Sam Smith: Bulls Future Not So Dim...

[Magilla_Gorilla]

A positive article from Sam? Say it aint so...

I rise here in defense of John Paxson.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com ... lls_layout

Is anyone with me? I can't hear you.

The Bulls return home Friday to face the Golden State Warriors after another ho-hum .500 road trip. We all know the old formula: Play .500 on the road and take care of business at home, and you have 50 victories.

This Bulls team won't get 50 victories, as many of us thought it would. And it will undergo some changes, as it should.

Much of the recent frustration has focused on Ben Wallace, who dominated the Joakim Noah episode. It's about the only dominating he has done here since he became the highest-paid free agent in Bulls history.

I'd like to see some intellectual honesty here, though that's something of an oxymoron when it comes to sports fans and the media.

When the Bulls signed Wallace, he was the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

He had won the award four times and was coming off a Game 7 loss in the NBA Finals with the Pistons.

He was replacing Tyson Chandler, then the object of fan fury. Chandler, the conventional wisdom held, was mentally weak and always in foul trouble, accounting for a huge disparity in free throws.

He couldn't shoot and was shrinking by the day under the demands of coach Scott Skiles, then a folk hero for demanding accountability.

It's no coincidence that Chandler's increased production with the Hornets comes while playing with a great point guard, Chris Paul. It makes all the difference for big men.

With contract extensions coming, 2006 was the last summer the Bulls would be under the salary cap. The alternative big men available were Nazr Mohammed and Joel Przybilla.

The signing of Wallace and subsequent trade of Chandler were widely praised.

And it worked, even if Wallace wasn't quite what he had been. He had left his heart in Auburn Hills.

But the Bulls swept the defending champion Heat and lost to the Pistons in six games in last season's playoffs, certainly a step in the right direction. Many then picked them for this season's Finals.

But it hasn't worked out. So the Wallace signing

[Sonny_D1]

He's basically saying it's time to play the kids.

About the only person that hasn't come out and said it is Scott Boylan. Gosh I wish we could get this entire staff to just disappear.

[kyrv]

That's a great article. Are you okay Sam?

I hoped for two good years with Ben Wallace, with expecting a bit of a decline this year.

As a GM you have to make the 'right', logical moves. Paxson gets blamed for making logical moves, I would hate to see it if he made illogical ones.

But as Doug's thread goes, this is a big time for Paxson, like Skiles, well with Skiles, he changed the culture. I don't know that Paxson can resolve this. We will see. Paxson does appear to be very weak what with not one but two coaches saying screw you, I'll play whoever I want, when I want.

[ThreeMileAllan]

Yeah. Wow. Nice article. Pleasant surprise. Pigs can fly.

[eierluke]

Makes me wondering, does this Sam Smith guy really have an on/off button to switch from the "demagogic don't care for facts" into the well thought "reflective mode"? - Or does he just have some ghost writers?

[Polynice4Pippen]

This season has just been too weird not to somehow turn out right in the end. Just the Bronx is Burning/Hoosiers/Major League vibe I'm getting here. Get Gasol, get the #6 seed and this team is taking the court at Boston for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Or we could stand pat and go down in 6 spirited games as a "dangerous" 7 or 8 seed in the first round.

[ptpablo]

I hav always felt Sam knows how the NBA works and is a good reporter. He was just going overboard with those trade propsals the last couple years. I thought those were fun reads.

[Johnston797]

I hoped for two good years with Ben Wallace, with expecting a bit of a decline this year.

As a GM you have to make the 'right', logical moves. Paxson gets blamed for making logical moves, I would hate to see it if he made illogical ones.

It's logical to used $20+M in cap space on a 32-year old 6'7" center with no offensive skills & Adrian Griffen & swap out a 24 year old center only 1 year removed from very good play for a 37 year-old big man?

You are right. I would hate to see Pax make illogical moves if this was the logical one.

[DuckIII]

I'd like to see some intellectual honesty here, though that's something of an oxymoron when it comes to sports fans and the media.

+1

I love sports. I love the Bulls. And I love talking about the Bulls, and the NBA in general, on this message board. I even sporadically enjoy sports talk radio.

But the one thing that I absolutely hate about all of these things is the amount if intellectual dishonesty in the discussion from both the fans and the media. After years and years of participation, I've come to accept that this is how it is.

Kudos to Sam for writing an intellectually honest article in the wake of the ignorant hysteria and deliberate sensationalism attendant to the suspension of Joakim Noah. The entirety of the Bulls-covering Chicago media, and a large percentage of fans as well, should be embarrassed for themselves.

[waffle]

Amen Sammy!

[molepharmer]

While I agree with most of Sam's thoughts within the article, I think it is poorly composed. He's constantly jumping from subject to subject with little cohesiveness, like he's had a bunch of small thoughts throughout the week but none of them are big enough for full articles.......and it's not like he builds a particularly strong case to support his title.

[waffle]

like we do?

[molepharmer]

like we do?

After re-reading my post, it does pretty accurately describe this board. Come to think of it, Sam's articles have a lot of similarity to posts on this board.

[MrSparkle]

Given the joker status of the team many years ago, I think the trade scenario articles were kind of fitting, looking back on it. It would outrage me when he talked about trading Crawford or Chandler, but it was foolish of me to value them so highly... Just like it was probably foolish of me to value Gordon and company so highly...

[bagsboy]

Wallace would look better next to an offensive minded PF.
The same was true for Chandler before he was dumped.
Wallace needs a complimentary PF to make up for his lack of offense.

[triplet1984]

When the Bulls signed Wallace, he was the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

He had won the award four times and was coming off a Game 7 loss in the NBA Finals with the Pistons.

Um... wrong. He was coming off of a Game 6 loss in the ECF to the Heat, a Game 6 in which the coach sat him in the 4th because he provided no offense.

[DuckIII]

Wallace would look better next to an offensive minded PF.
The same was true for Chandler before he was dumped.
Wallace needs a complimentary PF to make up for his lack of offense.

Thats what Joe Smith is. Since his minutes and role have increased in Mid-December, he's been putting up approximately 17 ppg on 50% from the floor. It hasn't helped Wallace.

Wallace is what he is. And thats just the way it is.

[jump]

Wow. First Sam says everything I've wanted to say to the hystercial Pax haters on this board. And then...

Kudos to Sam for writing an intellectually honest article in the wake of the ignorant hysteria and deliberate sensationalism attendant to the suspension of Joakim Noah. The entirety of the Bulls-covering Chicago media, and a large percentage of fans as well, should be embarrassed for themselves.

...Duck says exactly what I wanted to say about the media and fans.

That's what I get for living on the Left Coast. Hats off the Sam and Duck.

[Johnston797]

Wallace would look better next to an offensive minded PF.
The same was true for Chandler before he was dumped.
Wallace needs a complimentary PF to make up for his lack of offense.

Chandler shot 57% in his last year as a Bull. Wallace is at 34% FG.

[theawakening]

-= original quote snipped =-



Thats what Joe Smith is. Since his minutes and role have increased in Mid-December, he's been putting up approximately 17 ppg on 50% from the floor. It hasn't helped Wallace.

Wallace is what he is. And thats just the way it is.

Wallace would look best next to a player who is not only offfensive minded, but who can also defend bigger bodies, allowing Ben to be a help side defender. It's no coincidence that Ben was at his best when Rasheed Wallace was paired in the front court with him.