Bulls-Pacers Trade

right now the bulls remind me a lot of the clippers from a couple of years ago. they have some talent, but they are just old enough to get their own blockbuster card. give these guys a few years to mature and grow into the pro game and i think they will be ok. and i also agree that if jalen rose keeps his head on straight, he will be able to help this team. he brings the bulls one thing they haven't had in a few years and thats a household name. it'll be interesting to see how this all unfolds, but i think you will see the bulls improve as the season winds down and really be a team that is pushing for the playoffs in two or three years.

 

I agree with you completely, derek. Jalen Rose is still young himself, so he has quite a few years left of quality b-ball; yet, he has experience so he can tutor the youngsters.

 

I guess I'm one of the few people that likes this trade for BOTH teams. I don't think it is as one-sided as some of you do I guess.

My take:
I like Jalen a good bit - when he's not sulking. He now has his wish - the ball and the green light to hoist up as many shots as he wants. I liked the Pacers when Larry was coach and put the ball in Jalen's hand. He was not exactly a great PG, but he caused matchup problems for the other teams with him handling the ball. Also, if you remember, the Pacers went to the Finals that year. Now he had become a malcontent in Indy. Not enough shots for him (Best too). The Pacers get to ditch two players that were pissed and grumbling. Plus, Tinsley is getting most of the PG minutes now anyway. So far, so good. The other players are throwaways….Best is another shoot-first PG that'll wear out his welcome real soon (see Marbury et al). If not? So what. He's gone.

Mercer and Miller…..hmmm

Mercer - I've always liked Ron too (I'm a UK fan). BUT Ron plays a little soft, stays hurt and has a big $$$ contract. Looking back again…most of you will remember that Mercer was the consolation prize for the Bulls when they could not land a BIG Free Agent a few years back. They overpaid for Ron in a big way. Again, nice skills, but not for THAT contract. Also, a few more trades and he'll qualify for the "Chris Gatling" frequent trader points. There is something not quite "right" there. No one wants him.

Miller - I'll be even more critical. He's a big stiff who took his limited playing run in ONE season and turned it into $$$. (See also M. Geiger). Another player the Bulls overpaid. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

So essentially Chicago gets a "do-over" for these players. If you - by some miracle of fate - are still a Bulls fan, you should be dancing in the street over the ditching of these two contracts/players alone. Their skill and availability does not match their contracts.

Artest - This is the one Chicago needs to keep I thought. A stopper player on D who doesn't bitch about shooting. I'll take a thousand of these guys if I already have people that can score (which the Pacers have). As a role player, he will fit in VERY well with the Pacers. He also won't sit on the bench and grumble.

A few years from now I'm guessing that this will be known as the "Rose-for-Artest" trade. I don't expect much from the other players that were included. Just my opinion though..

 

Brad Miller's pretty good. I wouldn't call him filler. Per 48 minutes, he's close to Brand's numbers in Chicago.

It was a decent trade from the Bulls standpoint because they got rid of redundant talent and "focused" their talent (1 guy that's a legit go-to guy for a few pretty good players).

Clearly they're already thinking of next year and beyond. Eventually, tho, people will get tired of that and want somethingt this year.

 

Ej - I figured we'd just be pretty much disagreeing over Brad. I know he has pulled decent numbers this year, but I wonder if he would get those anywhere else but on a team as bad as Chicago. If he proves me wrong, I'll eat my words.

Also, I should add that I used to think VERY highly of Mercer. I always thought he would be a very good pro because he could shoot the midrange jumper really well. It's a lost art in the NBA (coming back though!). So if he gets healed by some miracle all of the sudden, then it would be steal....I just don't know why he's never worked out anywhere.

 

Hey, don't get me wrong... I'm not a huge Miller fan, but he's a competent center. Brand's numbers have come down as well since leaving Chicago. I figure Miller's good for 10 & 6 in Indy. But more importantly, it keeps people from doubling down on O'Neal. Miller's got a decent mid-range shot.

 

The Bulls got a guy (Rose) who's much better than Miller, Artest , Mercer and Ollie. Plus, Rose gets to tutor and teach the younger Bulls players.

Last night, the 2 high schoolers had more touches, points and rebounds than they had had in any game all season. Could be why the Bulls scored so much and actualy beat NY.

Not that the Knicks are anything to brag about.