Anthony Hall of Vikings War Cry is reporting that Vikings receiver Troy Williamson has come to terms on a trade with Jacksonville. Reportedly it will be a pick from the 2nd day of the draft.
Last week Williamson's agent was total he could shop around to see what other teams might be willing to give for his player. I am sure the Vikings like myself expected the answer to be "nothing, I wouldn't trade you anything for the biggest draft bust in recent memory."Apparently Jacksonville has a short memory, as in, "can't remember how bad Williamson was last season" short. At this point I am having the most difficulty with two simple choices; Am I more pissed off they are only getting a day 2 draft pick or am I more surprised they got anything at all.
While it is impressive that the Vikings aren't being forced to just release him, the disappointment still kills me. It isn't that he was 7th overall and now we are getting a 6th or 7th rouunder for him. It is the fact we chose him in the first place, a junior out of a smaller school like South Carolina just isn't the 7th pick overall. Especially in a year where the Vikings passed on Antrel Rolle, Carlos Rogers, Demarcus Ware, and Shawne Merriman. Those 4 came in the next 5 picks, forget the late round surprises that did well. These 4 were known talents, but the Vikings thought they were smarter than everyone else.
I am willing to let this go, I promise not to rant on for the next 20 years about it the way I do about the Herschell Walker deal. In return I want only one thing from the Vikings. Don't try and hit a home run in the draft this year; just take the best guy out there. When the Vikings took Randy Moss inspite of the issues that had cause him to drop that worked out. When they got Adrian Peterson because of his durability questions it seemed to work. So just take the best guy on the board, everytime you go for the surprise it seems as though us fans are the ones who are surprised, and not pleasently.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Vikings Trade Troy Williamson to Jags
Friday, February 22, 2008
NBA Trades in 2008: You Make the Call
I've listed the major trades below and a couple are entertaining because of how pointless they are. My top three trades became my top three teirs as I realized some of the moves were on equal footing.
Celtics are still the one-A impact leaders. Garnett's a top 5 player the NBA and the intangibles he brings to Boston make him even more valuable. Paul Pierce no longer loafing on defense, Rajon Rondo playing up to the confidence KG has shown in him, and the emergence of Big Baby. None of these things would be happening, at least not as much, without the trade for Garnett. The Lakers are pulling a strong one-B right now. Bynums fit when he returns will determine the legacy of the Pau Gasol trade.So far the Lakers have lost one gaem in the Gasol era. Gasol is not only bringing his game to the Lakers, he is bringing up the game of the guys around him.
The Kidd and Shaq deals are the second impact teir. Their age limits their impact to some extent. Kidd will have a larger impact, but it still wont be enough to put the Mavs over the top. 3 years from now, when Devin Harris is a top 5 NBA point guard; the Mavs will be talking about having mortgaged the future, only to be disappointed. Phoenix wont find any more success from their trade, but they didn't give nearly as much either. Marion is more talented than Harris is, but he had one foot out the door already.
The Spurs move, seemingly minor, bringing Kurt Thomas in ,could have the biggest impact.He may be the little bit the Spurs need to put them over the top. His hieght and physical presence on defense and the boards will help the Spurs match up with the large front lines of the west.
What about you how do you rate the different moves?
Boston/Seattle & Boston/Minnesota
- Celtics get Ray Allen and the rights to Glen Davis. Seattle Supersonics get Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak the rights to Jeff Green.
- Celtics get Kevin Garnett. Timberwolves get Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, a 2009 first round draft pick (top three protected) and a return of Minnesota's conditional first round draft pick previously obtained in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade and cash.
San Antonio/Memphis & San Antonio/Seattle
- Spurs Sign Damon Stoudemire a week after he was released by the Memphis Grizzlies to make room for Mike Conley at the starting spot. (Not really a trade but it's a move)
- Spurs get Kurt Thomas from the SuperSonics in exchange for Francisco Elson, Brent Barry and the team’s 2009 first round draft pick
Los Angeles/Orlando & Los Angeles/Memphis
- Lakers get Trevor Ariza trading Maurice Evans and Brian Cook to Magic
- Lakers receive Pau Gasol and a 2010 2nd-rounder. Grizzlies gets Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Pau's brother Marc Gasol, and Aaron McKie(signed for the trade), and 1st-rounders in 2008 and 2010.
- Suns get Shaquille O’Neal. Heat receive Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks
Atlanta/Sacramento
- Hawks get Mike Bibby from the Kings who get Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second round draft
Dallas.New Jersey
- Mavs get Jason Kidd, Malik Allen and Antoine Wright from Nets in return for Devin Harris, Degana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Moe Ager, Keith Van Horn, a pair of draft picks and cash
- Bulls get Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons from the Cavaliers who got Joe Smith, Ben Wallace and Chicago’s 2009 2nd-rounder. The Cavs will also get Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from Sonics who will receive Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall from Cavs and Adrian Griffin from Chicago(Who goes where)
Denver/Portland
- Nuggets receive Taurean Green from the Trailblazers who get Von Wafer.
Toronto/Detroit
- Raptors get Primoz Brezec and cash from Pistons who receives Juan Dixon.
- Hornets receive Bonzi Wells, Mike James, and cash from Rockets who get Adam Haluska, Bobby Jackson, Marcus Vinicius and a 2008 2nd-rounder. As part of the three-team deal, Grizzlies get involved and a bunch of europeans you've never heard of move around.
- Houston also got Gerald Green from Minnesota for Kirk Snyder, a 2010 2nd-rounder and cash.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
NBA Where Debut-tiful Happens
After Mike Bibby's debut last night, as well as Shaquille O'neal and Jason Kidd putting sweat on those new unifroms tonight, it should be an interesting couple of days. Mike Bibby's performance against the Lakers was certainly not what he was hoping for. You can't jump to conclusions after one game. That will also be the theme after Shaq's debut tonight. Kidd on the other hand, might "be who we thought he was"(Thanks Denny Green)
Mike Bibby and the Atlanta Hawks were in LA for the Lakers Home return from a 9 game road trip. The Hawks played like they were the ones that were road weary. Through a series of turnovers and poor shot selection the Hawks gave the Lakers a 73-37 edge at the half. Mike Bibby certainly wasn't an exception to the Hawks poor play. Managing 5 points 3 assists to 2 turnovers. I'd blame this on him only logging 16 minutes, but he seemed plenty capable of racking up 4 fouls in that short time.
It is just one game. Without even seeing Shaq's performace tonight I know it will produce the same mantra. It is just one game. Shaq will come out like gang busters; showing the pride and passion he has been missing all season. He is old though, that body can't give him that game-in and game-out. The new team has always brought out the pride and passion in Shaq. Tonight he will have that as well as the revenge motivation. Shaq wants nothing more than to prove that Kobe and the Lakers were wrong to send him packing.
Jason Kidd is the likely exception tot he just one game rule. He still has the body. He has played unmotivated basketball all season and still managed quite a few triple doubles. He is right now getting a whiff of the ring that Dallas fell short of last season. He will step up his effort and intensity--which is a scary thought--and be best fitting missing piece out of all three of these deals.
Kidd can't help but be motivated when he hears team owner Mark Cuban saying things like "..He is the reason I bought season tickets and started watching the Mavs". The unspoken end of this statement is "...and then I bought the team"
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Memphis GM Chris Wallace Needs a Blog
In response to a story that Chad Ford had, that pretty much consisted of other GM's whining that they did not get Gasol for nothing. The Memphis GM had the following response
Everybody wants to curry favor with the media. They do all this pillow talking
with the Chad Fords of the world. But they won't go on the record. I believe
there's a code we operate under in this business. And you want to be critical,
fine, but go ahead and be on the record. But everyone wants to go and do that
catty gossip like some high school cheerleaders, and that's something I don't
appreciate. It makes doing business a lot harder.
You've got to love a guy who will throw out how he really feels
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