Check the news. Larry Hughes wants to play.
Unfortunately for him, if there’s one asset the Bulls have, it’s a glut of guard/wings. Go a bit northeast and the Toronto Raptors find themselves in the position of direly needing a capable wing player who can create his own shot. If there’s one thing Hughes can do…See where I’m going with this?
Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah for Jermaine O’Neal and Anthony Parker.
Okay, the marriage is by no means perfect. Hughes has been a cancer every year and on every team since he departed DC, but he’s only 29, was playing exceptionally well during a stretch from mid-November to mid-December, and still kind of has the rep, though its rapidly fading, as a solid defender.
His 3-point shot is at a pleasant 37 percent and he made his money (got his big contract) due to his slashing abilities. Ideally, the assets that he supposedly embodies are exactly what the Raptors lack.
Throw in Gooden and Noah and the deal starts to make sense for both squads. I’ll get to why for the Bulls in a second. Adding three for two helps with the Raptors rice paper thin depth. While Gooden isn’t the most ideal fit, he’s a good to very good rebounder and can score some. Noah, on the other hand, well, the hustling-keeping-his-mouth-closed Noah, he’s exactly what Bosh needs—a rebounding banging, energy 5 who can ignite a fire under this sleeping team’s ass.
Hughes has played some point guard in his time, and can help with the ball handling when rook Roko Ukic or quasi-talent Will Solomon come in.
The Raptors had big hopes for this season and O’Neal has not panned out at all. Instead of trading Adrea Bargnani for either a risky project or a middling player, why not trade O’Neal, who isn’t even playing right now? The Raps will have to pay $12 million next season for Hughes, but his contract will come off the books in time to ensure they re-sign Bosh in 2010, or it can be used as a powerful trading chip next season (think Szczerbiak this year) to acquire one or two useful players.
Also, scanning the 2009 free agent class reveals that the Raps won’t be able to find a player like Noah. O’Neal was supposed to be that kind of player for Bosh, and while Noah is nowhere near the caliber of defender that O’Neal at one time was, he has a top 20 rebound rate in the entire Association and is only 23 years old.
For the Bulls, getting rid of a cancer (Hughes) and a disruptive annoyance teetering on cancerdom (Noah), will be a plus plus regardless of who they get back. Getting rid of Hughes’ contract is Hughes aircraft huge.
I realize that it’s highly likely that Jermaine O’Neal will not contribute much this season (if at all). However, if he can come back relatively healthy, even at this depleted point in his career, JO instantly becomes the best lowpost player the team has had since Elton Brand. But, whatever about JO. This is all about the future, the immediate future in fact. a
Due to O’Neal’s and Parker’s expiring deals, the Bulls will free up nearly $26 million next season. That’ll give them enough money to re-sign Gordon (if that’s what they want) AND pursue Carlos Boozer or even Lamar Odom in the offseason. Others they might have interest in: Zaza Pachulia, Brandon Bass, Anderson Varejao, AI, Rasheed, or even a project big like Robert Swift. If none of those prospects or combos of free agents tickle their fancy, they can always sit on their cap space until 2010 and go hard after Lebron, Wade, Amare, etc.
The Bulls aren’t really going to do anything this year anyway. An 8th or 7th seed in the playoffs is possible, but it won't prove anything and they will get crushed in the first round. This deal allows them to obtain assets that will help them rebuild their team on the fly in the next two years.
On the other side, the Raptors need something to hang their hats on this season. Getting three players under 30 who will instantly help this squad make a strong push for the playoffs in exchange for one player and an expiring deal (my apologies to soon-to-be uncle Anthony) while still freeing up a ton of cap space for 2010 (and some for 2009 as well) seems like a win-win situation for them considering their circumstances.
