According to the NY Post (Peter Vescey), Pau Gasol's exodus from Memphis has lost momentum. If the Grizzlies can't wheedle Ben Gordon and Luol Deng from the Bulls, he's not going anywhere, it says here. Meaning Gasol is staying put. John Paxson unwaveringly refuses to give up both or even two of his consecrated corps (Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni) of four, whereas Jerry West steadfastly refuses to surrender his superior services for anything less. Moreover, there's strong sentiment from above that even if that ideal deal became available it'd be a monumental mistake to move Gasol at this time. Better to delay deliberating parting with a 26-year-old, 7-foot, All-Star caliber talent until it's established what position the Grizzlies will own in this June's draft and whether Greg Oden and Kevin Durant have declared their eligibility for it. Imagine Gasol alongside one or the other and then add Rudy Burrito, Mike Miller (not exactly a lock to remain in Memphis past Thursday), Hakim Warrick, Alexander Johnson, Lawrence Roberts and largely forgotten (special rookie) Kyle Lowry, out forever with a broken left hand. "Trade Pau now and then what?" wondered a Grizzlies executive before answering his own question. "We'll wind up spending the next 10 years trying to replace him." Convinced time and youth, for the most part, are on his side, the Bulls VP is scouring the topography for a halfway decent post-up scorer (Shareef Abdur-Rahim?) unless, of course, someone like Zach Randolph suddenly comes on the market.

Zach Randoplph would be available for the right price. For the Bulls that would mean pretty much the samekind of package that Memphis wants for Gasol.

If we could get Randolph for what we wanted to give up for Pau Id be all for it, he gives us a low post threat with less athleticism.

randolph for (deng or gordon) brown and the pick???? interested??

I wouldnt want to give up Gordon for that and barely Deng. I was thinking more, TT, pick and PJ, maybe Noc in there somewhere.

Yeah, I'd rather have Gasol if we are going to give up Deng and Gordon. I really wouldn't want to give up both. But Gasol is better than Randolph. Randolph shoots too many jumpers.

I want no part of Randolph. Yes, he can score and rebound. However, either him or Skiles would not make it through the year alive. He's basically a ghost on defense and his effort is often lacking. He also makes $14 mil a year with 5 years left, which is a heck of a contract.

He's a very good fit for our needs, but I don't see any way it happens given his attitude and occasional off the court problems. I wouldn't deal any of our key players for anything less than an elite big man (ie KG, Gasol, or Jermaine O'Neal if the opportunity should arise). Randolph just doesn't fit that profile.

Agreed skiles and zach wont work!

Exactly. Randolph on the Bulls = big problems.
I really wish also that people would get it out of their heads that the combination of Deng AND Gordon for anybody really isn't going to happen. With Noc being hurt...it really handcuffs what Pax can really do right now. At this point...I really can't see anything being done.

I wouldnt give up Gordon or Deng for Randolf. I had a hard enough time thinking we would give one of them up for Gasol. I'm glad Paxson is standing firm and not giving up half of our core players. However, we need to remember we have to resign Gordon, Noch and Deng...Is that possible to resign all 4?? You know some idiot GM is going to throw close to max money at Gordon or Deng....

I trust Pax will make the right move. We dont need an all star, just a solid serviceable PF.

Actually i remember reading somewhere, (dont ask me where b/c i cant remember) that skiles like randolph. I think they said they go back since they are both msu boys and they said that skiles has always tried to help the zack attack

If West thinks we will give up both Deng AND Gordon for Gasol he is crazy. I know we need to make a move for him but if its not a fair trade no sense in giving up two great players for one great player.

it's one thing liking someone and trying to help them out vs being their coach. Skiles is a well known red ass. the honeymoon would last a few weeks, then randolf would be sent home.

That is also a reason why I'd like to see Pax show Skiles the door. There is absolutely no reason why a player should lose out on a chance to come to the Bulls (Especially a great player in Randolph) because of the head coach that just so happens to be stubborn and has strict rules.

I don't think any "Superstar" or "Star" type of player would want to come to the Bulls if they had other options like the Lakers, Suns, or other solid teams because they know they will have to deal with Skiles antics. I have never been a fan of Skiles since we lost out on a chance to improve our team the last few years. I wonder how the players would react if Skiles got fired? Just a thought to ponder.

At the same time, our players can focus more on the game of basketball and less on antics. His players know what to expect, understand what is expected of them and are required to play hard every night. If they dont play hard on both ends of the floor...they wont play. I agree that Skiles should pick his battles and has room for improvement as a coach. Seriously, who cares if they wear head bands, etc. But I like him overall and dont know who would really be better for this team at this point. We have young guys who are not only learning the nba game...but how to be grown men with money. I think a coach like skiles tends to keep them in line more and they will be better for it.
On the flipside, it would be unfortunte if some stars did not want to come here bc Skiles has rules and expectations...But do we want players who are not willing to be held accountable for their actions? Do we want players who aren't team players, who cant follow rules, who get into trouble off the court?
I think Skiles is the right man for the job, he just needs to pick his battles on a few topics and be a little less stubborn.

No we don't but also im not saying bring in guys like Stephen Jackson who have a record or history of such things but I certainly wouldn't mind bringing in Zach Randolph who at times can be outspoken and get upset but from what I know he hasn't gotten into any major problems off court and he isn't looked at the way Jackson is. Unfortunatley I don't think we will be seeing Randolph on this team any time soon because Paxson and Skiles both think in similar ways and they only want to bring in "Winners" or "Good Guys", for example, PJ Brown can't play a lick but he is a good locker room guy and same goes for Griffin and Malik Allen. Those guys are good enivorment people but they aren't good basketball players. I can't fault Paxson for wanting to build the enviroment he has but the NBA is a business and the ONLY goal for every team is to win a championship at all costs. There comes a time when you have to take risks and we obviously haven't taken a major risk yet like bringing a guy like Randolph or Webber who sometimes has issues with a coach. We all see what C-Webb has done to the Pistons and we had a shot at him but it just didn't happen.

This is just another example of how Skiles should be coaching in the College game where he can really control his enviroment and tell young kids what to do rather than trying to tell grown men what they can and can't wear which is ridiculous.

skiles isn't a perfect coach, and his flaw is a clear one, but overall he is one of the better coaches in the league. I think of all the teams that have become coaching carousels over the last decade and i think we should stick with skiles till the team stops improving.

On another note, what about shareef abdur-rahim? I really like his post scoring, and as we;ve seen when PJ brown has good games, we dont need a dominant low post scorer bc we are a damn good drive and kick team. We just need someone good enough that they can consistently give us something down there when we arent hitting jump shots and can command attention when we throw it in.

It probably wouldnt take any of our core players.
Maybe sweets, khryapa and picks could get it done.

You might want to do a little research on Zach Randolph. The guy has been arrested so many times, its not even funny. His rapsheet runs back all of the way until at least high school. Plus its not like we are talking about piddly crap, he has had weapons charges, drug charges, DUIs, sexual assault charges, intimidating witnesses, and even punching a teammate.

If you look up the definition of "history", you will find Zach Randolph's picture next to it.

Really? Wow I haven't heard anything really bad from him.

You haven't heard of his reputation as the Ray Lewis+Rae Carruth+Tank Johnson of the NBA? He's done just about everything but murder.

That won't get us anywhere. Drive and kicks are bad % shots because they are from the 3pt line or just in front of it. The only way the Bulls will have a dominant team is to have a dominant low post player. Shareef wouldn't solve any of our problems because he is shorter but a better shooter than Mr Brown.

Gasol or Bust for this team the way it is consituted right now. If we can't get him It looks like we may be looking at a first round exit again. Possibly a second round if were lucky.

Maybe I don't understand basketball all that well, but isn't the whole idea about having an offensive low post player that he can not only score but is able to dish out to other people so as to open up their shots more and increase the %age? I'm just thinking Dwayne Wade...he's certainly not a post-up guy, and Shaq wasn't effective at all in the playoffs compared to Wade, but either Wade was slashing and creating his own shot or Wade was dishing and opening up outside shots for other people. The Bulls don't have a single slasher who's as good as Wade, but they have a couple ok ones in Gordon, Hinrich, and Deng (all 3 of whom hopefully will keep getting better), and if you throw a non-terrible offensive threat in the lane in the form of Raheem, to the point where the Bulls can get some easy points inside if the opposition puts all its defense on the outside guys, I think the setup could work darn well.

And beyond that, I still don't see the Grizzlies giving up Gasol for anything less than Deng + another big name guy from our team, which is simply more than he's going to be worth. The Bulls just can't give up 40+ ppg, 10 rpg+, and 5 apg+ per game to get Gasol, which is what it looks like the Grizz want if they're asking for Deng + Gordon + PJ still.

I agree with you on a few of your points but the reason Miami won was because of Wade and Shaq. Actually another good reason is because there role players, Posey, Williams and Walker all played extremely well when called upon and they hit there open shots.

We don't have any player close to Wade's skill level because number 1 he can get any foul late in the game because he is a superstar and also likes to initiate contact which is something we don't do as a team very well. He sees the floor well and he is excellent with his ball handling. If you don't double team Shaq he is going to kill you on the boards and offensively. There just isn't a player in the league that pound for pound matches up with him. Fortuanetly if you put a quicker player on him you can get a couple of steals or charges on him but we didn't have that last year but we do now, Tyrus Thomas. Obviously Tyrus can't guard Shaq one on one but if he has a little help he can hopefully reach in there to steal it.

I agree we shouldn't give up both Deng and Gordon but if it comes down to Deng and other role players, as much as Paxson loves Deng we must part ways because the East is up for grabs and by getting Gasol it makes us the favorite to win the East.

But the problem is...quite frankly, the Grizzlies seem to have shown no interest in giving up Gasol for Deng and Role players, or Gordon and role players, or anyone and role players. Every single leak we've seen lately has said it has been the Grizzlies wanting Deng + Gordon + PJ and nothing less. It hasn't sounded at all to me like the issue has been Pax being unwilling to part with Deng (even though a big part of me says parting with Deng at all is a mistake), it sounds like the issue is that the Grizzlies want the whole boat of Deng + Gordon, and I can't see any way in which giving up that much is a good idea.

If you want your eyes opened, google Zach Randolph + arrest, and bring your bifocolals.

The kid is one of the worst behaved people in the NBA, if he were playing anywhere but Portland, the entire world would know about it. Getting traded to a major market would blow the lid off of this kid, and might literally end his career.

While Randolph has proven himself as a talented scorer and rebounder, he has been somewhat controversial. He is generally regarded as a weak defender and a notoriously poor passer. In addition, he sucker-punched teammate Ruben Patterson in the face during a practice scuffle in 2003, an act which earned him a two-game suspension.[1] He also has been cited for underage drinking and driving under the influence of marijuana, and was present when his brother Roger Randolph was involved in a shooting in an Indiana nightclub. After an initial interrogation by police, he was threatened with arrest based on his statement; Randolph gave a second statement and was not charged in the incident.[2] His brother was ultimately convicted in the matter and sentenced to prison[3]

In 2004-2005, his production dropped somewhat, and although he was injured for much of the season, many critics pointed a finger at Randolph for the Trail Blazers' troubles that year. Several teammates complained that Randolph was a ball hog, and Randolph had several arguments with Maurice Cheeks over his on-the-court actions. Late during the season, Randolph announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury; he later had microfracture surgery on the injured knee. He played the next season, posting averages of 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, but his work ethic was frequently called into question by coach Nate McMillan, who had been hired in the 2005 offseason.

On June 8th, 2006, Randolph ran into further legal trouble when two vehicles, both registered in his name, were pulled over by the Portland Police for racing in a 20 mph speed zone. Randolph's car contained two loaded weapons under the seat of the vehicle; Randolph had legal permits for both guns. The officers claimed they detected marijuana odor coming from Randolph's car.[4] In August 2006, a sexual assault complaint was filed with Portland police over an incident with a stripper in a Portland hotel room; after a month-long investigation, the Multnomah County district attorney declined to prosecute Randolph, citing insufficient evidence. [5] Additionally, Randolph is facing a civil suit related to that case, and another alleging that Randolph and friends tried to intimidate witnesses in former teammate Qyntel Woods's dog fighting case