[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

As a basketball fan, and a Derrick Rose fan I would like to see Dwight Howard go to the Bulls.  I think that the best the Magic can do is get Noah, Deng, Gibson, the Bulls two 1st round picks, and a future 1st round pick for him.

Orlando has a good young center in Noah (Florida guy) who can be the new anchor in the middle.  Taj Gibson is a good young power forward who is an ideal big man for a youth movement.  Brandon Bass is another big guy they can play down low (more of a post-up player).  They would still have Earl Clark, who has good size and length. 

Deng would still be a solid scorer and could give them 18 or 19 points a night to go along with Jameer Nelson’s high scoring output.  The big men can contribute as can Reddick and Ryan Anderson.  I still think they could be pretty good next year with those guys.  A starting lineup of Nelson, Reddick, Deng, Bass, and Noah with Anderson, Gibson, and Clark off the bench is a pretty solid team.  They can probably get some solid pieces with the Bulls picks (maybe some front court depth or a back up point guard).  They can probably get some value for J Rich in a trade.  Hedo might be untradable but he might be a solid backup on this team. 

While the Bulls lose some depth and scoring, Howard is the best center in the league and a good second option.  He and Rose should play well together.  They would have Boozer as a good third option and a good enforcer for Howard, a good back up center in Asik and maybe even Kurt Thomas comes back to give them some solid play inside.  They lose a solid scorer in Deng, but Bogans, Korver, and Brewer should be able to replace his scoring. If the Magic would want the Bulls to take back one of their bad contracts, J Rich would be a good back court mate for Rose.  The Bulls could add Brewer to the deal in order to get both Howard and J Rich.  If the Magic wants to keep J Rich, Hedo would be a good sixth man for the Bulls (even if they have to give up Ronnie Brewer).  He can score some, handle the ball some, and pass some off the bench.  Bogans-Korver-Hedo is solid on the wings.  Bogans is a good defender, Korver can shoot, and Hedo can create. 

Rose, Howard, Boozer, J Rich or Hedo, Korver, Bogans, Asik, Watson is a better 8 man rotation with 2 superstars (arguably two of the top 5 or 6 guys in the league), a good third option in Boozer, a fourth guy in J Rich or Hedo plus a good wing defender (Bogans), a 3 point shooter (Korver), a good backup center in Asik and a solid backup point guard in CJ Watson.  Maybe they need an upgrade at the backup 4 and another good wing player but that should be a team that can be a top 2 or 3 contender for the next several years.  

 

[CalipariParticipant]

That possibility is certainly intriguing from the Bulls perspective. However, if I’m the Magic I don’t pull the trigger on this. Also, J-Rich is an expiring contract, so Turkoglu is the player the Magic would probably aim to dump if they blow things up.

Really though, what would be the best situation for Howard? Depending on how this prospective Lakers blow-up goes, that could make the team more appealing; and we know that Williams and Prokhorov will come calling. Where could you see him ending up from a neutral position?

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Ok, if J Rich is expiring then I think the Bulls take on Hedo’s contract.  With Rose, Howard, and Boozer, Hedo would be an adequate fourth option.

I think that Noah and Gibson can replace Howard’s rebounds and blocks.  Combining with Bass those three may be able to replace Howard’s scoring.  I like Deng as a solid scorer.  With Nelson being a good three point shooter, I think Deng can get some good looks.  Ryan Anderson is a good player and could be a great sixth man.  Reddick/Brewer are a good offense/defense option at shooting guard.  If I am the Magic I would want the Bulls to take on Hedo’s contract and send Brewer and CJ Watson in return too.  … I like CJ Watson as a speedier back up point guard.  

Next year the Magic could sign another good player to replace J Rich.

Here would be the ideal team for the Magic if they do end up trading Dwight Howard: Noah at center, Bass/Gibson at the 4, Deng at the 3 with Ryan Anderson and Earl Clark as depth off the bench at the 3 and 4, Reddick/Brewer at shooting guard with Jameer Nelson as the starting poing guard with CJ Watson as his backup.  They can either keep J Rich as another scoring option at the 2 or try to move him to a contender for a couple of young players and a pick or two.  Then you hope that Daniel Orton can turn into a servicable backup 5 and you also hope that you get some good players at 28 and 30.

That’s not a bad core, especially if they can sign a good player next year using J Rich’s money. 

With that team I think they can get the 6th or 7th seed in the playoffs next year.

The Bulls get a superstar to pair with Rose and a player who should complement his game to go along with Boozer’s low post scoring and rebounding (and a good third option now), Hedo’s versatilty off the bench (and a solid fourth option), along with Asik as a backup big man, and with Korver and Bogans on the wing.  I think that this team would be better in the playoffs when your top 3 or 4 guys really carry your team.  They should then resign Kurt Thomas to round out the front line, get a veteran point guard to back up Rose, and another wing player who can shoot/defend with their 42nd pick.  David Lighty would be ideal if he falls. But anytime you have a chance to get the best center in the league to pair with the best point guard in the league (and they still have some solid complementary pieces) you do it.

[DeezyParticipant]

Are you kidding me? If anything, Dwight should be paired with a PASS-FIRST pg, not a scorer. Having him with Rose would only make things worse with Dwight clogging the lane and Rose being a slasher.

[Author]

Posts