Looking to Future, Bulls Deal Deng to Cavaliers

January 7, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Random thoughts (OK, what passes for such things around here) while wondering how Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau feels about the team trading Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers (OK, so maybe by the time you read this, he will have commented):

Here was Jaime Edmondson’s pregame pick to win the BCS national championship game.

* By dealing veteran forward Deng late Monday to the Cavaliers for center Andrew Bynum, a first-round draft pick, two second-round picks and the chance to switch first-round draft position with the Cavs if they aren’t a lottery team, the Bulls have positioned themselves for some form of rebuilding. And for those who are bemoaning Deng’s departure, he was going to be gone as a free agent after this season. So chill. OK, maybe chill is not the best word to use in the Chicago metropolitan area today. But you get the idea.

* The Cavs reportedly had been working on a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in which Bynum would have been traded for Pau Gasol. Although the Bulls are expected to waive Bynum, can some of us at least momentarily imagine the Bulls trading Bynum and a pick or picks to L.A. for Gasol?

Say hello to Playboy model Nikki du Plessis. Or don’t. She is in a video below. In case you were curious (and even if you’re not).

* If the idea for the trade is to help pave the way for Thibodeau to depart, then it very well could attain that goal.

* If the idea for the trade is to make the Bulls competitive, then general manager Gar Forman better come up with top-flight players. “The moves made today will put us in a better position to make the entire roster stronger for the future and to compete for a championship,” Forman said in a statement from the team.

* For those more inclined to follow college football than the NBA, there was a game Monday night between Florida State and Auburn. FSU prevailed on a touchdown with 13 seconds left to capture the BCS national championship 34-31. Underdog Auburn had led by 18 points. It was a classic contest with high entertainment value — although it there had been one more title sponsor involved in the name of the game, it might have been too overwhelming for some of us.

* OK, so as close as the Big Ten came to being in the BCS national championship game Tuesday having the officiating crew. Better than nothing. The officials did receive praise (well, from ESPN’s broadcast booth and Auburn’s supporters) for an unsportsmanlike conduct call that led to Florida State going for one point rather than two after a fourth-quarter touchdown with the Seminoles trailing 21-19. Face it. that call led to an exciting conclusion for fans of both teams and/or gamblers (who probably could have done without some of the excitement).

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Here is where to go for a daily does of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of the editorial and video departments at ElliottHarris.com). And for those unable to go outside — or merely for those smart enough to stay inside — we have a cabin-fever-themed offering, as well as others: