Bulls playoff tickets go on sale . . .
Yes, it has been a long time since anyone heard that, but there’s no reason it won’t be the case next spring.
You mean to tell me by next season the Bulls can’t field a starting lineup better than Chucky Atkins, Jerry Stackhouse, Ben Wallace, Michael Curry and Cliff Robinson? That group won 50 games for the Detroit Pistons last season.
Or one that includes Kenny Anderson, Eric Williams, Vitaly Potapenko and Tony Battie? They got starter’s minutes with the Celtics, who had the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the conference finals.
The Bulls’ selection of Duke’s Jay Williams gives them a ready-to-play point guard, a leader and a good-looking guard rotation with Jamal Crawford and Trenton Hassell.
Jalen Rose and Eddie Robinson are a talented pair at small forward, and if either Tyson Chandler or Eddy Curry takes a step next season, the Bulls appear to have a competitive starting five and some depth.
It would help to add a free agent such as Toronto’s Keon Clark, who can play center and forward, particularly because he is young and can develop with the kids, or at least short-term help such as Wizards free agent Popeye Jones.
The Nets went from 26 to 52 wins and into the NBA Finals in one season just by adding a point guard.
OK, a somewhat better and more experienced one than Williams, but not by that much.
So who are NBA types talking about when Williams is mentioned?
Conversations with top NBA executives brought one comparison.
“With the ball he is Jason Kidd-type dangerous,” Orlando Magic general manager John Gabriel said. “He can get it to other people and knows how to keep his dribble.
“He’s always looking to drive it down your throat and make something happen. Not every day in this league is your point guard your best offensive player. He will be.
“I think he’s better with the ball than Stephon Marbury was when he came into the league, a better scorer than Marbury.”
In discussions of Williams’ potential, Marbury’s name was heard often, as well as those of Steve Francis, Kevin Johnson and Tim Hardaway.
They all are terrific NBA names, all point guards who have been All-Stars and impact players. The Bulls, with a blip for B.J. Armstrong in the mid-1990s, haven’t had a point guard talent like that since Norm Van Lier 30 years ago.
But none has been an NBA champion and most have never been big winners in the NBA.
There is a consensus around the NBA that Williams’ talent makes him a prize at No. 2 in the draft. But some around the league also wonder aloud how far one gets in the NBA with a scoring-oriented point guard like Williams.
Some of the most unpopular teammates in the NBA have been shoot-first point guards such as Kevin Johnson, Marbury and Hardaway.
When asked about Williams, another team official mentioned Sam Cassell.
The Bucks were at their worst when Cassell couldn’t play, but he also frustrated teammates and coaches with his scoring approach to the point guard position.
“[Williams] is one of the few players in this draft who can have an immediate impact,” said Bucks general manager Ernie Grunfeld, who has refused several trade offers for Cassell.
“He has great character, good leadership. He comes from a great program and has played in big games and produced. I see him in the Steve Francis mold. He’ll make plays and score when you need it.”
Some said that about Rose, whom the Bulls acquired last season for a similar role.
“This guy (Williams) is going to be `the man,'” one top team official said. “I don’t expect [Tyson] Chandler and [Eddy] Curry to be happy with him. Like Steve Francis–and that’s not bad–he’s going to take his 20 shots. He’s powerful, a good player.
“I like him and I’d take him. But he’s not one of those guys like Kidd or John Stockton or Magic [Johnson].
“They are point guards who look to get the ball back and score off that. This kid scores and then gets the ball to people off his ability to score.
“I heard Mike Dunleavy didn’t particularly like playing with him.”
Of course, that sounds a little like a guard the Bulls had before, a guy named Michael Jordan, who didn’t care to pass much and wasn’t exactly the most favorite teammate.
But everyone liked the wins he helped produce. And the Bulls would rather see Williams in parades than having enough friends for one.
There also has been a question about Williams’ size–he’s barely taller than 6 feet without shoes. But one executive, using Hardaway as an example, said Williams is strong and tough enough to succeed.
“I like Williams a lot,” Pacers President Donnie Walsh said. “He creates his own plays with a lot of confidence. He’s got all the skills necessary for the point and is a great athlete.”
Finally, pizza parties in May again in Chicago.
Perhaps soon.
