Hassell Waived I'm sure most of you know this already, but yesterday the Bulls cut Trenton Hassell, effectively keeping undrafted free agent Linton Johnson on the roster. Well...for now.

Johnson, a 6-foot-8-inch forward and the nephew of former Bull Mickey Johnson, will begin the season on the injured list. He also may not last the season because his minimum contract doesn't become guaranteed until Jan. 10, and the Bulls are in the market for a front-line player.

Even though the Bulls showed they could use a 6-8 player more than 2 guard like Hassell. What they REALLY could use is a big stiff to at least give Curry some hassles (no pun intended) in practice. So I guess Pax will be looking at the cut lists from other teams. notes -There have been lots of rumours floating around mentioning Bulls players in various trades. The most outlandish was the Knicks offering Othella Harrington for Jamal Crawford. Scott Layden reminds me of that guy in your fantasy baseball league who you dont even want to discuss trading with cause he only has crap and that's what he offers. I've also been reading about Donyell Marshall being on the trading block...which as I stated yesterday was a bad idea. -As of now, everyone is scheduled to be healthy on opening day. But that could easily change, especially with Chandler (back), and Hinrich (flu). -In lieu of doing a season preview (which you can read on those links to the left...they do a good job), I'll be doing Eastern Conference playoff predictions. Basically saying that all the teams are bad.

The Expendables Chad Ford today was going over who is possibly on the trading block due to position logjams and of course....salary. And with the Bulls' logjam at the 4, you could see where this is goin:

Marcus Fizer and Donyell Marshall, Bulls Fizer and Marshall appear to be the odd men out in Chicago with the emergence of Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, Lonny Baxter and the signing of Scottie Pippen. GM John Paxson would love to move Eddie Robinson and his terrible contract, but right now there aren't any takers. However, Fizer and Marshall both have value. Fizer has logged several solid games for the Bulls this preseason and appears to be completely healthy. Marshall is a versatile veteran who knows how to score and rebound. The best part? Fizer's contract is up after this season and Marshall has just two years remaining on his.

I just don't like ever seeing the 'emergence' of Lonny Baxter. I still view Lonny as a 10th man, and unless he grows 4 inches, he will always be. But that's just me. If the team really views Lonny as being as a worthy replacement for Fizer or Marshall, than seeking out a deal wouldn't be a bad idea. However, given the choice between the two, I would deal Fizer. I am a big Fizer fan, but him and Lonny are similar players, undersized scorers off the bench. Marshall however is a veteran, which should be a premium on this team. He's a better defender and rebounder, and dealing him now would be a mistake in their playoff quest. I just don't see Lonny being nearly as good a player as Marcus Fizer. Just watching them play it seems like Lonny could do the things that Marcus does, but not as well. Marcus is an explosive athelete, while Lonny has trouble jumping over a piece of paper. He may be able to rack up the points in the summer league, but he's just outmatched in this league. notes - E-Rob played yesterday, and watching the game I even saw him hit a couple of jump shots. Which made me with I had a VCR hooked up. - I havent mentioned Linton Johnson all preseason, cause basically I thought it was a non-story. But last night he was playing while Trenton Hassell didn't get off the bench. So draw your own conclusions... - The Bulls Reporter has a nice analysis on Chandler's back. Like a real diagnosis. I'd probably just say something dumb like "doctor says he needs a backeotomy!"

My Man Sam, Back Shootin' the Shit Well at least in Sam Smith's latest column he admits "here I go again". He's back pitching crazy suggestions to Bulls' management in the Trib. I like Sam alot, I think his columns are very entertaining and he definately knows the NBA, but he's one step below only Peter Vescey when it comes to outlandish rumours. Here's todays:

Finley, the veteran from Proviso East, has five years left on his contract averaging about $16 million. The Mavericks would like to get rid of that, and part of the Walker trade was to move LaFrentz's large contract. For all Mark Cuban says, he's cutting payroll as well. It would be hard to imagine Finley being worth $18.6 million in 2007-08 when his contract expires. But at 30, he should have several good years left. And he's the kind of rugged veteran defender the Bulls crave. And his salary happens to match up almost exactly with that of Jalen Rose, who has one fewer year on his contract than Finley. Though they're optimistic about Rose this season, the Bulls believe they have enough scoring with their young players. They've been looking for veteran defensive help. Hello, Pax. You listening? Jerry Krause never did.

Pax is probably hearin ya Sam...but hopefully not 'listening'. It's not that this trade wouldn't be a good idea for the Bulls. Finley would be a better fit for this team right now than Rose, he's a better defender and team player. My point is simply why would the Mavericks ever do this trade. Sam says the Mavericks would like to get rid of Finley's salary, yet their taking back a player who has a salary that's nearly equal both in cost and duration. And what else would the Mavericks need but another guy who won't guard anybody and needs the ball? Chad Ford agrees with this, referencing the column today and adding:

Rose is too selfish for what the Mavs are trying to do. Finley will put the team before his own shots. Rose has been unable to do that in Chicago. The one guy the Mavs would love to have is Eddy Curry of the Bulls. It's hard to believe that Chicago would give him up to Dallas for anything short of Nowitzki, however.

This quote is too hard on Jalen though, who has been unable to defer shots cause nobody else wants to take the tough shot. This year will be his test in that regard. And secondly, no crap the Mavs would love to have Eddy Curry. That's the problem here. The Mavs need size and while the Bulls have a lot of 4s, only Curry is a true center. And theres no way the Bulls ever trade Eddy Curry. well maybe for Dirk :) So thanks Sam for stirring the 'ole pot....but besides good conversation there wasn't much to offer.