Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Divac, NBPA, Silver

June 14th, 2014 at 10:32pm CST by Charlie Adams

Vlade Divac is interested in eventually becoming an NBA GM, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Divac says he’s already spoken with the Kings about a job in their front office but that the team hasn’t made him an offer yet. Here’s more from around the NBA:

The players union interviewed six candidates for their vacant executive director position on May 16th, with six more interviews scheduled in late June, and around six more in mid-July, reveals Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter).
Adam Silver sat down with Rachel Nichols of CNN to recap the Donald Sterling fiasco and discuss how to handle the debacle going forward (video link).
Peter Keating of ESPN.com argues that tanking doesn’t work and provides metrics to back up his claim (Insider link). Keating also presents different ideas to punish teams that intentionally lose to improve their draft position.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at a variety of options Sixers GM Sam Hinkie could consider if he decides trading up to the No. 1 spot in the draft is necessary to secure Andrew Wiggins.
Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald thinks that Carmelo Anthony would be a much better fit for the Bulls than Kevin Love would be, even if Love is arguably the better player.
Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at draft needs for the Thunder and Blazers.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Bucks, Boozer, Price, Pacers

June 14th, 2014 at 2:19pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Bucks are drawing “strong” interest from a variety of local investors, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee ownership would reportedly like to add as many as 10 investors, says Walker, who identifies several parties that might be interested in purchasing a minority stake in the club. Here’s more from around the Central:

It’s no secret the Bulls would like to add Carmelo Anthony to their already potent roster this summer, and in order to increase financial flexibility, KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reveals (on Twitter) that the Bulls would prefer not to bring aboard two rookie scale contracts in the draft. Chicago would also prefer to unload Carlos Boozer‘s expensive contract in a sign-and-trade, tweets Johnson.
Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer says that Mark Price could still be considered a candidate for the Cavs coaching job, albeit not as one of the top-three names at the moment. Cleveland is seeking a coach who excels working with point guards, a focus that opened the door for Price, adds Pluto.
Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at the draft needs facing the Pacers and Bulls. Both clubs need help offensively and would be well-advised to select a player who can score in bunches, opines Joseph.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Carmelo Anthony Leaning Toward Leaving Knicks

June 14th, 2014 at 11:19am CST by Cray Allred

Carmelo Anthony is leaning toward signing with a new team as a free agent this summer, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski’s sources tell him that the Bulls and Rockets are the front-runners to land the All-Star forward. Anthony has been expected to exercise his early termination option on the final year of his deal and become a free agent, but has previously stated an openness to remaining with the Knicks despite their disastrous season.

Last night, Anthony met with Knicks president Phil Jackson, GM Steve Mills, and new coach Derek Fisher to hear their plan to build a contender around him, as first reported by Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The meeting wasn’t persuasive to Anthony, per Wojnarowski’s sources. Jackson has asked ‘Melo to consider sacrifice and patience in helping the team build toward the 2015 free agent class, when the severe cap inflexibility currently hampering New York will subside. It appears that Anthony finds the prospect of joining a contender for an immediate shot at a title more appealing than waiting at least another year to see if the same opportunity will materialize with the Knicks.

Wojnarowski’s sources suggest that Anthony has been turned off by Jackson’s public comments about his future with the team, and there is some doubt around Anthony’s camp and the league that Jackson genuinely wants the All-Star to stay in New York. Anthony is only willing to accept a reduced salary if it is directly tired to a significant, immediate acquisition of talent, writes Wojnarowski.

The Yahoo! scribe reports that the Chicago and Houston front offices are working diligently to arrange for a signing of Anthony, which would require significant maneuvers for both teams. If the Bulls are willing to amnesty Carlos Boozer, their path to clearing the necessary cap space is easier, since the other biggest piece for the Bulls to unload would be Taj Gibson, a valuable, starting-caliber power forward. The Rockets would likely need the Knicks or another team to find it agreeable to take on the expiring contracts of Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to make room for Anthony.

And-Ones: Lakers, Thibodeau, Duncan, Embiid

June 13th, 2014 at 4:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers never asked the Bulls for permission to interview Tom Thibodeau, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, who reported last month that they would. The L.A. brass is “all but sure” the Bulls would have asked for this month’s No. 7 overall pick, which the Lakers would be unwilling to give up, according to McMenamin. The ESPN scribe also believes that L.A.’s concerns about paying Thibodeau a lavish salary to coach a mediocre roster next season played a role, and suggests the Lakers are wary of the way their fans might react if Thibodeau rejected the team’s pursuit. Here’s more from around the league:

The deadline for Tim Duncan to decide on his $10MM player option for next season is June 24th, but the Spurs are operating under the assumption that Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich will return, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Most option clauses give players until June 30th to decide, though Duncan’s date can be pushed back if he and the team decide to do so, Stein notes, adding that Popovich’s contract runs through next season.
A source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that Joel Embiid checked out fine when he took a physical this week for the Cavs, contradicting an earlier report from Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland, who hears that the exam raised serious concerns (Twitter links).
It appears as though the Bucks will work out Andrew Wiggins twice, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears that he’s auditioning for the team today in California and again next week in Milwaukee (Twitter link).
A handful of top European teams have interest in soon-to-be free agent Nando De Colo, and it seems like they’re willing to give the Raptors guard a raise on the $1.463MM he made in the NBA this season, reports Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net.
The Timberwolves have hired Sidney Lowe as an assistant coach, the team formally announced (Twitter link), confirming an earlier report. He spent last season as an assistant with the Jazz.

And-Ones: Salary Cap, Draft, Harris, LaVine

June 12th, 2014 at 10:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

GMs widely expect next season’s salary cap to wind up even higher than the most recent projection of $63.2MM, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the league:

It was reported earlier that Spanish league shooting guard Marcus Eriksson is pulling out of this year’s draft. Prior to that announcement Eriksson had a workout scheduled with the Bucks, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).
NBA.com released their full prospect profile on former Michigan State guard Gary Harris. Harris is a projected lottery pick in this year’s draft.
Zach LaVine is projected to be taken anywhere from late in the lottery to the middle of the first round. NBA.com published their prospect profile for LaVine.
Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press adds the Wolves and the Bulls to the list of teams working out Jordan Morgan, and also reveals that Russ Smith, Jahii Carson, Sean Kilpatrick and Jordan McRae auditioned Wednesday for the Wolves, too.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Randle, Magic, Eriksson, Capela

June 12th, 2014 at 1:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Julius Randle and his family deny that there’s anything wrong with his right foot, in spite of a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the potential top-five pick will likely require surgery. Randle issued his denial in a pair of tweets, while his mother and godfather spoke with Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal and Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, respectively. The procedure would force Randle to miss six to eight weeks but allow him to start training camp on time, according to Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski’s original report indicated that the surgery wouldn’t affect his draft stock, but later said via Twitter that it was “an issue,” echoing what an NBA executive told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, who suggests the injury could indeed affect his stock. NBA teams are worried that putting off surgery will lead to major problems in the future, Wojnarowski tweets. There’s more on Randle amid our latest on the draft:

The Celtics, who pick sixth, say Randle has “full clearance” as far as they’re concerned, tweets Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.
Tucker’s report adds the Magic to the teams auditioning Randle.
Spanish league shooting guard Marcus Eriksson is pulling out of this year’s draft, agent Andy Miller tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Eriksson is No. 80 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress prospect rankings, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t have him ranked. There have been no reports of Eriksson setting up interviews or workouts with teams.
Clint Capela is the leading name in a Raptors workout today that also includes LaQuinton Ross, Jamil Wilson and Markel Brown, the team announced (on Twitter).
Brown has worked out for the Thunder, a source tells Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Slater also passes along an earlier report from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Kyle Anderson worked out for the team, and another report from Jeremy Rauch of Fox 19 in Cincinnati that adds the Thunder, Heat and Bulls to the list of teams auditioning Semaj Christon (Twitter links).
Zach LaVine is among the prospects who’ll show off for the Celtics on Friday, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. The Celtics are auditioning Luke Hancock and Geron Johnson on top of previously reported names today, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reveals via Twitter.

Central Notes: Bulls, Bucks, Embiid, Mirotic

June 12th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs appear to be making some progress in their head coaching search, even if David Blatt is unlikely to announce he’s taken the job in his press conference today and the team’s contact with Mark Jackson seems preliminary. That’s far from the only storyline in a busy Central Division, as we detail:

The Bulls are having trouble finding a trade partner as they attempt to package picks Nos. 16 and 19 to move up in the draft, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago and Denver reportedly had serious talks about a pick swap, but perhaps those discussions are no longer active.
A poll shows little public support for taxpayer funding of a new arena for the Bucks, reports Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Owners Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry have said public money will be necessary in spite of a combined $200MM that Edens, Lasry and former owner Herb Kohl have pledged toward the project.
Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times hears the Cavs don’t want to trade the No. 1 overall pick and have zeroed in on Joel Embiid, but it’s unclear if that information came before or after Embiid’s workout and physical with the team Wednesday (Twitter link).
Nikola Mirotic appears closer to playing for the Bulls next season than he is to remaining with Real Madrid, writes César Nanclares of TuBasket.com (translation via HoopsHype). Still, he has a nearly $3.4MM buyout clause in his deal that only applies to this summer, as Nanclares points out.
I examined the Bucks in the latest installment of the Hoops Rumors Offseason Outlook series earlier today.

Knicks Selling ‘Melo On 2015 Pursuit Of LeBron

June 11th, 2014 at 4:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are telling Carmelo Anthony that they will pursue LeBron James in the summer of 2015 as they continue to attempt to persuade Anthony to opt in for next season, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Still, Anthony, who told Knicks president Phil Jackson that he’d think about opting in when Jackson first asked him to do so, is considering the Bulls, Rockets and Mavs as potential free agent destinations, Stein adds.

Jackson and company also expect to be contenders for Kevin Durant in 2016, believing that they’ve helped themselves in that regard with the hiring of Derek Fisher, until recently a teammate of Durant’s, as coach. A source told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that Fisher’s presence would “definitely be a factor” when Durant ponders his free agency.

James, like Anthony, can hit free agency this summer, but it appears increasingly likely that he’ll remain with the Heat for at least one more season. Anthony has long said that he’ll opt out of his deal and become a free agent this summer, but New York’s attempts to dissuade him from doing so seem to have him at least considering the idea of opting in for the final season of his contract, worth more than $23.333MM. Anthony must decide on his option by June 23rd, which complicates the matter, since James, along with Heat teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, have until June 30th to decide on their options. The Knicks will likely be over next season’s salary cap regardless of what Anthony decides to do, but almost every player on New York’s roster can come off the books next summer.

The Mavs have been linked to ‘Melo before, but the last report about his interest in other teams seemed to cast the Bulls as the front-runner. The Rockets, Lakers and Clippers drew mention, but Dallas did not. The Mavs apparently aren’t interested in Anthony at the maximum salary, but they’re not alone in that regard. Anthony has raised the idea of signing for less than the max, but that was in reference to a new deal with the Knicks.

Draft Notes: Behanan, Celtics, Mavs, Fair

June 11th, 2014 at 9:46am CST by Chuck Myron

Today’s the day that the Cavs put Joel Embiid through a workout and physical, so the top pick in the draft could be hanging in the balance. There are plenty of scenarios involving the top pick and even more for the remaining 59, and we detail the latest on prospects working out for teams:

Dower will work out for the Celtics today after all, having taken Oliver’s place, tweets Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.

Earlier updates:

Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv adds the Rockets and Bulls to the list of teams auditioning Chane Behanan (Twitter link).
Javon McCrea, Artem Klimenko, Daniel Miller and Devin Oliver are the previously unreported players working out for the Celtics today, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston notes via Twitter. Sam Dower, who was reportedly set to take part, is not on the list. Doug McDermott, Jerami Grant and C.J. Fair are among those scheduled to audition on Thursday for Boston, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. This will presumably be McDermott’s second workout for the team, since he apparently already had one.
McCrea is also showing off for the Mavs on Thursday, Zagoria tweets.
Fair has the Sixers and Kings on his schedule this week, too, Zagoria also reports via Twitter.
Grant, Cleanthony Early, Glenn Robinson III, Josh Huestis, De’Mon Brooks, Will Sheehey, Murphy Burnatowski and Shaun Glover are all showing off for the Raptors today, the team announced (Twitter links).
Sean Armand will work out for the Magic, Zagoria reports (on Twitter).
University of Michigan center Jordan Morgan worked out for the Cavs on Monday, as he told Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

Eastern Notes: Rambis, Jefferson, Snell, Sixers

June 10th, 2014 at 4:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers have granted the Knicks permission to interview assistant coach Kurt Rambis for a job on head coach Derek Fisher‘s staff, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Rambis is willing to listen, Medina hears. Rambis also remains a candidate for the Lakers head coaching job, but it’s uncertain whether he’d be retained as a Lakers assistant if they go with someone else for the head job, as Medina points out. Here’s more news related to Eastern Conference teams:

Al Jefferson is recruiting free agents to come to Charlotte, and Hornets coach Steve Clifford is confident that the mere presence of the Third-Team All-NBA center makes the Hornets more attractive to potential signees, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
The Bulls remain sold on Tony Snell as a rotation-caliber talent, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune details in his latest mailbag column. Johnson also says he’d be “shocked” if the Bulls don’t address their shooting via the draft.
The New Jersey state government gave the OK this morning for the Sixers to build a practice facility in Camden, reports Julia Terruso of the Philadelphia Inquirer, prompting the team to announce plans for the facility. GM Sam Hinkie and coach Brett Brown have contended that the facility will be key to attracting free agents.
The Celtics are among the teams that have worked out draft lottery prospect Doug McDermott, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com notes in his Insider-only mock draft.
Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson will audition for the Pistons, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
The Wizards will work out LaQuinton Ross, Devyn Marble, Jarell Eddie, Okaro White and Kendall Williams, the team announced.
Semaj Christon, DeAndre Kane, Drew Crawford, Sebastian Koch and Talib Zanna are among those who’ll perform for the Hornets on Wednesday, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). Crawford was also scheduled to show off for the team last week.
Alex Kirk is working out for the Hornets this week, too, and he’ll also do so for the Raptors, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.