Rose 4 Sprewell trade wont happen

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Bulls operations chief Jerry Krause was mad enough Monday to publicly shoot down the latest Jalen Rose trade rumors, but Rose had a little fun with speculation he could be dealt to the New York Knicks for Latrell Sprewell.

"I always try to be a GM in my mind and add up the salaries and statistics,'' said Rose, who was asked if he thought he was better than Sprewell. "I'm better than a lot of guys. It ain't personal.

"The salaries match. I understand they're trying to move him. They talked to [Dallas coach] Don Nelson about it because he was [Sprewell's] coach at Golden State, so Michael Finley's name came up. And Jalen Rose's name came up.''

Rose said his family left six messages on his machine Monday morning, and his teammates inquired about the rumors.

That prompted Krause to assemble an impromptu news conference at the Berto Center.

"I talked to Jalen and told him there is totally no truth to these rumors,'' Krause said. "I wouldn't even have said it to him, but his family heard it. This has gotten so silly.''

A league source said Krause has not talked to Knicks general manager Scott Layden in a month and has no interest in Sprewell.

That doesn't mean, however, that Rose isn't available. But it's not something Rose will worry about.

"It's the nature of the beast,'' he said. "There's nothing I can do about it; I'm a worker, not a boss.

"But I love being in Chicago. And I'm glad Jerry put this to rest, at least in the minds of the team.''

Bulls coach Bill Cartwright was more upset about the speculation, calling it "irresponsible.'' Cartwright is worried about distractions with his young team, which started the season with two wins, followed by four losses. The Bulls are coming off a victory Saturday, and Cartwright doesn't want to take any more steps back.

"It's a waste of space,'' he said.

With the possibility Jay Williams will emerge as a primary scorer, it's likely Rose's name will surface again in trade speculation, and Rose understands everyone is tradeable.

But the Bulls are looking for help up front, and they would be more willing to part with Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer in the process.

[Andrew]

Good news, I didn't really want to see Rose dealt. The Bulls lost four in a row, but I don't think anyone expected them to challenge 72-10 or look like playoff contenders. I don't think Rose should be on the block at all this early in the season - I would go so far as to say unless he's proving to be a major headache, he should be kept to see how everything goes with him playing a full season in Chicago - but at least a "likely trade" rumour has been shot down.

[Brave Sir Rubin]

great news! that trade was as idiotic as they get...whould have fucked up the bulls...theyy're much better off with a combo of jay and Rose instead of a ball hoggin Spree, who will eventualy make every Bulls player with potential ask to be traded...great that that trade didn't happen, truly great...

[Matthew]

Yeh I'm happy this trade didn't go through, not just for Chicago, but for New York. The knicks need to rebuild with trading for young players and using their draft picks wisely. They can't be looking for "quick fix" all the time.

[Dan's Brain]

Well, I'm not counting my chickens, but it is a biiiiiig relief to hear that. I really don't see the point of breaking this Bulls team up at this early stage. Unless, of course, you're talking about Crawford and Fizer.

[Matthew]

Should the Bulls be looking to get some quality draft pick (s) for Fizer and/or Crawford or a veteran like Brian Grant?

[air gordon]

the bulls definitely do not need more draft picks to add to an already young team. curry, chandler, and williams all need major minutes to develop their skills since they are the franchise. curry & chandler have looked good at times but both have been inconsistent but consistent in getting in foul trouble. i think chandler and jermaine o'neal are quite similar when they entered the league: atheltic big man who can defend but an offensive arsenal undeveloped. i just hope chandler can at least be a jermaine o'neal but develop faster then o'neal did.


as much as i like crawford and fizer, i think they would benefit more being on a different team. fizer provides good scoring from the bench but he thinks he should be starting. but he won't be starting in chicago anytime soon barring any major injury. crawford is in a tough situation. it was a no-brainer that williams, the team's top pick, was going to win the starting PG spot. and with williams having a great performance against the nets while crawford was outta town, it looks like crawford may be outta town permanently.

rose is a good player but i wouldn't be surprised if he's dealt. krause isn't looking to deal him but he is listening to any offer that comes his way. i like rose's all around offensive game but the bulls need someone that can defend on the wing (artest could have been that guy even though he is a head case). but trading rose leaves a big hole on offense. if he's gone, i hope they can get someone who can both score/defend.

[Clinton]

I think the Bulls should leave the team how it is right now. They will only have to wait to next year and they have the best young team in the NBA. A developed Curry and Chandler with a veteran Marshall to guide them. A do it all SF, who likes to share the ball around and do whatever there is to do on the court. Jay Will is going to be one of the league's best guards in a few years. If Krause could for once leave this team to develop, they should be in the playoffs next year.

[Jeffx]

NBA_Fan is saying what I've been screaming about for the past two years. Knick management has to WAKE UP and realize the Knicks have to rebuild. Stop with the quick fixes. They're just satisfied with the team making the playoffs and getting knocked out in the second round so they can jack up ticket prices. REAL Knick fans will tolerate the team losing if we feel the team is headed in the right direction.

Unfortunately, I don't feel management is smart, patient(or creative) enough to build a contender. Look at what Donnie Walsh and Rod Thorn have done with their squads. We need geniuses like them in NY. Remember, we're stuck with the idiots who passed on Ron Artest to pick Frederic Weis. Every time I think about that, I want to KILL somebody!

[BIG GREEN]

Wasn't his name Veis? I don't want spree to go..thank god ...and yes..i am a true knick fan

[Andrew]

It was Weis. I think getting dunked on in Sydney hurt his credibility a little.

[Willie M.]

LOL, just a little. He got smoked there. But e, if Cesary Trybanski gets a two year deal out of the blue, than Freddie should be able to get a deal. After all, he averaged 5.4 ppg and 6,2 rpg in Spain, while Cesary had 4,9 ppg and 2,7rpg in Poland.

[airtsinelas]

As a Knick fan, I say no this one, EVEN THE TRUE KNICK FANS (maybe) because in two ways:

(1) - Rose has a BIG contract and the Knicks are hoping to slash our BIG SALARY CAP!
(2) - Rose publicly wants to play the POINT like he used to be in college but after he failed that in Denver, he was moved to SF in Indiana were he BLOOMED, saying that again would create a friction whether in a Bull or Knick uniform (some say he complains about not playing the point in Chicago with Jay-W running the show)

[Clinton]

I think any team would love to have Jalen Rose on their time. He can do everything for you and play 3 positions. Spree is a scorer. The Knicks don't need a scorer. They have Houston who plays the same position as him and Dice when/if he returns. It would be a great move for the Knicks. But Crause never wanted Spree and he has said that on many occasions. But he did say that doesn't mean Rose is untradeable.