| | They're having a lot of fun with Jerry Krause these days. You know, the idea of Krause sitting there at the front door to the United Center atop a pile of $20 million, and no one's around to take it.
|  | | Jerry Krause isn't exactly well-liked, but he's trying to woo players to Chicago. |
They're saying old rotund Jerry can't give that money away. No one wants to be around him. NBA players still harbor a grudge against Krause the Louse for the way he treated Michael and Scottie.
You know what it says here. It says that's all a bunch of garbage.
It's time to stop beating up on Krausie and the Bulls. It's time to disabuse the notion that free-agent players actually care enough about anyone else to work up an emotion as strong as a dislike for a guy with six championship banners and a huge pot of gold.
As one NBA executive said Tuesday, "It's all preposterous. You've got a guy like (agent) Arn Tellem trying to steer clients to Chicago, and from what I've heard the Bulls have been the second choice in three or four different situations. It's not Jerry's fault that Arn couldn't talk Tracy McGrady into going to the Bulls. It's where he belongs."
McGrady, like Eddie Jones, wanted to go home to Florida and play there. That's their cop-out for skirting Chicago.
Jones, who went to Miami in a nine-player swap, was only the latest big-time talent who wanted out of Charlotte for maximum dollars. The Hornets did their best to accommodate him in a deal so they wouldn't be left empty-handed. It's Chapter 2 following Alonzo Mourning to the Heat for Glen Rice and Matt Geiger.
Jones, sources say, would have taken the Bulls' $67 million. He was going to visit Tuesday before the deal went down. But he wanted Miami, although he was never going to take $2.25 million to be there.
But why wouldn't Jones jump at a chance to play before 23,000 rabid fans in United Center, with the six title flags overhead?
Why wouldn't Tim Duncan take a maximum deal with the Bulls?
Why wouldn't Grant Hill move a couple hundred miles west from Detroit and set up house in the City of Broad Shoulders?
I'll tell you why: They don't have the guts to do it.
That's right. No guts to accept a risk for a major reward.
The NBA's top free agents want contracts the size of state treasuries but they haven't the courage to accept the responsibility of leadership. None of them were willing to try to live up to the legacy of Jordan and Pippen. None of them were willing to put their reputations on the line.
Duncan wanted the security of David Robinson at his back. Hill could never deal with the Jordan comparisons, which were patently unfair, anyway. Jones is a fine player, but not a superstar, no matter his status as a "max player." Why allow himself to be exposed?
None among this bunch wants to go to a "bad" team, i.e., a team that will depend on a $70 million player to actually earn his money and make it better.
Hawks president Stan Kasten said it best a few years ago at the beginning of this massive free agent cycle when Class A players were saying they only want to go to teams that have a chance to win a championship.
"You mean to tell me," Kasten roared, sarcasm dripping, "that if I pay a guy $50 or $60 million he's not going to turn my team into a contender? If that's the case, why do I want him on my team?
"If I agree to give you all that money you better be good enough to make my team a contender. If you aren't, then I've screwed up by signing you in the first place."
And you know what? The Bulls are not going to be a bad team. They have Elton Brand, Marcus Fizer, Jamal Crawford and Ron Artest. That's bright, young talent. Put an Eddie Jones into that mix and you have a team that is contending for the playoffs with a chance to move up in very short order.
And if Krause deals Fizer for Jermaine O'Neal, he gets a big-time athlete to play in the middle. If he signs Ron Mercer, as expected, for about $5 million a year, he gets a solid talent, who must live down the image of a selfish player to reach his fullest potential.
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| Mercer |
Krause is believed to be making a run at Charlotte's young backup center Brad Miller as well.
This much is certain: Krause isn't going to throw his money around for the sake of filling up his roster. He's a patient man, and there's always next season. Meanwhile, the Bulls will continue to grow. They should be at worst a 30-plus win team next season, maybe good enough to make the playoffs again.
But it could have been so much better if anyone out there had the courage to accept the assignment.
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The Jones deal was incredibly complex because he is a base-year player. That means if he signs for a starting salary of $9 million next season with the Heat, that the Hornets can only take back $4.5 million, plus the allowed 15 percent bump, plus the trade exception.
According to insiders, by including nine bodies in the deal the teams were able to get close enough to make it work. Now, the Hornets will waive Rodney Buford -- the last thing they need in Charlotte is another troubled soul -- and the Heat will dump enigmatic Dale Ellis.
Will Charlotte ship P.J. Brown to the Lakers for Glen Rice, as rumored? Bet against it and here's why:
First, coach Paul Silas loves P.J. Brown. He was with him in New Jersey.
Second, Brown is a major insurance policy when Derrick Coleman gets hurt (that has to happen) and when Elden Campbell goes into one of his periodic funks.
Brown's not spectacular, but he can give the Hornets everything they got from Anthony Mason except good ball-handling and a bad attitude in the locker room.
Rick Carlisle's out of work. How do you figure that?
Carlisle spent three years soldiering for Larry Bird, helped put a terrific offensive system on the court and came away empty-handed when Donnie Walsh got stars in his eyes and went for Isiah Thomas.
With Bob Huggins saying no to the Clippers, Carlisle would be a good choice for that young team. But why would he want to put himself through it?
Jeffrey Denberg, who covers the NBA for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. | |
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