Here is a list of players I'd like to see the Bulls keep for the future and those I think should go.

Keep:
Luol Deng
Joakim Noah
Ben Gordon (as a bench player or playing the PG spot if we can get a SG with size that can handle the ball)
Drew Gooden
Tyrus Thomas (give him 1 more year. If he doesn't show improvement ship him out)(But I think next year could be somewhat of a breakout year)
Aaron Gray (as a 3rd center)
Demitrus Nichols (as the last roster spot)
Cedric Simmons (work with him and see what happens. Drop him if he doesn't improve next year)
Thabo (I have him in both the trade and keep b/c I only want to keep him if we trade Kirk and Hughes. If we don't get rid of them there is no reason for him to stay)

Trade/Let Walk:

Chris Duhon
Kirk Hinrich
Larry Hughes
Nocioni
Thabo

I'd love to trade any combination of Kirk, Hughes, Thabo, or Nocioni and our pick for any combination of players and the # 2 pick so we could draft Derrick Rose. Then I'd like to sign Maggette with any money we save in a trade. Then resign Gordon & Deng and go into next year with the following lineup. Tyrus will be able to get more minutes b/c he'll be able to play the 3 and 4. I'd then trade the rest of the players listed for mid-late first round picks and draft a backup PG and backup center. I'd love a lmid to ate first round pick to take Brandon Rush, Hasheem Thabeet, or even a 2nd round pick for Serge Ibaka. I am just tired of having a glut of guards. I want consistent minutes for the guards we have. I want Ben Gordon to know he's going to get 25+ mpg. We can use him as the primary backup to both Rose & Maggette and have another young PG or veteran PG to use when players get in foul trouble.

Noah
Gooden
Deng
Maggette/Gordon
Rose

http://www.mynbadraft.com/NBA-Draft-Profil...08/Derrick-Rose


Rose has superstar written all over him. He's super quick and super athletic. He has to work on his jumper but he's going to be an outstanding player. Plus he seems to have his head on straight.

I say trade Kirk & Tyrus and our pick to get him. I don't care if that sound like a lot. I'd even trade Nocioni/Kirk/Tyrus & our pick for the #1 or 2 and some other players or picks. That's how confident I am that he's going to be a star.

We might not be a great team for a couple of season but the lineup above would be young and explosive offensively.

IMO, the blocks this team should be trying to build around right now appear to be:

PF: TT, Gooden
SF: Deng
C: Noah, Gray
SG: Thabo, Hughes
PG: ?

I'm totally unsatisfied with our PG position right now. Hinrich is still useful as a defender, but the disaster that is this season started with poor play on offense, and he's supposed to be the guy making the offense go. If I had to choose, that's the part I would focus on fixing.

I like the 3-4 person rotation we have at PF and Center, although I still think TT should be getting more minutes, and the next time Boylan goes to his 4 guard and Gooden lineup he ought to be castrated.

Deng and Thabo I don't think need a big explanation. Deng, I think we still hope he can find a way to be healthy next season and take the next step he failed to take this season. Thabo has looked like a 15 ppg guard who can legitimately shut down the opposing team's best guard regardless of who that is, and that's a damn useful piece even if he's not going to make the AS team doing that.

Hughes is the interesting one. He's a wild card to my eyes. He fits a certain type of ball. He's by far the best on a high energy team, because he can generate steals, and is known as a cutting and slashing kind of guy who gets in to the lane, breaks down a defense, and gets to the foul line. That was what he did in his best season in Washington. I want to hold on to him for 2 reasons. First, I think his value was badly depressed by playing in Cleveland, and I think there's a reasonably good chance he'll stay healthy next year just by chance and push his value higher by performing well. And second, he has a large expiring contract that hits in the Wade/Lebron/Melo year. And someone will give up a boatload for one of those.

Keep:
Sefolosha, Thomas, Noah, Deng, Gooden.

Trade: Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni, Larry Hughes. This team needs a true go to guy and i would love it to be via the point guard position. Can Pax move up in the draft? Who else is out there?

Let Walk: Chris Duhon.

Sign and Trade: Ben Gordon

Obviously Pax wont be able to trade ALL those players. BUT i think we have enough players to trade for a true stud. I would love a true center who can score consistenly and rebound consistenly (Elton Brand). I would also love a true point gaurd... if only Pax can move up in the draft for Derek Rose. I know Utah traded an aweful lot to move up and pick up Deron Williams. I think we are in a position to move up like that. What will Minnesota want for that #2 pick?

There's certainly no guarantee that Minnesota would get the #2 pick, or even that they'd be willing to move. We know they'll get top 5.

In terms of a "true go to guy", I only really see 2 that should be available on the market this offseason. Elton Brand, and Gilbert Arenas. Neither of them are the PG you want. Both would have to be done with a sign and trade, which probably means it would involve our #10 pick or so, along with either Hinrich or Hughes, probably plus one of the 2 young big guys.

If you think keeping Gordon is a good idea then you haven't been watching the games lately.

So many games have come down to the wire, as in the 4th quarter (as we all know...), and for some reason the key player goes to Gordon. The problem here is Gordon is one of the worst small-guards in the NBA at handling the ball. He drives to the hole out-of-control and loses the ball half the time, and misses his shot the other half of the time. Driving full speed to the rim hoping to get a foul, it's just not realistic to have that happen constantly...

Get rid of the following:

Gordon
Hinrich

That's all I see of the main problems right now. They are the key players from last year that have been such a disappointment for this year. I don't care if you say Gordon puts up 20 a game, anyone can do that when they keep the ball and shoot. Hinrich just can't hit anything this year, and it's time to let him go.

Keep the following for a while:

Tyrus
Duhon
Hughes
Gooden
Thabo

Hughes and Gooden coming over to the Bulls was probably the best transaction the Bulls pulled off since trading for Jalen Rose (Laugh... JK...) but they are awesome players who just need to get into the Bulls playing-style and they will bring Wins in like no other. Tyrus is still out of control, and I'm a huge Tyrus fan so it's hard for me to go against him, but I'd like to give him 1 more year (as was stated above). Duhon is probably the 2nd best backup PG in the NBA (Calderon/Ford best 2 combo in my opinion). Duhon is getting the hard end of the shaft this season, but I believe he could easily take a starter roll next to Hughes as being PG with Hughes the new SG.

Here's a great lineup option for next year:

C - Jermaine O'Neal
PF - Jamison
SF - Deng
SG - Hughes
PG - Duhon

Also I'd like to pick up Maggette, which could result in:

C - Jermaine
PF - Jamison
SF - Deng
SG - Maggette
PG - Hughes

This lineup would be a bigmans dream, big key players who are athletic and can shoot the 3PTers with ease.

Just out of curiosity, do you know how bad Jermaine O'Neal's contract is for the next couple years? He's currently the 3rd highest paid player in the NBA I believe.

The Bulls don't have enough cap space to add Jamison, and to have enough to get O'Neal they'd have to send two of Hinrich, Hughes, Nocioni and Gooden (you can add Gordon and Deng to that list too in a sign and trade). Not that I endorse that move, he's grossly overpaid, injury prone, and has fallen off precipitously.

It is amazing how far Hinrich's stock has fallen in one year.

As for must keeps, I would say:

Luol Deng
Joakim Noah
Ben Gordon
Drew Gooden
Tyrus Thomas

I would love to see Pax trade some of the others for draft picks or to move up. Then sign at least one impact FA. For how bad this team was this year, it is not far from being a contender again with the young nucleus.

A lot of people have been low on Hinrich for several years now, and those of us who liked him could find things to point to like the fact that he did seem to be constantly improving on offense, or he'd play shut-down defense on even the better guards in the league, that would make us feel correct in saying he was a useful piece. And on top of that he seemed like he was becoming a solid leader/captain under Skiles.

This year though he's regressed on offense, his defense has taken a step back, he gets in foul trouble too often, he's just getting exploited on the court, and he really looked to be one of several weak links. And that says nothing about how rudderless and leaderless this team has been. If there's ever a season which justified stripping a player of a "C" it's this one.

Even with Jermaine out of the picture we need to get a big dominant forward that can play the post and shoot the range, and I think that Jamison is a perfect FA to acquire for that. Put Noah at C, as he has done an excellent job for being a rookie this year.

Gordon is a must go, so is Hinrich. Once they leave, this team will be much better. I personally would like to see Deng be our go-to-guy in the clutch instead of Gordon.

They'd still have to work out a large sign and trade for Jamison since they have zero cap space (well, mid-level exception, which is at best half of what Jamison will likely get). With no dead-weight expiring contracts, that'd be quite a pain in the ass to pull off since you'd either have to give up Gooden and another piece or two or convince them to take on a decent sized longer term contract (like the ones mentioned in my last post). I don't think you can sign Gordon/Deng to a one year deal and then trade them, otherwise that might work.

At this point I think I am willing to trade ANYONE for the right price. This team has played so godawful and with an absolute lack of heart, I wouldn't care if any of them got dealt.

IN KC Johnson's story today in the Trib he goes through the crowded back court and makes predictions. Sounds like he thinks Kirk is going to be traded, and Thabo is going to have much larger role next season.

LINK


Here's a look at the incumbents' strengths and weaknesses and their likelihood of returning:



Ben Gordon
Salary status: Bulls will present $6.4 million tender offer, which Gordon could sign and then become an unrestricted free agent after 2008-09 season. Bulls own his rights this summer as a restricted free agent and also can negotiate a long-term extension.

2007-08 strengths: Remains the Bulls' best pure scorer and has the ability to score in bunches. Also, at least publicly, accepted sixth-man role without making waves.

2007-08 weaknesses: Served as primary ballhandler for longer stretches than ever and continued to display poor decision-making. With size limitations, often got swallowed by double-teams. Still an average defender.

Crystal ball outlook: Any sign-and-trade scenario is difficult given Gordon essentially announced to league he's seeking more than $10 million annually by rejecting last summer's extension offer. Bulls will shop him, but he'll return to play with Hughes, for better or for worse.


Larry Hughes
Salary status: Two years, $26.5 million remaining

2007-08 strengths: Has shown flashes of being able to contribute as a scorer and as a playmaker. Can get to the rim and owns enough experience to attack when jumper isn't falling.

2007-08 weaknesses: Poor shot selection contributed to his Bulls' field-goal percentage plummeting to 37.8 percent, below even his 41 percent career mark. Not as committed a defender as when he led the league in steals during 2004-05 season.

Crystal ball outlook: Contract makes him tough to move until 2009-10 season. Look for Hughes to return.


Kirk Hinrich
Salary status: Four years, $36.5 million remaining

2007-08 strengths: Improved his on-court leadership skills.

2007-08 weaknesses: Regressed at defensive end, where he seemed to lose a step after making second-team All-Defense last season. Shooting percentage dipped to his career mark of 41 percent.

Crystal ball outlook: Despite his substandard season, Hinrich still has value. Bulls will move him as part of larger package to settle point-guard position.


Thabo Sefolosha
Salary status: One year, $1.9 remaining on his rookie contract; Bulls own his rights for two more seasons.

2007-08 strengths: Flashed versatile defensive ability and improved jumper, particularly during long starting stretch until a groin injury sidelined him. Also displayed mental toughness to rebound from horrible start.

2007-08 weaknesses: Still dribbles into trouble too often and tries to make spectacular play.

Crystal ball outlook: Will return and be a prominent player.

kcjohnson@tribune.com

Its hard to imagine another year with Gordon, Sefolosha, and Hughes all crowded at the same position again. Then again, there is the money factor which makes it difficult to move any one player. I just wish we could somehow package say a Ben Gordon, Drew Gooden, and Nocioni for somebody and then perhaps move Kirk for a player and draft pick later on. Idk

If we could con someone into taking Hinrich and our 1st, as well as a future pick and get Derrick Rose, that'd be sweet. Then you trade a combo of Gooden, Noc, Gordon (S&T), Hughes and Tyrus for a true PF like Jermaine O'Neal or Elton Brand. Fill in the bench with some veterans in FA and we're looking a lot better.

Rose - Thabo - Deng - Brand - Noah

I would be so totally in favor of that.

Hell, I do just about anything to pull off a lineup with Rose, Thomas, Noah, Deng, and Thabo also.

Stay away from O'Neal for me though.

Yeah I'm sick of the Jermaine Oneal talk, he's is injury prone and you can't count on him even playing 60 games let alone 82.. If Derrick Rose fell in our laps it would be a dream come true; he's a stud and will be a star in this league you can bet on that.

Not only that, but his contract is just disgusting.

I've come to the conclusion that both Hughes and Gordon need to go, and Thabo needs to be the everyday SG next season. He's too good defensively, with great size, and he has made amazing strides offensively this season. 20 double-digit scoring games with only 22 starts all season.

Deng is also a keeper. One of the best mid-range shooters in the league and is pretty damn consistent when healthy. He'll give you some decent defense and when he is driving to the hoop, he has that All-Star potential.

Obviously Noah is a keeper too. I can definitely see him averaging a double-double or damn near it in a season or 2.

Gooden did damn good for us before he went down. I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him, but if he had to go in a package to get us a Derrick Rose or an established, star-type PF, I wouldn't be against it.

I wouldn't exactly count on Thabo to be a regular source of points, most of the time when he was starting Deng and Gordon were out as well as Hinrich for a good stretch. Our top three scoring options at times were Nocioni, Thabo, and Tyrus. SOMEONE had to shoot in those games, it wasn't exactly a typical sample.

Somewhere around 10 a game is about the absolute most I'd expect from him over the course of a full season, he just can't really create good shots on his own yet. If we were going to pull that off we'd really need to find a way to get 3 solid mid-teens or higher scorers in the lineup (or one guy comfortably over 20 as well as Deng and someone else that can at least regularly hit open shots). I'm not saying we should get rid of him, but we'd need to replace a fair chunk of that scoring that'd be going out. You can't get by with like 60-65 points from your starters, then you need to find a consistent 35 off your bench just to stay competitive, and if you start both Noah and Thabo it'd take a lot to even get 65. If you still have Gordon/Hughes coming off the bench (or some other legit scorer) though you might be able to pull that off.

Moving Hughes would also be very difficult given the 3 years and 40 mil or so left on his deal. We'd almost certainly end up eating another awful deal like Kenyon Martin (passable when healthy but there's something like 3-45 left on his deal and had his first reasonably healthy year in a long time), Erik Dampier, Nene or Troy Murphy. If Pax could actually get something of value, even if it's just an expiring contract, that'd be a pretty impressive feat.

Doesn't Hughes only have 2 years left on his deal? Signed before the 2005-2006 season, 5 year deal. That makes him particularly useful IMO as he's a large expiring contract in the Lebron/Wade/Melo year.

Personally, I hold on to Hughes for now for that reason, because there may be teams willing to give up a lot to get a shot at one of those expiring deals that year.

My bad, still using stuff that counts this season. Yes, it is only 2 years, and yeah, he would have a ton of value as an expiring deal.

I don't think we should hold onto a player for 2 years just b/c we might have a chance to sign one of the big 3. What happened last time the Bulls had the most money and a chance to sign one of the other big 3 (Duncan, Tmac, or Grant Hill). They failed miserably. I know this a different Bulls but they need to quit planning around that. Plus, if they resign Deng and Gordon to decent contracts, they will likely be over the cap with Hinrich/Gordon/Deng & all the other players on the books. Not to mention, Gooden's final year is 2008/2009 which is a year before the Lebron class. And I don't think we are going to just let him walk.

The good thing is that should be pursue a trade, his $7.10 expiring contract will be a huge trading piece. It will be a huge trading asset if we want to move up in the draft or if we want to get a player in a sign in trade (Brand/Arenas/Allen Iverson/Baron Davis/Jermaine O'neal/Corey Maggette/Shaun Marion)

The idea is not necessarily that we should hold a player to have a chance at the big 3.

The idea is that if there's a team out there that's rebuilding, that is stockpiling young talent right now (let's say Oklahoma City or Portland) and will consequently not have a lot of veteran contracts, they may well try to put themselves in a position where they will be $20 million under the cap that year. To do that, you need probably 2 expiring contracts or an expiring contract of Hughes's size and a lot of additional room.

So, you go to those teams, I'm sure a couple more will be created randomly within a year, and offer up Hughes's expiring contract and maybe a player or a pick and you try to pull off a Gasol or Garnett level deal.

If the lottery works out in our favor and we land picks 1 or 2, then you build around either Rose (1) or Beasley (2). If we get the 3rd pick or 9-12, then just take BPA.

Of the players we currently have, I would say the nucleus should be Tyrus, Deng and Noah...in that order. Noah is a definite keeper but he is more of a role player. Tyrus is just scratching the surface of his immense potential and Deng can be a capable #2...3 if we get Rose and send him packing for a real PG if we get Beasley (let Tyrus play SF).

Keep Thabo, Hughes (for his expiring contract in 2010), Gooden (capable starting PF if Tyrus struggles and a nice expiring for trade deadline), Gray. Keep Noce if possible as a 6th/7th man or if he needs to be included in a deal, then so be it.

If we get Rose, then keep Gordon and send Hinrich packing. If we get Beasley, keep Hinrich and send Gordon packing.

The rest can go/stay to fill out a roster.

Getting rid of the team's best all-around player that's only 23 isn't in their best interests, especially just to make room for a guy that hasn't proven that he can produce with any kind of consistency yet. Tyrus would have to improve EXPONENTIALLY in order to be our #1 option in the near future, which would be hard considering he's a poor finisher inside and a below average shooter. If you get Beasley you hang on to him and Deng, giving you one of the top forward combinations out there and a good, young foundation for your team, whereas if you get rid of Deng you're just looking for another capable scorer on a team that doesn't have a whole lot of them for another year if you deal Deng and possibly Gordon (considering that none of Tyrus, Noah, and Thabo can get a good shot with regularity and those are your supposed cornerstones of another youth movement). Then you have Tyrus be the primary backup at both spots for a year after dumping Noc for whatever you can get (should get 20-25 minutes that way, plus some at C in a small-ish lineup maybe depending on the matchups) and see what happens with his development. If he's still the same player that looks relatively average most of the time with only occasional explosive plays you do it again the last year of his contract, if he finally breaks out you re-visit your trade options with either him or Deng. Even then moving Deng only makes sense if he's a major piece to bring in an elite talent, otherwise he would have more value to this team. Even in a down year with some injury problems he posted a player efficiency rating that was comfortably above average and easily led the team, with Gordon and Noah as the only other two that were above league average in that department. He's not a superstar, but he's still a solid player that's a very valuable piece, especially given his youth.

That and the last part makes no sense at all, why would you automatically get rid of Gordon if you get Beasley? Their playing time wouldn't affect each other at all and having both of them as well as Deng floating around as a mid-range/slashing guy would spread the floor nicely. I mean okay, I understand for money purposes and avoiding a potential headache, but that's independent of Beasley.

Of course the whole thing is moot considering the Bulls have something like a 2% chance of getting one of the top-2 picks, which will likely mean one of the UCLA guys (Westbrook or Love) given their recent drafting patterns.

I'm surprised I hadn't put my own thoughts in here...

Keep unless we get blown away (as in dealing them would somehow bring in a superior player):

Loul Deng
Joakim Noah
Tyrus Thomas
Thabo Sefolosha


I wouldn't say those guys are untouchable, but it'd take a lot. Deng is there because he's our most well-rounded player and was an above average starter even in an off year with several nagging injuries. The other three are there because they're cheap and fairly productive and/or have upside.


Keep with conditions:

Ben Gordon (if the money is right and/or you can move Hughes, otherwise you might have no choice)
Kirk Hinrich (if you can't immediately find another starting PG)
Drew Gooden (if his expiring contract can bring us an impact then deal him, otherwise keep him around)


I know I and others have ripped on him, but he's clearly our best offensive option regardless of his size and defensive issues. He's an elite shooter, we just need to find ways to limit the amount of shots he has to force, that's when he gets in trouble. Pairing him with Thabo in the backcourt whenever possible (or Hughes if he's still here) would help too, or if Kirk can figure out how to play defense again. As for Kirk, he clearly had a bad year, but I don't know how easy it'll be to find a definite upgrade. His numbers actually looked respectable by the end of the year, though he was pretty bad for long stretches. I'd definitely try to upgrade at the PG spot and wouldn't hesitate to move Kirk if it brought in a stud, but we may be forced to bring him back for now.


Trade at all costs:

Andres Nocioni
Larry Hughes


It's not that I hate Noc, his shooting ability has some value. The problem is that's all he really did last year, and he's getting paid like a reasonably good starter and is taking 25 minutes from younger and potentially better players. Ideally we'd pick up a backup combo guard, a late pick, or an expiring contract for him, but IMO any warm body would work as long as they don't bring a sizeable long term deal with him. I'd talk to Memphis about getting Kyle Lowry personally.

Moving Hughes might prove difficult. He has a fair amount of money left on his deal and two more seasons, and he's just not a difference maker. He obviously has some offensive skills and is a decent defender, but he takes a lot of bad shots (33.7% on 2-point jumpers this year, and he takes A LOT of them) and is a lot less useful when he feels like coasting or is pouting. It'd really help solve a bit of a log-jam at the 2-guard spot if you could move him for someone useful at another spot or an expiring contract, but the best you might be able to hope for is another awful contract. If you can deal him do it, if not I guess you have to keep him around as a backup combo guard and hope he doesn't cause any problems as he gets closer to being an expiring contract.


Basically they have to try to package one or two parts to try to get a stud player, which could be tough. There probably won't be that many out there, and many of them will have injury/contract concerns. Still, you've got a real chance to make something happen. You have several fairly expendable parts with big deals with Hughes, Gordon (in a sign and trade), Hinrich and Nocioni. I wouldn't hesitate to include our 1st rounder as well barring a stroke of luck, I have a hard time seeing us find an impact player at our spot. I don't know how feasible it'd be to trade up in the draft. I'd definitely do it if I could get 1 or 2 for Rose or Beasley, but you're also less likely to get those. I don't really think it'd be worth it to move up for guys like Lopez or Mayo personally.

I'd try like hell to get Elton Brand. He came back to put up 18-8 with 2 blocks in the 8 games he played this year, and with an entire off-season to get back in his normal game shape he should be fine. You might be able to get him reasonably cheap too with him opting out/demanding a trade. He's exactly the kind of big man the Bulls need, and I'd give up several pieces to get him. I also like the Corey Maggette idea, he's a big wing player that gets to the line a lot. You'd still have to worry about the D at the 2-guard spot a bit, but at least he's bigger. Jose Calderon is another potential option as a restricted FA, though that's a bit of a longshot.

Other than that I'm not entirely sure what you can try to do to drastically improve the team, I don't like a lot of the other options out there. Baron Davis and Andre Iguodala would be intriguing, but I would imagine both will stay put. I guess I'd take Arenas if I could get him, but his stats seem to be better than his impact on your win total. I definitely don't want Jermaine O'Neal, but he'd actually probably be fairly easy to acquire. The likely restricted FA types don't thrill me either, Josh Smith would make our logjam at forward worse and would probably cost more than he's worth, and with his injury history Okafor is a risky play (he's also not the scoring big we need anyways). There are numerous other less than stellar options that'll probably be out there.

If we do keep our pick, which as I said I'd rather trade, I'd expect us to go with one of the UCLA guys. The problem with that is Westbrook isn't going to start right away and Love isn't really an upgrade over Noah and Tyrus. So again, I'd really try to trade the pick if I can.

I like Thabo but unless we get Rose or another superstar scoring option he's just not developed enough offensively to be the starter. Now if he improves significantly in the off-season and can consistently hit the 3 then I'd be okay with him being out starter. But if you are planning on getting rid of Gordon & Hughes (the 2 best scoring guards we have), we better get a 25 ppg scorer in return or we'll be horrible offensively. Kirk and Thabo = good defense w/ unreliable offense. Couple that with Deng who's not a first option and Noah & Gooden and you have the worst offensive starting lineup in the league.

I don't want to be too mean when I say this, but you are the same player that was overhyping Kirk and obviously that hasn't worked out for us. Kirk's still a decent player but he'll never be what you thought he would be.

I agree with you that Noah is a keeper. And if we can use Gooden's expiring contract to move up to the #1 or 2 pick I'll be all for it.

I don't think I've ever agreed with one of your posts more than I did this one. You did a great job here and we obviously think alike on the Bulls. I'd love to get Brand as well though I am always worried about injuries. But with the way he played the end of this season he looks to be fine. I agree that we might be able to get him cheap if he demands a trade.

As for the keeps, I like all the ones on your list. But if we do get Maggette I think both Hughes and Thabo can go. I know that hurts defensively but it helps offensively. I'd also love to move Kirk but I agree with you that a significant upgrade probably won't be available. (unless we somehow get Rose but even then he'll probably be 2-3 years away from superstar status). I also wouldn't touch O'neal with a 10 foot pole.

It's funny how many people keep saying to hold onto Hughes b/c his contract expires in the Lebron free agent sweepstakes. What a joke. I don't think we have a chance to get Lebron so we might as well focus on winning and getting better. Plus, unless we unloadl Deng and Gordon now, I doubt we'll have much cap room that summer anyway b/c Hughes is only $12 million and we'll probably be right around the cap before his contract comes off the books. I'd love it if it happens but I don't think it will be happening.

I wouldn't mind keeping Nocioni b/c of his energy but we'd need to get thinner at the PF/SF spot for him to get significant minutes. Plus his contract was a little high for what he actually does (shoot the ball). But Nocioni is one of those tough players that you want on your team. Especially come playoff time.

The point of his value as an expiring contract in the Lebron/Wade/Melo year is not necessarily that it gives us a chance to go after any of those guys. In most cases, it's going to take a team finding a way to pile up 2 expiring contracts or so in order to clear enough cap space to go after one of them. For a team that suddenly finds itself getting old, or having a couple malcontents, of in a position where rebuilding becomes a necessary step, they may well be in a position where they'd be willing to tank for a year, trade of their best player or two, and try to team a contract offer for one of those guys with a top pick or two and a real shot at competing soon.

In other words, the value of that contract is that its trade value will keep going up for the next year or so, not necessarily that we can use it ourselves. Depending on how the future goes, I can certainly see a couple of these teams that are at the top but on the back side of their run deciding in a year that it's time for them to break apart what they have and rebuild by trading away their biggest name guy. Teams like Dallas, San Antonio and Phoenix all might fit that bill, where one or two players finally hit the wall next year or get majorly hurt, and they decide they're in a spot where they need to rebuild before they have another shot.

I never thought Kirk was going to be some sort of superstar player. I just kept calling people like you out who totally undervalued him and made unfair comparisons to Steve Nash or Jason Kidd.

So basically...keep the same team

Were they that different from the team that went to the 2nd round and gave the Pistons an annoying scare the year before?

Um, that's not exactly what I typed. Under my ideal situation 4 or 5 guys are dealt and two new starters are brought in, and even if we can't get those deals I'd still trade two (maybe 3) of the guys for whatever we can get.