TheBigEasy wrote:Congratz on the Championship Andrew. Well done ...
But a question ... If I read your Recaps right, KG has averaged a triple double through the finals. So why is he listed with 6.8 apg?
TBE
Thanks.
Those are actually his numbers for the playoffs, I guess I should have put a note about that.
ruffryder8 wrote:Who do you plan on re-signing?
See below.
2004 Offseason
Projected Draft Depth: Very Strong
Retiring Players
F Mark Bryant (FA)
G Chris Childs (FA)
C Derrick Coleman (Phi)
C Chris Dudley (FA)
G Tim Hardaway (Chi)
G Avery Johnson (GS)
F Grant Long (FA)
F Karl Malone (LAL)
F Tony Massenburg (Sac)
F Charles Oakley (FA)
G Wesley Person (Mem)
G Brian Shaw (FA)
F Monty Williams (Phi)
C Kevin Willis (SA)
Some surprising retirements, namely Wesley Person (33) and Monty Williams (32). Karl Malone retired without a ring or the all-time scoring title. I also thought Derrick Coleman would stick around a little longer.
Draft Lottery
1. Portland
2. Milwaukee
3. Seattle
4. Washington
5. Miami
6. Phoenix
7. Houston
8. Houston (from Utah)
9. Cleveland
10. Boston
11. Toronto
12. Minnesota
13. Atlanta
The playoff teams will pick in the following order:
14. Golden State
15. Denver
16. Detroit
17. Memphis
18. Orlando
19. New York
20. New Jersey
21. LA Clippers
22. San Antonio
23. Philadelphia
24. New Orleans
25. Indiana
26. LA Lakers
27. Sacramento
28. Dallas
29. Chicago
Washington had the most chances in the lottery, but failed to get a top three pick. Portland only had 89 ping pong balls in the lottery, which was fifth best. Milwaukee had the second most chances and snared the second pick, while Seattle (4th) beat out Miami (3rd) for the third draft choice.
Houston should be able to upgrade their roster through the draft, thanks to the strong rookie crop and two top 10 picks, courtesy of a trade with the Jazz.
Re-Sign Players
The Bulls re-sign F Kevin Garnett for 7 years at 279,600 points per year
The Bulls re-sign G Jamal Crawford for 3 years at 216,000 points per year
The Bulls re-sign F Lonny Baxter for 1 year at 99,300 points
Kendall Gill announced he will not re-sign with the Bulls
Gill has dropped to 51 overall, KG has remained at 97 overall, Baxter went up to 55 overall and Crawford is now 63 overall (up from 62). I can certainly spare Gill, while I'm willing to give Baxter another chance, KG is the team's MVP and Crawford has shown slight improvement (and was a key player in the championship run).
2004 Rookie Draft
First Round
1. Portland - F E. Sloan (74 Overall)
2. Milwaukee - F T. Dane (70 Overall)
3. Seattle - G O. Bryant (71 Overall)
4. Washington - G O. Boden (74 Overall)
5. Miami - F I. Hayne (68 Overall)
6. Phoenix - G T. Betts (67 Overall)
7. Houston - F H. Croshere (69 Overall)
8. Houston (from Utah) - C R. Hawken (67 Overall)
9. Cleveland - G B. Earhart (60 Overall)
10. Boston - F C. Spencer (70 Overall)
11. Toronto - G G. Roberts (58 Overall)
12. Minnesota - G E. Sorrell (58 Overall)
13. Atlanta - G A. Pitt (62 Overall)
14. Golden State - F S. Wells (58 Overall)
15. Denver - F J. Benzer (57 Overall)
16. Detroit - C B. Harding (54 Overall)
17. Memphis - G J. Jacobs (51 Overall)
18. Orlando - G M. Strong (60 Overall)
19. New York - C R. Terry (54 Overall)
20. New Jersey - F E. Burns (47 Overall)
21. LA Clippers - G C. Lynch (49 Overall)
22. San Antonio - G J. Gilmore (47 Overall)
23. Philadelphia - G J. Faulk (47 Overall)
24. New Orleans - C C. Brewer (47 Overall)
25. Indiana - F K. Akinwande (45 Overall)
26. LA Lakers - C E. Hanson (46 Overall)
27. Sacramento - F C. Burgess (44 Overall)
28. Dallas - F P. Russell (44 Overall)
29. Chicago - F Jose Horne (43 Overall)
Second Round
30. Washington - G S. Tyler (42 Overall)
31. Milwaukee - F B. Gill (45 Overall)
32. Miami - F C. Hall (41 Overall)
33. Seattle - F D. Mason (39 Overall)
34. Portland - F S. Irwin (44 Overall)
35. Phoenix - F E. Morrison (40 Overall)
36. Houston -
Forfeited
37. Utah - F N. Hill (39 Overall)
38. Cleveland - F V. Chandler (38 Overall)
39. Boston - G R. Tyler (38 Overall)
40. Toronto - C M. Royal (39 Overall)
41. Minnesota - G D. Andrews (38 Overall)
42. Atlanta - C E. Rider (37 Overall)
43. Golden State - G B. Tolbert (37 Overall)
44. Denver - G O. Findlay (37 Overall)
45. Detroit - C B. Marshall (37 Overall)
46. Memphis - G R. Clark (36 Overall)
47. Orlando - F C. Martin (37 Overall)
48. New York - G B. Oxford (34 Overall)
49. New Jersey - G W. Brunson (35 Overall)
50. LA Clippers - G A. Boylan (34 Overall)
51. San Antonio - G A. Lovell (37 Overall)
52. Philadelphia - G A Billings (33 Overall)
53. New Orleans - G A. Falla (34 Overall)
54. Indiana - C A. Gamble (33 Overall)
55. LA Lakers - G E. Mack (33 Overall)
56. Sacramento - G B. Galan (32 Overall)
57. Dallas - G A. Robards (31 Overall)
58. Chicago - Khamidi Payne (33 Overall)
Houston certainly made the most of their two top 10 picks, selecting two big men in the high 60s. It looks like Boston has another steal with the 10th pick in B. Earhart. My picks are fairly weak, but that's to be expected with the 29th pick. I don't know if they'll stick around for too long.
Sign Free Agents
Since I'm over the cap, I can't really take part in this part of the Offseason.
Key Free Agents
G Allen Iverson (83 Overall) - Sixers
G Jason Terry (70 Overall) - Hawks
F Kenny Thomas (68 Overall) - Sixers
C Stromile Swift (65 Overall) - Grizzlies
G Stephen Jackson (65 Overall) - Hawks
G Brent Barry (64 Overall) - Sonics
G Troy Hudson (62 Overall) - Timberwolves
G Penny Hardaway (61 Overall) - Suns
F Darius Miles (60 Overall) - Cavaliers
C Vlade Divac (59 Overall) - Kings
All made it through to the start of the season unsigned, so I've signed them and traded them to those teams.
Training Camp
No significant improvement, but fortunately no decline at all. I focused on shooting, with only Blount and rookie Horne showing improvement (+1 for Inside Scoring).
Chicago Bulls 2004/2005 Roster
Starting Five
C: Eddy Curry (64)
F: Kevin Garnett (97)
F: Scottie Pippen (58)
G: Jamal Crawford (62)
G: Kirk Hinrich (57)
Bench
SF: Donyell Marshall (70)
PF/C: Tyson Chandler (70)
SG: Eddie Robinson (61)
PF: Lonny Baxter (55)
SF: Jose Horne (41)
PG: Khamidi Payne (33)
C: Corie Blount (44)
IR - Jay Williams (61)