I'll admit that not getting Melo was kind of a bummer. I legitimately do believe he was really only considering Chicago and New York but let's be honest -- none of us would've left an extra $30 million on the table. Unless the Bulls could've swung a sign and trade, it wasn't going to happen. Why would Phil Jackson openly help the competition get better?
I'm very high on McDermott. I love his IQ, his ability to score, his demeanor fits the "Chicago" bill and I think he's got the desire to get better. Plus, the FO and coaching staff are really behind him. I think he'll have a meaningful impact. I'm also excited about Mirotic. Both him and McDermott provide something this team has never had and it'll be interesting to see if Thibs gives Mirotic the time that I think he'll deserve. To be honest, this season's success will hinge on Thibs finally breaking the shitty mold of overworking guys. He needs to utilize his bench. He needs to not murder Rose and pull the reigns at 32 minutes during games where we're blowing somebody out.
I like our primary free agency moves, too. Brooks is a cheap, reliable scorer who will understand his role. I think he can pay similar dividends that DJ Augustin did. And Pau may not be 2010 Pau, but people really sleep on how productive he was last year in a shitty system that paid his skill set zero compliments. At worst, I think he'll duplicate what Boozer did for us last year, but be a better passer. And Pau is getting paid half of what Boozer is getting, so that's a win in terms of salary cap.
The East is finally open. And if Derrick Rose is healthy, we have a shot to make it out of the East. But he has to turn to All-Star form. I'm interested to see how Thibs manages playing time, especially for Gasol. I think he can be supremely effective in a 25-28 minute role. If McDermott and Mirotic can fill in the holes on offense, we could actually have some matchup issues. I'd still like another wing defender off the bench and a true veteran bigman to strictly play defense and foul guys (Kendrick Perkins would've been perfect if he was amnestied).... but beggars can't be choosers.