Ok, so it doesn't look like the Bulls are getting Amare Stoudemire or Chris Bosh. Do Brad Miller and John Salmons ease your disappointment Bulls fans?
The Bulls and Kings have agreed to this deal: Miller and Salmons to the Bulls for Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni. The Sacramento Bee reported the Bulls also are sending Cedric Simmons and Michael Ruffin, who will be dealt to Portland for Ike Diogu.
ESPN's Marc Stein first reported that the Bulls were talking with the Kings about this deal, and the Sacramento Bee has been updating the story all day.
Miller's contract comes off the books after next season in time for LeBron's free-agent class. Miller is averaging 11.9 points and 8 rebounds. He's a good offensive center, especially facing the basket, and has decent range on a jumper. He's not going to help much defensively.
Salmons is a 6-6 small forward averaging 18.3 points, 4.2 boards and 3.7 assists. Those stats are inflated on a horrible Kings team.
Will it help? Gooden hasn't been playing during the Bulls' improved stretch, and Nocioni hasn't done much all season.
I think it's a good deal, but it's not Amare or Bosh.
And there are reports that the Bulls may not be done making moves. Some have Kirk Hinrich on the move.
For Paxson, this is a blockbuster...wonder if Salmons can play the 2.
OK - 35 min a game now till end of year for Thomas. It's make or break for him. He's about to set himself up for a big payday or be Stromile Swift part 2.
This is a terrible trade for the Bulls once again. John Salmons and Brad Miller??? Come on! Is this supposed to bring us a championship? I believe the better question is what are we going to do with Larry Hughes? You didn't play him because you wanted to trade him, now we are getting another guard??? Does that make sense? At least we keep Tyrus and Joakim I guess.
I am cracking UPPPP!!!!! Talk about anticlimactic!!! But hey, Miller and Salmons are solid pros. We need both guys and will improve right away. Good job Pax. Now all we have to do is move Gordon and Hughes.
Millers improves us a little bit offensively, but other then that, it's more of a lateral move then anything. Hopefully this leads to something bigger.
Definetly not the blockbuster I was looking for, but something is better than nothing as far as the Bulls are concerned. Hate to see Noce go but business is business. Is Salmons a free agent at years end or does he have a couple of more years on his contract. Tommy was right its make or break time for Ty Thomas and Joakim Noah.
TERRIBLE!!! You give up your best perimeter defender! For what? Another slow big man who can't run the floor with your young pt gaurd!!!! And who the hell is Salmon.
FIRE JOHN PAXSON! HE SUX!!!
This trade is a very good for the Bulls considering Amare appears to be off the trading block, and Bosh was never realistically going to end up in Chicago (at least this year). Miller is a skilled big man who will provide Rose a nice pick and roll option on offense, which is a big upgrade over Noah. The presence of Miller might also allow the Bulls to shop around Thomas or Noah before the trade deadline. Salmons might be able to solve the dilemma that's going to surround resigning Ben Gordon over the summer. Salmons, if he's able to play the two guard, finally gives the Bulls a big perimeter defender who has learned how to become a reliable three point threat over the past two years. His contract is also a real bargain at just a little over 5 million a year for the next three seasons. Speaking of contracts, Miller's will be coming off the books in time for the 2010 free agent class, which might just give the Bulls a shot at Bosh after all.
I agree with the previous posts. My issue is pretty simple. The Bulls are (again) saying that they are making moves in anticipation for the big free agent market in 2010. My only issue is they tried this previously during the whole T-Mac, Duncan, Hill free agency and had nothing to show for it. I just wish the Bulls would strike while the iron is hot. Telling fans to wait a year and a half just to 'maybe' sign a all-pro is piss poor. Front office gets a A+ for working money deals but a F for working for talent/wins. If it wasn't for the D-Rose lottery win, I would wish the release of Pax and company.
Nice trade for the bulls .I don't understand why people always pick on pax. To make a blockbuster trade you need the right pieces and except for rose, they don't have .I think this trade give the bulls some flexibility with the contracts of hughes and miller .As a longtime bull fan i've been waiting several years now , so 6 months won't change anything. I love the Bulls . Let's go BULLS
First of "JS," Nocioni is NOT our best perimeter defender. I would go as far as to say he's the WORST defender on the team besides Ben Gordon. Nocioni's idea of defense is "let my man drive by me then hack his arms when he gets to the basket." Nocioni was the worst player on the team considering what we're paying him. I believe he's shooting 33% this year? John Salmons is averaging almost 19 points per game on 47% shooting, grabs 5 boards and dishes out 4 assists. He's also a VERY solid perimeter defender. Brad Miller gives us a nice 3 man rotation at the PF/C position with TT and Noah, without clogging the lane for D-Rose (he shoots the 15 foot jumper extremely well for a guy his size). He's also one of the best passing bigs in the game. I don't think this trade puts us in the top 4 teams in the East, but it gives a chance at the 6 or 7 seed in the playoffs and a chance to go after D-Wade and/or Bosh in 2010. Look at it this way, Nocioni for Salmons = Upgrade. Gooden for Miller = Upgrade. AND we're not locking ourselves into any long-term expensive contracts (i.e. Nocioni's 8 million per year for the next 3 years).
It's a good deal for the Bulls. I love Nocioni, but he's done nothing this year and $8 million a year for the next 5 was a bad contract they now have off the books. Miller is a good short term answer to their post scoring woes and Salmons is having a career year, if he continues it, great addition. Considering what was available, I like the move alot.
The T-Wolves are supposedly interested in another beloved, but over-paid player in Hinrich. If they can get his $10 million off the books they'll be in good shape to re-sign their own players or be in the market for the 2010 free agent class, and with D-Rose in the fold, Chicago is a much more enticing option then it was when T-Mac, Duncan and the others were available a few years ago when the francise was a trainwreck.
I like this trade, but does it really matter? We could trade for Dwight Howard, Lebron James, AND Dwayne Wade and still not get anywhere because we don't have an NBA coach. Gee with Brad Miller do you think they're gonna be running the high pick and roll?
While I've always adored Andres "Chapu" Nocioni, I have to agree with the faction of Bulls' supporters that proclaim the deal a success. Back in 2002, I thought it was a huge mistake to deal Miller, it will be great to see him back and for the Bulls to have a legitimate low post scoring threat now. He can help positively tutor Gray and Noah (Wallace wasn't exactly a positive influence) AND his contract comes off the books in 2010. You really couldn't have asked for better, as Bosh and Amar'e were not available.
As for Salmons, he was just icing on the cake. He's incredibly versatile, and we got a bona fide useful player for peanuts (Simmons and Ruffin barely, if ever, played and Gooden was never that effective for us).
All the Paxson haters out there need to take a breath and relax. This was a perfect shakeup for the team at this time---getting something for nothing AND getting cap relief for other moves. We weren't going to win a title this year even with Stoudemire and Bosh. If nothing else, maybe they can send Hughes home for the next year and a half and clear his $12 mil a year deal, as well as deal Hinrich in the next day for expiring deals. We'll have plenty of cash to re-sign BG and pursue a young big man. Now let's hope Vinny gets the boot at the end of the year---maybe for Avery Johnson?
JOHN PAXSON, YOU DID SOME AWESOME WORK TODAY! KEEP IT UP! GO BULLS!
We should trade paxson for a case of beer and some peanuts. He has done nothing to make Chicago better. Miller stunk the first time we had him.
WOW! What a blockbuster trade! Getting our hopes up for a Stoudamire or Bosh and instead we get a Brad Miller and Salmons(already packed backcourt)??????? Typical Paxson era. He needs to go quickly cause he has NOT been able to pull any good moves! Good Bye Pax. I won't miss you!!!!!!!!!!!
Though unspectacular, this is a good trade for the Bulls. Nocioni is having a bad year, and seems to be very frustrated with losing or his team mates or both. He is a warrior and I wish him well in his future career. We will miss his toughness for sure. Gooden was a loaner anyway, and I'd rather have a legit center than a PF trying to be one. Miller's and Gooden's games are pretty similar actually, except Miller is a better passer, and Gooden is slightly better with his back to the basket. Salmons is having a career year, and for 5M per could be a great addition off the bench both offensively and defensively. Amare was a dream anyway, and if Tyrus keeps progressing, we'll be glad we didn't make that deal. As far as Hughes goes, I'm smelling a buy out al a Tim Thomas. In this era of the economic meltdown, owners are running scared and his contract appears to be unmovable without taking back long term money. The Bulls will make a few more moves, but probably not until the summer. The only question now is whether it would be better to make the playoffs simply for the confidence of the team and organization, or to at least have a chance in the lottery. I sure hope we play hard and try to make the playoffs, but if lightning were to strike twice, and we get another high lottery pick, it could be better in the long run.
As far as the UFA class of 2010 goes, I think alot of these guys won't be going anywhere, unless we truly are entering a depression, in which case the Bulls probably won't spend either.
I guess the Blackhawks aren't news because they're WINNERS..
How could you go to a Hockey game...watch them lay it out there for 60 minutes...Then go to an NBA game and watch lazy millionaires phone it in?
and still wanna talk about Basketball?
and this Yawn of a Trade?...
Here..start NBA games in the 4th quarter...put one team up by 20..and tip the ball off
Truly, I can't understand anybody bitching about this trade. Gooden has been hurt, and Nocioni has had a bad year. For them, we get a solid, if not spectacular, center, and somebody who can score and is a good perimeter defender. Unless you wanted an improbable blockbuster, what's not to like? You've expanded your rotation, which should help the energy, and the product is improved.
Salmons is regarded as the best defensive player in this deal by most NBA writers I have read. 3-4 other teams wanted to trade for Salmons, this is a good deal for the Bulls. Also, we get a true center, which we have needed all year.
Good trade.
I just read all of these blogs and a good amount of the ones on espn.com regarding this trade. Why are people acting as if the Bulls are trading to win a title? Have people noticed that they might not even make the playoffs? Who gives a crap if Nocioni is no longer on the team. This isn't Argentina where he will be starting and making a major impact. I loved his hustle and attitude, but the refs have begun to call fouls on him for flops and giving him t's for hard fouls. Plus the production wasn't worth the contract. I've always considered him more of an actor than a real consistent threat on the court. Even though he gave me some real good laughs while he was here. He can help a contender in the future. As for Gooden, I love his game but he might miss the rest of the year. If he has surgery for the sports hernia it will take some time for him to recover. There are only 2 months before the playoffs starts. This trade will help the Bulls now. Salmons and Miller are having good years, albeit for a bad team. So what? Salmons is flexible and is very athletic which fits the Bulls up-tempo scheme. In addition, Miller can help to teach Noah and Thomas how a big man can score in a multitude of ways. I like this trade overall and ya'll need to look at the big picture. The Bulls are years away from a title unless we get a few all-stars, which isn't going to happen before this years trade deadline.
Blake, thanks for pointing out the obvious, Noce was a poor open court defender. I like the trade, Gooden and Noce were not key parts of the team. Thomas needs minutes, so the Bulls can see if he develops.
Last I checked, assuming the trade gets the official o.k., Miller will be the only past or present All-Star on the team. Gordon can't even get into the 3-pt contest. At least Rose looks like a future All-Star.
Horrible. Brad Miller is the best big man Pax can get. This deal would have been okay if Miller was 5 years younger. Plus, I hear they are talking about trading Hinrich for cap room. Remember when they did that with Tyson Chandler. Stupid. A waste of assets.
I've always liked Miller since he battled Shaq to a draw in fistacuffs a few years ago. It appeared that Shaq slipped or else Miller Time would never have appeared back at the United Center. I'm not familier with Salmon, but he seems like a solid pro. Hey, you have to not only consider talent but economics as well.
It's a Bull Market.
Not long ago in an ealier thread I said I'd like to see Miller back in Chicago. I didn't like when they traded him and Artest for Jalen "hey I'm sposed to be the star" Rose when it went down. He's a solid center with a good mid range shot. Salmons is a good defender with 3 point range. Salmons, Miller and tyrus on the floor together would make it difficult for opposing teams to score inside.
Stupid trade, you trade Nocioni. He has the most heart on the Bulls team. I am starting to winder if Paxson even remembers playing for Da Bulls. Nocioni was sthe only tough guy on the team, guess those big shot threes toward the end of the game are forgotten, and Gooden gives you the same thing as Brad Niller, he is just shorter than him. Horrible trade in my eyes, not to mention you give up to guys that play PF, and get 1 big another SG. The Bulls are all guards. Rose, Gordon, Hinrich, Salmons, Thabo, Hughes, Hunter. Deng kills the time at the 3.
Paxson, before you make a trade, play with the team on the video game with fatigue on and see if it makes sense. All guards, Quick PG, slow bigs now that you put Noah on the bench.
Decent move. Bulls had to do something about the center position. Noah is AWEFUL! Hopefully they can move him in the next day. Only issue with this trade is that it leaves the Bulls very thin at PF with both Gooden and Noch gone. Bulls better get some help there by trade or hope that Thomas play the last few weeks was not a aberration. Maybe the Bulls think Omer Asik will be a player in 2010 or 2011.
good trade i like solmans versatility i live in sac and im from the chi salmons can play we will be glad we have him he can play the 2 and the 3 and he gives us a big perimiter defender sorry thabo but you lose playing time after you threw the game away to miami brad miller gives us another big who can play all we really give up is noce i liked him but solmans is way more atheletic he can come in for gordon or loul
John Salmons is a 6'6" Guard that has a great jump shot from three point range. He can play some defense also. Brad Miller we all know and he cost us Drew Gooden which last was nursing an injuried groin. No Block buster sure. But makes the team better. Will miss Nocioni, but he will be fine. Now the Bulls only have three players with contracts until 2010 Hinrich, Deng & Salmons. Let's flexability.
Ok, now that I have calmed down, Paxson we accept your resignation. If any of you think Brad Miller is a better fit with Derrick Rose, you really don't watch Basketball, get league pass and see how players play, watch their style, and see how they will fit together. We add another Guard and a declining Center, and take away two PF. Nocioni, (You right this not Argentina, because they actually know how to put a team together). Nocioni having a down year, we have only won games this year because he has played well in those games. Guess Ty Thomas is never gone come out the game. No we have 2 of the 3 slowest and defensive liability center in the NBA. Hope D-Wade wants to come to Chicago to play for a team that has no identity except for (We lucked up and got D Rose).
Good move. We save money for 2010. And free up time for our young big men that Gooden and Noc were stealing. And we get a decent backup center who can pass. Not bad
Wade would be willing to return and I hear Bosh has Chicago on top of places he would like to play. We should be able to get one of them or both.
Next move is to move Larry and Kirk's big contracts and we are set.
No big blockbuster, but this is a step in the right direction
Salmons also may be groomed as Ben's replacement, he's more of a SF but can play the 2. He's ok but nothing special.
I'm thinking lateral move at best. Brad Miller - shrug. Salmons - has anyone noticed he plays the same position as Deng or you move him back to shooting guard with the rest of the log jam. This is a trade for the sake of making a trade so it looks like the organization is being pro-active ...
... UNLESS they have something else up their sleeves and this now allows them to trade Deng, who is overrated & overpaid, for Bosh or some real impact player ... but I'm not holding my breath.
WE are never going to get the BIG STAR we all want because were the CHICAGO BULLS ...we are dreaming if we think were are in the mix for 2010 class of free agents...its a shame but its not shocking that this kind of trade happen. It helps both teams but no HEADLINER...next will be CAPTAIN KIRK and we will get 2 2nd round picks + maybe some scrub guard from someone like Phx.
Yeah!
Pax pulls the trigger! Whoooah!
You da man Pax!
Stoudamire or Bosh? To hell with that when you have the chance to not only pick up “Bad” Brad Miller but John “Swimming Upstream” Salmons
So that is it eh? Now John Paxson can ride off into the sunset with his poor tired head held high. So does this make the Bulls a better team at all?
Not to me.
You still have Noah.
You still have Hughes.
You still have a back load at the guard position.
You still have a bunch of marginally talented wing men (including a new one) who are not really small forwards, not really shooting guards. Just guys wearing the same color jersey as Derrick Rose.
You still have no real center or inside scoring and now the front court is even weaker than before. Brad Miller? Please!
I can't wait to see him plodding down the court as Rose desperately looks for someone...ANYONE to help out on the break.
You still have a huge hole to fill with a player to team with Rose so a 20 year-old does not have to have the weight of the world on his shoulders trying to keep this team out of the cellar.
They need a 2nd star player. A real NBA star player and not a bunch of “Hope he gets a lot better real fast” types.
What a boring and uninspiring team this is. Just forgettable stiffs that drift around the league for a few years before becoming a laughable answer to a trivia question.
Why even talk about the free agents of 2010 when the team is never going to shell out the big money needed to get these players while offering a sorry group of potential teammates to dangle as bait.
Wow. I am shocked that anyone would be angry about this trade. Some people on here act like Gooden and Nocioni were All-Stars that we traded for a bag of beans. Gooden was gone at the end of the year anyway and Nocioni has not come close to living up to that contract. Miller gives us a year and a half of a passable center and Salmons made the money right. You must also realize that even if the Bulls make the playoffs, THEY AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE IN THE PLAYOFFS. This isn't the NFL where the six seed can sneak up and make the Superbowl. Making the playoffs does nothing.
The end result is that through this deal alone we will have about 14 Million free for 2010 (Brad Millers 11 and the 3 million difference from Nocioni to Slamos). Also why would we want to trade Larry Hughes, to me he is more valuable sitting at home and letting his 12 million or so come off the books before 2010 as well. That gives the Bulls about 26 Million to go shopping. Now, obviously this is risky and we have been burned before, but what other choice is there. Derrick Rose alone is not bringing a championship and i am not convinced anyone else on this team will become star number 2. A trade could happen, but really who is giving us a star in return for the spare parts we have.
The only choice is to free money for 2010. Hit or Miss that is the best strategy for this team. Hopefully someone likes the prospect of playing along side Derrick Rose because that is the only way we get the second star we need.
Pax made a good move today. He worked within the constraints before him and got a good low post scorer and another versatile guy. One step at a time. Im not yet willing to give up on Pax
these are interesting statements. but the truth is as long as the best fans in the world fill the stadium you won't get the player we need. jerry, knows he can send a girls high school team and the stadium will be full. you can be 100 million under the cap but as history has shown you need some flash to get the great players to come to the bulls, namely bosh. no one is coming to the bulls if it's just rose cause he's just a rookie. this team might make the playoffs but they are gone in the first or second round. there's and imbalance on this team and it's jerry and pax fault. so they have to make one more big trade. the bulls have the players to make a big trade.let's see one future super star and a cast of thousands of role players.
hughes and sefolosha should be traded
When you look at the trade, I see the bulls giving up two average players who weren't contributing this year, and receiving two average players who are contributing to a team even the bulls can beat. We yet again couldn't get a big name player such as Amare or Chris bosh (not surprising, since we also could have traded for oh i dont know, pau gasol, kevin garnett, kobe bryant, nobody thats a decent nba player) but there always seems to be a problem within the trade. Honestly i think getting salmons and miller will be a nice change to nocioni and gooden who havent played well at all this year, and we are also freeing up a lot of money. Who knows if the gm of the bulls will attempt to pull the trigger on wade or bosh, but wade is from chicago and bosh is rumored to have the bulls as his number one choice. if gordon and hinrich are gone after this year, we should have a lot of money to play around with in the 2010 FA. At least it's nice to dream. but back to the trade, its not the big name players we wanted, but they should help a little bit at least to become a playoff team.
stop lying paxson aint did jack as usual this deal is good because we got a little bit better but this aint nothing but patch work face it pax screwed up thats y he wants out he screwed up this deal has stall tactic written all over it may be he is hoping kobe opts out and signs with the bulls like he said but first get a real coach can u say avery johnson also put deng on the block as well as hinrich cause right now neither has played worth there contracts and salmons is what ben gordon wish he could be a solid shooter who plays all around defense regardless of how you look at it pax is still being pax he has been doing patch work since the chandler sign and trade so i hope he does step down and take his coach with him may be if he gave del negro something to work with it may be different but i dont think so bottom line we have no identity and its starting to show on rose face we need to do something and do it fast before no one wants to play here (o wait thats the problem now )well we need to do more i would rather trade kirk and hughes to the knicks for lee and stephon just to get rid of hughes atleast stephon comes off the books at the end of the season and if kobe opts out there you go the bulls become an instant contender barring jerry dont close the check book and gordon to go where ever cause he not worth a bag of nickles holla !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a life long Bulls fan, and it is getting hard to follow this team outside of having D Rose. I guess we should be thankful for the rest of the season watching Miller slow down the Bulls offense and watching Thabo sit on the bench in a suit next to Big shot Larry. Oh, i forgot and watch Ben Gordon get jealous of the Hinrich and Rose backcourt and take horrible 1 on 3 shots and play no defense. Then in the off season we can watch him leave for nothing and draft Steph Curry and sit him on the Bench in Lindsey Hunter spot. Good luck Derrick, Vinny and Ty Thomas it's going to be a rough year and a half, then please don't break down when every star in the league looks at the Bulls in 2010 and want no part to do with the front office. But i will keep watching, thanks goodness for league pass so i can turn the channel when D Rose rest on the bench.
How can you not like this trade? John Salmons is probably better as a 2 than a 3 - he may be the guy that combines Gordon's offense with Hinrich's defense at 6'6". His arrival means the Bulls can let Gordon go in free agency; it also means the Bulls can deal Hinrich's $10M. If they do that, the Bulls will technically have only Rose, Deng and Salmons under contract after 2009-2010 season.
In addition, they have the option to keep or deal Thomas, Noah and Sefolosha. That gives them plenty of cap space and a good nucleus to get a Bosh or Stoudemire and maybe another shooting guard.
not surprising in the least. build up hope for the big trade and finish with a wimper. as much as I hate to say it, solid move. lose dead weight, free up space for future moves. the unfortunate thing is that unless it brings in the magical free agents in 2010, it is just another way for ownership to pocket the unspent money as they have done in the past. at this point the only thing left to do is dump Hughes and wait. Bulls fans get used to the idea that there will not be a championship team in this town for the next few years and possibly longer. the only leverage fans really have is to stop attending games. take away the gate revenue for the next few years and you will see team ownership that is truely motivated to improve its product.
When you consider the value of this trade in terms of what we gave up in talent & what we gained in cap space for 2010, Pax gets a thumbs up. Pax traded $30mil w of contracts for $30mil in return. Salmons makes Gordon expendable now.
2010 matters because of D Rose. Rose alone ups the Bulls odds to draw an all-star. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Pax lucked out on Rose. With Thomas now proving to be a force for the Bulls maybe he'll stick around if they can get pass the 1st round in the playoffs.
I wish Vinny was more like Ozzie. In one off-handed comment he solved MLB's roid crisis: test often & without warning. If you get caught, you're banned for life from the game. Who would dare try it then? That's the kind of tough talk I'd like to hear from Vinny.
Funny thing happened on the way to the trade deadline; everybody missed it!
There was nothing close to a blockbuster trade, so what's the beef. Nothing fit, so nothing bought. Oh well. Free agency anyone?
I had an inkling this was going to happen, but all I kept saying to myself was "just hold a solid nucleus". Done. I'm almost relieved by this trade, believe it or not. I know Bosh and Amar'e are good, but not Gooden, Thomas, Noah and draft pick good. For all it's worth, Gooden and Noce were probably the least to hurt us leaving. A lot of people are going to be surprised at the flexibility Miller and Salmons are going to give us. Shoot, every time I looked up, Salmons was leading his team in scoring. O.K., so he played for an injury depleted cellar dweller; but just the fact he stepped up to lead the team has gotta say something? As for Miller; mean streak, saavy veteran with a game the Bulls sorely need. I like it for what it's worth, nothing more, nothing less.
Not the big bang theory everyone was hoping for, but a push forward none the less. I imagine EVERY SPORTS BLOGGER in the middle-of-the-pack N.B.A. cities is crying foul just the same, but I'm off Paxson on this one. Doesn't dismiss his past deficiencies, but this one smelled of a dud from the word go.
Though we are nowhere near the BEHEMETH everyone beckons for, I strongly feel a solid finish is in the works, and I don't want to miss this one.
We've had enough misses for, say, the next five years!
I think this was a good trade and will actually help the bulls more in the short term and long term. I mean the bulls are already scoring over 100 points a game. This trade allows us to keep our depth and actually balances out our rotation. The bulls will have the best bench in the league that will probably be one of the best defensive benches in the league. Brad Miller gives them a decent low post threat that can consistently knock down the 15 footers. That alone will relieve pressure off of tyrus thomas and will allow him to wreak havoc on the offensive glass with athletic put backs and now the bulls can utilize Joakim Noah in his more natural position at power forward where he'll get into less foul trouble and also wreak havoc on the glass and defensively with his length. Also getting Miller will get our wings easier shots,because they can't just leave miller alone like teams do with Noah and derrick rose is already having a great year. How many more assist will rose get now that he has a big man that can consistently knock down shots and spread the floor so he can wreak havoc.
Starting Lineup:
C-Brad Miller
PF-Tyrus Thomas
SF-Luol Deng
SG-Ben Gordon
PG-Derrick Rose
Bench:
C-Aaron Gray
PF-Joakim Noah
SF-Thabo Sefolosha
SG-John Salmons
PG-Kirk Hinrich
Blah, Blah, Blah...the majority here would make you forget that Jordan and the glory days never happened--we won 6 championships in the 90's. The truth here is that Paxson has done wonders prior to the purchase of "Big Ben." If we want to crucify someone it should be Ben Wallace, who single handedly destroyed the promise of this team. He brought nothing but defiance, lazy effort, and "its a business" attitude to this team. The unfortunate part of this is that we asked for it and bought into the idea that we were an emerging team, full of talent, but the truth is--we weren't even close. Yet, the stadium fills up and season tickets continue to sell. For what? To boo. However, we still have a few promising talents, namely Rose, but we can't see the plan in its fullest detail. This is probably because there isn't one at this point. They lucked in to Rose, just as they did Jordan. Who knows where will end up in the near future? Just remember, unsuspectingly we added Pippen, Paxson, Kerr, and even Rodman, but it still focused around Jordan. Weren't we lucky then...and we had Krause running the show. This is just like Chicago fans to piss and moan, bail and run, but not have any understanding of how sports in general go in cycles. We will get back to the promise land...Rose is the real deal and we will have to watch the rest unfold before we start calling people out for bums and no names. True Bulls fans--hang in there because it is going to be ugly for a while. The rest of you need to stop being Sox fans--always fighting that inferiority complex.
Very good trade. Now all the bulls have to do is trade ben gordon, tyrus thomas and our draft picks to toronto for chris bosh. D-Rose for ROY!!!!
Stop whining!!!
The Bulls were never going to win the title this year regardless of who they got. Overall the trade gave them scoring at the center position in Miller. Salmons is much improved and makes Hinrich expendable to pick up another quality player or save cap room for the future. Pax did the best he could considering every owner wants to free up cap space and no superstarts were being traded, and the Bulls wouldn't win a title this year regardless of who they got.
Let them improve and build for 2010 or 2011. Patience is a virtue.
I understand that various factors might have hamstrung Pax, but I guess this is an okay deal. The jury is still out on whether Salmons is for real, and we're all familiar with Miller...though he scores about 2 points less per game on average than Gooden. The plus is that Miller does have some size to at least put his hands up and put a body on the bigger centers around the league.
Since we are definitely going to lose Ben Gordon, I think Salmons is a decent consolation prize until we can get better at the guard/swing position. He should NOT be considered an be all/end all at that position...but who knows? What we really need is a dominant big man on this team and a major overhaul of our bench now.
It is not the blockbuster trade that everyone wants, but Paxson waited too long to pull the trigger on a Stoudemire trade. Now that there has been a coaching change in Phoenix, the Suns are less likely to make any changes at this time. The Bulls have set themselves up for 2010. Yet, they likely will not sign any of the coveted free agents. Miller and Salmons are serviceable. I am impressed Paxson got someone to take Nocioni. Be glad for that at least. Although he played well last night, Hinrich should be traded as well while his value his high. You can possibly clear more money. We live in a city of inept general managers. Accept it people.
Comment from JS - TERRIBLE!!! You give up your best perimeter defender! I have to assume that JS is talking about Noce which indicates JS does not understand basketball. Noce was probably the Bull's worst defender. Great motor and desire and was not afraid to take a charge but was constantly out of position, gambled too much and lost sight of "man and ball" too much.
I liked Nocioni's hustle but as someone pointed out, the ref's are beginig to call fouls on his flops and getting fed up with his Bill Lambier act when they do call fouls on him. To be honest I was beginning to get tired of his w"who me? what did I do?" act with every foul called on him. With Gooden gone Tyrus will get the consistant minutes he needs to continue the developement he has shown since Gooden has been hurt. Even though he was in early foul trouble last night (at least one of those fouls on replay was clearly a clean block) he proved to be a big factor in the fourth quarter. what really surprized me was the Bulls came from behind and took the lead last night with both Noah and Gray o the floor at the same time. Makes me wonder what will happen with a combination of Rose, Salmons, Tyrus, Noah and Miller on the floor together. Many have commented on Gray's passing abilty and on a couple occasions last night he and Rose ran impressive give and goes. I can only imagine with Miller being among the top passing bigs in the league how he and rose will fit together in a pick and roll. Granted this does not make the Bulls a threat to make the eastern conference finals but it's a step in the right direction.
This a business and from that perspective it was a good trade. We also upgraded our talent and our ability to make further moves. Anyone who complains about this move is simply a crybaby.
Brad Miller has not played since Jan. 30th due to a hip injury.
My coffee just yawwwwwwwnnnnnned...
One needs only to look at the schedules of the Bulls and the 3 teams in front of us for some post trade inspiration. Milwaukee, Philly and Detroit have some serious travel issues in front of them, and Miami and Atlanta could also be in for some serious Star Burnout. This could well turn out to be, at the very best, a first round play-off chance at victory. I'll bet Curlys' gold we make the play-offs, and I reckon we'll be playing a 3rd or 4th seed.
Salmons has instant success and Millers injury has his 32 year old legs fresh for the stretch run. Grab Lee from the Knicks for Hughes and Hinrich, and look out Cinderella, here we come.
Hey, they turned a pumpkin into a Golden Carriage!?.
No No No. You traded Nocioni the only person besides Rose who was playing on this team and giving 100 % every time for what for fish and beer.
Phil - if Miller is hurt, that would just mean we play and develop Noah and Gray and pick up another person to back them up.
Jed - you make your luck. And you can call Krause and Pax out all you want, but believe it or not - the GM is the architech of the team. Yes the Bulls selected Jordan, but they could have EASILY ran him out of town or traded him like they did Aldrich and Brand. Krause deserves credit, and so does Pax. There are a great deal of wonderful players that NEVER win jack because the GM does not have the foresight.
Oh by the way....Sox have tasted the champagne of victory - and have paraded around this town like Barack Obama. I will take, the Sox, dah Mayor, the President and the Trophy. You can have the Cubs, their 100 years of sterility, and Blagojovich.
Keith - They could have developed Noah and Gray (just tasted a little bit of vomit) without making this trade.
Neither one of those guys is going to develop into a good player and what they need is a star. All they have done is trade a flat tire for another flat tire.
If anyone believes that the Bulls are clearing up money for the big free agent stars available after the 2010 season then they are drunk on the Bulls Kool-Aid.
Jerry Reinsdorf did not even want to pay Jordan and Pippin so why would anyone believe that he is going to outbid every other team in the NBA for players like LaBron, Bosh, Nowitzki, Yao, Kobe, Wade, Stoudemire…..
Where in his history of the owner of the Bulls or White Sox has he gone out to get his man in free agency? I am talking about a real star player and not some over the hill name who is way past their prime.
This keeps your hopes up and when nothing happens (just like the last time they pulled this move) then they can offer you yet another version of their rebuilding muck at a low cost to the team.
Have we not seen this same story for the last 10 years now?
Knock Paxson all you want, but take a look at how many teams tried to get Stoudemire and failed. Look at how many teams were angling for Salmons. The Bulls are part of one of only three meaningful trades so far, no one else can even get a deal done, meanwhile Paxson has shed salary for '10 when being paired with Rose will be on every free agent big man's mind and he's added a utility swingman and a center who can at the very least make up for some of the moronic lack of a big man coach on the team.
Paxson's made alot of mistakes of late, overpaying Noce and Hinrich, the Wallace signing, and trading Aldridge for Thomas, but if you're gonna skewer him at least do it for the right things, it takes two to make a trade, firing Porter was Phoenix's big move and the Bosh thing was a longshot at best.
I'm OK with this. I hate the idea of positioning for 1 year and a half from now, but that's the NBA. Some people think you can say abra-kadabra and instantly have a great trade. The knees made me afraid of Stoudamire. On the other hand, now that the pressure seems off Thomas has slowed down a bit. Still, he's obviously capable of putting up numbers. Miller is a solid offensive player and works hard. I always liked him, for whatever that's worth. I think he will work well with Ty and Noah. Salmon gives the Bulls a scorer off the bench, or allows Gordon to be the sixth man and add size to the starting lineup. He CAN play the 2, which means you can go with Thabo and Salmons in the backcourt for a short stretch, a BIG backcourt. Whether that is good or not remains to be seen. I think these guys will fit in well. I certainly hope so.
Those who complain about still having Hughes around have a point, but why go nuts until after the trading deadline? Have another beer. Even if the Bulls are stuck with him, it might make a trade easier over the summer. At that point, if I am not mistaken, he will have an all important EXPIRING CONTRACT! I love the David Lee rumor. But if it's Hughes and Hinrich, then all of a sudden the Bulls have a crowded frontcourt instead of backcourt. That is, unless Noah is part of the deal. It's never easy!
I think the jury is out on this trade but on paper we have done well. I love Noce but he isn't playing well this year and Gooden is damaged goods. There is a reason for him being traded 4 times in 7 years. Miller left the Bulls to become an All-star after leaving Tim Floyd and we all know how well Elton Brand did when he left. I don't want to make too many trades because we have an inexperienced FLOYD version 2.0 sitting on our bench. We need a real coach who can set up an offensive play near the end of the game and set up a defense to stop the other team with 3.5 seconds. The Marion dunk last week was evidence number 10 why Vinny needs to go. Don't blame Paxson for Vinny. Thst is all Reinsdorf's doing by not putting up the money to get D'Antonio. If we can manage to get Lee from the Knicks and dump Larry Hughes than Paxson has earned his keep for this year.
The best thing about this trade is it didn't involve T. Thomas and K. Hinrich. Thomas looks as if he finally understands how to play in the pros and I think he will be a solid starter for many years. If Hinrich goes who will handle the ball with Rose on the bench? Gordon,I don't think so.
i've always been a Brad Miller fan, although now he's 33 with an expiring contract...as for you Lebron hopefulls....DONT KID YOURSELF! Why on Gods green earth would he come here, Lebron is no dummy, thats not ever gonna happen!
If they trade Kirk I say fire Paxson immediately, IMO: Trade Larry Hughes then find playing time for Thabo, get a young backup center in the draft (ya know someone like LaMarcus Aldridge averaging 18ppg)
My starters:
1 rose
2 kirk
3 salmons
4 tyrus
5 miller
my 2nd unit
1 gordon
2 deng
3 thabo
4 joakim
5 gray (until draft pick develops)
no team wins it all without a good bench!
i think this is a good trade for the bulls getting improvement down low with Brad Miller.Also John Salmons is having a great year better then Nocioni .I mean Noc isnt having a good year and Drew is always injured it seems like this year.Last year this trade wouldve been equal this year its almost a steal considering the production by drew and andres