A Deng Shame

As that dreaded word "rebuilding" continues to stick around the Bulls these days, one of the ideas that's been hotly debated is what to do with Luol Deng and his expiring contract.  If anybody gives the Bulls a decent return on the veteran star, the future on the West Side will be hopeful.  Now, it doesn't appear that will come into fruition for the time being.

While it isn't clear just how much teams would offer for Deng, we now know the Bulls are not seeking to deal him.  In fact, they remain optimistic they'll be able to re-sign him during the offseason.  That's an interesting tidbit considering he wants to stay with the Bulls and the demands for both sides are not in the same ballpark.

I know it seems like holding onto Deng would be a way of sticking to the status quo that hasn't seen as much success as we'd like.  Even I would hate to see the Bulls getting nothing if he walks away in free agency.  Really though, if they couldn't do any better than what they have now, is it really worth getting upset over?

It's true this front office hasn't made the most desirable decisions in terms of holding onto top talent.  Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli and Kyle Korver come to mind.  However, keep in mind that they're not incompetent in their decisions.  Whenever they notice a discrepancy in one area, Gar Forman and John Paxson do their best to plug it up.  When Belinelli left, he was replaced with Mike Dunleavy.  Robinson came in for C.J. Watson and did more than we could have asked for.  They'll find a way to rectify this situation.

Of course, any attempts to get something for Deng will be easier said than done, especially with the upcoming draft class.  Teams actually want to be in the lottery.  Adding any kind of All-Star talent would hamper those efforts.  It would be best to deal to someone who is aiming to win a title now.  They wouldn't have to sign him to any long-term deal, but they might be squirmy about taking on the remainder of his contract, which isn't exactly pocket change.  There aren't many takers, so good luck to GarPax in finding a solution that will be cheap, productive and painless.

While they figure this out, the Bulls will play the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow at the United Center.  If it weren't for Kyrie Irving, I'd feel better about their chances.  This isn't a good time to be a fan obviously, but we just have to remain optimistic.  A nice early Christmas present would be a stop to the losing streak.  Will Santa hear our plea?