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.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Not Shocking the World
In the first playoff game, the Bulls looked resigned to the fact that they are over-matched in this series. They weren't terrible, but not exactly inspired either.
However, they were ready to steal the second game if the Cavs left them an opening. Very low turnovers, decent shooting, working hard on defense and for rebounds -- an all around solid effort by the Bulls. Unfortunately, the Cavs were just red-hot that night, particularly James. If Cleveland shoots as well as they did in game two for the rest of the playoffs, then the championship is clearly theirs -- no one is going to stop them.
LeBron already has the MVP trophy waiting for him, and a performance like in game two will make the voting unanimous. He doesn't shoot like that all the time though, so we'll see how far Cleveland gets if he cools off.
Most likely, the Bulls have 2-4 games left in their season. If they play them as well as their last game, then they can exit with a positive atmosphere, regardless of the outcome.
BTW, on the subject of Noah's big mouth, getting both Boston and Cleveland fans angry at him, well, that's just how he is. He's playing well on the court, so I'm not going to thump him about it. And how can you make an argument against someone who says that Cleveland isn't a good vacation destination? As a side note, I think Garnett's suspension is a bit harsh. He's just an emotional guy and those elbow jabs didn't look all that dangerous to me.
However, they were ready to steal the second game if the Cavs left them an opening. Very low turnovers, decent shooting, working hard on defense and for rebounds -- an all around solid effort by the Bulls. Unfortunately, the Cavs were just red-hot that night, particularly James. If Cleveland shoots as well as they did in game two for the rest of the playoffs, then the championship is clearly theirs -- no one is going to stop them.
LeBron already has the MVP trophy waiting for him, and a performance like in game two will make the voting unanimous. He doesn't shoot like that all the time though, so we'll see how far Cleveland gets if he cools off.
Most likely, the Bulls have 2-4 games left in their season. If they play them as well as their last game, then they can exit with a positive atmosphere, regardless of the outcome.
BTW, on the subject of Noah's big mouth, getting both Boston and Cleveland fans angry at him, well, that's just how he is. He's playing well on the court, so I'm not going to thump him about it. And how can you make an argument against someone who says that Cleveland isn't a good vacation destination? As a side note, I think Garnett's suspension is a bit harsh. He's just an emotional guy and those elbow jabs didn't look all that dangerous to me.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Battling Bulls
Just had to steal that title from the Sun Times front page story about the scuffle between Del Negro and Paxson. But before I get into that, let's check in on the Bulls playoff battle. As I wrote last time, Bosh's injury left the playoff door wide open for the Bulls to limp through, and limp they are. After beating their wretched-looking competition, the Raptors, and getting playoff destiny in their own hands, they then tried their utmost to toss it away with a woeful double-overtime loss to the lowly Nets. That loss meant that the Bulls lost a season series (2-1) against one of the worst teams in basketball history. Fortunately, Toronto also lost, so the Bulls were still a half game ahead.
With Toronto owning the head-to-head tiebreaker and having two easy games left on their schedule, that meant that the Bulls would basically have to win their last two games to get into the playoffs. First up for them was Boston at home and the Bulls backcourt suddenly exploded offensively. Rose had 39 and Heinrich had 30, both season highs! No other Bulls scored in double figures, but they didn't need to! The Bulls stepped up big time amidst a mega-distraction and now only need to beat Charlotte tonight to make the 8th spot.
OK, now for the good stuff. Yahoo (stealing from the Sun Times reporter) said that Paxson tried to pick a fight with Del Negro after the Phoenix game over Vinny's extending Noah's minutes beyond his orders. Another source said that Del Negro wasn't so passive as the Yahoo story suggested and that the two had almost comes to blows before. My take on this is that we need to let these two duke it out! Charles Barkley picked Vinny over Paxson (although he first stated that neither one could fight) and I'm not going to argue with Charles. Maybe it is just wishful thinking because I'd love to see someone punch Paxson in the face.
Seriously though, if this is enough to tear Reinsdorf away from watching baseball games long enough to make a front office change, I'd say it is a blessing in disguise. Both Paxson and Forman need to go! How many years of ineptitude can the Bulls fans stand? (We're not talking about Cubs fans here.) As for Vinny, he's had two years and done about as well as one would expect given the team's talent. Obviously if they lose tonight, or even if they win and Reinsdorf once again sides with Pax, Vinny is going to get fired as soon as the season ends. While he isn't the greatest coach in the world, he almost certainly doesn't deserve that.
Interestingly, the word is that Vinny tried to get permission from Paxson (and remember that this is post scuffle) to extend Noah's minutes during that awful Nets overtime game. Paxson gave the OK, but Vinny didn't get the message until it was too late. That certainly must have angered both of them.
First up is Charlotte away though. A lot may hinge on whether Larry Brown wants to rest his guys before the playoffs or not. The Bobcats have somewhat surprisingly locked up the 7th spot and cannot move up, only because they would lose a tie-breaker with the Bucks, who are a game in front. There's no doubt the networks would much prefer the Bulls over a Bosh-less Toronto. Let the conspiracies begin!
With Toronto owning the head-to-head tiebreaker and having two easy games left on their schedule, that meant that the Bulls would basically have to win their last two games to get into the playoffs. First up for them was Boston at home and the Bulls backcourt suddenly exploded offensively. Rose had 39 and Heinrich had 30, both season highs! No other Bulls scored in double figures, but they didn't need to! The Bulls stepped up big time amidst a mega-distraction and now only need to beat Charlotte tonight to make the 8th spot.
OK, now for the good stuff. Yahoo (stealing from the Sun Times reporter) said that Paxson tried to pick a fight with Del Negro after the Phoenix game over Vinny's extending Noah's minutes beyond his orders. Another source said that Del Negro wasn't so passive as the Yahoo story suggested and that the two had almost comes to blows before. My take on this is that we need to let these two duke it out! Charles Barkley picked Vinny over Paxson (although he first stated that neither one could fight) and I'm not going to argue with Charles. Maybe it is just wishful thinking because I'd love to see someone punch Paxson in the face.
Seriously though, if this is enough to tear Reinsdorf away from watching baseball games long enough to make a front office change, I'd say it is a blessing in disguise. Both Paxson and Forman need to go! How many years of ineptitude can the Bulls fans stand? (We're not talking about Cubs fans here.) As for Vinny, he's had two years and done about as well as one would expect given the team's talent. Obviously if they lose tonight, or even if they win and Reinsdorf once again sides with Pax, Vinny is going to get fired as soon as the season ends. While he isn't the greatest coach in the world, he almost certainly doesn't deserve that.
Interestingly, the word is that Vinny tried to get permission from Paxson (and remember that this is post scuffle) to extend Noah's minutes during that awful Nets overtime game. Paxson gave the OK, but Vinny didn't get the message until it was too late. That certainly must have angered both of them.
First up is Charlotte away though. A lot may hinge on whether Larry Brown wants to rest his guys before the playoffs or not. The Bobcats have somewhat surprisingly locked up the 7th spot and cannot move up, only because they would lose a tie-breaker with the Bucks, who are a game in front. There's no doubt the networks would much prefer the Bulls over a Bosh-less Toronto. Let the conspiracies begin!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Playoff Push
When a team is borderline playoffs, do you hope they miss out and get into the draft lottery, or do you cheer for the inevitable first round exit? I used to favor the lottery, but in the Bulls' case you clearly have to hope for the playoffs. First, because the Bulls generally haven't drafted well, and second because the playoff experience is important to developing a winning team.
And, on a night when John Salmons rubbed 26 points in the noses of Bulls management for trading him to the Bucks, clinching a playoff spot for them, and ex-Bulls coach Scott Skiles, the Bulls got a huge break in their playoff hunt. Toronto, who is currently a game ahead of the Bulls for the last playoff spot, lost Chris Bosh to a broken facial bone. It is unclear how long he'll be out but there are only five games left for them. What makes this scenario even more interesting is that Bosh is one of the main targets for the Bulls in next summer's free agent signings, so it's a double competition between the Bulls and the Raptors.
The fact that the Bulls lost an important game at home to a Milwaukee team who was missing Andrew Bogut to injury proves that they clearly don't actually deserve to make the playoffs. They are a leaderless team. Their best player, Rose, is notoriously reticent. Their highest paid player, Deng, is continually slammed for his lack of leadership ability, most stingingly by former Duke alumni and ex-Bull Jay Williams: "I've never really seen Lu lead. I didn't see him lead when he was in college, and I haven't really seen him lead as a pro. I always see him kind of fitting in, following the flow." Yep, that's Luol in a nutshell, sleepily "following the flow" and getting out of the way of any stiff competition. And when was the last time you saw a team waive one of their captains, as the Bulls did this year to Lindsey Hunter?
Their only hope is to import skilled leadership through free agency while continuing to develop their young core talents: Rose, Noah, and Gibson, and that means a playoff stint, even with the inevitable defeat. On the one hand it looks like the Bulls have gone backwards this year, since they easily made the playoffs last year and gave Boston a great fight. However, they are better poised financially to pick up free agents, Rose and Noah have another year under their belts, and we have Taj instead of Tyrus. So, I think they could wind up in a potentially better position, provided they finish strong and avoid the bitter disappointment of missing the playoffs when the door is wide open for them to crawl in.
And, on a night when John Salmons rubbed 26 points in the noses of Bulls management for trading him to the Bucks, clinching a playoff spot for them, and ex-Bulls coach Scott Skiles, the Bulls got a huge break in their playoff hunt. Toronto, who is currently a game ahead of the Bulls for the last playoff spot, lost Chris Bosh to a broken facial bone. It is unclear how long he'll be out but there are only five games left for them. What makes this scenario even more interesting is that Bosh is one of the main targets for the Bulls in next summer's free agent signings, so it's a double competition between the Bulls and the Raptors.
The fact that the Bulls lost an important game at home to a Milwaukee team who was missing Andrew Bogut to injury proves that they clearly don't actually deserve to make the playoffs. They are a leaderless team. Their best player, Rose, is notoriously reticent. Their highest paid player, Deng, is continually slammed for his lack of leadership ability, most stingingly by former Duke alumni and ex-Bull Jay Williams: "I've never really seen Lu lead. I didn't see him lead when he was in college, and I haven't really seen him lead as a pro. I always see him kind of fitting in, following the flow." Yep, that's Luol in a nutshell, sleepily "following the flow" and getting out of the way of any stiff competition. And when was the last time you saw a team waive one of their captains, as the Bulls did this year to Lindsey Hunter?
Their only hope is to import skilled leadership through free agency while continuing to develop their young core talents: Rose, Noah, and Gibson, and that means a playoff stint, even with the inevitable defeat. On the one hand it looks like the Bulls have gone backwards this year, since they easily made the playoffs last year and gave Boston a great fight. However, they are better poised financially to pick up free agents, Rose and Noah have another year under their belts, and we have Taj instead of Tyrus. So, I think they could wind up in a potentially better position, provided they finish strong and avoid the bitter disappointment of missing the playoffs when the door is wide open for them to crawl in.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Punting on their Mistakes at the End of the Trade Deadline
Before the trading frenzy, the Bulls played a rare home/away back-to-back against the Knicks. I had the good fortune to attend the game at the United Center in a very nice halfcourt box. I always enjoy watching the Bulls beat up on one of the few teams consistently more hapless than they are.
Of course the real action between the Bulls and Knicks wasn't on the court, but in that huge T-Mac expiring contract competition. There was some surprising drama here as that coveted T-Mac contract first went to Sacramento from Houston, basically for Kevin Martin. But now it is looking like the Kings will now swap it to the Knicks. They paid a pretty steep price for it though. The Rockets get their draft pick two years from now and have the option to swap picks with them next year. So, the Knicks are gambling big time on getting prime free agents next year, but it is still probably a good move for them.
As mentioned previously, I wanted the Bulls to take this same tactic. They didn't get T-Mac, but they weren't completely idle either. They jettisoned Salmons to the Bucks for expiring contracts, and Thomas (!!!) to the Bobcats for expiring contracts and a protected draft pick. Looking at the glass half empty, tossing away Salmons is proof that their big trade last year was a failure; we didn't get much for Tyrus; and the Bulls didn't get rid of those bloated contracts of Hinrich and Deng, which will be a burden when free agent shopping next year. Also on the pessimistic side is the fact that the Cavs made a great trade in grabbing Jamison from the Wiz, making them the favorites for the title, which would drastically reduce the chances of LeBron bolting for free agency next year.
But let's also examine the glass half full position. First off -- Tyrus is gone!! I don't care that we're basically trading a former number two draft pick for what will be a non-lottery pick. He's gone and that's a good move! Next, tossing away Salmons was no easy task because he, like Deng and Hinrich, makes far more than he is worth, and in this current cash strapped NBA no team likes to take on salaries for under-achievers. The Bulls got lucky because the Bucks are in a rare playoff hunt and they've lost their shooting guard (Redd) to injury. They need someone like Salmons if they want to go to the playoffs, so they were inclined to pay for him.
One might question the wisdom of the Bulls sending players to two of the teams who are competing with them for a playoff spot, but the answer to that is simple -- the Bulls are bailing on this year, as they should. The big danger is that the locker room gets a poisoned attitude towards management waving the white flag. However, the Bulls still have a very good chance to make the playoffs, even with these trades. They did get Warrick and Alexander back for Salmons, and Murray and Law back for Tyrus. Of these four, I only expect Warrick and Murray to play, and while they certainly aren't great players, they should provide enough bodies for the Bulls to limp into their inevitable first round playoff loss.
Can't help pointing out that for two years running, Amare Stoudemire was most involved in trade deadline rumors, and yet he remains a Sun. Last year he got injured right after the trade deadline, so I'm expecting history to repeat itself.
Of course the real action between the Bulls and Knicks wasn't on the court, but in that huge T-Mac expiring contract competition. There was some surprising drama here as that coveted T-Mac contract first went to Sacramento from Houston, basically for Kevin Martin. But now it is looking like the Kings will now swap it to the Knicks. They paid a pretty steep price for it though. The Rockets get their draft pick two years from now and have the option to swap picks with them next year. So, the Knicks are gambling big time on getting prime free agents next year, but it is still probably a good move for them.
As mentioned previously, I wanted the Bulls to take this same tactic. They didn't get T-Mac, but they weren't completely idle either. They jettisoned Salmons to the Bucks for expiring contracts, and Thomas (!!!) to the Bobcats for expiring contracts and a protected draft pick. Looking at the glass half empty, tossing away Salmons is proof that their big trade last year was a failure; we didn't get much for Tyrus; and the Bulls didn't get rid of those bloated contracts of Hinrich and Deng, which will be a burden when free agent shopping next year. Also on the pessimistic side is the fact that the Cavs made a great trade in grabbing Jamison from the Wiz, making them the favorites for the title, which would drastically reduce the chances of LeBron bolting for free agency next year.
But let's also examine the glass half full position. First off -- Tyrus is gone!! I don't care that we're basically trading a former number two draft pick for what will be a non-lottery pick. He's gone and that's a good move! Next, tossing away Salmons was no easy task because he, like Deng and Hinrich, makes far more than he is worth, and in this current cash strapped NBA no team likes to take on salaries for under-achievers. The Bulls got lucky because the Bucks are in a rare playoff hunt and they've lost their shooting guard (Redd) to injury. They need someone like Salmons if they want to go to the playoffs, so they were inclined to pay for him.
One might question the wisdom of the Bulls sending players to two of the teams who are competing with them for a playoff spot, but the answer to that is simple -- the Bulls are bailing on this year, as they should. The big danger is that the locker room gets a poisoned attitude towards management waving the white flag. However, the Bulls still have a very good chance to make the playoffs, even with these trades. They did get Warrick and Alexander back for Salmons, and Murray and Law back for Tyrus. Of these four, I only expect Warrick and Murray to play, and while they certainly aren't great players, they should provide enough bodies for the Bulls to limp into their inevitable first round playoff loss.
Can't help pointing out that for two years running, Amare Stoudemire was most involved in trade deadline rumors, and yet he remains a Sun. Last year he got injured right after the trade deadline, so I'm expecting history to repeat itself.
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