If you are a Bulls fan, the two teams you do not want to see win the lottery are New Jersey or the Clippers, as Wall is supposed to be one of LeBron's buddies and these two teams are primary competitors in the bigger sweepstakes. So, go Timberwolves, Wizards, Kings, Golden State, and Philadelphia! You guys need all the help you can get anyway.
Actually, I think there are two big prizes in this draft: Wall and Evan Turner. If Turner was just a bit less turnover prone (or if some GM thinks he can become so), I could easily see him going number one. It will be particularly interesting if Minnesota wins the lottery after taking three point guards last year. Do they give up on waiting for Rubio and take Wall, or hope that taking Turner will get Rubio over here? In any case, every team wants the balls to land them in the top two.
Of course the Bulls are not in the lottery for the first time in awhile, since they made the playoffs and no longer have nice picks sent over from the Knicks. That means they will pick around the middle and need to scout out this year's Taj Gibson. They will certainly be watching with interest, Nets and Clippers voodoo dolls in hand.
The LeBron mania still spreads like a wildfire. Once again we have tons of John Calipari rumors, as he is another LeBron (and Rose of course, since he coached him in college) buddy. And once again Calipari shoots them down with a Twitter or two. Of course this guy jumps out of contracts as fast as his high profile recruits jump towards the rim, so it is still hard to say. Doesn't seem likely though.
We also have Doc Rivers rumors! That seems crazy when the Celtics are still contending for the championship, but having a chance to coach LeBron in your hometown has got to sound a bit appealing. I don't think it will happen but I wish it would. Rivers coached circles around Mike Brown in that Cleveland series.
Finally, we have the rumor linking LeBron with Eddy Curry of all people, saying that LeBron wants to work out with him during the summer! Does Eddy Curry ever look like he works out over the summer? Seems more like he sits on the coach with the snacks and the video games. In any case, you would think Eddy Curry would have bad things to say about both Chicago and New York while he's spotting LeBron pump iron.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
The LeBron Frenzy
Prior to the Cav's surprising second round exit from the playoffs, the Las Vegas odds on LeBron James leaving Cleveland were around 44-1. Yesterday they were 5-1, and today they are 1-1. Of course this is all pure speculation, but there can certainly be little doubt that LeBron would resign with the Cavs with a Finals appearance. Now, he's got plenty of people talking.
Bulls fans are now wondering why LeBron didn't display his Celtic series turnover-prone detachment during the series with the Bulls. They are also dreaming about how good he would look in Bulls uniform next year, as are the Knicks and the soon to be Brooklyn Nets.
But before I continue with LeBron, let's consider the other three top free agents who are now done for the season. Wade got bounced early, but still seems set on Miami. He's trying hard to recruit the next two tier free agents: Bosh and Joe Johnson. Bosh could go almost anywhere, but I'm fairly sure he'll leave Toronto. The latest rumors have Joe Johnson, either joining Wade in Miami (where I'm guessing he would have to move over to the 3) or heading for the Nets. Johnson played badly during the playoffs and we'll have to see if that hurts him with suitors. I'm sure he's looking for max money and some owners will now be reluctant to give it to him after seeing him tank in some big games.
The same is definitely not true of LeBron. Yes, he was both off and strangely distracted in game five vs Boston. And yes, he had too many turnovers in game six (but also a triple-double!). Even so, every owner in the league would gladly sacrifice half his team to give him a max contract. LeBron set himself up a bit for criticism with his cocky attitude, but he's right to laugh at people who talk about the Boston series being his legacy. As LeBron himself replied, he's only 25 years old! He's got two MVPs in a row and he's very likely to win many more, as well as a few championships.
Now, let's indulge in some dreaming for the Bulls. What if Wade shouts out for help in Miami and the only one who answers the call is Carlos Boozer? In that case, his hometown might look pretty good to him. There's no doubt Miami wanted Rose instead of Beasley in the draft and this would solve that problem for Wade. It would give the Bulls the best backcourt in the NBA and that's not a bad start.
The New York papers already have LeBron signing with the Knicks, but I think he'll have reservations unless they also get Bosh and maybe even someone else as well. The Knicks are just that bad. Of course, Boston was pretty bad before they did their free agent snagging, but at least they had Paul Pierce. New York has little to offer other than being New York.
The Nets could be a wild card with their new Brooklyn arena and Russian billionaire owner ready to spend out all that cap room. Their problem is that they are even worse than the Knicks. However, if they wind up winning the lottery, and getting John Wall, who I expect to wind up as good as Rose in the NBA, then they might pull in some big names.
I think there's still a very good chance LeBron stays in Cleveland. Mike Brown will be fired, despite being last year's coach of the year and having the Cavs finish with the best record in the NBA this year. The best coaches will want to be where LeBron is, so if he says Cleveland, then to Cleveland they shall go, once they get the King's thumbs up. And they will get decent mid-level free agents at bargain prices if he is there, just for the chance at a championship.
However, the Cavs don't have cap room for a top free agent. And the team they have doesn't seem likely to improve next year. If LeBron decides he wants to win next year, then the Bulls might be the easiest place to do it. There's no question he would be given preference of picking from the new coaching candidates.
Bottom line is that having all these guys lose early in the playoffs is great news for the Bulls. Yes, Amare is still playing, but I'm not all that fond of him. Of course I wouldn't refuse him if he wanted to come join Wade or LeBron. If the Bulls are lucky enough to get either one of those two, then lower level free agents will arrive hat in hand.
Bulls fans are now wondering why LeBron didn't display his Celtic series turnover-prone detachment during the series with the Bulls. They are also dreaming about how good he would look in Bulls uniform next year, as are the Knicks and the soon to be Brooklyn Nets.
But before I continue with LeBron, let's consider the other three top free agents who are now done for the season. Wade got bounced early, but still seems set on Miami. He's trying hard to recruit the next two tier free agents: Bosh and Joe Johnson. Bosh could go almost anywhere, but I'm fairly sure he'll leave Toronto. The latest rumors have Joe Johnson, either joining Wade in Miami (where I'm guessing he would have to move over to the 3) or heading for the Nets. Johnson played badly during the playoffs and we'll have to see if that hurts him with suitors. I'm sure he's looking for max money and some owners will now be reluctant to give it to him after seeing him tank in some big games.
The same is definitely not true of LeBron. Yes, he was both off and strangely distracted in game five vs Boston. And yes, he had too many turnovers in game six (but also a triple-double!). Even so, every owner in the league would gladly sacrifice half his team to give him a max contract. LeBron set himself up a bit for criticism with his cocky attitude, but he's right to laugh at people who talk about the Boston series being his legacy. As LeBron himself replied, he's only 25 years old! He's got two MVPs in a row and he's very likely to win many more, as well as a few championships.
Now, let's indulge in some dreaming for the Bulls. What if Wade shouts out for help in Miami and the only one who answers the call is Carlos Boozer? In that case, his hometown might look pretty good to him. There's no doubt Miami wanted Rose instead of Beasley in the draft and this would solve that problem for Wade. It would give the Bulls the best backcourt in the NBA and that's not a bad start.
The New York papers already have LeBron signing with the Knicks, but I think he'll have reservations unless they also get Bosh and maybe even someone else as well. The Knicks are just that bad. Of course, Boston was pretty bad before they did their free agent snagging, but at least they had Paul Pierce. New York has little to offer other than being New York.
The Nets could be a wild card with their new Brooklyn arena and Russian billionaire owner ready to spend out all that cap room. Their problem is that they are even worse than the Knicks. However, if they wind up winning the lottery, and getting John Wall, who I expect to wind up as good as Rose in the NBA, then they might pull in some big names.
I think there's still a very good chance LeBron stays in Cleveland. Mike Brown will be fired, despite being last year's coach of the year and having the Cavs finish with the best record in the NBA this year. The best coaches will want to be where LeBron is, so if he says Cleveland, then to Cleveland they shall go, once they get the King's thumbs up. And they will get decent mid-level free agents at bargain prices if he is there, just for the chance at a championship.
However, the Cavs don't have cap room for a top free agent. And the team they have doesn't seem likely to improve next year. If LeBron decides he wants to win next year, then the Bulls might be the easiest place to do it. There's no question he would be given preference of picking from the new coaching candidates.
Bottom line is that having all these guys lose early in the playoffs is great news for the Bulls. Yes, Amare is still playing, but I'm not all that fond of him. Of course I wouldn't refuse him if he wanted to come join Wade or LeBron. If the Bulls are lucky enough to get either one of those two, then lower level free agents will arrive hat in hand.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Farewell to Vinny
I think the Bulls were just waiting for the next holiday to fire Vinny on, and decided that Cinco de Mayo was good enough. It was long expected, not entirely fair, and quite possibly leaves them without a coach going into the July free agent signing period. Paxson gave a half-hearted apology for attacking Vinny, and unfortunately said that he himself was sticking around. Forman seemed to indicate that the Bulls were in no hurry to hire a new coach, even though that makes no sense at all. None of the coaching candidates being tossed around sound very promising to me.
Am I sounding down? Well, let's try to be optimistic. The Bulls played three good games against Cleveland. Unfortunately, they lost two of them -- one because the Cavs were too hot to beat in game two, and the other because of some poor calls and bad luck in game five. Still, it was as good an effort as could be expected. Our core of Rose, Noah, and Taj, all got valuable playoff experience and all did a decent job. The Bulls are about $20 million under the cap (which was boosted a few million from what was projected earlier). We'll lose Brad Miller, who was valuable, but everyone else of consequence (and some with none) will be returning.
However, for all the talk about how great the 2010 free agent class is, it does seem unlikely that the biggest names will leave. LeBron is either going to get a ring or get very close to it, so he's not likely to leave. And even if he did, he's far more likely to go to New York or Brooklyn than Chicago. Wade has stated that he wants to stay in Miami. Dirk Nowitski, Paul Pierce, and Manu Ginobili are all very unlikely to leave. Joe Johnson isn't terribly likely as well.
So, that basically leaves Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire as the only big names likely to bolt. The Bulls best bet is to sign Chris Bosh early and then dangle that in front of some of the less likely stars. Maybe they could get someone like Joe Johnson to change their mind. That would be my best case scenario (minus LeBron and Wade): Bosh and Johnson, but even just getting one of those two would be a huge step up. Keep in mind that the Knicks and the Nets will have exactly the same strategy -- signing one big name early and using that to lure a second, so the Bulls really have their work set out for them. Plus LeBron and Wade will attract free agents to whatever team they decide to play with.
Clearly there is a lot of pressure on the front office to both sign some free agents and hire a decent coach. The Bulls have a bad track record with both, but at least we're in a position to hope, for the moment anyway.
Am I sounding down? Well, let's try to be optimistic. The Bulls played three good games against Cleveland. Unfortunately, they lost two of them -- one because the Cavs were too hot to beat in game two, and the other because of some poor calls and bad luck in game five. Still, it was as good an effort as could be expected. Our core of Rose, Noah, and Taj, all got valuable playoff experience and all did a decent job. The Bulls are about $20 million under the cap (which was boosted a few million from what was projected earlier). We'll lose Brad Miller, who was valuable, but everyone else of consequence (and some with none) will be returning.
However, for all the talk about how great the 2010 free agent class is, it does seem unlikely that the biggest names will leave. LeBron is either going to get a ring or get very close to it, so he's not likely to leave. And even if he did, he's far more likely to go to New York or Brooklyn than Chicago. Wade has stated that he wants to stay in Miami. Dirk Nowitski, Paul Pierce, and Manu Ginobili are all very unlikely to leave. Joe Johnson isn't terribly likely as well.
So, that basically leaves Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire as the only big names likely to bolt. The Bulls best bet is to sign Chris Bosh early and then dangle that in front of some of the less likely stars. Maybe they could get someone like Joe Johnson to change their mind. That would be my best case scenario (minus LeBron and Wade): Bosh and Johnson, but even just getting one of those two would be a huge step up. Keep in mind that the Knicks and the Nets will have exactly the same strategy -- signing one big name early and using that to lure a second, so the Bulls really have their work set out for them. Plus LeBron and Wade will attract free agents to whatever team they decide to play with.
Clearly there is a lot of pressure on the front office to both sign some free agents and hire a decent coach. The Bulls have a bad track record with both, but at least we're in a position to hope, for the moment anyway.
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