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The Chicago Bulls dramatically upgraded their franchise in terms of toughness over the holiday weekend. First, Benny the Bull was arrested at the Taste of Chicago, after riding a mini-motorcycle without a permit and then throwing a punch at a sheriff's deputy. Barry Anderson, in costume as Benny the Bull, was charged with misdemeanor battery and driving within a parkway.
Maybe he was just acting out because of the tough, new Benny the Bull. That's right, Ben Wallace! The most coveted free agent on the market this off-season, and the player who could most help the Bulls join the elite teams of the NBA, agreed to a 4-year deal worth $60 million.
Following up a solid draft with the signing of the big man they desperately needed should lead to dramatic improvement in the Bulls this coming season. The move should also help the rest of the team improve it's play, by helping shut down other teams' scoring, rebounding Bulls' missed shots and taking some of the heat off the younger playing still maturing into the limelight.
With the signing, however, Tyson Chandler clearly becomes expendable. The Bulls are actively shopping him around the league. Where will he end up? Right now, it's looking like Charlotte New Orleans/Oklahoma City, in return for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith. UPDATE: Chandler is going to the Hornets. Chicagoist would like to see a sign-and-trade with Atlanta for Al Harrington. Guess we can't expect to get everything we want this off-season, can we?
With their newest addition, the starting line-up should look like this in 2006-2007:
Kirk Hinrich - PG
Ben Gordon - SG
Ben Wallace - C
Luol Deng - SF
Andres Nocioni - PF
A bit of a small line-up, maybe, but also a tough, gritty line-up. With the lack of giant big men in the league, other than Shaquille O'Neal, this lineup should be able to hold its own. With a weakened Pistons squad, are the Bulls now the second best team in the Eastern Conference? As Shaq contines to decline as he ages, can the Bulls surpass the NBA Champs as soon as next year, too?
Even if they can't climb to the top of the summit next year, they'll be able to add to the talent pool when they get to swap picks with the trainwreck called the Knicks in next year's draft. It's certainly a good time to be a Bulls fan.
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Hell Yes.
Ugh! I was hoping the Nets would get him! Jesus, the Bulls are going to be really good this year.
Signing the Wallace who actually cared to show up for the playoffs was a great move. Acquiring P.J. Brown would make them the scrappiest team in the league. This lineup could easily compete in the 2nd round with the Cavs, Pistons or Heat.
Nice dig on the Knicks. Seeing them finish last while the Heat won the title is some kind of sweet revenge.
Just FYI, the Hornets moved from Charlotte years ago.
Anyway, count me as one who thinks the Bulls overpaid for a guy who's getting pretty old. If they make a strong run the next two years it'll have been worth it, though, obviously.
Who cares what the owners spent, it's a great move! It sure has been difficult to clean up the mess that was left from Jerry Krausse, but it's almost complete.
Love the move. I hope they pass on PJ Brown though. He's way too old and doesn't do anything aside from 8 points and 7 rebounds a game. I'd rather see if Chandler can develop in a less pressure situation. He seemed to be coming along with Curry in the middle.
this is a great pickup.
and yes, you want PJ Brown
Moving Chandler for Brown is primarily about clearing cap room to re-sign Hinrich, Deng, Gordon, etc. in coming years. They can't afford to pay out Tyson's $54 million remaining and also give the younger guys the money they'll require. Brown's got a big contract that expires after the 2006-07 season.
Fantastic move by the Bulls. Paxson had to spend the salary cap room this summer or lose it a la Jerry Krause in 2000 in his failure to sign Tracy McGrady (it's not as if though Pax would have cap room next year with all of the contract extensions due for Hinrich, Deng, and Gordon on the horizon). If you want a marquee player such as Wallace to move from a comfortable situation, you've got to overpay him. As it stands today, the Bulls look like an Eastern Conference finalist next season. If we add some more interior scoring (I would love Al Harrington, as well, but it seems like P.J. Brown is more realistic in a trade for Tyson Chandler), this begins to look like a team that can do even more special things.