Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Wizards, Hawks

September 26th, 2013 at 10:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune discusses the health of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, Luol Deng's uncertain long-term future with the franchise, how Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to mesh with the roster, and how Jimmy Butler will handle a move to starting shooting guard as five things to look at for the Bulls going into fall. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) says that Chicago's official training camp roster is expected to be released tomorrow but doesn't expect Malcolm Thomas or Chris Wright to be on the list.
Michael Lee of CSN Washington wonders if John Wall is ready to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, who will step up in the absence of Emeka Okafor, if Bradley Beal is primed for a breakout season, what to expect from Otto Porter, and the health of Nene as the team's top storylines heading into training camp.
Hawks GM Danny Ferry wouldn't set a timeline for the return of Louis Williams (who is still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery), though he did say that the eighth-year guard has been playing one-on-one games and has had no restrictions in doing so. Ferry also appeared encouraged about what Dennis Schröder can contribute to the team now as a promising prospect and said that Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala still need to continue their development overseas (USA Today via the Associated Press).
As Tom Layman of the Boston Herald points out, Celtics coach Brad Stevens will look toward Avery Bradley to be the team's floor general while they wait for the return of Rajon Rondo. In another piece, a handful of college coaches had positive comments for Stevens regarding how they believe he'll be able to transition to the NBA game (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
With Steve Mills in place as the Knicks' newest GM, Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld thinks that it will be important for Mills to start forming a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony now, especially with the possibility that he could become a free agent this upcoming summer.
Since arriving in New York City, Anthony has been able to build his brand and explore plenty of business opportunities, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. From the sound of it, Zwerling doesn't think that Anthony will be leaving New York anytime soon, even with an opt-out clause at the end of the season.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York examines the orange and blue's current situation at small forward.
With the rest of the NBA's power elite growing tired of the Heat's dominance, Sam Amick of USA Today delves into why the 2013/14 season could be Miami's toughest campaign for a title yet. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Bulls are especially eager to put a halt to the Heat's reign as the NBA's top dog.

Bulls To Sign D.J. White

September 26th, 2013 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent forward D.J. White will join the Bulls for training camp, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). While it sounds as if White will be on a non-guaranteed contract, Stein reports that he'll be given a chance to earn a regular-season roster spot.

White, 27, appeared in 12 games last season for the Celtics after returning from China, but was included in the blockbuster trade that sent him to Brooklyn along with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry. The Nets waived him shortly thereafter, and White was said last month to be mulling another stint in China. Although the former first-rounder didn't see the court much in Boston, he has been reasonably productive in parts of five NBA seasons, recording a career PER of 14.6.

For the Bulls, White will be the 17th player on the camp roster, but only 11 of those 17 guys have fully guaranteed deals. Erik Murphy, who has a $250K guarantee, figures to make the team, but that still leaves as many as three open spots for camp invitees like White, Dexter Pittman, Patrick Christopher, Mike James, and Kalin Lucas. Even if Chicago doesn't carry a full 15-man roster due to tax concerns, at least one – and perhaps two – of those non-guaranteed players should end up on the roster to reach the minimum requirement.

Central Notes: Granger, Thibodeau, Pistons

September 24th, 2013 at 9:02pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Central Division.

Lang Greene of HoopsWorld spoke to a leading surgeon and sports medicine expert about Danny Granger's health, and how it will affect his on-court contributions going forward.
According to the Detroit Free Press' Keith Langlois, the Pistons likely won't invite any more than the 15 players they currently have under contract to training camp.
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau speaks to HoopsWorld.com's Yannis Koutroupis about the new challenges his team will face this season, including improved competition in the Central Division.

Central Notes: Posey, Cavs, Deng, Pistons

September 23rd, 2013 at 6:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few odds and ends from around the Central Division:

The Cavaliers' D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, has officially hired James Posey as an assistant coach on Steve Hetzel's staff, according to a press release from the Cavs. The longtime NBA swingman last played in 2010/11.
With the Bulls deciding to put extension talks for Luol Deng on hold, agent Herb Rudoy tells David Aldridge of NBA.com that he fully intends to take his client to free agency. "He loves being there, and he loves playing for [coach Tom] Thibodeau," Rudoy said of Deng. "Loves playing for him. But he has to see what the market is."
If the Pistons plan to make trades at this season's deadline, the team's potential excess of small forwards and guards could create some opportunities, writes Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press.

Central Notes: Pacers, Watson, Rose, Bulls

September 22nd, 2013 at 8:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a quick look at the Central Division..

The HoopsWorld staff previewed the season ahead for the Pacers. In the estimation of Joel Brigham, Indiana's best offseason addition was guard C.J. Watson. Even though George Hill has done better at point guard than most expected, it will benefit them to have a more traditional one-guard, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
Former MVP Derrick Rose is ready to lead the Bulls once again, the Associated Press writes. The guard will step on to the court after a lengthy absence, but he says he has no doubts about being able to get back to top form. "I put so much into my craft," he said. "I'm working hard. I think I'm one of the hardest workers in the NBA, if not the hardest worker. I think you should see it in my game when I step on the court."
Earlier today, Chuck Myron checked in on former Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson in the latest installment of Free Agent Stock Watch.

Nets, Knicks, Bulls Have Most $10MM+ Salaries

September 21st, 2013 at 9:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The salary cap and luxury tax are in place to help curb the advantages that large-market teams would have in an open market. They haven't stopped the Nets and Knicks from having more players making at least $10MM this season than almost every team in the league. Only the Bulls, who like the Knicks have four such players, are in the same class as the New York contingent, which is led by the Nets and their fivesome of eight-figure players.

The Bulls and the Big Apple teams seem even more profligate when juxtaposed with the four NBA clubs that don't have $10MM+ contracts at all. The Suns and Sixers play in fairly large markets, but they're still without highly paid talent, just as the Kings and Bucks are. Two more teams don't have anyone who's guaranteed at least $10MM, since Hedo Turkoglu and Andrew Bynum are promised only $6MM from the Magic and Cavs, respectively.

A team top-heavy with well-compensated players doesn't always succeed on the basketball court, of course. The Heat have won back-to-back championships with no one other than their trio of stars making $10MM or more. The Rockets and Grizzlies figure to be among the Western Conference elite even though they each only have a pair of eight-figure salaries. And since the three teams with the most high-dollar contracts all play in the Eastern Conference, at least one of them isn't going to make the conference finals — and that assumes that the Heat won't make it that far.

Here's the complete list:

Teams with five $10MM+ contracts

Nets: Joe Johnson ($21,466,718), Deron Williams ($18,466,130), Paul Pierce ($15,333,334), Brook Lopez ($14,693,906), Kevin Garnett ($12,433,735)

Teams with four $10MM+ contracts

Bulls: Derrick Rose ($17,632,688), Carlos Boozer ($15,300,000), Luol Deng ($14,275,000), Joakim Noah ($11,100,000)
Knicks: Amare Stoudemire ($21,679,893), Carmelo Anthony ($21,388,954), Tyson Chandler ($14,100,538), Andrea Bargnani ($11,862,500)

Teams with three $10MM+ contracts

Celtics: Kris Humphries ($12,000,000), Rajon Rondo ($11,954,545), Gerald Wallace ($10,105,855)
Clippers: Chris Paul ($18,668,431), Blake Griffin ($16,441,500), DeAndre Jordan ($10,986,550)
Heat: Chris Bosh ($19,067,500), LeBron James ($19,067,500), Dwyane Wade ($18,673,000)
Nuggets: Ty Lawson ($10,786,517), JaVale McGee ($10,750,000), Danilo Gallinari ($10,146,925)
Pacers: Roy Hibbert ($14,283,844), Danny Granger ($14,021,788), David West ($12,000,000)
Spurs: Tony Parker ($12,500,000), Tim Duncan ($10,361,446), Tiago Splitter ($10,000,000)
Thunder: Kevin Durant ($17,832,627), Russell Westbrook ($14,693,906), Serge Ibaka ($12,350,000)
Warriors: Andrew Bogut ($14,000,000), David Lee ($13,878,000), Andre Iguodala ($12,868,632)

Teams with two $10MM+ contracts

Bobcats: Al Jefferson ($13,500,000), Ben Gordon ($13,200,000)
Lakers: Kobe Bryant ($30,453,805), Pau Gasol ($19,285,850)
Grizzlies: Zach Randolph ($18,238,333), Marc Gasol ($14,860,523)
Pelicans: Eric Gordon ($14,283,844), Tyreke Evans ($11,796,247)
Rockets: Dwight Howard ($20,513,178), James Harden ($13,701,250)
Timberwolves: Kevin Love ($14,693,906), Nikola Pekovic ($12,100,000)
Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge ($14,878,000), Nicolas Batum ($11,295,250)
Wizards: Emeka Okafor ($14,487,500), Nene Hilario ($13,000,000)

Teams with one $10MM+ contract

Hawks: Al Horford ($12,000,000)
Jazz: Richard Jefferson ($11,046,000)
Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki ($22,721,381)
Pistons: Josh Smith ($13,500,000)
Raptors: Rudy Gay ($17,888,932)
Cavaliers: Andrew Bynum ($12,250,000 — only guaranteed for $6MM)
Magic: Hedo Turkoglu ($12,000,000 — only guaranteed for $6MM)

Teams without a $10MM+ contract

76ers
Bucks
Kings
Suns

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Sixers, Wolves, Kennedy

September 20th, 2013 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Few NBA teams had less roster turnover this offseason than the Grizzlies. As our free agent tracker shows, the only player who signed with the team for more than the minimum was Tony Allen, who has played in Memphis since 2010 and emerged as one of the club's leaders. However, the team will be in for some changes on the bench, where former assistant Dave Joerger takes over the head coaching job from the departed Lionel Hollins. Joerger tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that while he'll stick to many of the things that made last year's team successful, he expects to add a few new wrinkles to the mix as well.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Former Pistons head coach John Kuester is currently the top candidate to be hired as Brett Brown's lead assistant with the 76ers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype spoke to Ricky Rubio, who identified the Timberwolves' new deals with Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger as the club's best signings of the summer.
Rebuilding is often a necessary process, but it has to give way to something substantial eventually, writes Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com. Deeks examines the free agent fates of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, noting that the Hawks were able to land Millsap for fewer years and dollars than the Bobcats signed Jefferson in part because Charlotte is paying a sort of "Bobcats tax" based on its reputation as a perennial lottery team.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Larry Coon lists the Nets, Bobcats, and Rockets among the winners of the league's new CBA, while placing the Celtics, Bulls, and Thunder in the losers column.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside takes a look at D.J. Kennedy's persistent quest to earn a spot on an NBA roster. Kennedy will be in camp with the Mavericks in October.

Odds & Ends: Dwight, Bulls, Deron

September 19th, 2013 at 10:50pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Amidst the buzz surrounding the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame induction a little over a week ago, you may have heard legendary Brazilian basketball player Oscar Schmidt proclaim that he could have been one of the best 10 players ever if he had joined the NBA. In hindsight, it's interesting to ponder some of the 'what ifs' and how they may have altered the landscape and history of the league.

One could think about how the NBA would have been different if Larry Bird didn't fall five spots to the Celtics during the 1978 draft, if Kobe Bryant hadn't fallen to number 13 in 1996, or if Michael Jordan hadn't retired before the 1993/94 season to name a few. Regardless, there are plenty of other possibilities to consider.

Jonathan Abrams of Grantland sheds light on one particular what-could-have-been, chronicling the rise and fall of Korleone Young, a promising 6'7" small forward who like Kobe, Tracy McGrady, and Kevin Garnett before him attempted to make the jump from high school to the NBA in 1998. In his comprehensive piece, Abrams supplements Young's story with commentary from several people who had crossed paths with him along his journey, including Young's prep-school rival Al Harrington, former Pistons head coach Alvin Gentry, and former Pistons assistant (and current Bucks GM) John Hammond, who had this to share based on what he'd seen in practices:

"We used to talk about the way in which (Young) defended (then-star) Grant Hill on a daily basis. We used to say it tongue-in-cheek but [also] somewhat seriously: 'No one defended Grant Hill in this league as well as Korleone Young."

With that aside, let's round up the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from the NBA:

Sam Amick of USA Today writes about how Dwight Howard has found greener pastures in Houston and why the rest of the NBA will have to lament the reality that another Western Conference contender has been born.
A handful of HoopsWorld panelists put together a season preview of the Bulls for 2013/14. With much of the team's success hinging on how much Derrick Rose can return to form, three writers pick Chicago to finish second in the Central Division, while two have them running away with the division title.
Nets guard Deron Williams was spotted at his charity dodgeball event earlier today with a walking boot over the same ankle that had been giving him problems last season, though he insisted that the boot was just precautionary: “As long as I’m ready (for the season opener), that’s all that matters to me…If it was up to me, I would be playing right now. I can walk fine. It doesn’t hurt. It’s just protecting me from myself” (Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News).
Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW says that with Dirk Nowitzki healthy, the Mavericks won't take a backseat to anybody in the league in terms of talent at the power forward position.
Tommy Dee of Ridiculous Upside presents a scouting report of free agent big man Hassan Whiteside, who had recently drawn reported interest from the Knicks, Heat, and Bucks.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside explains why the NBDL will continue to develop front office executives at a much more efficient rate than players at this point, mentioning that while prospective staffers can work to rise up the ranks while committed to a specific NBA franchise, the players can be called up at anytime and by any NBA team regardless of D-League affiliation.
HoopsWorld's Moke Hamilton held his weekly chat with readers earlier this evening, offering his thoughts on why he thinks the Knicks will repeat as Atlantic Division champions, why teams might be shying away from Renaldo Balkman, the Western Conference playoff race, and the Warriors' ceiling among other topics.
Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com continues his countdown of reasons why New Orleans fans should be excited about training camp, placing the offseason progress made by the team's quartet of sophomores – namely Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts, and Darius Miller – at number 13.

Eastern Notes: George, Pacers, Deng

September 19th, 2013 at 7:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Hoopsworld's Yannis Koutroupis explores the possible implications from a potential contract extension for Paul George and suggests that Danny Granger has now become an expendable piece. Losing Lance Stephenson - who is coming off of a career year and may have likely played himself out of Indiana's price range next summer – would be a bitter pill to swallow, opines Koutroupis. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference:

Granger believes that Indiana can contend for a title next season and calls the addition of Luis Scola "our biggest free agent pickup" (Scott Agness of NBA.com).
ESPN's Chad Ford (via Twitter) notes that Luol Deng has been working out at BYU-Hawaii over the last several weeks and says that the Bulls forward appears to be in fantastic shape.
Erildas Budraitis of RealGM catches up with CSKA Moscow's Jeremy Pargo, who last played for the 76ers and Cavaliers during the 2012/13 season. The 6'2" point guard admitted that he probably won't think of returning to the NBA for another one or two years and calls his exit from Cleveland "unfortunate."
Earlier today, Yahoo's Marc J. Spears reported that Cavs number one overall pick Anthony Bennett resumed playing five-on-five basketball this week.
Nets star Deron Williams is even more eager to get the season started after hearing head coach Jason Kidd and teammate Jason Terry say they expect him to be a part of the MVP conversation in 2013/14 (link via Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report).
Despite NBA commissioner David Stern's recent efforts to quell tension between the Knicks and Nets owners, the players don't seem to be necessarily following suit. When Paul Pierce was asked today about J.R. Smith calling him a bitter person recently, the Brooklyn forward tersely responded with "Who? Who are we talking about right now? Exactly" (Tim Bontempts of the New York Post).

Eastern Notes: World Peace, Bucks, Rose, Hawks

September 19th, 2013 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

So far this morning, we've passed along word of Nerlens Noel's contract with the Sixers, and heard confirmation from the Raptors that they've signed three players to training camp deals. Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:

Metta World Peace tells Dan Duggan of Newsday that he "got calls from Oklahoma and the Clippers and all these teams" when he was amnestied by the Lakers, but he's happy with his decision to sign with the Knicks.
Speaking at the Bucks Partner Summit in Milwaukee yesterday, future NBA commissioner Adam Silver made it clear that the city is in need of a new arena, writes Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. "At the end of the day compared to other modern arenas in the league, this arena is a few hundred thousand square feet too small," Silver said. "It doesn’t have the sort of back-of-house space you need, doesn’t have the kinds of amenities we need."
Derrick Rose has said in the past that he has little interest in actively recruiting other players to the Bulls, and as he prepares to return from an ACL injury, he's sticking to that stance. "I don't recruit. If anyone wants to play with me, I don't mind playing with, it could be anyone in the NBA, but as far as recruiting, I never did and never will," Rose told Rappler.com (link via ESPNChicago.com).
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld examines the Hawks' signing of Paul Millsap, which he views as one of the more underappreciated moves of the summer.