I'm having trouble keeping up with the rumors, so bear with me. By the time you read this it will probably be old news, but here is a roundup of the latest that is out there right now about the Bulls trade rumors:
Everyone knows about Amare Stoudemire. The deal that most news outlets are reporting has the Bulls shipping out Gooden's expiring deal, Tyrus Thomas, and another player, possibly Noah, Thabo or both. Picks would also be involved in this deal. This deal was a fact until about 24 hours ago, when people started reporting that the deal was basically dead, because the Suns were taking Amare off the table. That seems like something of a negotiating ploy by Kerr to try to get more for Stoudemire, but it's possible that the coaching switch has changed the mindset of the Phoenix management.
Just last night, a new wrinkle was thrown into a possible Amare deal. Apparently there is a three-way trade being discussed that would send Amare to Toronto, Bosh to Chicago, and a bevy of young players and picks to Phoenix. I'm not sure why Phoenix would be more interested in this than just the straight up swap with the Bulls. It seems like they would be getting back similar pieces. Maybe the Suns just want to help out their friend and old GM Colangelo?
And of course, what would a report on Bulls trades be without the latest Sam Smith nonsense. I love this one. Apparently he believes the Jazz have interest in Kirk Hinrich and would send Boozer to the Bulls to get him. I know they are trying to get something in return for Boozer before his contract expires, but I just don't see how Hinrich pairs well with Deron.
I love all these deals. I think the Bosh one is most appealing, but I like Amare a lot. Pairing any of these big men with Rose for the foreseeable future sounds like a wet dream. Only two more days of the trade rumors, try to keep up.
Jeff Garcia is a free agent now. Could the Bears be a candidate for his services?
A couple of sources "close to the situation" in Phoenix say that it looks like Amare is staying put.
Jesse "The Body" Ventura wants Bud Selig to be indicted, similar to Vince McMahon, for his role in the steroid problem in baseball. I'd settle for fired.
While it remains unclear when or even if Paxson will be stepping down as GM this year, it has become obvious that he will probably not be GM past this season. Many Chicagoans have turned on him in recent years, but I have maintained that he was given some difficult circumstances. That being said, he clearly hasn't been a great GM, I just don't believe he was the worst. Over at Luol's Dong, they took a look at what Paxson has done. I agree with their analysis for the most part, but let's take a look at all the major moves he made in chronological order and give my own little analysis.
Signed 38-year old Scottie Pippen (Summer 2003)--Much fanfare but lacked any real impact.
Traded Jalen Rose for Antonio Davis (Late 2003)--A good move, selfish players under the old guard had to be shipped out. Though Davis was not extremely effective on the court, he was a great locker room presence that would be necessary with all the young impressionable players Pax would later bring in.
Fired Bill Cartwright/Hired Scott Skiles (Late 2003/Early 2004)--This was one of his best moves as GM. The players were tuning out Cartwright and Skiles would lead the team to its first playoff berths in years.
2004 Draft Class (Summer 2004)--This was hailed as one of the best drafts ever (though perhaps that verdict came in before all the facts had been heard). Gordon, Deng, Nocioni and Duhon all were drafted by Paxson, and all contributed to various degrees.
Traded Curry and Davis for Sweetney, Tim Thomas, and draft picks (Fall 2005)--The picks would later turn into Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. This trade inspired the famous Bulls blog "Thank You Isaiah" for the perception that Pax had completely fleeced the Knicks GM.
Drafted Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha (Summer 2006)--While LaMarcus Aldridge (whom Pax traded to get TT) has been very good offensively, TT is a better rebounder and defender and it is still unclear whether this was a good move. If Pax can somehow convince the Suns to take TT for Amare, then it will make the pick look like a huge success.
Signed Ben Wallace (Summer 2006)--Paxson's first (and only) big free agent signing was a complete bust. Wallace was over the hill and his contract continues to tax the team's salary cap situation to this day.
Didn't trade for Pau (Early 2007)--Was it really possible that this trade was even offered? And if so was it really Pax who wouldn't pull the trigger, or did Reinsdorf not allow Pax to deal Deng for Pau? No one will ever know.
Drafted Joakim Noah (Summer 2007)--A decent pick at the spot he was drafting. The second year player is showing signs of life, but it is too early to tell.
Fired Scott Skiles (Late 2007)--It had to be done. The team was completely tuning him out and the defensive intensity that had identified the Bulls under Skiles was all but gone.
Traded Ben Wallace For Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden (Early 2008)--This was a move that traded one team cancer (Wallace) for another (Hughes). The fact that he got Gooden out of the deal makes it a winner, but none of this would have been necessary if he hadn't flopped on the Wallace signing.
Drafted Derrick Rose (Summer 2008)--Though there was never much doubt that Pax would take Rose over Beasely, so far it appears it was a win-win situation, as both rookies are playing well. Although they are both good, Rose appears to have the potential to be one of the premiere point guards in the league.
Hired Vinny Del Negro (Summer 2008)--Really? Vinny Del Negro? I'm still shocked by this hire and Vinny has done nothing to prove he has what it takes to coach at this level (or any level). It's hard to blame this one on Pax though. He wanted to hire D'Antoni but Reinsdorf purposely tanked the deal leaving Pax scrambling for a 2nd or 3rd choice.
Beyond the Ben Wallace signing, the above resume doesn't look all that bad. The problems weren't the moves he made, but the ones he didn't. Whether Pau, Kobe, and KG were ever really on the table is irrelevant. The bottom line is that at some point in the last 5 years, with all the young talent Pax had assembled, there were numerous trades he could have made. He fell so in love with his picks that he was never able to pull the trigger on anything. He has one more big move to make (or not make) before the deadline this week. Will he finally come through and make a good move, or will he sit on his hands again? We'll find out soon enough.
John Paxson will be resigning as the Bulls GM effective immediately following the Thursday trade deadline. Peter Vescey broke the news this morning. What does this mean for the Bulls? Amare trades? (Thanks to PK for the tip)
Obviously more on this story as it develops...
***UPDATE: Don't forget who reported the story. As pointed out by Matt at BBTH, Vescey has made some outrageous claims in the past that have proven untrue. That being said, it does make some sense and could very well be true.
***UPDATE on the UPDATE: Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who was quoted on Sports Center as saying:
"Pete Vecsey is not a credible enough source to comment on. Two weeks ago he had John being fired, now he has him resigning."
A team is down 5 with 12 seconds and makes an intentional foul. Then the team that was behind wins by 6. This is not a joke (well it sort of is, but it really happened).
This little satire of the Where Amazing Happens commercials was made for the Bulls over a year ago. I posted it a few months ago, but it still holds true to this day. As the deadline approaches, we'll see if we can add "Where Not Getting Amare Happens" to the list. Don't watch this if you a) like John Paxson; or b) being reminded of how shitty he has been pisses you off.
On a night where Johnny Red Kerr was honored for his career, the Bulls came through with a great victory. As I've said in earlier posts, this team has no identity. For stretches they play like a team that can be a legitimate playoff team, and then other times its like they don't even understand the basic concepts of team defense. After winning 5 of their last 8 (7 of which were on the road), this team is starting to look like that playoff team again.
One thing is different this time from the previous stretches of great play. Amid swirling trade rumors, Tyrus Thomas has exploded in the last 10 games or so. Not just exploded, but he looks like he can keep this up. He is averaging 15.6 pts and 9.8 rebs in his last 8 games. Do you think you know where this is going? Do you think I'm going to have second thoughts about dealing him to the Suns for Amare?
Are you crazy? Even if this little explosion by TT keeps up, his fg% during that time has been 47%. An excellent fg% perhaps, but for a big man it is just average. Either one of two things happens now, he continues to shoot that jump shot and miss it pretty regularly, keeping his fg% below what would be expected from an elite big man OR he stops shooting it and raises his fg% to maybe 54-55% but averages only about 12 points a game. I don't see how either option makes him as valuable as Amare. Amare is young, averages about 20 pts and 10 rebs for his career, and most importantly makes most of the shots he takes.
The truth is I'm thrilled that Tyrus is playing well right now. If something finally clicked for him, it's win-win for the Bulls. Either we keep him and he is a much improved player, or we deal him (please do the right thing Pax?!) and get THE Amare Stoudemire in return. Worst case scenario is it doesn't work out with Amare somehow and he walks in 2010, leaving us about $15 million in cap room for that magical free agent summer.
Yesterday, Stormin' Norman came up with the idea of roasting the Bulls, Michael Scott style. For those of you that haven't seen the episode of The Office following the Super Bowl, the idea is completely stolen from this:
So in that spirit, I shall roast the Bulls, all in good fun of course. Without further delay, here we go, starting with Norman's original roasting of Vinny (he couldn't do the rest because he likes the Bulls too much):
Vinny Del Negro, your entire offense is based off an episode of Joanie Loves Chachi you saw one time. Boom, roasted. Larry Hughes, Vinny's only good moments always result in a "DNP-CD" next to your name in the box score. Boom, roasted.
Joakim Noah, the only thing uglier than your game, is your face. Boom, roasted. Drew Gooden, you're the only bald guy ever to have bad hair. And you're uglier than Noah. Boom, roasted.
Luol Deng, Duke sucks. Boom, roasted. Thabo Sefolosha, I spend more time trying to spell your name than you spend on the court; you suck. Boom, roasted.
Ben Gordon, even Don Nelson thinks you shoot too much. Boom, roasted.
Tyrus Thomas, your vertical leap is higher than your I.Q. and neither seems to help your game. Boom, roasted.
Lindsey Hunter, you can't call it a jump shot if you're too old to jump. Boom, roasted. Aaron Gray, your vertical leap makes Hunter look like Lebron. Boom, roasted.
Cedric Griffin Simmons, who are you? Boom, roasted. Michael Ruffin, you haven't even put on a uniform yet, but you look terrible every game. Boom, roasted.
Nocioni, you're Argentinian just like Manu, but the only thing your career shares with Ginobli is a tendency toward flopping. Boom, roasted.
Kirk Hinrich, the closest you've ever come to greatness is when you injured D-Wade by grabbing his wrist. Boom, roasted.
John Paxson, people may get you and Steve Kerr confused as players, but somehow you've made that idiot look like a genius GM. Boom, roasted.
Derrick Rose, with the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select....Boom, roasted.
This is going to drive StevieY19 crazy, since he believes that the Suns would be crazy to do any deal for what he terms "a pile of Bulls garbage", but according to www.rumorpress.net (not the most reliable, but they have been right about a lot of things in the past):
As we all know, the Bulls and Suns have had lengthy discussions about a possible trade that would send All Star big man Amare Stoudemire to Chicago. The Bulls are very much in the running to land Stoudemire, as GM John Paxson is willing to package just about any deal with mutliple players involved to get him, except for Derrick Rose of course. One scenario that is very possible and has been discussed the most would be a deal that would send Drew Gooden, Tyus Thomas, Thabo Sefoloshia and a 1st round pick to the Suns in exchange for Stoudemire. However, Steve Kerr would like Joakim Noah added to the deal as well. Phoenix will continue to talk with other teams to see if they can either find a better deal, or wait and see if the Bulls will add Noah to the trade. The Bulls want Stoudemire so much, that adding Noah may just happen. Even then, the ball will still be in the Suns court as they have multiple teams to work with and several deals to weigh out, the highest bidder will win.
What do you think, StevieY19? Should the Bulls just throw in Noah now? I'm not saying they shouldn't, but where does that leave our frontcourt? Could we go out and get a capable back-up now? If this deal happened with Noah involved, would that mean Gray would start the rest of the year and Noce would back up Amare? It's still worth it, but we would need some kind of plan to back those guys up. I'm not trying to see Noce getting 25 minutes at the 4/5 position. Just do it Pax.
Also I'm not seeing how this resolves any of our bad contract issues. Pax would still have to turn around and deal Hinrich, Hughes, and/or Nocioni to get us far enough under the cap to hope to resign Amare, keep Ben Gordon, or go out and get some pieces to make up for the loss of all those bodies.
Indiana's Devan Dumes throws elbows to the junk, gets suspended indefinitely. Somehow Indiana manages to get worse.
Lil' Wayne will be on Around the Horn today. I'm not sure if this makes the show more or less watchable.
If that crazy Bulls-Suns trade is okay with Phoenix, do Bulls fans trust Paxson to pull the trigger? If he doesn't someone will surely shoot his career right in the head.
Lane Kiffin has to apologize again, this time to a high school. It won't be long until he is insulting your family.
Looks like there will be some protesting going on tomorrow against Chicago's Olympics bid. Whatever gets you out of work I guess.
I propose a word called "Del Negro" to be used in basketball the same way that "Bush League" is used in baseball: To describe an amateur, unsportsmanlike play. Vinny did this once already against the Knicks earlier this year. Here he goes again with his patented "Scream Defense". Maybe if he screamed at his own players in practice to play defense, he wouldn't have to yell at Jason Kidd as much.
His Jesusness Shuttlesworthness comes out of blogging retirement to write this post about how Chicago Sports may be on the cusp of 3 championships. Seriously, I received this message from him as a precursor to the post: "I was just upset about some haters I heard last night that werent willing to do anything we could for Amare, Boldin, and Peavy. We could be at the beginning of a historic transformation in Chicago sports history, a chance to change everything for the better."
We’ve seen wild trade rumors and stingy front offices (ahem, the Bears, ahem) in Chicago for too long. However, speaking as a true sucker, I’d be willing to excuse a recent past full of poor risk management, regrettable drafting, and too many generally unfathomable personnel decisions… if over the course of the next couple of weeks, Jim Hendry, John Paxson, and Jerry Angelo can muster up our capable dollar and some inspiring courage to acquire Jake Peavy, Amare Stoudemire, and Anquan Boldin. I would call this my thesis. A fairly provocative if, then. Now, before you begin to criticize such a conclusion, let me present to you some premises. Lead by the Bulls’ approaching trade deadline (Feb. 19), the big three Windy City franchises (sorry Sox fans) have a chance to turn all their fortunes around…in a hurry.
First, the Bears. The most common, erroneous, and frustrating counterargument to chasing Boldin- “he’s a hothead…a baby...a poison.” Fall back ignorance. Before the 07-08 season, the offense voted him captain. Fitz loves him. So you don’t know shit. What we do know, however, is undeniable. Quickest player in NFL history to 400 receptions. Most receptions in the first 25 games of an NFL career. Perennial YAC leader. Among the best blocking wideouts in the league. Why not? Why not take a chance on Boldin? It’s not like we can get much worse than what we’ve got, right? Well, let’s agree wide receiver is a draft priority- at the least. So would you be opposed to giving up a 1st and 3rd round draft pick, with Earl Bennett packaged? Of course not. How could you? Marcus Robinson was our last league-leading wideout (wow, that’s embarrassing) and we haven’t had great success in that department of the draft since (ex. David Terrell, Mark Bradley, Bobby Wade, David Terrell, and so on…) Let’s chase Boldin! After all, he’s got 2 years left on his contract and he is only getting paid half a million dollars more annually than fucking Marty Booker! Boldin has a chance to be one of the league’s best, if you don’t already consider him in that echelon. At age 28, he’s got a lot of career left and you know he’s been yearning to show what he can be as a No. 1 target.
Next, the Cubs. This might be the most obvious. Here’s a resume to ease the uncertainty: Youngest pitcher to win the ERA title since Dwight Gooden, captain for Team USA at the WBC, the pitching triple crown winner in 2007 (one of only 8 in history), unanimous CY Young winner in the same year, and so on… In my not qualified to comment opinion, the best NL pitcher, second only to Johan Santana. Look at the numbers! How can you fight that? Padres GM Kevin Towers has even said he needs to trade Peavy before the spring. Without much doubt, the Chicago Cubs rotation would be the league’s best heading into the 2009 campaign. Imagine. Peavy takes the ball from Zambrano. Harden on the bump after Peavy. Dempster every 4th game. You’d have to at least project dominance. And if it comes to this, wouldn’t you swap Dempster with Peavy in the blink of an eye?
Finally, our beloved Bulls- only days from the trade deadline. Everyone has been talking about this. Suns management has been hinting towards it. Chad Ford has been skewing, overhyping, and plotting it. The best part- it all makes perfect sense for us. The Bulls have all the pieces. Two expiring contracts with Gooden and Ced Simmons, Steve Kerr’s wet dream in the form of Kirk Hinrich, and the deceiving upside of an athlete (Tyrus) and a game-changing defender (Thabo). Paxson needs to be ready and willing to deal all of these pieces. Moreover, he can’t fall into old patterns by stubbornly protecting Deng and even Gordon.
I love dreaming. And while the above hype might forever remain a dream, it is our job as fans to get worked up about it. I ask you to angrily reject the alternative future. Envision us without Boldin- trying to establish a title competitor with an Orton-Lloyd headliner. Envision us without Amare- more of the same frontcourt disaster. Envision us without Peavy- a pitching gem short from an expectedly competitive NL Central title and an inexplicably squandered chance at the most prolific assembly of talented right-handers in the modern era of baseball.
Let’s band together. Yell at our neighbors. Donate facebook statuses. Overhype as much as possible. Then when it’s all lurking on the horizon, close our eyes. And if we wake up to a dream deferred…its management's head! We’ll have already lost Paxson’s balls.
I am just trying not to get caught up in it until I hear something substantive. Like a confirmed source saying that Paxson and Kerr have been talking. Until then, don't forget Garnett, Pau, Kobe, Marion, Wade, and the countless others we were in trade talks for. Or just go play with the ESPN Trade Machine and start a rumor all your own!
Oh who am I kidding, I have been totally caught up in it. I even made the salaries work:
Seriously, it's obvious that we want this trade. Pairing Amare with Rose would be awesome, that goes without saying. More about this as the story develops.
It looks like there is going to be a movie made about the book Moneyball and Brad Pitt is going to be starring as Billy Beane. Score one for sabremetrics!
Elton Brand is being shut down for the season with shoulder problems. Will he ever be the force that he once was? Regardless of the injuries I think Chicago fans will always regret trading him for Chandler.
The Bulls got their 4th win in 5 games last night against the Hornets. It was a dominant performance by the whole team against a Chris Paul-less New Orleans squad. No big surprises in the win, but there was a little bit of interesting news about Tyrus Thomas from his hometown media, The Times-Picayune:
Former LSU standout Tyrus Thomas, an NBA washout in every imaginable way since being taken by the Trail Blazers with the No. 4 overall pick in 2006 and traded to Chicago, had 10 points, six rebounds and two steals in the first quarter, after which the Hornets trailed 31-20.
This was clearly meant as more of a shot at how bad New Orleans played then how shitty Thomas's career has been, but it is still funny nonetheless. Washout is a nice word for what Thomas has been, I hope he can turn it around (or get traded).
I know this has been said over and over again, but Derrick Rose is really the only thing that the Bulls have going for them. Matt Moore over at Hardwood Paroxysm summed it up perfectly last week:
I hated the Bulls pick of Rose, even though I felt he was the best player in the draft. I thought he would get muddled with the Bulls guards and have to progress too quickly. He’s worlds above every player on that team. The style on offense is flashing and brutal. He’s active and focused on defense, never frantic, never lost. He’s certain with his movement, slick with this adjustments, and there’s not a piece of his game I haven’t seen from him. Hustle, rebounding, touch, power, speed, quickness, anticipation.
I wonder what he’s going to be like when he’s got a real coach.
Well said, though as my friend Ethan said to me today, if the Bulls win games, Del Negro isn't going anywhere. God is he bad.
Did you see the Chicago Bulls win the last 3 games? I thought I did, but then I realized that those might not have been the Bulls. What about the team that lost 5 straight just a week ago? This team cannot seem to find it's identity. For weeks at a time, it looks like this team cannot cover anyone, the big men can't defend the paint, Luol Deng can't get in the flow of the offense, and Vinny seems confused at best. Then all of a sudden, nobody can score on them, they block double digit shots in a game, they get easy dunks and layups all over the place, and Vinny seems confused at best. (Maybe Vinny isn't confused, but I sure am confused by how he "coaches").
The problem is twofold. Not only does this team look different every night, but Vinny goes with different lineups and schemes so there is no way to really tell what's working. For instance, he went with Thabo for long stretches against the Suns, and yet Rose was noticeably absent for most of the 4th quarter with a sore foot. Was one of those things why the Bulls played well? It's different rotations and "strategies" every night, so there is no way to tell.
There is no reason to be all negative, though. Some things are clearly clicking. Hinrich is starting to get comfortable on the court after missing much of the first half of the season. Tyrus and Noah are looking much more active on the glass and in transition. I think Noah finally realized if he hustles a little and sprints out on the fast break, Rose will find him for the easy basket. About time he figured that one out.
Most importantly the re-emergence of Luol Deng has been wonderful to watch. He is clearly in a rhythm right now. Ever since coming back from his brief stint on the IR, he has finally found his shots within the flow of the offense. I don't think anyone had completely turned on Deng yet, but I know my frustrations with him were starting to boil up after the 6 year-$71 million deal he signed.
All in all the Bulls have played well so far on this trip (besides that terrible loss to Minnesota). With the next three games @HOU, @NO, and @DAL, they have a tough stretch, and things don't get much easier after that. With this team we are looking for improvement and signs of great things to come, so if they can steal one win in the next three and play good basketball even if they lose, there's a lot of reason to be positive about this Bulls team.
Assuming it's this Bulls team that comes to play. I hope it's not that other, shitty Bulls team. If it's the shitty one, I'm going to bed early.
The Super Bowl was great. There have been some good games in the last 10 years, and Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger have both been a part of half of them. Steelers win by the way, if you missed it.
Northwestern wins a wild one over Wisconsin, and Penn State beats Michigan State in East Lansing. I love the Big Ten in conference play. (Thanks to Gavin for emailing me this link with the message "Wildcat fever...Catch it!!!")
How is Richard Dent not in the Hall of Fame. He was the best defensive lineman on the best defense in NFL history. This may be as big a rip off as Santo not being in the Hall.
Sports news, rumors, videos, stories and other tidbits with a Chicago slant. Please email any stories, links, pictures, videos or advertising inquiries to Stormin Norman or Steviey19.
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I'm having trouble keeping up with the rumors, so bear with me. By the time you read this it will probably be old news, but here is a roundup of the latest that is out there right now about the Bulls trade rumors:
