Cross Nets, Clippers & Heat off LeBron James' list of potential NBA homes

Good TEAMS win championships.. not "have lebron pass to someone, then pass it back to him, then he creates a play on his own"

Well I would LOVE Lebron on the Bulls. Rose, Hinrich?, Lebron, Taj, Noah sounds fine to me.

Apparently you missed the title that the Heat won as well as the entire Jordan era. The first one the Rockets won was basically Hakeem killing everyone down low while everyone else shot open jumpers as well, and two of the three Laker titles were basically a two-man game with Kobe and Shaq.

Having one of the top-10 players (top-5 in most cases) in the league is much more strongly correlated with championships than "being a great team".

Though having a GREAT player may make winning a championship easier, Lebron still has no rings.

He also just turned 25 and is on pace for his second 60-win season with Mo Williams as the team's second leading scorer.

The Bulls will be ontop of a lot of free agents lists this summer. But seriously, Lebron? Come on. . . he'll likely stay in his hometown or sign with New York.

I sometimes wonder just how awful Cleveland would be minus Lebron, anyway I won't deny that Lebron is a stud and that he alone could win a championship for his team, but pair him with ANYONE talented and his chances skyrocket. Jamison could be that answer, but he's not really top talent...


I agree with this, but I do like to dream of Lebron in a Bulls uniform.

Well if Lebron wants to come to the Bulls and that's a BIG IF, he instantly becomes your #1 target. Otherwise this is how I think the Bulls should be ordering their priorities.

1- Bosh
2- Stoudemire
3- Wade
4- Boozer
5- Johnson

Bosh is a MUST with us. He is the ideal fit for our team. Amare is probably the best for Rose because of the PnR but Bosh is a superior defender and rebounder. Wade is 3rd on my list although he could still be ahead of Amare, but the reason is because he is a bit older than some of the other guys and I think he has a smaller window in his prime than Bosh. I worry that he wouldn't be able to maintain his level of play through a max contract. Especially when you factor in all the wear and tear on his body from his style of play. And what I mean by that is, will he still be the same DWade in his 4th and 5th years of the contract? Bosh is 25 and he's just entering his prime years as a player.

Boozer is a good fall back option because he provides a great PnR player who's also a force down low and on the boards. It would actually be interesting to see if it comes to this option whether the Bulls will try to sign and trade for Joe Johnson and piece him together with Boozer.

The ultimate dream would be a sign and trade with one of Bosh or Wade and then sign the other one outright. OMG. One can dream.. haha

i know this has also been discussed to death but lebron does not want to play in MJ's shadow

It didn't bother Khalid El-Amin.

I smell a sales pitch....

I rank them like this:

1. Lebron - Probably not going to happen unless he wants to one up MJ which Lebron might actually be thinking about.
2. Kobe - Not likely to happen but he can opt out.
3. Wade - Not a fan of having a player that is used to having the ball this much but Wade is a top scorer and playmaker which is what we need.
4. Johnson - I think having a legit SG is our biggest need. Johnson would be a great fit next to Rose. He provides outside shooting that the Bulls really need as well as someone that can hit the last shot. Plus he's big and would improve our defense.
5. Bosh - I'm really not a fan of Bosh b/c I think he's soft but he is a good scoring big man and maybe next to a workhorse like Noah he'd really excel. I really don't think he's work a max contract and I think that's what the Bulls would have to give him to get him to come here. Sure his rebounding and scoring numbers are excellent this year but do you think that has anything to do with this being a contract year? I find it interesting that he has averaged well below 10rpg several seasons during his career and then during a contract year he has a great year both shooting the ball and rebounding. Anyway, he's not a leader and this idea that he plays good defense is the first I've ever heard of. Sure his D is probably a notch better than Amare's but he's no shutdown PF. Stats are not everything but his blocks and steals leave a lot to be desired. Anyway, this is saying a lot but I'd rather keep Taj Gibson as our starting PF next year than pay Bosh a max contract. We won't win a single title if all we add to Rose is Bosh.
6. Amare - I think some of his defensive problems would be masked by Noah's D. He's a great slashing big man that can hit the open
7. Manu - If we don't get a top tier SG or SF then I think Manu is the perfect short term fix at the SG position for the Bulls. You add him to a combo or Rose/Deng/Noah and either Bosh or Amare and you have a well rounded offense. If we don't get a top SG I really hope we give Manu a hard look.
8. Camby - I think if we sign a player form the top 4 above Camby would be a great 1-2yr addition if we want to compete for titles in the short run.

I have zero interest in Boozer unless you can get him very cheap (under $9M per year). Mark my words. He'll get hurt and miss a majority of next year. He only tries to show up in contract years.

You're saying saying adding Johnson makes us more of a title contender than adding Bosh? And you'd rather have Gibson than pay a max deal for Bosh?

You're strange Edwin. You freak out about how Gibson can't be our answer at PF in the other thread, but suddenly you'd rather have him starting than Chris Bosh? You don't think that just maybe playing in a frontcourt where Andrea Bargnani isn't the "power" forward or center makes a pretty sizeable difference? Over the last three years his PER allowed is around 5 points lower when he's playing PF instead of center. Some, "career year" too, he's averaged 22-10 twice before this and 22-9 twice as well. He's been one of the best big men out there for several years.

PF is easily a bigger concern than SG. You're not winning a title with a frontcourt of Noah and Gibson unless you get Lebron. You need someone like Bosh that can convert at a solid clip inside and get to the line with regularity. It's also far easier to find a serviceable shooting guard than a big man that can score. Johnson is a solid player, but you're basically right back where you were last season if you sign him instead of Bosh.

[quote name='eddog2' date='Feb 26 2010, 03:29 PM' post='43133']
I rank them like this:

1. Lebron - Agreed
2. Kobe - Kobe? Really? He's not going anywhere and even if he wanted to come to the Bulls he's 30 years old. He doesn't belong #2.
3. Wade - Bosh is a safer bet. Wade and Rose need to have the ball in there hands to make plays.
4. Johnson - NO. Johnson is an okay fall back option but he's no where near top 4.
5. Bosh - Should be higher up, he's the best big man on the market and when is the last time the Bulls had an All Star big man?

I say....
1-Lebron: He's Lebron
2-Bosh: The big man the Bulls have been needing for so very long.
3-Amare: Next best thing to Bosh.
4-Boozer: Next best thing to Amare
5-JJohnson: Would be a nice compliment to Rose.
6-Wade: Great basketball player, but like has been said he needs the ball in his hands.

I put Wade after Johnson because I think JJohnson would take less of Rose's game away. I love Wade, but I'd rather have a great Rose+swing man/big man. Than Wade+okay Rose and likely no big man.

Honestly I think the best Bulls team that could be on the court next year would be Rose-JJohnson-Deng-Boozer-Noah. Although there's no "sure-thing" all-star (we'll see what Rose does in the years to come), that would be a very solid team IMO.

I mean ... spiff.. if carlos boozer and james johnson are your fallback options.. whats not to like? however if we dont grab at least one of those six we are FUCKED

All I'm saying is that if we pay Bosh a max deal we won't win any titles. If we can get Bosh for a few million a year under a max then sure sign the guy. Maybe playing next to Noah I'd like him more but he just doesn't come across as a winner in my eyes. But I could just be crazy.

I'm not saying that I want Joe Johnson more than a great big man but I'm just saying that I don't think Bosh is the big man we need. I would rather have had Gasol. I guess if we have a chance to sign him we have to make a move b/c we don't get a chance to sign a PF like him that often. I know the Bulls will be going after him with a max contract. That's what scares me. Overpaying for him leaves us with no money to sign anyone else. And then Noah needs an extension and then Rose. How does that play out for Noah?

Anyway,

Noah
Bosh
Deng
Kirk
Rose

That's a very good lineup but would it win a title?

People said the same thing about Gasol when he was playing in Memphis. If I felt like digging through the archives, I bet I could find a bunch of posts about how Gasol isn't a winner, is a guy that puts up stats on bad teams and doesn't really make a difference, is too soft and is a mediocre defender. Now he has a ring and has a shot at a few more.

It's amazing what an upgrade of your teammates can do, Bosh has had a mediocre supporting cast since he hit his peak. Rose is quite a bit better than anyone he's played with in Toronto, Noah is definitely the best rebounder/defender he would be paired with up front, and you can make a case that Deng is better than any of the wing players Bosh has played with as well (especially since Bargnani has only been an 18 PPG type for about a season total and is officially a big man).

I'm also not sure how "paying him a few mil under a max deal" makes a difference. Seriously, I have no idea where you're going with that. Giving him a deal at an average of $16 or 17 mil a year makes a big difference over $19 mil or so? We'd still be over the cap either way and $2 or 3 mil isn't going to make any kind of difference in a luxury tax situation. They're not going to be adding anyone over the mid level exception if they sign anyone for more than like $14 mil, and they might not even have that in the next CBA. Besides, Kirk comes off the books before Rose is ever due an extension and they'd be nowhere close to the current luxury tax.

No acquisition makes them a lock for a title, not even Lebron. However, Rose/Bosh/Noah is a nice start that probably would make them a top-4 seed every year, and you could have worse guys as a #3 scorer than Deng. They'd still need to find one or two guys that can hit three's, but that's what draft picks and the MLE are for. It's a lot easier to find a wing player or two in the mid-first and in the bargain bin in free agency than it is to find a big man that can score. If they were so inclined, they could also try to use Kirk's expiring deal to get someone in 2011/2012.

All this coming from the guy that said Oden was a for sure lock as a #1 pick. JK. I told you Durant was the way to go. I'll hang that over your head in every argument til the day I die.

Anyway, all joking aside, I see your point. The only problem is I don't think Rose is as good as Kobe so winning a title would be hard with just Bosh. Sure the Bulls would be a lock for a deep playoff run each year I'm just not sold on them being able to beat Lebron or Dwight consistently in the playoffs if all they add is Bosh. Bosh fills up the stats and you could very well be on to something by thinking he'll be better playing around a better supporting cast. I'm not sure if Rose or Bosh are really good enough on their own to carry a team. Preferably I'd like to have a top talent (Lebron, Wade, etc.) or I'd like to use our cap room more productively by signing a PF and a SG if possible b/c I don't think we can overcome the hole at SG if we spend all our cap space on Bosh.

I think adding a Lebron would make us a lock for the title but that's not the point of my post. Is Bosh someone you trust much with the ball in his hands on the last play of the game? Is Rose? Neither has really demonstrated a knack for hitting the big shot at the end of games. Hopefully Rose develops that ability but I'm not banking on that.

As for Bosh being a winner, he's had decent (though not spectacular) talent to play with over his career. I agree with you that Rose/Noah/Deng/Kirk would be the best starting 5 he's ever played with but what bothers me with him is that he hasn't taken over and put a team on his shoulders the way that Wade has. I know that Wade handles the ball a lot and that's why people seem to favor Bosh over him but I look at it like this: What does Rose need to do to become more effective? Become more aggressive! Is there a single player to better learn that from that Wade who is consistently attacks the basket?

Either way, it's pointless to argue b/c I know at the end of the day the Bulls are going to be making a max offer to Bosh. He's been the guy they have coveted for some time. I just hope that if he does come he proves me wrong and the Bulls go on to dominate the East for years to come.

Injuries are a beach.

Anyways, here's my problem: you already have the guard that can create shots. He's not a finished product just yet, but Rose is the perimeter stud you need to win a title, the guy that can get into the paint and score or draw a foul. Everything you do has to be built around him from here on out since he's the one sure-fire championship-caliber piece that you have. Every move you make has to be done with Rose in mind and has to maximize his effectiveness as well as that of the team. That's what Cleveland has done with Lebron; while they don't have the most talented supporting cast, they've surrounded him with guys that will play D and hit jumpers and don't need the ball in their hands to be successful.

If you sign Wade or Lebron, you leave a gaping hole at power forward and add someone that has to share the ball with Rose. That would likely result in both of them being a bit less effective and would make it very hard to win a title. The only team that I can think of ever winning it all without an All-Star caliber big man that can score down low is Michael's Bulls, which is obviously an exception to the rule. Rose also doesn't seem to be the type of guy that can be the supremely versatile second banana that Pippen was.

Wade didn't single-handedly carry his team to contention, he had Shaq helping him out. Wade was/is obviously a dominant player, but without the big guy averaging 20-9 in 31 MPG in the regular season and 18-10 on 61% shooting in the playoffs, he doesn't have a ring. With Shaq hurt/gone, Wade hasn't been able to do much more than make the playoffs in the East.

If you have those two players inside and out, you can get away with a lot at the other positions. The rest of the starting lineup with Wade and Shaq was Jason Williams, Udonis Haslem and James Posey. The rest of the lineup when the Lakers were getting rings was Derek Fisher, Derek Fox and Ron Harper (they had Glenn Rice for one of them). Granted the Spurs had three players with Duncan/Parker/Ginobili, but outside of one year of Stephen Jackson they went with a collection of role players outside of that.

Yeah, Rose and Bosh aren't as good as those guys, but they're both still young and give you a shot at an extended run. If Rose never quite reaches that superstar level it's pretty much a moot point, they're not going to win a title if he has to take 18 shots to get 20 points for his entire career.

I think Bosh is probably joining Wade in Miami anyways, but he really makes the most sense for the Bulls. You make an exception if Lebron wants to come here as he's proven he can be the unquestioned alpha dog on a contender, but that would require a fair amount of roster overhaul to make it work well given none of their role players can shoot.

Zoom, sorry I'm always challenging your basketball IQ. You are a great asset to this message board and to the fantasy b-ball league. Sometimes I speak more out of personal dislike for a player than I do out of reason. I personally don't want Bosh on the Bulls b/c I've never been a big fan of his. Adding Bosh would give us a huge boost down low and would make us a much more well rounded team. I am just worried that neither him or Rose are truly ever going to be legit superstars and I know in this league not having a legit superstar typically equates to not winning any titles. I hope I am wrong about both Rose and Bosh b/c if they are both true superstars and they play together we'd have an excellent chance of winning multiple titles b/c the great teams typically have had 2 superstars.

If Rose isn't going to be a legit superstar, then we've really, really screwed up. (And I mean, screwed up his development, because he should be one).