[robyg1974]

The thing is, sure, we all know the dude isn't really worth maxing out--but don't you think he can be talked down a little bit? I think players are beginning to understand that it's not a GIVEN that you're going to get maxed out anymore. Can't he be talked down to something in the neighborhood of 6 years, $60 million? Rather than 6 years, $75-$80 million?

The T-Wolves are in a world of hurt right now--as soon as they re-sign Radoslav Nesterovic, they'll probably be in luxury tax land. Would they accept that mediocre package (Fizer-Crawford-Robinson) that the Bulls keep waving around in everybody's face?

In other words, would Kevin McHale accept THIS trade?

Wally World, Anthony Peeler, Marc Jackson, and Felipe Lopez to the Bulls; Marcus Fizer, Jamal Crawford, and Eddie Robinson to the Timberwolves

This is your classic quality-for-quantity trade, as Peeler and Lopez are both free agents after the season is over (the Bulls won't be re-signing either of them) and Marc Jackson is nothing special. Fizer, Crawford, and Robinson would ALL be regulars in the Minnesota rotation for the next couple of seasons. Who knows, maybe one or more of them actually turns out to be a good NBA player?

SO! Would Kevin McHale accept this trade? Is Jerry Krause still interested in Wally World? Here are the lineups for both teams after the trade goes down:

Minnesota

PG Terrell Brandon--Marcus Taylor--Khalid El-Amin (?)
SG Jamal Crawford
SG Kevin Garnett--Eddie Robinson
PF Joe Smith--Marcus Fizer
C Radoslav Nesterovic--Loren Woods (?)

I don't know, the Timberwolves haven't gotten better here, have they? Or will a couple (if not all three) of those former Bulls all really take off in a new environment? Remember, Kevin Garnett is one of those guys who "makes his teammates better" (don't listen to all the anti-KG media hype, the dude is FANTASTIC)--but STILL, who is this team's #2 guy? Especially if/when Terrell Brandon goes down again? JAMAL CRAWFORD?

Chicago

PG Jay Williams--Roger Mason--Fred Hoiberg
SG Jalen Rose--Trenton Hassell--Anthony Peeler--Felipe Lopez
SF Wally World
PF Tyson Chandler--Rodney Rogers (wouldn't he be a nice fit?)
C Eddy Curry--Marc Jackson--Dalibor Bagaric--Michael Ruffin

The Bulls still have all of their mid-cap exception left to give, right? Well, if so, why not offer it to Rodney Rogers? He'd be a nice fit in the sort of up-tempo game the Bulls will be interested in playing, and he'd certainly get plenty of minutes in that inexperienced frontcourt rotation (25 minutes/game at LEAST), AND he can be had for next-to-nothing in this offseason's owner-friendly (and player-UNfriendly!) economic climate. Why not make the dude a two year, $6 mil offer--and see if he takes it? He might just have to!

Anyway, I hate to sound like one of these 12-year-old Bulls fans around here, but ISN'T THAT TEAM A PLAYOFF CONTENDER? Won't they make a run at that #8 playoff spot? I don't think they'll get it--but won't they come sort of close? I'm not sure who this team's #1 scoring option is (Rose, I guess?)--but when yr #3 scoring option is either Jay Williams, Jalen Rose, or Wally World, WELL, aren't you bound to be pretty good, assuming that you are getting good coaching (and Bill Cartwright seems like the right guy for this job to ME!)? You know?

Here's how the minutes could be divided up:

PG Jay Williams--36 minutes/game (all at PG)
SG Jalen Rose--36 minutes/game (24 at SG, 12 at SF)
SF Wally World--36 minutes/game (all at SF)
PF Tyson Chandler--24 minutes/game (all at PF)
C Eddy Curry--24 minutes/game (all at C)

Backups

Roger Mason--6 minutes/game (all at PG)
Fred Hoiberg--6 minutes/game (all at PG)
Trenton Hassell--18 minutes/game (all at SG)
Anthony Peeler--6 minutes/game (all at SG)
Rodney Rogers--24 minutes/game (all at PF)
Marc Jackson--15 minutes/game (all at C)
Dalibor Bagaric--9 minutes/game (all at C)
Felipe Lopez and Michael Ruffin--stashed on injured reserve

What do you fellers think? HUH?

 

[Turtle219]

KG at SF? i don't even think KG would even allow that... how about e-rob at SF and KG at PF... joe smith isn't a quality starter on any team, let alone the wolves pushing KG to small forward...

i would do that trade in a second, jamal might still become a good PG and you get an anthletic jumper in e-rob that could run the floor... but neither of these gus are consistant scorers...yet i think this trade would help the wolves get more athletic and younger kids who still aren't at their potential. The wolves may be contenders but not with SHAQ still alive and Garnett's huge contract...

 

[Bighead734]

I am a believer that the T-Wolves will wait and sign Wally to a 6 year, $50 million deal. Wally compliments KG perfectly if they could get along which I believe they will. The T-Wolves really screwed up with the Joe Smith fiasco, because now they can't surround their nucleus with more talented players. Twolves will be a 5th - 8th place team for a while, IMO but that's pretty good in the West.

 

[twolvefan11]

Originally posted by Turtle219
KG at SF? i don't even think KG would even allow that...

kg plays more sf than pf

 

[twolvefan11]

i hope they still want wally, i dont want him on the twolves anymore, he cant play d, and he is a ball hog.

 

[R-Star]

Wally and KG dont work together. Wally wants to be the man and cant understand that hes second option not first. I wouldnt even want him on my squad

 

[spartansfan223]

The TWolves will go nowhere if they keep Wally and make no other key acquisitions. Wally had an all-star year last season, and look how far the TWolves got in the NBA playoffs. I dont think Wally will ever have a better year during his whole career than he did last year, and that just spells TROUBLE for the TWolves franchise for years to come.

 

[shroombal]

I doubt the T-Wolves would do dat. They would prolly trade Wally to the Wizards.

 

[allenive21]

The Bulls currently are focusing on making a run at key free agents next year, so I don't think they want Wally anymore unless a chance of a lifetime came up.

 

[robyg1974]

Originally posted by allenive21
The Bulls currently are focusing on making a run at key free agents next year, so I don't think they want Wally anymore unless a chance of a lifetime came up.

The Bulls are going to only be about $3-$4 mil under the cap next summer, they won't be able to sign any of the top free agents next summer. The only way they get significantly better is via trade or the draft. And the stocks of Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer will never be higher than they are right now.

By the way--who is the starting small forward for the Bulls next season? Eddie Robinson? Or is Jalen Rose the starter at SF? If Rose starts at SF instead of SG, well, who is the starting SG for the Bulls next season? Trenton Hassell?

See, that's why I think the Bulls should trade for Wally World. Right now, Wally World thinks he's a max player, but, like many of his peers, he is beginning to understand that getting a max-out deal isn't as easy as it was a year or two ago. In other words, I think that Krause could get him signed to a more reasonable extension.

 

[allenive21]

I think the Bulls are going to start off with Rose at SF and Hassell at SG. Robinson might work his way into the starting line-up depending on how well he plays. Robinson has to prove that he can play before starting. He has proved that he is a tremendous athlete, but that is all.

 

[Bighead734]

The Bulls are going to only be about $3-$4 mil under the cap next summer, they won't be able to sign any of the top free agents next summer. The only way they get significantly better is via trade or the draft. And the stocks of Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer will never be higher than they are right now.

Next year I believe Corie Blount, Fred Hoiberg, and hopefully Dalibor Bagaric will be gone. That will clear up about $3.5 million. However, we will need to sign Hassell to an extension, because he is only making a little over $500,000 right now.

I do think Jamal Crawford will raise his stock a lot this year, but I believe Krause wants to keep him and Jay together. Fizer I think should be traded even though I like his ability to come off the bench and score 10+ ppg. But I don't feel like paying too much for a bench player like we are with ERob.