JJHardy7

JB, If you were a GM/Director of Minor Leaguers, what would you do in today's game?

It sure worked great with Cassel and Allen. The problem is, Redd has moved beyond being a shooter/scorer and into a stagnant give me the ball, and stand there and watch me play type of guy and at this point he isn't quick enough to be that kind of guy. If he would run off screens, set screens, shoot solid open jumpshots and pick his spots for slashing to the basket he could be a valuable piece. Thus far this season, he's been forcing ugly shots and taking contested looks, riding his way to 33% FG from the floor and 26% from 3's. That's just horrible. Those are the numbers of a guy who shouldn't be shooting at all. (he's 45% and 38% from 3's for his career). Really? We're looking at a tiny sample of stats coming off a major knee injury? Interesting... How well did it work? I love Sam and Ray as much as anyone (met them a few times), but there is no way it works with a young PG. Jennings is probably ahead of Sam right now in terms of a scoring PG. I do see what you are saying though...problem is BJ is young and developing and Redd is/should be in his prime. That isn't going to work IMO. The thing with Redd that still kills me on this board is that he isn't/wasn't a jump shooter. He completely changed his game...he became a pretty great shooter and could drive. His knee is still messed up. I don't know if he'll get to where he was ever...but his knee is not where it was last year. I still don't get how people forget that so quickly. IIRC he killed his knee mid-January. He'd probably be better off sitting on the bench and being called a wimp at this point... I do feel sorry for Redd in a way. You'd think this guy was terrible his entire career or something...like I've said...give him a few more months. Again, why is Redd this terrible player? I forgot what elite free agent wanted to come to Milwaukee...I don't say that to be a jerk, but I feel some think Redd's deal is holding the Bucks back...Milwaukee is holding the Bucks back IMO. Look at it this way...they say in the NFL it takes 2 years to get everything back...you can play 1 year after...Redd isn't even at 1 year yet...Again, not saying Redd is a HOF type guy, but if Redd was the biggest problem on the team...well that'd be a good thing.

Well this year, Redd has actually played a lot like Adam Morrison (before he became a fixture on the Lakers bench). That's the new flavor of the day at RealGM btw, I've started posting over there so I'm up to date on all the nicknames. He's been cleared to play for a couple of months now. I know he's not 100%, but he's probably not far off. I'd be shocked if he's a 20 ppg guy again. You're one of the guys who argued Redd was a top 20 player in the league as late as last year though, so I can see why you'd think otherwise. There is evidence to support my theory that was already posted here. Do I think he's top 20 right now? No way. I'm just not going to write him off right now. I'll give him a few more months. The contract crap with Redd gets so old. What would the Bucks do with that money? I know it'd be great to have, but would they just overpay for another Simmons type guy? It's clear to me that the Bucks need to draft and trade to bring in talent to Milwaukee. I know Redd really hurts some trading chances, but let's not act like if Redd wasn't on the team they would've signed a few studs this summer. Nobody really wants to play in Milwaukee. You need to draft them/trade for them before they hit free agency...and then overpay to keep them. The main issue with Redd is that he got a max deal when it seemed to be the direction the NBA was heading...now only the truly elite guys get max deals. And in this economy 'elite' might mean 5 or so players. Timing is everything and Redd took advantage of that. There's no need to hate him because of that. For a guy that has been an All-Star and an Olympian...I think the Bucks could've done much worse given the little talent that has been in Milwaukee during Redd's tenure. No elite player is going to sign with Milwaukee as a free agent. I think the biggest issue with Redd is that he doesn't fit in the Bucks system/plans right now. I'm not some Redd homer or anything like that. I just try to call it like I see it with the Bucks. I'm by no means an NBA expert, but I'd have to imagine there just aren't a lot of great point guards who have played with 20 ppg/All-Star/Olympian 2 guards. Or just insert Redd's name there. Not that Redd is Kobe Bryant or was ever that, but Redd was/is a shooter/scorer. I just don't see how that is going to work with a PG that scores 20 a game.

Redd isn't a 20 ppg player anymore. He's Adam Morrison. I will never get all the Redd hate. He hurt his knee less than a year ago I believe. It's kind of sad how much he is hated and how many lies like the one above are said all the time. Obviously I wish he didn't get the max deal, but comparing him to Morrison is just flat out wrong IMO. Redd will still be a 20 ppg player. I'd wait a few more months to see how big (if any) the knee injury had long-term. I don't think we know that right now.

Don't go there. Number 1, do not reinforce their ad campaign. Number 2, you have to pay a bunch of money for it, so it's not free. What is free is annualcreditreport.com. You can get your report free once per year there and make disputes. I disputed a bunch of crap on my report that was my ex-wife's and was assigned to her per our divorce agreement. It all comes off my record in 2011, and I can't wait. Well the ads suck. You do get one free report. I'm paying a monthly fee right now to track it on a daily basis. I had a vendor claim that I didn't pay for some $80 item. I never owed the money since it was under warranty....well that account went 'delinquent' so it lowered my credit score by a decent amount. I signed up for the monthly monitoring to ensure that it would be removed (which it was). I guess I'm speaking more of being able to track it on a daily basis if there are issues. I'm sure there are other places available, but I like freecreditreport.com so far. I can probably cancel it soon since my score is back to where it should be. I guess I just would recommend having some type of monitoring tool to be able to track what is making up the credit score on at least a monthly basis. I was able to track down the collections agency this way and explain how I got screwed and they had the item removed within a few business days. Like I said, I'm not saying freecreditreport is the best, but something along that lines might be worth a shot. It is nice to get e-mails and alerts when a 3rd party is checking my credit. I was aware of this during a refinance on my house, but it is interesting to see all the 'hard' requests that are done. Fortunately for me all of mine were justified and all mortgage related.

I pay my card off every month and typically don't use it for anything other than gas. I could just as easily pay cash for that, but I figured this would help my credit score. Exactly. There's no problem using a credit card as long as you manage it. If you don't have a credit score due to a lack of credit history and do want a loan, you'll get hit with a high interest rate. I had to build my score after I graduated college since I didn't have much of a credit history. I didn't need a loan, but I noticed my credit score was poor due to a lack of credit history. Having a good credit score can really help your interest rate on a mortgage. Do you know what range your credit score is? I think it might be worthwhile to take a look at it after all these items are on your credit score. I'd maybe think about signing up for something like freecreditreport.com or something similar. It will let you track every item on your score and help you determine if opening up another card would help or hurt your situation.

I know people around here think ESPN is awful and hates Milwaukee, small markets, etc. The ESPN NBA halftime show did agree with posters here though...the refs screwed up. They agreed a travel should've been called and a charge should've been called...if the travel call was just 'missed'.

As of a few minutes ago, the deal is close...but not final. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4742072

Is this deal finalized and they are just debating the minor leaguers involved? Or is it pending?

well i heard that the players he didn't get along with was Kendall, Hart, Hardy, and Cameron. Who are all on the way out (or rumored on the way out) Gamel may or may not be on that list. Based on Macha's comments about calling him a "flake" IIRC I think Gamel is on that list. I don't get the impression that Macha is well liked by anyone on the Brewers.

I got the chance to talk to Seth a few times and he's a great guy. I was always rooting for him after I saw how intense he was warming up in AAA. The guy really loves baseball and like others have said loved being a Brewer. I wish things would've worked out a little bit better in Milwaukee, but there seemed to be some tension with him (one of many players I think) and Macha. I wish him nothing but the best with his next organization. It's a lot easier to root for a guy (even when things go bad) when you know the player cares not only about his job, but also about the team, city, fans, etc.

I think one major point about the team being moved would be who is buying the Bucks? If it's an investment group with ties to Kansas City, there's no doubt they could be moved there. I think the issue with Milwaukee and smaller markets relates to winning. If the Bucks would move to a new location and not win games, it probably would not be successful. If they were to win games, they'd win fans over real quick. I still think they'll be moved in the next 5 years or so unless BJ and the boys can put up some winning seasons and somehow generate a ton of interest that would lead to serious discussions of a new arena.

If I told you Wolf had 2 in 3 odds of having 180+ IP and 1 in 10 shot at having less than 90, would you call me a lier? How about if I told you the most likely Ip range was 190-171? My assumptions above have a weighted average of 164 IP. What is the best way to project that though? Isn't some of it pure 'luck' that statistics really can't project? I mean it's a nice tool, but I guess any pitcher could get hurt in any given year. Some may have more of a chance than others, but any pitcher has a risk of getting hurt.

But when you sign a guy to a long term deal, that's exactly what you have to do. Why is a 3 year deal a long-term deal? Is it because of his age?

I can't believe how some people are that upset in Harden vs. Wolf. There is a huge difference when you have to call up a career AAAA guy (not ripping on said player) to replace a pitcher like Harden/Sheets. As Brewers fans, we've seen that huge gap. Sheets was very special, but when he went down that not only dragged down our SP, but also the bullpen. If the Brewers wanted Harden, they would've gone after him. There's just too much risk there IMO for that to have been a legitimate idea. In my ideal world, it would've been awesome to sign Wolf and Harden (at a huge discount). If Harden gets $7.5 million a year, that makes the Wolf deal look somewhat market level IMO. I know the 3rd year worries me, but given the entire situation (i.e. Harden's injury concerns) I think both deals make sense. I agree with Ennder...Wolf was the right fit for the Brewers...not Harden.

The Brewers were only 3 games back in the NL Central and 3.5 game back in the Wild Card race when they traded for Lopez. Methinks they traded for him to try to bolster the lineup in order to make the playoffs. I guess I just didn't think we really had much of a chance despite what the standings were. I guess my point is if we get Lopez for two minor leaguers (one was ranked as a top 10 prospect a year before traded), make or miss the playoffs, and get a high draft pick...that would be a very, very good trade. The way the season ended up going I guess I would have rather used a AAA type guy and just give him a shot. I'm not saying the guys we gave up are going to be All-Stars or anything of that sort...I just don't like trading minor leaguers for a rental that isn't going to net anything at all. Again, to be clear I'm not saying the guys we traded would've brought in some ace pitcher. They could've been a small part of a larger deal or we could've simply traded two minor leaguers for a rental and a high draft pick. Worst case is that Lopez comes back and given Weeks injury history that might not be a bad thing. Obviously there could be a master plan here, but I guess I'm tired of not being able to see what DM's plan is. I guess we'll see in the next few months what the plan is.

With Weeks hurt and JJ tanking, the Brewers needed someone to play 2b -- sort of like when we acquired Graffy or Bell. We didn't give up much to get Lopez, and he certainly produced -- however, I don't think we'd get much if anything for him in trade next season. I just think there were options in AAA. Probably not as good as Lopez, but I would've liked to see more of a long-term plan. In other words, DM could've decided to trade the minor leaguers involved, but in the back of his mind know the Brewers would either have Lopez next year or have a high draft pick. It's not the end of the world by any means, but I do wonder what the 'plan' was at the time of the trade.

I guess I can somewhat understand the logic of not offering arbitration...I just don't think the Brewers should've ever traded for Lopez if they knew they weren't going to offer him arbitration.

I thought the episode was pretty good, but then again I usually do. I guess I don't really focus on whether or not it's 'realistic'.

I will never get why Redd is so hated around here or in general by Bucks fans. I think him coming back can really only help this team right now. I'd also imagine Redd isn't an idiot. He knows the team is playing well right now without him so he really doesn't have to score 30 ppg or anything like that. Redd gets paid what he gets paid regardless of how many points he scores. I'm sure he'd rather win than anything else and he really could be a crucial part of what could be a pretty good team this year. If he comes in and acts like he's the guy and nobody else matters, there will be issues. I just don't see that happening. For all the crap Redd gets, how many truly talented players has Redd played with since he became a starter? If anything, he's had to force the issue since he hasn't had too many talented guys in the mold of Brandon Jennings around.

I just want to say I also enjoy Josh posting here. We do get 'inside' information because of him.

I think Gamel is better defensively than people give him credit for and I personally think he sticks at 3B. Agreed. I've said this many times and honestly try to stay out of these threads, but I don't think Gamel is as bad at defense as some make him out to be. I think he should stay at 3B...I think the more important question is whether or not he's traded...not really his position. I don't think his value goes up/stays the same if a team trading for Gamel thinks his defense is bad at 3B. Just because he's a 3B for the Brewers doesn't mean that every other team thinks so. In other words, I'm sure if there's a deal for Gamel whatever team is trading for him has seen Mat play quite a few times.

Why wouldn't he be in demand? He's the super utility type guy who knows how to play hard, can fill at multiple positions, and is a good influence on others and from all reports a great teammate. Where ever he ends up I wish him well. He'd be in demand no doubt. His age and injury concerns could be an issue for a multi-year deal. I like many here wish him the best if he leaves...I just don't know if we can guess that he's gone just quite yet.

I don't get the comments regarding Lucroy and/or Salome. Especially on the JS...it's like what Salome did with the bat last year was awful. That's not true at all. Salome also put up some pretty darn good numbers in AA in 2008. It's like he's hurting Salome's value in those comments...maybe Lucroy gets traded? I haven't seen Lucroy play, but I've heard real good things. I have seen Salome play quite a few times and I think he's going to be pretty good. I know if defense is an issue that complicates matters and since Salome was hurt quite a bit the past year that is an issue too. I guess all things being equal I don't get why Lucroy is skipping a level while Salome has shown to have a pretty darn good bat. I'd have no problem with the two battling it out in spring training, but just 'giving' a guy a job in November seems really strange...

So Gamel was up for 57 games before September callup time and got 141 PA and people are up in arms about it. Fielder was up for 29 games before September callup time and got 34 PA. Still not seeing a big difference here. Gamel struggled with the lack of playing time...that was pretty clear IMO. And at the time Gamel was called up there was an 'opening' at 3B. The Brewers called up Prince for different reasons.