Aggrey Sam: Bulls Have A Lot Of Options

[Pooh25]

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Based off his inconsistent (at best) postseason play, it's logical that many Bulls fans believe an easy solution to freeing up money to both bring a high-quality shooting guard and re-sign Gibson, as well as open up more playing time for the second-year player, is to trade Boozer. Unfortunately, that's extremely unlikely to happen, as Boozer's age, five-year, $76-million contract and injury history--not to mention his disappointing playoff performance--don't exactly put him at the top of many teams' wish lists.

 

Some of the top free-agent shooting guards include Orlando's Jason Richardson, Denver's J.R. Smith, Atlanta's Jamal Crawford and Sacramento's Marcus Thornton. Richardson, the most accomplished of the group, would seemingly fit the bill--especially if the Bulls are in a win-now mode. Former Bulls Smith (if you blinked, you probably missed his stint in Chicago; both then and now, he's regarded as being a disruptive influence, something that might not jibe with the character-first Bulls philosophy) and Crawford, while also deadly scorers, are viewed as deficient defenders. Thornton--a former Hornets second-round pick who came on the scene last season as a rookie and was banished to first-year New Orleans head coach Monty Williams' bench for his own lack of defensive prowess before being shipped to the Kings and having a productive second half of the season--is intriguing, but inexperienced, as is lesser-regarded Sonny Weems, a Toronto Raptors swingman with more size and athleticism.

 

Another name that was quietly bandied about during the season was longtime Detroit Pistons mainstay Tayshaun Prince, who is actually a small forward, but offers length, ball-handling ability, versatility, long-range marksmanship and the ability to defend multiple positions, which would appeal to Thibodeau. It wouldn't be surprising if two other Thibodeau preferences were two players with Celtics ties, combo guard Delonte West and swingman Marquis Daniels (who suffered a spinal injury last season and didn't return to the court), both of whom are capable of creating for themselves and others and both of whom have toughness he'd value.

 

With only a two-year contract and a salary not exactly on the high end for head coaches--which makes sense, as the Bulls were his first head job--it will be interesting to see whether Thibodeau gets more influence on the franchise's front-office moves going forward.

 

High-flying Chicagoland native Shannon Brown, a Lakers reserve, has a player option for next season and there's a remote possibility he could opt out and leave Los Angeles, while Nick Young is a potent scorer, but his lack of attention to detail or defense make the Washington Wizards an unlikely candidate to relocate to the Windy City.

 

With the Bulls' primary focus after next season maintaining the funds to lock down Rose to a maximum, long-term contract, the team is still able to look into players who have one more year on their deals after the upcoming season, such as fan favorite Kirk Hinrich (a player Thibodeau has often expressed his appreciation for and who would probably be unopposed to returning to Chicago, having spent his entire life in the Midwest before being traded last summer) and even NBA all-time leading three-point shooter Ray Allen, who could be on the market if the unpredictable Danny Ainge decides to rebuild the aging Celtics.

 

Among potential targets with two years left on their contracts are familiar names like Houston's Courtney Lee and Kevin Martin, Portland's Rudy Fernandez, Memphis' O.J. Mayo, Sacramento's Francisco Garcia. Even high-paid veterans Stephen Jackson of the Bobcats and Rip Hamilton of the Pistons, who could come at a cheaper price if Detroit uses an amnesty clause to get rid of the disgruntled former All-Star.

 

Bulls have a lot of options, thoughts?

Edited May 30, 2011 by ChicagoStateOfMind

[Flash]

I'm just not sure how they're gonna afford all they need to do. Rose will have to sign a max deal soon enough, then you have Noah who just signed an extension. You're probably gonna have to move Boozer to get a good SG.

[?QuestionMark?]

Arron Afflalo and JR Smith. Don't know if Denver keeps both. Afflalo is my first choice. Great defensive player and has become a reliable shooter.

 

Cheaper alternatives are probably DeShawn Stevenson, Anthony Parker, and Shane Battier.

 

They also could find their future starting SG via the draft. Marshon Brooks, Malcolm Lee, Travis Leslie, and Iman Shumpert. One if not more should be available when they pick.

[Newman]

^ I am quite high on Brooks, I think he can be one heck of a player.

 

I do hope that the T-Wolves-Cavs-Pistons trade go through so that we have a shot at Rip though...out of all the names mentioned above, he would be the best fit.