Loss to Memphis

Wow, that was doomed from the start. Come on, Randolph with no Joakim...no shot.

Let's hope Los Bulls rebound tonight!

The Hickman Plan...

Corey Hickman, the only other diehard Bulls' fan I know, and someone who always has a different take than me provides his off-season plan. It is both well thought out and a damn good idea. 

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The 2010 class is undoubtedly the most highly coveted free agent class in the history of basketball.  As the Bulls season winds on and we all hope for the best, the day we are really waiting for, July 1, is only 119 days away. The day free agents can begin negotiation with teams. Let the countdown begin.                      

We are all extremely familiar with what happened 10 years ago when the 2000 free agent sweepstakes resulted in the profound, remarkable acquisition of Ron Mercer. This made the Bulls an immediate Championship contender as Mercer was surrounded by unbelievable talent such as Khalid El-Amin, Dragan Tarlac, Dalibor Bagaric, and Steve Goodrich. Unfortunately, these high expectations fell remarkably short as the Bulls won a disappointing 15 games.             

Sarcasm aside, the 2000 fiasco is not going to repeat itself for 2 important reasons:

1)      Jerry Krause is history – With Jerry Krause on board, free agents knew to stay away from the Chicago Bulls. He treated Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the greatest players Chicago has ever seen, with total disrespect and gave himself credit for the Championships that the players achieved. Pippen even went so far as to demand a trade numerous times and state that Chicago was the worst team in the league to play for. Personally, I don’t fault Tim Duncan or Tracy McGrady whatsoever for not wanting to come play for the Bulls. He probably would’ve treated them the same way.

2)      Derrick Rose  - I know it’s hard to fathom, but playing next to Derrick Rose is a more attractive prospect than playing next to Fred Hoiberg. Derrick Rose has shown that rare combination of strength, speed, and explosiveness that only LeBron James possesses. He has shown the ability to completely take over games by scoring at will and in bunches. More importantly, he can flourish in crunch time better than Ben Gordon ever could. The kids got ice in his veins. He earned his first all star appearance this year and is only going to get better. I see MVP’s in his future.

Now it’s time to get down to business. The Bulls are on the hook for about $32,000,000 next season with the salary cap predicted to be around $52,000,000. That leaves them with approximately $20,000,000 to spend; about enough to sign one max free agent. Everybody else has their say so it’s my turn to share my realistic hopes for the Bulls Summer of 2010:

1)      Big Free Agent Splash

Drum roll please…

…

Chris Bosh –

Put a dominant offensive big man on a team with Derrick Rose and those occasional Taj Gibson post-ups we see now will turn into 25 points a game. Bosh would give the Bulls offense not only a post up option, but a reliable mid range jump shooter, and an athletic power forward that runs the floor and takes advantage of easy basket opportunities (something Tyrus Thomas rarely did). Also, with Taj Gibson proving since the All-Star Break that he is a respectable offensive force on the block, the Bulls would have a nice option to back up Bosh. Not surprisingly we would see Derrick Rose’s assist average skyrocket without taking away his scoring opportunities on the perimeter. Defensively, the tandem of Bosh and Joakim Noah would give the Bulls one of the tallest and most athletic frontcourts in the NBA. This season, the Bulls are among the league leaders in rebounds and blocked shots. Add Bosh’s 10 rebounds a game, his athleticism, and his phenomenal lateral quickness to that and it is scary what the Bulls defense could accomplish; not to mention the intimidation factor Bosh brings by looking so much like predator.

***Despite everyone’s hopes that we somehow lure hometown hero Dwyane Wade from South Beach, I don’t see the Bulls doing this. Don’t get me wrong, Wade is a top 5 NBA player at the moment, but he does not fit with the Chicago Bulls. Wade and Derrick Rose are very similar players: strong, athletic guards who can attack the basket at will, who can knock down the mid-range jumper consistently, and struggle from 3 point land. Both demand the ball a lot to dominate the game and I just don’t see enough touches to go around for both players. I believe Rose being forced to defer to a proven NBA superstar would halt his individual development and leave me wondering: How good could Derrick have been? Because to me, clearly, Derrick Rose has what it takes to be even better than Dwyane Wade in the coming years.

2)      Sign and trade to acquire a 2^nd top-tier free agent

Simply put: not gonna happen. I’m sorry to all the NBA fans and writers who think a certain team will end up with three top players on their roster next year. My reasoning is simple: These players want to be the go-to-guy. They want the team to be built around them. This is not the same as the Boston’s Big 3 of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett assembled a few years back.  Those former superstars were in the waning years of their career and none of them had ever won a Championship. They realized their window was closing and were willing to put their individual stardom aside in order to finally win. The 2010 free agents are all in the primes of their career. They are still building their individual games and building their individual legacies. Despite their achievements in Boston, nobody will ever forget Kevin Garnett’s reinvention of the power forward position in Minnesota. Nobody will ever forget Ray Allen’s unprecedented sharpshooting in Milwaukee and Seattle. Nobody will ever forget what Paul Pierce did for the Celtics organization this decade. Today’s superstars are still building their legacies and unforgettable individual memories. At this stage of their careers, I don’t see any of them being willing to sacrifice individual numbers and the opportunity to lead a team in order to team up with each other and win an uncontested championship.

3)      The Supporting cast – Starters

*Luol Deng – It is clear to me that Luol Deng is at his best catching and shooting mid range jumpers and slashing to the basket using mainly curl cuts. Luol has one of the deadliest mid-range games in the NBA, but when he over dribbles or tries to be too flashy he gets himself into trouble. Chris Bosh would attract enough attention and double teams on the block that Luol could find numerous opportunities cutting off the post-up for slashes and mid range jumpers. He would be a deadly third option in the offense.

*Kirk Hinrich – Kirk’s contract could be used as a valuable trade chip this summer to sign either one or two role playing free agents. This option will be explored, but overall I think Kirk will remain with the bulls for a few reasons. First, the Bulls have shown an enormous dedication to Kirk over the years by not shedding his hefty contract even during his last two sub-par years. His stellar perimeter defense and hard-nosed style of play is invaluable in an NBA full of athletic guards.  In addition, he has shown the ability, though very streaky, to hit the 3 ball. If he can increase his shooting percentage next season he would be a valuable offensive tool and spread the floor nicely for Derrick Rose to attack the basket.

4)      The Supporting cast - Bench

Since the Bulls will spend basically all of their available cap space on Bosh’s contract, they are going to have very minimal money to spend on other free agents to fill out the roster, unless, of course, Jerry Reinsdorf is willing to pay the luxury tax. He has been very reluctant to do so in the past unless he believes the product on the court is a championship contender. So who knows, maybe the acquisition of Bosh would convince Reinsdorf? I think so. Here are my picks for the Bulls 2011 bench:

*Taj Gibson – Gibson has been one of the biggest rookie surprises around the NBA.  Despite a bout of plantar fasciitis, Gibson has steadily averaged 8.6 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in about 25 minute of action per game. He has been very consistent defensively all year and recently has really begun to show that he has some offensive skills. If Taj can add a little bulk over the summer, he should continue to improve and be a major contributor.

*James Johnson – The jury is still out on JJ. He has shown he has vast athleticism and can knock down the open jumper occasionally, but he often forces the issue and drives into traffic. He gets his shot blocked a lot more than it should and needs to learn to finish under pressure. With more experience and an entire summer to get in shape, JJ could surprise us next season.

*Jon Scheyer – I’m hoping the ping pong balls will give the Bulls a chance to make this pick happen in the upcoming draft. Assuming we acquire Chris Bosh, one of the few weaknesses of the Bulls would be their 3 point shooting and the height of their starting guards. Scheyer would address all of these weaknesses as he is a deadly 3 point shooter for Duke and measures 6 foot 5. He is a high effort, hard-nosed perimeter defender who could give the Bulls valuable minutes off the bench.

*Eddy Curry – I’m going out on a bit of a limb with this one, but I hope it happens. There is talk of the Knicks negotiating a buyout of Eddy’s contract as he is not in New York’s future plans. If this happens, I would expect that few if any teams would be willing to sign Curry to much more than the league minimum given his legal troubles, notoriously bad work ethic, and history of injuries. Despite all this, as a Bulls hand I have seen firsthand the production that Eddy is capable of.  The Bulls could sign him to a minimum contract and hope for a slim, fit Eddy Curry hungry to prove he can still be an NBA caliber center; low risk, high reward. And Eddy recently said he would love to come back to the Bulls.

*Travis Outlaw – A 6 foot 9 small forward who could back up Luol Deng. He has had some injury issues during his career but is very long and athletic and able to knock down the triple consistently. He is also only 25 years old and with his potential he could blossom into a very good 3 man.

*Mike Miller – Despite the hideous mustache Miller is currently rocking, he would provide the Bulls with the instant 3 point shooting off the bench that they are severely lacking. He would keep defenses honest and spread out the floor nicely for Derrick Rose and Chris Bosh isolations. His height, 6 foot 8, is also a bonus.

*Omer Asik – Asik is a 7 foot, 255 pound Turkish center drafted 36^th in 2008 by the Blazers, but his rights now belong to the Bulls. He has yet to play in an NBA game, but speculation is that he will be in training camp with the Bulls next season. He would provide an insurance center in case of injuries and also gives the Bulls a massive body for Joakim Noah and Chris Bosh to bang against during practice.

         5)   Coach

*Vinny Del Negro – Despite the criticism earlier this season, Vinny has composed himself nicely and has not allowed his team to lose their focus. Since Christmas, the Bulls have one of the top records in the Eastern Conference and have played arguably the best defense in the NBA. Nobody can argue with the amazing job Del Negro has done with the development of our young corps of players. Derrick Rose is rising fast to superstardom, Joakim Noah has become a rebounding machine, and Taj Gibson has developed into a complete power forward. Most importantly, hearing Derrick Rose say last week that he hopes Del Negro returns next season shows that their relationship is strong and that Rose respects the job Del Negro has done. I do think Vinny could use some work on his offensive schemes and drawing up timeout plays, but he has shown major resilience and improvement in the face of unfair criticism. I hope he returns next season.

Final thoughts

If Gar Forman and John Paxson fulfill my wishes I believe they would be instant championship contenders. Chris Bosh gives them the proven post scorer this organization has been lacking for years. He would demand double teams and increase the effectiveness of the players around him. Defensively, his athleticism and rebounding skills would give the Bulls one of the scariest defenses in basketball.  The acquisitions of 3 point shooters, height, and athleticism coming off the bench would provide the energy and scoring punch necessary for the second unit. Chicago Bulls 2011 champs!

Atlanta is kinda good...

But thank the looooooord D. Rose is okay.

Me and Corey should be out with a mock off season by Thursday! I'll try to post mine tonight.

Random Bull of the Day:

Brad Sellers.

It's March 1st...The Real Season Approaches

With the lack of Bulls blogs out there, I realized I'm probably not the only Bulls fan obsessed with finding other fans' opinions, but I'm left with the Bulls live game chat...which is fun...but a little messed up when you use Firefox.

I'm not as funny as Bill Simmons, nor as knowledgable, but hopefully you can help me out and let me know when I'm completely out of line. (If you don't know who Bill Simmons is, PLEASE buy The Book of Basketball, it's enlightening).

Anyways, the season has come a long way, and here's what we know so far:

- Derrick Rose is an incredible scorer and looks capable of being a number one or two guy on a championship team. I'm jealous of everything except his three point shooting. And test scores.

- Joakim Noah is a glue guy, who, if he can stay healthy, is going to be a vital cog for this next dynasty.

- Kirk Hinrich seems to have found his swagger again, but is doing it a $9 million dollars a year.

- Taj Gibson is a less unathletic Tyrus without the baggage, but hey, Charles Barkley says he's a really good NBA power forward.

And, as shocking as it is for me to admit it, maybe, just maybe, Vinny Del Negro (VDN), just isn't that bad. In fact, is it possible, he's...kind of a good coach?

Now don't call me crazy, he gets random grudges against guys, really hates Pargo, and has something going on with that beautiful maine of his, but this team is a group of scrubs. Rose, Deng and Noah have willed this team to victories without so much as a bench. As one of my best friends brought up, it's almost like this team was meant to suck with Aaron Gray (the NBA player most closely resembling my own skill set), Lindsay Hunter (a "savvy" read "old as hell" veteran with no jump shot), and two unproven rookies in James Johnson and Taj Gibson.

This team fights, this team plays hard most of the time, and most importantly, this team looks a few pieces away from being, an elite team. With Rose taking over and becoming the most exciting thing in Chicago hoops since DePaul had QRich, Bobby Simmons and Paul McPherson, this team can do some damage in the playoffs.

Give us the Celtics again, and its close, or maybe we even pull it off. Hakim Warrick took the career path Tyrus seems to be on, Flip Murray is instant O off the bench, and last year's blackholes named Salmons and Gordon are gone (don't get me wrong, I love BG, but he's just not an $11 million player. A MLE guy yes.)

I'll admit as late as two months ago I was calling for Vinnie's head, but he's done a fantastic job. He doesn't have the pedigree of Phil or Jerry Sloan, nor has he been in as many pornos as Stan Van Gundy, but, he was a reliable role player on the Spurs, and maybe not such a bad coach. Just saying...


Coming next: GMs Towner and Hickman show you how the Bulls should run this off-season.