Cavs/Bulls Trade Rumor
L on his way to the Chi? (Photo. Hill)Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune reports an NBA trade rumor this morning: Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace for Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes.
An e-mailer who’s had some good information before wrote last week to say the Bulls and Cavs were discussing Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace for Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes.
I’ve been unable to confirm if there have been such discussions. But I know the Cavs have locker-room and chemistry chaos. Damon Jones and Ira Newble declined to enter games last week, and the Cavs are desperate to deal Hughes. His contract—money and years—pretty much matches Wallace’s, and if the Bulls can find anyone to take Wallace’s contract, you’d think they would. Interesting how quickly his sore foot healed.
Hughes, though injury-prone, is the kind of big guard the Bulls are missing. And they have had talks about Gooden in recent years. Plus the Cavs have been desperate for a point guard. There’s interest around the league in Hinrich, and if I were to move him I’d probably want more.
Dumping that Wallace contract, though, could be appealing.
Kind of a grim deal, and Sam’s source is “an emailer who’s had some good information before” so it has to be taken for what it’s worth. It’s starting to seem like Kirk definitely needs a fresh start, and the Cavs are dying for a PG, but wouldn’t this leave the Bulls pretty short at the 1? Don’t know how comfortable we’d be just letting it ride with Chris Duhon …
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December 31st, 2007 at 11:11 am
Kobeef says:
I don’t understand why the Cavs would want Big Ben. He is basically the same player as Varejo (lots of hustle, not offense..well used to be)and as bad as Hughes has been he is a better player than Heinrich so far this season.
How does this help the bulls? Do Ben Gordon and Hughes now fight for PT? That would help the team chemistry a lot….
Seems like a pretty pointless trade.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:12 am
Brown says:
I seriously doubt this trade will go down as-is. There’s gotta be at least another player or two involved, or maybe some draft picks.
Would Ben Wallace play the 4 spot? Cuz that’s an awful lot of money spent on one position (25 mill).
Hinrich is good, but if the Bulls are looking to trade him, they gotta be able to get something better than Larry Hughes for him.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:17 am
Brown says:
I’m with ya Kobeef, doesn’t make much sense at all for either team. You don’t make a trade if you’re going to create a logjam at one position and leave a gaping hole in another.
This is Sam Smith though, who’s known for bullshit trade rumours, and this one sounds like a stinking heap.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:21 am
control says:
This seems like a pretty pointless trade for both teams, if anyone is even considering doing this, it’s only because they are bored and need to do something other than play solitaire on their laptop.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:30 am
gary says:
nope i disagree. the cavs NEED a point gaurd and adding wallace gives them defensive depth(something needed in the east) and it gives the bulls a scoring threat from a forward position and a two gaurd , that when healthy is a good/great defender and right now that team just needs to forget they ever signed ben wallace ,if this is what they have to do then so be it…
December 31st, 2007 at 11:56 am
Celts Fan says:
don’t forget Thabo Sefalosha can play the 1 also. I like him and the Bulls must think he can do that at this level too if they’d give up Hinrich. Don’t like the trade for Chicago though, but it terrifies me of Cleveland if they can pull it off…
December 31st, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Juanito says:
Good trade for the Cavs…they can dump Hughes’ contract and get rid of that piece of crap Gooden. Although Hinrich isn’t much of a PG he is better than anything else the Cavs have. Plus Big Ben would respond well on a team with a proven superstar and less pressure to score from the post because of Z.
December 31st, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Captain America says:
Bad trade for Cavs. Gooden needs to stay put.
December 31st, 2007 at 1:23 pm
rob stewart says:
Good trade for Cavs. It gives them a good point guard with USA experience and this should rejuvenate Big Ben who has championship experience. Larry Hughes has been garbage for the last 1 1/2 years. Gooden will be missed but oh well. I think the Bulls should try to get a pick out of this to help build for the future. Kirk Hinrich’s bday is Wednesday
December 31st, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Celts Fan says:
Captain, Gooden is alright, but nothing spectacular. Hinrich is really good (though having a terrible year.) There’s no reason (for Cleveland) not to make this deal if it’s really being offered…
December 31st, 2007 at 1:54 pm
ty akins says:
good trade for cavs adding big ben and hinrich to that team and they will be battleing the pistons and celtics for the eastern championship go cavs
December 31st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
rean_pinoy says:
i think this would help cavs the more – defense by ben and scoring by kirk, will definitely complement lbj’s great play. kirk,sasha,lebron,varejao,z as their starting five,big ben coming off the bench as well as booby gibson? contender.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:27 pm
rean_pinoy says:
for the bulls? i’d say better luck next year. hughes,i think,isn’t the same baller since being transferred from wiz(good riddance for the wiz i supposed),so i dont think he’d be a (great)help at all. for gooden, u think he’d be a good complement to bg and loul’s game? don’t think so. the only good thing for the bulls? i dont know tell me..
December 31st, 2007 at 3:28 pm
dagwaller says:
Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing as you guys are – Hinrich is probably the best player in this deal (if we’re talking about potential), and Ben is still a serviceable center. Meanwhile, Gooden is nothing special at the 4, and Hughes is the same at the 2.
A few guys with higher ceilings to which they’re not currently playing. I don’t really see the point of the deal. The Bulls would lose their starting pg to get a PF and SG that are about as good as what they already have. The Cavs already have a good enough C. Just because of Hinrich, they’d be the only ones, talent wise, interested in the trade. It’d amount to Bulls trading some of their contracts away and the Cavs getting a PG.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:11 pm
doc says:
I’d do it if I was the Cavs.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:58 pm
kowtz says:
Good trade for cavs…
- desperately need a PG and outside shooting…
- TD and KG equalizer (as if they would reach there)
- Big Ben need not score… he could focus back into rebounding and put back dunks… and he could let loose that fro again and bandana…
Bulls? hmmm…
- definitely an low post offensive upgrade in Gooden…
- Big ben was meant to defend and some how chip in on offense.. But he ain’t scoring,and he ain’t even rebounding…
- dumping a bad Locker room presence in Big Ben???
- starting larry hughes and expecting him to get injured so BG can come off the bench while still playing 35 minutes?
January 1st, 2008 at 8:07 pm
K-Dizzle says:
I think you all missed the point of this trade. Larry Hughes’ best position is the 1. So for the Bulls, you play Hughes at the 1 but at 6’5, he can play the 2 defensively. This allows BG to play the 2 offensively cuz he’s a stone scorer and the 1 defensively. Gooden’s better in the low post than anything else Chicago has so that’s a good trade for them. Basically Hughes’ bad contract for Wallace’s bad contract. The Cavs ned a point guard. Hinrich’s good, real good, you don’t get invited to USA camp if you suck. Unfortunately, he’s havin a bad year, but I guarantee playin with Lebron helps his game. Wallace can play at the 4 with either AV or Big Z doin what he does best: defense, rebounding and helpside d. Basically lateral movement deals, but if they worked out could help both teams.
You’ve been educated.
peace
January 4th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Considering... says:
Hughes natural position is at the 2, he hates playing point guard. However:
Cleveland bonus:
-Real PG to run the offense
-Perhaps the most defensively-dominant front-court in the NBA behind Ilgauskas-Wallace-Verejao
-Dump Larry Hughes’ contract who has never performed to expectations for the Cavs and has spent a majority of his tenure on the IR
Cleveland minus:
-Lose solid interior scoring in Gooden (whose actual value seems to be highly under-rated on here for some reason)
-Team becomes slower, and relies heavily on a much-improved front-court game inspired by Hinrich
-Hinrich’s contract exceeds LeBron’s, guaranteeing money will be tied up without being able to make a free-agency splash to keep James in town
Chicago plus:
-Vastly improved front-court scoring, and Gooden’s positive attitude and solid defense will seriously stabalize over-all production
-Re-acquaint Larry Hughes with the fast-paced run-and-gun style he was exceptional at back in Washington
-Dump Ben Wallace’s bad contract
-Dump Hinrich’s bad contract
Chicago minus:
-Unproven pointguards fill the hole. However a more likely variation of this deal would be the Cavs also including Damon Jones, who was the starting PG for the Heat when they won the Championship
-Hughes track-record of injury isn’t enticing for an already streaky team
Overall this seems like a deal with big possibilities for both teams, however it is worth noting that Cleveland would rely on this deal making them Championship contenders. They would have little room feasibly to make another big move in the next two years. It’s definately worth consideration for both clubs.
January 6th, 2008 at 3:27 am
Jordan says:
THE CAVS MUST DO THIS TRADE FOR 1 SIMPLE REASON:
KEEPING LEBRON IN CLEVELAND!!!!!!
GO CAVSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
January 6th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Jordan says:
There’s a more likely trade anyway:
mike bibby and kenny thomas for drew godden shannon brown and eric snow.
GO CAVSSSSSS!!!!