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djsunyc
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Bulls latest to reap benefit of dealing with Isiah
Sunday, May 28, 2006
For the sake of accuracy, it should be noted that Isiah Thomas has already won one title as an NBA executive. Of course, that title is in San Antonio, which would not have won the hardware last season without the addition of Nazr Mohammed. .
He's also built a title contender with a four- or five-year shelf life in Phoenix, which used the Stephon Marbury deal to create cap space and sign Steve Nash.
He's contributed mightily to the renovation project in Toronto, which dumped Jalen Rose's $17 million salary on the Knicks, allowing the Raptors to be players in the free-agent market a year ahead of schedule.
And now, in this week's edition of Zeke the Munificent, let us consider what he's done for the Chicago Bulls -- knowing that if history is any guide, the Bulls will probably hit a home run.
As you know, the Bulls shipped Eddy Curry out seven months ago with this summer in mind: They convinced the Knicks to take his contract, which still has five years and $48.4 million to run, for what became the No. 2 pick in the draft after the lottery balls were shuffled Wednesday night.
And though John Paxson is trying to contain himself, he's got a lousy poker face.
"Eddy Curry's a very good basketball player," the Bulls GM said. "We made the deal reluctantly, we were lucky enough to get into the lottery and we got the second pick. Eddy's talented and he's going to get better, so we'll leave it at that."
Nobody was buying the reticence bit, so Pax added, "This is like found money, I guess. You feel fortunate that you're here. I'm not smart enough to say we knew this was going to happen."
Well, it happened, and look at what the Bulls have now. They already possess one of the best young cores in the NBA, with four guys capable of making an All-Star team someday. Thanks to the subtraction of Curry, they will have at least $15 million in cap space, which is enough to land them an A-list free agent -- Al Harrington or Peja Stojakovic, perhaps -- in a market that doesn't really have many A-list players.
And now, they have the No. 2 pick. Even though the draft may be short of stars, Paxson expects to find a big body who can develop with the rest of the Baby Bulls. At the top of his list are Tyrus Thomas and LaMarcus Aldridge. Or he can move the pick for an experienced big, such as Samuel Dalembert or Jamaal Magloire.
"Our needs are athleticism and length, and they'll be some guys at the top of the draft," Paxson said. "But we can also explore options in moving that pick. We like our young guys. But we have to ask ourselves if we're too young. Is there a way to get better to help us continue to be not only a playoff team, but a very good playoff team? Those are the questions we're going to be debating now."
Speaking of debates, what have the Knicks gained, exactly?
For all the missteps made by the Wrong Way Dolans, it's hard to find a GM who is ready to conclude that the Knicks blundered when they made the Curry deal -- yet. That proclamation is still a year or two away.
But for now, this assessment was typical:
"Are the Bulls going to get a better player than Curry? No," one Eastern Conference GM said. "But for all the things that are going wrong in New York, Curry's underachievement just multiplies it. Everyone likes his offensive ability, and he still has upside, but he's gradually moving toward bust. Either he doesn't love the game, or he's uncoachable. Because he sure doesn't hustle on defense, and he just isn't maturing at an acceptable rate."
It certainly wasn't an acceptable pace to Scott Skiles, who couldn't stand him.
Regardless of what Curry becomes, regardless of what the Bulls do at the No. 2 slot -- trade, keep, or blow it -- at least they have options the Knicks can only dream of.
"Whatever way we decide to go," Paxson said, "this gives us a great chip in the game."
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5/31/2006 1:17 AM