Deng deal is done

Good deal - Deng should improve playing with a real point guard.

Monta Ellis is a complete player - no comparison to Gordon.

Good for Deng. It looks like not accepting the earlier deal was a good idea. I just don't understand why everybody is all of a sudden so down on Ben Gordon. Never mind that he's your leading scorer, one-time 6th man of the year,lightning in a bottle type of player. I know he's undersized, but if he can consistently give you 18 to 20 points off the bench, they need to keep him.

Glad Deng got signed; I think he's much better than he showed last season and is a versatile threat to aid Rose.

I'd like to get inside Gordon's head and see exactly where he's coming from thinking he should be the team's highest paid player. If I may beat a dead horse, he's so one-dimensional and as strong as he is offensively, he's that much of a liability on defense.

Well I'm still a little irked at Deng for tanking the season last year. The Bulls were in position to advance to at least the Eastern Conference finals and like it or not, Deng was one of the primary reasons for it. That's right, Roman, Deng did NOT demonstrate mental toughness and that's basically a problem. After 4-5 years in the league, we already know his limitations on the court, yet we're still playing the same old song of "untapped potential" or "will become a superstar" one day. Luol Deng is not a late bloomer. He doesn't have the drive and mental toughness to get that much better. He's not going to all of a sudden learn how to post and rebound effectively, learn how to dribble well or shoot consistent NBA 3-point jump shots. Oh wait, Deng doesn't shoot jump shots, they're more like set shots because he's not athletically coordinated enough to mechanically shoot a jump shot at its highest peak. On top of all that, he's too soft spoken to lead a team to become perennial championship contenders. In other words, we not only paid a 6-year, 71 million (or possibly up to 80 mil w/ incentive bonuses) contract for a forever COMPLIMENTARY non-all star player, but the Bulls offered him even MORE than the offer last year after coming off a disaster season?? All this because Deng threatened an August 4 deadline to finalize a contract?? How in the world did he earn this kind of contract?? I'm not saying that Deng is a bust. He's a nice NBA player and he's a nice guy, but not worth this kind of contract. The Bulls have basically set the market that Deng is as good as PF,C Emeka Okafor who signed for 6-years, $72mil?? Unbelievable. Not smart at all. But whatever, Deng's finally signed and now we can FINALLY move on to more roster tinkering with possible trades involving Hinrich, Hughes or Ben Gordon. One or 2 of those 3 will certainly have to move or Gordon signs the 1-year tender. Doggone Pax and their snail-pace negotiations. Get this roster fixed up and prepared for the new season already!!! I don't want to hear that "it's only July". It's never too early after that disaster season!!

As for BG and Monta Ellis... it was your boy, Ricky, who brought up the discussion of comparison because of the contract Ellis just signed last week. Yes, Ellis is more explosive and is better than BG overall, but don't say that to Southside Keith. Hint hint... he's the biggest Ben Gordon fan. ;)

It is nice to know Roman either has a short memory or doesn't actually read his own writing.

Hey Roman, you are aware if you click on the archive tab, people can see what you wrote before. Not only did you jump off the Deng bandwagon, you lit a match and torched it. What has changed? Are you thinking now that Deng has money coming out of his ears that he'll buy you dinner?

The Bulls basically fined themselves $20 million for the way they talked him up and made him untouchable the past two years in trade talks, but it isn't my money. Good for Deng. By no means should he have gotten a bigger contract than Al Jefferson or Kevin Martin, and he should make more than Tayshaun Prince. But hey, between Deng and Nocioni, now the Bulls have an unthinkable amount of money wrapped up in small forwards.

Roman responds: I did fall off last season, but I think he'll bounce back this year if he stays healthy. I think you can become mentally stronger if you have the right mindset, and I think he does.

I think what people might be missing about this contract is that it is supposed to be structured where the money is backloaded. As the escalations occur, it should be in unison with the inflation that is bound to occur over the years of the contract. So even though a 6 year $72 million sounds like a lot (and it is), he may be a bargain in, say, 2010 or 2011. Especially so if the trend of European teams offering big money to NBA players continues.

Don't get me wrong. I used to be a big fan of Deng, but soured on him last year. I know he can't handle ball all that well and is a streaky shooter. However, his length does provide defensive options and it doesn't seem like he signed for anything drastically over what the market is demanding.

That's a lot of money for Luol Deng. Now they need to get Gordon locked up.

I agree that Deng should bounce back, but I have a hard time seeing him ever being as good as Ben Gordon. I don't think most Bulls fans realize the degree of difficulty on the shots that Gordon is forced to make. He takes the highest degree of difficulty shots, and still is the Bulls most efficient scorer. If Rose/Deng step it up next year, and take more pressure off Gordon, and he gets some more normal shots, Gordon is going to explode next year.

$80M/6yr for Deng? Crazy. Deng & Kirk are similar players. They don't excel at one position but their all around skills make them suitable hybrids. Hybrids are best used off the bench.

In Kirk's case he's a PG/SG hybrid. In Deng's case he's a SG/SF hybrid. Unless he is capable of more physical play than he's shown he'll never be an all-star as a SF.

The same can be said for Thomas & Noah. They are C/PF hybrids. They'll never excel at either position & again are best used off the bench.

The only true position player on the Bulls is Gordon. If you put him on a team with a top 10 PG he's an all-star at the SG position. As it is now he's a top 5 SG in PPG/FT%/FG%/3PT% in the NBA today.

So if any one on the Bulls deserves $80M/6yr it's Gordon. You don't look to your top scorer for defense. You look for him to score & you try to get him open shots.

I'm glad the Bulls signed Deng. I agree with Roman, I think he'll bounce back this year and have a good season. In my opinion, Deng is at his best at moving without the ball. He's a slasher, not a creator. Last year he tried so hard to score on the post and looked lost most of the time. Of course, that's only my opinion. He's also not a leader, but this year he doesn't have to be. Derrick Rose will be the man. He can create and draw the defense to him and that would allow for Deng to do his thing. Slash or get into position for his mid-range jump shot. Something Kirk Hinrich is not capable of because of his dribble drive, dribble and ran out the clock style. I think opposing teams realized this, therefore they concentrated on Deng and Gordon and let Hinrich do his thing (dribble, dribble, ran out the clock) because opposing teams are not afraid of him scoring. I also would like the Bulls to sign Gordon, there's not a lot of guards in the league who can shoot and get hot like him. With Derrick Rose running the offense, he'll get more open shots and will score more. People forget that he averaged 18 points a game making a lot of tough shots.Imagine this year-- Rose playing the point, penetrating, drawing the defense and look who's standing all alone behind the 3 point line, Deng slashing or getting into position to receive the pass for his deadly mid range jump shot, Noah, Thomas or Gooden getting into position for a put back (just in case)and the best part -- Kirk watching from the bench. I wouldn't' mind if Captain Kirk gets traded. It's not fun watching him ran out the clock and turn the ball over and shoot 41%.

Bulls are going to keep the soft-hearted Deng and dump the almond-eyed-assassin. Thats Pax. That definitely means Gordon is gone and he is going to keep Kirk and bring Rose off the bench. Rose is going to take Duhon's old spot. Hughes and Thabo will run the two. Leaving us with basically NO BENCH. I really feel like Tyrus was poised to have a big year and would do it in the 3 spot vacated by Deng. Mr. softee is going to be in the game shooting those Rasheed Wallace 25 footers. I feel like tearing up Edgar's tickets!

I stand by my assessment of Gordon being better than Monte Ellis. For me, its when you do your scoring that counts. We will see how good he is without Baron over there drawing double and triple teams. Size-Schmize! Tell that to the killer P's, Paul and Pargo who were getting it done offensively and defensively last year. Ellis is going to fade back into the pack and be singing "aint no sunshine when he's gone". Especially when they come to the East.

You don't look to your top scorer for defense?????? Tell that to MJ and Kobe or KG or Duncan or Magic, Ewing, or the Admiral and see how far it gets you. Not only are/were the above mentioned players top scorers on their teams but tenacious defenders in crunch time. As far as the degree of dificulty of Gordon's shots goes, all to often that degree of difficulty was created by Gordon.
As far as Deng's contract is concerned I hope he meets all the incentive goals and he makes the full $80 mill. That will only help elevate the Bulls out of the realm of the pathetic.

To all the Ben Gordon lovers...do any of you remember the ridiculous slumps that he has gone through where he can't make a shot for what seems like weeks. We've already determined he can't play a lick of defense. He is really not that good of a ball handler for a guard. You put all of this together and there NO WAY ON EARTH that he is an All-Star in my opinion. Pay him Vinnie Johnson money, not Magic Johnson money. If that isn't enough, the Bulls need to let him go.

Looks like they decided to keep the player that has the biggest up-side.

Bad news for Keith.

Nobody seems able to comprehend the fact that Gordon's 16 to 20 points off the bench is absoultely worthless if, during his time one the floor, he gives up 24 at the opposite end of the court.

His ball handling skills stink, and as a defender, he's an open gate.

Brett, no miss here. I'm well aware of Deng's new backloaded contract. It was backloaded to compensate for the team's salary cap structure, not so much inflationary purposes. Obviously the team will likely try to make a splash in the 2010 free agency bonanza by making room under the salary cap, but don't count on Ben Gordon in the Bulls' long term plans. So really, guys like Juan or Southside Keith can continue to debate how good BG is or how much more he's really worth, but with Deng's contract, BG's days as a Bull are numbered unless Hinrich or Hughes are somehow traded away. Hinrich maybe, but Hughes will not be traded. No team will take that contract. Hughes will have to prove his contract worth as a scorer. Hey, he has scored over 20 points a game in multiple seasons before... hahaha Go Bulls!

Tomorrow morning on ESPN at 7 AM: Team USA vs. Turkey. For any die hard Bulls fans out there who are interested in possibly watching the Bulls 2nd round draft pick and "Center of the future" in 5 years, Omer Asik, he'll be playing in this game as Turkey's starting Center. Enjoy. I'll have the game TIVO'd or DVR'd.

$71 million for a soft, small forward with not much ability to create off the dribble. Man, the Bulls are putting a lot of pressure on Rose to make these guys look good.

I guarantee when Luol plays in 50 games this year, everyone will STILL say, "This kid has so much potential!" Wrong decision. I would have tried to work out a sign and trade with any team to get rid of Deng. Another thing, teams in the East are making moves, and the Bulls are just standing there hoping a rookie pg and Deng will lead us to the promised land. This is a make or break year for Pax.

Something is very very wrong here. Why won't people truthfully admit that Deng (truthfully - he's soft, mentally weak and absolutely did not deserve this contract), Gordon (truthfully, he's a pretty good player, but not honest with himself regarding his limitations) are NOT the burning issue with the Bulls.

No, let's get it out there. The TRUTH is that everyone or at least most people - are afraid to call out Kirk. There's not enough space on a super computer to blog about how bad Kirk really is. Be honest. What does he do even remotely well, or average for that matter? He hit his peak around his 2nd year as a professional basketball player. Shame on Pax and Reinsdorf for thinking he is even remotely worth keeping on this team if they are serious about us challenging for a championship let alone fighting for the Eastern Conference Finals.

Don't get me wrong - I am livid that Deng got weak (mentally more than physically) by admitting that "the Kobe rumors sometimes get to me". Wait a minute. You allow the world to know that you cannot handle trade rumors? What kind of player admits something like that publicly? You mean Deng could not handle having his career being marked by the knowledge that he would have been known throughout his career as the ONLY player the Lakers had to have in a trade for Kobe. Wow, even if I flopped as a player afterwards, that's not a bad thing to be known for - being the only player the Lakers wanted - FOR KOBE!!!!

But back to Kirk. Oh, I forgot - people don't like the truth. Sorry, I am going there with this. And you know where I'm going with this. It's the truth. Forget about correctness. If you're a basketball fan and more to the point, a Bulls fan - you know this is the truth.

Nuff said.

Ricky responds: Ok, I've had enough here. Anyone who says Deng "absolutely did not deserve this contract" like Mr. Jumanji over here is plain wrong. What do you people want the Bulls to do, let their best player walk for nothing in return? The way the NBA's salary cap is set up, teams are allowed to keep the players they've drafted. Deng is a fine player- when Rose is ready to go at full tilt and the Bulls are challenging for titles, they can do it with Deng as their third best player. Is he LeBron? No, but LeBron also gets paid a lot more than 12 mil a year anyways.

I've had it with you people arguing that recently extended Chicago athletes (Lu, Urlacher, Hester) are overpaid. You're just wrong. What's funny is that I'm sure this is the same cross section of sports fans that always complain that the Bears and Bulls never spend any money.

Bottom line...BG has single-handedly won games for the Bulls for three seasons, now...Deng has not...Both need to produce this year.

Now who thinks Devin Hester and Brian Urlacher didn't deserve their raises?????

Well well, for a moment there, I thought I saw Roman responding to a post in an odd manner not typical of his writing style only to find out, not surprisingly, it was from mr. fantasy blogger and mr. "why don't we just pay all pro athletes $11+ million per year contracts", Ricky O.

So basically Ricky said and I quote "what do you want the Bulls to do, let their best player walk for nothing...?" Yes, this is Luol Deng we're talking about here, mind you. Ricky thinks that because he believes that Deng is the Bulls' best player, then he should be paid like every other NBA teams' #1 player on the roster. And then, mr. Ricky later goes on to say that Deng is or will become the Bulls 3rd best player. So which is it really, Ricky? Pay Deng big bucks now as the s
o-called "best" player on the team while he slowly becomes the 3rd best Bulls player after a couple more years? That makes no sense at all. Look hotshot, if you're gonna call out some of the die hard Bulls fans who KNOW what they're talking about when they say Luol Deng is overpaid, then you better come up with a heckuva lot better argument than your "I've had enough" whining from fans.

Now as for the NBA's salary cap, yes, teams are allowed to keep the players they drafted, BUT if you go over that cap, you pay a LUXURY TAX. The Bulls have already said and proven that they will NOT pay a luxury tax, period. This is coming from a franchise that sells out most if not all of their games and makes a killing in profits EVERY year and they dare not pay luxury tax to field a Championship contender? When fans like myself say that the Bulls don't spend money, we are saying that they don't spend ENOUGH money or they don't spend their money WISELY on their teams because in their minds, why should they when they know they're a cash cow anyway? In the Bulls case, they overpaid Deng, they overpaid Hinrich, they took on a ridiculous Hughes contract and they obviously overpaid and struck out on Ben Wallace. And these are just 4 examples. If you want to play salary cap management, Deng's contract already ruins any chance to re-sign Ben Gordon and it also leaves very little room to acquire a top notch free agent 5 times better than Luol Deng, our supposedly "best" player on the team who still makes less than Kirk Hinrich's contract. Plus, the Bulls are now out of position to make a serious pitch in the prize free agent class of 2010. And speaking of backloaded contracts, Ty Thomas and Thabo's rookie contracts are backloaded as well which adversely affects their salary cap structure in 2010 and 2011.

And then in terms of market value, the Bulls have just set the bar on Luol Deng to reward COMPLIMENTARY NON-ALL STAR NBA players to at least a 5+ year contract worth in excess of over $12 million a year? Are you kidding me? If Deng is worth this much, then Atlanta's Josh Smith (who plays the same position, is younger and has much more talent and overall skills than Deng) will end up getting an $18-20 million a year contract soon? Yep, real smart, Bulls. No one on the team deserved to be rewarded this offseason coming off of that disaster season last year! It wasn't just an aberration down season, the players forced the Bulls to overhaul an entirely new coaching staff! Deng is making more money now than double-double guys like Okafor and Al Jefferson?! That's crazy or I'll put it in a better light, it's poor negotiating. The way I see it, the Bulls panicked and caved in to Deng's ultimatum date of August 4.

But hey, Deng's contract is done and now I'm eager to see what the Bulls will do next with the roster. Kudos to Deng and job well done in him winning a nice contract for himself. I've said my peace about the Deng signing and here's to hoping now that Deng proves me wrong and he becomes that all-star that some are expecting, but as of right now, the majority of fans say that Deng's contract is not justified. Stick to your fantasy league blogs, Ricky. Roman at least shows a little more class in his response posts.

Ricky responds: Ok, thanks for the response. A few things:

I said Deng is the Bulls best player...yes, right now he is. Rose isn't going to be The Man at age 19. No one should expect that. Deng's 11 million a year contract is not in anyway the going rate for a superstar. I think you're a little confused about that. Deron Williams recently signed an extension for 18 mil a year, LeBron makes 20 mil a year, and so on.

So Edgar, if I am understanding you right, if you were Pax, you would have let Deng walk? Please correct me if I'm wrong, because from your comment that is how I understand it. The contract Deng signed is clearly the going rate for a player of his caliber and age. Letting Deng walk would have been absolutely the stupidest freaking thing ever. Seriously man, you have a good player, keep him. Yeah, he has his flaws (isn't particularly athletic, can't shoot 3's, ect), but he's a very solid small forward. He's not a star, sure, but you aren't paying him like one either.

So if you wanted the Bulls let Deng go, just imagine how bad they'd be. With Rose and Deng, the Bulls are building for something. That should excite fans, not infuriate them.

Additionally...

a) Deng is not overpaid. Look at the contracts recently given to Andris Beidrins and Emeka Okafor. Deng is superior players to both those guys. (you could argue Okafor is better, but I'd take Deng. Okafor makes Ken Griffey Jr. look like Cal Ripken)

b) Your idea of having loads of cap space for the summer of 2010 isn't a very good one. Just ask Jerry Krause how that worked out for the Bulls the summer they tried to woo Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, and Eddie Jones, and ended up with Grant Hill. Also, what star player is going to sign with a team that has no other good players?

c) Yeah, the Bulls give out bad contracts. Not "every athlete should make 11 mil". Only the good ones. Deng is worth the dough. The contracts given to Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich were terrible ones. Ben Wallace was the worst example, and it's the reason the Bulls are now stuck with Hughes. But I feel very comfortable saying Deng will live up to that contract, and be a far superior player to any of those guys.

Listen dude, we all want the Bulls to succeed. i love the Bulls, as I'm sure you and everyone else that posts here does. It's not a bad thing that we disagree on these things, it just means we want the franchise to win.

So are we cool now? Feel free to respond.

Almond-eyed assasin??? Keith you got me cracking up here with that one. I'll give you credit Keith,you don't jump on someone's band wagon, you drive it and conduct the band even after the wheels have fallen off the wagon. But considering some recent wagons you've driven (i.e. the knicks team as a whole, Issaiah Thomas and Ben Wallace) you may be putting the kiss of death on Gordon.

Everybody deserves their money, even Deng and Ben Gordon.

Gordon will simply take his TEAM-LEADING points elsewhere, where they appreciate scoring points. ANOTHER Tyson Chandler move. Maybe he can go help Chris Paul and company? I am certain there is a team out there that will appreciate him, and I will simply watch them in playoffs. Gordon needs to call Chris Duhon in NY. Perfect place for him.

TIM - Isaiah is a champion at EVERY level of the game and he is one of a few that can say the words "I beat Michael Jordan". I had to back him.

Ben Wallace has a championship ring which he earned guarding the most dominant player in the game - IN HIS PRIME. Ben let me down, but I suspect that he is injured.

Ben Gordon is the Almond-Eyed-Assassin. For years Paul Pierce labored in vain on the worst team in the league. But when he was placed in the right situation he shined like gold. Ben Gordon is going to be a star in this league.

When Tim Little replied with LEGENDS of the NBA to the defensive weakness of Ben Gordon I was ROTFLMAO :) Are you by any chance comparing Deng to all-stars & Legends?

As for Gordon, thanks to NBA rule changes seeking games in the 100's defense is far less important today than it was when MJ played. If MJ had played in his prime in this NBA he'd be twice as dominant as he was.

SG's did not avg better than 24 PPG vs the Bulls last yr. That figure was well under 15. So for all of Gordon's apparent defensive lapses the opposing SG's did take much advantage of it. The position that flat out killed the bulls was SF. What does that say about Deng's defense?

As for what's BG worth, that's simple. Last yr the Bulls felt $7M less than Deng. They just offered Deng a $71M/6yr deal plus $9M in team incentives. Gordon declined far less than Deng last yr, so that put's Gordon at a$63M/6yr deal plus $7M in team incentives.

The way you make it happen is you trade Kirk & his backloaded contract for expiring contracts of failed starters to fill your bench. Rose & Gordon should start next year.

No Juan I did not compare Deng to anyone, I merely stated that I hope he plays well enough to fulfill all of his incentive clauses. My reference to the all stars and legends was in regard to your ridiculous statement that you don't look to your top scorer for defense! As for your latest statement that defense is far less important in today's game I seriously doubt anyone on the Celtics roster would agree with you. Defense STILL wins games in the end!

Yeah, we’re cool Ricky. That’s a better response from you. For the most part, I don’t have a problem with most of your posts. You obviously know your sports or else you wouldn’t have this gig of yours at a reputable newspaper firm, but there are times when you cut some of the fans down as if we have no clue what we’re talking about even though some of us have tried to put some thoughtful insight to comments made. And of course I care about the Bulls. This is my favorite sport, but it doesn’t mean that the organization is immune from critical comments. I’ll certainly speak my mind whether it’s here in blogs or emails direct to John Paxson’s desk himself (and don’t think I haven’t gone that far either), but when I vent, I’ll back it up and right now, after the last year and a half, this team deserves a ripping and that includes from management down to certain players at fault.

Now back to Deng… yes, I still say he’s overpaid. My opinion. Is he way overpaid? No, I didn’t say that, but when you’re trying manage a salary cap with strict restrictions like the Bulls from having to pay a luxury tax, then every little $ counts. I would have preferred the Bulls to have worked out a 5–year deal in the realm of let’s say $48 million a year. Not only were the Bulls way too generous going 6 years above $10 mil a year, but they added incentive clauses! Ok, so let’s say the Bulls were merely trying to take care of one of their own in-house, keep him happy, whatever. But why did Deng deserve this? How in the world did he deserve a BETTER offer than the offer the Bulls gave him last year?? We went from reaching the playoffs for 3 consecutive years to a #1 lottery draft pick team with the same roster of misfit lottery draft picks going in their 4th and 5th seasons with the team already! Unexcusable. You don’t reward a player with a nice contract like Deng just received after a DISASTER season in which he was one of the PRIMARY reasons for the team’s downfall last season. And I don’t want to hear that last season was an “aberration”. Poor assessment or poor excuse. The entire team demonstrated mental weakness, lack of competitive spirit, and they practically destroyed an entire coaching staff. Inexcusable! Ricky, I was a 9-year season ticket holder of the Bulls and I’ve been through the ups and downs of a rebuilding program, but that last season was the last straw and I am no longer renewing my tickets. TV, Internet and newspapers for me now when I follow this team.

Now in terms of Deng’s market value, we can obviously go back and forth on this, but first of all, Andris Biedrins is overpaid and his contract is significantly less than Deng’s especially with Deng’s bonus clauses. But I have a problem with Deng’s contract when he’s now getting paid more or about the same as solid NBA players like Manu Ginobili, Al Jefferson, David West, Josh Howard, Andrew Bogut, Ilgauskas, Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, T. Prince, Gerald Wallace, Artest, Kevin Martin, etc… I can keep going, but hey, it’s all subjective on which NBA players you or I think are any good or not, I know that and you know that.

And then to answer your questions, yes, I would have let Deng sign the tender and walk. Get rid of all the core, every single one of those “core” guys who were responsible for last season’s collapse. That’s me, but I’m vindictive that way and probably why I don’t have a job as an NBA GM. But of course I knew Reinsdorf/Pax wouldn’t let him go. To a fault, they stay loyal to their draft picks and they will continue to try to rebuild this team through the draft, not from the outside. I already how they work. I’ve followed the Bulls religiously for over 30 years now. Bottom line Ricky, I’ve seen enough from Deng in the last 5 years for me to think that he’ll be a primary guy to help this team to be a Championship contender again. No leadership ability and not mentally or even physically strong with limited scoring ability in the form of mid-range shots and the occasional slash to the bucket 2 times a game. No thanks, I’ve seen enough of this “up and coming” potential. At Drew Gooden’s current salary, sure, I’ll keep him, but not at this salary which potentially, will not give us much flexibility to sign or trade for for future top free agents or players like Boston did. You said “star player” earlier, Ricky. I was looking more at “star players” (more than 1) in that 2010 class if you don’t sign Deng, trade Hinrich/ Nocioni and Hughes’ ridiculous salary off the books. That’s what I meant from completely starting over again. Acquire 2 top guys to run with Rose, Noah, Tyrus, Thabo and the dude from Turkey if he ever gets here.

Oh and while I'm at it here, I thought I'd do a little research on some of my prior blog posts from last year and decided to copy and paste this little item I read from the December 2007 issue of Forbes Magazine last year about the Bulls organization and its profits cash cow:

"The Bulls have been the NBA's most profitable team this decade thanks to a huge fan base and low payrolls. The team has averaged $46 million in operating profits the past eight seasons versus a league average of $7 million."

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/32/biz_07nba_Chicago-Bulls_321267.html

Yeah Culzie, you'd be proud of me for this.

That’s right. After selling out nearly every game even during the lean post-MJ years, after sometimes compiling a minuscule payroll that often had to be spiked with a late-offseason signing just to vault past the league’s minimum salary cap basement, after taking advantage of a large market and reeling in the cash due to the onset of lucrative home playoff games over the last three seasons; the Chicago Bulls are the NBA’s most profitable team. Does this mean the team will take advantage of those earnings, dive into luxury tax and pony up for a championship contender?

But this is exactly what I'm talking about when I both laugh and shout at the Bulls for saying that they would never go into luxury tax territory, especially when the smart fans know for a fact that there are many ways to manipulate the NBA's salary cap rules. So for all I care, the Bulls better continue to take a beating from fans like myself who care and just get the job done to get back to being a Championship contender! Doggone cheapskates!

First and foremost, I'd just like to say that the Ben Gordon camp thinks he should be paid better than Deng because he's the leading scorer. Leading scorer, true. Paid better? I DON'T THINK SO!

If this were the case in sports, Robbie Gould and Devin Hester would be the Bears highest paid players, but as is the case with Gordon, they're skilled position role players, not a marquee presence.

I don't even think the Bulls have a marquee man, but as of TODAY, Luol is one of the most consistent ALL-AROUND players on the team. Ben on the other hand is limited in other aspects of the game. Actually, VERY limited.

Now for the other side of conversation. Before I even read these blogs I would have considered Deng to be paid as one of the top three players on his TEAM. That puts him comparably with an Emeka Okafor, which was a name used in a few thoughts. I felt it was a good comparison. Each guy uses his strengths to help their respective teams in what I consider equal output. A plus and minus scale would probably give each guy the same grade, making them equally important to their squads in different roles, and arguably one of the top three on No-Marquee-Name teams. I like Deng better for the Bulls, but on the same token, I'd rather have Okafor if I were a Charlotte fan. Just because it fits better doesn't mean it's worth more.

I'm still one of the Rose sceptics, though. I love the man to death for being the person he is, but I'm still not sold. If he does turn out to be the next true point guard, I guarantee, Deng, Thomas, Gordon, even Hughes will become lightning-in-a-bottle and make all this talk background music, and nothing more.

Now that's PRICELESS!

To stay under the cap the most the Bulls can offer BG is an avg of $9.8M/yr for 6 yrs. They are reluctant to do a sign-n-trade because they don't want to take on more salary. I don't believe incentives works vs the cap until they are earned so that seems to be the best way to go.

Offer him $1M/yr more for ea round they advance in the playoffs. That gives BG $3M more a yr if they get to the Finals. That puts him on par with Deng.

In the meantime, try to free up cash by offering any other guard with the exception of Rose for trade.

"Gordon needs to call Chris Duhon in NY. Perfect place for him."

The only reason Gordon should call Duhon is to get the names of the bars offering 2 for 1s.

An-toe-knee, you called Deng an all around player and Ben Gordon - very limited. Now how does the guy off the bench out-perform the starter??? Why isn't the big-man-on-campus taking all the big shots down the stretch??? Being outscored by a bench player who is 6ft tall. And of ALL to people to call out defensively, Deng is the guy. Gordon is outscoring the other team's top scorer down the stretch while Deng is giving it up like one of Heff's girls! Folks like Gerald Wallace come in and light the Bulls up at WILL! Most small forwards in the league do. And its the little guy that is in the duel with them in the 4th. Skiles was left with no play to call but Doug Collins's! From Jordan to Gordon, this league knows who the man is on Chicago. Rose is going to be a great piece of the puzzle, but not the answer. We need a star. Gordon is the closest thing we have to a bonefide star. Deng is not a star - but a good complimentary player like Horace Grant was.

Keith, Gordon shoots more than Deng so he should outscore him, so that's a mute point.

Gordon is the Black Hole in the fourth quarter; once the ball goes in his hands it never comes out, so Deng NOT BEING ABLE to take the big shots down the stretch is another mute point.

I call Deng an all around player because he does everything within himself well.

I call Gordon limited because he has no chance in some of his defensive situations, has tunnel vision way too often, takes some of the most boneheaded shots I've ever seen a so-called "closest-thing to a star" take, and is a VINNIE JOHNSON, with less 'D' and more hurtful turnovers. Now if that's your bonefide, you're in denial.

Actually, just do some research and see how many experts out in Hoopland consider Gordon to be the best player on our team.

Just because you have one pretty looking purple flower in your garden doesn't mean it's the only one. Those green plants are often overlooked but are stronger, more resourceful, and last longer.

Not to mention that pretty looking purple flower may be a weed, but you're looking at color and nothing else.

ANT - I am dying laughing with that purple flower reference! There are a lot of those blooming on the southside and yes they are weeds. But if it is as you say my friend, how in the world does the weed outshine your precious white orchid? Your precious orchid stands tall and beautiful for 3 quarters and wilts limp under the trying heat of the 4th. Thats when the little purple weed has to take over. Thats when the COACH looks into the eyes of ALL of his players and only sees two assassins (noch and gordon) smiling while everyone else is about to throw up, or hopes that they dont get called on. When the COACH looks over the top of clipboard - the die is cast and he KNOWS before the huddle breaks who has the stones to make it happen. The crowd knows, the opposition and even the refs and cheerleaders know! Only one kind of player that shoots in the 4th. In a sea of crab grass and dandelions, that purple flower is sometimes the most beautiful thing you will see on the whole lawn. Ben Gordon has shown me signs of his skill. He has grown every year as a player. And like Clarice, I know a killer when I see one and he is Hannibal Lecter with that basketball.

That is not to say that Deng can't step up. I am just looking at the snapshot we have right NOW. Deng can be the Scottie Pippen that emerged after that great Detroit series, but right now he is the migrane headache Scottie that was a self-checked role player. One of those players is a good pro and the other is a Champion. Deng is just a role player right now with a great upside and the best asset we have at obtaining what we REAL need. A STAR. I would trade that joker and go and get me a HORSE.

Edgar, I am proud of you...for finally encorperating FACTS into your argument...now..lets work on "condensing" your ideas into a more succinct and readable package.

;)

Keith I give you credit in the fact once you're ina guys corner you don't give up until he's not only down for the count but carried off on a stretcher! No to get back to your flower/weed analogies.....that flowering purple weed is called a thistle and it's full of little prickly thorns that will hurt you. Now Gordon may have the stones to take the ball in the 4th and late in the game but he'll put shots up that have no chance of going in or turn the ball over to a double team and watch with hands on hips as an opposing player sprints down the court for an uncontested slam dunk both of which hurts just like trying to pull that thistle with a bare hand. And teams around the league know Gordon's biggest weakness is he can't deal with double teams. So like the gardener that sprays the thistle with weed-be-gone teams have their new and improved Gordon-be-gone double teams.

Tim I just like guys with heart and stones that do things when you need it the most. And they are not always successful, but thats not because they didn't TRY with everything they had. You can work with someone like that. That weed-be-gone double team works on ALL players, but is specifically used for the most deadly of players. See, that is something both coaches (Bulls and opposition) agree on - Gordon is dangerous and will DRAW a double team. And that is why you have to give this guy a chance to play with Rose. He will take the pressure off Rose especially in the 4th like no one else on the team.