Next few weeks loom large for Paxson

Rumors are swirling all around the Bulls.

Something regarding deck chairs and doomed luxury liners, is the sense you get.

But it's really much bigger than that.

By the time the trade deadline passes in a little less than a month, GM John Paxson needs to have the club positioned to spend in the summer of 2010.

Or, at the very least, he needs to make serious progress toward having the necessary cap space for that free-agent crop.

They don't come any more loyal than owner Jerry Reinsdorf, but even Reinsdorf's patience has a limit.

So far, Paxson's shown an inability to gauge the progress of his own players, not to mention an unwillingness to trade those in whom he has put so much stock.

And he should be married to no one today but Derrick Rose. After that, the "For Sale'' sign should be in neon lights.

The upcoming free-agent season could potentially include Kobe Bryant, who has an opt-out, but most of the league is looking at 2010, also know as, "The Summer of LeBron.''

As it stands, LeBron James will be a free agent, and teams all over the East are trying to acquire expiring contracts and free up the cap space necessary to bring in the King.

That same summer, however, the market might host the likes of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Yao Ming, Steve Nash and Michael Redd.

Not all of them will see free agency, but it only takes one monster signing to completely change the direction of a franchise.

Realistically, LBJ is headed for New York or staying in Cleveland, but it doesn't mean the Bulls can't focus on Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

We're not telling Paxson anything he doesn't already know, but it's just a reminder that if he's hesitant to move a Luol Deng type, or one of his other favorites, at the expense of being ready to shop this summer or next, he's repeating the mistakes of the past.

If Paxson does it again, Reinsdorf just might look at that and think he doesn't have a GM ready to position the franchise for a summer that will determine the team's fate for a decade.

Reinsdorf will give Paxson even more rope, as long as the owner's got reason to believe the guy has a chance to make it work.

And it's worth noting that when all are screaming for someone's head, it's the time Reinsdorf is least likely to make a change.

Still, this is a key time for the Bulls and the owner has to be watching all of this, including another coaching hire that appears to be a disaster.

Paxson probably doesn't need that reminder, either.

Ivan Boldirev-ing

You gotta love Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.

With his team in a rut heading into the break, he managed to jab the players and the entire North American hockey media when he said, "I think we're probably sick and tired of people telling us how good we are instead of how hard we work.''

Yes, the Hawks might have heard a little too much about ordering Stanley Cup rings the last few months, while Quenneville knows he's got a small club that still needs to find a work ethic and defensive posture on the nights when the ice surface shrinks.

They can't always rely on a hot offense or goaltender, and that was evident in the playoff-style games teams threw at them the last week, during which the Hawks were pushed around, hit hard and taken out of their high-powered offensive game.

Adversity is a wonderful thing for an experienced coach, who can ground his team, teach lessons and hold his players accountable.

It can also show management that there are some miles to travel before they purchase all those crates of champagne.

Just wondering

Isn't Patrick Kane playing with a bad ankle in the All-Star Game for the same reason he played on a bad ankle New Year's Day? Sure, advertising sells jerseys and being represented makes the franchise look good, but so does having a healthy Kane the rest of the way.

Just thinking

Getting hurt could have been the best thing for Duncan Keith's upcoming contract negotiations.

Unlike Brian Campbell ($7.1 million annually), Keith ($1.9 million in 2009-10) is superb at the end of the ice that matters most, and his ability to move the puck out of his own end in transition has been sorely missed this week.

Just asking

E-mailer Tom from Barrington: "Wouldn't pro sports be more fun to watch if all athletes cared as much about winning as Tiger Woods does?''

The line

In our first look at Kentucky Derby futures, a horse named Stimulus Plan is 100-1. Let's hope that's not some sort of national harbinger.

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: "President Obama's first 24 hours in office a massive failure as BCS still exists.''

And finally ...

Dan Daly of the Washington Times on Sam Bradford, who's returning to Oklahoma after winning the Heisman and throwing 50 TD passes: "Isn't that a little like hitting .400 at Rochester and refusing a September call-up?"

brozner@dailyherald.com