[bookie]

Obviously a huge loss for Piston chemistry...but he took a step back this year and I'm not so sure that Detroit can't use that money elsewhere. Too bad this year's free agents are so weak. Speedy Claxton and Bonzi Well's are said to be Dumar's plan B.

[bigboydan]

this is a really big loss for the pistons IMO

this guy is a very key peice of that pistons puzzle. i think this is the beging of the end of this team as we know it.

[isetcap]

this is a really big loss for the pistons IMO

this guy is a very key peice of that pistons puzzle. i think this is the beging of the end of this team as we know it.

Totally correct. Ben was the heart and soul of the Pistons championship team. As I said after the draft, Chicago is poised to make a serious run at the East in the very near future. What a spectacular signing.

[Illusion]

All of the supposed experts were saying the Bulls overpaid for Ben. Do you guys agree?

[BadAzz]

I would agree they overpaid him. And frankly I do not understand why they signed him at all. Unless Chicago is gathering players to make a move for Garnett or somebody similar they are stuck with the worst scoring big men ever. Imagine the lineup where you have Big Ben and Pj Brown inside. Sweetney would be the closest thing to an inside threat they have and in case somebody is wondering - it is NOT good.

[onlooker]

Great pick up by the Bulls. With the shooters they have, this will add a defensive stopper to their lineup. Im sure they arent looking for B.Wallace to score much. Detroit wasnt.

You just got to hate the fact he shoots free throws worse then Shaq.

[BadAzz]

The is 2 huge differences between Detroit and Chicago teams.

1. Detroit had Rasheed, who is one of the better post up scorers in the league. Bulls have absolutely nothing to draw attention inside and thus, no matter how good their shooters are, they have to go through hell to even get the shot of. Trust me, I've been there and done that, and I am not even that much of a shooter.

2. Detroit played structured and heavily defensive oriented game where Ben can blossom. Insert him on Skiles's run a lot, score a lot type of play and you'll see him struggle.

These are just my views of course, but I think Bulls is about as bad a fit for Ben as there is. Put him in Spurs and that would have been a great pickup imho.

[bookie]

BadAzz...Good points...One of the things I'm most looking forward to next year is a chance to see how Coach Skiles adapts to his new piece...so far it seems to me Skiles has shown a high basketball IQ...that makes me think he can slow his team's game down...instead of playing a scramble game he can go more structured...and Nacioni, Deng, and even Duhon can drive effectively if Skiles sells a new defense first philosophy in which they win games by getting into the bonus. They didn't go to the basket much last year because their plan was to take the first available open shot and also to try to get points off turnovers. Now their offensive game plan can be to pass and cut and collect fouls, while playing lock down half-court defense.

[Bill Dozer]

I say add 7 wins to the Bulls record next season. He should be a big help rotating on D. If they can move Tyson for a shooting forward they will be in good shape. Ben gets more easy FGs with the penetrating guards?

[Bill Dozer]

Bulls have a chance for a championship. PJ Brown, because of his expiring ontract, and JR are big bait for a team who realizes it's not going anywhere when the trade deadline approaches.





Bulls to deal Chandler to Hornets for Brown, Smith
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
The Chicago Bulls and New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Wednesday reached a verbal agreement on the widely expected trade that will send Bulls center Tyson Chandler to the Hornets for veteran forward P.J. Brown and swingman J.R. Smith.

Tyson Chandler
Center
Chicago Bulls

Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
79 5.3 9.0 1.0 .565 .503

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the players involved have been notified that the deal will officially go through July 12, which is the first day NBA teams can officially complete signings and trades after the league announces the salary cap for the 2006-07 season.

The ability to deal away Chandler, who has five years and $54 million left on his contract, was crucial for the Bulls in their pursuit of Ben Wallace. They likely couldn't have offered Wallace as much as they did -- nearly $60 million over four years -- without receiving Brown's much friendlier contract in return.

"It was just a matter of when and where," Chandler told the Chicago Tribune from his California home last night.

The willingness to take on Chandler's contract, meanwhile, represents the third bold move from the traditionally quiet Hornets in the space of a week, after years of criticism endured by Hornets owner George Shinn for his reluctance to spend.

"It's my understanding that the trade is going to happen," said Mark Bartelstein, Brown's agent. "P.J. is very excited. He feels like the Bulls have an opportunity to compete for a championship. He really enjoyed his time with the Hornets, but he has so many fond memories of his days in Miami and contending every year that Chicago is a really good situation for him to get back to."

New Orleans/Oklahoma City commenced its aggressive summer makeover by offering Peja Stojakovic a five-year deal worth more than $60 million to entice the sharpshooting former All-Star to leave the Indiana Pacers. That was Saturday.

On Sunday, Shinn followed the Stojakovic coup by sanctioning a three-year commitment worth more than $15 million to Memphis Grizzlies guard Bobby Jackson.

"It's a great basketball opportunity to play with a bunch of young, up-and-coming guys," Chandler said to the Tribune. "That's the thing I'm excited about. They're moving the team in a direction that fits me well. I can help a team make the playoffs. I'll get a chance to play with a great, young point guard [Chris Paul]."

The venerable Brown, who turns 37 in October, has only one season left on his contract at $8 million. Swapping Brown and the out-of-favor Smith for Chandler means New Orleans/Oklahoma City has committed to well over $120 million in new contracts since free agency began Saturday at 12:01 a.m.

J.R. Smith
Smith
P.J. Brown
Brown

It adds up to the most unexpected outlay ever seen from Shinn, even more unexpected than the big contracts he awarded Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn in the club's Charlotte days. Those moves were contract extensions. The Hornets have never been known for making offseason splashes such as these.

Yet this deal holds obvious appeal on both sides.

Hornets coach Byron Scott, himself the recipient of a three-year contract extension just before the draft, wants to play an up-tempo game and will inevitably see the more athletic Chandler, at 7-foot-1 and turning 24 in October, as a better fit than Brown alongside Rookie of the Year point guard Chris Paul, Stojakovic and power forward David West.

The trade makes even more sense for the Bulls. They don't want to play two non-scorers together (Chandler and Wallace) and moving out Chandler's expensive contract for Brown's expiring deal makes it much easier to absorb Wallace's deal.

Brown, furthermore, is regarded as one of the best locker-room influences in the league and, along with Wallace, would provide legitimate size ... as well as the veteran know-how lacking in Chicago since the breakup of Michael Jordan's Bulls after their sixth and final championship in 1998.

Smith has at least three players ahead of him in Chicago's swing rotation -- Andres Nocioni, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng -- but the 20-year-old has attracted significant trade interest since falling out of Scott's rotation halfway through the season. Smith, then, figures to be a valuable trade chip for the Bulls if he can't crack coach Scott Skiles' rotation, although league restrictions on trades would make it difficult for Chicago to move him until 60 days after this trade is officially consummated.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here.

[BadAzz]

I agree with Dozer that Bulls have a chance to win it all. But they need that big final move and I think they need it before the trade deadline closes. They have more valuable young players to offer than I remember seeing ever before and they have some cap space. All the players they have cannot be used in one rotation anyways so why not package 3 of them for 1 garnetty power forward and they are serious contenders for years to come.

Bookie, yes so far Skiles has shown high IQ and there is nothing to suggest that would not last. It would be interesting to see whether they change style, but I am pretty sure there will be one more trade which gives the bulls the option to play whatever style they want to succesfully.

[isetcap]

If you're a Bulls fan, you have to love the idea of having Ben Wallace showing Tyrus Thomas how to play the game of basketball at the NBA level. Hopefully Thomas will pay close attention.