Okay, here we go. The offseason is almost here and if you are not the Celtics or the Lakers then you have been busy at work trying to figure out your moves for the offseason. Every fan of the game likes to play GM for their favorite team and I have a nice long history of doing just that on these boards for the Chicago Bulls. Of all the teams going into this summer some could say that the Bulls have the most on their plate. They have to hire a new Head Coach for their playoff caliber team. They have to spend 24+ million in cap money on free agents. They have the 17th pick in the draft to consider. The Bulls have a ton of options and this makes this offseason a wet dream for a fan playing the part of a GM. So what moves would I make? Let us take a look.
          You will quickly find that my idea of a great offseason is not that sexy in most eyes. I have a certain love for smaller moves that adds chemistry and depth. I favor a strong 7 man rotation over 1 or 2 superstars and a bunch of crap. It is a balancing act. You want to have a couple of go to guys. You want energy players and strong defenders. You want that guy that can light it up for 40 points. I think the Bulls are a solid team as it stands. They were in the 5th seed this season before the Noah injury and were playing their best basketball of the season right then. I truly believe the Bulls had a real shot at 48-50 wins this season had they not got hit with injuries to Hinrich, Noah, Gibson, and Deng down the stretch. But injuries are part of the game and they can dash any teams dreams.
          Building a contender can be done in two ways. The easy way is to get lucky and sign a megastar like LeBron James or the hard way by making multiple smaller moves that builds a more balanced team with depth and rotation options. However, before we attack which players to target we need to sign a Head Coach.
          In a perfect world the Bulls would lure Phil Jackson back to Chicago but that is not happening. Byron Scott and Avery Johnson seem like good choices on the surface but both have had issues with the players they coach and in my eyes are not the best options. Besides Scott is looking to take over the Lakers and Avery might sign with the Nets. Jeff Van Gundy would be a great fit, but I do not think he is leaving the broadcast booth anytime soon. The Bulls said they are looking for a Head Coach with Head Coaching experience and that leaves them with a short list of below .500 head coaches that I think we should stay away from. Maurice Cheeks is from Chicago but I am not sold on him being a longterm solution for any team. This leaves one option in my mind. Tom Thibodeau.
          Thibodeau is the defensive mastermind behind the Boston Celtics and is said to be very interested in the Chicago job. If Paxson has an ounce of brains in his skull he would go out and lock him up now. Thibodeau is not just a great basketball mind but his players love him and respect him. he would demend the respect of the Bulls players not just because he has a Championship ring but because he is one of those rare minds in basketball that can outcoach another teams coach. he is younger and has a long future ahead of him. The Bulls also have the players on their roster right now that would feed into his system. Kirk Hinrich, a favorite of once Bulls head Coach Scott Skiles, quickly comes to mind, as does Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Taj Gibson. He might also be just the coach that pushes Derrick Rose's defensive game from average to good. Speaking of Scott Skiles, I think that is good comparison to Tom Thibodeau except Thibodeau might be even a better defensive coach and still have the ability to relate to players. Scott Skiles gets the nod for his play calling which I still feel he is stellar at. So there we have it, a new Head Coach. Was that too hard?
          Now we move to building a roster. Sure I could simply say the Bulls should just sign LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh and call it a day, but to be honest the odds are against Chicago landing any of those three. There is still a chance LeBron stays in Cleveland with the Cavaliers. There also is an equal chance that he signs with the Knicks and still yet an outside chance he goes to the Nets, Clippers, or Heat. I say the Bulls have a 20% chance to land him and I am not liking those odds. Wade will likely resign in Miami. Bosh will either sign with Wade in Miami or follow leBron to the Knicks. This is just how a see the summer going. If Lebron goes to New York with Bosh then I see Amar'e moving to Miami with Wade. BAM! The four biggest free agents are off the table. that leaves Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, and Dirk Nowitzki. I think the Bulls will then have to fight for one of those three and perhaps even offer a max contract which none diserve except for Dirk and I think he will head to the Suns if Amar'e is gone. Johnson is a nice player and would work well with Derrick Rose but why pay him a max contract. Let another team make that mistake like the Clippers or Nets. The same goes for the often injured Carlos Boozer. Let him sign elsewhere. You must now be in shock. Who is ChiTownCliff angling for. A cheaper option, David Lee. If I were John Paxson I would of course try for LeBron, Bosh, and Wade but if that does not pan out quickly then I would target David Lee with a 5 year contract for 13-14 million per.
          David Lee give the Bulls a cheaper version of Chris Bosh. Not bad if you ask me. Lee is a gritty player that cannot only grab rebounds, but can nail the open jumper and this gives the Bulls the perfect scoring bigman. He may not have a great back to the basket game but I think his scoring abilities fit perectly with the Bulls. The Bulls would surely lead the league in rebounds again but the real deal with signing Lee is pairing him with Rose. I think this is a great 1-2 punch. Imagine the PnP and PnR game these two could put on. Also, Lee's ability to hit long jumpers would draw defenders out of the paint and allow Derrick Rose to drive to the bucket and create. This signing also gives the Bulls room to sign yet another player that can have an impact. Enter Ray Allen.
          Say what you want I think this could happen. With Tom Thibodeau as the Head Coach Allen would at least consider it and there is a chance that the Celtics will let Ray go anyways even if they win another Championship. I understand that Ray is getting older, but he is one of those few athletes in the NBA that keeps himself in great shape. I bet he has 3+ good effective years left in him. He is a savvy veteran that fills one of the Bulls biggest needs, a deadly three point shooter. The Bulls lost Ben Gordon last season and his shooting was missed dearly. I think the Bulls could offer a 3 year deal at 8 million per and snag Allen as their new starting shooting guard. Now when Rose drives he will have a player out there that he can kick the ball to for 3. This makes the Bulls offense more complex and difficult to defend against.
          This leaves the Bulls with about 2 million in cap and I say they either resign Brad Miller to a one or two year deal or look for a backup point guard like perhaps Rafer Alston. I would rather resign Miller as he has stated he is very happy in Chicago and has made good friends with players on the team like Joakim Noah.
          When it come to the idea of making a trade I just do not see it happening unless it happens in a sign and trade for a superstar like Bosh or LeBron. I just do not see the Bulls being able t move Hinrich and his contract or Luol Deng and his massive contract. i think both remain Bulls for at least another season. The Bulls have no other players to trade aftre those two. they are not moving Rose and Noah and Gibson are cheap and quite good so you know they are staying.
          In the draft the Bulls will have only one position to fill. Either a backup center or a backup point guard depending on if they resign Miller or sign a veteran point guard. If they resign Miller then I think they should draft Eric Bledsoe. He is explosive and a solid shooter and could step right in and play a solid 10+ minutes behind Rose. If they sign a PG then they should draft Daniel Orton or Hassan Whiteside. I think Orton is the better fit of the two. The Bulls could also go the route of picking up another wing player to back up Deng. I understand the Bulls have James Johnson but they could use another option as Johnson can also play the PF role so perhaps a rookie that can play a little shooting guard and a little small forward would be wise. Xavier Henry would be perfect if he drops but James Anderson would be okay as well. I expect little from this draft pick but you never know. 
          By making these moves the Bulls have a strong starting five with a mix of defense, explosive scoring, veteran leadership, and chemistry. They also have a solid bench and depth at each and every position. The long NBA season is bound to bring injuries. I love the idea of Lee and Noah in the paint together with Deng slashing and Ray hitting jumpers off screens and Derrick doing his thing. Rose would have the firepower around him to get his assist numbers up around the 8pg mark. Ray Allen could rest and play only 30 minute per night or less with Kirk sitting on the bench.

PG. Derrick Rose/Eric Bledsoe
SG. Ray Allen/Kirk Hinrich
SF. Luol Deng/James Johnson
PF. David Lee/Taj Gibson
C. Joakim Noah/Brad Miller

          Maybe not the sexiest looking group of players or roster that you could imagine the Bulls having, but I think it would be very very effective on both ends and would contend for a top 3 spot in the east. Longterm the Bulls would have to move Kirk or Deng to make room to resign Rose or move both to sign future additions, but moving into next season this would be an ideal team. That is saying if we cannot sign LBJ, Wade, or Bosh. To be honest I might rather have Lee over Bosh.
          So what are your thoughts? What would you do as the GM for the Bulls this offseason or for your team for that matter? Thanks for taking the time to read this and i hope you enjoyed it.

      Well what we all knew was going to happen has happened. Vinny Del Negro has been fired and the young Bulls are at a crossroads. They have a young and talented one-two punch in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah and a nice core or role-players in Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, and James Johnson. They have the money to sign a max contract player like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh and a MLE player as well. They could go from an average team to an elite team this summer and picking the correct Head Coach this time around is very important. Here is a look at a few of the names being mentioned on the national stage as well as a couple I have heard mentioned on Chicago radio.

Doug Collins. Collins has 8 years of head coaching experience and is known as a players coach which might be fine for this Bulls team because they are a very mature group and self-motivated. Doug has a head coaching record of 332-287, but it should be noted that most of those wins came with a player named Michael Jordan playing in his early days. He is a smart guy and a veteran player that players will respect. Free agents will likely want to play for him as well as he is not known to be a screamer. The big issue with collins is that it is likely he will only coach for 2 seasons and no more then 3 as he is known to get a bit bored.

Byron Scott. Scott was a solid player in the NBA and has three rings on his fingers from his years with the Lakers in the 80s to prove it. As a coach he brought the Nets to the NBA finals twice only to lose both times. He is known to lose respect from his players after time and that could pose and issue as the Bulls need a longterm solution, not a 2 or 3 year firestorm coach like Scott Skiles proved to be with the Bulls. Still Scott is an interesting choice and has plenty of head coahing experience, but it is said he want to take over for Phil Jackson if and when he retires.

Lawrence Frank. He was the head coach of the Nets for 7 years and made the playoffs 4 times with those teams that included Jason Kidd and Vince Carter. Oddly those were good teams that never made it to the eastern conference finals once even though they had the talent. I think Frank is an average to above average coach at best and is not the type of hiring that will draw in a big free agent. His record of 225-241 leaves a lot to be desired.

Kevin Mchale. This is a joke right? I keep hearing this name and it make no sense to me. Sure Mchale is in my top 5 power forwards all time, but he was a poor GM and a bad coach as well. 38-105 coaching record is not only really really bad, but it proves that he does not even have that much experience as a coach and the Bulls need a coach that has been a head coach for a while to push them to the next level and Mchale simple is not the correct fit.

Maurice Cheeks. A former point guard and a Chicago native Cheeks looks like a good choice. His coahing record is not that great but he did not have the best teams to work with to be honest. Portland was a team full of selfish thugs at the time and I do not understand how he put up with those teams, and while the 76ers had some talent they just never had enough to compete. I would be happy if the Bulls picked him and gave him a chance with a real team that is both young and hungry.

John Calipari. This angle is simple. Land LeBron James. James and Calipari are well-known friends and if the Bulls were to hire Calipari it would signal a signing of LeBron James. I am not a huge fan of LeBron the person, but as a player he is clearly the best in the league and if a coach hiring can land the big fish of this free agent class then I am for it. Sure there are all those scandles in the NCAA but this is the NBA and this league is about making money and Calipari might fit in nicely, however if the Bulls sign his and do not get LBJ then I would not be happy.

Jeff Van Gundy. To me he would be the perfect hire. He has a ton of experience and is a very smart coach that is still young enough to stick around for a while if things work out. The isuue is weather or not he wants to coach agian. If so the Bulls should go after him asap. He is a very good defensive coach and that would fit well with the Bulls young core of defensive minded players. If Gundy wants to coach a team that will not make him pull the rest of his hair out then the Bulls are a good fit as they always give effort on both ends. Another big issue would be a realationship between John Paxson and Van Gundy as Jeff has made comments recently about the Bulls brass. I say fire Gar Forman and John Paxson and hire Doug Collins to be the new GM and Van Gundy to be coach. Wake up Cliff, wake up.

So which of these seven candidatesfit the needs of the Bulls best and why?