Link Post

As a life long Bulls fan and basketball fan in general I love to hear other people's opinion of the game and different theory's they have about players and teams. Sam Smith has one of the best blog posts I have seen in a long time.  By visiting http://blogs.bulls.com/ you will notice that everything is organized nicely in categories like: the draft, free agency, NBA playoffs, Awards, trade talk, and other things around the league. The main post I am going to talk about compares LeBron James and MJ. Over the years the 2 have been compared to almost every aspect of their game but today was a big day and it might hurt LeBron in ever being compared to great players like Kobe, MJ, and Larry Bird ever again. They all made legacies with their teams and stayed there for most of their careers discounting Jordans comeback with the Wiz. At this point it won't mater how many titles that LeBron gets on the Heat anymore because everyone will always remember that he couldn't do it on his own team, he needed to go somewhere else to win. If LeBron doesn't win at least 3-5 championships it will be a complete failure. LeBron is suppose to be "The King" and now he is going to play second fiddle under Wade. It sure will be interesting to see if all 3 of these superstars work well together and are able to share the ball. By leaving the Cavs LeBron also is giving up the chance to break multiple records in the NBA. If he would have stayed he might broken all of Kobe and MJ's records but now instead hes only going to average about 20 or so points a game. Another factor is LeBron is going to be hated by alot of people and he may never be able to go back to his hometown of Akron again without hearing booos and harsh words from people.

10 things i learned

1 How to get a donation page on my website
2 How to make an e-book
3 How to start my very own blog
4 How to make a web site
5 How to submit my site to google and yahoo search engines
6 How to use google adsense to make money
7 How to make money when people buy amazon products
8 How to sell and make products on CafePress
9 How to keep track of online visitors with page counters
10 How to set up a Click Bank account to make money on my website and blog

Promote another Blog Post

This blog called White Sox Chicago’s favorite team is mostly dedicated to baseball but in this post he decided to venture off into basketball. He made a very long post on NBA free agency that goes through each of the top free agents and where he believes they will end up. This basically shows that no matter what sport you are a fan of many people are still recognizing that this upcoming free agency is a very important time for sports fans. It is not past July 1st so players, teams, and GM have all met each other multiple times and most of the All Stars have already accepted deals with the teams that have offered them contracts. He goes through many players with a lot of insight in what the Bulls are going to try and do too. Not only does he go in depth with the cream of the crop talent like LeBron James, Bosh and Wade but he also takes a look at role players such as Shaq, Nate Robinson, John Salmons, Ray Allen, and, David Lee. He made some pretty bold predictions throughout his 13 player post and he so far only has 3 players going to the teams that they are suppose to go to and they are Dirk. PP, and Wade. He had Chris Bosh and LBJ both coming to the Bulls which would have been a dream come true for all Bulls haves out their but the possibility of it happening is slim to none with Bosh saying he will go to Miami and play with Wade. LeBron James is set to make his choice of where he wants to play tomorrow on ESPN and that is really the only free agent that everyone wants to know about at this point.
Here is the link to the blog post that I just talked about it I hope you enjoy.
http://whitesoxchicagosfavoriteteam.blogspot.com/2010/06/special-nba-free-agency-blog.html

CARLOS BOOZER

It took just about a week but the Chicago Bulls have finally done something this free agency they got Carlos Boozer. He may not have been one of the big 3 that included Wade, Bosh, and James but he is much better then getting left out of the free agent extravaganza. It has been a busy day for the Miami Heat when they got Wade and Bosh to both agree to terms and at that point the Bulls knew they had to make a move and fast. A couple of hours later the Bulls Got Boozer to accept their deal, even though the full terms of the deal is not yet known until tomorrow when players can officially sign with their teams he is expected to make 75 to 80 million over the next 5 years which isn't too bad. I was afraid that the Bulls would get scared they were not going to land anyone and then over pay a guy like Boozer or Lee to a max deal when they are definitely not max players. Over the past 4 years Boozer has the 3rd highest rebound average in the league. That is a very important factor considering teams that rebound the ball more in a game tend to end up winning the game. Boozer has been wanted to play for the Bulls since the trade rumors of him coming here last year so it was exciting news for him. He will also fit in our system nicely as our number 2 guy behind D-Rose.

product/player recommendation=T-Mac

Tracy McGrady:  There is so much to say about T-Mac I don’t even know where to start. The man has won a scoring title and was considered to the one of the most dangerous players in the league who could hit a shot from almost anywhere. He’s played on 4 different teams in his 14 years career but also can straight out of high school so he will have some extra years in the tank. T-Mac is also known for a curse that he supposedly carries around with him. Tracy McGrady has never brought his team out of the 1^st round of a playoff series EVER. The one and only time his team made it to the second round he was actually hurt and watching from the sidelines. Although many people probably don’t take it seriously it might have gotten into T-Macs head. Since he is only about a shadow of himself these days look for him to take mid level exception offer from a good team. I would like to see him in LA with the Lakers coming off the bench but that doesn’t seem very realistic. T-Mac will most likely go on a struggling team and do the best he can to score as many points as he can and fall short of the playoffs once again. This might be one of the riskiest free agents on the market because when you sign Tracy McGrady you are not going to know what guy you are going to get. If he’s signed and goes back to his All Star ways the GM will be considered a genius but if he gets hurt he will have been a costly signing. But in the end I think he is worth the risk as MLE.

Felton and Mike Miller

Raymond Felton: Raymond is coming off of his 5^th year in the NBA playing with the Charlotte Bobcats. It was the 1^st time that they had made the playoffs since becoming a franchise but it was too bad that they had to play the Magic because they were easily eliminated. Since Felton is a Free Agent there are many teams that are looking into his services. One of the main teams that desperately wants Raymond Felton is the LA Lakers. They will be losing 2 of their guards and D-Fish looked pretty old during the season. Felton is a great young up and coming point guard who has averaged 13 points and 6 assists with his time in Charlotte. Another quality that will make Felton very attractive to teams is his ability to hit the 3. Although he isn’t great at hitting the 3 ball he shot 38.5% last season which was the best in his career.
Mike Miller: This could be one of those pickups that could really help a team that lands a major star like LeBron or Bosh. Mike Miller is known for his great ability to shoot the 3 ball with deadly accuracy. He has been on 4 different teams and pretty much filled the same role on each team. A slight draw back that teams might have on Miller is that he has only had 1 healthy season in his 11 year career. That really hurts teams especially if it is a season ending one because then he would be useless in the playoffs. If LeBron leaves Cleveland and doesn’t pick up an All Star to take his place look for Mike Miller to end up there.

line up possibilities for the Bulls

At this point in the game the Bulls options are getting thinner and our number 1 option is still LeBron James. If we can get LeBron and then surround if with Ray Allen or Carlos Boozer that would be the best possible team we will be able to come up with. Ray might be the best bet if we do get LeBron because he needs to be surrounded by 3 point shooters to make him more dangerous. If the bulls can grab Ray Allen for about 6-8 million for a couple seasons and then grab LeBron the Bulls will be a very dangerous team. Getting Ray is not a long term thing though considering he probably only has a few good years left before he becomes a bench player. Boozer is also in his prime of his career being his 8th year this coming season. Getting him on the Bulls as a recruiting factor to get LeBron James could be risky though. They both were actually teammate at the beginning of there careers and they didn't succeed together and Boozer was later traded to the Jazz. But both players have matured and might be able to work better together. The main thing that the Bulls NEED to try and do is trade Deng to a team that needs a small forward. There are a couple of teams that need a small forward like the Wizards if they don't re-sign Howard could end up taking his contract for almost nothing, the Warriors just lost Corey Maggette and could look to unload Monta Ellis, and the T-Wolves who have been trying to shop Al Jefferson for a small forward. All those teams could be in the hunt for Deng and the Bulls need to work fast to try and unload him.

Knicks make a move

The first max player has finally agreed to sign with a new team. Amare Stoudemire has agreed to terms with the contract the New York Knicks have offered him. The All Star forward will receive about 99.7 million dollars over a 5 years span. This could possibly be a huge move for the Knicks because they now have an All Star who can tell LeBron or Wade to join him. One plus the Bulls get out of all of this is that Chris Bosh can no longer go to the Knicks because Amare and Bosh play the same position. Bosh's suitors have been narrowed down to the Bulls, Heat, and with an outside chance of the Nets and Rockets in a sign and trade. A huge plus for the Knicks is that they are still able to try and find a sign and trade for David Lee who also plays the power forward position so he would have to be moved with the addition of Amare. One of the main trade possibility they are looking at is trading David Lee for Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors. The Knicks have many holes in there roster but adding a good point guard will be key because Amare has been used to having a 2 time MVP on his team in Steve Nash since hes been in the league. The guards the Knicks currently have will not be good enough for a playoff roster so look for them to try a sign and trade with Lee for a solid point guard.

Big changes coming....well maybe

During this years free agency many big name players were on the market and were to have thought to leave there teams in search for more money or a chance to be on a better team. But so far there has been a lot of unexpected moves in the NBA. Dirk Nowitzki was one of the bigger surprises in the league when he decided to opt out of his contract. Many teams were interested in Dirks basketball abilities like the Knicks, Mavs, and even the Bulls. But as of recently Dirk has excepted a deal from the Mavs for 4 years and 80 million dollars. This was actually a 16 million dollar pay cut because he was suppose to make 96 million with a 4 year contract. Dirk took the deal on a promise from owner Mark Cuban that he would try and help sign better players to help the Mavs win a title. Joe Johnson another big time free agent that was talked about going to the Bulls or Knicks this off season has made an agreement to sign a deal with his former team the Hawks. Joe Johnson is a 4 time all star and is going to be paid 119 million over 6 year with this new contract and that is 27 million more then he could make anywhere else so that is probably the main reason why he decided to stay. Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics also opted out of his contract in which many teams thought he might be on the move considering the Celtics are an old team and are most likely only going to get worse as a team with aging players like KG, Ray Allen, and Wallace but instead he has also decided to take a pay cut to help his team try to sign better players this off season.

Bulls back up plan

Before free agency began this look extremely bright for our young Chicago Bulls with enough cap space to sign 2 All Stars things could only look up right....? Everything doesn't always go according to plan and the Bulls might be starting to realize that. With most of the the NBA's top talent not looking to go with the Bulls plan its not looking to good for the future. Its looking more and more like Wade's second visit with Bulls management was more of a ply to get Pat Riley to pick up his pace and sign somebody then Wade actually wanting to come to Chicago. The Bulls chances of getting Bosh and LBJ also decrease if we can't move Deng and his 11 million out of town. There is always next year when there is a whole new free agent class with some top stars like Carmelo Anthony. Even though the Nuggets have laid an offer on the table for Melo it doesn't mean that he is going to take it. The Nuggets haven't had many good playoff runs because they always seemed to run into the Lakers. If the Bulls added Melo to their roster next season and just picked up a guy like Boozer this year we might actually have a top team next year if Rose and Noah both increase their skill level and play better ball with each year to come. Melo is a pure scorer who isn't the best defender or rebounder but that isn't what we would be asking him to do. The Bulls haven't had a pure shooter since MJ and this could actually be what the Bulls are looking for.

Dwyane Wade

Wade had his second interview with the Chicago Bulls yesterday and now many feel like he is destined to be a Bull. Originally no one thought that Wade would even schedule meetings with other teams just because he said he was so committed to being a member of the Miami Heat organization. Wade does have some ties to Chicago which is actually his home town. Wade recently bought a house near Chicago and his family also lives there. Wade is going through a messy divorce at the moment and it might look better to the judge if he plays with the Bulls in Chicago because he would be closer to his 2 sons. Wade said the interview was "interesting" and "intriguing" but I am sill not convinced that he becomes a Chicago Bull in the future. I have a couple of reasons why, for one is that he can basically make his own team in Miami and get more money there then anywhere else in the league. He loves south beach and may be visiting Chicago just to put the pressure on Pat Riley in order for him to make a move a sign some top players to play along side Dwyane Wade in the years to come. It doesn't look like the super team of LeBron James Chris Bosh and Wade is going to be formed mostly because of money reasons and they all can't have control of the ball all the time. At this time I feel like they are all going to go their own way but to what team they go to is still a mystery to everyone.

Role players in Free Agency

Besides the top players in free agency this off season like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Joe Johnson there are players that are willing to take a lot less in order to help your team out. Veterans such as Tracy McGrady and Shaq could be great players coming off the bench of a team with a super star. Veterans such as those have loads of experience in the playoffs and are leaders in the locker room. Drew Gooden has resently got an offer and John Salmons  who is looking at a deal worth about 39 million over 5 years. Both have been in the league for a while and on a couple of different teams and know how to get the job done. Salmons especially has seemed to blossom after coming onto new teams for example going to the Bulls in 08 they can a playoff run and a terrific playoff series with Boston and this past year when Salmons got traded to the Bucks even with their injured center Bogut they managed to get the 5th seed in the playoffs. General Managers need to watch out though and not over pay players especially with the new bargaining agreement coming up next year where teams will have less money to spend. I think the T-Wolves have made a couple of mistakes this year by using most of their available money to sign players an highly over rated played named Darko Milicic who was drafted before Wade and Carmelo none the less he turned out to be a bust and now they have signed him to a huge deal, not smart. The Bulls should not rush out there and just sign anyone just because they have money to spend. They need to pick the right pieces that will mesh well with their core players Noah and Rose and defensive minded coach.

1st day of free agency

The Chicago Bulls were pretty quiet the 1st night of free agency by only meeting 1 player in Chris Bosh. The Bulls don't seem to aggressive but it might be because they seem to feel they have the best option out there for teams with the tandem of Rose and Noah. The Bulls have a meeting with Dwayne Wade this afternoon, David Lee tomorrow, and Lebron James on Saturday. It might be strategy on the Bulls part to schedule the interview on the same day as the Cavs did. James has also been reported saying hes going to make a decision by July 5th so the Bulls might still be on LBJ's mind.  Other teams have already reported some things for example: the Cavs are set to announce Byron Scott as their new head coach, the Houston Rockets have been very interested in Chris Bosh and have sent the Raptors a couple of trade offers for  the All Star. The T-Wolves have been a very active team so far already making offers to 2 players: Darko Milicic and Nikola Pekovic. With those 2 signings the T-Wolves will only have about 3 million in cap space to play with but there has been many reports that they are trying to trade Al Jefferson so that might be part of the reason that they picked up the 2 big men. It was also reported today that Joe Johnson has received a max deal from the Atlanta Hawks, the deal is supposedly for 6 years and 119 million bucks.