Pax Sticks Around, Makes Moves at Deadline

After making the 'big' trade with Sacramento that netted Chicago John Salmons and Brad Miller, it looks like Bulls GM John Paxson went ahead and busted a couple more moves earlier today. Thabo Sefalosha went for a future first-rounder from Oklahoma City. We couldn't get DJ White?? Damn. And Larry Hughes and his toxic 12+million dollar contract went to New York (of course, the Knicks would take Hughes), in exchange for which we got stuck with Jerome James, as well as Timmy Thomas and Anthony Roberson.

The best part of all this, in my book, is that Captain Kirk Hinrich is sticking around. Hinrich is nothing but a class act and a leader who can play both guard spots, and I have loved his game since the Kansas Jayhawks days.

In addition, John Salmons could be a great super-sub for the Bulls at wingman (2/3), Miller and Thomas provide veteran offense at the big man spots, and getting rid of Hughes has got to be a plus. Over at Bleacher Report, the superb semi-pro writers also pointed out that holding onto Tyrus is nice, since it would definitely suck to get rid of another big man just before he hits his stride (see: Tyson Chandler, Elton Brand).

On the downside, getting rid of Shaggy Andres Nocioni is definitely sad. In these post-Jordan days, it's hard to say that any Bull is 'iconic.' But Noce was a true character, a part of that too-brief 47-35 playoff run a few years back, and a hard worker. I wish him the best. Also, Drew Gooden earned my respect for his play when healthy, though his rep as injury-prone is definitely deserved. At least we got a funky beard in return for his, with Salmons joining the squad.

Overall, I feel better about this Bulls team after the trade deadline than before. I'm proud of Pax for actually doing something instead of just freezing up. And he held onto the core of Rose, Gordon, Deng, Hinrich, and Tyrus. It looks like Chicago's hopes for a playoff seed and quick exit vs. either Boston or The LeBrons are still intact. Hooray. I think?