Sportingnews.com : John Paxson has slowly built the Chicago Bulls over his five seasons as general manager into one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and perhaps the franchise with the most upside in the years to come. It was believed that Paxson wasn't interested in making a blockbuster deal during the offseason for Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant because he had untouchable young players in Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich.
Paxson doesn't want to get into specifics, but says it would be inaccurate to write that he was content to stand pat without looking into possibilities of a stunning summer deal.
Deng (22 years old), Gordon (24) and Hinrich (26) have shown they have more than potential, producing enough to help the Bulls advance in the playoffs for the first time since Michael Jordan led them to a sixth championship in 1998.
And they're not going anywhere.
Ben Wallace didn't rebound, block shots and alter games as often as he did in Detroit, but he is the kind of player you have to watch closely on a regular basis to truly appreciate what he adds to this team. The Bulls offered a $60 million, four-year deal to pry Wallace away from the Motor City, and he provided a significant dividend.
Chicago swept the defending champion Heat, pushed the Pistons to six games in the second round before falling and won 49 games in the regular season for the first time in almost a decade.
Chicago's trio of young stars -- Deng, Gordon and Hinrich -- should continue to improve. They are clearly talented athletes but, just as important, they seem to be motivated players and good teammates willing to put in the work necessary to get better.
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