Yesterday I said that I didn't want to even entertain the possibility of LeBron James signing with the Bulls. I'm too much of a cynical fan as it is, and convincing myself that such a signing was possible would only crush my dreams into a million little pieces come July 1st.
Then, in steps ESPN contributor Chris Broussard. Broussard reminds me of that friend in college who's a bad influence. He show up in your room on a Tuesday night with a bottle of Canadien Club already drunk. You'll be trying to study and he's already taken the liberty of mapping out your weekend schedule for you, insisting that you can go out tonight. It takes a strong individual to ignore this type of guy, but if you're already leaning towards what he's suggesting, it's kind of hard to.
While writing yesterday's blog entry after the game, I left ESPN on. I made it through the entrie postgame interview/analysis portion, NBA Fastbreak, and the late Sportscenter. Of course, talk centered around the potential destinations for LeBron. It's one thing for them to mention Chicago, it's seems like a no brainer considering Chicago's young nucleus and ability to sign a max contract. But it's quite another thing when Chris Broussard goes on record as saying that as of now, he thinks LeBron will sign with Chicago. He repeats this on every show he appeared on to hammer the point home.
His reasoning is that it would be attractive to play with Rose and Noah and Chicago has the pieces to pull off a sign and trade. Luol Deng is one of those pieces and no one was happier than me to see him play well in the 2010 Playoffs. Not because I wanted him to play well, but because I wanted some team to convince themselves that he's worth the 6 year potentially 80 million dollar deal he signed two years ago. In the playoffs, Deng averaged 18.8 ppg, 5 rpg, shooting 46 percent from the field. Those numbers were pretty much identical to what he did over the course of the regular season. He's never going to be the 20-10 guy that everyone thought a few years ago, but put in the right situation he's capable of averaging 20 a night.
The rookies Taj Gibson and James Johnson would also be attractive trade options, especially Gibson. Taj made the NBA Rookie First Team, averaged 9 points and 7 rebounds this season, playing during crucial moments in the game. He proved to be a good defender and an overall smart basketball player. Also considering he's only signed to a 2 year deal worth 2 million with an option for 2 more years worth only 3 million, someone can get a very productive player for cheap. Johnson didn't play much in the regular season or postseason, , but did a pretty good job defensively when matched up with LeBron. He's a raw talent that some team may want to take a chance on. Hopefully they ask Stacey King who's absolutely convinced Johnson will be a star in this league.
Any sort of a sign and trade would likely involve Deng, Gibson, and a 1st round pick.
Chris Broussard, I'm trusting that you're not setting me up for disappointment. 48 days until July 1st, I've already started the countdown.
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