Thread: What's next for the Chicago Bulls?

Is Danny Granger Enough To Get the Chicago Bulls the Larry O'Brien Trophy?

By Del Choc on July 14, 2010


t's definite, before Derrick Rose's career is over he'll be considered a top-10 player when mentioned from 2008 onto what's already in sight. We're talking about a sophomore Lead Guard who finished the 2010 regular season with a better scoring output than Joe Johnson, an All-Star, fellow Eastern conference foe, and get this, a leading scorer for the Hawks who arguably has better scoring options around in Atlanta than Chicago. Last year Rose's most reliable second options were Deng and Hinrich -- dull Robins compared to Crawford, Smith and Horford -- neither of whose best accomplishments have met (and aren't meeting) Rose's standard.

Admitting that, Bulls will have added one marquee name come fall, headlining aside Rose -- Carlos Boozer. Obviously, if any saw his games in Utah you'll know Boozer isn't a Robin. He's Batwoman, for lack of a better term. So ask yourself: Rose, Boozer...is it enough?
It can be if management knock another home run out the park. Because currently their playoff projection goes in unison to top-five once the playoffs embark, which isn't discouraging. But, of course, there's room left to be desired.
I got a chance to check out an ESPN series that features Scoop Jackson -- mainly him and athletes sharing their subjective thoughts around an informal setting to relevant sports topics of that time and period. Danny Granger participated in a single video podcast, and while dismissing the bulk of the conversation, one expressed conflict that stood out -- strikingly how frustrating it was to not be enabled to compete further into July.
Instantly you wonder, "well, will Bird take calls upon the NBA's eighth leading regular season scorer?" Ask anyone around that organization, they're listening.
I have a hard time selling myself on Bird not listening. He's the same GM that drafted Paul George, an enigma who's best suited at the three than two. He's the same GM that didn't smother rattlings about Granger for the Nets' Harris.
So in fair nature to Indiana, why not flip a trade and get a lead-man that's so needed there?
Names coming around to me are Jameer Nelson...Darren Collison...Devin Harris...and Monta Ellis.
Monta Ellis...okay.
How about Granger to Chicago; Deng and Johnson to Golden State, where wings are a necessity; Monta Ellis and Taj Gibson to Indiana Pacers?
Naturally the details concerning picks and cash will counsel itself.
Bulls are getting back an absolutely proficient shooter with little mileage. He's a strong 6'8" or 6'9", possessing great intangibles throughout the tunnel and public-eye. The only forward that was better last year in the Eastern Conference went by the name James, who Granger remains to reign over in terms of pure shooting.

Team him up with Derrick Rose and you're looking at back-to-back fantasy selections. Also, both together make way for a greater than norm chance in hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy, which according to their respective high PER it goes without stating for previous trends. Bulls persistence to remain in the top tier of defense only strengthen the validity of this topic too.




Wouldn't it be better to get Carmelo Anthony than signing another small forward (Granger)?

Chicago Bulls: Sign Ronnie Brewer - chicagotribune.com

Say hello to the Chicago Jazz. Does Utah have any player left? lol

Brewer coming to Bulls

Former Jazz shooting guard ticketed for starting slot with Rose

It seems fitting that the cavalcade of departed shooting guards that began with the Bulls' trade of Thabo Sefolosha may have ended with the arrival of Ronnie Brewer, who signed a three-year, $12.5 million deal Friday to be penciled in as a starter.
That's because in 2006, Bulls management also liked Brewer before drafting Sefolosha.
"(General manager Gar Forman) scouted him a lot," said Henry Thomas, Brewer's Chicago-based representative. "This is a great opportunity for him. He can help the Bulls at both ends."
Brewer never will possess the scoring ability of Ben Gordon, who walked as a free agent last summer. He's not as accomplished as John Salmons, whom the Bulls traded in February to assure maximum salary-cap space.
And the consistent leadership and gritty defensive play of Kirk Hinrich, whom the Bulls peddled on draft night to go all in for $32 million of cap space, won't be duplicated easily.
But on a day when the Magic officially matched the Bulls' three-year, $20 million offer to restricted free agent J.J. Redick, the quiet confidence of the 6-foot-7 Brewer, 25, came through loud and clear in a phone interview.
"Not to be cocky or anything, but I feel I can elevate my game to whatever coach (Tom) Thibodeau needs," Brewer said. "If he wants me to rebound and push the ball, I'm comfortable in that role. I can initiate offense as I did in Arkansas and a little in Utah.
"I let the game come to me. I don't try to force things. But if there are times (Derrick) Rose doesn't want to handle the ball, I can. And I'm also playing comfortable playing off him. I think we will complement each other very well."
Brewer's arrival fulfills Kyle Korver's crack that the Bulls will become the Chicago Jazz. But given that Carlos Boozer, Korver and Brewer played important roles in Jazz playoff games, the Bulls added solid experience and depth after missing out on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Brewer, by the way, will be guarding Wade.
"When I was in Utah, I excelled as a defender but we had a center (Mehmet Okur) who was a great player but didn't block shots," Brewer said. "So I was a little reluctant to be as aggressive because you didn't want your man to get an easy layup.
"With guys like (Joakim) Noah and (Taj) Gibson and Boozer, I can be even more aggressive. I can play the passing lanes more. I think we can be a really good defensive team."
As for offense, Brewer has averaged 10.3 points on 49.5 percent shooting in four seasons. He's not a 3-point shooter at a career 24.3 percent, but that's Korver's role.
Brewer, whose third year is not guaranteed, said he turned down interest from the Celtics for the chance to start, the young core, Thibodeau and management. He said he has recovered fully from the hamstring injury that ended his season just five games after the Jazz traded him to the Grizzlies in a cap move.
Brewer will undergo his physical this weekend and be introduced at a Monday news conference at the United Center.
"This team fits my style," Brewer said. "I think we'll defend, rebound and get on the break. I think I thrive in those situations."
The Bulls now have nine players under contract and roughly $7.8 million of cap space left. They remain in discussions with Brad Miller and Kurt Thomas for big-man depth and have had talks about Rafer Alston and Jason Williams as a backup point guard.

Who's the better guard, Reddick or Brewer?

I am a jazz fan. Now, by default, I am a bulls fan. Seriously. Knock it the F*** off. The Jazz need some players. Sheeesh.

Originally Posted by BossK

I am a jazz fan. Now, by default, I am a bulls fan. Seriously. Knock it the F*** off. The Jazz need some players. Sheeesh.

The Jazz better hope they can keep Deron Williams, otherwise they're pretty much screwed.

Deron is a beast. They lose him they're done. I was very sad when they traded Ronnie Brewer away, the kid plays hard, is a good defender, and does everything he is asked to do. Jazz also just lost another kid (Mathews) to the blazers which isn't going to help anything.

Magic might have done Bulls favor by keeping Redick :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Rick Telander

Magic might have done Bulls favor by keeping Redick

Am I missing something about J.J. Redick? Holy Dookie, but the Orlando Magic just agreed to pay the occasional starter $19 million over three seasons. They did that by matching the Bulls' over-the-top offer for the former Duke gunner.
The Bulls wanted Redick for the two-guard spot vacated by Kirk Hinrich, whom they traded, feeling new acquisition Kyle Korver is more of an off-the-bench swingman, not a starter.
But is Redick worth that much to anybody?
It's true that in his four seasons in the NBA he has worked hard to develop a more rugged body and has shown he can pass and play marginal defense.
But it's possible the Bulls will thank the Magic, which went way over its cap space to re-sign Redick, for this gesture. I mean, there must be somebody better than Redick somewhere, right?

• COULD RONNIE BREWER, who agreed to terms on a three-year, $12.5 million contract Friday, be that guy?

• THE BLACKHAWKS' recently acquired Stanley Cup is continuing its journey around the continent, with every player getting a chance to show off the trophy to his homeys.
A symbol of joy, the Cup nevertheless seems a little sad right now.
So many key Blackhawks from the thrilling 2010 journey to the title already have been traded -- Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd and Ben Eager, to name some -- that it leaves one wondering what a team actually is.
Is it a momentary commingling of people and action that shoots off into space at the speed of light, streaking into the universe the instant it occurs?
If so, how do you salute it ever again?

• IT'S PERPLEXING and illogical that Olympic athletes could participate on a relay team with a cheating teammate -- and win in large part because of that cheater -- and not be penalized for it.
Yet that's what was confirmed when the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Friday that the eight U.S. women who ran with doper Marion Jones on two relays at the 2000 Sydney Olympics can keep their gold medals, even though Jones -- the fastest member of those teams -- lost hers for being an admitted steroid-taker.
The reasoning of the court was that there were no Olympic rules at the time stating a team would be penalized because of one cheater.
Why would the International Olympic Committee have thought of that loophole?
The IOC said the court ruling was ''especially unfortunate for the athletes of the other teams who competed according to the rules.''
How sweet and understanding.

• JUST TO BRING UP a point: If Olympic medals can be taken away after the fact and athletes' urine samples can be examined in perpetuity for doping by evermore sophisticated machinery, why give out medals in the first place?
And once the process starts, the shifting might never end. What if the second-place finisher turns out to have doped, too? Third? Fourth? Everybody?
And let's not forget the East German women's swim teams of the 1970s and 1980s, a whole tribe of mustachioed medalists who never gave up their awards to all those left in their wake.
You open a can of worms, you better be ready for the crawling stuff within.

• GOT A LETTER from Jim Aargaard, a former faculty member in the electrical-engineering department at Northwestern, regarding my nine-part series on my old NU football team and brain trauma.
Aargaard pointed out that longtime Northwestern team physician Dr. Stephen E. Reid was even more ahead of his time than I had stated with his pioneering ''electric helmet'' for studying concussive impact on the brain.
As far back as 1961, Aargaard and student assistant John DuBois had tried to help Reid develop a wired helmet that could transmit EEG waves without being the size of a watermelon or getting demolished on contact.
''The obstacles were formidable,'' Aargaard wrote. ''Transistors were relatively new [we obviously couldn't use vacuum tubes] and unfamiliar, the equipment had to fit inside a helmet without substantially reducing its protection and the equipment had to be unaffected by the shocks it was trying to measure. John felt that he had something that would work at just about the end of the pro football season in 1962, and we flew to California to try it during a game. It didn't work. ... ''
The unflappable Dr. Reid eventually got help from Motorola and even NASA. By the mid-1960s, his crazy transmitting helmet was in full bloom.
His brain study was on. Way ahead of its time.

Chicago Bulls: Ronnie Brewer a good fit for Bulls - chicagotribune.com



Bulls' roster all jazzed up, but title not likely

Forman does well in free agency but fails to hit home run

More than 21/2 hours later than originally scheduled, new Bulls starting guard Ronnie Brewer finally emerged behind the podium Monday wearing a $12.5 million smile but apparently not a watch.

"Good evening," Brewer said after apologizing for being delayed.

It was 4:10 p.m.

Hopefully, he has a better feel for the shot clock.

The fear is that a crowd of Chicagoans never may be as happy to see Brewer make a United Center entrance as the one in the media room that welcomed him after Monday's long wait. But Brewer will be worth the effort for Bulls fans if he offers as much pizzazz on the court as off it.

He already knows how to play to the locals. Asked why he chose to take the offer here rather than one from the NBA runner-up Celtics, Brewer didn't hesitate.

"I think this team's style of play fits me better," he said. "Not to say (the Celtics) are old, but ..."

Brewer's not sayin', he's just sayin'. He'll fit in just fine.

A terrific defender who can handle the ball and score in double figures, Brewer joins former Utah teammates Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver on one of the deepest Bulls' roster of the post-Jordan era. But after all that jazz of NBA free agency, a championship-caliber team it is not.

All three signings filled needs and if the Bulls added any more Jazz to their repertoire this summer their flagship radio station, WMVP-AM 1000, would have to consider changing formats. Granted, every guy who used to pass the Mormon Tabernacle on his way to work should find good harmony on a Bulls team that's undeniably better than the one ousted by the Cavaliers.

But if general manager Gar Forman was going to raid the Utah Jazz organization, couldn't he have started with coach Jerry Sloan?

Forman just accomplished what every self-respecting sports executive strives to do every offseason. He improved his team's chances of winning more games than it did in the previous season. The 2009-10 Bulls went 41-41. After completing the roster with dynamic backup point guard C.J. Watson, acquired Monday from the Warriors, and eventually a backup center, the Bulls will have acquired enough talent to win 50 games in 2010-11.

Realistic or not, we all expected the bar to be higher. And we expected it to be higher because that was what the Bulls had led us to believe since letting Ben Gordon go to clear salary-cap space for the summer of 2010 that was supposed to change everything. It only changed a little.

That's the biggest reason for restraint in celebrating the signings of Brewer, Boozer and Korver -- none of them is named LeBron or Dwyane or Chris.

Yes, Boozer has been an All-Star twice. But I doubt he is on anybody's top-10 list of franchise-changing talents the way James, Wade or Bosh are. Three free-agent player signings later, the Bulls' best long-term investment this offseason remains coach Tom Thibodeau.

That's not diminishing what the Bulls accomplished in committing $107.5 million for three mentally tough, playoff-tested veterans. But if you go out to dinner thinking steak and lobster, ordering roast beef and mashed potatoes is a letdown.

The Bulls didn't sell 1,500 season tickets in 48 hours in June on the promise of Boozer banging the glass for double-doubles. A city didn't ignore baseball for a month because it was distracted by the possibility of Korver spotting up for 3s. Nobody was wearing out the refresh key on their computer searching for the latest Brewer updates.

This is what you get, Chicago: An improved team still no better than the fourth best in the East. There's the Heat, the Celtics, the Magic and then maybe the Bulls.

Truth is, doubt remains about the Bulls' ability to go deep in the playoffs when this was the summer to replace question marks with exclamation points. The Bulls organization had an opportunity to make history. It will have to settle for making progress.

It's OK if it takes at least until the annual circus trip in November for fans to accept the difference.

The Bulls would have been criticized for not joining the chase for James, Wade, et al., so I won't be a hypocrite and rip them for losing it. It seems a little rash and unfair to hold the Bulls' brain trust responsible for the whims of millionaires motivated by factors beyond the control of Forman, John Paxson or Jerry Reinsdorf.

The Bulls could have appealed to James' sense of competitiveness or Wade's sense of family and, in retrospect, still perhaps never had a chance to land either. Forget the fact that this merger began to be plotted three years ago. It turns out James was an even bigger basketball diva than many feared, Wade was disingenuous about the local tug of fatherhood and Chris Bosh was holding onto one hand of each superstar for direction.

Alas, that direction was South Beach.

Directionally speaking, the Bulls are still headed north -- just not as far or as fast as everyone hoped.

Come on guys, don't you wanna talk about the Bulls anymore? I know Wade and LeBron are gone but live isn't fair. We all know that. ^^