Gasol to the Bulls? (Bulls offer Gordon, Brown, and a 1st)

So you take Ben Wallace and throw in Ben Gordon and the No. 1 pick and …

Just want to get that out there first. Nah, the Bulls aren't about to trade Wallace, though this signing has the early earmarks of disaster with Wallace drawing a line in the sand with coach Scott Skiles in Headbandgate. (I actually hate that every scandal gets a Watergate suffix and promise never to use it again). I didn't see anyone second-guessing the signing when it occurred, so it would be hypocritical to condemn it now.


What the Bulls need to do is provide some help for Wallace, assuming they can work out this power play between their second-highest-paid player ever and their most successful coach since Phil Jackson.

It's clear Wallace is not the player the Bulls expected, but he's not done yet either. If not a force, he can be a good piece. It appears, though, he needs some offense along the front line so he can come off the weak side more to rebound and regain his enthusiasm. The Memphis Grizzlies long have said Pau Gasol is untouchable, but maybe he isn't so much anymore.

There were reports this weekend that the Boston Celtics had interest in Gasol. There were also whispers in recent weeks that Gasol's floating timetable to return from foot surgery is more about concern with the uncertainty surrounding the Memphis organization. The Grizzlies are up for sale, with general manager Jerry West and coach Mike Fratello probably gone after this season.

The word around the organization is that the team can't win with Gasol after being shut out in the playoffs the last three years, so a deal is inevitable. Plus, with Hakim Warrick, Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry, the latter injured now, looking like good, young pieces, it's probably a good time for the Grizzlies to make a commitment to rebuild. Their season is almost lost already after a poor start.

And no one has more pieces for rebuilding than the Bulls.

The future is now for the Bulls because of Wallace. It's not likely his large and long contract could be traded at his age, so you've got to put together a team to win with him now. Plus, the East has never been more wide open and the Bulls still could get to the Finals. They've shown the last two seasons they finish stronger than anyone.

Without damaging their core, the Bulls could offer the No. 1 pick they get to swap with the Knicks (though they'd have to keep No. 1 as overall protection if Greg Oden is available and have some alternative), Chris Duhon and Tyrus Thomas. P.J. Brown probably would have to go along to make the numbers match. Because Memphis figures to have a very high lottery pick of its own, it would have two No. 1s in what looms as a great draft, plus the highly regarded Thomas and a point guard. They'd have a nice young roster, though some names could change in the deal, and the Bulls would have a 7-foot inside scorer—if not a true back-to-the-basket player—to complement Wallace's defense and to give Gordon more room with interior play.

There, I solved it again.