The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived veteran guard Antonio Daniels(notes).
He was acquired from New Orleans in September in a cost-saving move. The Timberwolves gave permission to Daniels to seek a trade and did not play him in the preseason.
Now, I wouldn't normally do this, because such discussions are often really annoying. Every time a player is released by an NBA, or is rumoured to be available in a trade, some kind of discussion flares up surrounding whether or not the Bulls should obtain them. Such discussions are usually unrealistic, unnecessary, or both, and I'd hate to be accused of either of those things.
This one, though, has peaked my interests.
If you can believe it, Antonio Daniels was once the fourth overall pick back in 1997, picked ahead of vastly superior players such as Tracy McGrady, Derek Anderson, Tim Thomas and the mighty Jerald Honeycutt. He's been little more than a journeyman in his career, having made stops with seven different teams so far, and boasting career highs of only 11.2 points and 4.8 assists per game. Not in the same year, either.
However, even though his career just not justify his draft position - in fairness, outside of McGrady and Tim Duncan, it was a pretty bad draft - Daniels has always been a solid player. He's never learnt how to shoot, but he gets into the lane, finishes, and doesn't turn the ball over. He's not the athlete that he was in his youth, but he's a decent defensive player, has good size at 6'4, and can drive the ball to decent effect. He's also had a solid movie career as the highly irritating protocol droid C-3PO in the seminal Star Wars series of films. Something for everyone there.
The Bulls already have four point guards, sort of, but I'm not convinced that we don't need more guard depth. Lindsey Hunter has literally nothing left to give on the court any more, so including him in an analysis of our guard depth seems speculative. Hinrich, Rose and Salmons are the obvious front three, with Jannero Pargo able to switch between the two guard spots with relatively equal (in)effectiveness. There's also Derrick Byars, for now.
But while that is a total of six guards, it's still not a lot of depth. Hunter offers nothing, Byars doesn't offer much, and Pargo only offers something sometimes. And while Pargo is not that bad of a playmaker when given a chance, he was more effective with us back in the day when he played mainly off the ball, looking to score. He could fill that role again if accompanied by a ball handling guard that can defend the opposing shooting guard. That won't happen if his counterpart is Lindsey Hunter.
As such, Antonio Daniels might be a sensible minimum salary pick-up for the Bulls.
(Note: Pargo and Hunter won't play in the backcourt together for more thn about eight minutes. But play along.)
I have long been on the record as saying that I believe the Bulls need another shooter, and Daniels isn't really one. He's all right at open shots, and has improved throughout his career, but he's a career 31% three point shooter, and had an eFG% on jumpshots of .383% last year. Neither of those are good.
That said, he may still be a good fit. He's better than Hunter, he's a good fit alongside Pargo, and he's better than most third stringers in the NBA. Maybe I'm just overreacting to having watched a game in which Lindsey Hunter played 37 scoreless minutes, but I'm all for obtaining one more point guard option, just in case.
Imagine if Hunter could still a bit, as well as defend the shooting guard. That's what we're talking here.
The Bulls finances are against the move, as they will be against any move. There's not enough room to sign Daniels while keeping Derrick Byars, and Byars may fit a more immediate need. Neither even really fits an immediate need; they're just good out-of-the-rotation depth. Nice to have, but not important.
Also against this move is the fact that Daniels took the buyout so that he can catch onto a contender, and the Bulls certainly aren't that. Cleveland is said to be interested, since they need an extra ballhandler quite badly (so much so that they recently took on Coby Karl), and any bid by them crushes any bid by us.
But, forget that. We're dealing in hypotheticals here. If we need the money to get a mvoe done, wait until February, and trade Hunter to Oklahoma City and the cash to cover his remaining salary for the draft rights to Peter Fehse. (Who? Quite.) Oklahoma will waive him, and we can instantly bring him back as either a player as an assistant coach while opening up enough room under the tax to sign one more guy. And Antonio Daniels could be that guy.
Lindsey Hunter should not stand in the way of the Bulls' chances to improve the team. On this, I am resolute.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: Antonio Daniels, chicago bulls, Jannero Pargo, Lindsey Hunter, Peter Fehse, Suggestions, Waiver Wire
Didnt Antonio Daniels get drafted by the grizzlies and than later traded to the Spurs? I would like this move to happen I just see him going to a a team with a legit chance at the finals.
Mark do you think the Bulls have a shot at getting Brent Barry off the waiver wire? He's got the same veteran savvy and championship experience as Lindsey Hunter but, unlike Hunter, still has something to contribute as a player, namely three-point shooting and ball-handling. Plus I doubt he'd demand much in salary at this point in his career.
Brent Barry retired and now he works full time for NBA TV. Anyway I wouldnt want him on the Bulls if he wasnt retired. I didnt like the way he left the bulls after the 99 season.
Daniels has said he's looking for a ring, or else he'll consider retiring.
Could Daniels put us over the top and into title contention? Probably. But we'll have to convince him of it first. Show him us blowing out the Wizards with Lindsay Hunter as the point guard.
Daniels could put us over the top and into title contention? really? interesting lol
Well, at least you're playing along with the hypotheticals idea.
Mark, Mark, Mark...too many pints with your fish and chips, maybe?
First off, you need to get STOP bagging on Derrick Byars. This kid can play some basketball, if given the opportunity. Let's not forget he was the 2007 SEC Player of the Year, then got hurt, then became an All-Star in the D-League.
Secondly, do the Bulls really need another PG? That was a rhetorical question because the answer is NO. The Bulls have enough DEPTH at the guard position. What they really need is some All-Stars on the roster. That, my friend, will take some patience, extreme luck, and/or positive development.
The Bulls should enter the season with their current 14-man roster, including DERRICK BYARS, and then see how things go around the league, up until the trade-deadline. Hopefully they are well on their way to the playoffs and maybe, if they are lucky, they can make a trade for an All-Star big-man, like Chris Bosh. If not, they better go to work in the summer to land one or two superstars via free-agency (Wade would be nice).
Trust me, Antonio Daniels is not what the Bulls need.
Will you please stop telling me that I'm a Derrick Byars hater. You've convinced yourself of something that just isn't true, even when I show you evidence to the contrary.
I think you need to go read back some of your own NEGATIVE remarks you made about the kid.
I even remember Mark saying that Derrick had the best chance of sticking out of the 3 camp invitees.
Interesting..