So NBA free agency signings are winding down, and LeBron James' decision to leave the Heat for his hometown Cavaliers changed the balance of power in the East. Suddenly the Heat are an aging Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng. Not bad, but not the superteam that they were with LeBron and Wade near his prime.
My Bulls made an important signing, though not exactly where they probably needed one. With a dearth of impact free agents at the 2 and 3, they instead signed Pau Gasol, an aging big man who can score with his back to the basket. Will he be what Derrick Rose needs (assuming Rose can stay on the court after two years of injuries)? Maybe. Boozer is gone, but Gibson remains. And so does Dunleavy and Butler and Hinrich and most importantly, Noah. Added to the team are draft pick Doug McDermott and Euro star Nikola Mirotic. Is that enough to surpass the Heat and (now) the Cavs and the Pacers? Maybe. Just maybe.
So now the big talk all over is a potential trade. It seems that the Cavaliers are really pushing to get Kevin Love from the T-wolves. They've offered their number one pick, top overall selection Andrew Wiggins (no, not the kid from Ender's Game, this is Mitchell Wiggins' son) and other assets in an attempt to acquire the all-star power forward. And the Bulls are in the hunt as well. According to at least one report, they've offered Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott for Love.
I'm torn. Is it too much? Does it decimate their depth in order to get a superstar at a position where they're not all that weak? Is Love plus Gasol that much greater than Gasol plus Gibson? Is it enough better to absorb the loss of Mirotic's and McDermott's potential scoring? On paper I'd say no. I'd say that if they were going to move that many assets, they should instead go for an impact shooting guard or an impact small forward. Are there any of those such players available? Or is it Love or nothing?
On the other hand, Mirotic and McDermott are, at this point in time, nothing more than "potential". Let's put it a different way. If they had, two months ago, dealt Gibson, their 16th and 19th picks in the draft, and the rights to Mirotic for Love, would I have applauded the deal? (This before the Gasol signing...) I think I would have been cool with that deal. I was nervous about including Butler in the deal but that was because I knew what Butler brought to the table in a more concrete sense. But this is basically the exact same deal as that one.
In the end, does it make the Bulls a better team? I'm not sure it does. Unless I'm sure, I don't think I'd get behind such a deal. Love's a good player, but I've heard it pointed out that he got those boards and points on a bad team with very few options for scoring and rebounding. On the Bulls, where Noah is the rebounder and Rose will also score, does he really have the impact? Or is the hard-working Gibson just as valuable to this team?
If there's a deal out there for a SF or a SG, I'd rethink the deal. Otherwise, for now - no deal.
*****
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Off Topic - New fiction release: DIE 6, a 6-short story collection
- An Artificial Yearning
- Blood Ties
- The Fun House
- The Tooth Fairy
- Time Heals All Wounds
- The Ghost Train
Thank you!
*****
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
NBA Free Agency - something strange is about to happen...
What it's going to be, I don't really have a clue...but I have this feeling that something is going to go counter to the conventional wisdom - there is going to be a big surprise.
Two weeks ago it would have been a surprise to suggest that the big 3 from Miami were going to do anything other than resign with the Heat. Now it looks like that team might be broken into a few pieces as Bosh decides whether to take the max offer from Houston and King James decides whether to go home to Cleveland, which seems to be where his heart still is. (Remember a few weeks ago when his wife tweeted something about coming home and it being "real"? Maybe she knew something after all, huh?)
Or will Carmelo join James in Miami once Bosh is gone? It won't be max money but it will still be more than my Bulls can offer.
Will Phil Jackson suddenly call the Bulls and say, "Hey, we'll take Boozer, Butler and Dunleavy in a sign-and-trade for Anthony, if you toss in a couple of future first rounders"? Nah, that ain't gonna happen.
Suddenly I'm wondering where the chips will actually fall for the Bulls. Their team is the one place I don't see anything strange or unexpected or really exciting happening. I think that after Anthony says "No thanks, I'd rather have the extra 50 million," the Bulls will sign Nikola Mirotic and a few other pieces and hope that the breakup of the Heat opens things up for them to win the East next year.
But I think we're going to see something strange and unexpected happening, whether it be Anthony joining the Heat or James going to Cleveland.
Wouldn't it be interesting if the Bulls suddenly announce that they've come to terms with, oh, say, Dwayne Wade?
It wouldn't completely surprise me, but on the other hand, I think it's more likely that they announce that they've come to terms with Trevor Ariza and a few other of those veteran minimum types.
*****
Two weeks ago it would have been a surprise to suggest that the big 3 from Miami were going to do anything other than resign with the Heat. Now it looks like that team might be broken into a few pieces as Bosh decides whether to take the max offer from Houston and King James decides whether to go home to Cleveland, which seems to be where his heart still is. (Remember a few weeks ago when his wife tweeted something about coming home and it being "real"? Maybe she knew something after all, huh?)
Or will Carmelo join James in Miami once Bosh is gone? It won't be max money but it will still be more than my Bulls can offer.
Will Phil Jackson suddenly call the Bulls and say, "Hey, we'll take Boozer, Butler and Dunleavy in a sign-and-trade for Anthony, if you toss in a couple of future first rounders"? Nah, that ain't gonna happen.
Suddenly I'm wondering where the chips will actually fall for the Bulls. Their team is the one place I don't see anything strange or unexpected or really exciting happening. I think that after Anthony says "No thanks, I'd rather have the extra 50 million," the Bulls will sign Nikola Mirotic and a few other pieces and hope that the breakup of the Heat opens things up for them to win the East next year.
But I think we're going to see something strange and unexpected happening, whether it be Anthony joining the Heat or James going to Cleveland.
Wouldn't it be interesting if the Bulls suddenly announce that they've come to terms with, oh, say, Dwayne Wade?
It wouldn't completely surprise me, but on the other hand, I think it's more likely that they announce that they've come to terms with Trevor Ariza and a few other of those veteran minimum types.
*****
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Bulls' Options Clarifying...
Free agency has begun and it's beginning to look a lot like every other major free agent year for our Bulls.
Oh, there are differences. In those other years the Bulls were fully capable of offering max contracts. Two, actually, in 2000, I believe, and at least one and a half in 2010. In both years the top free agents (Hill, McGrady, Eddie Jones in 2000, James, Bosh and Wade in 2010) spurned the Bulls' offers. In 2000 they ended up here and there; I think Hill and McGrady both went to Orlando and Jones...well, who remembers? In 2010 they all went to the same team - the Heat.
In 2014, the Bulls can NOT offer a max contract. In fact, after they "amnesty" Carlos Boozer, they'll have about 11 million or so, if I heard correctly (or if what I heard was correct). If Carmelo Anthony signed here without the deal being a sign-and-trade, he would be leaving some 50 million dollars on the table.
So in the end, we're not going to watch Carmelo light it up in a Bulls uni next year.
Option two seems to be bringing the European kid Mirotic over here and signing a tier two free agent. Is that enough to win it? Well, we don't know how good Mirotic will be in the NBA. In fact, we don't know if he'll be ANY good at all. Is he Hedo Turkoglu? Is he Dirk Nowitski? Is he Toni Kukoc? One analyst stated that he would probably have been the #4 pick in this year's NBA draft if he was just becoming available now. That's good, but what does it do for us next year? Does it make us a contender for the title, or just a better team?
Option two also seems to possibly involve trying to bring Pau Gasol in for a couple years. Might make some sense if he isn't too expensive.
So the front line would be a combination of Noah, Gasol, Gibson, and Mirotic. Doug McDermott, their first round pick (taken at #11 by Denver then traded for by the Bulls) would be the designated shooter. I'm assuming Mike Dunleavy is history (though I liked him a lot last year). Rose would be the point guard, Jimmy Butler would presumably be the swing 2/3, and there might be a couple other bench types that they'd work to bring in. I heard Shawn Marion mentioned. I also heard Trevor Ariza mentioned.
That sounds like it would be a good team. Still doesn't have that elite scorer, unless Mirotic becomes GREAT. Possible, but hard to count on.
We might know something by the end of the week. More to come...
*****
Oh, there are differences. In those other years the Bulls were fully capable of offering max contracts. Two, actually, in 2000, I believe, and at least one and a half in 2010. In both years the top free agents (Hill, McGrady, Eddie Jones in 2000, James, Bosh and Wade in 2010) spurned the Bulls' offers. In 2000 they ended up here and there; I think Hill and McGrady both went to Orlando and Jones...well, who remembers? In 2010 they all went to the same team - the Heat.
In 2014, the Bulls can NOT offer a max contract. In fact, after they "amnesty" Carlos Boozer, they'll have about 11 million or so, if I heard correctly (or if what I heard was correct). If Carmelo Anthony signed here without the deal being a sign-and-trade, he would be leaving some 50 million dollars on the table.
So in the end, we're not going to watch Carmelo light it up in a Bulls uni next year.
Option two seems to be bringing the European kid Mirotic over here and signing a tier two free agent. Is that enough to win it? Well, we don't know how good Mirotic will be in the NBA. In fact, we don't know if he'll be ANY good at all. Is he Hedo Turkoglu? Is he Dirk Nowitski? Is he Toni Kukoc? One analyst stated that he would probably have been the #4 pick in this year's NBA draft if he was just becoming available now. That's good, but what does it do for us next year? Does it make us a contender for the title, or just a better team?
Option two also seems to possibly involve trying to bring Pau Gasol in for a couple years. Might make some sense if he isn't too expensive.
So the front line would be a combination of Noah, Gasol, Gibson, and Mirotic. Doug McDermott, their first round pick (taken at #11 by Denver then traded for by the Bulls) would be the designated shooter. I'm assuming Mike Dunleavy is history (though I liked him a lot last year). Rose would be the point guard, Jimmy Butler would presumably be the swing 2/3, and there might be a couple other bench types that they'd work to bring in. I heard Shawn Marion mentioned. I also heard Trevor Ariza mentioned.
That sounds like it would be a good team. Still doesn't have that elite scorer, unless Mirotic becomes GREAT. Possible, but hard to count on.
We might know something by the end of the week. More to come...
*****
Monday, June 30, 2014
Chicago Bulls - which direction should they take?
So here are the Bulls, sitting with the potential to get about 11 million under the cap if they "amnesty" Carlos Boozer. They had a good draft, getting the guy who many thought would fit best with their roster no matter what - Doug McDermott from Creighton. They also got a power forward from New Mexico with the second pick (number 49), a senior with decent numbers.
Here's the key pieces on their current roster:
So what do they do? Do they try to trade for Kevin Love, perhaps moving Taj Gibson and Tony Snell or even Jimmy Butler while amnesty-ing Boozer to get under the cap enough to make the deal work?
Do they try to sign Carmelo Anthony, maybe doing a sign-and-trade with the Knicks and dealing Butler and Dunleavy while amnesty-ing Boozer?
Do they make a move to bring over Nikolai Mirotic, the kid playing in Spain (I think?) who it will cost big money in terms of a buy-out of his European contract and his salary?
What would I do?
I would try my darnedest to sign Anthony. I thought that they could maybe do a sign-and-trade with Boozer, since his contract is expiring next year and he's not a bad player, just not worth 16+ million a year. It would seem that if they could do that, they could easily accomodate Anthony's big contract. Otherwise he's going to have to take a pay cut.
An acquaintance who played pro ball overseas says that, as an observer and someone who understands the game pretty well, he feels Love would be the best move. He would give them the superstar they need to go with Rose and Noah (assuming Rose comes all the way back). If they do that, their lineup would be Rose, Noah, Love, maybe Dunleavy, maybe Butler, maybe Ronnie Brewer. There's a big three but is there anything beyond that?
Another acquaintance who also played pro ball and major college ball suggests that Anthony is the right move. Assuming they'd have to deal Gibson, their lineup might be Rose, Snell or Butler, Anthony, Randolph (the kid they got from Denver) and Noah. There's a big three with plenty of scoring but again, is there ENOUGH beyond that?
Tonight's the night. Free agency opens and Anthony is meeting first with Chicago. Hope we get him somehow.
*****
Here's the key pieces on their current roster:
- Derrick Rose - coming off two seasons off due to injuries to both knees
- Taj Gibson - power forward who really came on in 2013-2014
- Joakim Noah - center who I should have listed one spot higher - double double machine
- Jimmy Butler - swing man who can play big guard or small forward, good defensively
- Mike Dunleavy - swing man who can hit threes and do more
- Carlos Boozer - power forward with below average to average defensive presence
- Kirk Hinrich - may be a free agent at point guard
- D.J. Augustine - another free agent at point guard
- Tony Snell - rookie swing man with promise
- Jimmer Fredette - possible free agent shooting guard who can, well, shoot
- Greg Smith - forward/center who held up the end of the bench at the end of the season
- Cameron Bairstow - power forward rookie second rounder
- Anthony Randolph - power forward obtained in the pick swap with Denver in the draft
- Ronnie Brewer - free agent signed at end of year for playoffs then not used
- Lou Amundsen - forward and that's all I know
- Mike James - another filler player, point guard who Thibs likes
- Nazr Mohammed - center who has to be close to done, not used much last year
So what do they do? Do they try to trade for Kevin Love, perhaps moving Taj Gibson and Tony Snell or even Jimmy Butler while amnesty-ing Boozer to get under the cap enough to make the deal work?
Do they try to sign Carmelo Anthony, maybe doing a sign-and-trade with the Knicks and dealing Butler and Dunleavy while amnesty-ing Boozer?
Do they make a move to bring over Nikolai Mirotic, the kid playing in Spain (I think?) who it will cost big money in terms of a buy-out of his European contract and his salary?
What would I do?
I would try my darnedest to sign Anthony. I thought that they could maybe do a sign-and-trade with Boozer, since his contract is expiring next year and he's not a bad player, just not worth 16+ million a year. It would seem that if they could do that, they could easily accomodate Anthony's big contract. Otherwise he's going to have to take a pay cut.
An acquaintance who played pro ball overseas says that, as an observer and someone who understands the game pretty well, he feels Love would be the best move. He would give them the superstar they need to go with Rose and Noah (assuming Rose comes all the way back). If they do that, their lineup would be Rose, Noah, Love, maybe Dunleavy, maybe Butler, maybe Ronnie Brewer. There's a big three but is there anything beyond that?
Another acquaintance who also played pro ball and major college ball suggests that Anthony is the right move. Assuming they'd have to deal Gibson, their lineup might be Rose, Snell or Butler, Anthony, Randolph (the kid they got from Denver) and Noah. There's a big three with plenty of scoring but again, is there ENOUGH beyond that?
Tonight's the night. Free agency opens and Anthony is meeting first with Chicago. Hope we get him somehow.
*****
Friday, June 20, 2014
QUANTUM ZOO is live on Amazon!
The SF/Fantasy anthology QUANTUM ZOO is available for purchase at the Amazon Kindle Store for the low low price of $0.99. It's currently on sale to celebrate its release, but it will go up to regular price soon, so if you're a fan of those genres and enjoy short-form fiction, give it a try!
My own story in there is called "Playing Man", and it envisions a future where Earth is a wildlife reserve and botanical garden, as well as a source of natural resources for a space-faring human civilization. But strange things happen when you take humans out of the picture on Earth while leaving the other life forms to their own devices.
It's one of 12 stories themed around the word "Zoo". Other excellent authors in the collection include Bridgette McKenna, J.M. Ney-Grimm, D.J. Gelner, John Hindmarsh, and seven more (besides me).
Please take a look! Here's the link: QUANTUM ZOO for Kindle
Thanks!
*****
Monday, June 9, 2014
So what's going on?
Maybe a blog titled "Chitown Sports Ramblings" should occasionally have a post expressing an opinion about, oh, I don't know, Chicago sports?
Well, I did have that one about the Hawks about a month ago. And one about the Bulls in April. And then there were the ones about the Bulls in March and January.
But not too much on any sort of regular basis. And I don't see that changing (the 'regular basis' thing).
I thought that maybe I'd put up a couple of thoughts in short form about potential future topics for me to post about, all the while hoping that maybe someone will see and buy the anthology QUANTUM ZOO that my short SF story will be part of, to be released on June 17th. So here goes:
The Black Hawks need a jolt, perhaps, but no major changes. Everyone always complains about the lack of a second line center to go with superstar Patrick Kane (and apparently Andrew Shaw is NOT that guy). They don't appear to have a good candidate in their system, but maybe it will turn out that they DO have someone and we're just not aware of him yet. Barring that, a trade may make sense - if it brings a quality player and doesn't sacrifice something vital to the Hawks' future. What's vital to the Hawks' future? That's another good question.
The Cubs have shown some signs of life, winning 5 of their last 6 versus the Mets and Marlins. The promise of Anthony Rizzo is becoming more apparent, and Starlin Castro has looked better this year than last (even if consistency is still a problem). But the big issue is the pitching, which has been pretty good. Jeff Samardzija has pitched like an ace most of the time. He's just about in the prime of his career. The Cubs have indicated that they'd give big money to players that made sense for the big picture. So what about Samardzija doesn't fit? They talk like they want to deal him before the deadline, along with Jason Hamel, who has also been pretty good. But why? I'm not sure this makes sense to me.
Sox hit the jackpot with Jose Abreu, or so it seems so far. Made a good signing with Adam Eaton, and they've improved themselves up the middle. Their pitching has been up and down, but they're hovering around .500. Is that what they are, a .500 team? Or can they be better? I think they can make a nice run. I don't know if they're a division champ, but I think they can be a wild card contender. They may need to acquire a pitcher, however. Maybe the Cubs have someone that will make sense for them.
The Bulls have two picks in the first round of the draft, and apparently they've made an offer to Minnesota for Kevin Love. I'm not sure Love is a HUGE upgrade over Taj Gibson, who is reported to be part of the package offered to Minnesota, along with Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikolai Mirotich (spelling?) and possible draft picks. But he's DIFFERENT. Love, Noah and Rose to go with...who at shooting guard and who at small forward? A resigned Deng? Anthony? A draft pick or a free agent? I just don't know.
And finally, the Bears: A nice draft and a nice free agent season put them in the thick of things in their division. They've improved their defense and not made any significant downgrades (except backup quarterback) to their offense. Should be a nice year.
Perhaps I'll get time to write a bit more in depth in the near future on some of these topics. Thank you for reading!
*****
In the meantime, feel free to check out my title , Doing Disney: How To Spend A Week At Disney's Florida Resort It's available on Amazon for $2.99.
Thanks!
*****
Well, I did have that one about the Hawks about a month ago. And one about the Bulls in April. And then there were the ones about the Bulls in March and January.
But not too much on any sort of regular basis. And I don't see that changing (the 'regular basis' thing).
I thought that maybe I'd put up a couple of thoughts in short form about potential future topics for me to post about, all the while hoping that maybe someone will see and buy the anthology QUANTUM ZOO that my short SF story will be part of, to be released on June 17th. So here goes:
The Black Hawks need a jolt, perhaps, but no major changes. Everyone always complains about the lack of a second line center to go with superstar Patrick Kane (and apparently Andrew Shaw is NOT that guy). They don't appear to have a good candidate in their system, but maybe it will turn out that they DO have someone and we're just not aware of him yet. Barring that, a trade may make sense - if it brings a quality player and doesn't sacrifice something vital to the Hawks' future. What's vital to the Hawks' future? That's another good question.
The Cubs have shown some signs of life, winning 5 of their last 6 versus the Mets and Marlins. The promise of Anthony Rizzo is becoming more apparent, and Starlin Castro has looked better this year than last (even if consistency is still a problem). But the big issue is the pitching, which has been pretty good. Jeff Samardzija has pitched like an ace most of the time. He's just about in the prime of his career. The Cubs have indicated that they'd give big money to players that made sense for the big picture. So what about Samardzija doesn't fit? They talk like they want to deal him before the deadline, along with Jason Hamel, who has also been pretty good. But why? I'm not sure this makes sense to me.
Sox hit the jackpot with Jose Abreu, or so it seems so far. Made a good signing with Adam Eaton, and they've improved themselves up the middle. Their pitching has been up and down, but they're hovering around .500. Is that what they are, a .500 team? Or can they be better? I think they can make a nice run. I don't know if they're a division champ, but I think they can be a wild card contender. They may need to acquire a pitcher, however. Maybe the Cubs have someone that will make sense for them.
The Bulls have two picks in the first round of the draft, and apparently they've made an offer to Minnesota for Kevin Love. I'm not sure Love is a HUGE upgrade over Taj Gibson, who is reported to be part of the package offered to Minnesota, along with Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikolai Mirotich (spelling?) and possible draft picks. But he's DIFFERENT. Love, Noah and Rose to go with...who at shooting guard and who at small forward? A resigned Deng? Anthony? A draft pick or a free agent? I just don't know.
And finally, the Bears: A nice draft and a nice free agent season put them in the thick of things in their division. They've improved their defense and not made any significant downgrades (except backup quarterback) to their offense. Should be a nice year.
Perhaps I'll get time to write a bit more in depth in the near future on some of these topics. Thank you for reading!
*****
In the meantime, feel free to check out my title , Doing Disney: How To Spend A Week At Disney's Florida Resort It's available on Amazon for $2.99.
Thanks!
*****
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
