Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Pacers, Josh Smith, Rasheed

April 4th, 2014 at 2:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers are no longer a title contender, Grantland’s Zach Lowe concludes. The trade for Evan Turner hasn’t worked out, Lowe believes, pointing to a postgame tiff between Paul George and Roy Hibbert three weeks ago as indicative of the team’s struggles. The second half of the season hasn’t been kind to Indiana, but the Pacers are still just percentage points behind the Heat for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Josh Smith insists to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News that he’s not the only one to blame for the Pistons‘ disappointing season. Smith has drawn plenty of criticism since signing his four-year, $54MM contract in the offseason, and the Pistons reportedly tried to trade him at the deadline.
Pistons assistant coach Rasheed Wallace‘s ties to the organization give him a “good chance” to remain with the team, but the fate of the rest of the staff is likely up to whomever ends up as head coach next season, as MLive’s David Mayo writes. Mayo, answering reader questions, also suggests everyone except Andre Drummond could be on the trade block this summer.
Mike Dunleavy‘s name emerged in trade rumors before the deadline, but he’s pleased with his decision to sign with the Bulls this past summer, as he tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
We rounded up more on the Bulls earlier today, and passed along news that the team is likely to target Pau Gasol this summer.

Bulls Rumors: Murphy, Brewer, James

April 4th, 2014 at 11:41am CST by Chuck Myron

If a team claims Erik Murphy off waivers, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has suggested is likely, the Bulls will catch a break. Murphy’s salary would come off Chicago’s books and help the team avert paying the luxury tax in case Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson earn bonuses that they were considered unlikely to achieve before the season but seem to have a shot at attaining now. Here’s more on a Bulls roster in flux:

A source tells Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald that there’s a decent chance the Bulls will sign multiple players to replace Murphy. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune backs that up, tweeting that it’s not necessarily an either-or proposition between Ronnie Brewer and Mike James and that the Bulls are open to possibly signing two guys. That makes sense, considering that inking two or three veterans to prorated contracts for the minimum salary at this point in the season would be cheaper than even Murphy’s $490,180 rookie minimum salary.
The Bulls will probably wait a few days before bringing anyone aboard, McGraw writes, which suggests the team is waiting to see whether Murphy is claimed. If he becomes a free agent, his salary will remain on Chicago’s ledger, and I think it would make the team less likely to sign multiple players, though that’s just my speculation.
Gibson supports the idea of signing Brewer, as Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune notes via Twitter. “He’s athletic, a leader and he’s been through a lot with us,” Gibson said of his teammate from 2010/11 and 2011/12.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com looks ahead to the playoffs and Chicago’s possible offseason moves in his latest mailbag column.

Bulls, Cavs, Bobcats Likely To Target Pau Gasol

April 4th, 2014 at 10:10am CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls, Cavaliers and Bobcats will likely court Pau Gasol in free agency this summer, executives from around the league tell Chris Mannix of SI.com. The executives add that the Grizzlies will be in the mix, too, if Zach Randolph opts out, echoing a report from last month. The Arn Tellem client, who’ll turn 34 in July, has a decent chance to receive an offer worth $10MM a year, a front office official from an Eastern Conference team says to Mannix.

That Eastern exec suggests that there are two schools of thought regarding Gasol, with his most aggressive suitors believing that the environment in Los Angeles and the Lakers’ style of play have hindered Gasol the past two seasons, and that an escape could revive his career. Others insist that Gasol is past his prime, the unnamed exec tells Mannix.

Gasol has said he won’t rule out a return to the Lakers, and according to Mannix, the Lakers feel the same away about re-signing the 7-footer. Teammate and friend Kobe Bryant has said he believes there’s an 80% chance the Lakers will bring back Gasol, but Bryant and Gasol reportedly would like to see coach Mike D’Antoni replaced, and the Lakers appear to be leaning toward keeping D’Antoni. Gasol, who appears likely to miss the rest of the season with vertigo, tells Mannix that a team’s chances of winning will be paramount as he makes his decision.

“I want to be in a team that is going to be built to win a championship,” Gasol said. “That’s my top priority. Money won’t be the main priority. Length and money are factors, but we’ll see. Until I know all the options, I won’t be able to measure them. But we’re getting close to the end of my career. I want to be in a good situation. It’s an important decision to make.”

The Bulls and Grizzlies appear to be closest to winning a championship among the suitors that Mannix lists. Executives have doubts about Charlotte’s ability to defend with Gasol and Al Jefferson as their primary rim protectors, as the SI.com scribe notes. The Cavs were deep in talks with the Lakers about acquiring Gasol via trade when Cleveland was shopping Andrew Bynum in January.

And-Ones: Adrian Griffin, Young, Murphy

April 3rd, 2014 at 9:42pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Once a catalyst in the movement that paved a way for players to go from high school straight to the NBA, former NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood ironically supports the idea of raising the league’s age-limit to 20-years-old, details Sam Amick of USA Today. Haywood is currently concerned about the potential effects of the one-and-done rule on college basketball and in the NBA:

“You have no locker room camaraderie…You have no veteran leadership. It’s just young guys making up their own rules as they go. They don’t have the examples to show them what this game is all about. So it’s going to hurt the league, and it’s definitely hurting college basketball.”

Here are more miscellaneous news and notes from around the Association tonight:

Current Bulls assistant and former NBA player Adrian Griffin spoke with Sean Deveney of the Sporting News about his aspirations of eventually becoming an NBA head coach: “It’s definitely my goal…I have been learning a lot in this role, this is my sixth year. I learned under (Tom Thibodeau), I learned under Scott Skiles and overall, it is great to see how things work in an organization, especially an organization like the Bulls. That’s something I could bring to any team.”
Griffin may ultimately need more experience as an assistant before landing a head-coaching job, but he could definitely be active on the interview circuit if there are head coaching vacancies this summer, writes Deveney.
Nick Young‘s agent, Mark Bartelstein, tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that it still remains presumptuous whether or not his client will opt out of his contract with the Lakers this summer.
It’ll be surprising if recently-waived Erik Murphy goes unclaimed, as he appears to be drawing interest from around the league (Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports via Twitter).
The Rockets are not currently seeking a replacement on their coaching staff for former assistant Kelvin Sampson, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Sacramento city officials plan to unveil key details of an arena deal for the Kings in the next few weeks, leading up to a formal vote on the plan by City Council on May 13, reports Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee.
Jazz rookie Trey Burke tells Spencer Checketts of 1280 The Zone that he loves Utah and “plans on staying here for as long as they’ll let me” (Twitter link).

Bulls Waive Erik Murphy, Target James, Brewer

April 3rd, 2014 at 3:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls have waived rookie Erik Murphy, the team announced via press release. The move drops Chicago’s roster to 12 players, which means the team has to add someone before the playoffs. That’s the plan, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, who says the team has had conversations with Mike James and Ronnie Brewer recently (Twitter links). Brewer worked out for the team at its practice facility today, tweets Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.

Murphy, 23, joined the Bulls after they drafted him 49th overall this past summer and signed him to a partially guaranteed deal for the minimum salary. The contract became fully guaranteed when the team elected not to waive him by January 7th, so he’ll receive his full salary of $490,180. He, like A.J. Price, whom the Wolves waived today, is ineligible to play for another team in the postseason.

The Bulls called on the former University of Florida big man sparingly this season, as he totaled just 62 minutes in 24 games. It seems Chicago wants a veteran who can make a larger impact for the playoffs, and James and Brewer have track records of postseason success. The 38-year-old James was with the Bulls to begin the season, and they brought him back on a 10-day contract in January after waiving him in December. He nonetheless averaged just 7.0 MPG in 11 appearances. Brewer played a much larger role for the Bulls in 2010/11 and 2011/12, and he became a free agent after the Rockets waived him in February.

Eastern Rumors: Heat, LeBron, Jackson, Hinrich

April 3rd, 2014 at 12:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

Heat team president Pat Riley thinks it would be difficult for Miami’s stars to abandon a run of success that “can go for 10 or 12 years,” as he says to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com, but Riley is nonetheless cognizant that nothing’s for certain.

“You always fear,” Riley said. “It’s not a real fear. I always have concern when players are in the situation they’re in. But we feel we have the best organization in the league for those players to stay, and to also attract others to want to come here. With our three guys, we hope that this turns into a generational team. And that it’s not just we’re at the end of this four-year run right now because players have some options this summer.”

With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh less than three months away from the June 30th deadline for them to decide what to do with their early termination options, here’s more on the Heat and their Eastern Conference rivals:

James is well aware of what Riley can do to keep the Heat in championship contention, as he tells Wallace for the same piece. “He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. Not me, not Dwyane, not Chris. No one,” James said. “His résumé speaks for itself. His stature speaks for itself. So we’ll see what happens.”
Knicks president Phil Jackson told reporters today that he and owner James Dolan agreed that Jackson could do away with the team’s ties to any agency if necessary, notes Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. The team’s seeming allegiance to the Creative Artists Agency “won’t hold weight with me,” Jackson said (Twitter links).
Jackson said again that he has no intention of coaching and that he has yet to have a conversation with Carmelo Anthony about the future, as Fred Kerber of the New York Post and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com pass along via Twitter.
Kirk Hinrich says he enjoys playing in Chicago and would like to re-sign with the Bulls this summer, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune details.

Eastern Notes: Hopson, Augustin, Heat

April 1st, 2014 at 8:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavs used the room exception to sign Scotty Hopson on Monday, but because the maximum 4.5% raise permitted via the exception is tied to what he actually makes, rather than the exception’s full value, Hopson isn’t a particularly intriguing trade chip. Mark Deeks of ShamSportsexplains the matter in his latest piece for the Score, noting that Hopson’s salary of about $1.37MM this season and $1.44MM next season is roughly equivalent to what a veteran of 10 seasons or more would make on a minimum-salary deal. Hopson is ineligible to be traded until July 10th, meaning he’s of no use for a draft-night trade.

More news from around the east:

Since being picked up by the Bulls after Toronto waived him in December, D.J. Augustin has averaged 14.3 PPG on nearly 42 percent shooting, including 41 percent from 3-point range, in 30.4 minutes per contest. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but would love to return to Chicago, writes Cody Westerlund of CBSChicago.com.
The Heat‘s “Big Three” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh can all become free-agents after the season. There has been speculation that one or all three would consider leaving Miami, but before making any decision, the trio plan to sit down together to discuss their options, writes Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.
Phil Jackson has been to only two of the eight games the Knicks have played since he took over their basketball department. Some say Jackson should be with the team as much as possible to get to know the players and staff and help them in any way he can as they try to make their playoff push, but Carmelo Anthony is not one of them, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Anthony said, “He’s smart. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been in this situation before with fighting for spots and trying to win basketball games. So he knows what to expect, and now he’s on the outside looking in. I guess he’s giving us our space. We’re not really concerned about that.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Draft, Izzo

March 29th, 2014 at 10:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When Kentucky squares off against Michigan in Sunday’s Midwest Regional final, the Wildcats may be looking for their 16th Final Four appearance without a big part of their lineup, center Willie Cauley-Stein, who is doubtful to play because of a sprained ankle. Even if Cauley-Stein is done for the season, it is unlikely to affect his draft stock, writes Josh Newman of SNY.tv. He is currently slotted No. 12 in June’s NBA Draft by Draft Express. “An ankle sprain, it’s nothing. He will be a top-20 pick regardless of him playing another college game. He could be a Lottery pick if he stayed another year at Kentucky,” a former NBA executive told SNY.tv per the article.

Kevin Love Has Interest In Bulls

March 29th, 2014 at 11:07am CST by Cray Allred

A source familiar with Kevin Love‘s thinking tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com the All-Star is intrigued by the Bulls as a destination, adding to the forward’s known interests in the Lakers and Knicks. At this point, there has been no indication that the Bulls front office has made any preparations for a Love pursuit, which would have to occur via a trade before the 2014/15 season’s trade deadline, or in free agency before the 2015/16 season, when Love is expected by most to decline his $16.7MM player option.

The Lakers have been considered the favorite to land Love if he were to depart from the Timberwolves either as a free agent or in a pre-emptive trade if Minnesota looks to avoid losing him for nothing. However, Love’s public statements about the Lakers have been less than glowing in recent months. Last night, after scoring a triple double in a beatdown of the Lakers, Love blamed the Lakers speculation on his upbringing in Los Angeles and no more. In an earlier interview with GQ, Love rejected the notion that the Lakers roster is more attractive than the roster he’s surrounded by in Minnesota.

Depending on what the Bulls do this summer, they may not have enough cap flexibility to obtain Love by trade or by signing him if and when he becomes a free agent demanding a max salary. Carlos Boozer‘s contract runs through next season but could be amnestied, Nikola Mirotic could be bought out from his European team and brought to Chicago, and other free agents could be added for next year and beyond, including some improbable scenarios involving Carmelo Anthony. If Minnesota opened a bidding war for Love, the Lakers are set up to have better draft assets to deal over the next couple of years, but don’t have any young pieces as valuable as Chicago’s Taj Gibson or Jimmy Butler.

The speculation around Love’s future has heated up since the All-Star break, as the Wolves have slid further out of playoff contention. The team was built to break into the playoffs for the first time in Love’s six years with the franchise that drafted him, with expectations boosted by free agency acquisitions including Kevin Martin and full, healthy seasons from both Love and Ricky Rubio.

Central Notes: Pacers, Fredette, Dellavedova

March 28th, 2014 at 9:47pm CST by Cray Allred

Danny Granger thinks some of the Pacers’ recent struggles could be due to a team hangover following the trade that sent him to the Sixers, he tells Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. “You mess up the … it’s not messing, you change the chemistry of the team. It can have different effects that are unforeseen. I think that may have had something to do with it,” said Granger. “The fact they added two new players, it’s hard to come in in the middle of the season with a new team regardless of how good you are, that’s very difficult to do.” Here’s more from the Central Division:

In a mailbag answer, Sam Smith of Bulls.com says that the Bulls likely won’t want to keep all of their draft picks this summer, and guesses that GM Gar Forman will see if the picks will help pry away a star level player from another team. The Bulls will almost surely have the Bobcats’ first rounder to go with their own first round pick, and are also expected to try and bring Nikola Mirotic over from Europe.
Despite playing only four minutes per game in five appearances with the Bulls, Jimmer Fredette tells K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune he doesn’t regret signing with Chicago. “It’s a great culture here,” Fredette said. “Everyone plays as hard as they can and for the team and for each other. Hopefully, I can be a big part of what we do here moving into the playoffs.”
With Kyrie Irving out, Cavs rookie point guard Matthew Dellavedova has come through with improved offense to add to his defensive strengths, and he tells Bob Finnan of The News-Herald it’s not come by accident. “We put a lot of time in shooting the ball,” Dellavedova said. “I started well this season and then had a drop-off. It picked up lately. You have to keep refining it and keep taking good shots. I work on my 3-point shot and watch a lot of game tape. I stuck with it. It feels pretty good right now.”