Chicago Bulls Win 11-Player Deal, Send Ben Wallace Packing

Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Adrian Griffin, and a future second-round pick are off John Paxson’s mind.

The Chicago Bulls GM will now concentrate on Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.

Paxson beat the clock on the NBA’s trade deadline by shipping off the trio and the pick.  Wallace, Smith, and the pick were sent to Cleveland, and Griffin will spend the rest of this season with Kevin Durant in Seattle.

I think the Bulls made a good move by trading off their big name acquisition from two years ago.  Although I was excited (to say the least) that Wallace, four-time Defensive Player of the Year, was coming to Chicago to help the Bulls get over the first-round hump, he just never seemed to fit with the squad.

Wallace slid from dominance as the man in the middle to become a clumsy, 41 percent free throw shooting, $15 million dollar liability with no low post presence.

Maybe I’m biased.  It’s not just that Wallace failed to meet expectations this season; the team as a whole has not performed very well.  Considering that the Chicago Bulls were ranked as high as number one in the Eastern Conference Power Rankings preseason, this year has been an absolute flop.

Even though the Bulls’ season has been lackluster, I’m optimistic with the acquisitions of Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.  

The arrival of Hughes should mean that Ben “Air” Gordon’s days in Chicago are numbered.  I suppose all Bulls fans saw this one coming, ever since Gordon turned down a $50 million contract in the offseason.  Hughes shares similar qualities with Gordon.  He’s a streaky shooter and can slash at the basket.

I’m glad to see a player like Gooden come to Chicago, and apparently Kirk Hinrich is glad, too.

"He's a real high-energy player who always has been a great rebounder," Hinrich said from his home.  "He can shoot with some range.  He's real competitive and wants to win."

Hinrich played three seasons with Gooden while they were with the Kansas Jayhawks.  The trades of Ben Wallace and Joe Smith free up two spots down low.

It will be interesting to see who will replace Wallace and Smith at their respective positions.  Personally, I think Chicago will see Joakim Noah or Aaron Gray emerge in the starting rotation with Gooden.

To stay optimistic, I’ll venture a guess that this trade could very well give the Bulls enough power to make the final playoff spot.

Yeah, I said it.  The playoffs.