How the Bulls will get better

It’s always tough when a season ends for a team, especially one as talented as the Bulls were in 2006-07. They showed great maturity in winning the franchise’s first playoff series since the ’98 championship, and players such as Loul Deng, Ben Gordon and Tyrus Thomas each showed major improvement throughout the season. Obviously not everything went as planned, but there are signs that the franchise is making serious progress towards a run to the NBA Finals in 2008. I still believe that GM John Paxon messed up in giving Ben Wallace $15 million a year, because he was horrible in the playoffs versus the Pistons. But its too late to fix that, so now I have come up with three things that Paxon should do this summer to ensure the Bulls are a better team next Halloween then they were last Thursday night.

1---Acquire a post scorer
Obviously, this was the team’s main downfall during the Detroit series. Deng, Gordon and Kirk Hinrich were not making jumpers, and it seemed like the only person who was getting consistant good looks at the bucket was Wallace. As the series progressed, not only were the outside shots falling, but guys like Thomas and PJ Brown started making their buckets in the paint. Still, Thomas is a young player and very inconsistent while Brown is considering retirement. If Pax could get a ten to fifteen points per game guy like Zach Randolph from Portland, Chris Wilcox from Seattle or Darko Millicic from Orlando without giving up too much, it would make the team much more well-rounded.

2---Rework the bench
Two guys I wouldn’t mind seeing the team deal are Andreas Nocionni and Chris Duhon. Both guys have some talent and could be valuable to teams needing some energy, but with Deng and Hinrich set to start the next seven to ten seasons, they really have no place here in Chicago. I’m not exactly sure what the Bulls could get back for these two, but it’s worth seeing. Thabo Sefelosha can step in as the number three guard, especially if he can develop his outside shot. A deal to a point guard hungry team, like the Trail Blazers or Hawks, would fit well, especially if the Bulls could get some veteran talent in return. Both players failed to live up to their expectations during the playoffs, and it might be best to have them go their separate ways.

3---Give Deng and Gordon their money
Both Deng and Gordon were acquired in the 2004 Draft, meaning that they are up for extensions this summer. Last year it was Hinrich’s turn, and he got over eight million a year from the team. From everything that has been reported, both Lou and BG are going to want more than that, between ten and twelve million per season. While that seems like a lot of money for a couple of players who haven’t been the most consistent players, both guys have shown their potential for being future All-Star players. Hinrich, Deng and Gordon may not the next Bird, McHale and Parish in terms of the best trios of all time, but I would rather have them locked up for the next half-decade then not.

The improvement process starts tonight when some ping-pong balls determine the NBA Draft order. Because of Paxon’s genius (and Isaiah Thomas’ stupidity), the Bulls have the Knicks pick this June. If it is top-three, which there is a less than five percent chance of, that means the Bulls can draft Greg Oden, Kevin Durant or Brandon Wright, immediately making them the best team in the East. If it is ninth or worse (they can’t get picks 4-8, because of how the Lottery is formatted), they still have a shot at getting a good player, but not necessarily somebody who will put them over-the-top next season. Guys like Joakim Noah, Jeff Green or Spencer Hawes would be OK for the team but probably better as trade bait.