Last August, I wrote about how the qualifying offer would be Gordon’s best bet. Here is an excerpt of that post:

Ben Gordon has little to lose taking the qualifying offer. He will only lose about $1.2 million next year if he takes the qualifying offer instead of the Bulls offer, which would be peanuts if he got the big extension he is looking for. If Carlos Boozer doesn’t opt out next summer, Gordon will be the top free agent on the market, so a big offer will likely come his way.

The Bulls need to start taking the Gordon situation more seriously, because if they continue to play hardball with him and end up disrespecting him, they will probably lose him to a conference rival next summer.

Carlos Boozer ended up opting out, and Ben Gordon became the top free agent on the market, and Gordon ended up being able to get the type of offer he was looking for.

Gordon also ended up going to a conference rival. I thought that the team that Gordon would end up with was the Miami Heat. Miami was projected to have some cap space this summer, which would allow them to make a lucrative offer to Gordon, but then the economic crisis happened, and instead of the salary cap growing to a little over $61 million, as projected, it ended up shrinking, leaving Miami with insufficient cap space to be competitive in signing Gordon. Once it became clear that Miami wouldn’t have significant cap space this summer, Riley took on the salary commitment of Jermaine O’neal for the 2008-2009 season. If the salary cap grew as expected, I think we would be talking about how Gordon signed with the Heat right now.

Detroit was somewhat similar to Miami, in that they got to witness Gordon stick it to their team first hand. In the 2007 playoffs, Gordon was phenomenal in the series against Miami, averaging 25.5 points and 5.5 assists per a game, leading the Bulls over the Heat in sweeping fashion. Similarly, the Pistons got to witness their demise at the hands of Gordon.

In November, Gordon had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists against the Pistons, in a 104-98 Bulls loss. Back in February, on Johnny Red Kerr night, Ben Gordon scored 24 points and hit the four point game winner, giving the Bulls a 107-102 victory over the Pistons. In March, Gordon had 19 points and 6 assists against the Pistons. In April, Ben Gordon scored 19 points against the Pistons against, hitting the game winning layup for the Bulls in a 91-88 victory. With that loss, the Pistons were locked into the eighth seed, and their fate to face a very tough Cleveland team.

Teams remember guys who routinely torch them (Miami) or hit multiple game winners against them (New York, Detroit).

In September, I did a little statistical analysis using some of Gordon’s splits to determine whether the qualifying offer was a good idea for Gordon, coming to the verdict that yes, Gordon should take the qualifying offer.

A premise I used in that post was that a player’s value is largely determined by the base number in their PPG. Gordon’s base number of his PPG was 20. Here is what I wrote for the scoring tier Gordon ended up in last year:

Slightly Increases Value (20-21 PPG) - 30.2%

Ben Gordon has a pretty good chance to slightly improve his value. This would essentially mean returning to 2006-2007 form for Gordon. In the 2007 offseason, John Paxson offered Ben Gordon a contract worth $10 million a year. John Paxson thinks with extensions, players should take a pay cut for longterm security, so in reality, Paxson probably truly valued Gordon at around $11-12 million. If Gordon reaches this level, he should be making anywhere from Monta Ellis money ($66 million / 6 years) to Luol Deng money ($71 million / 6 years)

I predicted that if Gordon reached this scoring tier, he would be making $11 million a year to just under $12 million a year.

I don’t quite understand the Bulls fans are shocked that the Pistons offered Ben Gordon $11 million per a year. I think too many Bulls fans had this warped view of Gordon’s value, that was based on the Bulls’ organizations lowballing of Gordon last summer, and writers like Sam Smith and K.C. Johnson saying that Gordon is only worth around $8 million per a year.

$11 million a year is what 20 point scorers get in the NBA. It should come as no surprise that this is what Gordon ended up receiving.

As for the final result, Gordon leaving the Bulls, I think most Bulls fans thought it would end this way. I wrote on the eve of Gordon’s free agency that Ben Gordon should remain with the Bulls, as in it would be the correct basketball move for the Bulls to keep him, but that it was very likely that he wouldn’t. Jerry Reinsdorf seemed to dislike Gordon, and Reinsdorf is a cheap owner, who wasn’t going to go into the luxury tax, because it would lessen his massive profits. The end result was very predictable, in fact, predicted by most.

• He is happy about the situation he’s going into.  Joe Dumars is really focused on winning and his priority is winning a championship.  That’s also Ben’s main goal as a player.
• He first knew he was going to sign with the Pistons right after he met with Dumars.  Dumars exuded winning, and everything he talked about was building a team to win a championship.  Dumars convinced Ben pretty easily to sign, and it was a no brainer to sign with the Pistons.
• The Bulls didn’t pursue him at all, they didn’t even make an offer.  It was pretty much a one team race.
• On whether the Bulls were lying when they said it was a top priority to re-sign him, Ben said that it is what it is.  There was no offer made.  You have to put it together.
• He felt that he always got a lot of love and respect from the fans that really followed the games.  When walking down the street, people always showed him love.
• The fans were real.  If you were messing up, they’d tell you.  If you were doing good, they’d tell you.  Coming from New York, he really appreciated that.
• As far as the organization giving him respect, he really doesn’t know what they thought of him.  But when you go through the negotiations he’s gone through, the writing is kind of on the wall.
• He thought him and Derrick Rose played well together.  He thought their games were pretty different and that they played well off of each other.
• Moving forward with the Pistons, Dumars wanted to create that three guard offense that they had back in the Bad Boys days with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson.  Ben thinks that Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton, and himself are no Isiah, Dumars, and Microwave, but anytime you have three guards of the caliber the Pistons now have, it’s a tough matchup for other teams.
• He was joking about how cool it would be to have Jim Calhoun come and be the coach, as the Pistons have so many UConn guys.
• It’s not really weird signing with a team without a coach.  In the past, the Pistons have had coaching changes, but were still always winning.  He thinks that it’s about the way the teams are put together and the basketball environment there that is most responsible for the Pistons success.  He thinks that they will obviously end up with a good coach, but thinks it’s about the players that are there, the expectations they put on themselves and the way they perform every night.  He thinks they are going to win regardless of the coach.
• He is not sure whether Vinny will last the entire season as the Bulls coach.  He hopes Vinny does well and can be the coach for the entire season.
• He supported Vinny.  He was understanding that it was Vinny’s first head coaching job, and that Vinny had a lot of room for improvement.  But Vinny showed a willingness to learn and try to get better.  He never had any problems with Vinny and never disliked him.
• He just wants all the fans to know that he genuinely loved them all.  The fans supported him through the ups and downs.  He always loved playing in Chicago.

The Detroit Pistons have reached agreement with free-agent guard Ben Gordon(notes) on a five-year contract worth around $55 million, a source with knowledge of the talks told Yahoo! Sports Wednesday evening.

Well, looks like the Bulls are going back to the lottery next season. The Bulls lost their best player and will suck next year.

Everytime John Paxson and Gar Forman said that the Bulls would like to have Ben Gordon back, they were lying. $11 million a year is a reasonable amount for Ben Gordon, you had to expect he would want something in that neighborhood. Although those two are not to blame, they were just lying for their boss.

This move all comes down to Jerry Reinsdorf. All he cares about is his how much money he can make, he doesn’t care about winning. The man is a disgrace of an owner for letting the Bulls’ best player walk. Unless the Bulls can get lucky in the lottery and land another superstar potential player in the draft, as they did a year ago with Rose, they will be unlikely to compete for a championship for awhile.

Today is a big setback for the team on the court. They will suck next.

Ben Gordon looks to cash in big, as he is coming off a big 2008-2009 season, and is the top free agent of the 2009 free agent class.

Last summer, Gordon agreed to sign the Bulls $54 million over 6 year deal, but the owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, refused to let him sign the deal, so Gordon signed the one year qualifying offer, which made him an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Gordon’s competition for dollars decreased today, as Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur of the Utah Jazz both opted into their contracts for next year, as did Kobe Bryant. The Pistons, one of the teams with cap space, had interest in Boozer.

The Pistons are said to be in hot pursuit of Gordon, and appear set to offer Ben Gordon at least an $11 million a year contract.

Oklahoma City and Portland are other teams with cap space that could become possible landing spots, but unless Portland waives Steve Blake and/or Travis Outlaw, it would need to be a sign and trade. The Knicks and Heat both tried to sign Gordon last summer, but were nixed in sign and trade deals by the Bulls.

In a matter of days, hours, possibly minutes, Ben Gordon may no longer be a Chicago Bull. It still comes down to the fundamental question, and that is, are the Bulls willing to pay Ben Gordon what he is worth?

According to Chris Broussard, Ben Gordon would re-sign with the Bulls if the offers are similar. The Bulls should go ahead and match the Pistons offer, as $11 million a year is a reasonable contract for a team’s top scorer.

No matter what happens with Gordon, Bulls fans should appreciate what he did here. He has been the best player on the Bulls since Michael Jordan retired.

At the end of this process, Ben Gordon should be a Bull, but it is very likely that he will not. The Bulls’ ownership group, led by Jerry Reinsdorf, has been more profit driven than winning driven. The Bulls have been the most profitable team in the NBA for over a decade, yet they’re still grasping at the luxury tax as being a barrier for their spending.

It’s time for Jerry Reinsdorf to start acting like he is the owner of a big market team, and re-sign Ben Gordon for what he is worth.

Broussard said that the Pistons like Ben Gordon and that he is high on their radar. Gordon is telling people close to him that he thinks the Pistons will offer him $11 million a year. Gordon wants to stay in Chicago. As long as they’re offering him anything close to what the Pistons are offering him, he will stay in Chicago.

This news is great. Chicago’s outlook to becoming a great team looks a lot better than Detroit’s, and Chicago is a much nicer city than Detroit. Gordon will also not have to deal with the process of moving to another city and re-situating himself.

The Bulls should offer Gordon something in that ball park. That’s a $2 million more a year than they offered Gordon last year, but it’s not an exorbitant amount for a player of Gordon’s caliber.

Gar Forman: We are very excited about how things turned out.  Think with both players there is great versatility, both for the roster, but also as far as their games are concerned.  James can play inside and outside.  He can play at the 3 and the 4.  Taj is a skill player, who brings length and activity to the floor that will really help us.

James Johnson: Chicago is a great city, going to be happy to play here.  They’re a great young team.  Going to be fun running with Derrick and the rest of the guys.

Taj Gibson: I feel the same way.  I’m blessed to be here, a great city, a great team.  Looking forward to filling any need the team has, looking forward to the season.

Reporter: Do you liken yourself to anyone in particular or the kind of style of play?

James Johnson: I watch everyone.  I have a couple guys, inside and out.  Try to take everyone’s game who makes great moves, and make them in my game.

Reporter: You said before that you feel more comfortable at the 3 spot, is that accurate?

James Johnson: Yes sir.

Reporter: Gar’s talked about your flexibility to play multiple positions.  Where do you think you fit in better offensively, at the 3 or 4?

James Johnson: I like the 3.  I ran the point in high school, but Wake Forest needed a 4, so that’s what I did.  Whether I play the 3 or the 4, it’s a great honor to play for the Bulls.

Reporter: What was it like growing up in Cheyenne, Wyoming?

James Johnson: I never played AAU basketball until 11th grade.  Great competition there.  There’s some great players out there that helped blossom my game.

Reporter: What do you know about Derrick Rose?  How about the fact that you will get to play with him now?

Taj Gibson: I think that he’s a phenomenal player, getting to watch him on film and play against him my sophomore year.  Looking forward for the chance to workout with him and get a good feel with the game.

Reporter: I know you have martial arts background.  Was that part of your training leading up to the draft and how has that helped you leading up to this point?

James Johnson: No, it was more of basketball.  I think it helped my footwork out a lot.  You’re always on your toes a lot when you’re fighting.

Reporter: Taj, I noticed you’re from Brooklyn.  Do you think you were drafted because the owner is from Brooklyn.

(No response from Taj after ughs and umms).

Reporter: Did Tim Floyd tell you anything about this organization, about the Bulls, in preparation to coming here?

Taj Gibson: Since we had two coaches, who previously coached the Bulls, we always heard stories, good and bad.  Teaching us about the game, about the NBA swing of things.  Coach Floyd loved the city of Chicago.  Floyd always talked about the Chicago Bulls, how they prepared, preparation for games.  Phil Johnson couldn’t even believe I was drafted to the Bulls.

Reporter: Taj, describe your offensive game.  What can you accomplish at the next level offensively?

Taj Gibson: I’m a really active player.  I have good hands.  I’ve always filled a need for a team.  If I can score, I can score.  When it’s the time to score, I score.  I don’t shy away from offense.  I love to come into a situation and learn, and I’m a quick learner.

Reporter: You had an interesting high school background, a bit of an odyssey, you’re a bit older for a college senior.  Do you think that maturity helped you as you make the transition to the NBA.

Taj Gibson: Yeah, it helped me out a lot.  I was able to weather the storm, learn from great coaches.  I cannot say how much I’m blessed to be here with the Bulls.  Long hard road with high school and college.  Looking forward to the challenge of the NBA.

Reporter: Did you have a sense of where you might go, what teams you thought you would be at, compared to where you ended up?

James Johnson: I didn’t know where I would end up.  I got my name called by the Bulls, a couple of my friends had on Bulls jerseys, and one of them had a hat, and I put it on after they called me.  I feel good coming here.  Great team, they transition well and I like to run.

Reporter: Does playing for the organization where Jordan played, is that intimidating, how do you look at coming into a situation like that?

Taj Gibson: I’m looking forward to it, that Michael Jordan played in the same building, wore the same jersey as you.  I can’t wait to get into practice and learn from the guys who’ve been here.  Met Mr. Paxson, talked to him about his great shooting ability.  It’s a dream come true to be a Bull.

Reporter: The only name that James mentioned, we were talking about numbers, he wanted to wear #5, but he thought it was retired when John Paxson retired.

James Johnson: I don’t think it should be.

Reporter: James, how about on the court.  Can you talk about how you see yourself coming in contributing?  Where will you help the team?  You said you like to run, this team likes to run.  Please talk a little more about that.

James Johnson: I’m going to come in early, get situated, trying to work on my game a lot more.  Hopefully if I’m able and blessed to be in the rotation, I will.  If not, I’m going to be a great practice player and work myself onto the floor, and that is when I will call myself a pro.

Reporter: How much did you guys know each other before this draft process?

Taj Gibson: We run into each other a lot in L.A., because L.A. is a place where a lot of guys tend to workout pre-draft.  Always saw him in the elevator at the Chicago combine.  He’s a funny guy.

Reporter: When did you guys first talk after being drafted together?

Taj Gibson: Honestly, today.

James Johnson:  (Laughing) Shit…shit.

Reporter: James, you have eight brothers and sisters, right?

James Johnson: Yeah.

Reporter: And your father obviously played a big role in your rise through college.  How did your family help you become a better player?

James Johnson: Older brothers wouldn’t let you quit or get away with anything.  Losing wasn’t an option.  Grew up getting toughed up, roughed up, hating to lose.  That’s how we all were, we’re all competitive.  Everyday, playing basketball or fighting, we went hard at it, and we made each other better at everything we did.  I’m just blessed to have that many brothers and one sister.

Reporter: James, after the loss to Cleveland State, Dino Gaudio said a few times that he felt the three of you should come back for another year, and need another year before going to the NBA.  Your decision seemed to evolve rather quickly in regards to entering the draft, what went into your decision?

James Johnson: Moving on.  I was hurt after that loss, a lot of us were.  I just wanted to move on, play for a bigger team, have a different team, have a change of heart.  I knew my skills were okay enough.  Coming into this draft, I thought I was supposed to be 2nd round.  Just working hard, working out for teams, going at everyone they had in front of me was just my goal.  Getting picked 16 is a great feeling.

Reporter: James, do you consider yourself a late bloomer in basketball?  Do you feel like you probably still have a long way to go?

James Johnson: Of course.  I don’t think my game is ever going to stop growing.  I always like to learn.  I learned a new thing from a 5th grader, he had a nice crossover that worked.  I’ll take it.  Every time I see a move I like, I work on it, and try to put it in my game.  I don’t think my game will ever stop growing.

Reporter: One of the things we saw with a lot of the successful teams in the playoffs, they had a lot of forwards or big guys handling the ball, making the plays at ends of game.  Turkoglu with Orlando, obviously Lebron James.  Do you see yourself able to do these kinds of things?  you played point guard in high school, handled the ball a lot.  Could you see yourself in that role where a team can run an offense through you at that point?

James Johnson: They already got a great floor general, Derrick Rose is a great floor general.  If I get a rebound and I go, or if I push the fast break, then that’s what the coach wants me to do.  If they want me to pull it down and outlet to Derrick Rose, that’s what I’m going to do.  Hopefully I can work my ways to where the coaches trust me enough to do something like that, so I can run the offense and come off screen and rolls.

Reporter: Gar, you mentioned in scouting James, you mentioned that sometimes he grabbed a rebound, took it coast to coast in transition.  I know Vinny’s the coach, but do you envision him maybe handling the ball in full court at times.

Gar Forman: I don’t know if it will be in full court, because we do use the outlet to Derrick and want to push it in Derrick.  Maybe there are situations where he would.  I think it’s something he’s capable of doing.  One of the things that impressed us when scouting him is that he can make plays off the dribble.  If it’s not in transition in full court, it may be in the half court.  We saw him penetrate into the lane either dish to bigs or kick to shooters in the corner.  He’s versatile enough to do that, which is a real positive.  In today’s game, when you got a guy like James, 6′8″, 250, on the perimeter you’re not really allowed to have much physical contact.  To have a guy like that, it gives you versatility in how you can attack a defense.  In the way we play a lot of pick and roll and how we space the floor, James will have some opportunities to do that.

Reporter: Are you aware that Scottie Pippen was a point guard in high school, and sort of grew into that small forward role with the Bulls, and ended up doing a lot of ball handling.

James: I wasn’t.

Reporter: Taj, some people were surprised at how high you were picked.  I wonder if you were surprised, and what would you say to people who may have some doubts.

Taj Gibson: I only can say I really worked hard.  I went against a lot of the top players.  I fought really hard.  I just worked my way through, nothing was given to me.  For me to stand out there is a blessing.  The coaches throughout many teams told me the way I’m working, there’s going to be something good out there at the end of the road.  It turned out to be the Bulls.  For those who have doubts, I will show them when the season comes if I can get the opportunity.  Until then, I’m just going to work hard in practice, in the facilities, and get better.  This whole process is about getting better and helping the team win games.  If I have to workout in practice or just be a good teammate off the court, I’ll do that.

Reporter: Taj, I remember at the combine you talked about how disappointed you were that the groin injury sidelines you from the first workout.  Were you confident that the Bulls would bring you back for a second workout, and how did that workout go in your opinion?

Taj Gibson: I didn’t really know, because when I pulled my groin, it kind of put me down there.  I was really working hard.  When they called me back, it was a good thing.  I was shocked when I came back, because at first they had me with a bunch of 7 footers.  Then when they had me back the second time, they had me with a bunch of wings.  It was a good experience and I’m looking forward to more good experiences.

Reporter: James, there is some talk about your martial arts and kick boxing, and that you would beat everyone up on the court.  But you suggested before it helped you with balance and a lot of things involving basketball.  What does that help, what can that help you with?

James Johnson: I’m flexible.  A lot of the positions in the martial arts are the same positions as basketball.  Like the defensive stance, you have to slide to kick, slide to jab.  That helps my push off.  It also helps me with discipline.  I’m not going to beat everyone up on the court because I can.  If I get fouled, I’ll go to the free throw line, that’s it.

Reporter: But you could?

James Johnson: Probably so.

Reporter: How else mentally, psychologically has it shaped you and how does it help you in basketball.

James Johnson: It’s a lot of training.  You have to wanna compete, you gotta wanna work harder than the next person.  The same thing with basketball, the only difference is you have a team in basketball.  Fighting, you’re the only one in the ring, if you get beat, you’re the only one that gets beat.  So you learn how to prepare to win for yourself, and then expect everyone else to prepare the same way.

James Johnson: (Whispering to Taj Gibson) I hope this is for you.

Reporter: James, just so we’re not misstating any part of your biography.  Weren’t you born in Oceanside, and was your dad still in the marines, was he at Camp Hamilton at the time?

James Johnson: Yes sir, I was born in Oceanside, California.  Father in the marines, went to Camp Hamiltion, that’s where he met my mother.  Couple years there, 8 years there, going back to Cheyenne, and back to California during the summer time.

Reporter: And in Cheyenne, didn’t you also play football too?

James Johnson: Yes sir.

Reporter: You were a wide receiver?

James Johnson: Yes sir.

Reporter: You led your team in receptions your last two years?

James Johnson: Yes sir.

Reporter: So between football, martial arts, and basketball, what else did you do out there?

James Johnson: Golf.

Faiz in Chicago, IL:
Will the Bulls make a trade this offseason? or will they stay the same? what about Ben Gordon? Please tell me some good news, i dont want the same mediocre team.

Bill Ingram:
Ben will be back . . .and they’ll move one of their front court players to help make that happen.

I can’t see the Bulls doing a salary dump of Tyrus Thomas, given how much hard work he has been putting in this offseason.

That means that Jerome James and Tim Thomas would be the logical targets for the Bulls to be trying to move, to make room for Gordon’s contract financially. If the Bulls sweeten the deal with future draft picks, the rights to Mario Austin or Omer Asik, and cash considerations, a deal might be able to be made.

The draft! I keep getting the question “what’s up with the two forwards?” Let me say this, I’m the starting power forward and I don’t plan on playing anywhere but Chicago. Some may say I’m arrogant, or full of myself, some may even say I’m crazy! I’m just giving yall the truth.

Tyrus definitely should be the starting power forward on the Bull, given that he will be a fourth year player, while James Johnson will only be a rookie. Thomas had an alright season last year, averaging 10.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.2 SPG, and 1.9 BPG. He started the playoffs strong, hitting the clutch shots in Game 1, but disappeared for the rest of the series.

Thomas is certainly putting in the work to improve as a player. According to Gar Forman, he’s in the gym early, shooting at 6 A.M. and doing strength work at 10 A.M. To become a really good player, Thomas will need to improve on finishing through contact and also get stronger, so he doesn’t get pushed out of the way in the lowpost.

Thomas has shown signs of being a very good player in this league. Now it’s just a matter of being that very good player on a consistent basis.

There is nothing arrogant or crazy about Thomas’ declaration. He should be the starting power forward for the Bulls next season.

Gar Forman

• They targeted James Johnson during the season.
• It was a consensus among their staff that James was a top 5-7 player in the draft.
• They love his versatility.  He can play the 3 and the 4.  He can play inside and outside.  At his size, 6′8″ 250 pounds, he can put the ball on the floor, rebound, push it out in transition, and penetrate.  He’s a very good passer for a big man and can make plays for both himself and teammates off the dribble.
• They got to see him for three straight days at a tournament in Anaheim, in which he showed an effective post game.
• They had talks with teams the last week about moving up in the draft, and James was the guy who they were targeting to move up and get.  They were really excited that he was there at 16.
• Taj Gibson is also a versatile guy.  He has great length.  He’s 6′10″ with a 7′4″ wingspan.  He runs the floor, which is important for the Bulls’ bigs to do with Derrick.  USC ran a lot of their offense through him.  He can make a 15 footer.  He plays extremely hard.  They were surprised that he was there at 26, as they heard he might be taken in the late teens or early twenties.
• It was a funny draft.  If certain guys went at certain spots, the whole order could be different.  The first 6-7, maybe 8 picks were set in stone.  After that, the same guy that went 9th could go 20th.
• James and Tyrus are nice complements.  James, in certain matchups, could guard inside and out.
• Taj’s versatility and ability to move his feet was something they liked.  In the Pac-10 Championship game, Arizona State ran high pick and rolls for James Harden.  USC switched Taj onto Harden.  Taj was able to stay with Harden off the dribble and contest the shot with his length.
• They talked to pretty much every team in the league, and talked to Phoenix about a couple of scenarios.
• The coach of Wake Forest said that James would compete everyday in practice and would compete during games.
• Thinks that both will have an opportunity to play right away.  They will have to go out and earn it.  Up to them to come in and earn minutes.
• It was surprising that Dejuan Blair is falling this far, because he is a very effective player.  He’s a big rebounder, and if you look historically, rebounding translated to the NBA.  He is surprised that Blair hadn’t been picked yet.
• There was a conversation about picking Blair at both picks.  When at 13, they were eyeing James Johnson, but making plans in case Johnson went 14 or 15.  Taj was also in the discussions at 16.
• They approached the draft by itself.  He would like to address certain needs, but when you’re drafting as deep as the Bulls were, more times than not you’re going to draft hte best player available.
• You have to wait 3 or 4 years to grade the draft.  If they knew this would be the outcome of the draft at the beginning, they would have taken it from the get go.  Only time will tell, but he thinks both are NBA players.
• James is kind of unique because for a guy that size he can handle it, crossing guys over, which is pretty unique.
• He felt they were close to moving up a couple of times.  As the draft got under way, they thought they were real close to one deal moving up, but when it got closer to their pick, they couldn’t get over the hump.
• There aren’t a lot of true lowpost scorers.  Usually when a team gets one, they don’t let him go.  There is only a handful of them, they’re almost a dying breed.  If they could ever find one, they would try to get one.  Even in this draft, he doesn’t think there is anyone who you can pinpoint as a true lowpost scorer.
• They will address free agency on July 1.  They will continue to have conversations with teams.  They’re always looking to get better.  At the same time, they’re always looking at short term needs and longterm flexibility.  They’re going to have some flexibility down the road as far as free agency is concerned.
• They will look at addressing backcourt depth in July.  They have a plan in place and a contingency plan as things move.  When July 1 hits, it’s they’re hope that Ben Gordon remains a Chicago Bull.
• They really like James.  They went out to dinner with him and he’s very personable.
• His dad was like a 9 time world champion in martial arts.  James is something like 21-0 when doing marital arts.  Forman doesn’t think that James is doing martial arts anymore, and if he is, they’re putting a clause in his contract that says he won’t be.  The staff at Wake Forest said that his martial arts training has really helped him in basketball with core strength and flexibility.
• There weren’t a lot of surprises.  Pretty much went the way they thought it would.  Surprised that Blair lasted to the second round, and that B.J. Mullens, a guy who they think has a really big future, lasted as long as he did.
• Chase Budinger is a very good player, who has positional size and can shoot the basketball.  Thinks he will be a very good NBA player.
• Point guard was probably the strongest position in this draft.

Vinny Del Negro

• James Johnson has a lot of skill and can do a little bit of everything.
• Taj gives them length, he can block shots, and runs the floor.
• Taj shot the ball a little big better in the workout than they expected.
• Taj can get out and guard different guys.  James can guard some threes and fours with his size and strength.
• He doesn’t think there will be any problem with their work ethic.  The staff will guide them in the right way.  Then they will have to go out and earn minutes.  There will be minutes to earn if they work hard enough, because Vinny knows they’re talented enough.
• He expects the Bulls to get better defensively, becuase they need to.  It’s easy to talk about getting better defensively, but it takes time to do.  The defense is going to be a big focal point, more so this year than last.
• He feels strongly that they can score the basketball, especially after the trade.  Adding these two pieces just adds more depth.