Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Bynum, Sessions, Pistons

March 15th, 2014 at 10:38am CST by Cray Allred

Andrew Bynum considered playing for both the Heat and the Lakers before signing with the Pacers, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Media. The Lakers were viewed as a potential trading partner for the Cavs when Cleveland was looking to move him, but were not linked as a suitor once he hit free agency after being traded to and waived by the Bulls. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Bucks guard Ramon Sessions tells Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders that he was completely blindsided by the trade that sent him from the Bobcats to the Bucks. “To be honest the trade was kind of last minute,” Sessions said. “I didn’t really hear too much coming up to the trade deadline but as we got closer I started getting calls from my agent and hearing certain things were happening behind the scenes. But it’s one of those things in the league that when it happens, you got to pack up and be ready to move on to another team.”
Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times thinks Bulls center Joakim Noah can be penciled into the All-NBA first team, and the $500,000 bonus that would come with that selection.
Pistons coach John Loyer tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News that the three-big lineup in Detroit can eventually work if the team is able to get consistent shooting from the perimeter. “You need spacing, two guys who can score the ball from the perimeter when you have those three on the floor,” said Loyer. “As long as those three are here and here together and playing productively, you’ll see them. It’s what we have. We want to put them in places where we think they can score the best. It’s your job as coach to figure out who you’re coaching and what they’re best at and put them in those spots.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Boozer, Woodson, Drew

March 13th, 2014 at 4:26pm CST by Zachary Links

No decision has been made on Carlos Boozer‘s future with the Bulls, but the veteran says that he feels unappreciated in Chicago, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Boozer has been moody with the media for some time now, and sources say that’s linked to his frustrations with the club. For his part, GM Gar Forman says no decision has been made on the forward. “People can say or think what they want, but that decision absolutely hasn’t been made,’’ Forman told Cowley. More out of the East..

Knicks coach Mike Woodson was positive about the hire of Phil Jackson to run basketball operations and told ESPN Radio in New York that it can only “enhance” the organization, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.
Bucks coach Larry Drew says that he holds no ill-will towards the Hawks for how things turned out, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel. “No bitterness whatsoever. This is just the NBA. Things happen. I certainly understood their position. Bruce Levenson (managing partner) was really good to me. The Gearons (managing partner Michael Gearon) were always in my corner from Day 1,” Drew said.
Former Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has landed as the new head coach of Loyola Marymount, according to an official announcement on the school’s website. Dunlap, an assistant with St. John’s before being tabbed by Bobcats owner Michael Jordan, was considered to be a shocking hire for Charlotte and lasted just one season.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Pacers, Hawks

March 12th, 2014 at 6:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Pacers going through a bit of a rough patch, team president Larry Bird expressed his frustration with the team’s players and coach Frank Vogel to Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. “I’m sort of going to Frank’s side because he’s had so much success by staying positive,” Bird said. “We do have to stay the course. But I also think he’s got to start going after guys when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. And stay on them, whether you’ve got to take them out of the game when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do or limit their minutes. I will say, he hasn’t done that enough.”

Phil Jackson Rumors: Tuesday

March 11th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Monday it appeared that the Knicks felt they were close to a deal with Phil Jackson, but the Zen Master’s camp didn’t see the talks as nearing completion. We rounded up all the latest from Monday in a single post, and we’ll keep track of today’s updates on Jackson and the Knicks here.

Knicks owner James Dolan has reportedly solicited the help of Bill Bradley as an intermediary in the team’s negotiations with Jackson, says Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Bradley is Jackson’s longtime friend and former teammate.
Isola adds that Dolan and Bradley have been working together to finalize an agreement that would make Jackson the highest-paid executive in NBA history, with a deal that could pay in excess of $15MM annually.
A source close to Jackson indicates that the two sides have had preliminary discussions about Jackson possibly owning a minority stake in the team.

Earlier updates:

The Knicks have competition for Jackson, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who hears that the Pistons are “very much in the mix” for the Zen Master with Joe Dumars unlikely to return. The Cavs have reached out as well, although their interest is “somewhat muddied” at present, Kyler writes.
Still, it’s “highly unlikely” that Jackson will return to the Lakers, Kyler adds.
Steve Kerr reiterated to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv today that he would like to coach in the NBA, though he didn’t address the Knicks specifically. If Jackson hires Kerr, Kyler suggests he’ll go after Cavs interim GM David Griffin to run the day-to-day operations for the Knicks.
Reports that Jackson is strongly leaning toward taking the Knicks job are “greatly exaggerated,” a source close to Jackson tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
The Knicks are “very confident” they’ll finalize a deal with Jackson by the end of the week, though a formal announcement might not come until next week, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. The Knicks don’t feel as though Jackson would take a job with the Lakers or another club at this point. Jackson would gain control of the Knicks basketball operations department, displacing Mills, but Mills would remain an “integral” part of the team even if Jackson is hired, Broussard writes.
A source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that the meeting in which Steve Mills spoke to Jackson about coaching the team was a “disaster.” Jackson doesn’t want to work with Mills, the source says. Mills would retain a role of some sort within the organization if Jackson came aboard, but he wouldn’t be active in day-to-day operations, according to Isola. Mills has been committed to the idea of firing Mike Woodson, though he’s against hiring an interim coach and would prefer to go after marquee names in the offseason. Isola identifies John Calipari, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Tom Thibodeau as likely candidates for a Mills-led search, but it’s unclear if Jackson would go after any of the same.
In any case, it’s clear that owner James Dolan, and not Mills or anyone else in the Knicks organization, is negotiating with Jackson now, Isola writes in a separate piece, adding that the salary on the table for the Zen Master is believed to be $12MM a year. Isola suggests that if Jackson takes the job, he’s “destined” to bring in his own front office staff, including a new general manager to run the day-to-day operations. Isola speculates that Byron Scott and Kurt Rambis could become coaching candidates in this scenario. Still, the Daily News scribe wonders if Jackson is using the Knicks offer to finagle a job with the Lakers, citing general managers from around the league who say that his heart lies with the purple-and-gold.
Marc Berman of the New York Post contradicts Isola with regard to Mills, writing that the current Knicks president and general manager would retain a similar role if Jackson came aboard because of Mills’ aplomb with handling agents. Agents question Jackson’s sincerity, Isola notes.
Berman also writes in his piece that Woodson will probably have to make the second round of the playoffs to keep his job.

And-Ones: Kobe, Lakers, Woodson

March 11th, 2014 at 10:02pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Lakers are expected to officially declare Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the 2013/14 season, as per Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The 35-year-old guard is still dealing with discomfort after fracturing the tibial plateau in his left knee back in December. Ding adds that while the superstar guard has expressed hope in the team significantly re-tooling this summer via free agency, all signs point to the front office planning accordingly to have cap flexibility for the summer of 2015.

You can find more of tonight’s noteworthy links below:

With Kobe, Steve Nash, and Robert Sacre presently listed as the only guaranteed contracts for next season, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times looks at the rest of the current roster to determine who has the best chance of sticking around after this year.
Mike Woodson‘s reported mistrust of Steve Mills partially stems from the Knicks executive’s presence in coaches meetings, practices, and road trips for large chunks of the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. According to Kyler, Woodson’s camp viewed it as meddling in the process and casting doubt on the coach’s job from the start.
Marco Belinelli doesn’t hold a grudge against the Bulls for declining to make him an offer this past summer, but his first choice would have been to re-sign with the Bulls, in spite of Tom Thibodeau’s efforts to convince the team to do so. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details, noting that when Gregg Popovich called Thibodeau for a recommendation, Thibs gave the shooting guard an endorsement.
Paul Millsap says he didn’t go “kicking and screaming” from the Jazz when they parted ways over the summer, adding that he respected the team’s decision not to pursue re-signing him, as Brad Rock of the Deseret News observes.
J.J. Hickson has hired Muhammad Abdur-Rahim and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management as his new agents, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). They replace Andy Miller of ASM Sports, whom the Nuggets big man jettisoned earlier this season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Knicks Links: Carmelo, Kerr, Jackson

March 11th, 2014 at 9:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier tonight on Twitter, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders shared some thoughts about Carmelo Anthony‘s possible free agency this summer. To paraphrase, he doesn’t see Anthony leaving the Knicks unless it’s a sign-and-trade, and while some may speculate that the hometown star will take less money to stay in place, it almost never happens that way. Kyler is also uncertain if any other team would be willing to offer four years and $22.4MM per to land the soon-to-be 30-year-old forward.

If the Bulls show interest, Kyler adds that the only way he can see Carmelo going to Chicago is if they’re able to unload Carlos Boozer‘s deal in a sign-and-trade, and even if that materializes, he isn’t sure if they’d be willing to pay the former Syracuse star max money over the final two years of his deal (Five Twitter links to share).

Here’s more out of New York tonight:

Former player and current TNT analyst Steve Kerr is aware of the speculation that he’d be considered a coaching candidate for the Knicks if Phil Jackson were to take a front-office position with the team, writes Justin Terranova of the New York Post. Coincidentally, Kerr was in New York today for a CBS/NCAA Tournament press conference and commented on the situation: “I understand the speculation…I’ve said I wanted to coach at some point in my life, I know Phil, I played for him [with the Bulls]. People are sort of connecting the dots, but it’s very uncomfortable commenting on speculation, especially when it comes to someone else’s jobs.”
More from Kerr, who confirmed that he’d be interested in coaching at some point: “I was the general manager in Phoenix for three years, and I loved being on the court with the players…That’s when it piqued my interest…I’m always going to keep my eyes open. I think it’s important in life to always keep looking forward and being open to new things.”
Kerr told Al Iannazzone of Newsday that based on his conversations with Jackson over the years, he knows that the former Bulls and Lakers coach wants to be working in a front office at this point: “Well, I’ve stayed in touch with Phil over the years and I know just from being with him at times that this is what he wants to do is build a franchise.”

Central Rumors: Fredette, Bennett, Deng

March 8th, 2014 at 8:21pm CST by Cray Allred

Bulls center Nazr Mohammed tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that growing friendships between players at the NBA level is changing the way teams are constructed. Mohammed says that animosity between rival players is no longer the norm. “AAU, social media, that’s all gone. Basketball on a high school level has just meshed all these kids from all over the country, especially with social media, so playing with each other at this level is no big deal. There’s no longer that dislike,” said the 15-year veteran. “Ultimately, it’s good for the league. You’ve got guys that like each other, want to play with each other. Why not? The collective-bargaining agreement is going to settle some of it because either guys are going to take huge pay cuts to play with their best friends or you can’t do it because of the CBA.” Here’s more from the Central division:

Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune thinks that the environment Jimmer Fredette now has with the Bulls will help him succeed. Luhm says the combination of great coaching, talented teammates, stable ownership, and skilled management–things he didn’t have with the Kings–create an ideal situation for the dead-eye shooter.
Anthony Bennett has improved his play after a disastrous start to the season, but the Cavs first-overall pick from the 2013 draft now faces a potential minutes reduction as Anderson Varejao returns from injury. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald says that Bennett needs to improve and get in better shape over the offseason if he wants to shed the perception that he’s a bust.
In the same piece, Finnan says there is “no pretense whatsoever” that Luol Deng will re-sign with the Cavs this offseason, as Finnan is hearing from many that Deng is counting the days until he can flee Cleveland.

Knicks Notes: ‘Melo, Jackson, Woodson

March 7th, 2014 at 10:33pm CST by Cray Allred

Over the last two days, we’ve heard about Joakim Noah recruiting Carmelo Anthony for the Bulls and the Knicks offering Phil Jackson a front office position. The news continues to have trickle effects–let’s take a look at the latest from New York:

A person with knowledge of the ‘Melo/Noah discussion tells Sam Amick of USA Today that the talk has been overblown, and suggested that Anthony’s camp might have leaked the discussion as an attempt to remind the Knicks that his departure in the offseason is a legitimate possibility.
Anthony denied to reporters, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that the alleged conversation occurred (Twitter link). Anthony said he “can’t” have those kinds of discussions, alluding to league tampering restrictions.
A source with knowledge of Jackson’s thinking tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he’s “ready to go back to work.”
In the same piece, Shelburne quotes Mike Woodson‘s comments to reporters about the Phil Jackson news: “I really don’t have an opinion on it. I really don’t. Again, as I sit here today, I am the coach of the New York Knicks. I am not going to entertain anything about Phil. I have a great deal of respect for Phil, but I am not going to entertain anything about Phil Jackson.”
Jackson has made it clear that he wants a Pat Riley-esque role with a team, tweets Shelburne. Riley has more power as team president of the Heat than a typical general manager, and built the behemoth that Miami has become after luring LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade.
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders thinks that the Knicks talks with Jackson are early signs that they will make a splash and replace Mike Woodson this offseason. Jeff Van Gundy, Lionel Hollins, and Tom Thibodeau are some high profile names that have already been linked to the potential vacancy.
Nuggets coach Brian Shaw isn’t surprised to hear Jackson’s name as a front office candidate, telling Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the legend is more suited for that kind of role now. “I don’t think at this point that he would really have the energy to [coach],” Shaw said. “I think he would be more inclined to–in terms of constructing a team from top to bottom–be in more of an advisory role or a front-office role, where he can put his imprint on a team in that way.”

D-League Notes: Timberwolves, Trades

March 7th, 2014 at 7:56pm CST by Cray Allred

While the NBA’s trade deadline passed over two weeks ago, the D-League’s window for trading players between teams closed today. While deals between D-League teams don’t affect NBA player rights, they can still have an impact on which NBA teams and development staffs get the closest look at prospects at that level. Here are some notes from the D-League, including today’s deadline deals:

The Timberwolves are looking at owning their own D-League team, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Wolfson says the Iowa Energy, who currently serve as an affiliate for the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Bulls, Pelicans, and Wizards, are open to a singular partnership with Minnesota.
Sources tell Gino Pilato of D-League Digest that a multi-team trade sent William Buford to the Canton Charge, Vander Blue to the Idaho Stampede, and Richard Howell‘s returning player rights for next year to the Santa Cruz Warriors, among other D-League draft considerations.
In the same post, Pilato passes along a trade sending Santa Cruz’s Dominic McGuire to the Tulsa 66ers in exchange for Dominic Sutton‘s returning player rights.
Pilato reports one final deal between the Charge and the Delaware 87ers. Kyrylo Fesenko was sent to Canton in a trade that also saw the teams swap second round draft picks.

And-Ones: Lakers, Jackson, Bulls, ‘Melo

March 7th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are privately concerned about the quality of the free agent market this summer, and they’re worried about the prospect of a third straight season outside of the title picture next year, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Stein’s note comes within a piece in which he and other ESPN.com writers examine the early-termination option decisions facing LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Most of them believe the quartet of stars, all of whom are in the top 10 of our Free Agent Power Rankings, will indeed become free agents. While we look forward to the summer, here’s the latest from around the league:

Phil Jackson “went out of his way” to clarify in an interview with Sam Amick of USA Today that Joe Dumars made the decision last summer to hire Maurice Cheeks as Pistons coach, Amick writes. Jackson served as a consultant during the team’s coaching search last year, and Amick wonders if the Pistons would make a play to replace Dumars with Jackson, who reportedly has an offer to join the Knicks front office.
The Bulls haven’t begun to seriously crunch the numbers for a pursuit of Carmelo Anthony, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, downplaying the idea that Chicago is gearing up to chase the Knicks star.
League sources tell Berger that Nikola Mirotic will be seeking salaries worth $3-4MM from the Bulls this summer, as Berger writes in the same piece. That’s a surprise, since an earlier report indicated that Mirotic would probably ask for significantly more than the mid-level exception, worth a starting salary of $5.305MM next season.
The Wolves were in deadline talks about trading J.J. Barea, but they aren’t so eager to get rid of him that they’d waive him this summer and use the stretch provision on his more than $4.5MM salary for next season, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cites.