So now that Eddy Curry is doing what the Bulls had hoped he would so they could trade him for value, should they?
That thought comes to mind as the Bulls play host to the Trail Blazers on Monday. Portland is an equally troubled team with a player it has been showcasing all season, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who seems to fit the Bulls’ plans better than Curry.
Remember, just five weeks ago Curry was demanding a trade–though he later decided it was his agents’ request, not his–and the Bulls seemed eager to accommodate him. Now, though, Curry is playing well. In the last seven games, during which the Bulls are 5-2, Curry is averaging 18.1 points and 7.4 rebounds on 60 percent shooting.
Maybe this is the Curry for whom the Bulls have been waiting, and maybe Curry really wants to remain in his hometown. I’ll buy it for now, with a three-game winning streak.
But is Curry part of the team John Paxson wants to create?
The Bulls want to run and pressure and defend and share the ball like the new-model Suns, Pistons and Sonics. Are they going to stand around and drop it in to Curry? Can they depend on him to be what he has been the last two weeks? Or will he revert to the player he was the month and three years (except for two months at the end of the 2001-02 season) before that?
And will he and coach Scott Skiles ever truly coexist? Skiles reminds one of what someone once said about Vince Lombardi: “He treats us all the same. Like dogs.”
A former Bull once told me you can yell at Tyson Chandler all day and it won’t make a difference, that he’ll perform. You can’t yell at Curry like that, lest he shrink and lose confidence. He’s the sensitive giant. He doesn’t want to be the main man, though he has the skills. Chandler does, but doesn’t have those skills.
Abdur-Rahim is a power forward who can score, is a good teammate and fits the Bulls’ style. If the Blazers would throw in shooting guard Derek Anderson, the Bulls would have a nice three-guard rotation with Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. With Chandler at center, the Bulls should be a playoff team this season. And with some salary-cap room on the horizon, the future could look pretty good.
The Blazers definitely want to do something, though of late their problem has been the guy they want to keep, Zach Randolph.
Portland has won two straight to get to 12-11, but coach Maurice Cheeks benched Randolph, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, for the last four minutes of a victory Saturday over Detroit. Randolph also was criticized last week by teammates for being selfish and pouting.
Yes, Curry is a post player like Randolph. (That’s why Jerry Krause said he traded Elton Brand: having two post players doesn’t work.). So there’s a risk for everyone. Abdur-Rahim is in the last year of his contract, but the Bulls should be able to persuade him they have something going. The Blazers don’t want long-term contracts at big money, and the Bulls could put together a package without that. Curry and Randolph could be a pretty formidable front court.
Or the Bulls could allow Krause’s dream to become a reality. It has looked pretty good the last 10 days.
Floyd going Hollywood?
Now Tim Floyd may be going where he belongs. You know, where 20 wins is a good season. The talk is that the former Bulls and Hornets coach will surface as Rick Majerus’ replacement at USC. Floyd should last more than three days, but how much longer is the question. It’s not a done deal, but it looks like good ol’ Tim has talked himself into another bunch of millions. He is the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
Hidden costs for Carter
Maybe Isiah Thomas can get over the disappointment of losing out on Vince Carter by trading for former Knicks Marcus Camby and Latrell Sprewell. “Myself, I wish I was still here,” Camby said when his Nuggets were in New York last week. “I know Spree wishes he was here.”
Why didn’t the Knicks (or the Bulls) get Carter when the Nets seemingly gave up so little? The answer is in the two first-round draft picks the Nets traded. The Knicks probably don’t have any until 2087, and the Bulls gave up theirs in 2005 for Luol Deng. The picks are the hidden cost of that deal.
Could the Bulls have gotten Carter? Did they even want him? They did make inquiries. It’s nice to win some games, as the Bulls have lately. But it’s like one NBA philosopher once said: “You can have 12 carpenters working hard, but you need one who knows what he’s doing.” You need a star somewhere.
Speaking of Sprewell, in the wake of Gordon’s late, unnecessary shot in a Bulls victory over the Timberwolves, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Sprewell is promising to “clean his clock.”
It’s hype time
ESPN, a partner with ABC, will be running the fast break at you all week for “The Christmas Revenge!” Where’s Don King and Bob Arum? Yes, it’s Pistons-Pacers and Kobe-Shaq in a Saturday doubleheader. The principals aren’t playing along yet.
“I don’t think Indiana-Detroit is a compelling story, not with what’s happened with our teams,” Pistons coach Larry Brown said. “When they originally put us on Christmas Day, it was because Indiana had the best record in the league [last year] and we won the NBA championship.”
The Pistons, whom the Bulls play Wednesday, and the Pacers are 12-11 as of Sunday, the one-month anniversary of the brawl that could cost both teams their seasons.
And Shaquille O’Neal? He’s getting tired of all this Kobe Bryant stuff. “It’s just another game to me,” he said.
2nd chance for Spurs
Remember the 1985 NBA draft? The Bulls thought they did pretty well–and they did–when they got Cleveland to take Keith Lee from Memphis State and they got Virginia Union’s Charles Oakley.
But while everyone was celebrating, this big kid from Louisiana Tech was dropping. Couldn’t shoot, they said. Too small. Earlier there had been a coin flip because the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs had identical 41-41 records. Who cared? No. 13 or No. 14.
But now forwards were flying off the board: Oakley, Lee, Ed Pinckney. The Spurs were sweating. They had a chance for Karl Malone. He went No. 13 to the Jazz. The Spurs took Alfredrick Hughes from Loyola.
The Spurs are waiting for Malone again as he considers playing for San Antonio, with a chance to win that elusive title now that he is on the outs with Bryant and the Lakers.
Not so fantastic
All the NBA wants for Christmas is some company. The riot? The players? The economy? There are some worrisome signs on attendance.
Even teams enjoying great success, like the Suns and Sonics, haven’t capitalized. Both are about equal in attendance with last season, when they missed the playoffs. Phoenix is ranked No. 17 in the league in attendance, and Seattle is 21st. Orlando is 27th, the same as last season, despite experiencing a revival.
The Bulls are at No. 7, but No. 21 in percent of capacity of their arena.
Missing-persons report
So what do they do when it’s over? Old buddy Tim Hardaway is playing in the Miramar (Fla.) Adult Open Winter League at $375 for the eight-game season.
DeShawn Stevenson says he wants a trade because of a lack of playing time. Yes, he’s still in the NBA (Orlando).
The Cavs are trying to deal DeSagana Diop and Dajuan Wagner. Good luck.
Also among the disgruntled is Golden State’s Eduardo Najera, rarely playing after arriving from Dallas in the Erick Dampier deal. Said Najera: “This is not a team where I would like to be on the bench.” Not that the Mavericks are any happier with Dampier, who is averaging 8.2 points and 7.3 rebounds at more than $10 million a year.
What ever happened to Vin Baker? He’s averaging 1.1 points and has sat out 13 of the Knicks’ last 17 games by coach’s decision.
Last shots
Charlotte’s Emeka Okafor is averaging 18.1 points and 13.2 rebounds in the last 12 games, with the Bobcats winning five straight at home. … Brent Barry is shooting 39 percent from the field and trying to work himself back into the Spurs’ rotation. … With seven free agents, the biggest one the Sonics could lose is general manager Rick Sund, in the last year of his deal after patiently rebuilding the team. “I like short-term contracts for players, so why should I feel any different for myself?” said Sund, from Elgin and Northwestern. … Paul Pierce stopped at the scorer’s table in a game against the Clippers in Los Angeles last week and said to the public-address announcer: “It’s Paul Pierce. Get your tongue warmed up.” Sounds like the Celtics are playing that team ball Danny Ainge talked about. Pierce got 33 points. … The Mavs are going with their third starting point guard this season, Jason Terry. The Suns don’t seem to have that problem.
