If perception indeed equals reality, then general manager John Paxson is ready to blow up the Bulls–again.
At the halfway point of a season touted as a return to respectability, the Bulls are ahead of fewer teams–two–than their number of rebuilding plans since Michael Jordan left town.
Do upset fans even remember how many renovations there have been to this point? Three? Four?
The current one, in which former general manager Jerry Krause banked the future on high schoolers Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, isn’t working.
Chandler and Curry have sore backs, the former from a troubling lack of strength and the latter from carrying the weight of the world.
Given his back-to-back blockbusters of firing Bill Cartwright and trading Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall to Toronto, some might call Paxson impatient. But he isn’t rash.
That’s why, though he’s fully aware of the colossal disappointment this season has produced thus far, it’s safe to assume Paxson will have Chandler and Curry wearing Bulls uniforms past the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
“I’m going to err on the side of caution on those two big kids,” Paxson said Tuesday. “We’ve invested 2 1/2 years in those two big kids, 3 1/2 years with Jamal [Crawford].
“It’s disappointing where we’re at, and I won’t make excuses. We’ve played poorly. But I’m not going to panic. We still have young guys who are trying to learn. The one miscalculation we made is we expected these young guys to make a large step–not a huge leap–in terms of their performance. That obviously hasn’t happened.”
Don’t misunderstand Paxson. He knows other teams may send feelers on both players even though a perception existed before the season that Chandler and Curry were untouchable cornerstones of the franchise.
Paxson even may initiate some discussions, given that there has been backroom discussion at the Berto Center on whether Curry has the fortitude to flourish in his distraction-filled hometown.
“I played on one team with one guy who was untouchable,” Paxson said, speaking of Jordan. “You can never say anyone is untouchable. But you don’t panic. If something is out there that makes sense to make your future better, you do it. But I’m not actively searching for a deal to get rid of our young guys.”
That Curry, privately, has discussed whether playing outside Chicago would benefit him is telling as well.
“It’s tough for him with the pressures of having everything here, friends you grew up with, high school, family,” said Crawford, Curry’s closest friend. “But he’s fine and his dream is to play well for the Bulls. He just puts so much pressure on himself because he wants to be so good.”
No matter the leaguewide perception that Curry and Chandler are available, bear in mind Paxson made his six-player trade with Toronto not only to get rid of Rose but to build around Curry and Chandler.
The upcoming drafts also are light on the type of athletic big men Curry and Chandler have the potential to become. While Paxson loathes losing and doesn’t like using youth as a crutch, he’s also aware an off-season of work with coach Scott Skiles could be beneficial.
Skiles said he and Paxson talk about personnel all the time.
“We have opinions on other players,” Skiles said. “We have opinions on our own players, which are huge at this time of year. John is easy to work with as far as that goes. And in the league in general, the days are over where the GMs are making moves without coaching input. At the same time, I’m certain right now I wouldn’t have any disagreement with John. We see eye-to-eye.”
Given that the Bulls are likely staring at another high lottery pick, it could behoove Paxson to wait until closer to the June 24 NBA draft to explore deals. A high pick–say, two or three–coupled with Curry or, less likely, Chandler, could net the Bulls a bundle at a time when more teams are shopping than at the trade deadline.
If any of the young Bulls are dealt before the Feb. 19 deadline, it’s most likely to be Crawford because he will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Then again, Paxson has rejected two underwhelming offers for Crawford from the Knicks this season, which shows he won’t move him just to move him. One, from former GM Scott Layden, involved Othella Harrington. More recently, an Isiah Thomas overture had several combinations that all involved former Illinois guard Frank Williams.
Of the teams with salary-cap money in this summer’s less-than-stellar free-agent market, only Phoenix and the Clippers have apparent needs for a combination guard like Crawford. And both teams are trying to position themselves to make a run at Kobe Bryant.
Thus, Paxson’s decision not to extend Crawford’s contract last summer could allow the Bulls to re-sign him affordably if he isn’t dealt.
Consistently over last summer and through training camp, Paxson used the following phrase: “A lot of our development must come from within.”
If this group is to remain intact for several seasons, never has that comment rung truer.
