Next July, the Bulls take $20 million in cap space they will have and start wooing free agent Ben Wallace.

The Bulls were a playoff team with Eddy Curry in the middle. With Wallace, they could be a title contender.

The Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks, the franchise closest to Wallace's home in Alabama, will be the two teams that come after Wallace the hardest.

But rest easy for now. The Pistons aren't going to let their foundation, the face of their organization, simply walk out of the door.

The Pistons have been prudently preparing for Wallace's eventual free agency the past few years. They should be in a position to reward him with the most lucrative contract offer in Pistons history.

Former Bulls center Eddy Curry denied a report in the New York Daily News that he began taking the controversial dietary supplement ephedra during the summer of 2004 in an attempt to lose weight.

Ephedra is not recommended for anyone who has experienced heart trouble, and Curry, who was traded from the Bulls to the New York Knicks on Oct. 4, was sidelined late last season because of an irregular heartbeat, as well as an enlarged heart diagnosed after the alleged consumption of ephedra.

Curry's condition and the Bulls' demand that he take a genetic test the team believed could determine if his condition was potentially fatal -- a test that Curry refused -- ultimately led to general manager John Paxson's decision to deal Curry to the Knicks.

Curry told the Daily News he never took ephedra.

''I wasn't taking any supplements,'' he said. ''I cut out bread and sugar from my diet. I lost something like 35 pounds and I came [into the Bulls' 2004 training camp] at 275 pounds. I felt uncomfortable. I didn't feel myself at all. I wanted to play at 285 or 290.''

Citing an unnamed source, the Daily News reported Sunday that Curry took pills containing ephedra provided by Tim Grover, Curry's Chicago-based trainer.

Ephedra has been linked to more than 100 deaths.

Denver doesn't think it will have the money to re-sign Nene, who reportedly wants $9 mil per, so it's no wonder that several teams, including Boston and Chicago, will be in the sweepstakes for the Nuggets' big man.

Last month, the Nuggets thought they had a deal completed in which Nene and Andre Miller would have gone to Boston for Paul Pierce. The Nuggets signed PG Earl Watson this past summer in anticipation of trading Miller. But now they're stuck with three point guards (including Earl Boykins) and Nuggets execs are still mystified as to why Boston pulled out at the 11th hour.

The Chicago Bulls today waived forward Randy Holcomb, the former San Diego State star.  Chicago?s roster now stands at 15.

Holcomb, a 6-9, 225-pound rookie, appeared in six preseason games with the Bulls and averaged 5.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 12.3 mpg.  In his six appearances, he shot .435 from the field and .714 from the line.

Chicago Bulls guard Chris Duhon was taken to the hospital after crashing to the floor under the basket in the first quarter of Wednesday night's exhibition game against Minnesota.

Duhon was carried off the floor on a stretcher after being fouled by Eddie Griffon on a drive to the basket late in the period. Team officials said Duhon was conscious, had movement in his extremities and complained of a sore neck.

He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center to be examined for a concussion.

Duhon drove to the basket and had his shot blocked by Griffin. His momentum sent him crashing to the floor, and he landed on his rear first and then his head hit the floor.

In a scary moment, Duhon lay motionless for several minutes while being attended to by team doctors and medical staff. His teammates watched in anxious silence, then applauded as he was taken out of the arena.

The Chicago Bulls today announced the team has exercised the fourth-year option on guard Kirk Hinrich, guaranteeing him for the 2006-07 season.

?Kirk is a very big piece of this team?s foundation. He is a great leader for our team both on and off the floor and I am very excited to watch him continue to develop,? said Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.

In 153 appearances, including 143 starts, Hinrich holds career averages of 13.9 ppg, 6.6 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.46 spg and 36.0 mpg and is a career .392 shooter from the field, including .372 from three-point range, and .797 from the free throw line. He has also finished among NBA leaders in assists per game in his first two seasons. The 6-3, 190-pound guard was selected by the Bulls in the first round (seventh overall) of NBA Draft 2003.

Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune figures this may be a huge week for the Chicago Bulls.  Smith writes that the team's future may be dictated not necessarily by what they do, but what other teams do as well.

Smith writes that this is the last week for teams to offer contract extensions to players in the 2002 draft class. So far, Houston's Yao Ming and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire have been re-signed. Those not re-signed can become restricted free agents after the season. Though teams can match offers, the fear of having to pay a luxury tax or big salaries could put several players on the market before the deadline.

For the Bulls, that could mean a chance to reclaim some of the size lost in dealing Eddy Curry. Reports out of New York have had Curry unable to guard a director's chair coach Larry Brown was using. Tyson Chandler, now the Bulls' highest-paid player, doesn't look quite as confident or assured without Curry around to get the ball in the post and absorb the media scrutiny. Perhaps no one has rooted more than him for a long White Sox run to divert attention.

Meanwhile, no team may be better equipped than the Bulls to make a deal now. They'll be well under the salary cap after the season and have two first-round draft picks--their own and the Knicks'--one of which figures to be in the lottery.

Can anyone say Nene? The Bulls long have eyed the underutilized, physical, 6-foot-11-inch, 265-pound power forward. He almost certainly won't get an extension with the Nuggets. Especially with the agent for Carmelo Anthony telling a Denver newspaper it's "a no-brainer" Anthony will ask for a maximum extension starting at $12 million annually.

It's hard to believe the Nuggets could turn down a possible lottery pick and maybe some cash and an expiring contract like Eric Piatkowski's thrown in for a player they can't afford and could lose for nothing.

Randy Holcomb started at Fresno State, took a detour to junior college, then finished at San Diego State playing for former Michigan coach Steve Fisher.

Since then, the 6-foot-9 forward has played pro basketball in Poland, the Philippines and Venezuela, in addition to NBA training camp appearances with Indiana and Atlanta.

Now Holcomb is back in his hometown and has been the biggest surprise of Bulls training camp. Among players who have appeared in at least four of the six preseason games, Holcomb ranks fourth among Bulls in points per 48 minutes (20.7) and second in rebounds per 48 minutes (13.6).

He sparked a comeback victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at the United Center by scoring all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Holcomb is still likely to be let go by the Bulls before the regular season begins on Nov. 2. But if Antonio Davis is not released by the Knicks, the Bulls will have a roster spot available and may consider giving it to Holcomb, although the team is also searching for a backup center.

Holcomb?s strong preseason performance has evoked memories of Linton Johnson, a relatively unknown Chicago native who earned a roster spot two years ago. Like Johnson, Holcomb is muscular, athletic forward with a decent jump shot.

It's still possible that Antonio Davis will return to Chicago, though it seemed less likely last week when he moved his wife and children to New York.

The Bulls are looking for a big man to fill a gaping hole, coach Scott Skiles admitted. Certainly Sweetney, in his third year, is suited for post play but could use help. It won't come from Tyson Chandler, who doesn't fit the mold of Curry or Davis.

Meanwhile, the Bulls also are trying to adjust to life without Adrian Griffin. Davis and Griffin were captains last season along with Kirk Hinrich. Losing the opportunity to re-sign Griffin, a free agent, was a consequence of the trade.

Michael Jordan believes that the Washington Wizards "used" him and said he never would have returned to basketball in 2001 if he had known that owner Abe Pollin wasn't going to allow him to return to his position as team president.

In an interview with "60 Minutes," which will air Sunday on CBS, Jordan said that getting fired was an especially painful experience considering the moves he made to make the Wizards profitable. "I didn't have to" come back, Jordan said. "But I did it with the benefit of trying to help an organization to get back on their feet. And the gratitude that was given? It was, 'Your service is no longer wanted or needed.' So I felt like I was used in a sense."