It's not something anyone - the coaches, players, owner, fans - will want to admit, but it's true: the 2009-2010 season is largely irrelevant for the Bulls. This became official the day the Bulls got rid of Ben Gordon without compensation.
See, there were two ways the Bulls could have made themselves into contenders.
Option A: Resign Gordon and attempt to fleece a financially strapped team of a star player for 50 cents on the dollar. If you need an example, look no further than San Antonio's trade for Richard Jefferson. This plan would have brought the Bulls well into the luxury tax and would have required a huge financial commitment from owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Option B: Let Gordon walk, save money for the future, and go after one of the superstar free agents in the in the class of 2010.
The Bulls chose Option B.
It's the riskier strategy, to be sure. But it's also the one with the highest ceiling. 'Go Big or Go Home' may sound like an X-Games mantra, but it's also the path the Bulls have chosen to turn themselves into a member of the NBA's elite.
In case you need a refresher, here are some of the players that will be free agents in 2010.
LeBron James
Dwyane Wade
Amare Stoudemire
Chris Bosh
Dirk Nowitzki
Joe Johnson
Carlos Boozer
Manu Ginobili
Make no mistake, the Bulls will be going after one of those first four guys.
I did the math for you: assuming they decline their team option on Tyrus Thomas (and they have to if they want to have enough dough) and John Salmons decides not to opt out of his contract, the Bulls will have $37.5 million committed after this season. The salary cap this year is set at $57.7 million. It's expected to drop some for the second consecutive season after 2009-2010, but it shouldn't drop much. Basically, the Bulls are going to have about $18-20 million in cap space. If they have it their way, $16-$17 million will go to one of the first four players listed above.
I think we can cross LeBron's name off our wish list. Sure, James-to-the-Bulls does make some sense - Chicago is one of the country's three biggest markets, who wouldn't want to play with Derrick Rose?, ect. - but it just seems so unlikely. The options for James are limited: he'll either stay with the Cavs or hop to New York to play for Mike D'Antoni's Knicks. Maybe Jay-Z's Nets have a chance. Maybe a sleeper team like the Mavericks have a chance. But it's probably Cleveland or New York for LeBron. So don't take No. 23 out of the United Center rafters just yet.
So Wade, Amare, or Bosh. All three of these players qualify as legitimate stars. The Bulls need to get one of them.
Wade is the best of the bunch. Along with LeBron, Kobe, and Chris Paul, he's one of the four best players in the NBA. He is currently 27 years old. And, oh hey, he's from Chicago. He loves this city and spends lots of time here. An all-Chicago backcourt of Wade and Derrick Rose would be unbelievable.
Amare Stoudemire has been at the center of Bulls trade rumors before. He is the most successful person ever to recover from microfracture surgery. He is arguably the most skilled offfensive big man in the NBA. He doesn't play much defense. A Rose-Stoudemire pick-and-roll is the stuff dreams are made of. He turns 27 years old in November.
Chris Bosh is perhaps the best fit for the Bulls. He's a well-rounded 6'10 power forward. Bosh is a better rebounded and defender than Stoudemire. Bosh is probably just as good on offensive, too. He doesn't turn 26 years old until March, meaning he's the youngest of the three.
So that's it for the Bulls. Get one of those guys or bust. If it pays off, the Bulls will have two legit superstars. You know what happens when you have two legit superstars? You challenge for NBA championships.
So if this were a video game, we would just simulate the 2009-2010 season and get to the juicy stuff, right?
Well, not so fast. Just because I wrote up top that this coming season is largely irrelevant doesn't mean it's wholly irrelevant. Do you think Dwyane Wade will really want to come to a bad team just because he went to high school in Oak Lawn?
The Bulls need to at least tread water this year. They can't win 35 games. They need to make the playoffs, preferably as one of the top five seeds.
Without Gordon, this will be difficult, though certainly not impossible. Remember that the Bulls will have a full season of John Salmons and Brad Miller. Remember that Luol Deng is coming back. Remember that Derrick Rose will absolutely get better.
The stakes are high. The pressure is intense. It may even be a little uncomfortable to talk about. The Bulls need to sign either Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, or Amare Stoudemire as a free agent after the 2009-2010 season. If they do that, they should be title contenders for a long time.
And if they don't? Let's not even think about that.
Ricky O'Donnell is the designated pinch-hitter at FCP. Contact him at richardpodonnell@gmail.com.
as long as we are talking about the Bulls....why not talk about the
Blackhawks? Since most of us are fans again....we are starting
to figure out their names...and no not cause they are winnning...cause they are more exciting than cold steel
on ice. The Bulls? Still can't say I care. They too were exciting
a bit....but I think many changes are coming. Just in time too...Tim
Floyd may be looking for a new job soon.
That is purely a wishlist and nothing more. The salary cap is expected to drop to as low as $50.4M and I don't think $12M will get you any of those players.
GO CAVS!
First, Salmons is going to opt out. He averaged 18 last year, and will probably need to be a big time scorer for the Bulls again with Gordon in Detroit. Also, at the age of 30 the summer of 2010 will probably be one of the last times a team will be willing to give him more than a one or two year deal.
Second, Wade is probably the only option from the three you mention and that probably is not a good one. It would assume he cannot use South Beach, no state income tax, and the most cap space in the NBA to attract a big like Amare or Bosh. Given the moves Toronto made, I am not sure Bosh leaves anymore, though it is still possible. If he does, every team with space will give him a max offer. Amare already has a $5 million home in Miami, so I'd take that as a hint hinty hint hint should he leave Phoenix. The Knicks and Nets have the lure of New York to go with a ton of space. New Jersey also has a few very nice players in Harris and Lopez already in the mix. Both are going to come away with someone. The Thunder, Timberwolves, Clippers, and Kings will also have better than $10 million under a lowered cap number. Given the money Dallas threw around (and away) to surround Dirk with veterans, they aren't going to let him leave. Atlanta is finally starting to look like a competent organization, so it is entirely possible that they won't let their best player leave. It could end up being a really disappointing summer. Teams didn't seem that interested in Carlos Boozer this summer, why would they get excited next year? I tend to believe the better options may end up being restricted free agents. Rondo and Gay wouldn't make a lot of sense for the Bulls, but Aldridge has to be considered. The Bulls would have to overpay on an offer sheet for him, but at least they would overpay a guy who will be 25 and entering his prime years.
Ricky - Thank You first of all. Secondly, kudos for a good sobering post. I am still trying to heal from the loss of Gordon. He is a love hate guy and I am on the love side of the equasion. I like what the Bulls did last year in the playoffs and thought the sky was the limit with Gordon coming back, Ding (I spelled it right), and Salmons/Miller in the mix for a full year as you mentioned. I believe THAT team was a legitimate attraction with the STARS. I believe that team was just a superstar away from the conf. finals/finals. That team was going to make a lot of progress even with their lame coach and mediocre co-captains. They gave the fans and the NBA a great series last year and just walked away from it for money. Luxury Smuckxury!! You want to win you are going to have to PAY. The reality is any true star is going to demand that the Bulls get some more players and spend some money. We need to quit it. Bulls fans DESERVED that Boston series which was as good as a hot samich from your favorite restaurant with a toothpick! Teeth sucking good! But noooooo! We let the Bulls sell us a pipe dream. We deserved to have them build on that success. Even if they traded away Gordon, I could accept it if it IMPROVED the team. But they played a shell game on us.
There are only 3 superstars on the Free Agent Market worth entertaining: Labron, Wade and believe it or not - Dirk Nowitski. All the rest of those guys are REGULAR stars and just good players. I wouldn't spend a DIME on either of them. BOSH is just a regular star. He is not going to be the difference maker in the playoffs. Thats what a SUPERSTAR does. Bulls must come back with either Labron, Wade or Dirk or two of those Bums to turn things around. Now mind you - even with two of those bums we still are not going past the second round. And looking at Boston and Cleveland and Orlando, there is no real reason to expect anything out of the Bulls. And I don't think Wade, Labron or Dirk will leave their situations (better) for the CHEAP BULLS expecially with Vinny as the coach. It takes MORE than money and the Bulls are going to find that out.
Rose gave it his ALL, and he did that with a wing man that was a real threat. No reason to expect him to IMPROVE. I expect him to be better overal in his game but not the way people think. Teams have scouted those drives to the basket. Hopefully he has added a good shot to his game as reported. Rose is the 4th quarter offense now and he better learn to make some passes and reserve himself. AND he has to learn to limit those turnovers and play defense. Offense was really his thing and to be a better point-guard he is going to have to give up some points for assists and expend some of that energy on defense. That is the improvement he needs.
Bulls have some weapons, but they have to be motivated to win. They have to have a player that believes in the big moment and the big shot. Who is that now? Noah and Rose are the ONLY two players on the entire team with killer instinct. Tyrus and Miller have heart. Kirk is tough, but that is NOT leadership. And you have to have the SKILL to impose your will in the 4th.
I want Aaron Gray to see more playing time. He is more legit than any of those free agents you have mentioned. My only concern is that he is white.
Am I crazy for thinking that a couple of mid-20s 6-10 power forwards who have averaged 20 ppg over the course of their careers are not, in fact bums, and either one of them would make the Bulls serious contenders? Or that any two of Bosh, Stoudemire, Boozer, Ginobli, and Johnson would make the Bulls heavy favorites to play in the Eastern Conference finals?
I'm sure Bryant, Wade, James, etc. have also had their drives to the basket looked at by scouts. That in no way means that defenses are able to prevent those drives because they were scouted, and the same goes for Rose. His jumper came a long way from the end of the season, and there's no reason to believe that he won't be an absolutely lethal force on the offensive end this year. The turnovers will go down, too, I'm sure.
Salmons and Deng are the keys to this year. Salmons never had a season like his 2008-09 before, but he was also never a full time starter. Hopefully his performance last year is indicative of what he is really like when given enough minutes. Deng obviously has to make up a lot of the scoring that we lose from Gordon, so he needs to stay healthy and play somewhere close to his 06-07 level.
Luring one of those free agents to Chicago is no sure thing, but make no mistake, a guy like Derrick Rose does nothing but make Chicago an attractive destination for these guys.
Good article, Rick. I think you pretty much nailed it.
No disrespect to you, Ricky, but I had this all down and covered in FCP in plenty of my older posts about the Bulls. I think what needs to be elaborated a little further here is let's say if the Bulls had kept Ben Gordon, we already know that JR would have had to take a luxury tax hit this season, I understand that, but my question is, EXACTLY how much would that penalty have been? In other words, how much of a "HUGE financial commitment" would it have been for JR to eat some $'s for 1 year? You make it sound like it would have been too much for JR, yet according to several sources I've read up on, the Celtics and Lakers have to pay $8.3 and $7.2 million, respectively, in tax penalty for the 2008-2009 season. So basically, after all these years of owning the Bulls and reaping profits year after year, which included 6 championships worth of revenue and profits, and never having to pay a tax penalty ever since that penalty rule was established, JR couldn't sacrifice let’s say hypothetically approx. $8-$10 million in penalty fees for 1 little year while he dished out all that money on Bulls player busts like Ben Wallace, Eddie Robinson, etc.? Oh but wait, in the meantime, let me just invest my extra money in a hockey franchise to add to my toy collection of different sports teams and sports themes? Too many people give this guy too much credit for being a sharp business man and because he’s running the White Sox flagship baseball team basically the “right” way, but for me, he’s a TERRIBLE NBA basketball owner. The bottom line is that he’s not a fan of the game and he’s way too conservative in business decisions involving the Bulls. The salary cap and luxury tax rules are his convenient excuse, but he should be blasted for messing up that roster payroll with too many overpaid contracts on players who have never tasted an all-star game in their careers. Anyone out there who wishes to debate with me about good ole JR, by all means, I’m game anytime. Let’s hear it!
So here’s my take about those 2010 big name FA’s. I don’t see Stoudemire coming here. I don’t see him as a “JR” or GarPax kind of guy, not only because of character, but also because of his injury history and the fact that I see him commanding BIG bucks in free agency and will likely price himself way out of Bulls plans. Best chance is Bosh and/or Wade. The other guys on Ricky’s list.. no thanks. Ginobili and Nowitzki – too much wear and tear. Boozer – already covered him ad nauseum. No thanks. Joe Johnson – too expensive of a player with no real championship experience. If Wade talks ever get serious, then obviously Hinrich’s overpaid contract will be shipped out somehow (there will be teams who will covet him for sure) and then there’s that hometown discount factor that may always come into play with Wade. Forget LeBron, he’ll be too much and I already mentioned that he’s going ally himself with either Jay-Z or Spike/D’Antoni. With Bosh, I can only see him coming here if the Bulls somehow have themselves a strong season in this coming NBA year. That is probably the best way to recruit him (and Wade, for that matter). Unfortunately, you get Bosh, then there’s no room for anyone else decent and for me, Bosh and Rose is still not good enough. God forbid, this is all going to come down to the improvement of Luol Deng. This coming season will be Deng or bust for the Bulls unless James Johnson is the real deal. Good luck with that.
Dwyane Wade can keep his home down Miami way, but his love for Chicago will bring him here, as it does many a person. I wish, more than any other, it's Wade that comes here. With that will come the lure of a solid big man, and presto, you have the makings of a very good team. I don't get into all that money stuff, so I'm not up the cap biz, but I do know we can make it work with two stellar guards and one more, intermediate solid big man.
Your so wrong! The salary cap is expected to drop way lower than what you said. And i wouldn't hold my breath on Salmons keeping his contract... teams are clearing up cap room for 2010 like nobody's biz! He's gunna want to test the waters and see whose interested in him. However your right, but at the same time wrong about another thing... True you can cross LBJ off the wish list... because 'Bron wont even be a free agent next year! If he decides to keep his contract with the Cavs he'll be making 22,000,000 a year... if he opts out the max he can get from any team is 19,000,000. You do the math ;)
Doyle - yeah you are crazy. Staudemire couldn't win with NASH a two time MVP. And Boozer is from Fluke University the island of misfit players. And Bosh is a big pencil neck joker that is waiting to get choked in the playoffs!!!! Looks like he would drop a load if KG got all in his grill.
DID YOU SAY BRYANT, WADE AND JAMES!!!!!!!! Almost fell out my chair!
Rose needs to make ONE allstar appearance before you start going their. Let him outplay Mo William, Rondo and Devin Harris first!!!
I believe you can't write off the upcoming season for a variety of reasons:
You have no idea who will actually be available. Any of those guys can feel comfortable in their current situation, or cook some plan where they sign together for the same team. But most of all, they would want to go to a team that has something for them existing to work with. That's why I have strong doubts as to how the Knicks plan on rebuidling. Talk about 'All or nothing', they could rename that to "LeBron or nothing". And truthfully, I'm not so sure these athletes aren't simply leaving the door open because they love the attention. We'll call this disease "BrettFavreItus". When you can't live without the media hanging on your every word and action.
Delving further into the importance of being competitive in the upcoming season, the Bulls will need Deng to earn his money. It's been said before that Rose will continue his all star progression, but a terrible scenario would be for them to miss the playoffs, have Rose become an all star, and the only player averaging more than 16 ppg. It's kind of like what happened with the Sonics way back when. They had a young and talented Ray Allen, but he wallowed in obscurity while the team floundered and eventually ended up moving cities. Not saying he Bulls would be willing to jet, being as they are one of the most profitable franchises in the NBA (Thank you MJ), but it end up being a huge waste of talent.
I think the ultimate fear of Bulls fans is that we end up with a 2010 version of Ron Mercer. We threw Benny the Bull, cheerleaders, private planes, confetti, Krause wearing his best suit at Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady and they ended up going to better teams. Bosh, Wade, etc will not come here if we are terrible this year. The Bulls need to be competitive!
Deng, please, please show us those glimpses of when you have a terrific inside/outside game and you didn't look so non-athletic. That reach alone should net you 16/17 + ppg. There was even a time when Kobe Bryant nearly forced a trade to Chicago simply to play with you! The Bulls even turned down a trade that would have sent you to Memphis for Gau Gasol. The good old days, they weren't that long ago.
I understand why the Bulls did not resign Gordon. Too one dimensional, got lit up by opposing sg on a consistent basis, and truthfully did not really care about defense/rebounding as he never said how he needed to improve in those areas. To me, that is not someone who I want as a starter. We resign Gordon, mediocre seasons for the next 3/4 years. But Pax has seen what a successful team is, and what kind of players are needed to accomplish this. Now, if we can find the real Luol Deng and get this season going on the right track.
reinsdorf has been fleecing bulls fans for years. if derrick rose's advisers are smart, they would suggest to him to keep his mouth shut, play hard, toe the company line, and complete his contract here and go elsewhere. the bulls aren't committed to winning. reinsdorf isn't compelled to spend because fans will pack the uc anyway. blame last season's lost to the celtics in the playoffs squarely at the feet of one of the lamest coaching staffs ever assembled. i would doubt that any of the free-agents-to-be would want to play for the current coaching staff. they're horrible. just cheap hires all the way around. for this to be the 3rd largest market, we have got to possess some of the worst ownership groups in all of professional sports. pick your sport.
LeBron isn't going to New york or New jersey or Chicago , Chicago don't have enough money,new york and New Jersey don't have another superstar to take the pressure off of him. And Dallas... please!
Lebron is comming to Miami to team up with Dwayne Wade. Because he now understand that he can't win it all alone. And though Miami is not the media center that the other major markets are it's steal Miami and he making more money off the court right now than he is on it already. Campionships is what will get him what he most desire and that's to be an Icon like Micael Jordon, but like Jordan he'll never win a multiple championships without his Pippen. And Wade is better than Pippen.
Wake up all you dreamers, and find another team to root for all the rest of you negative nellies.
LeBron? OF COURSE NOT!
Wade IS NOT leaving Miami.
Amare IS NOT coming to Chicago. Thank gOD!
Bosh WOULD improve the team but not to championship level.
Everyone who thinks that Gordon, a mini-verson of Amare, except that at least Stoudamire rebounds as well as scores, is so big a loss, is an idiot.
And that goes for all the Deng haters as well.
The biggest obstacle to the Bulls winning 50 or more games this year is being lucky, healthwise, with the top 7 players.
Rose, Salmons, Hinrich, Deng, Noah, Thomas and Miller, if healthy, will be a tough team for MANY others to beat. They certainly have a decent chance at 4th seed, which IS NOT IRRELEVANT.
If they do that, they will make it past the 1st round, which IS an improvement.
ALmost every poster here is into instant gratification or else.
Mr X - interesting thought. I think he would consider Miami if things turn bad in Cleveland which they probably will with a 45 year old Shaq clogging up the middle.
Going to NY would be the ultimate eff-yu to Cleveland fans. Chicago doesn't make any sense...S Beach in January beats the hell out of both.
Edgar, Luke, Rob/Teacher and Mr. X - thank you for raining down reason.
Money means a lot, but NOTHING replaces winning a championship. Labron and Wade make enough money to last them for the rest of their lives. They are chasing NBA HISTORY. They need a franchise that is SERIOUS about winning. Bulls have one very good player and the rest...good to marginal. Bulls have Vinny Del Negro. Wade already said - "The Bulls should NOT have let Gordon go". Wade wants a team that just needs him to get over the hump, not a team in rebuilding mode - which CHICAGO IS. Kirk is nothing but a draw for the "typical" season ticket holders. And Rose is nothing but a show pony to keep true hoops fans thirsty! Everyone else is just a bunch of role players. Gordon was the difference between getting completely blown out and competing down the stretch. Thats right Chicago - I said "getting completely blown out"! Get used to it. We are going to see if this MIGHTY DEFENSE is going to help us win. Mighty Defense cannot stop the likes of LaBron and Wade. You need a counter measure for that! Bulls cheaply and arrogantly let theirs walk to the Pistons and sold us a Monorail pipedream about Wade and Labron in 2010!!!
I will tell you how sad Chicago is. We are wolfing over Rose like he is Labron! Who has a GREAT team and they got their fannies spanked by the OFFENSIVELY explosive Magic. Labron is the best player in basketball and even he added SHAQ. The Bulls dropped their leading scorer after making the playoffs and fighting valiantly. Some geniouses think that was SMART!!! Boston still BEAT Chicago and they ADDED Rasheed Wallace even though they will also get KG back! They had 3 stars and added another. But Chicago - drops their leading scorer like its nothing!!! And then we have the AUDACITY to talk about drawing someone! Bad enough the Bulls are selling this foolishness, but its just sad to see the fans doing it.
WHY WOULD ANYONE come here except to steal money just like Ben Wallace did. Anyone coming here KNOWS we dont have the team to win. Whoever comes is going to talk that talk and get paid while we get bounced from the first and second round until Rose comes up for free agency. And there will be no money left in the till for Rose in 2 years when he will be where Gordon was this year. And if he is smart follows Rob's Advice above!! Instead of investing in ROSE's career and giving the fans a good show, the Bulls played cheap. Now people are trying to sell us the Derrick Rose Superman Saga. PAH-LEAZE! Go Bears!!!!!
RPK - two points: first of all, Seattle is not Chicago. It was neither as profitable as a team nor as lucrative a market as Chicago is. I don't see the two situations as being parallel. Furthermore, if the Bulls are really going hard after free agents next year, I like to believe they learned from the embarrassment that was the 2000 off-season. It's been noted plenty of times that Krause's handling of breakup of the Bulls dynasty had a lot to do with those free agents spurning the Bulls (and in the most humiliating fashion possible). Furthermore, I would have to believe that a star player is more inclined to want to play with a rising star young point guard like Rose, who will optimize the good looks said star gets than a power forward like Elton Brand. Furthermore, if you look at the rest of the roster for this year's Bulls and that year's Bulls, there is no comparison. That team was absolutely putrid. This one, while not great, is miles better. Again, I'm not seeing much of a parallel.
And Keith, thanks for completely missing the point. Let me put it another way for you. Rose successfully completed many drives to the basket while not yet having a very good jump shot in his arsenal to make defenders play up on him. Furthermore, he did what he did without receiving the foul calls that more established upper-echelon players receive. That jump shot started to come around toward the end of the season, and I have no reason to believe it won't be a weapon for him going forward. Those foul calls will come, as well. With these two things being said, I'll repeat what I said before. It really does not matter what scouts -- or anyone else for that matter -- have seen in terms of his drive. It will be increasingly difficult to stop as he gets more respect around the league and a better jumper. Sorry for making you fall off your chair, man. I hope you didn't hit your head or anything.
Tim - getting sold for 5 years on Paxson's "core" is hardly instant gratification. Paxdorf has not had the gonads to make a real trade cuz it might mean luxury tax.
And ONLY 3 teams in the east can stay ahead of this super 7 you listed? How about:
Cleveland
Boston
Orlando
Atlanta
They are all MUCH better than what the bulls have - the Bulls best hope is probably 7th or 8th seed battling Detroit.
Yawn...
Sorry for that grammer malfunction earlier, I was hangging out with Michael Beasely... Don't kid yourselves, Chicago is a good young team that will grow as Rose grows, and if they convince Bosh to come to their team in 2010 they will really be on their way. They could also resign Salmons and move him to SG,have Deng play his natural spot at SF. Just think of this starting 5...
Noah-C
Bosh-PF
Deng-SF
Salmons-SG
Rose-PG
Now that's impressive...
Come on people.
Stop and think about this for just a moment.
What team are we talking about here?
The Bulls. The Chicago Bulls.
Do you really believe that any of the big free agents are going to be wearing a Bulls uniform in 2011?
Really?
The Bulls won the number 1 pick in the draft lottery and drafted Derrick Rose.
They won a pick in a lottery.
They did not make a smart move.
They did not show that they were committed to winning.
They did not do anything bold to improve the team.
They got lucky and a ping-pong ball fell their way and that is all.
There is no real reason to believe that things have changed at the Berto Center.
Since the end of their feel good series against Boston what has happened?
They held onto to their two middle of the road draft picks drafting more bench warming role players and they got rid of their leading scorer.
Wow!
After seeing the way they handle free agency, the way they let Gordon walk without even so much as a draft pick in return, the way they settled for the cheapest head coach they could find….
What makes anyone believe that these very same people that have been running the team for years is suddenly going to act like a real NBA franchise while dishing out large sums of money at the same time?
Jerry Reinsdorff… THE Jerry Reinsdorf is going to out bid everyone else in the NBA to sign LaBron, Wade, Amare or Bosh?
Sounds like that Swine Flu is hitting the Chicago area early.
I'm going to beat up the next person who spells LeBron's name wrong.
Tommy - I agree!!! And I love Tim. Know he is a real fan. But INSTANT GRATIFICATION is what the NBA has become. Miami, Boston, LA all champions through trade. One and done, but so what! Better than none and none. ASK LABRON. He decided to get with the program. He is not going to waste his entire career chasing the Trophy like KG did. And I don't blame him. He has to listen to Kobe and Wade talk about theirs. I aint mad at him. San Antonio was the last true Dynasty. That's played out now. My wife makes a great cup of coffee made from love, but it doesn't taste better than Starbucks! Rose is not MJ. Pax is not even Krause.
Doyle - I am sorry man. Forgive me. As a matter of fact, everybody forgive me. Bulls are my favorite team and I have been beside myself with ANGER. I have waited patiently through Floyd, Skiles and the beloved CORE to get to Gordon. The BEST player we have had since Jordan and Pippen. Then along comes ROSE and I get to see them Ball together for ONE STINKING season and its beautiful!!! I like it, the NBA likes it, TNT likes it, ROSE likes it and even WADE likes it; and what do the Bulls do...... They ruin it by being cheap. That playoff game at the United Center was one of the best feeling I have ever enjoyed. Its gone because the Bulls think they are SMART. Um out of patience Tim.
Meanwhile on the South-side - instant gratification is the elixir of the franchise! Money is spent and they are going for theirs NOW. Same owner. GM pulling the trigger and brings in the BEST free Agent on the Market!!! And then he goes and gets ANOTHER guy!
And then the CHEAPEST of the cheapies goes out and gets a Pro Bowl QB.
And then the absolute WORST team in the city rises from the ashes spending money and bringing in free agents.
Nobody is waiting but the Bulls. I still love my team, but I cannot support this.
You are right Keith.
Wait?
Wait for what?
We have been waiting for a decade now and for every step the Bulls take forward they take a step and a half back.
I was not spoiled from the championship years because I was a Bulls fan since 1970 and saw a lot of lean years before that first title.
I put my time in long before Jordan came to town.
I have also seen a lot of lean years since then and I just don't see progress.
When the Bulls were building their championship team you could see it falling into place. It was a steady progress and when they were right on the edge of winning it all you could see it happening.
You knew that this was a real team and they were not going to be a flash in the pan.
Not like this crap they offer now.
Derrick Rose was a gift and they already are showing signs of not knowing how to open it.
Constant rebuilding and bland basketball. Uninspiring players and even worse coaching.
Promises of better days but lets keep it on a slowwwwwww pace so you don’t expect much.
Being lucky if they make the playoffs for an early exit is just not exciting or even mildly interesting.
I enjoyed the hell out of the Celtics series but so did millions of NBA fans across the country. It was just great basketball and the Bulls just happened to be in it.
It does not mean that they were moving up to become an elite team or even a competitive one. It was late game heroics and one of the key players involved in that was shown the door.
That series washed away the memories of a bad regular season in a lot of people’s eyes and that is misleading. Remember how bad they were for most of the season?
We have seen far better teams in this town and know what a real NBA team looks like and that is why I don’t understand why anyone would want to go back to the late 70s and early 80s and get all excited if ESPN just mentions the new kid during a broadcast.
Thinking small and being happy with an occasional bone? Yuk!
Reinsdorf loves baseball but the Bulls were an investment for him. He has said many times that he would have traded all of the Bulls titles for one White Sox ring and he has that ring now.
His commitment to the Bulls is just not there.
Firstly, great article, but I think you are missing one of the most important stories of the 09/10 season.
The maturation of Tyrus Thomas.
If Thomas can mature into the athletically gifted player Chicago hoped he would be become when they drafted him, they would have no need for Bosh or Stoudamire. He is taking longer than people hoped to be a good player, but he showed some promising signs at the end of last year.
He is only 23 years old and still has some upside left in him. If he can become a solid contributor or, at best, a fringe all-star, Chicago can focus all their energy into aquiring Wade.
Playing with Wade will also give him some much need space to use his incedible athleticism.
Look out for Thomas this year. Players in their contract year have a knack for finding a little extra something as well...
Im not giving up on LeBron just yet.
I would love to see Wade...this would be the perfect fit. We will still need a space eater big man to help with the Western Conf bigs....
Bosh..not so much...and Amare' is a head case and injury prone, although I love his game at times, he would probably end up a colossal mistake for the Bulls and set us back years.
I did not see anything last season to lead me to believe that Tyrus Thomas is ready to break out and become a good player. I did not say a star player… just a good one would be something.
Even if he did the Bulls would probably let him walk away and sign with someone else.
They got burned on that bad Luol Deng contract and now Jerry is gun shy again.
The Bulls prefer the story of "Little Engine That Could" to the "Big Bad Wolf" and mediocre role players are their bread and butter.
I imagine that John Paxson’s idea of excitement is jumping in the old Dodge Stratus, popping in his "ABBA’s Greatest Hits” 8-Track and heading over to Aldi’s for a few more jars of their house brand mayonnaise.
And now…. The starting line up for YOUR Chicago Bulls!
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..
The Bulls and the Cubs ended their seasons at the same time...
that's pretty special
PHIL - I am cracking up!!!
Papa G, Thomas has a coach that won't LET him play. They went out and drafted at his position. I don't think Vinny likes him and that means he will be traded. Once that stock is high enough, the Bulls will move him. And for the record, I like Thomas.
There you go Keith.
The Bulls drafted James Johnson because they are not happy with the prototype version (Thomas) and now they want to sell us the very slow progress of a newer and cheaper one.
"Give the kid a few years" they will say.
I met Tyrus the same day they parted with Ben Wallace and he seemed like a decent guy. They do not know how to develop him or anyone else for that matter.
How much better would Derrick Rose be if someone like Mark Jackson was coaching the Bulls?
We will never know.
We have.... Vinny Del Negro!
We need to start An All Keith Team
Basically these are players that he Feels are either really good dudes, dudes who got screwed by Riensdorph and got sent packing too early for Keiths liking, or just basically Keith not liking the way they got did. Umm, also the list would include a few flat out Stud Balla's who have made some character mistakes, but no biggie...cause, we all know KTLSS likes his Stallions.
So, I am starting with his starters.
Ben Gordon
Thabo Seflosha
Zach Randolph
Ben Wallace
Eddie Curry
i think dwyane wade, chris bosh, and joe johnson are the only realistic and decent options.
Dwyane Wade
i think he would be a good fit because it gives the bulls another scorer in the back court who can shoot and cut to the basket. assuming that derrick rose's jumpshot improves alot this season, bringing dwyane wade to the bulls will force teams to acknowledge their backcourt of scorers which will create oppurtunites for players like joakim noah, tyrus thomas, aaron gray, brad miller, taj gibson, james johnson, etc. it also balances the team with shooters (derrick rose, kirk hinrich, dwyane wade, luol deng), basket cutters (derrick rose, dwyane wade), and big men (joakim noah, tyrus thomas, brad miller, aaron gray [maybe], and the two new rookies). it would really balance the team.
Joe Johnson
I believe he will have a similar impact as dwyane wade, but not as large.
Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh will finally add a significant offensive presensce in the low post. Chris Bosh is a well-rounded forward who can shoot decent and work the post, i.e. a better, younger, and more athletic form if brad miller. this would open up shooters like derrick rose and kirk hinrich and loul deng while also giving openings to the other bigs. this move would have the opposite affect than that of dwyane wade, but the impact would be just as large.
Please! Didn't you read my 1st post on August 25, 2009 2:33 PM, pertaining to this subject. Chicago is to cold and and to broke to get Wade. Wake up!
Stop dreaming and be more realistic! Chicago has a better chance to get Joe Johnson than Wade. I'm telling you Wade is staying in Miami
and LeBron will join him, Wade doesn't mind coming home every once in a while , but not everyday! Especaily in the winter time. And with a line up of Lebron, Wade, and with Beasely and Chalmers coming into their 3rd seasons next year, it won't matter who their center is, you could bring back Bill Cartwright and they still will win a championship with that line up. Miami has no state income tax and can pay Wade more money than any team in the NBA and still have enough money compete for Lebron's services because no other major media center has another superstar on their team like Miami does in Wade. Both Wade and LeBron knows this. No disrespect to Rose, but he's just not there yet. They also know that no one or no team will be able to stop them if they're together! WAKE UP CHICAGO FANS! WAKE UP!!!
Culzie - I have been known to be wrong on occassion, but every now and then I get a guy to wear a PINK HAT. If that same starting 5 were to play at the top of their NBA best - they would STOMP the snot out of our current Bulls team.
Just let go of Skiles's sack man. He is a terrible coach and only disaster follows him. He comes in and all of a sudden everybody around him has a discipline problem. And by the time the franchise figures things out - they are out of talented players and he gets fired. Wasn't it you Culzie that said the Bulls would finish with a worse record than Milwaukee??? And which one of these Bums did the Bulls draft with that pick they got for Thabo??? I want to know!
And now we got Vinny doing the SAME thing. Goodbye Thabo, goodbye Gordon. And I believe Thomas is next. But they just don't know its going to come back and bite them. Thomas, just like Gordon has real NBA talent. And someone else will simply benefit from it while the Bulls pick up another "CHARACTER" Glee-club Softee like Chris Bosh with braces and a chokable neck! Every Championship team in the league is peppered with a malcontent with talent, or an amigo with an ego. Its not SMART to have a coach that is not willing to do just that - and COACH someone that needs it???? (novel idea right) Gone are the Chuck Daley's, Phil Jackson's and Pat Reilly's. Enter the Skiles's and the Del Negroes with their "send me another one" mentalities like they are ordering breakfast at Denny's. There are very few guys ever BORN that has the kind of talent that Thomas and Gordon have. And I have a problem when that kind of talent is not being recognized/credited for what it is and cultivated! Dengs and Hirichs are a dime a dozen. Dennis Rodman was left for dead when the Bulls traded him for WILL PURR-DON'T!!!! His name was mudd around the league, but they were wrong about him. He just needed a COACH with an actual plan and to be around players with HEART like he had.
Thanks Vinny - even Skiles is going to beat the Bulls like a drum this year. Even with the loss of Charlie Villanueva and Richard Jefferson.
Wade is the only true star in the running here. LeBron isn't leaving Cleveland.
Amare and Bosh are both stars, but neither are franchise superstars. They make the Bulls a possible eastern conference finals team that's it. Bosh is a tall jumpshooting PF who rebounds pretty well but is overrated on D. Amare is more offensively talented but obviously is deficient in D and boards.
I think the team is kinda screwed. All the other players on the list (Joe Johnson, Nowitski, Ginobili) are nice players, All-star caliber but either not true #1 options or getting old or have had many injuries.
They should have just signed and traded Gordon.
Secondly they have enough cap room to sign a #1 caliber star who is going to command 18-20 mill a year anyway.
This is gonna end up like last time when we tried to get Duncan and MacGrady but ended up with Ron Mercer.
Keith, I think the Bulls are gonna be fine, they will win around 44 games and make the playoffs and get bounced in the first round again. The Bucks are gonna be terrible this year. Awful.
Also whoever suggested overpaying for LaMarcus Alridge is sadly mistaken....another soft tall PF who'd rather shoot jumpers than bang inside, play D or rebound at a halfway acceptable rate
I hate it when Mick Swagger is right, but he is right as rain about this.
K-dog...you are funny dude. You have been known to occasionally make a good call.
Mick Swagger - that is most hopeful. And I don't think you will find a more positive sold out Chicago fan than me. It looks pretty hopeless. I hope you are right.
Bulls are the 1 million pound elephant in Chicago. Its quiet and noone is saying a thing. No buzz, no rumors, nothing.
Listened to Boers and Bernstein on the Score last week and they tore that new Bulls commercial to shreds. They have taken to airing a commercial about a playoff series they lost. And they have edited out Gordon. The score called it pitiful and it is. They were unmerciful, but I feel them. Bulls are showing that commercial as if they are actually BUILDING off last year's momentum. They have taken a big step back while Boston has taken a huge step forward. We are no longer rivals or in competition with Boston anymore. We didn't beat them last year and there is no way in Hades we will be able to beat them this year. That commercial is lame and an insult. But I bet you the average fan doesn't even know it. I hope those Bulls fans have the heart to give them the cold shoulder they deserve. Bulls take a year off - then the fans should too!