Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: George, Butler, Rose

August 2nd, 2014 at 10:32am CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird issued a statement via press release regarding the injury to Paul George last night. Bird said, “Our first thoughts are with Paul and his family. It is way too early to speculate on his return as the No. 1 priority for everyone will be his recovery. Our initial discussions with our doctors and the doctors in Las Vegas have us very optimistic. We are hopeful at some point next week Paul will return to Indianapolis to continue his recovery. There is no question about the impact this will have on our team but our goal is to be as strong-willed and determined as Paul will be in coming back. Our franchise has had setbacks in its history but has demonstrated the ability to recover.”

Here’s more on George and the Central Division:

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on George’s injury via NBA.com, Silver said, “It was difficult to watch the injury that Paul George sustained tonight while representing his country. The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the NBA are with Paul and his family.”
With the horrific injury suffered by George there will be many who think that star players should cease their participation with Team USA, but Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News disagrees. Sefko is against legislation banning players to take part, and believes it should still be left up to each individual player to decide if they wish to play in FIBA events.
Out of all the moves the Pistons made this off season, the one that might pay off the most is bringing in Caron Butler, writes Kirkland Crawford of the Detroit Free Press. Crawford believes that in addition to his outside shooting, Butler will bring a toughness and strong work ethic to the team.
Derrick Rose has changed his stance on the reports regarding a potential rift between he and Bulls management, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose acknowledged speaking to Chicago’s chairman Jerry Reinsdorf by phone after the story broke and also said, “He [Reinsdorf] told me don’t worry about it, just stay focused and, like I said, it’s the past. It’s funny just hearing so many stories about what’s going on, and they’re coming out of, like, kind of nowhere, so it’s funny to hear about them, but it’s nothing that’s going on.’’

Rose Trying To Smooth Tension With Bulls

July 31st, 2014 at 9:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:15pm: Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf released an official statement disputing Cowley’s report.

“I am confounded by the irresponsible report in the Chicago Sun-Times suggesting there is anything approaching discord or confusion between the Bulls executive office, coaching staff, and Derrick Rose or any other Bulls player,” the owner said. “To the contrary, I can remember no time when the organization has been any more focused, optimistic, and cohesive. I’ve got to assume suggestions otherwise are intended to undermine the goals and objectives, spirit, and reputation of the Chicago Bulls. I am deeply disappointed that unnamed sources and totally inaccurate statements and assumptions can be used to foment nonexistent friction. The report is totally without basis or fact. It is pure malicious fiction.”

Rose is on the record in acknowledging the tension in Cowley’s story, but perhaps Reinsdorf takes issue with the specifics of the disconnect portrayed by the Chicago Sun-Times scribe’s sources.

5:03pm: Derrick Rose acknowledged tension between his camp and the Bulls organization and is working diligently to heal the wounds, as he told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. The discord, which has resulted in a growing lack of communication between Rose and the team, stemmed from potshots that Rose’s camp, one that includes brother Reggie Rose and agent B.J. Armstrong, took at the franchise, according to Cowley. It boiled over with Rose’s seeming reluctance to recruit Carmelo Anthony, as Cowley writes.

A source tells Cowley that Rose resisted the team’s efforts to get him to talk to Anthony after a workout Rose conducted at the United Center on the day of the team’s meeting with the star free agent. Rose ultimately had a conversation with Anthony, and this week Rose detailed what he told the high-scoring forward, seemingly casting it as somewhat more than the brief hello that one of a few conflicting reports about the meeting suggested it was.

Cowley hears that Bulls officials didn’t know that Rose wouldn’t show up at the team’s dinner with Anthony that evening and were “irate.” Rose was nonetheless an enthusiastic recruiter of Pau Gasol, Cowley notes.

“That’s someone that I knew I could play with,’’ Rose told Cowley about why he recruited the Spanish-born center. “You think about Pau, him now being in the East, what he’ll be able to achieve with the way we play, the way we dump the ball in the post a lot. It could be great.’’

Armstrong is a former Bulls executive who, Cowley hears, harbors ill feelings toward Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson, though Armstrong vehemently denies such an assertion. Rose’s contract with the Bulls runs for three more seasons, and it doesn’t contain any option clauses, so Armstrong would be unable to take his client to free agency until 2017.

Wolves, Cavs Ramp Up Kevin Love Talks?

July 31st, 2014 at 8:22am CST by Charlie Adams

THURSDAY, 8:22am: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Cavs and Wolves haven’t spoken for about two weeks. That’s in part because of the 30-day no-trade period for Wiggins, but Berger also hears that Wolves owner Glen Taylor is still reluctant to trade Love.

WEDNESDAY, 9:55pm: The question is no longer “if” Kevin Love will be traded to the Cavs, but “when” the deal will actually go down, as the Wolves are no longer in serious talks about Love with any team other than Cleveland, sources tell Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Reports indicated earlier this week that the Bulls had re-emerged as a serious suitor for the All-Star forward, but Stein and Windhorst now hear that Chicago is feeling pessimistic about their chances of putting together a package strong enough to trump a potential Cavs offer. The Warriors, who have also been making a strong push for Love, remain unwilling to include Klay Thompson in any of their proposals, according to Stein and Windhorst.

League sources expect the Wolves to walk away from the Love saga with no less than Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and a future first-round selection, write the ESPN.com scribes. The Wolves have long prioritized the acquisition of Wiggins over any of their options. NBA rules prohibit a player from being traded within 30 days of signing a rookie-scale contract, which Wiggins did last week, so the two clubs will have to wait until at least August 23rd before completing what appears to now be the seemingly inevitable deal. Still, sources insisted that the neither side will acknowledge a deal until the 30-day window passes.

The Wolves are determined to unload J.J. Barea‘s contract as part of a Love trade, reveal Stein and Windhorst, who add that Minnesota is open to adding a third team to a deal in order to absorb the guard’s expiring contract. The Wolves reached an agreement to bring aboard Mo Williams yesterday afternoon, and the team is exploring options that would help in a pursuit to acquire Thaddeus Young from the Sixers.

LeBron James is “looking forward” to playing alongside Love, his Olympic teammate, according to the pair of ESPN reporters. Love is poised to opt out of his deal next summer no matter where he ends up for this season, Stein and Windhorst write, but such a move will only be an effort to secure a more lucrative, long-term arrangement, and not necessarily to leave the Cavs should he be traded there. Although Golden State could shake the situation up by putting Thompson on the table in an offer, the Wolves’ fondness of Wiggins, the first pick in this summer’s draft, will likely be too much to overcome, according to Stein and Windhorst. There have been contradictory reports on whether or not the Cavs would be willing to include the Kansas prospect in a trade, but the latest intel seems to suggest they’re open to doing so if they can bring in Love.

And-Ones: Union, Douglas, Nets, Moreland

July 30th, 2014 at 1:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The contracts for six NBA players will become fully guaranteed if their teams don’t waive them by the end of Friday, and two more players will earn partial guarantees if they avoid getting cut. Draymond Green and Khris Middleton almost certainly won’t be cast aside between now and that deadline, but for the rest, the summer temperatures won’t be the only reason to sweat out the next few days. Here’s more from the NBA:

Players association VP Roger Mason Jr. insists that union leadership addressed concerns from membership regarding the hiring process for a new executive director and the departure of search committee leader Kevin Johnson, as Mason tells Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling. Discord had marked the union’s Monday meeting in which Michele Roberts handily won a vote to fill the executive director vacancy.
The Bulls had been targeting free agent Toney Douglas, but they’ve abandoned their pursuit after signing Aaron Brooks, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Former NBA head coach Paul Westphal highlights the assistant coaching hires that the Nets officially announced today. Brooklyn also brought on Joe Wolf, Jay Humphries and Mavs assistant Tony Brown. John Welch and Jim Sann are the only holdovers from last season.
The Warriors and Knicks were interested in undrafted forward/center Eric Moreland, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Charania reported Tuesday that Moreland had agreed to join the Kings instead.
The Hawks invited summer league guard Stephen Holt to fall training camp, but he instead signed a deal with a German team, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Central Notes: Rose, Van Gundy, Waiters

July 29th, 2014 at 7:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As Derrick Rose inches closer toward his return to NBA action in 2014/15 following a season-ending injury last season, Kevin Pelton of ESPN explains why the Bulls superstar is better preparing himself by starting his adjustment period against some of the league’s best point guards in Team USA camp rather than waiting until Bulls training camp in the fall to begin playing at a high level (Insiders only). With that aside, here’s more of what we’ve gathered out of the Central Division this evening:

Rose outlined what his pitch to Carmelo Anthony had been as he spoke with reporters, including Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. Rose’s message was simple, but it was seemingly more than just the brief hello that one report had indicated was the extent of the contact between the two stars.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged that the team had to be more aggressive in its pitches to free agents this summer because of its lack of success on the court of late, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press notes.
Dion Waiters and Andrew Wiggins have both been in plenty of trade chatter, but if they both remain with the Cavs, only one of them seems likely to start. Waiters isn’t demanding that he be the starter, but he’s resolute in his belief that he’s the man for the job, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Doug McDermott is aware that his name is being attached in trade talks regarding Kevin Love; however, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Bulls rookie hasn’t asked the front office to keep him updated on those rumors as he waits to see what happens.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Heat, Wolves, Stokes, Mudiay

July 28th, 2014 at 10:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat owner Micky Arison addressed the team’s fans today to assure them that despite losing LeBron James, the franchise would contend in the east, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Arison said, “We are laser-focused on the present and the task at hand of defending our Eastern Conference championship with the East being described as ‘wide open,’ while also positioning ourselves for maximum flexibility and maneuverability in the future.“

Here’s more from around the league:

The Grizzlies may have found a diamond in the rough on draft night with their selection of Jarnell Stokes, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Stokes was projected by some experts as a potential late first-round pick, but slipped to Memphis who selected him 35th overall.
Top 2015 prospect Emmanuel Mudiay said he is skipping SMU for financial reasons, not because of any academic issues at his former prep school, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY. Mudiay reportedly signed for $1.2MM in China.
The Wolves signing of Mo Williams earlier today will give the team the a player who can create his own shot, which is something the team was lacking, opines Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link).
The signing of Williams could potentially affect a number of players’ roster spots on the team, writes Michael Rand of the Star Tribune.
When discussing the rumors about any potential trade that would bring Kevin Love to the Bulls, Derrick Rose said, “That’s up to the front office. I’m riding with whatever decision they make. My job right now is to prepare,” tweets Sam Smith of Bulls.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Poll: Should Cavs Deal Wiggins For Love?

July 27th, 2014 at 10:51am CST by Eddie Scarito

Heading into this offseason, the chances of Kevin Love heading to the Cavaliers were slim. But that was before LeBron James decided to return his talents to Cleveland. When LeBron announced his decision to sign with the Cavs, he preached patience, and in a move to lower expectations, implied that the team wouldn’t expect to contend for a championship this coming season.

But acquiring a player of Love’s caliber could certainly accelerate that timetable, which is one reason that Cleveland has seemingly been burning up the phone lines trying to work out a deal to acquire the stat-sheet-filling power forward. The feeling is apparently shared by Love, who, as recently reported, may have formally requested a trade to Cleveland via his agent.

Numerous other teams have been attempting to work out a deal, including the Warriors, Celtics, Lakers, Bulls and Knicks. Golden State still appears to be Cleveland’s main competitors for Love, but the Warriors have expressed an unwillingness to include Klay Thompson as part of the deal, which has stalled talks between the two franchises.

The potential blockbuster deal between the Wolves and the Cavs is being complicated by the insistence of Minnesota coach and president of basketball operation Flip Saunders that Cleveland include No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins as part of any package for Love. Wiggins recently signed with the Cavs, so they will have to wait 30 days before they can officially deal him away. But that is only a minor issue if both franchises are serious about making a trade.

Should the Cavs relent and include Wiggins if it nets them Love? Wiggins has a wealth of potential and could turn out to be a superstar, and the type of player you can build a champion around, but he has yet to play a minute of regular season action. Whereas Love has career averages of 19.2 PPG, 12.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He’s also only 25 years old and just entering his prime. The knock on Love of course is that in six seasons he has yet to lead his team to the playoffs, and that he is a subpar defender.

As for Wiggins, his value is more theoretical at this point. There have been numerous players, including first overall draft picks, who enter the league being touted as franchise changing talents, only to disappoint and underperform. The ceiling on the rookie appears to be incredibly high, but is holding onto him and gambling he’ll turn out to be a better player than Love worth the risk?

The other aspect to factor in is the leverage that Cleveland may have gained in the trade talks if Love indeed told the Timberwolves that he would opt out after the 2014/15 season and would not re-sign with the team. And if Love also specifically requested a trade to Cleveland, that could complicate matters further.

Cleveland could also decide to hold off on depleting its young assets and simply play out this season with its current roster, then try to clear enough cap room to sign Love next summer outright. This might allow them to keep Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and whichever other pieces, including draft picks, that they would have had to ship to Minnesota to get this deal done, but it would still be a challenge. The Cavs already have more than $48MM in commitments for 2015/16, assuming James opts in and the team picks up its option on Dion Waiters.

So now it’s time for you to step into Cavs GM David Griffin‘s shoes and make the call. Do you relent and include Wiggins if it will bring Love’s talents to Cleveland? Or do you draw a line in the sand and refuse to offer Wiggins, even if it potentially costs you a LeBron-Love pairing?

Should The Cavs Deal Andrew Wiggins For Kevin Love?

No way. Wiggins is too valuable a piece. 39.82% (2,113 votes)

Absolutely. Why is this even a discussion? 39.80% (2,112 votes)

Yes, but I might live to regret it. 20.37% (1,081 votes)

Total Votes: 5,306

And-Ones: ‘Melo, Irving, Rockets, Mavs

July 25th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony spent his free agency largely debating between signing with either the Knicks or the Bulls, though the Lakers were briefly his top choice, as he told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. New York gave him much more lucrative contract than the Bulls could have, but the star forward insisted money wasn’t his primary motivation and said he believes the Knicks are closer to contention than widely assumed, as Goodman writes. Anthony also hinted that he wants to remain with the Knicks for the rest of his career. Here’s more from around the league:

Kyrie Irving‘s extension with the Cavs will only provide for a starting salary equal to approximately 27.5% of the cap, rather than the maximum 30%, if he triggers the Derrick Rose Rule this coming season, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link). It’s similar to the concession Paul George made when he, too, signed an otherwise maximum-salary extension with the Pacers last year.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey called the protected 2015 first-round pick he acquired from the Pelicans in the Omer Asik deal “the best draft pick in the league for someone to trade for,” as the GM said to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. It’s protected for the top three and the bottom 11 picks each year through 2018 and the top three and the bottom six picks in 2019 and 2020, as RealGM details.
The Mavs were among the NBA teams that invited undrafted Syracuse combo forward C.J. Fair to training camp, but none of them offered any guaranteed money, which is apparently behind Fair’s decision to change agents, writes Mike Waters of The Post-Standard. Fair dropped Torrel Harris in favor of Joel Bell for his representation, as Guido Guida of La Gazzetta Dello Sport was first to report (Twitter link).
The Knicks invited summer league power forward Cameron Moore to training camp, but he agreed to terms earlier this month with Venezia of Italy, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter).
Andres Nocioni has signed with Real Madrid of Spain, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The eight-year NBA veteran had reportedly been receiving interest from teams interested in bringing him back to the Association, but he’s decided to remain overseas.

Bulls Told Nikola Mirotic They Wouldn’t Trade Him

July 25th, 2014 at 12:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nikola Mirotic freed himself from his Spanish league contract last month only after the Bulls made a commitment not to trade him, a source tells David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. Fellow Tribune scribe K.C. Johnson had reported that the 6’10” forward had sought such assurances, but it hadn’t been clear whether the Bulls had responded. Chicago reportedly offered Mirotic to the Timberwolves this week as part of a package for Kevin Love, but Mirotic and his representatives at Xpheres Basketball Management are under the impression that Chicago has made him a part of no such offer.

Agent Igor Crespo secured a 15% trade kicker for Mirotic that the Bulls would have to pay were they to deal him anywhere. The highly touted European prospect came away with a three-year deal worth more than $16.6MM after staying out of the NBA for three years after becoming the No. 23 overall pick in the 2011 draft. Remaining out of the league for so long meant he’d no longer be confined to the rookie scale once he did come to the NBA. A scale contract would have afforded him a salary of no more than $1.3MM for this season.

Mirotic became a star in Europe over the past few years while he waited to join the Bulls, and he’d no doubt have been a sought-after commodity if he’d been available on the free agent market. The offer the Bulls reportedly made involved Taj Gibson and 2014 No. 11 overall pick Doug McDermott in addition to Mirotic. Still, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times couldn’t confirm the presence of Mirotic’s name in the offer when he wrote that Gibson and McDermott were indeed on the table.

Contract Details: LeBron, Deng, Carter, Gasol

July 24th, 2014 at 10:04am CST by Chuck Myron

The idea that the Cavs would trade LeBron James sometime during his two-year contract is outlandish, but just in case it happens, the deal includes a 15% trade kicker, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports. Deeks has updated his salary database with plenty of new information on deals signed within the past few weeks, so we’ll pass along some of his noteworthy findings. All links to go the relevant salary page at ShamSports.

Luol Deng, LeBron’s replacement with the Heat, also has a 15% trade kicker, as do new Grizzlies swingman Vince Carter and Knicks signee Jason Smith.
The last year of Pau Gasol‘s three-year deal with the Bulls is a player option.
The final season of the contract Joe Harris signed with the Cavs is non-guaranteed.
Eric Griffin‘s three-year, minimum-salary contract with the Mavs is non-guaranteed, with the exception of a $150K partial guarantee for this coming season.
Jodie Meeks‘ deal with the Pistons was originally reported to be more than $19MM, but it actually checks in at $18.81MM.
Damjan Rudez will make $3.449MM over the life of his three-year deal with the Pacers, which includes a team option for the final season. Shayne Whittington‘s partial guarantee with the team this year is worth $25K.
Russ Smith‘s deal with the Pelicans runs three years at the minimum salary, but only the first season is fully guaranteed. Fellow Pelicans rookie Patric Young‘s two-year deal is non-guaranteed, save for a $55K partial guarantee this year.