Tom Penn (general manager), George Karl (coach), Amin Elhassan (scouting director) and Kevin Pelton (analytics director) simulate a conversation that an actual front office might have about particular topics. Today, the group weighs in on the NBA offseason moves with the most impact. Want in on the conversation? Use #NBAFrontOffice.
Other than the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose offseason moves have improved them the most?
George Karl: Be aware, the Chicago Bulls have the best talent they've had on their team around Derrick Rose since he's been there. Joakim Noah made a major step forward as a big-time player and a leader of that team. I think Doug McDermott is going to be perfect for that roster. Pau Gasol will figure out how to help them win games. Their team has more talent -- "winning championships talent" instead of just "winning basketball games" talent -- than they ever had before.
Chad Ford: I agree with Coach. You watch Rose in the FIBA Basketball World Cup and you saw the good news -- that he has some of his explosiveness back, some of his quickness back. The bad news -- his game was clearly rusty. He was struggling to finish around the rim; he was struggling to shoot the basketball. There's going to be some rust that's going to have to come off, which is natural for a guy who hasn't played in the past two years. I think the great news for Rose: it's not going to all fall on his shoulders like it did in the past years, just as Coach said. That Bulls team is incredibly deep and incredibly talented.
There's also Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic, who was one of the best players in Europe -- not just one of the best young players in Europe, but one of the best players in Europe period -- coming over this year. He shot 46 percent from 3-point range as a stretch 4. And the Bulls have needed shooting. I think it complements Rose's game; they've struggled with that the past couple of seasons. There's McDermott, who I think might have been the best shooter in the draft. I think Mirotic, the improvement of Noah, the improvements of Jimmy Butler . . . even Tony Snell I think has the potential to come in and help this team.
I think that takes some of the pressure off Rose to have to carry this team every night. We might see a Rose who becomes more of a distributor, more of a leader on the floor but not the guy who has to carry his team to victory every night. Maybe because of that, that gives Rose some space to get that rust off. And by the end of the season, I think the Bulls have a legitimate shot at winning the East.
Kevin Pelton: Well, we did this on ESPN Insider a couple of months ago and at that point I looked strictly at free agency and trades, not at the draft. It was the one factor we didn't consider. At that point, before Cleveland added Kevin Love, they were barely ahead of the Dallas Mavericks in terms of rating guys by combination of RPM and my WARP statistic. Dallas, particularly at the defensive end, has improved dramatically with Tyson Chandler and then also at point guard by upgrading from Jose Calderon, who's a major weakness, to Raymond Felton and Jameer Nelson and more minutes from Devin Harris. And then you've got Chandler Parsons coming in on the wing. That combination, I think, could push Dallas to the second tier of contenders in the Western Conference.
Amin Elhassan: I really like what Charlotte did. I thought they really added some in areas of need. I don't know if they'll win an incredible amount of games -- perhaps more than they did last year -- but I think Lance Stephenson is exactly what they needed as far as a scoring guard who can also make plays for others and guard multiple positions, while not compromising defensive integrity. I think that was huge for them. Marvin Williams gives them another spacer; he'll probably play him as a small-ball forward. And then backup point guard Brian Roberts was also an area of concern from last season.
Penn: Wow, shoutout to the Charlotte Hornets.
Ford: I like what both Dallas and Charlotte did. But I like the Bulls because I think they addressed weaknesses on a team that was already a very good one. Getting Rose back -- obviously we can't necessarily consider that an offseason move that they made -- but I think when you put him back in the mix, with Gasol and with the addition of Mirotic, and with the addition of McDermott -- who addressed their biggest weakness, which was shooting the basketball -- I think the Bulls are now legitimate title contenders. To me, that's the biggest challenge, getting your team from good to potentially great. Those last little pieces are what can make the difference.
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. . . There's just something about putting Gasol with Noah. They both have championship mentalities and passion and history and really it's in their DNA, both of those guys . . . It's that passion factor.
"-- Tom Penn, #NBAFrontOffice GM
Tom Penn: For me, let me first say I'm anxious to see Golden State and what will happen in the wake of its coaching change and the non-Kevin Love trade. Frankly, some of the best trades you make are the ones you don't make. And their decision to hang on to Klay Thompson and keep him paired with Stephen Curry: We all saw how well they played for the U.S. during the FIBA World Cup, but it shined a brighter light on Thompson's ability to be a two-way player defensively and how he's continuing to evolve. If you factor in the health of their bigs and a new coach in Steve Kerr -- I mean, that's really going to be interesting because they could be special and entertaining, fun and legit.
Ultimately, though, my answer still would be Chicago, because I think -- for the reasons Coach and Chad mentioned earlier -- there's just something about putting Gasol with Noah. They both have championship mentalities and passion and history and really it's in their DNA, both of those guys. I think, having been around both of them, they're such a great complement to each other. It's that passion factor. Gasol shows up when a team is in it for the right reasons. And Noah exemplifies that. With the addition of Mirotic, and Butler on the perimeter, then you add McDermott and his ability to come in and help immediately and not make mistakes but make shots, I really love Chicago.
Karl: I'll stick with Chicago, but I think the team everyone's really interested in seeing play -- and it's not necessarily because of offseason acquisitions, but offseason development -- is New Orleans and Anthony Davis. Playing for [Team] USA this summer you saw a guy we all think can become the best player in the game. I know that's tough to say with LeBron James and Kevin Durant standing right in front of him, but I think we're finally seeing a big guy who has the fundamentals of Tim Duncan and athleticism as good as any center who has ever played the game.
Everybody keeps telling me he's going to be able to make the 3-ball, too. He plays with passion and focus. For a young player, that's pretty first class. I thought they were somewhat of an underachieving team last year, and they had injuries to blame. But I think that's the Western Conference team I'm very eager to see.