Full Court Press

yeah i say that it didn't work out AND it did work out. It kindof canceled out, but has a possibility of being a great move depending on what becomes of that 1st round pick. Even not dealing Davis would ahve helped the Bulls chances of going to the second round if not the eastern conference finals. They traded their two biggest bodies and it almost (if not for their recent winning streak) had the bulls having a hugely horrible and dissappointing season. Overall i think Eddy Curry still has a shot becoming more in the league, at least moreso than buddy chandler.

the Bulls could have made the playoffs with Eddy Curry also .the Bulls just look for reasons to show up the players at times i.e.Michael,scottie Pippen.sometimes chicago sports teams show no love to their players and the players can feel that,they are just afraid to say it for fear of retribution.Eddy is still averaging 14 pts. on a terrible knicks team,and thomas has fit in with his new team.The bad karma started with the dismantaling of the championship quality teams that Micheal and Scottie were on ,who knows how many Championships the bulls could have won?still I wish the team best of luck in playoffs.

Roman responds: The problem was Paxson wasn't made the GM sooner. NO WAY he trades Elton Brand for Chandler. NO WAY he doesn't sign Jermaine O'Neal to a four-year deal in '99, which Krause could have done. The only players who don't like Paxson are Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, Jalen Rose and Tim Thomas. Combined, they have zero championships.

Brilliant trade. Andres Nocioni has more double-doubles this year than Curry. The Bulls have the cap room and the resources to make a trade that brings in a star-quality player to mesh with plenty of remaining excellent pieces. Even if they use the first-round pick on one of the raw college bigs and build around what they have (and maybe a Free Agent like Harrington), you can see in Luol Deng the makings of a special player who can, in time, lead the Bulls to the promised land.

Not only do the Bulls get NY's pick this year, but they also have the option of swapping first round picks next year with NY. Paxson is making the most out of Krause's worst (out of many) first round picks. The only world class talent Curry has is his legenday late night fast food excapades. He is, and always will be, a fat, lazy, collasal waste of talent.

Ahhh! Buddy Chandler. I caught his act in Vegas!
Quick with the jokes and he sings many of the classics!
As for the Bulls, for years Jerry Krause preached you have to get real bad before you get real good!
I always thought that was a lot of BULL!
Right now , Mr. Paxson is having his cake (playoffs) and eating it ,too (possible top pick)!

Al Harrington? Why don't we start making the championship parade plans right now? No one can overpay for mildly talented free agents like Paxson(Tyson Chandler) The Free agent and draft classes are mediocre at best, let's see if John Paxson can make a deal this summer that turns the Bulls into an elite team. I am not going to do backflips over the trade, until we see what Paxson gets in the draft in return.

Curry was no loss. Salary cap space a big gain. Allen and Songaila great pickups by Paxson. With the key 8 or 9 players + two in the draft and one big free agent, we are set for the future. Yea Pax

You forgot to add the option of switching picks with NY next year, which could be very valuable based on how bad the Knicks are and probably will be in 2007. Despite Paxson being forced to trade Curry due to health concerns, he did an excellent job, which was apparent, at least to knowledgable fans, at the time of the deal. Thank you Isiah!

High school players that may or may not pan out is not my idea of a 1st round draft pick, and 3 years later they are still using the 'p' word (potential) to describe the sob. Trading away a first round pick that should never have been a first round pick for a possible No.1 pick has to be a good idea. If Thomas didnt have his head up his you know what it could have been the trade of the decade!

I dont know if this will work out for the Bulls, this years draft is weak, I think they should trade the pick or some picks and try to land Garnett and sign Harrington. Take your loss with Chandler and cut him, he is not worth the money. i think the Bulls are heading in the right direction, but have along way to catching Detroit and the top 5 teams in the West

I dont think that the trade was a good deal for either team. Yeah the bulls made the playoffs this year, but they made them last year also. We have to rememeber that the bulls lost to the wizards w/o Curry and Deng. Last year, with Curry and Deng, we sweep the wizards. Also, because of injury, the heat didnt play Shaq the first 2 games of theat second round series. A healthy Curry, Deng and Tony Davis in a seven game series versus the heat w/o Shaq for two games would have put the bulls in the eastern conference finals.

We went from a team with eastern conference finals potential to one that is now a 500ish team that squeaks into the playoffs.

The trade of Curry gives us financial flexibility and a big pick but I am not sold. The bulls need a big and a play making shooting guard. If the bulls land LaMarcus Aldridge and Adam Morrison
in the draft and sign Al Harrington and Joel Pryzbilla in free agency they put themselves back in contention for the East without the superstars that are prevalent with Detroit, Miami, New Jersey and Cleveland. Orlando and Charlotte have emerging stars and unless we can pull the trigger on a huge trade we will be a eat playoff team in purgatory.

We forget to that we were very close to being shipped to the Western Conference after Vancouver moved. With the instability in Seattle and Portland we can be in the west very soon. The Hornets are going to go back to N.O. and either SEA or Port are going to land OKC. That means someone is going to land in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area that almost got the Hornets a few years ago. That means the BUlls would be in the west.

My solution is to offer Deng, Chandler, and our pick #14 for Paul Pierce. Then draft Aldridge, and offer the Max to Chris Bosh and hope Toronto doesnt match. If they match then Harrington.

Al Harrington another high school entry? Oh, and don't forget his good friend Jermaine O'Neal another high school draftee. Have you seen Harrington play defense? I have not yet. Tim Thomas gets 13 million for staying home. I made 2 million in 30 years of hard work. This sportsworld is screwed up or maybe it is just us fans enabling this economic insaneness!

John Paxson has done a masterful job at staying true to himself. He is as tough as his coach and his team is showing the same qualities. Curry has never been tough even going back to high school. I remember Schaumburg exposing him for being just a big kid with no heart on the boards and on defense. We are now 4 years in and he still can score but play no defense. Worse, he seems to not care at all. Tyson may not ever develop an offensive game but at least he cares about defense and rebounding. The Bulls have enough scorers. I only wish Antonio Davis comes back next year to provide interior toughness to what will no doubt be one of the elite squads in the East. I think Gordon has arrived and Kirk has played a great season. A healthy Luol Deng gives us a star on the wing and Nocioni is the kind of hustle player teams need to be great. We are one inside guy from being very good for a long time. Go Bulls!

Its amazing how much praise goes to a team that has a chance of being a fifth seed this season. It is also amazing that people have forgotten that this team is barely .500. Last years Bullish squad was way better than this group of college hustle overachievers. Look for them to fizzle out in the first round. A team that wins 50% of its games and has a shot at a 5th seed gets no love from me. AND QUIT BASHING EDDY CURRY because he didn't want to submit to some freakin DNA test. There IS a reason the bulls won more games than this year. I hope you all don't think draft picks are gonna make this team a 50 win team again. There is a thing called successful transition, and don't be surprised when the great JOHN PAXSON ships off some "beloved" players for some "PAXSON" kinda players. GIVE ME A BREAK with this great mind of PAXSON at work and how intelligent he is and how is magnificent strategy pays off in the long run. Winning 50% of your games is unacceptable in another conference to earn a fifth seed. EDDY CURRY, ANTONIO DAVIS, for THOMAS, SWEETNEY, AND NO NAME....with some NBA bound unproven draft pick....PLEASE!!!!!. Don' compare Paxson to Krause. What the hell has Paxson done?.......... I rest my case... But still GO Bulls!!!

Deng, Chandler and the #14 for Paul Pierce? Are you out of your mind? Paul Pierce has reached his pinnacle, Deng has room to grow. Cut Chandler and see what the #14 brings...

Roman responds: I agree that I would not sell the farm for Paul Pierce. Pierce's best days are behind him.

Curry is 6-11, and averages 6 rebounds this year? Maybe with Curry and Davis we do win a few more this year just because we have some big bodies in there besides chandler, but come on! 6 rebounds! Give me a break. I am glad they traded him. Bulls get probably the #1 pick this year, and who knows unless the Knicks have an amazing comeback in 2006-2007, another lottery pick next year.
I have given up on Chandler scoring more than 10 points a game, all we can hope for is a better defensive game and keep up the rebounding. I think his presence the 2nd half of the season has really helped this team.

We will just have to see how well things go in the playoffs,I have a feeling their is going to be a few surprises.If the Bulls play like I know they are capable we can beat anybody,but if we go on a extended mope streak well as they say "church is out",I hope they can deliver.we can talk all day about who we can trade or draft but we have to concentrate on the task at hand ,that is getting through the first round.GO BULLS!

Because of Paxons stubbbornness , he waited almost the whole off season to make his moves with Chandler and Curry. Neither could really work out and wasted the off season. Would you undergo DNA testing?Why cant Skiles coach Thomas? It seems others can. He may help Phoenix to a Title. Maybe some one could have taught Chandler a Jump shot. Last years team was better. Watch Pax screw up the Draft. Just like his brother at Cleveland.

Roman responds: Why couldn't Curry or Chandler work out during the offseason? Please.

Why you guys bash PAX? all he did is get you to the playoffs for the last 2 years while still having to clean up jerry's mess! half the league would take those results in a heartbeat! some of you sounds like you would prefer to have isiah or chris mullin or some other flashy GM and aquire guys like Weber or Baron Davis, last time i checked though, those teams will be watching the Bulls in the playoffs. Pax screwed Isiah when he played and he's still doing it as a GM. As far as i am concerned, Isiah should win the GM of the year for rebuilding the Bulls. He traded the baby Curry, and paid the market value for Chandler, there was no bigs on the market last year to trade or sign, Pax did the best he could. Isiah should be the GM untill the next trade deadline, Pax still has time to dump him on Isiah. STOP dreaming about Bulls signing Bosh, NO WAY Toronto doesn't match any kind of offer, only way he gets moved is a sign and trade, Chandler, NY pic, and either Gordon or Heinrich and Duhon, Steep price, but bigs that got offense, rebound and play defense are RARE these days. I like KG, but personally think he has way too many miles on his body, remember, he played C a lot in the West, not sure his body can hold up, especially with what's he's due, too much of a gamble for 26 million. Jermaine, please, he's immature, and he's missed more games in the last 2 years probably any other big man. He's got mileage too since he's another straight out of HS kid. I say lets hope the pic is high enough to get Aldridge, hope Shelden Williams is there with our pic unless pax can pull a trade for Bosh. Never been a fan of Harrington. Maybe Pax can rob Isiah again and get Frye, i also read Odom could be available for a right price since he and Kobe are not a good match with their skills. Last, not least, Big Ben could be an option, he's a free agent and not happy Pistons don't run any offensive plays for him.

I agree with the marian post. People are just unbelievable in stating that Pax has done a poor job. Krause didn't even sniff the playoffs after Jordan left and he traded Elton Brand, a future MVP candidate. The Bulls are in the playoffs for 2 years in a row because Pax has done such a great job drafting players and moving Jerry's mess. As for Curry, I've made that point in my earlier post. Forget Garnett and Pierce if it takes Gordon and Chandler. Tyrus Thomas and Lamarcus Aldridge are in the draft. Brandon Roy is also in the draft. Stay young and continue to build. Before Jordan we waited years to get to respectability. Go Bulls!

Those of you who are still doubting the Curry trade will be swinging a different tune when Paxson puts together a package of picks & players to swing Garnett to the Bulls.

The Bulls have both cap room to make it happen.

The Curry trade is still too fresh to evaluate. Curry could peak at twenty five and still be a pretty good center--though never a DOMINANT one.

We could land Tyrus Thomas, LaMarcus Aldridge or Andrea Bargnani and get Antonio McDyess, Chris Bosh or Dirk Nowitzki--or we could get Stromile swift, Steven Hunter or Nikolosz Tskitishvili.

Even if we get Greg Oden next year (not outside the frontier of possibility), he could have bad knees and be out of commission in a year--or he could be the next Ewing/Hakeem/David Robinson. I'd say based on probability, the odds are pretty good the bulls will be able to add talent through the draft and free agency, continue to improve with the current group, and potentially put together a championship team. This group hustles, but Pax played with MJ--he knows you need a star to win it all. I'd say the future is looking positively Bull-ish. Go Bulls! We're in the play-offs, baby!

I am happy that people are loyal and have a positive attitude about the Bulls, but lets be honest we are no closer to a championship than we were after the dynasty was broken up. it is a similar pattern of "draft for the future" and sign second level free agents. then trade talent for cap room and future draft picks. Pax has made good moves and questionable moves. time will tell how positive trading Curry and signing Chandler to a big contract is for the team. it will be a major feat if the Bulls can ever sign a NBA star as a free agent. until that happens we will be repeating the same hopeful chatter and bitter criticism for many years to come. or maybe we'll get lucky and draft another Jordan!

I believe the trade was made for reasons that had nothing to do with talent or potential. Pax and Curry were 2 immovable objects over the DNA test issue. If Pax ceded to Curry he loses any authority he wishes to project. Curry could be out of some big money and future if he does the test. If the trade was done for other reasons - like making the team better - than the issue of who got the better of the deal would be valid. I cannot fault either of them for their stance although I do put Pax on the hot seat for getting it to that point. If the Bulls can get a Tyrus Thomas, Lamarcus Aldrige or Brandon Roy then I will say the trade was a success.

cut Chandler?????
Cut a center that leads the league in Rebounds per minute......get a clue people

Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist responsible for Quantum Mechanics, once said "Prediction is very difficult, especially of the future." It is impossible to say what will happen to this Bulls team, until it actually happens. Several recent articles have likened the Bulls' rebuilding strategy under Pax to the excellent job Joe Dumars has done in Detroit. The Pistons defend well and share the ball. They have a post scorer in Rasheed Wallace, a clutch shooter in Billups and above average role players in Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton. Their whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This current crop of Bulls is probably slightly less talented, but making the post season two seasons in a row--when they had already been written off by fans and the media-- is nothing to sneeze at. Suggesting that another dynasty is around the corner is naive optimism. But not recognizing the achievements of Pax and the baby bulls in the post Penguin era is just plain player hatin'. We're going to the playoffs again, and we're going to make it next year and the year after and the year after that. And I will go on believing that until the Bulls quit playing their game and make a fool of me. All you haters, stop writing in. Instead, why don't you have some cheese with your whine. Go Bulls!

This trade is going to benefit the Bulls big-time. Eddy Curry is just in this for the money. The only reason he played hard last year is b/c it was his contract year. We also have the option of swapping picks with the Knicks next year. If the Knicks continue to suck next year, and Greg Oden goes pro, he could be ours

It doesn't matter what draft pick they get for Curry. The Bulls need veteran leadership to get them to the second round of the playoffs like a Steve Nash or Jason Kidd

Alot of people bashed not only Paxson but the whole Bulls Squad now they have to eat crow because with the right circumstances we may finish higher then 8 spot,They have won 11 of last 13 games with chandler who is still young and developing he is getting more aggressive but needs to work on his jumpshot,he has improved defensively though.this toronto game tonight is very important hopefully DA BULLS can prevail!OK...lets do it****

The trade, if anything has afforded the Bulls more options...something rare in today's salary cap era.
It's no secret the team needs a BIG GUARD and a post player. I see Pax scouting a solid big 2 who can score and play "D",(Pietris another player wasting away with Golden State) while working to secure a solid post player who can defend-rebound-and set picks for the offense Skiles has this team running.

The only untouchables are Deng, Hinrich who should anchor this team for the nect 10 years and role players off the bench; Nocioni and Duhon.

Gordon, Chandler and a draft pick can bring a solid veteran STAR at either the post or the two guard spot.
If the draft produces Brandon Roy, then Gordon becomes expendable for sure.

Those who have "given up" on Chandler or cry for him to be cut obviously know nothing about basketball. Pax, Skiles and the Bulls have proven you don't play regardless of your salary (E-Rob, Thomas, etc.) if you don't produce or give effort. Who is out there at crunch time and overtime? Chandler. Why? He leads the league in rebounds per minute, is a shot blocking presence and knows how to play defense. In any sport, you win games with offense, you win championships with defense.

Wow, people are not giving Paxson nearly the amount of credit he deserves. 4 years ago this team was barely winning 20 games a year and the only talent they had was the potential of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler – oh wait, I forgot about Jalen Rose (Blech!!) Does everyone forget how BAD those teams were and 3 years later Paxson has turned over the entire roster keeping only Chandler. That in itself is commendable considering the garbage Krause left here. I could go into all the horrible players Crumbs brought in, but that would take a while. Meanwhile in 2 drafts Pax has brought in Heinrich, Gordon, Deng, Nocioni and Duhon. Paxson took an underachieving Eddy Curry and a rapidly aging Antonio Davis and turned it into 4 draft picks, plus Michael Sweetney? How is this not a good deal in the long run given Paxson’s ability to spot talent!! We have cap room, a very good young nucleus of players, draft picks and two playoff appearances in a row…the only problem now is it’s a really weak draft and an even weaker free agent year. If Pax can trade the picks and a couple players to get a stud like Garnett, I say go for it, I just hope they don’t spend too much on people like Chris Wilcox and Joe Pryzbylla…I’d rather see them draft 2 more players and wait until next year when Oden could be in the draft and the Bulls will have a shot at him and the free agent class is MUCH stronger. Go Bulls!!

curry helped the Knicks go from 33 wins last year to 23 this year.

talk all the positive you want about the guy, but it's clear he can't carry a team nor make it average. In other words, he's not a game breaker.h

I do wish him the best and hope he makes it to that point one day, but getting rid of him, to my surprise, has been a good move. Especially if they land an able big man in the next few years.

So many comments about the Bulls needing veteran leadership, tell me, is Heinrich a veteran yet? How many more years does he need to play? The veterans people are asking the Bulls to trade for are on the back end of their careers. Build through the draft and be patient.

Way to go Pax. Get rid of the underachievers { Curry } and the bad attitudes { Rose, Robinson, and Thomas }. Next step is the one that will get us past the first round. Go after Garnett, Bosh or Jermaine O'Neill. If we stand pat, we are a .500 team. If we package our number one pick from the Knicks, Chandler and maybe even Hinrich or Duhon, for any of the big men I mentioned above, we are an instant contender. Deng, Nocioni, and Gordon must be kept, but anyone else is expendable for a 20 point -10 rebound center that plays "D". My top choice would be KG, but I'll take either of the other two also.

PATIENCE. People don't allow young players to develop before wanting to trade for a star. Every star player doesn't enter the league like Wade, James, and Carmelo. Steve Nash is a stud now. Who even remembers what year he was drafted? Jermaine O'neal, Tracy McGrady, and even crazy Ron Artest were not viewed as franchise players.

Hinrich, Deng, Noccioni, Chandler, and Gordon have shown great ability despite the fact THEY ALL PLAY OUT OF THEIR NATURAL POSITION. You don't need a star player. Just get players that are better than M. Allen, M. Sweetney, O. Harrington, D. Songalia, and E. Basden. These players should not be playing as many minutes as they are. Getting players with size and athletic ability allows Chandler to be a power forword. Deng and Noccioni can be small forwards. Hinrich can stay at point. Gordan can be a scoring combo guard without being a defensive liability.That's the only way to really evaluate their abilities.

Fill the needs without breaking this group up. The small line-ups used right now should be used, just not as much. Get two or three players that should actually be on the court and can do something other than collect fouls and miss lay-ups. Two picks and cap space should be enough to upgrade holes at center and shooting guard no matter what the offseason options may appear to be.

The thing I noticed right away with Eddy C was that he was watching the "It's all about me, I don't care because caring doesn't look cool" attitude that has all but consumed sports and especially pro basketball. He doesn't care about being in top condition until he's up for contract. He gets traded and immediately gets into Larry Browns' doghouse. All par for he course for the "me" athelete of today. It's why I don't watch sports as much as I did in my youth.

The only "wrong" thing Paxson has done since becomming General Manager was smiling from ear to ear (on newspaper covers)while working out Dwyane Wade, thereby, tipping off Pat Reiley as to who Pax was going to select and letting Pat Reily steal Wade. But, when you look at how well Paxson recovered (drafting Heinrich), saved the Bulls organization at lest 5 more years of misery. Also don't forget the motercycle accident prevented a trade of either Jamaal Crawford or Jay Williams for Carmelo Anthony(this was a done deal). I re-emphasize what I said in another blog. Paxson has thorougly convinced me he knows what he's doing. It is clear that Paxson will soon be known as the next Jerry West among GMs. So, relax, sit back, and watch John Paxson the artist, paint the perfect portrait of Chicago's next dynasty.