agency
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... When the Suns traded Kurt Thomas to the Seattle Supersonics to save $16m, Kerr had to "pay" the Sonic two first round picks to compensate the Sonics for using their cap space. If the Suns had held on to Thomas and traded him at the deadline as the Sonic did, they would not have saved the $16m as they would have had to receive contracts back.  Again, this shows why teams that are under the cap have a lot of leverage and flexibility when it comes to making deals. ...

The Year of the Yo-Yo Trade
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... The moment came and went like lightning, as I realized, Bruce Bowen isn't gone at all.  He and Kurt Thomas will be bought out before mid-season and they'll be back on the Spurs in no time.   After all, what could the rebuilding ...

The Bar Has Been Raised
Pounding The Rock — ... going to be the same no matter where he goes, so it just comes down to his own personal preference. Let's review what's happened so far, and speculate on what's still to come for the Spurs. Big Transactions For Contenders So where do we begin?  Well the Spurs got it started, but let's go over the big moves that have happened so far in this arms race. Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs -- Traded Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas to the Milwaukee Bucks, and Fabricio Oberto to ...

Friday Notes: Childress vs. Sessions, more Jennings, Ilyasova decision soon?
Brew Hoop — ... same effect). Why go for Sessions over Childress?  For a few reasons: Let the kids play.  It's not to say the Bucks' small forward position is going to scare anyone, but I'd like to give Mbah a Moute and Alexander a chance to play this season. Mbah a Moute in particular could be a long-term keeper, though both guys can also get minutes at the 4. Expiring deals give flexibility to add depth.  The contracts of Luke Ridnour, Kurt Thomas, and Bruce Bowen (though it might be better used to ...

Caponomics: What the cap numbers mean for the Bucks' offseason
Brew Hoop — ... That gives the Bucks $6.36 million left under the tax to work, likely not enough to re-sign both Sessions and Ilyasova.  Then again,  in order to sign both they'd also have to get rid of somebody else along with Bowen to stay at the max roster size of 15--most likely by buying out Kurt Thomas, cutting ...

Catching up with Stampler...
Pounding The Rock — ... three point chuckery, did seemingly all the Pistons play better with Wallace while with McDyess the steady professional they all played worse? Why were they +82 with Rasheed and -68 with Antonio? Why did the Pistons give up three points less with Wallace on the floor per 48 minutes and five points more with McDyess? All in all, I kind of wish I hadn't perused 82games.com when reading up about our newest acquisition. At least it's an upgrade from Kurt Thomas, right? 3. I am very geeked about DeJuan ...

Identifying Potential Late Season Pickups
Bullets Forever — ... it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see teams inquire about making a trade for him this season as well.  The Clippers will probably do all they can to boost his trade value in order to get something useful in return, but it's hard to see anyone giving up a prospect and swallowing the rest of Camby's contract for what amounts to a rental.  If Camby doesn't get traded, it probably won't take long for both sides to start talking about a buyout. Kurt Thomas: San Antonio saved Kurt from lottery land in 2008 when they ...

Welcome Back: Ilyasova deal officially done
Brew Hoop — ... , and his arrival should also hasten the departure of Kurt Thomas ($3.8 million expiring deal), either with a buyout or via trade.  I'll warn once again that it's unlikely Ilyasova will match the kind of raw numbers ...

The Spurs Roster and Front Office - Method? Or Madness?
Pounding The Rock — ... In the front court, Kurt Thomas was a banger and had a mid-range jumper.  Fab was a banger with passing ability and no jumper.  Matt Bonner had 3-point range.  Francisco was a jumper who could run. ...

Caponomics: Bucks moving closer to completing roster
Brew Hoop — ... Kurt Thomas.  Thomas represents the last obvious trump card the Bucks could play in terms of freeing up more space under the tax.  Thomas is owed $3.8 million but the Bucks should be able to buy him out for no more than $2.5 million if they choose.  That's because as a veteran with more than 10 seasons under his belt, Thomas' minimum salary is $1.3 million, so if he's cut by the Bucks and signed for the minimum elsewhere he'd still get his full 09/10 salary.  Considering he'd no doubt prefer to be on a contender, he might even ...

Athletes Now Vs. Yesterday: Who Wins? (Complete With a Poll!)
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... the 2006-7 Suns and the 1994-5 Suns. Both teams won a lot of regular season games, both teams lost in the Western Conference Semifinals, both teams scored a lot of points. Take a look at these teams: 2006-7 SUNS 61-21:   LOST WC SEMIFINALS Coach: Mike D'Antoni Scored: 110.2 PPG Allowed: 102.9 PPG Starting 5: Amare Stoudamire 20.4 PPG, 9 RPG, 1.3 BLK Kurt Thomas (or Leandro, James Jones, etc. all) 4.6 PPG  ...

On Schedule Difficulty
Sactown Royalty — ... Doolittle's Basketball Prospectus piece on strength of schedule got me thinking. Brad used his 2009-10 projections to assert the Kings will have the fifth most difficult schedule next season. I imagine the projections closely link to 2008-09 performance with adjustments made for the biggest personnel moves; for instance, Brad notes the Spurs are his system's current 2009-10 favorite, and I have no doubt replacing Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas with Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and ...

Friday Notes: Preseason schedule, Sessions waiting game, Thomas' role, Bell goes to work
Brew Hoop — ... excited for meaningless basketball.  The Bucks' preseason home games are October 10 against Chicago in Green Bay, October 17 against Minnesota, and the MACC Fund game October 23 against Detroit.  To minimize travel, the Bucks play the Bulls, Pistons and Wolves twice each, in addition to visits to Charlotte and Houston. Gardner: Ex-Spur Thomas is part of plan Charles Gardner quotes John Hammond saying all the right things about Kurt Thomas' role on the 09/10 Bucks. General ...

Sunday Notes: The number one Brandon, Ray v. Redd, an early look East, what's in a name
Brew Hoop — ... First Shoals and now Rosen. Included among Charley Rosen's alphabetical list of the league top defensive performance is just one Buck. Who? None other than current internet sensation Kurt Thomas. Also, one way or another, three players who played for Milwaukee last season made the cut: Keith Bogans, ...

Bucks acquire Delfino and Ukic, but does it matter?
Brew Hoop — ... 1) Thomas and Warrick made Johnson expendable.   There had been doubt about whether Kurt Thomas would ever suit up for the Bucks, but in the last week the Bucks have made a point of emphasizing Thomas will in fact have a role on the 09/10 Bucks.  Whether he makes it past the trade deadline is another question, but Thomas would seem capable of 10-15 mpg as a backup PF/C, especially in light of the atrocious work they got from their non-Bogut centers last year.  If Thomas gets a chunk of the minutes that Johnson was supposed to get ...

My Team Is Better Than Yours: Toronto Raptors Edition
Pounding The Rock — ...   Wed, February 11 @ Toronto   We lose 89-91. "Ginobili scores 32 but Spurs enter break on down note" 87 of the 89 points are still on the team.  Kurt Thomas had 2 points. Our bench shot 14 of 30, and Manu shot 12 of 23 from the bench. Finley and Bonner were a combined 1 of 7.  Mason was marginally better at 4 of 11. Our big 3 scored 74 of the 89 points. Bargnani (23), Kapono (21), and Ukic (22) scored 66 of Toronto's 91.  ...

Why the Wizards need an in-season trade to upgrade the frontcourt
Bullets Forever — ... Antonio McDyess Jason Maxiell 2007/08 Spurs Tim Duncan Fabricio Oberto Kurt Thomas 2006/07 Spurs Tim Duncan Fabricio Oberto ...

Possible in-season trade targets to improve the Wizards' frontcourt
Bullets Forever — ... a ton of value.  Haslem's also necessary insurance for the Heat while Michael Beasley continues to have his problems, so long as the Heat remain a playoff team of course.  It's a shame, because Haslem would be great for us. Tony Battie (2009/10 salary: $6,606,600) Battie's really not much better than Fabricio Oberto, but at least he can play both the 4 and the 5.  He also will come pretty cheaply. Kurt Thomas (2009/10 salary: $3,800,000) Kurt's getting ...

Western Predictions - Where do the Clippers Fit?
Clips Nation — ... It doesn't mean that they can't do it - maybe they'll step up and surprise everyone - but the simple fact is, after Amare it's pretty desolate up front for the Suns.  Now, you may be saying "That's just how it was under D'Antoni and it didn't stop them."  Well, not really.  For one thing, Marion was putting up All Pro numbers from the four spot, even if he wasn't a typical four.  Hill is just not going to do that.  And don't forget that Boris Diaw, Kurt Thomas and, yes, even Tim Thomas, provided significant positive ...

Countdown: Sessions' decision two days away
Brew Hoop — ... , with DB's Mike Fisher making a good case for Kurt Thomas as the obvious target to be coming back.  Nothing concrete, but any move to acquire Buckner would obviously be motivated by the desire to clear more space under the luxury tax, and the only obvious reason to do that would be to retain Sessions (not that saving money just for the sake of it would be a bad thing, either). ...

Bucks and Mavs to trade? Freeing up money to match on Sessions
Canis Hoopus — From Dallas Basketball.com:   Kurt Thomas to Dallas for Greg Buckners non-guarateed deal.  By the article, it would give the Bucks enough cap flexability to match on Sessions.  Dallas would get a solid backup post man for depth.  This would especially be important if they deal Dampier's super nonguarteed deal this year. Kurt Thomas doesn't help Milwaukee this year as he's too old and they're not contenders. This seems like a no-brainer for both teams and would really stink for ...

Suns 2009-2010: Who Has the Shortest Leash?
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... Kerr-I wonder sometimes if Steve is still here only because he was a Wildcat, like Sarver. He had no GM experience and he lucked into a few championships as a complimentary bench player. Does that make a GM? He may be a smart guy, but when do the mulligans end? Personally I think he could be one bad move away from returning to his TNT and Yahoo gigs. Evidence that the leash is short:  Kurt Thomas and draft picks for, um well, pretty much nothing Marion and Co. for ...

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks: Saving a few buck$
Golden State Of Mind — ... This is a story of a team dead set on avoiding the NBA's salary tax.  This is a story of a team with a lofty payroll but without similarly lofty win totals.  This is the story of the Bucks offseason, and the team it has produced. It was a busy off-season for Bucks GM John Hammond. High profile and highly paid SF Richard Jefferson was traded to the Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto. Bowen was waived as his salary was only partially guaranteed. Oberto was promptly sent to the ...

Suns 2009-10 Season Preview Part II: Assessing the Offseason
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... other teams.  It's like poker - when people can easily count your chips, they start going "all in" on you at every opportunity.  The ownership's image of finite resources, financial desperation and niggardliness has caused the Suns to embarked on notoriously awful and lopsided trades.   There is no worse GM crime than desperation, and desperation explains most of the awful trades the Suns have made since ownership changed hands, including Steve Kerr's first trade: Kurt Thomas and two first round draft picks for including our first ...

Around the Association: 2009-2010 San Antonio Spurs: An Apple A Day...
Golden State Of Mind — ... Additions VIA FREE AGENCY Keith Bogans (from Milwaukee) Theo Ratliff (from Philadelphia) Marcus Haislip (from Spain) Malik Hairston (from NBDL) Antonio McDyess (from Detroit) VIA DRAFT DeJuan Blair (No. 37) Jack McClinton (No. 51) Nando De Colo (No. 53) VIA TRADE Richard Jefferson (from Milwaukee) Offseason Subtractions VIA TRADE Bruce Bowen (to Milwaukee, then retired) Kurt Thomas (to Milwaukee) Fabricio Oberto (to Detroit) ...

Bucks camp opens...and the questions begin
Brew Hoop — ... guys they have fighting for minutes.  Besides, there's no better deal than the MACC Fund game--watching hoops AND helping the best charity around.  It's October 23, so mark your calendars.     The players' official numbers are also out, so you're now free to order that Roko Ukic jersey you've been pining for (#20!).  The other new guys' numerical choices are: Jennings #3, Meeks #23, Hakim Warrick #21, Carlos Delfino #10, and Kurt Thomas #40.  Ersan Ilyasova has been listed for a while ...

Bucks Open Practice Review
Brew Hoop — ... an open practice to unveil the 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks this afternoon. A nice public service, because it's nigh time to reacquaint yourself with the team: There's quite a bit of turnover from the last time we saw the them. Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut have returned. Even Ersan Ilyasova came back. And we caught first glimpses of new-Bucks, including Brandon Jennings, Hakim Warrick, Carlos Delfino, Jodie Meeks,  Kurt Thomas, and Roko Ukic. Twenty-eight minutes of purely ...

Game Thread: Bulls/Bucks
Brew Hoop — ... Luol Deng SF Carlos Delfino Taj Gibson PF Kurt Thomas Joakim Noah ...

San Antonio Spurs Season Preview
Pounding The Rock — ... missed the season with an injury and has played about 23 total minutes in his NBA career.  Those five guys will be replacing the contributions of Kurt Thomas and ...

Recap: Bucks 98, Bulls 86
Brew Hoop — ... was lively but too content to pitch wayward mid-range jumpers (3/12 fg, 6 pts).  Kurt Thomas brought his lunchpail to the starting five, deliver five rebounds and six points in 16 minutes.  Scott Skiles wanted a better rebounding effort and Thomas helped him get it, as the Bucks won the battle of he boards for the first time in three games.  ...

Recap: Bulls 87 Bucks 86
Brew Hoop — ... Granted, I didn't watch the previous game, so this is based on catching Jennings on one of his better nights. And that down-and-up form is surely how the season will go for the almost-21-year-old. So watch them all if you want a true read. Less news is the best kind of news when it comes to Michael Redd and the preseason, so: He looked crisp early, sank a few nice shots including a three to open the game, played about 15 minutes, and all is well. Other than Kurt Thomas clanging into and briefly forcing Joakim Noah to the ...

Bucks Season Preview
Brew Hoop — Below you'll find our contribution to the annual season previews that the good folks at Celtics Blog have been hosting for the last couple years. Last Year's Record: 34-48 Key Losses: Ramon Sessions, Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva Key Additions: Brandon Jennings, Hakim Warrick, Ersan Ilyasova, Carlos Delfino, Kurt Thomas, Jodie Meeks Not-So-Key Additions: Roko Ukic Actual analysis and deep ...

Milwaukee Bucks Preview
CelticsBlog — ... on a three-year deal for just $7 million is likely to provide far more value to the Bucks than locking Villanueva into a long-term deal. The pair is likely to gather the lion's share of PF minutes this season, though it's also possible Kurt Thomas grabs minutes next to ...

Central Division Preview
Blazersedge — ... Joe Alexander Center Andrew Bogut Kurt Thomas The Bucks might be the worse team in the ...

Final Preseason Game: Pistons @ Bucks [Game Thread]
Motown String Music — ... Michael Redd Tayshaun Prince SF Carlos Delfino Charlie Villanueva PF Kurt Thomas Chris Wilcox ...

Recap: Pistons 95, Bucks 93
Brew Hoop — ... , Skiles likes Warrick's scoring off the bench and wants more toughness from his starting 4.  Makes sense.  Warrick's been a poor-to-mediocre rebounder for a PF his entire career, and Skiles presumably will feel better with Kurt Thomas defending ...

Competition Discussion: Rest of the League
Bullets Forever — ... will be brilliant, the defense will be disciplined, but points will just be so hard to come by. Milwaukee Bucks Last season: 34-48 (Pythagorean Record: 38-44) Biggest team strength: Forcing turnovers (best in the league) Biggest team weakness: Fouling too much on defense (last in FT/FG defense) In: Hakim Warrick, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Jennings, Kurt Thomas, Jodie Meeks, Roko Ukic.  Out: Richard ...

Game Thread 2: Pistons/Bucks
Brew Hoop — ... Michael Redd Tayshaun Prince SF Carlos Delfino Charlie Villanueva PF Kurt Thomas Ben Wallace C ...

Game: Detroit Pistons @ Milwaukee Bucks [Game Thread]
Motown String Music — ... Michael Redd Tayshaun Prince SF Carlos Delfino Charlie Villanueva PF Kurt Thomas Ben Wallace ...

Game Thread 3: Bucks/Bulls
Brew Hoop — ... Derrick Rose Charlie Bell SG John Salmons Carlos Delfino SF Luol Deng Kurt Thomas PF Tyrus Thomas ...

What We Talk About When We Talk About Latavious Williams
Ridiculous Upside — ... What, exactly, does Tyler think the NBA is like?  There are friendships to be sure, but do you really think that, for example, Brandon Jennings is hanging out with Kurt Thomas on the reg?  (Sorry, I know I'm behind but I just saw Eastbound and Down.)  NBA locker rooms are, well, groups of grown men, many with families, all trying to carve out professional careers.  If one were to draw conclusions based on Jennings's one season in Europe + a handful of NBA games + Tyler's handful of games overseas, it appears that a player's talent level ...

Here we go again? Bogut to miss 2-4 weeks
Brew Hoop — ... is, but hopefully he again beats expectations and is back in a week or two (and yes, I'm blocking out what happened last year, when the exact opposite happened with his back injury...happy thoughts, happy thoughts). Bogut's injury comes just as Michael Redd is getting healthy, so if you were looking for an experiment to demonstrate the relative values of each guy, now you'll get it.  In Bogut's stead you can obviously expect to see more of Dan Gadzuric and Kurt Thomas, and Francisco Elson might even make an ...