Dear Mr. Paxson,
Kudos for resurrecting the franchise from the burnt ashes of Jerry Krause's player selections and assembling a deep roster of solid NBA players and high class individuals.
However, I fear the non-Kobe trade, your unwillingness to trade Luol Deng, and your reluctance to part with Ben Wallace will haunt the future success of the team. Don't fall in love with your players, John. I do this all the time with my fantasy team players and it never works out well. Trust me. And don't be afraid to take advice from someone whose only team he's ever managed exists in fantasy land.
It's okay to trade good players. Nice guys don't always finish 1st in the NBA, so you don't need your entire roster to be squeaky clean. Now you don't have to go Portland JailBlazer on us, but drafting a Tyrus Thomas once in a while is not anything to feel ashamed about.
Luol Deng is a model NBA citizen, an ambassador for the league, and an all-around solid player with an extremely high basketball IQ. Unfortunately, he can't beat anyone off the dribble. That's why he's never going to get the game winning shot attempt, no matter how short Ben Gordon is.
So if you need to move Deng and Wallace to get Kobe Bryant, then you do it. Kobe not only gives you a clutch shooter, but he commands foul call respect from the officials, which is something no one on the Bulls roster can claim. It's time to sell high, John. The more losses this team picks up, the more Deng's offensive limitations are exposed, and the more Ben Wallace's eroding rebounding ability is on display, the more leverage you stand to lose.
Pairing Kobe's scoring with Ben Gordon would be lethal. The only untouchables on your roster right now should be Gordon, Tyrus Thomas (a beast in the making), and Nocioni (a fearless, versatile player off the bench). Everyone else, including quick-foul Kirk, should be on the market.
Sincerely,
One Bulls Fan
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