Wednesday, February 18, 2009

NBA News - Chapu Becomes A King

The Chicago Bulls have traded Andres NOCIONI alongside Drew GOODEN, Cedric SIMMONS and Michael RUFFINS to the Sacramento Kings for Brad MILLER and John SALMONS. Rather than being upset about the move NOCIONI, who had only played with the Bulls during his five seasons in the NBA, wasn't blindsided by the trade.

“I'm not surprised," he said. "There have been a lot of rumors. I'm all right. I was waiting for this. But I don't feel bad the way I'm leaving. It's not like I did something wrong. I wasn't playing my best this season. But I gave everything to this team. I played hard every day whether in practice or in games. I'm a competitive person and I leave this team the best way I could. The only thing I feel bad about is I'm leaving a good team, good players and good coaches. I really enjoyed being with the Bulls. But this is the NBA life. Things like this can happen.”

After joining the Bulls in 2004, Chapu quickly became a fan favorite for his passionate play and hard-nosed attitude.

“He has been one of my favorites to ever wear a Bulls uniform and personally it was difficult for me to move him," general manager John PAXSON said in a statement released by the team. "He's been a warrior and a professional, since the day that he arrived.”

Not surprisingly, former Bulls coach Scott SKILES, now with Milwaukee, echoed PAXSON's feelings.

“I'm sure whenever I'm done coaching, he'll be one of my favorites,” SKILES said before Wednesday's game. “I enjoyed coaching him. You always knew what you were going to get; he was going to bring it all the time and was a great competitor.”

His greatest moment with the Bulls might have come in his first NBA playoff game, piling up 25 points and 18 rebounds in a victory over Washington while fans at the United Center chanted his name.

“It's definitely going to be weird not having Noce here,” guard Ben GORDON said. “It's just going to be different. I wish him the best. We're definitely going to miss him.”

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:11 pm

    John, I'm not sure how Noce fits in the Kings organization. The only piece they have of value is Kev Martin.

    The Kings are rebuilding so they may keep him or try to package him with someone else to clear cap space or grab another player or players.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:15 am

    That's a nice quote from Scott Skiles. Very complimentary, especially from a coach as demanding as he is.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous4:49 pm

    I think Nocioni has a great chance of fitting in because he can be a starter or come of the bench and not make a big deal about it. As far as Kings gameplan, the second half of the season for a team not in the playoff picture is all about production over wins. With Miller gone, they will look for a more up tempo team and Nocioni can fit that style without a problem.

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  4. Francisco Garcia is a decent young player too...I see his production going up with Salmons gone.

    Personally, I never cared for Brad Millers game. Overrated in my book. Salmons is the big lost and I'm really surprised the Kings traded him...probably couldn't get rid of Millers salary without throwing him in.

    I see Nocioni and Gooden helping, but the Kings just don't have the players to consistently compete.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:29 pm

    As a Bulls fan, I have to say it was great having Nocioni around, and he'll be a help anywhere he goes. Sure, sometimes he takes bad shots or plays slightly out of control, but you know for a fact he's giving every little thing he has to the team every night, and he'll do anything he can to win. Not a lot of players like that in the NBA anymore, so it's a wonderful thing to see.

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  6. I'm going to miss Nocioni a lot. His gameplay represented traditional Bulls basketball. I considered him one of the core members. He'll be a big help to the Kings. I'm just glad he went West so the Bulls won't have to face him as much!

    From watching him play every night and checking out Manu & the Spurs, I've become a big fan of Argentina basketball. So I'll definitely follow Nocioni (with the help of this blog of course!) even though he's not a Bull.

    ReplyDelete
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