It's been rumored that the Bulls have offered Gibson, Mirotic, and McDermott for Love. Is there anyway we could pry away Gibson and send more youth to Minnesota to aid their rebuild? This is what I came up with...
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NYK Gets:
Carl Landry
2015 2nd Rounder (Kings)
2016 2nd Rounder (Knicks)
NYK Gives:
J.R. Smith
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CHI Gets:
Kevin Love
J.R. Smith
CHI Gives:
Taj Gibson
Nikola Mirotic
Doug McDermott
2015 1st Rounder (Kings)
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MIN Gets:
Nikola Mirotic
Doug McDermott
Ben McLemore
2015 1st Rounder (Kings)
MIN Gives:
Kevin Love
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SAC Gets:
Taj Gibson
SAC Gives
Carl Landry
Ben McLemore
Removing Protection of 2015 1st Rounder
2015 2nd Rounder
2016 2nd Rounder (Knicks)
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Why for NYK?
It's been rumored that Jackson is interested in dealing for Landry or Thompson and trading away Smith. This trade is exactly that plus the addition of two 2nd round picks.
Also by getting rid of Smith, they free up their log jam at SG. Shumpert and Hardaway can man all the minutes at the SG position heading into next season.
Landry can come in right away and be an immediate contributor for them. With Dalembert as their C, Landry would be a very good piece that compliments him.
PG - Calderon/Prignoni/Larkin
SG - Shumpert/Hardaway/Ellington
SF - Anthony
PF - Stoudemire/Landry
C - Dalembert/Bargnani/Smith/Aldrich
Anthony would be the go-to scorer, Stoudemire would be the low post scorer, Dalembert would provide the rim protection, Shumpert would provide the elite perimeter defense, and Calderon would be the floor general who also helps spread the floor. Landry would be able to keep the low post presence when in the game while Bargnani would help stretch the floor even more. Hardaway would also help stretch the floor and boost bench scoring. All in all this team could surprise some people. Especially in the East.
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Why for CHI?
The Bulls do this trade to form their big 3 (Rose, Love, Noah), but they also do this to keep their division rivals from getting Love (Cavaliers) and to form the best big man rotation in the league (Love, Noah, Gasol). Considering the east is undersized, the Bulls will punish teams in the paint game after game.
They also get Smith who would slot in quite nicely as their sixth man. He'll be able to stretch the floor and provide a nice scoring punch off the bench.
PG - Rose/Hinrich/Brooks
SG - Snell/Smith
SF - Butler/Dunleavy
PF - Love/Bairstow
C - Noah/Gasol
Rose and Love would be the obvious go-to options when on the court while Snell, Butler, and Noah focus on locking down the perimeter and protecting the rim. Smith and Gasol would both be sixth men of the year candidates and would give the Bulls a very potent bench (Brooks, Hinrich, and Dunleavy are no slouches either). If they get Love, the Bulls will probably be the best team in the East (assuming Rose is able to make a comeback).
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Why for MIN?
With Love walking out the door, the Wolves have little to no chance at a championship with the current makeup of their team. If they continue to try and win now, they will become a treadmill team (not good enough to compete for a championship, but not bad enough to get a low enough pick to grab a star player). The logical thing to do would be to rebuild.
It's been rumored that the Bulls would be sending Gibson, Mirotic, and McDermott to the Wolves for Love. However, Gibson is not a rebuilding player. He is a win now player. The Wolves should not be acquiring above average talent (such as Gibson). They should be accumulating young talent and picks with their veterans (Pekovic, Brewer, Martin, etc.). By switching out Gibson with McLemore and the Kings 2015 1st Rounder, they do just that. Mirotic, McDermott, and McLemore are all valuable prospects and a 1st round pick should also produce another fine young player.
PG - Rubio/Barea/LaVine/Shved
SG - Martin/McLemore/Budinger
SF - Brewer/Muhammad/McDermott
PF - Mirotic/Turiaf/Moute
C - Pekovic/Dieng
This team seems to be very guard and wing heavy after the trade, but if the Wolves were able to pawn off some of their valuable veteran talent for young talent and picks, they would clear up space for their young players to develop. The more young talent they have, the better chance they develop a star or are able to package them in a trade to bring a star back to their franchise. Their core of young players would be very strong after this trade:
PG - Rubio/LaVine
SG - McLemore/Budinger
SF - Muhammad/McDermott
PF - Mirotic
C - Dieng
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Why for SAC?
The Kings are still in pursuit of their PF of the future. They need a PF who can defend the post, guard 4s and 5s, rebound, protect the rim, stay out of the way on offense, and knock down open jump shots with rim protection as the most important qualification. Gibson happens to fit into every category, and by swapping Gibson for Landry, you essentially fixed your log jam at PF. Cousins is the big man on campus, Gibson is the athletic shot blocker/defender who pairs with him, Thompson is the first big off the bench who can play PF or C, and Evans and Acy battle it out for 4th big minutes.
McLemore is a nice asset, but by drafting Stauskas, it makes McLemore a little more expendable.
The 2015 1st round pick was likely going to be sent to Chicago regardless of if we removed the protection or not (top 10 protected). We finished 7th worst last year in a year where only 4 guys remained on the roster from the 2012-2013 season. Factor in that there was a new coach trying to install a new system and culture, half of the new roster came during the middle of the year, and that there was little to no time to develop chemistry among the players, and you have yourself a disappointing season. This year, we have 11 players that are returning from the 2013-2014 roster (9 players if we do this trade). That is a drastic improvement from the previous year. The fact that Malone would have time to install his system and have a full offseason and training camp to work on it should result in more victories by itself. Also taking into account that the players would have more time to develop chemistry between one another, it should result in more victories. Not to mention the natural progression of Cousins and McCallum and the addition of Gibson, Collison, and Stauskas, should result in even more victories. Bottom line, it's very likely that our 1st round pick next year will be gone whether we remove the protection or not. Therefore, this shouldn't be seen as a huge asset that we are giving up.
The two 2nd rounders are thrown in to add more value with us shedding Landry's contract.
PG - Collison/McCallum
SG - Stauskas/Terry
SF - Gay/Williams/Outlaw
PF - Gibson/Evans/Acy
C - Cousins/Thompson
I think this team would be very competitive next year. Cousins and Gay would be our go-to options with Stauskas as our third scorer.
Floor spacing would be very good. Everyone in the starting lineup can hit open jumpers with Stauskas (hopefully) being our 40% 3pt shooter to punish defenses.
The ball movement would be improved. Collison and Stauskas are both willing to give the ball up which should result in more team play. Not to mention Cousins and Gay are also skilled passers.
The defense should be improved with Gibson and Collison added to the roster. Collison is extremely quick and pesters ballhandlers all game long. Gibson is a very good low post defender, has great IQ on that side of the ball, and blocks shots. Also, I am expecting Cousins to improve defensively yet again this year. His post defense and shotblocking were much improved last year. Now he just needs to improve his pick and roll defense. Gay is an average defender and Stauskas should be at least better than what we got out of McLemore last year. Overall, with Malone having a full offseason and training camp with his team, I expect team defense to improve and rotations to be much more crisp.
The rebounding should be solid with Cousins, Gibson, and Gay in our frontcourt. There's no reason why we shouldn't be competitive on the boards each night.
The bench should be decent. We'll need McCallum to step up and Williams to start bringing it if we want to talk about having a great bench. Thompson as a third big is as good as it gets (unless you're the Bulls).
Overall, I would be excited if we had this team come opening day. Thoughts?
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NYK Gets:
Carl Landry
2015 2nd Rounder (Kings)
2016 2nd Rounder (Knicks)
NYK Gives:
J.R. Smith
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CHI Gets:
Kevin Love
J.R. Smith
CHI Gives:
Taj Gibson
Nikola Mirotic
Doug McDermott
2015 1st Rounder (Kings)
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MIN Gets:
Nikola Mirotic
Doug McDermott
Ben McLemore
2015 1st Rounder (Kings)
MIN Gives:
Kevin Love
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SAC Gets:
Taj Gibson
SAC Gives
Carl Landry
Ben McLemore
Removing Protection of 2015 1st Rounder
2015 2nd Rounder
2016 2nd Rounder (Knicks)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Why for NYK?
It's been rumored that Jackson is interested in dealing for Landry or Thompson and trading away Smith. This trade is exactly that plus the addition of two 2nd round picks.
Also by getting rid of Smith, they free up their log jam at SG. Shumpert and Hardaway can man all the minutes at the SG position heading into next season.
Landry can come in right away and be an immediate contributor for them. With Dalembert as their C, Landry would be a very good piece that compliments him.
PG - Calderon/Prignoni/Larkin
SG - Shumpert/Hardaway/Ellington
SF - Anthony
PF - Stoudemire/Landry
C - Dalembert/Bargnani/Smith/Aldrich
Anthony would be the go-to scorer, Stoudemire would be the low post scorer, Dalembert would provide the rim protection, Shumpert would provide the elite perimeter defense, and Calderon would be the floor general who also helps spread the floor. Landry would be able to keep the low post presence when in the game while Bargnani would help stretch the floor even more. Hardaway would also help stretch the floor and boost bench scoring. All in all this team could surprise some people. Especially in the East.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why for CHI?
The Bulls do this trade to form their big 3 (Rose, Love, Noah), but they also do this to keep their division rivals from getting Love (Cavaliers) and to form the best big man rotation in the league (Love, Noah, Gasol). Considering the east is undersized, the Bulls will punish teams in the paint game after game.
They also get Smith who would slot in quite nicely as their sixth man. He'll be able to stretch the floor and provide a nice scoring punch off the bench.
PG - Rose/Hinrich/Brooks
SG - Snell/Smith
SF - Butler/Dunleavy
PF - Love/Bairstow
C - Noah/Gasol
Rose and Love would be the obvious go-to options when on the court while Snell, Butler, and Noah focus on locking down the perimeter and protecting the rim. Smith and Gasol would both be sixth men of the year candidates and would give the Bulls a very potent bench (Brooks, Hinrich, and Dunleavy are no slouches either). If they get Love, the Bulls will probably be the best team in the East (assuming Rose is able to make a comeback).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why for MIN?
With Love walking out the door, the Wolves have little to no chance at a championship with the current makeup of their team. If they continue to try and win now, they will become a treadmill team (not good enough to compete for a championship, but not bad enough to get a low enough pick to grab a star player). The logical thing to do would be to rebuild.
It's been rumored that the Bulls would be sending Gibson, Mirotic, and McDermott to the Wolves for Love. However, Gibson is not a rebuilding player. He is a win now player. The Wolves should not be acquiring above average talent (such as Gibson). They should be accumulating young talent and picks with their veterans (Pekovic, Brewer, Martin, etc.). By switching out Gibson with McLemore and the Kings 2015 1st Rounder, they do just that. Mirotic, McDermott, and McLemore are all valuable prospects and a 1st round pick should also produce another fine young player.
PG - Rubio/Barea/LaVine/Shved
SG - Martin/McLemore/Budinger
SF - Brewer/Muhammad/McDermott
PF - Mirotic/Turiaf/Moute
C - Pekovic/Dieng
This team seems to be very guard and wing heavy after the trade, but if the Wolves were able to pawn off some of their valuable veteran talent for young talent and picks, they would clear up space for their young players to develop. The more young talent they have, the better chance they develop a star or are able to package them in a trade to bring a star back to their franchise. Their core of young players would be very strong after this trade:
PG - Rubio/LaVine
SG - McLemore/Budinger
SF - Muhammad/McDermott
PF - Mirotic
C - Dieng
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why for SAC?
The Kings are still in pursuit of their PF of the future. They need a PF who can defend the post, guard 4s and 5s, rebound, protect the rim, stay out of the way on offense, and knock down open jump shots with rim protection as the most important qualification. Gibson happens to fit into every category, and by swapping Gibson for Landry, you essentially fixed your log jam at PF. Cousins is the big man on campus, Gibson is the athletic shot blocker/defender who pairs with him, Thompson is the first big off the bench who can play PF or C, and Evans and Acy battle it out for 4th big minutes.
McLemore is a nice asset, but by drafting Stauskas, it makes McLemore a little more expendable.
The 2015 1st round pick was likely going to be sent to Chicago regardless of if we removed the protection or not (top 10 protected). We finished 7th worst last year in a year where only 4 guys remained on the roster from the 2012-2013 season. Factor in that there was a new coach trying to install a new system and culture, half of the new roster came during the middle of the year, and that there was little to no time to develop chemistry among the players, and you have yourself a disappointing season. This year, we have 11 players that are returning from the 2013-2014 roster (9 players if we do this trade). That is a drastic improvement from the previous year. The fact that Malone would have time to install his system and have a full offseason and training camp to work on it should result in more victories by itself. Also taking into account that the players would have more time to develop chemistry between one another, it should result in more victories. Not to mention the natural progression of Cousins and McCallum and the addition of Gibson, Collison, and Stauskas, should result in even more victories. Bottom line, it's very likely that our 1st round pick next year will be gone whether we remove the protection or not. Therefore, this shouldn't be seen as a huge asset that we are giving up.
The two 2nd rounders are thrown in to add more value with us shedding Landry's contract.
PG - Collison/McCallum
SG - Stauskas/Terry
SF - Gay/Williams/Outlaw
PF - Gibson/Evans/Acy
C - Cousins/Thompson
I think this team would be very competitive next year. Cousins and Gay would be our go-to options with Stauskas as our third scorer.
Floor spacing would be very good. Everyone in the starting lineup can hit open jumpers with Stauskas (hopefully) being our 40% 3pt shooter to punish defenses.
The ball movement would be improved. Collison and Stauskas are both willing to give the ball up which should result in more team play. Not to mention Cousins and Gay are also skilled passers.
The defense should be improved with Gibson and Collison added to the roster. Collison is extremely quick and pesters ballhandlers all game long. Gibson is a very good low post defender, has great IQ on that side of the ball, and blocks shots. Also, I am expecting Cousins to improve defensively yet again this year. His post defense and shotblocking were much improved last year. Now he just needs to improve his pick and roll defense. Gay is an average defender and Stauskas should be at least better than what we got out of McLemore last year. Overall, with Malone having a full offseason and training camp with his team, I expect team defense to improve and rotations to be much more crisp.
The rebounding should be solid with Cousins, Gibson, and Gay in our frontcourt. There's no reason why we shouldn't be competitive on the boards each night.
The bench should be decent. We'll need McCallum to step up and Williams to start bringing it if we want to talk about having a great bench. Thompson as a third big is as good as it gets (unless you're the Bulls).
Overall, I would be excited if we had this team come opening day. Thoughts?
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