Bucks get Villanueva for Ford.

[Alex Confer]

sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2506311

Milwaukee wins.

[longhornfaithful]

I dont think the Bucks win. Toronto has a guy that can play SF in Bargnani, and get a player to replace Mike James when he leaves. It really gives them space to play there number one pick, and its not like TJ Ford isnt any good.

[Freak93]

Stupid trade. Charlie was ready to be something huge. Not only do they lose a great player, they probably make Chris Bosh pretty mad.

[jxtuoleafs]

Chris Bosh is not going to be mad. Trust me. He's too focused on the good of this team to be mad. It's weird, he has no ego. He just seems so...calm.

It's not even Bargnani that I'm thinking of, it's P.J. Tucker. First off, there's another small forward right there...not as good as Charlie V, but still a SF. He's good buddies already with Ford, and I don't know if James is going to stay with us anyways! Honestly, who else are we going to play at point guard?

We have the depth up front and BELIEVE ME, everybody in Toronto knows the season that Villaneueva had. Unfortuantely, we needed a guard. Prices had to be paid, and this was it.

[McGahee]

Toronto desperately needed a point guard, and they got one with the same amount of potential as Charlie. All they had to give up is one of their many SF/PFs that they have... they still have Graham, Tucker, Humphries and Mo Pete to play the 3 if they need to.

I agree Bargiani is no Dirk, and never will be close. But just from going by what I know about ASM's knowledge of basketball, you haven't really seen what this guy can do. He has one of the best shots out of anybody in the draft, and if he's playing SF, matching up is going to be a pain. You already have Peterson at SG, who at 6'7 is one of the tallest shooting guards and can get 15+ every night, but now you have a 6'11 SF who can shoot from outside. Most guys covering him will be 3-6 inches shorter than him...

I'm basically just saying that, like Dirk, it's nearly impossible to match-up with him in the lineup...

[Jami]

I love this trade, even though Ford was my favorite Buck. Getting Villanueva gets the Bucks a guy who can play PF, meaning Bogut can finally move to C. Ford is a good PG, especially if Colangelo wants to assemble a team like he did in Phoenix with a Nash-style running offense, but he's also one more back injury away from calling it quits. This is the same guy who missed a year and a half with a broken vertebrae, and refuses to change his style of play.

The best thing about this trade? The Bucks can now get rid of that lazy bum Jamaal Magloire...maybe dump him on the Wizards for a draft pick and a bench player. The Bucks have Mo Williams, who is capable of taking Ford's place IMO.

[jxtuoleafs]

wiskyfootball said:

Bucks win easily.....Bargnani aint gonna do anything in the NBA, I laugh at everyone that thinks he is going to be the next Dirk, I really laugh....T.J. is an awesome player, in fact my favorite player(the reason I started liking Texas)....but in all honesty I see Villanueva being a better player in the future....I hate the Bucks for send Ford north, I really do

I'd believe this is he was picked 5th-15th...but come on. Do you expect a very smart and proven GM to take such a chance on the only 1st overall pick in club history? Will have a career like Dirk's? Maybe, maybe not. However, to say that he "ain't gonna do anything in the NBA" is kind of silly. I don't think anyone here can attest that they've actually seen this guy play a game other than film footage. Have a little faith.

[Sportsbuck]

ASM, did you see Darko this year??

[UNC_Terps]

wiskyfootball said:

I watched a few games on the internet of him playing, sure he is good in Italy, but Italy basketball is nothing like basketball in the US....Guys are much better and have better skills here.....I have a feeling he will be the next Darko

hey where did you find actually games, all i can find are highlight films, I'd like to see how he plays for like a quarter w/o just looking at the shots he does make, could you link me?

[Jami]

wiskyfootball said:

I watched a few games on the internet of him playing, sure he is good in Italy, but Italy basketball is nothing like basketball in the US....Guys are much better and have better skills here.....I have a feeling he will be the next Darko

The Italian league Bargnani played in is the second best league on the planet. True, it's a different style of play there, but I think Bargnani will be a good player in the style of play the Raptors are implementing (the Phoenix run-n-gun style). Nobody thought Boris Diaw could play in the NBA after his yearas in Atlanta, and the guy goes to Phoenix and thrives.

[jxtuoleafs]

Obviously the NBA vs. Euroleague has a clear winner...but Euroleague vs. Division I...come on, the difference isn't that huge.

[Colossus Burgers]

Darko had a coach that didn't play him: Bargnani has a coach that will.

[Sportsbuck]

My bad ASM, I was thinking of somebody else, I don't know how or why or who though.

[Alex Confer]

ASM's freaking retarded for saying basketball over here is harder than basketball in Italy or overseas. Most NBA players would be scrubs in the Euroleague.

And by the way, I see Bargnani being very good.

[UNC_Terps]

wiskyfootball said:

sportsbuck2745 said:

ASM, did you see Darko this year??

My point exactly, Andrea Bargnani will be the same way, he won't play much at all....Just becuase he can shoot doesn't mean anything, look at Kyle Korver, kid could shoot the lights out, when he got to the NBA though it took him a few years to start scoring 10 ppg....I'm not trying to say he won't do good, but I doubt he will get many minutes because the defense is so much better in the US

Woah Woah Woah Korver averaged 11 PPG his 2nd year and his 1st year he got about 10 min a game, hard for anybody to score when they can only get a feel for the game for about a quarter. Likewise, Korver is a 2nd round draft picks, considering only about 70% of 2nd round picks even make the team, the 76ers are probably pretty pleased with the fact that he is averaging 10+ PPG for them.

[Alex Confer]

wiskyfootball said:

If the Euro league is so much tougher, why are we drafting more and more players from over there?

Because they have talent, and are playing in a much tougher setting. They like it because of the money.

Honestly ... if you were given the opportunity to play in China for $5,000,000, would you do it? I guarantee it would take you years to adjust, though.

Same thing.

[UNC_Terps]

well i disagree that it is a better league buts it's tougher, because everyone tries to make a name for themselves to get noticed, therefore it becomes more of an individualized sport than a team sport. thats why you never see anything other than isolation plays when you see films....

[jxtuoleafs]

Just because the money is really, really dirty in Europe doesn't mean the talent is worse. Because that's why players come to play here. The money.

I mean, I'm not saying the Raptors are a great team or were a great team last year...but they lost in an exhibition game to Tel Aviv, a European team. Mind you it was the first time in history this happened, and I'm extremely ashamed just to type this...but the point is, Europe could pwn NCAA. If Bargnani was a solid player in a tough league...isn't that indicative of his talent?

[cooljayhu]

well I guess I ate my words hey?

The Raptors won't trade CV.

yeah I'm an idiot.

[McGahee]

I really wouldn' worry about what ASM has to say about basketball... he obviously doesn't know much about the success of foreign players in the league, and I doubt he'd be able to tell the difference between a Dirk Nowitzki and a Rafael Araujo...

Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Yao, Boris Diaw, Ilgauskas, Jaric, Kristic, Radmanovic, Rasho, Gasol... all players that have been big-time NBA players, and these don't even include some of the guys with 1 or 2 years of some college ball. So because a guy is foreign, he's not going to be good?