Bulls Waive Jordan Crawford, Marcus Simmons
The Bulls have waived Jordan Crawford and Marcus Simmons, the team announced via press release. The release of Simmons, a shooting guard who went undrafted in 2011, comes as no surprise, but Crawford, a four-year NBA veteran, appeared to have a decent shot to stick for opening night. The moves reduce the Bulls roster to 15 players, including 13 full guarantees, though that doesn’t necessarily mean the team is through with preseason cuts, since Chicago usually starts the season with only 13 or 14 players. Both Crawford and Simmons signed non-guaranteed deals.
Crawford, 26, was trying to restart his NBA career after spending last season in China and the D-League. The combo guard made 35 starts in 39 appearances for the Celtics in 2013/14, but he spent the second half of that season buried on the bench with the Warriors following a trade, and he’s had trouble regaining his foothold in the NBA since. He averaged 3.2 points in 7.2 minutes per game across five preseason appearances this fall.
Simmons and Crawford were briefly teammates with the D-League Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season. The 27-year-old Simmons won 2010/11 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior at USC, but he’s struggled offensively, shooting just 28.8% on 52 three-point attempts in the D-League last year. He went scoreless in about three minutes of preseason action for the Bulls.
Cameron Bairstow and Cristiano Felicio remain as the only Bulls without full guarantees. Bairstow has a $425K partial guarantee, and while the Bulls are high on Felicio, he’s without any guaranteed money.
And-Ones: Krzyzewski, Ennis, Lakers, Bulls
Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski will step down from his national team duties after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as he told Andy Katz of ESPN.com. The news is not surprising, since Krzyzewski had originally wanted to step away after the 2012 Games. He didn’t indicate a preference for any specific successor but said he’d like to see a coach experience with international competition step into the position.
“I think it’s time to move ahead. During the next season there will be a number of decisions made about the future of USA Basketball with Rio [the roster] and coaching,” Krzyzewski said to Katz. “There has to be a succession … a planned succession with really good people so we can keep the continuity of the program going.”
While we wait to see if the next USA Basketball coach has NBA ties, here’s the latest from around the league:
- At least other two teams have interest in James Ennis of the Heat, scouts have told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, which complicates matters for Miami as it debates keeping Ennis for opening night, when his non-guaranteed salary would become fully guaranteed, Winderman notes.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has said he believes his team has more assets it could throw into trades than it had last season, but people around the league are pessimistic on what the Lakers can offer, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. In any case, the Lakers player with the greatest trade value is D’Angelo Russell, according to the consensus of the insiders who spoke with Holmes.
- New Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t observed any tension between stars Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose and is confident they can mesh on the floor, as Hoiberg tells Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times recently heard from a source who said Butler was frustrated with the point guard’s approach to the game. “I think they’ve got a very good relationship and that’s from sitting down and talking to both of them individually, talking to them together,” Hoiberg said. “There’s no issue there. I think those two would be the first to tell you that everything that’s been reported out there is not true. I think it could be one of the most dynamic, best backcourts in the league. I think those two play very well off each other.”
Central Notes: Pistons, Bulls, Butler
While center Andre Drummond, shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and point guard Reggie Jackson are guaranteed starting spots, Marcus Morris, Ersan Ilyasova and Stanley Johnson are still fighting for the other two starting roles with the Pistons, Terry Foster of The Detroit News details. Each player has skills that make for a compelling argument, Foster writes, and no one seems to have the edge yet. Ilyasova can stretch the floor with his 3-point shot, Morris provides toughness and Johnson is quick in transition, Foster adds.
Here’s more out of the Central Division:
- Bulls rookie Bobby Portis is standing out early because of his confidence, rebounding ability and scoring touch, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes. Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg acknowledged it would be hard to envision a scenario where Portis isn’t given rotational minutes early in the season, Friedell adds. “I just think it’s his energy,” Hoiberg said. “Anybody that goes out and plays that hard every possession, good things generally happen and that’s exactly what Bobby has done.”
- Look for Jimmy Butler, who re-signed with the Bulls over the summer, to pick up his intensity on the court as the regular season draws near, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes. Butler, according to first-year coach Hoiberg, has been focused on getting his teammates more involved in a new system, Johnson adds.
And-Ones: Williams, Durant, Rose
Deron Williams, who signed a two-year deal with the Mavs, will miss at least the entire preseason — which ends Friday for Dallas — with a strained right calf, and his status for the season opener is unknown, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. Williams, as MacMahon points out, has yet to complete a full practice with his new team. An inability to stay healthy, of course, was a big reason for Williams’ decline while with the Nets. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including MacMahon, that there is no timetable yet for Williams’ return to the court.
Here’s more from around the league:
- There is not much reason for Kevin Durant to sign an extension with the Thunder that would guarantee him $70MM when he could instead wait until he becomes a free agent and potentially sign a contract guaranteeing him roughly $140MM because of his tenure and the expected rise in salary cap, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders opines in a detailed overview of the superstar’s options.
- Derrick Rose, in response to his comments he made on media day when he said that he’s already looking toward his next foray into free agency, said he is focused on winning a championship with the Bulls this season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets.
Central Notes: Jennings, Monroe, Bulls, Williams
The Pistons hope to have Brandon Jennings back by Christmas, according to Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. The point guard hasn’t played since rupturing his left Achilles in January, but coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said he is “doing about everything” in practice, which includes step-back jumpers, running hard forward and backward and making moves before shooting. However, Jennings hasn’t been in a competitive situation or done any defensive drills. “They’ve given us sort of Christmastime, sort of tentative, very general, though, before or after so I think there’s a reasonable chance he could play in a game before the first of the year,” Van Gundy said.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Several former Pistons teammates who also played for Milwaukee helped convince Greg Monroe to sign with the Bucks this summer, writes Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. Assisting Monroe in making his decision were Jennings, Caron Butler, Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton, whom Monroe had Thanksgiving dinner with last year. Middleton joked that he called or texted Monroe “every five minutes” to recruit him for Milwaukee.
- If the Bulls decide to go with a full roster of 15 players, Cristiano Felicio is a good bet to grab the final spot over Jordan Crawford, speculates K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The Brazilian center played on Chicago’s summer league team and is in camp on a non-guaranteed contract. Johnson believes he would be good insurance with Joakim Noah and maybe Pau Gasol becoming unrestricted free agents next summer.
- The offseason addition of Mo Williams, combined with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, gives the Cavaliers three of the toughest players in the NBA, according to Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group. “Nobody is going to punk me,” Williams said. “Nobody’s going to punk anybody who I stand with, so that’s just a motto that I have and I feel like my teammates should have that same motto.”
Eastern Notes: Sefolosha, Rose, Harrellson
While he was originally expected to be cleared to return to basketball activities this week, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is now going to miss the remainder of the preseason, and his availability for the regular season opener is also in doubt, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “They still want him to be a little bit careful just with the swelling, make sure his vision is back to where it was before he got hit, before they want him to get anything going on with his blood pressure spiking is how I understand it,” coach Fred Hoiberg said.
“So he’s probably at least a week away from that happening, from where he’s able to get out and work up a sweat, and then hopefully it’s full go from there to where we can get him out into some contact drills, get him back out there running our offense, and hopefully get him ready to play,” Hoiberg continued. “So I think it’s still yet to be determined if we’re going to have him for the opener. But the good news is he’s progressing, he’s getting better. His vision is getting better, and hopefully we’ll get him back soon.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- There was concern among Hawks officials who saw Thabo Sefolosha‘s X-rays regarding his basketball future after his incident involving the New York City police, for which he was recently cleared of any wrongdoing, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. The April scuffle left Sefolosha with a broken leg that prematurely ended his season and limited the Hawks in the playoffs, where Atlanta fell in the Eastern Conference Finals. Sefolosha, who is entering the second year of a three-year, $12MM contract, expects to be 100% recovered in time for the season.
- Josh Harrellson, who is signed to a non-guaranteed deal with the Wizards, believes his ticket to a regular season NBA roster spot is his ability to make three-pointers from the power forward position, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com writes. The 26-year-old credits former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni for helping him develop that part of his game, Michael adds. “I shot a lot of threes in my rookie year with D’Antoni because that’s how he played,” said Harrellson. “He spaced the floor with one big so he was the first coach to start playing that style. I thrived in that offense. How the NBA is going I think I can start thriving again.“
Bulls Waive Jake Anderson, Stefhon Hannah
The Bulls have waived point guards Jake Anderson and Stefhon Hannah, the team announced via a press release. Both players were in camp on non-guaranteed deals, so Chicago won’t be on the hook for any funds as a result of these moves. The Bulls’ roster count now stands at 17 players, including 13 with full guarantees.
Anderson, 28, began his professional career in the NBA D-League after going undrafted back in 2009. He spent 2014/15 with the Gateway Steam for the inaugural season of the Midwest Professional Basketball Association. In 21 games for the Steam Anderson averaged 16.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
The 6’1″ Hannah averaged 5.9 points, 2.1 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game in 22 D-League appearances last season, when he split time between the affiliates of the Kings and the Pistons. The 30-year-old had won back-to-back D-League Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013.
And-Ones: Malone, Draft, D-League, Amerileague
Michael Malone was an assistant coach on teams that featured LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Chris Paul, so he’s using that experience to draw the attention of rookie Emmanuel Mudiay, as Malone explains to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. The new Nuggets head coach is getting a second chance to lead a team after the Kings fired him this past December, and Malone reiterated his feeling that the turmoil Sacramento endured after his dismissal served to validate the work that he and his staff had done.
“By the end of it, I looked like John Wooden,” Malone said to Simmons.
Malone will seek to right a franchise that had its share of upheaval last season. See more from around NBA circles:
- UNLV is the latest school to organize a preseason showcase for NBA scouts, joining Kentucky and LSU, reports Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). A handful of UNLV players are drawing looks from NBA personnel, Borzello says, but only Stephen Zimmerman, a 7’0″ freshman center, appears in the top 100 prospects for 2016 that Jonathan Givony compiles for DraftExpress or on Chad Ford’s ESPN.com Big Board.
- The Timberwolves will speak with organizers in Omaha who say they’ve secured a commitment for a D-League franchise there at some point, but the Wolves would prefer their eventual one-to-one D-League affiliate be closer to Minneapolis, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. The Wolves are less likely to end up with a D-League affiliate in the near future than any team except the Bulls, opines Adam Johnson of D-League Digest. Johnson identifies the Hornets as the team most likely to have its own D-League team soon, probably by the 2016/17 season.
- The Amerileague, a startup domestic minor league with six teams, is handing out contracts worth as much as $50K per month, notes international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). That’s about twice as much as D-Leaguers in the top salary tier make for an entire season.
Cavs Lead With 16 Free Agent Signings
The Cavaliers have drawn plenty of attention the past few months for a free agent they haven’t signed, but even though Tristan Thompson lingers in free agency, Cleveland has taken care of more free agent business than any other team in the league during the 2015 offseason. They signed 16 free agents, three more than the Spurs, the team that recorded the next most free agent signings. The Cavs just made their latest signing this weekend, replacing Michael Dunigan with Dionte Christmas on the camp roster.
It might be easy to presume a direct correlation between free agent activity and success, given the teams at the very top and bottom of the list below. The Cavs and Spurs are strong bets to win their respective conferences this season, while the Jazz, Timberwolves and Sixers are nowhere near the title picture. The presence of the Warriors and Thunder on the bottom half of the list and the Kings and Nets close to the top debunk that theory, however. It has more to do with the fact that the Cavs had only four players signed for 2015/16 when they ended last season, while the Jazz had 13. Cleveland simply had more jobs to hand out.
Still, other factors are at play, since free agent signings don’t encompass draft picks, draft-and-stash signings, trades or waiver claims. The Trail Blazers made significant changes to their roster, but they did much of their work via trade instead of free agency. The Rockets had 10 players under contract on July 1st, but they still wound up making 11 free agent signings.
Here’s a look at the number of free agent signings for each team. Click the team’s name to see the names of each of their signees via our 2015 Free Agent Tracker.
- Cavaliers, 16
- Mavericks, 13
- Spurs, 13
- Kings, 12
- Knicks, 12
- Nets, 12
- Pelicans, 12
- Rockets, 11
- Clippers, 10
- Grizzlies, 10
- Suns, 10
- Heat, 9
- Pacers, 9
- Raptors, 9
- Bulls, 8
- Hawks, 8
- Magic, 8
- Wizards, 8
- Bucks, 7
- Celtics, 7
- Hornets, 7
- Lakers, 7
- Nuggets, 7
- Warriors, 7
- Pistons, 6
- Thunder, 6
- Trail Blazers, 6
- 76ers, 5
- Timberwolves, 5
- Jazz, 4
Top Bloggers: Jason Patt On The Bulls
Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors in a new feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow. Last time, we spoke with Ian Levy of Fansided’s Hardwood Paroxysm. Click here to see the entire Top Bloggers series.
Next up is Jason Patt, who is the Managing Editor of TodaysFastbreak.com and a contributor at SBNation’s Blog a Bull. You can follow Jason on Twitter at @Bulls_Jay and click here to check out his stories.
Hoops Rumors: The franchise is apparently banking on the coaching change from Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg making a big impact in the standings since the team’s roster is essentially intact from a season ago. Do you think the Bulls’ main impediment was Thibs’ system, or are there deeper personnel issues that the team should have addressed over the summer?
Jason Patt: While I anticipate “Hoiball” being a breath of fresh air for this group, it’s not totally fair to pin all of their problems on Thibs’ system. Thibs clearly had his flaws as a coach. He was stubborn. He had some maniacal tendencies with minutes/injuries. The offense too often got stagnant, especially during last year’s playoffs. It was clearly time to move on given those issues and the problems with management.
But the roster had/has its own problems as well. Joakim Noah was a shell of himself last season and has to show he can bounce back. Taj Gibson was playing hurt and is coming off surgery. Derrick Rose remains a question mark. The backup point-guard play was atrocious in the playoffs, and that’s an area that could be a problem this season. Instead of looking to upgrade the position, the Bulls opted to just roll with Aaron Brooks, Kirk Hinrich and E’Twaun Moore to fill that spot. Using Jimmy Butler as more of a point guard could be a solution to this, but it’s something to monitor.
Hoops Rumors: Even though Derrick Rose‘s latest injury was a fluke and can’t be blamed on the player, his durability will always be a concern for all involved with the franchise. With him not helping his cause among the team’s fan base when he said that he was looking forward to free agency in 2017, is it time for the Bulls to consider parting ways with the point guard? If so, what kind of market do you see for Rose’s services given his cap figure and injury concerns?
Jason Patt: I don’t think the Bulls will actively look to trade Derrick Rose, as there’s still some hope he can be a really good player moving forward. He may not be MVP Rose ever again, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he reaches All-Star level.
Hoops Rumors: The Bulls have a glut of power forwards on the roster, including 2015 first-rounder Bobby Portis. How do you see the team’s rotation at the four shaking out this season? Should the team consider dealing one of its power forwards, and if so, who should Chicago look to swap? Why take Portis when the team had other needs, like a backup point guard for instance?
Jason Patt: The Bobby Portis pick was an interesting one given the crowded frontcourt rotation, but I still liked it considering he was the consensus best player available there. He was viewed as a possible lottery pick who fell to 22, so it’s hard to pass that up. Plus, several guys in the frontcourt rotation (Jo/Taj/Pau) are injury prone and getting up there in age, so even though Portis is buried on the depth chart right now, I expect he’ll play at some point due to injuries.
As for how the rotation at the 4 shakes out, I’d love to see Nikola Mirotic start. It makes all the sense in the world considering Hoiberg’s system and the style of play they’ll be utilizing, but I’m not sure if Hoiberg is going to come in and send one of Gasol or Noah to the bench. There’s already been talk about using the Gasol/Noah duo again, so it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s how it starts. Then obviously both Niko and Gibson will get minutes as well, and we may unfortunately see Mirotic at the 3 just to get him on the court.
A way to alleviate some of this logjam would be to make a deal. Gibson’s name has come up in trade rumors, and while I’m a big fan of Taj, it’d behoove the Bulls to explore the market in order to add a wing. Mirotic is the 4 of the future anyway, and now with Portis on board, he could slide into Gibson’s spot in the rotation. While that’s a downgrade, the potential upgrade at the wing/backcourt could make up for it. There’s always the danger of trading Taj and then the other bigs getting hurt, but that’s a risk they may have to take. I don’t think anything will happen now, but depending on how things play out, look for something at the deadline.
Hoops Rumors: 2014 first-rounder Doug McDermott‘s rookie season was unspectacular, to put it nicely. Will he ever justify his status as a lottery pick as well as what the Bulls gave up to acquire his draft rights? How much will the arrival of Fred Hoiberg help/hurt McDermott’s development?
Jason Patt: Doug McDermott’s rookie season was an utter disaster. He was bad, then hurt and then benched. I thought Thibs could’ve given him more of a chance on the wing later in the year, especially with Hinrich offering nothing, but it’s not like Doug showed much in his limited minutes to earn that time.
Hoops Rumors: Jimmy Butler essentially parlayed one stellar season into a five-year, nearly maximum-salary contract that he inked this offseason. Will Butler live up to such a lofty deal, as well as all the expectations that come with the extra zeros on his paycheck? What do you see his stat line being this season under Hoiberg?
Jason Patt: There’s every reason to believe that Butler’s breakout campaign wasn’t a fluke. He’s one of the hardest workers in the league, and he spent all offseason refining his game and looking to improve. He’s trying to take on more of a leadership role this season, and as mentioned, look for him to take on more ball-handling responsibilities. We’ve already seen his improved playmaking in the preseason.
Hoops Rumors: There was quite a bit of talk two seasons ago, prior to Carmelo Anthony re-signing with the Knicks, that had Chicago as one of Melo’s preferred destinations. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, would the Bulls have been better off today if they had acquired Anthony? Keep in mind that the team would likely have had to part ways with a number of valuable assets to facilitate a sign-and-trade with the Knicks, of course.
Jason Patt: The Melo question is an interesting one, especially in light of his own knee problems and some questions about his star status. Some of it depends on what the Bulls actually would’ve had to give up. Losing Butler and Mirotic in a trade wouldn’t have seemed like a huge deal at the time, but knowing what we do now about everything, that would’ve been a terrible deal for the Bulls. And even if you get Melo without giving up Butler, Jimmy probably doesn’t break out like he does, and/or you have a weird dynamic with Rose/Butler/Melo. In the end, I think it’s OK the Bulls didn’t end up with Melo, although it certainly would be interesting to see how that would’ve turned out because he’s still one of the best scorers in the league.
Hoops Rumors: Finally, it’s crystal ball time. What is your best (educated) guess on how the Bulls will fare in 2015/16?
Jason Patt: Even with all their problems, the Bulls still won 50 games last year, and that same team is back with a refreshing new philosophy. I anticipate them being around that win total again and challenging for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Ultimately, I think they’ll again fall short in the postseason, likely to the Cleveland Cavaliers, although if things break right, the talent is there for a run to the NBA Finals.