The Bulls just signed Ben Wallace for 4 years, $52 million, giving them the presense they lacked in the middle. While they should be vastly improved, I'm not sure this was the move they needed to make.
It does take a big cog away from Detroit, tho, which can't hurt....
Another question: How does Wallace gel with the young Bulls team?

He doesn't.I'm predicting problems,already.(He is not worth $60,000,000.00) I'm beginning to think the Bulls are owned by the same guy who owns the Knicks.

[ July 04, 2006, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: eddiec. ]

Sour grapes, eh Eddie?

I think Ben will be a terrific addition...for the first two years. Chicago's already a defense-oriented team, so he'll fit right in. But I think as Ben gets into his mid-thirties he's going to slow down a lot, and he doesn't exactly have skills to fall back on like some aging big men. The 3rd and 4th years of his contract are when the Bulls might have second thoughts.

The Pistons, on the other hand, are cooked, at least unless they can swindle Sacto in a sign and trade for Bonzi Wells, or some similar deal.

not sour grapes,I think I fell off the Piston's and Red Wing's bandwagon after some tremendously disappointing playoffs last season.It will certainly be an interesting season coming up!

Eddiec, Larry's right. Ben Wallace is a perfect fit for the Bulls. He's a strong defender, a strong rebounder, very tough on the blocks, can run even at his age, and works as good as anyone, if not better, one-on-one against Shaq. We all know the road to an NBA championship must go through Miami.

I love everything the Bulls have done recently, especially Tyrus Thomas, Ben Wallace, and Sofolosha. I predict the Bulls will displace Detroit as the defensive jauggernaut of the East. And I would be shocked if they didn't win the East next season. Except for Miami, who's going to stop them? Cleveland is a one man team. After losing Wallace, the Pistons are done (Mohammed can't replace Wallace). It's definitely all about the Bulls next season.

By the way, please use your Chicago influence to reverse the upcoming Bulls-Hornets Tyson Chandler for J.R. Smith/P.J. Brown trade. I don't like J.R. or P.J. (J.R. is another Kenyon Martin and P.J., who is comparably thin, is just worn down from having to play the center position), but both of them shoot better than Chandler. I've seen that guy miss five-foot jump shots. This trade must be about getting rid of unhappy players and/or money. Something is not right here. J.R. Smith AND P.J. Brown for Tyson Chandler. That's one-sided; Chandler's not worth both. So there has to be something else going on here. Guess we'll find out next week. Anyway, except for this move, both Chicago and the Hornets did everything right in the off-season.

[ July 04, 2006, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

I don't understand the Chandler for PJ and JR rumor either. Maybe Chicago thinks it needs some initials (think MJ ) to win a championship.

Brown has been a trooper, but he's over the hill. He's not a great low post scorer, which is the only thing the Bulls really need at this point. And JR is an attitude problem waiting to happen (or not even waiting).

A lot of people seem to think Chandler still has great potential. (To me, he's got health and work ethic concerns -- asthma and what seems like laziness.) Because of that, I think Chicago could have gotten more for him. But apparently they like Brown's expiring contract, which will help them with cap room when it comes to re-signing their young players.

The other rumor is Chandler for Al Harrington (plus spare parts), which makes more sense to me.

Larry, the Bulls/Hornet Tyson Chandler for J.R. Smith/P.J. Brown trade is no rumor. It's ben reported here for almost a week. I think it's for real and I think it will happen. I checked the salaries. The Bulls pay Tyson Chandler $9M/yr and the Hornets pay P.J. brown $8/yr and J.R.Smith about 1.3M/yr. Financially, that's equitable enough to insure league approval. My problem is this: I KNOW P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith are better players than Tyson Chandler (check the stats), so I wouldn't make the deal for that reason alone. So, you must be right. Da Bulls need financial liquidity and cap room so they are dumping Chandler and his extended contract in favor of P.J. Brown and his expiring contract. What other reason can there be? Anyway, the Bulls got the better of us on this deal. P.J. Brown is a better back-up center even at his age than Chandler will ever be. I have no idea WTF they will do with J.R. Smith. Dude aint nothin but trouble.

[ July 05, 2006, 03:48 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

Sounds like it's a done deal now.

Maybe the Bulls can trade J.R. Smith to the Knicks -- he would fit right in.

Yeap. He would. I read an article today by a Chicago sports journalist who seems to think that the Bulls are one player short of a championship. He seems to think that the one player is Kevin Garnett. What would the Bulls be willing to give up to get Garnett, besides future draft picks, I mean? Plus, they can only offer up one first round draft pick every other year and a limited amount of money. Seems like it would take more than that; some Bull players would also need to be involved in the trade. And wouldn't signing Garnett bust the hell out of Chicago's recently bloated salary cap and land them in luxury tax hell? And here's an even bigger question. Why the hell would any suit trade Kevin Garnett? He'd get run out of town on a rail. I can understand trading Iverson; he's selfish, a misogynist, a homophobe, and is running over with attitude. But none of those things apply to Garnett. He's a good guy, a team player, is coachable, is likeable and popular, is exciting to watch, and one can throw down with the best of them. Why trade him?

[ July 06, 2006, 10:20 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

The Bulls had to trade Chandler's contract to be able to get Wallace and keep their younger players in the future.
I know all the papers are writing that there is one more big trade coming, but I would be surprised if Paxson stirred things up too much more. I would think Skiles would be really happy to have 8 guys who can split up the time and play an intense, defensive-minded 48 minutes every game. I could see 1 or 2 of the bit players being moved around like Malik Allen, Othella Harrington, or Michael Sweetney (though I hope they keep Sweetney), But I would guess they keep the core of Nocioni, Deng, Gordon, Hinrich and Duhon.

Thomas, I think all the Garnett trade rumors are just wishful thinking. Just because you're team is going nowhere, doesn't mean you trade one of the best players in the NBA. You'd have to get someone like LeBron or Dwyane Wade in return, and that ain't happening.

Larry: I am not buying the Kevin Garnett trade rumor either. I suppose the Bulls could get him though a sign-and-trade after he becomes a free agent (if the Bulls could come up with a package that interested the TWolves). Plus, I think KG would have to agree to the trade. Failing this, the Bulls will just have to wait until he becomes a free agent and fight it out with twenty other teams in the league for his services. Plus, even if they did acquire him through some Portland-draft-day-ingenuity, that $18m/yr salary would bury the Bulls financially for years to come.

BrianK: Regarding your concern over the Bulls starting line-up for next season. I think it's obvious to everybody that Big Ben will get the start at center with Schenser and P.J. Brown as back-ups. That's why the Bulls waived Harrington to day. His services were no longer needed. I feel bad for Othella. I watched him play as a privateer with the University of New Orleans. He's a good guy. I also watched Randy Livingston play when he was with the LSU Tigers. Although hurt most of the time, Randy's one smart X/O's basketball player.

Nocioni and Deng aren't going anywhere. They are both excellent shooters and both are very popular with the public. Deng is also a good defender. Plus, with both Big Ben and Tyrus Thomas saddled with limited range on their jump shots, you will need the outside shots from your SF/SG/PGs to prevent Big Ben from being double teamed. I have no idea what you're going to do with Big Ben at the end of the game, since he can't shoot free throws.

I suspect Sweetney will be moved very soon. His services are no longer needed. You already have Songalia, Allen, and now Tyrus Thomas. Sweetney is expendable and can be used as lagniappe (French for "something to sweeten the deal"), as we say down home, in a trade. Or, he will be waived.

With the addition of Khryapa and J.R. Smith, you have a log jam at SG (I assume Piatkowski will also play SG as this is his best position and he can't defend very well, but, how much playing time will he get when he comes up against the Eastern Division's more talented SF/SG/PG; A. Iverson, D. Wade, and LeBron James?). Only physically gifted defenders with lightening quick hands and feet and jumping ability (Sefolosha, Deng, or Khryapa) need even apply for that job. So these three guys will hold down the defensive end at this position; especially in the BIG Games. This means that one of your guards is now expendable. I would guess that Ben Gordon will be moved or waived very soon.

Nothing is likely to happen with your point guards. Hinrick, Livingston, and Pargo will probably stay. They don't have anybody elese to play that position, even though Hinrich can play both guard positions effectively. That still leaves Duhon borderline expendable as well. Tough choices will have to be made. But these are my thoughts on the Bulls starting line-up for next season. But I do hope you get your wish.

[ July 07, 2006, 06:20 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

I don't think they will trade Gordon, and he certainly won't be waived. Piatkowski is already gone (I can't remember what team he signed with) and Songaila I believe is a restricted free agent and it will be easy for another team to come in and price him out of the Bulls range.
Gordon becomes the sharp shooter that is needed for Wallace's presence underneath to work. I know few would consider Wallace an offensive threat, but the Bulls will try to use him in that situation more than the Pistons. I agree with you, Thomas, that Wallace's free throw talents could cost the Bulls at the end of games, but if they have PJ and Sweetney to sub in during close games during offense/defense switches it could help.

Piatkowski signed with Phoenix. I hope they got him real cheap, because his best days (such as they were) are way way behind him.

I agree with Thomas that Sweetney is expendable. He hardly played last year, and he's a foul-a-second when he does play. The sad thing is that if he could get his fat butt in shape, he could be a low post scoring demon.

BrianK: I did some checking. Here's what I came up with. Chandler's gone. We all agree (and I assume that you do too) that Big Ben will assume the starting center position, with P.J. Brown as primary back-up. Back-up center, Luke Schenscher, is a restricted free agent, and Sweetney is under contract for two more years. The Bulls won't keep four centers. Although we have to see how Schenscher's offer sheet plays out, you and I both know he's not going to get much over the league minimum. Why would he? But Sweetney, on the other hand, made $2.1M this year, is set to make $2.7M for 2006-2007 and $3.7M in the 2007-2008 season.

If the Bulls want, they can keep Schenscher by matching whatever offer he gets, trade Sweetney (if they can), and free up salary cap space. But here again, you'll have to defer to Larry or Ms De Blazer, because I don't know the rules regarding rookie-related trades and waivers, but I know that they have some built-in protections that veterans do not have.

Let's face it. Uness Big Ben or P.J. Brown gets hurt, neither Schenscher nor Sweetney will ever see much of the court next season. Plus, Larry's right. Sweetney is way too fat, so is inconsistent and unable to provide sustained relief minutes, and, Schenscher is a huge defensive and offensive liability; just not very good. I have not seen either play very much, except for the playoffs against the Heat, and Sweetney had his moments, but if you were Skiles and Pax, and you had to decide between the two, who would you let go? Answer: the one with highest fiancial obligation; Sweetney, of course. I say his days as a Bull are numbered.

As for your power forwards. The Bulls exercised their option on Malik Allen, so he'll be back with the team and make around $1.7M next year. Songalia rejected his option with the Bulls for next season, so unless and until he and the Bulls come to a new financial agreement, he's out of there. Personally (again, because I'm jaded), I think it's either a planned collusion between the Bulls and Songalia to free up cap space and they will re-sign him later; e.g., to a minimum amount or one-year contract (so as to get round the cap), or, Songalia declined his option to force the Bulls' hand in new salary negotiations. Songalia made a very bad move if you ask me. What's his value on the open market? What leverage does he really have? The Bulls don't need him any more, but he sure as hell needs them. So, that leaves Tyrus Thomas, Allen, and maybe Songalia as PFs.

Not much point discussing the small forward position. That belongs to Nocioni, with Khryapa and Deng as your swingmen. Plus, there are no trade or salary debates involved here.

No point discussing the point guard position either. That belongs to Hinrich and Duhon. My apologies to you BrianK, I was wrong to disparage Duhon. Sometimes the stat sheets don't tell the whole story. Although he does not score often or rebound much, Chicago sports analysts are very high on this guy. To a man, they say that he sets up his teammates very well in both open and half court, is a team leader, and runs the offense with intelligence. In short, he was one of the reasons for the Bulls success this year, and, will probably produce similar results next year. Both Pargo and Randy Livingston are unrestricted free agents, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulls did not re-sign either. Even though a third PG is needed, you have so many shooting guards on the roster, one of them can play this position, making both Pargo and Livingston expendable.

Finally, your shooting guards. J.R. Smith won't be discussed here because he makes me sick. If you're smart, you'll trade him too. I guarantee he'll having you feeling the same way next season with all his bitching and moaning about playing time. That leaves Gordon, Sefolosha, and Basden as candidates, with Hinrch and Deng acting as SF/SG swingmen. Again, I apologize to you. I was wrong. Gordon should not be traded or waived; in fact, he should be retained at all cost. You can't trade Sefolosha; he's a draft pick. Right? You'd be silly to trade Hinrich or Deng, and, Basden has no trade value at all. But Gordon, on the other hand, would fit very nicely into any trade package. He's got real value. If one day in the future, the Bulls acquire another shooting guard, I would not be surprsied to hear that he was on the trading block. But, certainly not now. The Bull seem determined to make a real run at an NBA championship next season. And they need Gordon to make that happen.

OK. I did my homework. Ate my crow. Now we're cool.

Larry: It's not nice to insult heavy eaters. You just might become his next meal, bro. But, yeap; he's definitely way too fat and slow. I definitely don't feel the same love for Sweetney that BrianK does, but I don't live there. Maybe he's a fun guy, a media darling, or a great humanitarian, or something.

[ July 08, 2006, 08:44 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

Well, having gained about 5 or 10 pounds in the past few years, I have some sympathy for heavy eaters. But heck, the guy's more than 20 years younger than me, and I'm not paid $3m per to stay in shape. (Sadly, I'm not paid $3m per to do anything!)

Well, Larry, if you had any semblance of basketball skill; if you utilized those superior skills sparingly, like every blue moon; if you were egostistical, selfish, and incapable of listening to your coach; if you had no team spirit or self-pride; and didn't care about winning, you could play for the Knicks. You can learn to do all of the things above, right? Once you've mastered those skills, all you need to do is arrange a meeting with Isiah and you can start for the Knicks. Your salary would be a hell of a lot higher than $3M/yr because Isiah and Dolan never make decisions based on talent, and they would have to hang their collective heads in shame if it ever got out they worked a deal for a paltry $3M/year.

About Chicago losing Piatkowski to the Suns. That's a match made in heaven. Neither he nor the Suns play defense. I never understood why a defensive minded team like the Bulls would even want Piatkowski. I stand by my prediction that the Bulls will be in the Eastern Conference play-off next season, but, D. Wade and the Heat might slam the door on them and stop them from going all the way.

[ July 09, 2006, 06:51 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

BrianK: Come Back. We need your local expertise on the Bulls. They are THE team to beat in the East next season, and, we want the inside scoop. Please keep us informed.

I don't know yet if they are the team to beat, but they should be in contention. Wallace is a nice grab for them, but they also have a lot of good young talent that got another year older, and PJ Brown, I think is a great pick up. He is getting pretty old in NBA years, but he still commands respect on the court.
I am not in love with Sweetney, I just think he would still fit well. I think he is only making $2.7, and if that is correct it is a little more than Piatkowski just signed for. He is a good guy to come in when you need to sit Wallace and not have the opposing team feel like they are getting a break. You can put Brown and Sweetney out there at the same time and that would be a nice team out there when they need to give others a rest. If he could ever play up to his potential he could be the offensive threat the Bulls need underneath, but I don't think he will ever live up to that, so he will always be a 2nd/3rd string big guy off the bench.
I don't know enough about JR Smith, so I will take your heated opinion to mean something. I have not learned enough about Thabo from Switzerland to know when he will be able to play good NBA minutes. If he can take that position this year there won't be any room for JR and he could be moved before the season begins.

I don't know BrianK. If I were going to spell Big Ben, and send both PJ Brown and Sweetney into the game at the same time, seems like you would have to put Sweetney at center (as you suggested) and PJ Brown at Power Forward. Why? PJ is smarter than Sweetney and playing power forward comes natural to him. Plus, like Larry said, Sweetney is definitely not agile enough to defend some of the league's premier forwards like Duncan and Nowitzski, and you're probably going to have to go through either the Spurs or Mavs to claim an NBA title. So, if you're going to have them on the floor at the same time, which I doubt, I would agree with you that sweetney should play center. But here's a better alternative. If the Bulls are actually planning a big front line next season, and they should because both Tyrus Thomas and Big Ben are not only strong defensively but are also agile and quick enough to run the floor (something the Bulls coach has stated as a goal for next season), then they should actually start Big Ben at center, PJ Brown/Tyrus Thomas at Power forward, and Nociconi at small forward. I wouldn't put Sweetney in unless somebody got hurt or the game was already decided. The Bulls have both superb defensive and offensive talent at the point and shooting guards positions.

Just curious. You really don't think that the Bulls are the team to beat in the East next year? Because, if you don't, I'd really like to know who, except for the Heat, is going to stop them. And why. Who else is there? Lebron can't win seven games all by himself, even if he is the closest thing we have to a Superman. And Detroit, without Big Ben, is finsihed. They are too old to grind out wins against the East's younger and quicker teams (Bulls and Heat) and that stagnant style that served them so well in years past is now gone forever. The game is quicker and faster now, even in the East. If you don't have a versatile, creative, and go-to superstar at the end of the game, you won't win it. Except for a slower, older, and physically compromised Rasheed Wallace, the Pistons have no superstar or go to guy. Without Big Ben, they won't even be able to rebound. The Pistons are dead men walking. Brian, I'm telling you,, man, the Bulls and Heat will own the East next year. There will be big doings in Chicago this season. You might even get a victory parade.


Larry, I can't help but notice your silence on my Knicks proposal. I assume then that you won't be signing any deals with them? Or, have we taken a mortorium on insulting the Knicks, Isiah and Dolan? Please say no. I haven't had the opportunity to poke this much fun at an NBA team in years. Plus, they deserve it.

[ July 11, 2006, 05:02 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

Thomas, it will always be open season on Isiah/Dolan & Co., even long after they are all gone. I'm sure they can find some place for me in the lineup -- a 5'10", 155 pound white guy who can't jump, and whose best game is post-up under the basket. (Although I do have an incredibly ugly but sometimes effective running hook shot.)

As for the East: I still think Miami is the team to beat. Assuming the Pistons could somehow pick up Bonzi Wells, and he plays like he did against San Antonio instead of reverting to his old head case self, Detroit could still factor into the mix (not otherwise).

As for Chicago's starting lineup: I don't think they can play both Wallace and Tyrus Thomas at the same time for very long. Neither has a semblance of an offensive game, so it would be like 3 on 5 when Chicago has the ball (although they would get a lot of rebounds). Tyrus (unlike Wallace) may develop an offensive game, but it won't be this year.

[ July 11, 2006, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: LarryC ]

I think the Bulls defense will be absolutely awesome. But there offensive hole is still gaping. I think many things will need to occur for the Bulls to step ahead of Miami, Detroit and even some of the other competition in the Central.
Can PJ Brown keep some of his offensive prowess? Can Tyrus Thomas develop an NBA offensive presence (I have a hard time believing he will this year). Are they really going to allow Wallace to touch the ball on offense as they promised him, and will he actually be able to do anything with it? Will Thabo be able to step up in his first year in the NBA (or US) and be that big guard the Bulls need at critical moments on defense? Will they be able to fit all these new pieces into an already extended rotation and have it gel?
Skiles needs to find a way to open things up underneath so Nocioni and Deng can get more oppotunities without them having to step out to the perimeter. If they can do that it will open up the lane for Hinrich and deep shot for Gordon. This may be able to create enough of an offense so they can win with their defense. I think the Bulls are still a year away, but it sure will be fun watching them try to put it together this year.

While I think Miami will be tough again next year, they don't strike me as being a team that is strong enough to repeat. They were very inconsistant all year long, and looked horrible in the first round against the Bulls. Shaq's knees are getting worse, and you cannot count on him to play every night. Zo will most likely be gone, so there goes your backup center. They will have to make some moves in the off season to remain at the top. By this time next year, the local press will be talking about rebuilding around Wade....

Yo know something. You guys might be right. There does not seem to be a lot of offensive weapons on the Bull roster right now. But this might not keep them from winning the East next year.

Larry and BrianK. Larry, I'm glad to know I can still rag on Isiah and the financially crippled Knicks. I don't know if I could get thru the day without at least one dig at Isiah and Dolan. But as bad as they are, the Knicks are still in a better financial position right now than the Hawks. They can't sign anybody. And you might be a little too harsh on Tyrus Thomas. He owns a decent five-ten foot jump shot and is a much better shooter than Big Ben. And when old P.J. is on, he's got a very reliable 10-15 foot jumper. And if things get too sticky, the Bulls can send in J.R. Smith. He won't hesitant; he's shoots everything that comes his way, and still wants more.

Briank: I don' think the Bulls had all that much trouble scoring last season. Nocioni, Hinrich, and Gordon provided plenty of offense. They just didn't have anybody to check LeBron and D. Wade defensively. Perhaps they still don't (as you will find out, J.R. Smith doesn't DO defense), but Sefolosha and Khryapa are big strong defenders, so, along with Deng and Nocioni, the Bulls' perimeter defense is a lot better now than it was last year. You don't have to have scoring from the center position. The Spurs, Suns, and Mavs do just fine without it.

MiamiSpartanfan: If you really want to cement your chances of winning another championship next season, you guys should find a way to keep Zo. Dude is a stud!@ And he looks to be in better shape than Shaq is right now. D. Wade is, of course, the biggest STUD in the league right now. He's on a different planet.

[ July 12, 2006, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

I know Thomas won't like this -- probably the most scathing appraisal of Ben Wallace I've read to date, and Eddie Johnson doesn't even discuss the fact that Wallace is declining with age. Personally, I think it's way too negative, but there's definitely a grain of truth in it.

Wallace

Wallace [/qb][/QUOTE] Larry, I won't bash Eddie Johnson for having an opinion. He's entitled to it, as are we all. And I won't even argue with 75% of what he said because I agree with him. Big Ben can't shoot beyond five feet; that's not exactly news. And he is not a terrific post player. DUH! And can't shoot free throws? Stop the press! DUH! But I certainly do not agree that Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, and Chauncey Billips is a better back court than Nocioni, Hinrich, and Gordon. They are pretty even if you ask me. And I'll guarantee that had Hinrich, Gordon, and Nocioni been playing in games four and five against the Heat, against that same perimeter defense, those three would have drained some of those critical wide open shots the Pistons missed and/or choked away. Why? Because I do believe the Bulls perimeter shooters are just as good as the Pistons.

As for Eddie's hypothesis that Tyrus Thomas won't be able to defend the post as well as Rasheed Wallace. That's bullshit. Or, as my dad used to say, bullshit in shallow water (meaning the argument is easily diluted). If Eddie Johnson had the privilege to watch Tyrus Thomas as often as I did, he would know better. Tyrus can out-jump; out-block; out-run; out-rebound; and out-defend Rasheed Wallace any day of the week. And the challenge would be so one-sided, in favor of Tyrus Thomas they would have to invent a mercy rule to stop it.

So except for those two things, I agree with Eddie Johnson's article. Maybe you were right, Larry. Perhaps that article did get my dander some. But I won't allow him to disparage Tyrus Thomas like that and not call him on it. He's wrong. Sorry if this sounds like a rant. You're getting to know me pretty well, dude.

[ July 17, 2006, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

all of that for only $60,000.00.Wow!

Thomas, I think Nocioni (who was frighteningly good against Miami in the playoffs), Gordon and Hinrich still need a little seasoning. Hinrich's shooting percentage isn't very good, and Gordon is streaky. But these guys are definitely going places.

As for Tyrus's defense -- you really think he's going to be a monster in his rookie year? Defense takes time to learn in the pro's, no matter how physically gifted you are. Also, as you know, rookies get abused by the refs, so all the calls are going to go against him.

Don't get me wrong -- I think all of those players have tremendous potential. They are just not there quite yet.

I don't know, Larry. Maybe I am alone in all this. You're probably right. It does take time to adjust to the NBA. But, because of that critical age gap, I still see Tyrus Thomas contributing more to the Bulls over the next three seasons than Wallace will to the Pistons.

Also, I read today that the Bulls traded J.R. Smith to the Nuggets for Howard Eisley and two second round 2007 draft picks. Huh? J.R. Smith might be spoiled and gun-happy, but the Nuggets definitely go the better end of this deal. Howard was always a smart and intellignet basketball player, but never had the necessary ball handling skills or penetrating ability that some of the other PGs in the Western conference had. He did fit perfectly in the Utah Jazz boring half-court, pick-and-roll Malone-Stockton offense that served as a sleeping pill for everybody not living in Utah. I think this is the same Howard Eisley that played with the Jazz. Right?

The Bulls reportedly needed to free up money to sign Mavs free agent, Griffin. Apparently, the Bulls feel that Griffin, a role player all his life, can serve as mentor to the talented young bevy of defenders the Bulls drafted/acruired this off-season.

For a team reportedly worried about offensive output, why trade away J.R. Smith, a kid who, even if he is very selfiish, can light it up anywhere and anytime, for an everyday role player averaging an anemic 4 points per game? Ah, the wonder of the defensive-minded Chicago front office! They are determined to win with defense; that's obvious to everyone. But I still sense some Griffin-Should_Retire_In_Chicago sentiment in this trade. J.R. is a handful, but this trade just doesn't make any sense. Griffin does nothing to address Chicago's search for offensive help. On a positive note, J.R. told the Denver press the following: "The Denver fans will love me". He loves himself soooo much. Some things just never change. I'll wager his team mates will learn about him soon enough, once he fires up one too many shots in critical situations and starts ignoring and bad-mouthing the Denver coaching staff. That's the real J.R. Smith.

[ July 18, 2006, 09:00 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

That trade makes no sense to me either. I'm sure it is the same Eisley, and since his time with the Jazz he has been bouncing around various teams like an old ping pong ball. In fact, I didn't even realize he was still in the league!

Larry, an "old ping pong ball"? Funny. And ironic. You do realize that J.R. Smith is only 23 years old, and, that the Bulls, in effect, engineered the J.R. Smith trade to free up money to sign Griffin, who is nearly 40 years old. Now, who's the "old ping pong ball'? Eisley? Griffin? Both? What a dumb trade! Eisley will most likely be waived after July 31st, or released as soon as possible. But maybe not. The Bulls shirts seem to think that senior leadership is very important on a team with so many youngsters.

[ July 20, 2006, 12:03 AM: Message edited by: Thomas ]