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Is it right move to trade for Kevin Love?

I've been hearing the Bulls have a chance at acquiring all-star Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves. But at what price?

Don't the Bulls risk losing enormous depth if they offer Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic for the injury prone but tremendous double-double machine?

The question becomes, is it the right move?

Now the other day coach Mike Krzyzewski, who knows a thing or two about talent, said Love is the rarest of rares - a guy who can stretch the offense and score 26 points while grabbing 14 boards. Coach K's praise makes me think, yes, to the trade. After all, whichever team in the East - the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Bulls - acquires Love will be considered the favorite to win.

I've said if Derrick Rose comes back, and that's a huge if since it has been two years, but if he returns to a roster with Kevin Love, Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler, it makes the Bulls quite formidable.

But it's a tough call, Gibson gets better and better every year, McDermott could be 15-5-5 guy, and Mirotic has a tremendous upside. All three guys could be 10-plus-year guys in the league, but Love is a difference-maker immediately even though he has yet to make the playoffs in his first six years in the NBA.

No one can argue the Cavs and the Bulls would be better now with Love in their starting lineup. Except for Gibson, the players mentioned in the trade haven't really done anything yet and are unproven in the NBA.

I wonder which way Bulls fans are leaning on this deal because even though I'm leaning toward Love, I could see why others wouldn't.

Rose has kept communications open with Love, which could play a big factor, especially since Rose didn't do the same with Carmelo Anthony, whom the Bulls wooed to no avail.

At the end of the day, the decision will be more about playing with LeBron James. How good will the Cavs be if they trade away their future with Andrew Wiggins, the top pick in the draft?

The Cavs are faced with a dilemma, just as the Bulls are: Do they trade away a potentially great future for the here and now?

Overall, the Bulls seem more title-worthy with a cohesive unit that has played together for a few years.

As Bulls fans, we are conflicted, but Love and Timberwolves team president Flip Saunders are faced with making tough decisions, too.

Love wants out, and Saunders has to play his hand right, leveraging his position to get the best value for his team because as time passes, Love's worth continues to grow to potential contenders.

Stay tuned.

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

• Mike North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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