Bulls operations chief John Paxson has been gauging trade interest in Jamal Crawford, according to a league source, but no deal appears imminent. If it seems that paragraph has been recycled from previous seasons, there are reasons to pay closer attention this year. The main reason is Paxson. He's facing his first trade deadline Feb. 19 after supplanting Jerry Krause at the end of last season, and he already has pulled the trigger on several transactions. He has traded Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall, Lonny Baxter and Roger Mason Jr. He didn't re-sign free agents Fred Hoiberg or Trenton Hassell. He bought out Dalibor Bagaric's contract and is working on a settlement with Jay Williams. Get the picture? Paxson has changed more than half the roster, and he has been on the job less than nine months. Paxson also changed coaches, and his intent is to fill Scott Skiles' roster with players who meet his and Skiles' criteria. Crawford doesn't seem like a great fit. Skiles defended him Thursday, but benching him during the fourth quarter of the last two games doesn't reflect a ton of confidence. Still, dealing Crawford won't be easy. The Bulls' two sought-after commodities are Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, and Paxson has maintained they are the only untouchables, at least for the moment. Paxson hasn't said so, but it's likely Kirk Hinrich also fits in that category. The problem with dealing Crawford is he's still on his rookie contract, which means the fourth-year guard is making $2.57 million. It's unlikely the Bulls could get back an impact player for that price. Then again, Rose once was considered untradeable because of his contract. The Bulls would love to acquire a player such as Atlanta's Shareef Abdur Rahim or Indiana's Al Harrington -- both of whom reportedly are available -- but they would have to include another contract, and there's minimal interest in the rest of the Bulls' roster. Miami's Eddie Jones also is a long shot. So at least for the time being, Crawford, 23, remains with the Bulls. "There seems to be this pressure all the time here, pressure on the coach to play Jamal and pressure on Jamal to do certain things,'' Skiles said. "I don't know what has warranted that, honestly. Jamal's a very good player, but in order to have lasting effect, [the minutes] have to be earned. "I'm not down on Jamal. ... I told Jamal I know that he's frustrated about not being in there in critical moments at the end of games, and I've been there myself as a player, so I understand it. But you have to do what's necessary in all aspects of the game in order to stay out there. He was fine with it.'' Skiles took a jab at the media for asking about Crawford's offensive woes. "Every question is about offense,'' Skiles said. "I don't understand this. I thought this was a basketball town. There's another end of the court, too.'' Crawford's frustration is visible, but he vowed to work with Skiles to improve. "I thought we were on the same page when he first got here, and I still feel like we're on the same page,'' Crawford said. "He expects a lot out of me, and I try my best to give it to him. I'm not really worried about it.'' --

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