Shaq to the Bulls?

[cool007]

If we get Shaq and keep BG, we are easily a 50+ win team and possibly the best team in the East - in the playoffs (especially if Rose improves even a bit).

I mean the team we had in the playoffs + Shaq would have beaten Celtics in 5 and Magic in 6. Gordon is begging for a big player who can score down low or demand double team, Gordon/Rose/Salmons/Tyrus/Noah would be HUGE with Shaq in there and it would make their lives 100x easier.

There is BIG BEEF right there that we were missing.

Also, to those who say Shaq will slow us down. If Miller can't slow us down, how do you figure Shaq will? Shaq's outlet passes are the best of any big man ever lived. Rose/Gordon/Salmons/Tyrus/Noah would love that as it would get them easy buckets.

Please kerr do us a favor and pull the trigger.

 

[Simeon2UC]

AirP wrote:

HeavyC wrote:

I like that lineup, but I'd probably start Noah at PF. He's earned the starting spot ahead of Tyrus. Let Tyrus come in against the other team's second unit.

Um.... while Shaq is camped out in the low post, the PF is going to need to have a midrange game and that isn't something Noah can do.

The pairings for PF and Center that make sense...
Shaq and Tyrus
Miller and Noah
Shaq and Miller (slow at 2 positions, but beef for rebounding).

Tyrus would do better starting next to a force like him. He's a better help-side defender than Noah is. I can see Shaq holding his defender off then Tyrus comes over and squats the defenseless ball.

 

[ryguy24]

Translation:

Let's make this team look alot better than we actually are to the 2010 FA's.

 

[TheStig]

dougthonus wrote:

Why do you say that? It frees up $3.5 Million this year to bring us under $60 million committed for the year. If the LT doesn't go much we will $9-10 Million in salary room to sign BG and both draft picks. This move also doesn't preclude us from making a move for Bosh since we still have Miller's expiring deal, TT and both picks. I really can't see a downside unless Deng makes a comeback in Phoenix but they have so many other offensive options that he won't touch the ball, and if the suns think they can play him at the 4, he will get destroyed.

That would be 60 million for 7 players. 9 players after you use the draft picks, and you're up to 62.5 million. Sign Gordon for 7.1 million first year (that'd be the same 54 million dollar deal we offered last yera), and you're now at 69.6 million for 10 players.

The luxury tax is expected to be at 70 million. You need to sign three guys for the minimum which totals 1.5 million more, you're at 71.1 million total. I think it's actually a little bit above that when we remove all the rough rounding as well.

I was assuming that the bulls weren't going to offer BG quite as much as before. I assumed a 6 yr $50 Million contract that saves a little more than half a mill and you could trade the later first round pick for a early second rounder and save a few hundred k to bring you closer to the LT. We would be about a few hundred thousand over that we could trim during the year. Definitely much better then before when we were a projected 4-5 mill over.

 

[Newskoolbulls]

Chicago so eager to get rid of the man they broke the bank for, wow I could have predicted that last offseason. As for Shaq I would love to see him in a Bulls uni, we love to get aging HOFs for their last seasons (Thurmond, Gervin, Parish).

 

[chi_hawks_23]

I like this alot.

We add a post presence.
We get rid of Dengs horrible contract.
We have around 35 million coming off the books with Miller/Shaq.
We can make a play for a big time free agent in 2010 to fill the SF spot (insert Lebron pipe dream here).

 

[dougthonus]

I was assuming that the bulls weren't going to offer BG quite as much as before. I assumed a 6 yr $50 Million contract that saves a little more than half a mill and you could trade the later first round pick for a early second rounder and save a few hundred k to bring you closer to the LT. We would be about a few hundred thousand over that we could trim during the year. Definitely much better then before when we were a projected 4-5 mill over.

If you do those two things you're pretty close, but BG may not take the lesser offer (of course he might not take the greater one either). You could always try and trade both picks for future 1st rounders or take guys who will stay overseas perhaps.

 

[Medianotzu]

Doug, this is what I posted on your Chicagonow blog:

My first question is how this would affect our ability to sign someone via 2010. I assume the only way Phx does this is to keep Amare around, --maybe even make such a deal conditional to Amare signing an extension?-- so he's probably out of the picture if this happens (although how funny would it be if this did go down and he still opted out and then came to Chicago when Shaq left!)

We'd have tons of cap space, but would there be anyone at that point to use it on? I wonder . . .

My second question is how would this improve our team next season? I'd have to think it would help us immensely, especially if this move meant keeping BG and playing Salmons at his more natural 3 rather than at the 2 spot. And Shaq would probably really help us on the court.

So does anyone think we have a realistic shot to use all that cap space in 2010?

 

[Jamfan]

This would be an awesome move. Anything to get rid of Deng and get a huge expiring.

 

[TheStig]

dougthonus wrote:

I was assuming that the bulls weren't going to offer BG quite as much as before. I assumed a 6 yr $50 Million contract that saves a little more than half a mill and you could trade the later first round pick for a early second rounder and save a few hundred k to bring you closer to the LT. We would be about a few hundred thousand over that we could trim during the year. Definitely much better then before when we were a projected 4-5 mill over.

If you do those two things you're pretty close, but BG may not take the lesser offer (of course he might not take the greater one either). You could always try and trade both picks for future 1st rounders or take guys who will stay overseas perhaps.

You're right, BG's situation will be interesting. It really can go either way where he gets a good offer and is gone or can't get anything more than the MLE. Ultimatly, I see him back. And with trading the picks you don't really save much. The #26 pick will be barely under a mill and a early second rounder makes 800k. Isn't the minimum around $500k? If you liquidate the picks it just downgrades talent and doesn't save much. I'd rather try to move kirk for outlaw and blake but thats not a given. You don't even have to cut them and then your roster looks like this.

Rose/Blake
BG/Blake/pick
Salmons/Outlaw
Miller/TT/Noah
Shaq/Noah/Miller

And then after the year you are left with both picks, Rose, BG, Salmons, Noah and bird rights on TT with a lot of cap space and a good core group.

 

[Jamfan]

You know Reinsdoofus is all over this. Shaq=Jersey sales even if he is only here for one year and you can bet it will sell out the United Center all 41 games.

This would be a fantastic move though. Not only could Shaq be a nice mentor to our young guys including Tyrus, Noah, and Rose but of course we get rid of Deng's awful contract and get a huge expiring in exchange for it. Let's face it, the current core will never win a championship together. They could make it to the 2nd round a few times but I see nothing more even when Rose develops.

 

[Hendu0520]

This would be the best option if we can't trade for Bosh or Amare. I would be so happy if this went down. I think the Bulls team woould be a perfect fit for Shaq and it wouldn't matter if we slowed down some. With our athletecism and shooting we would be a tough team to beat and basically have all of our weaknesses covered. Shaq would have to stay healthy but we would have great depth up front and could afford to give him some games off like Phoenix did last year. The problem for the Suns was that they kept changing and tweaking the roster and they lost their identity and continuity. Our team has good chemistry already and I think placing Shaq with us would only be a positive. This article has me getting very excited for the possibilities for trades and moves this summer. I know we have been disappointed in the past when we have set ourselves up for success (all that cap space in 2000, didn't get Duncan), but now we have a player that can attract talent so I have to be optomistic.

 

[??? ??????]

This would be a great move. Shaq improves us on both sides of the ball. He's a perfect fit with Ben Gordon. Kirk Hinrich and John Salmons, as long as they're hitting their jumpshots, are good fits next to Shaq as well.

 

[Basghetti80]

It appears I am in the minority here in not wanting this deal to happen. First is this deal does not save capspace to sign Gordon and stay under the luxury tax for next season. Two is we just gave up a still young talent in Deng who is under contract for one year of Shaq(and a reduced Shaq at that). This deal clears all this space for 2010 but who really is going to be there to sign as a FA in 2010? Lebron ain't coming, Wade will sign an extension in Miami, Bosh probably is traded before then and if Shaq is moved then Phoenix signs Amare to an extension. So you have Shaq for one year, you still don't bring Gordon back, you have no bigtime FA to sign in summer of 2010, and you also have lost a young talent in Deng.

 

[PJ Brown]

I've been sitting back witnessing the uproar on the boards today unsure of my opinion. Over the last year or so, posters have floated the why don't we trade for Shaq idea many times, usually to be greeted by a vast majority of posters who hate it, which leaves me somewhat surprised that the majority supports this trade. The majority of Bulls posters these days also seem intent on dumping Deng's deal. I have mixed emotions on Deng, as I think he doesn't deserve the burial he's getting these days and have faith that his career will still largely pan out. But I also accept that the risk/reward scale now points in risk direction, thus I endorse moving Deng under clearly advantageous scenarios. A large ending deal certainly qualifies, so I'd probably say do it, but where Shaq giveth, Shaq taketh away--the Bulls better have a strong feeling that he wants to be here, or else he could prove a serious distraction.

 

[AirP]

Basghetti80 wrote:

It appears I am in the minority here in not wanting this deal to happen. First is this deal does not save capspace to sign Gordon and stay under the luxury tax for next season. Two is we just gave up a still young talent in Deng who is under contract for one year of Shaq(and a reduced Shaq at that). This deal clears all this space for 2010 but who really is going to be there to sign as a FA in 2010? Lebron ain't coming, Wade will sign an extension in Miami, Bosh probably is traded before then and if Shaq is moved then Phoenix signs Amare to an extension. So you have Shaq for one year, you still don't bring Gordon back, you have no bigtime FA to sign in summer of 2010, and you also have lost a young talent in Deng.

Well, in the last 2 years we've seen players much better then Deng get traded for cap space... Gasol and Camby. Hell, Billips just got traded for cap space(AI) during this last season. Although I don't like giving away quality players, I don't mind giving up vastly overpaid players. Deng's last 3 years he's paid 12 million, 13 million and then 14 million, that's going to effect us in the future, not so much in the next couple of years, but not too far down the road, especially when Rose is going to get a big contract.

 

[Hendu0520]

Good point Basghetti there are good reasons not to do the move. However there are more free agents 2010 than the Big3. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Kenyon Martin, Josh Howard, Tracy McGrady, Yao (both risky though), Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, Manu Ginobili, even a step down from those guys there are a lot like Matt Harpring, Mike Miller, T.J. Ford, Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler. Not to mention if players this year like Kobe, Rasheed Wallace and Boozer take their option and decide to become unrestricted FA's in 2010 the list will go up. Having cap space with a rock like Derrick Rose is a very smart move for the Bulls, doesn't mean they'll get someone but we have to have the ability to make offers to some of these guys.

 

[Jamfan]

Deng is an overpaid, injury prone SF. If we can get rid of him for a huge expiring than that would be amazing. I don't think Deng will ever be the player we envisioned he will be. And I don't think the Bulls have much of a championship shot with a core of Rose, Gordon, Deng, Tyrus, Noah anyways.

 

[PJ Brown]

Hendu0520 wrote:

Good point Basghetti there are good reasons not to do the move. However there are more free agents 2010 than the Big3. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Kenyon Martin, Josh Howard, Tracy McGrady, Yao (both risky though), Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, Manu Ginobili, even a step down from those guys there are a lot like Matt Harpring, Mike Miller, T.J. Ford, Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler. Not to mention if players this year like Kobe, Rasheed Wallace and Boozer take their option and decide to become unrestricted FA's in 2010 the list will go up. Having cap space with a rock like Derrick Rose is a very smart move for the Bulls, doesn't mean they'll get someone but we have to have the ability to make offers to some of these guys.

When you consider this list, it's really hard to imagine the Bulls not being able to seriously improve their team in 2010. I'd still prefer making 2010 come early by locking down Bosh and Amare now, but Shaq as a 2010 buffer move really isn't that bad of an idea.

 

[Dpauley23]

DerrickRose1 wrote:

Deng is an overpaid, injury prone SF. If we can get rid of him for a huge expiring than that would be amazing. I don't think Deng will ever be the player we envisioned he will be. And I don't think the Bulls have much of a championship shot with a core of Rose, Gordon, Deng, Tyrus, Noah anyways.

I guess that contract is as bad as we thought. People over at real gm are saying we only have to pay 50 million because 30% of the salary is deferred