The Bulls are looking at Derrick Rose and they know that even if he makes it through one or two seasons with healthy knees, they probably won't get many more years from the oft injured superstar.
Every step he takes is like time slipping off a clock, ticking toward the end of any kind of championship timeframe they may have.
They have to do something this offseason to give this team a chance to win soon.
The want to line Carmelo Anthony up next to Rose, according to The Chicago Sun Times, and they are not interested in getting the next best thing, like they did in 2010 when they ended up with Carlos Boozer, and Lebron James went to Miami.
This season, as the minutes tick by on Chicago's championship lifeclock, the choice free agents who are most likely to move are Anthony, Kevin Love and possibly Lebron James, if he opts out of his deal.
Picking a next best thing in that bunch may be hard to do, so the Bulls just need to pick who they like best and go for it.
The Sun Times article points out that rumors in Chicago have Rose as the only untouchable player on the Bulls roster to make a trade work, and that Carmelo Anthony is their "plan A" trade target. To make a deal like that go, it will take a little more than amnestying the contract of Carlos Boozer, which they have long been reportedly on track to doing.
Instead of putting up Taj Gibson, or even Joakim Noah to make a deal with the Knicks go, what might be a better option for Chicago both monetarily, and in terms of keeping current assets, is to negotiate either a trade for someone on contract that's willing to re-sign next year like Kevin Love, or working a sign-and-trade with a player who is going to become a free agent.
For the Bulls, the dilemma is knowing how much potential Rose has, and knowing what they have the ability to do, even if for just a short while. They have already put a lot in making that dream a reality, so don't expect them to stop now.
Look for Chicago's front office to pull out all the stops this offseason.
