Do the Chicago Bulls Know What They Are Doing? Because I Sure Don't

How, exactly, have the Bulls messed up the negotiations with Deng and Gordon? Deng signed for a reasonable price. Gordon, on the other hand, demands to be the highest paid player on the team (that's over $13M a year)! It would be stupid to sign him for that; no team, whether in Europe or the NBA, could or would offer him that type of money.

Here's another key to remember: they are/were restricted free agents, meaning the players have no leverage. Teams don't have money to spend. It's almost impossible to work out a sign-and-trade with the BYC.

Oh, and even the Sixers, who you cite as masters of a speedy deal, have yet to sign Andre Iguodala!

As for trades, Paxson has said specifically that he is waiting until he knows what's going on with Gordon and Deng. It would be illogical to trade Hinrich now if he's unsure about Gordon's status.

Inside scoring is a question mark, I guess. Gooden did average 14 points with the Bulls while Noah averaged over 9 as a starter. Thomas, assuming he is actually allowed to play through his mistakes, will be solid (look at his numbers as a starter). I'll go out on a limb and say they will be better than Wallace and Smith as inside scorers.

We will have to wait and see when it comes to coaching. At least they brought in experienced assistants.