Just Silliness, as Jerry Krause would say

I went over a few days ago how dumb it was for the Bulls to get all worked up over bulletin-board material to somehow inspire them to victory. I'm not saying the Bulls shouldn't be motivated just because their season (pretty much) is over, but in fact that they should feel this way EVERY game. And now the same kind of crap is going on for the Nuggets game tonight.

After losing their third consecutive game Monday night, Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said, "It ain't going to be four in a row,'' and rookie Carmelo Anthony echoed nearly those exact words.

There's no telling if Jerome Williams brought his magic marker with him on the road, but several of his teammates laughed and had some fun with the news of the Nuggets' bravado.

"Ask them what happened to the last team that said something bad about us,'' Corie Blount said.

"I guarantee we'll win,'' Eddy Curry said. "Ask them what happened to Toronto. It's on.''

Why wasn't it 'on' last night against the Clippers? Why wasn't it 'on' since opening night? The part that hurts the most is that the Bulls were supposed to be the ones making guarantees this year.

Injury report:

• Tyson Chandler may be back Saturday
• Kendall Gill was put on the IR, replaced on the roster by Chris Jefferies
• My head hurts when I watch the Bulls

 

Rumor Mill

Is anyone else excited about the trade deadline?!? OK, probably not that excited. Here's a couple of things to think about before Feb. 19th.

Marcus Fizer hasn't been used much all season, and is a restricted FA this summer. That means he attains that magical title, "expiring contract". Here's Sam Smith's idea in the trib a couple of days ago, and for once, it wasn't completely crazy:

Should Marcus Fizer stay in Los Angeles after the Bulls play the Clippers on Tuesday? The agent for the little-used forward has been talking to teams about a trade, reportedly with the Bulls' permission.

The Clippers believe they have a chance to sign Kobe Bryant when he becomes a free agent this summer and are looking to clear salary-cap space with expiring contracts. Though owner Donald Sterling often is criticized for not spending money, associates say he'll spend it for a star, especially a Laker such as Bryant. And Fizer becomes a free agent after the season.

One player the Clippers are trying to deal is 6-foot-11-inch Melvin Ely, who has fallen out of the rotation and has played in only one of the last five games. "Right now, Mel's not a guy who is in the top of the rotation," coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We have [Elton] Brand, [Chris] Kaman, [Chris] Wilcox and [Peja] Drobnjak."

Said Ely: "A change of venue for me wouldn't matter. I'm not going to just accept that I'm in the league and I get paid a whole lot of money and be fine with that. I'm trying to be the best at my position."

You've got to like an NBA guy who says "change of venue." The Harvey native could be a good tandem with Eddy Curry, also of Harvey. The Clippers also are said to be willing to part with combo guard Marko Jaric, who has another year on his deal. The Clippers also have been talking to the Hornets about taking on the expiring contracts of Bryce Drew and Stacey Augmon.

Looking purely from a talent standpoint, I'd rather have Ely or Jaric than Fizer right now. This is especially the case since Marcus simply doesn't play anymore. I don't know how'd Ely fit in the rotation or how he'd play with Curry(if that still matters), but I would think he's definitely worth taking a flyer on.

Back to Jamal: I talked about Paxson's strategy with Jamal Crawford already, but Chad Ford had a little tidbit describing Jamal's free agent prospects this summer:

Crawford wants out of Chicago, and there are plenty of teams willing to take him. The Bulls' decision to move Crawford exclusively to the two dampens his value. Teams that believe Crawford could be a good point guard in the league are going to be the most interested. Look for the Clippers and Cavaliers to make the most noise. If the Cavs dump Jeff McInnis this summer, they should be able to make an offer for Crawford above the mid-level exception.

Ouch, doesn't look like Jamal's playing his way toward the max contract he was looking for. Mid-level exception (4-5 mil) from the Cavs? Looks like Pax will have the opportunity to possibly even bring Crawford back with a qualifying offer, unless the Clippers or Suns are willing to throw their cap space at the idea of putting Crawford back at the point.

Quotin' the Vets

Much has been made over Scottie Pippen's comments last week about the Baby Bulls, if you haven't read the story already, here's the money quote:

"If you don't have the effort inside of you, I can't pull it out of you. Coach can't pull it out of you," Pippen said. "Eventually, people are going to give up on you. They're going to give up on what they think you can do, what potential you possibly have."

Harsh words indeed. As much as some fans want to talk about how young these guys are, I sincerely doubt that the vets in the NBA want to hear that kind of talk. They don't like their minutes and their jobs taken by unproven talent based on 'potential'. They want results. The theme continued Sunday when the Toronto Raptors came to town, a game highlighted by the return of Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall. Marshall's take on the situation was a lot like Pippen's:

"Those guys are playing in their third and [fourth] years, so it's not like they're getting thrown in the fire for the first time," Marshall said. "The team has been turned over to those guys, so you have to meet expectations. They want to name themselves the franchise. That's what they came in the league for."

 He recently called the Bulls "the worst team in the NBA", and supposedly it was locker-room motivation for the Bulls and led them to victory. (Jalen backed off and clarified calling Orlando the worst.)  I agree with Rick Telander's column today, which is essentially saying "whatever" to the whole thing. The Bulls have a lot to worry about if a game against a struggling Raptors squad at home is cause for great motivation. And Jalen Rose, who I'm not missing in the least as a player, still can oftentimes be counted on for speaking the truth:

"If a quote I didn't say is what it takes to get you motivated...'' Rose said in semi-amazement. "You got 82 games. What are you gonna do for the other 81?''

Right on, Jalen.

The Limbo Cam

You know, that dumb thing at the United Center that puts a limbo stick on you and you have to somehow limbo in 2 dimensions....somehow. Well right now the Bulls are seemingly on the limbo cam, how low can they go? This past week has seen the bar going lower and lower, first the awful blown lead to the Wiz, and a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday putting them in the Central Division cellar. And just like those on the limbo cam, the Bulls are getting embarrassing to watch.

So with all bad teams, its a lot more fun to talk about what's off the floor than what's on it. And its been a hot rumor that Jamal Crawford is going to the Knicks. It's hard to believe that any new reports out of New York are credible since Jamal Crawford has been reportedly going to the Knicks for the better part of 3 years. They have a new GM who has shown to be active, but the Knicks are still woefully short on tradeable assets. All of what little prospects and draft picks they had were shipped to the Suns. In terms of short-term contracts or young players left, the Knicks have aging big men like Travis Knight, Othella Harrington, and Kurt Thomas, or marginal young players like Mike Sweetney and Frank Williams. The most recent proposal I read had the Knicks offering Frank Williams and Shandon Anderson for Crawford and Jerome Williams (or Eddie Robinson). While this would take a bad contract off the books, getting Anderson in return pretty much negates any savings. And if you've been reading lately you'll know that I like Frank Williams, but point guard is the very least of the Bulls' concerns.

Basically Paxson's strategy will be to package Crawford with one of the Bulls' bad contracts (Williams, Robinson, or Antonio Davis) to either get cap relief, young wing players, or draft picks. While cap flexibility is nice for mid level free agents or trades, I sincerely doubt that the Bulls will get far enough under the cap to make a run at the likes of Kobe Bryant. Plus that plan failed several years ago, didn't it? In regards to getting picks and young players, I don't see Pax giving Crawford away, so the picks will have to be at least in the lottery, and the player will have to have at least proven something in this league, something I sadly cannot say for the young core of the Bulls. 

Rumblings..

...as in...before an eruption. get it?

Yesterday's performance against the Wizards was possibly the worst of the year. A disgrace to Basketball and Martin Luther King. I didn't even watch the game, but I only need to know these facts: 1)15 point lead at half 2)The Wizards are AWFUL 3)scored 25 points in the second half. The whole half!!

A game like this happens and people start to take a step back and look at the makeup of this team, and the plan to build a champion. And after a game like this, the plan seems less likely to succeed. Its no surprise that the likes of Jay Mariotti are calling to blow up the squad, but one of the real optimistic Bulls fans, Chad Ford, is also jumping off rebuilding plan #2.

I'm giving up on the Chicago Bulls.

Remember when Jerry Krause resigned, claiming he left the once proud Bulls in "fine shape?"

Stupid me, I believed him.

There was a time I was convinced Jamal Crawford was going to be a star. I thought Eddy Curry would join Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming as one of the elite centers in the NBA. I felt Tyson Chandler would be Curry's perfect partner in crime. While Curry racked up 25 points a night, the long, athletic Chandler would grab 12 to 15 rebounds, block three shots and become a defensive force in the middle, meshing perfectly with Curry.

I was sure the Bulls had the juice to make a playoff run this year. When the team stumbled out of the gate, I thought the hiring of Scott Skiles and the trade that sent Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall packing would fix things. Blue-collar guys like Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams would give the Bulls the grit (and rebounding) they sorely lacked.

I've moved on.

The 12-29 Bulls aren't going anywhere. They'll be lucky to repeat the 30-52 season they had last year. New GM John Paxson's preseason motto of "no excuses" is a farce. The only thing there is no excuse for is the team itself. It's awful.

Chad, I believed him too. In fact, I still believe him somewhat. But this season has placed plenty of doubt in my mind. Of all the talk that this season was going to be 'make or break', it was easy to forget that the 'break' result was a possibility. But after so much losing you can't help but begin to look to yet another rebuilding situation. Its been said all so many times here, that the Bulls would live or die with Curry and Chandler. All the peripheral moves, such as signing Pippen or trading Jalen Rose to the Raptors didn't matter nearly as much as to see this year how the young 7-footers developed. Every roster move was attached to the effect on them. Who will be getting their minutes? Who will stagnate their development? Who will be good complements to their games? The truth is, if Chandler and Curry flop, what's the difference?

So when you have 12 wins on MLK day, your attention turns to lottery balls and the trade deadline. I once scoffed at any idea of trading Curry or Chandler. However, if GM John Paxson has evaluated the talent enough to think it will never happen, I'll back his decision to trade the once-labeled 'untouchables'. But a much more likely scenario will be the departure of  Jamal Crawford. Comparing the "3 Cs", he is the oldest (a whopping 23 years old), will be a restricted FA this summer, and is a guard. As little has Curry and Chandler have played in their careers, they're barely 21 and, if you remember, are very very tall. Even with their kind of production, its hard to give up on that much size compared to a player like Crawford. I'll look at his possible options tommorow...