http://sportstwo.com/NBA/Story/NBA/1660091 <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Bulls' Wallace denies trade to Knicks</span> Saturday, February 9, 2008 08:34 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Ben Wallace doesn't think he'll be the newest member of the New York Knicks, according to a published report on Saturday. The Chicago Sun-Times said that the Chicago Bulls center denied an ESPN.com report that he expected to be traded by February 21 trade deadline. "Not at all," Wallace told the Sun-Times after the team's shootaround prior to its contest against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. However, Wallace was not exactly convincing when asked if he would like to remain with Bulls. "I'll be here 'til I'm gone," he told the newspaper. The Sun-Times cited a report on ESPN.com which discussed the rumored trade of Wallace to the Knicks for forwards Quentin Richardson and Malik Rose and guard Fred Jones. The proposed trade comes during a disappointing season for the Bulls (20-29), who were expected to be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference this campaign. But despite their struggles, they are just one-half game behind the New Jersey Nets (21-29) for the final playoff spot in the East. Wallace said Chicago still has hopes for the postseason, even though the Bulls again will be without injured stars Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng on Saturday. "We just have to keep playing and let the critics keep talking," said Wallace, who will make $28.5 million over the next two seasons.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Feb 9 2008, 11:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>QRich, Jones, and Rose. Ehhhh.</div> "Ehhhh?" I say "Yeahhhh!" I just want Wallace off the roster. Let Gray, Noah, and Tyrus get playing time. I consider the Bulls lucky if they are able to do this deal. They're certainly not getting rid of Wallace otherwise, and I'm not sure I can stand the thought of him being on the roster 2 years from now, still getting 30 minutes a game because the organization is too much of a pussy to stand up to him.
If you look at it over the long haul, we'd have ended up giving up Brand, then Crawford, then Rose, then Curry, then Chandler all to get Thomas, QRich, Jones, and Rose. Ehhh. Trading Wallace is a two-edged sword. You hate to have him on this losing team making so much money, but you're going to hate it just as much when he's playing big minutes for Dallas, going deep into the playoffs, and getting credit for being a fine player.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Feb 9 2008, 11:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Trading Wallace is a two-edged sword. You hate to have him on this losing team making so much money, but you're going to hate it just as much when he's playing big minutes for Dallas, going deep into the playoffs, and getting credit for being a fine player.</div> How is he going to play big minutes for Dallas when he's going to New York? Regardless, that scenario wouldn't bother me at all because I don't think the team would miss him. I am very certain that Gray, Noah, and even Tyrus are more effective players at this point, because they have higher PERs and give more consistent effort. Moreover, those 3 need consistent, sustained stretches of playing time to develop. Look at what Thabo has been able to accomplish now that he gets consistent minutes. No, he's not particularly great right now, but he had a PER of around 8 and looked like an NBDL scrub before he got playing time.
I think he'd end up in Dallas if he gets moved. Teams in the west have been playing catch up with Boston first, and now LA. Then Phoenix made a move. Dallas would logically be next, and Wallace is a great fit there. The whole team looked like NBDL guys tonight and the past few games. Even with all this extra PT to go around with Deng, Hinrich, and Gordon sitting, Griffin is getting way too much PT. I don't know where to start with this team. The contenders seem to have guys like Garnett/Pierce/Allen or Kobe/Pau/Odom/Bynum. We don't have even ONE guy in that class of player, let alone 2 or 3.
I think trading away Wallace is a step in the right direction. His minutes have gone down in recent games I've watched and his play has been less than spectacular. He's digressed much, much faster than what anyone had planned. I think getting rid of him can only help us. It allows us to use our youth more often, and those are the guys that need the minutes.
