advertisement

Bulls vs.Celtics: Which team is rebuilding?

One way to pass the time before NBA season begins is to peruse the list of Eastern Conference teams and try to identify which ones are rebuilding.

It's a bit tougher than it sounds. The Boston Celtics, after reaching the conference finals, have just four players left from their playoff roster. The Bulls, meanwhile, will have nine leftovers once Nikola Mirotic signs the qualifying offer or accepts whatever contract the Bulls put on the table this summer.

Of course, the Bulls are the rebuilding team after trading all-star Jimmy Butler to Minnesota. Boston may have upgraded its roster, but the Celtics seem to be building for the near future.

After acquiring Kyrie Irving from Cleveland, the Celtics basically have a starting lineup of Irving, second-year Jaylen Brown and free-agent addition Gordon Hayward at the wings, rookie Jayson Tatum at power forward and 31-year-old Al Horford at center. Brown, Horford, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier are the four players left from the end of the playoffs.

Cleveland remains the prohibitive favorite. Facing the prospect of an unhappy Irving spoiling an already delicate team chemistry, the Cavs did pretty well in landing all-star guard Isaiah Thomas, defensive specialist Jae Crowder, young big man Ante Zizic, plus Brooklyn's first-round pick in 2018.

Thomas may start the season on the sideline due to a hip injury suffered late in the playoffs. Don't forget, Cleveland signed Derrick Rose this summer as an extra point guard. Rose is always an injury risk, but he averaged 19.8 points while shooting 51 percent for the Knicks last March before his season ended with a knee issue. Rose can still play.

Here's the overwhelming problem facing the Cavs and every NBA team: The Golden State Warriors can play a fast-tempo, high-scoring style at historic levels and do it with three excellent defenders on the floor in Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala. Kevin Durant can also be a tough defender with his long arms, and Steph Curry isn't awful at the defensive end.

Last year's Cavs lineup had essentially one player who tried to play good defense - LeBron James. Crowder isn't a great player, but James could use a defensive grinder to help him out. Thomas and Rose aren't going to lock anyone down, but neither is Irving, and that pair can probably exceed Irving's offensive production.

So while Boston remains an emerging threat, the Cavaliers probably widened their lead as best team in the East.

Dare to compare

One popular topic after the Irving trade broke was why the Celtics didn't offer next year's Brooklyn pick for Jimmy Butler?

The likely answer requires a trip back to early June, when no one foresaw Irving making a trade demand. The Celtics didn't seem interested in Butler because they had their mind set on signing Hayward as a free agent. Trading for Butler would have complicated Boston's cap situation. General manager Danny Ainge figured why trade for Butler when there's a good chance of snaring Hayward for nothing.

The Celtics probably needed to include next year's Nets pick to complete the deal with Cleveland because Isaiah Thomas is a double risk. He's coming off a hip injury and will be a free agent in 2018. Irving is signed through 2019 with an option for the following year.

Wave to Wade

A potential buyout of Dwyane Wade by the Bulls is certainly not breaking news. That move has been inevitable since the Jimmy Butler trade.

As written here many times, the most likely scenario is for Wade to play for the Bulls through the trade deadline, then be set free to join the playoff team of his choice. It's not a terrible situation for Wade. He can grab plenty of rest since the Bulls aren't trying to win games, then scan the NBA landscape in February for his best chance at a playoff run.

He could leave now and join ex-teammate LeBron James in Cleveland. But what if this is the one time James experiences a serious injury? Wade might as well wait it out before deciding on a new team.

Also, for the Bulls to agree to a buyout now, they would want significant savings on Wade's $23.8 million salary. NBA players rarely give up guaranteed money. They usually have their agent figure out what they could get from a new team, subtract that from the base salary and arrive at a buyout amount.

It still seems likely Wade will begin his second season with the Bulls in October.

• Follow Mike's Bulls reports on Twitter @McGrawDHBulls.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.