Paxon on the Way Out?

Peter Vecsey of the New York Post is reporting that Bulls general manager John Paxson will resign sometime shortly after next Thursday’s trade deadline.  Vecsey says that he does not know this as a fact, but has heard from reliable sources that the move will take place.  “Two people in the know maintain John Paxson will resign as Bulls GM soon after Thursday’s trade deadline expires,” Vecsey writes.  “Assistant GM Gar Foreman is expected to take over for the remainder of the season.”
It’s not surprising that Paxson, if he were to resign, would wait until after the trade deadline, especially with the Bulls in talks for players like Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns.

The potential deal is still being speculated to involve Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Thabo Sefolosha.  Other teams are rumored to be in the mix for Stoudemire as well, including the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors.  This blogger is hearing a lot of conflicting reports, with a lot of newspapers declaring their local team as the favorite.  This blogger thinks the Heat have the most attractive package in Shawn Marion’s expiring contract and Michael Beasley, but there are rumors that Suns general manager Steve Kerr is high on Thomas.

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High Praise For Rose

ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons ranked Derrick Rose as having the 10th-highest trade value in the entire NBA in his yearly column of such rankings.  Simmons went as far to include the Bulls rookie in the “It Makes Us Angry That You’d Even Ask” category.  Rose is ranked 23 spots higher than the next best rookie, O.J. Mayo.  This is incredibly high praise for a rookie; he’s ahead of guys like Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony.

Simmons, however, does have his reservations about Rose’s demeanor.  “He’s missing that swagger/leadership/vocal component that every great point guard has,” Simmons writes.  “Rose carries himself like a ninth grader playing varsity — never speaks, keeps to himself, doesn’t want to ruffle feathers.”  This may be true for now, but hopefully Rose can develop his vocal leadership as time goes on.  He’s still a rookie, after all, and he’s still adjusting to life in the NBA, not just the game.  Rose is the second-highest ranked point guard on the list, next to Chris Paul, which exemplifies the fact that he’s got the potential to be in the top two at his position.  When the Bulls won the draft lottery last May, I don’t think anyone realized the true magnitude of that lucky day at the time.

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Thomas Picking It Up Lately

While the Bulls are rumored to be in the running for Amare Stoudemire, forward Tyrus Thomas, thought to be the centerpiece of any deal the Bulls and Suns would work out, is making it harder for the team to trade him with every passing game.  Thomas had another good game last night in the Bulls’ 107-102 win over Detroit, going for 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.  Thomas has put up 20 and 10 in the team’s last two games and has posted double-digit rebounding totals in six of the last seven contests.

While the Bulls covet a post presence like Stoudemire, John Paxson has been notoriously hesitant to part with any of his young talent.  Now, just when we thought that he was ready to deal Thomas and others to Phoenix for Stoudemire, Thomas’ recent play may have the Bulls general manager thinking twice about a deal.  Joakim Noah has also been playing much better as of late, going for 12 points and 16 rebounds last night.  It’s funny that just one month ago people were talking about these two players as potential busts and now they’re looking like two starting-caliber frontcourt players.  Still, Paxson should consider shipping Thomas to Phoenix for Stoudemire because we still don’t know whether the light has truly gone on for the youngster or if he’s just having a good run.

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Suns Hot on Thomas?

It’s being reported that the Phoenix Suns covet Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas, so much that the report says that Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr likes Thomas more so even than Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley, who has also been rumored to be on the table for Suns forward Amare Stoudemire.  Some sources have reported that the Bulls and Heat are the frontrunners in the Stoudemire sweepstakes, while some say that the two best offers have been made by teams that have not yet been made public.  The real question is whether the Bulls have a package that could really induce Kerr to pull the trigger on trading arguably his best player.

Thomas would be the cornerstone of the deal on the Chicago end, that much is known.  One would also think that Kirk Hinrich would be attractive to the Suns from the standpoint that Steve Nash really has minimal help at point guard and Hinrich can also play the two.  However, Suns owner Robert Sarver has become notorious for his penny-pinching ways recently and there are reports that he’s ordered Kerr to shave salary.  Hinrich has four years remaining on his contract, so he may not be an option for Phoenix from a financial standpoint.  A deal that includes Thomas, Drew Gooden’s expiring contract, Cedric Simmons’ expiring contract and Thabo Sefolosha would provide the Suns with two young players and about $9 million of cap space in 2009-10.

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Bulls Eyeing Amare

It’s become clear that the Phoenix Suns have put forward Amare Stoudemire on the trading block and there are rumors that the Bulls are trying to put together a package for the big man.  There is speculation that the deal would center around forward Tyrus Thomas, who the Suns are reportedly interested in and whose recent play has given his trade value a significant boost.  “Tyrus has put in a lot of extra work,” head coach Vinny Del Negro was quoted by the Chicago Tribune as saying.  “His effort has been good.  He’s putting up better numbers.  He’s so athletic and can block shots and get out in the open court.”

The deal would almost certainly include Drew Gooden’s expiring contract and Kirk Hinrich would also be a likely candidate to be included in the trade, though Ben Gordon is a possibility as well.  Luol Deng is unlikely to change teams.  The expiring contract of Cedric Simmons, though a small deal, could also be seen as attractive by the penny-pinching Suns.  Throw-ins like Thabo Sefolosha are also a distinct possibility.  With Stoudemire on board, the Bulls would finally have a dominant big man to go with Derrick Rose and Deng.  This trade could drastically change the franchise, at least in the short term.

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Trade Rumblings

There are some rumors flying around that Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard is trying to wrestle Luol Deng away from the Bulls.  Deng has always been a favorite of Pritchard’s, but the forward is not likely to be going anywhere, for a number of seasons.  First of all, Deng has been playing much better this past month than he has since 2007.  He’s looking like the player that the Bulls thought they were awarding that big contract to this past summer.  Also, since Deng just signed that new deal and is a base year compensation player, there are a number of trade restrictions that the Bulls would have to bypass in order to move him.  Last, the team as a whole has looked pretty good since Vinny Del Negro settled on a starting lineup of Deng, Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah.

The trade chip that Portland is dangling in front of everybody is Raef LaFrentz’s expiring contract.  It essentially represents approximately $13 million of cap space.  Better yet, the contract is what is known as a super expiring contract; that is, insurance is paying 80 percent of the salary for the remainder of the season.  Still, it seems unlikely that the Bulls trade anyone aside from Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes at this point.

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No Paul, No Problem

The Bulls took advantage of Chris Paul being injured and took down the New Orleans Hornets last night 107-93.  Derrick Rose had a great game, keeping a fast pace for most of the contest and finishing with 21 points on 10-14 shooting.  Rose also dished out six assists and collected four rebounds in the game.  Each of the five Bulls starters scored in double figures and the team shot better than 50 percent from the field in the contest.  Tyrus Thomas played very well, going for 15 and 10 with three blocks and two steals.

To say that the Hornets were shorthanded without Chris Paul would be an understatement.  Paul is the engine that makes this New Orleans squad go.  He would have given Rose fits on both ends of the floor and probably done just enough to beat the Bulls, considering Chicago only won this one by 14.  David West and Peja Stojakovic did most of the damage for the Hornets last night, each going for 24.  Devin Brown also added 17 off the bench.  It’s clear that the Hornets are not the same team without their superstar point guard, but the Bulls need every victory right now, no matter how they get them.

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Yao Too Much For Bulls

Yao Ming was simply too much for the Bulls to handle in their 107-100 loss in Houston last night.  Yao scored 28 points in the contest, proving too big for Bulls starting center Joakim Noah, who fouled out in just 18 minutes of play.  Tracy McGrady did end up playing for the Rockets, scoring 16 points and showing flashes of a healthy T-Mac.  Luis Scola dominated the glass in the contest, collecting 18 boards, and Aaron Brooks chipped in 18 points off the pine.  The Bulls made a run at it in the fourth quarter, but came up short in the end.

Luol Deng looked like the Luol Deng of 2006-07 last night, scoring 28 points on an efficient 11-16 shooting.  Deng also pulled down six rebounds and only turned the ball over once.  Deng was the best player on the team before the club drafted Derrick Rose, exemplified by the hefty contract he was rewarded with this past summer.  After a slow start to the season, Deng is really coming on and looking like a great running mate for Rose going forward.  Rose scored 12 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out seven assists without committing one turnover in the game.  The loss drops the team to 21-28.

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Bulls Eye Fourth Straight Win

The Bulls will go for their fourth consecutive victory tonight in Houston where they’ll face the Rockets.  The Rockets are a formidable opponent at 29-19, but the team will likely be without shooting guard Tracy McGrady, who is day-to-day.  The Bulls’ biggest task will be stopping center Yao Ming, who towers over the Bulls’ big men.  Joakim Noah, who has been playing much better in all facets of the game recently, will probably be the guy the Bulls look to for defense on Yao for most of the game.

The Bulls have looked good since team owner Jerry Reinsdorf referred to the squad as “a disaster” last week.  “We’re playing with a lot more confidence,” Ben Gordon was recently quoted as saying.  “Winning three in a row feels so different.  It’s been a few years back, when we were in the playoffs.”  When the Bulls can get solid contributions out of Gordon, Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, they can compete with just about anyone.  Joakim Noah seems to be finding his way in the middle, which basically only opens up a need at the four in the starting lineup.  While trade options will certainly be explored, the team will likely need someone to step up and score from the power forward position.

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Bulls Beat Suns For Third Straight Victory

Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose both scored 26 points in the Bulls’ win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.  Chicago controlled the game much of the way and pulled away in the fourth quarter, the final score ending up at 122-111.  Gordon was hot from outside in the contest, hitting on five of seven three pointers.  Rose added four assists and six rebounds to his 26 points, going 12-19 from the field.  Luol Deng recorded a double-double with 17 and 10; his rebounding numbers have been quite impressive lately.  The Bulls received solid bench contributions as well, with three subs scoring in double figures in the game.

The Bulls were able to overcome a 32-point scoring outburst from Phoenix’s Leandro Barbosa by scoring in bunches themselves.  Each Phoenix starter scored in double figures, but the Bulls were able to put up 30 points in all but one quarter.  The Bulls have won three straight games now and are currently at 21-27 on the season.  Chicago has a good shot at making the playoffs if they can continue their recent play, especially with the Milwaukee Bucks losing Michael Redd for the season.  The Bulls will probably be fighting with teams like the Bucks and the New York Knicks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

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