Sam Smith: "Bulls: Huge deal or tweak?"

[The Truth]

So in losing four of seven games after topping the Suns—minus starters Steve Nash and Boris Diaw—on Sunday night, does it suggest the Bulls need to make a move, especially the way the Kings lulled them to sleep in a zone and then the Warriors pushed them into their jump-shooting game? Especially to get some low-post help and size in someone like Memphis' Pau Gasol? Or perhaps just a tweak or two, because they were so close to a great trip?

Plan A: That would be Gasol. He's a 7-footer who can score, and you get the feeling the Bulls have gone as far as they can playing the way they do. Gasol is not Shaquille O'Neal or Hakeem Olajuwon. The guy couldn't even get his team one playoff win in 12 chances. The Grizzlies' demands will come back to earth because they want to trade him. Gasol would help Ben Wallace, who hasn't done well under the pressure of being the prize free agent and needs a big offensive player with him to be more effective.

The bigger issue might be Gasol's expanding contract, which grows to $17.8 million in 2010-11. The Bulls want to have financial flexibility because Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh can become free agents before that season. Things change in the NBA in a hurry, and you want to be prepared. It would probably take Luol Deng and another player, perhaps Chris Duhon, plus P.J. Brown and Michael Sweetney for salary-cap relief and a No. 1 draft pick. The Bulls then appeal to Antonio Davis to return for the playoffs.

It doesn't sound like the road win in Phoenix impressed Sam much.

I think it's also interesting that Sam seems to be holding out hope for the possibility of signing Wade/James/Bosh. I wonder if management has any plans to maintain cap flexibility for that possibility.

Bulls: Huge deal or tweak? on ChicagoSports.com