Post this a year ago and the trade is a wash... paging tinman! We need a little Sam Cassell love here!
How about Dirk for Robert Traylor? Kobe for Vlade? There are plenty worse than this, Chandler still has the potential to be a defensive Ben Wallace.
One can no longer play the *potential card* for Tyson Chandler. Didn't Brand tell the Bulls he was walking when he contract was up?
I sincerely doubt this. Brand was their very loyal and supportive of the team. He went out of his way in trying to recruit guys, and always sounded positive in interviews.
That's what Bulls fans tend to hang onto, but outside of one fringe report from a Milwaukee paper, there's not a lot to attribute that to. Bulls fans can be as dumb as any other fans out there, but the smart ones know what they have in Chandler. His defensive presence in the fourth quarter of games last year turned Chicago from an 0-9 team into a squad with the third-best record in the East. Once Chicago gets a big body to play alongside him, an Antonio Davis-type who doesn't have to do much besides "be big," then Chandler will flourish again. He was way out of shape this year mainly because the Bulls waited until the end of summer to give him a contract. As a fan, he's untouchable for me, and I cringe any time I see Chicago fans offer up trades for him -- as a salary dump or otherwise. Outside of Wallace and Hakeem, I've never seen a guy with Chandler's ability to change the shot, and STILL run back in time to grab a defensive rebound. But, yeah, the Elton trade was brutal. Even if Chandler turned into a 20 and 10 guy, you don't trade a #1 pick overall (from two years before) who had averaged 20 and 10 for two years for a #2 pick overall. Doesn't if it's the #2 pick from a Draft included Jordan, Hakeem, Jesus, Einstein, Wilt and David Lee Roth-era Van Halen -- you have to get more from a team than the #2 pick (and Brian Skinner, who the Bulls dumped right after). You have to get lottery-fringe talent alongside it. A 2001-era Corey Maggette. A 2001-era Q-Rich. Something has to make up for the gulf between "#2 overall pick, no matter the pick, no matter the age" and "#1 pick, who has averaged 20 and 10 in his first two years." But, no, it's not nearly as bad as Dirk for Tractor Traylor. Tyson still plays for the Bulls, and is a centerpiece (in spite of the idiots who want to trade him for Troy Murphy), while Tractor lasted like a year with Milwaukee.
Sort of the problem when you don't watch enough games and only go by stats. The Bulls overplay on all screen and roll (with Tyson having to go some 30 feet from the hoop) and Chandler's role is to also dash out to deny as much guard penetration as he can -- or stop a wing player from shooting after the guards over play (forcing the offensive guy into a pump fake and re-shot). He has to cover all corners, and THEN get back around the rim for the rebound. That's his gig. At best, Tyson will top out at a 12-rebound/36 minute guy, but what he does is change games defensively. It what Magic fans will tell you about Wallace in 1999-00, when he averaged about 24 minutes and eight boards. Tyson averages about 27 and 9 boards, and dealt with the growing pains a lot earlier (Wallace went to college for four years, Chandler came straight from high school and had to figure things out for four years) in his career.
Chandler's got potential to screw up. What was Chicago thinking? A series of mistakes on picks have made them still rebuild. They should've had an empire building with the piececs they have got throughout years. Hope they do the right thing this draft.
Difference is that Brand was already a 20-10 guy, and Chandler was 18. Those others were all rookies so there was some unknown. I just can't understand why you'd trade the cornerstone of your franchise, a 20-10 guy, for an 18-year old who can't shoot or dribble.
Oh, it's easily the dumbest trade in NBA history, just not the worst. Remember, Jerry Krause was the same guy who traded a 22-year old Ron Artest and a 25-year old Brad Miller some eight months later for 30-year old Jalen Rose. To be a Bulls fan is to always have the "what if?" thing clouding your perspective. That said, if Krause doesn't make one of those moves, the Bulls may have made the playoffs in 03 or 04, and JK might still (*shudder*) be the GM. It sucks horribly, but I'm quite content now. Fine young team, oodles of cap space, the 2nd and 16th picks, New York's pick next year, and all sorts of potential under Paxson.
I agree with this statement 110%. It would be a tough decision to pick between Chandler and Brand in the last offseason. Chandler had so much potential in my eyes to become a monster defensive player ala Ben Wallace in his prime. I wouldn't write Chandler off yet because he's still relatively young. But his chronic back problem is very concerning.
Yup, after 7 years of major screw-ups, the Bulls' future is finally bright. If they use their picks well, they have a chance for future greatness. I wouldn't feel too good about the cap space though. You have Hinrich, Gordon, Nocioni and Deng waiting to get big paychecks, and Chandler's contract is way too big. If I were Paxson, I wouldn't spend like crazy on FAs this Summer. Remember the Nuggets few years ago? They had the cap space to buy the world, and they overspent on mediocre players like Kenyon Martin and Andre Miller, which will put a strangle hold on their franchise for a long time. You can argue Miller deserves his contract, but that's not the point. The key is to sign guys for cheap, like what the Spurs did to Parker and Ginobli, and what the Rockets did for Sura (before his knee injuries), not for their market values. I've always been a fan of the Bulls, and Hinrich is one of my favorate players. I hope they get an allstar level player in this year's draft thanks to Isaiah, and challenge the East for many years to come.
as much as i love sam and rob, im proud of chuck when he played here, he played his heart out and we were about one john stockton shot away from possibly being in the finals. chuck was our best post player cause dream was getting old and his quickness was gone.
Not only that, but Barkley got us past a Seattle team that had swept us the year before. Also, he signed for $1 million the following year just to play alongside Pippen and Dream. But we all saw how that turned out...
yeah, barkley playing for 1mill showed that he wanted to win. i doubt any Rocket in history would take that big of a paycut, not even Dream.
