The Chicago Bulls' chance to scratch their biggest itch came and went when scoring machine Carmelo Anthony agreed to return to the New York Knicks.
Yet, the Bulls' Plan B approach might position them better than Plan A ever could. Quietly, they have strengthened their core—without sacrificing any assets to do so—and, in turn, emerged as one of the biggest winners of the 2014 NBA free-agent period.
Rather than roll up the red carpet that failed to net Anthony, Chicago kept its line extended and snagged a big fish without paying a big-fish rate. The Bulls managed to lure in four-time All-Star Pau Gasol with a three-year, $22 million-plus deal, as reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
If that sounds the slightest bit steep for a 34-year-old, it shouldn't. Not for a couple different reasons, in fact.
For one, Gasol has yet to start acting his age.
Last season—his 13th in the league—the versatile big man put up 17.4 points on 48 percent shooting and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Only six other players matched those numbers, three of whom (Bla ...
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Article written by Zach Buckley
Chicago Bulls Are Quietly Winning 2014 NBA Free Agency
July 15th, 2014 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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