There are certain things in life you can’t wait to be rid of. In-laws. The flu. Hangovers (also known as flu-like symptoms). The nasty “rash” you “picked up” during your freshman year of college. For the Bulls and their fans, Larry Hughes is that rash. He’s already dropped rock-like out of Vinny Del Negro’s rotation, and, frankly, it says something about Hughes’ character that Jud Buechler could average 10 minutes per game for a 72-win Bulls team and yet “Big Shot Larry” is riding the pine for a Chicago squad destined for around 35 wins and another trip to the NBA draft lottery.
So, yeah, the John Paxson is trying to trade him.
Not surprisingly, there isn’t exactly a healthy market for delusional shooting guards who are best known for taking too many bad shots while earning a cap-killing salary (Hughes is on the books for $12,827,676 this season and $13,655,268 the next). Fortunately for Paxson and the Bulls, those suckers in New Jersey are giving Hughes a serious look:
“The Nets and Bulls have discussed a deal that would bring veteran shooting guard Larry Hughes to New Jersey for Bobby Simmons and Maurice Ager, league sources said. Sean Williams was offered instead of Ager, but Chicago wasn’t interested. Both sides are considering it, although the Bulls are talking to many teams about Hughes, who is signed through next season. The Nets are weighing whether the deal makes them that much better and if it’s financially smart. The additional salary next season would be more than $3 million.”
Wow. Can you imagine a team paying extra to trade for a cranky volume shooter with a history of alienating his teammates and coaches? Of course, the Nets are the same bunch who signed Vince Carter to that $62 million contract a couple summers ago. So there you go.
Would the trade help the Bulls? Sure, insomuch as it would dispose of The Larry Hughes Distraction (which, itself, was acquired to eradicate The Ben Wallace Mistake). But Bobby Simmons…in a best case scenario, he would provide streaky shooting and stubborn defense in limited minutes. So, what, he’s basically a slightly taller version of Thabo Sefolosha? Be still my heart. He might be useful, I guess, if Vinny D decided to go with a small lineup. But I don’t see that happening, and so therefore I don’t see much of a role for Simmons in Chicago. And Ager? He’s a throw-in. The trade is nothing more or less than a salary dump with the hope that the incoming players will sit quietly at the end of the bench, hand out Gatorade during timeouts, and be prepared to contribute if and when they’re called upon. (Unless this is simply the first part of some masterstroke by John Paxson to land the frontcourt player the Bulls so desperately need. Which is doubtful.)
Will the trade help the Nets? If only you could hear my snorts of laughter. Let’s face it: If trading for Larry Hughes would actually help anybody, the Bulls probably wouldn’t be so ready and frantically willing to deal him.
If anyone thinks that any trade with this roster is really going to put us in a great posotion, they’re pretty oblivious to the talent, or lack there of, that is on this roster. This is an awful mix of undersized, out of position, under-skilled, unintelligent, or possibly all of the above. You can’t make anything our of this roster and it all starts at the top. Reinsdorf is an absentee owner 90% of the time, and when he does stick his nose in, he truly makes a horrific impact, such as disallowing the hiring of D’Antoni(we’d have 7-10 more wins with him I believe) or even Doug Collins. Hell…this team was over when Skiles departed. We lost the one thing we had going for us…someone that could get the most out of undertalented/overachievers. How evident is it now how important Skiles was? This roster is not that much different. If anything, it’s more experienced and more athletic. What did we lose…Ben Wallace and PJ Brown and Chris Duhon? We added Derek Rose, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah…we’re far worse. I’ve been a Bulls fan for 30 years now(I’m 35) and it’s the worst I’ve felt about our direction…ever. Yes, we have a golden nugged in Mr. Rose. That’s literally all we have in my book. Everyone else is expendable. If you’re telling me that we’re going to build around him plus Gooden, Gordon, Tyrus, Noah, Deng, Hinirich and Noc and all will be fine…you don’t know enough about this game. I could literally see 1 or none of them being around in 3 years besides Rose. So my point is…making one trade and getting rid of a loser in Hughes…Yay. Big f’n deal. That trade is no different than the Eddy curry deal…trade away a problem and bring in stop-gags that have little to offer. Sweet. We have ONE last prayer of a hope and everyone knows it. One. Well actually two. We could get lucky in the draft again this year. I’m not talking about needing the #1 pick again…I’m talking about finding a quality player to go with D. Rose. My hope is Stephen Curry all the way, for I have little doubt Ben is out the door. Stepehen will be better. Pair him with Rose ans while your back court will be small, it will also be special. Whatever we get, I’d like us to lose as much as possible(I hate this current swuad) to assure we get as good a pick as possible. Right now we’re just not losing enough. And then on top of that, it’s all about ’10. There is no doubt we will have the money to get one of three guys who will make a huge difference and I’m list them in order of what we need most. D. Wade, Amare, Bosh. Franly, Amare and Bosh are more needed roster-wise BUT the story of two Chicagoans and the best backcourt in all of basketball trying to save basketball in this town will be special. Im thinking Rose will have such a better year next year that some of these studs may want to play with a pg like that and in a city like this…especially if it’s your hometown. We can only pray. Amare or Bosh would be lovely backup plans, though Bosh, to me, plays soft against the great teams..too skinny. Still would be a beast for us. If we can’t get one of those 3, this team will be in misery for many years to come…I assure you. Unfortunately, as much as Pax will forever be a hero and a super person, he is not a good GM. He has made some awful moves and really just drafted some very average or flawed talents in Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, and most specifically the brainless duo of Tyrus and Joakim. It sickens me that we’re trying to develop those two. They bring us down in every way. For our main 6 players every game to not be Rose, Gooden, Deng, Hinirhc, Gordon and Nocioni is a true shame and sends a terrible message. Unless we are trying to showcase gys like Noah and Tyrus to get rid of them, we’re giving minutes to the wrong guys. You play the guys who give you the best chance to win, who play hard every minute, who want to win more than anything, who play the right way, who care, and who EARN the minutes. Only good news about playing the brainless duo is it DOES help us lose more games..my personal hope. So go make your silly little trades and assess them all you want..it could be Bobby Simmons and Maurice Ager, it could be Bobby from the Brady Bunch….none of it will matter. No trade we make with this personel will put us back on track.
dam matt, this is a lot of posts for 1 day.
Matt,
Please if you get the chance email me at [email protected]. I have an interesting idea I’d like to run by you. If you are up to it. I too am a die hard fan. I have 3 passions in my life and the first is my wife but the Bulls are a close second, followed by my stand up comedy. If you read this please send me an email and hopefully we can talk.
I don’t get it. Teams keep signing/trading for guys like this thinking they have the magic key that will unlock their abilities.
Also, you need to fix the “flu-like symptoms” link. People NEED to hear your Derrick McKey story.
don’t tease me with you athleticism Tyrus!
Noah is so out of shape. Somebody show him the stairmaster. Geez. Pa-thet-ic.
jud got averaged 10 minutes because they won 72 games, not despite it. you cant get minutes when the team is losing…to jud’s defense though, he pry is a better athlete than hughes. he was an ex-volleyball player with mad hops
Hughes could of gave the Bulls 5-7 more wins
Funny, how he is sooo bad, but Wins THE AUSTIN CARR AWARD as the most professional player on and off the court.
DNP, but TNT has to show Hughes of the Bulls giving free computers to kids in grade school (how about a starter?), guess he is just a cancer?
PLEASE. One quote, while his brother passed away in Cleveland and he was promised to play the wing, not the point and the press throw him under the buss. Look at the stats and he’s still got more 3 pters this year than Michael Jordon, I mean Derrick Rose. Hughes with 36, Rose with 16
Hughes hit 40% Rose hitting 27%. Hughes playing about 1/3 to 1/4 the minutes. How come these writers never bring up the stats? See, the ball goes in the peach basket and you win. A higher percentage, less turnovers, good defense, lead the NBA in steals, thats Hughes.
But that is left out. Cleveland was one on five basketball, cmon, we all saw that, if Lebron could not make the shot, you got scraps.
Coach K helped with that a bit. But I think Hughes played the point not even his position and they went to the finals? Hey, thats what its about, the finals and just over a year ago he was there playing point guard, winning the east. Oh and how about those Wizzard scoring records with Arenas (that was a cancer locker room). You guys are wacked out, Hughes has never been a problem and on his 11th year in the NBA. Do you know the sport your write about the player average is only 4.6 years? Must be doing something correct, at 29 with double the average career and not a bad contract? Why is that? YOU PERFORMED BABE