Wednesday, July 28, 2010

So Far, So Good...

I've given GarPaxDorf a lot of shit over the years, but I have to say I really like what the Bulls have done this offseason. In one sense, I suppose it's a total failure, in that they whiffed on Bosh, Wade, and James, but seeing as I don't know what the Bulls could've actually done to lure any (or all) of them to Chicago, I can't get my dander up too much over it. And since then, they've been making good move after good move. (Possible exception is that they overpaid for Boozer, particularly at the end of his deal, but, ultimately, that's what good teams do: They bite the bullet and overpay for good players, particularly at the end of their careers.)

Indeed, the Bulls have followed my Plan B blueprint almost to a T. They offered Redick a front-loaded deal; they got Korver for $5 mil. a year; and locked up Asik (for a pretty good price, too). After Orlando matched Redick, they immediately signed the best available shooting guard on the market in Ronnie Brewer. And with the additions of C.J. Watson and Kurt Thomas, the Bulls were more creative than I was. (Of course, if they'd signed Redick, they probably wouldn't been able to afford both of them.)

As for the final piece (backup 2), it's looking like either, in order of my preference, House, Bogans, or Mason. None of them are great, they all come with significant weaknesses (as well as decent attributes), but for a fourth guard, any of them would suffice.

Still, I'm happy to hear the Bulls are still a contender for Rudy Fernandez. To me, whether a starter or bench guy, he's the perfect complement to Brewer. If you have some time to kill, compare the two on Hot Spots; it's hilarious how almost perfectly polar opposite they are, offensively. The one area of overlap is that both have almost no midrange game to speak of. (Not too big of a problem with Derrick, Booz, and Deng all performing pretty well in that area.) Last year Brewer took roughly 170 shots total between the rim and the 3 pt. line; Fernandez took even less, a grand total of 97.

But the comparison at the rim and three-point line is amazing. Brewer took 229 shots at the rim last year, and only 28 threes. Meanwhile, Rudy took 259 threes, and only 60 shots at the hoop. That is some yin and yang type shit.

If the proposed J.J. and 1st rounder for Rudy deal does go through (and I can't see what the Knicks or Celts could conceivably offer that's significantly more enticing), I think you'd have to grade this offseason an A-. Certainly not the A+++ that Riley cheated for managed to put together, but considering that's the greatest offseason haul in NBA history, you'd have to grade the rest of the league on a curve and, dumbfounded as it makes me, I think GarPaxDorf are right up there at the head of the class.

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