“Chicago’s Thabo Sefolosha is headed to Oklahoma City for one of the Thunder’s five stockpiled first-round picks in the next two drafts.”
Who is Thabo Sefolosha you ask? He’s a 24-year-old third-year player from Vevey, Switzerland. The 6-foot-7 swingman is making just under $2 million per and he has two years left on his deal. He’s played in every game this year for the Bulls but he’s getting just over 17 minutes a game. He’s averaging 4.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg and 1.5 apg. No word on which pick it is OKC had to give up. (Obviously it’s either the Nuggets or Spurs pick this year, I’d assume. Hopefully it’s not the 2010 Phoenix pick.) UPDATE: Ian Thompson reported that OKC will send its least valuable pick between its Spurs or Nuggets first-rounder. Nice.
Marc Stein has just tossed out this rumor:
“It is not immediately clear if this would be two separate trades or a three-way exchange, but I’m hearing that Oklahoma City’s Chris Wilcox — who went back to the Thunder on Wednesday night when the Tyson Chandler trade was rescinded — and Chicago’s Larry Hughes are New York-bound.
To complete the transaction(s), Oklahoma City would get Malik Rose and Chicago would receive Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Anthony Roberson. Trying to nail it all down for you.”
UPDATE: Marc Stein reports the deal is done. Malik Rose and cash to Oklahoma City for Chris Wilcox.
Cash considerations sweeten the pot a bit, but it still doesn’t make a ton of sense to me unless as Clark said, it’s a favor. But there’s still an hour to go…
Wilcox’s deal expires at the end of this year. Malik Rose’s does too. And Rose is 34 and has played in just 18 games this year and is averaging a whopping 1.7 ppg and 1.7 rpg. Why make this trade unless Wilcox desperately wants out? I don’t get it.
Благодарю! спс
Поддерживаю положительные отзывы о блоги, реально все качественно сделано.
Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Green revives the Operation Big Wing term for Presti's plan for me.
Sefolosha is kinda Gelabale with 20 pounds, which means positive and negative. He is more sturdy bit slower. http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/tiny.cgi?id=GBKEP
His floor game has gotten a lot better. His overall shooting in 3 years- 3 point shooting down to borderline stop taking them and his 2 point shooting is also a bit below average.
9th best defensive rebounder 6-7 and under in the league who plays 15+ minutes a game or more
http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/tiny.cgi?id=tp8TA
Worth a shot. Turns 25 soon so may or may not be near what he is going to be but maybe he could be a smaller Turkoglu.
@tmt
Amen. That would turn out to be a solid thing.
Steve H :
That works for me. I always thought Des seemed like a great locker room guy- I would love to see them keep him around in some role, but there is no way they spend close to what he made this year for a third string swingman.
Unless Sefolosha is a total flop these last 28 games or so, then I fear you're right. I love Des, but there's just not enough room for him with what he's going to want.
Unrelated: Michael Wilbon just said Kevin Durant is "absolutely unstoppable. He's just unstoppable."
According to Hollinger at ESPN
"The Thunder might get a few more ducats out of it if Rose agrees to a buyout so he can sign with a contender -- perhaps returning to San Antonio."
So along with getting rid of Wilcox, adding between 1-3 million, if Rose wants to buy out his contract, we can add additional head room.
Add that to the Joe Smith buyout, so maybe the Rose deal is not all bad.
That works for me. I always thought Des seemed like a great locker room guy- I would love to see them keep him around in some role, but there is no way they spend close to what he made this year for a third string swingman.
*say
I saw we had D.Mase to coaching staff next year if he doesn't play.
Thabo's hoopshype profile reads like a younger, cheaper Des Mason with a better free throw % and a swiss accent. I hope desmond was just renting.
Thabo is a great fit
Tall defensive 2 guard
Presti just got my faith back
DSMok1 :
joey :Thabo is not a “little” better than Weaver…he’s a lot better (after all, Weaver’s still just a rookie).Thabo will start immediately at the 2. If you don’t believe me, hey Royce, why don’t you paste some of Hollinger’s chat responses about the OKC on the site?
I think he will replace Desmond Mason nicely… Kind of the same style of player.
Couldn't agree more. You could argue that, other than Thabo's ability to shoot a little better, they're practically the same player (minus that age difference of course).
joey :
Thabo is not a “little” better than Weaver…he’s a lot better (after all, Weaver’s still just a rookie).
Thabo will start immediately at the 2. If you don’t believe me, hey Royce, why don’t you paste some of Hollinger’s chat responses about the OKC on the site?
I think he will replace Desmond Mason nicely... Kind of the same style of player.
@Anonymous
I believe the "UNDRAFTED" you are seeing is the Fantasy Draft Status on espn.com. It confuses many a person since it is absolutely huge and directly to the right of their box score stats.
Oklahoma could have their own "T-Bo."
Thabo is not a "little" better than Weaver...he's a lot better (after all, Weaver's still just a rookie).
Thabo will start immediately at the 2. If you don't believe me, hey Royce, why don't you paste some of Hollinger's chat responses about the OKC on the site?
Thabo is an excellent pickup. He plays excellent lockdown defense.
He was actually one of the best players on the Bulls. #2 behind Joachim Noah in Wins Produced/48. He is a solid backup #2, I think, with a little time. A little better than Weaver. He lacks scoring ability some, though. Not a great shooter.
The Thunder still need a top line #2, though.
So far, I've read his name as Thabo Snuffleupagus.
Don't know much about this guy, but his last name is going to kill me. We need a nickname quick. I vote for "Thabs".
Thabo has always been a guy that I thought could give a solid 15 minutes a night in this league. I don't think he'll be the long-term answer at the 2, but this definitely puts into question D-Mase's chances of being re-signed next year.
Next year is a SG position of Mason, Sefolosha, and Weaver good enough?
Very nice get with Thabo. He'll contribute immediately.
Thabo Sefolosha is a legit get with a potential upside, for sure.
This is a 24 year old SG/SF who was buried behind Ben Gordon and Larry Hughes, is 6'7, 215 International team player and would average 10 points and 7 rebounds per 40 min.
For a late first round pick, this is a great last minute deal.
apparently we gave the lower pick between the SA and Den pick for Thabo Sefolosha... 6'7" SG/SF...
What do you guys know about him... is he a bucket? Or is there potential there?
Jax Raging Bile Duct :
AD :
So it may be a move to show the other GMs that Presti can stratch a back every now and again?… weird.
That’s what I think anyway. When it doesn’t cost you anything to scratch the backs of Wilcox and a Knick’s GM, you might as well. One day, that GM may return the favor.
Especially when the Knicks have so much cap that they are going to have to get rid of this summer. Between Curry, Jeffries, Robinson, and Lee all being mentioned as trade bait, sometimes it is good to do favors.
As someone who is also a Spurs fan and has followed them for years - Malik is a great locker room guy. I realize we're giving up any possible productivity from the roster spot, as he hasn't contributed much on the floor lately, but he was a fan favorite in San Antonio, and fit right into their "good guy" image.
With Wilcox spending most of his time on the bench, Presti might have figured it was worth more to have a veteran leader (a la Chucky Adkins) to spend some time around the young guys instead of Wilcox, who can't fill a well-defined role.
I realize Malik will only be here a couple of months, but hopefully he can provide some guidence for some members of the team. Even his Wikipedia page (while not the most reliable source) says this: " [Malik] quickly became one of [the Spurs'] more popular players due to his displays of hustle, defense, and skill despite being undersized."
Who is Thabo Shoioervnoiwgfsa?!!!!! and did we trade for him?
AD :
So it may be a move to show the other GMs that Presti can stratch a back every now and again?… weird.
That's what I think anyway. When it doesn't cost you anything to scratch the backs of Wilcox and a Knick's GM, you might as well. One day, that GM may return the favor.
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=25127
SI.com's Ian Thomsen just reported that the Bulls deal Thabo Sefolosha to OKC for a 2009 first-round pick. That's a great deal for the Thunder, who really needed a quality 2 and defensive stopper to round out their rotation.
So it may be a move to show the other GMs that Presti can stratch a back every now and again?... weird.
We probably wouldn't have played Wilcox this season. We probably won't play Rose this season. We didn't hurt ourselves, or help ourselves on the basketball court. So we have nothing to lose.
A.) Why not help a guy like Wilcox out, by helping put him in a system that will utilize his talent? Presti isn't Scrooge. He wants to see Wilcox succeed.
B.) Trading is a customer service oriented business. You screw a team over once, they remember that, and aren't motivated to trade with you again. You help a team out when you are able, they remember that, and are willing to talk to you again the next time. A measure of good will never hurt anyone. There will be a lot of Presti in people's faces the next couple of years. It's good when it can happen with positive mindsets and expectations.
C.) I'm telling you guys, it's all about the Hadoken. Just you wait and see.
@Brian
"I cant believe that we have 50 posted comments..."
I think mainly because this trade is frying our brains trying to make sense of it. Error, Error, Does Not Compute. Makes it more commentable than something that everyone looks at and immediately goes "oh, I see."
@Royce
Sure Wilcox didn't play there but he will in NY.
The Thunder just gave NY a potential starting PF. I see him coming back to his 14pts and 8 rebounds level in D'antoni's system if not better than that...
Trading a guy wo can produce fairly well for a guy unable to play is just a terrible trade.
Well, now that the "shock" of this announcement has passed, I guess I can calm down a bit.
Really, this isn't a that big of a deal one way or another. Nothing earth-shattering has taken place. We still have our lightning youth brigade and the future looks bright.
Still... this trade just caps a really bizarre couple of days. Leaves a funny taste in your brain, I mean:
a) thought we could have made a better trade with all our assets
b) just plain befuddling (<-- don't often get to use that word)
Oh well...
Do you think they might just release the expirings and bring in some d-leaguers to see who might make the team?
I cant believe that we have 50 posted comments over a meaningless Wilcox for Rose swap which will do nothing for the franchise. It's like talkin' about practive, not a game, nooo not a game, practice.
This trade means NOTHING, NOOOTHING.
Very good points Alex. I really don't think Rose has much to contribute on the floor, but it's not going to be any less than Wilcox. Maybe he's a great locker room guy that can show our young guys a thing or two.
But just considered the fact it's one expiring contract for another, it seems a little strange. I think most feel like there was something out there better to get seeing as the Thunder has nice assets.
After some thought I really think it comes down as a favor to Chris Wilcox. He has been a good soldier for the Sonic/Thunder franchise. As far as we know, he has been a good teammate despite getting no run over the past 6 weeks. It is his contract year--why not give him a chance to earn a solid paycheck next year.
On the plus side for us, Presti knows the character of Malik Rose and maybe he will provide a Chucky Atkins like presence for our young bigs. And he's used to sitting on the bench, so there's no more awkward elephant in the room (Weezy not playing after being a 20+ minutes per game guy his whole career).
don't know if anyone mentioned it already, but 46 comments is a lot to read and i'm lazy. wilcox has wanted a trade for years, going back to the seattle days. rose was a solid role player for the spurs earlier this decade and if they can get ANYTHING positve from him on the practice floor/locker room (we are a very young team after all) then its a good deal considering wilcox has never had the team success that rose has experienced. and at the end of the day, neither of them were probably going to play anyway, so you can't really say anything bad about the trade.
If I were Presti I would have held out for a Snuggie. Can't beat that.
Maybe the Knicks threw in a Ginsu knife. It slices and dices and always stays sharp!
But wait! That's not all. Order now, and receive one of those plastic thingys that Juliennes fries!
Presti and Malik were both with the Spurs for a couple of years during their runs. Clearly Presti is familiar with Malik and wants him for whatever reason in the short term (or he's just getting rid of Wilcox to avoid an unpleasant locker room situation).
Since neither one played, I can only assume that all this disappointment is stemming from "Turftoegate."
Which I am currently suffering from as well.
Basically... Just to get rid of Weezy... wow
@Royce
I hope so or a lot of my faith in Presti as this genius will go out the window
Now we may still learn of something just didn't leak out to media outlets. The trades have been submitted now, so there's a possibility something comes out.
Hey folks, look at the bright side... we're getting Malik Rose!!!
Check out his stats! And he's only 34.5 years old (glad to be rid of that creaky 26 year old). And we can add another PF to the team (we're a bit deficient at that position, ya know)
(now turning sarcasm off)
@Bob
I hope the Thunder do not cut Joe unless he pays back his salary
They don't owe him any favors either
If he wants a shot at a ring with Boston put your money where your mouth is
daniel :
Bless you Ryan! My head was about to explode.
That’s the first explanation I’ve read that makes sense and has some logic to it. Perhaps you’ve got it.
It doesn't make that much sense.
Not that hard to get a higher salary back in a Wilcox trade, just add Smith or Swift and that's fine. Rose has way lower value than Wilcox it would be extremely stupid to swap them for future trading purposes
Hey guys, I just found out that Malik Rose has recently mastered the Hadoken. That's probably why we got him. It all makes sense now. As you were.
Diaw, Jason Terry, Dampier, Crawford, Biedrins, Dunleavy, Kaman are a few that qualify