Chicago Bulls Trade Talk: Best Five Trades-#5

Well Pippen Peoples, with the worst trade secret out of bag with Kevin Love being traded from Minnesota to Cleveland, the Bulls are left out in the cold. But fear not Pippen Peoples, Pippen Ain’t Easy will keep up the Chicago Bulls trade talk in our own series. Pippen Ain’t Easy is counting down the five best and worst trades in Chicago Bulls history.

We got all of this Chicago Bulls trade talk started with the fifth worst trade of all time with Artis Gilmore being traded to  the San Antonio Spurs for Dave Corzine and Mark Olberding (aka who?) Basically to recap, The Chicago Bulls traded a Hall of Fame player for a box of Newports (Dave Corzine) and Puma sweats (Mark Olberding). For the complete breakdown, hop on to Pippen Ain’t Easy, your best choice for Chicago Bulls trade talk, news, previews and reviews.

Now let’s continue the series some good moves from the Chicago Bulls with the  fifth best trade in Chicago Bulls history.

February 23, 1994

The Chicago Bulls trade Stacey King to the Minnesota Timberwolves

and receive

Luc Longley from the Minnesota Timberwolves and a 1995 draft pick which turned out to be Dragan Tarlac.

You see Pippen Peoples, maybe this is the reason why the Timberwolves won’t trade Kevin Love to the Bulls. In this trade, the Timberwolves could have called the FBI, the CIA, and the White House looking for justice. After I get done breaking down this trade, you’ll want to call 911 too. This was about as one-sided a trade as you can get.

During the Bulls dynasty years, there was one constant that was overlooked on both three peat squads. There was a big time rim protector to anchor the Bulls defense.

The first three peat was anchored by Bill Cartwright. If you don’t think players didn’t worry about him, ask Hakeem Olajuwon, who was one of the players that got his nose broken by those flailing elbows of his. Sure he had hands of stone that drove Michael Jordan crazy, but someone had to push on Patrick Ewing right?

But by 1994, Cartwright was aging and Will Perdue aka “Vanderbilt” by way of Jordan was not panning out as the center of the future.

Hello Luc Longley!

After being a lottery bust for the Minnesota Timberwolves (selected seventh overall in 1991), Longley had overstayed his welcome in Minnesota and was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Stacey King.

I believe anyone that remembers the second three peat years link those glory years to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr being ready for Jordan’s pass in the Finals against the Utah Jazz. Luc Longley gets lost in the folklore of the Bulls glory days. Luc Longley obviously was not the focal point of the Bulls offense. He only averaged 9.9 points per game in those title years. It wasn’t necessary though, last I heard that Michael Jordan character was pretty good at putting the ball in the basket. At least that what the history books say.

Luc Longley’s job was to anchor one of the most dominating defenses of the era. He averaged 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. In layman’s terms, Luc Longley was to stand in front of the basket, lean on the opposing big men and pick up Jordan’s and Pippen’s scraps on the offensive end. Then get three rings in the process. Good work if you can get it. Outside of separating his shoulder and missing 18 games in 1997 bodysurfing, Longley was a model teammate.

When the Bulls broke up the dynasty and the party ended, Luc Longley was traded to the Phoenix  Suns. He ended up being known as the guy that got stung twice by a scorpion at home looking through his CD collection. Ugh!

Dragan Tarlac was a draft and stash (aka the Mirotic plan) in 1995 and came over for a cup of  coffee in 2000-01.

Stacey King:

If you disagree with this statement. You are wrong. DEAD WRONG! While at Oklahoma Stacey King was a better player than Blake Griffin. IN COLLEGE! Yep, look it up. When King was at Oklahoma, that boy was an out-and-out beast! He was also thin. Look at his final two years at Oklahoma…

In 39 games as a junior:

22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 54% from the floor.

Oh it gets better in his senior year.

In 33 games Stacey King averaged 26.0 points,10.1 rebounds and a shade under two assists.

When he came to  Chicago, everything changed. He gained weight and the NBA figured out  that he liked going left…a lot. Stacey did some good things off the bench but as a lottery player. not enough.

He was a third of the man who you see at the commentators table calling the Bulls games now. He actually very good. He’s better at commentating than he was as a player for the Bulls. He got drafted by the Bulls in 1989 with the sixth pick. He was one of three first round picks that year. The other two were Jeff Sanders and Derrick Rose’s agent, B.J. Armstrong. The six degrees  of separation is amazing in this scenario ain’t it?

Stacey did stick around long enough to capitalize on the Michael Jordan “I want a ring” foundation and collected three of them. Maybe that’s why maybe the Timberwolves took King. I mean Jordan could make a player look like a decent player. When King left Chicago, his overall game stayed and waited at the announcer’s booth.

In the trade of two lottery busts, the Chicago Bulls got the best of this one.