Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley says,
We had conversations with Chicago which were non-satisfactory. They didn't want to take on the luxury-tax situation and Los Angeles was. In his league, if you're in a big-market area you can afford to do those hings. We negotiated as hard as we could for quality players and Chicago) refused to give up anybody in their core group. What they offered us were guys who play on the second and third team, so we turned them down.
Heisley’s completely right. In Chicago the Bulls could still make plenty of money even if they had to pay the luxury tax for one season (this one). Based on other sources, what Heisley was referring to was the Bulls re-signing PJ Brown to a prorated portion of a one-year contract in order to make the slaries match up for a Gasol trade. If the Bulls did that they would go over the luxury tax limit for this season and thus have to pay some penalties as well as miss out on their share of penalties other teams (like the Knicks) will be paying that are divided amongst all under the limit teams.
You know what, too freaking bad. Look, as a Bulls and Sox fan I’ve come to learn that Reinsdorf is ridiculously cheap for owning teams in a market like Chicago. If you’re not Michael Jordan (or apparently Ben Wallace) he’s not giving you reasonable money. Nevertheless, this is a new level of cheapness. We’re talking about a one year hit in order to be a contender for the next five or so seasons. After this year Brown’s contract would be gone and I’ve already described and losing Duhon and Ben Gordon’s contracts after this season would free up nearly $8 million. Hinrich and Ben Wallace each make $1 million less next season than they do this season. Where’s the problem?!?
Once more, I have to explain what should have happened. Heisley clearly shows in his above comments he was willing to work with the Bulls. My thing is, they didn’t even have to go into the luxury zone with a PJ Brown contract to get him. This failure is completely Paxson and/or Reinsdorf’s fault.
Heisley says they wanted somebody out of the Bulls core group. How about Ben Gordon? He’s a young player from the Bulls’ core who would be an ideal 6th man for Memphis or who Memphis could let go at the end of the season for cap relief. Gordon is a restricted free agent at the end of the season which means the Bulls have to extend him to a long-term deal or he can sign their qualifying offer, which would extend his contract one more season at 125% of what he’s making this season. However, the Grizzlies could also choose not to tender him a qualifying offer which would mean he’d become an unrestricted free agent and come off of their books. There goes $4.9 million.
The Bulls would also include Chris Duhon. He’s a borderline core group/second team player. Memphis probably wouldn’t be interested in him as they already have two young point guards, but his contract also comes off the books at the end of the year. There goes an additions $3.25 in cap relief.
Now we’re up to $8.15 million in cap relief for the Grizzlies, plus the option to keep an attractive young player in Gordon if they do want to pay him. Kwame Brown is making $9.05 million this season. Therefore, the Bulls could have offered Memphis pretty much the same cap relief the Lakers offered with the added benefit of an attractive young player (as opposed to one of the bigger busts of all time) as part of the relief.
Next, the Bulls offer the Grizzlies their choice of Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah. Tyrus Thomas makes $3.5 million this season and Noah makes $2.14 million. Both make more than Crittenton’s $1.29 million, but the Grizzlies are log jammed at point guard and in need of somebody to replace Gasol’s minutes in the front court. Thomas and Noah offer that replacement and are they type of young, high upside players the Grizzlies are looking for. Crittenton doesn’t offer that replacement and, based on his draft position, has less potential as well. Finally, if Memphis is looking to dump salary and nothing else, Thomas or Noah would command a better draft pick from another team than Crittenton would in a player-for-pick trade.
One of the main reasons the Grizzlies made this trade is they have high hopes for Marc Gasol. If that’s the case, I have to believe Thomas or Noah’s higher potential over Crittenton would have to balance this aspect of the trade out. Even if Heisley and GM Chris Wallace really like Marc Gasol, the added advantages of my offer over the Lakers offer would have to be too much to pass up.
The Lakers also threw in their first round picks in ’08 and ’10. I believe the ’08 is top three protected and the ’10 is top ‘6. They may be the other way around, but it doesn’t matter. I would have thrown in those picks from the Bulls unprotected. If Chicago has Gasol the picks would be mid-round at best/worst. Again, my offer would trump the Lakers. Not only would my picks be unprotected, but in my opinion it’s safe to assume that the Bulls with Gasol would have a worse record in those seasons than the Lakers with Gasol will. Therefore the Grizzlies would come out with better picks by taking my offer.
All of these factors combined would seem like far, far too much for Heisley and Wallace to pass up, but that doesn’t matter. The point is the Bulls DID have the pieces to beat the Lakers offer and just refused to make the move. This fear, this inactivity, this reluctance to let go of any player he drafted should seal Paxson’s fate. Yes, Reinsdorf is a cheap owner, but I figured out a way for the Bulls to have made this trade without even going into the luxury tax. Paxson MUST be fired, it’s the only logical next step if this team is ever going to get better.
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