| Bulls Making The Most Of The Off-Season Authored by Patrick J. Austin - July 11, 2006 - 7:11 pm
The Chicago Bulls made a potentially franchise-altering free agent signing when they secured the services of Ben Wallace for the next four years. This is, at least for now, the biggest move of the off-season and one that changes the make-up of the Eastern Conference. In one move, the Bulls not only weakened a division rival but catapulted themselves into the realm of contention.
The signing also signifies a change in culture surrounding the Chicago Bulls franchise. It wasn’t too long ago when the team was in a similar situation to this summer – armed with a plethora of cap space and looking for a star to help return the Bulls to glory. At that time, they were dismissed by practically every big name on the market (e.g. Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, etc.) and were forced to accept second-tier talent like Ron Mercer. Fast forward to the present; the Bulls were able to woo the best free agent center on the market. Talk about change.
John Paxson, the Bulls General Manager, could have sat back after the Wallace signing and called it a successful summer, but he had other moves in mind. Recently, he dealt the disappointing Tyson Chandler to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in exchange for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith. This trade improves the team’s interior defense immensely while maintaining cap flexibility for next summer when the Bulls own free agents must be signed. Smart and savvy…those two words perfectly describe Paxson at this point in time.
Over the last few years the Bulls have been relegated to “up and coming” status. A franchise in perpetual rebuilding mode with too much youth to contend for anything other than a first round playoff exit. The past couple of seasons have been a marginal improvement, but they were still commonly referred to as the “Baby Bulls”. Well, with the signing of Big Ben and the trade for P.J. “do the dirty work” Brown, they now have the veteran experience and leadership to truly advance in the Eastern conference.
What’s truly amazing is the fact that this off-season is far from over and the Bulls can continue to improve (scary thought). With Othella Harrington being waived, the Bulls have around six million dollars in cap space. That’s enough to land another quality free agent (Chris Wilcox anyone?) or to trade for another seasoned veteran.
But whatever future moves are made, it’s become abundantly clear that the Bulls are back. |
