I know a lot of people on this blog are clamoring for Mayo, Melo, Smith, and Jackson. But one of the better players we probably could get and want cost us a huge amount of assets is Courtney Lee. When K.C mentioned this I was pissed like everyone else, but then I began to investigate....

Here is a quote about Lee's SHOOTING from his draft profile from draftexpress.com.

One of the main reasons for Lee’s insertion into the starting line-up and his 25.3 minutes per game (13th amongst rookies) is because of his ability to shoot the ball, especially spotting up, which is essential in this offense. Lee is shooting 40.9% from behind the arc, which is 3rd amongst rookies and 34th overall in the NBA. He displays nice mechanics and does an excellent job of setting his feet. He doesn’t have the quickest release, but his preparation before he receives the ball and his lack of wasted motion on the catch enables him to get his shot off. He’s always on balance with his feet under him and he elevates forward, carrying his momentum and his shot to the basket.

From DraftExpress.comhttp://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Courtney-Lee-471/#ixzz19XxeYVNk
http://www.draftexpress.com

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Hello Rap fans, This is Illwill from BaB.

We over here on BaB want Bosh really bad and think we can give you guys the best package. First off Rose and Noah are untouchable and management would probably take the chance on missing CB4 if those players are included lol. The Bulls trade Deng, Gibson, Asik and next years 1st for Bosh.

Deng is only 24 y.o and averages 17 ppg and 7 rpg. He is a solid defender with about $51 mill left on a 4 year deal. I think that Deng is a better player than Hedo, but is big enough (6-9) and a good enough rebounder to play with Hedo.

Gibson is a 24 y.o rookie PF. He just made All-Rookie first team as the only big man selected. He is 6-9 and is a good post defender, shotblocker and rebounder. He has a developing back to the basket game, but is a bit on the light side.

Omer Asik is a 24 y.o Turkish Center, who currently plays in the Euroleage. He is a shotblocker and a project bigman.

With this trade the Raps get (3) good young players and a draft pick. I think that is one of the best deals that can be made for Bosh, unless he choses the Lakers lol (Gasol or Bynum). I think the obvious reason Bosh would want to come to Chicago is Rose and Noah. Plus by doing a sign and trade we could still sign Joe Johnson. Let me know what you guys think about this trade. 

Now that we have cap-space to land a top Free-Agent what is the best case scenario for us this off-season?

I think we should target Chris Bosh - If we land Bosh we will have a hole to fill at the SG position and we all know Kirk is not the long-term answer for the position. We really would need a shooter who could stretch the defense and create room for Rose and Bosh to operate.

We currently have a draft pick that will fall somewhere in the middle of the 1st round. The best player available that would fill a need would be Xavier Henry of Kansas. Right now Draftexpress.com has him projected as the 15th pick, which would be around where we would be picking. Henry is a 6-6 lefty who can shoot the lights out and is only 19.

If we were able to draft him we would have a three-guard line-up of Rose, Henry and Hinrich. With Rose, Bosh and Deng Henry would not have to carry the scoring load and could focus on his D and spot up shooting. As far as bigs we would have Bosh, Noah, JJ and Taj. I assume Asik will be available next season and we could always bring Miller back on a smaller salary. 

I think this is the most realistic and best case scenario for the Bulls this off-season. Bosh would be the oldest player in that starting line-up at 26. Rose would be 22, Henry 20, with both Deng and Noah 25. Our line-up would look like this:

PG - Rose / Hinrich / D-leaguer ?

SG - Henry / Hinrich / D-leaguer ?

SF -  Deng / Johnson / Minimum Vet ?

PF -  Bosh / Gibson / Richards ?

C-     Noah / Miller / Asik 

This team would have everything you could want. Outside shooting (Henry, Deng and Kirk), Low-post scoring (Bosh, Gibson) , Defense (Deng, Kirk, Bosh, Noah, Gibson), Shotblocking (Noah, Gibson, Bosh), Rebounding (Deng, Noah, Bosh, Gibson) and Superstars (Rose, Bosh). Give me your thoughts and let the race to 2010 begin!

This trade needs to go down simply because we have a need and they have a need. We need shooting from the SG position and they need a PG who can lead a team and defend. They also happen to need an athletic shot-blocker for their front line.

We send Kirk, Tyrus, an unprotected 1st and maybe the rights to Omer Asik in exchange for K-Mart, Rodirguez and May. The salary works on ESPN trade machine: LINK.

Why we make this trade.

We need a shooter to fill the void at the SG spot and K-Mart fits that bill. He is only 27 years old and would flourish next to a PG like Rose for the next 5 years. K-mart's contract is similar to Kirks and would still allow us to sign a max-free agent PF in the off-season. We would still have 19 to 20 million in cap-space to chase Bosh, STAT, Boozer or Lee this upcoming off-season.

Rodirguez would hold down the back-up PG spot and May would give us depth on the front line. We also inherit Rodirguez bird-rights , so he might be inclined to re-sign with us next year.

Why the make this trade,

K-Mart and Evans don't mix and they need a starting NBA PG. Unless they New Jersey is willing to swap Harris for K-Mart and I don't think the Nets are willing to give up on Harris to get another wing player, because they have like 20 SG's and SF's.  Kirk brings them defense, leadership and can knock down the 3pt shot. I think he would be an ideal fit next to Evans and might even teach him  some defensive intensity. The Kings have no shot-blockers. Tyrus would give them a big boost in that area and might actually thrive in a 3 big-man of Thompson, Tyrus and Hawes. Tyrus would probably have a re-birth in Sacramento maybe not all-star, but maybe 12 ppg / 8 rpg / 3 bpg numbers. We also give them Asik to sweeten the deal, who also would add a shot-blocking Center to back up Hawes.  

They also get a 1st rounder that would probably be in the high teens. They have sucked this year and will probably get a high pick and end up drafting someone like Evan turner or John Wall.

Final thoughts.

This trade helps both teams. The Bulls get a SG who would fit great next to Rose and maintain enough cap-space to chase an All-Star PF. The Kings get a starting NBA PG and (2) shot blocking bigs in Thomas and Asik and a future draft pick. Imagine if we made this trade and were able to land a low-post scorer, our starting 5 would look like this:

PG - Rose

SG - Martin

SF - Deng

PF - Bosh / Boozer or STAT ?

C-Noah

We would till have Taj and JJ backing up both Forward positions and we could re-sign Miller and Rodirguez as well. I know the Bulls don't have the savvy to pull of a trade like this, but it's all right to dream I guess. 

The first step to draping the torso of Lebron James with Bulls red would be 1st draping the body of T-Mac in Bulls red. As we all know Salmons and Hinrich contracts play a huge role in us landing a top FA this off-season. As some have previously mentioned before, dealing both HInrich and Salmons to Houston in a deal for T-Mac. 

The Bulls would send HInrich, Salmons, James and Pargo to Houston in exchange for T-Mac, Lowry and Taylor or Dorsey. The salaries match for both teams and was accepted using the ESPN trade machine. 

Link.  

I think T-Mac would keep us competitive, because I'm sure he wants to get one last deal before be leaves the NBA. Lowry would be a competent back-up PG behind Rose and we would gain his Bird-rights for the off-season, which will be important later on. The Bulls would have a line-up and rotation as follows.

PG - Rose / Lowry

SG - T-Mac / Brown

SF - Deng / Johson

PF - Thomas / Gibson (I wish)

C-    Noah /Miller 

That team could still push for a play-off stop while maintaining maximum cap room for 2010. If the projected cap for 2010 is 55 mill we would have about 33 mill in cap room (All salaries were taken from www.Draftexpress.com). The 1st year for a max NBA deal is $16.5 Mill and we actually could sign (2) players to max deals while keeping a roster of Rose, Noah, Deng, Gibson, JJ, Asik and our 1st and 2nd round picks from the 2010 draft.

Lets say James wants to come to Chicago and be KING. We could ship Deng to the Cavs in a sign and trade that would still leave us with $27 to $28 Million in cap space with a Roster that includes Rose, James and Noah!

We could easily sign Bosh, STAT, Boozer or Lee to near max deals starting at around $13 to $15 mill per year. We could re-sign Lowry, who would be retarded to not want to play for this team. We probably could absorb a player purely as a salary dump, or sign someone like Azubuike of Golden State, who has an ETO at the end of this year. He would love to be the starting SG in that HOF line-up and make around $4 to $5 per.

If this would happend our team would look like this.

PG - Rose/ Lowry

SG - Azubuike/ 1st rounder 

SF - James/ JJ

PF - Bosh/ Gibson

C -   Noah/ Asik 

That team would win rings for years to come. And just to make Jerry happy we would be under the cap until we have to sign Rose and Noah to extensions lol. The sam scenario could be done with Wade, but for the sake of sleep I will not do another FanPost about this lol.

Call me a dreamer, but I do not think the Cavs, Heat, Knicks, Nets, Timberwolves or Clippers can compete with what the Bulls can offer. With a sign and trade Bron still can get a 6 year contract. We could also do a sign and trade for Bosh,  we could send them future picks and may bee JJ or Taj to make the numbers work and Bosh gets a 6 year deal as well.

Chicago is a major market with an avid and loyal fan base. I had an epiphany that this summer is going to be big for us and we can thank it all to Rose and Noah. Maybe it will be Wade replacing Lebron is this scenario, but something big is gonna happen for us people....I can feel it. 

First off to be competitive in 2010 we need to preserve cap space and remain a young and talented team. Both of these trades would help us two-fold. We all know if we can offer a superstar player a max-deal and to play for a young & talented team, that plays in a big market we can entice #3, #23 or #2 to play in Chicago.

I have two moves that can help us achieve that goal. The first step is getting a outside shooter who can keep defenses honest and keep the driving lanes open for Rose. The first trade I propose is a block buster that would improve both teams in area were they are weak. 

The Bulls trade Hinrich, Salmons and James Johnson to the Blazers for Blake, Outlaw, Webster and Bayless (for cap reasons). The Bulls get back a back-up PG with an expiring contract who can stroke the 3 to replace Hinrich in Blake. The Bulls also get an expiring deal in Outlaw. Webster has a decent contract and can stroke the 3. He is 6-7 and can play both wing positions which would come handy in 2010. 

Bayless is a filler and isn't getting much time in Rip City and wont get much with Hinrich and Miller manning the point. This trade helps the Blazers also. They get Hinrich whom the covet to play alongside Roy. Their 4 gurad rotation would look like this Kirk, Roy, Rudy and Miller (scary).

Salmons would slide to the 3 which is his natural position and fill the hole they have at the 3 spot. JJ makes the deal sweater since he can back up both forwards positions which they need. A line-up of Kirk, Roy, Salmons, LA and Oden is legit. With a bench of Miller, Rudy, Batum, JJ and Joey P!

This trade works using the ESPN trade machine, I tired to post then here but to no avail lol. You can go to ESPN and verify that the trade works lol. Thanks.

The second trade would fill the low-post scoring need we've had since Brand left town and give us a back-up Sf to replace JJ. We trade Deng, who is playing well right now (Sale high), Tyrus, the rights to Omer Asik and a unprotected 1st for Al Jefferson and Cory Brewer. This would give us a low-post scorer with some meat on his bones to play alongside Noah.

A Noah and Jefferson front court would be formidable to years to come. At this point i don't know if Minny gets offered a better package with 2010 looming and teams not wanting to take on salary. Jefferson is not a good fit next to Love and Love is a whole lot cheaper with more upside. We get Brewer in the trade because with Deng and Gomes at the 3 they have no need for a SF that cant shoot the three. Brewer also makes this trade works and i probably would want Gomes instead, but I would be amazed that Minny does that trade, but it does work.

Brewer or Gomes would be a back-up for us and nothing else. Minny gets Tyrus on a 1 year rental and if they like him they can re-sign him as a Restricted FA. This could work out for Tyrus as well and maybe the kid has a Tyson Chandler awakening once he is out of Chicago. TT would also give them athleticism on the front line along with shot-blocking. Minny has a problem filling seat and Tyrus will definitely electrify the Minny crowd with his absurd dunks and blocked shots.

Deng would also fill the hole they have at the wing spot. A front line of Deng, Thomas and Love looks pretty good to me. Plus Minny gets the rights to Asik who at least projects to be a shot-blocking back-up center in the NBA next season. They would go into the draft with (2) 1st rounders, the rights to Rubio and Asik and cap room and a good young roster. They could easily get a piece to fill that hole at the SG spot with all those assets. This trade works out for everyone involved.

This trade also works using ESPN trade machine. I had the same problem with the the trade machine link, but the trade works.

These trades would give a lineup of the following:

PG - Rose / Blake / Bayless

SG - Webster/ Bayless / Pargo

SF - Outlaw / Brewer or (Gomes) / Webster

PF - Jefferson / Gibson /Noah

C-Noah/ Miller/ Jefferson / Gray

This team would competitive to make it into the playoffs and cause damage. We would drastically improve our 3 pt shooting adding Blake and Webster along with Outlaw who is at least better that Deng. Jefferson would draw double teams which would get out shooters more looks and Rose would have plenty of lanes to drive or teams would pay. Last but not least these trades give us cap space for 2010.

If the Bulls pick the team options for Bayless and Brewer they will go into the summer of 2010 with a roster of 7 paying $33,588,096 (Salaries courteous of NBAdraftexpress.com). With a salary cap of $50 million we would have $16, 411,904 to offer a player in the first year of his deal. If we do not pick up the options on Brewer and Bayless then we would have $22,407,624 in cap space. Hopefully the cap is around 52 to 53 Million and we can keep both Bayless and Brewer while maintaining around 18 to 20 million in cap-space. 

With a good playoff run this team would be at least be able to get D-Wade, Bron or Joe Johnson thinking about the possibility of playing for Chicago. If we cannot pull this off or something similar the cancel 2010. Look at how the line-up would look with Wade or Lebron.

Rose, Webster, James, Jefferson and Noah or,

Rose, Wade, Webster, Jefferson and Noah.

We would win championship until Wade or James could no longer walk. Ahhh, a man can dream right? Pax and Gar would never pulls this kind of trade off. Thank GOD for NBA2K10 lol.

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Last year Tyrus Thomas averaged 10.8 ppg,  6.4 rpg, and 1.9 bpg in 27.5 minutes a game. Tyrus Shot 45% from the field and 78% from the free throw line. We all know that Tyrus came on strong later in the year becoming a double double machine and wetting the appetites of Bulls fans everywhere. The last 3 months of the season Tyrus posted averages of 13.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 bpg while shooting 47.3% from the field and 77% from the line while playing 32 mpg.

What if VDN gave TT consistent playing time and minutes that reflect a true PF in the NBA? LMA averaged 37 mpg last year for the Blazers and posted a stat line of 18 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1 bpg while shooting 48% from the floor and 78% from the line. As we all know LMA is the guy we traded for Tyrus, so who better for a comparison. People think that LMA is a far more better player than Tyrus and this is not the case, as I am going to prove.

Based on TT stats from the last 3 months of the season starting in Feb, if TT played 37 mpg he would have posted a stat line of 15.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.4 bpg. I divided TT's stats starting from (2-2-09) to the last game of the season (4-15-09) based his minutes played per game (32 ppg). I then multiplied whatever number the calculator provided me by 37 to determine TT's output if he were to play 37 mpg at the same production rate of the 32 minute average.

Based on these stats LMA averaged about 2 points more than TT, but averaged 1 rebound less and almost a block and a half less than TT. LMA only shot better from the filed and the line by 1%. With BG gone Tyrus will probably get more shots. With the continued development of Tyrus, better chemistry Rose and this being a contract year I expect big things for him. As we all know TT has been working extremely hard this off-season and has a lot to prove.

Tyrus turns 23 this August and still is a long way from his prime. If Tyrus can break out this year it will give the Bulls a lot of options. It is a win-win situation for the Bulls because his development improves his trade value and he will be a valuable piece come February. 

LMA stats @ 37 mpg

18 ppg / 7.5 rpg / 1 bpg / 48% FG / 78% FT

VS

TT stats @ 37 mpg

15.9 ppg / 8.5 rpg / 2.4 bpg / 47% FG / 77% FT

The sky is the limit for TT all we all want him to succeed. The only thing holding Tyrus back is VDN.

I know everyone is down about BG leaving. I was one of the people who wanted to see him stay and become a major factor in us returning to championship glory. I also did not think it was a wise basketball move to pay BG 11 million dollars a year and this is not to defend Cheapskate Jerry the Jerkface. But how many times did we yell at BG for not giving Rose the ball during a fast break? How many times did we yell about needing a taller more prototypical SG to play alongside Rose?

I love BG as much as the next man, but we were not going to win a championship with BG as the starting SG. DET is not going to win a ring with BG as it's starting SG. We also could not afford to pay BG 11 million to come off the bench. I know Kirk is making 10 million to back up Rose, but we got Rose by sheer luck, if we didn't Kirk would still be our starting PG.

The main key for us to make up for BG's scoring is Deng. If Deng can return to form 18 ppg and 7 to 8 rpg / Rose takes a step up in stats 18 to 20 ppg / Salmons gets about 18 ppg at the SG spot and Tyrus improves on his 10.8 ppg from last year to about 12 to 14 ppg we will be fine. Plus Hinrich coming off the pine is at least 10 to 12 ppg and you cannot forget about Miller and the rookie Johnson. 

With BG gone I think we will have better ball movement and better team defense. Rose will get more control of the offense and everyone will get more shots. This move proves to me that this is Rose's team and those who do not fit will be discarded (Tyrus you are next). I believe that Kirk will eventually be dealt and we will make a trade for Bosh or STAT at the trade deadline. The next step after that would be for Wade to sign as a free-agent. Having Rose and Bosh on the same roster would motivate Wade to come home. Cheer up Bulls fans the line-up for next season does not look that bad. (I hope)

PG - Rose / Hinrich

SG - Salmons / Hinrich

SF - Deng / Salmons / Johsnon

PF - Thomas / Noah / Johnson / Gibson

C -   Noah/ Miller