I thought I would try to come up with a 2010-2011 roster that is both 1% mathematically possible, and would actually make the Bulls a better team than this year. Barring the plethora of things that I don't know about contractual negotiations, free agent preference that doesn't have to do with money, Reinsdorfs' grand scheme in maximizing his profit for the next 5 years, or anything of that ilk, I'm under the impression that the Bulls will not go above the luxury tax for next year.

That in mind, this is my dream scenario of the Bulls roster for 2010-2011 onward. Will any of it happen? I'd actually bet against it. Does it all make sense? Fuck naw! But it was still pretty fun for me to try come up with a 2011 squad that was pretty good. So here goes nothin'

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I've actually watched a couple of  Cavs games this year. Not because I'm a fan of the Cavaliers, but moreso a fan of Lebron James. Seeing that tonight was his last game, I thought it'd be interesting to see a couple of his stats from the regular season, as well as the playoffs; and, well, what this all means to me.

A look at everyone's favorite statistic, +/-, from this year, from here

1. James (103, 45 per48)

2. Bryant

3. Gasol

4. Williams

5. Fisher

A pretty crappy stat to measure individual player value, even when extended into the whole season, believe it or not. Mo Williams and Derek Fisher topping the league in anything, except for most mediocre player, kind of proves that. As a corollary to this stat, lets look at a more critical stat, Roland Rating:

1. James (23.5)

2. Wade(17.9)

3. Paul(17.7)

4. Bryant (12.6)

5. Roy (12.5)

Well then, how many points did they make on the charity line?

1. James (594)

2. Wade (590)

3. Bosh (504)

4. Howard (504)

5. Harris (496)

Pretty good company in that one. Well then, how do they, more specifically James, all compare in the paint? Here are the Inside shot FG% from this season

1. Iguodala (.721)

2. James (.717)

3. Collison (.713)

4. Dampier (.699)

5. O'Neal (.683)

Well, he must be a lollygagger on defense then, right? He was 14th in the league for defensive rebounds, at 507. Also, he was 2nd in defensive win shares at 6.3, only behind Howard at 7.6. at a 99 Drtg. He must be a ballhog then, right? Well, kind of, with his USG% at 33.8, but he also is 9th in the league in AST% at 38.0. How is he in offense, then? Offensive rating this year:

1. Gasol (125.6)

2. Paul (124.4)

3. Calderon(123.0)

...

6. James (121.7)

Offensive win shares:

1. James (13.3)

2. Paul (12.8)

3. Roy(10.2)

4. Wade (10.2)

5. Gasol (10.1)

And my favorite stat, PER:

1. James (31.7[!!!])

2. Wade (30.4)

3. Paul (30.0)

4. Howard (25.4)

5. Duncan (that's a little surprising, I thought he'd be a lot lower) (24.4)

One stat most telling of Lebron James limit as a player is his 2pt FG%, which is at an abysmal 37.5%. Not to mention that he already has one of the historically highest PER without a good 2PFG%, but if he ever figures out how to shoot a mid-range jumper, it will be bad news for his opponents.

So, what does this all mean? Nothing really as a Bulls fan, unfortunately. The likelihood of this Chicago team getting James is slim to none since they already have someone just as good(cheap shot, I know), but more of a basketball fan standpoint: Lebron James is really, really, good at basketball, and will most likely continue to get better.

edit: I forgot his PER from these playoffs. Barring tonight's game, it's at 38.9. Blasphemy, you say? Nope, it's honestly a 38.9. I've done a quick search, and I can't find one player who has remotely touched this type of efficiency in the playoffs. Not Bird, Magic, Kareem, Jordan, Bryant, or O'Neal come even close to this. Ridiculous.

From here on in, the life of Chad Ocho Cinco is in full effect:

The Cincinnati Bengals announced Thursday that they have begun "the process of listing the former Chad Johnson as Chad Ocho Cinco for all club business, per the legal change of his surname effected in Florida.

 

I don't know about you guys, but this is beyond awesome. I wonder if he knows that Ocho Cinco isn't the proper way of saying Eighty-five in Spanish? Hopefully no one tells him that.

LONG LIVE CHAD JO...OCHO CINCO!!!

Shamelessly taken from Knox News:

"I'm feeling pretty good," Guzman, who had Tommy John (ligament replacement) surgery 11 months ago. "I was trying to get all my pitches together. I thought I had pretty good stuff keeping the ball down and throwing strikes."

Guzman was clocked at 95 mph(!!!!) and his first 13 pitches were fastballs.

...Guzman has done everything he can physically to be part of the Cubs' plans this season, not next.

"I worked really, really hard during the offseason," he said. "I think it is paying off. I came back and I feel way stronger than I used to be."

I'm not sure how likely it is that Guzman will make it Chicago, but I'm really gunning for him. I don't know the exact specifics, but Howry plainly needs to be let go as this point of the season. Having Guzman for the 7th, Marmol for the 8th, and Wood closing the game gets me excited in ways I wish my girlfriend knew how.

From the hot papers:

 John Gambadoro of Arizona radio station KTAR 620 reports that the Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Adam Dunn for three prospects, including Dallas Buck.

I don't really care much about Dunn-- considering he's a horrid outfielder and is 2nd in strikeouts behind Howard-- but this move is pretty interesting for the Diamondbacks. It should definitely give them a boost in offensive production. And Dallas Buck seems to be a decent righty: 23 year-old with a 0.00 ERA in 5 IP in A+ ball.

EDIT: It's not confirmed yet, so this is still all speculation(Notice the ? in the title)

EDIT mania: ESPN confirmed it. Well hot damn. Goodbye, question mark.

EDIT bonanza: Dunn is 1st in HR and 5th in strikeouts. And has a measley .233 BA. Jeeze louize, I've never heard of a player having such a low batting average as Dunn's but yet has the most HR in a league before.