EKG Report: July 25, 2017
Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving and a new face…
Hunter: Welcome all to another edition of the EKG Report! We’ve got a surprising amount of news for late July, but before we get to that, how are you Drew? Are you staying cool?
Drew: Since I am such a naturally cool person, I am having no trouble whatsoever. However, I’m drinking some high quality H2O. It’s important to stay hydrated and motivated during the middle of the summer. Luckily for us, the NBA offseason never sleeps and has been extremely entertaining. Where should we start? We had an old friend sign in Cleveland today, a Summer League friend agree to come to Chicago today and Kyrie Irving wanting to be THE star. What say you?
Hunter: Let’s begin with Derrick Rose. I was honestly worried that he wouldn’t sign with an NBA team. At the time, I was convinced that the “bidding war” between the Cavs and the Lakers was nothing more than BJ Armstrong grasping at straws, but the Cavs obviously knew something we didn’t. If you had told me even in 2014 that Derrick Rose would be signing a $2.1 million deal in three years, I would not have believed you. It’s hard to even reconcile how far he has fallen even after experiencing it all in real time. Do you have any hope that he can find some magic in the Land?
Drew: As long as you play with LeBron James, there is a chance that magic will be present. I am kind of excited to watch the two play together. As you mentioned, it’s crazy to me that Luol Deng and Joakim Noah are both getting paid more than Derrick Rose contract wise. I believe that with this $2.1 million dollar deal, he will be right below our “point guard of the future,” Cameron Payne in regards to payroll for next season.
It will be fun to watch him compete again. It really is a shame that the superteam in New York didn’t work out. If Derrick knows his place and doesn’t piss LeBron off too much, I think he will be just fine. Granted, he will not be the Derrick Rose of old, but he will be productive. If/when Kyrie gets traded, where does that put the Cavs? Are they still the best team in the East?
Hunter: That’s the big question isn’t it? I think the answer will ultimately depend on two things. First, it will depend on what they get back in the deal, namely if there is a sweet shooting point guard involved. If somehow Eric Bledsoe or even Khris Middleton ends up on the roster, then they are most definitely the best team. If Derrick Rose is your starter and his backup is the wheelchair that Deron and Mo Williams share? Maybe not.
It also depends on what “best” really means. If it means they’ll be the first seed in the conference, I don’t even know if they’ll do that with Kyrie. If it means that they’ll make it to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year, then I’m going to keep betting on LeBron until he gives me a reason not to.
We brought it up, so let’s get right into it. Kyrie Irving let the Cavs brass know that he wants to be traded, and it was rumored that he was into the idea of playing with Jimmy Butler in Chicago before GarPax traded Butler up north. What was your reaction to that bombshell, and where do you think he ends up?
Drew: It was a shock for sure. It’s fun to speculate where Mr. Irving will end up, but it’s important to remember that Kyrie has no power here. The Cavs need to get something of value in return, and I think my top destination in regards to fit and the return Cleveland would get back would be Milwaukee and Phoenix. Can you imagine Giannis and Kyrie on the same team? That would be very fun. It would cost them Middleton and some other nice pieces, but the Bucks’ front office has to show Giannis that they want to win.
Throughout this whole offseason it seems like the Suns keep popping up. I’m wondering if they can pull off some sort of three-team deal to land Kyrie. Obviously Devin Booker is off the table, but they are loaded with a bunch of young talent that teams would love to have. Minnesota would be a lot of fun as well, but they would have to part with Wiggins and some picks. I really like the Jimmy and Kyrie bromance that has seemed to form. I think he is going to be traded, but the question that remains is whether or not he can be the number one guy. What do you think?
Hunter: I agree with all of that, and I’ll just add a couple more destinations. The Knicks were another team on Kyrie’s list (for some reason), and it would just be something else to see Kyrie in the Garden. I don’t really know how New York puts together a package that doesn’t include Kristaps Porzingis. Zach Lowe reported today that the Cavs are looking for a blue-chip young guy first and foremost, and Kristaps certainly fills that role. In that case, I don’t know if the Knicks are still interested, but I also will never attempt to predict what the New York Knicks will do or want. Regardless, watching Kyrie put up 34 a night while his team wins 31 games would probably at least make the regular season a little more entertaining.
The team with the most intriguing fit to me is New Orleans. They’re not on his list, and they’re not exactly the stable franchise that Brian Windhorst is reporting that he’s looking for (but he put the Knicks on the list so nothing really makes sense), but Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving would just be an absolute delight. I think they would fit together well enough that Irving wouldn’t really care that he wouldn’t be the best player on the squad. He would still get plenty of shots up. The Pelicans wouldn’t be able to put together a good enough package unless the market cools considerably or the Cavs LOVE one season of DeMarcus Cousins, but I dare to dream. Let’s transition once more to discussing one more guard. Today, Sean Highkin of The Athletic reported that the Bulls are signing Ryan Arcidiacono of Villanova to a two-way contract. What do you think of him? Will he find success in Hoffman Estates?
Drew: It never hurts to add young depth. I really like these new two-way contracts. I need to figure out how I can consistently spell Arcidiacono’s name correctly. That alone will be quite the challenge, please pray for me. From what I’ve seen from him in limited Summer League action, he can stretch the floor a bit and seems like a good guy to take a flyer on. He was set to sign a deal with an Italian team, but GarPax swooped in like a Hawk and nabbed him. I don’t think we will see him in a Bulls’ uniform very much, but he will get some playing time with Windy City.
Bring everyone onto this burning ship. Bring anyone onboard who has shown an ounce of potential. It’s always good to create competition and bring in fresh bodies — especially when your franchise is in search of any signs of life. Any thoughts on this guy? Will Mirotic ever sign?
Hunter: I’m exercising my right as an American to not think about Nikola Mirotic until September 1. I hope you understand. As far as Arcidiacono, I’ve had initial success breaking his name into three parts: Arci-dia-cono. But you gotta find a system that works for you. I trust that you will. I think it’s a good use of the two-way contract, although the point guard position is so crowded that I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t end up using all 45 days in Chicago, barring injury of course. I really have no idea what to expect out of the end of the Bulls’ bench this season. It’s sure to be a wild ride.
Drew: We will be sure to keep you updated in regards to all of the NBA offseason craziness. Thanks for reading everyone, I can’t believe that there are still relevant things to talk about at this point. Be sure to follow @BullsConf on Twitter and keep up with our #BC25 series. We love you.
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