State of the Bulls -
For the most part, the consensus is Chicago did the smart thing by letting him walk because Gordon just isn't worth that kind of dough, but despite that there is still the issue of how the Bulls replace 20 points a night.
Fret not, Bulls fans. Those points are there.
John Salmons is the easy answer here. In 2008-09 he averaged a career-high 18.3ppg and proved in the playoffs that he's capable of blowing up for huge games. Granted, he started at the three with the Bulls because Luol Deng was hurt and Gordon was the shooting guard, but this season he'll slip into the two as Deng returns.
Last season, Salmons and Gordon combined for 42.6 ppg, while Salmons and Deng combined for 32.4ppg. Even if we assume Deng and Salmons don't pick up some of that difference next season, new Bulls GM Gar Foreman brought in some offense for the bench in Jannero Pargo, who averaged 8.1 and 9.2 points a night in his last two NBA seasons with the Hornets. And Pargo only cost $2 million to bring in.
David Lee on the Bulls?! -
Details remain scarce, but David Lee's name is finally starting to come up again more often now that pretty much all the top unrestricted free agents apart from Odom and Andre Miller have been signed. With summer league ball behind us, the free-agent focus starts to shift to restricted free agents like Lee.
The problem? Unless Portland uses its cap space to make him an offer, Lee will be relying on the Knicks to cooperate in a sign-and-trade arrangement. And it's believed that New York is determined to retain Lee and Nate Robinson on one-year deals that preserve full Bird rights for both players without obligating the Knicks to slice into their projected salary-cap space for 2010 free agency.
But one well-placed insider volunteered this tip when it comes to Lee's situation: "Keep your eye on Chicago."
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