The Bulls started off their West Coast road trip with two losses to the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bulls followed that up with wins over the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets.

The Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns 115-104. The Bulls were led by Derrick Rose, who had one of his best games of the season, scoring 31 points on 15-21 shooting. Luol Deng gave the Bulls 23 points, Joakim Noah 19 points, and 14 a piece for Kirk Hinrich and John Salmons. Amare Stoudemire finished with 23 points and Steve Nash struggled, finishing with only 8 points and 7 assists.

In their 104-97 win over the Houston Rockets, the Bulls got a big night out of Brad Miller, who finished with 25 points and 5 rebounds in only 25 minutes of play. Brad Miller was starting in place of Joakim Noah, who is suffering plantar fascitis. Taj Gibson had a big double double, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Derrick Rose played well again, finishing with 20 points. Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola had 20 points a piece for the Rockets, and Carl Landry scored 22 points off the bench.

With Taj Gibson continuing to play well while Tyrus Thomas struggles, it is hard to make a good case for Tyrus Thomas starting over Taj Gibson anymore. Thomas will be gone at the end of the season, and the Bulls are unlikely to feel the loss of him at all. If Taj Gibson is the starting power forward next season, then the Bulls might feel the loss of Thomas some, but their cap space should be used to sign a big man, not a shooting guard (unless you are getting that superstar player named Dwyane Wade).

It is also good to see Derrick Rose put up good game after good game. He has really turned the corner as a player.

Also, it is great to see the Bulls get two road wins against tough opponents. This was a part of the schedule that could have really derailed the Bulls season some. Now, it looks like the Bulls will keep a hold of their playoff position coming out of this trip, and will have a chance to move up in the playoff standings when they get back to an easier chunk of the schedule. The Suns are 26-19 on the season, and the Rockets are 24-19, so these are two wins that really shouldn’t have been expected out of the Bulls.

The Bulls have three more games left on this road trip, against the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and New Orleans Hornets. Worst case scenario is that the Bulls are 5 games under .500 coming out of the road trip, leaving them plenty of time to get back to .500 and make their claim for the playoffs as the schedule gets easier.

According to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald, the Bulls aren’t willing to pay Amare Stoudemire around the $20 million a year that Amare would likely be seeking in an extension.

By adding to their pile of assets and expiring contracts, the Bulls are hoping to be in position to get Toronto’s Chris Bosh at the trade deadline or next summer. There may be other targets, such as Carlos Boozer or Amare Stoudemire.

That raises another question: If the Suns have discussed moving Stoudemire to Golden State or Houston, why aren’t the Bulls getting involved? They probably would if Stoudemire agreed to a contract extension worth $14-15 million per season. The Bulls don’t want to make the trade and then pony up $20 million per when Stoudemire becomes a free agent next year. They’d feel better paying Bosh that kind of money.

This is disturbing news, as Amare Stoudemire is the type of player that could really improve the Bulls and propel them to contender status. This is a player, who last year, in what critics are calling an AWFUL year, scored 21.4 points on 61.7 TS%. This is better than anyone one the Bulls.

The financial part is a little confusing as well. What does it matter if we are paying Amare Stoudemire $15 million or $20 million a year? If we make a trade for Amare, we aren’t going to have cap flexibility. We will have made a commitment to trying to win a championship with Rose, Amare, Deng, and hopefully Gordon too. The difference between $15 million and $20 million would have no bearing on the Bulls as far as building their team, but rather, just saving ownership some money.

It’s time for the ownership group to step up, and pay for a winner. That means making a trade for Amare if available, giving him a lucrative extension, and re-signing Ben Gordon.

According to Chad Ford of ESPN, it is unlikely that Amare Stoudemire will be traded to the Golden State Warriors.

Chad Ford: Just talked to a source inside the Warriors who said that an Amare Stoudemire deal with the Phoenix Suns was “way off, if it ever happens. It’s nowhere close to being done.”

Suns sources have said the same thing. While the two teams could continue to hammer it out, the Warriors say that they are keeping their No. 7 pick, Stephen Curry. Sorry Knicks fans.

I am not too surprised that these trade talks fell apart. Golden State was rumored to be offering way more than anyone else was being rumored to be offering. There were rumors that the Bulls and Suns pretty much agreed to a trade of Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha, and draft picks for Amare Stoudemire at the trade deadline, but Phoenix reportedly backed out at the last minute.

That package is a far cry from the Golden State package, which was rumored to feature Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, and the 7th pick, which became Stephen Curry.

I don’t think Amare Stoudemire would have ever agreed to a trade to Golden State either. He would get there, and there would be very little talent around him. They couldn’t make the playoffs in Phoenix with far more talent than what would be left in Golden State. Amare doesn’t have a no trade clause, but just him telling them through his agent that he doesn’t want to go to Golden State would probably have been enough to halt the trade. Would Golden State really want to give up Biedrins and Curry for a player who is likely to leave their team after just one season? It wasn’t going to happen.

Bulls fans can now go back to hoping and praying that the Bulls somehow strike a deal with the Suns for Amare Stoudemire.

Ric Bucher just talked about a potential trade between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors on ESPN.

The trade would include Amare Stoudemire being sent to the Golden State Warriors and Andris Biedrins, Marco Belinelli, and potentially the 7th pick going to Phoenix.

Amare has maintained that he would like to go to a contender and win a championship.  Golden State does not fit that criteria, especially if they’re giving away their only good defensive player in Biedrins.  Stoudemire could potentially put a stop to the trade if he says he doesn’t want to go to Golden State.  This may be why Don Nelson is downplaying the possibility of a trade.

If Amare does agree to go to Golden State, it’s hard to fault Paxson or Forman for not getting an Amare trade done, as Phoenix will have gotten a great package of talent and picks in exchange for Amare.

During a HoopsWorld Chat, Bill Ingram hinted that the Bulls would make a major move with one of their front court players.

Argie Grigorakos in Toronto, Ontario, Canada:
Hey Bill, Have you heard any rumours about the Bulls in regards to BG, the Draft, or Free Agency. Thanks.

Bill Ingram:
They’re set on bringing back BG, but expect to see a major move involving one of their front court guys. I can’t say more than that, but there will be a deal . . .think about what they almost did at the trade deadline.

The trade that Ingram stated was almost done at the trade deadline was a trade for Amare Stoudemire. The question with Amare is whether he will be healthy. Ingram keeps saying that Amare’s eye is in real bad condition. However, I would imagine that Amare is going to be fine. If the Bulls can get Amare Stoudemire now, they need to do it. It’s a risk that you have to take. Worst case scenario, Amare just ends up being a big expiring contract.

The other good news in this little chat is that the Bulls are set on bringing back Ben Gordon. Regardless of what else happens, it is essential that the Bulls bring back Ben Gordon.

So can the Bulls keep Ben Gordon and also go out and trade for Amare Stoudemire? That is a description of my dream offseason for the Bulls. Seems a little bit too good to be true.

Ben Gordon appeared on ESPN 1000 to discuss his future with Waddle and Silvy. Here is a recap of what was said in that interview.

• He just started training again.
• He is not hearing any whispers of where he will end up.  He’s not sure if the Bulls are interested.
• He didn’t have an exit interview with anyone in the Bulls’ front office.  Things were different this year.
• Ultimately everything goes through Jerry Reinsdorf, regardless of who is in the front office.  Those guys just represent Jerry’s wishes.
• Doesn’t have a relationship with Jerry Reinsdorf.  Sometimes talks to him about contract things.
• Last summer was drawn out and came to a stalemate.  On Ben’s end, he tried to work out some other options involving other teams, but that did not go over.  At the end, he went to the Bulls and said he would take the offer, and they told him it was no longer on the table.  That was last summer’s negotiations in a nutshell.  They had an offer, then when he decided to take it, they told him it was no longer there.
• People do business different ways.  In this business you can’t be surprised with what happens.  Just took this as a learning experience, and did what he had to do this season, and now he’s going to let the chips fall where they may.
• Has had a great time in Chicago.  It’s a great city and he loves the fans.  He had a wonderful time playing here and had a lot of fun.
• As far as his decision, he wants to win.  The primary objective is to win an NBA championship.  Obviously the money has a lot to do with it, but also it will have to do with who has the best team in place, to at least give himself a chance to win a championship.  He is going to try to get market value.  He wants what he’s worth.  A lot of different things could sway his decision.  Winning is his highest priority , and also the financial side for his security and family.  He will weigh those two things and go from there, making the best decision for himself.
• He would hope to see some players and draft picks turned into a Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire.  Two seasons ago, he felt they were just one piece away.  He is counting on the organization to step up and maybe spend extra money so they can get some players to help.
• Either Bosh or Stoudemire would be a major upgrade in the front court, no disrspect to any of they guys they have now.
• He is not interested in playing in Europe.  He will play in the NBA next season.
• He will participate in a Bulls-Sox Academy event.  He is participating to support the kids.
• For the younger group, he tries to stress the fundamentals to them.  With the older group, he can get a little more in depth as far as different moves and adding stuff to their games.

You can listen to the interview online here.

John Gambadoro wrote on Ktar.com, that Amare Stoudemire will be dealt this offseason.

It’s no secret that the Celtics like Stoudemire, they are one of about 10 teams that have shown interest in the power forward. And it’s no secret that the Suns will be shopping Stoudemire hard once the NBA Finals are over.

The Suns have no intention of giving Stoudemire a contract extension of which he is eligible for this summer and they certainly don’t want to let him walk after next season when he has the right to opt out of his current contract. So Stoudemire will be dealt and there will be some good deals on the table to give STAT a new address. The Celtics will show interest and could put together some enticing packages. But it is unlikely that Stoudemire will be wearing green next year.

Time for the Bulls to put their best offer forward, and try to get something done by draft day. Derrick Rose is assumed untouchable. Ben Gordon cannot be traded on draft night. A core of Rose, Gordon, and Stoudemire should be a core that is able to contend for a championship.

If the Suns want Luol Deng, let them have him. If they want Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah too, in addition to our draft picks, let them have that. This is because even with trading all that, the Bulls will still have a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, John Salmons, Amare Stoudemire, and Brad Miller. They would still have Kirk Hinrich off the bench. The Bulls would have the MLE and LLE to get some help on the bench. A player like Rasheed Wallace, who could be had for the MLE, would be a good complement to our front court.

Even with a trade, such as the one listed above, the Bulls should be able to put the right role players around their three man core, as long as they’re willing to spend a little money.