Who is John Salmons?
We don’t get to see a lot of Kings games here in Chicago, so most people don’t know much about this guy.  Over at NBA Post Up, they prepare scouting reports based on statistics and other factors.  Here is what they have for Salmons:

John Salmons has solid ability to score;
Will look to score; Not looking to attempt threes; Just an average three point gunner; Able to get to the free throw line; Very good free throw shooter; Average shooter; Mediocre off the dribble; Adequate inside; Average running the break; John Salmons is adequate on the offensive glass; Average defensive rebounder; John Salmons is a good passer; Weak handling the ball; John Salmons is very good at picking up steals; Gets an average amount of blocks; Solid defender of outside shots; Very good perimeter defender; Post defense is adequate; Very good transition defender; John Salmons is not overly strong; Has some quickness; John Salmons is a basketball player with some ability and can provide strong minutes off the bench

Ok, there is a lot to digest there.  Based on this analysis, it appears that he is a very versatile player.  ESPN’s scouting report summarizes his abilitie as well:

In addition to his slashing ability, Salmons is a very good defender who can guard three positions. He’s quick and has good size at 6-7, and ranked in the top third of shooting guards in both blocks and steals per minute. The Kings often used him as the primary stopper against elite scorers, even when Ron Artest was on the court with him, and he held his own in those matchups.

Offensively, he likes to attack off the dribble for layups or short-range jumpers. He’s a mediocre spot-up shooter and isn’t a good shooter off the dribble, plus he tends to have high turnover rates because he’s driving into traffic so much. However, he’s a good enough dribbler to play point guard in a pinch.

It sounds like Salmons will be an excellent player to have for the Bulls.  His ability to be a stopper against elite scorers will help the Bulls defend the perimeter against bigger guards that have abused Rose and Gordon all year.  But isn’t that what Thabo is for, you ask?  Yes, the difference is Thabo is a huge liability on offense, to the point of making him detrimental to the team at times even if he is shutting down his man on defense.  Salmons can do what Thabo does, and put up points in the process (he is averaging 18.3 points/game).  The main inconsistency in the two reports are that Post Ups has him being unable to handle the ball well, while ESPN says he can even play the point.  If Hinrich is dealt, this skill will be tested when Rose needs a breather.  Which leads to the next question…

Are The Bulls Done Making Moves?

It looks like the Bulls may still move Hinrich (and possibly Thabo) to the T-Wolves for Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins, as reported here earlier.  This move makes sense for both teams.  The Wolves need a combo guard that can play both the 1 and the 2.  Foye has been unable to fill that role for them.  For the Bulls, they would be stuck with Cardinal until 2010 (more on 2010 later), but Collins $6 million would come off the cap this summer giving the Bulls about $9-11 million in cap room this summer.  They could use this money to sign Gordon to an expected 5 year $50 million deal or perhaps go get another solid free agent.  I think this would be a great deal and hopefully Paxson/Reinsdorf aren’t so in love with Kirk that they don’t do it.

***UPDATE: It looks like the Hinrich deal may have fallen apart late last night, though it’s possible it could still happen.

Was The Miller-Gooden Trade a Good Move?

There have been mixed reactions throughout the mainstream media, the blogosphere, and even from NQTC readers.  I think this trade is a great trade.  Before all the nay-sayers freak out in the comments, let me qualify my assessment with this:  It isn’t Amare or Bosh and a deal to get either of them would have been better.  That being said we have to assume those deals were impossible.  Looking at this trade in a vacuum, it was a coup for Paxson.  Brad Miller can not only duplicate what Gooden did for us, but he can do some things better.  He is a better defender and a better passer than Gooden ever was.  Also it will be interesting to see if he and Rose can run a more effective pick-and-roll.  With Miller being a good outside shooter, it may be more of a pick-and-pop at times, but it could work very well.

Also with Miller helping chew up minutes at the 4 and 5, Nocioni would be relegated to the 3, where he would be competing for minutes with a far superior Luol Deng.  Noce has had a terrible year and I don’t think I need to convince anyone that his departure is addition by subtraction.  On top of all that we get John Salmons, who I hear is quite the defender and scorer.  Also the contract situation is a lot better, which leads to the next question…

What Are The Salary Cap Implications of The Trade?

Depending on whether you are in the school of thought that believes that it is important to have cap space in 2010 to go after LeBron/Wade/Anthony/Bosh/Stoudemire, this move could be considered good or bad.  I believe having space that summer is crucial to make a run at one of the elite players in the league.

Nocioni had 5 more years (including this one) at about $8 million a year, though the deal was front-loaded so that amount decreases some as the deal goes on.  Gooden’s contract was $7 million and expires this summer.  Getting something in return for Gooden as opposed to letting him walk this summer for nothing was nice, but moving Nocioni’s long terrible contract was far nicer.  Having that much money locked up for that long to a player like Noce was unacceptable, and Pax has essentially erased that mistake from the books.

In return, the Bulls take on Miller’s rather large contract at about $11.5 million a year that expires in the summer of 2010.  Between him and Hughes, the Bulls have a combined $24 million in space just from those two players in 2010.  That is more than enough to go after one of the big free agents that will be available.  Also, pieces like that will be very valuable to teams in the 2010 FA sweepstakes, so Pax (or whoever will be running the Bulls) can possibly get some very good talent back in return for teams trying to clear space for that summer.

Salmons contract is a little trickier.  He is owed about $5.1 million through 2011, which seems like a great value for the kind of contributor Salmons can be.  Unfortunately it turns out that his contract has a trade kicker that requires the team acquiring him to pay a 15% bonus payment that counts against its cap.  This would be another $2 million dollars against the cap.  I am unclear on whether this is a one-time bonus or if it applies every year.  Assuming it is one time, it doesn’t affect the Bulls cap in any real way down the road beyond costing our old buddy Jerry another $2 million (which he can afford). (Thanks to Judd for pointing out this clause in Salmons contract)

Conclusions

All in all, this trade is a great move in terms of cap space and the talent we are getting in return.  If the Bulls are able to move Kirk that would give them some flexibility this summer, but that isn’t crucial and its not clear that Ben Gordon is even in the Bulls plans for the future.  I give this deal an A- and if Pax can move some more salary (Hinrich or maybe Hughes), this deadline period can be considered a huge success.

Here is what the lineup will probably look like after this trade:

PG: Rose, Gordon, Salmons

SG: Gordon, Salmons, Sefolosha

SF: Deng, Salmons, Sefolosha

PF: Thomas, Miller, Noah

C: Miller, Noah, Gray

Though not exactly a legitimate contender, that definitely looks like the lineup of a playoff team to me.  We’ll see.

[S]ources say the Wolves and Bulls are discussing Hinrich and Sefolosha for Collins and Brian Cardinal. The Wolves are intrigued with Hinrich’s ability to play the point and off-guard and see him as a good complement to Randy Foye. Collins and Cardinal have shorter-term contracts that bring Chicago payroll relief.

The article also talks about a three-way deal with the Suns for Amare, but as discussed above that is not likely.  I guess if we move Hinrich’s contract this is just a decent salary dump.  Who’s going to wear a bald-head hat with me to celebrate the Cardinal acquisition if it happens?