Wish List for Bulls draft

At 16 and 26 the Bulls aren't going to get anyone who will significantly affect their chances for next year. Staying put won't sigificantly affect their chances next year. More importantly it will bore me. Saying that, here's my wish list:

1. Trade picks +players for Brandan Wright. The Warriors have a history of drafting really good players and trading them so they can excel for other teams. Wright on a per minute basis is really really good. He plays a position of need, and for whatever reason, can't get minutes for the Warriors. I would offer both picks and Kirk for Wright and cap filler. The Bulls would likely have to take back at least Turiaf and/or Maggette.

2. Pull a miracle trade for Bosh. You know, I know, they know Bosh is leaving Toronto. I'm not saying the Bulls have the talent to equal what they'd get back from Toronto in a Bosh trade. But they could offer Tyrus, two picks and a bunch of cap space next year.

3. Trade the picks for a useful rotation player. I'm tired of rookies. Gimme someone who can shoot 3s and play D, or get a board or two.

4. Barring the above, and we have to take a player at 16, here is my philosophy. If there's a player who has a legit shot at being more than a role player - TAKE HIM. Ignore position, ignore everything. Take him. In my mind the players who have some reasonable chance of being there at 16 who fit this bill are Ty Lawson and Brandon Jennings. Neither really fits a dire need, but both at least have a chance at being very productive.

Outside of those two players, I want someone who can at least do one or two things at an NBA level. I'm not big into projects. So by all means stay away from Mullens. I'd be fine with Gerald Henderson who can play D. I'd be ok with Budinger (even though it'd be a little high) because he can at least shoot. I'm ok with Blair because if you rebound in college you probably can rebound in the NBA. None of these guys is going to be a difference maker.

Wake me when it's over.

The Stoudamire Trade - Certainly not about Basketball

Image via Wikipedia

The Suns are struggling for playoff position and their payroll is above the luxury tax threshold. So for every dollar they are above that threshold, it costs them an extra dollar that goes straight to the NBA. According to ESPN, their payroll is at $75,762,000 (about $4 mill over the threshold).

Using what the Bulls can offer as an example, Sarver can save at least $2.5 in payroll this year. So that saves him $5mill in money that goes right to his bottom line. That's nothing to sneeze at. For next year, the expiring contract will save him even more. If it's Drew Gooden's $7mill that comes off, it should put them below the threshold (I don't know what salary increases the Suns players will get for next year). So it could save them $10 million next year.

Trade:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bnoo3n

Keep in mind I'm not saying this trade would make basketball sense (and I'm not saying the Bulls have the best offer). But did the Pau Gasol trade make basketball sense? Everything in the NBA right now is about money.

Now the Suns did just fire Terry Porter, and presumably that was not motivated by money, because it means Sarver has to pay for an extra coach for a couple years. I don't know if that puts more pressure on him to save money, or if it means he's digging in for the long haul.

From a Bulls' fan's perspective, I certainly hope he is going to save money.

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It's Oh So Quiet

Before the start of last night's game, both the TBS and ESPN radio announcers
were saying how quiet the Wrigley fans were (this was even when
they were leading2-0.)  It appeared that the fans fear losing
more than hoping to win.

Tuesday night with 95% hardcore White Sox fans in attendance,
it was loud from pitch 1 to BA's final out.  What an experience.

Don't worry Loveable Losers, be happy and cheer your team on!  Now go
 to yourgame tonight, hope for an end to your 7-game post-season
 losing streak while I enjoy my gravy win or lose.

I'm just saying

Here's the thing overlooked in the Harden to the Cubs deal. It's not just his injury risk that's a problem. It's that he can't stay in games.

Since the trade:
Gallagher: 3GS, 17.1IP, 1-0, 2.60 ERA
Harden: 3GS, 17.1IP, 0-1, .92 ERA

Sure, the trade seemed like a slam dunk at the time, but only because Harden was supposed to actually win games for the Cubs. The way it looks now, Gallagher may win more games this summer - not to mention be a better long term pitcher.

As with Marquis, this is a good move when Harden wins a game in the playoffs. Until then, it's not a good trade.

Go Away, Please

Brett Favre, please leave us alone. Go back to Mississippi and have your hillbilly heroin. Stephen A. Smith nails it. The more I listen to Stephen A., the more I like him.

Northside June Swoon?

Let's see how the Cubs hit for the next two weeks as they finish up this west coast road trip. After feasting on crap teams the first two months of the season while playing the most home games in baseball, the Cubs are set to go up against some of the best pitching in baseball. Plus they have missed all the top pitchers so far when they played the Mets (Santana), Arizona (Webb) and San Diego (Peavy-twice.)

Here is who they face the next 13 games as they hit against the #1 staff in the N.L. and 3 of the top 4 staffs in the A.L.:

• Penny

• Glavine, Jurrjens, Hudson

• Burnett, Halladay, Litsch

• Shields, Kazmir, Sonnanstine

• Danks, Contreras, Vazquez

The Bulls Draft

Who should they take? I tend to look at things from the perspective of "what role is this player going to play on a championship caliber team. Let's look at the Bulls roster shall we?

• Gordon: Small SG, can't play D. His PER last season was 16.52 (average being 15).
• Hinrich: PG who simply cannot shoot. His PER was 13.13 - representing a monumental 4 point drop from the previous year.
• Sefalosha: good defensively, can't shoot
• Hughes: hasn't been average since his contract year. Can't shoot. Must get to line (and handle the ball) to be effective

None of those guys is particularly good at creating their own shot. Captain Kirk got maligned last year, but he's not a horrible player. If everything is going well around him, I think he can be a starting PG on a really good team as long as there are 4 players better than him on the floor. Gordon, from my observations, thinks his talent and production warrant a contract completely out of range with his skills, which are suited to being a Vinny Johnson type of a role. He can't run a team or play D. I just don't see how he's a starter on a good team.

Let's look at the forwards:

• Drew Gooden: Not particularly good. Perhaps a very good bench player, but marginal as starter.
  
• Tyrus Thomas: no post up game to speak of. Has an attitude issue. Incredibly athletic. Still has upside (at least for one more year). Fast.
  
• Noah: good rookie year. Good defensively, good passer. Better, cheaper, younger Ben Wallace-lite. Speedy for big man.
  
• Deng: In an off year, the best Bull.
• Nocioni: bad contract, over-rated player. Maybe a decent bench player, but likely his greatest value will be when he's in his walk year.

The only player there you really really want to keep is Deng. He's possibly a top 3 player on a championship team. Thomas has the potential to develop into a nice player, but he's really going to need to play at a faster pace to be fully effective. But keep this in mind, statistically speaking - Tyrus was a better player than Hinrich last year (based on PER).

Either way, I think Gordon has to go. His contract will not be in proportion to his game. Sooner or later his ego will come down to his production, but it won't be in this contract.

If they take Rose, they have to trade Thomas. If they take Beasley, they probably have to trade Thomas (unless they find a buyer for Nocioni).

If Paxson takes Beasley, he is doing it knowing that Beasley is primarily an offensive player. One with character questions (albeit small ones). One who might struggle with NBA double teams early on. Paxson does not have a team full of shooters who can capitalize off of the double teams Beasley will surely get.

Rose on the other hand is a good height for PG, a legit 6'3". He plays D, and is incredibly athletic and fast. He can create for other players exactly as the roster is comprised today. Once Rose is up to speed, I thin Thomas, Noah, and Deng will be big beneficiaries.

Surrounding Options:
Brand: Clips need a PG and scoring. However, he doesn't fit with the uptempo game I would envision with Rose. And besides, the Clips don't generally pay players top dollar in FA (Tim Thomas excepted).

Marion: They need a PG in the worst way. Marion is locked in for a long time, at a high price. I think it's within the realm of possibility that they deal Marion to the Bulls for a package surrounding Hinrich. Normally, I would think that's a stretch. But given that he was traded for a negative value Shaq, anything's possible.

Rose+Beasley: Think of the Heat with Wade, Marion, Hinrich, Gordon and Tyrus Thomas. That would be a pretty powerful, young team. Is it enough for Beasley? Probably not. Would it make sense for the Bulls to push back the plan a couple years? Hell ya.

One under the radar guy I would really love is Andris Biedrins from the Warriors. I don't see a good match between the two teams, but I would love to see him on the Bulls. He's under-rated and would really round out the big man rotation.