We need cap space to sign Adrian Griffin, so apparently we got the most for Smith that we could, although I would have liked to see a first rounder instead of 2 seconds.
This has been killing me! I feel they just gave him away. While we're on the topic of giving away...I'm starting to doubt the moves the Bulls made. I like the players we have, but I'm starting to wonder if they were the right moves. Is Thabo Sefolosha better than Ronnie Brewer? Would Aldridge have fit better with the Bulls than Tyrus Thomas? We have NO height! JR Smith has so much talent, FIRST ROUND talent. Couldn't we have gotten more? I like the addition of Griffin, actually, I love it! BUT, we gave up a HUGE talent in Smith for almost nothing. We have one player over 6'10"...ouch. Time will tell, I guess.
The Bulls gave up J.R. Smith for several reasons: first, the Bulls are trying to develop a team concept, and character is a major factor in keeping a player ( see Tim Thomas), and J.R. Smith has a poor reputation. I'm sure they met with him personally and evaluated whether they felt he would fit in with the team. Second, I believe this is the last year on his contract, and if he did perform well they would have yet another player they would have to give a high contract to or lose for nothing ( see Darius Songaila). Third , the Bulls have so many young players on the team, they wanted to bring in some leadership and experience, plus the fact that he played for the Bulls already and and knows the plays far better than J.R. Smith doesn't hurt. Eisley's contract is non-guaranteed and will be waived. The trade was to clear room for Adrian Griffin. And second round picks become Chris Duhons if you use them right, or package together in another trade. The Bulls have more than enough young players, the last thing they need is a young, immature player.
I love how all young players are 'immature'. Byron Scott has had tons of run-ins during his career as a coach. He's another example, or maybe the biggest example, of a coach who wants the spotlight....well maybe not as much as Larry Brown.
As for JR....they gave him away, bottom line. Griffin is a marginal player, a defensive 32 year old who probably won't see much time. JR will probably excel in Denver as their SG with Melo for years.
As an outsider's opinion of the Bulls moves.....the Thomas pick is a bit weird...seeing as they already have two great young SFs to choose from in Luol and Nocioni. Thabo should be good...as he fills the size at SG issue ( which JR would have also). But overall, they will be solid. I think the could have got more for JR...perhaps help up front, but they are stacked with young talents. Maybe need to turn two of them into one sooner or later otherwise the cap will be blown off the roof! Aldridge would have made more sense to be groomed by PJ brown. He may be soft so far, but so was Channing Frye in college. Nothing against Thomas...but Bulls need height.
I love how all young players are 'immature'. Byron Scott has had tons of run-ins during his career as a coach. He's another example, or maybe the biggest example, of a coach who wants the spotlight....well maybe not as much as Larry Brown.
As for JR....they gave him away, bottom line. Griffin is a marginal player, a defensive 32 year old who probably won't see much time. JR will probably excel in Denver as their SG with Melo for years.
As an outsider's opinion of the Bulls moves.....the Thomas pick is a bit weird...seeing as they already have two great young SFs to choose from in Luol and Nocioni. Thabo should be good...as he fills the size at SG issue ( which JR would have also). But overall, they will be solid. I think the could have got more for JR...perhaps help up front, but they are stacked with young talents. Maybe need to turn two of them into one sooner or later otherwise the cap will be blown off the roof! Aldridge would have made more sense to be groomed by PJ brown. He may be soft so far, but so was Channing Frye in college. Nothing against Thomas...but Bulls need height.
Hmm. Underachieving 7 ft. stiff like Chandler or perennial 6'8'' all-star in Ben Wallace? Apparently height means everything.
Or how about the 'great' 30-52 Bulls team of 2002/3 that featured at times the tallest lineup in the league of Crawford, Rose, Marshall, Chandler and Curry? Or the 'midget' season-ending lineup of Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Nocioni and Sweetney? A group that pulled together by the end of the season with 41 wins and a decent showing against the league champions in the playoffs?
Height is ridiculously overrated by the masses. What it should come down to is the ability to play the position and nothing else. Determining the value of a player by their height is a really quick way of missing out on talent. The Chandler/Brand trade is the ultimate example of that.
Everyone is asking why we didn't trade for more height and the answer is clear: Paxson is looking for a cheap veteran to provide some leadership. Apparently Denver was the only team interested in taking JR Smith, and we got the best deal we could. The key is that Eisley's contract was non-guaranteed, so we could just get rid of him with no penalty, but he had to be included for cap reasons. Before the trade, our roster looked like this:
PG: Hinrich, Duhon
SG: Gordon, Sefolosha, Smith
SF: Nocioni, Deng, Khryapa
PF: Brown, Thomas, Allen
C: Wallace, Sweetney
Now that we traded Smith away and signed Adrian Griffin, there are two spots left. I believe they will keep Schenscher only because he is tall, and will keep either Aaron Miles or Basden for the 15th roster spot.
Smith wouldn't have gotten any PT anyway, unless he showed something amazing. I think we could have gotten a more useful veteran than Griffin, but if he is ok with 5-10 minutes/game, then that's fine with me. He knows the players and coaches, so this will be nothing new to him.
Smith may have an attitude and cant play a lick of Defense but he can shoot and he is as athletic as they come. Im a Laker fan and saw the trade and was suprised for what little they recieved. I have an better understanding for why the Bulls made the deal. I think if the Bulls held out longer they could of got more. I understand they wanted Griffen but if smith can get his sheet together he has superstar potential. Is that worth what the Bulls recieved?
why give away jr smith?
I got soul...but I'm not a soldier..
Time to grow up
