[DunksNJordans23Participant]

 What do the Chicago Bulls do this off-season? Do the Bulls just tell Derrick to sit out this year? Should they tell Deng to go surgery ASAP and forget about the Olympics and focus on a championship? How long will Noah really be out?

When the draft comes around what do the Bulls do with their late first round pick? Should they trade up, draft a point guard, or take the best player available at their original spot?

And of course my favorite question, do you pick up C.J. Watson’s option for next year.

[Tobe BryantParticipant]

I think the #1 thing to do is go after O.J. Mayo! I like Rip Hamilton, but I don’t feel he is the answer for the Bulls at SG. Have him come off the bench as a nice scoring threat.

You may can package Kyle Korver and some picks for another SF.

Maybe they look to amnesty Boozer? 

[Steven]

 you serious about having D.Rose not play the entire year!?! Jesus, he’d be only miss a month, MAYBE 2. But thats it! 

 

[I May Be WrongParticipant]

 THE CHICAGO BULLS MUST REBUILD!!! Just use that legendary thread as guidance.

Kidding, but this team does need to tweak it a little bit. I would really look to sign a reliable PG who is a scoring threat. I’ve heard that Rose could be back around December and I’ve also heard he could miss the entire season if they wanted to play it very safe. You can’t rely on him coming back and being that dynamic player he was that soon. And I don’t mind Lucas or Watson as backups but they don’t really keep the defenses worried. One PG that I thought would be helpful would be Aaron Brooks. I don’t know his contract situation with the Suns but they if the Bulls got a scoring PG like Brooks to hold down the fort until Rose comes back, then I think they will be good. He’s small but man dude can score

Boozer is another question mark and even though it makes financial sense to amensty him, I don’t think they will which sucks because I don’t see anyone taking on his big contract. Maybe another mediocore season by Boozer next year will finally convince the Bulls to let him go. 

Even though Rip started games in the Philly series, he did not end most of them. I feel like he’s falling out of favor with Thibs and I never really liked the signing of Hamilton to begin with. As mentioned above, I think a player like Mayo would be great but I don’t know how they would acquire him other than a trade. Memphis isn’t dumb, they’ll have to get a good offer to let him go.

I think the Bulls will still be competitive but if I’m them, all their players better rest up including Deng. I know he has Olympic obligations but he is going to have to carry this team for a long period of time next season. Deng is a solid player but he’ll have his work cut out if the Bulls do not get some offensive help for this team IMO.

[PlatypusParticipant]

 1. resign Asik, he is a good back up center

2. Pick up Watsons option, its not expensive and he is a good back up point guard who is better off the bench than starting

3. Sign 2 veterans, a veteran big man pf/c and a point guard. Example Diaw and Mr. Big Shot

Chanucey’s could reunite with Rip and give himself a better chance to win one more ring 

4. Draft BPA or eurpean prospect

With Rose injured

Billups – Watson – James or Lucas

Hamilton – Korver – Butler

Deng – Brewer – Butler

Boozer – Gibson – Diaw

Noah – Asik – Diaw

With Rose, Billups could play with Rose and mentor him

Rose – Billups – Watson

Hamilton – Korver – Billups

Deng – Brewer – Butler

Boozer – Gibson – Diaw

Noah – Asik – Diaw

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

noah should be back on a court very soon (he should even play the olympics with france)… the real question is : how they could get better with absolutely no financial flexibility ? 

Asik is a restricted FA and should get some offers (between 5 and 7M a year) from teams. Keeping him is a priority (to prevent injuries, keep size and defensive mentality).Watson, brewer, korver have all non guaranteed option for next year… but you can hardly find cheaper effective role players.

The issue will be again what can you do with BOOZER ? He’s not awful on the court (not very good too) but his contract kills every flexibility… Mirotic shouldn’t come before 2013 or 2014 FA… So you’re stuck with him unless you can trade him …. hard to move : joe johnson ?…

the draft should help the bulls to bring a sg at 29 : john jenkins,  doron lamb… or another long term prospect : furkan aldemir ?

[DunksNJordans23Participant]

 If the Bulls are going to make a trade package for another guard I would put one together for Eric Gordon. Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon played together in AAU and are storied best friends.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 brooks is a restricted FA…. the suns don’t look to keep him or match any offer

[druneave3Participant]

MUST amnesty boozer. No defensive effort on the best defensive team. Imagine how good they would be when 5 guys play D. He drops 25  and 14 on the Bobcats but never shows up in big games.  With that money sign James Harden, Eric Gordon, or Nic Batum. Deng is playing in the Olympics, then surgery. He has made that clear. Dont pick up Watson option, must upgrade at back up PG- Aaron Brooks, Goran Dragic, or Jason Terry. Re-sign Omer unless someone is offerering big $$. I wish RIP wasn’t coming back. I think it is the wrong decision but Brewer will most likely be gone. I would pay transfer fee to bring Nikola Mirotic over, shooting 52%-FG, 43%-3PT, 91%-FT. I would do everything possible to get Terrence Ross in the draft (using 2016-unprotected Charlotte pick and whatever). They will be without Rose and Deng for half the season so it will be interesting. Whavtever they do they have to upgrade the talent and athleticism on this roster. No way they will beat Heat in the next several years unless they do.

[Sewok15Participant]

Amnesty Boozer and they will be fine…they don’t even need to replace him with anyone…just by not having him suck so hard they will be a much better squad.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

brooks could be an option but I’d rather bring back kirk hinrich …? and I’d try to land landry fields. Steve Novak seems to be also an interesting option to bring another 3pts shooter. 

he can play both spots, hard defender, good 3pts shooter, leadership skills… knows the franchise.

[Jlv2012]

and have him shoot 1000 freethrows each day.

[aamir543Participant]

 You can’t amnesty Booz this season with D-Rose being out for possibly half the season if not more.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I am with Dunks on this one.  The Bulls need to go after Eric Gordon.  The Bulls need a legit second scorer and Gordon would be that guy.  He plays like a bull and can drive and get to the line.  That would move Luol Deng over as the ideal 3rd option with Noah being the defensive/rebounding anchor inside. 

2nd, amnesty Boozer.  They didn’t win with him and he is not a big difference maker in the playoffs.

3rd, make a competitive offer for Omer Asik but don’t go crazy.  He is a solid backup but not really a scorer or a high flying shot blocker.  He ceiling might be limited.  He’s more of a 9th or 10th man than a core guy so the Bulls need to shore up their core first.  There are a few solid backup center types so they shouldn’t chase Asik.

4th, keep CJ Watson.  If Rose was able to start next year healthy then I would say that they should just keep John Lucas III as the backup and spend Watson’s money somewhere else.  But, they need Watson as insurance.  Plus, he is a good player.  A good rotation guy.

5th, get some depth at power forward.  A role player who can score and board some.  A guy who defends and plays tough. 

The new core:

PG:  D Rose

SG:  Eric Gordon

SF:  Luol Deng

PF:  Taj Gibson

C:   Noah

6th man: Rip Hamilton

Shooter: Kyle Korver

Back-up point guard/8th man: CJ Watson

backup big/9th man:  either Asik cheap, someone else to bang and board.

Wing defender/glue guy: Ronnie Brewer — I would keep him.

3rd point guard: John Lucas III– good deep bench guy.

29th pick:  best player available.  Maybe a backup center or big man.  Draymond Green might be good as an energy/leader glue guy at the 3/4 spots.  A decent stretch four with upside.

 

Rest D Rose and Deng as long as possible.  Have them back healthy for the playoffs and make a run in two years.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 If the Bulls amnesty Boozer, they still will have very limited cap space, as they would still have roughly $60,000 worth of player salaries on the books, with the team as it is now.  They have an option on Asik and the contracts of Korver, Watson, and Brewer aren’t guaranteed, but those are all valuable players who the team will likely try to keep.

The Bulls would not be able to sign anyone to replace Boozer’s production.  Also, Boozer, while not nearly worth his contract, can help their offense, and the Bulls have been the league’s top defensive team for back to back years despite starting Boozer.  The Bulls can really only make small-scale adjustments to their roster, which may be enough for them to contend, provided that D-Rose recovers well.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

The Bulls need this Big Three: D Rose, Eric Gordon, and Luol Deng.
Then Noah at center. Taj Gibson as a energy rebounder at power forward.
That is the core. Build around that. John Lucas III is a keeper if they can get him cheap.
Develop Jimmy Butler more and use the 29th pick wisely.

Everyone else is expendable so build the rest of the team around value picks. If they can’t keep Asik, fine.
Go after a cheaper backup center instead. Keep at least one of these three: Rip Hamilton, Korver, or Ronnie Brewer.
Then get cheaper replacements for the other two.

Get a value power forward who complements Gibson. Even if just a 15-20 minute guy.
Use the bench as a defense/energy unit with maybe a couple of guys who can hit shots (a deep threat and
an inside guy).

But the important thing is to get a legit second option in Eric Gordon, make Deng the third guy, and keep Noah as the defensive/energy center.
Taj Gibson is a good secondary energy guy and a solid rotation guy. Lucas is a solid backup point guard and keep Jimmy Butler as a deep rotation wing. So they have some solid support guys after their Core Four. Fill in the gaps like all the other contenders do. Get some backup bigs and a decent sixth man. Benches help in the playoffs but most teams are carried by their top 5 or 6 guys. Cheap energy guys or tough big men are easier to find. They need to build a title contender and not just a good regular season team.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 and how the hell do you think the bulls could get gordon ???

are you dreaming ? they don’t have the salary cap to sign him and NO will never accept to trade him against low draft picks (or 2016 charlotte’s one…) and boozer… the bulls have nothing to offer to grab gordon.

[kobyzParticipant]

get healthy!!

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

^^^

JYD,

I would amnesty Boozer but it doesn’t seem like that is possible after reading up on
the amnesty clause. If they can’t amnesty him then they need to think about trading him
if only for another bad contract with one or two less years on it. With Rose hurt and Noah ailing along with
Deng they might have to write off next year and focus on two years from now.

As the team currently stands, even with a healthy Rose I don’t think they have enough to compete with the Heat and Bulls.

The Bulls need another core guy to go with Rose, Deng, and Noah. I don’t think Boozer is that guy. If they could trade him to a contender
for an expiring contract that could work. Then they can sign a good free agent after next season. The Bulls’ bench is solid but a bit overrated.
No true scorer off the bench or an inside threat. Maybe they can take the money they would spend on Asik, CJ Watson, Brewer, and Korver and get one solid core guy instead. They could replace Ronnie Brewer won a guy like DeMarre Carroll and they wouldn’t see much of a drop off.
Lucas is a good backup point guard for less money than Watson. They could add a durable backup center to replace Asik.

I would try to trade Boozer, Jimmy Butler, the 29th pick, a future second round pick and cash to the Thunder for Nick Collison, Derek Fisher, and other contracts. The Thunder get a backup power forward who can score and board. The gives them a legit inside scoring threat. They move Fisher’s contract and pickup Jimmy Butler and a couple of picks. The Bulls get rid of Boozer’s bad contract and get a tough, hardnosed backup power forward in Nick Collison and point guard insurance/veteran
leadership in Derek Fisher.

That trade would give OKC some scoring punch off the bench to make them better title contenders. With Maynor coming back next year they won’t need Fisher as much. They also pick up some talent for the future.

The Bulls give themselves more flexibilty to shake up their bench and add another
core guy. Nick Collison gives them someone who adds rebounding, toughness, and defense off the bench. Taj Gibson and Collison are a decent tag team at the 4.
Collison, Lucas, and Fisher are three decent bench guys. If they can then get Eric Gordon, great. If not, they can go after OJ Mayo. OJ, Collison, Fish, and Lucss is a decent bench. Then try to add another solid rotation guy either this year or next.

Rose, Mayo, Deng, Gibson, Noah, and Collison is a solid core. Lucas is a good young rotation guy. Then they still have Rip Hamilton and Fisher as veteran outside shooters. Perhaps they could trade Korver for some younger, cheaper players. Korver is one dimensional and isn’t getting any younger or quicker. Be isn’t that cheap either. They might be able to turn him into a couple of younger rotation guys.
Then they could sign a cheap shooter if they needed to.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 the issue is : the salary cap is supposed to be between 58 and 61M this summer… and the bulls are at 75M with asik to extend.

if you amnesty boozer (and you can : former contract, not traded, during FA) you free 15M and your cap is around 60M… You won’t habe more flexibility and you have to fill a need in pf… with no money and asik to keep/extend.

that’s why they won’t amnesty boozer this summer (maybe next if mirotic come for example). Maybe a package trade (with draft picks and/or asik) against several average contracts or a big disappointed one like joe johnson.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

If the Bulls amnesty Boozer and don’t resign Asik, Watson, and Brewer could they afford to sign Eric Gordon?
They could then copy the Heat with their own Big Three of Rose, Gordon, and Deng. Plus they still have Noah and
Taj Gibson. Lucas looks solid and Jimmy Butler might turn into a good player. Fill out the rest of the roster with young players and
veterans who will sign for the minimum. If they have to, trade Korver for an expiring contract and a draft pick.

This gives you a great young core of Rose, Deng, Noah, Gordon, and Taj Gibson to build around. Rip Hamilton would be a good
sixth man. Then you have Lucas, Butler, and the 29th pick. Add some cheap depth up front and the Bulls are looking good. Core players win titles and rotations get tightened in the playoffs. With Rip as the scorer off the bench, the Bulls’ top 6 would be as good as anyone’s. I can see
that team contending with the Thunder for the future of the league.

[myers3425Participant]

The bulls need to find anyone willing to take Boozer I would try to make a trade with the Wizarads. I would give them Boozer, Korver, and Rip for Lewis and Chris Singleton. Then you could Amnesty Lewis and his 22 mil contract. This would then give the Bulls roughly 7-9 mil. to play with this summer. I think then would be better off spending that money on getting solid role players and take a flyer on a few guys. I think Shannon Brown would give the Bulls a hometown discount and him and rose in the backcourt would be explosive. If you get him for 3.5 mil a year. Then throw out an offer of 5 mil to Ersan Ilyasova. If he doesnt take it option 2 at PF could be Carly Landry. He could go for cheap with his play this year. Also if some team offers Asik a crazy amount of money I would let him go and use that money to take a flyer on someone like the often injured Greg Oden. I know its crazy but if the kid stays healthy and thats a big if he could become a very good verison of Osik at most likely a cheaper cost.  

[mookieParticipant]

What about Noah for Andrew Bynum?  Don’t know if salaries work, but throw in some other pieces and I think we’d see them against eachother in the finals.  Noah would provide the hustle and energy sorely lacking in the Lakers and Pau can pick up the scoring.  Bynum would be a great fit with Rose.  And if need be, amnesty Boozer but he would be better next to Bynum than Noan

[Sharp ShooterParticipant]

 Damn the bulls can never keep a healthy point guard..

[Krypt GussParticipant]

 It’s clear that something needs to be done with his contract.

His numbers were inflated in Utah thanks to their style of play.

He’s significantly less productive in the playoffs.

Last, he can’t play defense.

While it’s true they’ll need production because of Rose likely to miss the start of the season, Boozer’s mediocre play doesn’t cut it. Hell, I’d just start Gibson and sign a backup PF…

He just isn’t worth the money…

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

What do the Chicago Bulls do this off-season?

Sulk

Do the Bulls just tell Derrick to sit out this year?

He won’t be 100% but there is no point to sitting him just to sit him if he gets cleared to go in February, March, or April. He will have to start playing basketball again sometime.

Should they tell Deng to go surgery ASAP and forget about the Olympics and focus on a championship?

They aren’t going to win the championship in 2013 with Rose coming off a torn ACL.

How long will Noah really be out?

He should be fine by training camp.

When the draft comes around what do the Bulls do with their late first round pick?

Either trade up if Royce White slips outside the lottery or deal down for a pair of high 2nds.

Should they trade up, draft a point guard, or take the best player available at their original spot?

The world is full of fringe point guards and shooters. They need more size. Some dumb team is going to overpay Omer Asik just like some team overpaid DeSagana Diop. Nothing like a defensive center who makes Spencer Hawes look good, but hey those hands, touch around the basket, and free throw shooting is wonderful right?

And of course my favorite question, do you pick up C.J. Watson’s option for next year.

No. The world is full of fringe point guards. C.J. Watson, John Lucas III, and Mike James were all journeymen playing in the NBDL and a million other places when not lining an NBA roster. If they can’t get them for the minimum, the next Watson, Lucas, or Mike James can be found for even less because of lack of tenure. Whether it is Darius Morris, Sundiata Gaines, Malcolm Delaney, Patrick Beverley, Derwin Kitchen, Jonathan or Scottie Reynolds, it isn’t as if there is much risk in having anymore of a drop off from Derrick Rose that they already experienced.

[Author]

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