Deng to GS PG.13 / PG.43 Bulls Say Otherwise

[Irregular]

I find it funny that the response from some posters in this thread is to blame Boozer for being paid the amount of money that he was worth (maybe even less if the Nets had time to make a counter offer). He's played well as a Bull and if you think otherwise, you're simply wrong.

How about blaming our owner for not wanting to pay the luxury tax?

Why should he pay the tax when two of his best players are going to miss part of the season?

[evilboy]

Deng played excellent defense this year and last, he's a big reason why we won so many games even with all of the injuries... Easily our 2nd best player and would be a huge loss to Chicago's defense when he leaves we will miss him...With that being said, Its time to make a change now...If Jeremy Lamb is there at 7, we have to get him...Have to...

I find it comical that you expect us to ever even reach the NBA finals, let alone win them, with Luol Deng as our 2nd best player.

[nomorezorro]

I doubt the Bulls are going to re-sign him to big money when his contract ends

why do you think the bulls will have to resign him for big money? it'll be a few years into the new cba, the market should have settled a bit (and maybe even people are a little wary of giving out bigger deals since it's still early going and the harsher tax is coming into play) and a team with cap space probably wouldn't be that interested in a guy who's best as a complementary piece on a contender. who's going to drive his price up? who's going to need him more than the bulls?

deng, at age 29, will be an established player. the potential that got him his current contract won't be a factor, that outlier 06-07 season well in the past. he won't get "big money" (i.e. overpaid); he'll get what he's worth

[GloriaJames]

I find it funny that the response from some posters in this thread is to blame Boozer for being paid the amount of money that he was worth (maybe even less if the Nets had time to make a counter offer). He's played well as a Bull and if you think otherwise, you're simply wrong.

How about blaming our owner for not wanting to pay the luxury tax?

Why should he pay the tax when two of his best players are going to miss part of the season?

I'm not here to make basketball decisions for the Bulls, but when people act like it's Boozer's fault for getting paid and producing, I have a problem.

[SpeedyWindRose]

If we are willing to trade Deng, why not at least attempt to trade him for Melo or package Noah and Deng for Dwight?

Because the Bulls are trying to shed salary here. . . if true. They are not trying to improve the team.

I think shedding salary is only half of the equation. I think a more accurate statement might be "the Bulls are trying to re-tool the roster with better $-for-performance players."

I don't see the draft picks the Bulls would receive as replacements for Deng and Noah, rather they're replacements for our 4th-8th option-on-the-team players. It re-tools the Bulls depth at a potentially great $-for-performance basis while giving them the flexibility to look for new 2nd and 3rd options.

Thank you. What's with this gloom and doom cheapskate stuff? Our $-for-performance ratio is unsustainable, or, sustainable and insane. Can we win it all with Rose-Boozer-Deng-Noah as our core, especially when the youngest of those will be 29 when Rose is at top form again? Not to mention Boozer, Noah, and Deng all have a history of injuries. It's time to retool our roster.

[nomorezorro]

Why should he pay the tax when two of his best players are going to miss part of the season?

listen i am fine with people accepting the realities of reinsdorf's frugality and maybe even understanding it, from his point of view. but it's a little weird that you would be basically advocating it

"part of the season" isn't "all of the season." shedding players now doesn't mean that they'll be gone just next season, it'll mean they're off the team for good. it seems like the bulls are exploring a bevy of options to dismantle a championship calibre team this offseason. that might be the best way to contend for a championship considering they have an owner who apparently is unwilling to pay the luxury tax, but it's not the best way for the bulls to contend going forward. the best way, of course, is to keep the team as-is

[Rerisen]

I'm not here to make basketball decisions for the Bulls, but when people act like it's Boozer's fault for getting paid and producing, I have a problem.

The days of teams outspending their mistakes are pretty much over.

If the Bulls had won the title, or even reached the Finals in the last 2 years, then maybe Jerry would be paying to bring everyone back.

Problem with paying far into the luxury tax for this team is that it still has very noticeable flaws. One of which is lack of offensive punch, due to Boozer not playing up to his expectation / contract.

[SpeedyWindRose]

I find it funny that the response from some posters in this thread is to blame Boozer for being paid the amount of money that he was worth (maybe even less if the Nets had time to make a counter offer). He's played well as a Bull and if you think otherwise, you're simply wrong.

How about blaming our owner for not wanting to pay the luxury tax?

Why should he pay the tax when two of his best players are going to miss part of the season?

I'm not here to make basketball decisions for the Bulls, but when people act like it's Boozer's fault for getting paid and producing, I have a problem.

Boozer... produces... but never when it truly matters. I don't give a **** about all those 23/12 games against scrub teams in the regular season. When's the last time he saved our ass in a playoff game, or came up big when it mattered?

[SpeedyWindRose]

Why should he pay the tax when two of his best players are going to miss part of the season?

listen i am fine with people accepting the realities of reinsdorf's frugality and maybe even understanding it, from his point of view. but it's a little weird that you would be basically advocating it

"part of the season" isn't "all of the season." shedding players now doesn't mean that they'll be gone just next season, it'll mean they're off the team for good. it seems like the bulls are exploring a bevy of options to dismantle a championship calibre team this offseason. that might be the best way to contend for a championship considering they have an owner who apparently is unwilling to pay the luxury tax, but it's not the best way for the bulls to contend going forward. the best way, of course, is to keep the team as-is

Do you believe our team, as currently constructed, can win it all? With Boozer only getting worse and Noah and Deng approaching 30? Rose had to do everything, and this cannot be the case once he returns.

[nomorezorro]

yes

[make a move]

Let me get this right, we should give some serious thought about trading Deng because of the defense he plays on LeBron James and what he means to the team's perimeter defense? I disagree. Deng can't contain James or Durant nor will his perimeter defense be missed because the Bulls can easily replace his defense at small forward with another small forward who makes less than Deng. Now tell me where can they find a shootng guard such as Jeremy Lamb's growing on trees? I'll miss Deng's character, hustle and leadership on the floor, but defense? No, because I know it can be cheaply replaced. Look at Shane Battier in Miami who plays solid defense and makes only 3 million. We don't need a 12 million defensive stopper, sorry.

[nomorezorro]

to clarify: not only do i think that this is a team capable of winning a championship, but more importantly i think that it's ridiculously unlikely that you break up parts of it for younger, unknown players and build it back up to the point where it's better than it is today

also, when rose gets healthy, noah and deng will be 28 for a majority of the season. those are players whose games are not exactly reliant on athleticism; i don't see a reason why you couldn't ride it out with those guys for at least 5 seasons starting in 2013-14

[coldfish]

In 2006, the Bulls signed Ben Wallace to a $60M deal. A few days later, they traded Tyson Chandler for an expiring contract. I was rather vocal about this bait and switch move by the Bulls to not take on any salary. I was told that PJ Brown was a valuable expiring. During that season and directly afterwards, the Bulls had chances to deal PJ Brown and other assets for Gasol but did not. It was clearly about avoiding luxury tax.

Deng for a draft pick is the same thing. We will hear about flexibility and potential, but I virtually guarantee than any salary saved on Deng will not be used.

Beyond that, Deng is a free agent in two years where the team would have either full flexibility to use that money somewhere else or resign him on a much more reasonable deal. Chicago would have his Bird rights and based on projections, there aren't going to be a lot of teams under the new restrictive salary cap.

So, yeah, IMO trading Deng for a single year of luxury tax relief is just an awful kick in the nuts for Bulls fans.

I'll criticize management here. I think they put together a very good team under the circumstances. I think they have a good eye for getting role players that fit and a general philosophy that works. That being said, my complaint with them is the same over and over: I don't mind not paying the tax. I don't mind giving out big contracts. But for god's sake, if you aren't going to pay the tax DON'T GIVE OUT CONTRACTS LIKE YOU ARE!!!!

Boozer's contract could have been more frontloaded and so could Deng and Noah's. This would have chipped off a few million from the available salary, maybe losing you Brewer but it would have put Chicago in a better position in the long term. Another huge mistake was Rip Hamilton. Why do you sign that guy if its going to force you to dump Deng or Noah for a prospect?!?!?!

[imagge]

to clarify: not only do i think that this is a team capable of winning a championship, but more importantly i think that it's ridiculously unlikely that you break up parts of it for younger, unknown players and build it back up to the point where it's better than it is today

also, when rose gets healthy, noah and deng will be 28 for a majority of the season. those are players whose games are not exactly reliant on athleticism; i don't see a reason why you couldn't ride it out with those guys for at least 5 seasons starting in 2013-14

This very statement is why I endorse trading Deng, the Bulls need an "athletic basketball player" (No not like tyrus, but someone who can actually play basketball) The Bulls have 1 too many players that are not dependent on athleticism in their core. When you have an athletic player like rose he needs a running mate on the wing unfortunately Deng ain't it.

[make a move]

The Bulls are at least two years away from playing with big boys, again. Rose ain't returning and taking us to the promise land, it will take him a full year to regain his form. Time to trade Deng for a shooting guard who can grow with Rose and Noah.

[boogydown]

I'm sure the Bulls have no intentions to trade Deng just to get under the tax. If tax was such a big issue, they'd be trading Rip not Deng.

- Trade Rip
- Trade Watson
- Cut Korver
- Cut Brewer
- Use Full MMLE

= No Tax

Sell High.

[SpeedyWindRose]

I'm sure the Bulls have no intentions to trade Deng just to get under the tax. If tax was such a big issue, they'd be trading Rip not Deng.

- Trade Rip
- Trade Watson
- Cut Korver
- Cut Brewer
- Use Full MMLE

= No Tax

Sell High.

Thank you.

[coldfish]

I'm sure the Bulls have no intentions to trade Deng just to get under the tax. If tax was such a big issue, they'd be trading Rip not Deng.

- Trade Rip
- Trade Watson
- Cut Korver
- Cut Brewer
- Use Full MMLE

= No Tax

Sell High.

How exactly do you trade Rip for no salary?

[Hokie]

This may very well belong in the draft thread, and someone can direct me there if need be... but assuming we make this Deng for #7 deal, who exactly are we targeting? Barnes? Beal? Lamb? And who can we expect to be there?

I normally don't follow the draft that closely unless the Bulls are in the lottery. Guess I'll have to do some homework if this deal goes down...

[Darius Miles Davis]

I'm willing to trade Deng, but really only of we get Beal (who I think will be very good) or Barnes (who is a risk but has the upside to be better than Deng). I'm not sure if the GS pick helps us get one of those two, unless we package 7 and other assets to move up.