John Paxson On Afternoon Saloon Recap
John Paxson appeared on Afternoon Saloon on ESPN 1000 to discuss the post trade deadline Bulls. Here is what was said in the interview:
Has had quite a few conversations with teams over the last few... Read More ...
According to Adrian Wojanarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Bulls will not give Tyrus Thomas a contract extension and allow him to become a free agent this offseason.
With no more contract extension talks planned with the Chicago Bulls, forward Tyrus Thomas(notes) will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, Yahoo! Sports has confirmed.
Bulls general manager Gar Forman and Thomas’ agent, Brian Elfus, had discussed broad parameters of a contract extension in recent months, but both sides said there won’t be any more talks prior to the Monday deadline.
This is pretty much the end of Tyrus Thomas as a Bull. I think there is a good chance that the Bulls don’t even extend the qualifying offer to Thomas next summer, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
I don’t think Thomas will be back with the Bulls next year. I think he will probably find a longerm contract somewhere around the MLE next summer as an unrestricted free agent.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Ben Gordon will become a member of the Detroit Pistons for $55 million over 5 years.
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.
The Chicago Bulls introduced James Johnson and Taj Gibson in a press conference today. Here is a rough recap of what was said during the press conference today.
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.
Chicago Bulls general manager, Gar Forman and head coach, Vinny Del Negro fielded questions from the media following the Bulls’ first round selections in the 2009 NBA Draft. Here is a recap of what each said.
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.
This year’s 63rd annual NBA draft holds a variety of options for the Bulls. Chicago currently has the advantage of two first round selections, No.16 and No. 26, on Thursday night. MOUTHPIECESPORTS personality Jillian Jesk has the story as Gar Forman discusses the evaluation process leading up to the draft and the different possibilities that may or may not be at stake.
June 2, 2009 – The Chicago Bulls announced today, that after 50 years of coaching, assistant coach Del Harris has elected to retire from basketball.
“I would like to thank Del Harris for all of his hard work and dedication this past season,” said Gar Forman, Chicago Bulls General Manager. “He has had a terrific career and we wish him the best in his retirement.”
Harris, 71, just completed his first season with the Bulls as an assistant on head coach Vinny Del Negro’s staff. He enjoyed success at every level in 50 years of coaching, including the NBA, collegiate, international and high school ranks. Harris began his NBA coaching career as an assistant with the Houston Rockets in 1976, and was a coach or scout/consultant in the NBA for 29 seasons – including 27 trips to the NBA Playoffs. His stints include: Houston (1976-83), Milwaukee (1983-91), L.A. Lakers (1994-98), Dallas (2000-08) and Chicago (2008-09). In 12 full seasons as a head coach, Harris compiled a 556-457 (.549) overall record with three different teams (L.A. Lakers – 1994-98, Milwaukee – 1987-91, Houston – 1979-83). Overall, he coached in 202 career playoff games (88 as a head coach), including an NBA Finals appearance in 1981 with the Rockets. Harris was the recipient of the 1995 NBA Coach of the Year Award with the Lakers, and joins Pat Riley and Phil Jackson as the only coaches in Los Angeles franchise history to register three consecutive 50-plus win seasons.
“I was very fortunate to have Del by my side this past season. His knowledge and understanding of the game were an incredible benefit and help,” said Vinny Del Negro, Chicago Bulls Head Coach. “He has had a tremendous and successful coaching career that is quite remarkable. In his 50 years of coaching, he has had such a positive impact on so many people’s lives on and off the court. I was truly thankful for his support and encouragement throughout last season. I can only wish Del and his family all the best.”
Jillian Jesk goes one-on-one with the Chicago Bulls general manager. Take a look at what Forman’s plans are for the off-season and whether or not re-signing unrestricted free agent Ben Gordon is his top priority.
