Chicago Bulls Confidential

J.J. Redick's offer sheet was matched. Wesley Matthews went to Portland. Raja Bell went to Utah. Dwyane Wade was as serious as Barry Chuckle about coming here. Ray Allen re-signed. Anthony Morrow went to New Jersey. And Josh Shipp stayed in Turkey.

Shooting guard free agents are scampering all over the globe, but not one has come to Chicago. In fact, as things stand, the Bulls don't have a single shooting guard on the roster. In fact, they only have one guard in total; the insatiable Derrick Rose. Alongside him, there's nothing. Behind him, there's less.

Worse still, the remaining free agency shooting guard crop is about as attractive as leprosy on a warthog. Redick is not an irreplaceable player, but due to the make-up of the rest of the roster and the weakness of the remainder of the free agent market, he became an imperative signing. And we didn't get him.

But despair not, dear viewer. For faint heart ne'er won fair lady.
Based on whispers about the Bulls interest in players such as Tracy McGrady, Josh Howard and Adam Morrison, the Bulls seem willing (if not forced) to sign small forwards instead. In theory, they will either play those prospective players at shooting guard, or put Kyle Korver there instead. Either way, I don't like it.

We don't need a long term solution right away, and thus should not strain to do so. Despite the truly advantageous position into which we entered this offseason, it was never necessary to fill every long term goal in one offseason, and it still isn't. We need improvements - at this point, we need anything - but it doesn't need to be the perfect solution. And nor does it need to be done in one fell swoop.

With that in mind, there is nothing (except a possible lack of imagination) to stop the Bulls from taking the route that other teams have opted for in this situation. If there are no free agents around, or none that will sign with you, use your cap space in trades. And if you can't trade for the players you want, trade for assets that might get you them payroll. This is a young team. They can play the long game.

The distinct advantage to filling cap space via trade is that you can make trades without needing to send an equal amount in salary back. Teams with big payrolls who wish to trim salary need that relief, and teams with cap space love to take advantage of it. For proof of this, look no further than the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the span of the last three years, they have:

A) Received two first rounders from Phoenix in exchange for taking on Kurt Thomas's salary.
B) Traded up from #32 to #18 in this year's draft in exchange for taking on Daequan Cook's salary.
C) Traded up from #21 (and #26) to #11 in this year's draft in exchange for taking on Morris Peterson's salary.
D) Turned a second rounder into a first rounder by taking on Chucky Atkins's salary.

Et cetera.

Oklahoma City aren't the only team to do this. Memphis have also done it quietly and effectively in recent years, and the L.A. Clippers and Sacramento have done their own versions of it at times too. It's a good strategy that earns a team future assets for no significant short term detriment. It is a strategy that a team like the Bulls should explore.

And in the following ideas, they do.

Not too many teams are threatened by the luxury tax at the moment, due to the whole free agency thing. But one team that is is the two time defending champion L.A. Lakers. They are perfectly willing to play for their title-winning core, but when it comes to depth and extras, they look to trim salary. They ran with the minimum of 13 players last year purely to save money, and sold their first round draft pick in the 2009 draft in a money-saving scheme. (As it happens, they shouldn't have sold that first rounder; New York bought it and used it on Toney Douglas, who would have helped L.A. significantly last season. As would DeJuan Blair, who was also available at that pick. But I digress.)

Therefore, with their ever-present desire to trade excess salary alive and well, I propose the following trade; Sasha Vuajcic and the Lakers' 2011 first round draft pick in exchange for nothing at all.

[NB: teams can't actually give up nothing in a trade; they always have to give up "something." But they can still give up incredibly little. This is why Vladimir Veremeenko's draft rights were included in the Hinrich-to-Washington trade. They counted as "something." In fact, the Meenkster's rights could be the "something" in this trade, too. It'd mean a quick end to the Vladimir Veremeenko era, but I think I could handle that.]

For three years, Sasha Vujacic was a terrible player who couldn't do anything right. Billed as a "tall point guard," Vujacic soon showed that "tall" was about his only positive attribute. He was slow with the ball, couldn't drive, was fantastically bad on the fast break, had a sub-par jumpshot, and he couldn't play defense. It also quickly emerged that he couldn't dribble or pass. His only positive production came from very rarely turning the ball over, and yet even that was a direct side-effect of never trying to do anything with the ball. The outlook for Vujacic was, frankly, a bit bleak.

Then, Sasha grew his hair out long like a girl, probably on account of his first name. Suddenly, he became a feared jumpshooter off of the bench, a man you were genuinely concerned about when he came off the bench in big playoff moments. As unlikely as it was, it happened.

Then he started dating Maria Sharapova, got paid, and relapsed back to his former ways. Once again, he is no longer an NBA calibre player.

For the unwanted services of this 11th man, the Lakers are slated to pay $5,475,113 next season. That's a lot of money for a player that they don't want; it's even more so when you consider that number is doubled because of the luxury tax. Is it worth trading a first rounder to shift that $11 million, sacrificing a player who probably wouldn't play much anyway in a bid to keep your payroll below 9 figures? I think so.

More importantly, I think the Lakers think so too.

For the Bulls, Sasha would provide jumpshots, man-bags, and not a lot else. He would be at the end of the bench, a role player who could be called-upon if needed yet not in the nightly rotation because he's just not good enough. But he should be able to provide some decent situational jumpshooting, something which you can never waste too much of. And he's also an expiring contract, which therefore means he could be readily used again in a trade later in the year should something desirable avail itself. Plus, they get a free first round pick.

Considering that a late 20's pick landed us Taj Gibson, the usefulness of that asset is presumably obvious.

Applying the same logic to a different situation, the Indiana Pacers are also a financially burdened team. Years of pointless and directionless mediocrity, salvaged only by the drafting of Danny Granger, have seen them win only 36, 36 and 32 games in the last three years. And next year, they're going to do much the same.

At the moment, Indiana's only point guards on the roster are T.J. Ford and A.J. Price. Ford played a lot with the Pacers to begin last season, but ended up being Tim Thomassed and was DNP-CD'd for six straight weeks. And A.J. Price currently has a broken knee cap. That is it - those are their horses. The team seem convinced that recently drafted Cincinnati shooting guard Lance Stephenson will help alleviate their point guard problem, but I am thoroughly unconvinced by that.

It follows, therefore, that Indiana will be looking for some point guard help. But there's a problem there. Despite their constant mediocrity, Indiana has no money to spend; without even having signed Stephenson yet, they already have a payroll for next season of $68 million. They have needs at every position at small forward, including the most notable point guard hole, and yet they can't afford to fill them.

Indiana's only chance at breaking out of this Fred Funk lies in the 2011 free agency period. For all their gross expense on unworthy players this summer, a boatload of that money is expiring; $42 million of expiring can be found between Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ford, Jeff Foster and the long-since-bought-out Jamaal Tinsley alone. Their only players on the cap for the 2011/12 season at the moment are Granger, Price, Paul George, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, Brandon Rush and Dahntay Jones. Four of those players are on rookie scale contracts, and Price is earning the minimum. Next summer, they will be able to spend.

However, Dahntay Jones's inclusion on that list is a little......unnecessary. Jones is a veteran backup shooting guard on a team not short of wing options; even next season, with only six other players on the payroll, three of them play on the wings. Indiana just don't need Dahntay Jones, and certainly not as much as they need every possible dollar in 2011 in a bid to finally break out of this despondent pusillanimity.

Jones joined the Pacers last season from the Denver Nuggets, where he had made a reputation as a defensive stopper. Indiana soon found out that that reputation was unfounded, but not until they had given him a 4 year, $10.6 million contract. Jones is capable of playing some pretty good perimeter defense, but only sometimes; they were expecting Bruce Bowen, yet they got Keith Bogans. With a foul problem.

However, to make up for that, Jones demonstrated a hitherto unexpected offensive game. He can't shoot threes and never could, but Jones demonstrated a decent long two point jumpshot, which, if nothing else, is better than having a bad long two point jumpshot. Jones is also decent at finishing around the basket, particularly with the dunk, which is fun if not especially meaningful. He cannot create his own shot and his dribble drive game is far from pretty, but in running the court and blind assertiveness, Jones was able to get to the lane, where good things occasionally happened. Through the first 16 games of the season, Jones scored 16 points per game, not a bad infusion of scoring from a guy signed as a defensive specialist.

The novelty soon wore off, however, and Jones lapsed back to being as inconsistent as his minutes. He finished up the season with averages of 24 minutes, 10.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 turnovers and 3.1 fouls per game, shooting 46% from the field and 13% from three. He had a PER of 10.8, average but inconsistent defense, problems with fouling and consistency, and no outside jumpshot at a position where you really need one.

You don't need a player like that obstructing your cap room. Therefore, trade idea number 2 involves Indiana trading Jones to the Bulls, along with their 2011 second rounder, in exchange for another healthy mouthful of nothing at all. How about Mario Austin's draft rights this time?

(In my mind, Indiana then follows up that trade by trading T.J. Ford to Golden State to Dan Gadzuric, opening up a further $1.5 million in 2010/11 salary room. They then package Brandon Rush and Solomon Jones to Minnesota in exchange for Ramon Sessions and Greg Stiemsma, and then put forward a 3 year, $8 million or so offer sheet for Will Bynum. They then start Sessions, Dunleavy, Granger, Murphy and Hibbert, with Bynum, George, McRoberts, Hansbrough and Foster off the bench. And they use only about $2 million of next year's cap room to do it. These are the things I think about.)

The addition of Jones and Vujacic give the Bulls two backup shooting guards, yet still without landing a starter, and it cost them $8 million to do it. They got two picks, but those picks should both be in the 20-40, which probably leads only to two more backups. They therefore have only $3.8 million (approximately) to get a backup point guard, one more shooting guard, and one more old fart big man.

To fill the backup point guard spot, I propose that $1.8 million of that go to former Heat, Nets and Magic guard Keyon Dooling, in a two year deal worth roughly bi-annual exception money.

Dooling is an athletic point guard, strong defensively and in transition, whose jumpshot is streakier than a naked Tim Thomas but who contributes offensively anyway. He is far more effective in the full court than the half court, but he can score in isolation, making him one of only two such players on the Bulls roster to do so. The jumpshot is not great, but it's improved over the years, and Dooling boasts a career three point percentage of .351. Last year for the Nets, he averaged 6.9 points and 2.5 assists per game, while also playing good defense; 2 years and $3.8 million sounds like the perfect price for that level of production.

As for the additional shooting guard, I implore the Bulls to look overseas, in particular to former Spurs draft pick Romain Sato.

Sato was drafted by the Spurs in 2004 ut of Xavier, and immediately signed with the team. He played there for half a season, appearing in 0 games and totalling 0 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebounds and 0 assists before being waived in February 2005. In the five years hence, bar one month in Spain, Sato has spent all of his time in Italy.

Sato has spent the last four years with Montepaschi Siena, the current giant of Italian basketball. Siena have won the Serie A championship in all four years that Sato has been there, and Sato has been a big part of why. Last season, Sato averaged 14.7ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.2apg and 1.8spg in 26.8 minutes per game, shooting 52% from the field and 44% from three point range. The three point percentage comes on four attempts per game, so it's no fluke; in 2008-09, Sato shot 47% from there in Serie A. Sato is only about 6'4 tall and does not dribble the ball much, but he has a huge 6'11 wing span and is a fine defensive player. And when you consider that he can shoot as well, Sato is ticking every box.

To be honest, I'd rather have him than Ronnie Brewer.

Sato's contract with Siena has expired, and he is moving on. Despite all their success in recent years, Siena are facing budget cuts and can't afford to retain him. The three current highest bidders for Sato's services are perennial European big spenders Real Madrid and Olympiakos (where he would replace Josh Childress); also in the running for him are the Dallas Mavericks. Sato would get minutes on the Bulls, who are very much looking for a two-way player at the shooting guard spot. A deal starting at the Bulls's last remaining $2 million and running for two or three seasons, plus the promise of decent minutes on a good NBA team, should be enough to get it done.

If it's not, take more out of Dooling's paycheck.

(Note: I would rather trade for Brandon Rush than Dahntay Jones, on account of his better three point shot (that he refuses to use enough) and his $500,000 cheaper price tag. But I also believe the Pacers would be less likely to deal him in such a fashion, hence the inclusion of Dahntay instead. Nevertheless, if the deal could be done for Rush instead, then that's totally bodacious.)

The Bulls are now out of cap space, and limited to minimum salaries. They could use an extra centre; if Brad Miller will take it, then that's a fine result. If not, other candidates include Brian Skinner (who has hands like bags of spanners, but who can rebound and defend the paint), D.J. Mbenga (who defends the same, except with the bonus of a 15 foot jumpshot that he likes to show off at every possible opportunity, and with worse rebounding), Francisco Elson, Kurt Thomas, Josh Boone, Theo Ratliff or Primoz Brezec. Or any other random tall old person that you can think of. Bruno Sundov? Peter Jones? Robert Wadlow? Geena Davis? Ru Paul? Sure, why not.

With the need for more shooting still present, John Lucas III wins (in my scenario) a roster spot out of summer league to play as the third point guard. Derrick Byars could make the roster for wing depth, and Rob Kurz could return for some combo forward depth. To be honest, you can choose your own personal favourites for the 12th-thru-15th place minimum salary signings. The more important thing is that the main rotation is set.

By this time, it would look something like this:

PG: Derrick Rose, Keyon Dooling, John Lucas
SG: Romain Sato, Dahntay Jones, Sasha Vujacic
SF: Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, James Johnson
PF: Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, Rob Kurz
C: Joakim Noahwitzki, Brian Skinner, Omer Asik

It is, of course, far from ideal. This new prospective Bulls lineup still only has one half court creator (Rose), and only one and a half ball handlers (him and Dooling). There remain big questions at the shooting guard spot, and no doubt big weaknesses as well. And James Johnson's role is as yet-undefined; if he can beat out Dahntay Jones for those minutes as a defensive specialist, then good luck to him. Yet regardless of those questions, the important thing is that by using the cap space via trade, the Bulls gain assets for the short and long terms. After all, is that not the point of having it?

I prefer this to a trade for a huge salaried ill-fitting player such as Monta Ellis or Andre Iguodala (who I would take in place of Deng, but not alongside him). It's not what we were looking for when the Kurt trade was announced, but that doesn't matter now. After these prospective deals are done, the Bulls will have four picks in the 2011 draft (two firsts, two seconds), financial wiggle room (if not cap space), the Bobcats first rounder (ask Utah how potentially lucrative such things can be) and production from every position (in theory). $11.8 million isn't the best tool to have when you have no one to spend it on, but it should still be enough to get you assets.

And here, in this meandering drone of thought, it does.