# You're the GM: What moves do you do going forward?



## mvP to the Wee (Jul 14, 2007)

Simple question. How will you improve this team from this season to next.


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## mvP to the Wee (Jul 14, 2007)

Here's my plan:

1) Call Minnesota for Kevin Love. Since he's likely unavailable, move forward.

2) Trade Boozer for Humphries and Marshon Brooks. Salary saving deal.

3) Trade Deng for Eric Gordon. I'm not fully sold on Gordon, but this may be a risk we need to take, since I'm guessing the Pelicans want to get out of that contract, and we need to get a real second scoring option. High risk, high reward move.

4) Re-sign Nate to the MMLE.

5) Bring in guys like Ronnie Brewer, Matt Barnes to the minimum. Maybe Korver will take it too.

6) Draft a backup big man in the 1st round.

Lineup next season:

PG-Rose(36)/Hinrich(12)/Teague
SG-Gordon(32)/Robinson(16)/Brooks
SF-Butler(36)/Barnes(12)/Brewer
PF-Gibson(32)/Humphries(16)/Thomas
C-Noah(34)/Draft(10)/Mohammed(4)


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## taco_daddy (Jun 13, 2004)

Again, another Paxson lover who believes in the "jib". This only works if you want to be the '78 - '79 Kansas City Kings or the '87 - '88 Utah Jazz. The only solution to ensure a championship next year is to get DeMarcus Cousins. 

<-- Insert 50 incoherent paragraphs here -->

This is the type of move GarPaxDorf would never have the guts to make and the fans of jib would never force them to make. Sure we might have to gut the team to get him, so what. With him and Rose on the court together we would have a dynasty here. Not 1, not 2, maybe 50 championships in a row. 

<-- Insert 2 or 3 rambling paragraphs here -->

But you love Paxson and are scared to ever criticize him and you will never demand that we get Cousins, so go ahead and follow along with your jib team that will go out in the first round every year.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

That's like saying his name three times, man.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

taco_daddy said:


> Again, another Paxson lover who believes in the "jib". This only works if you want to be the '78 - '79 Kansas City Kings or the '87 - '88 Utah Jazz. The only solution to ensure a championship next year is to get DeMarcus Cousins.
> 
> <-- Insert 50 incoherent paragraphs here -->
> 
> ...


:laugh: 

Priceless, taco man...


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

MVP, I am thinking similar to you in most respects. This would be a very good off-season if we can pull off these moves:

- Try to re-sign Nate Robinson...but, I am almost certain he will get a big offer from a small market team with cap space and in need of excitement. 

- Assuming Nate leaves, re-sign Marco...try to get him for the vet min again. I like his all-around game at the SG position, this should look good next to Rose.

- Draft Gorgui Dieng w/ our #20 pick...this guy is going to be a great role player, ala Taj Gibson. Major upgrade at backup C, good defensive player, NBA ready, good passer, smart player.

- Trade Luol Deng for an extended Tyreke Evans...I hate to see Luol go, but he is entering the last year of his contract and I feel we need to sell high. I also feel like Evans is going to be more valuable in trying to take down Miami in the playoffs. I like Evans more than Eric Gordon due to a less scary injury history, better size/length defensively, and better playmaking ability. Thibs could do alot with Evans' talents and Derrick can help reign him in. Worth noting that Evans is a restricted FA so the trade might be a little tricky.

- Sign a defensive stud backup SF for the vet minimum. Not sure who that is, though the purpose is to have someone else besides Jimmy to throw at Lebron in the playoffs.

- Re-sign Nazr as 3rd string center and Malcom Thomas as 3rd string PF, just for willing backups and continuity from last year.

This is a damn good team, IMO, primed for 60 wins and a deep playoff run:

PG: Rose, Hinrich, Teague
SG: Evans, Belinelli, Hinrich
SF: Butler, [Vet FA]
PF: Boozer, Gibson, M. Thomas
C: Noah, Dieng, Nazr

I am tempted to see if we can dangle Boozer + sweetners to Dallas to snag Dirk Nowitzki for a PF upgrade. Dirk is like 35-36 years old but his style is aging well if he can keep minutes down. Dirk was vocal about not wanting to be part of a Dallas rebuild and stated his love of this Bulls team (can't find link).


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## mvP to the Wee (Jul 14, 2007)

taco_daddy said:


> Again, another Paxson lover who believes in the "jib". This only works if you want to be the '78 - '79 Kansas City Kings or the '87 - '88 Utah Jazz. The only solution to ensure a championship next year is to get DeMarcus Cousins.
> 
> <-- Insert 50 incoherent paragraphs here -->
> 
> ...


*dead*


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## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

Is there a running joke on this board or does that guy genuinely believe DeMarcus Cousins puts Chicago over the top?

edit: got it...nvm


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## mvP to the Wee (Jul 14, 2007)

Ben said:


> Is there a running joke on this board or does that guy genuinely believe DeMarcus Cousins puts Chicago over the top?
> 
> edit: got it...nvm


Well there is a guy who genuinely believes it, it's just a different poster.


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## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

Yeah, I'm a bit slow today. :laugh:


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Seriously you should trade Noah, Deng, the Charlotte pick and Mirotic for Cousins. They'd probably want more, but you can maybe talk them down to that if you're really sweet about it.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

I really think this is the Summer to Trade Luol Deng. 

I love Lu. He's proved himself to be a tough guy and linchpin to the team.

However, we have real salary cap issues to confront. The Bulls likely cannot afford to have four big-money guys on the roster going forward. The emergence of Butler has somewhat lessened the blow that would come from trading Lu. (Butler himself will likely have a nice little pay day when his rookie deal is up.) Lu is coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons. He'll make enough money on his new deal to be a difficult long-term fit here.

So trade Deng. Do it now. If no other moves are made, you keep Boozer around one more year, then trade or amnesty him and bring Mirotic over to split time at the 4 with Taj. Otherwise, try to package Boozer (with Deng, without him, whatever) for someone productive. 

The only way I'd advocate to keep Deng is if you trade Boozer (your big salary, somewhat productive guy) with Butler (your insanely good rookie deal contract guy) for a star player (like Love, etc.). In that event, you can hopefully sign Lu to the 3rd biggest contract on the team and keep him around to keep playing the wing defender/competent scorer role he's in now. 

That said, I honestly expect the Bulls to roll next year with substantially the same squad, minus some turnover of the Bench Mob 2.0. Butler will slide in to the starting 2, maybe one of Nate or Bellinelli will be re-signed, Dieng or whomever will be drafted, and that's that.


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## mvP to the Wee (Jul 14, 2007)

jnrjr79 said:


> I really think this is the Summer to Trade Luol Deng.
> 
> I love Lu. He's proved himself to be a tough guy and linchpin to the team.
> 
> ...


I agree. Love Deng but it's probably time to trade him, especially with Butler's emergence.


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## Firefight (Jul 2, 2010)

I need to see the FA crop, especially with the guards. Yes, Butler has emerged...but not sure trading Deng is the best option...(depending obviously on what we got in return...)

With the Boozer amnesty in our back pocket, we have some flexibility with money...

I've never been a huge Deng supporter, but this team just looks different without him...and not just recently in the playoffs... You can notice it even when he;s on the bench, which I know isn't often.... 

A little off topic, but, the 2 things I'm excited about is seeing Rose play with Butler, and also the arrival of Mirotic. I'm no pro scout, but I've done my homework on this kid, and I've been blown away... not just from highlight reels, but also, the rate of his progression.... I think the Bulls have a star coming over, and I just hope we don't trade him away in a deal that only makes us marginally better...


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

If you were to ask what the most likely outcome is, I think the front office wants to give this squad 1 more chance together. Especially since Derrick chose not to return, they probably want to see what he looks like for the first half of the year, then maybe we make a move at the trade deadline based on how things are going. So my prediction is our opening night lineup is:

PG: Rose, Hinrich, Teague
SG: Butler, Belinelli, Hinrich (Belinelli is re-signed for vet min, Nate leaves via FA)
SF: Deng, Butler, vet FA
PF: Boozer, Gibson, M. Thomas
C: Noah, 1st rd pick (Dieng?), Nazr

Which assuming everyone is healthy somewhat, that is still a damn good team, probably top 3 in the league (behind Miami and OKC) if Rose is back to form. And for matching up w/ Miami, it's alot better than 2011 since we have alot more backcourt playmaking ability and twice the defenders to throw at Lebron (Jimmy & Deng). I still worry about Boozer's ability to match up with Miami with his style of play. It would be amazing if Mark Cuban threw us a bone and traded Dirk for Boozer + future considerations (draft picks, cash, etc.), just to give Dirk one last title run as a favor and help the league take down the 3 queens.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Firefight said:


> A little off topic, but, the 2 things I'm excited about is seeing Rose play with Butler, and also the arrival of Mirotic. I'm no pro scout, but I've done my homework on this kid, and I've been blown away... not just from highlight reels, but also, the rate of his progression.... I think the Bulls have a star coming over, and I just hope we don't trade him away in a deal that only makes us marginally better...


I'm very excited about Mirotic. Seems like alot of Bulls fans are skeptics for some reason but I think they just aren't paying attention. He is one of the best players in Europe, period...heck, arguably one of the best players not in the NBA today. There aren't too many college players who are legitimately better than him right now. And he is only like 23 years old. Not sure if he'll be a perennial all-star or anything, but I fully expect he'll be a rock solid starter at the PF position, and a great supplementary player alongside Noah, Rose, and Jimmy.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

yodurk said:


> If you were to ask what the most likely outcome is, I think the front office wants to give this squad 1 more chance together. Especially since Derrick chose not to return, they probably want to see what he looks like for the first half of the year, then maybe we make a move at the trade deadline based on how things are going. So my prediction is our opening night lineup is:
> 
> PG: Rose, Hinrich, Teague
> SG: Butler, Belinelli, Hinrich (Belinelli is re-signed for vet min, Nate leaves via FA)
> ...



So I've seen a number of people suggest bringing Marco back on a vet minimum deal. Is that realistic? Am I the only one that is concerned that his play this year may earn him a deal somewhat more lucrative than the minimum?


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

draft adetokunbo in the 1st round , mike muscala in the 2nd.
trade luol deng , noah and the bobcats pick for dwight howard and ron artest
re-sign marco 
sign martell webster and ronnie brewer, and ronny turiaf to fill out the bench

rose/kirk/teague
webster/marco/brewer
butler/artest/adetokunbo
boozer/taj/m.thomas
howard/muscala/turiaf


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

jnrjr79 said:


> So I've seen a number of people suggest bringing Marco back on a vet minimum deal. Is that realistic? Am I the only one that is concerned that his play this year may earn him a deal somewhat more lucrative than the minimum?


his numbers actually fell across the board last season from the previous season.

at best he avoids a significant pay cut from his 1.9 mil. but i am assuming that will be to either to a pretty bad team or overseas, if he chooses to stay in a winning environment i doubt he can do better than the vet min.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

Da Grinch said:


> his numbers actually fell across the board last season from the previous season.
> 
> at best he avoids a significant pay cut from his 1.9 mil. but i am assuming that will be to either to a pretty bad team or overseas, if he chooses to stay in a winning environment i doubt he can do better than the vet min.


I think there's a big difference between putting up some ok numbers on a terrible team and doing what he did this year for the Bulls, which was a lot more likely to be noticed by other teams. I'm not saying the guy is going to break the bank, but it seems a little foolhardy to automatically assume he gets the minimum.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

jnrjr79 said:


> I think there's a big difference between putting up some ok numbers on a terrible team and doing what he did this year for the Bulls, which was a lot more likely to be noticed by other teams. I'm not saying the guy is going to break the bank, but it seems a little foolhardy to automatically assume he gets the minimum.


on a good team its unlikely he's a starter or even a 6th man but on a bad team like lets say the bobcats he may get 30 minutes a game .

on the bulls next season with a healthy rose its like 15 or so at best.

i'm am assuming the bulls can get him for the min. but if not than LLe , he's not worth more than that to the bulls.

if he choose to go a less complete team they may determine his value differently


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

jnrjr79 said:


> I think there's a big difference between putting up some ok numbers on a terrible team and doing what he did this year for the Bulls, which was a lot more likely to be noticed by other teams. I'm not saying the guy is going to break the bank, but it seems a little foolhardy to automatically assume he gets the minimum.


A few years ago you'd probably be right. But the stuff we hear from GMs and owners in the new CBA era is that teams aren't going to break the bank open for middle of the road type players anymore, given the more severe luxury tax penalties. 

You will see superstars get max deals, and you will see above average starters get double-digit millions per season. You will also likely see big men continue to get overpaid. But there is a reason guys like Nate and Marco had to settle for the vet minimum. The league is flooding with guards who are rotation worthy but not quite good enough to start. You can't pay all of them. Nate may have earned his way out of that, but Marco was too inconsistent IMO. I still like Marco on this team though because he is a big guard and has a really nice all-around skill set that should supplement Rose's playing style well. He is also very coachable and has a good attitude from everything I've read.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

Assuming Aldridge is available:

1) Trade Deng + Gibson + Charlotte pick for Aldridge + Matthews

2) Re-sign Belinelli as we have his early bird rights and do not have to use part of the MMLE to do it (I believe).

3) Use the MMLE to sign the best wing available

4) Vet minimums for the rest of the bench, but I'd bring back Nazr as he has already learned the system.



Rose / Hinrich / Teague
Matthews / Belinelli
Butler / MMLE
Aldridge / Boozer
Noah / Boozer / Mohammed


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Taj Gibson and our 2013 first rounder for Demarcus Cousins. 

Maybe Thibs can turn Cousins around, it would be an amazing pickup if he could.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

Rhyder said:


> Assuming Aldridge is available:
> 
> 1) Trade Deng + Gibson + Charlotte pick for Aldridge + Matthews
> 
> ...


I actually was curious about the rule, so I consulted Larry ****. We have the Non-Bird Exception on Belinelli (and Robinson), not the early bird as he has not been with the team for two seasons.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q25



> NON-BIRD EXCEPTION -- This is also a component of the Veteran Free Agent exception. Its name is somewhat of a misnomer, since Non-Bird really is a form of Bird rights. Players who qualify for this exception are called "Non-Qualifying Veteran Free Agents" in the CBA. They are veteran free agents who are neither Qualifying Veteran Free Agents nor Early Qualifying Veteran Free Agents, and include the following:
> •Players who finished the season with a given team, who have played no more than one season without clearing waivers or changing teams as a free agent.
> •Players who were Early Bird free agents, but whose team renounced its right to use the Early Bird exception to re-sign the player.
> •Players who were to be Larry Bird or Early Bird free agents, were playing on one-year contracts, and were traded mid-season.
> ...


The way I read it, we can sign Marco to 120% of his existing salary next season (or longer with only 4.5% raises), and it does not count against the MMLE of $3 million.

Sounds like we can offer him $2.4M his first year without using the MMLE or up to $3.0M with. It is feasible that some team signs him to more than the $2.4 and we opt not to use our MMLE to retain him.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

yodurk said:


> I'm very excited about Mirotic. Seems like alot of Bulls fans are skeptics for some reason but I think they just aren't paying attention. He is one of the best players in Europe, period...heck, arguably one of the best players not in the NBA today. There aren't too many college players who are legitimately better than him right now. And he is only like 23 years old. Not sure if he'll be a perennial all-star or anything, but I fully expect he'll be a rock solid starter at the PF position, and a great supplementary player alongside Noah, Rose, and Jimmy.


I am quite high on Mirotic. He doesn't have the athleticism to expect him to be an All-Star, but I think his ceiling is a third option on offense and worst case is as a 7th man off the bench.

While they play completely different roles, I expect him to be better/more important than Taj.

It is possible that he is an upgrade to Boozer when he comes over, and that will be huge if we only have to pay him $5mil per for his first 4 years.

In terms of our long term assets, I value Mirotic over the Charlotte pick and Jimmy Butler, and Jimmy has quickly taken over as my third favorite Bull behind Rose and Noah.


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## Good Hope (Nov 27, 2002)

Rhyder said:


> Assuming Aldridge is available:
> 
> 1) Trade Deng + Gibson + Charlotte pick for Aldridge + Matthews
> 
> ...


Are you comfortable with Jimmy at the 3? I guess, he played LeBron tough, so what more can you ask. 

Seeing Boozer as a backup at 15 mil/yr -- doesn't seem likely


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

Good Hope said:


> Are you comfortable with Jimmy at the 3? I guess, he played LeBron tough, so what more can you ask.
> 
> Seeing Boozer as a backup at 15 mil/yr -- doesn't seem likely


Boozer as a $15 million backup is stop gap. As has always been the theory with Boozer, he should be amnestied the year Mirotic comes over so that we can actually offer him the full MLE.

The roster the following season should look something along the lines of:
Rose/Hinrich?/Teague
Matthews/Belinelli
Butler/'13 MMLE guy
Aldridge/Mirotic
Noah/'13 and-or '14 rookie


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## Firefight (Jul 2, 2010)

I don't see us getting Aldridge that easily. 
Also, Mirotic right now would be better than 7th man. That is not his floor. Defensively, he will struggle playing the 4 full time, but also really give fits to other teams PFs. 

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

I just dont get the instant pegging in of Butler as a starter on a potential title contender and Mirotic as a lock as a starting 4 in the NBA. 

Butler had a decent season, but hes got a long way to go before we can start talking about him being a starting caliber contributor.

Mirotic does some things that make you go "That was an NBA move." and then he does other things that don't look like they will translate into the NBA game. Hes a perimeter player right now, who likes to handle the ball at time. Hes playing like a 3 at times in Spain, when we really need him to develop as a post player who can stretch it.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

thebizkit69u said:


> I just dont get the instant pegging in of Butler as a starter on a potential title contender and Mirotic as a lock as a starting 4 in the NBA.
> 
> Butler had a decent season, but hes got a long way to go before we can start talking about him being a starting caliber contributor.
> 
> Mirotic does some things that make you go "That was an NBA move." and then he does other things that don't look like they will translate into the NBA game. Hes a perimeter player right now, who likes to handle the ball at time. Hes playing like a 3 at times in Spain, when we really need him to develop as a post player who can stretch it.


Agreed on Mirotic. The biggest question mark around his game and whether he can be an eventual star is finding multiple ways to score. His inside game will make or break him at the NBA level.

Butler has proven himself as a extremely valuable player at his contract. He actually makes Deng expendable to explore trades with, and we did not have a replacement for him before. I agree that he should not be penciled in as a starter, but who knows what his ceiling is if he works hard on his game as he has the past two years.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

Firefight said:


> I don't see us getting Aldridge that easily.
> Also, Mirotic right now would be better than 7th man. That is not his floor. Defensively, he will struggle playing the 4 full time, but also really give fits to other teams PFs.
> 
> Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


It might take more, but if it takes too much more I am fairly willing to pass. I know Portland has inquired about Deng's availability a few times, and getting a couple of vets still in their prime might be exactly what it takes to develop the young guys. I do not know if their management shares the same vision.

I also don't want to gut the current team to make a 2-3 year rebuilding project just on the hopes it might take the team up another level. I saw a healthy Bulls team being on par with Miami, and I do not think the near-term window is closed with the team as currently constructed plus minor tweaks. Besides, freeing up Boozer's contract and the Bobcat pick means we will be able to bring new blood in 2-3 years down the road as is. Miami won't have that luxury.

Aldridge and Love interest me if the price is right. Cousins too, but guys with a lack of basic basketball IQ make me leery, especially because he leans on the hard to coach side.

Dwight still interests me as well, but I don't see how we would be able to get him at this point.


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## doctordrizzay (May 10, 2011)

Amnesty Boozer sign Josh Smith


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Rhyder said:


> Agreed on Mirotic. The biggest question mark around his game and whether he can be an eventual star is finding multiple ways to score. His inside game will make or break him at the NBA level.


This is why I always caution people on the expectations on this kid. To all those who like to think of Mirotic as some sort of next coming of Dirk or the next big European star. All I have to say is watch some video of Dirk in the 1998 Nike hoops summit, the guy was a one man team vs guys like Al Harrington, Rashad Lewis and Flip Murray (All HS studs). That's what a potential superstar looks like, regardless of country or league. 

FYI, Mirotic was non existent in the Euroleague Final Four. Real Madrid lost to Olympiacos in the title game. 



> Butler has proven himself as a extremely valuable player at his contract. He actually makes Deng expendable to explore trades with, and we did not have a replacement for him before. I agree that he should not be penciled in as a starter, but who knows what his ceiling is if he works hard on his game as he has the past two years.


Butlers value was to be a Ronnie Brewer replacement, I think he lived up to it. Asking him to now become an important part of a team with title aspiration, is asking too much. Deng is a very flawed player but he still does much more than Jimmy. Not only is Deng a better defender, but he is a much better offensive player, and taller. Unless we are getting an offensive 3,2 or 4 I can't see how Jimmy is an upgrade over Deng.


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

doctordrizzay said:


> Amnesty Boozer sign Josh Smith


Josh Smith for 4 years at around 13 mil is a worse deal than just keeping Boozer 1 more year before amnesty.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

thebizkit69u said:


> Butlers value was to be a Ronnie Brewer replacement, I think he lived up to it. Asking him to now become an important part of a team with title aspiration, is asking too much. Deng is a very flawed player but he still does much more than Jimmy. Not only is Deng a better defender, but he is a much better offensive player, and taller. Unless we are getting an offensive 3,2 or 4 I can't see how Jimmy is an upgrade over Deng.


He definitely exceeded the Ronnie Brewer role that was expected of him this season.

I agree that Deng is better at all facets of the game than is Butler. Right now, our MVP chart of guys expected to be back next year is arguably:
Rose
Noah
Deng
Boozer
Gibson
Butler

If we move Deng and Gibson for Aldridge and Matthews like I suggested, our MVP chart becomes:
Rose
Aldridge
Noah
Boozer
Matthews
Butler

Point being, trading our #3 and #5 guy for a #2 and sliding Noah back to the #3 makes for a much better top 3 with less overall dollars committed to the core. Butler does not really move anywhere on the expectations chart, but he will have more of a role and more minutes played. If it doesn't work, we can address the wing once and we have the full MLE available or if we get lucky in the draft.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

doctordrizzay said:


> Amnesty Boozer sign Josh Smith


If we amnesty Boozer, we will still be over the cap and could only offer Josh Smith the MLE. No way is he coming for that.

Love it or hate it, Boozer will be here at least one more year sans finding a trading partner for him or trading Deng, Noah, or Taj for a draft pick or a guy on a rookie contract. We aren't going to find a MLE guy better than him, despite him being "overpaid."


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Rhyder said:


> He definitely exceeded the Ronnie Brewer role that was expected of him this season.


I don't know if he exceeded Ronnie, both had very similar numbers. The difference being Jimmy was a slightly better offensive player, while Brewer was a better defender. 



> If we move Deng and Gibson for Aldridge and Matthews like I suggested, our MVP chart becomes:
> Rose
> Aldridge
> Noah
> ...


That makes sense. 

I guess I'm having a hard time trying to wrap my head around why Portland would give up on Aldrige and a very good contract in Mathews for a downgrade of Gibson and Deng. I understand the Bobcats pick could be a big deal in 2016 but I don't see them giving up on Aldrige, especially just 1 year removed from playing next to the ROY in Lillard.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

thebizkit69u said:


> I just dont get the instant pegging in of Butler as a starter on a potential title contender and Mirotic as a lock as a starting 4 in the NBA.
> 
> Butler had a decent season, but hes got a long way to go before we can start talking about him being a starting caliber contributor.
> 
> Mirotic does some things that make you go "That was an NBA move." and then he does other things that don't look like they will translate into the NBA game. Hes a perimeter player right now, who likes to handle the ball at time. Hes playing like a 3 at times in Spain, when we really need him to develop as a post player who can stretch it.


as far as butler goes i think his ability to a standout or starting level player depends on what you ask of him. i think he clearly shows aptitude for the typical "3 and D " kind of wing who spaces the floor, hits the occasional 3 and defends like heck...now if the needs are for him to drop 16-20 a game i could see looking in another direction because it isn't really him.

as far as mirotic i agree with you , he can be a good player but its unlikely he's going to be the type of typical 4 who can be counted on to post up regularly on other post players , to me he's more of a ryan anderson type which is fine but his value depends on how he's used and the players he is playing with.


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Da Grinch said:


> as far as butler goes i think his ability to a standout or starting level player depends on what you ask of him. i think he clearly shows aptitude for the typical "3 and D " kind of wing who spaces the floor, hits the occasional 3 and defends like heck...now if the needs are for him to drop 16-20 a game i could see looking in another direction because it isn't really him.
> 
> as far as mirotic i agree with you , he can be a good player but its unlikely he's going to be the type of typical 4 who can be counted on to post up regularly on other post players , to me he's more of a ryan anderson type which is fine but his value depends on how he's used and the players he is playing with.


I just don't want the Bulls to do the same thing they did with Taj Gibson. They overvalued the guy, thinking he could replace Boozer. A lot of what made Gibson good, went to Houston last year. 

Butler does some things well, but we still have to see if he can ever become a consistent enough offensive player. We have enough defense, we need some versatility.


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## Rhyder (Jul 15, 2002)

thebizkit69u said:


> I don't know if he exceeded Ronnie, both had very similar numbers. The difference being Jimmy was a slightly better offensive player, while Brewer was a better defender.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Aldridge has not been happy there during the rebuild. It has been a concern of Portland fans over the past two seasons that he will not re-sign. If that is true, they probably need to get rid of him this year else they will be having a fire sale on him next season.

They have been interested in Deng for years. Now it might make some sense for both teams. If re-signing Aldridge is not a concern of theirs, then it would not make sense for them.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

Rhyder said:


> Aldridge has not been happy there during the rebuild. It has been a concern of Portland fans over the past two seasons that he will not re-sign. If that is true, they probably need to get rid of him this year else they will be having a fire sale on him next season.
> 
> They have been interested in Deng for years. Now it might make some sense for both teams. If re-signing Aldridge is not a concern of theirs, then it would not make sense for them.



It's going to be funny when Aldridge is getting murdered with the fanbase for the same reasons Boozer does.


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## transplant (Jul 31, 2002)

jnrjr79 said:


> I think there's a big difference between putting up some ok numbers on a terrible team and doing what he did this year for the Bulls, which was a lot more likely to be noticed by other teams. I'm not saying the guy is going to break the bank, but it seems a little foolhardy to automatically assume he gets the minimum.


Actually, I think the local media (and maybe some fans) believe that if they didn't personally see a player play, what he did doesn't matter.

In replacing Korver, Belinelli was the "anti-Korver." Where Korver is a classic "one-trick pony," Belinelli is the prototypical "jack of all trades and master of none." Seriously, Belinelli's fair-to-good at just about everything without being great at any one thing.

The Bulls can offer Belinelli a 20% raise under the non-Bird exception. I hope they do this.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Would it be fair to think of Mirotic as a "Rashard Lewis in his prime" type of player? That would seem like a pretty good comparison. 6'10, great shooter, solid scorer, passable ball and passing skills but won't blow anyone away with athleticism or off the dribble moves. 

Nobody is saying Mirotic is gonna be a superstar, ala Nowitzki. Though like Lewis, he has the talent to be a borderline all-star and definite impact player.


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## Fergus (Oct 2, 2002)

I think the Rashard Lewis comparison is a realistic appraisal of what value Mirotic will bring to this team. My hope would be that some other NBA team overvalues him and makes the Bulls a really good trade offer.

I do not think the Bulls will be able to get Aldridge or Love, especially if the Bulls do not include Noah in any trade. However, if one of these teams overvalues Mirotic, than maybe the Bulls can put together some sort of deal.

Boozer had a good year in a lot of ways and does not have much time of his deal. I could see another NBA team being willing to give up something of value for him. 

If the Bulls could get a player even close to the caliber of Love or Aldridge by giving up Mirotic and Boozer I would be thrilled.

I do not see the Bulls giving up Deng or Noah in any deal, unless it is for a really top level NBA starter.


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## transplant (Jul 31, 2002)

Jimmy Butler's emergence as a legit NBA swingman, and by this I mean that he could start at either wing position or be the team's 20+mpg 6th man backing up both positions, was easily the biggest positive from this past season and changes the dynamic going forward.

For the 2013-14 season, the Bulls, a 2nd-round playoff team, will add a 25 year old superstar to their roster. No other team, much less a good one, can say this.

As compared to other playoff teams, the Bulls remain fairly young with only Boozer and Hinrich among their signed players being over 30 and none of their signed players over 32.

Besides their own draft picks, the Bulls also have the rights to their 2011 pick, Nikola Mirotic, as well as a future pick from the Bobcats which could be a lottery pick.

Based on the above, I see the Bulls' situation as anything but desperate. If the team's health is even just OK (a significant improvement over this past season) and regardless of how they choose to fill out their roster, the Bulls figure to be the consensus #2 team in the East.

I'm OK with Marquis Teague. He's a baby, but a talented enough baby that I don't want to take another PG in the draft. This means I can take the best wing or big available.

Nate Robinson got less knuckle-headed in his shot selection as the season wore on. His improved discretion didn't hurt his electric offensive impact...something the Bulls desperately needed and will continue to need on the 2nd unit. The most the Bulls can offer Robinson is the full taxpayer's mid-level exception...about $3mil. I'd do this.

Marco Belinelli was OK. Offensively, he does everything OK and was less of an offensive liability than advertised. The Bulls can offer him a 20% raise under the non-Bird exception. I'd do this. If someone offers him more (I doubt it), I'd wish him well.

I haven't mentioned trades primarily because I'm not into the whole speculative trading thing. 

Deng's entering the final year of his contract. I like Deng...a lot. I'd open discussions with Deng's agent for an extension. If Deng's camp is thinking $12mil+ per season, I'd see what trading him might yield. To me, Deng at $10mil is good value for the next 3-4 years.

Boozer will be entering the 4th season of his 5-year deal. I believe that he'll be amnestied before the 2014-15 season to make room for Mirotic. Given this, there's a temptation to trade him this offseason for almost anything. I wouldn't do this because I believe that opportunities to win a championship are all too rare and that, while the Bulls won't be the favorite, the 2013-14 season represents a realistic opportunity for the Bulls to win a championship. However, salary-dumping Boozer would probably take the Bulls chances from "realistic chance" to "outside shot."

So tradewise, I'd listen, but would guard against becoming overanxious. IMO, the Bulls don't need to do a damn thing to be a serious contender next season, but if they get stupid and make a move just to make one, they could damage their 2013-14 chances. With the expectations of a completely healthy Derrick Rose, this would truly be reckless.


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