Fair enough, but Chicago is a big city and if you win championships every year then you can increase revenue pretty substantially. Heck, having LeBron on your team probably brings in more than his contract's worth in additional revenue from various streams (jerseys, ticket sales, overseas). The trick is that they'll be able to keep their core intact due to Bird rights and then add with the MLE. Will be very nasty in my opinion.
Where's you hear that rumor? That'd be a steal for Chicago. Gortat is a very good big-man, probably one of the best reserve Centers if not the best (outside Blazers healthy depth of Oden, Camby and Pryz). He's probably underpaid and wanted to go start in Dallas when he signed that RFA contract. Pietrus is athletic, a decent defender, and a decent outside shooter. Not necessarily the best SG starter on that team, but he could start or at least play off the bench. Assuming it works salary wise with signing 2 max FA, that'd be a great deal for them in my opinion.
Mike McGraw is one of the better Bulls sportswriters for the Daily Herald. http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/4258 Deng to Orlando talk legit, but unlikely Posted by mikemcgraw on Thu, 06/24/2010 - 04:03 Bulls general manager Gar Forman talked Wednesday about having plenty of options on the table right now. One rumor that does have some legs is Luol Deng to Orlando for forward Mickael Pietrus and center Marcin Gortat. It has been discussed, according to a source, but talks have not gotten serious and there is no proof the Bulls are inclined to make such a move. This deal would save the Bulls about $22 million in future salaries, but it wouldn’t give them any more cap space to add a second free agent this summer. In fact, it would erase about $300,000 in cap space, which probably makes this move unlikely. Like Deng, Gortat is signed through 2014. He’s due $28 million over the next four years after Orlando matched a generous offer sheet from Dallas a year ago. He averaged 3.6 points and 4.3 rebounds last season backing up Dwight Howard. Pietrus (8.7 points last season) is signed for two more years at about $15 million. Orlando seemed to be disappointed in Vince Carter (big surprise) and is looking for another reliable scorer. The Bulls wouldn’t mind moving Deng this summer to add a second free agent, but they’re not likely to trade him for two reserves and no cap relief.
The Bulls lost Noah for 10 games last year with plantar fasciitis. They went 0-10. With Gortat, they might have gone at least 1-9. Pietrus has a career PER of 12.4 and had a PER of 11.9 last season. If the Bulls signed LeBron and Bosh, they could use even an 11.9 PER guy who can make some 3pt shots and who's tall and who plays defense. That's my take on it, anyway.
Stephen A. Smith just guaranteed Chicago will not get LeBron. Consider the source, I suppose, but I highly doubt LBJ will end up in Chicago.
Stephen A. Shmuck was just on the Dan Patrick show saying that his sources say that both Lebron and Bosh are going to join D.Wade in Miami.
I hope this happens. I would rather have one really good team, where an injury or two could even them out than James, Wade, Baosh all on different teams making them harder to beat.
Strange thinking. Pretty sure Wade or Bosh could go down and they would be fine. LeBron NEVER gets injured (players seem to have trends) and would kill with either one. When all three are healthy, say oh I don't know around MAY then you can sew up 10 consecutive Championships. And somewhere David Stern is smiling while lifting a glass with his Cosa Nostra buddies.
Wade and Bosh's teams were easy enough to beat last year. I do agree in that I'd like to see them all on one team, though, because it would be a fun team to watch. Plus, Miami makes sense because there is no state income tax.
Yep. Miami Orlando Dallas SA Houston And sorta Memphis Have an advantage over the rest of the NBA teams in this situation. At the same time, Portland, is in a state with one of the highest state income taxes. Add that with shitty weather during the season, and now you know why saving RLEC for FA money was a dumb idea.
Agreed. I kinda hope it happens just since it would be fun, as a basketball fan, to watch. I really loved watching the Jordan/Pippen Bulls play (though part of that was the fantastic defense, which a Wade/James/Bosh team wouldn't really have). From an "easier to beat" standpoint, having them spread out over multiple teams is much better. Only one team can emerge from the East, and then (if Portland reaches the Finals) they'd be facing a much inferior team.
Lol who does he think he is? We'll see, I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything this clear towards Miami, I just think he wants attention since he's so obscure now.
Um...no.... That's because Magic and Worthy were drafted BY the Lakers. It's not like they were free agents looking to join up for free championships. Now, you could argue that teams with superstar veterans hobbling on their last legs for rings hurts their legacies. For example, the 2008 Celts and 2004 Lakers. Yet, at this point, fans are more hesitant to criticize than praise because these teams are already old and just want a ring before their career ends. But having guys in their PRIMES trying to join together to win for the next several years, that's just unfair. The 60's Celtics, the Dr. J Sixers, the 80's Celtics, the 80's Lakers, the 90's Bulls, the Kobe-Shaq (who arrived without foresight of who Kobe would become) Lakers, the Spurs, these were legit great teams built from within the team and not through free agents coming together. And I don't think Lebron and Bosh would want to cheapen their legacies by having too many superstars together. While they might join a mediocre team, they'd have to do so by themselves and without the other superstar.
This is THE same Stephen A. Smith who said a few weeks ago that Lebron was definitely going to New York right?
Those 80s 76ers teams had two guys who were like top FAs who signed with them or were forced to be traded to them, out of the ABA. Dr. J being one, McGinnis being another. They also signed former ABA great Moses Malone as an RFA and forced the Rockets to do an S&T to get him.
If you can make top dollar, team with players you like and also increase your chances of winning by playing with another superstar (or two), you'd be crazy not to, really. In 20 years, no one's going to say "Well, Bosh followed James and Wade. His career is tainted." They're going to say "How many championships did Bosh win? 10? Wow. Best power forward ever. You can't argue with championships." Considering that's the case, it's only rational to maximize cash and titles.
I think two bonafide All-stars is usually what you need to cement yourself. Some role players or above average starters around them. Adding a third extremely high usage rate guy will be much more difficult to incorporate. I think Rose would defer to LeBron/Bosh, and getting him his touches as well would pretty much use up most of the other offense. The fourth dude would be a shooter, and Noah would just get putbacks. Maybe Rose could play a bit longer with the bench unit, while the other stars rest.
