2013-2014 Chicago Bulls Thread

[Ryne Ween]

Tonight is the last night of the regular season so here are the playoff scenarios still at play for the Bulls:

 

Bulls vs. Charlotte

Toronto vs. NY Knicks

Brooklyn vs. Cleveland

Washington vs. Boston

 

3 Bulls vs. 6 Wizards

-Bulls win

-Toronto loss

-Brooklyn win

 

3 Bulls vs. 6 Nets

-Bulls win

-Toronto loss

-Brooklyn loss

-Washington win

 

4 Bulls vs. 5 Nets

-Bulls loss OR Toronto win

-Brooklyn win OR Washington loss

 

4 Bulls vs. 5 Wizards

-Bulls loss OR Toronto win

-Brooklyn loss

-Washington win

 

Charlotte can still be the 6 seed, but since they are playing Chicago tonight and need a win, the Bulls can't match up with the Bobcats

 

Thanks for the breakdown. I guess i prefer Bulls/Wiz because we just burried them but Im fine with the Nets.

 

If the Heat have to go Bobcats-Nets en route to the ECF they will be beat down. Even charlotte is a tough out Al Jeff is an elite interior scorer and they have some solid perimeter defenders. So That could be a 5-6 game series and I think most people feel like the Nets have a shot in a series vs the Heat.

 

If we can take care of our business, D Wade might be a corpse by the ECF. The problem I have with the heat is Bosh. We do not match up well with a versatile frontcourt player on a team that has guards who can get to the basket. Bosh's jumper could eat us alive. I guess Garnett is the same way but the nets are such a disorganized mess they wont properly utilize him.

[UMFan83]

Per twitter, game 1 will be Sunday at 6pm

[Old Style]

These Noah gifs are hilarious.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-joakim-noah-gif-chris-edser-20140416,0,5383046.story

[SpongeWorthy]

 

4 Bulls vs. 5 Wizards

-Bulls loss OR Toronto win

-Brooklyn loss

-Washington win

 

 

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/242/631/382.gif

[Andy]

1st-round schedule per Bulls.com

 

Game 1: Sun. April 20 Washington at Chicago 6:00 p.m. CT TNT and CSN

Game 2: Tue. April 22 Washington at Chicago 8:30 p.m. CT TNT and CSN

Game 3: Fri. April 25 Chicago at Washington 7:00 p.m. CT ESPN and CSN

Game 4: Sun. April 27 Chicago at Washington 12:00 p.m. CT ABC

Game 5*: Tue. April 29 Washington at Chicago TBD

Game 6*: Thu. May 1 Chicago at Washington TBD

Game 7*: Sat. May 3 Washington at Chicago TBD TNT and CSN

[Banedon]

Well I hope the Nets are happy with where they ended up.

[Banedon]

These Noah gifs are hilarious.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-joakim-noah-gif-chris-edser-20140416,0,5383046.story

 

Heh, I'd seen the free throw one...they're all great.

 

EDIT: Here's one that wasn't included...Noah playing defense against Lebron...

 

http://i.imgur.com/d1Yn7KL.gif

[Guest]

I'm just glad the playoffs are here and we can put the near meaningless regular season behind us...NBA and NHL.

 

This. Although at least the NHL point system gives even bad teams somewhat of a shot to close a substantial gap by reeling off 10 straight. Really should shorten it to something like 60 games for the NBA and 65 for the NHL.

 

The Bulls likely aren't getting past Miami in the second round. Carmelo is on the radar, I guess, assuming that Boozer is amnestied (no reason to think he won't be). They will have two 1st round picks assuming they grab Charlotte's. I'd like to see them grab a SG or SF who can shoot from range and a big man with a mean streak.

 

The middle of the 1st Round appears to be as fluid as any in recent memory. I've seen some mocks with Wille Cauley-Stein as a lottery pick, others having him grabbed by the Bulls in the 2nd Rnd. Kyle Anderson (probably because he isn't terribly athletic) is also all over the place. Aaron Gordon seems to have solidified his status as lottery pick after the tourney, but earlier on I had see him falling to the Bulls, to I put him on the list below (though I would prefer they avoid him). Potentially available players include:

 

SG/SF

Nick Stauskas

Jerami Grant

Zach LaVine

Rodney Hood

TJ Warren

James Young

Jordan Adams

Kyle Anderson

 

PF/C

Adreian Payne

Montrezl Harrell

Aaron Gordon

Willie Cauley-Stein

Cleanthony Early

 

 

Others who grade as 1st/2nd rounders depending on who you ask: PJ Hairston, Aaron Harrison, CJ Wilcox, Jarnell Stokes, James McAdoo, and Johnny O'Bryant.

 

To me Payne is the choice amongst the big guys. He's got some polish, an NBA-ready body, and played in a very physical, defense-oriented conference. Aaron Gordon will likely be gone (I think he's Tyrus Thomas anyway). Harrell is a mean SOB, but I think Payne is more skilled.

 

Its harder to get a fix on SG/SF. Stauskas strikes me as a specialist who would struggle in Thibs' system because he is limited on D. I love Anderson and Warren as college players, but I worry about whether their athletic abilities will allow them to succeed on the next level. Much as it pains me to say it (I am a UNC fan), to me you pick Hood if he falls to you. He can shoot and has height,length and agility. Plus he played in a system that stresses man-to-man D and its fundamentals, so he's likely to fit-in right away.

 

All of that said, if Gary Harris miraculously falls, you grab him immediately. I'd also consider Hairston and WCS from the "reach" list (again, that list is very fluid these days) depending on how things shake out.

 

SI mock draft: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20140417/nba-mock-draft-andrew-wiggins-jabari-parker-joel-embiid?xid=nl_siextra

[Derwood]

Once again, a half dozen or so foreign players in the first round. Makes you wonder about some of these fringe underclassmen that keep declaring for the draft.

[rawaction]

Those are 2 very ideal picks for the Bulls.

[WrigleyField 22]

I'm not too high on Warren. His lack of outside shot worries me as a wing player, and he isn't going to guard to post enough to play him in the front court. Him and Jimmy on the wings together, for instance, would worry me. And he doesn't really project to be much of a wing defender either. So he's a really good mid-range scorer. Not sure that's what I want. Hairiston I like as a really good potential 3 and D guy on the wing.

 

Kyle Anderson is a guy I have a bit of a draft crush on at the moment, despite his lack of athleticism and (related) defensive concerns.

Edited April 18, 2014 by WrigleyField 22

[Guest]

Bulls officially picking 16 and 19.

[KingCubsFan]

Those are 2 very ideal picks for the Bulls.

If they keep both picks, my guess is one guy is a foreign player they can stash.

[Guest]

@WindhorstESPN: .@LarryCoon projecting unexpected jump of $5M in salary cap for next year. If that holds, it's a game changer for Melo & his CHI/HOU options

 

@ESPNSteinLine: On Wednesday night's Coast to Coast, I reported how Chicago is quietly feeling more and more optimistic about its Melo chances. Now this

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttpj6_DCkzI

[WrigleyField 22]

That tweet is a little misleading. The cap was already projected to be up. This new number is only 0.5-1 M more than previous projections.

[Guest]

K.C. Johnson @KCJHoop

Follow

Been writing all along that Bulls will exhaust the Carmelo situation to its conclusion before moving to Plan B. If cap jumps, can only help.

8:51 PM - 18 Apr 2014

[ChiCubsFan]

From a post on RealGM:

As of now, we are committed to the following non-Boozer salary for 14-15:

 

Rose: $18,862,876

Noah: $12,200,000

Taj: $8,000,000

MDJ: $3,326,235

Jimmy: $2,008,748

Snell: $1,472,400

Charlotte pick: $1,419,200

Chicago pick: $1,223,200(using Sham's 2013 numbers as I don't know the 2014 numbers)

Smith: $948,163

+

min cap hold: $507,336

min cap hold: $507,336

Rip cap hold: $333,334

---

So after a Boozer amnesty and a promise of Mirotic not coming, that is a total of

 

$50,808,828, which is

 

$12,391,172 under the new salary cap.

 

Now, a few forks:

 

If we ditch MDJ, Snell, and Smith, but keep our picks, we would have

 

$16,615,962 under the new salary cap.

 

If we also ditch our picks, we would have:

 

$18,243,690 under the new salary cap.

 

Now, if we just ditched Taj after the Boozer amnesty and kept everyone else(MDJ, Snell, Smith) and kept the picks, we would have:

 

$19,883,836

 

Haven't verified the numbers, but they seem accurate. If so, this is a good breakdown of the numbers. I think it shows we pretty much have to either do a sign and trade with Boozer and assets going to NY or trade Taj. If we trade Taj, what could we get back? When can we start talking with Melo? Draft is end of June and FA begins in July, right? I wish they did the draft after FA. If Melo would agree to take the $18M starting salary, we could then trade the picks for future picks, or use 1 or both on a Euro stash.

[Derwood]

Adding Melo but losing Taj/Boozer seems like less of an upgrade than I'd like

[RynoRules]

Those are 2 very ideal picks for the Bulls.

 

I'd be happy with that result (I really like Hairston - reminds me of JR Smith or Jamal Crawford in terms of scoring ability), though I'd probably sub Payne for Warren. Really need someone to take a few quality minutes off of Noah's legs. I can't handle another year of an old, out-of-shape big man (Nazi) playing any sort of quality minutes.

[ChiCubsFan]

Adding Melo but losing Taj/Boozer seems like less of an upgrade than I'd like

 

Really? I think keeping Taj and adding Melo is the most ideal scenario, but Melo is a star (if not superstar) and Taj is just a really nice complementary piece. If Melo will accept $18M, then yeah, trade off everything and go with Rose/Butler/Melo/Taj/Noah/MLE player/vet min ring chasers. But he probably won't turn down that much money. So you'd rather not sign him and keep Taj? Who are you using the FA money on? With raises coming in the next couple years to Rose, Taj, Noah, and Butler, this is your one opportunity to add a 3rd star to go with Rose and Noah.

[RynoRules]

From a post on RealGM:

As of now, we are committed to the following non-Boozer salary for 14-15:

 

Rose: $18,862,876

Noah: $12,200,000

Taj: $8,000,000

MDJ: $3,326,235

Jimmy: $2,008,748

Snell: $1,472,400

Charlotte pick: $1,419,200

Chicago pick: $1,223,200(using Sham's 2013 numbers as I don't know the 2014 numbers)

Smith: $948,163

+

min cap hold: $507,336

min cap hold: $507,336

Rip cap hold: $333,334

---

So after a Boozer amnesty and a promise of Mirotic not coming, that is a total of

 

$50,808,828, which is

 

$12,391,172 under the new salary cap.

 

Now, a few forks:

 

If we ditch MDJ, Snell, and Smith, but keep our picks, we would have

 

$16,615,962 under the new salary cap.

 

If we also ditch our picks, we would have:

 

$18,243,690 under the new salary cap.

 

Now, if we just ditched Taj after the Boozer amnesty and kept everyone else(MDJ, Snell, Smith) and kept the picks, we would have:

 

$19,883,836

 

Haven't verified the numbers, but they seem accurate. If so, this is a good breakdown of the numbers. I think it shows we pretty much have to either do a sign and trade with Boozer and assets going to NY or trade Taj. If we trade Taj, what could we get back? When can we start talking with Melo? Draft is end of June and FA begins in July, right? I wish they did the draft after FA. If Melo would agree to take the $18M starting salary, we could then trade the picks for future picks, or use 1 or both on a Euro stash.

 

If you trade Taj you absolutely need to draft a big man and hope that he is efficient enough in his rookie year to take defensive and rebounding pressure off Noah.

 

Lets assume we trade Taj, amnesty Boozer, and get Melo. We are looking at a roster with two sure-fire elites (Noah and Melo), a formerly elite player with two bad knees whose level of production is unpredictable (Rose), plus Butler, Snell, MDJ, the two draft picks (lets go with Hairston and Payne for the sake of argument) and a bunch of second to third-tier veterans (Augustin probably isn't coming back under this scenario because he's played very well):

 

Rose

Butler

Melo

Veteran PF (Jordan Hill? Josh McRoberts? Trevor Booker? Dante Cunningham? Elton Brand?!!!!)

Noah

 

Payne

Hairston

Snell

MDJ

Vet PG (Shaun Livingston? Ramon Sessions? Steve Blake? Luke Ridnour?)

Vet C (Okafor? Birdman (this would be awesome on several levels (imagine Noah and Anderson on the court together), but I can't see conservative Pax doing it)? Jason Smith?)

 

Assuming Miami returns their Big 3 and Indiana stays more or less the same (Stephenson is probably gone), is this team good enough to win a 7 game series against them?

Edited April 20, 2014 by RynoRules

[Cubswin11]

I definitely think that's a team that contends for a title. Obviously with the assumption of health and Rose returning to at least 80% of the player he was. I really like Jordan Hill too, he'd be an excellent addition for the backup PF/C spot. Might be a bit too expensive though.

[RynoRules]

I definitely think that's a team that contends for a title. Obviously with the assumption of health and Rose returning to at least 80% of the player he was. I really like Jordan Hill too, he'd be an excellent addition for the backup PF/C spot. Might be a bit too expensive though.

 

Yeah, he's on the high-end of the veteran back-up tier. You can still use the "veteran exception" though, amIright?

[Cubswin11]

I definitely think that's a team that contends for a title. Obviously with the assumption of health and Rose returning to at least 80% of the player he was. I really like Jordan Hill too, he'd be an excellent addition for the backup PF/C spot. Might be a bit too expensive though.

 

Yeah, he's on the high-end of the veteran back-up tier. You can still use the "veteran exception" though, amIright?

Do you mean mid level exception? I believe they could use that, not a CBA guru, but I think they'd have somewhere around $6 mil to sign Hill to the full MLE if they want. If you meant veteran minimum, you won't get him, he's signing for a lot more than that.

[RynoRules]

I definitely think that's a team that contends for a title. Obviously with the assumption of health and Rose returning to at least 80% of the player he was. I really like Jordan Hill too, he'd be an excellent addition for the backup PF/C spot. Might be a bit too expensive though.

 

Yeah, he's on the high-end of the veteran back-up tier. You can still use the "veteran exception" though, amIright?

Do you mean mid level exception? I believe they could use that, not a CBA guru, but I think they'd have somewhere around $6 mil to sign Hill to the full MLE if they want. If you meant veteran minimum, you won't get him, he's signing for a lot more than that.

 

No, you're right - I meant the MLE.