Can the Bulls Win a Title With Kobe Bryant?

This is the question posed by Sam Smith today, notorious rumor monger, and longtime columnist for the Chicago Tribune. With Lakers team owner Jerry Buss having reopened the nasty can of worms last week with his his comments, the Kobe-to-the-Bulls trade talk has once again started up. Since this will probably not stop anytime soon, what do you say we join in the fun and play along?

Figure this is what it takes to get Kobe Bryant from the Lakers: Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, a first-round draft pick and either Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah.

That would leave the Bulls with a starting lineup of something like Bryant, Ben Gordon, Andres Nocioni, Ben Wallace and Noah/Thomas/Joe Smith.

Is this a title team? Let's take a closer look.

Yes, Bryant is a transcendent talent, and Ben Wallace is still arguably the best low-post defender in the Association, and sure, Scott Skiles can coach. That Bulls team, however, will not topple the NBA's giants: Phoenix, Dallas (be nice!), and San Antonio. And a trip to the Finals is no sure thing either; the East still has Detroit, Cleveland, and a suddenly-relevant Boston.

Continued after the jump...

If you're the Bulls, though, and Bryant is available within the next couple of years (as Jerry Buss would have you believe), you sort of have to pull the trigger on the deal, don't you? I say yes. The Bulls, sans Kobe, are a nicely built team with a bright future; what they're not though, is a serious title contender. It'd be a shame to lose out on Luol Deng and the freakish Ty Thomas, but if you can get Number 24 in return, that's a gamble worth taking.

Bryant automatically legitimizes Chicago's title chances and makes them the League's most intriguing team: Packed stadiums wherever they play, more national TV appearances, higher jersey sales, and increased interest in the team as Kobe tries to take over Michael's town.

As Sam Smith points out, you need a Hall of Fame talent to win a championship in the NBA. I'm not saying the Bulls would start getting their ring fingers sized as soon as Kobe touched down at O'Hare, but (with a couple more pieces; a dead-eye long distance shooter for example) they would have a real shot at some jewelery over the next half decade or so.