Name a player that wouldve won Stockton & Malone rings.

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

It may depend a little on how innovative Jerry Sloan was. If Karl Malone played at the 5 and someone like Cliff Robinson played at the 4, it would have given them even more scoring than what players like Ostertag and an aging Antoine Carr could provide. Realistically, anyone more offensively versatile than Ostertag could have made a difference for the Jazz, but a stretchy 5 like Sam Perkins would have been interesting to try. That would have made it harder to double-team Karl Malone.

 

[LogGrad98]

Why not Hakeem or Reggie Miller or Mitch Richmond? But you come up with Houston who was only minimally better than Jeff Hornacek. Houston seems so much out of left field.

I honestly don't think replacing Horny with Houston would have done anything. Replacing Russell with Houston? Maybe. But Houston was not a good defender, although he was an excellent scorer. Might have helped to have him alongside Malone to help give an extra punch on offense, but his defense would have been pretty bad on MJ. At least Russell gave a strong effort.

But a lineup of

Stockton
Hornacek
Houston
Malone
Tag

May have been enough. Tough to say. But definitely still a long-shot. Definitely not THE guy that would have put us over the top.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I honestly don't think replacing Horny with Houston would have done anything. Replacing Russell with Houston? Maybe. But Houston was not a good defender, although he was an excellent scorer. Might have helped to have him alongside Malone to help give an extra punch on offense, but his defense would have been pretty bad on MJ. At least Russell gave a strong effort.

But a lineup of

Stockton
Hornacek
Houston
Malone
Tag

May have been enough. Tough to say. But definitely still a long-shot. Definitely not THE guy that would have put us over the top.

Horny was on his last leg literally. Having someone better in that spot for the finals would have been huge. He was so good though for those teams… just didn’t have enough left at the highest level.

Honestly having Seikley or Ike Austin may have been enough to push those teams over. They were so close the last dance year.

 

[LogGrad98]

If Rony Seikaly had showed up I think that would have been what we needed. He was exactly the kind of piece we needed to get us over the top. The Bulls didn't really have anyone to contain a player like him, alongside Malone. I think that would have been enough.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

If Rony Seikaly had showed up I think that would have been what we needed. He was exactly the kind of piece we needed to get us over the top. The Bulls didn't really have anyone to contain a player like him, alongside Malone. I think that would have been enough.

Honestly the two guys we traded for that never showed up in Harper and Seikaly were very much the types we needed. Sucks.

 

[TheGoldStandard]

There were a few players that I think could have helped in the 97 offseason as I thought about this in years past.

Not even talking trades, there were a lot of good free agents that last year as I recall: Bruce Bowen, Bison Dele, Horry, Brian Grant was a beast at the time. Pretty sure they were all free agents we could have had without any trades, but I may be misremembering.

Problem is we were over the salary cap, so had limited flexibility.

 

[TheGoldStandard]

We needed to trade for Dick Bavetta, Hue Hollins and Danny Crawford.

 

[LogGrad98]

Honestly the two guys we traded for that never showed up in Harper and Seikaly were very much the types we needed. Sucks.

Yep. Good thing they prioritized access to good clubs and hookers over a ring. Obviously had their priorities straight.

 

[LogGrad98]

We needed to trade for Dick Bavetta, Hue Hollins and Danny Crawford.

You couldn't trade for them, they were part of the Bulls front office payroll.

 

[infection]

Agree Houston would fit well, and realistic.

Best for me would be Sabonis.
Then Detlef Schrempf and Robert Horry off the bench just wins

Sabonis would have definitely taken us over the top and kept us much more relevant in the early 2000s, but I don’t think there’s any way we could have gotten him.

Horny was on his last leg literally. Having someone better in that spot for the finals would have been huge. He was so good though for those teams… just didn’t have enough left at the highest level.

Honestly having Seikley or Ike Austin may have been enough to push those teams over. They were so close the last dance year.

During our first finals run I was sad AF seeing Isaac Austin get MIP and tearing it up in Miami because he could have been the guy we needed.

There were a few players that I think could have helped in the 97 offseason as I thought about this in years past.

Not even talking trades, there were a lot of good free agents that last year as I recall: Bruce Bowen, Bison Dele, Horry, Brian Grant was a beast at the time. Pretty sure they were all free agents we could have had without any trades, but I may be misremembering.

Problem is we were over the salary cap, so had limited flexibility.

I believe we tried to sign Bison Dele, aka Brian Williams, but he chose the Bulls instead, then made some comment during the finals about how the lake stinks. I don’t know that I’ve ever smelled the lake in my entire life. However, when I was in 5th grade we had cracked a stink bomb in the bathroom at school and the recess ladies were trying to calm everyone down saying “it’s just the lake!”

 

[LogGrad98]

Sabonis would have definitely taken us over the top and kept us much more relevant in the early 2000s, but I don’t think there’s any way we could have gotten him.


During our first finals run I was sad AF seeing Isaac Austin get MIP and tearing it up in Miami because he could have been the guy we needed.


I believe we tried to sign Bison Dele, aka Brian Williams, but he chose the Bulls instead, then made some comment during the finals about how the lake stinks. I don’t know that I’ve ever smelled the lake in my entire life. However, when I was in 5th grade we had cracked a stink bomb in the bathroom at school and the recess ladies were trying to calm everyone down saying “it’s just the lake!”

Yeah the lake can stink, no doubt.

 

[Gameface]

I think what we actually needed was for Dorothy to find Ostertag the Cowardly Lion a heart, courage and a brain. If he had lived up to any of his potential I think that makes the difference.

Oh, and a devoted fan to pull a Tonya Harding on Dick Bavetta