OK, you take Eddy Curry and deal him for . . . Hey, I gave the Bulls a week. But it looks again like they need my help. Yes, it's just four months to the trading deadline, so it's time to start thinking. Look, I thought the Bulls should make some commitment to Curry, some sort of compromise, a short-term deal. There could be a lockout after this season, and even if there isn't, the NBA is pushing to reduce long-term deals. With a short-term Bulls deal, Curry would get security--and the word is that, with lavish spending habits, he's in need of cash--and the Bulls would get some stability and a tradable contract. So Curry asks for a so-called maximum deal worth close to $90 million, and, well, see you next summer. This guy's financial IQ apparently matches his basketball IQ. What Curry doesn't understand is there are several good reasons he's not going to get a major offer next summer. They're named Andrei Kirilenko, Michael Redd, Jason Richardson, Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Tony Parker and Zach Randolph, among others. If you're a team with salary-cap room, are you investing it in the unproven, uneven Curry? Or an All-Star like Kirilenko or Redd? And are you about to spend all your money with players like Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire coming on the market the following year? Yes, everyone needs a 7-footer, especially with Shaquille O'Neal back in the Eastern Conference. But with Curry, that defies the philosophy of general manager John Paxson. He wants a gritty, tough, unselfish, intelligent, committed team. Curry is none of the above. Can Paxson's plan ever work with an indifferent Curry? After all, Curry admits he only got in shape for his contract season and already has been benched in exhibitions for forgetting plays. We know the answer. So take a stab at a big-time player, though smaller. The Kings clearly are on the edge of a meltdown, with Vlade Divac gone and the Chris Webber-Peja Stojakovic feud festering. Stojakovic has asked for a trade, coach Rick Adelman is a lame duck and Webber is also sniping at Brad Miller. It's hard to see them as a serious contender anymore. They seem ready for a major change. Make an offer for Stojakovic, and then perhaps work out something to get the hustling Bobby Jackson. The Bulls could give him the extension the Kings seem reluctant to discuss. The Kings could use a center with backup Greg Ostertag already hurt and Webber still slowed from knee problems. Webber remains a top talent, and that's what Curry needs. He needs to be Kevin Duckworth, a third or fourth option without the pressure to produce. With the complementary talent assembled by the Bulls, a re-signed Curry always would have a role for which he doesn't appear motivated. It's too big a dream to hope the Kings would take Eddie Robinson, but perhaps they'd accept Andres Nocioni or Luol Deng in a deal for Stojakovic, who's an All-Star and big-time scorer. If healthy, Tyson Chandler should be able to handle most of the defensive center duties as he gains weight. Plus, Chandler fits the Bulls hoped-for defensive, aggressive style better. And no one's stopping O'Neal anyway. Of course, if I were the Kings, I'd go for Vince Carter to go into that Webber-Mike Bibby cocoon. Carter, likewise, needs to be a second-option player and out of the spotlight. The Raptors would love to get rid of him as much as he would like to leave, and a package with Doug Christie would do it. The Kings have rookie Kevin Martin to grow into Christie's spot. Paxson's plan is reasonable. But to win in the NBA, you need a star. Curry never will be. Stojakovic is. And do you want your fate continually resting with Curry's lethargic ways? Arena talk Orlando officials say the team probably will move if it can't get a new arena within two years. But that's no threat, said President Bob Vander Weide. "We're not a threatening type of ownership," he said. "But if another opportunity came along, we've got to look." Also, Staples Center officials are talking about not renewing the lease of the Los Angeles Clippers. They claim they can earn more from a half-dozen concerts than a Clippers season. A bit of paranoia Pistons coach Larry Brown suggests the NBA's tightening of foul calls is to challenge the defensive-oriented defending champions. "If you look at all sports, defenses have gotten better," he said. "I don't know about baseball because the pitching is so watered down, but in football, basketball and hockey, the defenses have improved, and we legislate against it. Every year we talk about ways to boost scoring. "The bottom line is, if guys were more fundamentally sound and shot the ball better and passed the ball better and caught the ball better, we would not have these problems. The first thing they ought to call is a walk." Kobe beef After scoring 15 of the Lakers' first 20 points in the preseason opener against Seattle, Kobe Bryant was lit into by Ray Allen. "He's going to be very selfish," the SuperSonics guard said. "He feels like he needs to show this league and the people in this country that he is better without Shaq. So offensively, he's going to jump out and say, `I can average 30 points. I can still carry the load on this team.' "Can you win a championship? Is his attitude going to allow him to take a back seat and let Lamar Odom shine and let Caron Butler have his nights? If Kobe doesn't see he needs 2 1/2 good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship, in about a year or two he'll be calling out to [owner] Jerry Buss that `We need some help in here' or `Trade me.' And we'll all be saying, `I told you so.'" Hassell tuned out Don't ask former Bull Trenton Hassell about the presidential debates. Hassell, with a six-year, $27 million contract and a starting job that could lead the Timberwolves to trade Wally Szczerbiak, offered this recent observation: "I don't really pay that much attention to what's said unless it's on ESPN." Sounds like he's looking for a commercial. Said Szczerbiak: "I'm prepared, if I get traded, to go kick butt somewhere else. I was forced into playing a role I wasn't comfortable with and I don't like to play." Chicago connections Ron Mercer is in line for the starting shooting guard spot with the Nets. "Ron Mercer probably dove on the floor more than anybody in the entire training camp," teammate Richard Jefferson said. Funny what not having a contract does to someone. . . . Jeff Hornacek moved to Phoenix and is working as a Suns consultant. . . . Linton Johnson is nursing an ankle injury, but the Spurs are being patient. "We look at him like a Devin Brown kind of guy," said coach Gregg Popovich. "Given time and confidence, he can be a very good basketball player." . . . Another former Bull, Ronald Dupree, got a lecture after a poor shooting effort last week with the Pistons. "I have to get the Chicago out of him," Larry Brown said. "He [signed] trying to be a defender and a hustler and a hard worker, and now he thinks he has to score to find a place in this league." Said Dupree: "It's the truth. My job is to rebound, defend and lead the break." . . . After Jamal Crawford hit 10 of 12 shots in his home debut, Knicks insiders are saying Allan Houston won't get his starting job back even if healthy. They're predicting Crawford could become an All-Star. Layups Look out, world: The Cavs are contemplating holding training camp in Europe in 2006, and Commissioner David Stern says he expects opening-week games to be played in China soon. . . . Former Notre Damer Monty Williams joined the Spurs' front office as he looks to get into coaching. Williams is back on good terms with the Spurs after angering them in 1999 when he refused to go to the Bulls in the Steve Kerr deal. The quote Often compared as ultimate sidekicks, Kevin McHale was not a big fan of Scottie Pippen's. McHale told the Boston Globe: "He moaned all the time. I had fun. I think he was jealous of Michael [Jordan]. But I never once wished Larry [Bird] wasn't as good as he was. I wanted him to be even better. You want to play with good players." Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune
