Bulls Rumors

Extension Rumors: Leonard, Thompson, Cole

October 17th, 2014 at 11:24am CST by Chuck Myron

The deadline for teams to sign rookie scale extensions with their eligible players is two weeks from today, and while only six players came to deals last time around, that number has the potential to be much larger this year, notes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein has more on many of those extension hopefuls that adds to the storylines we’ve been following throughout the offseason:

Kawhi Leonard, Tristan Thompson, and Norris Cole are among the players who are in active negotiations with their respective teams about rookie scale extensions, Stein reports. Klay Thompson, Ricky Rubio, Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, Reggie Jackson, Brandon Knight, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks are also in active extension talks, according to Stein, who advances earlier reports that all of them had engaged in talks.
Iman Shumpert and the Knicks are also discussing an extension, Stein writes, countering a report from a few weeks ago that indicated that the sides hadn’t engaged in talks and that New York was content to let the swingman hit restricted free agency next summer.
Klay Thompson’s camp is considering the idea of going after an offer sheet similar to the one the Mavs gave Chandler Parsons if Thompson and the Warriors don’t come to an extension this month, Stein hears. Parsons’ near-max deal runs three years and includes a player option and a 15% trade kicker. Rival GMs have expressed admiration for its structure and Rockets GM Daryl Morey pointed to the difficulty that trading such a contract would entail shortly after he decided against matching it. The player option would allow Thompson to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2017, which is when Stephen Curry‘s deal is set to end, as Stein points out.
The Lakers have attempted to trade for Thompson in the past, Stein notes, though he doesn’t make any suggestion that they’re planning an aggressive push for the shooting guard if he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.

Eastern Notes: Saric, Hamilton, Thibodeau

October 16th, 2014 at 5:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Dario Saric is unlikely to end up signing with the Sixers this season even as his father threatens to find a way out of the forward’s deal with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes, sources tell Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Shorr-Parks hears there’s no buyout clause in the Efes deal, so Saric couldn’t come to NBA next season, either, as he hinted he might, unless Anadolu Efes consents.

Here’s more from the east:

Positions won’t play much into the Sixers‘ thinking when the team decides on its opening night roster, as coach Brett Brown said, notes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m not out to construct an incredibly well-balanced team,” Brown said. “If we’ve got to tilt because we’ve got a bunch of interesting wings, then that’s the way we will go. … This team is going to be fluid, as we all know.”
Jordan Hamilton said he knows he’s working to impress not just the Raptors but for the other 29 teams, too, in case Toronto doesn’t retain his partially guaranteed contract come opening night, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Hamilton is up against Greg Stiemsma and Will Cherry, each of whom has the same $25K partial guarantee, with seemingly one regular season roster spot to go around for the three.
There’s more talk around the Bulls that the team will give Tom Thibodeau a raise than that the coach will be on his way out of Chicago in the foreseeable future, as USA Today’s Sam Amick writes in a piece that sizes up the job security of all 30 coaches.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Van Gundy, Mirotic, Sixers

October 13th, 2014 at 1:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons owner Tom Gores expressed a desire for more synergy between the front office and the coaching staff during his first meeting with Stan Van Gundy this spring, and that was “music to my ears,” Van Gundy tells TNT’s David Aldridge for his Morning Tip column on NBA.com. Van Gundy asserts that his dual executive/coaching role is as aligned with the owner’s vision as it is with his. It’ll be a while before we know whether Gores and Van Gundy had the right idea to consolidate authority, but while we wait on the early returns, there’s more on the Pistons amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Nikola Mirotic thought he’d keep playing in Spain until at least 2015 until the Bulls pushed for buyout talks with Real Madrid this spring, as Shams Charania of RealGM details.
The Pistons have discussed the idea of retaining the D-League rights to Josh Bostic and Lorenzo Brown with their respective agents, GM Jeff Bower says, according to MLive’s David Mayo. Detroit can do so with up to four of its preseason cuts.
Michael Carter-Williams told reporters today that the original prognosis when he had shoulder surgery in early May was for him to miss six to nine months, which conflicts with the two-to-four month timetable the Sixers released at that point, notes Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter links). The reigning Rookie of the Year has yet to play in the preseason this month, though Carter-Williams added that he’s ahead of that six-to-nine month schedule.
Vitor Faverani will miss six to eight weeks after today’s left knee surgery, perhaps endangering his place on a Celtics roster on which he has one of 16 fully guaranteed contracts, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Tom Thibodeau will make close to $4.4MM a year through 2016/17, but amid persistent rumors about his future and with the going rate for coaches on the rise, the Bulls should grant him an extension that’s more reflective of his value, opines Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

And-Ones: Jackson, Knicks, Draft, Towns

October 12th, 2014 at 9:38pm CST by Zachary Links

At a public event earlier today in New York, Knicks president Phil Jackson reiterated that he’ll be the one making the basketball decisions and said he’ll only consult owner James Dolan on spending matters, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Things have been different in the past, of course, but Jackson said that Dolan only got overly involved in the past because he felt he was forced to (link). As evidence that Dolan is now hands-off, Jackson noted that he was told he didn’t have to re-sign Carmelo Anthony this summer if he didn’t think it was the right move (link). Here’s more from around the Association..

With the first Kentucky Combine in the books (yes, you read that right), Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress looks at how the Wildcats’ NBA prospects fared. UK’s Karl Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, and Alex Poythress are all possible first-round picks in the 2015 draft.
An NBA scout at the combine told Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter) that Towns is their best prospect “and it’s not even close.” The big man is currently slated to go No. 3 in DraftExpress’ 2015 mock.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has high hopes for what offseason addition Pau Gasol can do on the defensive end, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. “He could do better,” Thibodeau said. “He’s done well, but I think he could be great. That’s what I want him to be. He’s got great length, he’s got great timing. He’s smart. He can anticipate. He’s still not communicating as well as he’s capable of, but he’s done well thus far.”

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Nets Sale, Heat

October 10th, 2014 at 10:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Carmelo Anthony said that the players and the league should prepare themselves for another lockout in 2017, and if it indeed comes to that, he doesn’t think the owners can complain about losing money this time around, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “I think we have to prepare for a work stoppage,” Anthony said. “And that’s the worst-case scenario at this point in time. So I think guys should start preparing for that now. I don’t think you really have to focus and think about it at this stage. But just keep in the back of your mind that it is a [possibility].”

Here’s more from the east:

The Nets are currently reviewing “multiple” proposals from the Guggenheim Group despite the reports that the potential sale of the franchise was in jeopardy, Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News reports. A source with knowledge of the negotiations told Abramson, “Negotiations are taking a cooling off period since they’ve been played out in the media but there have been proposals to the Nets and they’re still being considered. Because of the amount of media attention, there’s a calming off period that’s going on but interest still remains by both parties and yes there was a proposal – multiple proposals – that were given to the Nets that are still being considered.”
With the 2014 draft class having been hyped as one of the best in years, the focus will now be on how the rookies perform under the spotlight of the NBA regular season. Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders runs down five “under-the-radar” rookies to watch for, including Nikola Mirotic (Bulls); Cleanthony Early (Knicks); and K.J. McDaniels (Sixers).
When the Heat face off with LeBron James and the Cavs in Rio tomorrow, the main focus for Miami will be on speeding up the rebuilding process, not on James being in a different uniform, Tales Azzoni of The Associated Press writes. “We are trying to understand that we are behind the eight ball because we’ve got 13 new guys,” Dwyane Wade said. “We’ve only been together for 10 days on the basketball floor. We’ve got to all understand that we’ve got to have patience, because the last two years just happened, we had the same team and it just happened. But now this is not that kind of team, so we all have to have patience and understand that it’s a process.”

And-Ones: Butler, Caven, Jefferson, Macklin

October 9th, 2014 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jimmy Butler is focusing on basketball rather than becoming a restricted free agent next summer, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Friedell adds that Butler may seek more than the $9.7MM annual salary that former Bulls teammate Luol Deng received this offseason from the Heat. When the topic of the new TV deal was broached, Butler deflected the question, saying, “I don’t know nothing about a TV deal. I just know that it’s my contract year, and I got to play well and I want to help us win. That’s all that I know.” Butler will be one of the first players to sign a deal in the new cap era, Friedell notes.

Here’s more from around the league:

The contracts of D.J. Mbenga (Knicks), Jason Kapono (Warriors), and Yuki Togashi (Mavs) are all non-guaranteed, minimum salary camp deals, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Kapono’s deal is for one season, Pincus notes on Golden State’s salary page.
One of Europe’s top prospects, Joonas Caven, a 6’11” big man from Finland, will enter the NBA D-League Draft this year, according to his agent K.C. Callero, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (Twitter link). Caven is targeting the 2015 NBA Draft and the D-League will act as a showcase for his talents, notes Carchia.
The Pelicans waived Vernon Macklin so that he could pursue an opportunity to play in Europe, John Reid of The Times-Picayune reports (Twitter link).
One of the newest members of the Mavs, Richard Jefferson, accepted a veteran’s minimum deal this offseason, but that doesn’t mean he is willing to settle for a minimal role, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. MacMahon adds that Jefferson understands that he won’t be a starter but he is determined to find his niche on the team. “I like to believe myself to be an everyday contributor,” said Jefferson. “Whether it works out that way remains to be seen, but my job is just to stay ready.“

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Phil Jackson’s Influence On Knicks Personnel

October 9th, 2014 at 10:36am CST by Chuck Myron

Phil Jackson didn’t waste time putting his stamp on the Knicks. Two days after owner James Dolan officially installed him as team president, Jackson re-signed Shannon Brown, whom Jackson had coached on the Lakers and whose 10-day contract with New York had expired, to a deal that covered the rest of the season and beyond. It seemed reasonable to expect at that point that the Knicks would start to resemble a latter-day East Coast version of Jackson’s old Lakers and Bulls teams.

Jackson has indeed surrounded himself with people from both of the teams for which he used to work, but the connections are not widespread with the Knicks organization. Brown was only one of three of Jackson’s former players the team has signed under the Zen Master’s watch, and only D.J. Mbenga is still with the Knicks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jackson’s greatest influence appears to have been on the coaching staff, where two of his pupils will man the bench.

The Knicks haven’t hired everyone with a connection to Jackson who’s asked for a job, as Metta World Peace‘s fruitless clamoring for a contract demonstrates, and not all who worked under Jackson in the past wound up answering his call to do so again, as the Steve Kerr saga proved. Still, there are a half dozen with ties to Jackson who have either signed playing contracts with the Knicks, joined the team’s coaching staff, or agreed work under Jackson in the front office. Here’s a look at all of them.

Players

Shannon Brown — The guard was already on the second of a pair of 10-day contracts he signed with the Knicks before Jackson officially came on board, and the contract to which Jackson signed Brown covered the rest of the season and also included a non-guaranteed salary for 2014/15. Still, the reunion didn’t last long, as Jackson and the Knicks waived Brown in July.
D.J. Mbenga — The Knicks signed Mbenga on Wednesday. He played for Jackson on the Lakers from 2008-2010.
Lamar Odom — Jackson took a minimal risk on the troubled forward, signing him to a deal on the final day of the regular season. The Knicks invested $5,202 in guaranteed salary for that last day of 2013/14, apparently in the hopes that Odom could either return to form as an NBA player, or at least that his non-guaranteed salary for 2014/15 would serve as a trade asset. Neither happened, and the Knicks waived Odom in July.

Coaches

Derek Fisher — The longtime Laker was Jackson’s second choice to become the team’s head coach after former Bulls sharpshooter Steve Kerr spurned New York to coach the Warriors instead. Still, Fisher is in the job and at work installing the triangle offense that Jackson ran at both of his NBA head coaching stops.
Kurt Rambis — For an assistant to Fisher, Jackson hired the man who immediately preceded him as head coach of the Lakers. Rambis finished the 1999 season in that job before Jackson took over the following offseason, and later Rambis returned to the Lakers bench as an assistant under Jackson.

Front Office

Clarence Gaines Jr. — The Zen Master brought Gaines on in an informal advisory capacity. Gaines scouted for the Bulls during Jackson’s time in Chicago.

Western Notes: Nedovic, Gasol, Faried

October 8th, 2014 at 5:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nemanja Nedovic said that the Warriors haven’t given him any indication on whether or not the team’s third-year option on his contract will be picked up, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. Golden State has until October 31st to decide on Nedovic’s option.

Here’s more from out west:

Pau Gasol doesn’t have fond memories of being a free agent this past summer, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Talking about the process that led him to sign with the Bulls, Gasol said, “It was a difficult decision; it was a difficult process to go through and I don’t wish to go through it again because it was just very stressful. My phone was blowing up. It got to points in the day where I just didn’t want to be by my phone so I just put it away. I don’t know who called at those times. I tried to return the calls and the messages as much as I could, because I was trying to be respectful and appreciative of the people that had interest in me. I did not expect nor anticipate that it was going to be that hectic and that stressful. So first it was hard for me to make the decision to move on from the team that I’ve been a part of and been through so much with – the Lakers. Then, after that, it was, ‘Okay, where do I want to play?’”
The Kings have hired David Arseneault Jr. as head coach of the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s D-League affiliate, the team announced via a press release. Arseneault was previously working as an assistant at Grinnell College, a Division III program. The Kings presumably hired him to implement and teach Grinnell’s high-scoring offensive system, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports notes.
One of the big worries with signing players to big dollar contracts is if the pressure to live up to the numbers will hamper the player. Kenneth Faried isn’t letting his new windfall from the Nuggets affect him, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. When asked if he was feeling added weight because of the contract extension, Faried said, “No, I really don’t care. There’s no pressure, it’s just money. It’s not a big deal. I love the game so I’m going to continue to play the game like I’ve been playing. My mind has been at ease and I’ve been grinding.”

Trade Retrospective: Elton Brand To Clippers

October 5th, 2014 at 8:56am CST by Eddie Scarito

In the wake of the blockbuster deal that sent Kevin Love to the Cavaliers this summer, I’ve been taking a look back at some of the bigger trades that have occurred in the NBA over the last decade or so. It’s always a risk to trade away a star player, and getting equal value is a near impossibility in most cases.

It’s fascinating to see the league-wide ripples that big trades can cause, and sometimes the full effects and ramifications aren’t fully felt until years later when the draft picks are used, players either reach their potential or fall short, the won-loss records are final, and title banners have been hung, or franchises end up in the draft lottery.

So far I’ve looked back at Carmelo Anthony being dealt to the Knicks; Kevin Garnett to the Celtics; Dwight Howard to the Lakers; Stephon Marbury to the Knicks; Shaquille O’Neal to the Heat; Chris Paul to the Clippers; Deron Williams to the Nets; LaMarcus Aldridge to the Blazers; James Harden to the Rockets; and Vince Carter to the Nets. The next trade I’ll look at will take us back to the June 28th, 2001 deal that sent Elton Brand to the Clippers.

Let’s begin by running down the players involved:

The Bulls received Brian Skinner and the draft rights to Tyson Chandler.
The Clippers received Brand.

The trade of Brand was an odd decision by the Bulls’ brass. Brand wasn’t unhappy in Chicago despite winning more games during his senior season at Duke (37) than he did during his two years in the Windy City (32). He wasn’t a locker room issue, and in fact he was quite the opposite, demonstrating remarkable poise and maturity for such a young player. Brand also gave the Bulls front office no indication that he would be difficult to re-sign when his rookie deal expired. Brand actually had quite a few ties to Chicago, and as long as the Bulls’ offer was fair it’s more than likely he would have put pen-to-paper and signed an extension.

Brand averaged 20.1 PPG and 10 RPG during his two seasons in Chicago, excellent numbers for a player at any stage of his career, much less one still learning the game and the league. So why deal him then? That’s a question I’m sure some Bulls fans are still asking to this day. As I mentioned previously, Chicago was not even close to being a playoff team during Brand’s time and the Bulls’ front office decided to retool and to try to get more athletic. Brand was more than a solid player, but even before his injuries and the minutes-mileage on his odometer began to accumulate, no one would have mistaken Brand for Blake Griffin athletically.

So the Bulls front office became more enamored with the potential of Eddy Curry, whom they drafted No. 4 overall, and Chandler, who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick that Chicago obtained in this trade, than with the proven commodity that was Brand. So they pulled the trigger and shipped away their best player for two high-schoolers with high upsides, but no proven track record of performance at the collegiate level or beyond.

The deal didn’t revitalize the Bulls franchise as was hoped, and the franchise spent the next three seasons in the basement of the Eastern Conference and neither Chandler or Curry came close to equaling Brand’s production during their time in Chicago.

Here are Chicago’s records in the years after the deal:

2001/02: 21-61
2002/03: 30-52
2003/04: 23-59
2004/05: 47-35 (lost in the first round to the Wizards)

Some backsliding was to be expected from the Bulls in the wake of dealing away their most productive player for two big men who would require some time to develop their games as well as develop their bodies to handle the nightly poundings found in the NBA paint area. But looking back it’s easy to criticize this trade for Chicago, seeing as how Curry never reached his potential due to a multitude of factors, and it would be years before Chandler developed into the defender and leader who helped Dallas bring home an NBA title.

Though this trade was more about clearing a spot for Curry, Chandler was the main piece that Chicago acquired in the deal. It would be an understatement to say that Chandler didn’t come close to matching Brand’s production during his time with the Bulls as evidenced by his stats below:

2001/02: 6.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, and 1.3 BPG. His slash line was .497/.000/.604.
2002/03: 9.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, and 1.4 BPG. His slash line was .531/.000/.608.
2003/04: 6.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, and 1.2 BPG. His slash line was .424/.000/.669.
2004/05: 8.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 0.8 APG, and 1.8 BPG. His slash line was .494/.000/.673.
2005/06: 5.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, and 1.3 BPG. His slash line was .565/.000/.503.

Speaking of Curry, for the sake of comparison here are his numbers with the Bulls:

2001/02: 6.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.3 APG, and 0.7 BPG. His slash line was .501/.000/.656.
2002/03: 10.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, and 0.8 BPG. His slash line was .585/.000/.624.
2003/04: 14.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, and 1.1 BPG. His slash line was .496/1.000/.671.
2004/05: 16.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.6 APG, and 0.9 BPG. His slash line was .538/.000/.720.

Comparing the stats of both of these players to Brand’s it’s striking to note that Brand equaled or exceeded the production of Curry/Chandler for every year that they were with the Bulls and he was in Los Angeles. Not a great trade-off, and the disparity is incredibly glaring when removing Curry from the equation since he wasn’t technically part of this deal and Chicago could have simply kept Brand and selected Curry anyway.

Chandler’s time in Chicago ended on July 5th, 2006 when he was dealt to the Pelicans for J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown. The Bulls made this deal in an effort to clear Chandler and the five years, and $54MM left on his contract so the team could sign free agent Ben Wallace away from the Pistons, which they accomplished.

Smith was flipped to the Nuggets just six days later for Howard Eisley and two 2007 second-rounders (Aaron Gray and JamesOn Curry). Curry never played one minute for the Bulls, while Gray spent two years with the team, averaging 3.7 PPG in 117 appearances. As for Wallace, he was still productive in his two seasons in Chicago, but wasn’t the same dominating defender that he was during his first stint in Motown.

As for Brian Skinner, he was traded less than a month after being acquired to the Raptors for Charles Oakley and a 2002 second-rounder (Jason Jennings). Oakley was no longer the player that he was with the Knicks or during his first stint in Chicago, and he lasted one season with the Bulls, averaging 3.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG that year.

So from the Bulls’ perspective, they dealt away a 20 PPG and 10 RPG player who was just beginning his career, for Chandler’s 6.9 PPG and 7.6 RPG averages during his Chicago years. Not a great return any way you look at it. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also note who else was available when Chandler was selected–Pau Gasol. With their own first-rounder, Chicago took Curry, but who else was on the board? Names such as Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson, Richard Jefferson, and Tony Parker. This deal looks a bit different if you plug in Gasol and/or Parker, but that’s speaking from the benefit of hindsight. I’d also argue that the team would have been much better served to have held onto Brand and used their own first round pick on one of those alternate names that I listed.

At the time of the trade the Clippers were mired in futility, having made just three playoff appearances, all first round exits, in the 16 years since the franchise relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles. It was a shrewd move on their part trading away a lottery pick for a proven young talent like Brand. With the NBA Draft being such a game of chance, it’s sometimes better to go with established talent instead of rolling the dice on a player developing into an NBA-level talent. It was even tougher on GMs prior to the minimum-age requirement, when franchises were risking millions of dollars on unproven high school players.

Brand certainly didn’t disappoint statistically after arriving in Los Angeles. In his first season with the team, Brand earned a selection to the All-Star team, becoming the first Clipper since Danny Manning (1994) to receive that honor. Here are his numbers with Los Angeles:

2001/02: 18.2 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 2.0 BPG. His slash line was .527/.000/.742.
2002/03: 18.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.5 BPG. His slash line was .502/.000/.685.
2003/04: 20.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.2 BPG. His slash line was .493/.000/.773.
2004/05: 20.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.1 BPG. His slash line was .503/.000/.752.
2005/06: 24.7 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.5 BPG. His slash line was .527/.333/.775.
2006/07: 20.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.2 BPG. His slash line was .533/1.000/.761.
2007/08: 17.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.9 BPG. His slash line was .456/.000/.787.

Brand became a restricted free agent after the 2002/03 campaign and the Heat made a big push to land him, signing Brand to a six-year, $82MM offer sheet. Former owner Donald Sterling, notorious for being frugal with player salaries during this era, matched the offer and retained Brand’s services, which was quite out of character.

Unfortunately Brand’s production didn’t translate into the won-loss column. It wasn’t Brand’s fault thanks to the decided lack of talent around him. But the other factor was that Brand wasn’t a superstar type player that you could build a team around. His numbers were solid, as was his overall game, but even at his peak he was more the sort of player who should have been a second or third option, which didn’t help Los Angeles break out of its malaise as evidenced by the franchise’s records during Brand’s tenure:

2001/02: 39-43
2002/03: 27-55
2003/04: 28-54
2004/05: 37-45
2005/06: 47-35 (lost in the second round to the Suns)
2007/08: 40-42

All things must come to an end, and Brand’s ending in Los Angeles wasn’t as smooth as the player, organization, or Baron Davis would have hoped. Brand and Davis were close friends and both of their deals had player options for their final seasons, which both players decided to use to get out of their deals. Brand had stated publicly that he chose to opt out so he could re-sign for a lower salary that would aid the team in signing another impact player. That player was to be Davis, who inked a five-year, $65MM deal with the Clippers with the understanding that he’d be playing alongside Brand, not participating in a full rebuild. But instead, Brand spurned the Clippers to sign a five-year, $82MM contract with the Sixers, which was $7MM more than Los Angeles was able to offer him.

This was another deal that emphasizes the game of roulette teams play with the draft and flipping established players for the allure of potential. Sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side and it’s a smarter play to stick with the sure thing over the unknown. Granted, I don’t believe Brand was a No. 1 option even during his prime, but he was absolutely a player who, when paired with a talented roster, could be a tremendous asset on the court and in the locker room.

The deal didn’t do much for the Clippers outside of putting a band-aid on the festering wounds of the Clippers faithful. In the NBA it takes much more than one dominant player to contend for a title; just ask Michael Jordan. Chicago’s incredible run during his playing days didn’t begin until he was paired with upper-echelon talent. Los Angeles didn’t harm itself with the trade as the team didn’t give up all that much to acquire Brand. Fiscally, the Clippers took a hit when they matched his offer sheet, rather than enjoying the rookie scale contract of Chandler or whomever they would have selected with their first-rounder in 2001.

As for the Bulls, they would have been better served to have held onto Brand and used their first-round pick on a player who would have complemented their star. The only “benefit” they received from this deal was landing the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft thanks to the free fall this deal put the franchise into. The Bulls didn’t quite nail that pick though, using it to select Jay Williams, who only played one season before having his career derailed by a horrific motorcycle accident.

The lesson to take away here is that it’s often better to stick with the sure thing than gamble on striking gold in the draft. The Brand deal ended up being best described by a line from “Macbeth” — “It was full of sound and fury, but signified nothing.” Exeunt omnes.

Poll: Which Summer Moves Will Flop?

October 4th, 2014 at 6:17pm CST by Cray Allred

There’s no more optimistic period for NBA fans than the summer, when draft picks, free agency additions, trades, coaching hires, and other maneuvers boost expectations around the league. Of course, there are no shortage of teams that have deflated those expectations as previous seasons have unfolded. Just last season, the return of Derrick Rose to the Bulls was cut short just 10 games in, the Knicks and Cavs disappointed at the bottom of the standings, the Bucks fell from a postseason appearance to owning the league’s very worst record, and the Nets’ ballooning blockbuster roster started the season 10-21, although Brooklyn managed to mostly salvage the year with a second-round playoff run.

This poll isn’t so much about individual performance as it is team expectations that might go unmet. While teams like the Rockets, Pacers, and Heat appear vulnerable to severe dropoffs this year, their summers have been marked by offseason setbacks. I’ve rounded up some of the teams that are setting their sights higher for 2014/15 than they did last season thanks to offseason successes, with some factors that could potentially cause trouble for each.

Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James‘ arrival was the NBA’s biggest move since he jumped to Miami four years ago, but the arrival of Kevin Love via trade set expectations in Cleveland even higher. While James, Love, and Kyrie Irving should form a deadly offensive foundation, whether first-year NBA coach David Blatt can manage a newly stirred cocktail of superstar personalities and coax strong defense out of the bunch remains to be seen. Missing the Finals would be a disappointment, and anything short of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance would be considered a massive flop for the star-laden team in the weaker conference.
Chicago Bulls. They made a slew of additions in place of the amnestied Carlos Boozer, bringing in Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, and Doug McDermott, while a hopeful full season from Rose is a virtual star addition. Mirotic and McDermott are unproven, and some are concerned that Gasol’s production has begun tapering off for good. The team still lacks much offensive pop on the wing or backcourt rotation, continuing the team’s annual need to lean on coach Tom Thibodeau‘s elite defensive guidance to overcome its struggles on the other end of the court. If the team remains a middle-of-the-pack team in the East, fans will be let down to say the least.
Dallas Mavericks. The team won a lot of headlines this summer, acquiring Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler by outbidding the Rockets and trading with the Knicks, respectively. The team has also lost substantial talent, however, with Jose Calderon, Vince Carter, and Shawn Marion all signing elsewhere. Some think the Mavs could ascend to the upper echelon of the Western Conference, but if either Chandler fails to bring his full projected impact, the team could spend another season fighting for one of the final playoff spots.
Golden State Warriors. The team’s brass wasn’t satisfied with the job former coach Mark Jackson had done through 2013/14, which concluded with a 51-31 record and a first-round exit from the playoffs. The team pursued Stan Van Gundy before signing Steve Kerr to coach the team to reach the next level. The most notable move from the offseason is the one that Golden State didn’t make: declining to deal for Love so they could hang on to Klay Thompson. While Kerr is expected to bring a more sophisticated offense to the team, the team’s defense might dwindle without Jackson on the sideline. Whether Harrison Barnes makes a developmental leap, Andrew Bogut stays healthy, and new addition Shaun Livingston can fit in will be paramount to the team moving up in the standings, rather than slipping under loftier expectations.

What do you think? Which team’s bubble is most likely to burst as the season unfolds?

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