The Bulls have endured more than their fair share of injuries, accidents and illnesses during the rebuilding years.
Just check Jay Williams, Eddy Curry and Marcus Fizer as examples.
But has it actually gotten to the point where prospective Bulls’ additions are also cursed?
A week ago, Denver power forward Nene appeared to be a good target for the Bulls, since he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer and the Nuggets already have a boatload of big salaries on their payroll.
Wouldn’t you know it. On opening night, a couple minutes after taking the court in San Antonio, the 6-foot-11 Brazilian managed to suffer a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, sprained medial collateral ligament and torn meniscus. He will almost certainly miss the rest of the season, which makes a trade-deadline deal unthinkable.
Nene is strong and athletic, though raw in his skills. But the Bulls need another big man in the worst way and he fit the mold. Nene’s agent, Michael Coyne, still thinks free agency will pay off for his client.
“It doesn’t change our thinking on anything,” Coyne said in the Denver Post. “He’s looking forward at this. If they’re telling me now he can be 100 percent by the end of the season, next July he should be ready to go.”
OK, but go ahead and scratch Nene off the Bulls’ wish list until he’s able to run again.
Also scratch Jamaal Magloire, who was traded from the Hornets to Milwaukee just before the start of the season. Not coincidentally, the Bucks are off to a 3-0 start against a tough schedule.
If nothing else, the Bulls demonstrated in their first two games that they might be a pretty good team if they can solve the size problem. Their interior defense and rebounding were soft, to say the least, in Saturday’s 1-point loss at New Jersey.
Are there any in-season solutions out there? The Racine Journal Times suggested last week that the Bucks’ Dan Gadzuric may be on the trading block soon, since he’s getting little playing time behind Magloire and rookie Andrew Bogut.
Gadzuric is a high-energy, average-skills player who could certainly help the Bulls. He might be worth the lower of the Bulls’ two first-round draft picks. The problem is he signed a new six-year deal worth $36 million this summer. It’s doubtful the Bulls would take on such a big salary, and the Bucks probably wouldn’t trade him to a division rival anyway.
Indiana’s Jeff Foster is out with an Achilles’ tendon injury, but he has a more reasonable contract (four years at $21.8 million). If center David Harrison improves and the Pacers start sweating their $74-million payroll, maybe Foster would be available for an expiring contract and draft pick.
It’s also possible that a team will try to trade an impending free agent later in the season. Joel Przybilla pledged allegiance to Portland, but every free agent says good things about his current team. No sense ruining your leverage.
San Antonio might find Chicago native Nazr Mohammed expendable with Argentinean center Fabricio Oberto on board. Then again, how much do you give up for a player who will be free to sign anywhere next summer?
There was some buzz last week about the Bulls preparing to make a run at Detroit’s Ben Wallace next year in free agency. Of course they would. Wallace could immediately turn the Bulls into a championship contender.
But it’s hard to imagine the Pistons not re-signing the defensive standout. Joe Dumars has been clearing other salaries to prepare for the occasion. Wallace doesn’t want to leave, either.
“This team and this organization opened their arms up to me (in 2000) and they let me come in when only a select few other teams around the league were willing to do that,” Wallace said in the Detroit News. “So there’s no question where my heart is at.” Some big men may come available, but nothing seems very promising until next summer. Maybe the league will allow the Bulls to trade Tim Thomas back to New York for Antonio Davis.
