[I hereby declare this thread official. -ed.]

As we all know, tonight's the night that badly managed organizations, like the Bulls, can fall ass-backwards into a franchise changing star.  Make no mistake - if that 1 and 7/10ths ping pong ball hadn't bounced our way, we'd be sweating it out right now, watching highlights of John Wall in his weirdly tight jersey and baggy shorts.  Unfortunately, tonight, similarly low odds have the chance to bite us in the ass.

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I don't believe for a second  that a major free agent comes to Chicago.  Not Chris Bosh, who could pair with Yao Ming and the cohesive Rockets in his native Texas.  Not Dewayne Wade, who can lure Carlos Boozer to South Beach just by batting one of his disconcertingly effete eyelashes.  And certainly not King James, who can either keep playing for a title contender, or go to what everybody calls Basketball Mecca (though why I don't know, considering they suck).  No, chances are that our 2010 dreams end in either Joe Johnson or David Lee.  Or neither.

I'd prefer neither. 

Go young.  It's simple, it's realistic, and it's cheap (and judging from YaoPau's recent post, this may be what matters).  It will entail taking on a few aging, bloated pseudo-stars.  It will also entail tossing our 2010 plans into the same bonfire to which was consigned the Elton Brand, the Twin-Towers, and the Hustle & Grit Plans, respectively.   

This is why I think going young might actually work this time. 

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I'm gonna start with two premises.  The first is that football affords quick turn-arounds, especially if you're only turning around one side of the ball.  We've seen numerous examples - the Dolphins' being the most recent - in which bottom-dwellers go to playoff teams in the blink of an offseason.  The second premise is that no team with a pro-bowl quarterback can be half-bad.  Unfortunately, the Bears currently are half-bad - with the other half being Jay Cutler.

This is my argument for why it's time to blow up the defense.

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We've hashed out the likely suspects.  Most of us already know them by heart.  Derrick develops into a superstar.  Tyrus develops a brain.  There's also the more seasonal causes for optimism: X gained Y pounds of muscle, whereas Z is no longer a break-dancing, kung-fu fatty.  Probably the most standard shlock comes from the organization itself.  We've heard it each year for ten.  That playoff push/1st round loss/2nd round loss was invaluable! Our team has had another year to gell!  I've always wanted to respond: fellas, so has the rest of the league. 

This year, though, is unique.  I'll put my premise right out there, and I'll even bold it for more convienent lampooning.  This is the best Bulls team in a decade.  Here are five unconventional reasons why.    

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Wendy's terrific post from yesterday got me thinking draft, or more accurately, how a lucky ping-pong ball saved our franchise last year.  So I'm wondering how a few more lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view) breaks can tip our franchise over the edge.

Two ideas pop to mind immediately.  First, we want to avoid the creation of any new Eastern conference powers.  Second, we want to create teams that have a surplus of talent at a position where we have need.  

This isn't a one man draft, but it's fairly close.  All the other "top" players have serious question marks - James Harden had a terrible tournament and was completely blanketed when facing good defenders, such asUSC's Daniel Hackett.   Hasheem Thabeet got demolished - absolutely crushed - by Dejuan Blair.  Etc.  The premise here is that no team in their right mind, despite their roster, would ever ever ever consider taking anybody but the big guy #1.  So let's examine how the possible results of the Blake Griffin sweepstakes effect your Chicago Bulls. 

1.  Sac-town.  Terrific!  Get Blake out of conference, first, and to a team whose fans aren't jerks, second.  More importantly, here's a good example of how a glut could be created.  That would leave Sactown with Hawes, Thompson, and Griffin down low, but with jack at the point guard and small forward.  Hawes and Griffin are a perfect fit for each other - high post, low post.  If Thomson, who is a great talent but tailed off after an impressive start, is available...is there anyone short of Rose you wouldn't offer?

2. Washington.  Worst of all outcomes.  Arenas, Butler, and Griffin make up three potential all-stars.  Angle #2: if they get Griffin, they look to trade Jamison.  Angle #3: if we get Jamison, I barf.

3. Clippers.  Pros: Clippers don't have to suck, Griffin's out of conferance, and they may decide for the uber-youth movement, jettisoning Kaman for a cut-rate price in order to go with Jordan, Blake and the expiring Marcus Camby down low.  Cons: someone on BaB will suggest that, really, if you just squint for awhile at Zack Randolph, you start to wonder...

4. OKC.  Look out.  That team could be scary, and they have a need at four.  And, seeing as they're in the Western Conference, it doesn't effect us too much.  Hidden upside: the Thunder become the new hotshot team in the West, stealing the...well, thunder...from Portland and its feral fans.  Wouldn't their smug GM have earned his comeuppance when Blake Griffin dunks all over Greg Oden, and they see their dreams of ascendancy Pritch-snapped? 

5. Minnesota.  They've got karma on their side, people.  They also would have a surplus of bigs and lack quality wings and points.  Not only would that surplus replicate a position, it would replicate three players' size and bruising style.  A style our team definitely needs.  And did I mention their point guards/small forwards consist of Sebastian Telfair, the other Bobby Brown, Kevin Ollie, Rodney Carney, and Corey Brewer's remaining ankle? 

6.  Memphis.  Never wins anything.  Ever.

7. Golden State.  I like Blake in Golden State.  A lot.  I also like Brenan Wright.  A lot.  

8.  New York.  Another vile destination.  New York's heartless, mercenary, and oh-so typical LeBron ass-slurpage would be greatly abetted by the addition of a viable NBA player. 

9.  Toronto.  This is Blake Griffin mecca for Bulls fans.  Blake gives the Raptors sufficent toughness that even Andrea Bargnani can be a legit NBA big despite the lack of testicles.  He also makes Bosh expendable, if a 25 y.o. all-star is ever expendable.  It means the only thing Toronto lacks to be a contender is a sf and a shot blocker.  It means that...

But of course, that's impossible.  What team ever lucked out and won the lottery with a 1.7% chance?

I hope the Bulls are as pissed as I am right now.  But we're likely angry for different reasons, and the last thing I want to see is the Bulls committing a flagrant foul on a Celtics player out of some made-for-TV lust for revenge. 

The reason I'm so pissed right now isn't just that the Bulls lost last night.  (Though it sure doesn't help.)  It's that the series has epitomized both what is so inspiring and disheartening about NBA hoops.  The basketball has been incredible - truly inspired efforts by players like Rondo and, at times, Rose and Gordon.  But the buffoonery has been equally pathetic.  Perkins has never, to date, committed a foul that didn't require immediate theatrics.  Allen, who fouls like a narcoleptic twitches, can't believe that he apparently has to abide by the same rules as other players.  BG feels that, after a display of great balls, he has to grab his.  And lording over all this theatrical nonsense is Garnett himself, sticking his chin out like Tony Montoya, fearful either that the Celtcs will lose or, more likely, that he won't be in the spotlight when they win.  I've never seen a more shameful display of egoism.  From the faux-drama of "will he sit on the bench?" to the slightly more dramatic question of "when will he dislocate his jaw?", we've been treated to a marvelous display of TnT camera work, making certain we get every last sneer and mug for the camera.  And don't be naive: they are most certainly for the cameras.

The worst part is, the NBA has fostered this bufoonery, allowing Lord Kevin the leeway to bark like a dog, lech on female reporters, and cross the line to the point that NBA GMs wondered when the league would reign him in.  Well they didn't, and no wonder: this shit actually sells. 

It's not just the entire Boston Celtics' quest to mimic a man mimicing a WWF wrestler that's irritating.  It's the disparity in the calls.  I'll preface this by saying that bad calls are bound to happen, and that we've been the beneficiary of some.  (For instance that double foul with Ray and Miller: play on, folks.)  The issue here is that the NBA has steadily allowed fakery - AKA "accentuating contact" - to be an actual basketball skill.  Rondo goes the line far, far more than he should, simply because any time he initiates contact he goes to the floor like he's been shot in the chest.  D. Rose bulls through the lane, doesn't say boo, and gets creamed: no call.  Why?  He's not "accentuating the contact."   Apparently the Chicago Public League needs to start teaching that the best players are actually - little known fact - thespians.  (Where I grew up we called them pussies.) 

(Likewise, with the drawing of charges: does this play exist solely to keep slow, vertically-challenged, and mostly caucasian players in the league?   When Scalabrine slides under an airborne Rose, and he's still moving, it's a foul.  Each time.  Just like when Nocioni did it.)

So let's move to the subject on everybody's mind, the play that absolutely captures what I've loved and hated about this series. Miller cruising in for an open layup in a tight OT game, Rondo jacks him in the face.  Let's be conservative and say Brad's arm is three feet long, so unless Rondo briefly developed severe diplopia, he jacked him on purpose.  The game has to be delayed while Miller staunches a good amount of blood flow, allowing ample time for the refs to view what Henry Abbott, noted Bull-hater Charles Barkley, and any rational (ie non-Celtic) fan would recognize as a flagrant 1.  By rule: two shots and the ball.

Except that rules don't matter here.

On one side of this equation is the Bulls: a pretty quiet team who probably aren't going to win anything this year.  On the other side is the Boston Celtics, a team that's lobbied in the papers (Perkins, who noted the refs didn't "like" them, wasn't called for a single foul yesterday) and had the Boston Globe lobby on their behalf, suggesting a Chicago-connection with the refs of game 4.  (For an even more inflammatory piece, perhaps they could examine the Chicago connection to Doc Rivers?)  Needless to say, this Celtics team that "sold" every bit of contact and worked the refs with "veteran saavy" make for a far, far more compelling rematch with the Cavs than any other team.  Rematch, revenge, theatrics.  Remember: this shit actually sells. 

The call didn't go to the Celtics because the refs wanted the Celtics to win.  It went there because the refs wanted to give the Celtics every chance to win.  It went to te Celtics because the refs couldn't let a bad break (Miller's nasion, actually) go against the defending champs.  The reasoning was probably akin to "players should decide the game".  Which is really great reasoning, excepting the fact that Rajon Rondo jacked Brad Miller in the face.

Like I said, rules didn't matter.  Not at a pivotal moment like that.  But if a rule doesn't apply in the essential moment, why have it?

Now we get game 5.  The Bulls are rightfully pissed.  They've taken all the nasty hits in the series while the Celtics have done all the limping and crying.  We'll probably see Tyrus Thomas, with his enigmatic cauldron of rage, elbow somebody (my money's on Perk), preciptating some lame pseudo-scrum that will end with Scalabrine and Linton Johnson ejections.  Then the obligatory primetime Bulls-Celtics bloodfeud on next year's Christmas Day: buy your tickets now.

I hope they don't retaliate.  I hope when the Bulls lose to this collection of faking, preening, entitled jackasses, they do so playing actual basketball.  That might not cut it in today's NBA, but it can be the stuff of classics.

And speaking of classics: everybody keeps saying this series lives up to that billing.  It doesn't.  But it could have. 

[Thanks to MPG for today's preview -ed.]

It's getting pretty tough to talk or write about these Bulls without imagining a trade.  At this point it's almost reflexive.  Rose makes a nice play...you wonder how well he'd run the pick & roll with with somebody who rolled.  BG drops thirty...you wish they had an interior to balance the scoring load.  112 games of ineptitude have hardwired us to scour draft-boards (draftexpress) and seedy trade-shysters (hoopsworld) for a lonely tittle of hope.  It simultaneously sucks and blows - which isn't just a description of Noah's conditioning.

So we look for scapegoats.  Not that there's a lack of genuine goats around.  Nocioni (rotate!), VDN (coach!), and Deng (bark!) have all taken their fair share of flak, and it's understandable.  Better to have a single, encapsulated problem than a metastatic mess.  That's the reason for scapegoats - it makes a complicated problem seem simple.  Or even solvable.

Lucky for us, tonight (6:30) we get to see a team that offers hope - the New Jersey Nets.

Hope to get a win?  Probably not.  The Nets, along with the Lakers, Celtics and Blazers, are uniquely suited to kicking our ass.  Derrick Rose struggles to contain penetration and Devin Harris (24.7, 6.4)  is the best pg in the East.  We're small at shooting guard and Vince Carter isn't just big - he actually has post moves.  And we all know the issues we have inside, where our centers are alternately too slow and weak to match up with Brook Lopez, to say nothing of the ersatz all-star, Yi Jianlian, who brings height, athleticism, and perimeter skill.  These Bulls seem hell-bent on giving career nights to every middling NBA grunt who's ever had a delusion of grandeur, so look for Yi to light it up.  Complicating matters is the fact that we beat New Jersey just a few weeks ago.  They're hungry; we're demoralized and divided.  Not good.

I mentioned hope up there somewhere.  I meant it.  Here's a team (New Jersey) that should be the model for the Bulls moving forward.  Just two years ago they were saddled with an over-the-hill Jason Kidd, the bloated contract of Vince Carter, and the somewhat redundant Richard Jefferson. A few trades later and they've assembled complementary young players to which that they've committed themselves.  Complementary: as in not redundant.

New Jersey, not coincidentally, is set up to be a major player in 2010. 

And after all, it's not as if the Bulls don't have talent, however misdistributed it might be. Rose has gone from viewed as "unready" to a player with an all-star floor and top-5 ceiling.  Gordon is having his best season. Thabo and Tyrus are showing signs.  Hinrich, Gooden and Deng have all had success in the past.  It'll give themselves something to talk about tonight - they're all are out with injuries. 

Let's hope Paxson isn't asleep at the wheel tonight when he watches what he should've constructed play what he has.  He can see what a few judicous trades can do. 

And there you go: you start to talk Bulls, you end up talking trades.

Alternative viewpoints at Nuthin'butNets, and Netsdaily.                     

[Thanks to MPG for today's preview -ed.]

Two days have passed since Vinny del Negro put his foot down with regard to the lack of professionalism exhibited by certain Bulls, which means that I fully expect Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah to log major minutes tonight.

If that sounds nonsensical, consider the man in charge.  VDN's modus operandi, thus far, is to play good-cop/bad-cop all by himself, delivering positivity with one hand and smackdowns with the other.   Neither does the quality of play seem to impact his lineups.  Noc has struggled this year; he's regularly in the game at crunch time.  Tyrus's had a two-game stretch of 21 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks; it was followed by 5 minutes against Washington and zilch against the Knicks.  Gray didn't have a steal, block or point against Washington (though he did have 9 boards); VDN started him against the run-run Knicks, a game for which Aaron was particularly ill-suited.   Now it's completely plausible, and consistent with pre-VDN incidents, that practice-performance is the reason for these otherwise baffling moves.  It's also totally plausible that VDN is over his head, completely lost, and he's just flailing away, both with lineups and his treatment of players.  In either case I fully expect to see both Joakim and T2 play and play well. 

So about Memphis (7-15 overall, 5-5 at home, two-game winning streak).

In most years, O.J. Mayo would be the Rookie of the Year by a wide margin, and deservedly so.  The guy is legit.  Strong defender, terrific spot-up shooter, can draw fouls taking it to the rack, though he doesn't have the quickness to beat his man cleanly off the dribble.  The stuff about him being a point- or combo-guard is wrong for exactly that reason.  He also shoots a terrific percentage for a rookie guard (47%) and rebounds fairly well (4.2 RPG).  Expect him to be aggressive early and throughout.  Rose is popular in Memphis, and gets the vast majority of the pub for ROY, which can't sit well with a player of Mayo's ability.        

Rapidly becoming the second wheel is Rudy Gay, a slasher whose numbers have declined slightly month to month.  He's got a beautiful pull-up jumper and his athleticism has given Luol problems in the past, so tonight should be a good litmus test regarding Deng's progress.  They get steady post-play from Marc Gasol, Aaron's kindred in size and draft position, but are weak at both point and power forward.  Gnashing of teeth is provided by Mike Iavaroni whereas Darko handles the rending of garments.  

We should win this game.  Gasol is the kind of player Gray (who practiced despite knee bursitis) can neutralize, though a better tact might be to take Noah and run Gasol out of the gym. Conley, an awful defender, couldn't stay in front of Rose if his life depended on it, and look for Gordon to bounce back after a lackluster game against the Knicks.  In fact, that could be said for the entire Bulls team.  The Knicks game left a bad taste in our mouths (by which I mean, us the fans), and the Bulls have had a few games to practice.  There's no reason to come out flat tonight.  .500 is within reach. 

More importantly, so are these. 

For a Memphis point of view check out Beyond the Arc.  The other sites I checked out haven't been updated for awhile [ed. note: Forgot 3ShadesofBlue]...which either means the people of Memphis are too high minded for sports blogging, or the Grizzlies stink.       

teams are gameplanning him.  For three nights now - at Portland, Golden State and Denver - the singular goal of their defenses was to stop Derrick.  The strategy thus far is simple: double team hard, and as far from the hoop as necessary.  Do what you have to get the ball out of his hands.  And while it's cool that teams have decided, this early in his career, that Rose is a player worth gameplanning (you don't see, for instance, teams worrying in the same way about Mayo or Beasley), it also provides a unique challenge.   He never saw this at Memphis, and in high school the talent divide was such that it didn't matter what defenses did.  This is a new thing he's facing - elite athletes, several, who are bent on getting the ball out of his hands.   He's getting the star treatment, and it's kinda cool.

But now it's time to for VDN to adjust.  That's right - I'm asking him to "coach".    

The reason is simple - it's a risky, bad defense to double that hard and that far from the basket.  One play demonstrates what I'm talking about.   Rose was doubled in no-man's land, Nocioni cuts to the top of the key.  Easy pass to Noc.  Noc, in the middle of the floor, has easy passes to one of three players spaced around the perimeter.  There are only two players remaining to defend.  Simple pass to wide open Hunter; and the three pointer is good. 

Easy passes made easy by one cut.  One.  Every person who played high school basketball on this forum has made that cut, and seen those options open up literally hundreds times.  For most of us, that cut and those passes are muscular memory by now.  It's why teams don't try that b.s. with Nash, Parker, or CP3 - they know that they'll get torched.   

The other option, of course, is this. 

Noah's a superb player to make that cut.  He's a big target, got good hands, good vision, and if the perimeter is well spaced he just has to beat one man for the dunk.  Surrounded by good perimeter shooters like Gordon, Noc, Deng, and even Gooden, teams would have no choice but to go back to a soft-double, or no double at all, in which case Derrick can go back to killing them. 

It's on VDN.  He's at the helm, manning the wheel.  Teams have adjusted to his offense, the famed GDG (go Derrick go), and now it's up to him to adjust in turn. 

It's a simple play, too.  Any experienced coach would know that. 

Superstars want three things: money, a market, and a chance to win it all.  I'd like to suggest that, in the summer of 2010, no team in the NBA will be able to offer more of what's good than your Chicago Bulls. 

Let's look at the competition.  New York will spend money, as always, and it's the best city in the world if money is never an issue.  But the Knicks stink.  There's not one star on that team, unless you count Starbury, and nobody except Starbury does.  The Lakers will be capped out with their own formidable big three.  And New Jersey: good God just go to New Jersey.  Go to the Izod center.  That stadium and those fans are awful.  Unless the Nets move to Brooklyn, which is looking increasingly doubtful, they can't offer nearly the package of place and players that the Bulls can.  Which is this:

Max money, enormous marketing opportunities, and the opportunity to play with one of the best young players in the game.  Excellent role players - Deng and Gordon - entering their prime.  An amazing city to live in. 

Hello, Chris Bosh. 

The Bulls need to position themselves now.  The best part is, they can do so while still winning.  Trade Hinrich for Brad Miller.  Trade Nocioni and Sefolosha for Al Harrington.  Take Gooden's expiring deal and use it to sign Gordon.   The tandem of Noah and Miller up front would be better than anything we have now, and playing with a credible big man will only accelerate Rose's growth.  That team would be a rising playoff team in the improved East, making the Bulls even more attractive to the likes of Bosh, Wade, Dirk...you know the drill. 

Then, in 2010, you'd have Harrington, Hughes and Miller coming off the books.  That's thirty million dollars.   That's a prime free agent and, to my way of thinking, a championship-caliber team.   

Free-agency was never an option for the Bulls before.  They didn't have a star to play alongside - Derrick Rose is in the process of changing that.  They had a meddling, slightly creepy GM - Pax changed that.  They had an egomaniacal coach with a reputation for being a hardass - now VDN's in town.  Almost completely by accident, the Bulls have stumbled into being the most attractive destination for the marquee players that, to the best of my knowledge, they've never considered.

Thank you, ping-pong-balls.  Let's hope Pax shows his gratitude by turning on his blue-tooth, getting off his ass, doing his job and making a deal. 

Hello all,

Long time Blogabull poster here, and a fan of the city of Portland.  I'm sorry to hear about Oden, but encouraged that the injury isn't serious - the kid is a future star, no doubt about it.  On to the potential trade:

The Bulls roster is a mess.  We have too many point guards, too many power forwards, and no established shooting guards or centers.  You guys have two terrific shooting guards and no established point guard.  You've also got an enormous talent in Jerryd Bayless who's riding the pine for lack of playing time.  If you saw that kid at Arizona, you know that needs to be rectified. You've also got a superb post scorer in LMA (a pox upon you, Pritchard) who doesn't rebound that much (well maybe not a pox, exactly).  The Oden plan to complement him with a strong rebounder/defender is a good one.  Unfortunately, it may not work this year due to injuries - and the lack of conditioning those injuries cause.

How about Kirk Hinrich and Drew Gooden for Rudy Fernandez, Raef and Steve Blake?

Here's my reasoning: a three guard rotation of Hinrich, Brandon Roy and Jerryd Bayless would be one of the best in the league.  You'd have an excellent ballhandler/defender in Kirk, an all-around star in Roy, and tons of scoring punch off the bench in Bayless.  Jerryd is a combo guard - so let him get tick playing behind both Hinrich and Roy.  Sergio could get spot minutes - which is more than he'll be getting as it is. 

In terms of down low, I think Gooden would complement LMA pretty well.  He's a great rebounder, strong, and can knock down jumpshots when teams try to double LaMarcus.  Then, when Oden comes back, he can slide into a backup role.  Best of all: next season, when Greg is ready to dominate, you don't have to pay Gooden.  His contract is up after this year. 

It helps the Bulls in two ways.  First, Kirk's gotta go - while he's a very good point, he's not a good two guard, and the Bulls' point guard for the next decade or so is Derrick Rose.  Secondly, we're probably losing Ben Gordon next year.  We need a two who can complement Derrick - and that means somebody you can run and shoot from long range.  Rudy can do both. 

Anyhow, good luck to you all.  It's easy to like the Blazers - exciting youth and a paucity of jerks.  It should be an exciting season (for both teams).       

The Bobcats are screwed in the front office and the front court.   They've got big money allocated to redundant players (Wallace and Richardson), no power forward, and two pseudo pointguards - both of whom happen to be bad.  Augustin has been physically outclassed during the preseason and will continue to be during the regular season; they view Felton as a combo guard, otherwise they wouldn't have drafted Augustin.  Confused?  So are they.

The upshot is, we're here to help.  We still love you, MJ, so we'd like to send you not only a point guard with the grittiness Larry Brown loves, but a real-life power forward and a shiny new draft pick, too. 

How about this trade?     (That's Kirk, Gooden, Gray, and a #1 for Richardson and Nazr Mohammed for those who don't want to follow the link.) 

Why it helps Charlotte from a basketball point of view

First of all, they need a power forward, and an Okafor/Gooden pairing could actually be one of the better combos in the east.  Emeka's strength is defending the basket and scoring a little from the post; Gooden is a good rebounder and jump-shooter.  

Secondly, it improves them at the point.  They've shown in numerous ways that they don't view Felton as the answer, and I don't blame them.   Augustin is going to be better served as a mighty-mouse type off the bench, somewhere between Eddie House and Ben Gordon on that spectrum.  A Hinrich and Felton backcourt wouldn't be bad because Hinrich could guard twos (as he's shown), and it would allow them to slide Felton into the slot they want him to play, anyway.  Hinrich is also a Larry Brown type player.  He's a grind-it-out-and-play-tough-D point, not a sprint-downcourt-with-your-hair-on-fire point.  In a word, he fits.           

Why it helps Charlotte from a front office of view

Money.  Filthy lucre.  The Bobcats not only have poor attendance and TV revenue, they've allocated their cap space terribly.  They're paying Nazr Mohammed six million a year to impersonate Emeka Okafor for ten minutes a game.  They're paying Richardson 12 million over the next three years to be the run-the-floor 2 they don't want, but already have (in Wallace).  This would give them a boatload of expiring deals next year (Gooden, Felton, Morrison, May) to pursue free agents, and a potential lottery pick.  

It's time to start over for the Bobcats.  They've paid big money to players who are never going to win.  Picks and capspace are the way to go because occasionally those draft picks do work out beautifully.

I'll now wipe the shit-eating grin from my face.   

Why it helps the Bulls from a basketball point of view

Richardson fits us for the same reasons he doesn't fit the Bobcats.  He is so good when he's running the floor, as he did in Golden State.  He also would give us something we don't have: some post scoring.  To the best of my knowledge there's no rule that states a big man has to be your on-the-block scorer.  Lastly, he shoots a respectable 41% from 3, so he'll be able to take advantage of those wide-open looks that Rose gets him. 

In other words, he might be the M2GWCSAD. 

In terms of the interior, Nazr could really help.  We're light inside, and so bigger, stronger dudes just kill us.  Noah can't handle them.  Nazr could.  He also brings a little nastiness to the floor, which I think we need.  No team is complete without a war daddy.

Why it helps the Bulls financially 

It doesn't, and it means we've seen the last of Gordon, which may be a mistake.  My point is this: the Bulls should go for it.  Not in 2010, now.  Get the best players you can, give Rose the ball, and run. It's expensive, yes, but only a little more so than what Hinrich was giving you to essentially back up Rose.  And six million a year isn't too bad for a backup of Nazr's quality.

* * *

Of course, there are numerous caveats.  Richardson needs to understand that he's the second wheel to Rose, the Bobcats might be loathe to acquire a point guard after they just drafted one.  And I want to see how Rose and Gordon play together before they move anybody.

The point remains, though, that the Bulls are going to have to make a move at some point, and it better be with this season, not 2010, in mind.  A guard rotation of Rose, Richardson and Gordon would be dynamic, balanced, and definitely the league's most exciting.  A center position with Noah and Nazr would provide 48 minutes of defense and rebounding.  And by moving Gooden, we're giving the pf position to Tyrus, who's been looking great, and the backup pf minutes to Nocioni, who's meshed with Rose better than any other Bull.

It's an imperfect trade.  But it would get us into the playoffs, and more importantly, the Bulls would be fun as hell to watch.  

[I'll just promote this FanPost as today's game thread. Tonight's game will be played at Assembly Hall in Champaign, a place where I had some great memories cheering on my Alma Mater. Though not so much in the Deron Williams (the man of the hour tonight in Champaign) era ... this group was more my team. Awesome memory #1 and #2. Original FanPost is after the jump -ed.]

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Continue reading this post »

Does he still play for us? 

Two-a-days have concluded and there hasn't been a single peep about the ostensible future of the franchise, though we do know Noah got poked in the eye, Gray is 30 lbs slimmer, and BG doesn't like being called a greedy bastard.

We also know, courtesy of the Trib, that there's a "log jam" at guard. 

Thanks a lot.

Has anyone heard anything about how he's performed?  Knee good or not so good? 

This from numerous, well-informed anonymous sources:

"Today it was announced that Ben Gordon, formally of the Chicago Bulls, would forgo the rest of his basketball career to dedicate himself to his numerous business ventures, foremost among them the refreshing sports/tea drink, BG7.

Said Gordon: ’I’ve always thought of myself as equal parts businessman and basketball player, and clearly the time has come to transition myself into this new and exciting role. After leading the team in scoring for the past three seasons, I’m physically exhausted, and unrewarded financially. BG-7 solves both my problems.’

This marks the end of a long and arduous negotion with Bulls management, who used the luxury tax to entrench themselves defensively.  Gordon and his numerous agents went on the offensive admirably - contacting teams for sign-and-trades, looking for options overseas - but in the end the shot-clock simply expired. 

Gordon said he will miss professional basketball, but not the grueling hours in the gym, or the media scrutiny it entails.

‘Bloggers, man. Smart-asses. Do they know how the market works? Do they know what it’s like to play for Scott Skiles?" After a long sip of the florescent, florally-scented sports beverage, the original BG-7 finally managed to smile. “But I’ve got a new team now. I’m set. Russians are crazy about tea.’”

Denver is done. 

More importantly, they know it.

A team doesn't give away the best defensive and rebounding center in the league without essentially saying basta.  Iverson and Anthony were a bad match to begin with: they both dominate the ball, they're both (oft) disinterested defenders.  They've taken on hideous contracts (Kenyon Martin's right knee makes 14mil per year!) and they have little depth outside of Linas Kleiza.   Worst of all: Iverson is a free agent after this year.  They can't keep him, since they've got a losing formula, and they're not going to be able to replace him. 

Outside of Carmelo Anthony, they're going to be left with jack.  

What makes the most sense is to get what you can, complementing Anthony with players that maximize his considerable strengths and similarly glaring weaknesses.  The dude can score, but he's not big on D, and he's not a ball-handling point-forward in the mold of Pippen.  The ideal team would surround him with solid long-range shooters, good defenders and ball-handlers, allowing him to do what he does best - score - while keeping defenses from sagging.  The other player they've committed to (for which they should be commited) is J.R. Smith.  He can shoot, and dunk, but he's possibly a worse defender than Michael Redd - at least the pre-Skiles version - and he's another crappy ballhandler. 

Take into account the fact that they have a considerable savings from the Camby giveaway, and you see where I'm going with this.

Let's send Hinrich, Nocioni, Larry Hughes, and Drew Gooden to Denver for Allen Iverson and Kenyon Martin: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1711~1981~356~2456~366~515&teams=7~7~7~7~4~4&te=&cash=

Here's why I think it helps Denver:

They get a defensive minded ball-handler who compensates for the gunners they apparently love.  They get a solid perimeter shooter and tough guy to add to their lack of depth.  They get a rebounder to fill the (gaping!) void caused by Camby's departure.  In short, they get viable, good-but-not-great, young players to surround their star with instead of a collection of aging, soon-to-depart mercenaries.  Back in the good old Skiles-days a common BaB refrain was that "if we could just add a superstar" to our hardworking core, they would be superb.  I still believe this was the case, and I believe it would be the case if we added the role-players to the superstar instead of vice-versa.  Denver should, too.

So why should we want these "aging, soon-to-depart mercenaries?"

For one, Iverson is soon to depart.  They same commitments we made to Hinrich and Nocioni - reasonable if you've got a star to build around - are unreasonable for us when our supposed "stars" (Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, apparently) happen to play the same positions as your role players.  And I'd prefer to have one bad contract for 3 years (KMart's) than two bad contracts for 4 and 5.    

Secondly, it saves us 3 million this year to sign Ben Gordon.  I still think the man can play.  And I think he can play exceptionally when paired with a point guard that nobody can stay in front of.  There's a reason both Utah and New Orleans have been sending out feelers for BG.  Because BG + a great point could be deadly.  I mean, even Morris Peterson isn't bad when paired with Chris Paul.

Morris Peterson!

Third, Iverson can still ball, especially from the shooting guard position.  We need an elite scorer, unlike Denver.  Even if he just happens to score for us during the lag year before Derrick Rose grows into his game.   

Four, it gets rid of Larry Hughes.   Kenyon Martin could back up Tyrus at the four more effectively than Larry Hughes could...be...Larry Hughes.  

Five, it gets Thabo minutes backing up Deng at the position he's best - sf.  Then, after the departure of Iverson, he moves into a more central role. 

That leaves the two teams with:

Rose......................................................Hinrich

Iverson/Gordon....................................J.R. Smith/Hughes

Deng/Sefo.............................................Anthony/Kleiza

Thomas/Martin.....................................Gooden/Nocioni

Noah.......................................................Nene

I'd say it's long-term improvment for both teams.  Will Denver take a step backward this year?  Undoubtedly.  But they took that step already. 

Problems abound, of course.  Iverson may be just the Sith lord for young Derrick Rose, whose managed the supremely difficult feat of being absurdly talented without turning into a jackass.  Denver may be playing the free agent 2010 sweepstakes.  K-Mart might beat up Noah, and Hinrich might turn into a top point guard, leaving us feeling like jerks.  But there's this: the Rose/Iverson backcourt might be flawed, but it would be the NBA's most exciting.  

After last year, we deserve that much.

if we can get Ben signed, this might make sense for both teams:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=556~849~1981~2456~3030&teams=4~4~23~23~23&te=&cash=

That leaves Sacramento - who have possibly the worst point guards in the league - with:

Hinrich
Martin      Garcia
Salmons     Nocioni
Thomson    Rahim
Hawes       Moore

Which is to say a helluva lot better than what they have, unless they think Donte Greene is gonna light up the NBA like he lit up summer league (unlikely).   I think a Hinrich/Martin backcourt could be one of the best in the west. 

It also leaves us with 31.5 million in expiring contracts for 2010...in other words, enough to pair a peaking Rose, Tyrus, Noah, Deng and Gordon with a final piece like Wade or Bosh.  We also add Asik in 2010 - hopefully a young but seasoned defensive-minded center.

As I've said previously, I'd prefer going into the season with a 3-guard rotation of Rose, Gordon and Hinrich.  But the opposite tact also makes sense: demolish the older elements of the "core" and commit fully to the younger (and IMO, more talented) players.   

This has numerous problems.  Amongst them the cash we have going to crappy players, the lack of a backup for Rose, and the looming luxury cap.  But the biggest problem is, by posting this I may show that I actually agree with Jay Marrioti.

::gurgle::

At least for now.

Granted, this may be completely unwise.  The Bulls have a glut of very good guards, guards who just a season ago were regarded as the talented core of a rising team.  Kirk had just averaged 16 and 6 with 43% shooting from 3, and added a spot on the NBA's all-defensive second-team.  Gordon had just averaged 21.5 ppg, and his fg%, assists and rebounds had risen each year he played.  Led by these two guards, as well as Luol, they thrashed the defending champs in the playoffs and gave Detroit a run for their money in the second round.   Then, last year, a combination of contract squabbling, selfish play, injuries and obscenely inept coaching derailed everything.  Cats and dogs living together.  Mass hysteria!

Now the Bulls have added a rare talent at point guard.  Rare as in uncommon, but also rare as in raw.  (wow that was awful.  this is why there are professionals for sportswriting, no?)

I'll say point blank that I put more stock into a three year trend of good, improving play, than I put in one awful year: especially with all the confounding factors of coaching, contracts, and injuries.  It's not either/or, of course.  However: Kirk and Gordon can play at a very high level in this league, and I know this because I've seen it.   I don't think it's inconciveable that they'll return to a level that, if it's not the same, is at least elevated from where they are.  And in Gordon's case, playing with a penetrating, pass-first point like Rose may actually elevate his game.  Even (gasp) to tropospheric Monte Ellis heights.

I want the season to open with a three guard rotation of Kirk, Gordon and Rose.  Thabo and LH will have to ride the pine for awhile.  Here's why:

1) Every potential trade out there stinks.  There's nothing at present that makes sense for the Bulls.  Just look at the right column of our much enjoyed BaB.  It's like a potential-trade graveyard.  It's like Sam Smith's shoebox.  Luckily, the season changes these things.  "Contenders" start to blow; people get injured; player's stocks fluctuate.  I believe our players' values will rise because I think they're going to have a stable coaching system, health, and (hopefully!) contracts.  Then, when they've elevated NBA opinions (which are absurdly fickle), we can make a deal.  For something that doesn't stink.  But it doesn't make sense to deal just because of an unsightly glut of guards when...   

2) Rose isn't ready to run the point alone.  Or if he is ready, we shouldn't simply assume that he is.  The kid is 19, possesses an exceptional handle, physical and mental attributes,  and will be (I think) a top point guard in the next few years.  Summer league doesn't mean much, granted.  But what does strike me as apropos is his development at Memphis.  It took time, not because he couldn't take over at the beginning of the season, but because the important thing from his (and I would argue, from an elite point guard's point of view) is facilitating team success.  Getting everybody involved.  And then you get yours, or take over, which is exactly what he was doing at season's end.  I'm not sure we want to screw with this successful pattern by having him be the only point on our roster (ie don't trade Kirk).  And I damn well want the dude at the end of those passes to be an elite shooter (ie don't trade Ben). 

3) The best players should play.  There's a lot of Thabo love on this site, and I've been guilty of it myself, but I'd like throw out the idea that he might be the fifth-best guard on our roster.  For me he's lost the allure of the unknown, and whatever cred he got for spraying JoeJoe with silly string.  He doesn't have elite lateral movement, which is why he isn't an elite defender, and his shot has the trajectory of a bullet.  He can rebound, yes, but I'd rather my guards could actually handle the rock.  And he's never produced more that Kirk, Ben, or even LH, who I hope never to see out of his warm-up uni.  This isn't to say I wouldn't mind Thabo as a fourth guard/back up small forward.  Which brings me to my final point...

4) Trade the players who ain't that good who can still be traded.  And that means Noce.  Somehow his gritty, flopping, gunning and grunting game still has value around the league.  But I don't think he's near the caliber of Kirk or Ben, and he's getting up there in basketball years.  (Someone should do a scale of human-years, basketball-years, and dog-years.  We'd probably find out that Robert Horry played to the ripe old age of 100.)    Anyhow, Noc is the only player on the Bulls whose value I see declining.  His frenetic play is going to wear down his body, and frankly, I think he's one of the worst team defenders in basketball.  God only knows why people think he can play D...but they do. 

So that's my defense of inaction.  Or at least, temporarily abated action.  Rose, Hinrich and Gordon at guard.  Deng and Sefo and sf.  T2, Gooden and Noah down  low.  VDN lathering equal parts brilliantine and groovy vibe over it all.

 Not great, but I could live with it.

Pax needs to make moves. 

We've got a crowded back court, a crowded front court, and a glut of forwards.  We have very good players (Gordon and Deng) we need to sign, and good players (Hinrich and Nocioni) that we've signed for too much money.  We're also the youngest team in the league and we lack a viable, 1st scoring option.

Enter the New Jersey Nets.

It's no secret what the soon-to-be Brooklynites want.  They want LeBron in 2010.  They want contracts that expire in 2010, in order to collect the googolplex of dollars, pesos and euros it will take to woo his unstoppable greatness.  They also want a certain vein-bulging small forward, Andres Nocioni, according www.hoopshype.com.

I'm proposing Vinsanity and Stromile Swift for Andres Nocioni and Larry "This Way to Lebron!" Hughes.  The numbers works: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=356~2456~136~829&teams=17~17~4~4&te=&cash.  Stromile's contract is up in one year.  He's outta here, but might be a decent backup for Noah if the rumors about Aaron Gray's paramilitary summer prove to be false.

I know that Vince's numbers have declined.  And that he's oft injured.  But I'm saying the dude can still score, and you can still drop him the ball with the shot clock winding down.  At the very least, I'm saying he brings a heck of a lot more that Mr. Hughes. (Who brings nothing.)

Then trade Hinrich for Camby and here's what we've got:

Rose, Carter, Deng, Thomas and Camby as your starters, with Gordon, Sefolosha, Gooden and Noah as your bench. 

Commence flaming me now.

[From the FanPosts. There's reasons to have all these rotation players in the summer league, but it also has me expecting them to win by 40 each night. Otherwise my hemming and/or hawing will start to increase. -ed.]

The full list is here.

Interesting additions: JamesOn Curry, who apparently hasn't pissed away his NBA career [zing! -ed.], Cedric Simmons, a former lottery mid first-round pick with good size and athleticism, Will Daniels, who's a good athlete and had some pretty good numbers at Rhode Island.  Interesting omission: the Swiss Mister. 

Still, with Noah, Tyrus, and Rose, we may be looking at 3/5 the starting lineup and the debut of VDN.  Should be exciting.

So today the NBA pre-draft camp begins: sure-fire stars will rise like Jamal Crawford, or demonstrate their crippling lack of strength like Kevin Durant, or their unstoppable length ala Saer Sene.  Players will be "freakish" and "jaw-dropping," and NBA scouts will inevitably "drool," and all of us will be vaguely nauseated by the process of poking and prodding even as we read on.  Scouts will be seen conspiring with GMs; promises will (supposedly) be made and broken.  We know the deal.

Still, it's interesting this year, especially if you're a Bulls fan.  Is Beasley undersized or not, and does his reach compensate?  Can Derrick Rose actually touch the rim with his chin?  Judging from the posts we think these things matter, so tune in to www.draftexpress.com to find the data on the standing reach, shuttle-run, and bench-press of hundreds of players who will never wear a Bulls uni.  Or any uni.

There's other intrigue, too.  Has Kevin Love shed the pounds and become the player we always sorta kinda wanted?  Is Bill Walker "Sky-Walker" again?  How do DeAndre Jordan's numbers stack up to the player he's so often and crazily compared to, Dwight Howard?

Personally, I think these numbers do matter in the sense that while there are plenty of phenomenal athletes who can't play a lick, it's rare to find dominant modern-era NBA player who isn't phenomenal athlete.  Of course the "class ranks" are a joke (D.J. Strawberry is apparently more athletic than Oden, Durant, Yi, Conley, and Noah), but at least this will help us answer some specific questions.   And questions that arose, hopefully, from actually watching the players play.