Trio of Trades Has Bulls Primed for Playoff Run

In a matter of 24 hours, the Chicago Bulls were able to pull off three trades prior to the deadline at 2 p.m. Thursday.  From those three trades, the Bulls came away with four victories.

Yes, you read it right, the Bulls were able to come away with four victories from three deals. With eight men suiting up against the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night, the Bulls were able to come away with a solid victory against a hot Bucks team.

Prior to that game, the Bulls announced the first of three big trades that the team would make over the course of the next day.  That trade sent forwards Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons, and Michael Ruffin to Sacramento for center Brad Miller and swingman John Salmons.

While Miller's play may be on the decline, a change of scenery and putting his talents on display for some fans may be just what the doctor ordered.  With the Bulls, Miller will instantly become a starter in place of Joakim Noah, who will benefit greatly from Miller's presence. The veteran center potentially could bring the Bulls a double-double each night, but the most important part of his game will be his passing.  Far too often, the Bulls' big men are unable to capitalize on important offensive possessions due to poor ball handling and bad passing.

Along with Miller comes veteran swingman John Salmons, who is a legitimate candidate for the NBA's Most Improved Player.  Salmons is averaging just over 18 points per game, and will give Luol Deng a great spell off the bench for Chicago.  He may not start, but Salmons is having a career year, and is shooting over 40 percent from three-point land.

Now that the Bulls had 10 players on their roster, they continued to take advantage of the trading deadline.  Just before the deadline passed, the Bulls were able to accomodate the wishes of shooting guard Larry Hughes and send him off to the dysfunctional New York Knicks. 

In exchange for the very expensive Hughes, the Bulls were able to re-acquire sharp-shooting power forward Tim Thomas, and added some depth in Anthony Roberson and Jerome James. It's doubtful Roberson and James were any more than throw-ins, but Thomas will have a great impact on the Bulls' playoff run, similar to a Robert Horry.

Right before the deadline had passed, the Bulls made another move to put the icing on the cake. Disappointing third-year guard Thabo Sefolosha was sent off to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a first-round pick in next year's draft. This move allows the Bulls to take a solid shooting guard and big man in next year's draft.

With this slew of trades, the Bulls were able to keep their young nucleus of players intact while adding three solid veterans and have set themselves up nicely for June's draft.

Their first test as a new squad comes against the Denver Nuggets, and the Bulls will need to be at the very top of their offensive game to beat Carmelo and company.