Reports: Bulls trade Ben Wallace
No consistent confirmations yet, but multiple sources are at least agreeing on the principal fact that Ben Wallace and Joe Smith are going to the Cavs, with Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to the Bulls.
Some discrepancies all-around include whether or not Seattle is part of a 3-team trade, and other Bulls players like Chris Duhon and/or Adrian Griffin (and other Cavs, Sonics...) being involved as well.
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How could anyone not like this?
Brilliant trade.
by nateroth on Feb 21, 2008 2:54 PM CST 0 recs
Because...
I'm still happy, but this wasn't the slam dunk, lopsided victory some are making it out to be.
by messwiththebull on
Feb 21, 2008 2:58 PM CST
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Forget about playing time
#2, Gooden is an expiring deal next year (when we might actually contend), and then we have Hughes as another one the year after that. It's actually better to have two expiring deals, in multiple years, instead of one.
#3, those who "should" be getting this playing time haven't even proven that they've earned it yet. Gooden could very well be better than Tyrus Thomas. Wallace unquestionably was not.
by nateroth on
Feb 21, 2008 3:06 PM CST
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Not trying to be a party pooper
#2. I like the fact that Gooden has an expiring deal. It's the Hughes acquisition that I was really hoping to avoid. But you can't give away crap without taking on crap, which I understand.
#3. If Gooden is better than Ty Thomas, we should find that out ASAP so we can deal Ty while he still has value. Finding out too late, or after everyone else finds out, is terrible.
No matter how we justify this, the only way the Bulls could rid themselves of Wallace is by taking on someone else's crap. I can assure you there are fans in Cleveland equally as relieved as getting rid of Hughes as we are to be rid of Wallace.
Not trying to send mixed signals here: trading Wallace had to be done and I'm glad it happened.
by messwiththebull on
Feb 21, 2008 3:11 PM CST
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I agree, it's all about fit.
Hughes was horrible on a team where they asked him to come off of screens and shoot jumpers. Now we get to see how good he is on a team where jumpers off of screens are left to others (Hinrich, Gordon and Deng), whereas slashing to the hole is a need.
by bullhockey on
Feb 21, 2008 5:08 PM CST
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soooo happy
by Stacey Kings Emmy on Feb 21, 2008 2:54 PM CST 0 recs
Fuck the leadership!
by Option27 on Feb 21, 2008 2:56 PM CST 0 recs
Also
DUDE CAN SCORE!
Even had a 40 point game earlier
by Option27 on Feb 21, 2008 2:59 PM CST 0 recs
Wrong
He's going to become the same exact whipping boy on here as Wallace. They don't save that much money with him, but do get Gooden's expiring deal for next year. Shame to see PJ Brown's rights go to waste again.
I wish Duhon were involved too, now this just limits Thabo's minutes. But TT and Noah will get more burn.
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:04 PM CST
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I agree
by messwiththebull on
Feb 21, 2008 3:17 PM CST
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ESPNews
by wjb1492 on Feb 21, 2008 2:59 PM CST 0 recs
the official
by ScottieCartwright on Feb 21, 2008 3:00 PM CST 0 recs
Ooh better than previously reported
Holy smokes. We fleeced em.
Out
Wallace
Smith
Duhon
Griffin
'08 2nd round pick
In
Gooden
Hughes
S. Brown
Simmons
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 3:03 PM CST
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but did
by Conor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:08 PM CST
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Huh
Yikes.
by lilzaky on
Feb 21, 2008 3:25 PM CST
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I was pissed the bulls never picked brown
Pax couldn't last more than 3 months without MSU's influence somewhere in the Berto Center.
Honestly though, i think the bulls did slightly better in this trade. Gets rid of the cancer of wallace (shame we had to lose smith). Gooden has some post moves, and hughes, even at a shadow of himself, allows us mobility with gordon, and makes our backcourt look alot better. Finally if simmons or brown ever turn into something, there we go.
by milesgmsu on
Feb 21, 2008 3:48 PM CST
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You won't like it
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 4:22 PM CST
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they don't have to waive anybody
by your friendly BullsBlogger on
Feb 21, 2008 4:25 PM CST
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Well, they are both 1st round picks
by Thirdrock on
Feb 21, 2008 4:34 PM CST
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Party tonight
by NBA Observer on Feb 21, 2008 3:00 PM CST 0 recs
the thing about du
by Jaina on
Feb 21, 2008 3:03 PM CST
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true
by ScottieCartwright on
Feb 21, 2008 3:05 PM CST
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lol I know
i hope the 4 guards that get any minutes are hinrich/gordon/hughes/sef, esp if we're going to be seeing 3 guard lineups, with either hughes or sef at the 3. du can be used sparingly. the only problem is that he's really the only true backup point. but when hughes was playing point in cleveland, i remember hearing he actually played pretty well.
by Jaina on
Feb 21, 2008 3:07 PM CST
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Duhon is fine as a backup point guard
by Big D on
Feb 21, 2008 3:05 PM CST
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Agree with you Big D
I like the trade for the Bulls. Hughes has been awful since he's been in Cleveland, but he like Wallace might like a change of scenery. He can be our "slasher" scorer, something he wasn't allowed to be because James is clearly better in that category.
WHen Cleveland signed Hughes a lot of critics wondered if it would work since on offense he essentially needs to drive and play a similar role that Lebron played and he never was much of a shooter.
With the Bulls he can drive to the bucket and get some points. He's also a nice defender.
Now we just have to hope he is still motivated and plays the rest of the year.....
I care less about Gooden--a guy who'll look great one night, and then look like the village idiot the next 5-6 games. Still the Bulls have talked about Gooden for a few years, his contract isn't that awful, and he can score a bit inside and get some boards (and he can score a lot and get a ton of boards when he's not in his "village idiot" mode).
I think the Bulls improve more than just addition by subtraction. Hughes will be better playing a more suited role than he plays now. ALthough it'll be interesting in terms of who we play in the guard spots with Hinrich/Duhon/Gordon/Sefalosha/Hughes we've got too many guards again.....
I wish now Pax would dump Boylan and get us a coach. Now if we really had an NBA coach we could use our strengths and do well. If that coach can crack the mystery that is Gooden, we really could luck out. He can look really good on some nights.....
Now we need a coach, especially with a nice crop of guards.
by majoyenrac on
Feb 21, 2008 3:39 PM CST
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You mentioned the best thing about hughes...
And im pissed how the P.J. Brown situation has been handled from the start.
by T MaK on
Feb 21, 2008 7:04 PM CST
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What will really be cool is
If we're going to truly blow this thing up, let's actually blow it up.
by bullhockey on Feb 21, 2008 3:02 PM CST 0 recs
It's not like getting Gasol for nothing...
I'm looking forward to seeing the details, but I'm cautiously optimistic here.
by Jivas on Feb 21, 2008 3:03 PM CST 0 recs
Cavs demand that he scores
I slate him for 22-25 minutes per. And judge that progress or regression and adjust as necessary.
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 3:06 PM CST
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You're wrong too
This is just a "you take my crap, I'll take your crap" kinda trade. Nice to see Wallace go, but don't think it's seriously going to improve the team this year.
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:06 PM CST
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One thing is absolutely certain.
by 1958ChiTown on
Feb 21, 2008 3:08 PM CST
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Why?
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:12 PM CST
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His better shots
He was a bad player to compliment Lebron. They wanted Michael Redd first, but he resigned for big dollars with the Bucks.
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 3:15 PM CST
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So it's a good thing
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:48 PM CST
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Of course not
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 4:24 PM CST
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there's nothing
lots of things could contribute to Hughes having an impact...maybe not a huge impact, but he could still have one.
by ScottieCartwright on
Feb 21, 2008 3:15 PM CST
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The Wizards wanted to keep him
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 3:17 PM CST
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Players stay the same...
by tyger1147 on
Feb 21, 2008 3:18 PM CST
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i'll agree
by ScottieCartwright on
Feb 21, 2008 3:23 PM CST
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How old is Chandler?
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:49 PM CST
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you might
Just wait to see what happens first before you start bombing away...
by ScottieCartwright on
Feb 21, 2008 3:53 PM CST
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Are you debating the fact that Larry Hughes
by 1958ChiTown on
Feb 21, 2008 3:21 PM CST
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I'd rather...
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:42 PM CST
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I'd rather get shot and strangled
by Freethefro on
Feb 21, 2008 4:44 PM CST
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agreed
Count me among the "cautiously hopeful" with regard to Hughes. He had a finger injury that may have lasted longer than some thought, and he was pretty effective for a while in Washington.
I'm not saying he's worth the money he's getting paid, he isn't. But neither was Wallace. And he is a good fit for the 3-guard lineup, if the Bulls insist on using it.
by Bayern Munich on
Feb 21, 2008 3:34 PM CST
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for a while=1 year
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:43 PM CST
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We get it, dude. You hate Larry Hughes
Time will tell if this is a good deal for the Bulls.
For now, I think it's an improvement, though (as I said) I don't believe Hughes justifies his salary from an objective stand-point.
by Bayern Munich on
Feb 21, 2008 3:46 PM CST
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Adios Ben Gordon.
Watch the irony unfold as they start to win games and make the playoffs.
by tyger1147 on Feb 21, 2008 3:04 PM CST 0 recs
not necessarily
What happened was that Pax just bought himself some "insurance" in Hughes if BG doesn't budge on his asking price.
I doubt Gordon is asking for $15 million (bullshit Sam Smith!) but I don't see why they couldn't keep him.
With Duhon expiring and in all likelihood leaving after this season, you now have 4 guards who can all play the 1 or the 2...they would have an uber guard rotation that would be pretty nice.
by ScottieCartwright on
Feb 21, 2008 3:13 PM CST
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I agree
(of course, what they should do is have Hughes is the 6th man....)
by your friendly BullsBlogger on
Feb 21, 2008 3:23 PM CST
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Man
by piccolomair on Feb 21, 2008 3:05 PM CST 0 recs
Let me ask again, how does Hughes fit into the
He has to take someone's minutes, and it likely to be either Gordon's or Thabo's.
by 1958ChiTown on Feb 21, 2008 3:06 PM CST 0 recs
history says he will be
It'll be Hinrich/Hughes starting, then Gordon off the bench. 3-guard lineups will have Hughes and Thabo.
I guess it 'buries' Thabo a bit. That bothers some others more than me.
by your friendly BullsBlogger on
Feb 21, 2008 3:13 PM CST
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Bothers me too
by Moses Taylor on
Feb 21, 2008 3:15 PM CST
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Here's how:
While he's not the defensive stalwart, Hughes can play well in the open court/slash/finish. And the man can score.
Of course, Thabo's game is coming along in all of the same categories, this is true. But to pick up a tall guard of Hughes' abilities in slashing/finishing, and especially of his scoring ability, is still a great thing for this Bulls team.
The worst thing about him is that he shoots a low percentage from the floor, in fact statistically very close to Hinrich.
But as mentioned before, he makes Deng expendable, as he, Thabo and Noc (and maybe TT?) should all be able to spend time at the 3. Deng should fetch a high value in the open market.
by bullhockey on
Feb 21, 2008 4:07 PM CST
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one Ben gone
Bottom line, we traded our problem for Cleveland's. Salary-wise, it works out OK--we're now on the hook for more money for Hughes, but for the same duration (contract up after 09-10). Gooden's contract is done after next year, so he'll get an audition to see if he can mesh on the frontline with Noah and Tyrus. Hughes becomes the starting SG and can defend the bigger guards, which should help Hinrich.
Sadly, the initial ESPN report had Duhon in the deal, which turned out not to be true.
by vanillablue on Feb 21, 2008 3:07 PM CST 0 recs
Gooden
Would have liked to be rid of Duhon, but at worst he's off the books at the end of the year.
The writing seems to be on the wall with Gordon though :|
by Sports2 on Feb 21, 2008 3:12 PM CST 0 recs
Call the press
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 3:16 PM CST
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I'm sure this guy is happy
Maybe he can sell the domain name to a Bulls fan. Alternately, he can start a Ben Wallace site now.
by Big D on Feb 21, 2008 3:17 PM CST 0 recs
yeah
at least with Hughes, "bad shots" didn't include free throws.
by Bayern Munich on
Feb 21, 2008 3:37 PM CST
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Bye bye pt for Thabo.
But I love clearing up the log jam up front. I've been a big Gooden fan and he finally gives us someone who can score around the basket (not take jumpers mr. smith). Noah moves to starting Center with Tyrus the first big off the bench. Sweet
by bullsfaninla on Feb 21, 2008 3:17 PM CST 0 recs
Gordon's
The Bulls made the trade to rid themselves of Wallace and his lack of energy.
We had been hearing whispers of their Kansas love of Gooden for at least 2 years, so I'm sure that's why they let Joe "career year" Smith go, and they likely needed to as well to rid themselves of Wallace.
Larry Hughes could be very interesting though....perhaps he plays some time at the 3 spot?, he's got quick hands, and a slasher's mentality, so he might be able to play taller than he is.
Having him backup Deng in spots, and Gordon/Thabo in spots and even Hinrich in spots might not be bad.
Duhon's really the odd man out.
by majoyenrac on
Feb 21, 2008 3:46 PM CST
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ESPN also reporting that the Bulls have to
by 1958ChiTown on Feb 21, 2008 3:20 PM CST 0 recs
thabo v hughes
by Sambossanova on Feb 21, 2008 3:22 PM CST 0 recs
Sue, cover your eyes
(they could trade Thabo)
by your friendly BullsBlogger on
Feb 21, 2008 3:26 PM CST
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rotation
by tdegard on Feb 21, 2008 3:22 PM CST 0 recs
Starting Five
by 1958ChiTown on
Feb 21, 2008 3:24 PM CST
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i gotta think
1 - Kirk
2 - Hughes
3 - Lu
4 - Gooden
5 - Noah
by ScottieCartwright on
Feb 21, 2008 3:25 PM CST
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Looks good to me!
by chgobr on
Feb 21, 2008 3:29 PM CST
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My five
Gooden
Deng
Hinrich
Thabo
Hughes is the player to enter the game after Gordon in the guard rotation.
by NBA Observer on
Feb 21, 2008 3:27 PM CST
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TT gets the start tomorrow night tho
by bullshooter on
Feb 21, 2008 3:29 PM CST
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I concur
It will be fun to see Noah and Thomas start together in the front court.


