Tough choice for the Bulls to make believe it or not. A lot depends on who they plan to pursue in Free Agency or trades. It could depend on whether they decide to give Ben Gordon the money he wants or not, or whether they decide to pursue a big man in the summer.
So for example, let's say Bulls picked Beasley and re-signed Gordon. Their lineup would be:
PG - Hinrich
SG - Gordon
SF - Deng
PF - Beasley
C - Noah
Positives: They got their power forward with legit post moves, someone who can run and score with the best of them. A future all-star. They got some decent scorers now with BG, Deng and Beast. They are also able to bring some decent players off the bench instead of having to start them, like Gooden, Hughes, Sefolosha, Thomas etc.
Negatives: Still a pretty undersized team, and still get pounded on the boards like usual. Hinrich and Gordon still haven't shown much improvement in the last few years, and even for the guard position are fairly small. I can see power guards like Chauncey Billups posting them up all day.
Now to the 2nd scenario, draft Rose, trade Hinrich and Gordon (Gordon would have to be in a sign and trade deal), let 1 or 2 other FAs go, and bring in a big man through Free Agency.
PG - Rose
SG - Hughes/Sefolosha
SF - Deng
PF - Brand/Randolph
C - Noah
Positives - A young team still, but now mixed with some good veterans too. They got scoring at different positions on the floor. Much better defensively as well with slightly more size. Rose is another future all-star too. It's a toss up between Hughes and Sefolosha to start. Depends whether you want to start with offense or defense.
Negatives: With Ben Gordon gone, they lack a really consistent outside shooter. While Hughes is a decent offensive player, he's not one who can knock down 3-4 treys a game like BG. Perhaps Bulls can find a shooter in the 2nd round of the draft? Or pick a decent one up in Free Agency?
Anyway, back to the playoffs. I was happy to see Ray Allen have a big game, it was about time he stepped up and knocked down his usual shots. I love the guy, I try to base my game on him, coming off screens and knocking down shots, but just not so keen on the team he's with.
Pistons looked a lot better in this Game 2, with scoring across the board, the guards especially. Billups looks like the injury isn't bothering him as much as it was, Hamilton did his thing, and Stuckey was great off the bench. Celtics now have to win a game on the road, no choice. They couldn't do it against Atlanta and Cleveland, so they gotta do something special to go and win in the Palace.