Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Rumors: Cavs, Mayo, Bulls, Belinelli

May 11th, 2013 at 11:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

After three games in both Eastern Conference Semifinals, the pair of Central Division representatives are in opposite positions. The Pacers are up 2-1, with a chance to push the Knicks to the edge with a win in Game Four at Indiana. The Bulls find themselves at the wrong end of a 2-1 series score against the Heat, with a virtual must win Monday night in Chicago. Here's more on the Bulls and a division rival that would probably welcome even an 0-3 playoff deficit these days:

Bob Finnan of The News-Herald doesn't expect the Cavaliers to spend freely this summer, but suggests the team might make a run at O.J. Mayo.
In her latest mailbag for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Mary Schmitt Boyer discusses Anderson Varejao's health and future in Cleveland, potential Cavs offseason moves, and more.
The Bulls play defense with attitude, and that's what separates Tom Thibodeau from the similarly defensive-minded Mike Brown, as The Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw opines.
In his NBA Saturday piece, HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham speculates that Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli will command multiyear deals as free agents this summer. Brigham thinks that makes it unlikely the Bulls will re-sign them, given the team's incentive to clear cap space for next summer.
David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune agrees that the Bulls have their eyes on 2014, though he believes re-signing Belinelli would be a worthwhile investment. Haugh also advises the team to wait until 2014 to amnesty Carlos Boozer.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Prigioni, Nets, Bobcats, Redick

May 10th, 2013 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending 17 years playing professional basketball in Europe, Pablo Prigioni has enjoyed his first taste of the NBA this season with the Knicks. Prigioni will be a free agent at season's end, but George Bass, who represents Prigioni, tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that his client is interested in re-signing with the Knicks.

"Pablo really enjoyed himself here, and he has interest in playing again next year," Bass said. "He's fallen in love with New York, there's no doubt. The Knicks are just a first-class organization, so it's been good all the way around."

Here are a few more updates from around the Eastern Conference:

With Bojan Bogdanovic expected to sign with the Nets this summer, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines what ramifications such a move would have for Brooklyn.
There's no timetable for the Bobcats' coaching search, which figures to be lengthy and include plenty of candidates, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Before he makes a decision in free agency in July, J.J. Redick plans to consult with Mike Krzyzewski, his former coach at Duke, as Andrew Gruman of FOX Sports Wisconsin writes.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com identifies a few possible offseason targets for the Celtics.
Over at Bulls.com, Sam Smith's latest mailbag focuses primarily on the current Bulls/Heat series, but also looks ahead to the summer. Asked about Nate Robinson's value on the open market, Smith predicts Robinson will be looking at an annual salary in the $3MM neighborhood.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Cavaliers, 76ers

May 4th, 2013 at 11:25pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Despite ongoing criticism directed at Derrick Rose for not returning to action yet after being medically cleared nearly two months ago, the Bulls superstar remains unfazed, primarily because he doesn't put himself in a position to hear about any of it, observes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. As for the theory that the "Rose camp" – whether it involves his brother Reggie, Adidas, or agent B.J. Armstrong – has decided to keep him out of action, Rose dispelled the notion, telling Cowley, “Who said that? If anything, it’s up to me…My brother and them can’t tell me what to do with my body. They give me control. I’m in control of the whole process. It’s really all on me.’’ Rose also mentions that he's still trying to prepare himself mentally for a return and downplayed the idea that the Bulls have put pressure on him to make haste on a comeback. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer provides a breakdown of the Cavaliers' key free agents and lists who he'd keep as well as let go.
Tom Moore of Philly Burbs thinks that landing a proven head coach for the 76ers will be challenging without a star or the ability to attract a big time free agent.
Jackie MacMullan of ESPN Boston writes that Doc Rivers' job will become infinitely more difficult without Kevin Garnett, who has been a vocal leader and loyal supporter of the nine-year Celtics coach.
Paul Pierce says that it will be up to GM Danny Ainge to determine whether or not Boston's core should be dismantled this summer, writes Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press.

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Wolves, Blazers, Hunter

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics made quite an attempt at a comeback, both in the series and in tonight's Game Six, but ultimately the Knicks polished off Boston this evening to set up a second-round date with the Pacers. The loss left some in Boston's locker room wondering about their futures as they spoke with reporters. Coach Doc Rivers isn't entirely sure he'll want to come back for next season, but he anticipates he'll opt to return to the bench when he makes up his mind this summer. Rivers isn't certain Kevin Garnett will come back, either, though that decision is up to KG. For his part, Garnett says he's not ready to make up his mind, but suggests the team's decision on whether to keep Paul Pierce will have heavy influence.

Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com rounds up more comments from the C's as they begin their offseason, and as they ponder their next moves, here's what's happening elsewhere across the NBA:

Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune examines Glen Taylor's decision to abandon the idea of selling the Wolves, and points out the owner's cryptic remarks about his plan to keep the team in Minnesota.
Sources tell Henry Abbott of ESPN.com that the Trail Blazers paid the Wolves $1.5MM to settle their dispute over Martell Webster, and Abbott explains how the outcome can be considered a coup for ousted Wolves GM David Kahn.
Lindsey Hunter isn't assured of remaining the coach of the Suns, but if he's bounced, he shouldn't count on a soft landing with the Pistons, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
On the eve of Game Seven against the Nets, Sam Smith of Bulls.com answers reader questions about Derrick Rose and the Bulls' offseason plans.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders if soon-to-be free agent Kirk Hinrich's postseason performance has made him too expensive for the Bulls to re-sign.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Robinson, Bobcats, Pistons

May 3rd, 2013 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets' win in Chicago last night ensured that we'll get at least one Game Seven in the first round of this year's playoffs, but if we're lucky, we could do a lot better than that. With four Game Sixes on tap for tonight, including two more Eastern Conference series, there's a chance this year's first round could break the NBA record for most Game Sevens in a single playoff round. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter), there has never been more than three in a round. As we look forward to tonight's packed slate, let's check out some notes from around the East….

In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes that Patrick Beverley is in a good spot in Houston and that the Heat won a title without him, a win-win situation for both sides. However, Winderman adds that a defensive third-string point guard like Beverley could have come in handy for Miami, and "it's not as if there wasn't roster space to try to make it work." The Heat signed Beverley to a guaranteed two-year deal in 2010, but cut him shortly thereafter.
Nate Robinson figures to land more than a veteran's minimum contract in free agency this summer, but don't bank on him receiving a huge raise, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
With at least five candidates already in the mix for the Bobcats' head coaching opening, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer anticipates a search as wide-ranging as last year's. Charlotte's hunt for a coach last May involved so many names that I dedicated a post at the time to keeping them all straight.
Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News breaks down nine potential candidates for the Pistons' head coaching opening, in slideshow form. GM Joe Dumars and owner Tom Gores will be advised by Phil Jackson in the Pistons' search, as the team announced yesterday.

Central Notes: Bucks, Jennings, Pistons, Bulls

April 29th, 2013 at 7:40pm CST by Zachary Links

After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Heat, the Bucks gave their exit interviews with reporters. Milwaukee could look extremely different next season with several impact players bound for the open market and coach Jim Boylan reportedly on the hot seat. Here's more on the Bucks and other news out of the Central Division..

As Brandon Jennings gets ready to start fielding offer sheets from clubs this summer, he says that he'll leave the process up to agent Jeff Schwartz, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Jennings has been unsatisfied with the Bucks in the past but he recently expressed some fondness for the club in an interview with ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com suggested that Knicks assistant Darrell Walker would be a good fit for the vacant Pistons job. Aldridge writes that the 52-year-old is a no-nonsense coach who's not afraid to challenge players when they give less than their best. Detroit is looking for a new head coach after letting Lawrence Frank go earlier this month.
The Milwaukee Association of Commerce recently met to discuss the idea of building a new arena for the Bucks and the ramifications of possibly losing their NBA franchise down the line, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. The city may also renovate the BMO Harris Bradley Center which was opened in 1988.
While speaking about Jason Collins' decision to come out of the closet, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that the club met with him while he was a free agent last summer, tweets K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The spot that would have gone to Collins eventually went to Nazr Mohammed.

Bulls Interested In Re-Signing Nazr Mohammed

April 26th, 2013 at 9:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nazr Mohammed has played well in limited minutes during the first three games of the Bulls' first-round series against the Nets, and that appears to have GM Gar Forman hoping the 35-year-old big man will be back with the team next season. Forman told Mohammed on Friday that he should "buy, not rent," as Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune writes. Mohammed, a Chicago native, seemed pleased to hear it, saying he'd love to end his career in the city where he grew up.

Mohammed has averaged 13.3 minutes per game in the playoffs this year, giving the ailing Joakim Noah some rest, and has made six of his nine shots from the floor. That's in contrast to a regular season when Mohammed shot just 36.7% in 11 MPG, his worst field goal percentage since his rookie season. Still, his per-game plus-minus was just -0.2, meaning the Bulls were at least able to tread water while he was on the floor, a decent result for a minimum-salary signee. Despite his age and relatively short 6'10" stature, as centers go, he averaged 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes, better than his career rate of 1.4.

The Bulls probably don't envision bringing Mohammed back on anything more than another minimum-salary contract, especially since he seems motivated to stay in his hometown. If they do give him a raise, they could use his Non-Bird rights to extend him a contract worth up to 120% of his salary this season, which would mean an offer of $1,622,617.

Odds & Ends: NBPA, James, Datome, Love

April 25th, 2013 at 9:01pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets that the U.S. Attorney's office has indicted Prim Capital for falsifying a document to defraud the NBPA of $3MM. Wojnarowski provided a link to the full press release earlier as well. Prim Capital, in which the son of former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter was vice president, previously had a consulting contract with the player's union that was later deemed fraudulent by the U.S. Attorney's office. Here are more of tonight's odds and ends:

Knicks guard Jason Kidd credits Kenyon Martin for "saving our season," writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. It is difficult to imagine where New York would have been without Martin's contributions, especially as the team has dealt with plenty of injuries in their frontcourt.
Eric Koreen of the National Post outlines the top ten legacies that are on the line during the NBA playoffs.
Jon Humbert of KOMO tweets that the Longshore Union filed an appeal over the land use challenge for the Seattle arena. Last month, a report from The Seattle Times (via the Associated press) said that the Longshoremen have been in staunch opposition of an arena being built near the Seattle waterfront, due to the congestion of the area that would be caused by athletic events.
Mike James proved to be a viable pickup for the Mavericks this season, averaging 8.1 PPG and 4.2 APG while helping the team finish 15-8 over their final 23 games. Although James said recently that he'd like to play two more seasons with the Mavs, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas discusses why the Amityville product doesn't figure to be in the team's long-term plans.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is expected to travel to Rome next week to scout Gigi Datome, according to Sportando.net (hat tip to Il Corriere dello Sport).
Following up on a hypothetical trade proposed by Grantland's Bill
Simmons, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com examines the possibility of
the Bulls trying to trade for Kevin Love, exploring whether a package of
Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikola Mirotic, and
Charlotte's first-round pick would be more than Chicago would be willing
to give up.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at the evolution of Paul George into an All-Star and a leader in the Pacers locker room.

Kyler’s Latest: Korver, Bulls, Allen, Bucks

April 24th, 2013 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld on Monday, Steve Kyler explored the upcoming free agencies for a number of point guards on playoff teams. Today, Kyler turns his attention to the shooting guards in the postseason who could be hitting the free agent market this summer. Let's round up the notable tidbits from his piece….

The Hawks could have interest in retaining Kyle Korver, but he also won't be the team's top priority, so Korver could accept a multiyear offer from a rival suitor before Atlanta is ready to finalize anything with him. I touched on this when I examined Korver's free agent stock last month.
Marco Belinelli may not be back in Chicago next season, since the Bulls will be looking to upgrade the two-guard spot, according to Kyler.
Tony Allen has good relationships with Zach Randolph and Lionel Hollins, which could be a factor if he's deciding whether or not to re-sign with the Grizzlies. However, he'd want to know whether Randolph or Hollins are part of the front office's long-term plan in Memphis, says Kyler.
Kyler suggests that Lance Stephenson and Willie Green, who have non-guaranteed contracts with the Pacers and Clippers respectively, could make for interesting trade chips if their teams decided to pair them with another asset.
One of the Bucks' reasons for acquiring J.J. Redick at the trade deadline was to give the team insurance in free agency, so that the team can still retain two starting guards if one of Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, or Redick receives an offer Milwaukee doesn't want to match.

Central Links: George, Pacers, Bulls, Bucks

April 23rd, 2013 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Cavs work toward officially re-hiring Mike Brown as their new head coach, here are a few more Tuesday updates out of the Central Division:

Paul George was named the NBA's Most Improved Player of 2012/13 earlier today, and Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweets that a contract extension could be next for the 22-year-old. George will be entering the final year of his rookie deal this summer, making him extension-eligible, and Pacers owner Herb Simon "will be paying up," according to Wells.
David Morway, the former Pacers GM who played a crucial role in Indiana's rebuilding process, talked to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld about the process of rebuilding an NBA franchise, suggesting that there isn't necessarily one specific way to approach the task.
As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes in his latest column, two key contributors to the Bulls' Game Two win in Brooklyn last night, Tom Thibodeau and Nazr Mohammed, had been pursued by the Nets in the past.
Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn't expect the draft, free agency, or a new coach to make a huge impact for the Bucks, and wonders if a new ownership group would provide the sort of shake-up the franchise needs.