Central Notes: Bulls, Gibson, Pistons, Allen
Here's a look at the latest out of the Central Division..
- The Bulls and Taj Gibson have been talking about a possible extension since June, but the forward says that he isn't preoccupied with the contract talk, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Yesterday, it was reported that the two sides are "getting closer" on agreeing to a long-term extension. For his part, Gibson has said that he would like to remain in Chicago.
- For the Pistons to have success in 2012/13, they'll need further development from their young players and an immediate impact from the newcomers, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Forward/Center Greg Monroe is among those who need to take the next big leap in Goodwill's view.
- Despite his brother Tony Allen's ties to Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, Ryan Allen is a long shot to make Chicago's roster, as Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com writes. However, it helps that like his older brother, the younger Allen also very defensive-minded – an obvious plus with Thibodeau.
Derrick Rose Helped Bulls Recruit Kirk Hinrich
Although Derrick Rose has expressed a reluctance in the past to take an active role in recruiting free agents, that stance came to an end this summer, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Rose told media in Chicago yesterday that he played a role in helping the Bulls attract Kirk Hinrich in free agency.
"Kirk is someone I could see playing alongside a long time," Rose said. "When you’re a hooper and you know someone on the court is going into a battle with you, and he’s not giving up if he knows you are going to keep battling and I’m someone that will keep fighting to the end, and he’s the same as you, so why not have him on the team? Kirk is the first person I recruited."
As Shams Charania of RealGM.com writes, Rose has talked in the past about wanting to stay out of the team's personnel decisions and leaving that to the front office. However, Charania says Rose sent a "clear message" yesterday that he wants to see the Bulls add players that are passionate to play in Chicago.
"My teammates, they want to be here," Rose said. "It isn’t no trade thing. The people that want to be here, they’re here for a reason: It’s because they want to be here."
Hinrich, who signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Bulls is expected to step in for Rose during the season's first half, while the All-Star point guard recovers from his ACL injury.
Bulls, Thibodeau Agree On Four-Year Extension
1:53pm: Thibodeau's four-year extension will pay him about $17.5MM, with bonuses that could increase the total value to $20MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
1:14pm: The Bulls and Tom Thibodeau have reached an agreement on a four-year extension for the head coach, GM Gar Forman announced today at a press conference in Chicago (Twitter link via Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com). Thibodeau's contract, which was set to expire at season's end, had been a hot topic of discussion over the offseason, but the 2011 Coach of the Year says he was never worried about his future.
"I'm thankful to Jerry [Reinsdorf] and Gar and John [Paxson]," Thibodeau said (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune). "I never doubted it would work out. I love being here."
The Bulls initially elected to simply pick up Thibodeau's contract option for the 2012/13 rather than working out a long-term extension. However, we heard last month that the two sides had resumed negotiations on a new deal.
In his two years on the Bulls' bench, Thibodeau has led the team to an extremely impressive 112-36 (.757) record. The team has yet to break through in the postseason, however, with the 2011/12 season coming to an end after a pair of devastating injuries to Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
Bulls, Taj Gibson Making Progress On Extension
Bulls fans received some good news today when the team announced that head coach Tom Thibodeau had agreed to a four-year extension to remain in Chicago. According to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com, Thibodeau may not be the only one extended by the Bulls this month. Sam tweets that Taj Gibson and the Bulls are "getting closer" to a long-term extension.
This isn't the first time we've heard optimism about the possibility of Gibson and the Bulls reaching an agreement on a new contract before Halloween. On September 22nd, agent Mark Bartelstein told Shams Charania of RealGM.com that he was confident about getting a deal done, and that his client "loves being a Bull."
When the Bulls let Omer Asik sign with the Rockets earlier this offseason, there was speculation that an anticipated long-term deal for Gibson was part of the reasoning behind the team's decision. Ryan Raroque of Hoops Rumors examined Gibson's extension candicacy shortly after Asik left, concluding that a deal worth about $6MM annually could work for both sides. I wouldn't be surprised if Gibson scores a payday even a little higher than that.
Bulls Sign Five To Finalize Camp Roster
The Bulls have officially signed five players to finalize their training camp roster, the team announced today in a press release. In addition to previously reported signees like Andre Emmett and Kyrylo Fesenko, the Bulls also added Marko Jaric, Ryan Allen, and Vance Cooksey, according to the team release.
With 13 players previously under contract, the Bulls were up against a hard cap, with only about $758K available to spend on players. However, since these five players were presumably signed to summer contracts, the salary won't count against Chicago's cap unless one of more of these guys makes the team. In that case, the Bulls would have to shed salary in another way, perhaps via trade, to clear room.
In addition to previously hearing about Emmett's and Fesenko's agreements, we also heard that Jaric and Allen were working out with the Bulls. Cooksey is the only new name — he spent last season playing in the D-League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Texas Legends, averaging 8.8 PPG and 4.8 APG in 38 contests.
Odds & Ends: Thibodeau, Celtics, Green, Lakers
Tonight's look around the Association..
- Even if the Bulls and coach Tom Thibodeau are unable to reach agreement on an extension, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that it won't be a distraction for the hyper-focused coach. While many would expect a coach of Thibodeau's caliber to secure a deal well in advance of its expiration, Johnson notes that Thunder coach Scott Brooks and Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle both coached out their last contracts before re-signing.
- Despite concerns about his health after missing last season with a heart issue, Celtics coach Doc Rivers says that forward Jeff Green has some of the best conditioning on the team, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Many have questioned the wisdom of giving Green a four-year, $36MM deal, particularly since it does not offer some type of insurance should his heart condition resurface.
- Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register previews the Lakers with five questions surrounding the team as they enter the 2012/13 season. Chief among them is how Kobe Bryant and the newly-acquired Steve Nash will co-exist together in the backcourt. For the offense to run smoothly, Ding opines that Bryant will have to take a backseat at times in order to allow Nash and Dwight Howard to operate effectively.
Central Notes: Pacers, Villanueva, Jaric, Pargo
As the Cavs reportedly put the finishing touches on a training-camp contract for Kevin Anderson, their division rivals are staying active as well. Here's the latest on a few Central Division teams:
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star examines the Pacers' final couple roster spots, predicting that Sam Young will earn one, while Blake Ahearn and Sundiata Gaines will compete for the other.
- After a forgettable 2011/12 season, Charlie Villanueva is fighting to bounce back for the Pistons this year, as Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News writes. Asked about the amnesty rumors that surrounded him in July, Villanueva admitted that it was hard not to notice: "It burns me up. It just drove me. Instead of being upset, I said, this will pass and I will let my game do the talking."
- Marko Jaric was in recently to work out with the Bulls, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter). Jaric has seven years of NBA experience under his belt, but hasn't played in the league since 2008/09, with the Grizzlies.
- Jannero Pargo expects to finalize a deal within the next couple days, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). Charania adds that Pargo is "sticking around Chicago," but I would assume that's just where he's working out, rather than an indication he'll sign with the Bulls.
Bulls To Sign Kyrylo Fesenko
9:47pm: K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes that the Bulls, who have $758,550 left to spend, could sign another player at the veteran's minimum once it pro-rates to that amount in late November (Twitter link). Mark Deeks of ShamSports suggests via Twitter that the Bulls could waive Fesenko at the end of training camp and re-sign him once they're able. The Bulls could do the same with fellow camp invitee Andre Emmett, but another team, either in the NBA or overseas, would be free to snap up Fesenko and Emmett while they waited.
8:29pm: The Bulls will sign Kyrylo Fesenko by the end of the week, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. He was in Chicago on Monday for a workout after auditioning for the Spurs earlier this month, and reportedly had the Cavs tentatively on his workout schedule as well. He was also said to be in contact with the Hawks and the Heat.
Stein says the 7'1" center will receive a non-guaranteed contract, and Sam Amick of SI.com reports via Twitter that it will be for the minimum. The team doesn't have enough room under its $74.307MM hard cap to retain Fesenko for the regular season, even at the minimum salary, without waiving or trading another one of its players.
Fesenko signed with the Pacers in March for the balance of the 2011/12 season, and appeared in only three regular season games. He scored a total of eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in 17 minutes, and didn't see action in any of the team's playoff games. The Ukraine native averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game during the previous four seasons with the Jazz, upping those numbers slightly when he started nine of the Jazz's 10 playoff games in 2009/10 for the injured Mehmet Okur.
Odds & Ends: Irving, Spurs, Clippers, McGrady
Reigning rookie of the year point guard Kyrie Irving rejoined his teammates on Monday, competing in his first five-on-five scrimmage since breaking his hand two months ago, writes Yahoo! Sports NBA reporter Marc J. Spears.
Here's a look elsewhere around the league.
- Hoopsworld.com's Yannis Koutroupis asks whether or not the Spurs title window is closed, given the fact that they only added one player (Nando De Colo) to their roster this offseason.
- Hoopsworld.com's Joel Brigham gives five teams from the Eastern Conference he believes must be watched heading into next season.
- Sporting News' Sean Deveney believes both Tracy McGrady and Baron Davis are at the crossroads of their respective careers, with both players possibly at a point where no more NBA basketball will be played.
- In his continuing series previewing each division, NBA.com's John Schuhmann writes about the Pacific Division, honing in on the Clippers and how they'll try to keep up with the Lakers this year.
- NBA.com's Sam Smith writes that the Bulls didn't dismantle their "bench mob" — they improved it.
- It's a contract season for Jazz forward Paul Millsap, and in many ways it'll also be the biggest year of his life, writes The Salt Lake Tribune's Brian T. Smith.
Kyrylo Fesenko Working Out With Bulls
Kyrylo Fesenko is set to work out with the Bulls today, according to Fesenko himself. The five-year NBA veteran announced the workout yesterday via Twitter: "Just landed in Chicago. Tomorrow I have a workout with the Bulls. Really excited to see Korver, Boozer and Brewer!"
Fesenko clearly hasn't been following the Bulls' offseason too closely, as two of the three players he mentioned are no longer in Chicago — Kyle Korver was traded to the Hawks, while Ronnie Brewer was waived and subsequently signed by the Knicks. If Fesenko is unfamiliar with the team's current roster, you have to wonder if he knows about its cap situation. The Bulls are up against a hard cap, meaning if they were to sign Fesenko, it would have to be a non-guaranteed deal, and another roster move would be required to keep him into the regular season.
Fesenko, 25, reportedly worked out for the Spurs earlier this month and may have had a workout with the Cavs as well. The Hawks and Heat were also said to be in contact with the seven-footer, who played just three games last season for the Pacers. In 135 career NBA contests, the former second-round pick has averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 8.2 MPG.