Report: Gar Forman To Replace John Paxson As Bulls GM

The John Paxson Era was good, bad and ugly. But in the end, he should be fondly remembered if only because he rescued a franchise that was mired in a waist-high pile of doo-doo at the tailspin of the Jerry Krause regime.

Sure, Pax butchered the Ben Wallace deal and sent out Tyson Chandler, who would go on and flourish with Chris Paul in New Orleans. But there wasn't a Bulls fan out there that wasn't going to boo that trade. Until of course Wallace made a big stink about hairstyles, headbands and Chicago traffic.

What Paxson did best was draft. Kirk Hinrich hasn't been spectacular, but he has been a solid role player. Ben Gordon should get paid handsomely for his scoring efforts and before the back-to-back disappointing and injury-plagued years, Luol Deng was a budding NBA star.

The jury is still out on Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. You know who the jury is not on: Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay. Wouldn't any of those guys look really good running the break with Derrick Rose?

I digress onto the news of the day.

Gar Forman, he of the scouting background and player development, has some mighty wide shoes to fill. As the new general manager, Forman will need to spearhead contract talks with Gordon while trying to build around Rose, Noah and vets such as John Salmons and Brad Miller. And he'll have two first round picks (Nos. 16 & 26) to work with as the Bulls should either use the picks to acquire a starting-five caliber player or to strengthen bench depth.

But moments after the conclusion of tomorrow morning's scheduled press confernce, I expect Forman to call the Los Angeles Clippers and inquire about Marcus Camby or Chris Kaman.

But as soon as someone mentions Zach Randolph, hang up the phone and run away.

And in the name of Air Jordan, if Kobe Bryant's name comes up in a trade offer accept it immediately!

John Paxson Turns Over Bulls role to Forman [Chicago Sun-Times]

Sincerest Apologies To John Paxson

Back in February, everything was going against Bulls GM John Paxson.

Reports of being a lame duck GM on his way out surfaced, and then the Bulls failed to acquire Amare Stoudemire ... a rumor that had been picking up steam and looked close to happening but fell apart.

Instead, Mad Pax brought in Brad Miller, John Salmons, Tim Thomas and others while trading away fan-favorite Andres Nocioni and a bunch of scrubs.

So what does Miller do in Game 6? 23 points, 10 rebounds and five key points down the stretch in regulation when I was ready to wave good-bye to Chicago playoff basketball. Including a 3-pointer. Kinda makes this statement by yours truly seem silly.

Nothing says block dominance like a 7-footer spotting up for three -- unless his name, of course, is Dirk from Dallas.

Miller was 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

As for Salmons: a team-best 35 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists ... making my claim of Salmons being Thabo's American clone seem very silly.

Yet, there is one person who saw it all coming. Our NBA expert, Jeff.

I disagree sir.

It's a good trade. Brad Miller is a great passer and will finally take up space down low and John Salmons is a jack of all trades.

For once the Bulls will have a guard with some length that can shoot and defend pretty well.

And that's why he is our hoops expert.

Again, my sincerest apologies to Pax. My bad.

Is John Paxson asleep at the wheel? [The Big Dead Sidebar]

BREAKING: Bulls GM Paxson to resign

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson will resign, but the timing of said resignation is uncertain.

The Sun-Times cites a Peter Vescey story, which broke the news of Paxson's resignation, and says that former Bulls coach and current NBA on TNT analyst Doug Collins could replace either Paxson or head coach Vinny Del Negro.

If the resignation is immediate, it might be the first domino to fall in the Bulls' line of command. My sources indicated last spring that Paxson was going to resign after the NBA playoffs had Chicago not landed the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery.

But I will withhold judgment until an official announcement is made.

More reaction to come as this story develops.

Sources: Pax out in Bulls shakeup [NY Post]
Bulls GM Paxson will resign [Chicago Sun-Times]