The Chicago Bulls are out of the Kevin Love trade talks, but that doesn't mean a move can't be made for someone like Roy Hibbert or Greg Monroe, as the team previously offered Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic and potentially other pieces to the Timberwolves for Love, but now it appears the Cleveland Cavaliers are the last team standing and he will not be joining Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol in Chi-town.
According to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers are now the last team left in the sweepstakes for Kevin Love and that means the Timberwolves are not looking at Mirotic, McDermott or Gibson anymore. The Bulls were the only other team with a realistic shot to get Love and now it appears the Cavs will trade Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a first round pick to get the deal done and other players may be involved as well.
Reports from ESPN and Pro Basketball Talk have the Pistons talking with teams about a sign and trade for Monroe and right now the Atlanta Hawks appear to be the top option to get him. The Phoenix Suns flirted with signing Monroe to an offer sheet, but they have their own free agent that's restricted to deal with in Eric Bledsoe and they hope to get him signed.
Last season the Bulls were the best defensive team in the league, but they were lacking in scoring and that was one reason why they went hard after Carmelo Anthony and also signed Pau Gasol. While Gasol is not the offensive threat that Anthony is, he is a strong rebounder on both ends of the floor and is a much better scorer than Carlos Boozer. There have been some reports about tension between Rose and the front office, but that is nothing new and ESPN reports part of it was over his non participation in wooing Melo, although he did help bring in Gasol.
Last season the team ranked first in the league in points allowed and they ranked last in the league in points per game and now with Derrick Rose coming back along with Gasol and newly signed Aaron Brooks, the team should at least be better there, especially if Mirotic and McDermott stay. The team loved what McDermott did in college and while he was in the package for the Cavs, the team has high hopes for him since they were not that great shooting from long range last season. Mirotic needs work, but he is a talented player from Europe and he has experience over many other rookies.
Rose coming back healthy is almost like signing a superstar and while Melo stayed in New York, LeBron went back to Cleveland and that adds intrigue to the central division. The Pacers should be good again and if the Cavs get Love they will be hard to beat with Kyrie and LeBron. The central should be the best division in the league. The Bulls have Brooks after he averaged 9.0 points and 3.2 assists per game last season and he should provide some solid depth as a backup to Rose especially if he gets hurt again, but the Bulls are hoping that's not needed.
