| Quarter Season Report Authored by Kyle Bradley - January 9, 2006 - 1:51 am
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$10 Million For Five Players?
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Raptorland’s New Carnivore
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His first step was the hiring of fiery, hard-nosed head coach Skiles in order to form a new identity that the Bulls lacked. Giving four rookies extensive playing time is not a generally accepted way to drastically improve a team, but John Paxson saw something in each of the players he acquired. Using the third pick in the 2004 draft Paxson selected undersized, yet explosive, shooting guard Ben Gordon from the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies. Four picks later, Luol Deng, from perennial powerhouse Duke, became a Chicago Bull and teammate Chris Duhon followed suit in the second round becoming the 38th player drafted. Less than two months later the Bulls acquired feisty 6-7 forward Andres Nocioni fresh off his performance as a starter for the Olympic gold medal winning Argentinian National team. See the pattern yet?
Paxson and Skiles brought in players that didn’t know what losing felt like, players that would accept nothing less than winning. After an 0-9 start, the Bulls went on to post a 47-35 record and a trip to the playoffs. This season, the team is off to a better start, but the optimism is still not there. Anyone who has seen even a quarter of play by this years team will notice the lack of strength and size under the basket, as well as the lack of height all over the court. The three-man guard rotation includes 6-1 Chris Duhon, 6-2 Ben Gordon and 6-3 Kirk Hinrich, all considered short by NBA standards. Due to the inconsistent play of Tyson Chandler, Othella Harrington, and Darius Songaila, Skiles has been forced to play Nocioni at the power forward position and shift hefty Michael Sweetney to center. This move places Sweetney at an unnatural position, not to mention the size disadvantage that comes from pairing a 6-7 power forward with a 6-8 center.
Despite all the criticism for this year’s squad, it is too soon to write them off just yet. A quick fix big man through a trade seems like a good idea, but not for the long-term focused Bulls. They have the assets to make a deal (Tim Thomas’ expiring $14 million contract, 2 1st round draft picks with the Knicks’ pick probably in the lottery, and young players like Gordon, Deng, and Nocioni) but it is unlikely that they would be willing to part with any of their young core players, for a couple of victories this year. The best option may be to hold tight through this year, in fact this season is not as bleak as some fans think. The Bulls sport an 11-11 record, despite playing the past two world champion San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons twice, playing thirteen of their twenty-two games on the road which include the nightmare six-game west coast road trip, and the inconsistent play typical of a young team. This team has been marred by inconsistency all year, shown through the win at defending champion San Antonio, and by losses to New York, Golden State, and Seattle. This young team should only improve as the season continues.
The Bulls best basketball is yet to come this year, as proven last year Skiles does a great job of conditioning the team for the middle-end of the year when other teams begin to wear down. The team has put in the effort in the preseason and beginning of the year in order to have the endurance to push through February and March.
This off-season should be an exciting one for the Bulls, unlike last season in which the team didn’t own a single draft pick and the only real news was the re-signing of Tyson Chandler and Chris Duhon. This off-season the Bulls not only have two first round draft picks, but also possess nearly $20 million barring any major trades. The lose the contracts of malcontents Tim Thomas ($13.9 million), Eddie Robinson ($5.2 million), as well as close to $10 million in other contracts scheduled to come off the books. The draft picks could be used on impact players, but a more likely scenario is the Bulls will attack the free agent market. Big men allegedly on the Bulls’ radar, Nazr Mohammed, Joel Pryzbilla, Al Harrington, Peja Stojakovic and Lorenzen Wright. Any of these bodies would add the element underneath that this years version is sorely missing. Intriguing draft prospects are Josh McRoberts from Duke, LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas, but both of these players will likely be snatched up before the Bulls even have a pick. Two more likely options both come in the form of 7-foot European players, Tiago Splitter and Andrea Bargnani, from Italy and Brazil respectively. Both players have very high ceilings, but would also be able to provide size inside even if their basketball skill is not fully developed in their rookie season. Paul Davis from Michigan State would be another option, and at 6-11 240 he would more likely be able to contribute right away especially after playing under Tom Izzo. Whether Paxson decides to swing a trade, sign a big name free agent, or keep his draft picks, it should be an exciting off-season that will leave Bulls fans with plenty of optimism for the 2006-2007 season.
That being said, I don't think we should be looking to just "get through" this year while really just looking to the next couple years, but instead we should be working on maintaining and building on the winning attitude that this club has begun to embrace. Once this attitude is there, the players we add over the next year or so (big shooting guard and big power forward/center) will improve the team exponentially. This is not the time to switch to panic mode, we have players in place that can win games and have won games their entire lives. Right now this Bulls team may not be a championship contender, but they are certainly a playoff team who is just a few moves away from being a championship contender. And unlike some teams, we have the assets and more importantly, the time to do it. |
