Click-a-Bull (Latest Trade Rumors: Magic, Lakers, Spurs; Turnaround, JJohnson, Potential vs. Performance, Slam Dunk Competition)

Bulls talking to Magic about Anthony Johnson

Per KC Johnson:

Magic men: Two league sources said the Magic is one of many teams the Bulls have talked to in their attempts to pare payroll before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. Guard Anthony Johnson has an expiring contract and the Bulls are making John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas available to any takers.

The Bulls remain focused on acquiring at least one expiring contract before the deadline.
For a trade involving Johnson [from the Magic] and Salmons or Tyrus [from the Bulls] to go down, other salaries need to be included. Looking over the roster, the only salary that really fits is JJ Reddick. Everyone else makes too little or isn't expiring.

Working from a base of Reddick + Johnson, you don't have enough salary to match John Salmons, so the obvious trade would be Reddick + Johnson for Tyrus. Orlando would also need to pick up a minimum salary player to meet the minimum roster requirements.

VOTE IN THE POLL ------->

Lakers: Waiting on the Trade Deadline

With both sides anticipating Kobe Bryant extending his stay with the Lakers (be it midseason with an extension or in July with a new contract), it seems counter-intuitive the team would invest so much in the Pau Gasol/Andrew Bynum/Lamar Odom/Ron Artest/Bryant core without a point guard to round out the rotation.

While Brown has shown some ability he's primarily effective against specific defensive matchups and isn't an ideal lead guard in the triangle. The Lakers don't need a true point guard but Shannon doesn't necessarily possess enough combo skills to run the position full-time.

That's why Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls is so intriguing. He's a strong defender who can rotate up on coverages to small forward. He'd be a capable starter or - if need be - a high minute reserve. He's never been a high percentage shooter but Hinrich has never benefited from the kind of open looks he'd get playing alongside Bryant, Gasol, etc.

Kirk is set to make $9 million next year and $8 million the following season. That's the rub. He'd solve a lot of problems but Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss is already in for more than he ever expected.

A trade of expiring contracts like Adam Morrison, Josh Powell and Farmar may be appealing to the Bulls but Hinrich simply isn't worth $18 million next season - which is what the addition would be including the luxury tax. Including Fisher in a package isn't a consideration for Los Angeles; regardless that wouldn't change next year's economics.

Berger: Spurs Intrigued by Ty Thomas

Two Western Conference teams intrigued by Thomas are the Nuggets, patiently seeking a big man to contend with the Lakers, and the Spurs, who were characterized by two rival executives as desperate to acquire an athletic big man. “They feel like they have to do something, like they’re behind the eight ball a little bit,” one of the execs said. The Spurs have a full complement of expiring contracts that would intrigue the Bulls, who want to avoid losing a significant player with no compensation (see Ben Gordon) for the second straight summer. The Spurs, who dipped their toe across the luxury tax line this season, will have to decide before the end of their annual circus road trip – which continued Monday night against the Lakers – what they’re willing to give up to see that investment pay off.

Rebounding from difficult start

The Chicago Bulls got off to a miserable start this year, one that consisted of bum ankle to their star point guard that altered the team’s fortunes, rumors of the coach’s impending firing, and the search for more offense after the departure of Ben Gordon.

While the ship hasn’t totally been righted, the Bulls appear capable of returning to the postseason, even though the team’s makeup could change by the Feb. 18 NBA trading deadline.

First off, when point guard Derrick Rose injured his ankle early in the preseason, the entire Bulls team felt his pain.

Rose hasn’t missed any regular season games, but he certainly wasn’t his explosive self early on.

“It was frustrating,” Rose said.

Rose eventually worked his way through the injury, but it wasn’t easy.

“He missed the whole month of training camp pretty much and that set him back, getting in condition and from a mental aspect of not being able to push off his ankle the way he wants to,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. “He has relied on athleticism a lot and when that was taken away from him, that obviously changes things.”

Now healthy, Rose has shown marked improvement after earning Rookie of the Year honors last year. This season he has been named to his first NBA all-star game, something that should become an annual occurrence over the next decade or so.

Not only were the Bulls coping with injuries to Rose, along with Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas, but Chicago was dealing earlier in the season with rumors of Del Negro’s potential departure.

The low point came when the Bulls squandered a 35-point lead and lost 102-98 to the visiting Sacramento Kings on Dec. 21. The Bulls would lose their next game in New York, 88-81 to drop to a season-high seven games under .500 (10-17). As recently as Jan. 8, the Bulls were 14-20, but then turned things around by winning 9 of their next 11 games.

Before that recent surge, nobody was receiving more heat than Del Negro. It seemed like every day there was a story speculating on his potential successor. Del Negro says when the team was at its lowest, his only recourse was to keep battling.

“I never get too excited or too down if you win or lose, you have to keep fighting and figure things out, especially with young teams,” he said. “Some of our guys are playing at a high level.”

The players, like everybody else were aware of the rumors, but like their coach, they had no choice but to block out all distractions and concentrate on trying to turn around a disappointing season.

“The players really kept together,” Rose said. “We weren’t worried about anything like that and we let the front office deal with that, it’s not our business. Our job is to come in, play hard and make this organization look good.”

Few have done more to make a team look good than Rose, one of the most explosive players breaking down a defenders in the NBA.

The Summer Bowl: Joe Johnson to Bulls?

On the day after the Saints' Super Bowl win over the Indianapolis Colts, this former New Orleans resident feels a bit of pride for the city where I used to live, albeit briefly. It must be something akin to the Bears' last championship, or the Sox more recent World Series title or rather -- as powerful of an affection as New Orleans feels for the Saints -- the Jordan era of the Bulls, and the six wins that came with it.

As the NBA season continues to move forward, I wonder if my current place of residence -- Chicago -- can make a dent in what equates to the NBA’s Super Bowl for the majority of the teams in the league: this summer’s loaded free-agent pool, the Summer Bowl, if you will. Let’s be honest, while the Bulls are certainly playoff hopefuls, there are only a few true contenders for the crown this year and Chicago isn’t among them. However, the Bulls are a team with a shot to be a major player this summer.

The biggest fish in the pond, LeBron James, is a near-lock to remain in Cleveland, despite the Knicks/Nets propaganda that is being fed to the public. The Cavaliers can pay him the most money, they are a contender this year and could still add another piece before the upcoming trade deadline, further appeasing their star. If James does opt to leave Cleveland, it would be a long shot that he lands in Chicago.

The next-biggest superstar name on the list happens to hail from Chicago: Dwyane Wade -- though he looked very much like a mere mortal on Saturday night, as the Bulls snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over the Heat at the United Center in their last game. Unfortunately, while there might be some hometown sentiment and Wade stated after the game, as he has in the past, that winning is his top priority -- he may be dissatisfied with Miami at the moment, as the Heat are currently on a losing skid and aren’t in the same class as other Eastern Conference contenders -- but they aren’t in that much of a different situation than Chicago, with a few key differences.

First, like James in Cleveland, the Heat can pay him more than any other team. Next, it’s Florida -- the “Sunshine State,” for those unfamiliar -- and Miami more specifically. And Wade has stated his preference for the warmer climate after growing up in the Windy City and attending college in Milwaukee, not to mention the tax benefits he enjoys in Florida. Keep in mind that the Heat, with few players under contract for next season, potentially have the ability to bring another superstar to pair with “Flash” (and who wouldn’t want to go to Miami and play with Wade?), and it’s obvious the Bulls are fighting an uphill battle in their quest to put together an all-Chicago backcourt with Wade and Derrick Rose.

At The Trading Deadline: Chicago's Potential Vs. Performance Debate

For years we've seen the Chicago Bulls' mistakes turn into fortune for other teams. We've seen promising players turn into all-stars and headcases turn into defensive specialists. Another case of the organization expecting too much too soon, some may say. Or is it a case of cutting your losses before your time to cash in on them runs out?

What may not have be known then about Brand and Artest, but is clear now, is the impact these players would have on their teams down the road. What we do not know, is how GMs come to these hard decisions of getting rid of players who they once coveted.

Sure, Hindsight is 20/20. We all do some things we wish we could take back. But you take the gamble in the name of the organization and live with it. What do you say to Elton Brand leading the Clippers, who hadn't been to the playoffs since 2005, back to respectability and giving them there first series win in a playoff game in thirteen years? Oops maybe.

Who would have thought that Artest, an unknown second-round pick from St John's University, would win the defensive player of the year award in 2004, and become an all-star in the same year, three years removed from the team that drafted him.

You can make cases for other players that have come through the Bulls organization who later had success and become all-stars, such as Brad Miller. Even J.R Smith has become a top guy for the Denver Nuggets since his release from the Bulls.

High Definition (Click for VIDEO)

A Slam Dunk contest never hurt anyone…


2010 – The Silver Anniversary
This Saturday night marks the Silver Anniversary of the NBA’s annual Slam Dunk Competition. The 2010 installment will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, with high flyers Shannon Brown, Gerald Wallace, defending champion Nate Robinson and either DeMar DeRozen or Eric Gordon competing for the right to be named the L’s best dunker.

(SIDE NOTE: That is, unless LeBron James surprises everyone by becoming some sort of last minute mystery dunker… In fact, it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities to see LBJ come running out from the stands, blocking one of Wallace’s attempts from behind, collecting the loose ball, dribbling (full steam down the court) before taking off from behind the foul line for a perfect two handed windmill – stealing the 2010 title and fulfilling his promise to compete… What? It could happen. A guy can dream, right?)

Before the “Dunk Off”; before Nate Robinson attempts to do what Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Jason Richardson and Harold Minor couldn’t – win three dunk titles – we felt it only fitting to flick through basketball’s history books and remind ourselves why we care about all 24 NBA Dunk Competition’s and their winners.

Click-a-Bull (Tyrus, Trade/Celtics, Haywood/TT, Tyrus, JJohnson, Tyrus)

Thomas Wants to be Given What Gibson Has Earned

Tyrus Thomas did not play versus the Heat on Saturday. Instead, Chris Richard, recently signed from the D-League's Tulsa 66ers (owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder and rife with talent) got the minutes Thomas would have. And he didn't score the winning field goal, or spur an offensive explosion. But Richard came in, and did his job. He grabbed seven rebounds, handed out two assists, nabbed a steal, and had two blocks. This is the box score version. But the combination of effort and size he put in what exactly what the Bulls needed, especially with Joakim Noah out, and helped the Bulls outlast Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat.

VOTE IN THE POLL ------>

That effort is in deep contrast to Thomas' absence, caused by a post-game tirade after the Bulls loss in Atlanta the night before. Thomas has been on the outs in Chicago since an injury derailed him early in the season. Upon return, he discovered that Taj Gibson's steady, consistent, but un-jaw-dropping play had cemented him in the starting power forward spot. Thomas responded with the same approach he's taken for most of his career. Disinterest mixed with resentment, lacking any effort to consistently produce what's being asked of him. If Tyrus Thomas is everything the fans want when he tries, Chris Richard is good enough for what his coaches want because he does try.

Richard long could have abandoned the NBA dream, having spent three seasons bouncing from training camp to overseas to the D-League. But with an impressive physical set and after consistently earning marks for both his talent and effort, Richard may finally be turning it around. We'll have to see if he can produce at the NBA level like he did versus the Heat to see if his ten-day contract is extended to the rest of the season. Richard makes for a compliment to Gibson's quiet, but relentless approach. Whereas Thomas is more likely to jump seemingly 20 feet in the air to block a shot, Gibson's more likely to commit a hard foul to stop a shot. While Thomas can throw down a dunk like few can (even though he's publicly dismissed the dunk contest in a pretty fan unfriendly way), Gibson's more likely to scrap for an offensive put-back.

Thomas is continually defended by Bulls fans because of his high ceiling, his lack of development blamed on Vinny Del Negro. Gibson is sometimes derided because he wasn't the sexy pick that DeJuan Blair was and because he wasn't born after the Berlin Wall fell. Thomas is an electrifying athlete. Richard and Gibson are just solid basketball players.

NBA Trade Rumors: Where The Celtics Are That Lady Whose Garage Sale Is Horribly Overpriced

# Kirk Hinrich and John Salmons are available. I would be shocked if the Celtics had not already contacted Chicago about one or both of them, and several outlets have reported that the C’s have inquired about Hinrich.
# The Celtics will NOT give up Ray Allen in any deal with the Bulls centering around Hinrich or Salmons. This should be obvious, but the Chicago Sun-Times (citing no sources of any kind, not even anonymous ones) gave this notion some credence it doesn’t deserve. If the C’s go for either play, they will offer a combination of expiring deals and wait out Chicago, hoping no contender offers anything better. Boston will only give up Allen for an impact player, and there just aren’t many of those that a) work under the cap; b) are available.

via A Shot at Some Definitive Trade Conclusions » Boston Celtics Basketball – Celtics news, rumors and analysis – CelticsHub.com.

So the Celtics have realized that Ray Allen is NOT an impact player anymore and therefore needs to be moved for them to stay in contention… but they’re only trading him for an impact player.

Riiiiight.

I get the argument. The expiring contract is the trade chip, not the player. But the only teams that would really be interested in acquiring Allen are teams looking to boost this season AND contend for a free agent. So, Chicago. If you’re willing to accept you’re probably not winning the title this year (not absolutely, probably), then you can go ahead and go into the offseason and try and acquire an upgrade. Except then Pierce and Garnett are a year more gone. The window’s either open or closed this year. If it’s closed, hang on to Allen, try and move a few other pieces and get your big market club in the market this summer. If it’s not, you’d better try and get the best overall deal you can and push for the playoffs this year. Hinrich and Salmons may not be impact players, bu they can be parts of a championship team. Eddie House was, for God’s sake.

Bulls targetting Brendan Haywood for Tyrus/Johnson?

Per a realgm user who's posted reliable information in the past:

Latest info I got is that Brendan Haywood has been informed that he could be going to Chicago for Tyrus Thomas and James Johnson.This comes from a player my guy represents here in Europe and is close to Brendan.

Well Haywood is definitely the best player in this deal if it's true. This deal also begs for a followup deal involving Brad Miller. If you are left with a front court of Miller, Noah, and Haywood you basically have three centers and the only legit PF on the roster is Gibson.

It would certainly improve the team though as Haywood would give us more toughness and rebounding than we presently have and Tyrus / Johnson isn't doing much for us anyway.

The downside of course is that James Johnson is the only piece in the trade who's got some potential value next season as it's highly unlikely Haywood or Tyrus would return in a year. On the upside, clearing out Johnson's salary would save us over 1 million in cap room next season, and maybe that becomes fairly important when negotiating with a FA.

Bulls will say ta-ta after another Thomas tirade

"You don't lose your starting job to injury" is one of the older clichés in sports, which, sadly, "a Tyrus Thomas team-imposed suspension" is becoming too.

Following Thomas' verbal tirade at coach Vinny Del Negro on Friday in Atlanta, that's three disciplinary actions taken by management in four seasons for Thomas, the soon-to-be former Bull.

Whether the Bulls find a taker for the forward by the Feb. 18 trade deadline or simply renounce his rights this summer, Thomas either will or won't reach his tantalizing potential elsewhere.

The Bulls will say the steady play of rookie Taj Gibson is why Thomas is no longer the starting power forward after missing seven weeks with a fractured radius in his left forearm. And Gibson unquestionably has been a steal of the draft, a fundamentally sound, reliable player.

But part of successful coaching is managing personalities. When Thomas came off the bench to average 16 points, 10.3 rebounds and two blocks in 30.3 minutes in his first three games back from injury in late December, the time to start him and allow him to play through some mistakes arrived.

Instead, Thomas came off the bench to play just 15 foul-plagued minutes on Jan. 2 against Orlando. He has played more than 30 minutes just once since — on Jan. 20 at the Clippers — and tallied 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks while doing so.

What can we expect from Joe Johnson?

[From the Fanposts. Real cool stuff from YaoPau, supplying caution for the Bulls prospective 2010 FA signing. It's still not a given that he'd leave Atlanta given their success. But between the Bulls media pumping him up, the Arn Tellem connection, and the likely desperation (and not exactly unwarranted) from the Bulls to sign someone to a max deal, this is one of the most likely possibilities of next summer. -ed]

I keep hearing Joe Johnson is the #4 option if we strike out on LeBron/Wade/Bosh. His resume fits that ranking: 4-straight all-star appearances, 22ppg scorer, good 3pt shot, good passer, plays 40mpg with almost no injury history, and he's the offensive star of a Hawks team headed toward 55 wins.

But it's his age - he turns 29 in four months - that makes me cautious. The Bulls have a thin rotation already, and we stand to lose Tyrus, Miller, and either Hinrich/Salmons before the start of next season. With Rose and Noah still developing, and rotation pieces needing to be acquired, our window for contention if we miss LeBron/Wade is probably a couple years away.

I'd expect Johnson to remain a star at ages 29 and 30. But after that, when we'll really need him, what can we expect?

Bulls hoping to leave Thomas' tirade behind

Tyrus Thomas returned to Bulls practice on Monday, two days after serving a team-imposed suspension.

Thomas did not address the media, which wasn't surprising. Most of the Bulls were anxious to reach the airport so they could beat the forecast of snowy weather into Indianapolis for Tuesday's game against the Pacers.

Listening to coach Vinny Del Negro and guard Derrick Rose following practice at the Berto Center, it seemed as though the Bulls almost expected an angry outburst from Thomas, who played 20 minutes or less in five straight games before the suspension.

"It's not the first thing that's happened with Tyrus," Del Negro said. "He's got to be smarter and he's got to be committed to the team. Today was a good practice, not (just) for him, but for everybody. Now we've got to move on."

Rose was also nonchalant about the incident, stressing that it was forgotten shortly after it occurred.

"He apologized right after that happened, just saying he was sorry and stuff like that," Rose said. "So we got that out of the way and now we're focused on just winning games. - It seems like he's on the right path, so we're just going to leave him that way."

Derrick Rose Throws Down Alley-Oop v. Atlanta Hawks

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VOTE IN THE POLL ------------>

Click-a-Bull (BANG GANG, Defense, Tyrus, Kirk/Trade)

Bill Wennington, Luc Longley, And Will Perdue Were Once Called "Bang Gang," T-Shirt Alleges

Could we talk about this t-shirt for a moment? Because it is so very wrong.

I don't mean the possibly unwitting double entendre. I don't mean the fact that someone somewhere saw fit to put not just Bill Wennington on a t-shirt, not just Luc Longley, not just Will Perdue — but all three of them. And I don't even mean the profoundly sad image I have in my head of a kid strolling with his mom through a Kohl's in Des Plaines, seeing this shirt, and saying: "I want that one, mom. The one with Bill Wennington, Luc Longley, and Will Perdue."

No, what's so wrong about this shirt is that no one called them the Bang Gang. And with good reason! Bill Wennington didn't bang. Luc Longley certainly didn't bang. Will Perdue tried to bang once, and he wound up running into Tony Massenburg's elbow. This t-shirt must've been made sometime during the 1994-95 season. I figure I watched 80 percent of Bulls games that year. I read the Chicago papers. Nobody, I assure you, called them the Bang Gang. Not Red Kerr, not Tom Dore, not Norm Van Lier, not Bernie Lincicome, not Steve Rosenbloom, not even Sam Smith, in those spare moments when he wasn't daydreaming about trading Dickey Simpkins for the starting lineup of the Sonics.

You can't just stick a nickname like that on a t-shirt and act like it's in the common parlance. A nickname like that has to be earned, whether through tireless work in the paint or through actual polyamory. I know for a fact that Bill Wennington, Luc Longley, and Will Perdue never engaged in the former, and we should all hope to God they never indulged in the latter.

Awesome Chicago Bulls Vintage "Bang Gang" Shirt [eBay, via Ball Don't Lie]

(Thanks for the link Duker)

More roadkill: 76ers 106, Bulls 103 (OT)

When Chicago lost at home to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, I noted that as Derrick Rose goes, so go the Bulls. Rose didn’t play particularly well against the Clips (7-for-20, 4 turnovers), and the Bulls lost. And while that’s something of an oversimplification, his performance is a pretty good measure of how the team performs as a whole.

Well, Rose had a fantastic game last night against the Sixers: 30 points (10-for-22 from the field, 9-for-10 from the line), 4 rebounds, 9 assists. His scoring and assist totals were both game highs. He scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. And yet the Bulls lost their second consecutive game to a sub-.500 team…which in fact dropped them back below .500 in the process. So what happened?

Defense. Or rather the lack thereof.

Again, I don’t mean to oversimplify things here. However, Philly typically connects on about 45 percent of their field goals (20th in the league), and their average Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) is 48.6 (23rd in the league). Meanwhile, the Bulls usually hold their opponents to 43.6 percent shooting (3rd in the league) and an eFG% of 48.0 (6th in the league). So, all things being equal, Chicago should have shut the the Sixers down. With authoritah.

But they did not.

Philadelphia connected on 52.3 percent of their shots and finished with an eFG% of 55.2. Not only did those numbers exceed what the Sixers normally do and far surpass how Bulls opponents perform on average, they’re also significantly above what the league’s best team do on a nightly basis. The Utah Jazz currently lead the league in FGP (49.2) and the Phoenix Suns are tops in eFG% (54.1).

It was a classic defensive fail.

Random Thoughts about the Chicago Bulls: For One, Tyrus Thomas is a Bust

A few random thoughts in no particular order:

Joakim Noah is really hurting. Plantar fasciitis is an injury that doesn’t really go away, especially when you’re a seven-foot athlete who has to run and jump for a living. And for a player who specializes in offensive rebounding, his game is going to suffer. He’s the team’s second-best player and Vinny should pull rank on him even when he says he wants to play by resting him through the All-Star break.

Derrick Rose is not going to keep shooting 70 percent, and players like John Salmons and Brad Miller need to hit one out of every three wide-open jumpers.

I knew the Bulls would lose 90-82 to the Clippers on Tuesday. It had trap game written all over it, and I’m wondering how good LeBron James would look on the Clippers if he was plugged in at small forward with Baron Davis at the point, Eric Gordon as the shootey-two guard, Blake Griffin as the power forward and Chris Kaman at center. And being in LA, along with Kobe in town, California would soon be a basketball Mecca. Makes sense from a business and competitive perspective.

If Luol Deng comes out hitting his first six shots, including a three-pointer, it’s probably a good idea to keep him in until he goes cold. I know Vinny DelNegro has done a decent job the last month but it’s hard not to criticize a coach who doesn’t recognize a hot hand or a mismatch. Deng came back in the game after sitting for about half a quarter and was irrelevant.

And Tyrus Thomas is awful. He plays with the scrubs and fits with the scrubs. My favorite play was when he received a pass in the post and tried to back down Kaman and ended up turning the ball over. A quarter later the same sequence took place except he got an awkward shot off that had no chance going in. I’m convinced Tyrus Thomas doesn’t lift weights in the off season (and we see that he’s also prone to injury in the weight room as well) as he’s often overpowered when fighting for position. At this point, the Bulls will be lucky to get anything for Thomas in a trade, and they can’t even afford to put him in to rest Taj Gibson or Noah because he’s such a detriment on both sides of the floor. Remember when fans said they would never trade Thomas for Stoudemire? That makes me almost as queasy as the “I-wouldn’t-trade-Luol-Deng-for-Kobe” argument several years back by some media and fans.

Wow, hurts to see it in writing ... but hard to argue. Not sure what the Bulls can get for TT at this point. This whole thing makes me nervous that the Bulls will go into the summer hoping no one offers TT a legit contract and they can re-sign him on the cheap ... but someone is going to (slightly) overpay and the Bulls will let a young talent walk for the second straight summer. The road to the NBA title is not paved with letting young talent walk and getting nothing in return.

'Glue guy' Hinrich helps Bulls stick it to opponents

He has been called overpaid and overrated. He has been — and currently is being — bandied about in trade rumors. As far as fan opinion, he's easily one of the most polarizing players on the Bulls.

But to paraphrase Rasheed Wallace's classic claim of "ball don't lie," when it comes to Kirk Hinrich, numbers don't lie.

The Bulls are 50-39 over the last two seasons when Hinrich plays. Since Vinny Del Negro inserted the seventh-year guard into the starting lineup on Dec. 26, the Bulls are 13-4 in games Hinrich has played.

"That doesn't surprise me at all," Derrick Rose said. "Kirk's a glue guy."

Of course, this isn't to suggest Hinrich is the sole reason for that record. But beyond his modest averages of 10 points and 4.6 assists, Hinrich adds an element of toughness and defensive awareness and accountability that otherwise doesn't always exist.

And those who coach or play with him know it.

"He helps us play with pace and takes ballhandling pressure off Derrick," Del Negro said. "He gets us into our sets and execute better. He makes plays, whether it's defensively or offensively. That record speaks for itself."

That's a good thing since Hinrich might've set a record for uttering "um" when informed the Bulls' record when he plays. Hinrich might rather guard Wallace in the post than talk about himself.

"Um, I don't know, um, what that means," Hinrich said, before opting for the obvious. "I guess that means we get a little better with me playing.

I agree that Kirk is a "glue-guy" and a "winner" - 2 things we know this franchise values very highly ... but I also know that $9million/year for a backup PG is way too much - especially when your franchise player is a PG. Kirk's trade value may never be higher, and given the chance to move him for an asset (like cap space) would be crucial going into this summer. If we can turn Kirk and Salmons into Ray Allen's expiring contract, how do the Bulls not make that move? That would allow us to offer the max to a superstar (D-Wade) or a legit scoring big man (Bosh) - either way the team is much better than with a "glue-guy"

Click-a-Bull (More Trade Rumors)

Covered some trade rumors in this space earlier today, but here is a good analysis of what each team might be trying to do at the deadline:

Breaking Down the NBA Trade Deadline, Team by Team

Confused by where everyone stands as NBA trade rumors fly? Mike Prada, along with other SB Nation team bloggers, breaks down the trade landscape as we get closer to the trade deadline.

Feb 3, 2010 - The NBA Trade Deadline is kind of like a game of Risk. You have several territories to conquer (or players to add), some of which are more valuable than others. You have different number of pieces (i.e. trade assets) depending on your performance in the game, and you have the ability to control how you use such pieces. You have to make sure you don't leave currently-owned territories uncovered, which is kind of like making sure you don't lose anything in the present or future with any potential trades. And while there may not eventually be one winner, there is a cost/benefit analysis each team must make that's very similar to what you do in Risk.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at where every teams stands, what they have to offer, what they need and what players and teams are potentially good trade targets. We at SB Nation have already talked about some trades we'd love to see, but we've yet to take that step back and really analyze the full picture. Here, we attempt to do that in as systematic a way as possible, with five categories to separate teams and a comprehensive breakdown of all the factors that would influence their thinking. I've enlisted the help of several SB Nation team bloggers to help me with this project, so where relevant, you'll see them mentioned or quoted.

(All salary figures are via ShamSports.com, the premier NBA salary site on the Internet. All salary-cap estimates are based on a $53 million salary cap and a $67 million luxury tax line, which may or may not be too high).

...


Chicago Bulls

Status: Seller
Team Weaknesses: Outside shooting, perimeter scoring
Projected 2010 cap room: $15.5 million
Untouchables: Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah
Potentially on the block: Luol Deng ($10.3 million this year, four more years), Kirk Hinrich ($9.5 million this year, two more years), John Salmons ($6.4 million this year, one more year with a player option)
Expiring Contracts: Brad Miller ($12.5 million), Jerome James ($6 million), Tyrus Thomas ($4.7 million)
Prospects: Taj Gibson, James Johnson
Good trade partners: Boston, Houston, LA Lakers, Miami, Minnesota, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio
Possible targets: Amare Stoudemire, Al Harrington, expiring contracts of any kind

For all the talk about the Bulls being a major 2010 player, we forget that they actually can't guarantee themselves maximum cap room unless John Salmons opts out of the final year of his contract, which is hardly a certainty considering how much he's sucked this year. That's why there's a lot of noise surrounding Kirk Hinrich, who has a long-term contract and is intriguing to several teams.

Trading Hinrich would probably hurt the Bulls this year, because Hinrich's presence in the starting lineup has helped everyone, but you'd think that the Bulls would want to commit fully to the 2010 plan. Problem is, their actions sort of indicate otherwise. They've already turned down a Hinrich for "spare parts" trade from Boston, and those "spare parts" presumably were Celtic expiring contracts. The Lakers also talked to the Bulls about Hinrich, and they also have expiring contracts to offer. I know the Bulls would prefer to move Salmons, but with him playing so poorly, does anyone want him? It's almost as if Hinrich has some mysterious pull within the Bulls organization that makes them decide having him and a first-round playoff exit is more important than putting yourself in the position to grab LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and others.

Chicago's also in the mix for Amare Stoudemire, though they have even less to offer Phoenix than they did last year. They could also make another upgrade for the playoff push, like they did last year with the John Salmons-Brad Miller trade. What they should do, though, is trade Hinrich. Who knows if they actually will.

Click-a-Bull (Being an NBA Fan, Trade Rumors, Franchise Players)

Last night's loss to the Clippers was the classic trap game: the Bulls were coming off one of the greatest road trips in NBA history, and they are a young team with an inexperienced (bad) coach. Easy game to lack energy and come out flat, so let's not read too much into it.

Great piece from Kelly Dwyer on why you should truly appreciate the chance to cheer/love a great team. Made me realize that as much as I enjoyed it, I was just a little too young to truly enjoy/appreciate the 1990s Bulls dynasty. ...

Your champs, in your eyes

Sometime, over the weekend, a TBJ viewer sent this email to Skeets and Tas.

"This Celtics' loss, coming at the end of this three game stretch, is hands down the lowest point for C's fans since KG and Ray were acquired. It makes me long for '05-‘06, when there was no pressure and I could just be happy to watch Pierce quietly churn out great games, or '06-‘07 when I could just be content if we kept it close with the Spurs for a quarter.' This pressure and caring so much about the outcome makes having your team be a contender way less awesome than you'd think."

Are you kidding me?

Honestly, can anyone get behind this? Lakers fans, Celtics fans, Nets fans, Warriors fans?

Goodness, gracious, sakes alive; have we not been there before? Nostalgia is a mild form of depression, Donald Fagen keeps telling us, and this is an obvious example of such. To not relate to Nick L. is to not be a fan of ... geez, life. We are all Nick L. If you're not Nick L., then you are not a fan.

This isn't to rip on Nick L., I have got to make that clear. This is only to wake you lot up. Or, if you're already awake, talk you off the ledge.

If you are a fan of a good team, a very good team, you need to appreciate that noise to no end. Not just because of what other bits of fandom are going through, and not just because you might not get a chance to root for a winner for long stretches of your fandom, but because your team needs a bit of appreciation.

Because your team wins games, more often than not. Because your team could win a championship — a championship! This doesn't mean you turn a blind eye to the foibles amongst these fables — these 60-win fables — but this has to mean you appreciate more than you fret.

And there is nobody that you should believe, in this regard, more than your humble narrator.

Not because I'm nostalgic, or spoiled, or that I lost myself in a half-empty miasma; but because I was around and paying attention and pumping fists (Ron Harper-style) for the greatest dynasty of the last 40 years.

I'm a Chicago Bulls fan. And though I've never sported a single bit of Bulls apparel, nor painted a bit of my face, or referred to the team in question as "we," nor created an overwrought argument regarding the outfit based solely on personal bias, I was and am a bit of a freak. The remote had to face the right way, certain doors had to be closed, certain albums had to at least be referenced before game time, and all sorts of silly superstitions had to be followed. I was a fan. I am a fan. But I was also a fan.

I was also, cruelly, quite aware. To the point of, seriously, giving our actual homecoming queen the "'kay, thanks, gotta go, bye"-treatment on the phone because halftime of Jordan's trouncing of the Nets was nearly over, and I had a seat to fill. And this was someone who was calling during halftime, because it was the only time to call. She knew. And I knew that this wasn't meant to last. This is why I taped the games. This is why I made a point to pay attention. Not because the gravity of the game depended on it — Jordan tended to be Jordan whether or not I had that TV remote aligned properly — but because I knew the difference between permanence and impermanence.

Weekly Post-Ups

With a little more than two weeks to go before the Feb. 18 trade deadline, the chatter is starting to pick up. Here’s the latest trade buzz culled from conversations with team executives, agents, and others in the know:

...

Rumblings about Ray Allen being on his way out of Boston are accurate, but only if the Celtics can get back a player who’d crack the top eight in their rotation. One scenario that has been discussed would have Allen going to Chicago for Kirk Hinrich and another piece – John Salmons? – to satisfy the salary requirements. If it came to fruition, what an intriguing swap it would be for teams that waged such a thrilling postseason battle only eight months ago. Since Allen’s $19.7 million contract expires after the season, acquiring him would leave Chicago flush with cap space for a 2010 free-agent binge centered around Chicago native Dwyane Wade and an additional superstar.

NBA Superstars: Top Franchise Players In The Game Today

11. Derrick Rose

Rose is the youngest on this list, and has made significant progress since being drafted only a couple of years ago. He's currently scoring about 20 points a game and 6 assists. He's the main chip in the Chicago Bulls puzzle, who should make the playoffs this season for sure.

When all else fails, hire the guy you could've had immediately but clearly didn't want

Mike Martz hired as Bears Offensive Coordinator - Chicago Tribune

Twenty-seven days after the Bears set out to find a new offensive coordinator, they have hired a man who was one of the most logical choices from the start, passing wizard Mike Martz.

Martz will be charged with turning around the Bears' dismal offense and doing it quickly with quarterback Jay Cutler, someone he was pining to work with even during last season.

Martz becomes the third offensive coordinator during the Lovie Smith era and potentially the last if the coaching staff doesn't turn things around. That's what the press conference the team held Jan. 5 insinuated. Team president Ted Phillips has demanded an immediate turnaround after three straight seasons without a trip to the playoffs.

I made my thoughts known about what seemed to be the inevitable copout of hiring Martz, so I don't have much to say. Except that Greg Olsen better spruce up his resume, because I don't even know if Martz knows how to pronounce "tight end". This will not end well.