Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Hunter, Extensions, Lin, Thibodeau

September 18th, 2013 at 8:27pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are some odds and ends from around the NBA on Wednesday:

The Warriors have officially added Lindsey Hunter to Mark Jackson's staff as an assistant coach, the team announced today in a press release. Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game initially reported last week that the former Suns head coach was finalizing a deal with Golden State.
It wouldn't be a shock if none of the 16 extension-eligible players from the rookie class of 2010 signed a deal before hitting restricted free agency next summer, writes Mark Deeks of SB Nation. Deeks opines that teams would rather let external offer sheets set the market for their own hard-to-project players than committing big dollars prematurely. Of course, based on a report this afternoon, it seems that Paul George will be extended this offseason.
While he has certainly been through a lot, it is important to remember that Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin is still in the early stages of his career, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, who notes that Lin has had less starts (107) than fellow young point guards Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight. Assuming he isn't traded, Lin will return to the team he was on the year before for the first time in his career.
The Luol Deng situation in Chicago has put Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau in a "vortex of drama," writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, who says that the list of coaches who dislike distractions more than Thibs is very short.

Eastern Notes: Singleton, Okafor, Bulls, Knicks

September 18th, 2013 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Singleton will undergo foot surgery today and will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, the Wizards announced today in a press release. Not only does the injury, which occurred in a voluntary workout, put Singleton's status for opening night in jeopardy, but it could have an impact on his future in Washington.

The Wizards have until October 31st to decide whether or not to exercise Singleton's $2.49MM option for the 2014/15 season. Now that the club won't get to watch him in camp and in the preseason, the decision figures to be made primarily based on his NBA production to date, which has been underwhelming — he has averaged 4.4 PPG and an 8.1 PER in his first two seasons.

As we wish Singleton a speedy recovery, let's round up a few more items from around the Eastern Conference….

Singleton's teammate, Emeka Okafor, also looks like he'll miss the start of the season. The Wizards announced today that Okafor, who is entering a contract year, will be out indefinitely as he rehabs from a herniated disc. Okafor tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he's not considering retirement and plans to return this season (Twitter link).
While Tom Thibodeau has downplayed any sort of discord between him and the Bulls' front office, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the head coach would be upset if the team traded Luol Deng or let him walk in free agency. "Ask Tom how important he thinks Luol is," the source said. "How happy do you think he would be with that decision?"
In his latest Heat mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel shares his thoughts on Dwyane Wade vs. Kyrie Irving, Joel Anthony's contract, and Steve Kerr's 2013/14 predictions.
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explores the issue of how the Knicks will complete their roster, asking readers if the team should add a big man, a forward, or a guard.
Begley adds (via Twitter) that former prep star Jonathan Hargett worked out at the Knicks facility, though it was in an informal capacity and the team isn't currently planning to sign him.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Bulls, Bucks

September 17th, 2013 at 10:15pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Eastern Conference.

According to a tweet from Boston Globe scribe Baxter Holmes, the Celtics training camp invites are all set. Chris Babb, Damen Bell-Holter, DeShawn Sims, and Kammron Taylor round out the list.
Trey McKinney Jones, a former guard for the Miami Hurricanes, will participate in the Bucks training camp, according to Hoopshype.com.
According to the team, the Bulls have made several changes to their staff, promoting Randy Brown to assistant GM, Nick Papendieck to head strength coach, and Ivica Dukan to director of international scouting, as well as special assistant to the general manager.

Bulls Monitoring Kurt Thomas

September 13th, 2013 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls signed a pair of guards to training camp deals yesterday, adding a couple more bodies to an already crowded backcourt. According to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com though, the team also has a big man target in mind for later in the year. Deeks tweets that the Bulls are keeping an eye on Kurt Thomas, waiting for the veteran to get healthy.

Thomas, 40, struggled with foot issues in 2012/13, and was eventually released by the Knicks when he underwent surgery and was ruled out for the season. It was widely assumed that the procedure signaled the end of Thomas' NBA playing career, but a report in May suggested that he was still undecided on his future, and was leaving the door open for a return. If he signs with a team for the coming season, the 18-year-veteran would reclaim his title as the NBA's oldest player.

As Deeks notes in his above tweets, Thomas isn't expected to be ready for the start of the season, so that gives the Bulls some options, even if they intend to eventually sign him. Dexter Pittman is set to join the team for training camp, and if he impresses, perhaps Chicago's interest in Thomas will wane. The club would also have the flexibility to carry a non-guaranteed player for the first few weeks of the season, cutting him prior to the league's guarantee date in January in order to create room for Thomas or another player.

Bulls Sign Patrick Christopher, Kalin Lucas

September 12th, 2013 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

1:40pm: Former Michigan State guard Kalin Lucas has also signed with the Bulls, according to Deeks (via Twitter). It sounds like his contract will be fully non-guaranteed as well.

As our international tracker shows, Lucas also played for a Turkish team in 2012/13.

1:32pm: The Bulls have signed free agent guard Patrick Christopher to a non-guaranteed training camp deal, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter).

Christopher, 25, went undrafted out of California in 2010, and has been playing overseas since then. As our international player movement tracker shows, he spent last season in Turkey with Besiktas. Christopher averaged 8.4 PPG in 24 contests with the club.

The Bulls will only have 15 players under contract once they make their deals with Christopher, Mike James, and Dexter Pittman official, so there's a chance a regular-season roster spot will be available if Christopher has a strong camp. Still, he's likely a long shot.

Odds & Ends: Bulls, Beasley, Heat, Cavaliers

September 11th, 2013 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Wednesday odds and ends from around the NBA….

The Bulls have some good assets in the pipeline, such as Nikola Mirotic, a Bobcats first-round pick, and the opportunity to clear some cap space next summer. Nonetheless, this year's roster may provide Chicago its best chance at a title over the next few years, says Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com, wondering if 2013/14 will be the current core's final run.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times explores a similar topic, writing that the Bulls' apparent willingness to let Luol Deng hit unrestricted free agency in 2014 indicates the team may have its eye on other targets.
As teams consider whether to take a flier on free agent Michael Beasley, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com cautions that Beasley's potential and talent may have been overstated. The troubled forward hasn't been effective since he played at Kansas State and has regressed in each of his NBA seasons, says Deeks.
Due to increasing tax penalties, many NBA teams, including the Heat, figure to be less inclined to carry the maximum 15 players this season, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in his latest mailbag.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Amin Elhassan lists the top 30 potential free agents of 2014, ranked in order of their expected average annual salary.
The Cavaliers officially announced today that Steve Hetzel will coach the team's D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge.

Mike James To Sign With Bulls

September 10th, 2013 at 5:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike James has reached an agreement with the Bulls, and will sign a training camp deal with the team later this week, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). It's not clear what sort of contract James will sign, but I'd imagine it'll be fully non-guaranteed, or close to it.

James, 38, had a solid season for the Mavericks in 2012/13, averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.1 APG in 45 contests. He started 23 games at the point for Dallas, when the team's other options were underperforming. The veteran appeared in 11 games for the Bulls in 2011/12, so if he can earn a regular-season roster spot with the club this season, it'll be his second stint in Chicago.

At the moment, it appears as if James has at least a decent chance to break camp with the Bulls. The team only has 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus second-rounder Erik Murphy on a partially guaranteed deal. Dexter Pittman, like James, is expected to be in camp with Chicago, and I'd imagine the team will extend invites to at least a couple more players.

James had previously been in talks with the Mavericks about a potential return to Dallas. However, the Mavs bolstered their backcourt in July free agency, leaving little room for James.

Odds & Ends: Deng, Bulls, Ebanks, Redick

September 10th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Considering it's still early September, it's been a relatively eventful day when it comes to NBA news. The Bulls and Luol Deng have reportedly stalled on contract extension talks, the Mavericks have invited 2012 first-rounder Fab Melo to camp, and the Pacers have officially signed Darnell Jackson. Not to mention LeBron James shared a few thoughts on his free agency, which may be a rare occurrence this season.

Here are a few more of the day's miscellaneous stories:

Although Deng appears ticketed for unrestricted free agency next summer, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes that extension talks between Deng and the Bulls looked bleak in 2008 as well, but the two sides worked out a deal. While that doesn't mean it'll happen again, it also means negotiations shouldn't necessarily be considered over, says Johnson (Twitter links).
Devin Ebanks tweeted earlier today that he's en route to Orlando, which is notable, since the free agent forward has received a camp invite from the Magic, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets. For now, Ebanks, who has also drawn interest from the Mavericks and Hawks, is just in town to work out for the Magic, a source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link).
In a piece for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains why certain lesser-known players can't be traded without their approval, while superstars like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul don't have no-trade clauses. By Deeks' count, 18 players can't be traded without their approval this season.
Zach Lowe has published another interesting column for Grantland, making the case for why the NBA should consider reducing games from 48 minutes to 40. The chain reaction from such a move could have an effect on max contracts and the way teams use their cap space, as Lowe explains.
New Clipper J.J. Redick is looking forward to playing for a contending team again, as Eric Patten writes at Clippers.com.

Extension Talks Stall For Luol Deng, Bulls

September 10th, 2013 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

11:19am: Deng's agent tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that his client "will go through free agency process next year," suggesting that extension talks have been shelved permanently (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Shams Charania of RealGM.com tweets that negotiations between the two sides never reached the "financial stage."

8:43am: Negotiations between the Bulls and Luol Deng's camp on a contract extension have stalled, reports Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. A source tells Sam that the Bulls have opted to put extension talks on hold for now, as Deng enters the final year of his current deal.

Word first surfaced back in June that the two sides may be talking about a new contract, though at the time agent Herb Rudoy denied that any discussions had taken place. A couple weeks later, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Deng and the Bulls continued to negotiate, which GM Gar Forman confirmed several days later. According to Sam's source, Deng's camp was optimistic about getting something done this summer, but won't mind heading into the season without a new deal.

"We’re not upset, Luol isn’t upset. We’re just looking forward to this season and next summer," said the source. "[The Bulls] were willing to wait and risk losing him next summer as an unrestricted free agent."

While the club doesn't seem to be in a rush to lock Deng up long-term, Sam's source acknowledged that the Bulls expressed how much they value the veteran forward, indicating that they'd like to see him spend the rest of the career with the team.

If Deng does hit free agency next summer, he'd likely be in line for a deal in the neighborhood of the four-year, $48MM pact signed by Andre Iguodala this offseason. Assuming Chicago doesn't trade him this season, the Bulls would hold Deng's Bird Rights, giving them the upper hand to sign him.

Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Deng as an extension candidate in August.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Pistons, Pierce, Williams

September 8th, 2013 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links

We learned earlier today that the Heat are bringing Justin Hamilton to camp, which wasn't a huge surprise since the former LSU big man has been working out at AmericanAirlines Arena for the last few weeks. Hamilton had his moments with the Heat during the 2012 offseason, after he was acquired in a draft-night trade with the 76ers, leading some on the Heat staff at the time to see him as a more promising prospect than Jarvis Varnado. However, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes that Hamilton still faces long camp odds with Greg Oden already something of a long-term developmental project and the Heat possibly keeping the minimum of 13 players to start the year. Hamilton's chances of making the team could also rest on the Heat's ability to move Joel Anthony's pesky contract. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference..

The Central Division is one of the most fascinating divisions in the NBA because of the expectations of competitiveness from each team, writes Zach Harper of CBSSports.com. For the Pistons, their best-case scenario will be seeing Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith become bona fide NBA stars. For the Bulls and Pacers, their ceilings see them as real championship contenders.
John Havlicek told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Sulia link) that he believes the departed Paul Pierce is the greatest one-on-one Celtics player of all-time.
Former Nets big man Jordan Williams signed with Spanish club Bilbao Basket last week but was waived over the weekend, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter).