For Bulls, Wallace just didn't work out

Two years ago, Bulls general manager John Paxson tried to make a big splash in free agency.

On Thursday, he fished that free agent out of the pond and sent him off to a new home.

The Bulls gave up on the Ben Wallace era before getting even halfway through the four-year, $60 million contract he signed as a free agent July 13, 2006.

Wallace was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers minutes before the NBA trade deadline struck Thursday afternoon. Veteran forward Joe Smith also is headed to Cleveland, while Adrian Griffin went to Seattle in the three-team, 11-player deal.

In return, the Bulls are getting 6-foot-5 guard Larry Hughes, 6-9 power forward Drew Gooden, 6-4 guard Shannon Brown and 6-9 forward Cedric Simmons, all from Cleveland.

The Cavaliers received a second-round draft pick from the Bulls and acquired sharpshooter Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West from the Sonics, while sending Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble to Seattle.

The Bulls' first season with Wallace went well. They won 49 games and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

This year was a different story. The Bulls' record sunk to 21-32 after Wednesday's loss to New Jersey, with Wallace averaging 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 points, his lowest numbers since he played for Orlando in 1999-2000.

"It's really about us saying to ourselves, 'We expected more this year,' " Paxson said. "It didn't happen for us, and I didn't want to sit there and keep hoping that it would."

So what does this move mean for the Bulls?

First, the team is definitely back to building for the future. Hughes is now the oldest player on the roster at 29, and it appears another lottery pick is on the way this summer.

With Wallace and Smith gone, the Bulls are hoping to accelerate the progress of young big men Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah by making them full-time players. They also get another young interior player in Gooden, 26.

"In my mind, what we've done is cleared an opportunity for a couple of our young kids to get experience," Paxson said. "That is so important moving forward. Even given the fact that this year has been such a bumpy ride, I still have a lot of belief in these young players, I really do."

Wallace met with reporters briefly before pulling his SUV to the side of the Berto Center and loading it with belongings.

"I had a good time here," Wallace said. "I enjoyed being one of the guys and I had a good season last year. I don't know (why things didn't work out). It is tough to tell. Things happen. We had some guys who were banged up. It was just tough for us to get out there and try to get everybody on the floor."

Asked to assess the decision to sign Wallace as a free agent, Paxson refused to admit any regrets and stressed the need to keep looking forward.

"Unfortunately for us, maybe we weren't equipped well enough to support the things that he did well," Paxson said. "Ben's a real professional. He should like us forever because we gave him a nice deal."

It's unusual for division rivals to trade with each other, but the Bulls and the Cavs had discussions about Hughes and Gooden as far back as two years ago near the trade deadline.

Discussions between the teams heated up Wednesday night, got bogged down over the inclusion of draft picks, then continued until the final minutes before the deadline.

Contrary to an ESPN report, the Bulls were never reluctant to accept Hughes in the deal.

The Bulls have an odd history with Hughes. When he played for Washington, Hughes ignited a preseason brawl at the United Center by shoving Kirk Hinrich into teammate Luol Deng as Deng drove for a layup. That skirmish ended with Antonio Davis slamming Wizards center Brendan Haywood to the floor, while Eddy Curry added an extra low blow that resulted in a one-game suspension.

Hughes also kneed Andres Nocioni in the groin during the 2005 playoffs, a series the Wizards won 4-2.

Hughes' best season as a pro came in 2004-05, when he averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 assists and was voted all-defensive first team. The following summer, he signed a five-year, $60 million deal with Cleveland and his stats have declined ever since.

Hughes is now with his fifth team in 10 seasons, while Gooden is playing for his fourth team in six years.