Today, Gar Foreman confirmed that the Bulls will not match Houston's offer sheet to Omer Asik, making Asik a Rocket. This announcement came in the wake of moves that left Kyle Korver a Hawk, C.J. Watson a Net, and Ronnie Brewer a Knick. Taj Gibson is the only reserve player of note who will be on the team in both 2012 and 2013
Mat is obviously disheartened by the moves, which suggest that the Bulls aren't willing to spend big to surround the current roster with the best supporting pieces . Some say (including Foreman himself) that the Bulls are simply trying to maintain their financial flexibility; in a universe in which the well-over-the-tax Lakers acquired Steve Nash and are the frontrunners for Dwight Howard, that's a hard pill to swallow.
Mat tried justifying these moves as a necessary evil after accepting that hard truth. After all, if Reinsdorf isn't going to pay for a contender, you have to build the best team within those constraints. Watson ended up signing for the minimum once the Bulls waived him. Brewer will also likely sign for the minimum, as that's all the Knicks can offer. Korver, who was traded, had value as an expiring contract, but also probably would have seen a paycut had he hit free agency.
Mat is still upset about the loss of these guys since they were 1) under contract for only one year and 2) expiring contracts, broken into manageable salaries across three players. They're the type of filler used to balance a trade for a Great Player in a deal centered around assets (Nikola Mirotic, Bobcats pick) and rookie-contract players (Taj Gibson). The Bulls didn't create long or short-term flexibility by letting those three go. They actually reduced their flexibility for a one-year financial windfall.
Still, Mat thinks not matching Asik was a move the team had to make considering the Bulls' financial crunch. Asik was a great defender, but unless Foreman and Paxson thought he would be a better overall player than Joakim Noah, they couldn't afford to keep him. You can't set a limit on your spending and then pay a backup $8 million a year. A team that won't spend more than ~$74 million simply cannot spend $20 million on a position at which they do not have a superstar.
Picking up solid, uninspiring guys like Kirk Hinrich, Vladimir Radmanovic, Nazr Mohammed and Marco Belinelli is the road the Bulls have to take. The bench will win fewer games for the team in the regular season, but the Bulls can't afford that luxury. And make no mistakes: it is a luxury. In the postseason, the bench won't be picking apart the Norris Coles and Juwan Howards of the world; when superstars are playing 40+ minutes a game, the strength that is the Bench Mob is all but neutralized.
It was an amazing unit to watch, and in a perfect world, they'd still be in Chicago. It's time to face facts, though: the Bulls have to find a way to best divide their regrettably limited resources. In building a championship contender, Mat believes they're best served concentrating those resources into a tighter, 7-8 man rotation.
Now, if you'll excuse him, Mat will spend the next 24 hours hitting "C.J. Watson", "Gimme the hot sauce", "Chicago's Finest Brew", "Asik and Destroy", and "C.J. Watson (excited)" in a steady loop while sobbing softly to himself.
Showing posts with label Ronnie Brewer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ronnie Brewer. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
When $3 Million is Worthless
Roy Hibbert: 4 years, $58 million
Nic Batum: 4 years, $45 million
Gerald Wallace: 4 years, $40 million
Omer Asik: 3 years, $25 million
Landry Fields: 3 years, $19 million
Brandon Roy: 2 years, $10.4 million
A small sampling of contracts agreed to during the first five days of the offseason. Mat was under the impression that, with the new CBA in place, NBA owners were going to control themselves, maybe even seize an opportunity to tell free agents "I'm sorry, but salaries have to come down with all the new rules," even if it wasn't necessarily true for their team.
Expecting responsibility from NBA owners was foolish on Mat's part, obviously, and the contracts signed so far have extinguished any notion that non-superstars would have to expect less money in The New NBA. The free agency period has made it so a 4 year, $30 million deal for Jeremy Lin, he of the 25-or-so good games, seems startlingly reasonable.
What this means for the Bulls is that they're not going to be able to make waves with the $3 million taxpayer mid-level exception. The only player of note who has signed in their price range is Jason Kidd, who signed a three year deal worth $9 million that will make him a Knick through his 58th birthday.
If they're lucky, Kirk Hinrich (who Mat thought might be a contender to take a discount at the veteran's minimum) might take a discount to sign at the full mini-MLE. Maybe Ramon Sessions will be left with nowhere else to sign when the dust of free agency settles. Still, those seem like awfully big maybes.
What this should mean for the Bulls is that C.J. Watson is brought back, because they're almost certainly not going to find a better point guard for less than Watson's $3.2 million salary. Mat thinks Paxson and Foreman should take a hard look at guaranteeing Ronnie Brewer's contract, too, because bench help is going to be difficult to sign.
It also might mean management is right to avoid the luxury tax unless you know you're a contender. With just $3 million to wield in this sort of an environment, making significant moves to upgrade your team without giving up an important piece becomes nearly impossible. The Lakers were able to add Steve Nash, but that's because Nash turned down $11 million more from Toronto and LA happened to have a trade exception from the Lamar Odom deal.
There's a difference between cheapness and maintaining flexibility. If the Bulls let go of Korver, Watson and Brewer with few means to replace them, if they release those guys and add a Kirk Hinrich and call it an offseason? That is cheapness, because they're doing nothing but making the team worse for next season.
If, going forward, they try to avoid the tax for non-significant upgrades so that, when the time comes, they can add a Jason Terry instead of a signing a decaying Jason Kidd to a long-term deal? That might be the price of business in The New NBA.
That, and $40 million over 4 years for Jeff Green. (You're killing Mat, NBA owners.)
Nic Batum: 4 years, $45 million
Gerald Wallace: 4 years, $40 million
Omer Asik: 3 years, $25 million
Landry Fields: 3 years, $19 million
Brandon Roy: 2 years, $10.4 million
A small sampling of contracts agreed to during the first five days of the offseason. Mat was under the impression that, with the new CBA in place, NBA owners were going to control themselves, maybe even seize an opportunity to tell free agents "I'm sorry, but salaries have to come down with all the new rules," even if it wasn't necessarily true for their team.
Expecting responsibility from NBA owners was foolish on Mat's part, obviously, and the contracts signed so far have extinguished any notion that non-superstars would have to expect less money in The New NBA. The free agency period has made it so a 4 year, $30 million deal for Jeremy Lin, he of the 25-or-so good games, seems startlingly reasonable.
What this means for the Bulls is that they're not going to be able to make waves with the $3 million taxpayer mid-level exception. The only player of note who has signed in their price range is Jason Kidd, who signed a three year deal worth $9 million that will make him a Knick through his 58th birthday.
If they're lucky, Kirk Hinrich (who Mat thought might be a contender to take a discount at the veteran's minimum) might take a discount to sign at the full mini-MLE. Maybe Ramon Sessions will be left with nowhere else to sign when the dust of free agency settles. Still, those seem like awfully big maybes.
What this should mean for the Bulls is that C.J. Watson is brought back, because they're almost certainly not going to find a better point guard for less than Watson's $3.2 million salary. Mat thinks Paxson and Foreman should take a hard look at guaranteeing Ronnie Brewer's contract, too, because bench help is going to be difficult to sign.
It also might mean management is right to avoid the luxury tax unless you know you're a contender. With just $3 million to wield in this sort of an environment, making significant moves to upgrade your team without giving up an important piece becomes nearly impossible. The Lakers were able to add Steve Nash, but that's because Nash turned down $11 million more from Toronto and LA happened to have a trade exception from the Lamar Odom deal.
There's a difference between cheapness and maintaining flexibility. If the Bulls let go of Korver, Watson and Brewer with few means to replace them, if they release those guys and add a Kirk Hinrich and call it an offseason? That is cheapness, because they're doing nothing but making the team worse for next season.
If, going forward, they try to avoid the tax for non-significant upgrades so that, when the time comes, they can add a Jason Terry instead of a signing a decaying Jason Kidd to a long-term deal? That might be the price of business in The New NBA.
That, and $40 million over 4 years for Jeff Green. (You're killing Mat, NBA owners.)
Saturday, June 30, 2012
A (Realistic) Free Agency Preview - Part One
While the Bulls aren't expected to make any radical moves this offseason, Free Agency Eve still represents calm before the storm. The Bulls have a number of holes in their roster, and a seemingly infinite number of solutions exist to help fill those holes.
Mat took a look first at the players who were on the team last year who either are or could be free agents this summer. This does not necessarily reflect his opinion of these players; he is merely predicting what the Bulls' front office will do. (All contract information sourced from ShamSports.com.)
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Bye-bye, C.J. Watson. The drafting of Marquis Teague almost certainly guaranteed your demise. John Lucas III will probably be gone too, off making too much money for someone else.
The Bulls' shooting guard situation remains a big question mark, and yet, Mat fully expects Ronnie Brewer to be released from the non-guaranteed final year of his contract. Brewer struggled offensively, an area in which the Bulls are lacking, and they could probably call on Jimmy Butler to help replace Brewer's outstanding defense.
Kyle Korver is the most likely to be brought back of the three bench mob players with non-guaranteed contracts (Watson & Brewer being the other two), but he's also the highest-paid. The Bulls can afford to wait and see how free agency goes before making a move on Korver; Watson and Brewer's contracts are fully guaranteed if they're not cut by July 10, but Korver's contract doesn't have a guaranteed-by date.
Ultimately, Mat thinks the Bulls will be forced to keep Korver. His skillset is too unique on the Bulls' roster and there are too many question marks at the positions he's capable of playing. Mat wouldn't be surprised, though, if Korver is gone should the Bulls find a cheaper replacement in Free Agency.
Omer Asik is the most sought-after Bulls free agent (no offense, JL3). He's a restricted free agent, though, so the Bulls have the ability to match any offers made by other teams to keep him. The team has indicated that they'll match him at all costs, and, as a former second-round draft pick, he falls under the Gilbert Arenas rule. This means he can't be offered more than the mid-level exception for the first two years of his contract, which makes him a great value for the Bulls.
There exists the very realistic possibility that a team like Houston, desperate for a center, offers Asik a back-loaded contract that prices him out of the Bulls' range. The Gilbert Arenas rule limits the amount of money Asik can make in his first two years, but a team under the salary cap can offer him a bigger payday after that. Mat can see a scenario in which Asik is offered a contract worth $28 million over 4 years that pays out $5 million in the first two years and $9 million in the last two; the Bulls might (understandably) balk at a backup center making $9 million.
Still, the Bulls seem to understand Asik's value, both as a player and as a trade chip considering his limited salary. Mat sees no reason not to take management at their word when they say Asik will be brought back.
Mat's final verdict: Korver and Asik retained; Watson, Brewer and Lucas let go.
Mat took a look first at the players who were on the team last year who either are or could be free agents this summer. This does not necessarily reflect his opinion of these players; he is merely predicting what the Bulls' front office will do. (All contract information sourced from ShamSports.com.)
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Bye-bye, C.J. Watson. The drafting of Marquis Teague almost certainly guaranteed your demise. John Lucas III will probably be gone too, off making too much money for someone else.
The Bulls' shooting guard situation remains a big question mark, and yet, Mat fully expects Ronnie Brewer to be released from the non-guaranteed final year of his contract. Brewer struggled offensively, an area in which the Bulls are lacking, and they could probably call on Jimmy Butler to help replace Brewer's outstanding defense.
Kyle Korver is the most likely to be brought back of the three bench mob players with non-guaranteed contracts (Watson & Brewer being the other two), but he's also the highest-paid. The Bulls can afford to wait and see how free agency goes before making a move on Korver; Watson and Brewer's contracts are fully guaranteed if they're not cut by July 10, but Korver's contract doesn't have a guaranteed-by date.
Ultimately, Mat thinks the Bulls will be forced to keep Korver. His skillset is too unique on the Bulls' roster and there are too many question marks at the positions he's capable of playing. Mat wouldn't be surprised, though, if Korver is gone should the Bulls find a cheaper replacement in Free Agency.
Omer Asik is the most sought-after Bulls free agent (no offense, JL3). He's a restricted free agent, though, so the Bulls have the ability to match any offers made by other teams to keep him. The team has indicated that they'll match him at all costs, and, as a former second-round draft pick, he falls under the Gilbert Arenas rule. This means he can't be offered more than the mid-level exception for the first two years of his contract, which makes him a great value for the Bulls.
There exists the very realistic possibility that a team like Houston, desperate for a center, offers Asik a back-loaded contract that prices him out of the Bulls' range. The Gilbert Arenas rule limits the amount of money Asik can make in his first two years, but a team under the salary cap can offer him a bigger payday after that. Mat can see a scenario in which Asik is offered a contract worth $28 million over 4 years that pays out $5 million in the first two years and $9 million in the last two; the Bulls might (understandably) balk at a backup center making $9 million.
Still, the Bulls seem to understand Asik's value, both as a player and as a trade chip considering his limited salary. Mat sees no reason not to take management at their word when they say Asik will be brought back.
Mat's final verdict: Korver and Asik retained; Watson, Brewer and Lucas let go.
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