Quote:
Something tells me they will find a way to trade Chandler. I know they want to bring in Al Harrington and won't have room for Chandler if they draft one of the Bigs.
Room? I don’t know, Nas. They’re likely going to lose either Darius Songaila or Malik Allen. Even if they bring in both Harrington and Aldridge/Thomas, I still see plenty of minutes available for Tyson. Who else is going to be out there? Michael Sweetney? Luke Schenscher? Tyson is much more valuable than those guys. Despite his being overpayed, Chandler’s contract will not truly hurt them until next offseason when Deng, Gordon, and Nocioni are up for new deals. And technically, only Nocioni will be an expiring contract. Deng & Gordon would be under club option terms and move into the restricted FA category.
Come on guys, you’ve been reading too much Sam Smith. Stop that. It kills brain cells. I realize there are a few other serviceable bigs that may be available, but haven’t we learned by now that you cannot count on free agents to arrive until they’ve actually signed? Besides, don’t be shocked to see Joel Przybilla get a very similar contract to what Tyson already has. They’re very similar players (built differently, but fill the same role) and there is nothing quite like free agency when it comes to bloated contracts and overpaying players. If you think you’re getting Przybilla for $5 million a year, think again. Somebody is going to give Songaila that much this summer, and Przybilla is a much more valuable player. Nazr Mohammad, sure I’m interested, but he isn’t the difference maker that’s going to propel you to the conference finals. He’s just another nice role player, another piece of the puzzle. Drew Gooden & Nene Hilario, restricted free agents, expect Cleveland & Denver to ask for draft picks in exchange for those guys on a sign & trade. And again, they are just pieces, not guys that you can build a championship around.
The team is definitely going to look different next year, but I think the guys that will be departing will be vets like Pargo, Piatkowski, Othella, and either Songaila or Allen. Unless we’re talking blockbuster Garnett type deals (see Sam Smith rule above), the youngsters probably aren’t going anywhere. Besides, right now this team is built to get
to the playoffs, not to advance significantly
in the playoffs. Trading half your team and your future draft picks for Garnett is not going to get you past Detroit. In 2 years time, this team as currently constructed will enter its prime, just around the time when Shaq starts pondering his own record label and/or production company, and the Pistons will be in salary cap hell (Ben Wallace will get a big payday this offseason, and Chauncey Billups is due a boatload of cash the following offseason. They will not be able to keep that team together beyond 2007-2008. If they do, they’ll have the worst bench you’ve ever seen.). By the time the Bulls are serious title contenders, your biggest fear will be the Cleveland Cavaliers, definitely not the Heat and likely not the Pistons either.