[If this is your first visit to the site since the upgrade, visit this post first.  Though suggestions for the tech team are encouraged, don't be whiny about the change -ed.]

As it's the start of the offseason (for the Bulls, anyway), I felt the need to post my starting-point-quick-and-dirty opinion on how I view each guy on the roster. This can probably be gleaned from what's been written here in various threads, but here it is in one space. Don't expect anything that in-depth or convincing, just my initial thoughts before the summer gives us the types of details where more informed decisions can be made:

Hinrich: He's the one I most worry that this season wasn't a fluke, and he's just not that good. If he played like last season (his best season), he's a slightly above league average PG. So while one way to look at it is that the team should only look for someone better...I can also see the case of that if you just put any replacement out there you won't exactly be losing much, especially if that replacement also had a friendlier contract.

Gordon: Work out the contract extension. If he's asking too much, instead of increasing the money offer him an early opt-out after 3 years (or just a 3-year contract). A sign/trade will be tough, and the qualifying offer doesn't help anyone.

Hughes: Try to move. Don't even bother with him otherwise. He's not going to change as a player, and if you play him a lot of minutes your team will be worse off for it. I'd consider acquiring someone with an equally bad contract without the pretense of entitlement minutes. (A real coach would help in this case too)

Sefolosha: I'd see if he has any value and have him the primary 'sweetner' in a deal, although probably doesn't have much value outside of the BaB community's crush wall, and Mike McGraw's screensaver. He has some skills from the backcourt that the team lacks, but they can be found fairly cheaply in the free-agent market and thus Thabo shouldn't be seen as untouchable. Out of the team's younger players, he's the one I'm least attached to.

Duhon: So long.

Brown: Ditto.

Curry: Don't care. Although I'll surely scoff if he's released due to 'character' issues.

Deng: I think his bad season was mainly due to injuries. However, that earns him the label of 'injury-prone'. But not enough of a worry to not re-sign him, you'll be paying for his age-23 to age-28/29 seasons. Even if he never makes a 'next step', I don't see how that winds up being some awful mistake.

Nocioni: Try and move for a shorter-term deal. The contract was a mistake for a tax-averse team, his minutes could be given to more promising players, and it'll help eliminate small-ball. At the very least, don't deem Deng expendable because you have Nocioni to take his place, ugh.

Nichols: Don't care.

Simmons: Expiring contract...so just don't short-sightedly buy him out.

Gooden: A Thomas-Noah-Gooden 3-man frontcourt rotation can do some damage, as Gooden's attributes (strength, finishing ability, post play) are those that the younger two could use as a complement. However, Gooden's fat expiring deal is also the team's best trade piece, especially in a Gordon or Deng sign/trade. So if he has to be used (instead of Noc) in a mega-deal, so be it.

Thomas: if he's going to be traded, it better be for somebody good. Like a Gasol-level good.

Noah: ditto. I'm not objected to trading either guy, but it'd have to be for a top-tier player, not in some kind of 'shuffling the deck' lateral move.

Gray: I take it back, I'm less attached to Gray than Thabo, although so unattached that I put Gray more in the Curry-Nichols-Brown category than the Thomas-Noah-Sefolosha one. He's signed through next year and he's as fine of an inactive list 3rd center type player as any, I guess.

And as an overall plan, I say first priority is to look for a real upgrade at any position, using anyone. That's the hardest to accomplish, however. (actually, first priority is winning the lottery, but that's not something they can really work on)

If it can't be done and the desire is there to just getting a 'new vibe', Hinrich would be my vote as the 'core' guy to move. And for the long-term, look to move bad contracts Hughes and Nocioni, with the pick, Sefolosha, or the roster filler as throw-ins but not Thomas or Noah.

Although overall,  I wouldn't recommend doing something just to do something. I think the 'vibe' change that Pax was blabbering about can be done with a real coaching staff. And especially after thinking through potential scenarios, it looks like any real shakeup (the kind that would, ya know, actually help) will be tough to do after a season that destroyed nearly everyone's trade value.