I’m learning my lesson. I can’t leave Jerry Krause alone. Sure, the Bulls finished the week wonderfully with a victory over the defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets in which Jay Williams was brilliant with a triple-double.
Memo to Krause: Jamal Crawford was out of town and Williams was at his best. Duh! What do you suppose that suggests? Let’s forget the charade that Crawford ever will be a contributor for the Bulls.
But back to urgent matters. Before that win, there were two blowout losses reminiscent of the last three seasons. The kids, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, apparently will not be ready this season either. So perhaps there is an opportunity to take advantage of that and do something that will help clean up the roster and continue building the team.
Make an offer to Golden State for No. 3 overall draft pick Mike Dunleavy Jr., whom Krause had coveted if Williams had been unavailable.
It would be surprising for a team to give up on a top pick so soon, but there appear unusual circumstances. Dunleavy has been having huge problems adjusting. He’s averaging 2.3 points on 11.5 percent shooting and suggesting he isn’t playing enough.
To deal with that, coach Eric Musselman said, “We feel everyone has been given more than enough playing time to produce.” Then Musselman reduced Dunleavy’s minutes to seven and six the last two games. Dunleavy hasn’t scored in the last three games.
But the biggest problem is there’s no place for him. Antawn Jamison is back at small forward and playing better. Jason Richardson owns the shooting guard spot, and Troy Murphy is fitting in at power forward.
Dunleavy’s no bust. It’s just that he’d fit better with a team like the Bulls with the triangle offense. He could develop at small forward along with former Duke teammate Williams at point guard.
So here’s the deal: The Warriors have no point guard, so give them Crawford. That’s hardly enough, so throw in the Bulls’ 2003 first-round pick–with protection if the Bulls end up with a top-2 pick and have a shot at high school phenom LeBron James. That gives Golden State a chance to go back into the draft for a player who fits better.
And as a sweetener, the Bulls could agree to take one of the big guys the Warriors have been trying to dump–say, Danny Fortson, a rugged rebounder who could be an ideal role player. The way Curry rebounds (or doesn’t), the Bulls could use Fortson.
The Bulls get Dunleavy and Fortson. To equalize salaries to make the deal, the Warriors get Crawford, a first-round pick (the Bulls don’t need any more draft picks on the roster) and Eddie Robinson or Marcus Fizer. If the Warriors want to get rid of Erick Dampier instead, then put both Robinson and Fizer in the deal.
My question is: Just what is Krause doing while I’m spending all this time trying to build a champion?
Westward ho: Pacers President Donnie Walsh said he has to laugh at talk of Western Conference superiority. “It’s one guy,” Walsh said. “If Shaq [O’Neal] is in the East, it’s all different.” O’Neal remains out, and what do you know, the Lakers are 0-3 against Eastern Conference teams. Early-season scorecard: Through Sunday, the East had a 23-16 record against the West.
Paging David Stern: Poor shooting and low scoring are the early-season trends. With teams playing more zone defense and coaches’ inability to teach zone offense, the game is slowing again. Through Saturday, with almost 100 games played, the league scoring average is 92.8. Eight teams are averaging fewer than 90 points a game, and 60- and 70-point games are common again. And the league shooting average is 42.9 percent. Those are the kinds of numbers that brought on the rules changes a few years ago when scoring slumped to the low 90s for the first time since the mid-1950s.
Seeing Red: Still angry, though not at Phil Jackson this time, is 85-year-old legend Red Auerbach, who complained about the Knicks getting an injury exception for Antonio McDyess when the Celtics never did for Len Bias or Reggie Lewis, who died. “Why are these guys getting a break?” Auerbach said. The Bulls should look to put Crawford, Fizer or Robinson in that exception if they can’t make another deal–perhaps for a draft pick.
Go, Illini: Nets players were wondering about Kendall Gill’s comments that he “helped build” the defending conference champions. “Why? Because he left?” said Kenyon Martin. More from Gill, after scoring 22 points and blocking Michael Jordan down the stretch in a Timberwolves win: “He’s still Michael, but he’s not anywhere near what he used to be. I wish I could see him the way he used to play.”
Jordan rules? Once dangerous ground to tread, now players are having their fun with Jordan. Minnesota center Rasho Nesterovic, who blocked Jordan late in that game, was asked if it was his greatest thrill. “Come on, he’s like 40,” Nesterovic said. And after playing the Lakers last week, Cleveland’s Darius Miles warned Ricky Davis not to taunt Kobe Bryant. Said Miles: “Besides Shaq, Kobe is the best player in the NBA. He’s someone everyone wants to be. He’s better than Michael Jordan.”
Bodies of work: You’d think there would be jobs with the shortage of point guards, but Tim Hardaway is working for ESPN and Greg Anthony is with New York’s MSG network. Said Anthony, who played with the Bulls last season, “After a while, it becomes a law of diminished returns for the body.”
No endorsement deal: With players more concerned about anti-inflammatory drugs since Alonzo Mourning’s kidney diagnosis, Horace Grant said: “No Advil in this system. Four times 82. That’s how many Advil I took last year. That’s too many.” Mourning didn’t announce anything in his first public appearance since his kidney problems worsened, but he sounds resigned to retiring: “Everybody has a clock on their career. Some players’ clocks stop when they don’t want it to. I haven’t retired yet, but I do know that basketball is definitely secondary.”
Joining the club: How could the Knicks want to dump Latrell Sprewell now (no, he’ll never be with the Bulls) that he has a running buddy? New Knick Lee Nailon in 1998 pleaded no contest to a charge that he beat his girlfriend while they were students at TCU. In 1999 he was arrested on suspicion of drug possession and evading arrest–accused of diving out a hotel bathroom window while the police were at the door–but those charges were dropped. In 2000 he was jailed for failing to pay child support for his daughter. Big surprise the Hornets wanted to deal him.
GM help, Part II: Cleveland’s Ty Hill, known affectionately as Ty Maintenance for his frequent complaining, put on his executive hat last week. “Let’s be real,” Hill said. “We need a point guard. Not to take anything away from Bimbo Coles, Milt Palacio or Smush Parker, but we need one. If we had a point guard, I guarantee that we’d make the playoffs.” Added budding assistant general manager Ricky Davis: “If the organization would’ve signed Rod Strickland, we would’ve been all good. [The organization] let that one slip away.”
L.A. story: No surprise, but with no extensions offered, Clippers players are busy chasing stats for free agency. Michael Olowokandi went off in practice last week, demanding the team run more plays for him. GM Elgin Baylor was eventually called in to mediate.
Layups: Who says the Nuggets don’t have a plan? Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said he’ll consider rapper and failed hoopster Percy Miller (Master P) for a roster spot. “I’m not going to say it’s not a possibility for the future at all,” Vandeweghe said. . . . Frank Williams update: Before Sunday, the former Illini guard had played two minutes, during which the Knicks were outscored 8-0. . . . Bucks coach George Karl on Chicago ex-high schooler Leon Smith, who was released: “He didn’t seem like he wanted to be here.”
