Trading Places: Chicago Bulls Mid-Season Review

Before the February 2009 NBA trading deadline ended, the Chicago Bulls saw their team as mediocre and truly underachieving, and so, out of the necessity of needing change, traded away a handful of player to improve the rosters. Those leaving were: forward/center Drew Gooden, combo forward Andres Nocioni and the little used-power forward Cedric Simmons, all to the Sacramento Kings; in a separate deal, the Bulls sent away the malcontent guard Larry Hughes to the New York Knickerbockers. In return to Chicago, from Sacramento, came center/forward Brad Miller (who was a former Bull from 10 years prior) and combo guard/forward John Salmons; from New York came another former Bull in Tim Thomas, along with litte-used players center Jerome James and guard Anthony Roberson.

Chicago needed the change, truly. Before the changes, the Bulls didn't really have a very good center to rely upon, because either its players weren't experienced or good enough (Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray) or they were out of position (Gooden, Tyrus Thomas). The guard play was lame and filled to the brim with duplicity and with Hughes' indifferent attitude and average-at-best skill set. What better way to upgrade a dynamic team with Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng than to trade for better size and lineup positioning? Well, having a more competent coach helps, because Vinny Del Negro had proved to be a winner, but beyond that, the thought is logical.

In the trades, Chicago saw to improve the team with more leadership and size, but in a way, it remains far off from its goal to field an obvious squad of winners. One glaring reason is the lack of a dominant player in the positive sense. The team's best player is its rookie guard Rose, but he is not yet dominant in anything but his own natural athleticism, which in itself does not win games. The Bulls received two good complimentary players, but the Bulls have been playing with complimentary players in most senses in recent seasons with only average-to-good success responses. Miller, Salmons, nor Thomas do anything to help the Bulls gain an identity.

Miller helps define the center position in Chicago, and he can pass really well; Salmons is a big point guard who has used his versatility to be an asset in a variety of ways on the court on offense and on defense; Tim Thomas has historically fallen short of what his potential has indicated that he could have been, but being 6'10" and having the ability to handle the ball, shoot three-pointers and play adequately near the basket can help any team, usually. In reality, a starting lineup of Rose, Salmons, Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Miller don't actually cut to win as big as the franchise hoped. And while the bench is better, Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Noah and Tim Thomas don't help a whole bunch either--maybe in the short-term future, but not so much in the long-term.