On Jan. 24, Brand scored 28 points and had eight boards while Davis was held to seven points and 11 rebounds as the Bulls upset the Pacers 83-82. Both had an excellent game on Dec. 27, but Brand dominated Davis in their first meeting on Dec. 15. At Conseco Fieldhouse, Brand had a decent game with 16 points and eight rebounds, but Davis was held to four points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. Brand isn't the biggest snub this year, however, with Shareef Abdur-Rahim having been neglected despite having an amazing year in Vancouver. Cliff Robinson also deserves to be playing this weekend.
Brand has a good chance to become the best power forward the Bulls have ever had.
This season might be better than any Horace Grant had during the Bulls' first championship run, meaning Brand is the best inside player the Bulls have had in the past 20 years. While Jerry Krause seems to have chosen the best player in the 1999 draft, what is overshadowed is how good Ron Artest is doing this year, the No. 16 pick in the NBA draft. While many of the players picked before him might turn out to be better players, some teams must be shaking their heads on how they passed Artest up. With a possible impending trade of Toni Kukoc to Portland or elsewhere, Brand's and Artest's roles for the Bulls this season and in the future become even more critical. The Bulls have gone 8-10 with Kukoc back from his injury going into last night's game in Utah.