Blog a Bull: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:

Preparing for possible summer sales

Blogabull_tiny by your friendly BullsBlogger on

When watching the playoff games, it's tough to completely think through a Bulls-eye lens as to who I'd rather see win or lose. When I'm watching it's mostly instinct, like giggling while Detroit loses. Or simply hoping that each series go as long as possible so there's just more playoff basketball (also, overmatched sweep-ees are just depressing).

But if you were thinking on a higher-plane with only the Bulls in mind, you would likely root for expensive aging teams to flame out early, hopefully making their GM panic this summer by either firing coaches or doing the ol' roster "shake-up". The kind Pax may or may not want to do.

What if Phoenix is bounced in round one? Sam Smith has claimed in the past that D'Antoni and Kerr aren't exactly eye-to-eye in the first place, and D'Antoni could be deemed the dreaded 'point A to point B' guy.  They could figure that the Shaq experiment was a failure, or at least be looking to move other players to compensate for his salary.

Denver's a team that has a tax-busting payroll and a likely first-round exit. They may be looking to move one of their top-5 earners (Iverson, Anthony, Martin, Camby, Nene) for anyone who'd play defense. Or perhaps simply make less money. And George Karl may be at the end of his tenure there.

As could be Avery Johnson in Dallas, another leader of a very expensive team that may not advance.

The Wizards just got pasted on Monday night to go down 2-0 against Cleveland. This summer both Arenas and Jamison as free agents, yet only one of those guys helped them get to the playoffs. Houston's also in a nearly inescapable hole and may figure the McGrady-Yao pairing will never really work.

Oh, and the aforementioned Pistons. Although if they're eliminated, they'd still talk as if they won the title...

I'm not saying I agree with any of this speculating from from other teams' perspectives...but I do think when addressing the delicate issue of a 'championship window', they could think as much. And with several players making serious money and any sense of 'attachment' seemingly gone, the Bulls are actually in a better position to acquire big names than last summer. Crappy timing, considering who was 'available' at that time, but what happens in these playoffs could make some players (or at least coaches) available that we wouldn't have thought of before.

0 recs | Comment 155 comments | Add your comment

Read Related

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Display:

Love this line of thinking

Matt-sorry about the loss of your user name…Granville Waiters might be available if you want to tap into mid-80s Bull heroes.

Maybe Pax is thinking along the same lines as you are with regards to the coaching situation. D’antoni seems as if he’s pretty fried in Phoenix – very chippy all year with the media and fans and their second guessing. He would bring a different ‘vibe’, though I’m not sure if it would have enough defensive toughness to make the city of Chicago proud (ha ha ha).

I’m less a fan of Avery because I can’t stand coaching control freaks. But, if a scenario presented itself to land someone like Dantoni and pair him with a primary scorer acquired on the semi-cheap (McGrady, Arenas), Pax would definitely have to think about it.

Both of those players (and many others on teams that fall short) have their drawbacks, but they would certainly provide a dimension that we don’t have – a player that would have to be game planned for.

by Gene Banks on Apr 22, 2008 12:09 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

gave up the name willingly

and I believe there was already a scenario with 2 people wanting the ‘granville waiters’ name, and unfortunately the guy ending up with it likes exclamation points. A lot.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 9:00 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I feel conflicted watching the PHX/SAS

On the one hand, I would love to see this Phoenix team make a serious playoff run (and it looks like this will be their only shot since their guys are getting old quickly). On the other, the thought of D’Antoni taking the helm in Chicago gets me really fired up. Remember the early days of the run and gun Suns? I loved watching those teams play basketball. I wonder how effective Kirk would be in leading that kind of team.

It’d be pretty great if the Bulls brought in D’Antoni and also hired Thibodeau to be his assistant. Make it happen, Pax.

by paxson43 on Apr 22, 2008 12:43 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

D'Antoni?

If possible? sign him up… He would be Paxson’s savior…..
I believe Kirk would be a much better PG under D’Antoni. Kirk’s effectiveness would be a complete
turnaround.

Also ..
Oh! how true is the following statement …
Oh, and the aforementioned Pistons. Although if they’re eliminated, they’d still talk as if they won the title...

by exult463 on Apr 22, 2008 8:30 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I would love to get D'Antoni in there for the run and gun

because that style of ball is very fan friendly.

but if he gets the axe after the Suns imminent ouster, i see him taking a year off away from the pressure cooker a la JVG.

also, we are seeing yet again in this year’s playoffs that you need to at least be able to play serviceable D to go deep…

not the garbage “out score em” philosophy of teams like PHX and GSW. Watching Parker and Ginobli getting to the rack at will on Saturday was laughable.

Will D’Antoni ever be a solid defensive coach?

Since he has been the coach in PHX, have they ever been able to win the big game when it matters?

by Orlando Woolridge on Apr 22, 2008 1:06 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

To be fair, Phoenix has had some terrible luck in the playoffs during D'Antoni's tenure.

Also, they’ve consistently rated middle of the pack in defensive rating. They’ve had some good defensive players while he’s been the coach and probably could have been better defensively. Still, I think the presence of Noah and Thomas in the frontcourt could keep them very good defensively while running D’Antoni’s system.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 22, 2008 9:12 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

A solid defensive coach?

Oh dear no. It’s just not in him. But his assistants? One would hope.

I still don’t think Doc Rivers can coach a lick of defense, but he hired the best guy to do it. Getting to start your teaching with a star defensive pupil like KG is nice head start. We don’t have that star pupil, but we have an amalgamation of potential defensive stalwarts in Kirk, Thabo, and Noah.

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 9:25 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Run n Gun aka disregard defense

D’Antoni would be a huge hit because everyone on the roster would have career years, and Kirk Hinrich would be rejuvanated with the waters of Lake Minatonka. Too bad teams that employ that style of offense without ridiculous talent like the Suns have can barely get past the 1st round when employing that tactic. D’Antoni’s system is only on a Finals contender because they have Nash, and they still made the concession they couldn’t play his style by getting Shaq.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on Apr 22, 2008 1:09 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

In choosing not to foul

to facilitate the in bounds pass as a transition opportunity, the Suns can round up and butcher most teams in the NBA. But the playoff teams? The Suns lose games at home to teams that employ the Suns own system against them.

When you choose not to foul to maintain a desired tempo you sacrifice an important tool a team can used to make every bucket yielded a more costly venture. The Warriors and Nuggets do the same thing. Perhaps this style will eventually win an NBA championship, but to my knowledge these teams have only one a single chip using the system.

Remember, only 6 teams(Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Spurs, and Heat) have won chips in the last 21 seasons. All of these teams share top 10 defensive ratings in their title years with the exception of the 94-95 Rockets and the 01-02 Lakers.

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 9:36 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Offense is just as important.

Only 4 teams during that same timespan won a championship without finishing in the top 10 in offensive rating (04 Pistons, 99 Spurs, 94 Rockets, 90 Pistons). The average rating in offense was 5.7 while the average rating in defense was 5.1. Fuck the credo that defense wins championships. It’s exaggerated for team sports. You must outscore your opponent, which means preventing the other team from scoring while still scoring yourself.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 22, 2008 10:02 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

pretty much.

The correct saying should be ‘awful defense doesn’t win championships’

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 10:04 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Outscoring is fine

When you are playing an opponent who believes the same motto. If they got to play GS and Denver and Utah they’d be making Finals trips routinely.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on Apr 22, 2008 10:10 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

You miss the point. Outscoring your opponent is the name of the game.

If that sounds too offensive minded for you, then you can say allowing fewer points than your opponent allows you is the point of the game. Truly great teams will rate at the top of a league in both offense and defense. Most championship teams rate near the top in both. If a team rates poorly, or even average, in either, their chances of winning a championship are greatly diminished.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 22, 2008 10:23 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

My sin here is guilt by omission

I don’t intentionally disregard offense. I just think it’s a lot easier to elevate a team’s defense than it is to elevate a team’s offense. This should be noted within the operating environment that player movement between seasons just doesn’t usually shake out as it did with Boston’s 2007 Summer.

Offense is important.

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 10:20 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

A good defensive scheme and commitment from the team can help elevate defensive performance from

one season to the next. The same, though, can be said about the offensive end. Either way, you still have to have the best collection of talent that can perform at both ends to win it all.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 22, 2008 10:24 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Do you know any examples

where a new coach was hired and took a bottom 10 offensive team into the top 10 offensive teams in their first season without the acquisition of a major offensive talent?

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 10:29 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I don't know of any examples off hand from such a jump on the offensive end or defensive end.

I can’t say I care enough to look into it that deeply.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 22, 2008 10:47 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Consider

Our current roster, our known contract decisions this Summer, and where we want to get to next season and ask if it’s more likely we can return the club to a top 10 defensive team or turn them into a top 10 offensive team.

I think we’re limited in how quickly you can turn around a bottom 10 offensive club, but I think revitalizing the current roster to get back to a top 10 defensive club is a realistic goal for next season.

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 11:23 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Consider...

...that the Bulls have had one of the best defensive teams in recent years, were still above average this year, have had consistently one of the worst offensive teams in recent years and were even worse this year…

That’s quite the No Shit Statement.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Apr 22, 2008 12:23 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

That's why I don't want to take the time to do this research.

It would take a lot of time to find teams that qualify. Even when you do find those teams, you then need to spend time looking into why such a surge up the charts occurred. You’d have to do further research into roster analysis and probably come up with case by case examples involving previous season injuries, contract status, a roll through numerous coaches, whatever. In this case, yes the Bulls are much more likely to become a top 10 defensive team next year. So what? The Bucks are much more likely to become a top 10 offensive team next year. No proof of anything.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 22, 2008 1:30 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Do more "intelligent-sounding" words make the comment more relevant?

Except, of course, for the repeated use of the word chip(s). Mmmm… I like chips. I want some salt & vinegar right now!

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Apr 22, 2008 10:09 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

AK47?

He’s still not happy, and it’s clear that they are never going to run plays for him as Deron and Boozer become the new bff duo in Utah. The Bulls could use his 5-tool skill set, and a change of scenery would certainly be nice for him.

Arenas is becoming more possible if the Wizards continue to grossly suck balls against probably the least talented(overall) squad in the playoffs. I’d love to see him come here because he’s a great face for the franchise that obviously needs to loosen up.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on Apr 22, 2008 1:17 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Kirilenko

his contract is a year longer than Hughes’, which is a bad year to have a lot of salary obligations (summer of Wade/Bosh/James) and why pay that much for yet another frontcourt player who can’t score?

(you wouldn’t be alone though, there was a big argument over Kirilenko a while back. Unfortunately this new search tool is proving to be pretty weak.)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 9:08 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

My basic pro-Kirilenko argument was

he’s probably as good as anyone we’d get on the free agent market anyway.

Obviously he’s not as good as Lebron/Wade/Bosh, but he’s certainly as good as the sort of second tier guys we’d end up spending our FA money on in the (very likely) even we don’t get one of the top dogs.

When you calculate out the expected value, we probably get a better return on a 100% chance of AK-47 (especially if part of the deal is we’re turning Hughes’ wasted salary into semi-productive salary) than we do on a 10% chance of a top free agent.

There’s also the slight chance we could use AK-47’s soon to be expiring deal to trade for a Lebron/Wade type if they want to come here.

by Sports2 on Apr 22, 2008 4:05 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

re: the 'expiring' contract

I always thought that may be a more plausible scenario. If either young star is demanding a way out, wouldn’t that team rather do a sign/trade, and wouldn’t the player rather get the extra money that signing with ‘your own’ team would get you?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 4:20 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Cap room still rules

A team under the cap can do a sign and trade too, and what they have to offer (a big fat trade exception) probably beats a player on an expiring contract.

For the team losing the superstar, getting the trade exception is probably better. First, you don’t have to actually pay the trade exception the way you do the player. Second, you’ve got a really good chance of trading it for picks, which is what you’re going to need if your superstar just jilted you.

For example, that’s how the Sonics and Magic ended up working out Rashard Lewis going to the Magic. The Magic were under the cap, so they could give a $9M trade exception to the Sonics. Lewis got to sign for slightly more money. The Sonics managed to turn the trade exception into two first round picks – they traded the exception to the Suns for Kurt Thomas and two firsts.

Actually they got three picks since they later traded Thomas’ expiring deal to the Spurs for another 1st, but a team that had the expiring contract player could have done that too.

So I think the team with the cap room is still in a better position, other things being equal. But having an expiring contract is better than nothing, since it still gives you some opportunity to swing a deal if the star player wants to come to your team.

It’s certainly better than, say, having to offer Andres Nocioni back.

by Sports2 on Apr 22, 2008 5:54 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

ah yes

forgot about that. I take my comment back, unless the the assets are actually better than what you could get for a trade exception. But if a team’s losing their ‘uber’-star, they’re likely not interested in any money obligations.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 6:37 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Personally

Ive been rooting on team lebron the last couple days. Dont get me wrong, I am not a huge fan of “The ‘Bron” maybe its due to my loyalty to Jordan, but i digress, im hoping the wizards get swept in games similar to mondays. Where Gilbert Arenas doesnt mesh with his teams and they lose. Heck, a loss like the one on saturday would be fine too, where Arenas does well scoring, but because he is ball dominant (thank you for that phrase Charles) his points wont be enough to get them through the round. I am hoping for his teamates to go to the coach and be like, “hey Caron, and Stevenson, and Jamison are much better then Arenas when they are all here and healthy! As a team we are better, we move the ball around and play better defense. Lets get rid of Arenas NOW!”

Of Course Wizards would be losing a valuable asset in Arenas, however (heres an idea thats been floating on blogabull for awhile now) Give them Gordon, Give them one of our Forwards, give them our draft pick, make the salries work, and voila…The wizards get a (very??) poor mans arenas, perhaps Noch (passionate, defensive, makes other teams cringe like player), a nice rookie, and they get some nice team chemistry.

The bulls get A proven all-star, who is still fairly young, can definetly lead, can definetly draw in fans, can definetly score in the clutch. He can play sg, making alot of hinrichs deficiencies non existant (arenas is a bit taller then hinrich, he can create his own shot, can get to the line, well…he IS gilbert arenas so we all know what he can do) And hinrich can focus on defense and just running the plays. Couple this with a good coach and i dont think it makes us contenders, but it really sets us in a nice place.

Of course alot of people here have had similar ideas, but its this very idea that i really really like, it seems logical, at least to this dreamer of a bulls fan.

SO heres to the Wizards busting internally and externally in the playoffs.

im trying hard to become the next kirk hinrich, therefore im doing nothing more than being the next chris duhon.

by piccolomair on Apr 22, 2008 5:28 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

I can imagine Hughes

reading your Arenas scenario and thinking to himself, "Hey, this is all about ME! The Bulls remember ME and Arenas at Washington and want to set ME up again!"

by alec on Apr 22, 2008 8:44 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

heh

well he’d get an article out of it, anyway :-)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 9:11 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I think that could be realistic

sign/trade Gordon. Send either Hinrich/Hughes/Nocioni/Gooden as the BYC bludgeoning, then a ‘prospect’ like Thomas, Noah, Sefolosha, the pick. Depending on what they give, Bulls can also take some nasty salary back like Thomas, Songaila, Daniels…

Obviously there are a ton of permutations you can make from that.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 9:11 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Teams that could make big changes after the playoffs

Mavs, Rockets, Suns, Wizards, Hawks, Magic, heck almost all of them.

They all know they’re not really equipped to win a title without the favorable bracket matchups.

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 9:48 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

as to the point of my post

I don’t think the Hawks or Magic do anything different based on how they fare in the playoffs. Same with Toronto, or non-playoff teams like Indy, NJ. Who knows what the Warriors will do.

If the Suns and Mavs don’t think they’re equipped to win a title, that’s good for the Bulls, as I think they’re wrong. All title runs require a bit of luck.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 10:05 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

To Sam's credit

He is trying the “stop everyone but Dwight” plan. But Moon at 5 minutes of play? What?

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 3:57 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I would say that game plan discredits him if he's benching one of his better perimeter defenders to carry it out

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 22, 2008 3:59 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Did Moon break a team rule?

5 minutes in game 1 is a shock. Especially for a guy that is a skilled perimeter defender matched up against guys like Hedo and Rashard that required a skilled defender like Moon.

by NBA Observer on Apr 22, 2008 4:01 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Well Moon isnt on the Bulls Roster

Only in the bulls orginazations do “breaking team rules” are thrown out to the public and the aforementioned player considered a “bad apple”.

im trying hard to become the next kirk hinrich, therefore im doing nothing more than being the next chris duhon.

by piccolomair on Apr 22, 2008 4:18 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

He wasn't a great coach to begin with

Last year’s turnaround was more of a credit to Colangelo’s ability to assemble a Euroball roster. I think we could do serious business with them. Rasho made a nice contract push, and TJ Ford doesn’t seem to be popular for that team. Both of them would be nice on the Bulls, and they look like they could use another solid 3 aka Nocioni.

Rusty Longley v 2.0

by Ozzie Montana on Apr 22, 2008 4:42 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

where were you

when we were kicking that around before?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 4:48 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

ugh

this new ‘can only search the blog posts’ search is no good. I can’t find the exact conversation about pawning Noc to the Raptors, but it happened :)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 4:53 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

man, reading that again

NBAObserver, you really are something.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 22, 2008 4:57 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Raptors down 0-2

Held Hedo and Rashard to 0-13 from 3pt territory. Still lost by 1. What do they need? 3 pt shooting that won’t give up points every possession.

Come over to my side Matt

by NBA Observer on Apr 23, 2008 9:15 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Noc won't give up points every posession?

Not sure what we’re arguing. It’s basically just how interested they would be in Nocioni, right? I’ll stick by my speculation that he’s just not great value to anyone enough where he’d be an explicit target, and also that the Raptors won’t give up on Bargnani this soon.

I could be wrong, but unlike you I won’t pretend I know inside info, or bring up references from 4 years ago as evidence of genuine interest.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 23, 2008 9:36 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

What is this?
unlike you I won’t pretend I know inside info, or bring up references from 4 years ago as evidence of genuine interest.

It’s not pretend. Look it up for yourself. Bryan Colangelo is on the record saying these things. Numerous NBA writers have written about this stuff.

You’ve concluded it’s pretend. You’ve concluded I somehow think I have access to Chris Wallace’s inner circle. I don’t. I never claimed I did.

I’ll do what I can to help you out with a trailing card catalog for every one of my posts, but if you have doubts, ask a question.

Whatever though, it’s all just insecurity isn’t it?

by NBA Observer on Apr 23, 2008 10:46 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

ignore it

Matt’s just getting himself for a potentially tumultuous offseason, where not one, but both of his heart throbs could be traded. ;-)

2008 or bust.

by bullshooter on Apr 23, 2008 10:56 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

please

I have many heartthrobs.

As opposed to a few commenters who are just throbbing pains.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 23, 2008 10:59 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

My presumption

is that when one offers an opinion and another disagrees with that point of view that they would explain why they disagree.

Apparently my introduction to BAB through True Hoop may have been short sighted. It’s a SN blog. It’s a Kos project. One could get better reactions posting as Tom Delay at Daily Kos than a newcomer receives from Matt.

Maybe this is just the design. Certainly not all the readers act like Matt.

All I want to do is talk amongst Bulls fans.

by NBA Observer on Apr 23, 2008 12:39 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

All I wanna do is zoom-zoom-zoom-zoom and a boom-boom

Unfortunately BaB isn’t that kind of website… email me ladies.

I think you’re taking this way too seriously.

by hscs on Apr 23, 2008 12:57 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I think you're right

you should have the presumption that if you have an opinion and someone makes fun of it, either roll your eyes or defend what you said.

(this doesn’t apply to when alec gives out his psych-exams , then you can just use namecalling)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 23, 2008 1:13 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

It's the result of self reflection

I know I could end up like Sam Zell’s bad day as every day if I took the same approach to comments I didn’t like that Matt does.

If my comments aren’t criticized it would be a bad thing. It’s just the way in which that criticism is presented that irks me. That’s why I gave you the Zell video the other day.

by NBA Observer on Apr 23, 2008 2:45 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

hey, me too.

I like talking about the Bulls, not talking about what it is I like to talk about, or how mean my gracious host is.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Apr 23, 2008 1:04 PM CDT