Elton Brand could be the power forward, with Mike Bibby at point guard and perhaps Vince Carter at small forward. And then a massive young center, like China’s 7-foot-6-inch Yao Ming, to block the middle. Yes, that could be Michael Jordan’s Washington Wizards in three years.
It’s one big reason the Bulls had better hurry and improve. Jordan would love nothing more than to construct Jerry Krause’s team in the nation’s capital. He has a good chance to do it now that he has lottery draft picks coming, has gotten rid of Juwan Howard and his huge contract, and because Jordan has on his side agent David Falk, who represents Brand and Bibby, among others. The Bulls last week made a last-ditch bid for Vancouver’s Bibby, though their offer didn’t involve either of their top two players or draft picks. So it went nowhere.
And while Brand maintains he wants to stay with the Bulls, who could blame him for leaving if the Wizards have a nucleus featuring Carter when Brand can walk away on his own after the 2003-04 season?
Which is another reason Krause’s Bulls and Jordan’s Wizards are going to compete for the league’s worst records for the next two years.
Sure, Jordan unloaded Howard’s contract, which averages almost $20 million per season the next two years. “This puts us in a good situation, the year after next, from a cap standpoint, to pursue free agents,” Jordan said.
It was a terrific move, though one that won’t have much immediate impact. But it did send a message that Jordan is willing to take chances and shake up his roster, a message the Bulls have yet to send. The Wizards still won’t be under the salary cap this summer. And when they can get below next summer, there won’t be many free agents available.
That’s because of the new labor deal which in effect ties rookies to their teams for five years. Carter, for example, can bring back an offer sheet to the Raptors after the 2001-02 season. But Toronto could match, and then Carter would become a free agent after the 2002-03 season. For Brand, it is a year later.
The new agreement hurts Jordan. Before it was signed, rookies were bound to their teams for three years. Changing that to five years created a free-agent gap for young players in the 2001-02 season, when Washington will first have salary-cap room to bid for free agents. The free agents who’ll be available then are mostly veterans like Travis Best, Donyell Marshall, Grant Long, Rodney Rogers and Samaki Walker. It’s not until after the 2002-03 season that the 1998-99 class with Carter, Antawn Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Williams, Bonzi Wells, Paul Pierce and Bibby becomes available. And the year after that it is the class with Brand, Steve Francis and Lamar Odom. The 1997-98 class with Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady and Tim Thomas already has gone through free agency while players like Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant are signed to long-term deals.
And don’t doubt that Falk will play a big part in this. Shawn Bradley, a Falk client, originally was in Dallas’ deal to Washington for Howard. But the Wizards would not have re-signed him, costing him his Larry Bird rights for a big contract. So Falk kept that from happening. But Falk will do more to help Jordan than hurt him, and with patience, the Wizards could have an All-Star-laden lineup, though not for three more years.
Oh, Canada: George Lynch’s comments last week suggest why the Canadian teams are both destined to move to the U.S. Lynch, who played two seasons for the Vancouver Grizzlies before joining Philadelphia, said he understood why the team was moving. “Most of the players weren’t very happy in Canada,” Lynch said. “It was just a lack of things, grocery shopping, things you took for granted. It was being so far away from family, having to deal with customs. The league didn’t do a good job of making things easier for guys. The wives couldn’t work (since they were not citizens) and that was tough. It was a lot of unhappiness on the floor and trying to keep the peace at home.”
It’s obviously a ludicrous observation that there are no grocery stores or traditional amenities. The point is that’s the perception for NBA players. Like the perception in Chicago that the Bulls drove out Jordan and Scottie Pippen and dictate hairstyles. Perceptions are realities to players. And that’s all that matters. Meanwhile, native Chicagoan Glen Grunwald, the Raptors’ general manager, recently became a Canadian citizen.
Remember ’85: Slowly, inexorably, the draft class of 1985, one of the NBA’s best, is starting to wave goodbye. Patrick Ewing, the No. 1 pick, is hanging on in Seattle, though he says he wants to play another season. Detlef Schrempf is briefly unretired in Portland. Charles Oakley talked last week about retiring after next season. Joe Dumars is in the front office in Detroit, A.C. Green hangs on desperately in Miami, and, of course, Karl Malone seems like he’ll never stop. Eight first-round picks from that draft became All-Stars, and it looks like the end for another, Chris Mullin. The Golden State forward, a five-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold-medal winner, is not on this trip with the Warriors, who play the Bulls on Monday night at the United Center. He has back problems and has missed 30 games this season with various injuries. He won’t say for sure, because Mullin was never one to have the light on him, but this is the end for him. He’ll probably join the Warriors’ front office next season, but he’s never stopped being the ultimate unselfish star and one of the truly classy figures in pro sports.
“One thing about staying this long,” said Mullin, who’s played off the bench and averages 5.8 points after five seasons averaging more than 25 per game, “is I’m grateful for having been able to play all the roles. To go from a rookie to being a main guy, on the Olympic team, playing a different role in Indiana and then here. I’m very lucky. You don’t have to look far, the ride from the hotel to the game, to see people on the street, how they live and a few breaks here and there and you would be there. I’m blessed, really. The big thing for me is to finish up right, to handle myself with professionalism and dignity, the things that are important to me.”
Fast breaks: NBA team-meetings leader Denver held another in the wake of mounting road losses, prompting coach Dan Issel to say the team has decided not to discuss road losses in public. Ought to help. … Some people have been noticing that Houston’s Francis, here to meet the Bulls on Wednesday, has a habit of bowing during the playing of the national anthem. Explains Francis: “I just say my prayers. I pay my respects to my family, focus in on the game and pray for the outcome of the game, that no one gets hurt.” … The Trail Blazers are in their annual February swoon, going 8-7 in their last 15 with two losses to the Clippers this month. Rasheed Wallace picked up technical No. 31 on Saturday. … Former Indiana University star Keith Smart is being mentioned as a replacement for Cleveland coach Randy Wittman with the team losing 25 of 31 and disgruntled Wesley Person saying this is the team’s bleakest period in his four years. … Failing to pull the trigger on offers of Brad Miller, Rod Strickland, Isaac Austin and Cliff Robinson, Miami coach Pat Riley, saying the upcoming luxury tax was a major detriment, suggested the 76ers lacked loyalty in dealing Theo Ratliff. Riley said it would be like his team trading Alonzo Mourning when he was injured. … Shaquille O’Neal said he has decided against more tattoos because he’s thinking about his post-NBA life. Said O’Neal: “I’m too corporate. None of my tattoos are below business-shirt level.”
The future: Malone said an All-Star weekend meeting with President Bush reopened thoughts for him about running for political office.
“It’s definitely something I’ve thought about,” said Malone, who is close with Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch. “I’m not just saying that. [Bush] said when he got married, he never thought about politics. When [Hatch] first said it to me, I said, `Yeah, right,’ to him. But the more you think about it …”
