Here ya go Fred.
Bulls trade for Hodges from Suns - Nealy, cash, draft choice price of help for Jordan
Chicago Sun-Times - Thursday, December 15, 1988
Author: Lacy J. Banks
Perhaps it is timely that the Bulls suffered their embarrassing 106-88 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night.
It was the Bulls' 20th game, signaling the end of their first semester. And, lest the Bulls hallucinate about progress, the loss, their worst of the season, served notice they may be going downhill.
That's why operations chief Jerry Krause Wednesday made a move. He acquired veteran shooting guard Craig Hodges from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for reserve forward Ed Nealy, cash and the Bulls' second-round draft pick next season.
" Hodges will fill several roles," Krause said. "He is an excellent shooter, has excellent range and is a fine passer. He has played on several winning teams and he will give us depth at the guard spot."
Hodges , a native of Park Forest who starred at Rich East High School, is expected to provide the backup the Bulls have needed for Michael Jordan at the two guard. The seven-year veteran led the league in three-point shooting last season and during the 1985-86 season.
Now the Bulls should turn to fortifying their frontline, where a quality small forward or power forward remains a pressing need. The Hawks' frontline of Moses Malone, Dominique Wilkins and Cliff Levingston manhandled the Bulls' front.
"That's two straight games where the Hawks pretty much handled us easily," said reserve center Dave Corzine. "Earlier this season, we were able to steal that overtime win (115-112). They played without Doc Rivers most of that game and it took a fantastic three-point basket by John Paxson to send the game into overtime.
"But this loss and our other two losses to the Detroit Pistons definitely concern me very much because these are the very teams we got to
beat if we expect to do much of anything. We at least got to be competitive with them."
After finishing last season with a 50-32 record, the team's best in 14 years, the logical plan was for the Bulls to build on that success, which actually would be maintaining a positive pattern that began two seasons ago. That was when the Bulls followed a 30-52 season with a 40-42 campaign.
"We saw the need to make changes," Bulls coach Doug Collins said. "We looked at the team we had. We asked ourselves if we could win 50 games again with the same team we finished the season with. We concluded we couldn't. We felt we needed to improve our inside offense. So we went after a good low-post center. And we feel we got one in Bill Cartwright."
Cartwright may be the team's best low-post center offensively since Artis Gilmore was in his prime.
"He's the best scoring center I've played with on the Bulls so far," Michael Jordan said.
But the Bulls over all appear to have fallen off the pace.
After 20 games last year, the Bulls had a 16-4 record and were looking up even though the second coming of Gilmore had proven to be a failure.
The Bulls were averaging 102.8 points a game and holding opponents to an average of 100.7.2.1 points.
After 20 games this season, the Bulls are 10-10, averaging 105.8 points and giving up an average of 105.1.
Hodges is not expected to practice with the Bulls today at the Deerfield Multiplex. But upon passing his physical examination, he is expected to join the Bulls for tomorrow night's game here against the Indiana Pacers.
