What Should Our Free Agent Strategy Be?

Resigning Jannero Pargo

hands should be on deck, oust Vinny as coach, but put him in the front office, have Gar and D. Rose at Bosh’s door at 11:59pm 6/30/2010, Pax and Noah at D-Wade’s door in Miami same time. Also sign one of the Collins twins, we need to replace Aaron Gray’s bench warmer production.

I don’t see LeBron leaving, and I think Bosh would be better than Wade on the Bulls… unless Wade really wants to come home, and give Chicago a home town discount. In that case pitch them both!

We all know who the priorities should be. However, we need to be sure the player will likely sign and we need to be the first one there. Look at what the Bears did with Peppers. In all liklihood, the Bears talked with Peppers before they were supposed to to feel him out, they brought him into town immediately and didn’t let him leave without a huge contract. The Bulls should do the same. Talk to agents and players off the record and get as much information as you can get away with (or heck, not really get away with), pick the most likely of the three to sign with Chicago and get them to sign within the first 30 seconds of free agency.

Who cares who you piss off by being this overt?! And honestly, unless breaking one of these rules would cost us the free agent themself, break the rules if need be. Bring one of these three to Chicago at all costs and do it day one.

I do think those deals will be in place in advance of July 1, meaning the Bulls will already know if any of their targets will sign with them, and such, will be at that player’s door at Midnight…

We all know who we should want; Lebron, Kobe, Wade or Bosh.

Outside that big four, I would be a little disappointed with anyone else…but if we don’t get one of the true superstars, then I would target the best available PF…Amare, Lee, Boozer or Scola…

1) Lebron, give him the max, give him a say in shaping the team, do anything you can.
2) Wade, more plausible perhaps than Lebron, though who knows. I don’t really see either Wade or Lebron leave without a 6th year, and I don’t think we have the assets sans Rose to make a deal a go in a sign and trade without a 3rd team….and why would a 3rd team help us?

So let’s go in the perhaps likelies:
1. Bosh. He’s younger than Boozer and healthier and seems motivated to leave Toronto. I also don’t know if he wants to be a #2 to Wade in Miami, our biggest threat….and I don’t see the Clipps going after him hard with Griffin and Kaman and the fact that they are the Clipps. We have New York to compete with, and I would think we have the upper hand (talent, a first round pick actually, even if it’s Milwaukee’s) and Bosh seemed eager to run and gun with Rose in that All Star Game, for what it’s worth.

2) Boozer. Sure he’s had injury issues…and his D is somewhat questionable (which star’s isn’t? hell even Kobe has a better “Rep” as a defender because he is capable of being a shut down defender, but doesn’t always bring it. I guess Duncan and KG are defenders first with a nice O game….and Lebron is flashy but still sometimes lost there….but who cares, if he’s healthy….He’s a 17-10 over his career player, 2 times been over 20-10 and this year he’s half a point away from 20-11+….that’s solid. Pairing him and being able to keep a good defensive SF (Deng) and C (Noah) would be something. Plus actually having a true blue post player (he’s the best back to the bakset post guy not called Lebron that’s available). He’ll be 29 at the start of next year. We get him through the time he’s 34….it’s risky, but if we win 1, it’s worth it. And to me a starting lineup of Rose-Hinrich-Deng-Boozer-Noah is a title contender especially with Taj, and now it seems James Johnson, our draft pick (SG help), etc. I worry that the Jazz might bite the bullet and keep Boozer….I mean they get the Knicks pick to add to an already stacked roster, and they have AK47 expiring after next year (trade bait to fill the luxury gap there). Heck I’ve always liked AK47 too, even if he’s severely overpaid…..

3. Stoudemire. It’s a shame, as STAT is remarkably gifted, he should fit in perfectly on O with another run and gun PG in Rose and an athletic C in Noah who can defend….but the 2 knees, eye problems, seemingly difficult nature (rumours in the locker room, letting trade rumours severely effect his play), he’s had a lot going on for a guy on the verge of a potential 2nd max contract. Let him be the Knicks problem. A good problem to have I suppose, esp if it works out because of his talents, but I’d take those above of him first.

4. Joe Johnson. Johnson could move up if say the Bulls are convinced that there’s more in Taj than we’ve seen given that Taj has been playing with plantar facitis for what 3 months now…..and hell I’ve liked the growth James Johson has suddenly shown (looking like a nice pickup after all, after a horrendously nervous herky jerky scared to shoot first 3 months).

5. David Lee. If we had Lee I might at first be a bit disappointed, as I see us getting him means more likely the Knicks grabbed 2 of those above us here….but he could be a nice Boozer light and could make us dangerous. I don’t want to count David Lee out of anything, even if I do think the system he plays and lack of talent around him have made him better than he would be when paired with a few mega talents (Rose for sure)….I think he might be a nice option though….but the max? I hope not.

If we don’t get any of these above I’ll be extremely disappointed with the exception obviously if Kobe or Dirk became available, I’d love it, both are aging, but so what, Dirk’s skill set should keep him viable for at least 3-4 more years, and Kobe’s the NBA’s current biggest competitor (MJ-lite) I wouldn’t count Kobe out of anything….they’d move just behind Bosh perhaps on this list because of their age, though I would put all 3 in a tie.

If none of these work the last saving grace for Chicago:
1) Pry either David West out of the Hornets or
2) Find a way to deal Hinrich and something for AK47 (who expires next year).

I actually think a lineup of
Rose-free agent 2 guard(s) (not Joe Johnson or Wade as I presume it doesnt’ work out), Deng, AK47, Noah will be really good even if the 2 guard is by committee….

If it becomes abundantly clear that LeBron will stay, you don’t waste your time. But you can’t come to that conclusion yet, so you have to target him. I don’t think Wade or Bosh will think less of the Bulls for determining that LeBron is a once-in-a-generation player and going after him first, particularly if everyone else in the league with cap space does that same thing (and everyone will).

I think it is an intriguing thing to think about. Gordon agreed to a deal with the Pistons right away. Others have taken their time.

One thing to keep in mind. There is a 7-day moratorium on free agent signings. July 1st, teams can start talking to players, but they can’t start signing players until July 8th… This is so that the league has a week to figure out the financials post-Finals, post-Draft, etc., determine a cap, lux tax, max salaries, blah blah blah.

So, it’s unlike the NFL, where you can keep the guy and wow him and he won’t go anywhere else. I highly doubt A) any of these guys visit with anyone until at least the first “day” (i.e. not at midnight), just to avoid looking like they set it all up beforehand, and I’d be reluctant to think their egos will keep them from being wined & dined by multiple teams before publicly addressing who they will sign with… even if they have decided on whoever.

Paxson, Gar, and Reinsdorf can each call a diffferent FA at the same time at 12:01. Since it isn’t clear who the head man is. The FAs won’t know if they are being disrespected.

No doubt LeBron at least will relish the chance to be wined and dined for a week or so. That is unless he’s definitely returning to Cleveland.

I’d bet Gar Paxdorf will at least know if they’re completely wasting their time in pursuing someone, but I don’t think that’ll be the case with anyone (unless, again, they’re just re-signing with their current teams).

I do get what you mean about perhaps Bosh being the guy you make the top priority and him responding to that. But this is a big deal, why would he jump at the first suitor either? The fact that there’s so many such suitors means it could be a different type of year.

Plus, after this season, don’t we have to at least try to sign LeBron?

It’s a process. We’re good at those!

Obviously you have the Clippers and Bulls ready to offer team shaping opportunities to Bron, Wade waiting to see if the Heat can get something interesting, Bosh getting to weigh his options in general, the time it takes the Knicks to add preliminary pieces. I think anyone expecting everything to fold out in the first day is crazy.

Despite this, the Bulls should identify one player and go after him hard on day one; my vote for that player is Bosh.

Actually, Jerry Reinsdorf and John Paxson should be there. Along with a tech guy with a video phone and a laptop to conference in Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, or whomever the hell Lebron wants to teleconference in.

Nobody is coming to play for the Bulls but the players that are already signed with them. The Bulls have no blueprint, no direction, no philosophy on offense or defense, and no real head coach! What superstar will sacrifice coming to Chicago to play for a team that has no idea on how to win a championship, let alone; how to win period!!!! Money is no longer a factor, nor is location. Players want to be associated with winning, everything else is secondary!

I agree that our main targets we should be there a 12:01 July 1st. On the other hand, as an organization we have done this before. Remember in 2000 when T-Mac was a free agent? The Bulls had Benny the Bull, Luv-a-bulls, 100’s of fans and staff meet him at O’Hare and what did it get us in the end? Ron Mercer…. We do have to court these guys, we have to take a chance. In the end, it won’t matter how much we parade them around. There are two things these guys want… Money most importantly and then winning. I have to say, it might be 70-30 money. With this though, I still say try. It might be silly, but I too would be at O’Hare waiting and cheering even if I knew it was a long shot.