2013-2014 Chicago Bulls Thread

[Ryne Ween]

I cant see Mirotic not wanting to play in the NBA relatively soon. However, whereas all the best pro golfers from basically every country move to Florida, Spanish guys seem to favor their residence in spain.

[WrigleyField 22]

Good read from Zach Lowe: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/88016/the-cavs-are-thinking-playoffs-the-bulls-are-thinking-ahead

 

Back to Chicago, and to free agency: This will be Chicago's last summer before Jimmy Butler is due a new contract, which will add another large deal to a pile that includes Rose, Joakim Noah, and Taj Gibson. Bring Butler back at a fair rate, ink Mirotic, and factor in all the picks Chicago is now due (including a first-rounder from Charlotte at some point), and the Bulls could be facing limited cap flexibility in future summers after this one. A lot can change, obviously; the cap will continue to go up, the Bulls will make trades, and Noah's deal is up after 2015-16.

 

But the Bulls have some incentive to use this newfound cap flexibility while they have it, either in free agency or in some lopsided trade. Remember: Deng may emerge as one of the top three real free agents this summer, and the Bulls just let him go. They have to replace his production, at some point, somehow. Mirotic and the picks will help, but the Bulls need more proven stuff on the wing in addition to Butler, Mike Dunleavy, and the untested Tony Snell. If I were Gar Forman/John Paxson, I'd think hard about breaking the bank for Lance Stephenson — an unrestricted free agent who could work on the wing next to Butler and effectively serve as the team's backup point guard, a role Stephenson is playing now for Indiana. Stephenson is a rare thing — an under-25, unrestricted free agent. The Bulls might have to carve out a bit more room to realistically chase him, perhaps by salary-dumping the helpless Marquis Teague, but it's worth a thought. (Side note on Mirotic: The 2014 draft will mark three years since the Bulls picked Mirotic, meaning they could sign him outside the restrictions of the rookie scale, per several league sources.)

 

If Chicago can't find the right free-agency target, it could hold the fort with a couple of affordable veterans, and use its new bevy of assets to kick around potential trade ideas for big names who might become available.

 

This trade puts Chicago in a very good place. It's hard to come out much better while losing an All-Star in what amounts to a salary dump/tanking maneuver.

LOL if Lance Stephenson was our big answer

[dcvalpo]

Golden State reportedly interested in dealing for Kirk.

[Garwilly]

I really don't want to see Noah go. I hope that's not in the plans.

 

With regards to the draft picks, I read it as the Bulls get the Sacramento pick for this draft without any restrictions. The lottery protection was on the Bulls swapping their first round pick with the Cavs first round pick in 2015. Am I misunderstanding that? It was late last night when I was looking at it so I could be way off.

The Sac pick is as follows:

 

2014: Top 12 protected

2015: Top 10

2016: Top 10

2017: Top 10, if not conveyed, a 2017 second rounder (apparently 55-60 protected, but this doesn't make much sense to me, so we'll just say it would be a second rounder in the 31-40 range)

 

Assuming the 2017 pick is top 10 protected, and it converts to a second round, how could SAC possibly be picking 55-60 in the second?

[Cubswin11]

Golden State reportedly interested in dealing for Kirk.

Festus Ezeli and a low level contract guy?

[davell]

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78826175/

 

Damn, good article. Lu, you're a class act.

[WrigleyField 22]

I really don't want to see Noah go. I hope that's not in the plans.

 

With regards to the draft picks, I read it as the Bulls get the Sacramento pick for this draft without any restrictions. The lottery protection was on the Bulls swapping their first round pick with the Cavs first round pick in 2015. Am I misunderstanding that? It was late last night when I was looking at it so I could be way off.

The Sac pick is as follows:

 

2014: Top 12 protected

2015: Top 10

2016: Top 10

2017: Top 10, if not conveyed, a 2017 second rounder (apparently 55-60 protected, but this doesn't make much sense to me, so we'll just say it would be a second rounder in the 31-40 range)

 

Assuming the 2017 pick is top 10 protected, and it converts to a second round, how could SAC possibly be picking 55-60 in the second?

What I've since learned is that their second rounder in that year was traded with 31-55 protection, so they can't technically trade the 56-60 pick, making the protection on that entirely a formality. No, they can pick there and not convey their 1st, though if that happens they'd lose both picks.

[davell]

Lose, you dumbasses.

[Ryne Ween]

I'm loving these games. This squad is gonna get the 3 seed and win a playoff series. I don't know how anybody can complain about that.

[UMFan83]

I'm loving these games. This squad is gonna get the 3 seed and win a playoff series. I don't know how anybody can complain about that.

 

I'm on the "I can't stand rooting against my team so I guess I'm anti-tanking" side and even I can see how others could complain about that.

[davell]

Thibs has turned this into a Lou Brown/Rachel Phelps situation. Honestly though, I can't see us dealing anyone other than Hinrich and maybe Dunleavy.

[davell]

If the season ended today, Charlotte's pick would be protected.

[Ryne Ween]

Have you guys been paying attention to NBA drafts for the last 10-15 years? Getting the 10 pick as opposed to the 18th pick is very very unlikely to make a much of a difference in the long term and based on how the bulls draft and play young guys it will definately make zero difference in the short term.

[Guest]

i was paying attention when the bulls got into the lottery and won derrick rose

[davell]

Have you guys been paying attention to NBA drafts for the last 10-15 years?

Oh, you're right. Lets just give it back to Charlotte.

 

I don't care what the odds are of us pulling an All Star with a 10-15 pick. It's better than us winning a championship the way we're constructed currently. It's better than the odds of us creating enough cap room and then having an elite player come here.

 

We need for Mirotic to be an All Star type, Rose to stay healthy, and to get big help from the draft, in order to potentially win a title during Rose's contract. I don't give a [expletive] about winning a playoff series.

[bcl412]

I'm loving these games. This squad is gonna get the 3 seed and win a playoff series. I don't know how anybody can complain about that.

 

I'm on the "I can't stand rooting against my team so I guess I'm anti-tanking" side and even I can see how others could complain about that.

 

Yeah, I get tanking. It makes sense to tank in a lot of ways and I was for it when Rose went down again but at this point I like basketball a lot. The Bulls are my team and I'm not going to root against my team for 50 games. Hey, maybe we can the first true underdog NBA champion in, like, ever!

[UMFan83]

Have you guys been paying attention to NBA drafts for the last 10-15 years? Getting the 10 pick as opposed to the 18th pick is very very unlikely to make a much of a difference in the long term and based on how the bulls draft and play young guys it will definately make zero difference in the short term.

 

This is said to be the deepest draft since at least 2003. There are anywhere from 10-12 guys this year who could have gone 1 last year.

[Ryne Ween]

Look at the 2003 draft and see what was around at the #8 pick vs the #20 pick. The Bulls got incredibly lucky with rose and i wouldnt care to lose for another shot at such an unlikely event. The bulls have a better chance upsetting indiana than getting a top 5 draft pick. They cant clear cap space really. They are gonna amnestly boozer after the season. What else could they do short of dumping Noah? They obviouly wont get any assets for anybody on the team other than Noah look at the horrendous return we got for deng.

[CUBZ99]

Have you guys been paying attention to NBA drafts for the last 10-15 years? Getting the 10 pick as opposed to the 18th pick is very very unlikely to make a much of a difference in the long term and based on how the bulls draft and play young guys it will definately make zero difference in the short term.

 

This is said to be the deepest draft since at least 2003. There are anywhere from 10-12 guys this year who could have gone 1 last year.

 

Even so, this team is pretty exciting to watch and very difficult to root against.

[Ryne Ween]

These protected draft picks are turning out to all be worthless. I miss the days when we could turn Steve Kerr into a top lottery pick.

[Guest]

I haven't even attempted to watch a game since Rose got hurt, lol

 

 

LOSE IDIOTS

[Guest]

David finally brings sanity to this thread.

[Sammy Sofa]

Rooting for losing: it's the Chicago way.

[Guest]

Rooting for losing: it's the Chicago way.

 

In the Bulls' current circumstances, there should be no other way.

[Sammy Sofa]

Just business as usual for the Bears I mean Cubs I mean Bulls.