Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Josh Smith, Lowry, Lucas, Bulls

February 2nd, 2013 at 1:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

It doesn't look like anything will derail a trip to the postseason for the teams currently in the top seven of the Eastern Conference, but with Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger both lost for the year, the Celtics appear more vulnerable than their three-game lead for the eighth spot would suggest. The Sixers, who could get Andrew Bynum back soon, are ninth, and the Pistons and Raptors, a pair of teams that could get a boost from this week's trade, are next in line. Here's more from the East:

Though other reports have contradicted Alex Kennedy's recent dispatch that the Suns have interest in Josh Smith, the HoopsWorld scribe stands by his story, and says the Rockets and Bobcats have had exploratory talks with the Hawks as well (Twitter links).
While Marc Stein of ESPN.com has heard the suggestion that the Raptors might have intended to get rid of Kyle Lowry as well as Jose Calderon, he doesn't see that happening now, especially given the close friendship between Lowry and new acquisiton Rudy Gay.
The Raptors signed John Lucas III last summer with the idea that he would slide into the rotation if a Calderon trade went down, Stein points out. Lucas responded with 17 points in less than 19 minutes during last night's upset of the Clippers.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the possibility LeBron James could sign with the Bulls in 2014, when the team is set to have plenty of cap space to accomodate King James and others.
Cowley also notes that Bulls GM Gar Forman is likely to sign free agents primarily to one-year contracts this summer, just as he did in 2012, as last year's free agent tracker shows.
HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham provides an update on Bynum, Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, and other key injured players due back around the All-Star break, speculating that their returns might make it less likely that their teams participate in trade deadline deals.

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Garnett, Heat, Bulls

February 1st, 2013 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Ex-NBA veteran Troy Hudson has officially ended his playing career, Sioux Falls Skyforce president Mike Heineman announced on Thursday (link via Terry Vandrovec of the Argus Leader). While Hudson hasn't appeared in the NBA since the 2007/08 season, he started this year with the D-League's Skyforce. In 517 career NBA games for five teams, the 6'1" guard averaged 9.0 PPG and 3.4 APG.

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

Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game clarifies (via Sulia) that his report earlier this week on Kevin Garnett simply meant to convey that trade interest in Garnett may not be as strong as expected, since rival general managers aren't convinced he'll play out his contract. Bucher also notes that while those GMs don't expect KG to finish his contract, that doesn't mean they expect him to retire this summer.
In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the Heat's trade options and the team's signing of Jarvis Varnado to a rest-of-season contract.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com has his own mailbag up, which includes his thoughts on the Bulls' potential interest in Greg Oden and the possibility of the team re-signing Nate Robinson this summer.
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld takes a look at which players may be on the move next.

Odds & Ends: Amare, White, Gee, Beasley

January 31st, 2013 at 10:09pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:

Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com is impressed with Amare Stoudemire for accepting a reduced role for the Knicks this season.
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes that the Rockets and Royce White are beginning to come to terms on a plan for managing the rookie forward's anxiety disorder.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer praises forward Alonzo Gee's improvement as a defender.
Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes that Michael Beasley is beginning to reach his potential with the Suns.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times praises Bulls GM Gar Forman for the team's bench.

Ingram On Howard, Grizzlies, Celtics, Boozer, Bargnani

January 25th, 2013 at 9:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest from around the NBA as reported by Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.com:

The Lakers are keeping their options open with regards to Dwight Howard, but as of now they are determined to keep him in Los Angeles.
Ingram doesn't think the Grizzlies should trade Rudy Gay or Zach Randolph this season, writing that they are close enough to title contention to keep the core together in the short term.
The Celtics need to find younger players to build around Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, Ingram writes.
Given Carlos Boozer's recent stretch of excellent play, Ingram doesn't see the Bulls trading him.
While the Raptors would love to trade Andrea Bargnani, it is unlikely that any player he could net in return is worth trading him for.
Ingram talk to Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley about his transition from the D-League to the NBA.
Ingram writes that the firing of head coach Alvin Gentry has injected a sense of urgency into the Suns locker room.

Beck On Knicks, Melo, Lin, Felton, Lakers

January 25th, 2013 at 6:18pm CST by Sean Highkin

Howard Beck of the New York Times has posted a new mailbag in which he answers reader questions about the New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA. Here are the highlights:

Beck stands by criticsms he made at the time of the Knicks' trade for Carmelo Anthony but admits it has worked out better than he expected.
Many people in and around the NBA are impressed with the Bulls' success this season despite Derrick Rose's absence, writes Beck.
Beck doesn't see Kenyon Martin as a realistic option for the Knicks in the event that the injury to Rasheed Wallace is season-ending, citing his advanced age and the team's abundance of forwards.
Beck doesn't believe the Lakers will move Dwight Howard before the trading deadline, although he doesn't consider it as much a lock that he will re-sign in Los Angeles this summer given the team's struggles.
The decision to let Jeremy Lin go and sign Raymond Felton has worked out for the Knicks despite facing heavy criticism at the time, writes Beck.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Bulls, NBPA, Suns

January 25th, 2013 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

So far, the 2012/13 Lakers season has been packed with one low point after another, with repeated promises of fresh starts and silver linings. However, according to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register, the nadir may still be on the way for the Lakers, if not this season, then down the road. Ding reports that Jerry Buss' children, Jim and Jeanie, haven't been on speaking terms since the Lakers chose to hire Mike D'Antoni rather than pursue a reunion with Phil Jackson. Jerry Buss turns 79 this weekend and won't be around forever, making the long-term future of the Lakers' ownership, which includes Buss' 66% share, uncertain, writes Ding.

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

Appearing on ESPN Chicago 1000, Bulls executive VP John Paxson said he remains open to exploring potential trades, but expects the return of Derrick Rose to be the team's impact "move" (link via ESPNChicago.com).
Bulls fans still have plenty of ideas about possible deals for the team, and Sam Smith of Bulls.com addressed many of them in his latest mailbag.
The New York Attorney General's office is looking into the reports released last week on Billy Hunter and the NBPA, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) examines possible targets for the Suns in June's draft, concluding that Ben McLemore of Kansas may be the perfect fit.

Rockets Notes: White, Scola, Cook

January 19th, 2013 at 3:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets have lost six straight, and could drop to .500 if they lose tonight against the banged-up Wolves. They've already fallen out of the top eight teams in the Western Conference, as they sit percentage points behind the Blazers for the last playoff spot. Already this afternoon we heard about their interest in Josh Smith, and there's more noise coming out of Houston, as we round up here.

Royce White wants the Rockets to hire a doctor who would have the authority to determine whether his psychological ailments will allow him to play before each game, he told HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in an interview that will air Tuesday. David Barron of the Houston Chronicle has the details, noting that the White's demands for such medical protocols to be part of a written agreement between the player and the team would violate the CBA.
Luis Scola didn't expect the Rockets to amnesty him this summer, but he wasn't completely caught off guard when the team sent him away, as he tells Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. "I was ready for some closure, and when I knew that they were going to amnesty me I thought it was a good thing because I could finally focus on playing and get some closure and know for sure where I was going to play next season and just move on," the power forward said. "I wish I could have stayed in Houston because it was a good place, but now I am happy in Phoenix. It’s a nice city, great organization, great fans."
Brigham also checked in with Daequan Cook, whom the Bulls picked up right after the Rockets waived him earlier this month. With the new address came a change in the locker room atmosphere around him. "Nothing against Houston, but there are just mature guys in here, some veterans guys and guys who played in the league for so long where you can just tell the difference,” Cook said.

Players Still Ineligible To Be Traded

January 15th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Today is January 15th, which means that a number of players who had been ineligible to be traded until this point are now free to be moved by their respective teams. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors outlined last month, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Ersan Ilyasova, and Jeff Green are among the players who weren't eligible to be dealt until today.

However, in addition to rules that keeps players from being traded until December 15th or January 15th, the CBA also includes a stipulation that a team must have a player on its roster for three months before being able to trade him. That means guys who have signed contracts since October 15th are still ineligible to be dealt.

Here are the players who can't be traded quite yet, along with the dates they'll become trade-eligible:

Leandro Barbosa (Celtics): January 18th
Daniel Orton (Thunder): January 31st
Shaun Livingston (Cavaliers): February 15th

Because the trade deadline arrives on February 21st, players signed after November 21st won't become trade-eligible until after the season. Here are the guys who fit that description:

Jeff Adrien (Bobcats)
James Anderson (Rockets)
Patrick Beverley (Rockets)
Daequan Cook (Bulls)
Kevin Jones (Cavaliers)
Mickael Pietrus (Raptors)
Garrett Temple (Wizards)

In addition to recent signees, players who were claimed off amnesty waivers last July are also ineligible to be traded until July 2013. Some amnesty victims, like Andray Blatche, cleared waivers without being claimed and signed new contracts, so they're trade-eligible now, but the following players can't be moved this season:

Elton Brand (Mavericks)
Brendan Haywood (Bobcats)
Luis Scola (Suns)

Finally, players on 10-day contracts, such as Dominic McGuire, Maalik Wayns, and Josh Harrellson, also won't be trade-eligible at any point this season, even if they eventually receive rest-of-season contracts.

Greg Oden Rumors: Friday

January 11th, 2013 at 8:13pm CST by Luke Adams

8:13pm: Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports that several other teams in addition to the Mavericks are interested in possibly signing Oden. The Cavs, Hawks, and Grizzlies are rumored to have already conducted workouts with Oden, while the Bucks, Bulls, Spurs, and Warriors are also said to have interest.

3:15pm: When we heard yesterday that Greg Oden was aiming to return to the NBA for the 2013/14 season, the Heat were the only one of the big man's potential suitors identified. We can add another club to that list, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports the Mavericks have been in touch with agent Mike Conley Sr. to inquire on Oden.

Oden, who is taking classes at Ohio State, continues to recover from his third microfracture surgery, and isn't expected to be ready to return to action until the fall. However, yesterday's report suggested that there may be teams interested in signing the former first overall pick to a multiyear deal this season, to allow him to rehab under an NBA club's supervision. The Mavs could make a strong case to Oden, writes MacMahon, though he's unsure what sort of financial commitment the team would be willing to make to the oft-injured seven-footer.

As we heard this morning, Conley hinted that the Heat aren't necessarily the frontrunners for his client, and didn't rule out any clubs except for the Trail Blazers.

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Hamilton, Nets, Oden

January 11th, 2013 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Eastern Conference's top two teams fell last night, as the Heat lost a nailbiter in Portland and the Carmelo Anthony-less Knicks dropped a low-scoring affair in Indiana. Thursday's results further compress the playoff picture in the East, where the top eight teams, from the No. 1 Heat to the No. 8 Celtics, are all separated by just 5.5 games. Here are a few Friday updates related to four of those eight Eastern contenders:

Asked about the Knicks' reported interest in Kenyon Martin, coach Mike Woodson told reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday, "that's news to me." If Marcus Camby is forced to miss time after aggravating a foot injury Thursday night, then the Knicks could look to sign someone, says Iannazzone.
Richard Hamilton, who turns 35 next month, tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that he doesn't expect to play past age 38. Hamilton's contract for next year is mostly non-guaranteed, and he would turn 38 during the 2015/16 season, so he'd likely have to sign at least a couple more deals to play that long.
Nets management has been impressed with the job done so far by coach P.J. Carlesimo, who will "almost certainly" hold the job until the end of the season, a source tells Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
Greg Oden's agent, Mike Conley Sr., tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he's 100% certain his client will be playing in the NBA next season. Conley didn't talk extensively about teams that could be in play, but hinted that the Heat aren't necessarily the frontrunners, and said the Trail Blazers definitely aren't an option. I'm not sure the Heat were widely viewed as the favorites — Miami was just the only specific suitor named in Brian Windhorst's report yesterday.