| The Curry Decision Authored by Tim Donakowski - September 7, 2005 - 4:28 pm
Eddy Curry’s agent has reportedly asked John Paxson for a sign and trade. If this is true, what will the Bulls do?
In the next few days Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson will be weighing his options and pulling his hair out trying to figure out what is best for the Bulls.
In two years Paxson has completely changed the team that was given to him. Essentially, he got rid of the idiots, and brought in quality people.
The one player from the Krause era that Paxson respects is Tyson Chandler, who Paxson recently resigned to a long-term contract. The only other player left from that team is Curry.
Curry fit in with the old Bulls. With Eddie Robinson, Jamal Crawford, Marcus Fizer and Jalen Rose on the team, Curry was just another one of the guys. However, now Curry is all by himself, surrounded by smart, hardworking players, no wonder why he wants a trade. Before, when Curry would play lazy or stupid, he would just blend in with the rest the team. Now it is much more obvious.
Being that it is farily obvious, he has become a huge target for criticism. He may deserve all of it, he may not, but what makes Paxson job so hard is that Curry has talent.
The Bulls started every game last year the same way, feeding Curry down low. They did it every game because it worked every game. Curry in the early quarters was close to unstoppable. He may have disappeared after that, but winning the first quarters is a big part of winning in the NBA.
What makes Curry even more valuable is the lack of dominating post players in the league. After Shaq and Tim Duncan it is pretty much up in the air. If Paxson were to trade Curry, their really is not anybody who could replace what he does.
The Bulls have hustle players, they have rebounders, they have veterans, what they only have one of is a dominating post player on offense.
Then there’s the heart. The actual heart, the one that caused Curry to miss the playoffs last year. Do the Bulls want to risk spending all this money on a player that could die tomorrow? The doctors say he is okay but, c’mon, we are talking about a heart. No one knows what a heart is going to do, especially one that is inside a seven-foot 300-pound athlete.
Paxson has a lot to figure and not a lot of time to do it in. October 1 is the deadline for Paxson and the Bulls to give Curry an offer or work out a sign and trade. After October 1, Curry will play with the Bulls this season for the qualifying offer, then become an unrestricted free agent next off-season.
What ever happens it is going to come down to just a few things: money, health, potential and attitude. |
