So, another mediocre season is done with and the bulls look to the future to see if it can produce another championship worthy team.

First, lets look at this playoff series vs the Cavs and the player breakdowns:


Tonight, da Bulls lost to the Cavs 96-94 (really 96-92 if it wasnt for that last little no-one-cares-about layup by Deng at the buzzer) and lost the series 1-4.  They played tough, but, it wasn't enough to beat Lebron and the rest of his decent cast.  And, yes, I do say decent cast. 

It's going to be tough for that team to win a championship this year.  They have some amazing three point shooters and then they have Antawn Jamison.  But, other than that, the Bulls have better pieces.  You put Lebron on the Bulls and they could beat the rest of the Cavs any day.  If you cloned Lebron and put him on both teams, the Bulls would beat the Cavs any day. And that's with the Bulls not having three point shooting or a great low-post point producer.

This guy sucks.

Mo Williams is inconsistent.  He is like a worse Kirk Hinrich.  Verajao (i really don't care how to spell his last name) sucks.  Big Z doesn't play.  Shaq is just a walking and talking wall who is as inconsistent as about anyone in this league.  (although he is 38 years old)  He has actually proven to be more hurtful to the Cavs in the first round than helpful.  Delonte West can really light it up, but, not always (he also looks weird, but, hes got nothing on Noah in that department.  And Rondo wins the grand prize there). Moon won't always nail his threes like he did a couple games this series.  Parker is a great role player, so +1 for him.  Again, great three point shooting.  Antawn is finally stepping it up.  And, then there's Lebron.  But, the teams getting older and older and I don't see this team getting better next year.

I think they could win the championship, but, its gonna be a dog fight in the 3rd round.  Luckily, Lebron seems to step it up when necessary, pulling 44 foot 3 pointers out of his ass when he wants to act like the cocky son of a female dog that he is. 

The Bulls played out of their minds for 2 of the 5 games (game 2+3).  Played decently for 1 (game 1).  Played pretty good for another (game 5).  And ran around like fools in another (game 4--and of course, that was the game I attended).  At the end of the day, they only pulled off one against the best player in the NBA and that just means they're going home. 

Derrick Rose proved to be a high scorer and a good showman, but he shot well below 50%.  To me, this just proves that he needs a better team around him.  He is not Lebron/Kobe/Durant/Wade.  He is an amazing attacker/point guard.  He will never be able to shine unless he has a better player around him, or at least a player that can score just as well.  He will probably average 20-25 points in future seasons.  But, I really think he could have 8 to 12 assists a game and become one of the best facilitators out there.  It was no coincidence that he won the skills challenge his rookie season.  He has great vision, but, there's no one on the current bulls team that can help him be apart of the top tier of point guards in the NBA. 

Joakim Noah is the man.  Other than this last game (which he played pretty horribly), he has been the Bulls most consistent player and has really made this team competitive over the past year and a half.  I have no doubt in my mind that he still will improve over the next couple of years, and he will be a force to reckon with come November.  Even when the team lost by 23 points, he kept fighting and ended up with a 21 points/20 rebounds performance. 

Loul Deng is a good role player.  He kind of sucks sometimes and he is not the three point shooter everyone wants him to be. But, he can have great games and if he has a proper coach, he will fulfill his role well.  He should focus on threes and being available to drive to the hoop. If he has any proper future with the Bulls, that's where his value lies.  This series proved he can be very effective.  I think this series also proved that he needs someone to tell him to STOP SHOOTING THOSE GOD-DAMNED 17 FOOT SHOTS.  seriously.

Kirk Hinrich.....well, I'm honestly kind of sick of him.  I hope we do a sign and trade where we can get rid of him.  Trust me, he has been one of my favorite Bulls players since we drafted him in '02.  But, hes on the decline and can never be trusted to have a good night.  Hinrich is by far the most inconsistent player we have and either needs to be redefined as a 3 guard who comes off the bench for perimeter shooting, or he needs to go away pronto.  Best defender on our team does not equal best player on our team.  One night he had 27 points on 9 of 12 shooting.  Another, he was nowhere and shot 3 for 13.  Ugh.  *cue charlie brown music* and/or *facepalm*...your choice.

Taj Gibson frankly sucked in this series.  He just wasn't effective, got into foul trouble, and didn't have very high percentage shooting.  But, I think he will continue to improve and is a GREAT power forward off the bench.  He is a keeper and I hope they don't have to trade him away.

Brad Miller.  Well, I love Brad Miller.  He has the gritty/bluecollaresque way of playing that just fits so well in Chicago.  He brings a great spirit to the team and I think he is a great leader and a great player off the bench. He didn't have the best series, but, thats because he was responsable for the wall formerly known as Shaq.  It doesn't look like he will be with us next season which makes me sad.  I will miss him.  I wish him the best of luck.

Flip Murray is a great role player and a great guard off the bench.  He has proven to be an effective shooter with great vision.  He will be a good perimeter shooter for us and I really hope the Bulls are smart enough to keep him on our roster.  He is definitely a worthy piece of the puzzle and I like his chances.  He actually had a pretty good series, and was a nice spark off the bench when things looked grim.  He may not be the best defender, but, he's got a nice shot and seems like a great guy.

Pargo, go back to your day job.  Helping kids and being all nice and stuff.

Everyone else---go away, I never want to see any of you in a Bulls uniform again.  ESPECIALLY PARGO.  Go back to Germany, or wherever you played.  Frankly, you suck.  I hope you're a nice guy, because that's all you got going for you.  To be fair, I suck at basketball too.  But, I don't play in the NBA.  (I also might have a higher percentage 3 point shot than you...but so does my cat)

The Bulls franchise and their future/ What the roster should look like and who the head coach should be:

For those of you who don't know, this year the Bulls have put themselves in a position to get a very good player via free agency.  They have around 22 million dollars in cap space and could get a superstar.  Here are my top players.

The freaking John Wayne of the future Bulls franchise.

1.  Chris Bosh. He is a great scorer, great defender, and a helluva rebounder.  Him and Noah could be one of the best duos in the paint in the NBA, and Rose/Bosh could gel together almost as well as Lavergne and Shirley. Believe dat.  I really think the Bulls need an incredible power forward/low post presence.  Bosh would take away all of the attention on Rose, and it would be nearly impossible to stop them in the paint.  Also, if we were to obtain a three point shooter, it would give the three shooter ample opportunity to be wide open most of the time.

2.  Dwyane Wade.  People say he plays too similar of a game as Derrick Rose and that they would never mesh well together.  But, I have to disagree.  First of all, he is the very definition of a superstar.  He steps up when his team needs him most, and can put on a SHOW.  He proved it in these playoffs against the Celtics.  He scored 46 points in a game just to keep his team alive.  I actually think matching him up with D. Rose would be able to free both of them up and allow each of them to have the open look more often.  Just look at when Hinrich is playing well at the 2 spot.  Both Hinrich and Rose suddenly look like an unstoppable duo.  Wade would do similar things, but, he would prove to be about a bajillion times better and it would make for some really good t.v.  They would be able to play to each other strengths.  They could even switch at the point sometimes (although Wade would most certainly play the two 95% of the time) Anyway, he's from Chicago.  Who doesn't love a hometown player?

3.  Amare Stoudemire.  He has a great low-post presence.  He's a great shooter.  Done and Done.  He might not be Chris Bosh, but, he's definitely a fantastic player and would look damn good in a Bulls uniform.  Derrick and him could work really well together.  My only concern is his defensive ability.  But, at the end of the day he's better than most and could really make this team A LOT better.  If he doesn't sign that extension with the Suns (like most people expect him to), he has a high chance of being a Bull next year.  Both Bosh and Stoudemire will be approached by Miami and Chicago.  If they both don't go back to their current teams, I think each player will land in one of these cities. That would certainly make me happy.

4.  Carlos Boozer.  I don't have much to say about him.  He's kind of a poor man's Chris Bosh.  But, a very effective one at that.  He could be a fantastic fit for the Bull's offense.  I just don't see him having as much of an impact as a Bosh or a Stoudemire.  He is a high scorer, with great defense.  If Bosh goes to Miami and Stoudemire stays in Pheonix, Boozer could be our man.  If this happens, I would see this as a successful off-season move.  But, it would have to be paired with a great perimeter-shooter.

Those are my top 4.  There is no reason in the world that the Bulls shouldn't be able to land one of them

Top Free Agents that I don't want the Bulls to sign:

This is Johnson after two seasons with the Bulls.

1. Joe Johnson.  He is getting old.  He has played a lot of minutes in his career, which usually proves to bring a steeper decline in quality sooner rather than later.  He does not play good defense.  He is a slightly better Ben Gordon.  Sure, he would make our team better for like 2 years.  But, not championship worthy.  After that, he would turn into Alfonso Soriano and NOBODY wants that.

2.  Ray Allen.  He is getting older. Allen is 34 right now, and plays like hes 28.  So, kudos to him.  But, the Bulls are not the Celtics.  They are not old and desperate.  They don't need to sign a bunch of veterans to win them a championship next year.  They are building a franchise with a young nucleus and should try and continue that trend into the offseason.  Even if they get people in their late twenties, they should be players that can be worth their long and inflated contract.  No need to get an old perimeter shooter.  They can get young players for cheaper contracts that play nearly as well, if not just as well.  Seriously, Allen has injury written all over him.  The Bulls are not this desperate. 

3.  David Lee.  He's a great player.  Young and effective.  He could work well on the Bulls.  But, he plays for the Knicks.  He has cancer written all over him.  I'm pretty sure people think he's amazing because he's the best player on a crappy team.  If the Bulls can't sign a great low post shooter, then I guess I would be OKAY with David Lee.  But, until then, avoid him like the plague.  We don't need another disappointment in Chicago.  Plus, if he is signed, I'm pretty sure John Paxson would just give him an inflated contract which would make a mediocre situation worse.

So, in conclusion.  Chris Bosh+cheap/effective perimeter shooter/role player+Deng/Noah/Rose/Gibson=fanstastic team.  You do that for me Mr. Bulls Organization, I will have sleepless nights daydreaming of this upcoming season.

BTW, is it possible to get Anthony Morrow even if he just completed his rookie season with the Warriors? Because he is the exact type of player we need and would get lots of playing time.

Coaching situation and front office stuff:

Gar Forman (our fake G.M.) announced that they won't announce that Vinny is fired until the weekend.  But, since I'm a soothsayer and already know what's gonna happen, Vinny will be an assistant coach for the Iowa "generic highschool team name" next year and will be no longer with the Bulls organization. 

So, who will fit best with the Bulls?

BALLER

My opinion?  Byron Scott.  He is a players coach; he works really well with spectacular point guards (see Chris Paul and Jason Kidd); has taken his teams to the NBA Finals; and is known for turning teams around.  Plus, hes a smart looking dude.  I don't really want to get into other coaching options.  He's the best.  He should be the choice.

Front office junk:

LIES.  THIS PICTURE IS FULL OF LIES.

Fire Paxson.  Seriously.  He has had his chance with the organization and failed.  It's now time to hand the reigns over to someone else and let them try it out.  I don't want him to mess up this free agency (because there is a high probability that he will.  I mean, he set up the contracts for Deng and Hinrich for god's sake.)  I don't want him to hire Vinny Del Negro the second.  I don't want him to cause further harm to the Bulls franchise.  I will take back these words if he does the proper thing this offseason, but, I'm not sure if thats a risk I'm willing to take.

Firing Paxson/hiring Scott/landing Bosh+three point shooter/getting rid of Pargo=future Bulls championship. 

Just saying.  I look forward to all the speculation that's gonna take place over the next two months towards free agency and can't wait for the next season. (really...6 months til the next season?  Why?!)

Thoughts? Comments?  Rants?  

Happy Elimination day,

Rev

The Bulls have grown over this past year into a team that can win around 50-55 games in a season if they are healthy.

But, what do they have to do in order to compete with teams like the Cavs?  Teams like the Lakers?  the Nuggets?  How do the Bulls get back to being a championship worthy team and not a team commended for losing in a first game match-up to a dying old dog (a.k.a. the Boston Celtics)?   A couple of things need to happen.

Who do we need to keep or get rid of?

PLAYERS

First off, they need Ben Gordon.  So many fans are willing to let Ben Gordon go, but, they forget that without him we would be nothing but a 7th seeded team every year.

Many people argue that he is a liability on defense and is inconsistent enough on offense to be disposable.  But, we forget that when we didn't have Ben Gordon, we were an incredibly sub-par team.  Yes, we have a completely different unit now.  But, he is a huge part of the reason why we have improved so much over the years.  When he (and deng, nocioni, and duhon) were added to the Bulls they went from 23 wins to 47.  So, there is no doubt that he had a huge impact on this franchise. 

The amazing part about Gordon so far is that he has done all this mostly by making his own plays.  Selfish, selfish plays that would make or break or games and make us either incredible or horrible.  Before this past year, we never really had anyone that was a playmaker on our team, so, we were left with a bunch of talent that looked like they could never get past the label "inconsistent". 

Enter Derrick Rose.  Rookie of the Year.  I am confident that he is our playmaker.  Throughout this year, he has learned to really move the ball well and has encouraged his teammates (even if its rare) to do the same.  Don't have any doubt that over the next 2-3 years Derrick will grow even more and become an all-star. 

Rose will be the player that turns things around for Gordon.   Gordon won't be forced to "take control" or create retarded shots that (if hes hot) go in.  He will become a player who is Derrick's number two, and because of Rose's playmaking abilities, that will elevate Gordon's game to a whole new level.  They work well together, and it will only become more obvious over the next year.

We need Salmons until he retires.  He has an incredible shot and seems to meld perfectly well with this offense.  He is another go to guy, and once we get Deng back, we will have a team full of people to depend on.  I think this guy is fantastic and has already created a name for himself with the Bulls. 

Kirk Hinrich is probably leaving.  I would argue that he is an incredible tool off our bench and will really be able to become a multi-position man if we keep him.  But, the problem is, the Bulls management thought we needed him a lot more than we do now.  Who knew we would get a future all star in Rose?  If Hinrich could be convinced to cut his salary in half, he is a definite keeper.  But, he is too much of a slightly above average player to earn 10 mil a year.  He is taking up valuable cap space and will probably need to be dealt in order for us to really compete in the east for the top spot.  I blame this one on the Bulls.  I think he would have signed a much smaller contract and the Bulls just threw money at him like he was Jason Kidd. (Is it possible that we could trade him and miller or thomas at the same time? more on that later)

Tyrus Thomas is going nowhere and fast.  He has incredible height and blocking abilities, but, nothing else seems to happen when he's on the court other than errors and missed opportunities.  Unless he works his ass off and figures out how to be an inside man (not a man who throws up jump shots because he thinks he can), he is incredibly disposable.  He needs to learn his role and focus on that.  I wouldn't mind if we even traded him this offseason.

Brad Miller.  Oh, Brad, what do we do with you?  You are old and could be a valuable trading tool (along with Tyrus and Kirk).  But, I do like you.  You seem to give this team some leadership and have really stepped up when you've had to.  I wouldn't be surprised if you stayed another year with this franchise.  But, I also wouldn't be surprised if you didn't come back.

Noah is a future all star player and a huge part of the reason why we will contend in the future.  He is super hungry for a championship and I have a feeling he is going to post his playoff numbers or better throughout the rest of his career and really take away some of those few errors that have hurt him lately. (excessive fouling, protection of the ball). 

COACHES

Most people will disagree with me.  But, I think we should keep Vinny for another season.  There is no doubt he has made some of the stupidest mistakes I've seen in a while, but, there is also no doubt that he has really grown throughout this season and grown 10x more in the course of 7 games.  You really think hes not learning from his mistakes?  He handled time outs better after Game 2.  He handled guarding Pierce better after Game 5.  Next season, the team will be better and he will be better.  If he really creates a lot of mistakes next year...then I can see the argument. 

I am not really aware of what the pros/cons are of our assistant coaching staff, but, I do have a strong opinion on what needs to happen to them in order for this team to take another step up.  We need a defensive expert.  I don't care if we get rid of all these guys that we have now.  We just need one guy whose whole career has centered around defense and the Bulls need to go through intensive-defensive training.  They are fully capable and have shown flashes of brilliance for about a minute-2 minutes in every 48 minute game.  But, in order to truly compete and not let random games against sub-par teams get away from us, we need stronger defense from all of our players.  No big time center like Bosh is going to solve that all by himself if we find a way to get someone like him.  And plus, if we do find a defensive expert, he could always just step up to be coach is Vinny proves (in his 2nd year) to be a failure.

What do we need to get?

Speaking of Bosh...we do need a new inside man.  If we traded Tyrus and Miller away (and some 2nd, 3rd round draft picks...maybe even a first if we were desperate), I think we could get someone like him.  But, I don't even think we need a superstar; we just need someone who can be a smarter and stronger Tyrus Thomas.  Really, they just need to be someone who is enough of a threat that they (along with Noah) can take some attention away from Salmons, Gordon, and Rose. 

Players like:

Chris Bosh.  Carlos Boozer. Mehmet Okur.  Andrew Bynum. David Lee.  Lamar Odom. 

Can we convince the Knicks (after they sign him, of course) to give up David Lee for Thomas/Miller and take away some necessary cap space for the Knicks to try and aquire Lebron, Bosh, or Wade at the end of next season? We won't win him in a bidding war, but, we could in a trading war.  I would love to see him as a Bull next year. 

What else would we need?

A cheaper Kirk Hinrich.  We need a back-up who can actually make some noise off the bench and give us some solid minutes. 

Players like:

Nate Robinson.  Brandon Bass. Von Wafer. Kyle Korver. 

They are all pretty good NBA players that could be useful on our team without Hinrich.  If Hinrich stays, none of these guys are coming.  I personally like Nate Robinson the best, and would really love to see a player like him come off the bench next season.  Kyle Korver probably comes in second. 

Anyone think we can trade Hinrich and Thomas (and maybe a couple of draft picks) for David Lee and Nate Robinson?  I would love that trade.  The Knicks always seem to get stuck with bulls leftovers anyway, so, why not? (or would you rather see Miller go?  Thomas is probably more valuable as a trade-tool IMO)

If we can do what I mentioned, I think we could really compete against Lebron in 2 years and maybe in 3-4 years we could actually beat the guy and be on our way to a championship. 

So, what do you guys think?  Any other free agents look good?  Any teams look like they have good trade potential?  Whats your perfect scenarios for a future championship winning bulls team?