Tech9 says: If accurate, there’s a couple things to consider. 1.Hughes/Noc for O’Neal puts us over the luxury tax. By playing around with fillers, I think there’s a way around it. Add Aaron Gray from our side and Nathan Jawai from there side, and we sneak in under the LT while not pushing them back over. 2. Judging by Victor’s comments, the Raptors don’t want to take on Hughes. As much as I’d like to be rid of Noc, I don’t see any freaking way we can do this trade without forcing them to take back Hughes too. I suppose some variant of Hinrich and Noc for O’Neal might get it done, but I think more can be gotten for those two. O’Neal is not without his warts, and the only other alternative I see at this point is to buy Hughes out. Yuck. 3. I can definitely see why the Raptors would want Gooden, but I can’t see how to give him over without a) killing our cap space for next year and/or b) putting them over the luxury tax. Unless they want to give up Bargnani too, but why would they give up both O’Neal and Bargnani. That’d be crazy. Likewise, taking back Jason Kapono would be pretty dumb for us. Here is pretty much the only thing I can figure that 1. Keeps both teams under the LT threshold 2. Doesn’t completely kill any of our cap space for next year. Hughes, Noc, Gooden for O’Neal, Parker, Graham This still increases our team salary by $1.8M next year, so we probably need to figure out a way to get some savings by dealing Kirk, Thabo or our draft pick to have any chance of re-signing BG. But there’s time to deal with that issue, so I’d do this trade.
You guys are wasting your time worrying about how to get cap space to sign BG. 1. He isn't worth more than 8-9 million. 2. There are no good teams with cap space that would be desirable for BG. So BG at the very least would have to do a sign and trade to get big money in which case the bulls get something out of it. And you could substitute Ruffin for Gray.
That gives the Bulls very little margin for error with the LT (my numbers could be off). I think that puts them $14k under. To get a little more breathing room, they could do Hughes/Noc/Gooden/Gray (or Ruffin or Hunter) for O'Neal, Parker, Graham, Jawaii (or Voskuhl) If the Raptors need more inducement, you could add in Thabo and take out Gray, the Raptors would have to include two more of Solomon/Moon/Voskuhl), so you're really starting to make it a hard trade there (though, admittedly we're talking about minor players). The Raps get 4 guys and trade 6, so the Bulls would end up having to cut Ruffin or Hunter. But I suppose it could be done.
Perhaps... but supposedly the Raps want Gooden, and the Bulls wouldn't be inclined to give up his expiring deal to take back a guy with a longer term deal like Kapono. So either they give up those guys or they can't get Gooden. I'd be good either way.
I don't think that accomplishes anything for the bulls other than getting rid of Hughes, which is a noble goal. But Gooden is putting up the same numbers and none of those other guys are particularly useful.
Hughes is a cancer, but if you don't have take a leg to get rid of it, I'd rather keep the leg. Gooden is a useful player and Noc can be too. It doesn't make the team any better in the short term and probably worse. I'd rather they just told Hughes to go home or try and buy him out. O'Neal could be just as much of a distraction and problem as Hughes since he probably won't be in their long term plans. Why perpetuate the problem? This team isn't going anywhere either way. Sit the problems and take the lumps.
Gooden is not that useful and not going to be re-signed, so you're only losing a couple months in a season you believe to be lost and it doesn't matter if we win or not. On the court, I'd much prefer O'Neal, who's light years better as a defender than Gooden. Noc absolutely needs to go in the longer run to be in position to sign someone in 2010. He's been relatively terrible this year and projects to be relatively terrible in the future. They aren't cancers, but they need to be gone. O'Neal doesn't perpetuate the problem of Hughes. He's a better guy and plays a game we desperately need. The problem with Hughes is he has no role here whatsoever and demands big minutes. If he's hurt, then we take our lumps via him being hurt, but partial availability would still be an upgrade to paying Hughes to play for someone else.
This is funny...but I can't laugh. The thought of losing DRose at this point in his career would drive me to have Reinsdorf and Paxson assassinated. >_>
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/featur...24~2456~3441~615&teams=28~28~28~4~4&te=&cash= That works, I dont see us giving up Gooden seeing as he's severely helped us since coming back, plus we dont have to worry bout Joakim playing Center. Maybe sub tyrus in for Noah but I'd give him a few more games to prove himself.
Well, I'm pointing out that we shouldn't be going after JO as if he's some great player (anymore) when the deal is really to swap two malcontents. If the extra pieces can be made to fit the CBA, then at least we get a guy who plays a position we have a need.
