Bulls Offseason Thread

[SouthSideRyan]

Why wouldn't the Nets hire Cal again? Is there anyone still in the organization that was there last time he coached?

 

It's not so much about NJ rehiring Cal, as it is how much does Cal want to go back to the Nets organization? At this point, I would say there is little chance of him returning to the Nets organization.

 

Again, why?

[Roast]

ESPN is reporting that sources close to the Bulls as well as others have denied that they are trying to sell a "package deal."

 

The basketball analyst also said that he believes Chicago and Cleveland have the best shot at landing LBJ. Sweet.

[RedFlash]

Why wouldn't the Nets hire Cal again? Is there anyone still in the organization that was there last time he coached?

 

It's not so much about NJ rehiring Cal, as it is how much does Cal want to go back to the Nets organization? At this point, I would say there is little chance of him returning to the Nets organization.

 

Again, why?

 

Why don't you ask John Calipari. I'm only giving my opinion.

[SpongeWorthy]

These last few posts just got me thinking that there the media market factor for NJ is completely overblown. I think the Clippers, Nets, and even the White Sox have proven you can be in a major media market and be utterly irrelevant nationally.

[Guest]

The whole "the Nets lost a bunch of games so LeBron wouldn't want to go there" doesn't work as an argument for the Bulls. Their roster on July 1 is probably better than Chicago's.

[SpongeWorthy]

Because there's a 25% chance they'll have John Wall?

 

Yes, if the Nets sign Lebron James they'll have a better roster than the Bulls.

[Guest]

These last few posts just got me thinking that there the media market factor for NJ is completely overblown. I think the Clippers, Nets, and even the White Sox have proven you can be in a major media market and be utterly irrelevant nationally.

 

On the other hand, the Mets, Angels, and Jets prove that if you're good then you'll still get all the attention you want.

[Guest]

Because there's a 25% chance they'll have John Wall?

 

Yes, if the Nets sign Lebron James they'll have a better roster than the Bulls.

 

Wall or Turner really, given their advantage in the frontcourt. Although in my head I forgot that July 1 they wouldn't have signed the other FA or FA's they can afford in addition to a max, so it's closer than I originally intended.

[SpongeWorthy]

That's where I point to their near-record awfulness this year and question whether Wall/Turner alone puts them even in the top 10 in the East.

 

You'd really take the Nets roster with Wall/Turner over Chicago's? I wouldn't.

[Soul]

The whole "the Nets lost a bunch of games so LeBron wouldn't want to go there" doesn't work as an argument for the Bulls. Their roster on July 1 is probably better than Chicago's.

 

But it's NJ. The ass end of the NBA. There, I said it.

[Guest]

That's where I point to their near-record awfulness this year and question whether Wall/Turner alone puts them even in the top 10 in the East.

 

You'd really take the Nets roster with Wall/Turner over Chicago's? I wouldn't.

 

Now that I look at it more closely, maybe not. I somehow was forgetting about Gibson. Still though, they'd be pretty close.

[SpongeWorthy]

Well I'll definitely be rooting for the Nets to get the #3 pick. It worked out for Rod Thorn once so why not give it to them again.

[wolf stansson]

That's where I point to their near-record awfulness this year and question whether Wall/Turner alone puts them even in the top 10 in the East.

 

You'd really take the Nets roster with Wall/Turner over Chicago's? I wouldn't.

 

Now that I look at it more closely, maybe not. I somehow was forgetting about Gibson. Still though, they'd be pretty close.

Factoring in that if they get the first pick they could potentially use Harris in a trade package or even a sign & trade for Bosh, they could be markedly better (disclaimer, I have no idea if that would work cap space wise or money matching). Harris in a sign & trade is infinitely more attractive than Luol Deng in a sign & trade. It just comes down to a few things. Playing in Newark for 3 years v Chicago. Playing second fiddle to the Knicks. Playing with a big man who demands shots to be valuable (an admittedly weak point considering LeBron's willingness to defer) as opposed to playing with one who doesn't and is much more active defensively, much bigger hustle factor. Playing with Derrick Rose (sure thing) v John Wall (not quite a sure thing). John Calipari not necessarily wanting to go back to NJ if the package deals are to be believed.

[jersey cubs fan]

Why wouldn't the Nets hire Cal again? Is there anyone still in the organization that was there last time he coached?

 

It's not so much about NJ rehiring Cal, as it is how much does Cal want to go back to the Nets organization? At this point, I would say there is little chance of him returning to the Nets organization.

 

Again, why?

 

Why don't you ask John Calipari. I'm only giving my opinion.

 

But the organization is completely different, is it not? That was like 4 ownership groups ago, and they were playing in a dump. They are moving to a fairly new nice building for 2 years and then another new one in Brooklyn. If the guy was offered big money to coach this team with Lebron, I can't imagine him thinking that his few years there in the 90's with an entirely different cast of characters in another city would be the reason not to accept.

[Flames24Rulz]

That's where I point to their near-record awfulness this year and question whether Wall/Turner alone puts them even in the top 10 in the East.

 

You'd really take the Nets roster with Wall/Turner over Chicago's? I wouldn't.

 

Now that I look at it more closely, maybe not. I somehow was forgetting about Gibson. Still though, they'd be pretty close.

Factoring in that if they get the first pick they could potentially use Harris in a trade package or even a sign & trade for Bosh, they could be markedly better (disclaimer, I have no idea if that would work cap space wise or money matching). Harris in a sign & trade is infinitely more attractive than Luol Deng in a sign & trade. It just comes down to a few things. Playing in Newark for 3 years v Chicago. Playing second fiddle to the Knicks. Playing with a big man who demands shots to be valuable (an admittedly weak point considering LeBron's willingness to defer) as opposed to playing with one who doesn't and is much more active defensively, much bigger hustle factor. Playing with Derrick Rose (sure thing) v John Wall (not quite a sure thing). John Calipari not necessarily wanting to go back to NJ if the package deals are to be believed.

 

That's the big thing for me. Does LeBron really want to play there for three years? I'm thinking no.

[UMFan83]

I don't know where the NJ>Bulls love comes from...

 

Rose - Superstar in the making, at this point his floor is probably a very high rung star (not quite superstar....think like Kevin Martin) and his ceiling is probably top 5 NBA player.

 

Noah - I honestly think he's getting a little overrated at this point, but I see him as a borderline All Star player, good energy/glue guy on a title contender. He's a borderline number 3 guy/most likely a good 4 guy

 

Deng - Not quite an all star but a pretty versitle number 3 guy on a title team, can both slash and shoot adequately (slight above average), defends well but not always consistently, provides length.

 

Hinrich - Great backup PG. good on ball defender, especially with smaller guards, extremely streaky but mostly mediocre to poor shooter, but has decent court vision. Easily a championship caliber backup PG

 

Taj Gibson - Looks to be a pretty good backup PF on a good team, another good energy guy

 

That's a pretty good roster to jump into. You have a 1/2 guy (Rose), an average 3 guy (Deng....can improve on this but decent), a pretty solid 4th player/energy guy (Noah), and you have very adequate backup PG and PF.

 

The biggest thing you need if you grab lebron is a starting caliber shooter to play PG, a backup shooter, and a guy that can put his back to the basket. Easier said that done I know. That's a lot to find for a team that's gonna have almost no cap space after signing a LeBron, so you have to find them with the MLE, LLE and the draft, but not every championship team is perfectly built. Also by signing LeBron you are much much more likely to attract quality guys willing to pay less to play on this team.

 

Now the Nets have some nice pieces, and some good talent. I love Lopez, I'm not huge on Harris but he's definitely an above averge PG, they have some nice role players. But I don't think they are set up to drop in a superstar SG/SF and compete right away like the bulls are.

[SpongeWorthy]

Harris has been an average point guard for most of his career, really. He couldn't get past Jason Terry in the rotation in Dallas and he had one legitimately great year in NJ. He's had two years where he's played in more than 70 games.

 

Plus there's been an influx of really good point guards in the league the last few years. He's a top 10-15 PG, not a championship piece.

[Soul]

Yeah, I just think Newark is a huge deterrent as well. Especially when Chicago and NY are both on the table.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah, I just think Newark is a huge deterrent as well. Especially when Chicago and NY are both on the table.

 

I would guess it is, but not nearly as huge a deterrent as the meadowlands. It's a really nice building with a bunch of public transport access and it's very close to NYC. But it's still a transition location. He could sign there and the Brooklyn move could never happen.

[UMFan83]

I don't understand the Newark thing being a big deal either. I just mapquested it, it's 16 miles from the center of Manhattan. I mean yeah it would suck to have to go there to play your games and practice (if that's even where they practice). But you don't have to live in Newark or spend any time there other than basketball related activities. It's no different than teams that moved to the suburbs in the past. I'm sure Vince Carter spent more of his free time in Manhattan than he did in East Rutherford. East rutherford is less than 4 miles closer than Newark, and I don't hear stories about how Eli Manning didn't want to play for a team in New Jersey.

 

Maybe someone can make more sense of it to me.

[bukie]

I don't understand the Newark thing being a big deal either. I just mapquested it, it's 16 miles from the center of Manhattan. I mean yeah it would suck to have to go there to play your games and practice (if that's even where they practice). But you don't have to live in Newark or spend any time there other than basketball related activities. It's no different than teams that moved to the suburbs in the past. I'm sure Vince Carter spent more of his free time in Manhattan than he did in East Rutherford. East rutherford is less than 4 miles closer than Newark, and I don't hear stories about how Eli Manning didn't want to play for a team in New Jersey.

 

Maybe someone can make more sense of it to me.

Sure, 16 miles, but that's a 3 hour drive. ;)

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't understand the Newark thing being a big deal either. I just mapquested it, it's 16 miles from the center of Manhattan. I mean yeah it would suck to have to go there to play your games and practice (if that's even where they practice). But you don't have to live in Newark or spend any time there other than basketball related activities. It's no different than teams that moved to the suburbs in the past. I'm sure Vince Carter spent more of his free time in Manhattan than he did in East Rutherford. East rutherford is less than 4 miles closer than Newark, and I don't hear stories about how Eli Manning didn't want to play for a team in New Jersey.

 

Maybe someone can make more sense of it to me.

Sure, 16 miles, but that's a 3 hour drive. ;)

 

I would guess that vast majority of NY athletes live outside the city, many in NJ. Eli and a couple others live in my town of Hoboken, which is between Newark and Manhattan. It has nothing to do with where you have to live/commute, it's more about playing for a team that until now has been in competition with the Islanders for NY area popularity, and being in the middle of a huge transition that is still unsettled.

[UMFan83]

I don't understand the Newark thing being a big deal either. I just mapquested it, it's 16 miles from the center of Manhattan. I mean yeah it would suck to have to go there to play your games and practice (if that's even where they practice). But you don't have to live in Newark or spend any time there other than basketball related activities. It's no different than teams that moved to the suburbs in the past. I'm sure Vince Carter spent more of his free time in Manhattan than he did in East Rutherford. East rutherford is less than 4 miles closer than Newark, and I don't hear stories about how Eli Manning didn't want to play for a team in New Jersey.

 

Maybe someone can make more sense of it to me.

Sure, 16 miles, but that's a 3 hour drive. ;)

 

I would guess that vast majority of NY athletes live outside the city, many in NJ. Eli and a couple others live in my town of Hoboken, which is between Newark and Manhattan. It has nothing to do with where you have to live/commute, it's more about playing for a team that until now has been in competition with the Islanders for NY area popularity, and being in the middle of a huge transition that is still unsettled.

 

Valid points. I just don't think that the relative obscurity of the Nets would outweigh the dominance of the LeBron James brand. I think LeBron is what the Nets need to be considered a NYC team. The team has an interesting history from it's days in the ABA, so it's not like it's just some crappy expansion team prodding along in obscurity. LeBron comes to the Nets, and its hip to be a Net fan, everyone is talking about them, and then before you know it, the team is in Brooklyn and they are a real NYC team. If the Angels can do it in LA, the Nets can do it in NYC.

[Soul]

I don't understand the Newark thing being a big deal either. I just mapquested it, it's 16 miles from the center of Manhattan. I mean yeah it would suck to have to go there to play your games and practice (if that's even where they practice). But you don't have to live in Newark or spend any time there other than basketball related activities. It's no different than teams that moved to the suburbs in the past. I'm sure Vince Carter spent more of his free time in Manhattan than he did in East Rutherford. East rutherford is less than 4 miles closer than Newark, and I don't hear stories about how Eli Manning didn't want to play for a team in New Jersey.

 

Maybe someone can make more sense of it to me.

Sure, 16 miles, but that's a 3 hour drive. ;)

 

I would guess that vast majority of NY athletes live outside the city, many in NJ. Eli and a couple others live in my town of Hoboken, which is between Newark and Manhattan. It has nothing to do with where you have to live/commute, it's more about playing for a team that until now has been in competition with the Islanders for NY area popularity, and being in the middle of a huge transition that is still unsettled.

 

Valid points. I just don't think that the relative obscurity of the Nets would outweigh the dominance of the LeBron James brand. I think LeBron is what the Nets need to be considered a NYC team. The team has an interesting history from it's days in the ABA, so it's not like it's just some crappy expansion team prodding along in obscurity. LeBron comes to the Nets, and its hip to be a Net fan, everyone is talking about them, and then before you know it, the team is in Brooklyn and they are a real NYC team. If the Angels can do it in LA, the Nets can do it in NYC.

 

If he joins the Clippers it becomes hip to be a Clips fan too.

 

Lebron would make any team in the NBA the instant new sweetheart ballclub.

[SpongeWorthy]

The Angels are not an LA team. They're an Orange County team. There's a huge difference demographically and OC is so big that they didn't have to siphon off one potential Dodgers fan to become a big market franchise.