Do the Bulls need another slasher?? Options

[2nd_city_saint78...]

It was brought up on "That other board" that Deng hasn't really been the slasher of old his last few years, and with Rose bound to lose a step or 2 I think the Bulls need to add someone else that can drive to the basket.

Tyreke Evans name was brought up before but it was in a trade with the #5 for Noah, and no one wants that. There was also another trade rumor involving Deng for the 5 and Garcia, so if the rumors hold any water they're interested in Deng. Does adding Watson and #29 to the Deng deal get you Evans and the 5 instead of Garcia??

Am I right in thinking they need another guy that can drive to the rim?

[Jake]

What's wrong with Tyreke Evans? Hot damn he's been a very productive player to give up both him and the 5 for Luol Deng

[2nd_city_saint78...]

What's wrong with Tyreke Evans? Hot damn he's been a very productive player to give up both him and the 5 for Luol Deng

Sac Town seems to like Thomas and Thornton more than him and they're not gonna pay him. The rumor was Noah for Evans and the 5 so how much more value does Noah have?? If the Bulls can resign Evans I wouldn't be against including the Bobcats pick as well.

[Quinarvy]

Sac Town seems to like Thomas and Thornton more than him and they're not gonna pay him. The rumor was Noah for Evans and the 5 so how much more value does Noah have?? If the Bulls can resign Evans I wouldn't be against including the Bobcats pick as well.

The rumor was Deng + Cats pick + Taj for Evans & 5. I've not seen anywhere where it sas Noah for Evans and 5.

[2nd_city_saint78...]

The rumor was Deng + Cats pick + Taj for Evans & 5. I've not seen anywhere where it sas Noah for Evans and 5.

Seen the Noah for Evans and 5 over on the mothership (soxtalk), I assumed whoever posted it got it from somewhere.


Hmmm that trades rather intriguing. Looking at nbadraft.net they have guys like Fab Melo, Draymond Green(If you consider him a PF), and Drew Gordon there at 29 to take Tajs place. Or maybe you can pair #29 with one of CJ, Kyle, or Brew to move up a few spots to grab a guy like Perry Jones, whos draft stock is plummeting for whatever reason. Perry Jones under the coaching of Thibs could be a monster!

If you can add one sure starter, Evans, who offensively will at least match Dengs production, and add another potential starter in a guy like Barnes, Gilcrest, or Beal I'd have to think about trading Taj.

[Jake]

The rumor was Deng + Cats pick + Taj for Evans & 5. I've not seen anywhere where it sas Noah for Evans and 5.

I think that's a bit of an overpay, and marries you to Boozer. You're forced into using the picks to replace the players you traded away in all likelihood.

[2nd_city_saint78...]

I think that's a bit of an overpay, and marries you to Boozer. You're forced into using the picks to replace the players you traded away in all likelihood.

Boozer, while being paid too much, is still a pretty damn good 3rd option.

If they can trade up again with the 29 and somehow get Perry Jones I don't think id miss Taj too much.

[ZoomSlowik]

I REALLY don't like Evans on the same roster as Rose. He's an inefficient scorer that's a non-factor from 3 and needs the ball in his hands. He's also gotten worse since his rookie year, though admittedly he had some nagging injuries mixed in. He strikes me as a guy that's a better fit putting up stats on a bad team than contributing to a contender (unless you surround him with a ton of shooters).

I wouldn't say they really need another driver, the only successful team with two of them is Miami and Lebron/Wade are arguably the two best in the league. What they do need is someone else that can create their own shot to take pressure off Rose and produce when he is on the bench/hurt/having a bad game while still being able to play off the ball down the stretch and produce.

Since they aren't likely to get a post scorer on a budget, that guy probably needs to be a guard. James Harden would probably be the perfect complement (despite the awful Finals). He is used to playing off the ball and scored 17 a game on only 11 shots this year. He can hit the 3, get to the line and get makeable shots one-on-one. Obviously that would be tough to pull off, but someone in that mold would be a god-send to the Bulls.

[2nd_city_saint78...]

I REALLY don't like Evans on the same roster as Rose. He's an inefficient scorer that's a non-factor from 3 and needs the ball in his hands. He's also gotten worse since his rookie year, though admittedly he had some nagging injuries mixed in. He strikes me as a guy that's a better fit putting up stats on a bad team than contributing to a contender (unless you surround him with a ton of shooters).

I wouldn't say they really need another driver, the only successful team with two of them is Miami and Lebron/Wade are arguably the two best in the league. What they do need is someone else that can create their own shot to take pressure off Rose and produce when he is on the bench/hurt/having a bad game while still being able to play off the ball down the stretch and produce.

Since they aren't likely to get a post scorer on a budget, that guy probably needs to be a guard. James Harden would probably be the perfect complement (despite the awful Finals). He is used to playing off the ball and scored 17 a game on only 11 shots this year. He can hit the 3, get to the line and get makeable shots one-on-one. Obviously that would be tough to pull off, but someone in that mold would be a god-send to the Bulls.

Ill bring it up again...Evans was the starting SF for the final 25 games of the season, that usually means he doesn't have the ball in his hands. Also in early March he worked with a guy called "the shot doctor" and proceeded to put up a FG% of 49% in march and 50% in April.

[ZoomSlowik]

Ill bring it up again...Evans was the starting SF for the final 25 games of the season, that usually means he doesn't have the ball in his hands. Also in early March he worked with a guy called "the shot doctor" and proceeded to put up a FG% of 49% in march and 50% in April.

He still averaged almost 15 shots a game and 4 assists in March, that's a guy that has the ball quite a bit. You can still dominate the ball as a wing player, just look at Lebron. In April, pretty much all of his rate stats were down, but he still averaged 12.1 shots and 3.6 assists, that's more possessions used than a lot of PG's. That wasn't a terribly productive month for him either, those were very low point/rebound/assists totals for him. He also got to the line a lot less those last two months, which used to be one of the main things keeping his scoring passable even when he was shooting in the low-40's.

His FG% the last two months don't really mean anything. FG% is generally more correlated with getting shots close to the basket than shooting ability. He was still a complete non-factor from 3 (like 12% on basically no attempts) and April was by far his worst month at the FT line, so it's not like he magically improved his shot significantly. He had several solid to great months from the field his rookie year too, and it wasn't because of his jumpshot.

The bottom line is he's just not an efficient scorer. Even in those last two months, he only got 16.5 points on 14.6 shots and 14.6 points on 12.1 shots. His true shooting %'s his first three years (basically adjusted to include 3's and FG's) were 52.9, 48.2 and 51.2. To put that in perspective, Luol Deng was at 50 this year even with an awful season from the field and was at 54.9 and 53.1 the previous two years. He's not a particularly efficient scorer either.

[Jake]

Given the issue with fit along with the purported price, I don't think I'm feeling it. Slasher or not, like Zoom said it would be nice to have someone that can create. Rip can sometimes get open off the ball...but I'm not sure if that's our ideal plan at this point since he's been so hurt and is only getting older. Harden probably would look pretty good on this team. Maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle in the draft and develop one.

[Quinarvy]

Bulls need a shot creator more than anything else, especially an inefficient scorer like Tyreke.

[ZoomSlowik]

Given the issue with fit along with the purported price, I don't think I'm feeling it. Slasher or not, like Zoom said it would be nice to have someone that can create. Rip can sometimes get open off the ball...but I'm not sure if that's our ideal plan at this point since he's been so hurt and is only getting older. Harden probably would look pretty good on this team. Maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle in the draft and develop one.

That's their problem, they pretty much have to find this guy in the draft or take on a highly flawed player while dumping Deng or Boozer. The best combination of fit and availability is probably Kevin Martin, but he's a pretty awful defender and I have no idea if Houston is interested in either of those players. Doing two deals or counting on a FA signing after dumping everyone is a lot tougher/riskier.

I'd much rather err on the side of a shooter though, someone like Evans is going to have fewer touches playing with Rose and it really hurts their spacing when neither guard is a real threat from deep (Rose is okay).

[Balta1701-B]

I don't think the Bulls (if Rose had Jesus's hand on his knee) really need a "Slasher" although it never hurts. Their biggest need is what Hamilton was supposed to give last year, a more complete outside player who can help spread the floor out. The best way to defeat the Bulls is to collapse on Rose if he tries to penetrate. Having another slasher doesn't change that...having an extra guy with a midrange game does.

[Jake]

I don't think the Bulls (if Rose had Jesus's hand on his knee) really need a "Slasher" although it never hurts. Their biggest need is what Hamilton was supposed to give last year, a more complete outside player who can help spread the floor out. The best way to defeat the Bulls is to collapse on Rose if he tries to penetrate. Having another slasher doesn't change that...having an extra guy with a midrange game does.

I agree with this. I think Luol, when healthy, will give you enough of that "slasher" look. I think Rip is the right sort of player as well, even if ideally Rip might shoot the three better. We saw some real flashes of brilliance the few times we got to see Rip and Derrick play together, it was especially fun to see them run the fast break together. Rip may be old and oft-injured, but he's still a fast runner.

If you can bring in a Ray Allen, what do you do with Rip? Hope the two can combine for 82 games?