Draft picks: (6-ish),22
Signed for next season ($61m): C Robin Lopez, C Omer Asik, C Christiano Felicio, PF Lari Markkanen, PG Justin Holiday, PG Kris Dunn, PG Cameron Payne, PG Jerian Grant, SF Bobby Portis, PG Denzel Valentine, PF Paul Zipser
I think they re-sign LaVine and Nwaba. Blakeney and Arcidiacano are on 2-way contracts. I think they let Vonleh and Kilpatrick go.
I'm in on Markkanen and Portis but out on Payne and Grant (and Asik--keep gettin' dem checks!) and while I kinda dig the Bulls youth movement it's still too early to tell if Dunn, Valentine, Zipser, Felicio or LaVine will make for a reliable rotation. And there's not yet any shape to them so it's hard to tell who they should draft. They'll need size going forward so I would guess they'll take either Wendell Carter (Duke) or Mohammad Bamba (Texas). But if Trae Young (Oklahoma) falls to them, do they take another PG? They need all the scoring they can get and if they think he can mesh with LaVine and Portis, I say go for it. Then again, a disciplined scoring forward like Mikal Bridges (Villanova) or Kevin Knox (Kentucky) might fit quicker into the mix. I dunno, I guess they go the old 'best available' route and just draft for trade value rather than fit, since they need anything and everything.
And who do they pursue in free agency? Can they get Deandre Jordan or Melo? Would they want either of those guys? The thing about a youth movement is at some point you need to pair them with veterans that can lift them. But is that what Deandre is? Or Melo? Are they in the market for famous-for-the-sake of famous free agents? Could they really take a run at Hassan Whiteside or Kevin Love? Can they turn Enes Kanter into the ol' Joakim Noah? Are they looking for short term deals with vets or is there a cornerstone player they have their eye on? Can the Bulls even get big free agents? (Does Dwyane Wade really count as a 'good get' for them?) I dunno. With other young teams I feel like I can at least imagine a path for them but this Bulls team is still too green on the floor and probably too blue blood in the boardroom for their own good.
For now: No matter who they draft--any of those guys I mentioned could be a superstar and any of them could be out of the league in two years--I suspect next year is still about evaluating the youth and figuring which ones should stay and which ones need to go. But if they press their salary cap this summer rather than waiting til next summer, it could make a huge difference in whatever else they do. And if they steal Paul George and he's a hit, then they could be good over night; but if he doesn't fit in, then it could make for a really expensive nightmare. I got no crystal ball for these guys. But I would suggest marketing the youth rather than overpaying a hack.
No comments:
Post a Comment