LeBron/DWade, Possible? Options

[puckthefistons]

I am just throwing this out there because we are in a lull and I am tired of hearing about Wilcox and Butler.

Lebron and DWade just signed 3 year deals, which would allow them to become free agents. Big Ben's contract would have 1 year left on it at that point.
Both have obvious aspirations to be a Bull one day, to varying degrees (Lebron's want to be Michael, DWade from Chi).

Dare I say we could have both?
No, Prolly not... but what if? I'm expecting eventually that in some league a couple top notch players will decide it's not just about the $$$ (they can still get huge endorsements anyway, more than they would playing) and team up to create a unstoppable duo. Imagine Hinrich Wade Lebron Deng Wallace. Imagine.

It'll most likely never happen, but it's fun to dream...

[hammerhead johns...]

Am I absolutely nuts for thinking that getting to the free throw line is a skill that should be valued and not hated?

The ability to draw fouls is what it's all about for perimiter scoring threats. Not only do you get the other team's most important frontcourt players in foul trouble, but you also get free points more than 70% of the time (at least in theory)

Points in the paint (feeding it to Shaq, for instance) and fouls off of penetration (Dwyane Wade) are the two most important aspects of offense. You need a frontcourt scoring option (which we don't have), and you need an SG who can penetrate and get to the line (which we don't have).

Defense rules all, but it should be noted that conservative offense goes hand in hand with a defensive philosophy. It applies to all team sports.

In football, it's running the ball effectively. You wear down the opposing defense, and you keep your defense fresh.

In baseball, it is moving the runners along via the sacrifice, the bunt, etc. Playing for one run at a time and NOT waiting around for HRs.

In basketball, it is feeding the ball to your frontcourt scoring options for the highest percentage shots available, and having your perimiter scoring threats penetrate & get the team's opposing frontcourt threats in foul trouble.

The Miami Heat are not a good defensive team, but they won a championship via "defensive offense" (if you will). That is the formula: feed the ball to your unstoppable big man, and let your SG penetrate all day long.

What the Bulls have right now is an insane defense, and an offense that is pretty freaking far from conservative. That will hold us back from winning any championships. I know that people don't want to hear this, but it's the truth. And while Ben Gordon gets a lot of support from Bulls fans, he is one of the primary reasons why we will continue to suck hard on offense. He can't penetrate from the SG slot, which is a sin. He likes to gamble from th outside, and compulsively at that. The absence of a scoring option down low is equally as bad.

You can break down every team in the league on this basis. You need perimiter scoring threats who can penetrate, and frontcourt scoring options. A dominant defense on its own is not enough, although you always always always build with defense first and foremost. Picking Ben Gordon with the #3 overall pick = crazy retarded basketball philosophy. You're not building with defense or conservative offense when you draft guys like that. It was a NY Knicks move, and Pax will forever be branded as a basketball retard in my mind. Great 2006 draft or not, he selected Ben Gordon with the #3 overall pick.

I hate streetball, because it is the exact opposite of conservative offense. So, when I say that I wouldn't take players like Iverson, Marbury, or Francis if they were free, I am being dead serious. I'm not just saying these things to get some attention.

Although I'll let Iverson off the hook a bit, as he is half conservative/half compulsive gambler. He'll lead the league in free throw attempts, but he'll also lead the league in stupid shots as well.