Bulls Headed Towards Elite Status

Since I started this blog later in the summer, there have been plenty of headlines regarding the Bulls and the moves that GM Jim Paxson has made. Since I have to play catch-up, why don't I do an overall review of what has transpired thus far:

For starters, what a great draft for Paxson. On many draft boards Tyrus Thomas was ranked as the best prospect available, and to get him from Portland while picking up the promising Victor Kryapa (6-9, 210 lbs, from Russia) was a serious steal on the Bulls' part. Every description of Thomas that I have read to date, includes the phrase "freakishly athletic". I think you can get an idea about his athletisim by watching this clip (ignore the highlights after the dunk, although I think it is ironic that to end the clip Ronnie Brewer misses a jumpshot, allowing LSU to steal the game. I later talk about how the Bulls made the right choice by not taking Brewer in the draft because of his poor shooting). Let's not forget that Thomas was also the leader in blocks in the SEC. Portland failed to realize that the player they coveted, LaMarcus Aldridge, would have still been there when they picked at number 4, but they panicked, maybe because of some bad information, and cut a deal with the Bulls, slotted in the second spot, to pick for them. But the Bulls weren't done dealing just yet. Somehow, they persuaded Philadelphia to pick Thabo Sefolosha, who, by the way, would have greatly improved the 76ers, and then send him to the Bulls in exchange for the rights to Rodney Carney, who's described as "an excellent defender when he wants to be." Had the 76ers kept Sefolosha, he would of been a perfect compliment to Allen Iverson and selecting him would of put a stop to all of the trade rumors surrounding A.I. Sefolosha was regarded, along with Ronnie Brewer, to be the best perimeter defender in the entire draft and the 76ers instead chose to draft Carney, whose game and physique are identical to that of a player already on Philly's roster, Andre Iguodala. I have heard the argument that Brewer would have been a better fit for the way the Bulls play, but I could not disagree more. While both are relentless permiter defenders, Sefolosha is superior offensively, averaging 16 ppg, only second to Thomas' 16.2, in five Orlando summer league games, while showing a silky touch from mid-range. Sefolosha also added 6.4 rpg and a mind-blowing 5.6 spg. That said, the scouting report on Brewer states: "His Achilles' heel is his shooting. His stroke is a little bit broken. Brewer needs a lot of work in this area at the next level." A well-documented problem regarding Brewer's shooting is that he broke his right arm as a child and it never healed properly, resulting in his inability to fully extend it while shooting. Needless to say, throughout his career as GM of the Bulls, Paxson has built a bright future for the team, selecting players such as Gordon, Hinrich, Deng, Thomas, and Sefolosha.

On a side note, watch out for Aaron Miles, the former Kansas University star and cousin of the Trailblazers' Darius Milies. He looked very impressive in the summer league and might be a darkhorse candidate for one of the two remaining roster spots. I seem to remember watching him on TV a couple years back, when Hinrich was still playing at Kansas, and the announcer saying that there is no way that Miles is not a top ten pick if he enters the draft. He's not very tall, but he's a natural scorer and wouldn't be the worst guy to have sitting on the end of your bench. He would easily fill the void left by the departure of free agent Jannero Pargo. I wonder why his draft stock dropped so dramatically? It should be interesting to follow him.

Next is the Bulls' signing of Ben Wallace (4 years, $60 million). I was watching ESPN2 one night when the breaking news flashed across the bottom of the screen and I think I almost fell off the couch in amazement. Not only does this catapult the Bulls into elite status in the Eastern Conference, but it weakens a division rival at the same time. Some may argue that this was way too high of a price tag for a "defensive specialist," but I would have to argue against that for a couple of reasons. First, you have to put things in perspective and compare the amount that Wallace was given with other contracts around the league such as Samuel Dalembert, who's still owed $52.6 million, ex-Bull Tyson Chandler ($57 million), and Kenyon Martin who, in 2011, will have accumulated a whopping $70 million dollars. Personally, I would rather have Wallace over these three any day and in my opinion his contract was a bargain, especially when you understand the structure of the deal which brings me to my next point. Wallace's contract actually leaves the Bulls with the financial flexibilty to resign their young core in the near future. This is because Wallace will receive most of his money up front, meaning in the first couple of years. With each passing season his annual salary will decrease, thus allowing Paxson to offer extensions to Hinrich, Gordon, and Deng. In addition, if in a couple of years, for some reason, Wallace does not fit in well with the team, his contract will not be hard to move.

The third major headline this summer for the Bulls was the trading of Tyson Chandler for PJ Brown and JR Smith, who the Bulls later traded to Denver to make room for Adrian Griffin. This was a vital move for a number of reasons. First, it would not have been a good marriage to pair Wallace with Chandler in the front court. They are both defensive-minded players and having them both on the floor would have put too much pressure on the other players to carry the scoring load. Second, the combining of the two salaries would have left Paxson without the luxury of resigning his young soon-to-be stars, as I previously mentioned. PJ Brown brings an expiring $8 million contract, which seems like peanuts when compared to the money that Chandler will be owed. Listen, Paxson deserves all the credit in the world because he took the chance of signing the best available free agent despite the risk that he might not have been able to move Chandler. He went to win now and I think this is best summed up by White Sox GM Ken Williams. He was asked about whether or not he would trade young pitching to get Alfonso Soriano and he replied, "What year is this? Can you win the 2008 championship in 2006?" The situation with Wallace reminds me of when the Cubs refused to go after Carlos Beltran or resign Moises Alou because they claimed they couldn't take on any salaries until Sosa had been traded. So what did the Cubs do? They offered Beltran a low-ball contract of $75 million when everyone knew he was going to sign for at least $100 million. In the end, the Cubs trade Sosa for (gulp) Hairston Jr., Beltran signs with the Mets, and Alou leaves to play with his father in San Francisco. It seems the Cubs just do everything the wrong way, but let's save that for the next Cubs post.

On another side note, it is my opinion that Paxson made his first wrong move in trading away JR Smith, especially after watching his highlight-reel dunks, specifically the one at the end of this clip which takes place at Rucker Park. I understand that he wanted the roster to have more veterans mixed in, and I welcome Adrian Griffin with open arms, but I have a feeling that given the right situation Smith could be a special player. We shall see.

I also wanted to mention that I did not agree with Paxson hiring his brother as a consultant. Paxon's brother was fired as the GM from the Cavaliers for a reason so I'm not sure that was the smartest move. It usually does not work out when you hire a family member and time will tell if this backfires on Paxon.

A quick tidbit, I don't think Paxson is done dealing. I think he will package Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Sweetney, for his expiring contract, and their first round pick in 2007, which can be swapped with the lowly Knicks, for Kevin Garnett. What do you guys think about that idea?

I think my right hand just fell asleep, so I am going to go work off some of this energy at the gym. I will anxiously await to hear your opinions and/or comments about the Bulls so far this off-season. I'll be back later this afternoon....