According to Mike McGraw, Aldridge wants the Bulls

[KiLleRInStiNcT7]

I would trade Noah. I have no problem with that.

[TBpup]

As of this morning out here on the West Coast, still nothing. I still think part of that may be that the Bulls and Blazers just aren't good trade partners and getting a 3rd team involved is difficult at best. As some posters have noted, Aldridge doesn't like playing C although he often does. Its funny, if they go with out a C they just list the starting lineup with three forwards and two guards.

The majority of his offense does come from the perimeter but that is more so this last season as Stotts used him at the elbow like he had done in Dallas with Nowitzki. The kid runs the floor like a gazelle, has an unstoppable turnaround jumper on the post, great hands on defense...strips the ball before it gets up to where it could be blocked. He is not a great shot blocker but a very good defender by advanced metrics.

My impression is nothing gets done today as the offers from what I've heard aren't enough. They are a lot of pieces and parts but nothing very good. No team wants to give up their all-star for 5 pieces of unproven/average and that is what is coming in so far.

[jump]

I'd certainly rather have LMA than Boozer, but not at the expense of Noah. I idea is to have BOTH of them.

[Chitownbulls]

I think the big thing with Aldridge this year was that JJ Hickson was their starting center. Hickson has no jumper and played mostly in the paint. Aldridge had to play more on by the elbow because it helped with floor spacing.

[Red Larrivee]

LMA is significantly better than Noah at taking the least efficient shot in basketball.

This is where we enter the territory of seriously underrating Aldridge.

[Chitownbulls]

As of this morning out here on the West Coast, still nothing. I still think part of that may be that the Bulls and Blazers just aren't good trade partners and getting a 3rd team involved is difficult at best. As some posters have noted, Aldridge doesn't like playing C although he often does. Its funny, if they go with out a C they just list the starting lineup with three forwards and two guards.

The majority of his offense does come from the perimeter but that is more so this last season as Stotts used him at the elbow like he had done in Dallas with Nowitzki. The kid runs the floor like a gazelle, has an unstoppable turnaround jumper on the post, great hands on defense...strips the ball before it gets up to where it could be blocked. He is not a great shot blocker but a very good defender by advanced metrics.

My impression is nothing gets done today as the offers from what I've heard aren't enough. They are a lot of pieces and parts but nothing very good. No team wants to give up their all-star for 5 pieces of unproven/average and that is what is coming in so far.

Exactly....you pretty much confirmed what I just said.

[patryk7754]

Since Portland wanted EG

Deng to NO
20 to HOU
EG and Robinson POR
Aldrich to the Bulls

[BuffaloBull]

Wow, thanks BB.

1/3 of his offense came from the post? is there a way for you to quickly see how that compares to his career? I would swear he was discussed here in years past and was mostly a jump shooter?

Also I think someone above called Aldridge injury prone - he's missed very few games, he's been really healthy so far and for a big playing big minutes to boot.

I was pulling the data from mysynergysports.com and they don't have archived stats, at least in the freebie version.

I do know, though, that when you look at the close shots splits at 82games.com, LMA usually is around the basket more than he was this year:

27% inside this year at .636 efg
32% inside at .652 2011-2012
36% inside at .583 2010-2011

If he can replicate the season he had in 2011-2012 (where he spent the greatest portion of his minutes next to true bigs in Camby and Pryzbilla) you are getting a very good player.

[blumeany]

Just watch Aldridge vs. the Bulls. You can't underrate the guy. He roasted guys like Noah and Deng and forced them to continually come out from under the basket (hence why Deng was probably covering him part of the time). He forces mismatches on offense. As a defender, at the very least, he'd be much more IN THE WAY than Boozer. He's taller, longer, and more mobile. Defense doesn't scare me, because he's also playing for a coach who demands it and has squeezed every last drop out of Boozer defense-wise.

Do I think Aldridge is worth selling the farm for? No. I consider him a fringe All-Star at this point in his career - similar to Hibbert. But I would be willing to part with some combination of Deng, Taj, the Charlotte pick, #20 this year, and maybe a future 1st.

[dmk08]

As of this morning out here on the West Coast, still nothing. I still think part of that may be that the Bulls and Blazers just aren't good trade partners and getting a 3rd team involved is difficult at best. As some posters have noted, Aldridge doesn't like playing C although he often does. Its funny, if they go with out a C they just list the starting lineup with three forwards and two guards.

The majority of his offense does come from the perimeter but that is more so this last season as Stotts used him at the elbow like he had done in Dallas with Nowitzki. The kid runs the floor like a gazelle, has an unstoppable turnaround jumper on the post, great hands on defense...strips the ball before it gets up to where it could be blocked. He is not a great shot blocker but a very good defender by advanced metrics.

My impression is nothing gets done today as the offers from what I've heard aren't enough. They are a lot of pieces and parts but nothing very good. No team wants to give up their all-star for 5 pieces of unproven/average and that is what is coming in so far.

Exactly....you pretty much confirmed what I just said.

I mean Deng has made the all-star team the last 2 years in a row. Wasn't he a coaches choice last year? He must have a reputation around the league as more than 'average'.

[Chitownbulls]

If it takes Noah to get LMA....I'll do it because these couples reasons

1. Noah is injured every year, how will it get better with age?

2. Noah can't score every time down the floor like LMA has the ability too

3. Bulls desperately need a 2nd scorer

4. You keep most of your assets trading Noah...Charlotte pick, Mirotic, butler

5. Boozer an deng could be goners next year to bring in Max Free agent and great role players

Count me in

[drosestruts]

After July 14th:

Chicago in: LMA, Joel Freeland and Shannon Brown

New Orleans in: Luol Deng

Phoenix in: Eric Gordon

Portland in: Marcin Gortat, Taj Gibson, Whoever the Bulls pick at 20

[DJhitek]

LMA is significantly better than Noah at taking the least efficient shot in basketball.

This is where we enter the territory of seriously underrating Aldridge.

I agree, Alridge at the very least TAKES the shot. Noah isn't as capable (although he is vastly improved) at anywhere near the volume. This isn't a big for small debate, it's two very talented bigs. All-Star players.

BTW, my concern with Joakim is simple. He is injury prone, he's averaged 60 games played the past 4 seasons. That's concerning to me....

[coldfish]

Just watch Aldridge vs. the Bulls. You can't underrate the guy. He roasted guys like Noah and Deng and forced them to continually come out from under the basket (hence why Deng was probably covering him part of the time). He forces mismatches on offense. As a defender, at the very least, he'd be much more IN THE WAY than Boozer. He's taller, longer, and more mobile. Defense doesn't scare me, because he's also playing for a coach who demands it and has squeezed every last drop out of Boozer defense-wise.

Do I think Aldridge is worth selling the farm for? No. I consider him a fringe All-Star at this point in his career - similar to Hibbert. But I would be willing to part with some combination of Deng, Taj, the Charlotte pick, #20 this year, and maybe a future 1st.

You know how Bosh kills the Bulls too? Its on purpose. Thibodeau is playing the odds. He wants opposing big men playing like Bosh and Aldridge do. He is basically daring these guys to beat his defense and from time to time, they do. Over long stretches of time though the stats even out and Thibodeau is proven right.

Regardless, the Bulls just don't have the pieces to land LMA.

[TBpup]

Do I think Aldridge is worth selling the farm for? No. I consider him a fringe All-Star at this point in his career - similar to Hibbert. But I would be willing to part with some combination of Deng, Taj, the Charlotte pick, #20 this year, and maybe a future 1st.

I doubt that gets it done. The best player in that group is Deng (very good) but that is the one place with the most duplication because of Batum except Batum is three years younger. Similar numbers except Batum gets significantly more assists, more blocks and is a much better shooter from 3-pt range. So that asset doesn't help Portland much and the rest isn't enough or in the case of the Charlotte pick, too far down the road.

[Chitownbulls]

As of this morning out here on the West Coast, still nothing. I still think part of that may be that the Bulls and Blazers just aren't good trade partners and getting a 3rd team involved is difficult at best. As some posters have noted, Aldridge doesn't like playing C although he often does. Its funny, if they go with out a C they just list the starting lineup with three forwards and two guards.

The majority of his offense does come from the perimeter but that is more so this last season as Stotts used him at the elbow like he had done in Dallas with Nowitzki. The kid runs the floor like a gazelle, has an unstoppable turnaround jumper on the post, great hands on defense...strips the ball before it gets up to where it could be blocked. He is not a great shot blocker but a very good defender by advanced metrics.

My impression is nothing gets done today as the offers from what I've heard aren't enough. They are a lot of pieces and parts but nothing very good. No team wants to give up their all-star for 5 pieces of unproven/average and that is what is coming in so far.

Exactly....you pretty much confirmed what I just said.

I mean Deng has made the all-star team the last 2 years in a row. Wasn't he a coaches choice last year? He must have a reputation around the league as more than 'average'.

He made the all star game with no DRose for a good chunk of 2 seasons. bulls were still successful, coaches voted him in because of it. With the emergence of butler and DRose back...deng is not an all star this year.

[aaqubed]

Do I think Aldridge is worth selling the farm for? No. I consider him a fringe All-Star at this point in his career - similar to Hibbert. But I would be willing to part with some combination of Deng, Taj, the Charlotte pick, #20 this year, and maybe a future 1st.

I doubt that gets it done. The best player in that group is Deng (very good) but that is the one place with the most duplication because of Batum except Batum is three years younger. Similar numbers except Batum gets significantly more assists, more blocks and is a much better shooter from 3-pt range. So that asset doesn't help Portland much and the rest isn't enough or in the case of the Charlotte pick, too far down the road.

Isn't that exactly the deal you said yesterday would be good enough? Deng would go to a third team for other assets.

[Red Larrivee]

You know how Bosh kills the Bulls too? Its on purpose. Thibodeau is playing the odds. He wants opposing big men playing like Bosh and Aldridge do. He is basically daring these guys to beat his defense and from time to time, they do. Over long stretches of time though the stats even out and Thibodeau is proven right.

Since Thibs joined the Bulls, Aldridge:

42points, 8rebounds, 65.2%
33points, 9rebounds, 63.2%
28points, 8rebounds, 47.6%
28points, 8rebounds, 60.9%
18points, 13rebounds, 50%

Average: 29.8ppg, 9.2rebs, 57.3%fg.

[Chitownbulls]

Does Noah for Aldridge get this deal done?

[dmk08]

Exactly....you pretty much confirmed what I just said.

I mean Deng has made the all-star team the last 2 years in a row. Wasn't he a coaches choice last year? He must have a reputation around the league as more than 'average'.

He made the all star game with no DRose for a good chunk of 2 seasons. bulls were still successful, coaches voted him in because of it. With the emergence of butler and DRose back...deng is not an all star this year.

Im probably in the minority but I think Deng > Butler still. Maybe not if you think about owed salary but just as a basketball player.