PLOTSKY'S POSITION: Boozer/Bargnani

Dan P

Not my profile pic, but
pretty darn close
resemblance
(photo courtesy of Felipe M)

Dan is a Chicago Bulls' fan and chimes in on the potential trade of Carlos Boozer to Toronto.

The NBA trade deadline approaches and yet again we are left to ponder which teams will be aggressive both in basketball and financial terms.  We have already witnessed one trade rumor that has left this writer in particular befuddled and angry.  

Which is why I would like to start with a trade rumor I have dubbed "Give me a bag of balls, but only if they have air in them."  This of course is the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors’ trade rumor involving players Carlos Boozer for Andrea Bargnani that leaked to the public last week and completely angered Bulls’ nation.  

Look, I won't be objective here. I simply cannot!  I have tried for the last two years to think of every conceivable way to deal Carlos Boozer and live the Kevin Love pipe dream.  Despite his vastly improved play this year, it still isn't enough to warrant a free pass when he looks like “Carlos Loozer” on the court with Derrick Rose.  

Boozer is an undersized, flat-footed defender who rebounds better than his size would indicate and he flourishes in a pick and pop offense or Iso, post-ups from 10 feet.  And I do mean pick and pop as I have yet to see Carlos roll effectively and elevate to create good layups.  

I have provided a small excerpt from 82games.com of a few stats that are becoming more commonplace for NBA teams to look at.  This, by the way, is this year's stats for Boozer:

2012-13 On Court / Off Court stats for Carlos Boozer

Many stats are shown on a 'per 48-minute' basis

Stat		ON Court		OFF Court		Net
Minutes		1449		970		59%
Offense: Pts per 100 Poss.		103.0		108.5		-5.5
Defense: Pts per 100 Poss.		105.6		98.5		+7.0
Net Points per 100 Possessions		-2.6		+10.0		-12.6
Offensive Rebounding	31.9%		35.1%		-3.3%
Defensive Rebounding	70.2%		68.9%		+1.2%
Total Rebounding	51.0%		52.0%		-1.0%

It's mind-boggling how the Bulls are a better team defensively AND offensively without Carlos on the floor and although he is a positive on the defensive rebounding side, he's flat out terrible on the offensive glass. Defensive and offensive rebounding are all about effort.  Don't believe me?  

(See 1:20 mark of video as Rodman outworks Charles Barkley--Ed)

And just because I couldn't get enough, here’s more Dennis Rodman. 

So what's the point?  I want Boozer gone because the Bulls are most likely maxed out and have become like the older-looking San Antonio Spurs (but without any championships to show for it—Ed).  They are an extremely hard-working regular season team that just doesn't have an extra gear when it comes time for the playoffs.  Rose was supposed to provide that missing gear, but even that is in limbo as we go forward.  

But Andrea Bargnani?  This trade makes no sense to me at all since the team would only shed $3 million this year, but essentially will still be tied up in terms of the salary cap for the next few years as Bargnani has 3 years left on his deal.  This all stems from how cheap Jerry Reinsdorf is when it comes to the Bulls (currently, the Bulls have the 5^th highest payroll in the NBA—Ed).  The Bulls have NEVER-- let that sink in-- never paid the luxury tax in team history.  As the 2nd or 3rd largest market in the NBA (depending on who you ask) (Chicago ranks 3^rd in terms of population—Ed) it seems almost impossible that Jerry didn't owe David Stern a single dollar at the end of any season.  

Three thoughts occurred to me simultaneously:

• The Bulls really want to amnesty Boozer (not really, but it wouldn’t surprise us at this point—Ed)
• The Bulls are on pace to pay the luxury tax this year for the first time ever and Jerry really will do anything, short of fan mutiny, not to pay it
• The only thing that irritates Jerry more than paying the luxury tax is paying Boozer to play for another team if/when they amnesty him.  (Bulls are still liable to pay the contract even when it doesn't count against the cap).

These three statements are paradoxical in nature as the truth of one statement violates another.  The only path to basketball nirvana is to get a fair trade of talent for him…

…Oh, right, that's impossible because everyone knows the Bulls are only interested in saving money, hence Andrea Bargnani.  

Excuse me while I go searching for a wall to bang my head on…

More NBA content is available here. 

NBA 2012-13 Fantasy Preview: ON THE RISE

Felipe M

Finally, two weeks of the NBA are in the books, but it's never too late to "bookmark" some players who might become household names among casual NBA, basketball junkies, and fantasy basketball fans alike.  Here are the rising stars of the 2012-13 NBA season:

• Bismack Biyombo: Only his second season and he is still a raw product, but in a fantasy points league, blocks and rebounds coming from a center is adequate enough to get a virtual GM's attention.  Remember, Michael Jordan went out of his way to draft this player despite his inexperience so there's a good chance that Biyombo will get the opportunity to play more this season.
• Brandon Knight: I thought that Knight would be the better point guard than Kyrie Irving.  In his second season, he might end up being the best guard on his team at the very least. 
• JaVale McGee: A fresh start in Denver and playing under a coach with more prestige than Flip Saunders or whoever D.C. can sucker into coaching that sorry team can only do wonders for the very gifted, but incomprehensible and quizzical player.
• Omer Asik: From 3rd string big man with the Bulls to feature frontcourt player with the Rockets, Asik's stock can only go up.
• Dion Waiters: Don't like the fact that he was a bench player in college (remember Marvin Williams?), but should be a great running mate to Irving in Cleveland.
• Goran Dragic: Finally, after years of being the best backup point guard with the highest upside in the NBA, Dragic will no longer have to look behind his back to see who will steal his minutes.  It's finally his show to run in Phoenix and many fans can't help, but rejoice at this deserving player.
• Damian Lillard: The small-school product will continue to make a name for himself in the Pacific Northwest with the small-market, but crazy, basketball town of Portland.  He will be given every opportunity to prove himself in the NBA and show what he's made out of.
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: The rookie love continues with MKG.  His athleticism and stature should make him ideal as a perimeter defender.  That should equal more minutes and produce lots of padded stats for the former Kentucky Wildcat. 
• Carlos Boozer: After many Bulls' fans came with pitchforks and torches to rid themselves of the underachieving, but very expensive forward, Boozer enters this season as the Bulls' best offensive threat and main scorer.  That should at least quiet down the fans, media, coaches, front office, etc.
• Jeff Teague: His progress as an NBA point guard has been stalled with the presence of former teammate Joe Johnson, but this year, Teague will finally display his speed, quickness, handles, and athleticism and prove to the NBA world why he has been the best kept secret among NBA prospects. 
• Greivis Vasquez: He's the best ball-handler by default in New Orleans and last season, he proved that he can produce on the court as well as New Orleans deals with injuries to promising guards in Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers. 

And so it goes.  Can't wait to see if these predictions come to fruition or not, but I'm really excited to see how Dragic and Teague (and his brother Marquis) will develop.  And not a lot of rookies to get excited about, but the lottery picks are certainly must-watch (i.e. Thomas Robinson, Harrison Barnes, etc.).

To read Part I of this series on established players, click here.

Part II deals with declining players.

Part III looks at players who are at the crossroads of their careers.

Kings @ Bulls Oct. 31, 2012 Preview

Felipe M


It's opening week in the NBA and I am excited for the new season.  As a Bulls' fan, however, I can't say the same.  Regardless, we march forward and anxiously await the return of super-sensation, Derrick Rose (who might not return until NEXT SEASON!) and preview GAME 1 of the 2012-13 NBA season.

1. What to Watch for:

• Sacramento Kings:
• They are simply the Noah's Ark (no, not Joakim Noah!) of the NBA; they have two of every player at every position, therefore, lack versatility on their roster.  
• They have the quick and speedy Isaiah Thomas and he will be backed up by the quick and speedy Aaron Brooks.  Marcus Thornton is a poor man's Tyreke Evans. Backing up their spots are the three-headed-monster of Francisco Garcia, Travis Outlaw, and John Salmons, who all have similar skill sets and are not very good except for standing outside the perimeter, waiting to shoot a wide-open three-point shot. And let's not forget the glut of big men led by DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, rookie Thomas Robinson, James Johnson, and Chuck Hayes. 
• It will be very interesting to see if Cousins and Robinson play together during tonight's game.  Both have similar games, but Cousins is clearly light years ahead of Robinson. But what Cousins has in talent, he lacks in personality as he's quickly becoming one of the biggest jerks in the NBA.  Conversely, Robinson comes with a reputation of being a motivated, hungry, hard worker and holding a good head on his shoulders.  
• Chicago Bulls: 
• As mentioned, the Kings have a very quick backcourt and will certainly want to run all game long.  So can the Bulls' backcourt, led by Kirk Hinrich and Rip Hamilton, with Nate Robinson coming off the bench, slow them down? 
• The entire city of Chicago made a big deal about Carlos Boozer sitting on the bench in the 4th quarter of games last season as Taj Gibson was on the floor for those critical minutes. If Noah gets into early foul trouble, should be interesting to see if Gibson comes in AND is able to play well alongside Boozer. 
• Rookie Marquis Teague is the long-term solution for the Bulls while Derrick Rose is out, but clearly is not ready to see heavy minutes.  Nevertheless, seeing him play some minutes would give Bulls' fans a small taste of what this kid can do.  
• A dream scenario would be if he comes into the game as the Bulls' backcourt struggles on the court, especially on the defensive side and Coach Tom Thibodeau is forced to put him in the game for defensive purposes. But this is only a dream.
• Finally, while their primary scorer is out for a long period of time, who on this Bulls' roster will step up and fill in his absence?  Which player will be the one to take those last minute, game-tying/winning shots?  Who will be the playmaker?  

All these questions about both teams won't be answered in one game, but it's safe to say that the answers will begin to unravel.  

So I have yet to get a straight answer about Tyreke Evans and his decline in productivity. Anybody else want to take a crack at this puzzle?