The Bulls are clearly prepared to move on without LeBron James, although they'll still leave a light in on in case he wants to play in Chi-town. According to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, the Bulls have agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal with power forward Carlos Boozer. However, it's particularly notable that Boozer's sub-max offer still leaves enough cap room for one max salary deal. LeBron James had supposedly narrowed down his choices to Miami and Cleveland, but Boozer's addition in Chicago could be enough to catch the corner of James' eye.
However, as our own Kurt Helin and I noted earlier, the road to prosperity doesn't have to go through LeBron, even if he happens to be one hell of a navigator. James is the big prize, and would be the best usage of Chicago's remaining cap space. However, if LeBron is convinced that Cleveland, Miami, or New York would present a better opportunity, the Bulls will still be competitive as they are. Add some shooting to the mix, and this Chicago team has the potential to be something rather special.
Even though Tom Thibodeau will have his hands full in making Boozer a competent defender, Carlos' addition provides a nice offensive counter to Joakim Noah's defense. The Rose-Boozer pick-and-roll should be an effective staple, and the balance a high-scoring power forward will bring to Chicago's overall floor game should make a substantial impact.
However, it's a bit fruitless to analyze the Bulls' offense until we see the complete picture. Like I said, this move is only a precursor of others to come. LeBron is clearly options A, B, and C, but there are a number of directions Chicago can go from here. Say what you will about Boozer, but he's a productive 4, a good fit, and a hell of a selling point for the remaining free agents.
