it will probably be the smallest. But until more substantial deals become
official, we should probably discuss the trade that sent former Chicago Bull
forward James Johnson to the Toronto Raptors for a first round pick in this
June’s draft.
Johnson was a disappointment in Chicago, as his all-around
gifts and athletic talent never seemed to mesh with either the Vinny Del
Negro-coached Bulls of last season, or the group that is surprisingly
threatening the Celtics and Heat in the East this year. Johnson had played a
grand total of 3:40 in the 2011 calendar year with the Bulls, and just 123
minutes total on the season. Clearly, he wasn’t in Chicago’s plans.
The story could change in Toronto. The Raptors worked Johnson
out extensively before the 2009 draft, when Chicago selected the Wake Forest
sophomore 16th overall. Toronto is amongst the worst in the Eastern Conference
this season, as they play through the first year in the post-Chris Bosh era,
and any late-season pickup to take a flier on past this season will probably be
worth the effort.
The most surprising element of the deal was the first round
status of the pick Toronto sent Chicago’s way. Initially, the idea of sending a
first rounder for a 24-year old that has played 78 mostly undistinguished NBA
games seems a little rash. But this is actually Miami’s first round pick (sent
to Toronto in the sign-and-trade deal for Bosh), and the Heat are likely to
boast one of the top three records in the NBA this year. In one of the weaker
NBA drafts in recent memory, this doesn’t bode well for the status of the
selection. Worse, if the Bulls hang on to it, they could be getting what would
usually be a mid-second round talent for guaranteed first round money. Not
ideal.
But in losing Johnson’s salary, and adding yet another pick
to the stable, Chicago will have just under $3 million in cap room to finish
this season out. This allows for the Bulls to send out more money in a deal
this week than they would have to take in, which lessens restrictions and adds
trading flexibility. And that’s where the pick, even if it will look
less-than-boffo come June, can come into play. Teams tend to think higher of
first round picks in February than they do in June, when the kids actually
stroll into the practice facility to work out.
There are plenty of options to work with here for Chicago,
even if they don’t get the shooting guard they’re looking for. None of the
candidates out there (O.J. Mayo, Courtney Lee, Anthony Parker) is likely worth
the price of sterling defensive big man Omer Asik, but if Chicago can pull a
deal off for the small price of some picks (the first round selection that
Charlotte owes Chicago won’t be worth much until the lottery restrictions wear
off in a few years) and payroll relief? Then the deal works for Chicago, even
if the team should worry about wing depth and Luol Deng’s ever-increasing
minutes. Or they could sell Miami’s pick to another team in June. Or they could
get lucky in what is, again, a truly terrible draft.
James Johnson is a good guy and hard worker behind the
scenes, but his on-court decision making has been questioned throughout those
78 career games. Playing time has a way of helping that part of a player’s
game, so here’s hoping that ideal holds up for the second-year forward in his
new home. Johnson is under contract for next season at over $1.8 million, with
a team option for 2012-13 for a few hundred thousand more.
Здесь можно оставить свои комментарии. Выпуск подготовленплагином wordpress для subscribe.ru
Posts
