Ask Sam | Week of 07.19.10

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

Updated by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 07.23.10 | 10:30 a.m. CT

I heard according to sources Chris Paul doesn't want to stay with the Hornets anymore. He strongly believes the Hornets can't be contenders. Does he have the Bulls on his wish list of being traded to them?
Martin Guerrero

To make this team better, they need that Shaq or TMac for fuel. This isnt some rehab facility to make sure everyone is happy and team chemistry is good. It's the NBA. These guys will give the Bulls scoring and toughness (not tmac) so the Bulls should go after proven guys, rather than some 11th/12 man junkies. Who is taking the clutch shots down the stretch besides Derrick (who always misses and goes into overtime)? Brewer? Yea rite... Korver... nope. McGrady can handle the shots down the stretch and so can josh howard. Shaq boosts a frontline with noah and boozer. Stop with the chemistry stuff and think real
Sujit Johnston

With all this negative McGrady talk is it possible that McGrady knows that he is at the end of his career and has accepted this fact and is willing to go out there and prove everyone wrong that he is not a Prima Donna and will bust his ass to get a ring? I am all for the Bulls to keep things running as smooth as possible but it intrigues me to see if McGrady has anything left in the tank and I see it as a low risk high reward with signing him.
Jeff Skellenger

Is Matt Barnes a better fit for the Bulls than T-Mac?
Jonathan Scrutchens

Been liking the additions and formation of a Team for the Bulls (not counting TMac obviously). Wondering what our identity is going to be though? A running team (don't know what kind of offense Thibs is going to have)? A young team (continued lack of calls from the refs)? A defensive team (Hope so with Thibs on board)? If a tough defensive team, I think Kobe has the right idea = go after people that don't back down or get intimidated (Bell, Barnes, Artest). That could be one way to counter the Heat. I was really hoping we got Bell as that would give us that tough defensive personality. I was hoping we kept Brad Miller for that reason as he doesn't back down and get intimidated and he's big. Brewer brings that which is good. Getting an identity established is a key.
Amin Khan

I see that the Bulls added Kurt Thomas to back up Noah. Is losing Brad Miller and gaining Thomas a wash?
Ryan Bowlan

Why not go after Shannon Brown if they want another guard?
Toby Nihill

Now that the Bulls have signed the 10th or 11th man we pretty much have the rotation set (barring near-certain disaster should we sign T-Mac). Let's assume that all the game-changing free agent signings are behind us. The key is now Coach Thibodeau (whose hiring I was happy with) and how well he can get them to play at their best, right? Or is there any other major factor such as Joakim's plantar fasciitis? What does Thibodeau need to do to bring success to a team that is mostly new players? Even though he's a renowned defensive coach, he has a lot of good role players on his team who have potential to do well offensively, depending on the system. So does Thibodeau have the offensive schemes to get the best out of players like C.J. Watson and Omer Asik?
A.J. Chan

I have been a Bulls fan since the 1969-70 season, and I wish I could be as enthusiastic as everyone else. I just don't see a championship team. The Bulls made the most of a bad situation when the big three signed with the Heat. However, who is the go to guy when a game comes down to the final shot? There is no Jordon or Pippen on this team or for that matter, a Bob Love or Chet Walker. I wish I could be more optimistic, but I'm not. Could we be just good enough where we will never be in a position to draft a game changer? We need a player who is an offensive force and who will consistently give us 20 plus points a game. Rose is a very good player, but his outside shot is inconsistent. Boozer is an undersized power forward. Korver can hit the three, but do you really want him to be the one shooting that pressure shot? Also, Korver and Boozer are each on their third team and no championships. Depressed in LA.
Cary Callahan

I found some statistical evidence that the Bulls are going to be a hard team to beat next year. Although I'm not huge into statistics because I know that they don't always do a good job of measuring player performance, I found some very intriguing stats on 82games.com. The PER or Player Efficiency Rating is a statistic that takes most major statistical categories, throws them in a blender, and spits out a number between 1 and 35 that measures the value of every player. By itself, this number doesn't mean much, but when you compare the PER of a player against the opponent they are facing, it's an interesting way to measure their success. Basically, it tells us how a player performs statistically on average against their opponent throughout the season. The following numbers are how our starters did on average against their opponents last year: Deng's 18.1 to opponent's 14.8, Rose's 20.7 to 15.1, Noah's 20.6 to 17.5, Gibson's 15.5 to 18.8, and Hinrich's 13 to 16. Only two of our starters were outperformed statistically (Hinrich and Gibson) and they were replaced this off-season by Boozer and Brewer. Boozer out performed his opponents: 24.2 to 18.9 while Brewer outperformed his as well: 14.2 to 12.9. The significance in all this madness is that we are now the only team besides the Celtics that have all five of our starters outperforming their opponents in PER. The Lakers came close but Fisher was outdone during the regular season by his opponents. I don't know if you like statistics Sam, but it looks to me like we're in business to make a run at the title.
Yuriy Fomin

What's your take on former Phoenix forward Louis Amundson? Seems like he was a decent role player for them last year. He seems to fit the "mold" that the Bulls are looking for in terms of hustle and energy. He might not be very tall at 6'9" but he makes up for it with his energy, which you've been saying is what you want out of your reserves. Do you think the Bulls have any interest in signing him?
Kevin Wick

What were your thoughts on James Johnson during summer league? Do you think he could be the number 2 guy at the SG or SF positions, or do they need to find someone else?
Steven Schnakenberg

Looking back on the free agency, Portland have had one of the more quiet periods in the NBA, do you believe that they believe they are ready (with a healthy Greg Oden) to be a major play off contender?
Tom Westgarth

I enjoyed watching three summer league players (namely Samardo Samuels, Morris Almond, and John Lucas III) in particular and I was wondering if you think that Lucas and Almond might stick? I know Samuels signed with the Cavs, unfortunately.
Dan Davis

Do you think Miami (now they have Z, Haslem back, Mike Miller) can have a better record than the famous 72-10?
Mat Ramseyer

Now that the Heat is the hated team in the NBA, do you think that the 3 Am-egos will continue to get the star treatment on foul calls? Heat fans may need to prepare for three-hour games now to let them shoot all of their free throws, and four hours for the TNT games.
William Kaffenberger

Anyone who signs with Warriors are doomed to be injured. They draft that kid (Udoh) and he gets hurt. They sign Lee and he dislocates his finger and it could be a tendon issue. Don't go work for them you may get a nasty paper cut.
Mike Sutera

Shaq at 5
McGrady at 3
Penny at 2
Iverson at 1
Who plays the 4 and why aren't the Clippers already on this?
Juan Pollo

Updated by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 07.22.10 | 9:00 a.m. CT

I read the Bulls will work out T-mac this week. Yuck. I can't believe we would stoop this low, I will never forget 2000.
Mike Sutera

Houston eventually got rid of him because he was telling the media before team officials his health issues and when or whether he'd play or not. It would seem astonishing to me that an organization like the Bulls would take on a guy like that. And as you say after he walked out on them 10 years ago when they needed him and he basically had previously committed. And now you reward a guy like that by saving him from the scrap heap? A young team on the rise like the Bulls can never take a chance on faded stars like Shaq, Iverson and McGrady because they have too much difficulty accepting what they have become, so they become massive internal disruptions. Shaq's last two teams both got worse when he joined them. Coincidence? We saw how Iverson took down the Pistons and then Grizzlies. And what Denver did once Iverson left.

I believe the Bulls have the chance to have a good thing going. They're up to adding a 10th or 11th man at this point. They have the makings of an aggressive, hustling backup unit. Is McGrady going to add to that and accept being an 11th man who may play once or twice a week? Who's he playing ahead of? Deng? Korver? Brewer? You don't want a washed up veteran for that 10th or 11th spot. You want someone grateful to be in the NBA who'll come flying off the bench and do whatever he can. Those players are not scorers at that point down the bench but role players to get a loose ball or offensive rebound, kill some time to give the regulars rest. That's not Tracy McGrady. And the last we saw of him last season with the Knicks his knee still was bad and no one knew when or if he could play. And with their roster they don't want him back. Shouldn't that be a hint?

I see McGrady is going to be working out with the Bulls. Although I still think he could pump out some production, he's not worth it. I'd much rather have Josh Howard. Any interest in him? or Rasual Butler? Roger Mason?
Doug Dell'Isola

We should sign Mcgrady; he's a free option, if he is recovered he's the X man to get us over the hump. Otherwise we are no better team than when we had Gordon, Thomas, Nocioni, Hinrich and etc.
Ryan Carpel

I am very curious to know where you think Shaq will be playing this coming season, if anywhere. Specifically, what do you make of the idea that Shaq could swallow his pride and finish his career as a Laker? My opinion is that there is no way that Shaq would play for the Lakers again even if they wanted him, which they never will.
Matt Gelfond

What do you think the chances of acquiring Rudy Fernandez? I've heard Knicks are trying hard to pursue him and I've heard he might not even return to the NBA next season.
Ramin Mirage

So I hear a lot of people saying something like "The Bulls will be much improved, but now they have put themselves in NBA purgatory, where you are a decent team but not elite, and are stuck here for years." My response has been that I think they underestimate Rose becoming one of the five best in the game, and that the Bulls supporting cast is good enough to win a championship in a couple years as Rose progresses.
Michael Koltun

I have been following your dailies on Bulls.com. Since I seem to be a little more excited than you are about our acquisitions, here is where I think we should go for our final moves: first, Roger Mason should be the next pick up even if we have to use the remainder of the money. That would make our guard rotation very solid from 1-4. Secondly, we should give (gulp) Kwame Brown the last spot at 13. He is a big body who can perform well in a well defined role. I believe that Thibodeau can do that for him. By the way wasn't Kurt Thomas on the Knicks with Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier?
Gregor Mendel

Why do most people still rate Orlando high (in the top four) for next season, even higher than Atlanta, considering:

Abram Bachtiar

Updated by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 07.21.10 | 8:45 a.m. CT

Look at this team. They really look good on paper and with a few more additions look out NBA, here comes Chicago! We Bull fans are really into this coming year, we are reviving the Jordan/Pippen era! Am I dreaming or what? I like Ronnie Brewer (his focus [on] defense) and CJ Watson (people need to see him on youtube scoring his 40 pt game of last year for Golden State), their additions to this Chicago team will be a surprise. Chicago management has outdone themselves so far, or are they just lucky? This team could be the Chicago Dream Team!
Edward Miller

I really like what the Bulls are doing A.J. (After James.) The additions of Boozer, Korver, Brewer are solid. I also like the thought of adding Eddie House. What are your thoughts of adding Shaq to this team? Would it make us a title contender?
Brian Walton

I'm finding it very hard to see anything positive in the NBA right now. Wade just made some stupid comment about how Miami won't lose and compared the team to being as big as the World Trade Center collapse. After seeing these guys dressed like slobs throughout this whole process and now bragging about the fact that they colluded to create this super team, I don't know if I care anymore. I am also starting to wonder if the NBA has become the WWF. You mentioned in an article that we would watch because we want to see this team lose. After the circus that these kids put on, I don't know if I can stomach watching any of it. I want to be happy for the Bulls, but I see the moves that they made are just going to hurt the team in the future. If the Knicks pull off Anthony and Paul, where does that leave Chicago? Stuck with Deng, Korver and Boozer and some long contracts they can't get rid of. I guess we have to try and see the silver lining, but honestly it's hard to see it under a giant pile of vomit.
David Naber

I'm still bothered by the "3 big-egos" free agency fiasco. Dwyane Wade totally disgusts me. He is one slick, arrogant, deceitful and manipulative phony. As you know, Bosh accidentally blurted out that he and Wade and bron had talked about signing with the Heat "for months" prior to their "decisions". [Given] this I feel really angry about Mr. phony baloney Wade coming to [Chicago] twice and acting all sincere about possibly playing here. Phony baloney Wade's visits here and to New York were part of a deliberate strategy of misdirection; heightening suspense and drama; and stealing the strategies of the Bulls and Knicks. I just don't believe Wade managed to pull off the greatest free agency coup in the history of pro sports all by himself without [inside] info. and direction from within the Heat organization. I know that General Managers can't tamper [with], or entice, players on other teams but does the NBA prohibit tampering by proxy? I believe Wade was fed lines (he sounded too polished at times) and was given a strategy. For instance, where the hell did Wade's non-contextual statement about the Bulls not being good to their former players come from? It sounded fishy to me, like it had been something conjured up for him to say. I mean it wasn't even true! He's a relatively young player referring to ancient history!. I suspect the Heat probably gave Wade helpful and persuasive info. to help him sell the Heat to Bosh and [LeBron] (perhaps even morsels such as 'your friends can fly with the team!' or 'your friends will get court side seats!' or 'your friends will get great jobs!' I'd really love to see a copy of Wade's cell phone calls and texts.
Margaret Norton

Question for Mike: Are you sure that if you looked up in 1992 after 7 years not winning and saw starters, Joe Wolf and Olden Polynice instead of Grant and Pippen, a team over the cap and without any ascendant young players or trading chips that you'd feel the same way about Bird and Magic? Take your lumps indefinitely, end up as Ewing? The MJ-Bird-Magic troika is way different from LJ-Wade-Bosh. The former were real rivals and disliked each other early on. They had to go through each other to win; they had epic playoff battles under their belts. The latter 3 have had no competitive rivalry. None of them has met in the playoffs. Two are on terrible teams. No one has to defeat the other to win a title. Just because you are a great player does not mean you are a rival and have to go through every other player in the league. If Olajuwon and Hardaway were FAs and wanted to come to Chicago, would you have refused them? It's not so straightforward as it seems, is it?
Sheldon Hirsch

Remember around the LeBron decision time, when you had hundreds of people looking at you for reassurance that LeBron was going to sign with us? I'd really love some reassurance that the Bulls are not going to sign Tracy McGrady please! I read somewhere that the Bulls are interested in him, and that this was his desired place to play.
Geraint Jones

Could the Bulls give Portland their and Charlotte's first round picks this coming draft for Fernandez? Could that work? Like you said they got enough on the perimeter and two first round picks could be valuable for them.
John Rallis

Assuming the NBA comes out of the labor agreement [with] a soft cap, do you see LeBron, Wade and Bosh playing out all six years of their contract with Miami?
Marty Ahern

The key question is: how feasible is to keep both Rose and Noah, combined with Deng and Boozer, once the young talents will have to re-sign their contracts? Considering the new collective agreement, which is still under construction and so will be in the near future, can the Bulls afford all those four players under the cap?
Daniele Traversa

What Flip Murray did last year... he probably wasn't consistent but he was one of the only guys that could provide you with some decent scoring off the bench.
Gerardo Vallanueva

Updated by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 07.20.10 | 9:15 a.m. CT

I really like the Watson signing, and I could see him being a poor man's JET, as ironic as that sounds. I hope the bulls utilize him as a scoring guard rather than a pure point guard. He is as fast as Terry, as tall as him, defends the same way, has a comparable shooting stroke, but lacks some athleticism. Still, I see him good for 15-17 points off the bench maybe for 6th man of the year? Does the kid have it in him? Chris Riechert

I'm curious why we needed to do a sign and trade in the Watson signing? I understand that Golden State wants the trade exception and draft pick, but couldn't we just have signed him outright and forced them to either match or let him sign with us? Danny Berliant

I think a similar comparison to the team make up of the new Heat (Wade, Lebron,Bosh) could be, from Michael's rookie class, in combining on the Bulls; Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Akeem Olajuwon. Carlos Ochoa

What is the issue with Matt Barnes? I thought he would be a great addition to the Bulls. He would have added some toughness and he seems like he could also play the 2 and the 3. Terrence Wells

Do you think Jeremy Lin would be a good addition for the Bulls? I've watched him during the summer league and he's got a nice jumper, is aggressive attacking the basket, and was pretty decent defending John Wall when they played. He would probably come pretty cheap and could be a nice backup for D-Rose. Raymond Li

If Joe Johnson was still available after we signed Boozer and after Lebron had decided to go to Miami, would the Bulls had offerred him (Joe Johnson) a max contract still? Larry Barron

Why is Rondo waffling on joining the USA Olympic team? I think he's been overrated and has been helped a lot by playing with 3 future hall of famers. I think he's afraid he wont make the team with heavy competition at point guard like Derrick Rose and Russel Westbrook. David Ishikawa

Do you think the Bulls will take a look at Richard Jefferson to possibly play the 2? I know he usually plays the small forward position, but I think he would be able to play the better shooting guards straight up (i.e. Kobe, DWade, etc.), and chase shooters off screens. Argie Grigorakos

I was listening to the radio this morning and the ESPN Chicago guys thought the Bulls were a 45 win team. I thought with the moves the Bulls made, they'd be significantly better. If I had to play oddsmaker, I'd put the Bulls win total at around 50-52 wins unless there was a catastrophic injury. I'd also put the Heat at 67, the Magic at 58 and the Celtics in the low 50's. Anthony Marro

Posted by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 07.19.10 | 9:10 a.m. CT

Do the Bulls have anyone in mind for backup point guard? How about Earl Watson on Carlos Arroyo? I know neither one is a world beater but I don`t think either one would be too expevsive. Besides, what other options do they have?

Mike Maloney

Sam: It’s not like you are about to get a guy from any of these lists who’ll make much difference. I know fans are interested, but once you have nine guys the roster is pretty much set. Will Bynum? Chucky Atkins? Jamaal Tinsley? Rafer Alston? Flip Murray? Shannon Brown? Royal Ivey? Keyon Dooling? Marcus Williams? Anthony Johnson? Earl Boykins? Is there much difference? Heck, they had Lindsey Hunter for two years. There are other guys like Roger Mason and Keith Bogans. The priority now may be another big man, as with Brad Miller signing with Houston, the Bulls need size as no one quite knows what they’ll get out of Omer Asik even though the coaching staff is optimistic.

I think Derrick Byars from the Bulls Summer League should be given a shot (no pun intended). He's a 6'7" wing that probably would bring just as much to the table as James Anderson, if they would've drafted him with the 17th pick (and kept it). He's shot the ball at a high percentage throughout his college and D-league career, and the Bulls could really use another 3pt option besides Korver. Moreover, signing Byars over an aging Bogans or Roger Mason would save the team money that we could either put towards a higher priced back-up point guard, defensive forward, or a 3rd center who has a mid-range jumper that could help spread the floor.

Rick Arellano

Sam: It’s difficult to say given summer league players who are not drafted rarely make rosters. Byars was close last year but never made it up. Guys from the summer league or D-League usually need to be role players like Chris Richard and not specialists with skills, since they don’t get a chance for many shots but usually are asked to defend or rebound or set picks. Teams usually prefer experienced players and I assume the Bulls go that route.

The thing that troubles me most about this offseason is: How come when owners talk anything about payroll and salaries it is called collusion, but when players talk about it, it is called free market? I am not surprised that the "big three" went to Miami. I had a feeling that they had it all planned out months ago when Wade made the loyalty comments and the "free agent summit". Everyone "knew" something was up, and it would not surprise me if it happened before last season. I think the Big O (Oscar Robertson) had it right, the ownership HAD to know something was up going into this free agent market. Enough about the team everyone will hate for decades, the newest of New York Yankees of buying talent.

Jeffrey Anderson

Sam: One of the issues the league has with player behavior is they are selling the players as their product. There seems little doubt Wade colluded with James and Bosh at a time they all were on different teams and under separate contracts. But the NBA doesn’t want fans to dislike its greatest stars, which is why you rarely see action against the top players. When Michael Jordan had his gambling accusations in the early 1990s, the NBA said it was investigating but really never did. I’d recall contacting key people involved—and there were only a few—and they said they never talked to the NBA. The NBA consistently said since it was an investigation they couldn’t give details. So just as the NBA didn’t want to find anything on Jordan if there was something and it didn’t appear there was, they don’t want to find anything on Wade and LeBron as they are two of the biggest stars they sell. So as these things develop you likely won’t hear anything from the NBA. Just as when guys on a team get in trouble a team is reluctant to come down too harshly as they still have the guy under contract and then want the fans to pay to come see him, like what’s going on now in Washington with Gilbert Arenas. It is a realistic dilemma.

I just read an article about Rashad McCants unable to find a job anywhere in the league. I don't know about you, but I am very underwhelmed with the Ronnie Brewer signing (why do the bulls need another guy that can't shoot?), and McCants seems like a no-lose situation here. A former starter, who is still young, has a big enough body to cover twos or threes, can shoot (.333 career 3pt shooter, not great but way better than Brewer), has something to prove, and would be willing to play for cheap. Sign him to a one year deal at the minimum, and I would bet he's the starting 2 at the end of the year.

John Grotheer

Sam: I’ve gotten a lot of similar suggestions and there clearly have been personal issues from Day 1 with McCants. He��s been a troubled guy and asking him to be far down the bench and play a role with a team like the Bulls trying to break through is risking a disaster that I don’t see worth it given the limited upside. I like Brewer as the fifth best starter. Deron Williams loved playing with the guy, which is good enough for me.

Miller is gone . what about now ? kwame brown?

Burlacu Bogdan

Sam: That would be a tribute to Jerry Krause as the Bulls previously had the Nos. 2 and 4 picks in that draft. Why not No. 1, also? Kwame has been demeaned like Darko for being picked higher than his value.
But that is the kind of pickup you look at. Mikki Moore? Kurt Thomas? Tony Battie? Jason or Jarron Collins? They’re out there and there’s not much difference.

I remember an old interview with Brad Miller, when he was in Sacramento, in which he said he felt he made enough money that he wouldn't care about it as much in his final years in the NBA. He said he just wanted to return to the Pacers and retire in Indiana. So why did he go to Houston? More importantly, why didn't he stay with the Bulls? They clearly have a better team than the Rockets. It was reported that coach Adelman was trying to reunite him and Kevin Martin. I get that, but I really thought he found a nice place here in Chicago. I guess money is king at the end of the day.

Ateeq Ahmed

Sam: Yes, Udonis Haslem took less. And now there are rumors Matt Barnes may as well to go to Miami. But LeBron and the fellas got theirs. Brad’s story is a good lesson for all fans. Don’t believe much of what they say when it comes to money. In the end, they usually take the last dollar, and you can’t fully blame them as most people do. Brad had the potential to be different as he made $90 million on his last contract and as far as I could see he certainly didn’t spend it on clothes. And you can only hunt with one gun at a time, I think. He did chew a lot of tobacco, but I’m assuming less than a million dollars a year worth. Brad did seem to enjoy Chicago, it was close to home and his buddies and he even was close with the support staff and socialized with them. C’mon, Kevin Martin? Brad was there a couple of seasons with him, but I didn’t take him for the hunting/chewing type. Maybe Brad was mad they traded his best buddy Kirk. But he did what most guys do. He went to the highest bidder. You can’t be too upset as that’s the goal for most guys. He gave the Bulls a good season and a half and that should be enough for now.

With the grizzlies so deep at the wing now.....how about the bulls look into trading for Sam Young. He's looking pretty good in Summer League and could be available. I'd give up a future first round pick to get him. He's strong, athletic, and tough.

Rocky Rosado

Sam: I haven’t heard his name, but I’ve always liked him and was surprised last year he fell into the second round. He was good in summer league. Seems like a reasonable choice, though I don’t think you need to give up that much for a ninth or 10th man. There are plenty of veterans free agents that won’t cost you a pick.

If Chicago has about $7 or $9 is salary cap left, would you take somone's expiring contracts in order to get a future pick from lottery prone teams? These are my best options:

TJ Ford $8,5
Kapono $6,6
Songaila $4,8

There's strong chances they go to lottery next year, and all 3 are in teams over salary cap threshole, it's just what Oklahoma did with Utah and Maynor,

Fernando Martinez

Sam: It’s a possible way to go, but the Bulls likely need to spread that approximately $8 million among a big, a wing player and a backup point. Ford’s too expensive. Kapono is an awful defender at that price. Songaila’s a bit small up front, but I liked him when he was with the Bulls.

Do you think orlando would be willing to trade Gortat for trade exception and a couple of second rounders?

Dan Mallen

Sam: Don’t see why, especially the way Howard is in foul trouble so
much. They can’t be in the business of giving up on talent with Miami
loading up, and that’s probably a big reason they kept a marginal player like Redick.

It appears all of the stuff coming from Brad Miller’s camp was a smoke screen. With the exception of Derek Rose improving and 22 games of improved low post scoring (the number of games Boozer will play next
year) the Bulls have seriously declined in every other area except coaching… I see them as a 39 to 41 game winner next season getting to the 7th seed in an otherwise unspectacular top-heavy only Eastern Conference and losing to the likes of Miami, Boston, or Orlando.
Losing I’ll say in five or six games (depending on each teams injuries at that time.Do you think the Bulls might be interested in Marquis Daniels (unrestricted free agent guard of the Celtics)? I think he has good size for a SG at 6’6” and is surprisingly good at posting up smaller players.

Kenny Gale

Sam: I think they’ll be much better than that as they probably should have been last season and without any inside scorer. They didn’t hit it big, as we know, but they now have a legit NBA starter at every position, and maybe three of the five—Rose, Noah and Boozer—ranking in the top five, six or seven at their position, which usually is a formula for competing at least for the conference finals. As for Daniels, I was high on him once, but he’s been hurt a lot. He might be worth a shot at the end of the roster at some point if he’s healthy.
The issue of late is these kinds of guys seem to want to sign on for teams with a better chance to go to a title.

I can hear your rejection of this thought even before I mention it, but I since I read that the Bulls have held a try-out for Adam Morrison, do you think they're considering him? Now that they have a defensive 2-guard and missed out on one 2006 college player of the year finalist, what say we try for another? He has underachieved (not too expensive) with time to turn it around. I know he's no defender and that he dribbles while looking at the ground until he assumes he's open for a shot, but when he's on, not many can pour in shots like him.

Tad Halley

Sam: I’m not opposed to giving guys like that a look. I’ve liked Joe Alexander and heard he’s been hurt, but I’d hoped he’d get a shot.
Morrison had something. He’s cheap and I have no problem with taking a shot, though I think the Bulls want to try more experienced guys and will do better.

How do you think the union leadership feels about players taking less than the max to play for Miami? They go through lockouts and hard earned negotiations so that the players can enjoy the fruit of their labors, and here these guys don't even use the entire negotiated salary possibilities? Will it help the owners justify a hard cap?
Also, will Miami and Orlando always have an advantage in free agency, because of the lack of a state income tax?

Gio Vanni

Sam: It’s an interesting point. The notion was the NBA was handing the union an issue by paying so much for low level free agents like Amir Johnson. But if guys like Haslem and if Matt Barnes also goes to Miami (though he’s been mentioned for Cleveland and that seems to make more sense. And money.) it suggests maybe the league can go with a hard cap as many guys will say it’s OK to take less to go to a desirable destination. I’d say privately the union is unhappy just as the league is when owners settle for less than the highest offer when they sell their teams.

The more you watch James Johnson play in summer league, the more you realize he is a future shoot guard, but that future is not now. He is nowhere near ready to be even a bench contributor on a playoff team. I think he needs at least half a season in the D-league to figure out what his game is going to be, what his strength are and how to play under control because he played out of position at the 4 in college and is re-learning how to play on the perimeter.

Anuj Lal

Sam: Yes, that’s what I’ve feared with him and he could be playing his way out of the NBA. From the beginning the issue was what he was as he had a lot of skill, but no particular place to apply them. I agree he could be a nice mismatch at shooting guard, and I felt the team should have had him in the D-League last season. The issue now is with a short roster do they need him, and if they do how much of an issue is that. If they are not going to use him, he probably should be playing in the D-League.

I’m sure you’ve gotten emailed a thousand times about this, but I just read the article on Yahoo and was particularly impressed by this excerpt. My respect for Derrick Rose just went up about five notches.“For everything the Bulls tried to sell – from owner Jerry Reinsdorf to GM Gar Forman to coach Tom Thibodeau – there had been one thing that troubled James’ about the Bulls pitch: Derrick Rose never called and tried to recruit him. Chicago officials never directly requested Rose to reach out with a call, and the young point guard felt James could’ve always reached out to him had he wanted to discuss the possibility of playing together. James needed to be courted, needed to be wooed and apparently it surprised him there was a star who wasn’t falling over himself to do that.”

Christopher Prince

Sam: As we know, there has been a ton of misinformation printed thus far about James and the big chase, so who knows if this “needed to be courted” thing is true at all. It isn’t true if you are in the camp that felt this was long decided. I believe Rose was there. I’d heard that he’d long felt—and players tend to know these things better—that James was more playing the Bulls and never was that serious. I don’t know this for sure, but I believe Derrick, as most great players do, sees himself as every bit the equal of James. These types of players don’t want to put themselves in position of begging someone to help them and then getting turned down and then having to face the guy.
Great players generally don’t run around begging for help. I read once where the Yankees Derek Jeter said he never recruited players to the Yankees for that reason and because if the player didn’t come he didn’t want to be accused of trying to cost a teammate a job. How would it have looked for Wade if it came out he tried to get help and everyone turned him down? And then the guy knows when they meet Wade wanted him and he looked down on Wade’s interest. It’s also why I don’t think Rose was in on Boozer, though what I heard was Rose had told management he’d have no probably playing with anyone they got.
But I think he knew before most of us the Bulls were fairly low on LeBron’s list. I find it hard to believe LeBron rejected the Bulls because there wasn’t enough fealty and then went to join the Heat. I know LeBron has seemed pathetic in a lot of this. But not that pathetic.