Goodbye, Andres Nocioni

The Chicago Bulls sent Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to the Sacramento Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons.

Andres had this to say, according to the Chicago Sun-Times:

“I’m not surprised,” Nocioni 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.”

Drew Gooden had similar thoughts:

“This is a good team that can make a push into the playoffs,” Gooden said of the Bulls. “We all know this is a business but I also look at it as an opportunity.”

There’s an empty space in my heart.  I’ve rented a U-Haul; Sacramento’s only a couple days drive…

Save Andres Nocioni!

Word out here in Chicago is that John Paxson is shopping Larry Hughes to the New Jersey Nets.  Supposedly, it’s Hughes for Bobby Simmons.  This doesn’t really upset me at all because I’ve never liked Larry Hughes as a player.

I don’t like Bobby Simmons much more either.  The only time the guy ever showed up on anyone’s radar was when he was in the final year of his contract with the Clippers.  After that, dude’s stock dropped like Apple after Steve Jobs took vaca.

However, with Bobby Simmons, the Bulls have Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Bobby Simmons at the 3.  Major log-jam and since everyone just knows it’s only a matter of time before they deal Andres…

I think it’s about time that I ready myself, emotionally, for this break-up.  I did the same when they dumped Tyson Chandler.  But it’ll be just as hard.

I love you, Andres Nocioni.