FanHouse LarryHughes

Do you see the foul? I watched the play unfold live and I've seen the replay from a couple of angles and I'm still not sure when or where Rip Hamilton touched Larry Hughes. Nevertheless, Hughes got the call, sending him to the line for three free throws, which tied the game and ultimately sent it into overtime. The Knicks eventually won 116-111.

The 3 PM ET trade deadline in the NBA has come and gone, and while there were plenty of big names rumored to be on the move, few teams actually had the guts to pull the trigger. There were plenty of deals made, however, including one that might have one Eastern Conference team feeling like it's back in the title conversation. A wrap-up of today's events after the jump.

I have some bad news for all the Bulls fans eager to see Larry Hughes switch uniforms: the Nets do in fact have some interest in Hughes, but only as a fallback plan. Who are the Nets really going after? Mike Miller, a pretty useful player who's been buried in mediocrity since being traded to the Timberwolves this summer.

Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger spoke with an "NBA general manager familiar with the discussions" who confirmed the news, saying the Nets have been pursuing the deal since the start of the week. So far the Wolves aren't biting, reportedly holding for a draft pick and a young player; all New Jersey wants to give up is salary cap relief.

The Nets and Bulls are discussing a trade that would send Larry Hughes to New Jersey, according to two published reports. The Bulls would receive Bobby Simmons in return, with little-used Maurice Ager included to make the salaries match.

Hughes has been disappointed about his lack of playing time in Chicago, especially since Kirk Hinrich returned from injury. It's not clear how much more time he could expect to see in New Jersey behind Devin Harris and Vince Carter (especially with Keyon Dooling playing well off the bench), but sometimes a move simply for the sake of a change of scenery is a good thing.

In case you missed it, the last minute or so of Chicago's trip to Utah last night was some pretty entertaining basketball. It had a bit of everything: the Jazz trying to remain unbeaten at home, rookie Derrick Rose hitting two clutch buckets, and oh yeah: a buzzer-beating shot to win it.



It would have been too perfect I guess if Rose had been the one to win it, so good thing Larry Hughes was in the right place at the right time. Rose finished with 25 points and nine assists, and the Jazz came withing a single point of going to 7-0 at home, even though Deron Williams hasn't played there for the team once yet this season.

[via BallHype]

Bulls fans are in love with Derrick Rose. They want to marry him and move to a cottage and make little babies that grow up to be an army of combo guards that lead them to infinite championships. It's hard to argue with them; the top pick has been simply brilliant thus far, and the future looks blindingly bright.

Conversely, they are skeptical about their remaining backcourt options. Ben Gordon is the divider, with half the fans thinking he is a top-tier small guard and that the front office has made a grave mistake with his contract. His 29 points last night certainly support that line of thought. The other side of fans don't want the organization to make a high-money, long-term offer to a guy who's never really showed he can consistently be the go-to guy,often coming off the bench.

Most fans do agree that Larry Hughes and Kirk Hinrich are no longer worthy assets, though, with the Rose there to bloom. There have been outcries of minutes being given to Hughes and Hinrich that should be given to Rose. Well, in addition to Hughes' previous injury that he's coming back from soon, the backcourt picture should be simplified somewhat. The Bulls announced over the weekend that Hinrich will be out up to three months after tearing a ligament in his thumb. The injury will require surgery, which Hinrich is expected to have early this week.

So now comes a golden opportunity for the Bulls to give Rose the reins completely, and discover whether Gordon can be an anchor for this team. It's unfortunate for Hinrich, who has suffered a tremendous drop over the last year, but it may be a Bulls fan's dream.

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On Wednesday, we looked at the most compelling storylines in the Central, but what does it all mean? How will it all come together? Let's make some educated guesses, shall we?

First up, I'm going out on a limb playing it completely safe by saying Detroit wins the division. No, Joe Dumars didn't shake up the roster like he said he'd try to do, but let's not ignore that this is essentially the same team that won 59 games last season, second-most in the league and fourth-most in franchise history. To suggest they no longer have the firepower to win at least one more game than the Cavs, who won just 45 games last year, is ludicrous.

Maybe the most hated bit player in the NBA comes down to a three-man race between Antoine Walker, Eddy Curry and ... Larry Hughes. But hey, you don't see anyone creating "Hey Antoine Walker Why Do You Keep Taking All Those Threes When You're A Bad Shooter DOT COM" or "Hey Eddy Curry Why For The Love Of God Can You Not Get One Damn Block Once In A While I Mean For Crissakes You Are Seven Feet Tall DOT COM." Nope, it's heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com, a lovely site which was retired last season when Cleveland shipped Hughes (and friends) to Chicago. It's a wonder some Bulls fan didn't make a godfather offer to the "Hey Larry Hughes ..." proprietor, as all Hughes has done in the CHI is ... take too many bad shots.

So what happens when a despised player such as Hughes suffers an injury? Larry dislocated his shoulder in the Bulls' preseason closer against Minnesota Wednesday night. Thank You Isiah imagines schadenfreude from Ben Gordon. Blog-a-Bull attributes that feeling to himself:

I admit, I may have snuck in a pump of the fist when I saw Larry Hughes crumple to the ground. It looked like a separated shoulder, and [the Tribune] reports that's indeed the diagnosis. I'm not happy that he got himself hurt, but I'm happy he is currently out...if that makes sense.

I guess the most morally straight reaction would be to hope Hughes recovers quickly, but that the Rose-Hinrich-Sefolosha-Gordon rotation blows Vinny Del Negro away so magnificently that Hughes finds himself where he can do the least amount of damage (on the bench).

O! how wonderfully the sun could have shone in Chicago. If only ...



John Paxson was knocking on Kobe Bryant's door in October. Next thing you know, Larry Hughes is the savior. Meanwhile, in May, Pax had a clear shot at Mike D'Antoni before the franchise mucked things up and led Mike D to believe THE NEW YORK KNICKS! would be a more stable situation. Where's that leave the Bulls? In Vinny Del Negro's stunningly moisturized hands.

It'd be funny if it weren't so dang sad.

First he was out. Then Steve Kerr wanted him to stick around.

Now it looks like he's on his way out again.

According to a report by KTAR in Phoenix, the Suns have granted head coach Mike D'Antoni permission to speak to other teams about their vacant head coaching positions, including the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

And so the drama begins anew.

ESPN reported on Friday that Chicago was the most likely destination for D'Antoni if the lunch planned for that day between owner Robert Sarver, General Manager Kerr and D'Antoni did not yield an acceptable resolution. It would appear that it did not.

What this means for former MVP Steve Nash, former MVP Shaquille O'Neal, and MVP hopeful Amare Stoudemire will of course be of heavy debate this summer, particularly considering the offensive fireworks D'Antoni's system provided Nash and Stoudemire. Avery Johnson is allegedly a leading candidate for the Suns' gig if D'Antoni does move on.

Chicago is a tremendous choice for D'Antoni if he takes it, who can implement his run and gun style into a team of young, athletic players who already have solid defensive instincts in place. With Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, and Andres Nocioni, he has a bevy of interior players that can get up and down the court, a serviceable point guard in Kirk Hinrich, scorers in Larry Hughes (well, kind of) and Ben Gordon (just go with me here), as well as a high draft pick, D'Antoni has the elements to build a winner from the wreckage.

The end of one era and the beginning of a new one in both Phoenix and ... somewhere else, yet to be decided.

I guess the phrase is ... "Don't let the depressingly unrealized potential hit you on the way out."

(HT: Bright Side of the Sun)