Lebron Opts Out/Becomes Free Agent

[elindholm]

Depends on what the Bulls do. If Caramello goes there, Bulls will be good.

Are you assuming that Rose is still playing? Because Anthony/Noah/scraps doesn't look all that impressive to me.

 

[bankybruce]

Depends on what the Bulls do. If Caramello goes there, Bulls will be good.

Heck, it Pau goes there and Nikola Mirotic is what some think he will be, they can be good. Some people are taking notice of him.

Mirotić is clearly a talent, but some wonder just how talented he is. According to former college coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, who spoke with Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago, Mirotić would have been a top-4 pick in last months’ 2014 NBA Draft.

http://fansided.com/2014/07/07/nikola-mirotic-top-4-pick-2014-nba-draft/

 

[bankybruce]

Are you assuming that Rose is still playing? Because Anthony/Noah/scraps doesn't look all that impressive to me.

Scraps? Really? Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott. And where are getting that Rose would not play? He may not be what he was, but with Anthony, he doesn't need to be. He can be a PG instead of a scorer and that alone can keep him on the floor.

If Anthony comes

PG Rose
SG Butler
SF Anthony
PF Gibson
C Noah

Bench
Mirotic
McDermott
Dunleavy
Snell
Backup PG

If Pau comes

PG Rose
SG Butler
SF McDermott
PF Gasol
C Noah

Bench
Mirotic
Gibson
Dunleavy
Snell
Backup PG

 

[slinslin]

never, as usual Franschilla overhyping European prospects and I don't even think he is as connected as ESPN wants viewers to believe.

Doug McDermott is one of the rookies with the highest flame out / bust chance.. and Mirotic is far from a sure thing too.

Dunleavy is the only solid player on that bench and not even very good and banking on Rose seems very confident even more so banking on his PG skills when he has never shown that he can be a distributor.

 

[bankybruce]

never, as usual Franschilla overhyping European prospects and I don't even think he is as connected as ESPN wants viewers to believe.

Doug McDermott is one of the rookies with the highest flame out / bust chance.. and Mirotic is far from a sure thing too.

Thanks for the the endorsement. I am super excited now.

 

[Mulli]

Dunleavy is solid? Thanks for the comedy!

 

[bankybruce]

Dunleavy is solid? Thanks for the comedy!

Which proves my point even more.

 

[slinslin]

Dunleavy is solid? Thanks for the comedy!

He is a proven NBA role player - the rest of that bench are rookies and Tony Snell..

Dunleavy won them a playoff game that is more than what you can say about Noah in that series.

 

[SirStefan32]

Scraps? Really? Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott. And where are getting that Rose would not play? He may not be what he was, but with Anthony, he doesn't need to be.

I like Chicago a lot, as I am a big fan of slow, defense-oriented game. Thibodeau is probably my favorite coach with a possible exception of Pop. Huge fan of Rose, as he is one of the very few non-douche bag superstars.
Noah is my favorite big man in the entire NBA.

Having said all that, Chicago does not make playoffs in the West, as currently structured. I like Mirotic and McBuckets, but neither one of them has played a minute in the NBA, so let's not get carried away with proclaiming them to be solid contributors just yet. I would be surprised if Butler or Gibson get to start of even be the 6th man on any of the playoff teams in the West. Hell, I don't see either one of them starting in the next two non-playoff teams in the West.

EDIT:
Just noticed we were assuming Anthony signs with Chicago. In that case, they get to probably make playoffs but get booted in the first round.

 

[Mulli]

He is a proven NBA role player - the rest of that bench are rookies and Tony Snell..

Yes, I agree he plays in the NBA. The phrase a dime a dozen comes to mind.

And how can we forget such strong proven NBA role players on the Bulls' bench as:

Ronnie Brewer
DJ Augustin
Anthony Randolph
Jimmer Fredette (haha)
Kirk Hinrich
someone named Cameron Bairstow


All of whom I like better than Dunleavy.

 

[Mulli]

I like Chicago a lot, as I am a big fan of slow, defense-oriented game. Thibodeau is probably my favorite coach with a possible exception of Pop. Huge fan of Rose, as he is one of the very few non-douche bag superstars.
Noah is my favorite big man in the entire NBA.

Having said all that, Chicago does not make playoffs in the West, as currently structured. I like Mirotic and McBuckets, but neither one of them has played a minute in the NBA, so let's not get carried away with proclaiming them to be solid contributors just yet. I would be surprised if Butler or Gibson get to start of even be the 6th man on any of the playoff teams in the West. Hell, I don't see either one of them starting in the next two non-playoff teams in the West.

EDIT:
Just noticed we were assuming Anthony signs with Chicago. In that case, they get to probably make playoffs but get booted in the first round.

Booted in the first round? Heh?

 

[Mulli]

And Sweet Lou Amundson is also on the Bulls.

:championship:

 

[bankybruce]

I like Chicago a lot, as I am a big fan of slow, defense-oriented game. Thibodeau is probably my favorite coach with a possible exception of Pop. Huge fan of Rose, as he is one of the very few non-douche bag superstars.
Noah is my favorite big man in the entire NBA.

Having said all that, Chicago does not make playoffs in the West, as currently structured. I like Mirotic and McBuckets, but neither one of them has played a minute in the NBA, so let's not get carried away with proclaiming them to be solid contributors just yet. I would be surprised if Butler or Gibson get to start of even be the 6th man on any of the playoff teams in the West. Hell, I don't see either one of them starting in the next two non-playoff teams in the West.

EDIT:
Just noticed we were assuming Anthony signs with Chicago. In that case, they get to probably make playoffs but get booted in the first round.

I agree with a lot of that, except for Gibson. I think he would the 6th man on a lot of teams in the West. I think he is best suited for that and not as a starter. Not sure how that team would complete with the West though since there is a lot of off season left. With as weak as the East is though, that lineup can make a deep run in the playoffs and that was the point I was making.

 

[Mulli]

I agree with all of that. With as weak as the East is though, that lineup can make a deep run in the playoffs and that was the point I was making.

Especially with Nazr Mo coming in off the bench as well.

 

[JS22]

If he goes back to Cleveland, I'd have a lot more respect for him.

I wouldn't. Crawling back to Cleveland just to make sure his legacy isn't tarnished shows weakness IMO. Does he forget that the owner basically shamed and tried to humiliate him in public? Does he forget the fans burning his jersey? Can you see Jordan doing this? No way.

Cleveland sports fans and Dan Gilbert don't deserve James.

Would I have liked him here? Absolutely. Even with the circus he'd bring with him. But I'd actually have more respect for him if he gave Cleveland the middle finger and stayed in Miami.

 

[elindholm]

With as weak as the East is though, that lineup can make a deep run in the playoffs and that was the point I was making.

I thought you were making the point that they could (hypothetically) be competitive in the West. If fact, I'm pretty sure that was the context.

If the Heat split up, almost anyone could make a deep run in the Eastern playoffs. Bulls, Wizards, maybe even the Nets. It will be like the NIT.

 

[Mulli]

I thought you were making the point that they could (hypothetically) be competitive in the West. If fact, I'm pretty sure that was the context.

If the Heat split up, almost anyone could make a deep run in the Eastern playoffs. Bulls, Wizards, maybe even the Nets. It will be like the NIT.

I could be wrong, but I thought we were addressing whether a team in the East could "make the playoffs in the West."

With Jimmer Fredette on board, the Bulls would be a lock.

 

[bankybruce]

I thought you were making the point that they could (hypothetically) be competitive in the West. If fact, I'm pretty sure that was the context.

If the Heat split up, almost anyone could make a deep run in the Eastern playoffs. Bulls, Wizards, maybe even the Nets. It will be like the NIT.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If James goes to Cleveland, they're probably among the favorites in the East, but that's a long way from being title contenders. If the Pacers blow up, there might not be a single team in the East next year that would be good enough to make the playoffs in the West.

Depends on what the Bulls do. If Caramello goes there, Bulls will be good.

Are you assuming that Rose is still playing? Because Anthony/Noah/scraps doesn't look all that impressive to me.

Heck, it Pau goes there and Nikola Mirotic is what some think he will be, they can be good. Some people are taking notice of him.




http://fansided.com/2014/07/07/nikola-mirotic-top-4-pick-2014-nba-draft/

Scraps? Really? Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott. And where are getting that Rose would not play? He may not be what he was, but with Anthony, he doesn't need to be. He can be a PG instead of a scorer and that alone can keep him on the floor.

If Anthony comes

PG Rose
SG Butler
SF Anthony
PF Gibson
C Noah

Bench
Mirotic
McDermott
Dunleavy
Snell
Backup PG

If Pau comes

PG Rose
SG Butler
SF McDermott
PF Gasol
C Noah

Bench
Mirotic
Gibson
Dunleavy
Snell
Backup PG

Re-reading you are right, I misread. Still think with Anthony, the Bulls are a playoff team in the West.

 

[SirStefan32]

I agree with a lot of that, except for Gibson. I think he would the 6th man on a lot of teams in the West. I think he is best suited for that and not as a starter. Not sure how that team would complete with the West though since there is a lot of off season left. With as weak as the East is though, that lineup can make a deep run in the playoffs and that was the point I was making.

You are probably right about Gibson. Chicago needs scoring. McBuckets was well worth the risk, as he can flat out score. He's been scoring on his competition for four years in college. It may not be as easy, and he will not be as good of a scorer in the NBA, but he WILL score plenty of points. Mirotic is not really a great scorer, but he can score. If they get Anthony, that's huge- I am not a fan, but he is one hell of a scorer.

One nice thing about Chicago is that they are so good defensively that they can "hide" one bad defender in the lineup rather easily, whether that's Anthony or McBuckets, or Mirotic.
I just hope that Rose stays healthy. He'll never be a Superstar he once was, but he is a very smart player, and if he stays healthy, he'll find a way to be very valuable.

I still think that Anthony is staying in New York, but should Lebron go to the Cavs, I can see Chicago winning the East should some things go their way (Rose stays healthy, McBuckets and Mirotic mostly live up to their expectations, they add a little more depth, etc) even without Anthony.

 

[Mulli]

You are probably right about Gibson. Chicago needs scoring. McBuckets was well worth the risk, as he can flat out score. He's been scoring on his competition for four years in college. It may not be as easy, and he will not be as good of a scorer in the NBA, but he WILL score plenty of points. Mirotic is not really a great scorer, but he can score. If they get Anthony, that's huge- I am not a fan, but he is one hell of a scorer.

One nice thing about Chicago is that they are so good defensively that they can "hide" one bad defender in the lineup rather easily, whether that's Anthony or McBuckets, or Mirotic.
I just hope that Rose stays healthy. He'll never be a Superstar he once was, but he is a very smart player, and if he stays healthy, he'll find a way to be very valuable.

I still think that Anthony is staying in New York, but should Lebron go to the Cavs, I can see Chicago winning the East should some things go their way (Rose stays healthy, McBuckets and Mirotic mostly live up to their expectations, they add a little more depth, etc) even without Anthony.

Good points. Especially since Thibs plays to win every single reg season game not matter what.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Still think with Anthony, the Bulls are a playoff team in the West.

Not that this is the argument but the Bulls that played the second half of the 2013-2014 season would have been a playoff team in the West too. They went something like 33 - 16 once they moved Deng. I don't see why they wouldn't project to a Western playoff team even without Anthony, Mirotic or Rose.

Steve

 

[Mulli]

Not that this is the argument but the Bulls that played the second half of the 2013-2014 season would have been a playoff team in the West too. They went something like 33 - 16 once they moved Deng. I don't see why they wouldn't project to a Western playoff team even without Anthony, Mirotic or Rose.

Steve

I am pretty sure that was with DJ Augustin dressed up like D Rose as well. Not sure, since I refused to watch because of Boozer.

 

[SirStefan32]

Cavs just did a major salary dump in a three-team trade (Zeller, Jack, Karasev), clearing over $9M. It's over folks, Lebron is going back to Cleavland.

 

[Mainstreet]

Cavs just did a major salary dump in a three-team trade (Zeller, Jack, Karasev), clearing over $9M. It's over folks, Lebron is going back to Cleavland.

I think Boston comes out nicely with Zeller, first round pick and Thornton. The Suns could have absorbed this. They must have something planned.

 

[bankybruce]

Cavs just did a major salary dump in a three-team trade (Zeller, Jack, Karasev), clearing over $9M. It's over folks, Lebron is going back to Cleavland.

The Cavs are in pursuit of free agent Mike Miller, sources tell Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link). It seems like the latest move in the team’s efforts to land LeBron James, after this morning’s trade to clear max cap flexibility and news of the team’s attempts to sign Ray Allen.

http://www.hoopsrumors.com/2014/07/pursuing-mike-miller.html

After shedding nearly $22 million in cap space in a proposed three-team trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers are also pursuing free agent shooting guard Ray Allen, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.

The cap-clearing maneuvers would primarily allow the Cavs to make a max offer to LeBron James, but Allen could join the team under a team-friendly deal. The two players are good friends, and Allen has said he has a desire to continue playing alongside the four-time league MVP.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11194706/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-ray-allen