The Bulls are Already Winning the NBA Offseason

The Knicks seem to be in the gift giving mood

I was going to do a greatest American band thing today, but I just got word on my phone that the Knicks and Bulls have agreed to what sounds like a pretty big trade just 2 days before the draft. The Bulls are going to ship Derrick Rose to the Knicks for Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez. I know, this sounds like it is a blockbuster trade for the Knicks. I'm sure Knicks fans know have visions of possibly being in the top four of the eastern conference next year. I'm sure the same Knicks fans are going to claim they have their own "big three" now with Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. It's all peaches and cream right now, but I do not see it that way.

I have been negative about a lot of NBA stuff recently, but I'm going to be both, positive and negative today. Let's get the negativity out of the way first. This trade would have been huge had it happened 6 years ago. Derrick Rose was coming off an MVP season, the Bulls were the top team in the east and they looked like they would be there for a long, long time. But, it's 2016. Derrick Rose has suffered multiple injuries, including two torn ACL's and has proven he is not the explosive player that he once was. He cannot go to the basket with reckless abandon anymore. And to make matters worse, he is not a very good jump shooter and he was never a very good passer. To team him up with Carmelo Anthony is going to be terrible. Anthony does not want to pass the ball either. He is coming off a few injuries. He cares more about his brand than winning basketball games. When Anthony was thinking of signing with the Bulls a few years ago, I was not a fan of that because that would have teamed him up with Derick Rose. I just don't think those two can coexist on a basketball court. Both Rose and Anthony are also on the back half, maybe back 3/4ths of their careers. Neither is as good as they were 5 or 6 years ago. They are both well into their 30's and their best playing days are long gone. Neither of these guys are in the shape that LeBron James is in. Neither can shoot the ball like Chris Paul or Dirk Nowitzki. Neither play defense like Richard Jefferson just did in the finals. And neither are as good a facilitator with the ball as Tony Parker or Andre Iguodala are. They both don't have the energy to play 65 games, let alone 82, plus some playoff games, if they make the playoffs.

Then there is the whole Porzingis thing. Yes, I think he is an okay player that could be a nightmare to guard if he develops his game a bit more, but he is incredibly young and he will not see a whole lot of touches playing alongside Rose and Anthony. He will have to rely a whole lot more on his rebounding game to get his points. It's going to be a few years before he becomes the focal point that the die hard Knicks fans want him to be.

Plus there is the rest of the Knicks roster, this is my last negative today. The roster is a joke of an NBA roster, with the exceptions being Rose, Anthony and Porzingis. They just traded away a very good center in Robin Lopez. And while Grant looked lost and maybe played a bit too fast last season, he is a slasher and he can create shots for himself, he just needs a few years. The guys they have left on that team are people like Sasha Vuvajic, Langston Galloway, Derrick Williams and Aaron Affalo. Those names don't strike fear in any opponents, except maybe the 76ers. Their starting five will be Rose, Anthony, Porzingis, Affalo and Derrick Williams, if I had to make a guess. That is a starting five that may only play 50 to 60 games together, and they'd be lucky to win 30 to 35 of those games, add on a few more victories, and the Knicks will be lucky to be a .500 team. I do not like this trade for New York one bit.

But, I LOVE this trade for the Bulls. They finally have the Derrick Rose problem off their back. The team doesn't have to cater to his ego anymore. They don't have to rely on the "hometown hero" nonsense that they've been holding onto since they drafted him. They don't need to worry about him missing games, or not going full speed when he does play games. But, and most importantly, if they keep Jimmy Butler, which I fully expect them to do now, they can finally turn the team over to him. Butler is ready, and more than able, to lead the Bulls back to being a perennial playoff team. I'm a humongous Jimmy Butler fan. The dude has a very good offensive game. He can play both inside and outside and he is a creator. The dude is an all star. He is also a ferocious defender. He gets after it on defense. If I was Jimmy Butler, I'd be ecstatic right now. Then, bringing in Robin Lopez gives them the relief of letting Pau Gasol walk in free agency. Sure, Lopez isn't the offensive player that Gasol is, but he is younger and a much better defender than Gasol has ever been in the NBA. This also makes it easier for them to try and keep Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson around. Both are exceptional defenders and rebounders that play like Bulls play. This also gives guys like Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic and E'Twaun Moore more chances to play and improve. I think this deal for the Bulls is an absolute slam dunk. I think this makes them a much, much better team. The Bulls will be a real threat in the east next year. This was a great trade that they made.

If I'm a Knicks fan, I'm bummed. But, if I'm a Bulls fan, I'm thrilled. We will have to wait until next season to see if I'm right or wrong. But mainly, I'm so thrilled for Jimmy Butler right now. His stardom is going to explode next season.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. What did Ty think of the NBA Finals, come on in for a listen. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.