NBA Rumors: Bulls Would Be Wise to Make Huge Draft Day Deal
If the rumors have merit, the Chicago Bulls' front office is operating in the correct frame of mind. This thought process could manifest itself in a smart draft-day deal(s) that relocates some of the teams' most recognizable faces.
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reports:
"The Bulls want to give Omer Asik and Taj Gibson new deals, so they’re exploring ways to trade Luol Deng and/or Joakim Noah to teams that can send them a trade exception and a No. 1 pick."
This makes sense because it shows the Bulls are being cost-conscious about the future, and realistic about a roster that isn't good enough to win a championship. The current Bulls are set up to be like the Sacramento Kings of the 2000s, and the New York Knicks and Portland Trailblazers of the 1990s.
Those teams marched through the regular season but were continuously thwarted deep in the playoffs, and even in the finals. Translation: they were really good teams, but not great ones.
Kudos to the Bulls' organization for at least trying to be great. It's easy to fall in love with the likes of Deng and Noah; they are likable players and the team has had great regular season success, but the bottom line is winning.
The Bulls are too good to get an opportunity to improve in the draft, too financially strapped to add a significant piece through free agency, but not good enough to beat the Heat.
Moving Deng and Noah for draft picks and talented, young, less established and less expensive players gives the Bulls flexibility. It also changes their ceiling.
Right now, this Bulls team with a healthy Rose is about as good as they can get. They would have possibly pushed Miami to six games, but I could have seen them losing in five again this year.
Think about it and ask yourself this question: were the Bulls really better than the Oklahoma City Thunder?
No, they weren't. They were as good at best.
If these rumors are true, the Bulls realize Gibson and Asik are productive young players who will still be affordable. They embody Tom Thibodeau's defensive mentality and have great attitudes.
Clearing some cap space will allow the Bulls to add another special player, or even draft one with the picks they could acquire from dealing Deng and or Noah.
In the end, Derrick Rose is the only special player on the roster. Role players are important, but you build around stars. The Bulls are smart not to mistake Deng and Noah for star-level players.
The best things the Bulls have going are Rose's special ability, Thiobodeau's defensive wizardry and Rose's buy-in to his coach's philosophy.
Any deal that doesn't remove any of those three things helps this team in the long run.
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