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| | Friday, July 21 Bulls fans discuss Krause, Fizer and future | |||||||||||||
| ESPN.com Love him or hate him, and Chicago Bulls fans seem to do both, Jerry Krause has left an impression. Maybe you give him some credit for the Bulls winning those six NBA titles, maybe you say it was all Michael Jordan. Either way, Krause definitely has elicited opinions from ESPN.com users far and wide.
It's tough being a Bulls fan when you're super competitive, but Mr. Krause (no relation to me) does know more than you think. I don't think he really wanted to give up Chris Mihm, but he wanted Jamal Crawford real bad. Give coach Tim Floyd more of a chance. To me he hasn't even had a chance yet. This should be recorded as his first year. Yes, I'm disappointed that we couldn't get Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan or Grant Hill but I really feel that the Bulls will get better and better. They just might surprise some people and win close to 40 this year. Ashley Krause Waterloo, Iowa Rebuilding is a tough job and anybody who knocks Krause hasn't given him a chance. Look at the Celtics and Pistons, who are still "rebuilding" from the 1980s. I think the Bulls have a good, young lineup, especially if they can sign Tim Thomas. If, and that is a big if, Artest develops and Crawford plays like he did in the pre-draft camps, I wouldn't mind a lottery selection for another two years as long as we can lock up Brand and develop the young players. Also, just because Chicago has money this year doesn't mean they need to spend it. Next year there will be some more good players in free agency to go after and perhaps they will be a little more receptive to Chicago if this young crew turns out 30 wins. Matt Borowicz Chicago I though that last year Ron Artest should have been a lottery pick, and he showed that in his play. The Bulls have a very bright future with him and Brand, but I do not see Marcus Fizer fitting in at small forward in the NBA. I think if the Bulls' three first-round picks had been DerMarr Johnson, Chris Mihm and Erick Barkley, they would be in much better shape heading into next season. Instead, they only got a point guard and a power forward who will have to play small forward, and a virtually wasted pick on yet another European center. Kevin Curran Sylvan Lake, Alberta The Bulls are definitely a team of the future. However, they really dug themselves a hole with the draft. It was quite stupid to trade away the rights of Chris Mihm to Cleveland for the rights to Jamal Crawford. Sure they need a good point guard, but that could've been taken care of with free agency. Their main weakness was the center position before the draft and remains so. Marcus Fizer isn't a three either, so that is a pretty ludicrous move. Leave it to Jerry to do that. Steve Ayers Concord, N.C. Most of my friends are anti-Bulls, and I suppose that I would be too if I lived in any other city. However, I am certain that the Bulls are headed in the right direction. Furthermore, I predict they will be 50-game winners in three years. Ditching Mihm for Crawford was the best move that Krause has ever made (well, almost anyway). Judging from what I saw and heard, Mihm is a bench player in a star's clothing. The word "Perdue-esque" comes to mind. AJ Guyton will surprise everyone I predict, and since it never hurts to have too much guard insurance, Ed Cota might be a viable pick up. I'm still not sure about Fizer playing the three, but at the very worst, he's trade bait. As for a center, Jermaine O'Neal looks promising. He's no Kareem, but with some work in the weight room, he can become a presence. Even so, the Bulls can afford to wait a year and work Crawford into the the system. Baby steps. Dave Maly Chicago I have been a Bulls fan for years and never have I been as excited as I am for this upcoming season! Why? The thing I enjoy most about watching this team is the chance to watch players develop and become stars. This team has future stars at every position except center. So watching these young Chicago Bulls should be fun as well as entertaining. I understand that the Bulls will not be championship contenders next year but it will be fun to watch the entire building of the next Bulls dynasty. Dave Drwencke Shelby Twp., Mich. I don't think Chicago's future is as rosy as you make it out to seem. Brand will be a perennial All-Star, but right now they have no one else. Artest scored 12 points a game, but he shot 40 percent. Not what you look for from a starting two-guard. I like him, but he does not look like an NBA starter in the near future. We'll have to see how Fizer and Crawford make out, because it does not look like any free agents are interested in playing in Michael's shadow or for playing on a team that is far from serious contention even with a star free agent. They only have one piece to the puzzle, (Brand) and unless you are Orlando, (I can't understand why that city is so desirable) that is not enough to attract big-name players who want to win. Louie San Diego, Calif. Elton Brand is a great building block. With that in mind drafting Marcus Fizer for anything other than trade bait was foolish. Jerry Krause is a cunning guy though, so it wouldn't surprise me if his plans for the Bulls succeed in a big way. Artest is a great sixth man and Crawford is a big guard with tremendous upside. All that is needed is a complementary scorer and interior defensive presence and the Bulls can start to become kings of the East again. Tim Thomas is a key guy to acquire. As a semi-big name free agent, if he breaks the ice by going to Chi-Town and flourishes it will pave the way for future big-name stars to join the ranks of the Bulls. Chicago is two-to-three years away from a solid No. 4 or 5 seed in the East. Will Strickland Carle Place, N.Y. I think the Bulls should get Tim Thomas and try to go after Howard Eisley. Doing this would allow them to have a nice starting lineup and create a little depth on their bench. Eisley has proven he can run the Utah Jazz offense and not skip a beat. This would also allow them to bring Crawford along slowly and prepare him to run the point in the NBA. We already know what Thomas can do as well as Brand. As for center, the Bulls should not rush to overpay one when it is obvious that all of scoring options will come from players who play other positions. All they need to do is get a sizable, defensive minded, rebounding big man to play center like Dickey Simpkins. At least he already knows the system. Sean Terry Chicago
As much as I hate Jerry Krause, he has put together a solid team for the next decade. Brand proved he was an NBA player and Artest fell into his lap at No. 16. I think getting Fizer was genius, but the Bulls should have kept Mihm. There are many good point guards, but a center is hard to find. The problem with their future is that no free agent wants to play there. The fact that they are desperate enough to give Tim Thomas the maximum shows how little people want to play there. Thomas averaged 11 points last year! Why should he get the maximum? They are going to need that money in a few years when Fizer, Brand and Artest look for extensions. Justin Gaithersburg, Md. I agree that the future is looking up in Chicago. However, I think the Bulls' offseason moves will determine if they have any chance of success. Hopefully the Bulls can use Fizer and Brand together the way the Hornets use Mason and Coleman, although I don't think Fizer has the ballhandling skills to play like Mason. As a fan I would have liked to see the Bulls hang on to Mihm, but hopefully Dalibor Bagaric (No. 24 picks) blends into the plans in the near future. I think the Bulls can win 30-39 games if Crawford uses his athleticism to create and if Fizer is capable of playing the three. I would also like to see AJ Guyton get a shot at taking Hersey Hawkins' place. B.J. Fortman Wichita, Kan. I was really stunned when they traded Mihm for Crawford. I like Crawford a lot, but Mihm was the man we needed in the middle. Seeing more than one year with Simpkins in the middle has been very humiliating. I was also surprised by them drafting Fizer so early, since he seems very close to Brand. Overall, I think they will be much more respectable than last year, especially if Crawford and Artest can establish themselves as decent outside threats. If that happens, the Bulls will have a very potent inside-outside attack. On the negative side, I was very disappointed in our lack of ability to sign high-profile free agents so far. Not that I blame Grant, McGrady, etc. for not wanting to come to Chicago, but I think they will regret it in three years or so. The Bulls will contend again. Jonathan Lefers Madison, Wisc. I agree with most of what the article had to say. In fact, I think it was a wise decision trading Mihm for a point guard (Jamal Crawford). Why? The Bulls never had a true point guard at that position, and they truly have a gem on their hands. Also, the center spot wouldn't be needed since most of, if not all, the centers available now in free agency are busts. And since this year will be the same as last year as far as winning, they may get their chance for a better center coming out of the draft next year or even get lucky with free agency. So I say, what about bringing back Dennis Rodman? He still loves Chicago. Dave Chicago In order for the Bulls to mold together, they have to do quite a bit of trading and signing. Brian Grant (Portland) signs with New York or Detroit, so that leaves room for Marcus Fizer in Portland. The Deal: A sign and trade where Portland gets Fizer and maybe a future draft pick and Chicago gets Jermaine O'Neal and Greg Anthony (free agent). The Bulls would then have their coveted center and a very capable guard. They should have kept Mihm, but he'll probably be a bust soon anyway. (He seems like the oft-injured type to me) One more major addition of Tim Thomas at small forward and a few free agent signings to fill out the bench, and the Bulls are looking pretty good. So after all this, the Bulls would have O'Neal at center, Elton Brand at power forward, Thomas at small forward, Ron Artest at shooting guard, and maybe Anthony at the point. Keep Randy Brown and Dickey Simpkins -- they know the system. Looks exciting! Carey Kingwood, Texas I agree that the Bulls are building a pretty good nucleus through the draft. However, we have become used to being great, not just good in Chicago. I think most people in Chicago feel that if Jordan and Pippen were treated in a better and more professional manner when they were helping this team to six titles, the rest of the league would be thinking different about the organization. Imagine if Michael was given a role in the organization and a partial ownership of the team immediately after he retired. I believe he would still be part of the organization and would now be selling the Bulls to the prime free agents as opposed to warning them about the organization. Do you think Michael really prefers being part of the Wizards as opposed to being a key figure in the team he helped build. Jerry Krause may think it was the organization that won the championships. However, without great players, like Michael and Scottie, there are no championships. It could have been much better here! Tim Kelly Cary, Ill. The Bulls are in for a long hibernation and it's because of Jerry Krause, Jerry Reinsdorf and the cold Chicago weather. The great free agents aren't going to play in Chicago. They couldn't get Tracy McGrady, and it's his hometown. Young players don't want to play for an owner who has rightfully been pegged as a "player unfriendly" boss. Everyone knows the story of how these morons ran the greatest team ever out of town and into oblivion, because of their own egos. Remember, Krause the genius really wanted Sam Bowie when he had to settle for MJ with the No. 3 pick way back when. So the six rings were dumb luck, and luck doesn't strike twice in the NBA Jon Schwartz Salem, Ore.
The little credit given to Jerry Krause in this article is praise too high in my opinion. I would love for Krause to prove me wrong on this (for Brand's sake -- who is a heck of a player), but the move to allow Mihm to get out of his hands has to be the dumbest draft move since the drafting of Pervis Ellison. Overall, the Chicago draft was an embarrassment. True, Crawford will likely be a good player, but was he worth giving up a center? And though Fizer is a very good player and obviously has a relationship with Tim Floyd, drafting him with a team that has Brand is as stupid as going after and paying top dollar for both Grant Hill AND Tracy McGrady (another curious offseason move by an NBA "genius"). Perhaps Krause knows something about the trading waters that us non-team executives do not (although I don't think O'Neal is worth Crawford AND Fizer), but my guess is that he only thinks he knows something about the market, just as he thinks he knows something about running a basketball team. The Bulls will win 30 games, Brand and Artest will get better (maybe one will even make an All-Star team). Crawford and Fizer will likely be good (or at least playable), but I don't see this team developing the type of chemistry that will take them to the next level in a few years (the next level being a playoff series), and if Mihm gets as good as Cleveland hopes he will be, Chicago will look back on this year as Portland did when they passed up Jordan. Either that, or I'm just another dumb NBA fan who will be soon proven wrong. I'll take those odds. Joel P. Worrall Harrisburg, Pa. The Bulls will be a very competitive team in the weak Eastern Conference this season, especially in the Central, with the likes of Atlanta, Detroit and Cleveland. Crawford will bring some excitement to the city with his run-and-gun style and should bring more opportunities for Brand and Artest. Fizer, although a great college player, does not fit as well in the system with Brand already playing his position. A possible trade with Portland to get Jermaine O'Neal would have the Bulls in great position with a young solid team that will compete for years to come. If Fizer does stay, and the Bulls bring in Tim Thomas, Fizer could be the spark that the Bulls lacked off the bench (along with a better point guard, two-guard, etc.). Beware of the young Bulls. George Colonial Beach, Va. I feel that Krause would be an idiot to get rid of Fizer, he is the best collegiate athlete selected in the draft. I feel that if they get a decent center then they have a really good shot of winning over 40. It might be a little out of reach but hey, they have the champion heart in them. All I am saying is that if they get a center who can average maybe eight or nine points and seven or eight rebounds then the Bulls are set. I mean, Fizer and Brand can take care of the rest, and having a shooter like Crawford will be nice. Greg Erickson Eugene, Ore. The Bulls are building a core of big players 6-7 to 6-9 in Brand, Artest, Crawford and Fizer. It's the prototypical NBA starting roster of the 21st century, chock full 'o big tweeners who can post up. See Phil Jackson's implementation of 6-7 big guards Ron Harper, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, etc. The Bulls' approach will play well in the Eastern Conference. But the men in the middle -- the centers -- in the West will dominate if they can assemble a supporting cast. If the Bulls can trade Fizer for a center like Jermaine O'Neal, then their future looks bright. Marcus Fizer is a four, not a three. Elton Brand earned the Bulls' starting four position for the foreseeable future. Jerry Krause's plan to clear salary cap room looks like a failure, as he has been rejected by free agents. Can the Bulls trade cap space for a center? Steve Miller Lincoln, Ill. The bottom line is that Krause blew the perfect chance to acquire the superstar center that has eluded him for so many years. Though they never really had a shot at Duncan, Chris Mihm will be the best talent to come out of the draft at the position for five years. Brand is simply half a foot too short to be consistently effective in the post on his own. Picking Fizer to play on the perimeter until one of them leaves will haunt the Bulls, as Mihm will blossom in a Cavs uniform. Dan Clemons West Lafayette, Ind. | ALSO SEE Offseason spotlight index Offseason spotlight: Chicago Bulls | |||||||||||||
