Jerry Reinsdorf, Gar Forman or John Paxson, whoever is involved, MAKE THIS DEAL HAPPEN. If the Bulls front office wants the team to return to greatness, a deal for Carmello Anthony should be a simple decision like firing Vinny Del Negro was.

The Bulls have a few players they could get rid of to sign Melo. James Johnson will never be more than a seventh or eighth man off the bench, move him. Luol Deng is consistently a big number guy for the Bulls, but he fails in comparison to Anthony on every level: scoring, rebounding and helping his team play better. The only category Deng may be better is defense, but Melo picked his defensive game up last season and looked committed to advancing his skills.

Deng and Johnson wouldn’t be enough for the Nuggets to agree on a trade. Instead of adding in Taj Gibson, who is a great back up big man behind Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, put in a first round draft pick. The Bulls will not make the lottery this year, so they’ll have a pick in the late 20′s. Sometimes a team gets lucky, but for the most part the players who will be selected at this stage of the draft are role players, sometimes minimal role players. This means the Bulls would only give up Johnson, a role player who really didn’t prove anything as a rookie, a late first round draft pick who would be a player based only off of potential, and Deng, a legit starter.

For Melo, sign the deal already. We are talking about one of the NBA’s elite scorers who brings it every night. He takes it to the hoop, he knocks down treys, he rebounds and he is great in the open court whether he is creating for himself or others. Maybe, I understated this, not great but fantastic. Melo is hands down one of the top five players in the league. Why wouldn’t the Bulls want to get him?

Everyone saw the determination the front office had in efforts to sign LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh this past year. Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas were traded for expiring contracts. Hinrich had been the heart and sole of the Bulls for at least the past five seasons, while Salmons and Thomas played key roles. Salmons was usually the second or third leading scorer and Thomas was the inside stopper. If the Bulls will trade away big pieces of the team for hope, why not trade two small pieces (Johnson and draft pick) and a equal piece ( Deng) to get Melo?

The Bulls gave the three of them up in hopes of signing one of the big three players. None of them came, but they picked up players needed to play well with Rose, Noah and Deng. If Melo comes, the starting lineup will look like this:Rose, Ronnie Brewer, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, while the back up list includes names such as Kyle Korver and Taj Gibson.

The Nuggets are going to lose the entire core of their team. Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin and Carmello Anthony are all in the market after this season. Instead of simply losing Melo, the Nuggets should trade him to Chicago in order to make sure they get something in return. If Melo hasn’t signed the three year $65 million contract extention the Nuggets offered a few months ago, he is not going to stay in Denver. This is the biggest offer he is going to see.

Once again Bulls front office, make this deal HAPPEN.

If Melo is in a Bulls jersey, the United Center is sold out every game, the team never falls under .500 and a deep run in the playoffs is a certainty. I’m not saying these things might take place, they will be a reality.

If the roster is looked at, they’re all starters for their team in the NBA.This doesn’t mean they couldn’t be semi-scrub, but to be on a starter on an NBA lineup, the player has to have talent. They’re not junior varsity, they play in just as many close meaningful games as any other player in the NBA.

Chauncey Billups is an NBA champion and a Finals MVP. Lamar Odom is a two-time NBA champion. Kevin Durant was the top scorer in the NBA last year and is a rookie of the year winner. Derrick Rose is also a rookie of the year award winner. All these guys have been NBA All-Stars except Odom, but Danny Granger has.

Sure, these guys are not LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade or Carmello Anthony, but they’re big time players in their own right. Odom is seen as one of the most versatile players in the NBA and Billups is a true floor general who is clutch at pivotal points in games. Durant and Rose have made huge splashes in the NBA and have only been it for a few years a piece. Each player on the lineup has a strong suit whether it be scoring, defense, rebounding or assists. On 2008′s USA Team, Bryant and Wade were the only NBA champions to be on the team. Well, there is two this time as well. Odom helped Kobe win the last two and Billups was the main reason the Detroit Pistons played so well.

What makes this 2010 squad a B’ team compared to other squads? All rosters in the past ten years, look the same. They’re a couple of people who have won championships and are all-stars. It isn’t like these world championship teams are the 1992 Dream Team with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen and Magic Johnson. Even when they played, Bird and Johnson were at the end pf their careers and they had so called “B’ Team” players in Christian Laettner and Chris Mullin.

The 2010 team hasn’t lost a game whether it be in the official tournament or exhibition and in order to advance to the semifinals, they bone stomped Angola 122-66.

These guys mean business and are making a point to show they’re just as deserving to be on the USA Team as anybody.

He would be the third point guard on the depth chart behind Derrick Rose and C.J. Watson. Lucas was a Houston Rocket when Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach.

A contract hasn’t been signed but I think it would be wise for the Bulls to sign the 28 year old with a league minimum contract. He is a reliable shooter who adds needed depth to the Bull’s back court.

He won’t play on a regular basis, but he will give quality minutes when he does see playing time.

Rose has brought it to every country in the world championship games. He is making his shots and is getting others open for them to add their own points. Kevin Durant, who is the dominant scorer for the USA team, would not get any open looks if it wasn’t for Rose and his drive and dish mind set. The point guard is making defenses think he is going straight to the hoop, then gets frustrated when he dumps it off to an open cutter.

This is something Rondo can do, but Rose just does it better. Rose has better court vision. Rose has a better jump shot. Rose plays better defense. I’ve been saying it for a year, Rose is better than Rondo.

This is the official stamp of my statement. Obviously Coach K thinks Rose is his guy to start the USA team. He wasn’t even playing the Boston guard in exhibition games causing Rondo to drop from the team because he wasn’t going to play. After Kevin Durant, Rose is the best player on this team. He is by far the best point guard, besting Chauncey Billups and Russell Westbrook.If Rondo would have stayed on the team and made the final cut, Rose would continue to outplay him as well.

With this said, the Bulls should move up to the third best team in the eastern conference on every ones list. Some have Boston better than Chicago, moving them to fourth, no way. The Bulls have a better point guard, Rose over Rondo.  Also, a more productive power forward in Carlos Boozer over Kevin Garnett and a healthy athletic center in Joakim Noah compared to Kendrick Perkins or the extinct Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal.

Plus, the Bulls have one of the top five three point shooters in the NBA, Kyle Korver, to match up with Ray Allen and Ronnie Brewer is going to be a handful for Paul Pierce.

This is only the match up with the Boston Celtics, not the rest of the league.  There is no doubt in my mind the Bulls are in the top three eastern conference teams, Rose outplaying Rondo is a big reason why.

With 16.5 seconds left in the game, Rose hit two free throws to put USA ahead and eventually win the game. On an interview on ESPN, Rose spoke of his go ahead free throws.

“I thought, ‘I’ve got to hit them,’” Rose said. “Over here, people are going to remember me for this.”

The reason I viewed this game was to see the point guard match up. Rose did get the start, so, we were able to see Rubio and Rose go at it more than I initially thought.

Rose took it to Rubio at all times. Rubio seemed glued to the floor at times as Rose drove right around him to get to the basket or dish it to Lamar Odom or Durant around the basket. Rose scored only 13 points, but led the team with his determination on the court.

Durant is a beast and one of the best scorers in the world, not just the NBA. He showed his superior skills against Spain. He also showed his defensive skills as he blocked three point shot attempts from Rubio and Rudy Fernandez at the end of the game.

Team USA only has more exhibition game before the World Championship games begin Aug. 27.

This game against Spain was by far the hardest test during the practice games since they’re the defend champions. Both teams came to win and showed an elite level of basketball. USA coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim also displayed they will switch up defensive strategies or the lineup if they need to in order to win games.

There should be plenty of excitement around World Championship basketball with the young stars of the NBA playing at such a high level in the international circuit.

<!–1b8e7916dabb46aaa7f6511de63b1567–>

Today at 3 p.m. central, they see if they can match up with the reigning World Champions, Spain.

This game will showcase one of the most intriguing match ups in international play, Spain’s Ricky Rubio VS Derrick Rose.

Rose is already one of the top NBA point guards in only two years of play. Rubio is a celebrated player in Spain who was drafted last year to the Minnesota Timberwolves but hasn’t made the trip to the states.

Both have great court vision and incredible speed. They also have the same problems, need a better jump shot.

Rubio will more than likely play most of the game while Rose will come off the bench and share minutes with Russel Westbrook, Chauncey Billups and Rajon Rondo. Still, this is the best match up in the game.

Where? At Derrick Rose’s house.

Rose is a well known candy addict who has been awarded a Skittles vending machine with his name on it. According to ESPN, Skittles has been sending Rose mass amounts of Skittles since they learned of his sweet tooth, so why not give him his own machine.

Honestly, I’m jealous. The only candy I eat is the colorful S at the end of the rainbow. How do I get one? Never mind, I don’t need one.

The bigger question is, if every athlete said they liked something, do they get it? I’ll ask Reggie Bush.

The details of the situation have not been released except that their may have been a physical dispute between Mariotti and his girl friend in their Venice residence.

This is funny to me. Mariotti is a celebrated columnist who has made a name for himself by analyzing the lives of athletes in every sport including the troubles of: Michael Vick, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

Now he is in the opposite seat. He will  now be the blunt of domestic battery and wife beater jokes. This is a case of classic irony and could be karma. Does it serve him right?

I think it does. As a reporter, he knows how the game goes. If you show signs of bad behavior you’re going to get hammered by the media. He knew this, so why act like the people you have shamelessly bashed in print and television?

Mariotti does good work for ESPN and I enjoyed his columns in the Sun-Times. He brings a unique perspective to the world of sports and is a great writer. Now, his work will be tarnished by this altercation.

It will be much harder for a columnist/ ESPN personality such as Mariotti to right his wrong than an athlete, especially because of his technique in discussing athletes and their lives.

He hasn’t been charged with anything, but our society has been taught to not forget. Mariotti is one of those people who has helped us remember the past. Is he going to remind us of his past 10 years down the road?

The Chicago Bulls are one of these teams. They raided the Utah Jazz when Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver made Chicago their new home.

Okay, if you read bullshome.com, we know this stuff. Lets get to the point. All of the rebuilt teams are being questioned for their free agency pickups. Hoopsworld.com thinks the Bulls are the only team to have these pre-season questions as the site shares  their doubt in Chicago’s quest for elite status in the eastern conference. .

Hoops World arguments why the Bulls are being hyped up and will not be a top three team in the east.

• The team doesn’t know each other well
• Rookie Coach
• Celtics, Hawks, Bucks
• Why should we expect them to be a top three team in one year of team development?
• Too many ifs

Time for Bulls Home to tell you why we should expect the Bulls to be a top three team behind the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic.

First, are we forgetting about professionalism? NBA players are paid millions of dollars to play basketball. In their salary, isn’t a small portion added to compensate with change. Boozer is a veteran who obviously wanted the challenge of helping the Bulls become a premier team because he chose to sign.

He was a free agent, he didn’t come to Chicago in a trade. I think this is a general human philosophy, when you know the challenges ahead of you before you start the next task, your prepared for everything including taking the time to make the team gel.

As professionals, these guys should be able to play together. It isn’t like Korver, Keith Bogans, C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer and Boozer are baseball players, they’re basketball players who have played with many many different teammates in their careers from high school to college to multiple NBA teams.

Second, does the name Phil Jackson ring a bell. If I remember right, the man with the most NBA championships as a head coach, started his career as an assistant coach.

Tom Thibodeau is a defensive guru. As an NBA assistant coach, 11 of his teams in the past 19 years have been in the top ten in defense. He has endless basketball knowledge and is working with a team full of guys who are willing to do what will help them win.

I’m not calling Thibodeau the next Jackson, but it isn’t fair to say he won’t make a difference. Many current head coaches of winning franchises were assistant coaches before they were the head honcho.

Third, the other competition in the eastern conference looks the same as the Bulls do on paper. This means, the questions Hoops World are asking about the Bulls can be asked about the Hawks, Celtics and Bucks.

The Bucks have just as many new pieces as the Bulls: Jon Brockman, Keyon Dooling, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Drew Gooden, Corey Maggette and Larry Sanders. So, if the Bucks have all these new players, who are not as talented as the Bulls pickups, how are the Bucks any more cohesive?

The Hawks are the same team as last year. They re-signed Joe Johnson for an undeserving contract and didn’t add any new pieces around last years playoff duds. Plus, they have a new coach who is heading a roster of unmotivated players.

The nursing home, I mean the Boston Celtics, have more ifs than all of the other teams, mainly injuries. One injury to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen or  Kevin Garnett and their season is over. They have backbone and are arguably the toughest team in the NBA, but basketball favors youth over age.

Kendrick Perkins is already out until Feb. and his replacements, Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal, are not going to be able to keep up with the Celtics who love to run. Jermaine is simply hanging on for hopes of a championship while Shaq can only beat up his body so much before he needs to take two or three weeks off, not once or twice, but multiple times during the season.

Fourth, they are expected to be a top three team because they have the talent to do so. Rose is a top five, probably top three by end of this season, point guard in the league. Boozer and Joakim Noah are now one of the best low post duos in the league.  Mentioned before, these are professional players who have been playing basketball for many many years who should be able to play with anybody.

Finally, it is the post season, every team has ifs. Will Steve Blake and Matt Barnes make a difference in Laker land? Will Blake Griffin be the player he has been hyped up to be? Will John Wall automatically make the Washington Wizards a playoff team? We could do this for each team in the NBA.

The difference between the Bulls from some of these other teams is, they have a strong young nucleus who wanted players who wanted to win to come to Chicago. Boozer is a winner while the role players are willing to do what they have to if it means victory. The ifs surrounding the Bulls are not, injuries or cohesiveness.

The only what if in Chicago should be, what if they beat the Miami Heat.