So another first round exit for our Chicago Bulls, going down 4-1 vs the Washington Wizards. Yeah, those guys who were laughingstocks of the league not long ago, and for a while, too. To be fair, the Wizards have talented players like Wall, Ariza, Biel (Beal?), and Nene, and the Bulls couldn't keep up with their scoring ability and their aggressiveness.
But the Bulls looked, well, tired. They couldn't start well, and they didn't look like they had enough energy to mount the comebacks that they needed in almost every game.
Why is that? This team had the best record in the NBA in the second half of the season. Could it be that Thibs is pushing them too hard? I think that's a reasonable question. His rotations are too short by at least two players in the regular season, sometimes only playing 6 or 7 players (maybe 8) when perhaps he should be spreading out minutes between 9 or 10 players. Not only would it give more rest to the go-to guys, but it would also give those other guys meaningful minutes in game situations and allow the team to find out if they have something (or nothing). Jimmer Fredette? Could barely get on the floor. Ronnie Brewer? Why even bother?
He played Hinrich, Dunleavy, Butler, Boozer, Noah, Gibson, and Augustine too much, I think.
They are certainly his best seven players. But even Boozer was left out in crunch time, those minutes going the Gibson.
Thibs' biggest problem seems to be his inflexibility. That may also be his biggest strength. But if winning every game in the regular season (or playing to win every game, which is virtually the same thing) costs them their legs come playoff time, something's gotta be done. I'm sure no one wants to tell him how to coach, but someone better make him see that you can't sacrifice offense all the time in order to keep your best defensive unit on the floor for most of the game.
It will be interesting to see how this off-season plays out. With Rose coming back and the ability to amnesty Boozer, is there anyone out there who can make the difference between a first round exit and competing for the title? Besides Carmelo, that is, who apparently would have to take significantly less money to come to Chicago without a sign-and-trade, and I'd guess that New York doesn't want Boozer in such a deal (even though his contract is up after this year).
*****
Take a look at my short stories, available on Amazon for $0.99 each...price will go up a bit soon...
Rick's Rules
Night Family
Dead Or Alive
Thank you!
*****
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Carmelo as a Bull - Good idea?
Okay, I know...this is probably off the table now that Phil Jackson has agreed to run the Knicks as their president and has endorsed the idea of committing to Carmelo Anthony. Phil knows how to win, and he knows how to work with star players. He's got 11 rings as a coach, and 2 as a player. If I had to bet money on the outcome, I'd bet that Anthony will stay with the Knicks, where he can earn the most money in the biggest market, and take a chance on Phil turning things around for that franchise.
But what if Phil is blowing smoke? What if when Phil says that he believes that Carmelo can help the team, he means that Carmelo can help the team by being dealt in a sign-and-trade? And who has what it would take to make that sort of a deal? Who has assets that might just help the Knicks rebuild this year and in the future? Or what if Carmelo looks at the picture in the short term and says, "There is no way we're going to compete next year...and probably not the year after either. Not with as bad as the Knicks look and as capped out as they are."
What if either one of those things is the real truth? I submit that the Bulls are one of, and maybe the only team that makes sense to make a move for Anthony, from both the Bulls' and Knicks' points of view.
For the Bulls, is Anthony a fit? I don't know...but I do know that this Bulls team as it is currently constituted is not going to win an NBA championship. So let's say they amnesty Boozer and they have the cap room for a really good player (which should be the case). Who is that player? After Anthony, who is the next best free agent? Well, it looks to me like it is probably...wait for it...
Luol Deng!
Here's one list of free agents for 2014: Sports Illustrated List
Notice that most of the free agents above #10 (Deng's position) are centers and power forwards. Also note that many of them (Lebron, Bosh, Wade, Duncan, Nowitski, Kobe, and even Anthony) are likely to resign with their own teams. Pao Gasol and Zach Randolph make some sense for the Bulls (especially Randolph, if they do indeed amnesty Boozer) but their real need is for a scorer at either shooting guard or small forward. Anthony is the only one on that list before Deng who fits that role, and might possibly be available in a sign-and-trade.
Does Anthony make the Bulls a championship contender? I think he does. But if he doesn't, so what? No one else, either free agent or draft pick (outside of maybe Parker or Wiggins or a couple of others who will be long gone when the Bulls draft) makes the Bulls a contender. Anthony provides what the Bulls need - scoring. With Derrick Rose (even if he isn't as good as he used to be), and a supporting cast including Noah and Gibson, and whatever is left that the Bulls don't trade to the Knicks to get Anthony, it's a Bulls team that can go deeper in the playoffs. They have their secret weapon as well - coach Thibodeaux. (I'm probably spelling that wrong.)
So why would it make sense for the Knicks? The biggest asset they'd get in the deal would be Boozer and his 16 million dollar expiring contract. Assuming Anthony's max deal with the Knicks is 130 million over 5 years (a figure I heard on the radio this morning, but I'd previously heard 23 million a year over 6 years), that means the Bulls have to match 26 million a year. Boozer accounts for 16 million of that amount. 10 million to go.
What would the Knicks want? I'd think they want a young player. Butler, probably. Butler's valuable to the Bulls but not indispensable, and Anthony is going to be the starting "3". I don't know what he makes but it can't be too much. So what else goes east? Could they sign-and-trade Hinrich to a team-friendly deal that would make him very attractive to the Knicks, who could use veteran leadership at the point? Or could they decide that Jimmer Fredette is their three-point shooter and deal Mike Dunleavy? I think his contract is about 5 million a year. Let's just guess-timate that Butler is around 3 million. That brings us to 24 million. Two to go. I'm positive that they'd want the Bulls' pick. I'd rather trade both Bulls' first rounders (2014 and 2015) if that's possible. I know there's a league rule about dealing successive first round picks, but I don't know if it applies when you also have other teams' first round picks. If it does, then keep the 2015 pick and send them the pick they got for Deng (the Kings' pick, I believe, protected this year but not next?). I think all the Bulls have to do is find another million dollars in salary to deal. I'm sure it could be done. That's if the Bulls have to match 26 million. If it's 23 million, it's a little easier.
The key is Boozer. Does he work for the Knicks, who will also have Stoudamire under contract? I think it does. First, Boozer is expiring after next season. Second, Boozer is a good player (if not a great player, and if not worth the big contract the Bulls gave him), and Stoudamire can swing between center and power forward. Butler replaces Anthony, and Hinrich gives them veteran leadership for a couple of years. Or Dunleavy gives them a year of a solid small forward and three point shooter. And they get some young players with not-too-low draft picks. Would that work for someone like Phil Jackson and the Knicks?
So is this likely? I doubt it. Like I said earlier, I'd bet that Anthony will stay in New York and the Bulls will have to find somewhere else to spend the money. Maybe they don't amnesty Boozer, maybe they bring Mirotic over and draft a couple of more pieces and see what they have in Rose. Maybe they make a run at Paul Pierce or something like that. There are options.
But none of those options lead to a Bulls championship next year, in my opinion. The only scenario where I see a championship in the picture is one where they get Carmelo Anthony.
*****
You can find my short story NIGHT FAMILY on Amazon!
You can also find another of my short stories DEAD OR ALIVE on Amazon!
*****
But what if Phil is blowing smoke? What if when Phil says that he believes that Carmelo can help the team, he means that Carmelo can help the team by being dealt in a sign-and-trade? And who has what it would take to make that sort of a deal? Who has assets that might just help the Knicks rebuild this year and in the future? Or what if Carmelo looks at the picture in the short term and says, "There is no way we're going to compete next year...and probably not the year after either. Not with as bad as the Knicks look and as capped out as they are."
What if either one of those things is the real truth? I submit that the Bulls are one of, and maybe the only team that makes sense to make a move for Anthony, from both the Bulls' and Knicks' points of view.
For the Bulls, is Anthony a fit? I don't know...but I do know that this Bulls team as it is currently constituted is not going to win an NBA championship. So let's say they amnesty Boozer and they have the cap room for a really good player (which should be the case). Who is that player? After Anthony, who is the next best free agent? Well, it looks to me like it is probably...wait for it...
Luol Deng!
Here's one list of free agents for 2014: Sports Illustrated List
Notice that most of the free agents above #10 (Deng's position) are centers and power forwards. Also note that many of them (Lebron, Bosh, Wade, Duncan, Nowitski, Kobe, and even Anthony) are likely to resign with their own teams. Pao Gasol and Zach Randolph make some sense for the Bulls (especially Randolph, if they do indeed amnesty Boozer) but their real need is for a scorer at either shooting guard or small forward. Anthony is the only one on that list before Deng who fits that role, and might possibly be available in a sign-and-trade.
Does Anthony make the Bulls a championship contender? I think he does. But if he doesn't, so what? No one else, either free agent or draft pick (outside of maybe Parker or Wiggins or a couple of others who will be long gone when the Bulls draft) makes the Bulls a contender. Anthony provides what the Bulls need - scoring. With Derrick Rose (even if he isn't as good as he used to be), and a supporting cast including Noah and Gibson, and whatever is left that the Bulls don't trade to the Knicks to get Anthony, it's a Bulls team that can go deeper in the playoffs. They have their secret weapon as well - coach Thibodeaux. (I'm probably spelling that wrong.)
So why would it make sense for the Knicks? The biggest asset they'd get in the deal would be Boozer and his 16 million dollar expiring contract. Assuming Anthony's max deal with the Knicks is 130 million over 5 years (a figure I heard on the radio this morning, but I'd previously heard 23 million a year over 6 years), that means the Bulls have to match 26 million a year. Boozer accounts for 16 million of that amount. 10 million to go.
What would the Knicks want? I'd think they want a young player. Butler, probably. Butler's valuable to the Bulls but not indispensable, and Anthony is going to be the starting "3". I don't know what he makes but it can't be too much. So what else goes east? Could they sign-and-trade Hinrich to a team-friendly deal that would make him very attractive to the Knicks, who could use veteran leadership at the point? Or could they decide that Jimmer Fredette is their three-point shooter and deal Mike Dunleavy? I think his contract is about 5 million a year. Let's just guess-timate that Butler is around 3 million. That brings us to 24 million. Two to go. I'm positive that they'd want the Bulls' pick. I'd rather trade both Bulls' first rounders (2014 and 2015) if that's possible. I know there's a league rule about dealing successive first round picks, but I don't know if it applies when you also have other teams' first round picks. If it does, then keep the 2015 pick and send them the pick they got for Deng (the Kings' pick, I believe, protected this year but not next?). I think all the Bulls have to do is find another million dollars in salary to deal. I'm sure it could be done. That's if the Bulls have to match 26 million. If it's 23 million, it's a little easier.
The key is Boozer. Does he work for the Knicks, who will also have Stoudamire under contract? I think it does. First, Boozer is expiring after next season. Second, Boozer is a good player (if not a great player, and if not worth the big contract the Bulls gave him), and Stoudamire can swing between center and power forward. Butler replaces Anthony, and Hinrich gives them veteran leadership for a couple of years. Or Dunleavy gives them a year of a solid small forward and three point shooter. And they get some young players with not-too-low draft picks. Would that work for someone like Phil Jackson and the Knicks?
So is this likely? I doubt it. Like I said earlier, I'd bet that Anthony will stay in New York and the Bulls will have to find somewhere else to spend the money. Maybe they don't amnesty Boozer, maybe they bring Mirotic over and draft a couple of more pieces and see what they have in Rose. Maybe they make a run at Paul Pierce or something like that. There are options.
But none of those options lead to a Bulls championship next year, in my opinion. The only scenario where I see a championship in the picture is one where they get Carmelo Anthony.
*****
You can find my short story NIGHT FAMILY on Amazon!
You can also find another of my short stories DEAD OR ALIVE on Amazon!
*****
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Off topic - More Short Story Releases...
I've been able to release two more short stories on Amazon for Kindle.
The latest is NIGHT FAMILY, a 8400 word short story about spoiled rich girl, Lisa Warwick, who goes looking for "something different" with her friends and finds it in a "goth" club called Skid Row. It is the first piece of new fiction I've published (the others were all written over ten years ago). It's a prequel to another piece I've recently published, called DEAD OR ALIVE. You can buy it here at Amazon for $0.99: NIGHT FAMILY
The other is DEAD OR ALIVE, a 7800 word short story about detective Rick Striker, who takes on the missing persons case of Lisa Warwick for her father. He finds that the trail leads to a club called Skid Row and that the people involved are even stranger to him than he expected to find in a goth dance club. DEAD OR ALIVE was originally written in the 1990's but was expanded from its original 2500 word length to its current form. You can buy it here at Amazon, also for $0.99: DEAD OR ALIVE
I know it isn't sports, but it's all I got right now. (Well, that's not really true. I have plenty of thoughts about the Cubs, the Sox, the Bulls, the Hawks and the Bears' off season, but I haven't really had the time to put something coherent together. Soon. That's assuming that anyone even reads this blog...)
Thanks for checking out my short stories. Please download samples and check them out, see if they are something you might be interested in reading (if you like reading stories in the horror genre...)
*****
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Tanking a season???
You will know if Bulls management is dumping salary and trying to tank the season by one indicator - trading Mike Dunleavy. If they trade Hinrich, it doesn't mean they're tanking. If they amnesty Boozer at the end of the season, it won't mean they're rebuilding. The trade of Deng didn't mean they are tanking the season.
There are sound reasons for trading Deng, in my opinion. The first is that he wasn't going to be resigned next year for more than three years and ten million per year. That was the Bulls' take-it-or-leave-it offer, according to Deng, and I believe him. It was a line in the sand, and they had already determined that they weren't willing to cross it. It wasn't going to be 12 million for 4 years, it wasn't going to be 4 years at 45 or 46 million. It was 3 years, 10 million per year. Since they had now determined that they weren't going to exceed that number, and Deng refused it, they decided to part ways now. Why now instead of at the end of the season? Because at least they got SOMETHING for him. A first round pick and two second round picks. Is it enough for half a season of an all-star small forward? Probably not, but it's what the league was willing to pay. And it's something.
And the other thing they got was luxury tax relief. By waiving Bynum, they put themselves under the luxury tax threshold for this year. It seems like a given that owner Jerry Reinsdorf will go into luxury tax territory with the payroll, but not for a team that isn't going to contend to win it all, and not for a player who wasn't going to be here next year. So the team saves money on that end, too.
Trading Hinrich is not a "tank" move either, in my opinion. There are point guards who can give them some of what Hinrich can give them. D.J. Augustine is on the team and seems to be fitting in. He's a backup next year anyway. If Hinrich can allow them to accumulate assets (draft picks) and cap space, then trading him makes sense for next year.
So why would the trade of Mike Dunleavy signal, for me, salary dump and tanking the season? Because of these reasons: First, Dunleavy is not expensive and is signed for two years. Okay, neither is Hinrich THAT expensive. So what's the difference if Dunleavy allows them to gain cap space and maybe gets them a young project player or a draft pick?
This is the difference. Every year the Bulls have to go looking for a three point shooter. Korver, Bellinelli, and now Dunleavy. Korver was very good, but so is Dunleavy. He's a piece they NEED on next year's team. That's the second, and main, reason why they should keep him, and why trading him would be nothing but dumping salary and tanking this season.
Let me say that again. Dunleavy is a piece that they NEED on next year's team. If they get rid of him for draft picks, they will have to go looking to sign someone with his skills next year for probably about the same amount of money.
Now I don't claim to know the ins and outs of the convoluted salary cap in the NBA, but I can't imagine that keeping Dunleavy through his contract would affect their ability to sign someone next year. The difference between OJ Mayo and LeBron James, for example. Because that's the kind of difference the Bulls really need. (Not specifically those players, but that sort of talent gap.) And I can't imagine that trading him will bring an asset that will be more valuable to next year's team than Dunleavy himself will be, with Rose back.
Keep Mike Dunleavy!
*****
Please check out my book DOING DISNEY for Amazon Kindle. It's priced at $2.99!
*****
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Deng traded to Cleveland.
Let the hand-wringing and the second-guessing begin - Luol Deng, a Bull for about 10 years, has been dealt for draft picks and luxury tax relief to the Cleveland Cavs.
If I have it right, the Bull get the Sacramento Kings' first round pick, which is either top ten or top twelve protected in the 2014 draft, they get two Portland 2nd round picks, they get the right to swap draft positions with Cleveland in the 2015 draft, and they got Andrew Bynum, whose non-guaranteed contract was waived before it became guaranteed, thus getting the Bulls under the luxury tax threshold and saving them a bunch of bucks.
(Owners like Reinsdorf don't mind going into luxury tax territory for a contending team, but that doesn't describe this Bulls team.)
Next, Boozer will probably be amnestied after the season, leaving the team without their Duke frontcourt. Does it make them a worse team this year? Yes, certainly...hopefully bad enough to be in the lottery. Does it make them worse next year? That remains to be seen.
Taj Gibson isn't an elite starting power forward, but he's decent, and certainly as good as Boozer at this point. Jimmy Butler isn't a polished small forward, but he has a high ceiling and the work ethic to reach it. He'll be different than Deng, but maybe he'll develop into a third option. Tony Snell is probably not the answer at shooting guard, but he may be a valuable bench player in the near future, and getting bigger minutes this year can only help his development.
If I was GM, I would consider trading Hinrich, but I would probably keep Dunleavy and Noah. Why keep Dunleavy? Because every darned year the Bulls are out there looking for a free agent three point shooter, and they have Dunleavy locked up for another year at a reasonable salary, so why get rid of him just to have to find "him" again?
I'd keep Noah because he's good defensively and works very hard. He's a solid NBA post man, who needs a quality backup.
So next year I'd be looking at Rose, Butler, Gibson and Noah. Who's my starting two guard? Hopefully it's a marquise free agent who can score. Without Deng and Boozer, they'll have the money to sign a top guy.
Yes, the Bulls have no track record of landing big free agents. Didn't land any back in the Krause era, and didn't land the big guys in the Lebron season. (Isn't Lebron a free agent again after this season? He could opt out or something like that if he wants to...?) But if Rose will do a little recruiting, and if Paxson can pay the most, maybe he'll end up with one this time. He only needs one. Then bring the Euro power forward Miretich over, and you have a pretty solid team. Better than this year's team.
Bring back Augustine or bring in a guy like Nate Robinson again to back up the point, and find a solid post player behind Noah (someone better than Mohammed) and maybe this team DOES contend for the East again.
I'm willing to see what happens, because I lost faith that anything was going to happen with the Deng/Boozer version of the Bulls.
*****
Please take a look at my book DOING DISNEY available for Amazon Kindle for $2.99!
*****
If I have it right, the Bull get the Sacramento Kings' first round pick, which is either top ten or top twelve protected in the 2014 draft, they get two Portland 2nd round picks, they get the right to swap draft positions with Cleveland in the 2015 draft, and they got Andrew Bynum, whose non-guaranteed contract was waived before it became guaranteed, thus getting the Bulls under the luxury tax threshold and saving them a bunch of bucks.
(Owners like Reinsdorf don't mind going into luxury tax territory for a contending team, but that doesn't describe this Bulls team.)
Next, Boozer will probably be amnestied after the season, leaving the team without their Duke frontcourt. Does it make them a worse team this year? Yes, certainly...hopefully bad enough to be in the lottery. Does it make them worse next year? That remains to be seen.
Taj Gibson isn't an elite starting power forward, but he's decent, and certainly as good as Boozer at this point. Jimmy Butler isn't a polished small forward, but he has a high ceiling and the work ethic to reach it. He'll be different than Deng, but maybe he'll develop into a third option. Tony Snell is probably not the answer at shooting guard, but he may be a valuable bench player in the near future, and getting bigger minutes this year can only help his development.
If I was GM, I would consider trading Hinrich, but I would probably keep Dunleavy and Noah. Why keep Dunleavy? Because every darned year the Bulls are out there looking for a free agent three point shooter, and they have Dunleavy locked up for another year at a reasonable salary, so why get rid of him just to have to find "him" again?
I'd keep Noah because he's good defensively and works very hard. He's a solid NBA post man, who needs a quality backup.
So next year I'd be looking at Rose, Butler, Gibson and Noah. Who's my starting two guard? Hopefully it's a marquise free agent who can score. Without Deng and Boozer, they'll have the money to sign a top guy.
Yes, the Bulls have no track record of landing big free agents. Didn't land any back in the Krause era, and didn't land the big guys in the Lebron season. (Isn't Lebron a free agent again after this season? He could opt out or something like that if he wants to...?) But if Rose will do a little recruiting, and if Paxson can pay the most, maybe he'll end up with one this time. He only needs one. Then bring the Euro power forward Miretich over, and you have a pretty solid team. Better than this year's team.
Bring back Augustine or bring in a guy like Nate Robinson again to back up the point, and find a solid post player behind Noah (someone better than Mohammed) and maybe this team DOES contend for the East again.
I'm willing to see what happens, because I lost faith that anything was going to happen with the Deng/Boozer version of the Bulls.
*****
Please take a look at my book DOING DISNEY available for Amazon Kindle for $2.99!
*****
Monday, January 6, 2014
My ebook DOING DISNEY is out!!!
I'm very happy to announce that my e-book, DOING DISNEY! HOW TO SPEND A WEEK AT DISNEY'S FLORIDA RESORT, is live on Amazon in the Kindle Store.
It is approximately 101 pages and is priced at $2.99.
Here's my description of it:
DOING DISNEY is a guidebook written for people who visit Florida's theme parks in the same manner as the author - a week or so at a time every couple of years. It's a book of ideas and comments about what the author has found to be worth experiencing (both attractions and dining). It is NOT a comprehensive guidebook full of every fact and figure about the resort. Part travelogue, part diary, part instructional, it tries to be informative and entertaining while providing a look into what works for a family traveling to visit Walt Disney World.BUY IT HERE!
Or download the sample first, to read the introduction and perhaps get a feel for how it's written.
Thanks in advance!!!
(on the off-chance that someone who might look in here might be interested in Disney...)
*****
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Hawks, Bears and Bulls
Three big stories in Chicago these days are the Black Hawks, the Bears and the Bulls, all for different reasons.
The Hawks are the biggest positive story - they sit atop their division and lead the league in points. They have talented young stars and it seems that everyone knows who Toews, Kane and Sharp are. But more surprisingly, people know who Michael Handzus, Marcus Kruger, and Brandon Bollig are! Leddy, Saad, Rozsival, and Oduya are also recognized names these days! They are creating fans as we speak! That's the way to do it.
The Bears have a different story - they're right there in the playoff hunt, and have a minor controversy at the most important position. While Jay Cutler has been injured, backup Josh McCown has been more than serviceable - he's been good, and even outstanding against the Cowboys. So, going into Cleveland, there is actually a debate about who should play. Looks like it's gonna be Cutler, but then McCown goes and wins the offensive player of the week award (or whatever they call it) for his performance against the 'Boys. So what do you do? Risk the game on the clearly more talented, but possibly very rusty Jay Cutler, who at his best is still (though not as much) prone to turnovers because of trying to make big plays instead of taking what's given to him by opposing defenses? Or go the conservative route and let McCown take the helm again? What if he wins? Then what happens for the following week?
I guess it's nice to have something like that to discuss instead of just how terrible the defense has been for most of the season.
And then there's the Bulls. I'm more a Bulls fan than a Hawks or Bears fan, I think. But this Bulls team, with an out-for-the-season Derrick Rose (again) and injuries to Deng and Butler and Noah (the usual suspects, with new addition Jimmy Butler), has been pretty bad. So there's a legitimate question: Do they acknowledge what most fans and sports talkers seem to know and accept, and that is, that they will not be winning an NBA championship this year without Rose, and play for next year where there is a very strong draft class? Or do they try to squeak into the playoffs with a 7 or 8 seed and see a first round exit, and a consequently lower draft pick?
This organization should know what they're going to do with players like Deng and Boozer. Are they part of next year's team? If not, then Deng should be moved. Not only would it make the team worse in the short run, but it might get them an extra first round pick and free up minutes for rookie Tony Snell. If Deng is going to be resigned after the season, then he should be babied along to try to make sure he comes back at full strength along with Rose next year.
I personally don't think Deng is that "second option" that they seem to need to get past the other elite teams. I'd deal him. I'd deal almost anyone except for Butler, Snell and Rose (of course). I'd even deal Noah if there was a crazy package of picks and young players, though I'd be fine with having Noah on the team as the center for a long time. Likewise with Gibson. I wouldn't give him away but I wouldn't hesitate to deal him for a package of picks and young talent if I could get it.
So we'll see what happens. We might have another Stanley Cup come next summer, we might have a Bears playoff appearance (or we might not), and we might witness a sensible rebuilding program for the Bulls.
Then we can see what the Cubs and Sox have done to make themselves better in the long term.
*****
The Hawks are the biggest positive story - they sit atop their division and lead the league in points. They have talented young stars and it seems that everyone knows who Toews, Kane and Sharp are. But more surprisingly, people know who Michael Handzus, Marcus Kruger, and Brandon Bollig are! Leddy, Saad, Rozsival, and Oduya are also recognized names these days! They are creating fans as we speak! That's the way to do it.
The Bears have a different story - they're right there in the playoff hunt, and have a minor controversy at the most important position. While Jay Cutler has been injured, backup Josh McCown has been more than serviceable - he's been good, and even outstanding against the Cowboys. So, going into Cleveland, there is actually a debate about who should play. Looks like it's gonna be Cutler, but then McCown goes and wins the offensive player of the week award (or whatever they call it) for his performance against the 'Boys. So what do you do? Risk the game on the clearly more talented, but possibly very rusty Jay Cutler, who at his best is still (though not as much) prone to turnovers because of trying to make big plays instead of taking what's given to him by opposing defenses? Or go the conservative route and let McCown take the helm again? What if he wins? Then what happens for the following week?
I guess it's nice to have something like that to discuss instead of just how terrible the defense has been for most of the season.
And then there's the Bulls. I'm more a Bulls fan than a Hawks or Bears fan, I think. But this Bulls team, with an out-for-the-season Derrick Rose (again) and injuries to Deng and Butler and Noah (the usual suspects, with new addition Jimmy Butler), has been pretty bad. So there's a legitimate question: Do they acknowledge what most fans and sports talkers seem to know and accept, and that is, that they will not be winning an NBA championship this year without Rose, and play for next year where there is a very strong draft class? Or do they try to squeak into the playoffs with a 7 or 8 seed and see a first round exit, and a consequently lower draft pick?
This organization should know what they're going to do with players like Deng and Boozer. Are they part of next year's team? If not, then Deng should be moved. Not only would it make the team worse in the short run, but it might get them an extra first round pick and free up minutes for rookie Tony Snell. If Deng is going to be resigned after the season, then he should be babied along to try to make sure he comes back at full strength along with Rose next year.
I personally don't think Deng is that "second option" that they seem to need to get past the other elite teams. I'd deal him. I'd deal almost anyone except for Butler, Snell and Rose (of course). I'd even deal Noah if there was a crazy package of picks and young players, though I'd be fine with having Noah on the team as the center for a long time. Likewise with Gibson. I wouldn't give him away but I wouldn't hesitate to deal him for a package of picks and young talent if I could get it.
So we'll see what happens. We might have another Stanley Cup come next summer, we might have a Bears playoff appearance (or we might not), and we might witness a sensible rebuilding program for the Bulls.
Then we can see what the Cubs and Sox have done to make themselves better in the long term.
*****
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