With the Bulls all but eliminated after losing to the Hawks yesterday, more than just the hopes of Bull fans are gone. This team now has no direction. Ever since the Bulls traded Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, and Adrian Griffin, the team has looked like a rudder-less ship. Tenured Bulls like Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon have gone from playing major minutes to little and none, and both have let their feeling be known. The team now can often be seen with Ben Gordon, Larry Hughes, or Thabo Sefolosha running the point. Drew Gooden often leads the team in minutes played. Nothing makes sense, and the team keeps finding uglier and uglier ways to lose.

The current problem within the ranks is a result of John Paxson’s trade. When he announced after the trade, “what we’ve done is cleared an opportunity for Joakim [Noah] and Tyrus [Thomas] to get experience,” he should have simply admitted that the Bulls were not going to make the playoffs and had to plan for 2008-09. When he said that he was still wanting the Bulls to make a run for the playoffs, he created the divide between the older Bulls (Hinrich, Duhon, Nocioni, Gordon, and Deng) and the new Bulls (Gooden, Hughes, Thabo, Noah, and Tyrus). Guys like Duhon and Nocioni have had a hard time seeing that the Bulls have been so close to a playoff spot, but they are losing minutes to younger and less productive players.  They are understandably frustrated. Nothing has been worse than watching the Bulls since the trade. Seeing Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Thabo Sefolosha, and Joakim Noah playing major minutes while hold overs from the team that went to the playoffs the past three years are on the bench is painful. The Bulls have become what Hawks used to be. They have a bunch of decent players but no stars, horrible coaching, and none of them play together.

Now where do they go from here?

Jim Boylan

Dead man walking. He never really even experienced a honeymoon period. The Bulls never really gave him that little initial burst that usually comes after a coaching change. The only thing that changed that the players felt enpowered and were unafraid to walk all over Boylan. I have to believe that he will get his walking papers shortly after the season ends.

I’m not sure who are the best options. Jeff Van Gundy is available, but the fact that he is a great analyst should not make us forget that he coached a lot of underachieving team. Larry Brown is looking around but he has never showed much patience with young players, which is probably a job requirement. Keith Smart and Jay Humphries intrigue me. Smart is in the process of being groomed by Don Nelson, and Humphries is the Assistant Head Coach in Phoenix. Either one could probably implement a high octane offense that the Bulls should probably adopt. With the development of Noah and Thomas being seemingly important part of the successor’s job, a coach who can open up the game would be tayloring the game to their strengths. Of course, then the Bulls might have to deal with problem of whether the Bulls have the guards to succeed in that style, so nothing appears to be fit perfecctly.

Kirk Hinrich: Owed $36.50 million over the next four seasons. 12.1 PPG, 6.1 APG, 1.1 SPG.

The team cannot feel good about the way Hinrich has regressed this season. His numbers are down across the board. Defensively, he has gone from All-NBA Defense to a liability capable of being lit up by Travis Diener. And while he flew under the radar, it has been rumored that he played as a big role as anyone in Skiles getting fired. The problem would be if they move him this summer, he could easily come back to burn the Bulls like Tyson Chandler has. His trade value could not be any lower, and with four years and more than $35 million owed to him, any deal would simply be a dump for another bad contract. While Hinrich will never be a star, everyone has seen him be an extremely productive player on both sides of the floor. They certainly should look to draft a true point guard in the draft or pursue one in free agency where Jose Calderon and Beno Udrih will be available, but they might have to bring Hinrich back and hope that he bounces back.

Andres Nocioni: Owed $29.50 million over the next four seasons. 13.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.2 APG

The most surprising loser from the Ben Wallace trade was Andres Nocioni. His minutes has dropped. The team no longer uses him in the role where he has had the most success as the undersized four because they want to play Gooden and Thomas. In the month of March, he has been playing 18 minutes per game. He might be the most tradeable player on the Bulls. While his contract will limit who the Bulls get in return, good teams would love to get a hold of him. Is it possible to think that the Bulls could swing a deal with Nocioni going to the Lakers for Farmar and Radmanovic? What about to Phoenix for Boris Diaw? Nocioni and Gooden’s expiring contract for Kirilenko?

Ben Gordon: Restricted free agent with $6.40 million qualifying offer. 19.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.0 APG

Ben Gordon knows that he will get his money. The only question is whether it will be this summer or next. If the Bulls don’t ante up, some team will be dumb enough to give him the money he wants. Players who can score the way he does can find some desperate GM to gamble. The problem is the Bulls sent a strong message to Gordon when they dealt for Larry Hughes that they will not be bullied. Hughes can serve as a capable replacement for Gordon, but alienating proven scorers when they have so few is not sound business. My guess is that the Bulls find a sign-and-trade partner for Gordon and get little in return. Orlando or Toronto would make the most sense to me given that they do not have great play at the shooting guard position. Maybe Brian Cook, a rehabbing Tony Battie and a future 1st rounder could work. In a couple years, Orlando has to figure their first rounders will be well into the twenties so maybe they are willing swap one. Toronto could probably work a Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and either Joey Graham or Jorge Garbjosa deal for Gordon and Nocioni.

Luol Deng: Restricted free agent with $4.45 million qualifying offer. 17.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.4 APG

The Bulls would not trade him for Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, or Kobe Bryant, but were surprised he turned down a discounted deal for a player they deemed untouchable. How does that look now? Nobody benefitted. Deng’s flaws have been exposed. He is no longer the flavor of the week who could net a big star in a trade, but he can get a big contract offer. If Corey Maggette and Shawn Marion opt out of their contracts and sign elsewhere, restricted free agents like Deng, Andre Iguodala, and Josh Smith should find an interesting market bidding for them because then the Clippers and Heat will have money to spend. I can’t imagine that the Bulls won’t match any offers on Deng, but then they’d likely have just another bad contract. The again, if Marion and Maggette stay put, then teams would be bidding against themselves and Deng might be best served by simply taking the qualifying offer and look to next summer for his big score. Either way, Deng’s situation should be interesting.

Chris Duhon: Unrestricted free agent. 5.8 PPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 RPG

They have been seemingly wanted him to be gone ever since they matched the Raptors offer sheet a few summers ago. Now he will be gone, and likely will sign on to be the backup point guard on a playoff team. Point guards with 3:1 assist to turnover ratios aren’t without jobs for long. Given that he won’t fetch more than the mid-level exception, it is unlikely that the Bulls will be able to use him in any sign-and-trade deals.

Drew Gooden: Entering final year of contract and will make $7.1 million. 14.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG (in 15 games with Bulls)

I don’t really like his game, but the Bulls do. For me, his greatest value is in his expiring contract. But I think Paxson likes him, and I fear that he might be a part of the Bulls future. Why else would they keep playing him 30+ minutes? They can blow 2nd half leads with him or without him.

Larry Hughes: Owed $24.48 million over the next two seasons. 14.5 PPG, 4.0 APG, 1.8 SPG (in 15 games with Bulls)

I cannot imagine that any team would want to take on the money Hughes is owed over the next two years. While not worth what he is making, he can be a valuable player on a team that lacks scorers and big guards.

Tyrus Thomas: Will make $3.75 million in third year of rookie contract. 6.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.1 APG

Not being a fan of his, I would see if anyone still believes that Tyrus is worthy of the Bulls #2 overall pick. It is now painfully clear that Paxson was blinded by his athleticism and missed on the fact that he doesn’t have the skills, intelligence, or desire to be a great player in the NBA. I fear they will being him back and team him at the power forward position with Gooden for another season.

Joakim Noah: Will make $2.30 million in second year of rookie contract. 5.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.0 APG

With Wallace out of the picture, Noah is going to be the starting center next year. No one can be sure if he is capable of handling that load, but apparently we are going to find out. With so many talented centers possibly coming out in the draft this year, the Bulls might have made their commitment a year too soon.

Thabo Sefolosha: Will make $1.93 million in third year of rookie contract. 6.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG

The Bulls appear to be much higher on Sefolosha than I am. While he has probably benefitted the most from Skiles being fired, I am still not convinced Thabo will ever be anything more than a backup shooting guard on a good team. His shot is inconsistent, his decision-making is less than impressive, and his ability to create off the dribble is not anything special. Unfortunately, I think the Bulls appear willing to move Gordon then let Hughes and Thabo man the two.

Aaron Gray: Will make $711K in final year of contract. 3.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, .6 APG

I just want to know whether he can lose twenty or thirty pounds, and would he be willing to do so. True 7-footers do not grow on trees, but being 7-feet is not a guarantee of NBA success. He has some skills that are impressive, but he is just too slow to be anything more than a 2nd quarter sub. Yet for some reason, the Bulls seem to love the guy. A team can live with Gray as a 3rd string center, and I hope that is the role he is in next season.

Cedric Simmons: Will make $1.74 million in third year of rookie contract. Has played in four games with Bulls.

One of the extras in the Ben Wallace trade, Cedric Simmons has now been on three teams in two years. His length continues to wow teams, but games aren’t won with tape measures. He has to learn to play.

Shannon Brown: Unrestricted Free Agent. Has played in six games with Bulls.

The Proviso East product might get a look now that the team has no chance of making the playoffs. He might catch on with the summer league team and get a training camp invite, but it does not appear he has a future in Chicago. He has, however, played extremely well in the NBDL averaging 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal per game.

Demetris Nichols: Unrestricted Free Agent. Has played in four games with Bulls.

Nichols was a mid-season acquisition who never really got a chance to show his abilities with the Bulls. He spent a good part of the season in Des Moines playing with the Iowa Energy where he averaged 19 points per game over 14 games. Much like Brown, I’d be surprised if he is back next season.

JamesOn Curry: Team holds option for $711K. Has not played in a game this season.

I thought Curry was going to be a steal. Despite appearing buried behind Hinrich and Duhon, I thought Curry was worth the risk as a 2nd rounder. After starting the season on fire with the Iowa affiliate averaging 20 PPG and 6 assists per, Curry pissed away his season. He was cited for public urination in Boise, and then had season-ending surgery on his thumb. I would like to see the Bulls give Curry another look next year as a cheap option at the end of the roster. I’m not confident that will happen.

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