That’s why the front office should dare to think bigger this summer.
Is unrestricted free agent center Al Jefferson big enough?
At 28, Jefferson is a career 16-point scorer and 50 percent shooter who can address the need in the low post. In terms of consistency, he is about as good as it gets these days. In turn, Noah would move to power forward, where he could still raise hell on defense and perhaps take some of the load off his troublesome right foot at the same time.
As I mentioned a few months ago, Kevin Love should be on the radar as well. At his best, the power forward is a 20-and-14 guy, not to mention a legitimate 3-point threat. The latter is no small consideration for a team that ranked 29th in 3-pointers and 21st in arc shooting this season.
Love and Rose have a lot in common. Both have something to prove after their careers took abrupt U-turns last season. Like Rose, Love is 24 and has his prime years ahead of him. My guess is that new Minnesota Timberwolves boss Flip Saunders will attempt to mend Love’s fractured relationship with upper management. But if Love is past the point of no return, then the Bulls should be prepared to step in immediately.
The assumption is that Rose will be ready for the start of training camp next fall. Yet if he has cleared the mental hurdle by then, nobody knows what kind of player he’ll be exactly. At that point, he will not have played in an NBA game of any kind in 18 months.
RELATED: Critics of Rose should remember stars who returned too quickly
So it might not be a bad idea to purchase some insurance at point guard in the event that Rose has a setback of some kind. Hinrich has the heart and the know-how to fill the role, but at 32, he no longer has the body to survive the long haul.
Veteran combo guards Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack are in position to test the open market this summer. Either one would fit well here but wouldn’t come cheaply. Mid-tier free agents Mike Dunleavy, Kyle Korver (Part Deux), Kevin Martin, J.J. Redick and Martell Webster also might be worth more than token consideration.
To consider any of those additions, Forman and Paxson It should think about using the amnesty clause on Boozer, who is scheduled to make $32 million over the next two seasons.
Meanwhile, the Rose Watch has begun anew.
As Taj Gibson said, “The pressure is mostly on when you come back because now everybody is going to expect to see him at 110 percent. There are no excuses.”
Paul Ladewski is a veteran Chicago sports journalist and occasional contributor to SheridanHoops.com.
Stupid article! OBVIOUSLY this “writer” doesnt know the new CBA RULES that since the bulls were taxpayers and will be over again next year no matter what the bulls CAN NOT do sign n trades.