There's A New 3rd Best Team In The East. Oh Wait, I Guess Nothing Changed.

What Do These Guys Have In Common? They Won't Be Dunked On By LeBron Anymore

In classic form, the NBA took the last 45 seconds before 3 o’clock yesterday to make as many pointless and confusing trades as possible before the deadline. Dallas has Jason Kidd, Atlanta has Mike Bibby and the Suns have some unknown young gun whose dreams could take him to the top. One of the most complicated trades came in a three-way blockbuster between Chicago, Seattle and Cleveland. Cleveland got Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak and sent Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to Chicago and Donyell Marshall to Seattle. Before analyzing this trade, I think you should all take a look at the conversation preceding it:

February 21, 2008 2:45 P.M.
Chicago: *Ring Ring* Hello?
Cleveland: Hey Chicago, it’s me, Cleveland.
Chicago: Oh, ‘sup.
Cleveland: Not much, LeBron is crying about how bad his team is. As if he doesn’t get to play with Ira Newble.
Chicago: Ah, it all becomes clear, you must be calling about Thabo Sefolosha.
Cleveland: Uh, yeah I was thinking more like Ben Wallace and Joe Smith for Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden?
Chicago: *Pumps Fist* OH YEAH! Kiss your spot goodbye Hinrich!
Cleveland: Uh, yeah. Any chance I could dump Donyell Marshall on you, too?
Chicago: Yeah, right. That guy can’t even dress himself. Throw him at Seattle.
Seattle: *Over Enthusiastically* Hey guys, whassuuuuuuup?!
Cleveland: Hey bud, we were just wondering if you’d like Donyell Marshall. He’s averaging 16 and 10 (in 2003).
Seattle: Gosh, really?! Yeah jeez of course. Here, take some key players from my young nucleus that I totally revamped my team to create.
Cleveland: *Snickering* K, see you at the Finals. *Starts Laughing Uncontrollably and Hangs Up*
Seattle: What a nice guy.

Ok so now that you know what happened, here’s the significance. Cleveland got a lot better. I don’t care about fitting in with the team style blah blah blah. Anytime that you can trade Larry Hughes (who has been playing well recently but so has Joe Smith) and Drew Gooden and get a solid power forward (in Smith), an over 40% 3-point shooter (in Wally), a good young point guard (Delonte) who can fill in for Daniel Gibson while he’s hurt and one of the best defenders in the NBA (Ben Wallace). I hate to say it but Big Z just wasn’t getting it done in Cleveland defensively and starting Ben Wallace at the 4 should help. Wally really spreads the floor, giving room for LeBron, and Delonte West isn’t a shabby pickup either. And if you don’t think that having Joe Smith is a step up from Anderson Varejao, you’re crazy.
Chicago also made a good trade, assuming they gave up on getting a title this year. Drew Gooden is a solid scorer and rebounder and Larry Hughes still has a little left in the tank. I don’t know what they plan to do with Hughes, Hinrich and Gordon together but they really can’t all play at the same time. Ben Wallace wasn’t doing anything for Chicago and definitely not enough to help them out of their 21-32 season.
I really have no idea what Seattle is doing here. I guess they’re clearing a lot of cap room and getting ready to sign some expensive free agents over the summer, but they’ve definitely given up on the whole “rebuilding stage” idea. They throw Kurt Thomas over to the Spurs and get the aging Brent Barry. They get rid of Delonte West and Wally Howdoyouspellit and take Donyell Marshall in return. I just feel bad for whatever big time free agent the Supersonics sign, because this team is going nowhere fast.

All Grown Up

Some consider the Bulls to be going through a series of “transition seasons”. Of course after losing one of the best basketball dynasties ever, the only thing the team could be going through is a rebuilding stage. Unfortunately the team will never again achieve success like it had with Mike, but they are far from needing any reconstruction. The “Baby Bulls” are all grown up and this season, and many seasons to come, they are going to prove it.
The most incredible thing about the Bulls these days is while they can still be considered babies in age, they have the ability to beat almost any team on any given night. Without a doubt the acquisition of Big Ben is the coming of age ceremony for this club. The starters are the five reasons why the Bulls can’t be considered babies anymore.
Hinrich is an overlooked member of the infamous ’03 draft, but he’s certainly the purest PG from the class. Averaging about 7 dishes a night, this kid isn’t afraid to draw the foul. True, he sort of looks like a prepubescent child, but he’s man enough to go toe to toe with full-grown men.
Ben Gordon certainly can’t be considered a child. It’s simply a matter of time before this guy gets his all-star dues. He’s been a leader ever since he hoisted the trophy with UCONN in ’04 where he led the tournament with 21 points per. He was sixth man of the year as a rookie and the Bulls look to him in clutch situations. Only a man could step up like he has.
Andres Nocioni may not seem like a huge part of the Bulls lineup, but that’s exactly why he transcends the “Baby” label. He puts in as much work as anyone and he is probably the quietest player on the squad. He is willing to step out of the spotlight and become a role player, backing up Wallace on the boards and is willing to do all the blue-collar posting up for the team.
Loul Deng is the youngest player in the starting lineup, but he is far from juvenile. He throws down like only a grown man can, and he is the most balanced player on the club. He gets nearly 19-7-3 every night and he is the piece of the puzzle that bring everything on this offense together. Coming from Sudan can’t be easy and there’s no way you can consider Deng anything less than grown.
Which brings us to Ben Wallace. He embodies the full-fledged, diesel, hard-working, big man in the NBA. Undrafted, Wallace found his spot as a defensive superstar and now the 32-year-old is making $60 million in Chicago. Grown man muscles, grown man swagger (mostly the afro) and a grown man salary makes this acquisition the perfect move for a team that’s looking to win ASAP.
You can’t make the playoffs in this league without having a certain presence of mind and maturity. It’s not a fluke with the Bulls as this is their second year in a row. Nobody expects a new dynasty from these players, but you can’t call the babies anymore. This is a grown mans game and the success these players have found can only mean one thing; their not the “Baby Bulls” anymore.