Jackson calls out Pierce

It's not just Phil.

Jackson questions Pierce's injury -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

BOSTONCHICAGO - Paul Pierce's dramatic return was compelling theater, one of those defining, Willis Reed-type moments.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who had front-row seats at both events, wasn't so impressed.

"If I'm not mistaken," a cynic and sarcastic Jackson said Friday, "I think Willis Reed missed a whole half and three quarters almost of a game and literally had to have a shot, a horse shot, three or four of them in his thigh to come back out and play. Paul got carried off and was back on his feet in a minute."

Nate Thurmond and Sidney Moncrief were on TV and made the same observation. Both thought Pierce's injury was high drama. You get hurt, you go to the bench. When you go to the locker room, you'd better be out.

Bulls *still* looking for New Coach.

This search is getting old.

Casey could push Collins aside for Bulls job

With a strong second interview this week, former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey may have jumped ahead of Doug Collins for consideration to become next head coach of the Bulls.

Tales of Two Cities

Ben Wallace is a Bull (real soon now) and whether this intra-division move is good or bad depends on how you measure value.

Detroit offered 48 M and the Bulls something like 60 M. Chicago won. Detroit did not budge on their offer.

Detroit says the Bulls overpaid for an aging and waning player. They'll retool knowing the NBA rules favor perimeter shooters, athletic slashers and pogo stick post players.

Chicago now has the tough center they needed to establish a post game and anchor their defense. They'll make a run at the title now, no more rebuilding or waiting.

Who is right?

We'll find out -- but remember this: Chicago blew up the aging Bulls championship team and retooled and drafted and retooled and drafted. It was a disaster. Why? They lost players who defined the team's tough character and it took three coaches and new GM to bring back the work ethic by assembling the right kind of players.

Chicago has that new NBA style team with slashing players, outside shooting and ball movement yet this modern style NBA team sought out old-school Ben Wallace.

Do not pAnIc!!!!

I think teams get close to being good or great and they identify a free agent who will make or break them. The guy is good and fills a need but multiple teams want him. A bidding war begins and the winner overpays; loaded with a large, long term contract. The team gets better but never best. After a few frustrating playoff losses, they blow up the team and start over.

It all beings with some needed piece and the GM panics.

John Paxson, Don't panic!

If the Bulls are eager to sign Joel Przybilla, they need to move quickly.
[...]
Przybilla ranks high on the Bulls' wish list. The Blazers want to
re-sign Przybilla but can offer him only the midlevel exception of
about $5 million because they are above the salary cap.

Show your respect

Free agency has begun. The Bulls will contact each available free agent in sequence, not according to priorities, but following the status of each professional player and his agent. Ben Wallace is the best big man available and then Harrington. Their Agents are under pressure to deliver so Paxson's call means he recognizes talent is available and the Agent has gotten the Bulls to show interest. Detroit's Ben Wallace may never sign elsewhere but there was interest in signing him from some top teams with available money. Someday his Agent will do Chicago a favor in return.

Source: Bulls targeting Wallace as top priority

A source close to the Bulls said the team has targeted Detroit big man Ben Wallace, 32, as its top priority. Wallace, an unrestricted free agent, was expected to be a lock to remain with the Pistons until he and coach Flip Saunders had a late-season falling out.

If the Bulls are unable to land Wallace, Atlanta forward Al Harrington (unrestricted) and Seattle power forward Chris Wilcox (restricted), 23, are next on the Bulls' list of front-court free agents.

Draft Comments

The draft is over but the new financial year (and trades) being July 1 and while teams and free agents can talk, signings must wait until July 12.

Contrast two teams: Chicago added two defensive forwards and a tall, defensive guard. Golden State added two young 7'0"+ Centers.

GSW will have to move one or more front court players given they have far too many to use but I don't see Chicago in the same situation. The Bulls can opt to not resign a few players - Harrington (PF) is a veteran but is aging and optional. Eddie Basden (G) and Livingston (F) are gone. These are three players the Bulls can cut to absorb their three new players. GSW will need to move some of their stockpiled talent at PF/C. They have too much invested in their players (or long term $$ contracts) to cut anyone without getting value for the player. GSW will be active in trade talks.

Free agent candidates for the Bulls are Darius Songalia (PF) (He elected to be a free agent but will be a re-sign priority) and Nazr M. or Joel P. (C) are priorities *if* they are not over-valued by other suitors. Paxson will not panic and over-bid for a player. GSW GM, Chirs Mullin already did panic last year -- he overbid to get Derek Fisher (PG) and overpaid to resign Foyle (C).

Draft: My Secret Admirer

Secret Admirer: Is Paxson hiding his interest in Bargnani? Say Toronto is thinking of trading down to pick him at #4 or #5 -- maybe Paxson is psyching out Colangelo. All this attention to Thomas and Aldridge maybe a smoke screen.
From the http://www.dailyherald.com:

No Berto for Bargnani: The Bulls will not be hosting Italy’s Andrea Bargnani at the Berto Center before the draft, even though his season ended Tuesday with Benetton Treviso winning the Italian league championship.

“My understanding is he’s going to New York to get a physical this weekend and if teams would like to see him, they can go and talk to him,” John Paxson said.

Paxson went on to say he doesn’t think he needs any more time with the 7-foot Bargnani, who averaged 11.6 points for Benetton during the Italian league regular season.

“I went over in January and saw him practice a couple times, saw him play a couple times,” Paxson said. “Just recently, (European scout) Ivica Dukan and (assistant coach) Ron Adams were over there for the Treviso big man camp and they spent some time with him. We feel very comfortable in knowing what we need to know about him.”

I have a hard time believing the Bulls will pick a project with the #16 but they do have cap space and Paxson has to think long term, and not only re-tool for the season. Here’s a project that isn’t capably of playing yet but could probably swat some NBA shots right away.

Bulls eye tall project: One player who has received some attention in the prelude to the NBA draft is Saer Sene, a 7-foot center from Senegal. His wingspan was measured at 7-8¨ at the Orlando predraft camp, with a standing reach of 9-5.
….
“We had him in and he’s a really intriguing kid,” John Paxson said. “I have confidence in our staff that we have the setup and the ability to help players become better.

“Those type of deals are a bit of a roll of the dice. But I know this for a fact: In the three years I’ve been here, there hasn’t been a kid walk through these doors that has the length that that kid has. So you have to look at it.”

Again, any team interested in Saer is going to leapfrog the Bulls at #16 *if* Paxson telegraphs his interest. Paxson is not telegraphing his preferences to anyone.

This upside-down draft and the following trades this summer will be very interesting.

NBA Draft 2006

NBA Draft 2006

Chicago Bulls will use both their #2 and #16 picks. Guessing who they pick is a crapshoot.

Their ideal #2 would be PF/C Aldridge over PF/SF Thomas but there’s an outside chance of Paxson picking SG Roy, or SF/PF Bargnani. Paxson has to keep his priorities secret or someone could trade up to #1 and get the player he’s targeting.

At #16 there’s no telling who will be available. Someone is going to fall and someone they need will be available. I say Paxson picks the best player available – the best asset. He can trade assets at a later date and if no favorable trade happens before the season, well Coach Skiles does use players with a deep rotation. All things being somewhat predicable, the Bulls will select the best two front court players available. Why? It's easier to trade a "big" for a "small". A promising, decent front court player is a better asset. John Paxson manages assets.

Paxson would avoid selecting a "project" player at #16 unless he demonstrated one NBA level skill, has a huge upside and drew a lot of interest.

Two New Bigs

We have two new bigs - Allen is 6-10 and Songaila and Harrington are 6-8.

ChicagoSports.com - Curry's role may fade: "
The team's long-term concerns about Curry and, to a lesser extent, the aging body of the soon-to-be 37-year-old Antonio Davis, were tackled with the off-season signings of Malik Allen and Darius Songaila and the re-signing of Othella Harrington."
...
"Davis did a nice job of it, making the 15-footer," coach Scott Skiles said last week. "We'll have big guys who can spread the floor. Hopefully, our perimeter game will be much improved. People will have to honor those guys more."

Knicks want Curry - Let 'em go

Let him go.

I sincerely think he's ill and worse - lazy and immature. Will he change? Someday, but the Knicks have former Bull Jamal Crawford and he's still shooting poorly and is questionable as a PG. We'll see what Larry Brown does with him.

ChicagoSports.com - Knicks continue to pursue Curry: "Curry has until 11:59 p.m. Monday to accept the Bulls' offer of $5.14 million for the upcoming season, preparations for which open Tuesday with the start of training camp workouts. Originally, the cutoff date for qualifying offers was Saturday, but it was changed to coincide with a weekday. The Bulls can extend the deadline further at their discretion.

A source close to the negotiations said the Knicks still are offering to send Tim Thomas and Michael Sweetney, which is unsatisfactory to Bulls general manager John Paxson. Contracts for Thomas and Sweetney, valued this season at $13.5 million and $2.1 million, respectively, expire next spring. Paxson is said to be seeking a draft pick.

It seems unlikely that the parties will reach an agreement."

Golden State signed 7-foot-1-inch center Deji Akindele of Chicago State.

Never heard of him.

ChicagoSports.com - Pargo accepts Bulls deal: "- Golden State signed 7-foot-1-inch center Deji Akindele of Chicago State. Last season as a sophomore he averaged 12.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks and was Mid-Continent Conference defensive player of the year."

Attorney: Curry won't take DNA test

It's war.
Curry is going to walk next year - so his lawyer sez.
Eddie should take the DNA test but his belief is the test is not reliable.
No test is.

Eddie isn't sure he has a heart condition.
He isn't sure he doesn't have one
Eddie wants a contract based on his potential, and assuming he is healthy.
He should accept the risk of illness himself and have a clause in his contract .
Eddie wants a full contract and if his heart is bad - he wants to keep all the money and effectively ruin a franchise for the duration of his contract.
Eddie needs to accept respoinsibility for his health.
Eddie should take the test or retire.

ChicagoSports.com - Attorney: Curry won't take DNA test: "

Paxson fell short of saying the Bulls will refuse to play Curry if he doesn't agree to be tested, but that's the direction the team appears ready to take, even though they have no intention of voiding his contract.

'We don't plan on failing him if he doesn't take it,' Paxson said. 'But I'm telling you that it's going to be very difficult for us to put him on the floor if he doesn't take it.'

If nothing else, Milstein offered clarity on Curry's future in the long term.

'The bottom line is that Eddy Curry will be playing for the Bulls this season and then for someone else,' he said."

Finally, Songaila signs with Bulls

What a favor!

Finally, Songaila signs with Bulls: Give an assist to the Sacramento Kings for helping the Bulls land forward Darius Songaila, who signed a two-year contract Thursday that will pay him $2.2 million this season.
...
"Closing the deal proved to be as complicated as agent Mark Bartelstein originally anticipated. Songaila was a restricted free agent, which gave the Kings -- who had their own salary-cap issues -- the right to match any offer sheet tendered to the 6-9, 248-pounder.

'We got Sacramento to rescind their qualifying offer, which made him unrestricted,'' Bartelstein said. 'It's kind of an unusual maneuver in this business. But [Kings operations chief] Geoff Petrie and I have a really good relationship, and Darius was really highly sought after. The first day of free agency, we probably had 15 teams that wanted to get him.''

Had Songaila been unrestricted from the start of free agency, Bartelstein suggested his client could have commanded a five-year deal worth up to $35 million."

Curry and the GS Warriors

I guess internal talks means talks within the GSW organization, around a table, with coffee and donuts but not making any follow-up phone calls or inquiries.

Finally, Songaila signs with Bulls: "NOTES: The Contra Costa Times reported that the Golden State Warriors have had 'internal'' talks concerning Bulls restricted free-agent center Eddy Curry, whose options have been limited by the heart troubles that sidelined him late last season.

Bulls GM John Paxson, however, said there was nothing new to report concerning Curry, who is expected to sign the Bulls' one-year, $5.14 million qualifying offer by the league's Oct. 1 deadline. Curry then would become an unrestricted free agent after the season."

Daily Herald | Chicago Bulls Notes

Daily Herald | Chicago Bulls Notes: "Negotiations between the Bulls and restricted free agent center Eddy Curry are already messy and may only get messier.

The team is exploring what options it has to require Curry to take a DNA test before practice begins Oct. 4, whether Curry eventually accepts the Bulls’ contract offer or signs the one-year qualifying offer worth $5.14 million.

“There’s new language in the collective bargaining agreement in terms of what we can do in a physical (exam),” Bulls general manager John Paxson said. “I can’t say anything beyond that.”
...
So far, Curry has refused to submit to a DNA test."

Curry had better hire a lawyer to look over the new collective bargaining agreement. If Paxson can require a DNA test then Curry has an all-or-nothing proposition. For the last three years, the Bulls paid for an underachieving, teenage center. There is no way Chicago owes him if he turns out unfit for the NBA. He has no claim to any support beyond the Bulls' qualifying offer for this year. What a dope.

ChicagoSports.com: Source: Knicks want Curry

The Kick's GM I.Thomas is playing a game. He knows Paxson will not let Curry go nor will Paxson commit to a long contract without knowing Curry's heart condition. Thomas also knows Curry's agent, Rose, is under pressure to produce an offer and that Curry is desperate for a deal. So Thomas floats an huge offer knowing Rose will run with it, Curry will want it and Paxson will stand tight. Thomas runs little risk of signing a sick Curry to this huge offer (or any) since Paxson has had no reason to sign and traded Curry this year. If Curry turns out healthy, he'll be on the market next year. Thomas can play the good guy next year, tell Curry he made a good faith offer and was willing to accept the risk when Paxson wasn't and also and blame Paxson for not taking the offer and hurting Curry. Thomas will try to land a healthy Curry next year but if Curry is ill, Thomas' offer is a fadded memory.

ChicagoSports.com: Source: Knicks want Curry: "Source: Knicks want Curry
Bulls won't budge on offer to center
By Marlen Garcia
Tribune staff reporter

September 18, 2005, 1:06 AM CDT

Eddy Curry's agent said Saturday he has found a team that is a willing buyer in a sign-and-trade for the Bulls' center. The agent, Leon Rose, declined to name the team, but sources familiar with the negotiations said it was the Knicks.

Bulls general manager John Paxson said he would not pursue the proposal, which Rose said he made about a week ago.

'Unless there's a deal out there I want to make, I'm not making it,' said Paxson, clearly angered by Rose's announcement. 'I'm not going to give Eddy Curry away.'

Worse for Curry, a three-year offer from the Bulls appears to be off the table, leaving him with only the one-year qualifying offer of $5.14 million.
"

Curry is desperate. His whole life is centered aroud BBall and he is entitled to the big bucks of an NBA center. This illness is unacceptable - Curry is in denial and will not get a definitive answer since mey be negative. Unfortunately, the Bulls own him this year so if he is sick, the Bull's offer is the best thing he'll ever see - it is three year's worth of money. Curry is too scared to take a DNA test so he is probably his best offer and hoping for it.

I'm also skeptical a healthy Curry is in any kind of shape to play this year. Curry is wishing away his future. Show up flabby and the first half of the season is lost. He best chance will be to pull it together and finish strong. NBA will be asked to make an large commitment on a guy who can't put together a single season after four long years.

Advice to Curry - Sign!

Dear Eddie;

We want you in Chicago and you will do well playing here. Pax and Skiles are offering you a chance to play for your home town team and fill a role. The GM and Coach both played BB and were respected for their hardnose play by two of the NBA's all time best - Jordan and Shaq.

If you are ill, you'll need the long term contract the Bulls are offering - it is the best offer you'll get without proving yourself. If you're not ill - you're healthy - then you were foolish for not taking a DNA test and putting doubts to rest. No long term offer is coming without proof you are healthy.

Sign with the Bulls. Pax gave Jason Williams a generous gift after he hurt himself riding a motorcycle he was not skilled enough to control. Rather than play hardball with Jason, Pax let him keep several million dollars and he didn't put Jason on the spot. Jason kept money and his good guy reputation.

Eddie, take their long term offer. Stop dreaming of mega bucks and settle for being a multimillionaire. Get in shape and play hard nose basketball. If it's an incentive laden contract then you have a fair chance to make big bucks if you're healthy.

Think this situation is unfair? Call Rick Brunson - he'll tell you to "never exhale."

We've got no chance

Babcock is Toronto's GM and he's made some controversial decisions - like giving up Vince Carter for next to nothing.

He thinks the team will not improve on last year's record and he's right.

Why is it stunning that he is so candid? I'm curious if the team will show promise or if the younger players are as problematic as last year's #1 BUST - Rafael Araujo who player 12 min a game averaging 3.3 points and 3 rebounds.

I want them to do well. I think Babcock isn't as stupid as his critics suggest.

SLAM! Sports - Basketball Toronto Raptors - We've got no chance: "Raptors fans may be shocked to learn that Rob Babcock does not see his team improving this season.

At least in terms of its won-loss record.

In a frank and rather stunning assessment, the Raptors general manager told the Toronto Sun yesterday he does not expect his club to improve on its 33-49 record from last season, given the influx of young players on the roster."

Curry seeking sign-and-trade

Eddie Curry day in the Chicago Press. Lots to read.

Bottom line for Eddie Curry is his heart - how dedicated he has been this offseason. If he is in shape for this fall then he'll eventually get what he wants. If he's out of shape for the preseason camp, he'll never get the kind of offer he wants.

ChicagoSports.com - Curry seeking sign-and-trade: "Meanwhile, questions continue to surface about Curry's weight and whether he's in shape. Earlier this summer he said he wasn't playing full-court because he didn't want to risk an injury while negotiating a contract. He has been drilling and lifting weights under the guidance of Tim Grover, Michael Jordan's former trainer."

One more note:
The guy blew it with Atlanta. They would have made him an offer Paxson probably would not have matched given everyone's concern over Eddie's possible heart condition. If Eddie had showed enthusiasm for Atlanta, they'd take the risk and sign him as a player who could turn their team around. He has that much potential if he were motivated to use his talent.

Sadly, Eddie left Atlanta early to attend a wedding and it it seems when he was there, he clearly didn't encourge them (or anyone else watching how he behaved) he was mature enough to take the risk to sign him. Eddie really is a big kid and he demonstarted that to the NBA when he left Atlanta early and his agnet had to explain it afterwards.

Eddie Curry has a heart problem, the one in his chest isn't the biggest problem.

Musing

This is "slow dance" time for the NBA.

Some significant free agents are still available and a teams have unmet needs but events unfold slowly as players and team match up based on priorities and salary cap. As players sign and teams spend cash, the pool of available players and salary cap space diminish and both free agents and teams move on and match up, often compromising on salary and expectations. Finley for example really did hold up a lot of teams from spending their mid-level exception. Now that he is gone, teams can spend that cash on other free agents. It is a slow process.

The Bulls haven't done much - relative to previous years and to other teams in their conference. They began with a good, young roster and are beefing up their front court looking for big men who can shoot - Bill Wennington style. They should improve and are hedging against Curry getting ill.

It's hard to integrate and sum the net effects of all the changes - mostly teams look like they improve but not every team can have a better record. It is a zero sum game.

Some guesses: The Pacers and Detroit will be tough this year. I'm guessing less so for the Pacers. Why? Gut feeling and the lack of old R. Miller.