The Bulls didn’t get one of the three big named free agents and the three players signing to another eastern conference team like the Miami Heat was discouraging but I have been awaken by the same people for the discouragement.

At first, the signing of Carlos Boozer didn’t seem like such a good move.  He definitely wasn’t big enough bait for LeBron to come to Chicago and at times he has brittle bones.  But, he when he is healthy, which is more than half of a season, he is a dependable 20 and 10 guy.  Plus, he is an eight year veteran who can mentor Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Actually, Boozer is the eldest player on the Bulls; he can give tips to the entire team. Also, he has playoff experience past the first round. After personal debate, I am excited to see Boozer as a Bull.

Reinsdorf has also offered Orlando Magic restricted free agent, J.J. Redick, a three year deal worth $20 million.  He hasn’t proven himself as a great player, so the contract may be a little much.  On the other hand, he has shown progress each of his four seasons in Orlando.  Redick was the only offense the Magic had in a couple of the games against the Boston Celtics in the quarter finals of the playoffs. The Bulls offer is based on potential and the player he could become, it is worth it.  He has shown he can play at the NBA level.

I GIVE THE FRONT OFFICE CREDIT. They are making the best out of a situation that looked like doomsday.  I would much rather have Boozer, Korver and Redick than the three guys that were traded for expiring contracts: Tyrus Thomas, John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich. Boozer is a man, Thomas is a little boy.  Korver is a better three-point shooter than Salmons and is more reliable to hit shots.  On the other Salmons plays better defense and unlike Korver, he can create his own shot.

I love Hinrich.  The Bulls should have traded Luol Deng and kept Hinrich, but he did have an overpaid contract they wanted to get off of the books.  Hinrich is the best backup point guard in the league.  He is a premier perimeter defender, a superb assist man and can he shoot from anywhere on the court.  The problem is, Rose is more valuable and when they traded Hinrich, so was LeBron, Wade or Bosh. Redick is bigger and is a more consistent shooter.  Plus, he has younger legs and still has plenty of upside.

The Bulls are putting together a team instead of relying on one superstar player to take the “team” to the next level.  To win a championship in the NBA, the organization has to have a team, not one guy.  It has been proven over and over again.  LeBron didn’t win in Cleveland because he didn’t have a team around him and didn’t play with what he did have.  The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers win because they have role players who know what they have to do on the court.  They perform their jobs well and let the Kobe Bryants, Paul Pierces, Pau Gasols and Kevin Garnetts of the world do what they do.

The Bulls are not at a championship level at the present time but they’re a better team than they were last year.  The summer isn’t over and the Chicago Bulls still have the money to pick up whomever they wish.

Jackson left the Bulls more than 10 years ago, but I’ll always remember him as the Bulls coach, not the Lakers.  At 64, Jackson has had medical issues.  Lets face it,  it will happen to all of us.  No one is immortal.  The problem is,  with him out of the picture,  who will be the main dominant coach in the NBA?

Jackson has won 11 championships.  Many say it is because of his star players, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.  It makes a difference, but Jackson was the glue that made the role players just as important as his superstars.  He devises a game plan and coaches his players to stick to it.  He has been the best coach in my generation and quite possibly, the best in NBA history.

If you retire, I give you my farewell friend.   

In every position of every sport, we like to pick out the best.  Who will be the best active coach when Jackson leaves?  There is only a handful of guys who have been tenure 10-to-15 years. 

My pick would have to be Greg Popovich.  He created a dynasty with the San Antonio Spurs and even though their roster is old and waring down, they still intimidate the opposition.  He won four championships in nine years, with virtually the same squad.  Role players left or retired, but San Antonio kept replacing them with similar players.  “Pop” fit them into his game plan and continued the Spurs winning ways.

10 Two Way Tie Between- Rudy Gay and John Salmons

Salmons was traded away by the Bulls at the February trade deadline in order to dump off contracts.  He went to Milwaukee and helped them earn a six seed in the playoffs.  Before he came they were on the outside looking in.  Rudy Gay is a young talented player with limited leadership skills.  Gay is on the verge of becoming a superstar but needs to play on a team besides the Memphis Grizzlies where he is the main attraction, because he shouldn’t be on any team.  Both players are respectable second options and great role players.

9 Amare Stoudemire

The Suns power forward has little defense but is absolute dynamite on offense.  He can put up 30 points any night but if he is playing someone else who can score in the post, he can give up 30 points any night as well.

8 Joe Johnson

He is one of the best shooters in the game now.  He adds instant offense.  The problem is he choked in the playoffs.  His Atlanta Hawks got swept by the Orlando Magic and he put up little fight.  Johnson showed lack of heart, lack of concern to the fans and a lack of being a go to guy.

7 Carlos Boozer

Boozer is a double-double guy.  He can easily get 10 rebounds and 15-to-20 against anybody.  His defense is average but seems to always be in the right place at the right time for lose balls or blocks.  What he lacks in stats compared to some of the others on the lists, he adds in leadership.

6 Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk is a great player and possibly the best 7 foot shooter ever to grace the NBA.  Again,  he would add instant scoring and knows how to rebound the ball.  He is in the last stage of his career, I give him five productive years.  Also,  he is a second option, not a number one.  If he became a Bull, he would have to realize his position on the team.

5 Ray Allen

Allen is the second best three point shooter in history behind Reggie Miller.  He would be great for the Bull’s offense because he never stops running.  The downfall is, he will be 35 by the time next season starts.

4 Dwyane Wade

He is the second best two guard in the league behind Kobe Bryant.  I love Wade’s game and he brings the most energy to the court out of the ten guys on the court.  He can do everything: score, defend and all the intangibles in the middle.  He moved up the list because of his comments towards the Chicago Bulls.  I don’t think there is any chance he will be a Bull.

3 David Lee-Brad Miller-and a shooter (Kyle Korver, JJ Redick, Mike Miller)

Lee is a solid power forward.  He can score down low, hit a 15 foot jumper and rebound.  He plays solid help defense and again,  is always around the basket for offensive rebounds.  Brad Miller is old and for the most part washed up, but he has veteran leadership and in his old age still put up 10 points and five rebounds as a third stringer.  The Bulls desperately need a shooter.  Korver, Redick and Miller are the best shooters available.  Chicago should combo the three together to make use of their money.

2 Lebron James

James is the most athletic player in the league, no doubt about it.  He puts up video game numbers every night and would bring an incredible level of excitement around the United Center.  I will not be mad if James comes to the Bulls, that is for sure, but I think his superstardom could hurt the team.  Derrick Rose is a great point guard all ready and could develop into one of the best to ever play for the Bulls.  I question if the addition of James would hurt Rose’s development and the Chicago Bulls become the Chicago Lebrons.  He is great, but he has never won a championship.

1 Chris Bosh

From a team perspective, he is the best fit for the Bulls.  We need low post scoring, experience and a second option.   Bosh will give 20-to-22 points a night and could teach Joakiim Noah some post moves.  He isn’t the best defender in the paint, but he is average, enough to get by in the NBA.  His skill set is exactly what the Bulls need.

Besides Rajon Rondo being younger and faster than Derek Fisher, the Lakers had the advantage at every other position.  The argument can be made with Paul Pierce being better than Ron Artest.  Pierce had better stats, but Artest’s defensive pressure was a defying element of the Lakers taking the championship.  Pierce is also the Celitcs first option, while Artest is fourth or fifth behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.

Now to the reason I’m writing this.

With each Laker’s championship, there is always comparisons between Kobe and Chicago Bull’s great Michael Jordan.  As a Bull’s fan growing up in the 90′s, Jordan is my all time favorite player; he is the greatest.  On the other hand,  Kobe has been my favorite since MJ retired and on an all time NBA team,  Kobe is MJ’s backup as a two guard.  When it comes down to it,  Jordan was a better player.

The awards and championships alone favor Jordan.

Bryant now has five championships, tying him for the most rings of any player to ever wear a Laker’s jersey.  Hall of Famers, Magic Johnson and Kareem  Abdul-Jabbar also have five.  Since the beginning of the NBA, the Lakers have won 16 championships.

Jordan won six championships the Bulls have in two separate three-peat; these are the only championships in the Bull’s history.  MJ won five regular season Most Valuable Player awards in a era before the NBA became watered down because of more teams and concentration to athletic ability instead of basketball fundamentals.  Kobe has one, and as age is catching up to his legs and Lebron continues to put up great numbers, he may not win another.

Jordan went to six champions, won all six and walked away the finals MVP of each of them.  The Bulls are in the history books as the team to win the most championships without losing a final, all with Jordan.  Also, they never had to play a game seven.

Kobe has won his five championships in seven tries.  He has been the finals MVP twice, the last two seasons.  During the Lakers thre-peat from 2000-to-2003,  Shaquille O’Neal was the finals MVP.  Jordan never had to share, because he was the best player on his team.

If Jordan was the best player on his team every year and Kobe wasn’t, how is he in the conversation to be as good as Jordan?

Forgetting points,  Jordan was a better defender as well.  He won the defensive player of the year award in 1988 and was on the all-defensive first team nine times. Kobe has been on the team eight times, but has never won the award.

Stats, Jordan is the winner again.  Jordan’s career average is 30 ppg to Kobe’s 25.  Jordan’s career high is 37 ppg, Kobe’s is 35 ppg.  Jordan averaged 5.3 assists a game to Kobe’s 4.7.  Jordan grabbed 6.2 rebounds a game to Kobe’s 5.3.  I could keep going.

Kobe’s numbers are great.  He is a fantastic player.  Kobe Bryant is simply not Michael Jordan.

I know the comparisons will not stop.  As writers, we love to put an opinion of who is better than who, whose the greatest and etc.  I wish we could just let Kobe play his game without him thinking he is in Jordan’s shadow.

It will never happen.  Kobe will remain there forever.  He will be known as the second best shooting guard to ever play in the NBA, behind Michael Jordan.

Wade has been reported to question the loyalty of the Bull’s management.  Joakim Noah and Lindsay Hunter have been quoted in the media saying Lebron should come to Chicago.  Bosh has listed Chicago as one of his five destinations he would like to play for next year.

Then the Bulls fired Vinny Del Negro, so they’re in the market for a new man on the sideline.  Avery Johnson, Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Jeff Van Gundy and Doug Collins are all ex-coaches looking for a job.  ESPN has sources who say Phil Jackson has been contacted to return as the Bull’s Head Coach and University of Kentucky’s John Calipari has been in the news for the job as well.

To add a little more controversy around the Bulls is the legacy of arguably the best player to ever grace the NBA, Michael Jordan.  It has been said players would not want to go to Chicago because they would be in the shadow of MJ.  The Utah Jazz’s power forward, Carlos Boozer, who is going to be a free agent, doesn’t agree.

I like these statements from Boozer.  Actually,  it makes his resume go closer to the top of the pile as a free agent pick up.

He isn’t scared to play in the house Jordan built.  He is showing pride in himself as a player.  He realizes the 90′s Bulls were great, but why shouldn’t any other great players be a Bull?

The Celtics have won the most championships in the history of the NBA.  This didn’t scare Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett going to Boston.  The Lakers are the second winning-est franchise in history.  This didn’t stop Shaquille O’Neal or Pau Gasol to moving to Los Angeles.   This didn’t stop Paul Pierce or Kobe Bryant from signing extensions either.

If anything Jordan and Scottie Pippen created a winning atmosphere other players should love to play in.  Sure, the Bulls fell off for about ten years, but this was because of former Bull’s general manager Jerry Krause causing problems with the stars and college players with tons of potential not panning out: Marcus Fizer, Jay Williams, Chris Duhon, Eddie Robinson and Tyrus Thomas.

Joakim Noah is becoming one of my favorite players.  He plays hard every minute of the game and at the same time shows a personality.  Whether it is talking thrash about Cleveland or looking at the crowd with an energized look when he swats a ball at them, he is showing Joakim the person.

Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Lebron James and Dwight Howard are just a few players who show a little or a lot of personality.

Noah has transformed himself into one of these players during the season.

The guys from HHR and Blogs with Balls  got the opportunity to spend a day with Noah.  I am extremely jealous.  My friends at Yardbarker.com thought it would be great to email me the video to rub it in. Thanks guys.

Noah seemed to be a real chill guy.  I can’t believe he tried to get one of them to wear the bowtie.  I couldn’t stop laughing.

Two nights ago, on ESPN’s NBA Fast Break, there were all kinds of sourced reports saying a guy in Bull’s management talked to one of Phil’s guys and there was interest from both parties.

Yesterday,  Phil was reported to laugh at the idea.

People leak news and some people lie.  I hope Jackson has more dignity than that, but him coming to Chicago may happen.  The other option is, we are caught up in the Chicago Bulls hype and are pulling random solutions wrote on a piece of paper out of a hat.

I would love Jackson to come back and coach young Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.  Again, it would be the top dream come true of all time for a Bulls fan.  Lets face it,  if Jackson is on the Chicago sideline, it would be real hard for Lebron to pass up an offer to play for the Bulls.  All the pieces would be there for both of them to win championships.

The problem is, Jackson has it made in Los Angeles.  He has arguably the best player in the game, Kobe Bryant, who has two to three years of prime left.  Pau Gasol is going to be in his prime for at least three to four years.  Andrew Bynum is only 22 years old and is all ready a top three center in the league.

Los Angeles is a top destination for any older man in Jackson’s wealth class.  The weather is nice, celebrities are everywhere and he is loved there.  Not saying Jackson isn’t all ready loved in Chicago, but his old bones might not be able to handle the wind.

Like I said, I wish he was going to come, but he isn’t.  He has got too much to look forward to in LA.  He could win a three peat with that team, why go to Chicago and put together puzzle pieces?

As a member of the Utah Jazz, Boozer has put up stellar numbers and has helped lead his team to impressive runs in the playoffs including the western conference finals in 2007.  I wish I could add more to his playoff depth, but the Jazz have run into a dominate team with arguable the best player in the league the last three seasons; Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Boozer is an inside presence the Bulls need.  Chicago lacks a dominant low post presence who can put up 18-to-20 points a game.  Boozer who averages 17 ppg for his career, has only scored 15 points or less twice in his eight year NBA career; those were his first two years in the league while a member of the Lebron-less and rookie Lebron Cavaliers.

He also knows how to play defense, so Noah or Gibson won’t have to do play low post defense by themselves.  He isn’t much of a shot blocker averaging 0.5 a game during his career, but he is an excellent help defender and reads passing lanes to pick passes off.

Boozer is also a strong re-bounder.  He is relatively small, 6’9 and 266 pounds, compared to some opponents but he knows how to gain position and box out.  This season he averaged 11 rebounds a game and averages 10 rpg for his career.

At 28, Boozer is just entering his prime.  He has had some injuries to his knee and has pulled a hamstring.  After coming back from these injuries he has put up his best numbers.

Boozer and Utah’s point guard Deron Williams have been called the new Karl Malone and John Stockton several times during the past three seasons.  There is no reason Boozer would not play well with Derrick Rose.

He would get double teamed meaning someone would be open.  Boozer is an above average passer for a big man.  He averages 2.5 a game in his career, including three a game this season.

This might be a small factor, but it could play an important role; Boozer has spent six seasons in the high altitude Utah air.  Boozer’s lungs are prepared for endurance making him a go at the end of a game instead of winded or exhausted.

Boozer would also be a great candidate for leadership.  He is a main leader of the Jazz with the help of Williams.  Boozer would mentor Noah and Gibson.  They’re playing great, but there is always room to grow.

Most of this post has been Boozer hype.  There isn’t really much to down grade. He can score, defend and rebound.  He has been injured, but bounces back.  He is small for a power forward, but he knows how to use his size well.

They’re two reason he isn’t higher in the list: the Bulls need a shooter primarily or they should go after someone who would mean more to the Bulls than Boozer.

Option number six will be tomorrow.

Lets face it, no one thought Jackson was going to come back to Chicago.  It would have been a great story line and a moment to celebrate at the local pub for all Bulls fans of age, but it wasn’t going to happen.

He has a dream job for NBA head coaches.  Los Angeles is sunny all year long, he has a superstar (Kobe Bryant) with two or three years left in his prime, a strong supporting cast and he gets to mingle with celebrities.  He loves it in LA, why come back to the windy city with a young team in the development stage?

He does have great strengths.  Calipari is known as a master recruiter.  In each of his three college coaching jobs (UMASS, Memphis, Kentucky), he recruited great talent and changed the programs around.  

UMASS was an NIT team before he got there.  He took them to the sweet sixteen and the final four.  Without Calipari, no one knew Memphis had a basketball program; he took them to the championship game.  He recruited Derrick Rose, who the Bulls selected number one overall in the 2008 draft.  Does the name John Wall ring any bells?  Enough said. 

The Bulls need one of these guys if they hope to get to the “elite” level in the NBA.  Calipari could have brought one of them to Chicago.  Although I thought he could be a bust,  I would have loved him to be on the sideline, if that meant Bosh, Wade or Lebron would be in a Bull’s jersey.

Chicago doesn’t need another young, up and coming coach.  The young roster needs someone who is a proven winner and can mold five individual talents into one cohesive unit.

What if the man who brought them to their dominance in the 90′s, came back.  Yes, that’s right, Phil Jackson.  Remember when he was an assistant to Doug Collins, then took over the Bulls and put them at the top of the NBA for six seasons, three consecutive years at a time.  Why wouldn’t he want to come back?  Kobe and Los Angeles Lakers is probably the answer.

Jackson has said he doesn’t want to coach anywhere else but in LA, but a lot of people say things, “I never had sexual relations,” remember when Bill Clinton said that.  How about the multiple retirements athletes have these days.  They said they were going to retire, but they come back.  Jackson could go to another team.

He should seriously think about returning to Chicago if he decides he wants to leave Kobe.  Think about it, the city of Chicago would bow at Jackson’s feet as soon as he signed the contract.  

I don’t even think I need to state anything about his resume.  His playoff records are insane.  He needs one more ring to have one on all fingers and with the way the Lakers are playing, he might have it at the beginning of next season.