Smith, whom the Bulls acquired last week along with P.J. Brown in the Tyson Chandler trade with the Hornets, will be sent to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Howard Eisley and two future second-round draft picks, according to sources familiar with the deal.

The Bulls plan to waive Eisley to sign Griffin, sources said.

This is disappointing. I'm fine with bringing Griff back, but they should have gotten more for JR Smith. I have to believe somebody out there would have ponied up more than 2 second round picks. Pax just said to "be patient". Doesn't appear that he exercised much patience in this case.

I agree; this is really surprising. I thought Smith might have been able to show something here, but at worst, thought that they'd at least be able to get something pretty decent for someone who has so much "potential."

Still, I give Pax the benefit of the doubt, I guess. He has earned some faith, IMO.

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The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

I, too, give Pax a lot of rope on account of his past successes. No matter what, I will never have blind faith in any executive/manager, so I still have to call out moves that appear questionable. I didn’t expect JR to play for the Bulls, but I did expect them to get something fairly valuable in return. 2 second round picks are not what I would consider valuable, though.

Anyone else missing Nas?

I'll give Pax this one. I think he has a master plan and has certainly been working hard at achieving it. They have a bright future with a solid basis from which to grow. At least he isn't just sitting back and claiming to be patient while all of these guys grow up. He wants to win this year. It may take a little longer and I'll give him some time for these guys to gel, but I'm happy with the aggressive movement. It shows character and guts.

Of course he has a master plan, all GM's do (even Isiah!). And it's certainly possible he's acquired these picks to use in a sign & trade later this summer, possibly for someone like Drew Gooden. As for being aggressive, the Wallace signing certainly was, but dumping a young player with potential for 2 late picks is anything but aggressive. If it's bait for something bigger, I'm all for it. But if this is all it amounts to, than it was a disappointing deal.

I like what Pax has done in his tenure, but it's not as if the guy is infallible. Amidst all of his success, there's still been poor decisions made, and I'm hoping this doesn't wind up in that category down the road.

I think he and Woodridge Ryan have eloped.

Of course, he's made some mistakes. We're all human. I just think if you do a good job (Kenny Williams) you are given the benefit of the doubt when you make a screw up here or there, but if you are an eternal screw up (Jim Hendry) then you get hammered every time. It's like in anyone's job. When I have a good secretary, her small screw ups are not a big deal at all. When I have a bad one, I go crazy with each mistake. Pax is at the point that I'm keeping an open mind that he has something bigger in mind. We'll see. If you are right and he has nothing else in mind, then maybe he could have held out for a little more. I don't see it as something that I would deem as a bad deal at this point, but maybe when the history books are written, we'll see that he didn't get enough for this trade. It's a card game and I'll wait to see what develops to judge it. At this point, I put Pax in the Williams catagory, which means I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves me wrong or doesn't produce a continually better product in the years to come.

OG's number 1 fan is somewhere with a big smile on his face.

I don't buy the "Keep J.R. Smith" mantra; he's definitely a work in pogress--one that might never develop due to the albatross posse I assume he drags a long with him, immaturity and a me-first mentality while playing.

I definitely could be proved wrong in the near or distant future, but his relationship with Skiles would have been futile--Scotty would have Jordaned (carved) his ass up Kwame Brown style.

They basically traded Chandler for Wallace, Brown and two second rounders.

I beg to differ on the thought that chandler has offensive potential. He's never show the knack to nail the open ten footer or the desire to learn to do it.

I understand you were talking about Smith, but at the same time, the Bulls did get some other players and picks out of the deal.

They got a guy one year from retirement and 2 picks that are worth very little. Wallace was a free agent. He has no direct relation to Chandler whatsoever. The only connection is that they didn’t want 2 offensive zeros on the same team at the same position. Nas is right, they pretty much waived Chandler. The truth is Pax is too much of a gentleman to publically admit signing Tyson to that extension was a mistake. He just took the high road. But to suggest they got anything meaningful in return would be a stretch in my opinion. All they did was erase a mistake.

Tyson Chandler does not equal Ben Wallace.

Nas, what is wrong with you? For expert analysis on JR Smith, check out my post from above...Potential? Yes. Most likely going to live up to that potential? Doubt it. He has a me-first I Can Do It All On My Own mentality. Skiles would have verbally murdered him; the kid should thank the lord he doesn't have to take a step on the Bulls' practice court. Skiles would have had his nuts. Looking good in a dunk contest or two doesn't make you a good ball player.

And as far as your Chandler vs. Wallace analysis? Chandler is just absolutely god awful; he has some of the most piss-poor ball-handling skills I've ever seen in 20 years of watching the NBA. I usually agree with your NBA analysis, but I think you're way off base on this one...at some point you have to cut the cord with Chandler. Maybe he will flourish in a different system, but I doubt it would have happened here. That's just the way things go sometimes. Wallace brings much more to the table than just his defense, he's being brought into bring toughness to this team. People argue that Wallace's skills are declining, and will continue to. Maybe, but people are still going to hesitate to drive the lane against him. One of the only times I've disagreed with you genuinely, but the Wallace move was brilliant, and ridding the team of the pussy Chandler was a necessity.

Fair point muh friends. Just have to agree to disagree ont his one; though I do agree that they do still need work with scoring inside. Do you know who has the inside track on Chris Wilcox? He's a gamble, but one I'd be willing to take. Probably will cost too much...I don't know. But, fair points.

Not necessarily. Many share your conventional wisdom belief that one should focus most on improving their weaknesses. Many leadership gurus will tell you that's not the wisest course. They will tell you it's often better to focus on doing what you do best even better. And combine that axiom with the general principle that defenses win championships and Paxson's moves make a lot of sense to me.

I would rather have Drew Gooden than Chris Wilcox, but either player would certainly be an upgrade. I have to hope that this was what Pax had in mind when he acquired PJ Brown, using him as part of a sign & trade. I will give Pax the benefit of the doubt until I see PJ still on this roster when October rolls around. If that’s the case, then I’ll be frustrated. For now, I’ll be patient and see what Pax has up his sleeve, and hopefully it isn’t an old power forward one year from retirement. As I mentioned earlier, Pax is not going to admit into a microphone that giving Tyson all that money was a mistake, but that is still the truth of the situation. Do not believe this “we needed the money to pay Kirk, Ben, & Luol” nonsense for a minute. Pax knew exactly when they were due their new paper, that had no effect on him negotiating with Chandler.

The JR Smith deal, however, is still atrocious. Whether his rep is accurate or unfair, I guarantee you there are still several teams around the league that would love to give this kid a look, clearly Denver was one of them and got their chance at a very cheap price. I never expected him to wear a Bulls uniform, but I expected more than 2 mid to late 2nd round picks for him in return. The 2007 versions of Dee Brown and James Augustine do not get me excited. I understand JR & Skiles would have meshed like oil & water, but as a GM your job is to get good value in return. Acquiring an old timer (Eisley) with a non-guaranteed contract that you intend to waive along with 2 weak draft picks that are barely worth the cost of the flight out to New York on draft night, to me that just plain sucks.

Since the NBA has a soft cap, I really don’t care that they overpaid for Wallace. Even if they got him for a few mil cheaper, they were still going to be over the cap once they paid Kirk, so in the end it’s a moot point. Jerry has shown in the past that if you fill the seats and buy the merch, he will spend the dough. No problems there. But PJ Brown does not push your team over the top. Another move needs to be made, and I will sit tight and for now assume Pax has something in the works. If this is it, then I’m not pleased. I wouldn’t go as far as Nas in deeming the offseason a failure, but I’d definitely say they came up short when they had an opportunity to go for the jugular.

Finally, I’d rather not see them part with Duhon. It’s not that he is a “special” player per se, but the problem is the moment you move him, you immediately have to find a way to replace him. They have no 2nd string PG then. Gordon is not a point guard, I don’t want Pargo back, and though they claim to like Thabo’s handle, he’s not a PG either. Duhon plays a very important role on this team. Sweetney, you can take him or leave him as far as I’m concerned, but considering he is entering a contract year, he might decide to show up and play. If that’s the case, then he could have some value next offseason in a sign & trade. Either way, I don’t really give a damn about Sweetney. He could have some value 12 months from now, but I’d shed no tears if he left. Duhon, though, should not be used as a throw in. They’ll miss him sorely if they do.

The trade wasn't about what they got, it was what they got rid of; namely, a large financial obligation.


They didn't want to pay two large contracts for the next 3 years; this would not give them any room to sign free agents. As it stands now, they'll be in good position to make signings again next year.


I just assumed that was so obvious it didn't need saying!

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The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

Paxson has one more bullet

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"Woof Woof"

If Pax makes another move in the near future, like a sign&trade for someone like Drew Gooden, there won’t be any cap space next season. Even if he doesn’t, Kirk is going to get an extension later this summer, so you can forget about a big signing next offseason, especially considering Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Andres Nocioni will all be due new paper. The only significant addition next summer will be the draft pick from the Knicks. Any moves beyond that will be low key, as in the mid-level exception. This is precisely why this summer is so crucial and why he has to go for the jugular now.

I think Pax knows what he's doing. It was a contract move more so than anything. I believe the organization didn't think smith was going to be all that or they would have kept him. From what I have read and heard the kid had some baggage. Skiles was not going to put up with it eventually....

What a terrible offseason for Pax. The only way it can be saved is if Tyrus turns into a stud and Thabo turns into a starter-caliber player.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

I don't know about "No One". Maybe not the worst team in the NBA, but it was plausible that they could miss the playoffs given their recent history. I see your point though. Curry has exceeded expectations and the guys the Bulls got have yet to live up to them (there's still time).
Speaking of which, it would have been nice to turn Tim Thomas's expiring contract into something last year...

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

Agreed. That's what makes the Chandler deal so bad. The very least he could have done (as I believe Bucket suggested) was turned him into a deal that expires NEXT year so you have a chip to trade next year. Instead there is little shot for the Bulls to upgrade in the offseason short of landing one of the top 3 picks.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."