Stacey King: "A sick dunk from Asik."

There is plenty of tape of the Bulls’ new additions including Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, CJ Watson and Kurt Thomas. We generally have an idea of what each of these players will bring to the court this upcoming season. This is not the case with Bulls import, Omer Asik.

Asik, whom the Bulls picked up from the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft, hails from Turkey. He played the majority of his games for Fenerbache Ulker and had some considerable success (mostly shot blocking) in Euroleague contests. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see Asik play against some higher level competition in August and September when he suits up for the Turkish National Team at the World Championships in Turkey.

Until then, head on over to NBAPlaybook.com for a detailed analysis of Asik’s strengths and considerable weaknesses with supporting video evidence. Looks like he has some ability to finish at the rim, but I agree with the assessment that he looks pretty weak. Some sites have him at 7’0″ but in truth, he probably is closer to 6’11″. And at that height and 230 lbs he’s going to be pushed around a lot in the NBA. Yet, if all he does is keep someone else from getting a clean shot at a rebound, I’ll trust Taj or Joakim to come away with any deflections that he can’t pull down himself.

In the last couple of weeks I have seen a whole lot of attention paid to a front I forgot existed, team diplomacy. The Bulls and White Sox have added two stars as “team ambassadors.”

As far as I understand it, Scottie Pippen and Frank Thomas are being paid to represent their prospective teams as a public figure, attending games (for free), signing autographs, and occasionally writing something nice about the franchise. I would like to go Billy Beane and take this generic public relations move and turn it into an actual tactical advantage for the team on the field, or court, of play.

The Chicago Bulls are set to embark on a season with a much different and more difficult road in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks are a real threat to take the division, The Boston Celtics refuse to show their collective age, the Orlando Magic are hell bent on winning (luxury tax be damned!), and the Miami Heat were the overwhelming Vegas favorites before they started adding those quality pieces to an already fearsome threesome. How would the Bulls turn a seemingly innocuous position into a game changer?

The Bulls find a way to pry Delonte West from his new team, the Minnesota Timerbwolves, and make him the team ambassador.

This is working under the assumption LeBron can do nothing but shut down whenever he sees the former teammate who broke an unspoken rumor- do not sleep with your friend’s mom. We could send him to big games and let him stalk the King ala Stephen Marbury 2009, lurking in the stands. This might result in some fines, but it would disrupt the Miami Thrice and open up the Eastern Conference to teams without three stars entering their prime.

Imagine buying Bulls tickets to see LeBron choke as West stares at him from courtside seats. The fans would be chanting unmentionable insults and Derrick Rose would drive by Dwayne Wade and dunk on a defensively ineffective Bosh in the circle. It would be great and it would be a divisive move announcing to the NBA the Bulls are ready to win big without Jordan.

This photo is from back in March when Noah was recovering from Plantar Fascitis.  I’m sure he was just asking for directions to a local eatery, right?

h/t: Deadspin

We found out a few months ago that Michael Jordan would not only be on the cover of the new NBA 2k11, but that you could in fact play with him in the game.  Hopefully that would erase all the bad childhood memories of not being able to play with him in NBA Jam.  Apparently things are about to get even awesomer though (yeah I made up the word awesomer for this special occasion).  I’m not much of a video game guy, but the fact that you can be 10 different MJs from different stages of his career is blowing my mind.  Check it out:

Now, Argent has unveiled the next surprise, which is that the game will have a mode called the “Jordan Challenge.” The mode allows fans to play with 10 different versions of Jordan that are authentic to that moment….

The games that fans can play with different versions of Jordan include all of the following:

-April 20, 1986 (Game 2 of the 1st round of the playoffs against the Celtics when Jordan scored 63)

-March 28, 1990 (regular season game against the Cavs when Jordan scored 69)

-June 3, 1992 (Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs versus the Trail Blazers when Jordan scored 35 in the first half)

- March 28, 1995 (Jordan returns to the game and scores 55 against the Knicks)

-June 11, 1997 (the famous Jordan “flu game”)

- June 14, 1998 (the day of his last game in a Bulls uniform as his last second shot gives the Bulls its sixth title under his reign).

In each game, gamers are charged with different goals, including matching Jordan’s point totals and shooting percentage.

If you hit six three pointers in a row like Jordan did against the Trail Blazers in 1992, the virtual Jordan will shrug just like he did in real life on that night.

Two of the 10 challenges don’t have specific dates tied to it.

You can play the 1991 Finals version of Jordan as well as play a game in 1990 style vs. Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks, where gamers are challenged with holding Wilkins to 25 points or fewer.

That is only 8 versions and they say there will be 10. I’m thinking “The Shot” against Cleveland and maybe some AA ball with the White Sox affiliate the Barons. Just kidding on the last one, but sick!

h/t: BDL

Today two Chicago franchises continued to take small steps in opposite directions. No, I am not writing about the White Sox and the Cubs, but the Bulls and Cubs. The Chicago Bulls continued their summer of baby steps by adding C.J. Watson via a side-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors. The Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced he intends to retire after this season, when his contract ends.

The Bulls added another strong, but small piece to their puzzle. Once again, it is not as glamorous as hosting the LeBron-Bosh-Rose combo 41 nights a season at the United Center, but it added a tough defender and good outside shooter to back up Derrick Rose.

The Bulls can hardly be deemed the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, but the pundits can give us a tiny victory and speculate a Central Division championship, and, thus, a guaranteed top four seed in the Eastern portion of the postseason.

Not to brag, but now we have our long, athletic two-guard to stop the opposition from simply catching the ball near the paint and shooting over us (I liked Captain Kirk, but that killed me). We have a backup point to come in and play enough defense to hold a lead or play really small ball and pop three pointers from the corner. We have a low post scorer to bully his way into the paint (at least until we play a team with the Lakers’ collective front court length). And we have a point guard already a master at penetration, learning to extend his jump shot to the three point line.

I am excited to see the Chicago Bulls play next season, especially with the NBA lockout looming the season after.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs made it clear it is time to dismantle the team. When the manager throws in the towel, it is obvious the team is a lost cause. Most of the time, the front office will start to publicly debase the manager of an underperforming team, eventually leading to a firing, since it is cheaper to cut a manager than a multi-millionaire picking at daisies in the outfield (or being sent to anger management sessions).

Piniella was never lying when he had no answer for reporters searching for some deep, dark baseball secret to inexplicable losses. He honestly had no all-encompassing answer for the Cubs underwhelming performance in 2009 and so far through a little more than the first half of this 2010 season.

Piniella manned up and made it clear the Cubs front office needs to begin searching for a new manager who can get through to these players, all while keeping his job until the contract ends. His move was actually quite genius. Now the Cubs cannot fire him without massive fallout from the fans.

One would argue the team’s difficulty selling Cubs tickets is already a sign of revolt in a city and a part of the city so well noted for grinning and bearing it, selling out Wrigley Field, even when a less than acceptable team took the field every beautiful day game.

This is an undeniably flare fired above the sports media and even the most oblivious fans holding out for a sensational second half that the Chicago Cubs as we know them are coming to an end. This is, or at least should be, Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin’s team.

Blah blah blah free agents blah blah blah.  What about what we already have?  The most electric young point guard in the league, Derrick Rose, has two facets of his game that need to improve drastically: 3-point shooting and defense.  There were rumors that he was in an LA gym with Tyreke Evans and trainer Rob McClanaghan working out 8 hours a day on all kinds of things.  It appears the rumors are true:

h/t: Docksquad Sports

It certainly comes as no surprise to anyone in the basketball world that the LeBron James free agent show would take precedence over other superstar signings in the league. James took a prime-time stage while everyone else was lucky to catch a shout-out on Mike and Mike.

Durant quietly resigned with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Amar’e jumped to New York with half a cycle of coverage. Dirk resigned to crickets. Bosh went to Miami—pre James’ signing—with a few lights flickering. And Carlos Boozer, former Utah star forward, joined the Bulls with no one outside of Chicago blowing a horn.

Lost in all the hubbub over the LeBron-Wade-Bosh machine in Miami is the branch on the power tree of the East the Bulls hurdled over by picking up a legitimate front-court presence. Already tops in the league with rebounds, Chicago got a solid 11+ rebounder, a low-post offensive threat, and a yang to Joakim’s ying who, unlike the still learning Florida star, can score consistently.

Chicago fans might be a little blue over LeBron choosing to go south—probably to skirt more Jordan comparisons—but the Bulls are looking awfully competitive in an Eastern Conference that sees a playoff team eliminated already in Cleveland, not to mention a one-year-older Celtics squad and an Orlando team still stuck with Vince Carter.

The chances of bringing this together are solid for Chicago faithful. Of course, all the online casinos for USA players and sports books would give far better odds if James joined – 11:1, in fact. But the Bulls could easily be the next-up contenders behind Miami next season. And anything can happen in the playoffs…

But no gambling man would rule the Bulls out completely. After all, Miami’s mega-star conglomerate has been tried in places like the NFL to no avail. And with Rose, Noah, Gibson and other talented players in place, Boozer joins a complete team with chemistry and simply adds to it without bringing a ball-hoggish, need-to-score approach.

You might find better odds on a slot bonus game, but the Bulls, no longer babies, are looking stronger this year than any year MJ wasn’t suiting up.

Time will tell, obviously, how everything melds. But the next time you’re floating around looking for an online casino bonus, check out the sports book link and, if you can grab some good odds on a Miami vs. Chicago Eastern Conference Finals, take it.

Saying James choosing not to come to Chicago is really a blessing in disguise would be a lie. But the Bulls have competitive fire, a score to settle, and now a legitimate piece of the puzzle to push them over the hump.

On Friday night, the Bulls extended an offer sheet to restricted free agent J.J. Redick for $19 million over 3 years. The Orlando Magic will now have seven days to match that offer from the Bulls. The Magic roster, as it is currently situated, is designed to win now at all costs. Their GM, Otis Smith, has shown little hesitation in taking on additional salaries in past years to strengthen his team into one of the top teams in the East. He matched Gortat’s offer sheet, added Brandon Bass, and this past week, used a healthy chunk of their Mid-Level Exception to sign Chris Duhon to a 4 year, $15 million contract.

One would think that a prudent owner/GM might face some trepidation in matching J.J. Redick’s offer sheet. With their roster already $10 million over the luxury tax level of $70 million for 2010-11, the Magic will essentially be paying double the salary offered to Redick if they match his offer sheet. Assuming the Bulls do a little front-loading of his contract and pay something like $8 mil for the first year with subsequent decreases, the Magic would be faced with essentially paying $16 million for the services of Mr. Redick.  I don’t care how ballsy you are, that’s a lot of loot. Apparently though, Stan Van Gundy says the Magic intend to match any offer, so frontloading his contract to create as big of a “poison pill” as possible may be necessary.

With the Magic’s fiscal constraints (however real or imagined they might be) the Bulls should be able to plan on having J.J. Redick on the roster for next season. If so, that will take up some of the remaining cap room, but the Bulls will still enjoy some flexibility.

July began with the Bulls having nearly $31.9 million available under the cap of $58.04 million. Carlos Boozer’s contract will likely be structured with escalators that will only pay him $13 million for 2010-11. Let’s say Kyle Korver’s three year deal for $15 million will be stretched out evenly over each of the years. Combined with Redick’s $8 million in the first year, this leaves the Bulls with a conservative $5.3 million left to spend (give or take depending on how these salaries are structured).

Omer Asik has reportedly agreed to finally come over and play for the Bulls so he must be factored into the remaining salary cap space(please no Tarlac/Bagaric flashbacks). One blogger suggested we look to the Grizzlies’ signing of Iranian Center Hamed Haddadi to base our expectations on what Asik’s salary will look like. Haddadi signed a 3 year deal for $4.8 million. With the injury and free-throw shooting concerns (Hack-an-Omer could be a viable strategy at sub-50%) the Bulls should be able to sign him for a little less. Let’s pencil in a 3 year deal for $4.2 million. That would leave us with something close to $3.9 million left.

Who would the Bulls consider with the remaining cap space? The Bulls could use some additional depth in the backcourt and another big man to pair with Noah and Asik. My two suggestions? Ronnie Brewer and Brad Miller.

Brewer made close to $2.7 million last year in Memphis, but the Grizzlies elected not to resign him. The Jazz are reportedly interested in him as well, but they are currently up against the cap as well, and may have to use their remaining cap space if guard Wesley Matthews draws any qualifying offers in the next few weeks. It may be wishful thinking to think that Brewer would take a pay cut to play with the Bulls, but a nice three year contract that would last into the new CBA might be the kind of security that Brewer is looking for.

The fleet-footed Brad Miller will undoubtedly be in demand this summer with teams willing to offer a significant portion of their MLE to get his services. But maybe it’s time for Miller to think about sticking close to home, playing with players he has already achieved a comfort level with, and taking a little less pay to stay with the Bulls. I mean his last contract did pay him $23.6 million dollars over the last two years. From my limited knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement, the Bulls could get away with paying Miller less than $1 million and the league would pick up the rest of his veteran’s minimum salary which would actually reach $1.35 million for 2010-11. Not too shabby for a few minutes subbing for whomever has plantar fasciitis that week and lending your six fouls when we go up against teams with significant center/power forward duos (i.e. Not Miami).

It will be interesting to see what the Magic do with J.J. Redick and what other moves the Bulls can make, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

To me at least.  Terrible call.  Terrible for LeBron, terrible for the NBA, terrible for everyone.  How could he possibly think this was the right decision?

On another note, I like Boozer I guess.  Anything? Anything? Nope, still shitty.

Ever since the 2010 NBA Draft the gulf of free agent information is as murky and filled with misinformation as the Gulf of Mexico is with BP’s oil. The latest rumor to burst out that pipeline has been reported by Stephen A. Smith on FOX Sports Radio. He claims the triumvirate of Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh will be establishing a Larry O’Brien trophy center at the American Airlines Center.

This is hardly a new revelation. This has been a rumor since the three played beside one another on the 2008 Olympic basketball team. Do I believe the rumor? Of course I don’t. I am far more likely to believe the plausible scenarios not being given serious discussions. This, sadly, means the Bulls will not be getting James and Bosh in a package deal.

Rather, this means James is either staying in Cleveland or leaving for the New York Knicks. Believe me, it hurts to write this. My stomach is churning with disgust and the remains of hate for John Starks (he sucked as the number two man with Ewing, why does he get so much credit out?), but this means the Chicago Bulls have to find a Plan B.

I doubt Chris Bosh is in the picture because I see him being sign-and-traded to the Knicks for David Lee, the next decade of first and second round draft picks, and a boatload of cash.

So, this leaves the Bulls with their pickings among the second- and third-tier stars of the league. As far as I see it, Gar Forman is going to have to grossly overpay at least one player after the Bulls have spent so much time and energy cleaving cap space in preparation for free agency in this summer. He has three real choices then: Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, and Carlos Boozer

Joe Johnson

Johnson, despite a disastrous postseason this spring, is a very gifted offensive player. He may simply be a complimentary player and not the go to guy. In that respect, he would fit perfectly as the starting 2-guard. He is a big guard who can post up and shoot with a terrific stroke. He can also bail a team out on isolation plays and play within the confines of the pick and roll.

He is not going to make the Bulls instant contenders though, and the psychological effect of settling for Johnson is actually more detrimental to this team than his poor defense. Really, Johnson is a very poor man’s LeBron and Chicago would need to overcome the major media distraction of being dogged for having to take the consolation prize before even thinking about seriously contending.

Amare Stoudemire

He is a supreme athlete who can finish strong and actually has a very good midrange jumper to kill on pick and rolls. Basically, he makes the Bulls a dangerous pick and roll team, which they are suited for thanks to Rose’s superlative athleticism.

The negatives are overwhelming for Stoudemire. To begin with, he is hardly the picture of health in the NBA.  He has played more than 75 games in the regular season just five of his eight seasons in the league. Next, he is not a post up option. His scoring output is inflated because he played with the genius that is Steve Nash. Rose is an athletic guard whose ability to get to the rim may be unparalleled, but he does not have the vision of Nash. Finally, he is not a great rebounder or defender. I’d take Gibson in defensive situations rather than Stoudemire, and Gibson is going to be a second-year guy during the 2010-11 season.

Carlos Boozer

Boozer is a tough power forward who makes up for his lack of vertical size with a thick upper body that clears space for him near the basket. He has a great midrange jumper and can rebound with the best of them. Oh, forgot to mention he can finish with either hand at the rim.

Carlos is hardly as effective on the defensive end and is as likely to injure himself as he is others with his bullish style of play. He also may be a head case. Of course, the league is full of head cases that are able to earn their keep. Boozer is simply a head case that proved ineffective when forced to try and dominate the interior against skilled big men with height (Did you watch that Lakers-Jazz series?).

The Conclusion

The conclusion is all three are fatally flawed stars worth building a movie franchise around, but not quite worth handing the future of a franchise over to. Luckily, we Chicago Bulls fans know Derrick Rose is our leader now and in the future. So, who can play best with him?

Probably Joe Johnson can, but there is a wrinkle here to consider. When considering the next level of free agents, the shooting guard position is easier to sign a real talent to than the power forward.

Suddenly I am considering Boozer and Stoudemire. Boozer has the post game Chicago basketball pundits have been calling for since the beginning of the franchise. However, there is something far more psychological jarring about Stoudemire game. Boozer’s score pass as annoyances, but Stoudemire’s dunks and flashes of true basketball brilliance can take an opponent out of the game.

Since both players are as injury prone, I have to think the Bulls would be wisest to overpay Stoudemire. Then go after a shooting specialist like Ray Allen. If Allen returns to the Celtics, then lower your defensive expectations (though not as much as you think) and add J.J. Reddick. Pick up a defensive specialist in the backcourt and a potential sixth man of the year candidate in a player like Mike Miller and this roster makes me want to buy Bulls tickets to see what they can do.

What do these two guys have in common outside of obvious ploys to get anti-perspirant spokesperson deals?

They may both be headed out of Chicago within the next two weeks.

Mayor Daley is going to have to take some action if Chicago’s sports teams keep this up. We can’t keep sending jobs out of this city.

First, the Blackhawks outsourced jobs to crazy outposts like Nashville and Edmonton. And now it seems like the Bulls are intent on sending workers to Washington D.C. or Sacramento, California.

Rick Bucher of ESPN reports that the Bulls have tentatively secured a deal with the Washington Wizards to trade Kirk Hinrich and the 17th pick in this year’s draft. His sources were unclear as to what the Bulls would receive in turn.  No matter how good you think Hinrich is, I doubt we’re getting the #1 pick this year in return. Would next year’s Wizards first round pick be a possibility?

From the Wizards point of view, I can see why they are making this deal if they fear that Gilbert Arenas will do irreparable damage to John Wall without some kind of mitigating veteran presence to share minutes with both of them.  I guess it’s not the craziest thing in the world if they use Kirk to form a three-headed monster sharing minutes at the PG and SG spots and making up for Gilbert’s below average defense (his steals numbers have always been misleading).

What would the Bulls receive in return?  If they did take a player back, the Wizards’ only other guard under contract for 2010-’11 is Nick Young, who is due to make $2.8 million.  I doubt they’ll want to take on any contracts for this year and ruin the chance of signing two max players, so I’ll assume they would be angling for future draft picks. And if this is the case, it would work out rather well. Whomever they sign with the money saved from Hinrich’s contract will be an improvement over Hinrich, no slight to Kirk’s contributions over the years. Thus the trade would come down to being a swap of the 17th pick for whatever pick the Wizards offer. Even if it’s not a first round pick next year, but maybe the year after that, the Wizards aren’t going anywhere fast and it will likely be better than where the Bulls sit in this year’s weak draft. And as a potential contender with the right free agent signings, the Bulls would be smart to accumulate future picks to use to prolong their success.

This trade wouldn’t be able to go through until July 8th when the Wizards would have enough salary cap room to not have to take back a matching salary. And if this falls through Bucher also reports the Sacramento Kings are interested in making a similar deal for Hinrich.  The man has trade value after all!  Stay tuned for more details.

Possibly Luol Deng?

Rumors (without confirmation from either team officials) had the Clips sending the Bulls their 8th pick overall in exchange for Luol Deng and the 17th pick in the draft.

This makes sense for the Clips as Luol Deng would be better than any free agent that they would be able to dupe into signing a free agent contract this summer. It also lends them a starting lineup of Miller-Gordon-Deng-Griffin-Kaman.

It also makes sense for the Bulls if they think that they think they really have a shot at Lebron and another free agent that may cost some coin, since this will help them shed Luol’s “ghastly” contract.

Alas, it looks like for now, this deal will not be consummated. But it’s fun to think about what the Bulls lineup might look like by the end of July.

In two days the Chicago Bulls will decide whether to go with shooting or size. As always, this confounding question haunts all general managers outside of the top few picks. The Bulls possess the 17th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and are, I assume, looking for a complimentary player to make the difference between exiting in the conference finals or winning an NBA championship (working with the optimistic assumption LeBron James will shun Cleveland and come to Chicago). The Bulls, like every team, could use both depth at center and help on the perimeter to this effect.

Of the two writers I respect on the subject of mock drafts, ESPN writer Chris Ford has the Bulls going with shooting and NBADraft.net writer Aran Smith has Chicago going with size.

I would like to believe Ford, who recently changed the pick from a lights-out shooter in 6-6 guard James Anderson to lights-out shooter 6-3 combo guard Avery Bradley. The Bulls do not have the perimeter assassin to compliment Derrick Rose and LeBron James’s game. I mean, I was happy Luol Deng developed an acceptable three-point shot for a small forward, but I hardly want him playing the role of Steve Kerr in an NBA finals’ situation.

Meanwhile, Smith has the Bulls rolling the dice on 7-foot center Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside is coming out of Marshall after his freshman year. He averaged a decent 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 5.4 blocks playing 26 minutes a game in a minor conference, but he is all potential at this point. After Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, and Tyrus Thomas, I am tired of potential, even if Whiteside is a potential defensive player of the year.

There you have it, shooting or size, and I would much rather have solid shooting. At least that was what I thought until I decided to play devil’s advocate and look for proof of his Whiteside’s potential on YouTube. Now these grainy, poorly produced college highlight mixes have me confused. Does he have the potential to develop an offensive game with both range and back-to-the-basket post moves? So, if you had to choose, if you were so blessed as to have Chicago Bulls tickets to Season One of the LeBron-Rose Era, who would you want, the spot up shooter or the potential beast?

This video is from a month or two ago, but if you haven’t seen it the guys from Blogs With Balls got to hang out with Joakim for a day.  Is it just me, or is everything this guy says lovable and goofy? At least off the court…Enjoy:

We all want to see the Bulls sign LeBron, Wade, Bosh, or even Amare.  But what happens if we miss out on them?  Well we sure as hell don’t want to sign Joe Johnson, but how can we avoid it and still be competitive? (I don’t personally feel that way, I like JJ, but most of Chicago seems to hate him)  I have no idea, but if you have about 45 minutes and want to read a well-thought out, crackpot scheme about how to make the Bulls better with 4 crazy trades, take a look at this:

Chicago’s Last Resort Offseason Plan That Manages To Avoid Signing Joe Johnson

h/t: BDL