Joakim Noah is part of the foundation of this Bulls' team along with Derrick Rose & Jimmy Butler. He's not going anywhere.

I know he's been trying to recover from spinal tap, but right now, the Bulls should be considering a Luol Deng trade in the offseason, especially given the Bulls are currently over the salary cap and not exactly close enough to contending for the NBA Championship again. If they trade Deng and his double-digit salary this summer, I'm all for it. These Bulls aren't bad enough to be in the NBA Draft Lottery again anytime soon, but Jerry Reinsdorf doesn't want to pay the luxury tax again if his team isn't in contention for a title.

Noah is more valuable than Deng, in my opinion. He will bring better talent back in a trade. If you want to maximize Rose's talent, you surround him with a better foundation than Butler and Noah.

Explain why.

I happen to think it's WAY too early to make a statement like that.

Hello, McFly? Back up that statement.

Hello, McFly? Back up that statement.

There is not a damned thing wrong with people who are bull shitters.

Not speaking for SHARK, but I assume the Rockets' salary cap team ensured that the "poison" third year salaries of Lin and Asik did not replicate the dent they would have inflicted on the Bulls' and Knicks' cap flexibility. As such, if they lost anything after three years of Lin and Asik, it wouldn't match what the Knicks and Bulls would have experienced financially.

That's exactly what I meant. Thanks, VeganFan21.

this is great. Now the boys are fans of the Rockets.

Well, Asik is a better player than Noah, but his contract WILL hamstring the Rockets because he's going to prove to be injury prone in big minutes next year. Now Dan says they're a power forward away? Are you CRAZY? They're not a power forward away. And suddenly Jeremy Lin is a serviceable player? WYC Dan?

SHARK, if you agree with me, then I think you may have misspoke when you said Houston regrets those contracts. I don't think that's the case. Asik played wonderfully this year, and I don't know about Lin, but even he played below expectations, his salary will not financially incapacitate the Rockets.

Mmm-hmm.

That's not true. Asik was one of Bernstein's favorite players when he was here.

SHARK, he's saying that the Rockets were better off with those contracts. Which I disagree with...no one is better off with those contracts. Houston overpaid and will be staffing its bench with castoffs eventually.

Money talks though. Everybody thinks that Jimmy Butler might be this team's #2 guard of the future, but he can also make Luol Deng expendable at small forward. Ideally, the Bulls shouldn't wait until next year to use their amnesty on Carlos Boozer, but they are. The Bulls are over the salary cap and from what I understand, they could be penalized with a stiff tax if they're over it again next year. In my opinion, if VP John Paxson & GM Gar Forman find a trade for Deng, they have to go for it.

I'm with Shark on this one. Amnesty Boozer and that shitty contract (or maybe try to swindle Brooklyn for Kris Humphries expiring deal). Also agree that if there is a deal for Deng, make it. I respect and appreciate all he has done but Thibs has run him into the ground and he's breaking down.
If the Bulls are going to build around Rose, it would be nice to get another pressure release, another dude who can create his own shot. The Bulls might have the most unathletic roster in the league. Get some athletes who can run with D Rose and get some easy buckets.