The deal thwarted the Bulls' plan to bring Kukoc, 33, back to Chicago as a veteran mentor and a forward who could relieve the pressure on second-year players Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. Atlanta sources said the Bulls were offering forward Eddie Robinson after failing to complete a three-way deal with the Hawks and 76ers that would have returned Kukoc to Chicago and sent Robinson to Philadelphia and Eric Snow to the Hawks. The 76ers pulled Snow off the market after dealing Speedy Claxton to San Antonio. The Bulls hoped to bring Kukoc back and create room to sign 76ers free agent Matt Harpring, but as long as they're stuck with Robinson and his five-year, $31 million contract, it seems unlikely they'll be able to sign the defensive-minded Harpring. ------ Kukoc, vacationing in Europe, was eager to return to the Bulls. He has kept his home here, and when he learned in June the Bulls were trying to get him back, he frequently called Bulls staffers to learn of any progress in trade talks. Thus the Bucks-Hawks deal is a blow to the Bulls, who realized after summer-league play that Curry and Chandler are not ready to be regular contributors. They were hoping to take the pressure off them with veterans such as Kukoc and Harpring. Now it appears they also may lose a shot at Toronto free-agent forward Keon Clark. The Orlando Magic this week quietly traded Don Reid to Denver for a future second-round pick. It was believed to be a move to free up money to sign Clark, the best of the available forwards. http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...bullsbigdogtrade.story?coll=cs-home-headlines
how long do you think it will take for the young'uns to develop gb? Why not throw them to the wolves now, I mean it's not like Kukoc and Harpring are really going to bring that much more Ws. And why not a more serious play for Big Dog instead of Kukoc? It's not like Atlanta was offering that much. How much leeway is Krause going to get for putting out losing teams(potential is there, but still ...)?
Crisco-If a decrease in attendance means anything, the Bulls front office feels somewhat pressured to win sometime soon. You have to remember that most Bulls fans were around for the 6 titles. When you go from winning 6 titles, to being the worst team in the league for 4 years running, it gets old soon. The Bulls fans have put up with enough losing. Krause would be right if he felt like he needed to payback their loyal fans by making the team respectable. Personally, I felt like Chandler could be a regular contributor for the Bulls next year. If he can't be counted on to be a 2nd or 3rd scorer, the Bulls may be in trouble again. Jay Will will be the best rookie next year, but he's only a rookie. He'll probably average around 17 ppg and 6 assists. What the Bulls should be doing is pursuing Michael Redd. They will get next to nothing by trading Best (supposedly the Bulls want to sign and trade him), maybe a future #2 and misc garbage. Redd would give the Bulls a swingman to go along with Rose. Right now, I think Trenton Hassell is in line to be the starting SG, or maybe Crawford. Or maybe Rose will be the SG, with Robinson at SF? As you can see the Bulls need to acquire a SG/SF so that they know what starting 5 to go out with. Hell, Marcus Fizer could be their SF too. The Bulls seem to lack an identity, outside of Chandler, Curry, Rose, and Jay Will. The other players are either horrible bench warmers, or young players who haven't shown their potential (Fizer, Crawford). The Bulls should decide soon on what to do with the players outside of their nucleus.
Play the kids = repeat of seasons past. They are not consistent. World beaters one night. Nuggets the next. Big Dog = No Salary Match for Cap purposes. Depends on whose giving it---the fans? Some. The Media? None. Reinsdorf? Lots and Lots.
