Bulls are putting on a nice show for the free agents
When the Bulls-Cavaliers series shifts to the United Center, Thursday's Game 3 should tell the story of whether the Bulls are capable of being competitive with Cleveland or headed for a quick exit.
Really, though, they've already accomplished the most important goal, just by making the playoffs and producing some nice highlights.
Derrick Rose has been knifing through two, three, sometimes four defenders and still finding ways to score. Joakim Noah put the wrath of Cleveland on his shoulders, then stepped up under pressure to deliver 25 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2.
"The competition doesn't get any higher than this," Noah said following Monday's loss. "We've just got to keep fighting and understand this is great for us. In the big picture, I think when you go into the summer, you can say we were playing against the best team and we know what we've got to do to get better."
That's more than a nice effort from a No. 8 seed. That's a solid free-agent recruiting video.
The reality of the 2010 playoffs is the Bulls would be more dangerous right now with Ben Gordon and John Salmons on board. They'd be better than 5 for 20 from 3-point range, most likely, in the first two contests.
But the Bulls said goodbye to their best outside shooters to clear roughly $20 million in cap room for the summer. It puts a different spin on this series to imagine the Bulls facing the Cavs next year with Chris Bosh in uniform.
During Monday's TNT studio show, Charles Barkley suggested teams should appreciate beating the Bulls now, because it might get tougher in the future.
The team's most glaring need right now is an outside shooter, which makes Atlanta's Joe Johnson an obvious target. But Bosh is so ready and available now, he almost has to become the priority.
After a rough season, Toronto management probably expects Bosh to leave. Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo has been talking up a sign-and-trade in an effort to get something in return for their all-star power forward.
The Bulls can sign Bosh outright and he couldn't ask for a better opportunity - major market, competitive team, an all-star point guard and an energetic center to do the heavy lifting on defense.
Bosh's other strong option will be to join Dwyane Wade in Miami, but the Heat will have to rebuild the supporting cast. Given the choice of playing center himself or playing next to Noah, that's probably no decision at all for Bosh.
The Bulls' plan this summer will be to find a way to sign both Bosh and Johnson. That will require a sign-and-trade with another team taking back Luol Deng or Kirk Hinrich. A long shot, definitely, given the size of those two contracts, but tossing in Taj Gibson or draft picks as sweetener could help their cause.
Assuming Wade and LeBron James won't jump to the Bulls, the other option is trying to sign Johnson, along with a lower-priced power forward, such as Utah's Carlos Boozer or New York's David Lee, or maybe trade for Minnesota's Al Jefferson.
One thing that appears certain this summer is it will take a maximum contract to get Bosh or Johnson. The Knicks didn't create all that cap room to park it in a mutual fund. They've geared up for a spending spree and likely will offer massive deals to both players.
But the Bulls are sitting in an enviable position. Already a playoff team, they could plug Bosh or Johnson into their lineup without any major subtractions.
If James re-signs with the Cavs, as expected, they'll be tough to beat for the foreseeable future. The 2010 free agents will look to maximize their winning potential and the Bulls have plenty to offer.