The All Ex-Bulls Team

With the recent trade of Tyson Chandler to the Bobbies and the Mavs signing Drew Gooden, I got to thinking: What would an All Ex-Bulls Team look like? The only criteria I used is that they have to be in the league and they had to actually suit up and play for the Bulls. So no LaMarcus Aldridge or J.R. Smith. I wonder how far this team would go?

I always thought that Chandler was the perfect example of a player that should have went to college instead of going pro out of high school. His development was slow and frustrating and it wasn’t much of a surprise when he left the Bulls. Now at 26, the Hornets have dealt him again and rid themselves of his enormous contract. Without CP3 running the break and tossing up oops for Chandler, his numbers could be on the way down.

Brand had to be traded. The Bulls were the pit of the league at that point and there was no way he would re-sign in Chicago. Knowing that didn’t make my heart break any less. It was exciting when we “went young” with Chandler and Curry…and then it wasn’t. Brand has had injuries but I’ll forever wish he was still a Bull. When healthy he’s good for 20 & 10 — book it.

I loved watching Ron Artest at St. John’s and therefore was overly giddy when the Bulls selected him in the ’99 draft. He played well here but was part of the big trade that brought over Jalen Rose and Brad Miller. Since then? Artest is considered one of the top defenders in the NBA, but is mostly known for his part in the brawl at Detroit, his odd behavior at times and for requesting a leave of absence to make a rap album. Who knows what could happen now that he is in L.A.?

Just remember this Gordon fans: Ben Gordon could have been a Chicago Bull for a very long time with a very hefty salary but he opted not to sign the deal that the Bulls offered him. Mm-kay? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a player that was so spectacular scoring the ball and so completely lousy on the defensive end. Bulls/Pistons games will be even more fun this year.

When the Bulls drafted Duhon I was shocked, and then actually offended. I didn’t think he’d play in the league and I certainly didn’t want him on my team. But “Du” won me over with his steady play and an outside shot that was miles better than that stuff he threw at the rim at Duke. He had a solid year for the Knicks in his first year there and set the team record for assists in a game with 22.

Hit the jump for the 7-man bench…

It seems like Noce has been gone for years. In reality it has only been a few months. That Celtics series aged us all. Noce will go down as a fan favorite and will forever be remembered by this fan for his amazing performance in the 2006 playoffs. He’d always find a way to entertain you. Hardly seems fair that he has to play for the Kings, who won all of 17 games last year.

This must be a very rare photograph, because it shows Jamal Crawford getting ready to play defense. And we all know that doesn’t happen. My guess is Crawford still thinks he can be (or is) one of the elite scorers in the game. He’ll get you points, but he’s an inefficient scorer and not a very disciplined shooter. He’s also been traded twice since last November.

With all of the things Curry has been through you could make a rather interesting movie of his life. But as far as hoops is concerned, Curry is pegged as the soft athlete that cares not to improve his game or conditioning. He’ll always be a part of one of the best-ever basketball quotes. When media asked Scott Skiles what Curry could do to become a better rebounder, Skiles replied, “Jump.”

You may remember Roger Mason from such games as…actually you might not remember him as a Bull at all. He played in just 20 games here. During the season he received a lot of attention for becoming a major part of the Spurs offense after Manu Ginobili went down. He shot 42% from behind the arc last year and looks like he will be one of the league’s top gunners for a long time.

During his time as a Bull, Wallace was definitely not the player he was in Detroit. You know what though? He played like a man in the 2007 playoffs. Wallace stood up and smacked down Shaquille O’ Neal and added a layer of protection in the paint not seen in Chicago in years. The Bulls finally had an identity. Wallace was everything he was billed to be in those playoffs.

Drew Gooden has plenty of skills. He’ll come out and put a hurt on you with rebounding and points in the paint, but then shoot really bad, off-balance 18-20 foot jumpers that clank away from the rim in shame. Just a maddening player to watch when he was here. Dallas will be his 7th NBA team.

The competition for 12th man was fierce. Sefolosha beat out Trenton Hassell, Tim Thomas, Malik Allen, Larry Hughes, Kevin Ollie and Donyell Marshall for the spot. Thabo was dealt to the Thunder for a 1st round pick mid-season. There was some hype for him after the trade which died down along with his stats. His performance for OKC was pretty much like it was with the Bulls: Some good D and some poor shooting.