So where does that leave the Bulls? What is their best case scenario if they miss out on those top three guys (which I believe is extremely likely)? I love Joe Johnson, LOVE HIM! And I believe he would next on the Bulls board. But would they have what it takes to lure him here. He's proven once that he wanted the money and to be the man (by begging Phoenix not to match the offer the Hawks made back in the day) so what's to say he wouldn't do it again. He could take the money and stay in ATL, or he could take the endorsement money and be the man for the New York Knicks. As for winning, his best options will be to either stay put, play with one of the big three as mentioned above, or come to Chicago. But those are a lot of ifs, and the Bulls got fucked once back in 2000 when Grant Hill, T-Mac, and Duncan all passed on playing for the Bulls. After Johnson it has to be Amar'e and after that it has to be Boozer and then I would assume it's restricted FA Rudy Gay. Sadly, Gay plays the same position as Deng, and I don't think Deng is really physical enough to play the four. It could work, but I doubt the Bulls ever really try this, unless they lose out on everyone in free agency and make Gay a crazy offer that Grizz just can't match, which is possible.
So my question is, why wait. Of the guys that the Bulls have a realistic chance of getting, only Joe Johnson is significantly better than...David West! It's become pretty clear to me, that just about everyone on the Hornets is available and that includes their all-star Power Foward. The Bulls could get a big free agent right now, potentially saving this season, and putting themselves in position to be a great team for the next two or three years. Is Amar'e better than West, probably, but it's closer than you think, and West brings a lot less baggage to the team than Amar'e does. So here are the stats and I am only going to look at the last two years because there is no way Amar'e is the same player he was back when he was throwing up 26 points a night. Those days are long gone.
Amar'e 2008-09 PPG-21.4 REB-8.1 BLK-1.1 FG-53.9 FT-83.5
West 2008-09 PPG-21.0 REB-8.5 BLK-.9 FG-47.2 FT-88.4
Amar'e 2009-10 PPG-19.2 REB-7.8 BLK-1.0 FG-55.8 FT-74.8
West 2009-10 PPG-15.9 REB-7.0 BLK-.8 FG-45.8 FT-85.0
So last season their numbers were almost identical and this season both players numbers are down. Amar'e has no excuse as the Suns are killing it, but West has had to deal with Chris Paul being out half the season. With Paul back his numbers are trending up and I believe he'll match Amar'e by the end of the year (hopefully while being a Bull). To me, taking the risk in free agency and possibly ending up with no one (or even worse, the injury plagued and uninspired Carlos Boozer) is not nearly as desirable as trading say Jerome James' expiring contract and Tyrus Thomas (who is a Louisiana native) for David West. Acquiring West at less than 10 mil per season for two and half years is a lot better than either Amar'e or Boozer at 14-15 mil for five years. Plus this leaves the Bulls with some money to play with this offseason. Not max money, but enough to sign a could FA and even still make a run at a guy like Rudy Gay who a lot of teams will be afraid of because he's restricted.
A team of Rose, Salmons (or FA pickup in 2010), Deng, West, and Noah is a pretty good team. If Rose ever makes the jump and the Bulls can add a solid two guard the team could compete in the East. Could of course depends on who Bosh decides to play with, LeBron or Wade?
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