We all know that LeBron James is the ultimate prize this NBA offseason. And we all know the Chicago Bulls are, if not THE front-runner, one of the front runners to acquire his services. We’ve already heard the rumor that King James and Chris Bosh are a “done deal.” Only to later hear that rumor debunked. But don’t regard this summer of free agency love as a complete loss should the King establish a new court in some place other than Chicago.
Obtaining the best player in the NBA is the goal, and the best of all outcomes. However, there are still plenty of other prizes available should the Bulls not land one of 2010 free agency’s “big three” (James, Bosh, Dwanye Wade).
We can start by looking at the small things the Bulls have accomplished already.
By Paul M. Banks
“The free agent class this summer is probably as attractive as any in the history of the league,” Gar Forman recently told the media.
“We wanted to create flexibility, and with that opportunity we want to be very aggressive this summer in trying to improve our team. We’ve worked for quite awhile now in order to put ourselves in a position to be a player in free agency. We got a lot to sell here in Chicago, we have a very good young nucleus of players. We have the greatest fans in the NBA. We have a terrific city. We’re really excited about Tom (Thibodeau, newly hired coach) coming on board. The nucleus of our team is all in their 20s, so we think there’s going to be a real window for players to come here and have success long-term,” Forman continued.
Other than the New York Knicks, the Bulls have the most wiggle room under the cap to work with. The New Jersey Nets also made a couple of recent deals to free up more salary cap space, but Chicago is still often regarded as among the best NBA free agent destinations. What they’ve been able to do in trimming the fat from the roster, and subsequently, throwing the doors open is commendable. They even had the foresight to essentially quasi-concede last season n order to be better prepared for this offseason. Although no one in the organization would ever admit it, letting Ben Gordon walk when he wanted to stay was a move essentially sacrificing 2009-10 for the greater good of the future.
The only thing the Bulls haven’t accomplished this offseason is finding a taker for Luol Deng’s HORRIBLE contract. If they could shove that 6 year, $71 million monstrosity on another GM it would be beneficial. However, the Bulls did avoid another disaster, passing on Atlanta’s Joe Johnson. The Hawks two-guard was rumored to be coming here last week, and it is a GOOD THING the Bulls kept their wallets in their pockets. Especially now that Johnson re-upped with the Hawks for 6 years, $119 million, a deal so TERRIBLE it will make the Deng contract look like a bargain.
So now that the hoopla has given way to the actual bargaining and signing period, we eagerly anticipate the front office’s next move.
“There’s always pressure. We challenge ourselves every day to make improvements and get better. There’s a lot of different angles we can take, it’s not necessarily one thing. And our job is to explore and prepare for all those different options,” Forman said.
Let’s remember these options. Say the Bulls miss out on Wade, James, and Bosh, lots of fans would be tremendously disappointed. And that’s understandable, but what if they land Amare Stoudemire? Who they’ve coveted for years, and who made it clear today he’s leaving Phoenix. What about Dirk Nowitzki, or Carlos Boozer? If they can add two All-Stars, to a core that includes the stud Derrick Rose at point guard, and the better than average Joakim Noah at center, you’ll have one of the best starting fives in the Eastern Conference.
I’m just trying to give you all perspective; because that’s exactly what’s been lost here amidst the free agency hoopla. Because of the magnitude of opportunity available in this year’s free agent class, many Bulls fans are thinking “Lebron or bust” or “D Wade or bust” or “Bron and Bosh or bust.” But that’s not true! Any time you can add two free agent stars to your team in one off-season, that’s one devil of an offseason! Any time you can make your starting five as good as any in the conference, you’ve really had an accomplished summer. And the Bulls can still do that, even if they misfire on their pitches to the big three.
Other Bulls fans may be nervous because the team only has six players under contract. Feel better by looking at Miami, they literally only have two players signed right now. And you might wonder what happens if the Bulls strike out altogether, who will actually be on the roster?
Well, the cap-clearing, “house-cleaning” if you will, had to be done either way. I asked Bulls television analyst Kendall Gill what he thought baout this concept and he verified my theory.
“The Bulls really know what they’re doing. Because you have a superstar in Derrick Rose, a workhorse in Joakim, they know that those guys are going to attract free agents. It was important for Derrick Rose to make the All-Star team, because now guys can say I have an opportunity to play with Derrick Rose and win a championship. If they didn’t clear out this cap sapce, they wouldn’t have had a shot at these guys anyway. So it’s 6 in one hand, a half-dozen in the other. They had to do it. It seems like they can pull it off, and that’s the way it’s headed for us,” Gill said.
Written by Paul M. Banks, President and CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest focused webzine. He is also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, the Chicago Tribune’s blog network, Walter Football.com, the Washington Times Communities, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank and @bigtenguru