The Ben Wallace era in Chicago has come to an end.
A little more than one and a half seasons after Bulls General Manager John Paxson and then-coach Scott Skiles made a splash by signing Wallace away from the Detroit Pistons for $60 million over four years, the Bulls have agreed in principle to ship the center, along with Joe Smith and a future second-round pick, to Cleveland as part of a three-team deal that included Seattle.
The Cavs also received Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from the SuperSonics. Chicago also sent Adrian Griffin to Seattle, which also acquired Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall from Cleveland.
The Bulls receive Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown from Cleveland.
The trade awaits league approval but is expected to go through.
“I had a good time here,” Wallace said Thursday. “I enjoyed being one of the guys. And I had a good season last year.”
Wallace was expected to be among the final pieces to push the Bulls over the top and back into real contention for an NBA title for the first time since the dynasty of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were broken up. The Bulls did advance past the first round of the playoffs in Wallace’s first year, sweeping Miami. They were knocked out by Detroit in the second round, 4 games to 2.
Wallace sometimes chafed under Skiles’ coaching. In November 2006, his first season with the Bulls, Wallace famously wore his then-verboten head band in a game against the Knicks in New York, a clear act of defiance. The coaching staff relaxed that rule entering this year.
“It’s one of those things you come in and play hard and try to give what you give and not worry about what you can’t control,” Wallace said. “We had some guys that were banged up and beat up a bit. It was tough for us to get everybody on the floor and try to play basketball.”
Wallace averaged 6.4 points and 10.7 rebounds a game in his first season in Chicago. Both of those averages dropped — 5.1 and 8.8, respectively — this season.
“It is a relief,” Wallace said. “I just have to play basketball.”
Cleveland, the defending Eastern Conference champions, adds Wallace to give LeBron James fire power in a weakened East. The Cavs currently have the fifth seed. The Bulls sit 10th, two spots out.
“They just have to go out and play,” Wallace said. “They still have a good team. It’s not like these guys don’t know the game and know how to play. They just have to play together.”
Kirk Hinrich couldn’t stop chuckling at the idea of Gooden, his teammate for three seasons at Kansas, coming to Chicago.
“He’s a funny guy,” Hinrich said. “Chicago is going to like him.”
Hinrich insists that feeling will translate to Gooden’s on-the-court performance.
“He’s a real high-energy player who always has been a great rebounder,” Hinrich said from his home. “He can shoot with some range. He’s real competitive and wants to win. He’s a real good friend.”
Paxson long has admired Gooden’s game. In 51 games this season, Gooden currently is averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds.
The addition of Hughes, who makes $12.8 million, could impact the future of Ben Gordon, who is a restricted free agent this summer. Along with Hinrich, who makes $10 million next season, the Bulls now have huge money invested in their backcourt.
“You have to think it has an impact on everybody,” Gordon said. “How, I don’t know. Only time will tell.”
Gordon said Wallace would be missed.
“He was a great teammate,” he said. “He came here and he definitely helped us get to the second round last season. I guess management felt he didn’t reach expectations they wanted him to. That’s part of the business. This is my first time I’ve ever had a trade during the season. The next 29 games, and with new teammates coming in, we’re going to see what it can do. Hopefully it helps.”
Gordon likes Gooden and Hughes.
“They’re both two talented players,” he said. “I think Drew is a really good player. He does a lot of things on the offensive end. He’s a good rebounder. Larry is a big guard, almost like Thabo [Sefolosha] with his length. We’ll see how they fit in. Hopefully they make us a better team.”
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THE NEWCOMERS
Larry Hughes (6-5, 185)
Experience: 9
Stats: 12.3 ppg; 3.6 rpg; 2.4 apg
Comment: Oft-injured guard brings size and scoring to backcourt when healthy.
Drew Gooden (6-10, 250)
Experience: 5
Stats: 11.3 ppg; 8.3 rpg; 1.0 apg
Comment: Energetic, strong rebounder and solid screener, but occasionally struggles on defense.
Shannon Brown (6-4, 211)
Experience: 1
Stats: 7.0 ppg; 1.2 rpg; 1.0 apg
Comment: Strong, can guard both backcourt positions but needs to improve his jumper.
Cedric Simmons (6-9, 235)
Experience: 1
Stats: 0.6 ppg; 2.1 rpg; 0.0 apg
Comment: A raw athlete who is more advanced at defending and rebounding than scoring.
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BULLS HITS
With Larry Hughes, the Bulls have $23 million, $22.8 million and $23.1 million invested over the next three seasons in Hughes and Kirk Hinrich. GM John Paxson denied the trade affects the Bulls’ desire to keep Ben Gordon. “This gives us an issue in the backcourt but it’s a good issue to have,” he said. “Thabo [Sefolosha] also can swing to the three.”
– Shannon Brown was on the phone non-stop once word spread of the trade to his hometown. “My cell phone has been blowing up,” he said. “I even got a call from Turkey,” from ex-Proviso East teammate Dee Brown, who plays there. “I’m glad to be coming home, and I appreciate the Bulls for having faith in me,” Brown, 22, said. “There weren’t many opportunities for me in Cleveland, but I can bring some athleticism and toughness to the Bulls. There is not much athleticism on the Bulls right now.” [ TRIBUNE ]
UP NEXT
vs. Denver
Friday: 7 p.m., WGN
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WHIZZER’S TO-DO LIST FOR BEN WALLACE
– Clear out locker: 10 bottles of Stay-Sof-Fro. Packed. Autographed picture of Scott Skiles. Packed. Twenty-four spare red headbands. Garbage.
– Buy whole new set of headbands. (Ask LeBron where he shops.)
– Buy “Scoring in the Low Post for Dummies.”
– Cross John Paxson off Christmas card list.
– Leave dirty laundry in Joakim Noah’s locker.
– Practice free-throw shooting. Nah.
– Buy membership to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
– Figure out how to pronounce Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
– Figure out how to pronounce Aleksandar Pavlovic.
– Figure out how to pronounce Wally Szczerbiak.
– Figure out how to pronounce Eric Snow. Oh, wait. Scratch that.
– Erase all Danny Ferry jokes from memory.
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DOT COMMENTS
“This is a great trade. Drew Gooden is supremely underrated, Larry Hughes gives us defense in the backcourt, Cedric Simmons is actually an underrated pure 4.”
— Ed
“FINALLY!!!! Big Ben was a Big Bust! I live in Pistons country and I have to deal with the colossal waste of money that it was to sign Wallace!”
— bullsfan in pistonland
“Getting Wallace off the books for good is GREAT. It’s only too bad he couldn’t have come off the books, along with Ben or Kirk, earlier this year when the Bulls were in luke-warm pursuit of Kobe. Too bad that Joe Smith had to be included in this deal, he was becoming my favorite (and most consistent) Bull on the floor and provided much needed stability on offense.”
— DJ Z
“I think it’s good for Wallace, but where will Hughes go? Who starts at center?”
— Brandon Houston
“I think the Bulls would’ve been better off standing pat and improving in the offseason. This trade doesn’t improve the team at all. What is Paxson’s strategy or does he even have one?”
— Tony
“Getting rid of Wallace’s contract is great, but have you seen Hughes’ contract? Its awful. … Larry Hughes is awful. Period.”
— SDG
“In all of the rush to celebrate Ben’s leaving, explain to me exactly how does this trade make the team any better? Gooden vs. Smith is basically a wash, to be truthful; and for all those clamoring for Thabo, where do you think Hughes’ minutes are going to come from? Maybe it makes sense money-wise, maybe Wallace was a cancer that needed to be eradicated, but in pure basketball terms this does zero for the Bulls.”
— RF
