If you were hoping the Bulls would have secured at least one big name free agent during the first day of this year’s free agent bonanza, you must be pretty disappointed.
One bit of very good news is that the Bulls won’t be tempted to overpay for Joe Johnson in a “Plan B, C, or D” scenario. The Hawks have made sure of that: ”The Atlanta Hawks have offered free agent Joe Johnson a maximum six-year contract worth $119 million, and sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard that Johnson is all but sure to accept.”
I give it, oh, about a year before the Hawks start bitterly regretting that move. Maybe less. Okay, probably less.
Meanwhile, a five-year, $80 million deal will apparently keep Rudy Gay in Memphis. Another terrible deal in which an overrated player will be criminally overpaid…as perfectly explained by Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie.
But better Gay is overpaid by the Grizzlies than the Bulls, right?
In other “making it rain” news, Amir Johnson is getting $34 million from the Toronto Raptors, Channing Frye is getting $30 million from the Phoenix Suns, and Darko Milicic is getting $20 million from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That wasn’t a typo: $20 million for Darko Milicic. It’s like a free agent feeding frenzy out there.
As for the Bulls…
Meeting with Dwyane Wade? Check.
Meeting with Carlos Boozer? Also check.
Meeting with Chris Bosh? It’s happening today. (In addition to a meeting with David Lee, for what it’s worth.)
Meeting with LeBron James? It’s supposed to happen on Saturday…and LeBron expects to make his decision by Monday.
Meeting with Amar’e Stoudemire? It’s going to happen on Tuesday — if necessary — according to a tweet from Phoenix radio host John Gambadoro.
The big namers are doing what they have to do: They aren’t showing their hands. There’s no indication whatsoever what LeBron, D-Wade or Bosh are going to do. Ditto for Boozer and Stoudemire (although their names aren’t quite as big as the first three). They say no news is good news. But no news is making a lot of Chicago fans nervous.
Why the nerves? Maybe that’s best explained by a rant from By The Horns reader AK Dave (although he made this comment on Basketbawful):
But jeez, I mean, the Bulls have had some excuse or another every year ever since MJ left.
“The team is rebuilding in the wake of Jordan leaving- give them a few years!”
“The team is young but Kirk/Deng/Nocioni are going to be All-Stars – give them a little time!”
“The team is injured – wait till next year!”
“The team is adjusting to its newly acquired free agents and hasn’t fully integrated them yet – but wait until next year!”
“The coach sucks and players aren’t living up to expectations and the injury bug has bitten and the GM has punched the coach in the face and everyone is playing out-of-position and the Cavs have LeBron… but JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!!”
I’m just saying. I am a Bulls fan, but the excuses are getting old. And these are issues that EVERY team in the NBA deals with on some level. But its been 12 years since MJ left, and its really time for the Bulls to put up or shut up.
It’s true. Bulls fans have been “waiting until next year” ever since Jordan entered his second retirement. That mantra may be chicken soup for the Cubs fan’s soul, but the souls of Bulls fans everywhere is starting to starve out.
Which is making this wait really difficult.
have a bad feeling so far. hope im wrong but if they dont land at least one big name free agent i dont want to hear anymore bull crap ill be done i will not show up for games anymore.
Comment by mike — July 2, 2010 @ 2:59 pm
the fan base for this team has ben very filling the seats for the past 12 years but if they fail again its time we are heard come on bulls fans if they fail its only a matter of time before d rose tell this team to go fly a kite…
Comment by mike — July 2, 2010 @ 3:02 pm
The big question is,what do we consider failing?Not getting Lebron or Bosh?Whatever happens,the one thing that MUST happen is the Bulls have to get alow post scorer,and if they fail to get a major free agent,they better hope to god that Rose ascends to some god-like level or he and Noah could be the ones pursued in free agency in a few years.
Comment by UTellem23 — July 2, 2010 @ 3:14 pm
The Bulls made it to the Playoffs the last 2 years, and last year was supposed to be a ‘blow-off’ in order to get a top FA. The year before we made it with Rose as a rookie taking the defending champs 7 games. This year there were tons of injuries, many changes and trades that changed the layout of the team. Haven’t we been to the Playoffs 5 of the last 6 seasons?
Fans like this cause the media to look at Bulls fans as unappreciative. I was ecstatic when the Bulls slid into the 8th seed just to lose to the Cavs in 5. I was just happy to see the season continue. Fans like these are why people say James will have to “live up” to Jordan. I would be happy with one Championship trophy to start with. This guy would have complained if the Bulls kept Salmons and were not a player in Free Agency – even though we are one the the best options. They finally take the steps to improve in a HUGE way, and this d-bag complains about the last 12 years! Many of the past mistakes led to getting Rose with the 1st pick and being able to get the flexibility to be a MAJOR player in the current Free Agency.
Comment by Ryan — July 2, 2010 @ 3:25 pm
It won’t at all be the end of the world for these bulls even if Chicago does not land LBJ because this bulls team is totally getting better in the Central Division no matter what and how.It’s not at all like Cleveland will be title contenders year after year by winning the Central every year because I can guarantee those Cavaliers stand a 0 chance at winning the division every season, especially with Chicago in that division.Chicago is a rising team of the future that will return to that greatness they once had in the 90′s in the near future, whether LeBron signs with Chicago or whether he stays in Cleveland. GO BULLS.
Comment by BULL4EVER — July 2, 2010 @ 3:35 pm
You know what Mike? This team has made the playoffs 5 out of the last 6 years. They’ve got a rising superstar in Rose and another in Noah. They’ve got a ton of cap space to sign some players as well. The future has never looked so bright for this team.
I don’t understand the chronic pessimism that Bulls fans are afflicted with. When we had our team set for last season, people bitched up and down about how we didn’t have that go-to guy. When we traded Tyrus and Salmons away for cap space, people came out of the woodwork to say how awful it was, as though John Salmons and Tyrus weren’t stinking up the court here in Chicago. Now that we’re primed to make a play on not 1 but 2 superstar players, all anyone can talk about is doom and gloom and how this is the worst thing that has ever happened to the team. You know what? Fuck you. “If we don’t land LBJ or Bosh or Wade, I’m not going to games anymore.” If you’re that much of a fair-weather fan, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. We don’t need you bandwagon-jumpers.
Comment by TexasBearsFan — July 2, 2010 @ 4:09 pm
bullz4ever
its going to be between bulls and bucks maybe cavs if they resign james but dont look past bucks thet look real good on paper but so did the wizards last year maybe jennings brings a gun into the locker room
Comment by C-Lo-The-Great — July 2, 2010 @ 4:46 pm
hey ryan u are a d bag maybe making the 8th seed is good for u but maybe some fans want more than broken promises….. the bulls 2 years ago took the cs 2 seven without kg u idiot…. they let go off alot of good players for this day if they fail we could end up loosing drose u fag dont u get it they need to bring the kid some help.. or he will bolt himself but where the bad fans?
Comment by mike — July 2, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
lets just hope they can at least bring in a pf or we are worse than what we where 3 years ago…..
Comment by mike — July 2, 2010 @ 5:49 pm
Oh, give me a break! Yeah, it’s really bad making the playoffs the last few years, and actually being competitive. How have we, the Cubs, been faring the past few years? When was the last time we won a championship? I know you alluded to it with that “wait ’til next year” crack, but get real. At least the Bulls were competitive in the playoffs, as opposed to us, who put up goose eggs when we needed to step up. We lost to an inferior Dodgers team, for Christ’s sake! And the Bears still need at least a couple of more pieces in order to truly be competitive. Landing the top FA in Peppers was great, but I don’t see us getting far in the playoffs, IF we even make it this year.
Count your blessings that the Bulls even have a good shot of landing the premier FA on the market, and the next best FA in Bosh.
Comment by Bleed Cubbie blue — July 2, 2010 @ 5:50 pm
If they can land Bosh and Wade (?session went well on Thursday?) who cares about LeBron. Bosh and Wade fill needs, LeBron does not. Bosh and LeBron leaves a hole to fill at guard. What if Wade, Bosh and LeBron discussed signing 4 year deals with the right to opt out after 3 years? It could happen, then it creates a new feeding frenzy in four years.
Comment by BoppinBob — July 2, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
I really do not care if the Bulls sign a major FA, as long as they improve the roster at PF, SG and C.
Comment by BoppinBob — July 2, 2010 @ 6:16 pm
I’m glad the Bulls have stood pat so far and haven’t thrown was too much money at someone like Amir Johnson. He must be pretty happy that he ripped off the Raptors. LeBron is too cocky to go where everyone thinks he’s going to go. I’m thinking it may be surprising
Comment by madjenky.com — July 2, 2010 @ 6:40 pm
@ mike –
Tell me how you really feel.
What I was trying to explain is that we all knew the Bulls team in 2008 was not going to make the Finals. The C’s were defending champs playing the Bulls team when Gordon was our best player (or Rose as a rookie). Yes, KG was out, but so was Deng. If you look it up Deng is a Pierce-Killer… he shuts down Pierce every time they play. Anyhow, they lost. The next year after moving Gordon, a season full of injuries and trades, and all of the coach bashing – they make it to the Playoffs again. Now they are a top contender for the 1-2 of the best players in the NBA.
I wouldn’t want an 8 seed every year, it was just a great result to a rough season. What good players are you talking about Mike? BG was too short to defend and Tyrus hasn’t shown any improvement since he was drafted. I bet you miss Aaron Gray too.
Comment by Ryan — July 2, 2010 @ 7:38 pm
“The team is rebuilding in the wake of (Shaq) leaving- give them a few years!”
- Lakers 2003-2007
“The team is young but (Westbrook/Durant/Green are going to be All-Stars – give them a little time!”
-Thunder 2008-Present
“The team is injured – wait till next year!”
-Celtics the Last 2 years.
“The team is adjusting to its newly acquired free agents and hasn’t fully integrated them yet – but wait until next year!”
-Cav’s pitch to Lebron
“The coach sucks (-Clippers, Cleavland, etc.)
and players aren’t living up to expectations
(Cleavland, Orlando)
and the GM has punched the coach in the face
(Ok, you got me there…its the Bulls)
But otherwise, you are right every other team in the league uses these excuses except the team at the top. But as others have pointed out, we’ve made the playoffs 5 out of the last 6 years, and have won SIX WHOLE CHAMPIONSHIPS in our lifetime. Would you rather you were a Grizzlies Fan? A Hornets Fan? Wizards Fan? A Knicks Fan? At least this team has a great looking future ahead of it.
So please, stop whining and acting like you are entitled to something. Its making the rest of us Bulls fans look bad.
Comment by bullsfandom — July 2, 2010 @ 9:09 pm
That was for AK Dave btw
Comment by bullsfandom — July 2, 2010 @ 9:10 pm
What about the idea Scoop Jackson wrote about and getting one of the three; Bosh, Boozer or Stoudemire (preferably in that order) and then holding onto your money or the cap space and either working towards a trade or a signing of Carmello next year? That means this upcoming year you could have Rose, some one like Redick, Deng, Boozer and Noah, and then the following year you could have Rose, Redick, Melo, Boozer and Noah. That is pretty damn formidable and I think Denver is going to be desperate enough to trade Melo in the coming months.
If the Bulls get Bron, then things would change, but if we don’t get him, I am still pretty excited about the options that we have. We need a PF who can score. Bosh, Boozer and Stoudemire are there, so is Lee, the odds of us picking up a PF this year is excellent. The wild card seems to be that if Bron leaves Cleveland, there does not seem to be any discussion about a S&T which means Chi-town has huge flexibility with that option in the future if they don’t use it now. Hmmmmmmmm. So many questions, but a lot of good answers
Comment by WyomingBullsFan — July 2, 2010 @ 10:36 pm
ryan go get fucked ok u are an ass i will not talk to someone who does not no b ball your an idiot
Comment by mike — July 2, 2010 @ 11:19 pm
Well, I don’t know how much weight this holds but according to espn…
“Dwyane Wade is leaning toward committing to the Chicago Bulls, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com’s Chad Ford on Friday.”
“According to the source, Wade requested a second meeting with Bulls shortly after the 2006 NBA Finals MVP spent more than two hours getting wooed by the New York Knicks at a downtown Chicago hotel Friday morning. The source stressed that Wade needed the meeting to clarify issues around signing with the Bulls.”
Comment by BigUpsTo#15 — July 2, 2010 @ 11:52 pm
lets take a trip down all the dumb moves they have made e brand for t chandler ty thomas for lamarcus aldridge ron artest brad miller for jalon rose and travis best u let go off ben gordan when u new u were not going to sign him jamal crawfard do u want me to keep going please …… deng shuts down pierce oh my god? how did the cs win a tittle they traded good young players for kg and ray allen thats my point when u draft as well as they did then u packege them for a go too guy thats how u get it done… not the dumb trades they have made…
Comment by mike — July 2, 2010 @ 11:59 pm
i hope u are right about d wade bigupps or is he trying to get them distracted from getting the players he wants to go with him to miami. lets just wait and see
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 12:02 am
then u turn around and trade chandler for pj brown and jr smith and just gave him away to denver? last i checked he is instant offense off the bench 16 per game do u want me to keep going ryan…..
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 12:14 am
who the fuck is this mike guy shut the fuck up and go jump on someone else’s bandwagon we don’t wanna listen to your stupid bullshit. please go fuck off and go jump on the celtic’s dick which it seems like you already are.
Comment by Rose#1 — July 3, 2010 @ 12:28 am
and if im wrong let me remind u what they did to jordan and pippen after 6 rings they wanted to go for a 7th and these idiots ran them out off town? why do u think for the last 12 years we cant get free agents to come her….
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 12:29 am
@Mike
Let me remind you what really happened… Jordan didn’t want to play for another coach besides Jackson.
Jackson and Jerry Krause hated each other and made it clear that he would not be coaching the Bulls after the 98 season.
Oh yea, and there was a little thing that happened called a lockout.
So yea, you can say that by Krause and Jackson not getting along had a big influence in Jordan retiring; but you can’t say it’s the current office that ran off MJ/Pippen and for not getting any free agents to come over to the Bulls because Krause retired in 2003.
The current office has done a hell of a job to put us in the situation we are in right now.
We have made the playoffs the last 2 years.
We have a growing superstar in D-Rose and a potential all-star in Noah.
And have a chance to sign 2 superstars… So please stfu because you are the one that doesn’t know anything about the team
Comment by BigUpsTo#15 — July 3, 2010 @ 1:05 am
wow thats big words coming from a bitch
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 1:52 am
did u hear jordans speech dont know about what the hell u are talking about he seems bitter till this day
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 1:55 am
Dear Mike,
Get bent.
Thanks.
Comment by TexasBearsFan — July 3, 2010 @ 2:07 am
From my understanding at this point, the ways to win a championship for the last 20 years include the following: draft and keep Michael Jordan, draft and keep Tim Duncan, draft and keep The Dream, sign Shaq in his prime, have Wade on your team shooting 20+ free throws a game in the finals, and have all-stars already on your team while making trades that are so one-sided it should be illegal (see:Celtics, Lakers, and to a much lesser extent the Pistons). See a pattern forming? The pattern is that a team needs superstars to win championships!
You can compete without them, but you’ll never win a title without them either. Many fans and I will be fine if the Bulls put a very good team that doesn’t win titles on the floor for the next 10 years. I, however, won’t be fine if it keeps looking like our front office/owner has a goal of a good team instead of a championship. I think the general frustration from people like mike is that if we all look back, it can look a lot like the organization wasn’t even trying since 1998.
Comment by zilla — July 3, 2010 @ 2:55 am
Mike, Jackson is the one who broke up the Bulls. He knew that Jordan would not play for another coach. He had said he was going to take a year off after the 5th championship but was talked out of it and came back for the 6th. Jackson and Krause did not like each other. Krause did a good job getting the pieces together, including Jackson. Without Krause, Jackson does not get the Bulls coaching job.
Comment by BoppinBob — July 3, 2010 @ 3:50 am
speaking on behalf of the city of big shoulders, we need not want Chris Bosh we need Our Power Forward first and foremost. Chris we want You and your skills in the post and we will solve our backcourt needs later, LBJ is great but not necessary to achieve the greatness we’ve already achieved. You my friend would and can achieve both and be greatly gratified for it. I know you read comments on the web, I am a Hoop Junkie, Come to Chicago the true home you been seeking since you left Georgia Tech. The rafters are getting lonely…
Comment by joel miranda — July 3, 2010 @ 9:03 am
thank u zila thats what im trying to say im not a cs fan i have my opinion everyone has theres… this is the same owner that said he would trade all 6 bulls rings for 1 for the whitesox? but im the ass the bulls have been his cash cow for the whitesox.cause he knows dumb ass fans like ryan will keep going to the games and fill the seats no matter what he puts on the court.. all im saying is put that same passion into the bull again..
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 3:08 pm
bob i understand that but there is a reason why they didnt get along ? so that being said i just hope the bulls have a good offseason thats all im trying to say.. whats wrong with wanting more rings im a diehard bulls fan allways have been.. but u have to admit they have made some stupid trades.. i did say that they have done a good job drafting but u are not going to win rings without a go to guy or two…
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 3:31 pm
which they havent had since jordan and pippen
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 3:32 pm
I think we are all wasting time on Mike. I just realized he was the tool that spells out “Gordan” or “Gardon.” Then he talks about moves from 6-10 years ago that we already know about… LET IT GO MIKE. I would bet his parents hated him.
Comment by Ryan — July 3, 2010 @ 3:53 pm
Yeah, Mike’s a diehard fan. You know, except when he’s threatening to not go to the games if they don’t pick the free-agents he wants.
Anyone else see the irony?
Comment by TexasBearsFan — July 3, 2010 @ 5:07 pm
I’m concerned about another team get two or all three of “the big 3.” if the Bulls get 1, and a 2nd tier player, that’s not all that bad…assuming no other team gets the other two. If any team gets two, it has to be the Bulls; or I would then consider this off-season to be a failure. I they get 1, and some secondary player, and some tertiary shooter, I’d be very happy w/that–again, as long as no other team has more than one of the big three.
Comment by kipp — July 3, 2010 @ 5:16 pm
While you may win a championship with FAs, you do not build a dynasty with FAs. A dynasty is built through the draft and intelligent trades. Putting all your eggs ing the FA basket is an error I am afraid the Bulls and our fans may be making. Landing 2 big name FA’s will still leave the Bulls 2-3 years away from a championship due to the lack of bench depth. The reason the Bulls barely qualified for the playoffs these past 2 seasons is that they had no quality beyond 6 players. By the end of this FA period the Bulls could be down to 4 to 5 quality players as a result of sign and trade deals to land 2 big name FAs. If that happens, the Bulls might make the playoffs, but they would not be contenders. I woul;d rather see the Bulls go hard after Bosh, try to keep both Deng and Gibson and then get some solid depth for the bench. Of course with Hinrich gone the Bulls have a huge hole to fill, it could be smaller if the Bulls get Nick Young from the Wizards in the Hinrich trade. Or better yet, recind the Hinrich trade if they only land Bosh or another PF. Another possibility is that the Bulls only sign Bosh and take Arenas and cash in the Wizard trade.
Comment by BoppinBob — July 3, 2010 @ 6:25 pm
The Bucks may be doing what the Bulls should be doing. Adding a lot of quality players instead of 1 or 2 big name players. Time will tell.
Comment by BoppinBob — July 3, 2010 @ 6:31 pm
yan you prob dont even know who your father is please. just because i said what i said wich was if they dont get at least 1 top player this offseason would be a bad one again.. ok dumb ass and im not the only one that thinks that way. why would u get rid off players to make room under the cap then get no one that would be bad for real bulls fans..u said what players they let go or got rid off so i told u u dumb ass..
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 9:47 pm
and i left out players so go find dad and spend time with him u ugly monkey
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 9:49 pm
and ryan read what zilla is saying thats what a real bulls fan should sound like won that cares about his team……
Comment by mike — July 3, 2010 @ 9:53 pm
I don’t think it would be the end of the world. I think if we sign a formidable PF and find a way to lose Deng’s contract, we’ll be in good shape to return to the playoffs and be the only contenders to sign Carmelo Anthony next summer. People are giving out max contracts this season, forgetting that Carmelo will be a FA next season.
Bulls are in good shape to make a strong run in the playoffs this season, especially with a great coach. Don’t count them out just yet. Greatness takes time, even if it takes twelve years.
Comment by Feras — July 3, 2010 @ 11:11 pm
Boppin Bob – We already built a good team through the draft, thats why we are the favorites to convince one of these top free agents over.
Zilla – I think its a little harsh to say that the Bulls haven’t been trying to find a superstar the last 19 years. They have made missteps over the years sure, but none of those have involved anybody I would ever consider a superstar. That and all of your examples involved lots of luck and/or the stupidity of other GM’s so thats not really a fair assessment of the Bulls lack of Rings the past decade.
Mike – /ignore
Comment by bullsfandom — July 3, 2010 @ 11:33 pm
bullsfandom ignore me no more like ignore u and ryan who cant admit when there teams owner sucks
Comment by mike — July 4, 2010 @ 12:22 am
he has had chances to bring in a go to player but he is to busy with the whitesox…
Comment by mike — July 4, 2010 @ 12:24 am
Wow all this is crazy . I feel the best option for the bulls is to land 1 big name free agent . I prefer Wade over Lebron , because that takes care of our S.G. need ( but not going to happend ) but if you can land one of those 2 and then possibly add maybe David Lee we would still have a championship caliber team . With money left over to add players to the bench . CHICAGO IS GOING TO MAKE GREAT MOVES AND A LOT OF PLAYERS WOULD LOVE TO PLAY HERE . MIAMI HAS ALOT OF CAP ROOM BUT THEY ARE VERY UNSTABLE . MIAMI WANTS A CHAMPIONSHIP , THE BULLS WANT A DYNASTY . IF LEBRON WAS TO JOIN WADE IN MIAMI IT WOULD RUIN HIS LEGACY . HE WOULD THEN NEVER BE ABLE TO BE IN THE SAME BREATH AS JORDAN . IF HE COMES TO CHICAGO HE HAS A GREAT POSSIBILITY OF WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP OR MORE . HE WILL THEN BE ABLE TO RAISE A BANNER IN THE HOUSE THAT JORDAN BUILT . NOW DOES LEBRON JUST WANT TO WIN OR DOES HE WANT TO BE A LEGACY . SAME GOES FOR WADE . CHOICE IS YOURS !!!!!!
Comment by Troy — July 4, 2010 @ 1:27 am
Man, I hope we can land Lebron James and Chris Bosh this summer!
Comment by Jason Biggs — July 4, 2010 @ 2:51 am
bullsfandom, right now the Bulls could not put a full squad on the court. What team have we built. There is no depth. We have a core to build a team, Rose, Noah, Deng, Gibson and Johnson. There is no SG, an inexperienced PF, a All-star PG, a budding star C, an NBA starter at SF, and a learning backup SF. The Bulls need 2 C’s, 2 SG’s, 2 PG’s, 3 F’s to fill the roster. The Bulls need at least 5 more quality players to compete with Orlando, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Suns. If the Bulls have to do a sign and trade they will need more than 5 quality players. Remember the Jordan Bulls had their starting line-up in 1988, but did not win a championship until 1991 (Jordan, Pippen, Grant, Cartwright and Paxson), they had to build the bench/role players. If a team does not have 9-10 players giving quality minutes they do not make it out of the first round. I am a diehard Bulls fan and have been since I moved to Scharmburg in 1985. But I refuse to drink Red & Black Koolade. The Bulls have a solid core to build around, they wasted this years draft pick, If the Bulls come out of free agency without at least 8 quality players on the roster I will be very upset. We had five quality players, we now have 4.
Comment by BoppinBob — July 4, 2010 @ 4:31 am
today i read something stupid from this site: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/fl-hyde-miami-heat-0704-2-20100703,0,2033627.story
It writes that we can get d-wade by sign and trade with d-rose sent to heat…
What the F**K does that writer have on his freaking mind…!!! a 21 old all star pg last season for a 28 old “ex” final mvp ???? Screw that….
Comment by Cool Wind — July 4, 2010 @ 5:51 am
LEBRON STAYS IN CLEVELAND NO CHAMPIONSHIP
Comment by Troy — July 4, 2010 @ 6:18 am
BoppinBob – This goes back to the superstar argument. Two Years ago we had 8 solid players for the playoffs (Rose, Gordon, Heinrich, Deng, Tyrus, Noah, Miller, Salmons) yet we couldn’t beat a Celtics team that was missing one of its top players. We fought tooth and nail but we still lost it because in the end we didn’t get enough calls going our way.
Now lets look at the Celtics. They have at most what? 6 Quality guys? (Rondo, Allen, Pierce, KG, Perkins, Big Baby? Rasheed?) This year they made it all the way to Finals with those guys…because they had star power.
The real reason the Bulls didn’t win before the 90′s was because Michael didn’t share and while we had Pippen and Grant on the team they weren’t ‘stars’ yet. Hell, both of em were coming off of the bench their rookie season. It took their ascension and the arrival of Jackson with his triangle offense to turn the Bulls into winners…not the signings of BJ Armstrong or Bill Wennington.
I’m not drinking any Kool-Aid myself. If the Bulls fail to land any of the ‘Top 3′ guys and don’t net gain at least 1 more quality guy then I’d be extremely disappointed…but don’t act like there is a second ball on the floor or more than 48 minutes in a game. If the Lakers can win with Adam Morrison as their 11th man on the Bench, then so can the Bulls.
Comment by bullsfandom — July 4, 2010 @ 3:08 pm
Question:
Who is the best free agent the Bulls could get in terms of Derrick Rose, specifically?
Most of us admit that regardless of which free agent arrives, Rose is the most important player for the Bulls.
I was just watching the Top 10 Plays for each team for last year. In watching the Heat highlights, I got a strong feeling that Rose would sky-rocket in learning from Wade’s bag of tricks up close (which is not sky-rocket-science, of course).
I don’t think that LeBron or Bosh offer anything more than benefits to his game, in-game – the floor being spread, passes from Bosh/Bron being double-teamed, etc…
Comment by inkybreath — July 4, 2010 @ 5:20 pm
Yes finally I am hearing the right choice for the bulls LBj as good or as great as he is would stop Derrick Rose’s growth in his game yet wade and or bosh and Rose would continue to assend to new hts in his game also this would inable the bulls to bring in a sharp shooter ala Ray allen , Reddick or whom ever we choose long as they have a pure shot to spread the floor.
The bulls are winners now if they add any good or great player this year if not multiple players they would most def hit the top three in there confrence.
This is the time they did not make the moves they made to settle for less Get it done Gar,Pax and Jerry we won’t settle for anything else you have went all in here now it is time to show yr hand hope its a winner.
Comment by reggie — July 5, 2010 @ 4:41 am
It is subtle, but there is another upside for a considering free agent. Both Rose and Noah appear to want to be on this team to the end. Even in this day and age, I cannot see Noah playing for any other team, ever. It may not be accurate, but I think it describes the unteachable aspects of a player that fans grow to love. When the player recognizes that part and embraces it – it makes for a team-lifer. (Ahem, Scalabrine for a funny example.) Noah also did a lot of growing up – the good kind of both mentally and physically – and, I am sure that has tied him to the black & red even more.
Of course, Rose is from Chicago, so that auto-connection is easy to quantify, but I get the impression that he even if he wasn’t from Chicago, we would have embraced him just as much. You could call him the ‘darling’ of this city, pardon the phrase, because his mixture of strength, talent & humility is mesmerizing. John Hughes could make a great 80′sesque movie from these two – you have the quiet talent and the take-a-bullet, bully-beater teaming up for the big score.
Think of how scary it is for free agents looking at a team and, themselves, not knowing who will be on the team they choose in one, two & three years.
As much as the organization has done wrong, they offer a much more stable experience, overall, then any other team.
Comment by inkybreath — July 5, 2010 @ 5:52 pm
@inkybreath -
Good logic. I think drafting Noah was one of the first of many great moves in the recent past. I know we went through the dumpster and back in the early 2000′s, but have made great strides these last 2-3 years. Drafting Noah and Taj (jury is out for James Johnson), making the Playoffs with ‘sub-par’ teams and a ‘sub-par’ coach, and getting in a position to be able to get 1-2 top players in the best Free Agent class.
Comment by Ryan — July 5, 2010 @ 10:00 pm
Yeah, jury is out on James Johnson as soon as he stops palming, traveling and drawing offensive fouls. The guy was turnover waiting to happen every play.
Comment by Trm3 — July 7, 2010 @ 4:39 am
Yes, Trm3, he was an ill-used rookie … take it easy. Now, he has a coach with some pedigree – let’s see what happens.
Comment by inkybreath — July 7, 2010 @ 1:34 pm
Man free agents get all the money. Its an interesting marketing strategy.
http://www.gobankingrates.com/savings-account/free-agents-give-the-best-career-advice/
I guess I would do it too if I knew I stood to make more money.
Comment by Credit Girl — July 19, 2010 @ 11:47 pm